Task Offloading and Resource Allocation in NOMA-VEC:A Multi-Agent Deep Graph Reinforcement Learning Algorithm

Vehicular edge computing(VEC)is emerging as a promising solution paradigm to meet the requirements of compute-intensive applications in internet of vehicle(IoV).Non-orthogonal multiple access(NOMA)has advantages in improving spectrum efficiency and dealing with bandwidth scarcity and cost.It is an encouraging progress combining VEC and NOMA.In this paper,we jointly optimize task offloading decision and resource allocation to maximize the service utility of the NOMA-VEC system.To solve the optimization problem,we propose a multiagent deep graph reinforcement learning algorithm.The algorithm extracts the topological features and relationship information between agents from the system state as observations,outputs task offloading decision and resource allocation simultaneously with local policy network,which is updated by a local learner.Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed method achieves a 1.52%∼5.80%improvement compared with the benchmark algorithms in system service utility.

MADDPG-D2: An Intelligent Dynamic Task Allocation Algorithm Based on Multi-Agent Architecture Driven by Prior Knowledge

Aiming at the problems of low solution accuracy and high decision pressure when facing large-scale dynamic task allocation(DTA)and high-dimensional decision space with single agent,this paper combines the deep reinforce-ment learning(DRL)theory and an improved Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient(MADDPG-D2)algorithm with a dual experience replay pool and a dual noise based on multi-agent architecture is proposed to improve the efficiency of DTA.The algorithm is based on the traditional Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient(MADDPG)algorithm,and considers the introduction of a double noise mechanism to increase the action exploration space in the early stage of the algorithm,and the introduction of a double experience pool to improve the data utilization rate;at the same time,in order to accelerate the training speed and efficiency of the agents,and to solve the cold-start problem of the training,the a priori knowledge technology is applied to the training of the algorithm.Finally,the MADDPG-D2 algorithm is compared and analyzed based on the digital battlefield of ground and air confrontation.The experimental results show that the agents trained by the MADDPG-D2 algorithm have higher win rates and average rewards,can utilize the resources more reasonably,and better solve the problem of the traditional single agent algorithms facing the difficulty of solving the problem in the high-dimensional decision space.The MADDPG-D2 algorithm based on multi-agent architecture proposed in this paper has certain superiority and rationality in DTA.

A Multi-Task Deep Learning Framework for Simultaneous Detection of Thoracic Pathology through Image Classification

Thoracic diseases pose significant risks to an individual's chest health and are among the most perilous medical diseases. They can impact either one or both lungs, which leads to a severe impairment of a person’s ability to breathe normally. Some notable examples of such diseases encompass pneumonia, lung cancer, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), tuberculosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Consequently, early and precise detection of these diseases is paramount during the diagnostic process. Traditionally, the primary methods employed for the detection involve the use of X-ray imaging or computed tomography (CT) scans. Nevertheless, due to the scarcity of proficient radiologists and the inherent similarities between these diseases, the accuracy of detection can be compromised, leading to imprecise or erroneous results. To address this challenge, scientists have turned to computer-based solutions, aiming for swift and accurate diagnoses. The primary objective of this study is to develop two machine learning models, utilizing single-task and multi-task learning frameworks, to enhance classification accuracy. Within the multi-task learning architecture, two principal approaches exist soft parameter sharing and hard parameter sharing. Consequently, this research adopts a multi-task deep learning approach that leverages CNNs to achieve improved classification performance for the specified tasks. These tasks, focusing on pneumonia and COVID-19, are processed and learned simultaneously within a multi-task model. To assess the effectiveness of the trained model, it is rigorously validated using three different real-world datasets for training and testing.

Policy Network-Based Dual-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning for Multi-Resource Task Offloading in Multi-Access Edge Cloud Networks

The Multi-access Edge Cloud(MEC) networks extend cloud computing services and capabilities to the edge of the networks. By bringing computation and storage capabilities closer to end-users and connected devices, MEC networks can support a wide range of applications. MEC networks can also leverage various types of resources, including computation resources, network resources, radio resources,and location-based resources, to provide multidimensional resources for intelligent applications in 5/6G.However, tasks generated by users often consist of multiple subtasks that require different types of resources. It is a challenging problem to offload multiresource task requests to the edge cloud aiming at maximizing benefits due to the heterogeneity of resources provided by devices. To address this issue,we mathematically model the task requests with multiple subtasks. Then, the problem of task offloading of multi-resource task requests is proved to be NP-hard. Furthermore, we propose a novel Dual-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning algorithm with Node First and Link features(NF_L_DA_DRL) based on the policy network, to optimize the benefits generated by offloading multi-resource task requests in MEC networks. Finally, simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively improve the benefit of task offloading with higher resource utilization compared with baseline algorithms.

Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradien-Based Task Offloading Resource Allocation Joint Offloading

With the advancement of technology and the continuous innovation of applications, low-latency applications such as drones, online games and virtual reality are gradually becoming popular demands in modern society. However, these applications pose a great challenge to the traditional centralized mobile cloud computing paradigm, and it is obvious that the traditional cloud computing model is already struggling to meet such demands. To address the shortcomings of cloud computing, mobile edge computing has emerged. Mobile edge computing provides users with computing and storage resources by offloading computing tasks to servers at the edge of the network. However, most existing work only considers single-objective performance optimization in terms of latency or energy consumption, but not balanced optimization in terms of latency and energy consumption. To reduce task latency and device energy consumption, the problem of joint optimization of computation offloading and resource allocation in multi-cell, multi-user, multi-server MEC environments is investigated. In this paper, a dynamic computation offloading algorithm based on Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) is proposed to obtain the optimal policy. The experimental results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper reduces the delay by 5 ms compared to PPO, 1.5 ms compared to DDPG and 10.7 ms compared to DQN, and reduces the energy consumption by 300 compared to PPO, 760 compared to DDPG and 380 compared to DQN. This fully proves that the algorithm proposed in this paper has excellent performance.

Evolutionary Multitasking With Global and Local Auxiliary Tasks for Constrained Multi-Objective Optimization

Constrained multi-objective optimization problems(CMOPs) include the optimization of objective functions and the satisfaction of constraint conditions, which challenge the solvers.To solve CMOPs, constrained multi-objective evolutionary algorithms(CMOEAs) have been developed. However, most of them tend to converge into local areas due to the loss of diversity. Evolutionary multitasking(EMT) is new model of solving complex optimization problems, through the knowledge transfer between the source task and other related tasks. Inspired by EMT, this paper develops a new EMT-based CMOEA to solve CMOPs, in which the main task, a global auxiliary task, and a local auxiliary task are created and optimized by one specific population respectively. The main task focuses on finding the feasible Pareto front(PF), and global and local auxiliary tasks are used to respectively enhance global and local diversity. Moreover, the global auxiliary task is used to implement the global search by ignoring constraints, so as to help the population of the main task pass through infeasible obstacles. The local auxiliary task is used to provide local diversity around the population of the main task, so as to exploit promising regions. Through the knowledge transfer among the three tasks, the search ability of the population of the main task will be significantly improved. Compared with other state-of-the-art CMOEAs, the experimental results on three benchmark test suites demonstrate the superior or competitive performance of the proposed CMOEA.

Complex task planning method of space-aeronautics cooperative observation based on multi-layer interaction

With the new development trend of multi-resource coordinated Earth observation and the new goal of Earth observation application of“short response time,high observation accuracy,and wide coverage”,space-aeronautics cooperative complex task planning problem has become an urgent problem to be solved.The focus of this problem is to use multiple resources to perform collaborative observations on complex tasks.By analyzing the process from task assignment to receiving task observation results,we propose a multi-layer interactive task planning framework which is composed of a preprocessing method for complex tasks,a task allocation layer,a task planning layer,and a task coordination layer.According to the characteristics of the framework,a hybrid genetic parallel tabu(HGPT)algorithm is proposed on this basis.The algorithm uses genetic annealing algorithm(GAA),parallel tabu(PT)algorithm,and heuristic rules to achieve task allocation,task planning,and task coordination.At the same time,coding improvements,operator design,annealing operations,and parallel calculations are added to the algorithm.In order to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm,simulation experiments under complex task scenarios of different scales are carried out.Experimental results show that this method can effectively solve the problems of observing complex tasks.Meanwhile,the optimization effect and convergence speed of the HGPT is better than that of the related algorithms.

Survey on Task Scheduling Optimization Strategy under Multi-Cloud Environment

Cloud computing technology is favored by users because of its strong computing power and convenient services.At the same time,scheduling performance has an extremely efficient impact on promoting carbon neutrality.Currently,scheduling research in the multi-cloud environment aims to address the challenges brought by business demands to cloud data centers during peak hours.Therefore,the scheduling problem has promising application prospects under themulti-cloud environment.This paper points out that the currently studied scheduling problems in the multi-cloud environment mainly include independent task scheduling and workflow task scheduling based on the dependencies between tasks.This paper reviews the concepts,types,objectives,advantages,challenges,and research status of task scheduling in the multi-cloud environment.Task scheduling strategies proposed in the existing related references are analyzed,discussed,and summarized,including research motivation,optimization algorithm,and related objectives.Finally,the research status of the two kinds of task scheduling is compared,and several future important research directions of multi-cloud task scheduling are proposed.

A Trusted Multi-Task Distribution Mechanism for Internet of Vehicles Based on Smart Contract

In this paper,a trusted multi-task distribution mechanism for Internet of Vehicles based on smart contract is proposed to improve the security and efficiency for the task distribution in Internet of Vehicles.Firstly,a three-tier trusted multi-task distribution framework is presented based on smart contract.The smart contract will be triggered by the task request.As the important part of the smart contract,the task distribution algorithm is stored on the blockchain and run automatically.In the process of the task distribution,the cost of the task distribution and the system stability play a critical role.Therefore,the task distribution problem is formulated to minimize the cost of the task distribution whilst maintaining the stability of the system based on Lyapunov theorem.Unfortunately,this problem is a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem with NP-hard characteristics.To tackle this,the optimization problem is decomposed into two sub problems of computing resource allocation and task distribution decision,and an effective task distribution algorithm is proposed.Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively improves system performance.

Multi-Task Timing Assignment Algorithm for Intelligent Production of Vegetables in Open Field

Vegetable production in the open field involves many tasks,such as soil preparation,ridging,and transplanting/sowing.Different tasks require agricultural machinery equipped with different agricultural tools to meet the needs of the operation.Aiming at the coupling multi-task in the intelligent production of vegetables in the open field,the task assignment method for multiple unmanned tractors based on consistency alliance is studied.Firstly,unmanned vegetable production in the open field is abstracted as a multi-task assignment model with constraints of task demand,task sequence,and the distance traveled by an unmanned tractor.The tight time constraints between associated tasks are transformed into time windows.Based on the driving distance of the unmanned tractor and the replacement cost of the tools,an expanded task cost function is innovatively established.The task assignment model of multiple unmanned tractors is optimized by the consensus based bundle algorithm(CBBA)with time windows.Experiments show that the method can effectively solve task conflict in unmanned production and optimize task allocation.A basic model is provided for the cooperative task of multiple unmanned tractors for vegetable production in the open field.

A New Partial Task Offloading Method in a Cooperation Mode under Multi-Constraints for Multi-UE

In Multi-access Edge Computing(MEC),to deal with multiple user equipment(UE)’s task offloading problem of parallel relationships under the multi-constraints,this paper proposes a cooperation partial task offloading method(named CPMM),aiming to reduce UE’s energy and computation consumption,while meeting the task completion delay as much as possible.CPMM first studies the task offloading of single-UE and then considers the task offloading ofmulti-UE based on single-UE task offloading.CPMMuses the critical path algorithmto divide the modules into key and non-key modules.According to some constraints of UE-self when offloading tasks,it gives priority to non-key modules for offloading and uses the evaluation decision method to select some appropriate key modules for offloading.Based on fully considering the competition between multiple UEs for communication resources and MEC service resources,CPMM uses the weighted queuing method to alleviate the competition for communication resources and uses the branch decision algorithm to determine the location of module offloading by BS according to the MEC servers’resources.It achieves its goal by selecting reasonable modules to offload and using the cooperation ofUE,MEC,andCloudCenter to determine the execution location of themodules.Extensive experiments demonstrate that CPMM obtains superior performances in task computation consumption reducing around 6%on average,task completion delay reducing around 5%on average,and better task execution success rate than other similar methods.

Satellite-Air-Terrestrial Cloud Edge Collaborative Networks:Architecture,Multi-Node Task Processing and Computation

Integrated satellite-terrestrial network(ISTN)has been considered a novel network architecture to achieve global three-dimensional coverage and ultra-wide area broadband access anytime and anywhere.Being a promising paradigm,cloud computing and mobile edge computing(MEC)have been identified as key technology enablers for ISTN to further improve quality of service and business continuity.However,most of the existing ISTN studies based on cloud computing and MEC regard satellite networks as relay networks,ignoring the feasibility of directly deploying cloud computing nodes and edge computing nodes on satellites.In addition,most computing tasks are transferred to cloud servers or offloaded to nearby edge servers,the layered design of integrated satellite-air-terrestrial architecture and the cloud-edge-device cooperative processing problems have not been fully considered.Therefore,different from previous works,this paper proposed a novel satellite-air-terrestrial layered architecture for cloud-edge-device collaboration,named SATCECN.Then this paper analyzes the appropriate deployment locations of cloud servers and edge servers in ISTN,and describes the processing flow of typical satellite computing tasks.For computing resource allocation problems,this paper proposed a device-edge-cloud Multi-node Cross-layer Collaboration Computing(MCCC)method to find the optimal task allo-cation strategy that minimizes the task completion delay and the weighted system energy consumption.Furthermore,the approximate optimal solutions of the optimization model are obtained by using successive convex approxi-mation algorithm,and the outstanding advantages of the proposed method in reducing system energy consumption and task execution delay are verified through experiments.Finally,some potential issues and directions for future research are highlighted.

PLDMLT:Multi-Task Learning of Diabetic Retinopathy Using the Pixel-Level Labeled Fundus Images

In the field of medical images,pixel-level labels are time-consuming and expensive to acquire,while image-level labels are relatively easier to obtain.Therefore,it makes sense to learn more information(knowledge)from a small number of hard-to-get pixel-level annotated images to apply to different tasks to maximize their usefulness and save time and training costs.In this paper,using Pixel-Level Labeled Images forMulti-Task Learning(PLDMLT),we focus on grading the severity of fundus images for Diabetic Retinopathy(DR).This is because,for the segmentation task,there is a finely labeled mask,while the severity grading task is without classification labels.To this end,we propose a two-stage multi-label learning weakly supervised algorithm,which generates initial classification pseudo labels in the first stage and visualizes heat maps at all levels of severity using Grad-Cam to further provide medical interpretability for the classification task.A multitask model framework with U-net as the baseline is proposed in the second stage.A label update network is designed to alleviate the gradient balance between the classification and segmentation tasks.Extensive experimental results show that our PLDMLTmethod significantly outperforms other stateof-the-art methods in DR segmentation on two public datasets,achieving up to 98.897%segmentation accuracy.In addition,our method achieves comparable competitiveness with single-task fully supervised learning in the DR severity grading task.

Dynamic Offloading and Scheduling Strategy for Telematics Tasks Based on Latency Minimization

In current research on task offloading and resource scheduling in vehicular networks,vehicles are commonly assumed to maintain constant speed or relatively stationary states,and the impact of speed variations on task offloading is often overlooked.It is frequently assumed that vehicles can be accurately modeled during actual motion processes.However,in vehicular dynamic environments,both the tasks generated by the vehicles and the vehicles’surroundings are constantly changing,making it difficult to achieve real-time modeling for actual dynamic vehicular network scenarios.Taking into account the actual dynamic vehicular scenarios,this paper considers the real-time non-uniform movement of vehicles and proposes a vehicular task dynamic offloading and scheduling algorithm for single-task multi-vehicle vehicular network scenarios,attempting to solve the dynamic decision-making problem in task offloading process.The optimization objective is to minimize the average task completion time,which is formulated as a multi-constrained non-linear programming problem.Due to the mobility of vehicles,a constraint model is applied in the decision-making process to dynamically determine whether the communication range is sufficient for task offloading and transmission.Finally,the proposed vehicular task dynamic offloading and scheduling algorithm based on muti-agent deep deterministic policy gradient(MADDPG)is applied to solve the optimal solution of the optimization problem.Simulation results show that the algorithm proposed in this paper is able to achieve lower latency task computation offloading.Meanwhile,the average task completion time of the proposed algorithm in this paper can be improved by 7.6%compared to the performance of the MADDPG scheme and 51.1%compared to the performance of deep deterministic policy gradient(DDPG).

Joint Task Allocation and Resource Optimization for Blockchain Enabled Collaborative Edge Computing

Collaborative edge computing is a promising direction to handle the computation intensive tasks in B5G wireless networks.However,edge computing servers(ECSs)from different operators may not trust each other,and thus the incentives for collaboration cannot be guaranteed.In this paper,we propose a consortium blockchain enabled collaborative edge computing framework,where users can offload computing tasks to ECSs from different operators.To minimize the total delay of users,we formulate a joint task offloading and resource optimization problem,under the constraint of the computing capability of each ECS.We apply the Tammer decomposition method and heuristic optimization algorithms to obtain the optimal solution.Finally,we propose a reputation based node selection approach to facilitate the consensus process,and also consider a completion time based primary node selection to avoid monopolization of certain edge node and enhance the security of the blockchain.Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm,and the total delay can be reduced by up to 40%compared with the non-cooperative case.

Task Offloading in Edge Computing Using GNNs and DQN

In a network environment composed of different types of computing centers that can be divided into different layers(clod,edge layer,and others),the interconnection between them offers the possibility of peer-to-peer task offloading.For many resource-constrained devices,the computation of many types of tasks is not feasible because they cannot support such computations as they do not have enough available memory and processing capacity.In this scenario,it is worth considering transferring these tasks to resource-rich platforms,such as Edge Data Centers or remote cloud servers.For different reasons,it is more exciting and appropriate to download various tasks to specific download destinations depending on the properties and state of the environment and the nature of the functions.At the same time,establishing an optimal offloading policy,which ensures that all tasks are executed within the required latency and avoids excessive workload on specific computing centers is not easy.This study presents two alternatives to solve the offloading decision paradigm by introducing two well-known algorithms,Graph Neural Networks(GNN)and Deep Q-Network(DQN).It applies the alternatives on a well-known Edge Computing simulator called PureEdgeSimand compares them with the two defaultmethods,Trade-Off and Round Robin.Experiments showed that variants offer a slight improvement in task success rate and workload distribution.In terms of energy efficiency,they provided similar results.Finally,the success rates of different computing centers are tested,and the lack of capacity of remote cloud servers to respond to applications in real-time is demonstrated.These novel ways of finding a download strategy in a local networking environment are unique as they emulate the state and structure of the environment innovatively,considering the quality of its connections and constant updates.The download score defined in this research is a crucial feature for determining the quality of a download path in the GNN training process and has not previously been proposed.Simultaneously,the suitability of Reinforcement Learning(RL)techniques is demonstrated due to the dynamism of the network environment,considering all the key factors that affect the decision to offload a given task,including the actual state of all devices.

Mobile Crowdsourcing Task Allocation Based on Dynamic Self-Attention GANs

Crowdsourcing technology is widely recognized for its effectiveness in task scheduling and resource allocation.While traditional methods for task allocation can help reduce costs and improve efficiency,they may encounter challenges when dealing with abnormal data flow nodes,leading to decreased allocation accuracy and efficiency.To address these issues,this study proposes a novel two-part invalid detection task allocation framework.In the first step,an anomaly detection model is developed using a dynamic self-attentive GAN to identify anomalous data.Compared to the baseline method,the model achieves an approximately 4%increase in the F1 value on the public dataset.In the second step of the framework,task allocation modeling is performed using a twopart graph matching method.This phase introduces a P-queue KM algorithm that implements a more efficient optimization strategy.The allocation efficiency is improved by approximately 23.83%compared to the baseline method.Empirical results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed framework in detecting abnormal data nodes,enhancing allocation precision,and achieving efficient allocation.

Heterogeneous Task Allocation Model and Algorithm for Intelligent Connected Vehicles

With the development of vehicles towards intelligence and connectivity,vehicular data is diversifying and growing dramatically.A task allocation model and algorithm for heterogeneous Intelligent Connected Vehicle(ICV)applications are proposed for the dispersed computing network composed of heterogeneous task vehicles and Network Computing Points(NCPs).Considering the amount of task data and the idle resources of NCPs,a computing resource scheduling model for NCPs is established.Taking the heterogeneous task execution delay threshold as a constraint,the optimization problem is described as the problem of maximizing the utilization of computing resources by NCPs.The proposed problem is proven to be NP-hard by using the method of reduction to a 0-1 knapsack problem.A many-to-many matching algorithm based on resource preferences is proposed.The algorithm first establishes the mutual preference lists based on the adaptability of the task requirements and the resources provided by NCPs.This enables the filtering out of un-schedulable NCPs in the initial stage of matching,reducing the solution space dimension.To solve the matching problem between ICVs and NCPs,a new manyto-many matching algorithm is proposed to obtain a unique and stable optimal matching result.The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed scheme can improve the resource utilization of NCPs by an average of 9.6%compared to the reference scheme,and the total performance can be improved by up to 15.9%.

Prevalence and Tasks Associated with Respiratory Symptoms among Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Handlers in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso in 2019

Introduction: The uncontrolled management of waste electrical and electronic equipment (W3E) causes respiratory problems in the handlers of this waste. The objective was to study the stains associated with respiratory symptoms in W3E handlers. Methods: The study was cross-sectional with an analytical focus on W3E handlers in the informal sector in Ouagadougou. A peer-validated questionnaire collected data on a sample of 161 manipulators. Results: the most common W3E processing tasks were the purchase or sale of W3E (67.70%), its repair (39.75%) and its collection (31.06%). The prevalence of cough was 21.74%, that of wheezing 14.91%, phlegm 12.50% and dyspnea at rest 10.56%. In bivariate analysis, there were significant associations at the 5% level between W3E repair and phlegm (p-value = 0.044), between W3E burning and wheezing (p-value = 0.011) and between W3E and cough (p-value = 0.01). The final logistic regression models suggested that the burning of W3E and the melting of lead batteries represented risk factors for the occurrence of cough with respective prevalence ratios of 4.57 and 4.63. Conclusion: raising awareness on the wearing of personal protective equipment, in particular masks adapted by W3E handlers, favoring those who are dedicated to the burning of electronic waste and the melting of lead could make it possible to reduce the risk of occurrence of respiratory symptoms.

Effects of pooling,specialization,and discretionary task completion on queueing performance

Pooling,unpooling/specialization,and discretionary task completion are typical operational strategies in queueing systems that arise in healthcare,call centers,and online sales.These strategies may have advantages and disadvantages in different operational environments.This paper uses the M/M/1 and M/M/2 queues to study the impact of pooling,specialization,and discretionary task completion on the average queue length.Closed-form solutions for the average M/M/2 queue length are derived.Computational examples illustrate how the average queue length changes with the strength of pooling,specialization,and discretionary task completion.Finally,several conjectures are made in the paper.