An optimization model has been established and solved to determine the optimal threshold value for the event-triggered self-adaptive optimization strategy,which aims to strike a balance between optimization performanc...An optimization model has been established and solved to determine the optimal threshold value for the event-triggered self-adaptive optimization strategy,which aims to strike a balance between optimization performance and control load while ensuring continuous optimization.First,evaluation indicators are introduced to comprehensively analyze the impact of power fluctuations on the objective function and system voltage at both the system-wide and local levels.Based on these indicators,a multi-stage centralized optimization(MCO)is selectively applied,addressing system state deviations to achieve optimal operating states while maintaining a voltage security margin to ensure system safety.Then,distributed optimization(DO)is carried out at each bus with a renewable energy source or random load integration to accommodate short-term uncertainties using a self-adaptive reactive power algorithm.The optimal threshold value for event-triggered DO is calculated to balance control burden and optimization effectiveness.Utilizing the local state deviation evaluation indicator,unnecessary DOs are skipped when minor power fluctuations occur at the local level.Finally,following the linear superposition principle,event-triggered DOs executed at all distributed controllers collectively constitute the self-adaptive optimization strategy for the entire system.A case study on the IEEE New England 39-bus power system illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.展开更多
Workflow scheduling is critical for efficient cloud resource management.This paper proposes Tunicate Swarm-Highest Response Ratio Next,a novel scheduler that synergistically combines the Tunicate Swarm Algorithm with ...Workflow scheduling is critical for efficient cloud resource management.This paper proposes Tunicate Swarm-Highest Response Ratio Next,a novel scheduler that synergistically combines the Tunicate Swarm Algorithm with the Highest Response Ratio Next policy.The Tunicate Swarm Algorithm generates a cost-minimizing task-to-VM mapping scheme,while the Highest Response Ratio Next dynamically dispatches tasks in the ready queue with the highest-priority.Experimental results demonstrate that the Tunicate Swarm-Highest Response RatioNext reduces costs by up to 94.8%compared to meta-heuristic baselines.It also achieves competitive cost efficiency vs.a learning-based method while offering superior operational simplicity and efficiency,establishing it as a highly practical solution for dynamic cloud environments.展开更多
Octopuses,due to their flexible arms,marvelous adaptability,and powerful suckers,are able to effortlessly grasp and disengage various objects in the marine surrounding without causing devastation.However,manipulating ...Octopuses,due to their flexible arms,marvelous adaptability,and powerful suckers,are able to effortlessly grasp and disengage various objects in the marine surrounding without causing devastation.However,manipulating delicate objects such as soft and fragile foods underwater require gentle contact and stable adhesion,which poses a serious challenge to now available soft grippers.Inspired by the sucker infundibulum structure and flexible tentacles of octopus,herein we developed a hydraulically actuated hydrogel soft gripper with adaptive maneuverability by coupling multiple hydrogen bond-mediated supramolecular hydrogels and vat polymerization three-dimensional printing,in which hydrogel bionic sucker is composed of a tunable curvature membrane,a negative pressure cavity,and a pneumatic chamber.The design of the sucker structure with the alterable curvature membrane is conducive to realize the reliable and gentle switchable adhesion of the hydrogel soft gripper.As a proof-of-concept,the adaptive hydrogel soft gripper is capable of implement diversified underwater tasks,including gingerly grasping fragile foods like egg yolks and tofu,as well as underwater robots and vehicles that station-keeping and crawling based on switchable adhesion.This study therefore provides a transformative strategy for the design of novel soft grippers that will render promising utilities for underwater exploration soft robotics.展开更多
WE observe that the response speed of a linear timeinvariant system to a step reference input depends not only on the system parameters but also on the magnitude of the step input.Based on this observation,we demonstr...WE observe that the response speed of a linear timeinvariant system to a step reference input depends not only on the system parameters but also on the magnitude of the step input.Based on this observation,we demonstrate a method to schedule the magnitude of the reference input to achieve a faster response.展开更多
In response to the challenges faced by unmanned swarms in mountain obstacle-breaching missions within complex terrains,such as poor task-resource coupling,lengthy solution generation times,and poor inter-platform coll...In response to the challenges faced by unmanned swarms in mountain obstacle-breaching missions within complex terrains,such as poor task-resource coupling,lengthy solution generation times,and poor inter-platform collaboration,an unmanned swarm scheduling strategy tailored is proposed for mountain obstacle-breaching missions.Initially,by formalizing the descriptions of obstacle breaching operations,the swarm,and obstacle targets,an optimization model is constructed with the objectives of expected global benefit,timeliness,and task completion degree.A meta-task decomposition and reassembly strategy is then introduced to more precisely match the capabilities of unmanned platforms with task requirements.Additionally,a meta-task decomposition optimization model and a meta-task allocation operator are incorporated to achieve efficient allocation of swarm resources and collaborative scheduling.Simulation results demonstrate that the model can accurately generate reasonable and feasible obstacle breaching execution plans for unmanned swarms based on specific task requirements and environmental conditions.Moreover,compared to conventional strategies,the proposed strategy enhances task completion degree and expected returns while reducing the execution time of the plans.展开更多
Task scheduling in cloud computing is a multi-objective optimization problem,often involving conflicting objectives such as minimizing execution time,reducing operational cost,and maximizing resource utilization.Howev...Task scheduling in cloud computing is a multi-objective optimization problem,often involving conflicting objectives such as minimizing execution time,reducing operational cost,and maximizing resource utilization.However,traditional approaches frequently rely on single-objective optimization methods which are insufficient for capturing the complexity of such problems.To address this limitation,we introduce MDMOSA(Multi-objective Dwarf Mongoose Optimization with Simulated Annealing),a hybrid that integrates multi-objective optimization for efficient task scheduling in Infrastructure-as-a-Service(IaaS)cloud environments.MDMOSA harmonizes the exploration capabilities of the biologically inspired Dwarf Mongoose Optimization(DMO)with the exploitation strengths of Simulated Annealing(SA),achieving a balanced search process.The algorithm aims to optimize task allocation by reducing makespan and financial cost while improving system resource utilization.We evaluate MDMOSA through extensive simulations using the real-world Google Cloud Jobs(GoCJ)dataset within the CloudSim environment.Comparative analysis against benchmarked algorithms such as SMOACO,MOTSGWO,and MFPAGWO reveals that MDMOSA consistently achieves superior performance in terms of scheduling efficiency,cost-effectiveness,and scalability.These results confirm the potential of MDMOSA as a robust and adaptable solution for resource scheduling in dynamic and heterogeneous cloud computing infrastructures.展开更多
In the era of the Internet of Things,distributed computing alleviates the problem of insufficient terminal computing power by integrating idle resources of heterogeneous devices.However,the imbalance between task exec...In the era of the Internet of Things,distributed computing alleviates the problem of insufficient terminal computing power by integrating idle resources of heterogeneous devices.However,the imbalance between task execution delay and node energy consumption,and the scheduling and adaptation challenges brought about by device heterogeneity,urgently need to be addressed.To tackle this problem,this paper constructs a multi-objective real-time task scheduling model that considers task real-time performance,execution delay,system energy consumption,and node interests.The model aims to minimize the delay upper bound and total energy consumption while maximizing system satisfaction.A real-time task scheduling algorithm based on bilateral matching game is proposed.By designing a bidirectional preference mechanism between tasks and computing nodes,combined with a multi-round stable matching strategy,accurate matching between tasks and nodes is achieved.Simulation results show that compared with the baseline scheme,the proposed algorithm significantly reduces the total execution cost,effectively balances the task execution delay and the energy consumption of compute nodes,and takes into account the interests of each network compute node.展开更多
The proliferation of carrier aircraft and the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)on aircraft carriers present new challenges to the automation of launch and recovery operations.This paper investigates a coll...The proliferation of carrier aircraft and the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)on aircraft carriers present new challenges to the automation of launch and recovery operations.This paper investigates a collaborative scheduling problem inherent to the operational processes of carrier aircraft,where launch and recovery tasks are conducted concurrently on the flight deck.The objective is to minimize the cumulative weighted waiting time in the air for recovering aircraft and the cumulative weighted delay time for launching aircraft.To tackle this challenge,a multiple population self-adaptive differential evolution(MPSADE)algorithm is proposed.This method features a self-adaptive parameter updating mechanism that is contingent upon population diversity,an asynchronous updating scheme,an individual migration operator,and a global crossover mechanism.Additionally,comprehensive experiments are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm.Ultimately,a comparative analysis with existing operation modes confirms the enhanced efficiency of the collaborative operation mode.展开更多
With the rapid development of power Internet of Things(IoT)scenarios such as smart factories and smart homes,numerous intelligent terminal devices and real-time interactive applications impose higher demands on comput...With the rapid development of power Internet of Things(IoT)scenarios such as smart factories and smart homes,numerous intelligent terminal devices and real-time interactive applications impose higher demands on computing latency and resource supply efficiency.Multi-access edge computing technology deploys cloud computing capabilities at the network edge;constructs distributed computing nodes and multi-access systems and offers infrastructure support for services with low latency and high reliability.Existing research relies on a strong assumption that the environmental state is fully observable and fails to thoroughly consider the continuous time-varying features of edge server load fluctuations,leading to insufficient adaptability of the model in a heterogeneous dynamic environment.Thus,this paper establishes a framework for end-edge collaborative task offloading based on a partially observable Markov decision-making process(POMDP)and proposes a method for end-edge collaborative task offloading in heterogeneous scenarios.It achieves time-series modeling of the historical load characteristics of edge servers and endows the agent with the ability to be aware of the load in dynamic environmental states.Moreover,by dynamically assessing the exploration value of historical trajectories in the central trajectory pool and adjusting the sample weight distribution,directional exploration and strategy optimization of high-value trajectories are realized.Experimental results indicate that the proposed method exhibits distinct advantages compared with existing methods in terms of average delay and task failure rate and also verifies the method’s robustness in a dynamic environment.展开更多
Aircraft assembly is characterized by stringent precedence constraints,limited resource availability,spatial restrictions,and a high degree of manual intervention.These factors lead to considerable variability in oper...Aircraft assembly is characterized by stringent precedence constraints,limited resource availability,spatial restrictions,and a high degree of manual intervention.These factors lead to considerable variability in operator workloads and significantly increase the complexity of scheduling.To address this challenge,this study investigates the Aircraft Pulsating Assembly Line Scheduling Problem(APALSP)under skilled operator allocation,with the objective of minimizing assembly completion time.A mathematical model considering skilled operator allocation is developed,and a Q-Learning improved Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm(QLPSO)is proposed.In the algorithm design,a reverse scheduling strategy is adopted to effectively manage large-scale precedence constraints.Moreover,a reverse sequence encoding method is introduced to generate operation sequences,while a time decoding mechanism is employed to determine completion times.The problem is further reformulated as a Markov Decision Process(MDP)with explicitly defined state and action spaces.Within QLPSO,the Q-learning mechanism adaptively adjusts inertia weights and learning factors,thereby achieving a balance between exploration capability and convergence performance.To validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach,extensive computational experiments are conducted on benchmark instances of different scales,including small,medium,large,and ultra-large cases.The results demonstrate that QLPSO consistently delivers stable and high-quality solutions across all scenarios.In ultra-large-scale instances,it improves the best solution by 25.2%compared with the Genetic Algorithm(GA)and enhances the average solution by 16.9%over the Q-learning algorithm,showing clear advantages over the comparative methods.These findings not only confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm but also provide valuable theoretical references and practical guidance for the intelligent scheduling optimization of aircraft pulsating assembly lines.展开更多
The airplane refueling problem can be stated as follows.We are given n airplanes which can refuel one another during the flight.Each airplane has a reservoir volume wj(liters)and a consumption rate pj(liters per kilom...The airplane refueling problem can be stated as follows.We are given n airplanes which can refuel one another during the flight.Each airplane has a reservoir volume wj(liters)and a consumption rate pj(liters per kilometer).As soon as one airplane runs out of fuel,it is dropping out of the flight.The problem asks for finding a refueling scheme such that the last plane in the air reach a maximal distance.An equivalent version is the n-vehicle exploration problem.The computational complexity of this non-linear combinatorial optimization problem is open so far.This paper employs the neighborhood exchange method of single-machine scheduling to study the precedence relations of jobs,so as to improve the necessary and sufficiency conditions of optimal solutions,and establish an efficient heuristic algorithm which is a generalization of several existing special algorithms.展开更多
Advanced technologies like Cyber-Physical Systems(CPS)and the Internet of Things(IoT)have supported modernizing and automating the transportation region through the introduction of Intelligent Transportation Systems(I...Advanced technologies like Cyber-Physical Systems(CPS)and the Internet of Things(IoT)have supported modernizing and automating the transportation region through the introduction of Intelligent Transportation Systems(ITS).Integrating CPS-ITS and IoT provides real-time Vehicle-to-Infrastructure(V2I)communication,supporting better traffic management,safety,and efficiency.These technological innovations generate complex problems that need to be addressed,uniquely about data routing and Task Scheduling(TS)in ITS.Attempts to solve those problems were primarily based on traditional and experimental methods,and the solutions were not so successful due to the dynamic nature of ITS.This is where the scope of Machine learning(ML)and Swarm Intelligence(SI)has significantly impacted dealing with these challenges;in this line,this research paper presents a novel method for TS and data routing in the CPS-ITS.This paper proposes using a cutting-edge ML algorithm for data transmission from CPS-ITS.This ML has Gated Linear Unit-approximated Reinforcement Learning(GLRL).Greedy Iterative-Particle Swarm Optimization(GI-PSO)has been recommended to develop the Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)for TS.The primary objective of this study is to enhance the security and effectiveness of ITS systems that utilize CPS-ITS.This study trained and validated the models using a network simulation dataset of 50 nodes from numerous ITS environments.The experiments demonstrate that the proposed GLRL reduces End-toEnd Delay(EED)by 12%,enhances data size use from 83.6%to 88.6%,and achieves higher bandwidth allocation,particularly in high-demand scenarios such as multimedia data streams where adherence improved to 98.15%.Furthermore,the GLRL reduced Network Congestion(NC)by 5.5%,demonstrating its efficiency in managing complex traffic conditions across several environments.The model passed simulation tests in three different environments:urban(UE),suburban(SE),and rural(RE).It met the high bandwidth requirements,made task scheduling more efficient,and increased network throughput(NT).This proved that it was robust and flexible enough for scalable ITS applications.These innovations provide robust,scalable solutions for real-time traffic management,ultimately improving safety,reducing NC,and increasing overall NT.This study can affect ITS by developing it to be more responsive,safe,and effective and by creating a perfect method to set up UE,SE,and RE.展开更多
In this paper,we propose a new privacy-aware transmission scheduling algorithm for 6G ad hoc networks.This system enables end nodes to select the optimum time and scheme to transmit private data safely.In 6G dynamic h...In this paper,we propose a new privacy-aware transmission scheduling algorithm for 6G ad hoc networks.This system enables end nodes to select the optimum time and scheme to transmit private data safely.In 6G dynamic heterogeneous infrastructures,unstable links and non-uniform hardware capabilities create critical issues regarding security and privacy.Traditional protocols are often too computationally heavy to allow 6G services to achieve their expected Quality-of-Service(QoS).As the transport network is built of ad hoc nodes,there is no guarantee about their trustworthiness or behavior,and transversal functionalities are delegated to the extreme nodes.However,while security can be guaranteed in extreme-to-extreme solutions,privacy cannot,as all intermediate nodes still have to handle the data packets they are transporting.Besides,traditional schemes for private anonymous ad hoc communications are vulnerable against modern intelligent attacks based on learning models.The proposed scheme fulfills this gap.Findings show the probability of a successful intelligent attack reduces by up to 65%compared to ad hoc networks with no privacy protection strategy when used the proposed technology.While congestion probability can remain below 0.001%,as required in 6G services.展开更多
To address the issue that hybrid flow shop production struggles to handle order disturbance events,a dynamic scheduling model was constructed.The model takes minimizing the maximum makespan,delivery time deviation,and...To address the issue that hybrid flow shop production struggles to handle order disturbance events,a dynamic scheduling model was constructed.The model takes minimizing the maximum makespan,delivery time deviation,and scheme deviation degree as the optimization objectives.An adaptive dynamic scheduling strategy based on the degree of order disturbance is proposed.An improved multi-objective Grey Wolf(IMOGWO)optimization algorithm is designed by combining the“job-machine”two-layer encoding strategy,the timing-driven two-stage decoding strategy,the opposition-based learning initialization population strategy,the POX crossover strategy,the dualoperation dynamic mutation strategy,and the variable neighborhood search strategy for problem solving.A variety of test cases with different scales were designed,and ablation experiments were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the improved strategies.The results show that each improved strategy can effectively enhance the performance of the IMOGWO.Additionally,performance analysis was conducted by comparing the proposed algorithm with three mature and classical algorithms.The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm exhibits superior performance in solving the hybrid flow-shop scheduling problem(HFSP).Case validations were conducted for different types of order disturbance scenarios.The results demonstrate that the proposed adaptive dynamic scheduling strategy and the IMOGWO algorithm can effectively address order disturbance events.They enable rapid response to order disturbance while ensuring the stability of the production system.展开更多
The cloud-fog computing paradigm has emerged as a novel hybrid computing model that integrates computational resources at both fog nodes and cloud servers to address the challenges posed by dynamic and heterogeneous c...The cloud-fog computing paradigm has emerged as a novel hybrid computing model that integrates computational resources at both fog nodes and cloud servers to address the challenges posed by dynamic and heterogeneous computing networks.Finding an optimal computational resource for task offloading and then executing efficiently is a critical issue to achieve a trade-off between energy consumption and transmission delay.In this network,the task processed at fog nodes reduces transmission delay.Still,it increases energy consumption,while routing tasks to the cloud server saves energy at the cost of higher communication delay.Moreover,the order in which offloaded tasks are executed affects the system’s efficiency.For instance,executing lower-priority tasks before higher-priority jobs can disturb the reliability and stability of the system.Therefore,an efficient strategy of optimal computation offloading and task scheduling is required for operational efficacy.In this paper,we introduced a multi-objective and enhanced version of Cheeta Optimizer(CO),namely(MoECO),to jointly optimize the computation offloading and task scheduling in cloud-fog networks to minimize two competing objectives,i.e.,energy consumption and communication delay.MoECO first assigns tasks to the optimal computational nodes and then the allocated tasks are scheduled for processing based on the task priority.The mathematical modelling of CO needs improvement in computation time and convergence speed.Therefore,MoECO is proposed to increase the search capability of agents by controlling the search strategy based on a leader’s location.The adaptive step length operator is adjusted to diversify the solution and thus improves the exploration phase,i.e.,global search strategy.Consequently,this prevents the algorithm from getting trapped in the local optimal solution.Moreover,the interaction factor during the exploitation phase is also adjusted based on the location of the prey instead of the adjacent Cheetah.This increases the exploitation capability of agents,i.e.,local search capability.Furthermore,MoECO employs a multi-objective Pareto-optimal front to simultaneously minimize designated objectives.Comprehensive simulations in MATLAB demonstrate that the proposed algorithm obtains multiple solutions via a Pareto-optimal front and achieves an efficient trade-off between optimization objectives compared to baseline methods.展开更多
With the increasing number of geosynchronous orbit satellites with expiring lifetime,spacecraft refueling is crucial in enhancing the economic benefits of on-orbit services.The existing studies tend to be based on pre...With the increasing number of geosynchronous orbit satellites with expiring lifetime,spacecraft refueling is crucial in enhancing the economic benefits of on-orbit services.The existing studies tend to be based on predetermined refueling duration;however,the precise mission scheduling solution will be difficult to apply due to uncertain refueling duration caused by orbital transfer deviations and stochastic actuator faults during actual on-orbit service.Therefore,this paper proposes a robust mission scheduling strategy for geosynchronous orbit spacecraft on-orbit refueling missions with uncertain refueling duration.Firstly,a robust mission scheduling model is constructed by introducing the budget uncertainty set to describe the uncertain refueling duration.Secondly,a hybrid harris hawks optimization algorithm is designed to explore the optimal mission allocation and refueling sequences,which combines cubic chaotic mapping to initialize the population,and the crossover in the genetic algorithm is introduced to enhance global convergence.Finally,the typical simulation examples are constructed with real-mission scenarios in three aspects to analyze:performance comparisons with various algorithms;robustness analyses via comparisons of different on-orbit refueling durations;investigations into the impacts of different initial population strategies on algorithm performance,demonstrating the proposed mission scheduling framework's robustness and effectiveness by comparing it with the exact mission scheduling.展开更多
With the large-scale integration of new energy sources,various resources such as energy storage,electric vehicles(EVs),and photovoltaics(PV) have participated in the scheduling of active distribution networks(ADNs),po...With the large-scale integration of new energy sources,various resources such as energy storage,electric vehicles(EVs),and photovoltaics(PV) have participated in the scheduling of active distribution networks(ADNs),posing new challenges to the operation and scheduling of distribution networks.Aiming at the uncertainty of PV and EV,an optimal scheduling model for ADNs based on multi-scenario fuzzy set based charging station resource forecasting is constructed.To address the scheduling uncertainties caused by PV and load forecasting errors,a day-ahead optimal scheduling model based on conditional value at risk(CVaR) for cost assessment is established,with the optimization objectives of minimizing the operation cost of distribution networks and the risk cost caused by forecasting errors.An improved subtractive optimizer algorithm is proposed to solve the model and formulate day-ahead optimization schemes.Secondly,a forecasting model for dispatchable resources in charging stations is constructed based on event-based fuzzy set theory.On this basis,an intraday scheduling model is built to comprehensively utilize the dispatchable resources of charging stations to coordinate with the output of distributed power sources,achieving optimal scheduling with the goal of minimizing operation costs.Finally,an experimental scenario based on the IEEE-33 node system is designed for simulation verification.The comparison of optimal scheduling results shows that the proposed method can fully exploit the potential scheduling resources of charging stations,improving the operation stability of ADNs and the accommodution capacity of new energy.展开更多
Traditional optimal scheduling methods are limited to accurate physical models and parameter settings, which aredifficult to adapt to the uncertainty of source and load, and there are problems such as the inability to...Traditional optimal scheduling methods are limited to accurate physical models and parameter settings, which aredifficult to adapt to the uncertainty of source and load, and there are problems such as the inability to make dynamicdecisions continuously. This paper proposed a dynamic economic scheduling method for distribution networksbased on deep reinforcement learning. Firstly, the economic scheduling model of the new energy distributionnetwork is established considering the action characteristics of micro-gas turbines, and the dynamic schedulingmodel based on deep reinforcement learning is constructed for the new energy distribution network system with ahigh proportion of new energy, and the Markov decision process of the model is defined. Secondly, Second, for thechanging characteristics of source-load uncertainty, agents are trained interactively with the distributed networkin a data-driven manner. Then, through the proximal policy optimization algorithm, agents adaptively learn thescheduling strategy and realize the dynamic scheduling decision of the new energy distribution network system.Finally, the feasibility and superiority of the proposed method are verified by an improved IEEE 33-node simulationsystem.展开更多
A self-adaptive large neighborhood search method for scheduling n jobs on m non-identical parallel machines with mul- tiple time windows is presented. The problems＇ another feature lies in oversubscription, namely no...A self-adaptive large neighborhood search method for scheduling n jobs on m non-identical parallel machines with mul- tiple time windows is presented. The problems＇ another feature lies in oversubscription, namely not all jobs can be scheduled within specified scheduling horizons due to the limited machine capacity. The objective is thus to maximize the overall profits of processed jobs while respecting machine constraints. A first-in- first-out heuristic is applied to find an initial solution, and then a large neighborhood search procedure is employed to relax and re- optimize cumbersome solutions. A machine learning mechanism is also introduced to converge on the most efficient neighborhoods for the problem. Extensive computational results are presented based on data from an application involving the daily observation scheduling of a fleet of earth observing satellites. The method rapidly solves most problem instances to optimal or near optimal and shows a robust performance in sensitive analysis.展开更多
A self-adaptive resource provisioning on demand is a critical factor in cloud computing.The selection of accurate amount of resources at run time is not easy due to dynamic nature of requests.Therefore,a self-adaptive...A self-adaptive resource provisioning on demand is a critical factor in cloud computing.The selection of accurate amount of resources at run time is not easy due to dynamic nature of requests.Therefore,a self-adaptive strategy of resources is required to deal with dynamic nature of requests based on run time change in workload.In this paper we proposed a Cloud-based Adaptive Resource Scheduling Strategy(CARSS)Framework that formally addresses these issues and is more expressive than traditional approaches.The decision making in CARSS is based on more than one factors.TheMAPE-K based framework determines the state of the resources based on their current utilization.Timed-Arc Petri Net(TAPN)is used to model system formally and behaviour is expressed in TCTL,while TAPAAL model checker verifies the underline properties of the system.展开更多
基金supported in part by National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFF0610600).
文摘An optimization model has been established and solved to determine the optimal threshold value for the event-triggered self-adaptive optimization strategy,which aims to strike a balance between optimization performance and control load while ensuring continuous optimization.First,evaluation indicators are introduced to comprehensively analyze the impact of power fluctuations on the objective function and system voltage at both the system-wide and local levels.Based on these indicators,a multi-stage centralized optimization(MCO)is selectively applied,addressing system state deviations to achieve optimal operating states while maintaining a voltage security margin to ensure system safety.Then,distributed optimization(DO)is carried out at each bus with a renewable energy source or random load integration to accommodate short-term uncertainties using a self-adaptive reactive power algorithm.The optimal threshold value for event-triggered DO is calculated to balance control burden and optimization effectiveness.Utilizing the local state deviation evaluation indicator,unnecessary DOs are skipped when minor power fluctuations occur at the local level.Finally,following the linear superposition principle,event-triggered DOs executed at all distributed controllers collectively constitute the self-adaptive optimization strategy for the entire system.A case study on the IEEE New England 39-bus power system illustrates the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 62472264the Natural Science Distinguished Youth Foundation of Shandong Province under Grant ZR2025QA13.
文摘Workflow scheduling is critical for efficient cloud resource management.This paper proposes Tunicate Swarm-Highest Response Ratio Next,a novel scheduler that synergistically combines the Tunicate Swarm Algorithm with the Highest Response Ratio Next policy.The Tunicate Swarm Algorithm generates a cost-minimizing task-to-VM mapping scheme,while the Highest Response Ratio Next dynamically dispatches tasks in the ready queue with the highest-priority.Experimental results demonstrate that the Tunicate Swarm-Highest Response RatioNext reduces costs by up to 94.8%compared to meta-heuristic baselines.It also achieves competitive cost efficiency vs.a learning-based method while offering superior operational simplicity and efficiency,establishing it as a highly practical solution for dynamic cloud environments.
基金the financial support from the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB0470303)the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFB4600101)+5 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52175201)the Research Program of Science and Technology Department of Gansu Province (24JRRA059, 24JRRA044, and 24YFFA014)the Science Fund of Shandong Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Green Manufacturing at Yantai (AMGM2024F12)the Major Program (ZYFZFX-2) of the Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, CASthe Special Research Assistant Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciencesthe Oasis Scholar of Shihezi University
文摘Octopuses,due to their flexible arms,marvelous adaptability,and powerful suckers,are able to effortlessly grasp and disengage various objects in the marine surrounding without causing devastation.However,manipulating delicate objects such as soft and fragile foods underwater require gentle contact and stable adhesion,which poses a serious challenge to now available soft grippers.Inspired by the sucker infundibulum structure and flexible tentacles of octopus,herein we developed a hydraulically actuated hydrogel soft gripper with adaptive maneuverability by coupling multiple hydrogen bond-mediated supramolecular hydrogels and vat polymerization three-dimensional printing,in which hydrogel bionic sucker is composed of a tunable curvature membrane,a negative pressure cavity,and a pneumatic chamber.The design of the sucker structure with the alterable curvature membrane is conducive to realize the reliable and gentle switchable adhesion of the hydrogel soft gripper.As a proof-of-concept,the adaptive hydrogel soft gripper is capable of implement diversified underwater tasks,including gingerly grasping fragile foods like egg yolks and tofu,as well as underwater robots and vehicles that station-keeping and crawling based on switchable adhesion.This study therefore provides a transformative strategy for the design of novel soft grippers that will render promising utilities for underwater exploration soft robotics.
文摘WE observe that the response speed of a linear timeinvariant system to a step reference input depends not only on the system parameters but also on the magnitude of the step input.Based on this observation,we demonstrate a method to schedule the magnitude of the reference input to achieve a faster response.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(61374186)。
文摘In response to the challenges faced by unmanned swarms in mountain obstacle-breaching missions within complex terrains,such as poor task-resource coupling,lengthy solution generation times,and poor inter-platform collaboration,an unmanned swarm scheduling strategy tailored is proposed for mountain obstacle-breaching missions.Initially,by formalizing the descriptions of obstacle breaching operations,the swarm,and obstacle targets,an optimization model is constructed with the objectives of expected global benefit,timeliness,and task completion degree.A meta-task decomposition and reassembly strategy is then introduced to more precisely match the capabilities of unmanned platforms with task requirements.Additionally,a meta-task decomposition optimization model and a meta-task allocation operator are incorporated to achieve efficient allocation of swarm resources and collaborative scheduling.Simulation results demonstrate that the model can accurately generate reasonable and feasible obstacle breaching execution plans for unmanned swarms based on specific task requirements and environmental conditions.Moreover,compared to conventional strategies,the proposed strategy enhances task completion degree and expected returns while reducing the execution time of the plans.
文摘Task scheduling in cloud computing is a multi-objective optimization problem,often involving conflicting objectives such as minimizing execution time,reducing operational cost,and maximizing resource utilization.However,traditional approaches frequently rely on single-objective optimization methods which are insufficient for capturing the complexity of such problems.To address this limitation,we introduce MDMOSA(Multi-objective Dwarf Mongoose Optimization with Simulated Annealing),a hybrid that integrates multi-objective optimization for efficient task scheduling in Infrastructure-as-a-Service(IaaS)cloud environments.MDMOSA harmonizes the exploration capabilities of the biologically inspired Dwarf Mongoose Optimization(DMO)with the exploitation strengths of Simulated Annealing(SA),achieving a balanced search process.The algorithm aims to optimize task allocation by reducing makespan and financial cost while improving system resource utilization.We evaluate MDMOSA through extensive simulations using the real-world Google Cloud Jobs(GoCJ)dataset within the CloudSim environment.Comparative analysis against benchmarked algorithms such as SMOACO,MOTSGWO,and MFPAGWO reveals that MDMOSA consistently achieves superior performance in terms of scheduling efficiency,cost-effectiveness,and scalability.These results confirm the potential of MDMOSA as a robust and adaptable solution for resource scheduling in dynamic and heterogeneous cloud computing infrastructures.
基金Supported by the National Program on Key Basic Research Project(2020YFA0713600)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(62272214)。
文摘In the era of the Internet of Things,distributed computing alleviates the problem of insufficient terminal computing power by integrating idle resources of heterogeneous devices.However,the imbalance between task execution delay and node energy consumption,and the scheduling and adaptation challenges brought about by device heterogeneity,urgently need to be addressed.To tackle this problem,this paper constructs a multi-objective real-time task scheduling model that considers task real-time performance,execution delay,system energy consumption,and node interests.The model aims to minimize the delay upper bound and total energy consumption while maximizing system satisfaction.A real-time task scheduling algorithm based on bilateral matching game is proposed.By designing a bidirectional preference mechanism between tasks and computing nodes,combined with a multi-round stable matching strategy,accurate matching between tasks and nodes is achieved.Simulation results show that compared with the baseline scheme,the proposed algorithm significantly reduces the total execution cost,effectively balances the task execution delay and the energy consumption of compute nodes,and takes into account the interests of each network compute node.
文摘The proliferation of carrier aircraft and the integration of unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)on aircraft carriers present new challenges to the automation of launch and recovery operations.This paper investigates a collaborative scheduling problem inherent to the operational processes of carrier aircraft,where launch and recovery tasks are conducted concurrently on the flight deck.The objective is to minimize the cumulative weighted waiting time in the air for recovering aircraft and the cumulative weighted delay time for launching aircraft.To tackle this challenge,a multiple population self-adaptive differential evolution(MPSADE)algorithm is proposed.This method features a self-adaptive parameter updating mechanism that is contingent upon population diversity,an asynchronous updating scheme,an individual migration operator,and a global crossover mechanism.Additionally,comprehensive experiments are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed model and algorithm.Ultimately,a comparative analysis with existing operation modes confirms the enhanced efficiency of the collaborative operation mode.
基金funded by the State Grid Corporation Science and Technology Project“Research and Application of Key Technologies for Integrated Sensing and Computing for Intelligent Operation of Power Grid”(Grant No.5700-202318596A-3-2-ZN).
文摘With the rapid development of power Internet of Things(IoT)scenarios such as smart factories and smart homes,numerous intelligent terminal devices and real-time interactive applications impose higher demands on computing latency and resource supply efficiency.Multi-access edge computing technology deploys cloud computing capabilities at the network edge;constructs distributed computing nodes and multi-access systems and offers infrastructure support for services with low latency and high reliability.Existing research relies on a strong assumption that the environmental state is fully observable and fails to thoroughly consider the continuous time-varying features of edge server load fluctuations,leading to insufficient adaptability of the model in a heterogeneous dynamic environment.Thus,this paper establishes a framework for end-edge collaborative task offloading based on a partially observable Markov decision-making process(POMDP)and proposes a method for end-edge collaborative task offloading in heterogeneous scenarios.It achieves time-series modeling of the historical load characteristics of edge servers and endows the agent with the ability to be aware of the load in dynamic environmental states.Moreover,by dynamically assessing the exploration value of historical trajectories in the central trajectory pool and adjusting the sample weight distribution,directional exploration and strategy optimization of high-value trajectories are realized.Experimental results indicate that the proposed method exhibits distinct advantages compared with existing methods in terms of average delay and task failure rate and also verifies the method’s robustness in a dynamic environment.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.52475543)Natural Science Foundation of Henan(Grant No.252300421101)+1 种基金Henan Province University Science and Technology Innovation Talent Support Plan(Grant No.24HASTIT048)Science and Technology Innovation Team Project of Zhengzhou University of Light Industry(Grant No.23XNKJTD0101).
文摘Aircraft assembly is characterized by stringent precedence constraints,limited resource availability,spatial restrictions,and a high degree of manual intervention.These factors lead to considerable variability in operator workloads and significantly increase the complexity of scheduling.To address this challenge,this study investigates the Aircraft Pulsating Assembly Line Scheduling Problem(APALSP)under skilled operator allocation,with the objective of minimizing assembly completion time.A mathematical model considering skilled operator allocation is developed,and a Q-Learning improved Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm(QLPSO)is proposed.In the algorithm design,a reverse scheduling strategy is adopted to effectively manage large-scale precedence constraints.Moreover,a reverse sequence encoding method is introduced to generate operation sequences,while a time decoding mechanism is employed to determine completion times.The problem is further reformulated as a Markov Decision Process(MDP)with explicitly defined state and action spaces.Within QLPSO,the Q-learning mechanism adaptively adjusts inertia weights and learning factors,thereby achieving a balance between exploration capability and convergence performance.To validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach,extensive computational experiments are conducted on benchmark instances of different scales,including small,medium,large,and ultra-large cases.The results demonstrate that QLPSO consistently delivers stable and high-quality solutions across all scenarios.In ultra-large-scale instances,it improves the best solution by 25.2%compared with the Genetic Algorithm(GA)and enhances the average solution by 16.9%over the Q-learning algorithm,showing clear advantages over the comparative methods.These findings not only confirm the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm but also provide valuable theoretical references and practical guidance for the intelligent scheduling optimization of aircraft pulsating assembly lines.
基金Supported by Natural Science Foundation of Henan Province(Grant Nos.232300421218 and 252300421483).
文摘The airplane refueling problem can be stated as follows.We are given n airplanes which can refuel one another during the flight.Each airplane has a reservoir volume wj(liters)and a consumption rate pj(liters per kilometer).As soon as one airplane runs out of fuel,it is dropping out of the flight.The problem asks for finding a refueling scheme such that the last plane in the air reach a maximal distance.An equivalent version is the n-vehicle exploration problem.The computational complexity of this non-linear combinatorial optimization problem is open so far.This paper employs the neighborhood exchange method of single-machine scheduling to study the precedence relations of jobs,so as to improve the necessary and sufficiency conditions of optimal solutions,and establish an efficient heuristic algorithm which is a generalization of several existing special algorithms.
基金funded by Taif University,Taif,Saudi Arabia,project number(TU-DSPP-2024-17)。
文摘Advanced technologies like Cyber-Physical Systems(CPS)and the Internet of Things(IoT)have supported modernizing and automating the transportation region through the introduction of Intelligent Transportation Systems(ITS).Integrating CPS-ITS and IoT provides real-time Vehicle-to-Infrastructure(V2I)communication,supporting better traffic management,safety,and efficiency.These technological innovations generate complex problems that need to be addressed,uniquely about data routing and Task Scheduling(TS)in ITS.Attempts to solve those problems were primarily based on traditional and experimental methods,and the solutions were not so successful due to the dynamic nature of ITS.This is where the scope of Machine learning(ML)and Swarm Intelligence(SI)has significantly impacted dealing with these challenges;in this line,this research paper presents a novel method for TS and data routing in the CPS-ITS.This paper proposes using a cutting-edge ML algorithm for data transmission from CPS-ITS.This ML has Gated Linear Unit-approximated Reinforcement Learning(GLRL).Greedy Iterative-Particle Swarm Optimization(GI-PSO)has been recommended to develop the Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO)for TS.The primary objective of this study is to enhance the security and effectiveness of ITS systems that utilize CPS-ITS.This study trained and validated the models using a network simulation dataset of 50 nodes from numerous ITS environments.The experiments demonstrate that the proposed GLRL reduces End-toEnd Delay(EED)by 12%,enhances data size use from 83.6%to 88.6%,and achieves higher bandwidth allocation,particularly in high-demand scenarios such as multimedia data streams where adherence improved to 98.15%.Furthermore,the GLRL reduced Network Congestion(NC)by 5.5%,demonstrating its efficiency in managing complex traffic conditions across several environments.The model passed simulation tests in three different environments:urban(UE),suburban(SE),and rural(RE).It met the high bandwidth requirements,made task scheduling more efficient,and increased network throughput(NT).This proved that it was robust and flexible enough for scalable ITS applications.These innovations provide robust,scalable solutions for real-time traffic management,ultimately improving safety,reducing NC,and increasing overall NT.This study can affect ITS by developing it to be more responsive,safe,and effective and by creating a perfect method to set up UE,SE,and RE.
基金funding from the European Commission by the Ruralities project(grant agreement no.101060876).
文摘In this paper,we propose a new privacy-aware transmission scheduling algorithm for 6G ad hoc networks.This system enables end nodes to select the optimum time and scheme to transmit private data safely.In 6G dynamic heterogeneous infrastructures,unstable links and non-uniform hardware capabilities create critical issues regarding security and privacy.Traditional protocols are often too computationally heavy to allow 6G services to achieve their expected Quality-of-Service(QoS).As the transport network is built of ad hoc nodes,there is no guarantee about their trustworthiness or behavior,and transversal functionalities are delegated to the extreme nodes.However,while security can be guaranteed in extreme-to-extreme solutions,privacy cannot,as all intermediate nodes still have to handle the data packets they are transporting.Besides,traditional schemes for private anonymous ad hoc communications are vulnerable against modern intelligent attacks based on learning models.The proposed scheme fulfills this gap.Findings show the probability of a successful intelligent attack reduces by up to 65%compared to ad hoc networks with no privacy protection strategy when used the proposed technology.While congestion probability can remain below 0.001%,as required in 6G services.
基金funded by National Key Research and Development Program Projects of China under Grant No.2020YFB1713500.
文摘To address the issue that hybrid flow shop production struggles to handle order disturbance events,a dynamic scheduling model was constructed.The model takes minimizing the maximum makespan,delivery time deviation,and scheme deviation degree as the optimization objectives.An adaptive dynamic scheduling strategy based on the degree of order disturbance is proposed.An improved multi-objective Grey Wolf(IMOGWO)optimization algorithm is designed by combining the“job-machine”two-layer encoding strategy,the timing-driven two-stage decoding strategy,the opposition-based learning initialization population strategy,the POX crossover strategy,the dualoperation dynamic mutation strategy,and the variable neighborhood search strategy for problem solving.A variety of test cases with different scales were designed,and ablation experiments were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the improved strategies.The results show that each improved strategy can effectively enhance the performance of the IMOGWO.Additionally,performance analysis was conducted by comparing the proposed algorithm with three mature and classical algorithms.The results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm exhibits superior performance in solving the hybrid flow-shop scheduling problem(HFSP).Case validations were conducted for different types of order disturbance scenarios.The results demonstrate that the proposed adaptive dynamic scheduling strategy and the IMOGWO algorithm can effectively address order disturbance events.They enable rapid response to order disturbance while ensuring the stability of the production system.
基金appreciation to the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number(PNURSP2025R384)Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University,Riyadh,Saudi Arabia.
文摘The cloud-fog computing paradigm has emerged as a novel hybrid computing model that integrates computational resources at both fog nodes and cloud servers to address the challenges posed by dynamic and heterogeneous computing networks.Finding an optimal computational resource for task offloading and then executing efficiently is a critical issue to achieve a trade-off between energy consumption and transmission delay.In this network,the task processed at fog nodes reduces transmission delay.Still,it increases energy consumption,while routing tasks to the cloud server saves energy at the cost of higher communication delay.Moreover,the order in which offloaded tasks are executed affects the system’s efficiency.For instance,executing lower-priority tasks before higher-priority jobs can disturb the reliability and stability of the system.Therefore,an efficient strategy of optimal computation offloading and task scheduling is required for operational efficacy.In this paper,we introduced a multi-objective and enhanced version of Cheeta Optimizer(CO),namely(MoECO),to jointly optimize the computation offloading and task scheduling in cloud-fog networks to minimize two competing objectives,i.e.,energy consumption and communication delay.MoECO first assigns tasks to the optimal computational nodes and then the allocated tasks are scheduled for processing based on the task priority.The mathematical modelling of CO needs improvement in computation time and convergence speed.Therefore,MoECO is proposed to increase the search capability of agents by controlling the search strategy based on a leader’s location.The adaptive step length operator is adjusted to diversify the solution and thus improves the exploration phase,i.e.,global search strategy.Consequently,this prevents the algorithm from getting trapped in the local optimal solution.Moreover,the interaction factor during the exploitation phase is also adjusted based on the location of the prey instead of the adjacent Cheetah.This increases the exploitation capability of agents,i.e.,local search capability.Furthermore,MoECO employs a multi-objective Pareto-optimal front to simultaneously minimize designated objectives.Comprehensive simulations in MATLAB demonstrate that the proposed algorithm obtains multiple solutions via a Pareto-optimal front and achieves an efficient trade-off between optimization objectives compared to baseline methods.
基金co-supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.62473110,62403166)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China(No.2023FRFK02043)+1 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province,China(No.LH2022F023)the National Key Laboratory of Space Intelligent Control Foundation,China(No.2023-JCJQ-LB-006-19)。
文摘With the increasing number of geosynchronous orbit satellites with expiring lifetime,spacecraft refueling is crucial in enhancing the economic benefits of on-orbit services.The existing studies tend to be based on predetermined refueling duration;however,the precise mission scheduling solution will be difficult to apply due to uncertain refueling duration caused by orbital transfer deviations and stochastic actuator faults during actual on-orbit service.Therefore,this paper proposes a robust mission scheduling strategy for geosynchronous orbit spacecraft on-orbit refueling missions with uncertain refueling duration.Firstly,a robust mission scheduling model is constructed by introducing the budget uncertainty set to describe the uncertain refueling duration.Secondly,a hybrid harris hawks optimization algorithm is designed to explore the optimal mission allocation and refueling sequences,which combines cubic chaotic mapping to initialize the population,and the crossover in the genetic algorithm is introduced to enhance global convergence.Finally,the typical simulation examples are constructed with real-mission scenarios in three aspects to analyze:performance comparisons with various algorithms;robustness analyses via comparisons of different on-orbit refueling durations;investigations into the impacts of different initial population strategies on algorithm performance,demonstrating the proposed mission scheduling framework's robustness and effectiveness by comparing it with the exact mission scheduling.
基金Supported by the Technology Project of State Grid Corporation Headquarters(No.5100-202322029A-1-1-ZN)the 2024 Youth Science Foundation Project of China (No.62303006)。
文摘With the large-scale integration of new energy sources,various resources such as energy storage,electric vehicles(EVs),and photovoltaics(PV) have participated in the scheduling of active distribution networks(ADNs),posing new challenges to the operation and scheduling of distribution networks.Aiming at the uncertainty of PV and EV,an optimal scheduling model for ADNs based on multi-scenario fuzzy set based charging station resource forecasting is constructed.To address the scheduling uncertainties caused by PV and load forecasting errors,a day-ahead optimal scheduling model based on conditional value at risk(CVaR) for cost assessment is established,with the optimization objectives of minimizing the operation cost of distribution networks and the risk cost caused by forecasting errors.An improved subtractive optimizer algorithm is proposed to solve the model and formulate day-ahead optimization schemes.Secondly,a forecasting model for dispatchable resources in charging stations is constructed based on event-based fuzzy set theory.On this basis,an intraday scheduling model is built to comprehensively utilize the dispatchable resources of charging stations to coordinate with the output of distributed power sources,achieving optimal scheduling with the goal of minimizing operation costs.Finally,an experimental scenario based on the IEEE-33 node system is designed for simulation verification.The comparison of optimal scheduling results shows that the proposed method can fully exploit the potential scheduling resources of charging stations,improving the operation stability of ADNs and the accommodution capacity of new energy.
基金the State Grid Liaoning Electric Power Supply Co.,Ltd.(Research on Scheduling Decision Technology Based on Interactive Reinforcement Learning for Adapting High Proportion of New Energy,No.2023YF-49).
文摘Traditional optimal scheduling methods are limited to accurate physical models and parameter settings, which aredifficult to adapt to the uncertainty of source and load, and there are problems such as the inability to make dynamicdecisions continuously. This paper proposed a dynamic economic scheduling method for distribution networksbased on deep reinforcement learning. Firstly, the economic scheduling model of the new energy distributionnetwork is established considering the action characteristics of micro-gas turbines, and the dynamic schedulingmodel based on deep reinforcement learning is constructed for the new energy distribution network system with ahigh proportion of new energy, and the Markov decision process of the model is defined. Secondly, Second, for thechanging characteristics of source-load uncertainty, agents are trained interactively with the distributed networkin a data-driven manner. Then, through the proximal policy optimization algorithm, agents adaptively learn thescheduling strategy and realize the dynamic scheduling decision of the new energy distribution network system.Finally, the feasibility and superiority of the proposed method are verified by an improved IEEE 33-node simulationsystem.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (7060103570801062)
文摘A self-adaptive large neighborhood search method for scheduling n jobs on m non-identical parallel machines with mul- tiple time windows is presented. The problems＇ another feature lies in oversubscription, namely not all jobs can be scheduled within specified scheduling horizons due to the limited machine capacity. The objective is thus to maximize the overall profits of processed jobs while respecting machine constraints. A first-in- first-out heuristic is applied to find an initial solution, and then a large neighborhood search procedure is employed to relax and re- optimize cumbersome solutions. A machine learning mechanism is also introduced to converge on the most efficient neighborhoods for the problem. Extensive computational results are presented based on data from an application involving the daily observation scheduling of a fleet of earth observing satellites. The method rapidly solves most problem instances to optimal or near optimal and shows a robust performance in sensitive analysis.
文摘A self-adaptive resource provisioning on demand is a critical factor in cloud computing.The selection of accurate amount of resources at run time is not easy due to dynamic nature of requests.Therefore,a self-adaptive strategy of resources is required to deal with dynamic nature of requests based on run time change in workload.In this paper we proposed a Cloud-based Adaptive Resource Scheduling Strategy(CARSS)Framework that formally addresses these issues and is more expressive than traditional approaches.The decision making in CARSS is based on more than one factors.TheMAPE-K based framework determines the state of the resources based on their current utilization.Timed-Arc Petri Net(TAPN)is used to model system formally and behaviour is expressed in TCTL,while TAPAAL model checker verifies the underline properties of the system.
