Toward bridging future irrigation deficits utilizing the shark algorithm integrated with a climate change model

Climate change is one of the most effectual variables on the dam operations and reservoir water system. This is due to the fact that climate change has a direct effect on the rainfall–runoff process that is influencing the water inflow to the reservoir. This study examines future trends in climate change in terms of temperature and precipitation as an important predictor to minimize the gap between water supply and demand. In this study, temperature and precipitation were predicted for the period between 2046 and 2065, in the context of climate change, based on the A1B scenario and the HAD-CM3 model. Runoff volume was then predicted with the IHACRES model. A new, nature-inspired optimization algorithm, named the shark algorithm, was examined. Climate change model results were utilized by the shark algorithm to generate an optimal operation rule for dam and reservoir water systems to minimize the gap between water supply and demand for irrigation purposes. The proposed model was applied for the Aydoughmoush Dam in Iran. Results showed that, due to the decrease in water runoff to the reservoir and the increase in irrigation demand, serious irrigation deficits could occur downstream of the Aydoughmoush Dam

Star-Mapping Tools Enable Tracking of Endangered Animals

Software programmer Jason Holmberg of Portland, Oregon, partnered with a Goddard Space Flight Center astrophysicist to develop a method for tracking the elusive whale shark using the unique spot patterns on the fish s skin. Employing a star-mapping algorithm originally designed for the Hubble Space Telescope, Holmberg created the Shepherd Project, a photograph database and pattern-matching system that can identify whale sharks by their spots and match images contributed to the database by photographers from around the world. The system has been adapted for tracking other rare and endangered animals, including polar bears and ocean sunfish

Application of inclusive multiple model for the prediction of saffron water footprint

Applying new approaches in the management of water resources is a vital issue, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. The water footprint is a key index in water management. Therefore, it is necessary to predict its changes for future durations. The soft computing model is one of the most widely used models in predicting and estimating agroclimatic variables. The purpose of this study is to predict the green and blue water footprints of saffron product using the soft computing model. In order to select the most effective variables in prediction water footprints, the individual input was eliminated one by one and the effect of each on the residual mean square error (RMSE) was measured. In the first stage, the Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) and evolutionary algorithms have been applied. In the next stage, the output of individual models was incorporated into the Inclusive Multiple Model (IMM) as the input variables in order to predict the blue and green water footprints of saffron product in three homogenous agroclimatic regions. Finally, the uncertainty of the model caused by the input and parameters was evaluated. The contributions of this research are introducing optimized GMDH and new ensemble models for predicting BWF, and GWF, uncertainty analysis and investigating effective inputs on the GWF and BWF. The results indicated that the most important variables affecting green and blue water footprints are plant transpiration, evapotranspiration, and yield, since removing these variables significantly increased the RMSE (range=11–25). Among the GMDH models, the best performance belonged to NMRA (Naked Mole Ranked Algorithm) due to the fast convergence and high accuracy of the outputs. In this regard, the IMM has a better performance (FSD=0.76, NSE=0.95, MAE) = 8, PBIAS= 8) than the alternatives due to applying the outputs of several individual models and the lowest uncertainty based on the parameters and inputs of the model (p = 0.98, r = 0.08)

A Secure Implementation of a Symmetric Encryption Algorithm in White-Box Attack Contexts

In a white-box context, an adversary has total visibility of the implementation of the cryptosystem and full control over its execution platform. As a countermeasure against the threat of key compromise in this context, a new secure implementation of the symmetric encryption algorithm SHARK is proposed. The general approach is to merge several steps of the round function of SHARK into table lookups, blended by randomly generated mixing bijections. We prove the soundness of the implementation of the algorithm and analyze its security and efficiency. The implementation can be used in web hosts, digital right management devices, and mobile devices such as tablets and smart phones. We explain how the design approach can be adapted to other symmetric encryption algorithms with a slight modification

Renewable Energy Resource Assessment and Forecasting

In recent years, several projects and studies have been launched towards the development and use of new methodologies, in order to assess, monitor, and support clean forms of energy. Accurate estimation of the available energy potential is of primary importance, but is not always easy to achieve. The present Special Issue on ‘Renewable Energy Resource Assessment and Forecasting’ aims to provide a holistic approach to the above issues, by presenting multidisciplinary methodologies and tools that are able to support research projects and meet today’s technical, socio-economic, and decision-making needs. In particular, research papers, reviews, and case studies on the following subjects are presented: wind, wave and solar energy; biofuels; resource assessment of combined renewable energy forms; numerical models for renewable energy forecasting; integrated forecasted systems; energy for buildings; sustainable development; resource analysis tools and statistical models; extreme value analysis and forecasting for renewable energy resources

Fingerprint recognition based on shark smell optimization and genetic algorithm

Fingerprint recognition is a dominant form of biometric due to its distinctiveness. The study aims to extract and select the best features of fingerprint images, and evaluate the strength of the Shark Smell Optimization (SSO) and Genetic Algorithm (GA) in the search space with a chosen set of metrics. The proposed model consists of seven phases namely, enrollment, image preprocessing by using weighted median filter, feature extraction by using SSO, weight generation by using Chebyshev polynomial first kind (CPFK), feature selection by using GA, creation of a user’s database, and matching features by using Euclidean distance (ED). The effectiveness of the proposed model’s algorithms and performance is evaluated on 150 real fingerprint images that were collected from university students by the ZKTeco scanner at Sulaimani city, Iraq. The system’s performance was measured by three renowned error rate metrics, namely, False Acceptance Rate (FAR), False Rejection Rate (FRR), and Correct Verification Rate (CVR). The experimental outcome showed that the proposed fingerprint recognition model was exceedingly accurate recognition because of a low rate of both FAR and FRR, with a high CVR percentage gained which was 0.00, 0.00666, and 99.334%, respectively. This finding would be useful for improving biometric secure authentication based fingerprint. It is also possibly applied to other research topics such as fraud detection, e-payment, and other real-life applications authentication

Efficiency of coupled invasive weed optimization-adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system method to assess physical habitats in streams

This study presents a coupled invasive weed optimization-adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system method to simulate physical habitat in streams. We implement proposed method in Lar national park in Iran as one of the habitats of Brown trout in southern Caspian Sea basin. Five indices consisting of root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), reliability index, vulnerability index and Nash–Sutcliffe model efficiency coefficient (NSE) are utilized to compare observed fish habitats and simulated fish habitats. Based on results, measurement indices demonstrate model is robust to assess physical habitats in rivers. RMSE and MAE are 0.09 and 0.08 respectively. Besides, NSE is 0.78 that indicates robustness of model. Moreover, it is necessary to apply developed habitat model in a practical habitat simulation. We utilize two-dimensional hydraulic model in steady state to simulate depth and velocity distribution. Based on qualitative comparison between results of model and observation, coupled invasive weed optimization-adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system method is robust and reliable to simulate physical habitats. We recommend utilizing proposed model for physical habitat simulation in streams for future studies

“Picking our Oysters” and “Swimming with our Whales”: How innovative tourism practices may engender sustainable development

n an unfolding scenario of environmental gloom and doom where humans have become the key disruptors and exploiters of nature, our article presents an optimistic and hopeful approach to how humans may interact with nature on nature’s premises—with reverence. To illustrate this communicative praxis, we carry out cross-case analyses of two real-life scenarios that we label “picking our oysters” and “swimming with our whales,” revealing how human beings interacting with others and nature through locally situated tourism interventions can spark cascading interactional effects into yet newer and expanding communities of caring for nature. When such happens, we contend that it represents the kind of sustainable development that the world badly needs, especially in the present perilous times. We contend that the insights emerging from our cross-case analyses have wide-ranging implications for both scholars and practitioners of tourism and communication—that is, collaborative local interactions, actions, and interventions can cascade into emergent and resilient sustainable development practices.publishedVersio

Modified SHARK Cipher and Duffing Map-Based Cryptosystem

Recent years have seen a lot of interest in the study of chaotic structures and their accompanying cryptography frameworks. In this research, we came up with a new way to encrypt images that used the chaos and a modified block cipher named the SHARK cipher. The new algorithm looks at the creation of random sequences as a problem that needs to be solved in the best way possible, and then it uses the Duffing chaotic map to get even better random sequences. Chaos has been combined with a revised edition of the SHARK structure to make the algorithm design more robust with increased confusion and diffusion. The offered algorithm includes a complex encryption and decryption structure with minimal time consumption for secure data transmission. The proposed algorithm is verified with the encryption of some standard images of different sizes. Numerous analyses have been performed to see how well the algorithm works against a variety of assaults, and the outcomes show that the cryptosystem has a good level of robustness. The comparative results are also performed in this work, which guarantees the excellent performance of our cryptosystem. The system is also subjected to chosen-plaintext and chosen-ciphertext attacks which implies that it can resist many classical cryptographic attacks. Therefore, our cryptosystem is robust enough to use for image encryption