Search Results (14)

Neglected and Underutilized Species (NUS)—locally available, climate-resilient species—possess significant nutritional, social, and environmental benefits, yet their use, research focus, and market presence have diminished over time. Incorporating NUS into school meal programs can potentially boost childhood nutrition, promote healthy eating, encourage sustainable food production, preserve food culture and heritage, and support biodiversity conservation. School meals offered in Kenya are often monotonous and nutritionally inadequate. We conducted a case study on a school in an informal urban settlement in Nairobi, targeting students between ages 6–12, to demonstrate how incorporating locally grown, nutrient-dense foods into school meals can result in better nutrition for school-age children, while making significant savings for schools. Using the World Food Programme’s School Meal Planner (SMP) PLUS software, the school meals offered were analyzed for nutrient adequacy and optimized including five NUS: African nightshade (Solanum spp.), spider plant (Cleome gynandra), Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea), bonavist or hyacinth bean (Lablab purpureus), and slender leaf (Crotalaria spp.). The optimization process was based on the commodity price fluctuations and nutrient composition of the local agrobiodiversity used. The study results show how NUS are a viable and healthy alternative to meet the recommended daily nutrient needs for school-aged children at affordable prices. The tool results showcased the effectiveness of linear programming in enabling national decision making for efficient school feeding program planning, by designing comprehensive, affordable food baskets using local agrobiodiversity. Future research should explore implementing optimized school menus while examining broader aspects, such as school lunch environmental impacts and direct procurement approach opportunities that source local ingredients from smallholder farmers. Full article

Images often suffer from various types of noise during their collection and transmission, such as salt-and-pepper, speckle, and Gaussian noise. The wavelet transform (WT) is widely utilized for denoising. However, the decomposition level and threshold significantly impact the quality of the resulting images, but they are difficult to set. This paper uses a modified whale optimization algorithm (MWOA) to optimize the parameters of the WT to achieve better image denoising. The MWOA is enhanced through position updates and mutation to improve the solution quality of WOA and enlarge the search space of the WT. In benchmark images, experimental comparisons with other optimization algorithms like WOA, adaptive cuckoo search (ACS), and social spider optimization (SSO) show that the proposed denoising method achieves superior results in terms of the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), mean square error (MSE), and structural similarity index (SSIM). Full article

Edge detection is a crucial issue in computer vision, with convolutional neural networks (CNNs) being a key component in various systems for detecting edges within images, offering numerous practical implementations. This paper introduces a hybrid approach for edge detection in color images using an enhanced holistically led edge detection (HED) structure. The method consists of two primary phases: edge approximation based on parallel convolutional neural networks (PCNNs) and edge enhancement based on social spider optimization (SSO). The first phase uses two parallel CNN models to preliminarily approximate image edges. The first model uses edge-detected images from the Otsu-Canny operator, while the second model accepts RGB color images as input. The output of the proposed PCNN model is compared with pairwise combination of color layers in the input image. In the second phase, the SSO algorithm is used to optimize the edge detection result, modifying edges in the approximate image to minimize differences with the resulting color layer combinations. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed method achieved a precision of 0.95. Furthermore, the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and structural similarity index measure (SSIM) values stand at 20.39 and 0.83, respectively. The high PSNR value of our method signifies superior output quality, showing reduced contrast and noise compared to the ground truth image. Similarly, the SSIM value indicates that the method’s edge structure surpasses that of the ground truth image, further affirming its superiority over other methods. Full article

The widespread application of mobile robots holds significant importance for advancing social intelligence. However, as the complexity of the environment increases, existing Obstacle Avoidance Path Planning (OAPP) methods tend to fall into local optimal paths, compromising reliability and practicality. Therefore, based on the Spider-Wasp Optimizer (SWO), this paper proposes an improved OAPP method called the LMBSWO to address these challenges. Firstly, the learning strategy is introduced to enhance the diversity of the algorithm population, thereby improving its global optimization performance. Secondly, the dual-median-point guidance strategy is incorporated to enhance the algorithm’s exploitation capability and increase its path searchability. Lastly, a better guidance strategy is introduced to enhance the algorithm’s ability to escape local optimal paths. Subsequently, the LMBSWO is employed for OAPP in five different map environments. The experimental results show that the LMBSWO achieves an advantage in collision-free path length, with 100% probability, across five maps of different complexity, while obtaining 80% fault tolerance across different maps, compared to nine existing novel OAPP methods with efficient performance. The LMBSWO ranks first in the trade-off between planning time and path length. With these results, the LMBSWO can be considered as a robust OAPP method with efficient solving performance, along with high robustness. Full article

Mobile robot is an automatic vehicle with wheels that can be moved automatically from one place to another. A motor is built in its wheels for mobility purposes, which is controlled using a controller. DC motor speed is controlled by the proportional integral derivative (PID) controller. Kinematic modeling is used in our work to understand the mechanical behavior of robots for designing the appropriate mobile robots. Right and left wheel velocity and direction are calculated by using the kinematic modeling, and the kinematic modeling is given to the PID controller to gain the output. Motor speed is controlled by the PID low-level controller for the robot mobility; the speed controlling is done using the constant values K_d, K_p, and K_i which depend on the past, future, and present errors. For better control performance, the integral gain, differential gain, and proportional gain are adjusted by the PID controller. Robot speed may vary by changing the direction of the vehicle, so to avoid this the Social Spider Optimization (SSO) algorithm is used in PID controllers. PID controller parameter tuning is hard by using separate algorithms, so the parameters are tuned by the SSO algorithm which is a novel nature-inspired algorithm. The main goal of this paper is to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach in achieving precise speed control of the robot, particularly in the presence of disturbances and uncertainties. Full article

Automatic brain tumor detection in MR Images is one of the basic applications of machine vision in medical image processing, which, despite much research, still needs further development. Using multiple machine learning techniques as an ensemble system is one of the solutions that can be effective in achieving this goal. In this paper, a novel method for diagnosing brain tumors by combining data mining and machine learning techniques has been proposed. In the proposed method, each image is initially pre-processed to eliminate its background region and identify brain tissue. The Social Spider Optimization (SSO) algorithm is then utilized to segment the MRI Images. The MRI Images segmentation allows for a more precise identification of the tumor region in the image. In the next step, the distinctive features of the image are extracted using the SVD technique. In addition to removing redundant information, this strategy boosts the speed of the processing at the classification stage. Finally, a combination of the algorithms Naïve Bayes, Support vector machine and K-nearest neighbor is used to classify the extracted features and detect brain tumors. Each of the three algorithms performs feature classification individually, and the final output of the proposed model is created by integrating the three independent outputs and voting the results. The results indicate that the proposed method can diagnose brain tumors in the BRATS 2014 dataset with an average accuracy of 98.61%, sensitivity of 95.79% and specificity of 99.71%. Additionally, the proposed method could diagnose brain tumors in the BTD20 database with an average accuracy of 99.13%, sensitivity of 99% and specificity of 99.26%. These results show a significant improvement compared to previous efforts. The findings confirm that using the image segmentation technique, as well as the ensemble learning, is effective in improving the efficiency of the proposed method. Full article

An animals’ habitat defines the resources that are available for its use, such as host plants or food sources, and the use of these resources are critical for optimizing fitness. Spiders are abundant in all terrestrial habitats and are often associated with vegetation, which may provide structure for anchoring capture webs, attract insect prey, or provide protective function. Social spiders construct sedentary communal silk nests on host plants, but we know little about whether and how they make nest-site decisions. We examined host plant use in relation to host plant availability in the social spider Stegodyphus dumicola Pocock, 1898 (Eresidae) across different arid biomes in Namibia and analysed the role of host plant characteristics (height, spines, scent, sturdiness) on nest occurrence. Host plant communities and densities differed between locations. Spider nests were relatively more abundant on Acacia spp., Boscia foetida, Combretum spp., Dichrostachys cinerea, Parkinsonia africana, Tarchonanthus camphoratus, and Ziziphus mucronatus, and nests survived longer on preferred plant genera Acacia, Boscia and Combretum. Spider nests were relatively more abundant on plants higher than 2 m, and on plants with thorns and with a rigid structure. Our results suggest that spiders display differential use of host plant species, and that characteristics such as rigidity and thorns confer benefits such as protection from browsing animals. Full article

Drought modeling is essential in water resources planning and management in mitigating its effects, especially in arid regions. Climate change highly influences the frequency and intensity of droughts. In this study, new hybrid methods, the random vector functional link (RVFL) integrated with particle swarm optimization (PSO), the genetic algorithm (GA), the grey wolf optimization (GWO), the social spider optimization (SSO), the salp swarm algorithm (SSA) and the hunger games search algorithm (HGS) were used to forecast droughts based on the standard precipitation index (SPI). Monthly precipitation data from three stations in Bangladesh were used in the applications. The accuracy of the methods was compared by forecasting four SPI indices, SPI3, SPI6, SPI9, and SPI12, using the root mean square errors (RMSE), the mean absolute error (MAE), the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE), and the determination coefficient (R²). The HGS algorithm provided a better performance than the alternative algorithms, and it considerably improved the accuracy of the RVFL method in drought forecasting; the improvement in RMSE for the SPI3, SP6, SPI9, and SPI12 was by 6.14%, 11.89%, 14.14%, 24.5% in station 1, by 6.02%, 17.42%, 13.49%, 24.86% in station 2 and by 7.55%, 26.45%, 15.27%, 13.21% in station 3, respectively. The outcomes of the study recommend the use of a HGS-based RVFL in drought modeling. Full article

Cloud computing offers flexible, interactive, and observable access to shared resources on the Internet. It frees users from the requirements of managing computing on their hardware. It enables users to not only store their data and computing over the internet but also can access it whenever and wherever it is required. The frequent use of smart devices has helped cloud computing to realize the need for its rapid growth. As more users are adapting to the cloud environment, the focus has been placed on load balancing. Load balancing allocates tasks or resources to different devices. In cloud computing, and load balancing has played a major role in the efficient usage of resources for the highest performance. This requirement results in the development of algorithms that can optimally assign resources while managing load and improving quality of service (QoS). This paper provides a survey of load balancing algorithms inspired by swarm intelligence (SI). The algorithms considered in the discussion are Genetic Algorithm, BAT Algorithm, Ant Colony, Grey Wolf, Artificial Bee Colony, Particle Swarm, Whale, Social Spider, Dragonfly, and Raven roosting Optimization. An analysis of the main objectives, area of applications, and targeted issues of each algorithm (with advancements) is presented. In addition, performance analysis has been performed based on average response time, data center processing time, and other quality parameters. Full article

Concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns have been assiduously investigated experimentally and numerically due to the superior structural performance they exhibit. To obtain the best possible performance from CFST columns while reducing the environmental impact, the use of optimization algorithms is indispensable. Metaheuristic optimization techniques provide the designers of CFST members with a very efficient set of tools to obtain design combinations that perform well under external loading and have a low carbon footprint at the same time. That is why metaheuristic algorithms are more applicable in civil engineering due to their high efficiency. A large number of formulas for the prediction of the axial ultimate load-carrying capacity $\left(N_u\right)$ of CFST columns are available in design codes. However, a limitation of the usage of these design formulas is that most of these formulas are only applicable for narrow ranges of design variables. In this study a newly developed set of equations with a wide range of applicability that calculates $N_u$ in case of rectangular cross-sections is applied. In order to optimize the cross-sectional dimensions, two different metaheuristic algorithms are used, and their performances are compared. The reduction in CO₂ emission is demonstrated as a function of cross-sectional dimensions while considering certain structural performance requirements. The outcome of the more recently developed social spider algorithm is compared to the outcome of the well-established harmony search technique. The objective of optimization was to minimize CO₂ emissions associated with the fabrication of CFST stub columns. The effects of varying the wall thickness as well as the concrete compressive strength on CO₂ emissions are visualized by using two different optimization techniques. Full article

Concrete-filled steel tubular columns have garnered wide interest among researchers due to their favorable structural characteristics. To attain the best possible performance from concrete-filled steel tubular columns while reducing the cost, the use of optimization algorithms is indispensable. In this regard, metaheuristic algorithms are finding increasing application in structural engineering due to their high efficiency. Various equations that predict the ultimate axial load-carrying capacity (N_u) of concrete-filled steel tubular columns are available in design codes as well as in the research literature. However, most of these equations are only applicable within certain parameter ranges. To overcome this limitation, the present study adopts a recently developed set of equations for the prediction of Nu that have broader ranges of applicability. Furthermore, a newly developed metaheuristic algorithm, called the social spider algorithm, is introduced and applied in optimizing the cross-section of circular concrete-filled steel tubular columns. The improvement of the structural dimensioning under the Nu constraint is demonstrated. The objective underlying the optimization presented here is to minimize the CO₂ emission and cost associated with the fabrication of concrete-filled steel tubular stub columns. In this context, the relationships between the cross-sectional dimensioning of circular concrete-filled steel tubular columns and the associated CO₂ emissions and cost are characterized and visualized. Full article

The paper develops an improved social spider optimization algorithm (ISSO) for finding optimal solutions of economic load dispatch (ELD) problems. Different ELD problem study cases can bring huge challenges for testing the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed ISSO method since discontinuous objective functions as well as complicated constraints are taken into account. The improved method is different from original social spider optimization algorithm (SSSO) by performing several modifications directly related to three processes of new solution generation. Namely, the proposed method keeps one formula for the first and the second generations and modify them effectively while SSSO has two different formulas for each generation. In the third generation, the proposed method applies a new formula for determining the mating radius of dominant males and females with the intent to expand search space and avoid falling into local zones. The modifications can support the proposed ISSO method find better solutions with faster manner than SSSO while the number of control parameters and the number of computational processes can be reduced. As a result, the proposed method can find much less generation cost and achieve faster search speeds than SSSO for all considered systems. On the other hand, the search ability evaluation of the proposed method is also given by comparing results with other existing methods available in previous studies. The proposed method can obtain approximate or better results and faster convergence than nearly all compared methods excluding for the last system. Consequently, the proposed ISSO method can be recommended to be a strong method for ELD problem and it can be tried for other mathematical problems in engineering. Full article

Community detection (CD) has become an important research direction for data mining in complex networks. Evolutionary algorithm-based (EA-based) approaches, among many other existing community detection methods, are widely used. However, EA-based approaches are prone to population degradation and local convergence. Developing more efficient evolutionary algorithms thus becomes necessary. In 2013, Cuevas et al. proposed a new differential evolution (DE) hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm based on the simulated cooperative behavior of spiders, known as social spider optimization (SSO). On the basis of improving the SSO algorithm, this paper proposes a community detection algorithm based on differential evolution using social spider optimization (DESSO/CD). In this algorithm, the CD detection process is done by simulating the spider cooperative operators, marriage, and operator selection. The similarity of nodes is defined as local fitness function; the community quality increment is used as a screening criterion for evolutionary operators. Populations are sorted according to their contribution and diversity, making evolution even more different. In the entire process, a random cloud crossover model strategy is used to maintain population diversity. Each generation of the mating radius of the SSO algorithm will be adjusted appropriately according to the iterative times and fitness values. This strategy not only ensures the search space of operators, but also reduces the blindness of exploration. On the other hand, the multi-level, multi-granularity strategy of DESSO/CD can be used to further compensate for resolution limitations and extreme degradation defects based on modular optimization methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the DESSO/CD method could detect the community structure with higher partition accuracy and lower computational cost when compared with existing methods. Since the application of the SSO algorithm in CD research is just beginning, the study is competitive and promising. Full article

The Social Spider Optimization algorithm (SSO) is a novel metaheuristic optimization algorithm. To enhance the convergence speed and computational accuracy of the algorithm, in this paper, an elite opposition-based Social Spider Optimization algorithm (EOSSO) is proposed; we use an elite opposition-based learning strategy to enhance the convergence speed and computational accuracy of the SSO algorithm. The 23 benchmark functions are tested, and the results show that the proposed elite opposition-based Social Spider Optimization algorithm is able to obtain an accurate solution, and it also has a fast convergence speed and a high degree of stability. Full article