Identification of Antarctic minke and killer whales with passive acoustic monitoring in Prydz Bay, Antarctica

Although four species of odontocete and four species of baleen whale have been recorded in Prydz Bay,their vocalizations have been rarely investigated.Underwater vocalizations were recorded during March 2017 in Prydz Bay,Antarctica.Bio-duck sounds,downsweeps,inverted“u”shape signals,whistles,pulsed sounds,and broadband clicks were recorded.Bio-duck sounds and downsweeps were associated with Antarctic minke whales(Balaenoptera bonaerensis)based on visual observations.Similarities between inverted“u”shape signals,biphonic calls,and clicks with vocalizations previously described for killer whales(Orcinus orca)lead us believe the presence of Antarctic killer whales.According to sound structures,signal characteristics,and recording location,Antarctic type C killer whales were the most probable candidates to produce these detected calls.These represent the fi rst detection of inverted“u”shape signals in Antarctic waters,and the fi rst report of Antarctic killer whale in Prydz Bay based on passive acoustic monitoring.The co-existence of Antarctic minke and killer whales may imply that minke whales can detect diff erences between the sounds of mammal-eating and fi sh-eating killer whales.Our descriptions of these underwater vocalizations contribute to the limited body of information regarding the distribution and acoustic behavior of cetaceans in Prydz Bay.

Major hotspots detected along the Scotia Ridge in autumn for southern right whales Eubalaena australis, Antarctic fur seals Arctocephalus gazella and Antarctic prions Pachyptila desolata

We investigated the role of hydrological features, such as water masses, fronts, eddies, and sea ice, in affecting the distribution of upper trophic level species in the Scotia Sea region during autumn. On board RV Polarstern, we performed 365 30-min strip transects recording seabirds and marine mammals along the North Scotia Ridge and the South Sandwich Trench in March--April 2013. Among the 7 identified cetacean species recorded, the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae was the most abundant baleen whale （40 individuals）, and noteworthy were sightings of six southern right whales Eubalaena australis. Pinnipeds （3 species, 1650 individuals） were dominated by Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella （99%）, and seabirds （36 species, 18900 individuals） by Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata （-50%）. The distribution of these top predators was highly patchy with the majority of observations concentrated in a few counts. This heterogeneity is likely a result of prey availability, and we discuss how hydrological features may have caused the patchiness.

Considerable increase in bowhead,blue,humpback and fin whales numbers in the Greenland Sea and Fram Strait between 1979 and 2014

In the frame of our long-term study of cetacean abundance and distribution in polar marine ecosystems begun in 1979, a drastic increase in the bowbead Balaena mysticetus North Atlantic ＂stock＂ was observed from 2005 on, by a factor 30 and more： from 0.0002 per count between 1979 and 2003 （one individual, n=5430 cotmts） to 0.06 per count from 2005 to 2014 （34 individuals, n=6000 counts）; the most significant part of the increase occurred from 2007 on. Other large whale species （Mysticeti） showed a similar pattern, mainly blue Balaenoptera musculus, humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and fin whales Balaenoptera physalus. This large and abrupt increase cannot logically be due to population growth, nor to survival of a hidden ＂relic＂ population, nor to a changing geographical distribution within the European Arctic, taking into account the importance of the coverage during this study. Our interpretation is that individuals passed through the Northwest and/or Northeast Passages from the larger Pacific stock into the almost depleted North Atlantic populations coinciding with a period of very low ice coverage -- at the time the lowest ever recorded. In contrast, no clear evolution was detected neither for sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus nor for Minke whale Balaenoptera acusrostrata.

Approximating home ranges of humpback and fin whales in Drake Passage and Antarctica

Identifying home ranges—those areas traversed by individuals in their normal foraging,mating,and parenting activities—is an important aspect of cetacean study.Understanding these ranges facilitates identification of resource use and conservation.Fin and humpback whales occur in Antarctica during the austral summer,but information regarding their home ranges is limited.Using opportunistically collected whale sighting data from eight consecutive summer seasons spanning 2010–2017,we approximate the home ranges of humpback and fin whales around Drake Passage(DRA),West of Antarctic Peninsula(WAP),South Shetland Islands(SSI),an area northwest of the Weddell Sea(WED),and around the South Orkney Islands(SOI).Approximate home ranges are identified using Kernel Density Estimation(KDE).Most fin whales occurred north and northwest of the SOI,which suggests that waters near these islands support concentrations of this species.Most humpback whales were observed around the SSI,but unlike fin whales,their distributions were highly variable in other areas.KDE suggests spatial segregation in areas where both species exist such as SOI,SSI,and WPA.Partial redundancy analysis(pRDA)suggests that the distributions of these species are more affected by spatial variables(latitude,longitude)than by local scale variables such as sea surface temperature and depth.This study presents a visual approximation of the home ranges of fin and humpback whales,and identifies variation in the effects of space and environmental variables on the distributions of these whales at different spatial scales.

Utilizing Occupancy Models and Platforms-of-Opportunity to Assess Area Use of Mother-Calf Humpback Whales

The Hawaiian Islands, and particularly the Maui 4-island region, are a critical breeding and calving habitat for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) belonging to the Hawaii distinct population segment. Our aims were to test the use of platforms-of-opportunity to determine trends in mother-calf pod use of the region and to present opportunistic platforms as an alternative method of long-term, cross-seasonal monitoring. Data were collected from whale watching vessels over a 4-year period and analyzed using occupancy models to determine the probability of habitat use of pods with calves and pods without calves within the study area. Detection probability was influenced by survey effort and month for all pod types with detection of adult only pods further influenced by year. Pods with a calf showed a preference for shallow (<100 meters) low latitude waters (<20.7°N), while pods without a calf preferred deeper waters (>75 meters). Results presented here align with previous work, both in Hawaii and in other breeding grounds, which show a distinct segregation of mothers with a calf from other age-classes of humpback whales. The need for long-term continuous monitoring of cetacean populations is crucial to ensure species conservation. Data collected aboard platforms-of-opportunity, as presented here, provide important insight on humpback whale spatial and temporal distribution, which are essential for species protection and management.

Developmental Changes in the Morphology of Western North Pacific Bryde’s Whales (<i>Balaenoptera edeni</i>)

Developmental changes in the body proportions of western North Pacific Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) were investigated by examining the proportion of each body part to the total body length. The head and chest region increased to a certain body length;subsequently, the length of head region stabilized, and that of the chest region decreased. The length of the abdominal region remained constant to a certain body length and subsequently showed a marked increase, and that of the tail region decreased consistently. The length of dorsal fin and flukes decreased consistently, whereas that of the flippers remained constant to a certain body length and subsequently decreased. The relative growth pattern determined by an allometric analysis was positive for the head region but negative for the lower body part, flippers, flukes, and dorsal fin. Both sexes demonstrated the same growth pattern, but the coefficients differed. This is the first study to investigate developmental changes in the body proportions of Bryde’s whales using more than 700 specimens covering a wide body length range. We believe that the results of this study will contribute to various research fields, including taxonomy, phylogeny, and feeding ecology of this species.

Matching of the Gray Whales of off Sakhalin and the Pacific Coast of Japan, with a Note on the Stranding at Wadaura, Japan in March, 2016

The coast of Japan is a migratory corridor for the western stock of the gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), which was once considered as extinct and remains endangered. According to the historical records, from 1955 to 2014, only 21 gray whales occurrence has been recorded in 59 years. However, from 2015 to 2016, intensive occurrence including the seven sightings and the two strandings were noted. In this paper, we found that those sightings were re-sightings of the same individual, which was initially sighted off Sakhalin during August, 2014. On 4 March, 2016, a young female gray whale (8.9 m in body length) was stranded at Wadaura beach, Chiba prefecture. We also conducted research on this animal including taking pictures and external measurements. In addition, we flensed this animal to observe the internal organs and collect a skeletal specimen. The reason for the death of this animal remains unclear;however, from its external characteristics, we identified that this animal was not an identical one, sighted off Sakhalin and the coast of Japan from 2014 to 2016. On 5 April, 2016, another young female gray whale (7 m in body length) was stranded at Arai beach, Shizuoka prefecture. We concluded that from 2015 to 2016, at least three distinct gray whales have migrated along the coast of Japan.

Sexual Dimorphism in Pelvic Bone Shape of the North Pacific Common Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

Little is known about the morphology of the pelvic girdle of modern cetaceans, although many species have a vestigial pelvis (pelvic bone) and part of the hind limb bones inside the body. Previous studies have focused almost exclusively on hard tissues as well, despite the fact that the bones are comprised of cartilaginous tissue, especially in the case of femur. In the present study, we characterized the pelvic bones and searched for vestigial femurs among 43 North Pacific common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), all of which were sexually mature individuals. The shape of the pelvic bones clearly differs depending on sex. Specifically, the pelvic bones of females were flat, but those of adult males consist of two types: one with a twisted caudal portion (Twisted type) and the other with a thickened caudal portion (Hypertrophied type). Those pelvic bone features in male are found only among North Pacific common minke whales. 98% of the individuals in this study had vestigial femur. The presence rate of vestigial femur may differ by subspecies. The shape of the pelvic and hind limb bones of modern cetaceans may vary between species and probably by region, at least at the Ocean basin scale.

Sperm whales in the waters off China:A glimpse of the past and present

Spatiotemporal information is crucial for cetacean research and conservation,particularly for wide-ranging and migratory species.Sperm whales(Physeter macrocephalus)are distributed worldwide in deep oceans;however,little is known about the species in the western margin of the Pacific Ocean.Here,we examined the available information related to the occurrence,distribution,and potential habitats of sperm whales in the waters off China.Historical whaling information(18th–20th century)indicates that sperm whales have been captured in the East China Sea(ECS)and South China Sea(SCS).Furthermore,sporadic strandings have been recorded since the 1910s,and more frequently from 1990 onwards.Since 1990,accidental sightings have been documented in the eastern ECS,northeastern and southern SCS,and their adjacent waters.More recently(2019–2022),field encounters have been reported in dedicated ship-based investigations in the Xisha and Nansha waters,providing robust evidence of the regular existence and potential residency of sperm whales in the northwestern and central areas of the SCS.Female nursery groups suggest that the Xisha waters might be an important nursing ground for sperm whales.Satellite tracking data from four adults showed that sperm whales in the SCS might display both fine-scale and long-distance movements.Taken together,it appears that sperm whales are currently active in the waters off China,and that deep waters(depth>200 m)in the ECS and SCS may provide the species with critical habitats.This review provides crucial baseline information on sperm whales in the waters off China,which may help to facilitate future research efforts and conservation initiatives for the species at national and cross-regional scales.More field investigations and other monitoring approaches including acoustic monitoring,biologging,photo-identification,and genetics are required to reveal the distribution,movement,and habitat use patterns of sperm whales in these waters.

An Optimal Node Localization in WSN Based on Siege Whale Optimization Algorithm

Localization or positioning scheme in Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is one of the most challenging andfundamental operations in various monitoring or tracking applications because the network deploys a large areaand allocates the acquired location information to unknown devices. The metaheuristic approach is one of themost advantageous ways to deal with this challenging issue and overcome the disadvantages of the traditionalmethods that often suffer from computational time problems and small network deployment scale. This studyproposes an enhanced whale optimization algorithm that is an advanced metaheuristic algorithm based on thesiege mechanism (SWOA) for node localization inWSN. The objective function is modeled while communicatingon localized nodes, considering variables like delay, path loss, energy, and received signal strength. The localizationapproach also assigns the discovered location data to unidentified devices with the modeled objective functionby applying the SWOA algorithm. The experimental analysis is carried out to demonstrate the efficiency of thedesigned localization scheme in terms of various metrics, e.g., localization errors rate, converges rate, and executedtime. Compared experimental-result shows that theSWOA offers the applicability of the developed model forWSNto perform the localization scheme with excellent quality. Significantly, the error and convergence values achievedby the SWOA are less location error, faster in convergence and executed time than the others compared to at least areduced 1.5% to 4.7% error rate, and quicker by at least 4%and 2% in convergence and executed time, respectivelyfor the experimental scenarios.

Multi-Strategy Assisted Multi-Objective Whale Optimization Algorithm for Feature Selection

In classification problems,datasets often contain a large amount of features,but not all of them are relevant for accurate classification.In fact,irrelevant features may even hinder classification accuracy.Feature selection aims to alleviate this issue by minimizing the number of features in the subset while simultaneously minimizing the classification error rate.Single-objective optimization approaches employ an evaluation function designed as an aggregate function with a parameter,but the results obtained depend on the value of the parameter.To eliminate this parameter’s influence,the problem can be reformulated as a multi-objective optimization problem.The Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA)is widely used in optimization problems because of its simplicity and easy implementation.In this paper,we propose a multi-strategy assisted multi-objective WOA(MSMOWOA)to address feature selection.To enhance the algorithm’s search ability,we integrate multiple strategies such as Levy flight,Grey Wolf Optimizer,and adaptive mutation into it.Additionally,we utilize an external repository to store non-dominant solution sets and grid technology is used to maintain diversity.Results on fourteen University of California Irvine(UCI)datasets demonstrate that our proposed method effectively removes redundant features and improves classification performance.The source code can be accessed from the website:https://github.com/zc0315/MSMOWOA.

Model Parameters Identification and Backstepping Control of Lower Limb Exoskeleton Based on Enhanced Whale Algorithm

Exoskeletons generally require accurate dynamic models to design the model-based controller conveniently under the human-robot interaction condition.However,due to unknown model parameters such as the mass,moment of inertia and mechanical size,the dynamic model of exoskeletons is difficult to construct.Hence,an enhanced whale optimization algorithm(EWOA)is proposed to identify the exoskeleton model parameters.Meanwhile,the periodic excitation trajectories are designed by finite Fourier series to input the desired position demand of exoskeletons with mechanical physical constraints.Then a backstepping controller based on the identified model is adopted to improve the human-robot wearable comfortable performance under cooperative motion.Finally,the proposed Model parameters identification and control are verified by a two-DOF exoskeletons platform.The knee joint motion achieves a steady-state response after 0.5 s.Meanwhile,the position error of hip joint response is less than 0.03 rad after 0.9 s.In addition,the steady-state human-robot interaction torque of the two joints is constrained within 15 N·m.This research proposes a whale optimization algorithm to optimize the excitation trajectory and identify model parameters.Furthermore,an enhanced mutation strategy is adopted to avoid whale evolution’s unsatisfactory local optimal value.

A New Double Layer Multi-Secret Sharing Scheme

Cryptography is deemed to be the optimum strategy to secure the data privacy in which the data is encoded ahead of time before sharing it.Visual Secret Sharing(VSS)is an encryption method in which the secret message is split into at least two trivial images called’shares’to cover it.However,such message are always targeted by hackers or dishonest members who attempt to decrypt the message.This can be avoided by not uncovering the secret message without the universal share when it is presented and is typically taken care of,by the trusted party.Hence,in this paper,an optimal and secure double-layered secret image sharing scheme is proposed.The proposed share creation process contains two layers such as threshold-based secret sharing in the first layer and universal share based secret sharing in the second layer.In first layer,Genetic Algorithm(GA)is applied to find the optimal threshold value based on the randomness of the created shares.Then,in the second layer,a novel design of universal share-based secret share creation method is proposed.Finally,Opposition Whale Optimization Algorithm(OWOA)-based optimal key was generated for rectange block cipher to secure each share.This helped in producing high quality reconstruction images.The researcher achieved average experimental outcomes in terms of PSNR and MSE values equal to 55.154225 and 0.79365625 respectively.The average PSNRwas less(49.134475)and average MSE was high(1)in case of existing methods.

An Adaptive Hate Speech Detection Approach Using Neutrosophic Neural Networks for Social Media Forensics

Detecting hate speech automatically in social media forensics has emerged as a highly challenging task due tothe complex nature of language used in such platforms. Currently, several methods exist for classifying hatespeech, but they still suffer from ambiguity when differentiating between hateful and offensive content and theyalso lack accuracy. The work suggested in this paper uses a combination of the Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to adjust the weights of two Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLPs)for neutrosophic sets classification. During the training process of the MLP, the WOA is employed to exploreand determine the optimal set of weights. The PSO algorithm adjusts the weights to optimize the performanceof the MLP as fine-tuning. Additionally, in this approach, two separate MLP models are employed. One MLPis dedicated to predicting degrees of truth membership, while the other MLP focuses on predicting degrees offalse membership. The difference between these memberships quantifies uncertainty, indicating the degree ofindeterminacy in predictions. The experimental results indicate the superior performance of our model comparedto previous work when evaluated on the Davidson dataset.

MCWOA Scheduler:Modified Chimp-Whale Optimization Algorithm for Task Scheduling in Cloud Computing

Cloud computing provides a diverse and adaptable resource pool over the internet,allowing users to tap into various resources as needed.It has been seen as a robust solution to relevant challenges.A significant delay can hamper the performance of IoT-enabled cloud platforms.However,efficient task scheduling can lower the cloud infrastructure’s energy consumption,thus maximizing the service provider’s revenue by decreasing user job processing times.The proposed Modified Chimp-Whale Optimization Algorithm called Modified Chimp-Whale Optimization Algorithm(MCWOA),combines elements of the Chimp Optimization Algorithm(COA)and the Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA).To enhance MCWOA’s identification precision,the Sobol sequence is used in the population initialization phase,ensuring an even distribution of the population across the solution space.Moreover,the traditional MCWOA’s local search capabilities are augmented by incorporating the whale optimization algorithm’s bubble-net hunting and random search mechanisms into MCWOA’s position-updating process.This study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed approach using a two-story rigid frame and a simply supported beam model.Simulated outcomes reveal that the new method outperforms the original MCWOA,especially in multi-damage detection scenarios.MCWOA excels in avoiding false positives and enhancing computational speed,making it an optimal choice for structural damage detection.The efficiency of the proposed MCWOA is assessed against metrics such as energy usage,computational expense,task duration,and delay.The simulated data indicates that the new MCWOA outpaces other methods across all metrics.The study also references the Whale Optimization Algorithm(WOA),Chimp Algorithm(CA),Ant Lion Optimizer(ALO),Genetic Algorithm(GA)and Grey Wolf Optimizer(GWO).

Hybrid Prairie Dog and Beluga Whale Optimization Algorithm for Multi-Objective Load Balanced-Task Scheduling in Cloud Computing Environments

The cloud computing technology is utilized for achieving resource utilization of remotebased virtual computer to facilitate the consumers with rapid and accurate massive data services.It utilizes on-demand resource provisioning,but the necessitated constraints of rapid turnaround time,minimal execution cost,high rate of resource utilization and limited makespan transforms the Load Balancing(LB)process-based Task Scheduling(TS)problem into an NP-hard optimization issue.In this paper,Hybrid Prairie Dog and Beluga Whale Optimization Algorithm(HPDBWOA)is propounded for precise mapping of tasks to virtual machines with the due objective of addressing the dynamic nature of cloud environment.This capability of HPDBWOA helps in decreasing the SLA violations and Makespan with optimal resource management.It is modelled as a scheduling strategy which utilizes the merits of PDOA and BWOA for attaining reactive decisions making with respect to the process of assigning the tasks to virtual resources by considering their priorities into account.It addresses the problem of pre-convergence with wellbalanced exploration and exploitation to attain necessitated Quality of Service(QoS)for minimizing the waiting time incurred during TS process.It further balanced exploration and exploitation rates for reducing the makespan during the task allocation with complete awareness of VM state.The results of the proposed HPDBWOA confirmed minimized energy utilization of 32.18% and reduced cost of 28.94% better than approaches used for investigation.The statistical investigation of the proposed HPDBWOA conducted using ANOVA confirmed its efficacy over the benchmarked systems in terms of throughput,system,and response time.

Research on the MPPT of Photovoltaic Power Generation Based on Improved WOA and P&O under Partial Shading Conditions

Partial shading conditions(PSCs)caused by uneven illumination become one of the most common problems in photovoltaic(PV)systems,which can make the PV power-voltage(P-V)characteristics curve show multi-peaks.Traditional maximum power point tracking(MPPT)methods have shortcomings in tracking to the global maximum power point(GMPP),resulting in a dramatic decrease in output power.In order to solve the above problems,intelligent algorithms are used in MPPT.However,the existing intelligent algorithms have some disadvantages,such as slow convergence speed and large search oscillation.Therefore,an improved whale algorithm(IWOA)combined with the P&O(IWOA-P&O)is proposed for the MPPT of PV power generation in this paper.Firstly,IWOA is used to track the range interval of the GMPP,and then P&O is used to accurately find the MPP in that interval.Compared with other algorithms,simulation results show that this method has an average tracking efficiency of 99.79%and an average tracking time of 0.16 s when tracking GMPP.Finally,experimental verification is conducted,and the results show that the proposed algorithm has better MPPT performance compared to popular particle swarm optimization(PSO)and PSO-P&O algorithms.

Multi-strategy hybrid whale optimization algorithms for complex constrained optimization problems

A multi-strategy hybrid whale optimization algorithm(MSHWOA)for complex constrained optimization problems is proposed to overcome the drawbacks of easily trapping into local optimum,slow convergence speed and low optimization precision.Firstly,the population is initialized by introducing the theory of good point set,which increases the randomness and diversity of the population and lays the foundation for the global optimization of the algorithm.Then,a novel linearly update equation of convergence factor is designed to coordinate the abilities of exploration and exploitation.At the same time,the global exploration and local exploitation capabilities are improved through the siege mechanism of Harris Hawks optimization algorithm.Finally,the simulation experiments are conducted on the 6 benchmark functions and Wilcoxon rank sum test to evaluate the optimization performance of the improved algorithm.The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has more significant improvement in optimization accuracy,convergence speed and robustness than the comparison algorithm.

Improved Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm with Multi-Strategy Fusion Mechanism and Its Application in Engineering Design

This article addresses the issues of falling into local optima and insufficient exploration capability in the Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm (AOA), proposing an improved Arithmetic Optimization Algorithm with a multi-strategy mechanism (BSFAOA). This algorithm introduces three strategies within the standard AOA framework: an adaptive balance factor SMOA based on sine functions, a search strategy combining Spiral Search and Brownian Motion, and a hybrid perturbation strategy based on Whale Fall Mechanism and Polynomial Differential Learning. The BSFAOA algorithm is analyzed in depth on the well-known 23 benchmark functions, CEC2019 test functions, and four real optimization problems. The experimental results demonstrate that the BSFAOA algorithm can better balance the exploration and exploitation capabilities, significantly enhancing the stability, convergence mode, and search efficiency of the AOA algorithm.

Goodbye, White Whales

还记得本刊3月号“大脚板”栏目中的那篇Journeyto a New Home 吗?现在,可爱的 Little Grey 和 Little White——那对白鲸小姐妹,己经启程去往她们的新家----遥远的Iceland(冰岛)了。在这段时间里,很多小渎者将直己的心情写信告诉了大嘴M豆。他们那种不舍但为之高兴的复杂心情,是不是和你们一样呢?