Tsunamis are unpredictable and infrequent but potentially large impact natural disasters. To prepare, mitigate and prevent losses from tsunamis, probabilistic hazard and risk analysis methods have been developed and have proved useful. However, large gaps and uncertainties still exist and many steps in the assessment methods lack information, theoretical foundation, or commonly accepted methods. Moreover, applied methods have very different levels of maturity, from already advanced probabilistic tsunami hazard analysis for earthquake sources, to less mature probabilistic risk analysis. In this review we give an overview of the current state of probabilistic tsunami hazard and risk analysis. Identifying research gaps, we offer suggestions for future research directions. An extensive literature list allows for branching into diverse aspects of this scientific approach.

The main study objective was to investigate the effect of interactive television-based cognitive training on cognitive performance of 119 healthy older adults, aged 60–87 years. Participants were randomly allocated to a cognitive training group or to an active control group in a single-blind controlled two-group design. Before and after training interactive television cognitive performance was assessed on well validated tests of fluid, higher-order ability, and system usability was evaluated. The participants in the cognitive training group completed a television-based cognitive training programme, while the participants in the active control group completed a TV-based programme of personally benefiting activities. Significant improvements were observed in well validated working memory and executive function tasks in the cognitive training but not in the control group. None of the groups showed statistically significant improvement in life satisfaction score. Participants' reports of “adequate” to “high” system usability testify to the successful development and implementation of the interactive television-based system and compliant cognitive training contents. The study demonstrates that cognitive training delivered by means of an interactive television system can generate genuine cognitive benefits in users and these are measurable using well-validated cognitive tests. Thus, older adults who cannot use or afford a computer can easily use digital interactive television to benefit from advanced software applications designed to train cognition.

The electrical demand and generation in power systems is currently the biggest source of uncertainty for an electricity provider. For a dependable and financially advantageous electricity system, demand response (DR) success as a result of household appliance energy management has attracted significant attention. Due to fluctuating electricity rates and usage trends, determining the best schedule for apartment appliances can be difficult. As a result of this context, the Improved Cockroach Swarm Optimization Algorithm (ICSOA) is combined with the Innovative Apartments Appliance Scheduling (IAAS) framework. Using the proposed technique, the cost of electricity reduction, user comfort maximization, and peak-to-average ratio reduction are analyzed for apartment appliances. The proposed framework is evaluated by comparing it with BFOA and W/O scheduling cases. In comparison to the W/O scheduling case, the BFOA method lowered energy costs by 17.75%, but the ICSA approach reduced energy cost by 46.085%. According to the results, the created ICSA algorithm performed better than the BFOA and W/O scheduling situations in terms of the stated objectives and was advantageous to both utilities and consumers.

Renewable energy systems, particularly in countries with limited fossil fuel resources, are promising and environmentally sustainable sources of electricity generation. Wind, solar Photovoltaic (PV), and biomass gasifier-based systems have gotten much attention recently for providing electricity to energy-deficient areas. However, due to the intermittent nature of renewable energy, a completely renewable system is unreliable and may cause operation problems. Energy storage systems and volatile generation sources are the best way to combat the problem. This paper proposes a hybrid grid-connected wind-solar PV generation Microgrid (MG) with biomass and energy storage devices to meet the entire value of load demand for the adopted buildings in an intended region and ensure economic dispatch as well as make a trade in the electricity field by supplying/receiving energy to/from the utility grid. The control operation plan uses battery storage units to compensate energy gap if the priority resources (wind turbine and solar PV) are incapable of meeting demand. Additionally, the biomass gasifier is used as a fallback option if the batteries fail to perform their duty. At any time, any excess of energy can be utilized to charge the batteries and sell the rest to the utility. Additionally, if the adopted resources are insufficient to meet the demand, the required energy is acquired from the utility. A Hybrid Grey Wolf with Cuckoo Search Optimization (GWCSO) algorithm is adopted for achieving optimal sizing of the proposed grid-connected MG. To assess the proposed technique’s robustness, the results are compared to those obtained using the Grey Wolf Optimization (GWO) algorithm. The GWCSO method yielded a lower total number of component units, annual cost, total Net Present Cost (NPC), and Levelized Cost Of Energy (LCOE) than the GWO algorithm, whereas the GWCSO algorithm has the lowest deviation, indicating that it is more accurate and robust than the GWO algorithm.