Dung beetle optimizer (DBO) is a novel meta-heuristic algorithm inspired by the behaviors of dung beetles in nature, including ball rolling, dancing, foraging, stealing, and breeding. However, the standard DBO has weaknesses in global optimization, including the imbalance between the ability of exploration and exploitation, low accuracy in function solution, and susceptibility to falling into local optimum. To overcome the weaknesses of DBO, the fractional order dung beetle optimizer with reduction factor (FORDBO) is proposed. Firstly, the good nodes set sequence is employed to replace the randomly initialized population in the algorithm, aiming to enhance the diversity of the population. To enhance the global optimization performance of the algorithm, a reduction factor is designed to balance between the ability of exploration and exploitation. On the other hand, the fractional order calculus strategy is employed to adjust the dynamic boundary of the optimization region. The strategy enables the algorithm to focus on exploiting the potential optimization region. Finally, the repetitive renewal mechanism of the pathfinder dung beetle is proposed to enhance the ability of the algorithm to escape the local optimum. To evaluate the performance of FORDBO, on the one hand, we analyze the complexity of FORDBO and prove its convergence mathematically in this work. On the other hand, this work also compares the FORDBO with 23 similar swarm intelligence technologies through CEC2005, CEC2017, and CEC2022 benchmark functions for global optimization. At the same time, the FORDBO is applied to six industrial engineering optimization problems. The experimental numerical results show that the performance of FORDBO is better than other most swarm intelligence technologies. The source code of FORDBO is publicly available at https://github.com/Huangzhi-Xia/FORDBO.

Forbush decrease (FD) events are of great interest for transient galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) modulation study. In this study, we perform comparative analysis of two prominent Forbush events during cycle 24, occurring on 2012 March 8 (Event 1) and 2015 June 22 (Event 2), utilizing the measurements from the worldwide neutron monitor (NM) network. Despite their comparable magnitudes, the two Forbush events are distinctly different in terms of evolving GCR energy spectrum and energy dependence of the recovery time. The recovery time of Event 1 is strongly dependent on the median energy, compared to the nearly constant recovery time of Event 2 over the studied energy range. Additionally, while the evolutions of the energy spectra during the two FD events exhibit similar variation patterns, the spectrum of Event 2 is significantly harder, especially at the time of deepest depression. These difference are essentially related to their associated solar wind disturbances. Event 1 is associated with a complicated shock-associated interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) disturbance with large radial extent, probably formed by the merging of multiple shocks and transient flows, and which delivered a glancing blow to Earth. Conversely, Event 2 is accompanied by a relatively simple halo ICME with small radial extent that hit Earth more head-on.

Magnetic field extrapolation is an important tool to study the three-dimensional (3D) solar coronal magnetic field, which is difficult to directly measure. Various analytic models and numerical codes exist, but their results often drastically differ. Thus, a critical comparison of the modeled magnetic field lines with the observed coronal loops is strongly required to establish the credibility of the model. Here we compare two different non-potential extrapolation codes, a nonlinear force-free field code (CESE–MHD–NLFFF) and a non-force-free field (NFFF) code, in modeling a solar active region (AR) that has a sigmoidal configuration just before a major flare erupted from the region. A 2D coronal-loop tracing and fitting method is employed to study the 3D misalignment angles between the extrapolated magnetic field lines and the EUV loops as imaged by SDO/AIA. It is found that the CESE–MHD–NLFFF code with preprocessed magnetogram performs the best, outputting a field that matches the coronal loops in the AR core imaged in AIA 94 Å with a misalignment angle of ∼10°. This suggests that the CESE–MHD–NLFFF code, even without using the information of the coronal loops in constraining the magnetic field, performs as good as some coronal-loop forward-fitting models. For the loops as imaged by AIA 171 Å in the outskirts of the AR, all the codes including the potential field give comparable results of the mean misalignment angle (∼30°). Thus, further improvement of the codes is needed for a better reconstruction of the long loops enveloping the core region.

The Pohang New Harbor (PNH), located at the Yongil bay in the northeastern part of Pohang city, South Korea, has experienced extreme wave hazards of about 3.0–5.0 m in elevation due to the seasonal swell from the far ocean. In this paper, both analytical and numerical studies are performed to investigate the wave-induced oscillations in an arbitrary shaped harbor with corner point consideration. By taking the consideration of the actual topography and bathymetry data, the boundary of PNH is constructed. Our theoretical model is based on the assumptions of inviscid, irrotational fluid, infinitesimal wave amplitude, and finally, the Helmholtz equation and its Weber’s solution. The numerical simulations are conducted to analyze the spectral density of the standing waves in PNH at eight respective synthetic record points. The simulation results are validated with real-time measurement data, which is obtained by wave heights and tide gauges at the specified record points within and outside the PNH. To improve the harbor’s design, a tactic such as building the breakwater at the entrance of the harbor is implemented and then spectral density is estimated in the modified geometry of the PNH. The consequential effects are proposed at the same time, suggesting the feasibility of the improvement measures.