A chaotic framework and its application in image encryption

A novel image encryption framework is proposed in this article. A new chaotic map and a pseudorandom bit generator are proposed. Apart from this, a novel image encryption system is designed based on the proposed map and the proposed pseudorandom bit generator. These three are the major contributions of this work that makes a complete cryptosystem. The proposed new chaotic map is proposed which will be known as the ‘RCM map’ and its chaotic property is studied based on Devaney’s theory. The proposed pseudorandom bit generator is tested using the NIST test suite. The proposed method is simple to implement and does not involve any highly complex operations. Moreover, the proposed method is completely lossless, and therefore cent percent of data can be recovered from the encrypted image. The decryption process is also simple to implement i.e. just reverse of the encryption procedure. A scrambling algorithm is also proposed to further enhance the security of the overall system. The simulation, detailed analysis, and comparative studies of the proposed overall image encryption framework will help to understand the strengths and weaknesses of it. The experimental results are very promising and show the prospects of chaos theory and its usage in the field of data security.

     

Negation as Failure as Resolution

Providing a clean procedural semantics of the Negation As Failure rule in Logic Programming has been an open problem for some time now. This rule has been treated as a technique in nonmonotonic reasoning, not as a rule in classical logic. This paper contains a demonstration of the negation as failure rule as a resolution procedure in first-order logic. We present a sound and complete resolution scheme for negation as failure rule for the larger class of constraint logic programs. The approach is to consider a canonical partition of the completion of a definite (constraint) program into the IF and the FI programs. We show that a negated goal, provable from the completed definite program is provable from just the FI part. The clauses in this program have a structure dual to that of definite Horn clauses. We describe a sound and complete linear resolution rule for this fragment, and show that a resolution proof of the negated goal from the FI part corresponds to a finite failure tree resulting from classical linear resolution applied to the goal on the If part of the original definite program. Our work shows that negation as failure rule can be computationally efficient in the sense that the SLD-resolution on the If part of a definite program along with the negation as failure rule is more efficient than a direct resolution procedure on the completion of that program.     

A robust test of uncertain linear systems

In this paper, it is shown that for low-order uncertain systems, there is no need to calculate all the minimum and maximum values of the coefficients for a perturbed system which is expressed in terms of polynomials and hence no need to formulate and test all the four Kharitonov＇s polynomials. Furthermore, for higher-order systems such as n ≥ 5, the usual four Kharitonov＇s polynomials need not be tested initially for sufficient condition of perturbed systems; rather, the necessary condition can be checked before going for sufficient condition. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed method, numerical examples are shown and computational efficiency is highlighted.     

Complementary‐based coalition formation for energy microgrids

In recent years, the notion of electrical energy microgrids (MGs), in which communities share their locally generated power, has gained increasing interest. Typically, the energy generated comes from renewable resources, which means that its availability is variable, ie, sometimes there may be energy surpluses and at other times energy deficits. This energy variability can be ameliorated by trading energy with a connected electricity grid. However, since main electricity grids are subject to faults or other outages, it can be advantageous for energy MGs to form coalitions and share their energy among themselves. In this work, we present our model for the dynamic formation of such MG coalitions. In our model, MGs form coalitions on the basis of complementary weather patterns. Our agent‐based model, which is scalable and affords autonomy among the MGs participating in the coalition (agents can join and depart from coalitions at any time), features methods to reduce overall “discomfort” so that, even when all participating MGs in a coalition experience deficits, they can share energy so that their overall discomfort is reduced. We demonstrate the efficacy of our model by showing empirical studies conducted with real energy production and consumption data.     

A generic library of problem solving methods for scheduling applications

In this paper, we propose a generic library of problem-solving methods for scheduling applications. Although some attempts have been made in the past at developing the libraries of scheduling problem-solvers, these only provide limited coverage. Many lack generality, as they subscribe to a particular scheduling domain. Others simply implement a particular problem-solving technique, which may be applicable only to a subset of the space of scheduling problems. In addition, most of these libraries fail to provide the required degree of depth and precision. In our approach, we subscribe to the task-method-domain-application knowledge modeling framework which provides a structured organization for the different components of the library. At the task level, we construct a generic scheduling task ontology to formalize the space of scheduling problems. At the method level, we construct a generic problem-solving model of scheduling that generalizes from the variety of approaches to scheduling problem-solving, which can be found in the literature. The generic nature of this model is demonstrated by constructing seven methods for scheduling as an alternative specialization of the model. Finally, we validated our library on a number of applications to demonstrate its generic nature and effective support for developing scheduling applications.