Electrical grid risk assessment against flooding in Barcelona and Bristol cities

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme events and, consequently, flooding in urban and peri-urban areas. The electrical grid is exposed to an increase in fault probability because its infrastructure was designed considering historical frequencies of extreme events occurred in the past. In this respect, to ensure future energy plans and securing services is of great relevance to determine and evaluate the new zones that may be under risk and its relation to critical infrastructures for such extreme events. In this regard, the electrical distribution system is one of the key critical infrastructures since it feeds the others and with the future plans of zero-emissions (leading to the electrification of transport, buildings, renewable energies, etc.) will become even more important in the short term. In this paper, a novel methodology has been developed, able to analyze flood hazard maps quantifying the probability of failure risk of the electrical assets and their potential impacts using a probabilistic approach. Furthermore, a process to monetize the consequences of the yielded risk was established. The whole method developed was applied to the Barcelona and Bristol case study cities. In this way, two different examples of application have been undertaken by using slightly different inputs. Two main inputs were required: (1) the development of accurate GIS hazard flooding models; and (2) the location of the electrical assets (i.e., Distribution Centers (DCs)). To assess and monetize the flood risk to DCs, a variety of variables and tools were required such as water depths (i.e., flood maps), DCs’ areas of influence, fragility curves, and damage curves. The analysis was performed for different return periods under different scenarios, current (Baseline) and future (Business As Usual (BAU)) rainfall conditions. The number of DCs affected was quantified and classified into different categories of risk, where up to 363 were affected in Barcelona and 623 in Bristol. Their risk monetization resulted in maximums of 815,700 € in Barcelona and 643,500 € in Bristol. Finally, the percentage of risk increases when considering future rainfall conditions (i.e., BAU) when calculated, resulting in a 2.38% increase in Barcelona and 3.37% increase in Bristol, which in monetary terms would be an average of a 22% increase.This research was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program (RESCCUE project), grant number 700174. The authors want to acknowledge to the RESCCUE project where this research is framed. Also, to all the organizations that transferred the necessary data to carry out this study, in special, Western Power Distribution in UK and Endesa in Spain for the electrical data, Aquatec in Spain and Bristol City Council in UK for the flooding models and to the Bristol and Barcelona city councils for developing the Open Data Portals from where basic data was taken.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Benchmarking of Control Kernels on Open-Source RISC-V Processors

In recent years, the RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture has emerged as an open-source alternative in the processor market which is dominated by proprietary architectures. The modern telecommunication industry has adopted the RISC-V architecture for accelerating communication data paths. In a telecommunication system, control kernels play a crucial role in managing the underlying hardware to direct the flow of information between devices. A control kernel typically configures the underlying infrastructure for the system and provides services such as scheduling, resource management, and data processing. Such tasks are heavily dependent on configurations of the 5G systems. This thesis presents a study of the telecommunication related control kernel’s performance and power efficiency on open-source RISC-V processors. The open-source RISC-V implementation, CV32E40P, maintained by OpenHW Group is selected for benchmarking against Nokia’s in-house processor core, NRISCV. The processors are synthesized at 1 GHz frequency for 7nm TSMC technology, and power is estimated on the synthesized cores using PowerArtist. The study finds that control kernels' performance and power consumption are largely influenced by the underlying microarchitecture of the RISC-V processor, with some control kernels achieving significantly better performance and power efficiency for specific implementations. This study provides insight into the strengths and weaknesses of different RISC-V processors for control kernel applications and can guide the design and implementation of future telecommunication systems

On Design and Implementation of Generic Fuzzy Logic Controllers

Soft computing techniques, unlike traditional deterministic logic based computing techniques, sometimes also called as hard computing, are tolerant of imprecision, uncertainty, and approximation. The primary inspiration for soft computing is the human mind and its ability to address day-to-day problems. The primary constituents of soft computing techniques are Artificial Neural Network, Fuzzy Logic Systems, and Evolutionary Computing. This thesis presents design and implementation of a generic hardware architecture based Type-IMamdani fuzzy logic controller (FLC) implemented on a programmable device, which can be remotely configured in real-time over Ethernet. This reconfigurability is added as a feature to existing FLCs in literature. It enables users to change parameters (those drive the FLC systems) in real-time and eliminate repeated hardware programming whenever there is a need. Realization of these systems in real-time is difficult as the computational complexity increases exponentially with an increase in the number of inputs. Hence challenge lies in reducing the Rulebase significantly such that the inference time and the throughput time is perceivable for real-time applications. To achieve these objectives, a modified thresholded fired rules hypercube (MT-FRHC) algorithm for Rulebase reduction is proposed and implemented. MT-FRHC reduces the useful rules without compromising system accuracy and improves the cycle time in terms of fuzzy logic operations per second (FzLOPS). It is imperative to understand that there are over sixty reconfigurable parameters, and it becomes an arduous task for a user to manage them. Therefore, a genetic algorithm based parameter extraction technique is proposed. This will help to develop a course tuning and provide default parameters that can be later fine-tuned by the users remotely through the Web-based User Interface. A hardware software codesign architecture for FLC is developed on TI C6748 DSP hardware with Sys/BIOS RTOS and seamlessly integrated with a webbased user interface (WebUI) for reconfigurability. Fuzzy systems employ defuzzifier to convert the fuzzy output into the real world crisp output. Centroid of Area (CoA) method is most widely used defuzzification method for control applications. However, the prevalent method of CoA computation is based on the principle of Riemann sum which is computationally complex. A vertices based CoA (VBCoA) defuzzification method is introduced. It has been observed that the proposed VBCoA method for COA computation is faster than the Riemann sum based CoA computation. A code optimization technique, exclusive to TI DSPs, is implemented to achieve memory and machine cycle optimization. The WebUI is developed in accordance to a client–server model using ASP.NET. It acquires fuzzy parameters from users, and a server application is dedicated to handling data communication between the hardware and the server. Testing and analysis of this hardware G-FLCS has been carried out by using hardware-in-loop test to control various system models in Simulink environment which includes water level control in a two tank system, intelligent cruise control system, speed control of an armature controlled DC motor and anti-windup control. The performance of the proposed G-FLCS is compared to Fuzzy Inference System of Matlab Fuzzy Logic Toolbox and PID controller in terms of settling time, transient time and steady state error. This proposed MT-FRHC based G-FLCS with VBCoA defuzzification implemented on C6748 DSP was finally deployed to control the radial position of plasma in Aditya Tokamak fusion reactor. The proposed G-FLCS is observed to deliver a smooth and fast system response

Efficient Mapping of Neural Network Models on a Class of Parallel Architectures.

This dissertation develops a formal and systematic methodology for efficient mapping of several contemporary artificial neural network (ANN) models on k-ary n-cube parallel architectures (KNC\u27s). We apply the general mapping to several important ANN models including feedforward ANN\u27s trained with backpropagation algorithm, radial basis function networks, cascade correlation learning, and adaptive resonance theory networks. Our approach utilizes a parallel task graph representing concurrent operations of the ANN model during training. The mapping of the ANN is performed in two steps. First, the parallel task graph of the ANN is mapped to a virtual KNC of compatible dimensionality. This involves decomposing each operation into its atomic tasks. Second, the dimensionality of the virtual KNC architecture is recursively reduced through a sequence of transformations until a desired metric is optimized. We refer to this process as folding the virtual architecture. The optimization criteria we consider in this dissertation are defined in terms of the iteration time of the algorithm on the folded architecture. If necessary, the mapping scheme may utilize a subset of the processors of a given KNC architecture if it results in the most efficient simulation. A unique feature of our mapping is that it systematically selects an appropriate degree of parallelism leading to a highly efficient realization of the ANN model on KNC architectures. A novel feature of our work is its ability to efficiently map unit-allocating ANN\u27s. These networks possess a dynamic structure which grows during training. We present a highly efficient scheme for simulating such networks on existing KNC parallel architectures. We assume an upper bound on size of the neural network We perform the folding such that the iteration time of the largest network is minimized. We show that our mapping leads to near-optimal simulation of smaller instances of the neural network. In addition, based on our mapping no data migration or task rescheduling is needed as the size of network grows

Cationic Polymer Brush Coated Nanoparticles for Gene Delivery

PhDPolymer brushes generated via “grafting-from” approach emerged as an attractive surface modification tool offering chemical stability, synthetic flexibility and unprecedented control over the polymer grafting density, thickness, chemical composition and functionality. They display interesting features to many applications in regenerative medicine including cell culture, tissue engineering and as delivery systems due to exquisite control of physicochemical and biological properties. Cationic polymer brushes are particularly attractive in the field of designing effective vectors for gene delivery as polymer brush allows the design and coating of a variety of particles with well-defined core-shell architecture and chemistry to efficiently condense and deliver nucleic acids. This thesis concentrates on designing safe and efficient gene delivery vectors based on ‘graft from’ cationic polymer brush and understanding the interaction of nucleic acids with polymer brush. Chapter one presented fundamental knowledge of polymer brush and its biomedical application. The first part of this chapter describes the definition of polymer brush, the preparation strategies, mechanism of atom transfer radical polymerisation and the responsiveness of polymer brush including solvent, pH and ionic strength. The second part discusses the state-of-art applications of polymer brush in regenerative medicine including protein resistant polymer brush for tissue engineering and as drug/gene delivery systems.Chinese Scholarship Counci

Some considerations on the compile-time analysis of constraint logic programs

This paper discusses some issues which arise in the dataflow analysis of constraint logic programming (CLP) languages. The basic technique applied is that of abstract interpretation. First, some types of optimizations possible in a number of CLP systems (including efficient parallelization) are presented and the information that has to be obtained at compile-time in order to be able to implement such optimizations is considered. Two approaches are then proposed and discussed for obtaining this information for a CLP program: one based on an analysis of a CLP metainterpreter using standard Prolog analysis tools, and a second one based on direct analysis of the CLP program. For the second approach an abstract domain which approximates groundness (also referred to as "definiteness") information (i.e. constraint to a single valué) and the related abstraction functions are presented

Programmiersprachen und Rechenkonzepte

Seit 1984 veranstaltet die GI--Fachgruppe 2.1.4 "Programmiersprachen und Rechenkonzepte", die aus den ehemaligen Fachgruppen 2.1.3 "Implementierung von Programmiersprachen" und 2.1.4 "Alternative Konzepte für Sprachen und Rechner" hervorgegangen ist, regelmäßi g im Frühjahr einen Workshop im Physikzentrum Bad Honnef. Das Treffen dient in erster Linie dem gegenseitigen Kennenlernen, dem Erfahrungsaustausch, der Diskussion und der Vertiefung gegenseitiger Kontakte

Produzir e testar ferramentas de biologia molecular para a PP1

Mestrado em Biomedicina MolecularProtein phosphatase 1 (PP1) is an ubiquitously expressed serine/threonine protein phosphatase with high expression levels in brain. PP1 is involved in many biological processes and signalling pathways and its specific function is determined by the binding of PP1 catalytic subunit to many regulatory subunits, called PP1 interacting proteins (PIPs). This interaction is mediated through specific amino acid sequences, the PP1 binding motifs, as RVxF motif. PP1 is encoded by three different genes: PPP1CA, PPP1CB and PPP1CC that encode PP1alpha, PP1beta/delta and PP1gamma. The later undergoes alternative splicing to give rise to PP1gamma1 and PP1gamma2. These isoforms differ in the C- and N-terminal domains and have distinct tissue distribution and subcellular localization. Recent data from our laboratory established both BRI2 and BRI3, members of a family of integral type II transmembrane glycoproteins, as PIPs and confirmed the presence of RVxF motifs in both proteins, KVTF and KISF for BRI2 and BRI3, respectively. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) is a form of Ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) artificially produced that consists of a small sequence of double stranded DNA with an hairpin loop and uses host machinery to silence or knockdown specific genes through degradation of its mRNA sequence, thereby preventing its translation. Knockdown of human PP1alpha and PP1gamma was induced in human neuroblastoma cells, through shRNA interference strategy in order to mimic the cellular behaviour in the absence of PP1alpha and PP1gamma and observe its effects on BRI2 and BRI3 expression. The transfection procedure was optimized and, through immunoblotting, we concluded that the best interference efficiency was obtained at 48 hours upon transfection of 3.5 μg of DNA using TurboFect reagent. Once more through immunoblotting, we verified that PP1alpha and PP1gamma knockdown might interfere with BRI2 and BRI3 processing. Additionally, fluorescent constructs of PP1alpha and PP1gamma1 isoforms were generated through PCR subcloning, using DsRed-Monomer vector. These constructs will be particularly important for future in vivo studies for the characterization of PP1:BRI complexes.A proteína fosfatase 1 (PP1) é uma proteína fosfatase específica para resíduos de serina e treonina que apresenta elevados níveis de expressão no cérebro. A PP1 está envolvida em vários processos biológicos e cascatas de sinalização e a sua função é determinada pela ligação da subunidade catalítica da PP1 com várias subunidades reguladoras (PIPs). Esta interação é mediada através de sequências de aminoácidos específicas designadas de motivos de ligação à PP1, como o motivo RVxF. As isoformas da PP1 são codificadas por três genes: PPP1CA, PPP1CB e PPP1CC que codificam a PP1alfa, PP1beta/delta e PP1gama. O último sofre splicing alternativo e origina as isoformas PP1gama1 e PP1gama2. Estas isoformas diferem nos domínios N- e Cterminal e apresentam distribuição tecidual e localização subcelular distintas. Estudos recentes realizados no nosso laboratório demonstraram que as proteínas BRI2 e BRI3, membros de uma família de glicoproteínas integrais transmembranares tipo II, interagem com a PP1 e confirmaram a presença de motivos RVxF em ambas as proteínas, KVTF e KISF para a BRI2 e BRI3, respectivamente. Short hairpin RNA (shRNA) é uma forma de RNA de interferência (RNAi) produzido artificialmente que consiste numa pequena sequência de DNA de cadeia dupla com um hairpin loop e que utiliza a maquinaria da célula hospedeira para silenciar ou provocar knockdown de genes específicos através da degradação da sequência de RNA mensageiro, impedindo assim a tradução. Knockdown das proteínas humanas PP1alpha e PP1gamma foi induzido em células de neuroblastoma humanas através da estratégia de shRNA de interferência, para mimetizar o comportamento da célula na ausência de PP1alpha e PP1gamma e para observar os seus efeitos na expressão das proteínas BRI2 e BRI3. O procedimento de transfeção foi optimizado e, através de immunoblotting, concluímos que a melhor eficiência de interferência foi obtida 48 horas após transfeção de 3.5 μg de DNA, com TurboFect. Novamente por immunoblotting, verificámos que o knockdown da PP1alfa e PP1gamma poderá interferir no processamento da BRI2 e BRI3. Adicionalmente, foram produzidos, através de PCR subcloning, constructs fluorescentes das isoformas PP1alpha e PP1gamma1 utilizando o vector DsRed-Monomer. Estes constructs serão particularmente importantes para estudos futuros in vivo para caracterização dos complexos PP1:BRI