Modeling Cascading Failures in the North American Power Grid

The North American power grid is one of the most complex technological networks, and its interconnectivity allows both for long-distance power transmission and for the propagation of disturbances. We model the power grid using its actual topology and plausible assumptions about the load and overload of transmission substations. Our results indicate that the loss of a single substation can lead to a 25% loss of transmission efficiency by triggering an overload cascade in the network. We systematically study the damage inflicted by the loss of single nodes, and find three universal behaviors, suggesting that 40% of the transmission substations lead to cascading failures when disrupted. While the loss of a single node can inflict substantial damage, subsequent removals have only incremental effects, in agreement with the topological resilience to less than 1% node loss.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

Multiple centrality assessment in Parma : a network analysis of paths and open spaces

One of the largest of Europe, the recently realized university campus 'Area of the Sciences' in Parma, northern Italy, has been planned for a comprehensive programme of renovation and revitalization with a special focus on vehicular accessibility and the quality of open spaces. As part of the problem setting phase, the authors, with Rivi Engineering, applied Multiple Centrality Assessment (MCA) - a process of network analysis based on primal graphs, a set of different centrality indices and the metric computation of distances - in order to understand why the existent system of open spaces and pedestrian paths is so scarcely experienced by students as well as faculty and staff members and why it appears so poorly supportive of social life and human exchange. In the problem-solving phase MCA was also applied, turning out to offer a relevant contribution to the comparative evaluation of two alternative proposed scenarios, leading to the identification of one final solution of urban design. In the present paper, the first professional application of MCA, an innovative approach to the network analysis of geographic complex systems, is presented and its relevance in the context of a problem of urban design illustrated

Fine Motor, Social, and Adaptive Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study researched kernel-based methods and max-margin learning for largescale datasets. It advanced several theoretical and practical aspects of kernel-based and max-margin methods at the intersection with Bayesian modelling. New learning methods were proposed to avoid the curse of kernelisation while simultaneously yielding superior accuracy compared with state-of-the-art baselines

High prevalence of curable sexually transmitted infections among pregnant women in a rural county hospital in Kilifi, Kenya

Background : Women attending antenatal care (ANC) in resource-limited countries are frequently screened for syphilis and HIV, but rarely for other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). We assessed the prevalence of curable STIs, defined as infection with either Chlamydia trachomatis or Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Trichomonas vaginalis, from July to September 2015. Methods : In a cross-sectional study, women attending ANC at the Kilifi County Hospital, Kenya, had a urine sample tested for C. trachomatis/N. gonorrhoeae by GeneXpert and a vaginal swab for T. vaginalis by culture. Bacterial vaginosis (BV) was defined as a Nugent score of 7-10 of the Gram stain of a vaginal smear in combination with self-reported vaginal discharge. Genital ulcers were observed during collection of vaginal swabs. All women responded to questions on socio-demographics and sexual health and clinical symptoms of STIs. Predictors for curable STIs were assessed in multivariable logistic regression. Results : A total of 42/202 (20.8%, 95% confidence interval (CI):15.4-27.0) women had a curable STI. The prevalence was 14.9% for C. trachomatis (95% Cl:10.2-20.5), 1.0% for N. gonorrhoeae (95% CI: 0.1-3.5), 7.4% for T. vaginalis (95% CI:4.2-12.0), 19.3% for BV (95% CI: 14.1-25.4) and 2.5% for genital ulcers (95% CI: 0.8-5.7). Predictors for infection with curable STIs included women with a genital ulcer (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 35.0, 95% CI: 2.7-461.6) compared to women without a genital ulcer, women who used water for cleaning after visiting the toilet compared to those who used toilet paper or other solid means (AOR = 4.1, 95% CI:1.5-11.3), women who reported having sexual debut = 18 years (AOR = 2.7, 95% Cl:1.1-6.6), and BV-positive women (AOR = 2.7, 95% Cl:1.1-6.6) compared to BV-negative women. Conclusion : One in five women attending ANC had a curable STI. These infections were associated with genital ulcers, hygiene practices, early sexual debut and bacterial vaginosis

Morges Région Tourisme: Création d’offres de slow tourisme pour la balade oenotouristique

Ce travail de Bachelor s’adresse à l’association Morges Région Tourisme et a pour objectif de lui proposer deux offres concrètes de slow tourisme pour développer la balade oenotouristique créée en avril 2016

LOCATING CRITICAL LINES IN HIGH-VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL POWER GRIDS

Electrical power grids are among the infrastructures that are attracting a great deal of attention because of their intrinsic criticality. Here we analyze the topological vulnerability and improvability of the spanish 400 kV, the french 400 kV and the italian 380 kV power transmission grids. For each network we detect the most critical lines and suggest how to improve the connectivity