Optimization Approaches To Protect Transportation Infrastructure Against Strategic and Random Disruptions

Past and recent events have proved that critical infrastructure are vulnerable to natural catastrophes, unintentional accidents and terrorist attacks. Protecting these systems is critical to avoid loss of life and to guard against economical upheaval. A systematic approach to plan security investments is paramount to guarantee that limited protection resources are utilized in the most effcient manner. This thesis provides a detailed review of the optimization models that have been introduced in the past to identify vulnerabilities and protection plans for critical infrastructure. The main objective of this thesis is to study new and more realistic models to protect transportation infrastructure such as railway and road systems against man made and natural disruptions. Solution algorithms are devised to effciently solve the complex formulations proposed. Finally, several illustrative case studies are analysed to demonstrate how solving these models can be used to support effcient protection decisions

The impact of sea-level rise on baselines: a question of interpretation of the UNCLOS or evolution of customary law?

In the framework of the broader question of the adverse impact of sea-level rise on low-lying coastal and archipelagic States, the specific question of the effects on baselines has been receiving increasing attention in the international debate. The question is whether, once a State has determined its baselines by a legislative or administrative act, these lines are fixed and will not be altered by any subsequent physical change due to the SLR. In other words, could baselines be opposable to other States regardless of a substantial change in the configuration of the coasts? Or, on the contrary, are baselines ambulatory so that in case of inundation of coastal areas, the baselines will move in a landward direction? To put it differently, might third States challenge the discrepancy between the charted and actual baselines

Brasilidade in built form: tracing national identity in modernist architecture in Brazil, 1922–1968

The conceptual framework of Brazilian national identity in built form changed drastically between the 1930s and the 1960s, from the Baroque of colonial-era Brazil to the improvised constructions of the poor. The advocates of these architectural imaginaries were not suggesting that these styles be copied. Instead, they used them as a type of hermeneutic for explicating how Modernism should be deployed in order for it to be authentically Brazilian. The transition from the colonial model to an aesthetics of poverty was a result of a confluence of factors. These included the country’s relatively new struggle to define itself away from Portugal; the arrival of new European immigrants; growing anxiety about cultural colonization by the United States; unstable economic and political circumstances; and the questioning of the nation’s myth of racial democracy. This dissertation traces the attribution of Brasilidade, i.e., Brazilian-ness, to various architectural forms between 1922, the year of an event popularly viewed as the emergence of Modernism in Brazil, and 1968, a year of particular importance in the country’s political and architectural life. Regional and racial discourses, themselves closely related, are critical to understanding this shift in conceptualizing Modernism. Accordingly, this study moves among locations, identifying the mutual influences between the southern centers of power, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and two cities in the Northeast, Recife and Salvador. The evolution of architectural Brasilidade is told through four figures: Mario de Andrade (1893–1945), Lucio Costa (1902–88), Gilberto Freyre (1900–87), and Lina Bo Bardi (1914–92). The development of mass media, and the fields of anthropology and preservation as tools of observation and regulation influenced each of these actors as they articulated a nationalist polemic based on class, race, and region

Impasto and Bucchero Pottery in the Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney

The following paper will present a study of 76 impasto and bucchero ceramic artefacts that form part of the collection of the Nicholson Museum at the University of Sydney. These artefacts have not been previously studied in any detail and while some have been published, publication was limited to a brief description. The paper is divided into three sections: impasto, Caeretan stamped ware and bucchero. A preliminary discussion of the ceramic type is followed by a catalogue. The catalogue provides a detailed description, any provenance and publication details, parallels and provides a date and possible geographical context of each vessel

Impasto and Bucchero Pottery in the Nicholson Museum, University of Sydney

The following paper will present a study of 76 impasto and bucchero ceramic artefacts that form part of the collection of the Nicholson Museum at the University of Sydney. These artefacts have not been previously studied in any detail and while some have been published, publication was limited to a brief description. The paper is divided into three sections: impasto, Caeretan stamped ware and bucchero. A preliminary discussion of the ceramic type is followed by a catalogue. The catalogue provides a detailed description, any provenance and publication details, parallels and provides a date and possible geographical context of each vessel

Particle swarm optimization for multimodal functions: a clustering approach

The particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is designed to find a single optimal solution and needs some modifications to be able to locate multiple optima on a multimodal function. In parallel with evolutionary computation algorithms, these modifications can be grouped in the framework of niching. In this work, we present a new approach to niching in PSO based on clustering particles to identify niches. The neighborhood structure, on which particles rely for communication, is exploited together with the niche information to locate multiple optima in parallel. Our approach was implemented in thek-means-based PSO (kPSO), which employs the standardk-means clustering algorithm, improved with a mechanism to adaptively identify the number of clusters.kPSO proved to be a competitive solution when compared with other existing algorithms, since it showed better performance on a benchmark set of multimodal functions

Optimizing dynamic investment decisions for railway systems protection

Past and recent events have shown that railway infrastructure systems are particularly vulnerable to natural catastrophes, unintentional accidents and terrorist attacks. Protection investments are instrumental in reducing economic losses and preserving public safety. A systematic approach to plan security investments is paramount to guarantee that limited protection resources are utilized in the most efficient manner. In this article, we present an optimization model to identify the railway assets which should be protected to minimize the impact of worst case disruptions on passenger flows. We consider a dynamic investment problem where protection resources become available over a planning horizon. The problem is formulated as a bilevel mixed-integer model and solved using two different decomposition approaches. Random instances of different sizes are generated to compare the solution algorithms. The model is then tested on the Kent railway network to demonstrate how the results can be used to support efficient protection decisions

Preliminary user centred evaluation of regional aircraft cabin interiors in virtual reality

The main aim of the CASTLE (Cabin System Design Towards Passenger Wellbeing) European project is to deliver innovative interiors solutions that maximize the comfort and wellbeing of passengers in the next future. To achieve such objective, an effective HCD (Human Centred Design) approach has been employed to derive a Human Response Model based on a holistic assessment of comfort. The overall methodology has been conceived to provide different tools and methods to collect data on the impact that the design of each cabin item has on the user from the earliest design stages. One of these tools is represented by using 3D virtual mock-ups to capture data on the user\u2019s perception and to rate the level of appreciation inspired by the specific design. In this paper we present the experimental procedures and the results from a preliminary experimental campaign of Human in the loop simulations in Virtual/Augmented Reality of a Regional Aircraft

Measuring financial well-being in Europe using a fuzzy set approach

Purpose – This paper aims to apply a multidimensional approach to assessing the financial well-being of European countries. Design/methodology/approach – Financial well-being is a very complex phenomenon to measure because it is composed of different dimensions. Therefore, this paper uses a multidimensional and fuzzy methodology to assess financial well-being in Europe. The financial well-being fuzzy indicator was calculated using European Quality of Life Survey data. Findings – Financial well-being is heterogeneous across European countries. This evidence is confirmed both at the level of overall financial well-being and at the level of sub-indices. The degree of financial wellbeing is not directly related to wealth as traditionally measured (i.e. GDP), but shows some correspondence with socio-economic characteristics of the population and with governance and cultural elements of a country. Practical implications – Understanding financial well-being could help financial institutions to transition from a one-size-fits-all approach to a more tailored approach when they provide financial services and could help policy makers to consider financial well-being when they decide how and where to allocate public spending. Originality/value – To the best of authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to employ a fuzzy methodology for the analysis of financial well-being in Europe. Keywords Financial well-being, Dimensions of financial well-being, Multidimensional and fuzzy set approach, Europe Paper type Research pape

The nature and determinants of disclosure practices in the insurance industry:Evidence from European insurers

Filling a gap in the existing literature on disclosure practices by insurance companies, this research provides new empirical evidence on the nature and determinants of disclosure practices in the European insurance industry over the 2005-2010 period. The main results show that insurers are more inclined to invest in the quantity of risk information rather than in the disclosure quality of the entire annual report, as risk information is addressed to high-level financially educated people and requires fewer resources than are needed for an investment in quality. Further, the analysis also shows that insurer level characteristics, in terms of size and technical provisions, as well as country level variables, significantly affect the amount of risk information disclosed. In the years affected by the financial crisis, the level of risk disclosure quantity increases as insurers use disclosure as a tool to reassure stakeholders on their independence from the global financial crisis