As a rapidly growing cyber-physical platform, unmanned aerial vehicles are facing more security threats as their capabilities and applications continue to expand. Adversaries with detailed knowledge about the vehicle could orchestrate sophisticated attacks that are not easily detected or handled by the vehicle’s control system. In this work, we purpose a generic security framework, termed BlueB...

Drought is an inevitable part of the world’s climate. It occurs in wet as well as in dry regions. Therefore, planning for drought and mitigating its impacts is essential. In this study, a hedging rule is developed using the zero/one mixed integer-programming approach. Furthermore, some procedures are introduced to ease the computational burden inherent in integer programming. Hedging rules are ...

Old masonry buildings represent the largest part of traditional constructions. Generally, they are both seismically vulnerable and thermally dispersive. Therefore, need for seismic thermal retrofitting aimed at reducing their vulnerability environmental impact has motivated research efforts towards sustainable solutions. This study presents a literature review approaches currently available ret...

This essay reviews the concept of vulnerability, paying special attention to the vulnerability of New Orleans exposed by Hurricane Katrina, and the need for interdisciplinary approaches to reducing vulnerability. Vulnerability is defined as a function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Physical vulnerability results from exposure, and social vulnerability emanates from social fact...

Static-cyclic shear load tests and tensile tests on retrofitted masonry walls were conducted at UAS Fribourg for an evaluation of the newly developed retrofitting system, the S&P ARMO-System. This retrofitting system consists of a composite of carbon mesh embedded in a specially adapted high quality spray mortar. It can be applied with established construction techniques using traditional const...

Technological networks (e.g. telephone and sensor networks, Internet) have provided modern society with increased efficiency, but have also exposed us to the risks posed by their vulnerability to attacks. Mitigating these risks involves designing robust network topologies in situations where resources are economically constrained. In this paper, we consider the vulnerability of network topologi...

Abstract A life cycle framework for a new integrated classification system buildings and the identification of renovation strategies that lead to an optimal balance between reduction seismic vulnerability increase energy efficiency, considering both economic losses environmental impacts, is discussed through parametric application exemplificative case-study building. Such accounts contributions...

Climate change is affecting every aspect of human activities, especially the agriculture. In China, extreme drought events caused by climate change have posed a great threat to food safety. In this work we aimed to study the drought risk of maize in the farming–pastoral ecotone in Northern China based on physical vulnerability assessment. The physical vulnerability curve was constructed from th...