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Title: PREDICTING AND SIMULATING OUTDOOR THERMAL COMFORT-BASED HUMAN BEHAVIOR IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS
Creator: Khan, Zahida Marzaban
Date: 2022
Description: Rapid urban growth due to a constant rise in world population has amplified the need for sustainable design development of cities. Human...
Show moreRapid urban growth due to a constant rise in world population has amplified the need for sustainable design development of cities. Human behavior, a key performance metric of sustainable design, can be rewarding for urban policies and city planning. Due to its complex nature, human behavior prediction and simulation are increasingly challenging. Complexity is associated with multiple factors, among which social and environmental factors are critical, especially in urban conditions with tall buildings that create unique microclimates. Human behavior in this study referred to human spatial behavior. This research hypothesized that the microclimatic variations at seasonal and diurnal levels affect people’s behavior in outdoor urban environments. Additionally, interdisciplinary crossover studies on novel methodologies to predict human behavior is becoming popular. Moreover, architects and urban designers are interested in human behavior simulation tools that can help them make informed design decisions through ‘what-if’ scenarios and assess their designs before execution. This doctoral research investigated the inter-relationship between Outdoor Thermal Comfort (OTC), human behavior, and urban morphology for Plazas in urban conditions with tall buildings and within a specific climate zone. The study focused on two overarching objectives: (1) to present a novel research methodology to investigate and predict OTC-based human behavior in urban conditions; and (2) to develop HuBeSIM - a human behavior simulation framework using an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate OTC integrated human behavior in outdoor spaces. Daley Plaza – an urban public space built-in 1965 in downtown Chicago — was used as (1) a case study to test the feasibility of this research methodology and (2) a pilot study to demonstrate the HuBeSIM framework. The outcome of this study shows a significant impact in the outdoor urban environments with design goals that use human behavior as a key performance indicator. The research contributes to the modeling and simulation of OTC-based human behavior in urban environments to nurture livable communities and sustainable cities. The first part of the dissertation presented a novel research methodology involving data collection through an on-site observational study for behavioral mapping, and microclimatic CFD simulations for OTC index - Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET). The sample data consisted of two seasons, namely summer and fall, with more than 600 observations collected during the three-hour lunchtime period. The second part of the dissertation involved developing a Human Behavior SIMulation (HuBeSIM) framework in the popular computer aided design platform Rhino® and Grasshopper® (GH). This part integrated OTC using physics-based modeling and human behavior using mathematical agent-based modeling to develop a simulation framework for outdoor urban space design. The findings from the observational study revealed a moderate relationship between microclimate and human behavior in the fall, and a weak correlation in summer. The results showed that people’s behavior is not affected by PET values above 35°C. The proposed Human Behavior SIMulation framework has a high potential to develop into a comprehensive model by incorporating other behavioral factors. This study contributes to the sustainable built environment design that leads to the environmental, social, and economic upliftment of a city.
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Title: Factors Influencing the Level of Detection of Testing Listeria monocytogenes in Ice Cream
Creator: Chen, Bairu
Date: 2022
Description: The increasing evidence has shown that having a sensitive detection method for Listeria monocytogenes in food products is critical for public...
Show moreThe increasing evidence has shown that having a sensitive detection method for Listeria monocytogenes in food products is critical for public health as well as industrial economics. L. monocytogenes was associated with foodborne illness outbreaks linked to ice cream in the United States from 2010 to 2015, with another recent outbreak under investigation. The FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) method was commonly used for L. monocytogenes detection. However, the performance characteristics of the chromogenic methods (MOX, RLM, and R&F agars) remain to be elucidated. The factorial effect on Level of Detection (LOD) as an essential element of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) approach for qualitative method validation was investigated in this study.For examining the LOD of L. monocytogenes in ice cream, fractional contaminated samples were prepared with the ice cream obtained from the 2015 outbreak and enumerated using the FDA BAM Most Probable Number (MPN) method for Listeria. The effect of test portion size was determined by comparing 10g and 25g using the BAM method with chromogenic agars (MOX, RLM, and R&F). The ISO single-lab validation requirement was followed for the factorial effect study, including four different factors: sample size (10g and 25g), ice cream types (commercially available regular vanilla ice cream and vanilla ice cream with low fat and no added sugar), re-freezing process (with re-freezing and without re-freezing process), and thawing process (slow thaw and fast thaw). LOD and relative LOD (RLOD) were computed using MiBiVal software to compare the sensitivity of the three chromogenic agars and the different factors. For all of the detection experiments, presumptive colonies were identified using the API listeria kit. The 2015 naturally contaminated ice cream was enumerated and resulted in an average contamination level of 2.15 MPN/g. At fractional levels of 0.25 MPN/10g and 0.75 MPN/10g, the positive rates of L. monocytogenes detected from 10g and 25g of sample portions were consistent with the statistically theoretical positive rates. The RLOD values for the reference method (MOX) and the alternative methods (RLM, R&F) were above 1 in both portion sizes, which suggested that MOX was slightly more sensitive than RLM and R&F. The factorial effect study indicated that the four factors have no significant influence on the LOD of L. monocytogenes detection at the fractional contamination levels. However, the test portion size of 25g provided more consistent results among the chromogenic media than the 10g portion size. Fat content was shown to have an effect on L. monocytogenes detection in a large test portion. The information from this study will be useful for the improvement of the reproducibility of a qualitative detection method and can also be used for data analysis standards such as ISO 16140 in method validation studies.
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Title: High Energy High Power Primary Lithium Batteries with Graphite Fluoride and Functionalized Boron Nitride Cathodes
Creator: Huo, Haobin
Date: 2022
Description: The present Thesis concerns with the creation of high energy and high power batteries through the utilization of functionalized 2D materials...
Show moreThe present Thesis concerns with the creation of high energy and high power batteries through the utilization of functionalized 2D materials such as graphite fluoride (CFx) and functionalized boron nitride (FBN). The recent literature of Li-CFx batteries brings forward several methods to fabricate high energy and high power batteries. These methods include nano-architecture and porosity design, boron doping, electrolyte additives etc. The resulting batteries are capable to achieve 800-1000 Wh/kg energy density at a power density of 60-70 kW/kg. Our method is capable to achieve the same performance in a much simpler way by the application of a binder that also functions as an effective inhibitor of the growth of LiF crystals. Since LiF is the discharge product of Li-CFx batteries, it typically clogs the pores of the cathode and avoids fast discharge. Methods that increase the power density of Li-CFx batteries typically focus on the amorphization/dissolution of LiF to allow for a fast Li ion diffusion. Our solution using the effective binder appears to be well suited for a scalable production of high energy and high power Li-CFx batteries through a very small modification of existing production lines. Such high energy and high power batteries are needed for the electrification of aircraft such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), vertical take-off and landing planes (VTOLs), passenger airplanes and pulsed power sources. While Li-CFx batteries are not rechargeable this is not a problem for the above mentioned applications as current rechargeable batteries cannot provide the required energy and power densities.Li-FBN batteries may provide a rechargeable alternative to Li-CFx when fully developed. In the present thesis, we have demonstrated Li-FBN batteries with similar discharge plateaus and approximately half the capacity of Li-CFx batteries. Our Li-FBN batteries are also rechargeable to a much greater extent than Li-CFx.
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Title: Functionalized 2D Materials as Enablers of High Energy and High Power Energy Storage Devices
Creator: Radhakrishnan, Sivaviswa
Date: 2023
Description: The present Thesis concerns with the synthesis of novel functionalized 2D materials for applications as cathodes in lithium-ion batteries. It...
Show moreThe present Thesis concerns with the synthesis of novel functionalized 2D materials for applications as cathodes in lithium-ion batteries. It further concerns with the role of porosity in these novel cathode materials to achieve simultaneously high energy and power density. Examples of the novel cathode materials synthesized here include several functionalized hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) and graphene (G) species. hBN was functionalized with Li₂C₂O₄, LiBF₄, -OBF₂ groups, NOBF₄, etc. The color of the functionalized hBN species ranges from white through brown to black indicating drastic changes in the band structure of hBN due to functionalization. Functionalized G species include Li₂C₂O₄ and -OBF₃ functionalized ones. Preliminary electrochemical tests were carried out for an initial assessment of the properties of these materials. Additionally, the role of the DOL solvent was also investigated in high power CFx batteries
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Title: SYSTEMWIDE INTERSECTION SIGNAL TIMING OPTIMIZATION SIMULTANEOUSLY MINIMIZING VEHICLE AND PEDESTRIAN DELAYS
Creator: Roshandeh, Arash Moradkhani
Date: 2013, 2013-07
Description: The ever-growing traffic volume especially in urban areas stretches the transportation system to be operated at near or exceeding capacity and...
Show moreThe ever-growing traffic volume especially in urban areas stretches the transportation system to be operated at near or exceeding capacity and causes congestion. Expanding system capacity and effectively utilizing available capacity could help reduce traffic congestion. In most of cases, adding extra travel lanes in dense urban street networks is not feasible any more due to land scarcity. This study introduces a new method for signal timing optimization that is carried out by adjusting green splits of AM peak, PM peak, and rest of the day timing plans for each signalized intersection in the network without changing the existing cycle lengths and signal coordination to minimize total vehicle and pedestrian delays per cycle. The proposed method contains a basic model that handles vehicle delays only and an enhanced model that simultaneously addresses vehicle and pedestrian delays using two different pedestrian delay estimation methods. Both models are incorporated into an agent-based regional travel demand forecasting tool for detailed traffic assignments using data on Chicago regional travel demand, traffic counts, geometric designs, and signal timing plans for major intersections in the Chicago Central Business District (CBD) street network. The computational experiment reveals that vehicle delays in the CBD area could reduce by 10 percent when only considering vehicle delays and 5 percent when simultaneously considering vehicle and pedestrian delays for signal timing optimization. Considering the intersections safety analysis, it has been found that signals timing optimization in all four areas combined without considering pedestrian delays decreased different crash types under various severities for multiple vehicle collisions as well as vehicle-pedestrian ones. Taking care of both vehicles and pedestrians delay xvi vii simultaneously, using HCM method, just a very few situations represent slight increases in crash frequencies and all other cases indicate crash reductions. Compared with the sensitivity analysis results using the HCM method for calculating pedestrian delays in the enhanced model applications, the Levinson method produces different results even though crash frequency reduction trends are almost the same as HCM method results.
PH.D in Civil Engineering, July 2013
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Title: ASSESSMENT METHODS AND TOOLS FOR ARCHITECTURAL CURRICULA
Creator: Marriott, Christine A.
Date: 2012-03-26, 2012-05
Description: This research explores the process of assessment within the arena of architectural education by questioning traditional assessment practices...
Show moreThis research explores the process of assessment within the arena of architectural education by questioning traditional assessment practices and probing into the conditions that necessitate change. As architectural educators we have opened our studios to digital technologies for the purposes of design and representation, but how do we measure and judge new approaches to design process now that the tools students are using to solve problems have changed? New tools are available that allow us to examine the design process, but now that there are these new tools, how do we exploit them without completely uprooting our traditional assessment practices? Researchers have learned a great deal about how we learn, but how can this new understanding help to improve the learning that occurs in the architectural design studio? These are the questions that this research has investigated, and with an understanding of the conditions that surround architectural education, a model for assessment has been proposed. That model integrates the technology used for design and representation with the available tools of technology for the purpose of assessment and a growing body of knowledge about the way that we learn. This model is specific to the study of architecture and the teaching and learning of design process.
Ph.D. in Architecture, May 2012
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Title: MULTILEVEL ALGORITHMS FOR PHASE RETRIEVAL
Creator: Tanoue, Cullen
Date: 2015, 2015-05
Description: Phase retrieval is an important optimization problem that arises in di raction imaging, where the original structure of an object needs to be...
Show morePhase retrieval is an important optimization problem that arises in di raction imaging, where the original structure of an object needs to be reconstructed from its measured di raction data that does not have information concerning the phase of the object. Multilevel algorithms can be used to compute solutions to the standard phase retrieval optimization problem by constructing a hierarchy of problems using a series of restriction and prolongation operations. The coarser problems have a quarter of the variables as the ner problems, and hence, there are much less linear algebra requirements for solving the coarser problems. Further, the prolongation of the solutions computed for the coarser problems yield good starting points for the ner problems. We can also use an approach that alternates between solving the coarse and ne problem. Parameters for these methods include the number of levels, prolongation and restriction operations, and the number of iterations to perform at each level. We study the solutions to the standard phase retrieval optimization problem that result from exploring these parameters and compare them to the results obtained from using single-level methods.
M.S. in Applied Mathematics, December 2014
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Title: TEMPERAMENT AND CHILD AGENCY/PERSISTENCE: ARE THEY RELATED TO EARLY ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT?
Creator: D’aniello, Maria Elizabeth
Date: 2011-04-23, 2011-05
Description: It is well-known that early academic achievement is a significant predictor of later achievement. Thus, a number of studies have examined...
Show moreIt is well-known that early academic achievement is a significant predictor of later achievement. Thus, a number of studies have examined predictors of early academic achievement, but these have focused mainly on parenting variables, with relatively little attention paid to child variables, specifically temperament, or other child characteristics that may be related to early academic achievement. The aim of this study was to: (a) examine the relationship between child negative affect (NA), effortful control (EC), behavioral inhibition (BI), and agency/persistence and academic achievement; and (b) to determine if EC and agency/persistence moderated this relationship. Participants included 690 (322 males and 358 females) 5-year-old children and their primary caregivers. NA and EC were assessed by parent-report with the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ). EC also was assessed with an observer-rated task, Gift Delay, which measures the child’s ability to delay a prepotent response. BI was assessed with two subtests from the NEPSY; Knock and Tap, and Statue. Child agency/persistence was assessed by a factor-analyzed composite of variables rated during the NICHD 3-Boxes Task. Letter-Word Identification, Passage Comprehension, and Quantitative Concepts subtests of the Woodcock-Johnson III were used as the measures of academic achievement. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that NA, EC, BI and Agency/Persistence were not related to reading achievement, but BI and agency/persistence were related to math achievement. There also was no evidence of moderation of NA by EC or child agency/persistence. Implications of these findings and suggestions for further research are discussed.
M.S. in Psychology, May 2011
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Title: INTEGRATION OF DAYLIGHT IN THE COMMERCIALLY USED BUILDINGS FOR ENERGY SAVING PURPOSES
Creator: Tabibzadeh, Meysam
Date: 2014, 2014-07
Description: The integration between different building systems’ operation in response to various room and weather conditions has a direct positive effect...
Show moreThe integration between different building systems’ operation in response to various room and weather conditions has a direct positive effect on buildings energy performance and cost effectiveness. A Building Automation System (BAS) or an integrated Building Energy Management System (BEMS) typically control five major building systems, including people occupancy detection, shading control, HVAC, and lighting systems. Other building systems and internal energy loads also need to be considered when developing integrated controls and energy efficiency in office buildings. The controls are designed to operate in different building zones (lighting and thermal), while communicating with the main building management system. Whether the zone is being occupied or not will define further actions by other control components. The main goal of this research is to improve energy performance in commercial office buildings by developing the integration between various building controls and the use of natural light indoors and outside views while maintaining both the occupants’ visual and thermal comfort and high building energy performance at the same time. In this research, the proposed synchronization between building occupancy, daylighting, and integrated controls for various building systems in a commercial office space was assessed using computer simulations. The study uses Microsoft Excel as the primary database and result compiling platform. The work flow algorithm of the integrated control (in Visual Basic Application for Excel) automatically defines the new simulation criteria, makes adjustments in the simulation inputs, and runs DOE2.2 energy simulations for the proposed models with integrated controls as well as the baseline model (compliant with the ASHRAE 90.1-2010 standard) for further analysis. The simulations are conducted for eight simulation dates over five years. The results from the proposed model are analyzed and compared with the baseline results in order to evaluate its energy performance and to determine possible savings. The simulation results analysis determines how the implementation of the proposed system can improve the daylighting and energy performance in the building by maximizing the integration between different building systems controls in response to different parameters, such as occupancy, weather conditions, and daylight. The evaluated results of the proposed system are summarized as the system and sub-system algorithms, features, and components of each system, and, finally, as the design guidelines for implementation of the new fully integrated controls for commercial office buildings. From the evaluation of the proposed system performance, the list of research outcomes and deliverables will be concluded, by determining the impact of integrated controls on the overall energy performance of the office work space. The fact that if and when the energy efficiency and improved comfort and environmental quality work hand in hand, in addition to and the role of integrated occupancy in improving the energy efficiency will define the level of success for the proposed control system. The final research outcome is the development of the integrated workflow that can be used in new Building Automation Systems (BAS) or incorporated into the simulation engine for “Simulation Assisted” (see section 2.2.2) Building Energy Management Systems (BEMS).
Ph.D. in Architecture, July 2014
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Title: HYBRID ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM TOPOLOGIES FOR ELECTRIC AND HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Creator: Thiakos, Dimitrios
Date: 2014, 2014-05
Description: Progress has made over the last several years in developing cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles. In particular, hybrid electric vehicles ...
Show moreProgress has made over the last several years in developing cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles. In particular, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have helped reduce fuel emissions by using electrical power to power the vehicle. HEVs have been enhanced by the use of hybrid-energy-storage-systems (HESS), which use an ultracapacitor to satisfy peak-power demands, thereby increasing the life of the battery. In this paper, dynamic models of the individual components of a HEV are created from dynamic equations, and then implemented in Simulink. The components include a realistic battery, an ultracapacitor, and a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor. The models are simulated, and the results serve as a basis for how these components should behave. Next, the various power management and control algorithms of a HESS are presented. Then, several HESS topologies are modeled in PSIM, which is a simulation tool for power electronics and motor drives. Simulation results for a simple drive-cycle are presented, and the pros and cons of each topology are described. Considerations are given as to the topologies with the best combination of performance, cost, and life cycle. Furthermore, the benefits of using a HESS in terms of cost, volume, weight, and efficiency, are explained in more detail. Finally, some limitations of PSIM that affected simulation results are explained. Overall, this thesis lays out the various factors that affect choices in HESS topologies.
M.S. in Electrical Engineering, May 2014
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Title: TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING BIG DATA MOLECULAR SIMULATION USING MACHINE LEARNING ALGORITHMS
Creator: Einakian, Mina
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: Analytical experiments and computer simulations have shown unusual thermal conductivity behavior of soft material under mechanical strain. At...
Show moreAnalytical experiments and computer simulations have shown unusual thermal conductivity behavior of soft material under mechanical strain. At first, the conductivity decreases with the increase of the mechanical strain. After reaching a certain minima, with the application of additional strain, it starts increasing. While this behavior is confirmed via experiments as well as computer simulations using molecular modeling techniques, what causes this behavior is still considered an open question. This thesis studies the molecular simulations data from multiple simulations and investigates the use of machine learning techniques to understand the unusual thermal conductivity behavior of soft materials under mechanical strain. The data sets consists of terabytes of data with thousands of spatial as well temporal attributes. In particular, the influence of attributes related to molecular structure including bond length, bond angle, and dihedrals has been probed. Several machine learning and data mining techniques including clustering and association rule mining have been applied on different datasets with different thermal conductivity to find the relationship between the soft material molecular structure and thermal conductivity behavior. The results show that in the alkyls molecules the most important features that affect the thermal conductivity are the O-CH2 bond properties, especially when thermal conductivity is equal to 1.5±ε . Keywords: Thermal conductivity, bond angle, bond length, dihedral angle, association rule mining, ANOVA significance test, K-means clustering.
M.S. in Computer Engineering, May 2016
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Title: A NEW METHODOLOGY FOR TRANSPORTATION DECISION-MAKING CONSIDERING PROJECT INTERDEPENDENCIES
Creator: Veliou, Eirini
Date: 2011-11-21, 2011-12
Description: The objective of transportation decision-making is to decide which projects to invest in and implement, such that total utility of the...
Show moreThe objective of transportation decision-making is to decide which projects to invest in and implement, such that total utility of the transportation network after project implementation viewed from economic (total cost to the transportation agency and the user), social (traffic mobility and safety), and environmental (energy consumption and vehicle emissions) dimensions is maximized. In current state-of-practices, decisions are made in accordance with project benefits that are estimated by independently capturing localized impacts of individual projects. The ignorance of network-level impacts and interdependency relationships of individual projects does not ensure accurately estimating project benefits and making truly optimal investment decisions based on estimated project benefits. This thesis first discusses the need for conducting a comprehensive study to estimate network-wide benefits of interdependent transportation projects and identify the most cost-effective sub-collection of projects under budget and other constraints for implementation. Using data on travel demand, roadway network designs, and traffic operations, as well as six major projects proposed for possible investments to the Chicago Loop area, the proposed methodology is applied to the Frontline Solver optimization software in a computational study. In general, the hypergraph Knapsack model as part of the proposed methodology is found to be able to identify the best sub-collection of investment projects for implementation under various budget levels. Specifically, the computational study has revealed that the overall benefits in terms of travel-time savings after considering project network-wide impacts and their interdependency relationships are much lower (by 38-64 percent) and the rate of benefit increase follows a diminishing trend with a higher level of budget, suggesting that an optimal level of investments can be established for mobility improvements. Future research directions are pointed out on developing efficient solution algorithms to identify a reasonably small number of possible sub-collection of projects that contains the optimal solution. It is also proposed to consider additional transportation costs items that extend from travel times to include costs of facility construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance and vehicle operations, crashes, and emissions in the estimation of network-wide benefits of single and multiple projects.
M.S. in Civil Engineering, December 2011
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Title: RECEIVER INITIATED MAC PROTOCOL FOR WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK
Creator: Duan, Sze Ching Eric
Date: 2012-04-30, 2012-05
Description: In wireless sensor networks, wireless devices should wake up as necessary as possible to be able to communicate with neighbors and kept high...
Show moreIn wireless sensor networks, wireless devices should wake up as necessary as possible to be able to communicate with neighbors and kept high quality performance. On the other hand, it is also important that wireless devices remain sleeping as much as possible to maintain low power consumption. Thus a power efficient duty cycle mac protocol is required in wireless sensor networks. This thesis proposed a mac layer duty cycle protocol which uses receiver initiated wake up mechanism to allow device to keep their transceivers off most of the time to maintain energy efficiency. Also this report measures the energy consumption of the protocol and made comparisons with other popular mechanisms which shows the approach have successfully reduced energy consumption in compare to other popular protocols.
M.S. in Computer Science, May 2012
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Title: SEMANTIC ONTOLOGIES FOR THE PUBLICATION OF SPECTRUM MEASUREMENT PROVENANCE
Creator: Faurie, Eric A.
Date: 2016, 2016-05
Description: Measurement-based spectrum research isn’t new, but there is a renewed interest in understanding how the spectrum is being utilized. With the...
Show moreMeasurement-based spectrum research isn’t new, but there is a renewed interest in understanding how the spectrum is being utilized. With the modern prevalence of connected devices and our increasing reliance on wireless technologies, there is increasing demand for additional spectrum. The question of how to meet this demand largely depends on how the spectrum is being used today and thus a need for advanced measurement-based research has emerged. Spectrum measurement and analysis is complicated; the data is multi-dimensional and dynamic in time, space, and frequency. Signal behavior is governed by complex mathematics and its use is regulated by government agencies across the world. Data collection relies on a complex system of expensive hardware where the physical attributes of antennas, analyzers, and deployment locations all impact the data that’s collected. These variables and concerns must all be considered while deploying a Spectrum measurement system. This paper presents the Semantic Spectrum Ontology (SSO), a model which aids researchers in designing and deploying Spectrum Measurement systems and publishing their data as community resources. The SSO exists within the paradigm of the Semantic Web and links into the wider Semantic graph by extending the W3C’s Semantic Sensor Network Ontology (SSN). The Semantic Spectrum Ontology also presents two new Semantic Constructs. The Scientific Provenance Model allows researchers to publish in-depth metadata concerning the measurements and the conditions under which they were collected, and the Scientific Property Model creates a framework for encoding knowledge from various sources including domain experts and machine learning statistics. These two models were constructed specifically for the SSO but were generalized to allow for their application within any ontology representing any scientific field.
M.S. in Computer Science, May 2016
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Title: NETWORK-LEVEL VEHICLE CRASH PREDICTIONS INCORPORATING TIME-DEPENDENT EFFECTS INTO CONSIDERATIONS
Creator: Dao, Hoang
Date: 2016, 2016-07
Description: Maintaining highway safety is viewed as the over-arching goal of mananging transportation systems at all levels. According to the National...
Show moreMaintaining highway safety is viewed as the over-arching goal of mananging transportation systems at all levels. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 37,000 people got killed and 2.35 million are injured in road crashes annually. The equivalent economic and societal losses are on the order of over $231 billion, or an average of $820 per person. Thus, developing vehicle crash models that can accurately predict crash occurrences becomes essential. The study begins with literature review of models for predicting vehicle crash frequencies and crash severity levels on highway segments and at highway intersections. The findings of literature review indicate that some models lack prediction accuracy owing to exclusion of many crashing contributing factors. Consequently, a new methodology for improved vehicle crash predictability is proposed to include as many crash contributing factors as possible. In addition, the proposed methodology aims to conduct crash predictions targeting a highway network. Two computational experiments are performed for methodology application, including one on highway segment-related crash predictions using data on Highway Safety Information System for Illinois from 2001 to 2010, and another one on intersection-related crash predictions using crash data on more than one thousand intersections for period 2004 to 2010 provided by city of Chicago. Cross comparisons are made on the results obtained by applying the proposed methodology, method documented in Highway Safety Manual (AASHTO, 2010), and Empirical Bayesian (EB) before-after method for validation. The proposed methodology is found to have out-performed the other two methods. Future research directions are provided for continuing refinements of the proposed methodology.
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, July 2016
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Title: TEMPERAMENT AND PARENTING: DO THEY INFLUENCE EACH OTHER AND SOCIAL COMPETENCE?
Creator: Strickland, Jennifer Pierce Munson
Date: 2012-04-19, 2012-05
Description: The aim of this study was to examine the reciprocal relationship between parenting behaviors (support, hostility, and scaffolding) and child...
Show moreThe aim of this study was to examine the reciprocal relationship between parenting behaviors (support, hostility, and scaffolding) and child temperament (effortful control, EC, and negative affect, NA) in children during the transition from kindergarten to first grade. Another aim was to examine direct and indirect effects of parenting and child temperament on children’s social competence. Participants included a diverse, community sample of 580 children and their primary caregivers. Parent support and hostility were assessed with the Parent Behavior Inventory. Scaffolding was assessed with observer ratings based on the NICHD ECCRN 3-Boxes Task. Child NA and EC were measured by parent-report using the Child Behavior Questionnaire, and social competence was assessed with the Social Skills Rating System. All measures were administered at both ages. Results indicated that the model that included cross-paths between the parenting and child factors provided the best fit to the data. The path coefficients indicated that child EC had significant effects on parenting behaviors (support, hostility and scaffolding). Contrary to expectation, however, there were no significant paths from parenting to child temperament. Both child EC and parenting support had significant direct and indirect effects on child social competence. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Ph.D. in Psychology, May 2012
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Title: SOLUTION TO STOKES FLOW DUE TO MOTION OF AN IMMERSED PARTICLE
Creator: Cao, Yu
Date: 2012-04-25, 2012-05
Description: For finding the solution to Stokes flow due to motion of an immersed particle, we introduce two different methods based on boundary integral...
Show moreFor finding the solution to Stokes flow due to motion of an immersed particle, we introduce two different methods based on boundary integral equations (BIE). For the first method, which is based on the first kind BIE, we prove the compactness of the integral operator of which the kernel is the Stokeslet, which implies that the BIE of the first kind in this method are ill-posed problems. For the second method, which is based on the second kind BIE which are well-posed problems, it is shown that the kernel functions in the BIE are generally not smooth. Finally, using the known numerical schemes, we compare the computational cost of these two method for finding the velocity of a given point in the domain in terms of the number of numerical integrations over triangles. It is show that theses two schemes are of same order while the computational cost of the second method is more expensive than that of the first one.
M.S. in Applied Mathematics, May 2012
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Title: AUDITORY PROCESSING AND THE EXTRACTION OF SOCIAL EMOTIONAL CUES IN AUTISM
Creator: Demopoulos, Carly
Date: 2013, 2013-07
Description: There is increasing evidence that there are deficits in vocal affect recognition abilities in some individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum...
Show moreThere is increasing evidence that there are deficits in vocal affect recognition abilities in some individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) and that sensory deficits are also common in these individuals. Little research, however, has focused on the relation between atypical auditory processing and vocal affect recognition abilities. The aim of this study was to examine if there was an association between cortical auditory processing and vocal affect recognition ability, and, in turn, to determine if vocal affect recognition ability was related to parent report of social and leadership skills. First, peripheral auditory processing was examined in a sample of 28 5-18 yearold (mean = 11.48) children and adolescents with an ASD. Vocal affect recognition was assessed by the paralanguage subtests of the Diagnostic Analysis of Nonverbal Accuracy (DANVA), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to evaluate cortical electrophysiological processing in relation to auditory stimuli. Parent-report was used to assess social skills and leadership with these subtests on the Behavior Assessment Scale for Children-2. Correlational analyses indicated that there were no significant relations between peripheral auditory processing and DANVA scores. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that, after controlling for age, language ability, and IQ, the measures of cortical auditory processing contributed a significant additional 19% of the variance in DANVA-2 scores. Specifically, left hemisphere response latency and right hemisphere rapid auditory processing were related to vocal affect recognition. They also indicated that DANVA-2 scores contributed a significant additional 30% of the variance in parent-rated social skills after controlling for language ability and IQ. However, DANVA-2 scores did not contribute significantly to leadership skills. xi This was the first study to use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to assess auditory evoked fields in relation to vocal affect recognition and to show that there is an association between specific features of cortical auditory processing and vocal affect recognition. These results suggest that the ability to respond to and efficiently process rapidly presented auditory information may be important in extracting affective cues from speech, and for individuals on the autism spectrum, impairment in these abilities may contribute to difficulty in vocal affect recognition.
PH.D in Psychology, July 2013
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Title: MAPPING THE IDENTITY OF TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION THROUGH AUTHOR AND KEYWORD NETWORKS
Creator: Angderson, Charise
Date: 2012-04-22, 2012-05
Description: The identity of the interdisciplinary field of technical communication continues to be debated. For the last decade of so scholars have argued...
Show moreThe identity of the interdisciplinary field of technical communication continues to be debated. For the last decade of so scholars have argued for the need to emphasize new and emerging technologies to be integrated in technical communication curricula and research. This thesis examines how journals in technical communication have responded to these calls for a change in focus through the use of affiliation and keyword network analyses. Through the author-journal affiliation networks, I found technical communication journals mirror power laws as exhibited in other fields; there is a small group of authors and institutions that produce the majority of works. The author’s institutional affiliations, both in terms of employment and graduate degree, follow this same pattern. Authors also tended to have degrees in technical communication or some iteration of it. Through the keyword network, I found that articles on technical communication are mainly discussing topics concerning rhetoric and composition, followed by research in and discussions on the field technical communication as well as information technology.
M.S. in Communication and Information Design, May 2012
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Title: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COGNITIVE ABILITY, SELF-AWARENESS, AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN ADULTS WITH SICKLE CELL DISEASE
Creator: Feigon, Maia S.
Date: 2014, 2014-07
Description: Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects one in 365 African-Americans in the United States. Yet little is known about the effects of SCD on either...
Show moreSickle cell disease (SCD) affects one in 365 African-Americans in the United States. Yet little is known about the effects of SCD on either cognitive ability or quality of life (QOL). Sickle cell related complications are believed to effect level of depressive symptoms, activities of daily living, education, and employability. These variables in combination with a suspected lack of self-awareness likely have a significant contribution to the QOL of adults with SCD (Goverover, Chiaravalloti, & DeLuca, 2005; Goverover, Chiaravalloti, Gaudino-Goering, Moore, & DeLuca, 2009). To date there is no comprehensive model to explain the relationship between cognitive ability, selfawareness, and psychosocial variables unique to the SCD population. Thus, the primary aim of this study was to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the factors affecting overall QOL in adults with SCD and to examine the effect of cognitive ability, activities of daily living, and self-awareness as variables related to QOL. These variables were explored together and individually in a sample of 76 African-American participants with SCD and between the ages of 18 and 65, to determine the relationship of these variables to QOL. Educational variables and depressive symptoms were also examined. Only depressive symptoms were significantly related to QOL. No other variables were associated with QOL nor were other statistically significant relationships found. Additional research on this population is needed to better determine the relationship between cognitive ability, depressive symptoms, and QOL and to better understand how and when to best intervene to improve QOL in adults with SCD.
Ph.D. in Psychology, July 2014
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