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This thesis studies spatial visibility of Greenlanders in Aalborg by particularly looking and examining three most notable places associated with the Greenlandic community in the city as an indicator into socio-economic conditions of Greenlanders. To meet the aim, ten interviews with the Greenlandic representatives in Aalborg were carried out to find out their feelings and experiences towards these places. This thesis looks at spatial visibility in cities as an indicator into broader socio-economic issues. The results demonstrate how different groups of Greenlanders in Aalborg use urban space to uphold and practice activities that are characteristic to them. Finally, the results indicate that Greenlanders in Aalborg are still heavily subjected to stereotyping and racism which brings attention to the need of Danish government to redesign  their integration policies.

Drivers overtaking cyclists on rural roads create a hazardous scenario due to the potentially high impact speeds and, therefore, severe consequences in case of a crash [1]. Díaz Fernández et al. analyzed crashes between cyclists and motorized vehicles from various data sources, including insurance reports and crash databases, and concluded that this scenario is particularly dangerous and new safety countermeasures are needed [2]. Other studies have shown that particularly the side-swipe risk through. aerodynamic forces due to low lateral clearance and high overtaking speed affects both the objective and subjective safety of the cyclist [3], [4]. Furthermore, recent work by Gildea et al. showed through a self-reported survey among cyclists that a significant amount of side-swipe crashes and near-crashes with lower severity of injuries remains unreported [ 5]. This underlines the importance of investigating further in what situations the side-swipe risk for cyclists increases and how it can be decreased effectively. Previous research investigated how driver behavior in overtaking is influenced by infrastructural elements such as lane widths [6], road markings [6], [7], parked cars [7], and the presence of road crossings. However, the effect of sight distance on driver behavior has not gained much attention yet. Therefore, this work analyzed the influence of sight distance on driver behavior and the resulting safety implications for the overtaken cyclist.

Research indicates that students perform better academically in schools with higher levels of trust than in schools with lower levels of trust. School leaders are primarily responsible for building cultures of trust but are often at a loss as to how to do so effectively. With the assumption that as perceptions of school leader trustworthiness improve, teachers will be more likely to place their trust in that school leader, this research seeks to clarify how Ugandan headteachers improve teachers' perceptions of headteacher trustworthiness. In particular, we examined how specific types of headteacher visibility related to teachers' perceptions of headteacher relational and competence trustworthiness. This qualitative research used grounded theory methodology to interpret and analyze the interview responses of 28 Ugandan secondary school teachers in eight schools in Mukono District, Uganda. Findings from this research suggest that teachers' perceptions of headteacher relational trustworthiness were strongly related to both the level of risk and formality of headteacher visibility. Additional findings suggest that perceptions of both headteacher relational and competence trustworthiness were influenced by differences in teacher and headteacher personal characteristics. The final finding indicates that certain types of headteacher visibility moderated the influence that teacher characteristics have on perceptions of trustworthiness. These findings can inform school leaders about how to more effectively improve teachers' perceptions of school leader trustworthiness. The grounded theory model presented will provide opportunities for further theory building and testing with respect to the relationship between school leader visibility and teachers' perceptions of school leader trustworthiness.

Studien ämnade att beskriva NTA-utbildade förskollärarens uppfattningar om synliggörandet av det naturvetenskapliga ämnet fysik i förskolan relaterat till planerade aktiviteter samt spontana aktiviteter. Metoden som användes i studien är semistrukturerade intervjuer med en utgångspunkt med frågor från en intervjuguide. Intervjuerna genomfördes med förskollärare på olika förskolor i Mellansverige. Fenomenografisk analysmodell användes för att analysera de fem transkriberade intervjuerna i sju steg. Resultatet visar att flera förskollärare är positivt inställda till planerad aktivitet och till spontan aktivitet som ger möjlighet till nya lärandetillfällen samt att korrekta termer bör användas i alla aktiviteter. Några av förskollärarna anser dock att den spontana aktiviteten och korrekta termer inte ska uppmärksammas då förståelsen inte finns i en sådan tidig ålder.  NTA-lådorna anses vara ett verktyg för undervisningen av förskollärarna med en mycket positiv inställning till konceptet. Synliggörandet av barnens intresse för det naturvetenskapliga ämnet fysik betonar förskollärarna lyhördhet som något viktigt, genom barnens intressen skapas lärandetillfällen. Från den data som har samlats in för studien har dessa slutsatser dragits, att barnens inflytande och förskollärarens synliggörande har stor inverkan på utbildningen och det är en god förutsättning till ett livslångt lärande. / This study aims to describe NTA- educated preschool teachers' perception of physics as a subject in preschool, more specifically when it relates to planned activities as well as non-planned activities. The method used in this study was semi-structured interviews. These interviews were done with five different preschool teachers in different preschools located in central Sweden. A phenomenographic analysis model was used to analyse the transcribed data in seven steps. The result shows that several preschool teachers are positive towards planned activities as well as non-planned ones, that give opportunities for teachable moments. They also think that the correct terms associated with the subject should be used in all activities related to this.  Some of the preschool teachers disagree though with these statements and instead think that the correct terms should not be used in these activities as they think that the capabilities of understanding them are not yet there. The NTA-boxes are seen as a tool for education, which as a concept is very welcomed by the preschool teachers. They also emphasize the importance of being keen or enthusiastic when it relates to this subject, as this will create moments of teaching for the children. From the collected data for this study the conclusions I have arrived at show that the childrens’ involvement has great influence on their education and it is a basis for the preschool teachers.

Old Lahore holds an ephemeral magic in its experiences, lying in the center of not only the city, but also a key component to all religious, spiritual and everyday activities, which expand beyond the horizontal planes. The vibrance of the old city threads itself into the dense urban fabric through its traditional jharokas (balconies) and intricately woven rooftops, these tendrils extend out to the modernized environment from which its identity is unique and unparalleled. There is continuity in its landscape, where individuals capture the spirit of the city through their resilience and solidarity, in refuge for equal rights to the city. Fabricating people driven urban initiatives, creating assimilation and social harmony in their collaborative bottom up effort for a vibrant public realm. Through the use of drawing, film and design interventions as a tool for understanding and communicating the experience of an environment through conscious place-making is a layer in the learning possibilities found in Lahore, something that Stockholm can learn from. The spread of the city of Stockholm, from the affluent old town, to the radial modernist expanse of its urban fabric mimics that of Lahore. Yet, the traits of Stockholm’s historical lineage and cultural integration illustrate the dichotomy within the cities self-proclaimed slogan. It emphasizes on being a leader in inclusivity with fair and equal opportunities for all, though the fragmented archipelago has still to considerably develop further to achieve a cohesive state. The spatial duality within Stockholm is vast, illustrating the need for the integration of society in the heart of the city, on an individual scale to a place led future through groups, which is crucial for a functional city. Currently the city operates oblivious to the majority of its diverse sects that inhabit it, the invisible in their streets, it cannot be labeled as one city. By increasing the social interplay in the ruptured city, and allowing every individual identity to manifest and help shape the city they live in, Giving further reason for Stockholm taking pride in placing a high value to quality and equality in life. The true urban form of a city is seen through the mobility of its users from all constructs of society as they move through its streets, facades and rooftops in their daily life; thus providing the life, energy and culture to any metropolis. In Essence, Capturing the resilience of the city that is Lahore, and injecting its essence into the modernized pastoral landscape of the Scandinavian capital.

Anti-bullying campaigns and legislation are on the rise, and school districts are fighting in favor of and against various forms of support for gay and sexually diverse (GSD) students, creating very distinct experienced ethoses in their prospective schools. At times, these ethoses stand in direct opposition of the aspirational ethoses of those same schools. The purpose of this grounded theory study is to understand how schools interact with the educational policies in place to create a balanced ethos. This study uses Charmaz*s (2014) constructivist approach to grounded theory methods to answer the following questions: How, if at all, does the aspirational ethos balance with the experienced ethos in high schools for GSD students, and, how, if at all, are schools creating positive high school ethoses for GSD students? Two themes emerged from this study. The first theme, don*t ask, don*t tell, showed that GSD students are often expected to be silent about themselves and their issues. The second theme, policy is just a beginning, revealed that inclusive policy alone is not enough, administration must interact with these policies and GSD students. The findings of this study indicate that for schools to provide a balanced aspirational and experienced ethos for GSD students, these students must be included in the policies, actions, and interactions of the high school. Schools create a positive ethos for GSD students when the balance is achieved. This study has practical and theoretical implications for anti-oppressive educational practices and discourse regarding GSD students.

Augmented reality "AR" is a promising paradigm that can provide users with real-time, high-quality visualization of a wide variety of information. In AR, virtual objects are added to the real-world view in a real time. Using the AR technology can offer a very realistic environment for driving enhancement as well as driving performance testing under different scenarios. This can be achieved by adding virtual objects (people, vehicles, hazards, and other objects) to the normal view while driving in a safe controlled environment. In this dissertation, the feasibility of adapting the AR technology into traffic engineering was investigated. Two AR systems; AR Vehicle "ARV" system and Offline AR Simulator "OARSim" system were built. The systems' outcomes as well as the on-the-road driving under the AR were evaluated. In evaluating systems' outcomes, systems were successfully able to duplicate real scenes and generate new scenes without any visual inconsistency. In evaluating on-the-road driving under the AR, drivers' distance judgment, speed judgment, and level of comfort while driving were evaluated. In addition, our systems were used to conduct two traffic engineering studies; left-turn maneuver at un-signalized intersection, and horizontal visibility blockage when following a light truck vehicle. The results from this work supported the validity of our AR systems to be used as a surrogate to the field-testing for transportation research.

The weather condition is a crucial influence factor on road safety issues. Fog is one of the most noticeable weather conditions, which has a significant impact on traffic safety. Such condition reduces the road's visibility and consequently can affect drivers' vision, perception, and judgments. The statistical data shows that many crashes are directly or indirectly caused by the low-visibility weather condition. Hence, it is necessary for road traffic engineers to study the relationship of road traffic accidents and their influence factors. Among these factors, the traffic volume and the speed limits in poor visibility areas are the primary reasons that can affect the types and occurring locations of road accidents. In this thesis, microscopic traffic simulation, through the use of VISSIM software, was used to study the road safety issue and its influencing factors due to limited visibility. A basic simulation model was built based on previously collected field data to simulate Interstate 4 (I-4)'s environment, geometry characteristics, and the basic traffic volume composition conditions. On the foundation of the basic simulation model, an experimental model was built to study the conflicts' types and distribution places under several different scenarios. Taking into consideration the entire 4-mile study area on I-4, this area was divided into 3 segments: section 1 with clear visibility, fog area of low visibility, and section 2 with clear visibility. Lower speed limits in the fog area, which were less than the limits in no-fog areas, were set to investigate the different speed limits' influence on the two main types of traffic conflicts: lane-change conflicts and rear-end conflicts. The experimental model generated several groups of traffic trajectory data files. The vehicle conflicts data were stored in these trajectory data files which, contains the conflict locations' coordinates, conflict time, time-to-conflict, and post-encroachment-time among other measures. The Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM), developed by the Federal Highway Administration, was applied to analyze these conflict data. From the analysis results, it is found that the traffic volume is an important factor, which has a large effect on the number of conflicts. The number of lane-change and rear-end conflicts increases along with the traffic volume growth. Another finding is that the difference between the speed limits in the fog area and in the no-fog areas is another significant factor that impacts the conflicts' frequency. Larger difference between the speed limits in two nearing road sections always leads to more accidents due to the inadequate reaction time for vehicle drivers to brake in time. And comparing to the scenarios that with the reduced speed limits in the low visibility zone, the condition that without the reduced speed limit has higher conflict number, which indicates that the it is necessary to put a lower speed limit in the fog zone which has a lower visibility. The results of this research have a certain reference value for studying the relationship between the road traffic conflicts and the impacts of different speed limits under fog condition. Overall, the findings of this research suggest follow up studies to further investigate possible relationships between conflicts as observed by simulation models and reported crashes in fog areas.

This study is concerned with the safety risk of reduced visibility on roadways. Inclement weather events such as fog/smoke (FS), heavy rain (HR), high winds, etc, do affect every road by impacting pavement conditions, vehicle performance, visibility distance, and drivers’ behavior. Moreover, they affect travel demand, traffic safety, and traffic flow characteristics. Visibility in particular is critical to the task of driving and reduction in visibility due FS or other weather events such as HR is a major factor that affects safety and proper traffic operation. A real-time measurement of visibility and understanding drivers’ responses, when the visibility falls below certain acceptable level, may be helpful in reducing the chances of visibility-related crashes. In this regard, one way to improve safety under reduced visibility conditions (i.e., reduce the risk of visibility related crashes) is to improve drivers’ behavior under such adverse weather conditions. Therefore, one of objectives of this research was to investigate the factors affecting drivers’ stated behavior in adverse visibility conditions, and examine whether drivers rely on and follow advisory or warning messages displayed on portable changeable message signs (CMS) and/or variable speed limit (VSL) signs in different visibility, traffic conditions, and on two types of roadways; freeways and two-lane roads. The data used for the analyses were obtained from a self-reported questionnaire survey carried out among 566 drivers in Central Florida, USA. Several categorical data analysis techniques such as conditional distribution, odds’ ratio, and Chi-Square tests were applied. In addition, two modeling approaches; bivariate and multivariate probit models were estimated. The results revealed that gender, age, road type, visibility condition, and familiarity with VSL signs were the significant factors affecting the likelihood of reducing speed following CMS/VSL instructions in reduced visibility conditions. Other objectives of this survey study were to determine the content of messages that iv would achieve the best perceived safety and drivers’ compliance and to examine the best way to improve safety during these adverse visibility conditions. The results indicated that "Caution-fog ahead-reduce speed" was the best message and using CMS and VSL signs together was the best way to improve safety during such inclement weather situations. In addition, this research aimed to thoroughly examine drivers’ responses under low visibility conditions and quantify the impacts and values of various factors found to be related to drivers’ compliance and drivers’ satisfaction with VSL and CMS instructions in different visibility and traffic conditions. To achieve these goals, Explanatory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) approaches were adopted. The results revealed that drivers’ satisfaction with VSL/CMS was the most significant factor that positively affected drivers’ compliance with advice or warning messages displayed on VSL/CMS signs under different fog conditions followed by driver factors. Moreover, it was found that roadway type affected drivers’ compliance to VSL instructions under medium and heavy fog conditions. Furthermore, drivers’ familiarity with VSL signs and driver factors were the significant factors affecting drivers’ satisfaction with VSL/CMS advice under reduced visibility conditions. Based on the findings of the survey-based study, several recommendations are suggested as guidelines to improve drivers’ behavior in such reduced visibility conditions by enhancing drivers’ compliance with VSL/CMS instructions. Underground loop detectors (LDs) are the most common freeway traffic surveillance technologies used for various intelligent transportation system (ITS) applications such as travel time estimation and crash detection. Recently, the emphasis in freeway management has been shifting towards using LDs data to develop real-time crash-risk assessment models. Numerous v studies have established statistical links between freeway crash risk and traffic flow characteristics. However, there is a lack of good understanding of the relationship between traffic flow variables (i.e. speed, volume and occupancy) and crashes that occur under reduced visibility (VR crashes). Thus, another objective of this research was to explore the occurrence of reduced visibility related (VR) crashes on freeways using real-time traffic surveillance data collected from loop detectors (LDs) and radar sensors. In addition, it examines the difference between VR crashes to those occurring at clear visibility conditions (CV crashes). To achieve these objectives, Random Forests (RF) and matched case-control logistic regression model were estimated. The results indicated that traffic flow variables leading to VR crashes are slightly different from those variables leading to CV crashes. It was found that, higher occupancy observed about half a mile between the nearest upstream and downstream stations increases the risk for both VR and CV crashes. Moreover, an increase of the average speed observed on the same half a mile increases the probability of VR crash. On the other hand, high speed variation coupled with lower average speed observed on the same half a mile increase the likelihood of CV crashes. Moreover, two issues that have not explicitly been addressed in prior studies are; (1) the possibility of predicting VR crashes using traffic data collected from the Automatic Vehicle Identification (AVI) sensors installed on Expressways and (2) which traffic data is advantageous for predicting VR crashes; LDs or AVIs. Thus, this research attempts to examine the relationships between VR crash risk and real-time traffic data collected from LDs installed on two Freeways in Central Florida (I-4 and I-95) and from AVI sensors installed on two vi Expressways (SR 408 and SR 417). Also, it investigates which data is better for predicting VR crashes. The approach adopted here involves developing Bayesian matched case-control logistic regression using the historical VR crashes, LDs and AVI data. Regarding models estimated based on LDs data, the average speed observed at the nearest downstream station along with the coefficient of variation in speed observed at the nearest upstream station, all at 5-10 minute prior to the crash time, were found to have significant effect on VR crash risk. However, for the model developed based on AVI data, the coefficient of variation in speed observed at the crash segment, at 5-10 minute prior to the crash time, affected the likelihood of VR crash occurrence. Argument concerning which traffic data (LDs or AVI) is better for predicting VR crashes is also provided and discussed.