Considering the rise of transgender representation and discussion across many media platforms (television, film, print, social networking, etc.), how does such burgeoning and diverse exposure affect transgender individuals and communities? This project explores the ways in which transgender communities have developed and investigated potential for alternative and community-created representations of transgender experiences. With a particular focus on the utility and versatility of digital spaces, this project investigates the potential of web comics in harnessing both digital space and graphic narrative in creating alternative representation and discourse. The ensuing work, Maps, follows the journey of a cast of queer and transgender characters on a journey through the American South in search of family and justice.

Annual average daily traffic (AADT) is used to estimate intersection performance across Kentucky. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) currently collects AADTs for state maintained roads, but lacks this information on local roads. A method is needed to estimate local road AADTs in a cost-effective and reasonable manner. A literature review was conducted on AADT models and found no models suitable to Kentucky. Therefore an AADT model using non-linear regression was developed for local roads in Kentucky This model divided the state into three regions utilizing Kentucky’s highway districts. This partitioning accounted for geographic and socioeconomic variability across the state. Each regional model relied upon three independent variables: probe count, residential vehicle registration, and curve rating. HERE proprietary probe counts provide tracking visibility on a select portion of vehicles moving across Kentucky highways. Residential vehicle registrations were used to estimate trip generation information. Finally, the curve rating partially indicates accessibility. The models were adjusted to KYTC daily vehicle miles traveled (DVMT) county control totals for local roads. Sensitivity analysis was conducted to examine the impact of model errors for use in intersection safety analysis. Results indicate that the estimates generated can be effectively used for safety assessment and countermeasure prioritization.

Thesis (M.Ing.)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Laterites are used extensively in the tropics as road building materials in unbound base, sub-base layers and in surface layers. However, most base course specifications usually require the provision of crushed and graded stone or stabilized base and often exclude the general use of as-dug laterites or other naturally occurring gravels. Various field studies in the past have clearly indicated that many lateritic gravel deposits can be used successfully as base course materials in roads carrying low to medium traffic without incurring additional maintenance costs and with considerable cost savings in pavement construction rehabilitation. Further research is needed for the more precise definition of the relationship between laterite characteristics, traffic loading, environment, and pavement performance. In this study, extensive use was made of static and cyclic triaxial testing to investigate the fundamental behaviour of a lateritic gravel material. The tests produce information for characterizing the shear strength, stress-strain properties and behaviour under repeated loading. The gravel was sourced from stockpile at Malans Transport borrow pit at Maaitjies Kuil near Cape Town. Testing was conducted on the material both as granular material and stabilized with cement and foamed bitumen. Testing was done under various conditions of stress, moisture and compaction. The resilient modulus of the lateritic gravel was found to be affected by moisture and compaction apart from the stress condition. Well known models were used to characterize the stressdependent resilient modulus. A model for prediction of permanent deformation was developed which together with the resilient modulus model were applied to the design of a light pavement structure composed of lateritic gravel base. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Lateriete word wydverspreid gebruik in die trope as 'n padbou materiaal. Die materiaal word gebruik in ongebonde kroonlae, stutlae en oppervlaklae. Die meeste spesifikasies vir kroonlae vereis dat gegradeerde gebreekte klip of gestabiliseerde materiaal in die kroonlaag gebruik word. Die spesifikasies maak nie voorsiening vir lateriet en gruis wat natuurlik voorkom nie. Verskeie veldstudies in die verlede het duidelik getoon dat lateritiese materiaal met sukses gebruik kan word in die kroonlae van paaie wat ligte tot medium verkeer dra. Lateriete kan gebruik word sonder addidionele onkoste vir instandhouding en daar is merkbare kostebesparings wanneer plaveisels rehabiliteer word. Die verhouding tussen lateriet eienskappe, verkeerslas, omgewingsinvloede en plaveisel werkverrigting moet beter gedefinieer word deur verdere navorsing. In hierdie studie is omvattend gebruik gemaak van eenmalige en herhaalde belasting drie-assige toetse om die fundamentele gedrag van lateritiese materiaal te definieer. Hierdie toetse se resultate lewer inligting oor die skuifsterkte, spanning-vervorming eienskappe en gedrag onder herhaalde belasting. Die gruis wat gebruik is, is verkry vanaf 'n materiaalopslag by die leengroef van Malans Transport te Maaitjies Kuil naby Kaapstad. Die materiaal is getoets as granulêre materiaal en gestabiliseer met sement en skuim-bitumen. Die toetse is gedoen onder verskillende toestande van spanning, voginhoud en verdigting. Daar is bevind dat die veerkragtigheidmodulus van die lateritiese gruis nie net deur die aangewende spanning beïnvloed word nie, maar ook deur die voginhoud en verdigting van die materiaal. Welbekende modelle is gebruik om die spanningsafhanklike gedrag van die materiaal te karakteriseer. 'n Model is ook ontwikkel om die permanente vervorming van die materiaal te voorspel. Die twee modelle vir die veerkragtigheidsmodulus en permanente vervorming is gebruik om 'n ligte plaveiselstruktuur mee te ontwerp wat 'n lateritiese kroonlaag bevat.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Long term performance of a road pavement structure is significantly influenced by its potential to distribute traffic loading from the surface to the natural subgrade. The interlayer adhesion conditions play a substantial role in the induced stress-strain distribution across all layers of the entire structure. For layers constructed in stages like a granular base (GB) and a cement treated subbase (CTSB), the state of adhesion is questionable. Therefore a detailed investigation on the achievable adhesion and its influence on pavement performance is essential. In this study, the direct shear test was used to assess the interlayer adhesion strength in terms of resistance of the GB layer to slide on top of the CTSB. To evaluate the level of achieved shear strength, the interlayer shear results were compared to the inlayer strength for a granular base and cemented subbase. The shear test results were presented in terms of relationships between shear stress and displacement, shear stress and normal pressure and vertical and horizontal displacements. Based on frictional and dilatant approaches, shear test results demonstrated that the interlayer adhesion strength between the GB and CTSB is significantly influenced by the roughness conditions of the CTSB before placing the GB. Compacting materials of the base layer on top of the scarified CTSB produces a unified compound structure due to intimate interaction between the two layers. Moreover, the achievable adhesion depends on the maximum grain size available in the CTSB layer, confining pressure and moisture condition. The increase in maximum aggregate size deepens the interaction zone between the GB and scarified CTSB which results in high shear resistance. Ingress of water induces lubricant behaviour and weakens the shear resistance. In the design example, it was shown that the assumption of full adhesion between pavement layers, currently used in many design methods, over-estimates the pavement life. The routine construction process of placing the GB on top of quasi-smooth CTSB induces poor adhesion between the layers which therefore affects stress-strain distribution behaviour across all layers of the pavement structure and then reduces the life of every single layer. According to the design example, the granular base layer is the most susceptible to early failure due to its stress-dependent behaviour. The significant difference between pavement life when full adhesion is considered and when partial adhesion is allowed indicates that the achievable adhesion should be considered during the design of the structure rather than assuming full adhesion. Furthermore, the development of practical specifications and technical guidelines for improving the anticipated conditions in the field is recommended. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die langtermyngedrag van 'n plaveiselstruktuur word tot 'n groot mate beïnvloed deur die vemoë daarvan om om verkeerslaste vanaf af die oppervlakte na die natuurlike grondlaag te verprei. Die adhesie tussen die plaveisellae speel 'n belangrike rol in die verspreiding van spannings en vervormings deur al die lae van die struktuur. In lae wat in fases gebou word, soos 'n grofkorrelrige kroonlaag (GB) en 'n sementgestabiliseerde stutlaag (CTSB), is die adhesie onder verdenking. 'n Detailondersoek van die adhesie wat behaal kan word, en die invloed daarvan op plaveiselgedrag, is daarom noodsaaklik. In hierdie ondersoek is die direkte skuiftoets gebruik om die tussenlaag-adhesie vas te stel in terme van die weerstand van die GB-laag om oor die CTSB-laag te skuif. Om die vlak van skuifsterkte wat behaal kan word, te bepaal, is die tussenvlakskuifsterkte vergelyk met die interne skuifweerstand van die grofkorrelrige laag en van die gestabiliseerde laag. Die skuiftoetsresultate is uitgedruk in terme van die verbande tussen skuifspanning en skuifverplasing, tussen skuifspanning en normaalspanning en ook tussen vertikale en horisontale verplasings. Gebaseer op skuifweerstand en dilatansie het skuitoetsresultate gedemonstreer dat adhesie tussen die GB- en CTSB-lae baie beïnvloed word deur die ruheid van die CTSB voordat die GB gebou word. Indien die GB-laag bo-op 'n grofgemaakte CTSB-laag geplaas word, word 'n baie goeie verband en interaksie tussen die twee lae verkry. Die beskikbare adhesie hang ook af van die maksimum korrelgrootte in die CTSB-laag, die inperkspanning en die waterinhoud. Die toename in maksimum aggregaatgrootte maak die interaksiesone tussen die GB en die grofgemaakte CTSB dieper en dit lei tot hoër skuifweerstand. Infiltrasie van water dien as smeermiddel wat die weerstand verlaag. In die ontwerp-voorbeeld is gedemonstreer dat die aanname van volle adhesie tussen plaveisellae, soos wat tans in baie ontwerpmetodes gedoen word, tot oorskatting van die leeftyd van die plaveisel lei. Die normale konstruksiemetode waarin die GB-laag bo-op 'n semi-gladde CTSB-laag geplaas word, lei tot swak adhesie tussen die lae wat verspreiding van spannings en vervormings deur die plaveisel minder gunstig maak en die leeftyd van alle lae in die plaveisel verlaag. Volgens die ontwerp-voorbeeld is die grofkorrelrige kroonlaag die vatbaarste vir voortydige faling as gevolg van die sy spannings-vervormingsgedrag. Die beduidende verskil tussen plaveiselleeftyd wanneer volle adhesie aanvaar of slegs gedeeltelike adhesie toegelaat word, illustreer dat die werklike haalbare adhesie gebruik moet word eerder as om volle adhesie te aanvaar. Verder word die onwikkeling van praktiese spesifikasies en tegniese riglyne om die verwagte toestande in die plaveisel beter in ag te neem, voorgestel.

<p>Present master of science thesis has been carried out at the Swedish Road Administration consulting services (Vägverket Konsult) in Karlstad. The purpose of the study is to investigate how well the calculated drawdown of the groundwater table predicts the actual drawdown when the road and railway gates at the studied sites are built. For this purpose the groundwater levels at the three bridges were measured during 6 months. The bridges in question are two railway bridges situated in Ölme and Ulvåker and one road bridge crossing a pedestrian and cycling path in Lidköping.</p><p>In Ölme the calculated area of influence was smaller than the measured one. It differed up to 30 meters, i.e. 80 %.</p><p>In Lidköping the calculated area of influence agreed well with the measured one, but the groundwater level that the calculations were made from was more than one meter too low.</p><p>In Ulvåker the measured groundwater levels were influenced by other factors and no conclusions could be drawn.</p><p>When calculating how the groundwater level is affected from road and railway bridge constructions it is important to make sure to measure the groundwater level before the construction is made so that the unaffected level is known. Moreover the radius of the well should be set to a value less than 0.5 meters. It is also important that the conductivity is investigated thoroughly especially for confined aquifers. When measuring groundwater levels the examiner must make sure to plan the distances and depths of the piezometer wells, when to perform the measurements and how to protect the water in the wells from freezing.</p> / <p>Detta examensarbete är utfört på Vägverket Konsult i Karlstad. Syftet med arbetet är att med några exempel undersöka hur väl den beräknade permanenta grundvattensänkningen överensstämmer med den verkliga grundvattensänkning som görs vid byggen av vägportar. Arbetet utfördes genom att under 6 månader mäta grundvattennivåerna vid tre vägportar. De undersökta portarna är en väg – järnvägport i Ölme, en gång- och cykelväg – vägport i Lidköping och en väg – järnvägport i Ulvåker.</p><p>I Ölme framkom att den permanenta grundvattensänkningen har ett större influensområde än den beräknade. Differensen uppgick som mest till 30m vilket motsvarar en avvikelse på ca 80 %.</p><p>I Lidköping överensstämmer beräkningen av influensradierna väl med de uppmätta, medan grundvattennivån som beräkningarna gjordes från ligger drygt en meter för lågt.</p><p>I Ulvåker är den uppmätta avsänkningen påverkad av yttre faktorer och därför kan inga slutsatser dras.</p><p>Vid grundvattensänkningsberäkningar är det viktigt att den opåverkade grundvattennivån är känd, att brunnsradien sätts till ett tal mindre än 0,5 meter och att bestämningen av konduktiviteten är extra noga vid sluten akvifer. När grundvattennivåerna ska mätas bör avstånd och höjdnivå på grundvattenrören bestämmas noga, mätningarna utföras kontinuerligt under en längre tid och eventuell tillsats av frostskydd i grundvattenrören tänkas igenom.</p>

Chloride concentrations at the Greenbrook well field in Kitchener, Ontario, have been steadily increasing over the past several decades and may soon pose a threat to drinking water quality. Drinking water limits at some wells have already been exceeded. The Regional Municipality of Waterloo (RMOW) relies mainly on local groundwater resources for its drinking water supply, and the Greenbrook well field is the oldest of 50 municipal well fields contributing to this supply. Urban growth and the expansion of city limits over the years has surrounded the well field, placing it in a high risk area in need of protection. As such, protection of this water supply is essential until alternative sources can be found. Road salt has been identified as the prime source of the chloride contamination, and various management alternatives and remediation strategies are currently being studied. In order to characterize the behaviour of chloride in the subsurface, an understanding of the mechanisms that control travel of chloride to the water table and through the groundwater system is needed. For the first phase of this work, a 2-D variably-saturated flow and transport model (SWMS-2D) was used to evaluate the effect of seasonal fluctuation in chloride loading to a generic aquifer system. Chloride was applied over the surface of the model in seasonal pulses that correlated with temperature and precipitation. The model showed a dampening of the seasonal response with depth that lead to the conclusion that long-term transport models can neglect seasonal changes in solute loading. For the second phase of this work, a proven 3D finite element transport model (Waterloo Transport Code: WTC) was used to simulate road salt impacts to the well field. Road salt was applied over selected roads throughout the steady-state capture zone via a type 3 (Cauchy) boundary that varies both temporally and spatially with road type and location. After calibrating the model from 1945 to 2002 to chloride concentrations using the weighted average of 5 Greenbrook production wells, the model was run to the year 2041 to assess future implications. Remediation strategies were also investigated via 6 predictive scenarios in which chloride applications were reduced by varying degrees. The results of this phase will be used by the RMOW in cost-benefit analyses of alternative de-icing approaches versus de-chlorination treatment of the well water.

As a pedestrian at the roadside, the two most informative cues as to the distance and rate of closure of a vehicle are its optical size and the rate of expansion of the optical image. In addition, the time to arrival of an approaching vehicle can be perceptually estimated by the ratio of these two variables, referred to as tau (Lee, 1976). Sensitivity to optic expansion is critical for collision avoidance and was measured in populations of adults, typically developing children, and in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), an idiopathic condition characterised by marked impairments in motor coordination that negatively impact on activities of daily living. A central tendency was found in adults (n = 193) between 18 to 59 years of age to make significant errors in judging the approach rates of two vehicles. Inflated errors were observed in children (n = 136) between 6 to 17 years of age, with decreased sensitivity in the youngest age group (6 to 11 years). Furthermore, a significant decrement was found in children (n = 9) with DCD between 6 to 11 years of age. Across all groups, a systematic vehicle size bias was found, whereby faster small vehicles were perceived as travelling slower than larger vehicles. This pattern of results suggest that in general, observers are not utilising tau in judgments of relative approach rates for speeds typically encountered at the roadside, but instead rely on optical expansion that does not compensate for image size. Errors due to a reliance on optic size were inflated in children with DCD, potentially placing them at significantly greater risk at the roadside. To examine the decreased sensitivity observed in DCD, thresholds for detecting visual looming were measured in children (n = 11) with DCD between 6 to 11 years of age. A significant deficit was found when vehicles were presented in perifoveal vision, whereby children with DCD may perceive vehicles that are 5 seconds away as stationary if they are travelling any faster than ~14 mph. This demonstration of a low-level visual processing deficit could suggest an immaturity in the dorsal stream network and explain some of the difficulties that characterise DCD. Critically, perceptual judgments at the roadside are inextricably linked to the motoric capability of the observer. If a pedestrians crossing time is greater than the time available, collision will occur. Crossing gap thresholds were measured and compared to walking times for a single vehicle approaching at varying speeds. Children (n = 9) with DCD between 6 to 11 years of age left considerably longer temporal crossing gaps than their action capabilities necessitated. However, when children with DCD were presented with multiple vehicles in a virtual reality environment, they accepted crossing gaps at all approach speeds that were shorter than the time it would take them to cross. This suggests that children with DCD may not have the perceptual accuracy to predict their required action gaps in a road crossing situation. One explanation for these findings could be a difference in DCD in how vision is dynamically allocated to facilitate the preparation of goal-directed actions. Dynamic allocation of visual attention was assessed in a series of experiments that measured eye movement latencies and hand movement accuracy in children (n = 5) with DCD between 6 to 11 years of age. Both measures were found to be comparable in DCD with their typically developing peers regardless of task complexity, indicating that the allocation of visual attention is not deficient in children with DCD. The prospective control of movement in our everyday lives is critically depended on estimating the immediacy of approaching objects. Combined, these results indicate that children with DCD may be particularly vulnerable at the roadside due to a visual motion processing deficit, consistent with atypical function across broad neural structures such as the dorsal stream.

There is a great need to develop systems that can continuously provide correct information about road surface status depending on the prevailing weather conditions. This will minimize accidents and optimize transportation. In this thesis different methods for the determination of the road surface status have been studied and analyzed, and suggestions of new technology are proposed. Information about the road surface status is obtained traditionally from various sensors mounted directly in the road surface. This information must then be analyzed to create automated warning systems for road users and road maintenance personnel. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how existing technologies can be used to obtain a more accurate description of the current road conditions. Another purpose is also to investigate how existing technologies can be used to obtain a more accurate description of the current road conditions. Furthermore, the aim is to develop non-contact technologies able to determine and classify road conditions over a larger area, since there is no system available today that can identify differences in road surface status in the wheel tracks and between the wheel tracks. Literature studies have been carried out to find the latest state of the art research and technology, and the research work is mainly based on empirical studies. A large part of the research has involved planning and setting up laboratory experiments to test and verify hypotheses that have emerged from the literature studies. Initially a few traditional road-mounted sensors were analyzed regarding their ability to determine the road conditions and the impact on their measured values when the sensors were exposed to contamination agents such as glycol and oil. Furthermore, non-contact methods for determining the status of the road surface have been studied. Images from cameras working in the visible range, together data from the Swedish Transportation Administration road weather stations, have been used to develop computerized road status classification models that can distinguish between a dry, wet, icy and snowy surface. Field observations have also been performed to get the ground truth for developing these models. In order to improve the ability to accurately distinguish between different surface statuses, measurement systems involving sensors working in the Near-Infrared (NIR) range have been utilized. In this thesis a new imaging method for determining road conditions with NIR camera technology is developed and described. This method was tested in a field study performed during the winter 2013-2014 with successful results. The results show that some traditional sensors could be used even with future user-friendly de-icing chemicals. The findings from using visual camera systems and meteorological parameters to determine the road status showed that they provide previously unknown information about road conditions. It was discovered that certain road conditions such as black ice is not always detectable using this technology. Therefore, research was performed that utilized the NIR region where it proved to be possible to detect and distinguish different road conditions, such as black ice. NIR camera technology was introduced in the research since the aim of the thesis was to find a method that provides information on the status of the road over a larger area. The results show that if several images taken in different spectral bands are analyzed with the support of advanced computer models, it is possible to distinguish between a dry, wet, icy and snowy surface. This resulted in the development of a NIR camera system that can distinguish between different surface statuses. Finally, two of these prototype systems for road condition classification were evaluated. These systems were installed at E14 on both sides of the border between Sweden and Norway. The results of these field tests show that this new road status classification, based on NIR imaging spectral analysis, provides new information about the status of the road surface, compared to what can be obtained from existing measurement systems, particularly for detecting differences in and between the wheel tracks.

This study will discuss each of Shirley Jackson's six novels. The discussions will concentrate on plot, setting, theme, characterization, and style.

In our journeys on the open road, we travel through a landscape of visual imagery composed of patterns, rhythms and a spectrum of changing colors. Our previous experiences, mental and physical attitudes and expectations, shape our perceptions. By visually interpreting and presenting my experiences of the journey on the open road I hoped to tell a story of how the open road energizes the creative spirit. My goal was to explore how the landscape is altered by motion and speed as we pass through it, and how the journey can be experienced in various ways. I wanted to investigate and interpret how we shift the boundaries of our perceptions.