Peak load estimation is a critical element in utility decision making. An electric utility must construct, maintain, and operate equipment sufficient to meet the peak, or maximum demand level. Electric utilities have utilized several methods of analyzing energy consumption which have yielded various levels of accuracy for estimating maximum demand. In this research, a new method, Nonlinear Load Research Estimation (NLRE), is proposed to estimate the peak load and load characteristics of individual and group of different customer classes. Load research data is used to develop KWHr-to-KW conversion factors, diversity factors, and average time-varying load data as a function of customer class, month, and type of day. Load research data is used to derive monthly load shapes by customer class. These profiles are used to apportion customer KWHr usage among billing cycles according to the split indicated by test data. This parsed KWHr can be further allocated based on type of day to estimate weekday and weekend peak values. / Ph. D.

According to Jungian typology, the essence of most problems encountered in navigating the midlife journey stem from inadequate development and/or inappropriate use of one's inferior ego function, yet the use of typology has not been directly applied as a midlife transition technique. Implicit in Jungian literature, when one is familiar with one's inferior ego function and knows how to identify and contend with its outward manifestations, one is likely to cope with psychic conflicts more appropriately and may maneuver through the midlife years more smoothly. Conversely, when one is not familiar with the inferior ego function and its outward manifestations, one may become easily confused and/or distressed with the inevitable psychic conflicts, which typically surface during midlife. This research addressed the development of a short-term psycho-educational intervention to assist persons in midlife transition, specifically addressing the development of the inferior ego function, and assessing how such an intervention would impact upon the midlife transition in terms of stress-anxiety and depression reduction. The nine-hour intervention was composed of three three-hour sessions. This action study considered these questions: (1) whether there were overall significant differences in stress-anxiety and depression levels of workshop participants versus comparison group participants; (2) what kinds of insights about midlife transition would be identified by subjects as a result of participation in a short-term psycho-educational intervention focusing upon midlife; (3) what manifestations of this training would be experienced in participants' everyday lives regarding typical features, sensitivities, projections, eruptions, and expressions of each of the four inferior ego functions in midlife; (4) what strategies would be identified for coping with midlife change; and (5) whether there would be evidence of internalization of material presented in the intervention. An experimental pre- and post-test design using an off-the-shelf stress-anxiety measurement instrument, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAD), and an off-the-shelf depression measurement instrument, the Personal Assessment Inventory (PAD), were used for the study. The two groups were compared according the results of the pretest/post-test STAI and PAI scores. Four qualitative components also were included in the research design (1) participants' journalized reflections; (2) researcher's observations; (3) post-intervention evaluation questions; and (4) post-intervention follow-up questions. Qualitative data was collected, analyzed, and reported narratively with supporting tables where necessary. Quantitatively, a statistical analysis of the STAI and PAI indicated a significant difference among individuals grouped according to ego function and a significant interaction between ego functions and group membership. Another significant difference was identified in post-depression means of the two groups. Within-group comparisons indicated a significant decrease in state anxiety for the treatment group and in depression for the comparison group. Qualitatively, all psychological types in the treatment group were able to report tangible effects of the workshop in terms of understanding and utilizing their learnings in their everyday lives -- whether it be a cognizance of their own formerly unconscious behaviors or the behaviors of significant others. Participants further characterized the workshop as a very positive and enlightening experience. / Ed. D.

The Comprehensive Teacher Training Project (CTTP) is a distance education program developed and field tested between July 1990 and June 1992 in St. Lucia, Dominica, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It combined instructional modules, telephone tutorials, and periodic group instruction to help unqualified assistant teachers (UATs) pass the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) exams in English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science, and Social Science. To offset the high rate of attrition associated with distance education programs, student support interventions were devised to help UATs develop coping strategies and study techniques. To counteract the community’s perception that qualified teachers are insensitive subject specialists, workshops on nation building and empowerment were designed. This ethnographic study, which was conducted in St. Vincent and the Grenadines during the field testing period, sought to understand the lived experiences and perceptions of seven UATs as they matriculated through this distance education program. The study collected data through interviews, observations, and assessments of UATs, their significant others, marker/tutors (M/Ts), and country coordinator. These data were collected from UATs' communities in 1991 and during the workshops in the summers of 1990 and 1991. The study found that UATs experienced success in courses which were well written, taught what the syllabus prescribed, and what the exam tested. Those who were task-oriented, studied consistently, and community oriented, usually experienced success. M/T-initiated periodic face-to-face instructional workshops and regular telephone counseling which provided UATs with academic reinforcement and a sense of belonging. Those UATs whose significant others were supportive of their participation in the CTTP were more likely to succeed. The study also found that successful UATs adopted creative teaching techniques and active listening skills from M/Ts. Many of the lessons learned from the program were transferred to other aspects of their lives. The study concluded that Integrated Science was the most successful course and should be used as a model for the English course. UATs who felt comfortable with themselves, knew how to study, and used their time wisely usually experienced success, saw themselves as nation builders, and were perceived by the community as effective leaders. / Ed. D.

The main building of the Solitude complex is one of the oldest buildings on the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The purpose of this study is to provide preliminary research for the master preservation plan of the historic landmark. In order to preserve and renovate the building, a field survey was conducted to collect data. Under the guidelines of the Historic American Building Survey, the building has been fully documented on measured drawings, and visible defects have been inspected. Computer programs were used as a means to execute drawings; a written report of the survey was organized according to the major building components. By using the knowledge of architectural history, building construction, preservation philosophy, and wood preservation technology, the collected data was analyzed, the causes of the defects were diagnosed, and the preservation treatments were suggested. Furthermore, recommendations for adaptive reuse are proposed. Meanwhile, this study also leaves openings for further study in some special fields. / Master of Science

Within a group of streets and neighborhoods and at the very fringe of the French Quarter is a boulevard named Esplanade. It is here where an attempt is made to explore particular architectural issues in the design of a hospice. Issues that have a significance both to this project and to others beyond it. An exploration that bridges between the architectural and experiential qualities of the past and present by creating a modern, architectural language that makes places that support the issues of history, surroundings, density, typology and style. / Master of Architecture

At the conception of this research, a separation methodology for obtaining purified mctallofullerene [A_m@C_2n, m = # of metal atoms, A, and C_2n = # of carbons in the surrounding cage] samples was not yet developed. Isolation of these metal-encapsulated fullerenes was strongly desired for characterization of their physical and chemical properties. Predicted applications for these novel species include their use as possible superconductors, catalysts, and non-linear optical devices. However, initial purification efforts have been hindered by several difficulties. These factors include a low abundance (< 1%) in the raw extract, uncertain stability in aerobic environments, co-elution of A_m@C_2n with empty-cage fullerenes, and the need for selective chromatographic detection. In this research, these difficulties have been overcome with the development of a continuous-flow, on-line HPLC-EPR apparatus. Advantages include a selective, non-invasive detector with chromatographic separations being performed in a controlled anaerobic environment. This on-line approach permits the selective detection of only those metallofullerenes with an odd-number of encapsulated atoms. The ability to continually monitor separations of these paramagnetic species ultimately permits the optimization of chromatographic parameters. The methodology developed from this on-line HPLC-EPR approach has ultimately resulted in purified empty-cage (C₆₀, C₇₀...C₉₆) and metallofullerene samples (Sc₂@C₇₄, Sc₂@C₇₆, Sc₂@C₇₈, Sc₂@C₈₀, Sc₂@C₈₂, Sc₂@C₈₄ - two isomers, Sc₂@C₈₆, Sc₂@C₈₈, Sc₂@C₉₀, Sc₃@C₈₂, Sc₄@C₈₂, La₂@C₇₂, Er@C₈₂, Er₂@C₈₂ - two isomers, and Er₂@C₉₂). / Ph. D.

With increasing global competitiveness, top management of multinational corporations have realized that their resources cannot be effectively and efficiently transformed into marketable outputs without having managers who have global perspectives and a familiarity with the company's interest in overseas operation. To create a management team with global perspectives, multinational firms are using expatriate managers to fill overseas managerial positions. In Pacific Asia, the region's economic growth has attracted tremendous investments in hotel development from multinational companies, and these companies are increasingly hiring foreign professionals and managers to fill their business needs. However, while some expatriates have been very successful in Asia, many others encountered inherent problems related to overall satisfaction in the foreign environment which may lead to failures in their assignments. Failures in overseas assignments or expatriate turnovers are very costly to multinational companies. Current literature indicates a void in the research on predictors of hotel expatriate satisfaction and the relationship between satisfaction and turnover. The purpose of this study is to examine the antecedents (predictors) and consequences (turnover) of hotel expatriate satisfaction in three Asian countries; China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The study consisted of a mailed survey of the expatriate hotel managerial employees in the three countries, followed by compilation and statistical analysis of relevant data to obtain empirical results which are used to develop a model of antecedents and consequences of hotel expatriate satisfaction. The findings from this study suggests that expatriate satisfaction can be predicted by five factors; (1) cultural adjustment, (2) skill variety, (3) role clarity, ( 4) participation, and (5) cross-cultural training. In addition, the research indicates that both expatriate job and general satisfaction relate to turnovers, and job satisfaction has stronger impact on expatriate's intention to quit. / Ph. D.

This dissertation utilizes content identifying methodologies based on preference and expected price ratings, and a free response format survey, to examine environmental factors that influence human perception of commercial landscapes and storefronts. Survey respondents rated scenes of commercial landscapes and storefronts according to their preference for the scene and their expected price of goods sold in the establishments depicted. Signs were removed from the scenes to permit evaluation of design characteristics in a context that is free from the external influence of information conveyed through product and retailer image. The respondents provided additional information about their shopping habits, shopping preferences, demographic background, and the scenes being rated. Preference and expected price ratings were analyzed using nonmetric factor analysis, to obtain dimensions or groupings of scenes which are the result of common stimuli or visual characteristics. The content or common stimuli of each dimension was then identified using information provided by the respondent. The relationship between the dimensions and respondent characteristics was then examined. A positive linear relationship was identified between preference and expected price ratings. This finding indicates that in the absence of signs, people tend to fall back on their preferences to make judgments about the price of merchandise sold in commercial landscapes. While there were commercial landscapes that were judged to offer low prices, those landscapes were also associated with the negative characteristics of poor service, poor quality and dangerous environments. The findings of this dissertation research provide evidence that reaffirms the importance of coherence, complexity, mystery and legibility in environmental perception, and supports prospect refuge theory. Respondents preferred commercial landscapes with interesting and involving environments. Storefronts that utilize angles, arcades, porticos, towers, and other forms of facade articulation were preferred. Likewise, visually rich and well . textured materials, such as brick, interlocking pavers and stamped concrete increased preference for commercial landscapes. Storefronts that utilize accent features, such as towers or awnings were found to have greater legibility, because these features assist in way finding. / Ph. D.

This dissertation is concerned with airport ground network operations and runway design problems. An aircraft landing simulation model is proposed to predict landing aircraft operations in airfield networks considering gate location and taxiway network information. By using the integrated simulation results, an improved dynamic programming model is established to solve the runway exit location problem. The simulation model uses aircraft kinematic functions coupled with individual parameters to describe the landing process. A multiobjective optimization and a shortest path algorithm are used to predict the aircraft exit choice and expected taxiway path in a runway-taxiway network. By recognizing pilot motivation during the landing process, several influencing factors such as terminal location, traffic density, runway and weather conditions are considered in the aircraft landing simulation. Random variables such as aircraft approach speed, deceleration rate and runway exit speed are created to represent the stochastic aircraft landing behavior by using a Monte Carlo sampling technique. The model results, with some simplifications, could be used to solve runway exit location problem by providing the expected distribution of aircraft landing distances and aircraft runway occupancy times. With real-time input data, the model could also provide information on aircraft exit choice, runway occupancy times and shortest taxiway path to an assigned terminal location for both the pilot and the air traffic controller in a ground traffic automatic control system. The dynamic programming model is based on previous research results with substantial improvements. Instead of only focusing on the runway configuration, the proposed model recognizes airline terminal location as an influence factor in the runway exit location problem and introduces this influence in the optimization procedure. An interactive computer program has been developed in C language on a RISC 6000 workstation to perform all these tasks. The choice of a workstation platform improves the performance of the dynamic programming algorithm when compared to personal computer solutions. / Ph. D.

Although Automated Guided Vehicle Systems (AGVS) have been around for more than thirty years, designing an AGVS is still a difficult process because of the interaction of numerous system decisions. The many important elements and variables that must be considered when designing AGVS include the number and location of pickup and delivery stations, the number of vehicles, the routes used by vehicles, the dispatching rules, and the guide path layout. There are two basic categories of AGVS control: static and dynamic. A static control system requires the automated guided vehicle (AGV) to run the same route continuously with stops at each pickup/delivery station. On the other hand, vehicles in the dynamic control system can be routed to different stations using different paths. There are two types of dynamic vehicle control: workcenter-initiated and vehicle-initiated dispatching rules. The system invokes the workcenter-initiated dispatching rule when one workcenter has a pending request and more than one vehicle is available to pickup the request. Vehicle-initiated dispatching rule is employed when one vehicle is free and there is more than one outstanding request in the system. Most research to date analyzes only the static aspect of AGVS. This research attempts to find the minimum number of vehicles needed in an AGVS, using dynamic control of the vehicles, such that the chance of a vehicle-initiated situation occurring is less than a given very small threshold. Under these conditions, load requests will have the least chance of waiting to be picked up. Due to the stochastic behavior of the AGV systems, the proportion of time that the system is in either workcenter- or vehicle-initiated rules is unknown. In order to minimize the waiting time for the load requests while at the same time maintaining a minimum number of vehicles in the system, this research utilizes only workcenter-initiated dispatching rules. A model using queueing theory and Markovian processes is developed to investigate the relationships among empty vehicle travel time, number of vehicles, and the various types of workcenter-initiated dispatching rules. This model is then used to formulate a dispatching-rule based algorithm (DRBA) to determine the minimum number of vehicles. Also, given the number of vehicles required in the system, this research investigates the impact of the nearest-vehicle and farthest-vehicle dispatching rules on the steady-state system performance, e.g., the average waiting time of the load request. The model and algorithm are able to (1) improve the estimate of the number of vehicles required in an AGVS in the early design phase; (2) provide a better understanding of the efficiency of using the different types of workcenter-initiated dispatching rules for various workload conditions; and (3) generate analytical results that can be used as initial estimates for more detailed simulation studies. / Ph. D.