As the power industry moves towards more active distribution networks there is an increased requirement for greater analysis and observability of the current state of the network. There are a number of challenges for utilities in realising this including the quality and accuracy of their network models; the lack of integration between network models and the large quantities of sensor data being collected; the security and communication challenges posed when installing large numbers of sophisticated sensors across distribution networks; and the exponential increase in computing power required to fully analyse modern network configurations. This thesis will look at these challenges and how cloud computing can be used to provide novel solutions by providing secure platforms on which to deploy complex data collection and network analysis applications. One of the main research contributions is the use of remote data collection from Micro Phasor Measurement Units (μPMUs), which collect synchronised information about the state of the distribution network. Impedance equations are applied to network data recorded from μPMUs and the results are compared to network models. This identifies areas of the distribution network as requiring resurveying or upgrading, potentially impacting planning for installation of generation or load. Triggers can be used to reduce the bandwidth of data being sent by a μPMU; these were tested with real world data to highlight how a combination of local intelligence and cloud-based analysis can be used to reduce bandwidth requirements while supporting the use of detailed measurement data for cloud-based analysis in a fault detection system. Power flow analysis is an important tool for both operations and planning engineers, and as computing power has increased the time required to run individual power flow analysis cases has decreased rapidly. However there has also been a corresponding increase in the complexity of the data as utilities seek to model and analyse distributed energy resources attached on the medium and low voltage networks. This has made network models more complex, exponentially increasing the number of contingencies that need to be analysed in an emergency situation. Another main research contribution is a demonstration of the challenges faced when using a commercial cloud platform to inexpensively solve computationally intensive power flow problems and the time, costs and feasibility of performing N-1 and N-2 analysis on a 21,000-bus network. It includes a full analysis and comparison of execution times and costs for different commercial cloud system configurations as well as the extrapolated costs required to run a full N-2 analysis of over 420 million contingencies in under 10 minutes. This includes a demonstration of a cloud client and server application developed as part of this research that leverages a commercial power flow engine. Finally, this thesis will summarise how each of these research outputs can be combined to provide utilities with a commercial, open, standards-based cloud platform for continuous, automated contingency analysis using real-time sensor data based on current network conditions. This would better inform control engineers about areas of vulnerability and help them identify and counter these in real-time.

Lee Ka-ming. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 68-70). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 2 --- Multiple Test Procedure --- p.7 / Chapter 2.1 --- Hypothesis Test for Individual Centre --- p.8 / Chapter 2.2 --- Multiple Hypothesis Test for Multi-Centre --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Single-step Multiple Test Procedure --- p.11 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Sequentially Rejective Multiple Test Procedure --- p.12 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Multiple Test Procedure for Discrete Distribution --- p.14 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Summary of various Multiple Test Procedures --- p.17 / Chapter 3 --- Simulation Study --- p.19 / Chapter 3.1 --- Comparisons of Sizes --- p.19 / Chapter 3.1.1 --- Based on Asymptotic Approach --- p.22 / Chapter 3.1.2 --- Based on Exact Approach --- p.23 / Chapter 3.1.3 --- Based on Mid-P Approach --- p.25 / Chapter 3.1.4 --- "Comparisons between Asymptotic, Exact and Mid-P Approaches" --- p.26 / Chapter 3.2 --- Comparisons of Power --- p.29 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Based on Asymptotic Approach --- p.32 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Based on Exact Approach --- p.33 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Based on Mid-P Approach --- p.33 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- Asymptotic vs. Exact Approaches --- p.34 / Chapter 3.2.5 --- Exact vs. Mid-P Approaches --- p.34 / Chapter 3.2.6 --- Asymptotic vs. Mid-P Approaches --- p.34 / Chapter 4 --- Illustrative Examples --- p.36 / Chapter 5 --- Conclusions and Discussions --- p.43 / Figures --- p.45 / References --- p.68

Sociology has long struggled with the problem of human agency in its theoretical constructions. Systematically purged from the corpus of positivist, functionalist and rational choice theories, agency has nevertheless surfaced repeatedly in empirical analyses as a constant reminder that individuals are able and willing to act in ways that are not fully explained by the dominant theories. This thesis deals with the problem of human agency by exploring a particular instance of human interaction in which the choices and actions of individuals as well as the contingencies facing them are particularly conspicuous. The example chosen as a case study is the conflict over the planned Roşia Montană gold and silver mine in Romania. As neither the supporters, nor the opponents of the planned open cast mine have managed to impose their will and determine the commencement or cancelation of the mining project, the resulting struggle was extended over more than a decade. During this period, a variety of social actors with different interests and worldviews were drawn into complex interactions with each other, thus making the trajectory and outcome of the conflict unpredictable. At the same time, there emerged an enlarged space for human agency, especially for those actors that have been usually conceived as voiceless and powerless. The origins of this space of agency are traced to the particular configuration of macro-social processes which interacted in series of highly contingent events. More exactly, none of the broad processes discussed in the literature on resource conflicts – such as accumulation by dispossession, the resource curse or unequal development – ran its full course in determining the outcomes of the conflict. The temporary suspension of overpowering structural determinations opened up a realm in which social actors could convert the contingencies of the conflict into opportunities and risks. Individuals became relatively free to make choices and influence the choices of others. The language of the sociology of translation is used as the most apt description of the fluidity of these interactions. The dynamic between the ordering and reordering of the social world of Roşia Montană through interaction is a key insight of the thesis.

Sociology has long struggled with the problem of human agency in its theoretical constructions. Systematically purged from the corpus of positivist, functionalist and rational choice theories, agency has nevertheless surfaced repeatedly in empirical analyses as a constant reminder that individuals are able and willing to act in ways that are not fully explained by the dominant theories. This thesis deals with the problem of human agency by exploring a particular instance of human interaction in which the choices and actions of individuals as well as the contingencies facing them are particularly conspicuous. The example chosen as a case study is the conflict over the planned Roşia Montană gold and silver mine in Romania. As neither the supporters, nor the opponents of the planned open cast mine have managed to impose their will and determine the commencement or cancelation of the mining project, the resulting struggle was extended over more than a decade. During this period, a variety of social actors with different interests and worldviews were drawn into complex interactions with each other, thus making the trajectory and outcome of the conflict unpredictable. At the same time, there emerged an enlarged space for human agency, especially for those actors that have been usually conceived as voiceless and powerless. The origins of this space of agency are traced to the particular configuration of macro-social processes which interacted in series of highly contingent events. More exactly, none of the broad processes discussed in the literature on resource conflicts – such as accumulation by dispossession, the resource curse or unequal development – ran its full course in determining the outcomes of the conflict. The temporary suspension of overpowering structural determinations opened up a realm in which social actors could convert the contingencies of the conflict into opportunities and risks. Individuals became relatively free to make choices and influence the choices of others. The language of the sociology of translation is used as the most apt description of the fluidity of these interactions. The dynamic between the ordering and reordering of the social world of Roşia Montană through interaction is a key insight of the thesis.

In the Highway construction project development process, State Highway Agencies (SHA) prepare cost estimates for effective communication to stakeholders and for project cost control. Cost estimates prepared in the planning phase of project development typically in a time range of 10 to 20 years from project letting are characterized by a great deal of uncertainty due to low scope definition. SHAs typically include an amount as contingency in the project cost estimate to cover costs due to unidentified or unquantified risks during project development. However, most of the methods used by SHAs to apply contingency to projects lack consistency in definition and application. This leads to poor communication to stakeholders, project cost escalation and other project control issues due to inaccuracy of baseline cost estimates. This study developed a set of sliding scale contingencies for estimating contingency on highway projects taking into consideration the effect of major factors, such as project complexity that impacts contingency application. Expert opinion was sought through the use of the Delphi technique. Experimental techniques were not suitable for this study due to the exploratory nature of the problem and the lack of data to analyze using empirical methods. The Delphi method typically consists of a series of rounds called questionnaires. Twenty-three professionals with experience in risk assessment and cost estimating agreed to participate in the study. Email was the means of communication using an excel spreadsheet. The assessment was completed in three iterative rounds with controlled feedback to the participants on the panel at the end of each round. Sliding scale contingencies were developed for three levels of project complexity: noncomplex (minor), moderately complex, and most complex (major) projects. The sliding scale contingencies are presented as a final output of this study. This method of estimating contingency provides consistent rationale for estimating contingency. Risks are an inextricable part of the contingency estimating process. Estimators are encouraged to identify and document risks as justification for contingency values applied to a project.

Thesis--Auburn University, 2009. / Abstract. Includes bibliographic references (p.54-59).

"Blocking" refers to judgments of a moderate contingency being lowered when contrasted with a strong contingency. The Rescorla-Wagner model and causal model theory account for blocking through different mechanisms. To examine the predictions from these two models, seven experiments tested the extent to which "causal scenario" and "causal order" would influence whether blocking was observed in human contingency learning tasks. "Causal scenario" was manipulated by contrasting responses to two causes of one effect or to one cause of two effects; "causal order" was defined as causes preceding effects or effects preceding causes. The four conjunctions of these two factors were investigated separately in Experiments 1 to 5. In Experiments 1 and 2, two causes preceded one effect and two effects preceded one cause, respectively. Blocking was observed regardless of whether the predictors were causes or effects. In Experiments 3, 4 and 5, participants were presented with one antecedent cue and made separate predictions about each of the trial's two outcomes. Blocking was not observed, irrespective of whether the antecedent cue was a cause or an effect. These initial results were consistent with the Rescorla-Wagner model. An alternative explanation was that blocking failed to occur in Experiments 3 to 5 because participants were asked questions between the predictor and two outcomes. Predicting the outcomes might have implicitly led participants to monitor them separately and to report on subsets of the data at the time of judgment. To address this issue, the volunteers in Experiment 6 observed the events on each trial but did not make any predictions about the outcomes. Blocking was observed, signifying that the intervening questions between the antecedent and consequent cues constitute an important variable influencing cue competition effects. In Experiment 7, all four conjunctions of causal scenario and causal order were tested simultaneously. Furthermore, participants w

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 1982. / Description based on print version record. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 98-100).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2008. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on June 8, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF DAVID WELKER, for the Master of Arts degree in CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, presented on OCTOBER 18, 2011, at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: POLICE PROGRAMS, CANINES, AND CONTINGENCY THEORY: AN EXPLANATION OF CANINE NUMBERS AMONG LARGE POLICE DEPARTMENTS MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Joseph Schafer Canines have provided services for humans over many centuries. More recently, they have been used for police work. Canines are used to apprehend suspects, track people, and find drugs. They are also seen as a less-than-lethal weapon and can be used in a number of different programs such as D.A.R.E./crime prevention education, S.W.A.T., and drug task forces. But research on canine use and effectiveness is lacking. This study tries to fill that gap using secondary data from the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey of police agencies. In this study, adoption of canines was predicted by contingency theory based on contingencies such as tasks and structural programs in the various departments. Contingency theory was also used to test the canine's role in enhancing the effectiveness of the police organizations. This study tries to explain the variation of canine use across departments by using contingency theory and the effectiveness of canines by assessing monetary values from drug forfeitures.