Power systems are extremely non-linear systems which require substantial modeling and control efforts to run continuously. The movement of the power system in parameter and state space is often not well understood, thus making it difficult or impossible to determine whether the system is nearing instability. This dissertation demonstrates several ways in which the power system stability boundary can be calculated. The power system movements evaluated here address the effects of inter-area oscillations on the system which occur in the seconds to minutes time period. The first uses gain scheduling techniques through creation of a set of linear parameter varying (LPV) systems for many operating points of the non-linear system. In the case presented, load and line reactance are used as parameters. The scheduling variables are the power flows in tie lines of the system due to the useful information they provide about the power system state in addition to being available for measurement. A linear controller is developed for the LPV model using H₂/H∞ with pole placement objectives. When the control is applied to the non-linear system, the proposed algorithm predicts the response of the non-linear system to the control by determining if the current system state is located within the domain of attraction of the equilibrium. If the stability domain contains a convex combination of the two points, the control will aid the system in moving towards the equilibrium. The second contribution of this thesis is through the development and implementation of a pseudo non-linear evaluation of a power system as it moves through state space. A system linearization occurs first to compute a multi-objective state space controller. For each contingency definition, many variations of the power system example are created and assigned to the particular contingency class. The powerflow variations and contingency controls are combined to run sets of time series analysis in which the Lyapunov function is tracked over three time steps. This data is utilized for a classification analysis which identifies and classifies the data by the contingency type. The goal is that whenever a new event occurs on the system, real time data can be fed into the trained tree to provide a control for application to increase system damping. / Ph. D. / The goal of the utility, reliability coordinators, academics, and regulators is to keep the lights on. The contributions presented in this dissertation aims to provide a methodology and algorithm with which that goal can be met. Although the power system requires the balancing of many different components, it can be boiled down to ensuring equilibrium between load served and generation provided. Because the utility goal is to keep the lights on – and thus not change the load of the customers by turning their lights off, the utility only has control over the generation side of this equation. A see-saw can be used to imagine this balance, but it will also require a feedback loop to ensure that generation will increase or decrease as the load changes. Another way to visualize the power system is to imagine a marble at the bottom of a bowl. If the marble is perturbed too much, it will fly out of the bowl and become what is called unstable. However, if the marble is nudged lightly, it will return back to its resting place at the bottom of the ball – which could be considered a stable equilibrium. A possible control for this type of system would tilt the bowl with a feedback signal based on the location or speed of the marble as it moved around the inside of the bowl. By providing a feedback control, the strength with which the marble can be hit can increase beyond if the bowl were to remain stagnant. However, if the marble is hit very hard, it will not matter if there is feedback control, the marble will veer out of the bowl into instability. This example serves as an analogy for the power system where the current operating point of the power system is the marble and the stable areas of operation are represented by the bowl. The feedback control for the work explored here utilizes information about the generator states to feedback to HVDC lines to strengthen the system. The power system modeling and control design involved in this dissertation aims to determine how much the power system can be perturbed before reaching the edge of the “bowl.”

Yes / Pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) is a major technical challenge of laser inter-satellite links (ISLs). For the fast establishment of laser link and the maximization of communication time, it is of importance to minimize the acquisition time. Satellite vibrations affect the PAT procedure adversely, and thus serve to increase the acquisition time. In this paper, we investigate through theoretical analysis the average acquisition time of laser ISLs in the presence of satellite vibrations. The analytic expression about the time taken from the beginning of spiral scan to the acquisition of the scan beam is provided in the presence of the pointing errors caused by vibrations. We also derive the optimum beam divergence angle for the acquisition time. The analyses are validated by Monte-Carlo computer simulations and a proof-of-concept experiment. The results show that the acquisition time can be minimized by adjusting the beam divergence angle adaptively to the link conditions. / Grant-in-aid of Hanwha Systems

Traditionally, and up to this date, Land Mobile Radio (LMR) systems have been interconnected via leased lines and microwave links across circuit-switched networks. With the recent deployment of digital LMR standards such as the Association of Public and Communications Officials (APCO) Project 25 and the Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), traffic exchange has become more bursty and non-uniform, and as such, less suitable for circuit-switched networks. This thesis proposes a framework for a packet-switched Inter-System Interface (ISI) for LMR systems. Packet-switched networks have the advantage of supporting traffic integration, utilize capacity efficiently, scale easily and seamlessly, and eliminate single points of failure by providing a distributed architecture. Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) signaling messages are defined for setting up and tearing down unit-to-unit calls across the ISI. The Session Description Protocol (SDP) is used to describe how the voice calls are encoded. Voice packets are exchanged between LMR users using the Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP). Based on the proposed framework, we develop a simulation model to investigate the performance of the ISI when different numbers of LMR users try to establish unit-to-unit calls across the packet-switched ISI. Three packet transport technologies providing Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity are considered, IP, ATM, and Frame Relay. The results indicate that a packet-switched ISI can take advantage of statistical multiplexing techniques to distribute network resources more efficiently. Quantitative results are obtained for throughput and link utilization. When using an access link providing T1 service, we show that the End-To-End (ETE) delay, and delay variation can be controlled at levels capable of supporting the timely delivery of real-time voice packets. Assuming link utilization is maintained below 100%, the maximum ETE delay experienced in all three packet transport technologies considered is 58 ms and the maximum call setup time is less than 300 ms. An ATM WAN provides the best performance for all time-dependent metrics considered, i.e., ETE delay, delay variation, and call setup time. An IP WAN provides the highest bandwidth efficiency. Selecting the appropriate packet transport technology for the WAN is a tradeoff between the delay that can be tolerated by the voice packets traversing the LMR network and the cost of bandwidth on the access link. / Master of Science

Academia and industry both report benefits to forming and maintaining collaborative research partnerships. As organizations come together to participate in these partnerships, each brings their own set of operational norms and strategic goals. Some of these norms and goals are complementary, but others can be conflicting. University-industry research partnerships (UIRPs) in particular are susceptible to conflicts for at least four major reasons: 1) there are strategic differences in the purposes of industry and academia that can result in misalignment of goals and unrealistic expectations; 2) each organization has different operational norms and discord can arise from misunderstandings among participants; 3) many UIRPs function as virtual teams and are susceptible to miscommunication that arises when face-to-face communications are missing; and, 4) UIRPs are knowledge-based organizations meaning that their primary purpose is to translate research into applicable technology that is a largely intangible process and therefore, difficult to manage. The conflicts that can arise from these misalignments, misunderstandings, miscommunications, and mismanagement can deteriorate trust and can become detrimental to a partnership. Trust has been cited as being a factor in adequately addressing conflict and reducing the potentially detrimental effects of each characteristic. This makes the need to proactively cultivate trusting relationships in UIRPs critical. The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the role of trust in university-industry research partnership performance. The study was designed as a convergent parallel mixed methods research design utilizing an online questionnaire administered to boundary role spanning academic and industry UIRP participants for the quantitative study and interviews of the academic-industry leadership teams for the qualitative study. Following independent analyses of each study, an integrative discussion of the results of both studies more holistically described the role of trust in UIRPs. The research results enhance our understanding of the role of trust in UIRPs and suggest empirically-based guidelines for managing trust and sustaining positive, long-term UIRP performance. / Ph. D.

Religion has the ability to bring a diversity of people together in a way that crosses political, social, and economic boundaries, but divides them through conflicting worship practices, rituals, and teachings. This is especially true with the three Abrahamic religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The unique aspect to the Abrahamic religions is that they all claim Abraham as a common ancestor. Unfortunately, over the two millennia since the founding of these religions, interpretations of each religious text has drastically divided the three religions. Guy Stroumsa, Professor Emeritus of the Study of Abrahamic Religions at the University of Oxford, states that after such a long time the "Jewish Avraham is no more the Christian Abraham than the latter is the Islamic Ibrahim… and there is more than one Jewish (or Christian, or Muslim) Abraham." This project is designed to create a multi-faith building that crosses the religious divides in the Abrahamic faiths and encourages inter-faith dialogue by looking at commonly used ritualistic items. Three basic items - water, a meal, and the scripture – all hold reverence in all three religions, but each religion has its own unique rituals and traditions surrounding them. This building attempts to express the similarities and differences through the built environment in a way that increases communication and understanding between the religions and the surrounding community. / Master of Architecture / Religions divide people. Architecture brings people together. Can architecture help bridge the divide between religions? This project is designed to create a multi-faith building that crosses the religious divides in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and encourages inter-faith dialogue between them by looking at three commonly used sacred items and their rituals and traditions.

The focus of this research was to determine the intra- and inter-individual isotopic variation in individuals from the Meroitic cemetery 8-B-5.A (350 BC–350 AD) at Sai Island, Sudan and from individuals at Lamanai, Marco Gonzalez, and San Pedro from Postclassic Maya, Belize (1000–1544 AD) to assess usefulness in sorting archaeological and forensic commingled remains. Stable carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen isotope analyses of collagen and carbonate were conducted for all individuals, in addition to radiogenic strontium isotope analysis for individuals from 8-B-5.A. Seven different skeletal elements were sampled from 24 individuals, totaling 170 samples. Ten human and five faunal teeth from Sai Island were sampled for strontium analysis. Carbon isotopes are consistent with previous studies indicating a mixed C3/C4 diet at Sai Island and a predominantly C4 diet at the Maya sites. Strontium analysis indicates that the individuals from cemetery 8-B-5.A were local to the region of Sai Island. Coefficient of variance analysis demonstrated that intra-individual variation of δ13Ccoll and δ15N values at all four sites is dependent on the individual. A MANOVA demonstrated statistically significant differences and discriminant function analysis identified geographic location/diet as the main driver of inter-individual variation. When assessing inter-individual δ13Ccoll and δ15N variation between bone types, the humerus and femur provided the greatest range of isotope variation, suggesting that these two elements may be the best sampling options for commingled remains assessments. While this research assesses the isotopic variation in these populations, this variation may not be consistent across other populations, and the variation for δ13Ccarb and δ18O values is too large to be useful for anthropological applications. Further assessment is needed in skeletal assemblages from different regions, with different diets, between sexes, and varying ages to understand and identify the driving forces of isotopic intra-individual variation.

No / Image gradients - smooth changes in color and luminance - may be caused by intrinsic surface reflectance properties or extrinsic illumination phenomena, including shading, shadowing, and inter-reflections. In turn, image gradients may provide the visual system with information concerning the origin of these factors, such as the orientation of surfaces with respect to the light source. Color gradients induced by mutual illumination (MI) may play a similar role to that of luminance gradients in shape-from-shading algorithms; it has been shown that 3D shape perception modulates the influence of MI on surface color perception (M. G. Bloj, D. Kersten, & A. C. Hurlbert, 1999). In this study, we assess human sensitivity to changes in color and luminance gradients that arise from changes in the light source position, within a complex scene. In Experiment 1, we tested whether observers were able to discriminate between gradients due to different light source positions. We found that observers reliably detected a change in the gradient information when the light source position differed by only 4 deg from the reference scene. This sensitivity was mainly based on the luminance information in the gradient (Experiments 2 and 3). Some observers make use of the spatial distribution of chromaticity and luminance values within gradients when discriminating between them (Experiment 4). The high sensitivity to gradient differences supports the notion that gradients contain information that may assist in the recovery of 3D shape and scene configuration properties.

Yes / If global palliative care is to successfully address challenges of unequal access, continuity of care, and health services reductionism, new practice models to address these issues need to be identified, debated and tested. This paper offers one such practice model based on a public health approach to palliative care that has so far shown promising evidence of effectiveness. Methods: We describe how four essential elements within a public health model can work together to address quality and continuity of care as well as addressing the numerous barriers of access. These elements are: (I) specialist, and (II) generalist palliative care services working with (III) communities and neighbourhoods, working in their turn with their (IV) key civic institutions. Results: The positive and negative impact and advantages of each of these elements is described and discussed. Conclusions: A solely clinical model of palliative care is inadequate to addressing the multiple comorbidities and access issues characteristic of modern palliative care. A public health approach based on a close partnership between clinical services and communities/civic institutions is the optimal practice model.

This thesis aims to develop meanings of sustainable programme development. Policies are often introduced to solve societal problems identified by a government agency or some other organization. In order to realize the intentions behind the policy it is common that one or several policy driven projects are funded with large sums of money. By funding policy driven projects, the funding organizations expect that the projects can support a sustainable change of practice that can solve or at least decrease the societal problem. Research shows that policy driven projects and programmes often fail to realize the intentions behind poli-cies. Hence, it is uncertain to what extent policy driven projects contribute to a sustainable change of practice.

Le cerveau des primates, et plus encore celui de l’homme, a évolué en s’adaptant à un environnement socialement complexe. Le nombre élevé d’individus qui composent le groupe, la sophistication des modes d’interaction et le risque de manipulation constituent autant de pressions de sélection exercées sur le cerveau. Cette perspective évolutionnaire a alimenté tout un courant de recherche en psychologie développementale tourné vers la cognition dite sociale. Ces recherches se sont portées sur la lecture des intentions, la distinction soi/autrui, l’altruisme, l’empathie, la morale, la compétition et la coopération. Toutes ces capacités constituent les premières briques de ce que l’on pourrait appeler une sociologie naïve. Mais certaines de ces capacités sont restées au second plan, et l’objectif général de ce projet sera d’aborder l’une des plus ignorées mais pas des moins centrales : l’aptitude à traiter les hiérarchies. Les relations dominance, ou d’ascendance, constituent une dimension essentielle de la vie des espèces sociales. Sur le plan évolutionniste, un rang social élevé confère des avantages adaptatifs décisifs car il garantit un accès privilégié aux ressources nutritives et reproductives. Le rôle crucial du rang social va dès lors exercer un certain nombre de contraintes cognitives. Les individus doivent, par exemple, être capables d’identifier l’organisation hiérarchique de leurs groupes et représenter les avantages offerts par le statut. On peut donc penser que chez bon nombre d’espèces sociales, des mécanismes cognitifs dédiés aux hiérarchies sociales aient évolué selon un processus sélectif. Néanmoins, les hiérarchies sociales chez l’homme se distinguent de celles des autres espèces par deux aspects importants. Premièrement, les attributs qui définissent la dominance sont beaucoup plus diversifiés et dépassent le simple cadre des relations agonistiques. Deuxièmement, à la différence des primates, les cultures humaines présentent des variations fortes dans le degré de structuration hiérarchique des sociétés. Il est donc possible d’imaginer que les mécanismes cognitifs impliqués dans le traitement des hiérarchies soient modulés par l’environnement culturel. La méthode interculturelle suivie ici permettra d’identifier des mécanismes potentiellement universels et d’autres sujets à une variation culturelle. Au cours des années 70 et 80, l’étude des hiérarchies chez l’enfant a connu une période féconde. Les travaux produits, largement inspirés par l’éthologie, ont permis de montrer que les relations de dominance étaient fréquentes, même chez des enfants très jeunes (1 à 2 ans), et qu’elles s’organisaient selon des structures linéaires. Néanmoins ces études, de part les méthodologies employées, ont largement négligé la perspective cognitive et n’ont pas donc permis d’établir des mécanismes précis impliqués dans le traitement des hiérarchies. Cette thèse vise à réintroduire l’étude de la dominance sociale au sein de la psychologie cognitive du développement. Elle s’articule autour de deux axes principaux : 1) Identifier la dominance : la capacité à identifier le statut hiérarchique et ses différents attributs et inférer les avantages que confère un statut élevé. 2) Agir face à la dominance : la distribution de ressources en fonction du statut et la préférence sociale en fonction du statut. Huit expériences sont rapportées dont une incluant une comparaison inter-culturelle entre la France, le Liban et le japon. Ces expériences ont montré la capacité des enfants dès 3 ans à identifier les relations de dominance et à inférer un certain nombre de caractéristiques à partir de ces relations. Les inférences de la dominance aux caractéristiques des individus incluent l'asymétrie de ressources, de compétences ainsi que le genre ; les enfants de trois cultures différentes ont associé le genre masculin au personnage dominant........ / According to the social brain hypothesis, the computational demands of living in large and complex societies favored the selection of unusually large brains and complex cognitive capacities (Dunbar & Shulz, 2007). Social cognition, that is, the cognitive processes devoted to monitor, control, and predict the behaviors of others, is vital to navigate the social world. It is especially essential for humans, who live in societies characterized by a dense convolution of social relationships. Given the importance of asymmetrical relationships within and across social groups (Sidanius & Pratto, 2001; Bente, Leuschner, Al Issa & Blascovich, 2010), the perceptual and inferential strategies necessary for processing dominance are certainly central to social cognition. Dominance is indeed pervasive in the human species (Fiske, 1992), it affects reproductive success (Ellis, 1995; Fieder, Huber, Bookstein, Iber, Schäfer, Winckler & Wallner, 2005; Kanazawa, 2003) and plays a central role in the formation of short and long-term alliances (Watts, 2010). Work in the human ethological tradition has described preschoolers' spontaneous social dominance structures: they are linear and stable (Strayer and Strayer, 1976; Lafrénière & Charlesworth, 1983); based on verbal and physical strategies (Hawley, 1999; Pellegrini, 2008) and are associated to social competence and affiliative structures (Vaugh & Waters, 1981; Hold, 1976). However, the observational approach adopted in these studies and the methodological shortcomings of some parallel experimental attempts (Omark & Edelman, 1975; Sluckin & Smith, 1977) preclude conclusions about the specific cognitive mechanisms responsible for coping with dominance relations.In line with the naïve sociology framework proposed by Jackendoff (1992) and Hirschfeld (1995), the present thesis takes an experimental developmental psychology approach to highlight the cognitive strategies that allow children to identify dominance relations, to form relevant expectations and to take action on the light of these expectations. A series of eight experiments investigated preschoolers’ abilities to make sense of social dominance situations, following two axes:Dominance Identification: the capacity to identify hierarchical status using several cues and to infer advantageous consequences of high status. Taking action in dominance contexts: allocation of resources and social choices in dominance contexts. The first set of experiments showed that preschoolers are able, from 3-years-old, to infer dominance not only from physical supremacy but also from decision power, age and resources. The second set of experiments showed that preschoolers have some expectations regarding how a dominant and subordinate individual are likely to differ. In particular, they expect that an individual who imposes his choice on another will exhibit higher competence in games and will have more resources. Another, intercultural experiment showed that children from 3 countries differing in gender equality norms associated masculine gender to dominant behavior since their 4th year. The three final experiments belonged to the second axis and showed a systematic age effect that suggests that choices that reinforce the status-quo are more salient before 5-years-old.