Major safety concerns are present at rural high speed intersections. When long uninterrupted tangents are located near rural intersections, the drivers can become inattentive to upcoming decision points. Traffic control devices could aid in mitigating these occurrences by warning drivers of upcoming decision points. One such device is transverse rumble strips, which act to provide motorists with an audible and tactile warning that their vehicle is approaching a decision point of critical importance to safety. The objective of this research was to determine if the presence of transverse rumble strips were an effective warning device for drivers approaching rural stop-controlled intersections. To evaluate the effectiveness of transverse rumble strips, vehicle speeds were measured at three locations along the approach to an intersection both before and after the installation of rumble strips. Vehicle speeds were measured at nine rural stop-controlled intersection sites in Texas. Overall, the installation of rumble strips generally produced small, but statistically significant (p ? 0.05), reductions in traffic speeds. There were some negative driver behavioral impacts (i.e., speed increases) that occurred after the installation of rumble strips. There were a few instances where speed change reductions of greater than 1 mph occurred, however, the overall trend was that speed change reductions were equal to or less than 1 mph. Although the rumble strips did not produce meaningful reductions in traffic speeds, they should still be considered based upon previous accident reductions and minimal installation costs.

Major safety concerns are present at rural high speed intersections. When long uninterrupted tangents are located near rural intersections, the drivers can become inattentive to upcoming decision points. Traffic control devices could aid in mitigating these occurrences by warning drivers of upcoming decision points. One such device is transverse rumble strips, which act to provide motorists with an audible and tactile warning that their vehicle is approaching a decision point of critical importance to safety. The objective of this research was to determine if the presence of transverse rumble strips were an effective warning device for drivers approaching rural stop-controlled intersections. To evaluate the effectiveness of transverse rumble strips, vehicle speeds were measured at three locations along the approach to an intersection both before and after the installation of rumble strips. Vehicle speeds were measured at nine rural stop-controlled intersection sites in Texas. Overall, the installation of rumble strips generally produced small, but statistically significant (p ? 0.05), reductions in traffic speeds. There were some negative driver behavioral impacts (i.e., speed increases) that occurred after the installation of rumble strips. There were a few instances where speed change reductions of greater than 1 mph occurred, however, the overall trend was that speed change reductions were equal to or less than 1 mph. Although the rumble strips did not produce meaningful reductions in traffic speeds, they should still be considered based upon previous accident reductions and minimal installation costs.

Thesis (M. Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2007

La photo-isomérisation par ouverture de cycle du benzopyrane a été étudiée à l'aide de la méthode MCTDH (Multi-Configuration Time-Dependent Hartree). Nous avons introduit différentes stratégies pour contrôler la conversion du benzopyrane en mérocyanine à l'aide d'impulsions laser. Nous avons utilisé un modèle pour le potentiel électronique à six dimensions développé dans le cadre d'un travail antérieur. Le modèle repose sur une généralisation des Hamiltoniens modèles standards pour les couplages vibroniques et utilise les six coordonnées les plus importantes pour le processus. Le principal objectif est de fournir des stratégies de contrôle qui pourront être utilisées par les expérimentateurs par la suite. Plus précisément, nous avons proposé: (i) une technique de type pompe-sonde pour contrôler la photostabilité, (ii) une stratégie en deux étape avec une préexcitation vibrationnel du système,(iii) une stratégie reposant sur un contrôle par effet Stark induit par un laser non-résonant. / The ring-opening photoisomerization of benzopyran, which occurs via a photochemical route involving a conical intersection,has been studied with quantum dynamics calculations using the multi-configuration time-dependent Hartree method (MCTDH). We introduce a mechanistic strategy to control the conversion of benzopyran to merocyanine with laser pulses. We use asix-dimensional model developed in a previous work for the potential energy surfaces (PES) based on an extension of thevibronic-coupling Hamiltonian model (diabatization method by ansatz), which depends on the most active degrees of freedom. The main objective of these quantum dynamics simulations is to provide a set of strategies that could help experimentalists tocontrol the photoreactivity vs. photostability ratio (selectivity). In this work we present:(i) a pump-dump technique used tocontrol the photostability, (ii) a two-step strategy to enhance the reactivity of the system: first, a pure vibrational excitation inthe electronic ground state that prepares the system and, second, an ultraviolet excitation that brings the system to the firstadiabatic electronic state; (iii) finally the effect of a non-resonant pulse (Stark effect) on the dynamics.

In the last decades, population growth has been outpacing transportation infrastructure growth, and today's transportation professionals are challenged to meet the mobility needs of an increasing population. The effectiveness of the transportation system is an essential constituent of people's daily lives as they commute between different points of interest. Studies show that at many highway junctions, congestion continues to worsen, and drivers are experiencing greater delays and higher risk exposures. Engineers have very little resources to handle this increase in population. One solution to resolve and alleviate congestion due to increasing traffic volumes and travel demands relies in implementing alternative designs. This approach will help traffic engineers determine which design will be the most appropriate for a particular location. This study compares and evaluates the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI), which is an unconventional design, to Partial Cloverleaf (ParClo) types A4 and B4 interchange designs by evaluating different Measure of Effectiveness (MOEs). Using microsimulation platform AIMSUN, each interchange type was evaluated for low, medium and high traffic flows. The analysis revealed that the DDI with four through lanes performed better than the ParClo A4 for unbalanced conditions, the DDI with six though lanes had similar results as the ParClo B4 for very high volumes. In terms of queue, the DDI design had a much better performance. The results from the analysis help in providing guidelines to the decision makers for selecting the best alternative in terms of performance. / by Borja Galletebeitia. / Thesis (M.S.C.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2011. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2011. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

This effort seeks to answer the question; can a transferable model be developed from easily obtainable, publicly available land-use, census, roadway, and network data for the use in safety performance functions? 474 stop-controlled minor legs were used as the training data set using ordinary least squares regression. A best-fit model of maximum independent variables, n=12 was chosen using an exhaustive approach using Mallow's Cp to select the model with least bias in the predictors. The results of the analysis revealed that the combination of variables from Washington, Ohio, and North Carolina did not have a strong relationship. The best-fit model incorporated functional class information of the major-leg, minor leg functional class information, longitudinal markings, access to a parking lot, and population density of census tract. Validation of the model demonstrated an average 59 percent error between the model estimated and actual AADT values for validation data set (n=54). Furthermore, separate models for each state revealed a lack of uniformity in the dependent variables, and more variance description of the state specific AADT.

As the modern roundabout continues to grow in popularity within the United States, more states are considering or implementing statewide roundabout programs and policies. To assist states with the implementation of statewide roundabout programs and policies, an analytical review of statewide roundabout programs and policies was conducted through an examination of literature, interviews, and data pertaining to the construction of roundabouts. The roundabout policy type for each state and the District of Columbia was located, and assigned to a roundabout policy type based on the strength of the identified policy type. In addition, a series of per capita analyses of the statewide roundabout policies was performed, as was a qualitative SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis. The results of the analysis show that the strength of a statewide roundabout policy is correlated to the number of roundabouts in a state, and states should consider implementing or strengthening their policies if they seek to expand the use of roundabouts in their jurisdiction. In addition, the perception of roundabouts, both by the general public and internal to the state DOTs, also continues to hinder the further implementation of roundabouts, and education should be utilized to minimize these obstacles. Furthermore, states should utilize identified successful implementation procedures, and should be cognizant of reasons for implementation failure, as they pursue the further use of roundabouts by their agency.

Cette thèse est consacrée à l’étude du phénomène de Newhouse et des bifurcations en dynamique holomorphe à plusieurs variables. Elle comporte trois Théorèmes principaux. Le premier de ces trois résultats est un Gap Lemma complexe. En dynamique réelle, le Gap Lemma de Newhouse donne un critère sur le produit des épaisseurs de deux ensembles de Cantor dynamiques pour prouver que leur intersection est non vide. On en donne une généralisation partielle au cas des ensembles de Cantor dynamiques dans C. Plus précisément, on introduit une notion d’épaisseur pour un ensemble de Cantor dynamique planaire et on fournit un critère sur le produit de deux épaisseurs afin d’obtenir une intersection entre deux ensembles de Cantor dynamiques. On montre également que l’épaisseur est une quantité qui varie continûment, ce qui permet d’obtenir des intersections persistantes d’ensembles de Cantor dynamiques. Le second Théorème de cette thèse démontre l’existence du phénomène de Newhouse dans l’espace des automorphismes polynomiaux de degré d pour n’importe quel degré d ≥ 2 dans C^{3}. Au contraire de la situation dans C^{2}, le degré est ici connu et optimal. Le point clef de la preuve est l’introduction dans le domaine complexe d’un outil issu de la dynamique réelle : le blender de Bonatti et Diaz. On formalise le concept de blender complexe et on donne un automorphisme polynomial de C^{3} de degré 2 possédant un blender. Puis, on l’utilise afin de construire successivement des tangences persistantes et des sous-ensembles résiduels d’automorphismes ayant une infinité de puits. Enfin, le dernier résultat porte sur les bifurcations d’endomorphismes holomorphes de P^{2}(C) très particuliers, appelés exemples de Lattès, semi-conjugués à une application affine sur un tore. Dujardin a conjecturé que ces derniers étaient accumulés par des ouverts de bifurcations. On montre que tout exemple de Lattès de degré suffisamment élevé est accumulé par de telles bifurcations robustes. Ceci implique en particulier que tout exemple de Lattès possède un itéré dans l’adhérence de l’intérieur du lieu de bifurcation. La démonstration est basée sur l’obtention d’intersections persistantes entre l’ensemble postcritique et un ensemble hyperbolique répulsif contenu dans l’ensemble de Julia. La preuve est divisée en deux parties : on donne tout d’abord un toy-model qui permet d’obtenir des intersections persistantes entre l’ensemble limite d’un certain type d’IFS, appelé IFS correcteur, et une courbe. Ensuite, dans un second temps, on perturbe l’exemple de Lattès pour créer simultanément un IFS correcteur dans l’ensemble de Julia et une courbe bien orientée dans l’ensemble postcritique / In this PhD thesis, we study Newhouse’s phenomenon and bifurcations in the context of dynamics in several complex variables. We prove three main Theorems. The first one is a complex Gap Lemma. In real dynamics, Newhouse’s Gap Lemma gives a criterion on the product of the thicknesses of two dynamical Cantor sets K and L to show that K ∩ L is not empty. We show a partial generalization of this result for dynamical Cantor sets in C. A relevant notion of thickness in this case is defined and we give some criterion on the product of two thicknesses to show that two dynamical Cantor sets in C must intersect. We also show that the thickness varies continuously, which generates persistent intersections of dynamical Cantor sets. In the second Theorem, we show that there exists a polynomial automorphism f of C^{3} of degree 2 such that for every automorphism g sufficiently close to f, g admits a tangency between the stable and unstable laminations of some hyperbolic set. As a consequence, for each d ≥ 2, there exists an open set of polynomial automorphisms of degree at most d in which the automorphisms having infinitely many sinks are dense. In contrary to the case of C^{2}, the degree is known. To prove these results, we give a complex analogous to the notion of blender introduced by Bonatti and Diaz. In particular, we use a blender to produce robust tangencies. In the third and last result, we study the phenomenon of robust bifurcations in the space of holomorphic maps of P^{2}(C). We prove that any Lattès example of sufficiently high degree belongs to the closure of the interior of the bifurcation locus. This gives a partial answer to a conjecture of Dujardin. In particular, every Lattès map has an iterate with this property. To show this, we design a method creating robust intersections between the limit set of a particular type of iterated functions system in C^{2} with a well-oriented complex curve. Then we show that any Lattès map of sufficiently high degree can be perturbed so that the perturbed map exhibits this geometry

La théorie des champs de vecteurs logarithmiques et des formes différentielles logarithmiques d’une hypersurface singulière réduite est développée par K.Saito. Ces notions apparaissent dans l’étude de la connexion de Gauss-Manin de certaines familles de singularités et de leur déploiement semi-universel.Lorsque le module des champs de vecteurs logarithmiques est libre, l’hypersurface est appelée diviseur libre. A.G. Aleksandrov et A. Tsikh généralisent les notions de formes différentielles logarithmiques et de résidus logarithmiques aux intersections complètes et aux espaces de Cohen-Macaulay réduits.Nous étudions dans ce travail les formes différentielles logarithmiques d’un espace singulier réduit de codimension quelconque plongé dans une variété lisse, et nous développons une notion de singularités libres qui étend la notion de diviseurs libres. Les résidus des formes différentielles logarithmiques d’une hypersurface ainsi que leur généralisation aux espaces de codimension supérieure interviennent de façon cruciale dans ce travail de thèse. Notre premier objectif est de donner des caractérisations de la liberté pour les intersections complètes et les espaces de Cohen-Macaulay qui généralisent le cas des hypersurfaces. Nous accordons ensuite une attention particulière à une famille de singularités libres, à savoir les courbes, pour lesquelles nous décrivons le module des résidus logarithmiques en termes de multi-valuations. / The theory of logarithmic vector fields and logarithmic differential forms along a reduced singular hypersurface is developed by K. Saito. These notions appear in the study of the Gauss-Manin connection of some families of singularities and their semi-universal unfolding. If the module of logarithmic vector fields is free, the hypersurface is called a free divisor. A.G. Aleksandrov and A. Tsikh generalize the notions of logarithmic differential forms and logarithmic residues to reduced complete intersections and Cohen-Macaulay spaces. In this work, we study the logarithmic differential forms of a reduced singular space of any codimension embedded in a smooth manifold, and we develop a notion of free singularity which extend the notion of free divisor. The residues of logarithmic differential forms as well as theirgeneralization to higher codimension spaces are crucial in this thesis. Our first purpose is to give characterizations of freeness for complete intersections and Cohen-Macaulay spaces which generalize the case of hypersurfaces. We then give a particular attention to a family of free singularities, namely the curves, for which we describe the module of logarithmic residues thanks to their set of values.

Traffic safety at intersections is a particularly difficult phenomenon to study, given the fact that accidents occur randomly in time and space thereby making short-term measurement, assessment and comparison difficult. The EU directive 2008/96/EC introduced road infrastructure safety management, which offers a five layer structure for developing safer road infrastructure has been used to develop tools for accident prediction and black spot management analysis which has been applied in this work to assess the safety level of intersections in Norrköping city in Sweden. Accident data history from STRADA (Swedish Traffic Accident Data Acquisition) and the network demand model for Norrköping city were used to model black spots and predict the expected number of accidents at intersections using PTV Visum Safety tool, after STRADA accident classification was restructured and the Swedish accident prediction model (APM) was configured and tested to work within the tool using the model from the Swedish road administration (SRA). The performance of the default (Swiss) and the Swedish APM was compared and identified locations with the high accident records, predicted accident counts and traffic volumes were audited using qualitative assessment checklist from Street-Audit tool. The results from these methods were analysed, validated and compared. This work provides recommendations on the used quantitative and qualitative methods to prevent accident occurrence at the identified locations.