The dissertation describes a study of the instructional validity of the Arizona Instrument to Measure Standards (AIMS), a standards-based assessment. The study addresses the third- and fifth-grade mathematics portion of the 2005 AIMS test, focusing on two performance objectives per grade level. The study centers on the following questions: Can variation in students' mathematics achievement on AIMS be explained by instructional validity measures, namely: (1) alignment between test items and instructional characteristics and (2) by the degree of teacher emphasis on the two skills of interest to the study? Does the relationship between these measures and AIMS performance differ across grade levels? What possible explanations exist to account for grade level differences? Is there a relationship between the instructional validity measures and performance on the objectives of interest to this study?The dissertation discusses the evolution of thinking about instructional validity as standardized testing has changed. The study methods, including developing alignment measures from interview transcripts and classroom assessment examples collected from 16 third-grade teachers and 20 fifth-grade teachers in one school district are also described. Findings include that, although the method of using qualitative data to gauge instructional validity yields rich information about instructional practice, there was little instructional variation between classrooms in the district studied. This may have occurred because the district requires teachers to provide instruction exactly as specified in the district-adopted mathematics text. Some between-grade level differences do exist in the curricular alignment with AIMS. Teachers attempted to overcome this in their instruction despite district mandates to the contrary. Results support the instructional sensitivity of AIMS at third grade, but not at fifth grade. Differences in instructional sensitivity across grade levels might be linked to curricular differences; some third-grade teachers reported supplementing the curriculum to address the state standards while fifth-grade teachers largely reported that this was not necessary. Interestingly, the degree of alignment at third- and fifth-grade did not vary, although fifth-grade teachers placed more emphasis the study objectives. This speaks to third-grade teacher commitment to address the standards, and the challenges in emphasizing them when district-adopted curricula are not well-aligned with state standards.

Experiments were conducted to investigate the macroscopic thermal behaviour of 2m diameter Jet A fires in crosswinds of 3m/s to 13m/s. Two scenarios were considered: with and without a 2.7m diameter, 10.8m long, blocking object situated 3.4m downwind of the fire. These scenarios simulated transportation accidents with the fire representing a burning pool of aviation fuel and the object simulating an aircraft fuselage. To date, the limited number of experiments that have been conducted to examine wind effects on fire behaviour have been performed at small scale, which does not fully simulate the physics of large fires, or in outdoor facilities, with poorly controlled wind conditions. This thesis presents the first systematic characterization of the thermal environment in a large, turbulent fire under controlled wind conditions, with and without a large downwind blocking object. In experiments without the object, flame geometry was measured using temperature contour plots and video images, and the results compared to values predicted using published correlations. Results were greatly affected by the method used to measure flame geometry and by differences in boundary conditions between experiments. Although the presence of the blocking object prevented direct measurement of flame geometry due to interaction between the fire plume and object, temperature and heat flux measurements were analyzed to describe overall effects of the object on fire plume development. The fire impinged on the blocking object at wind speeds below 7m/s and interacted with the low-pressure wake region behind the object. Laboratory-scale experiments were also conducted to examine the responses of different heat flux gauges to controlled heating conditions simulating those found in wind-blown fires. Schmidt-Boelter, Gardon and Hemispherical Heat Flux gauges and a Directional Flame Thermometer were exposed to a convective flow and to radiation from a cone calorimeter heater. Measurements were influenced by differences between the calibration and measurement environments, differences in sensor surface temperature, and unaccounted thermal losses from the sensor plate. Heat flux results from the fires were consistent with those from the cone calorimeter, but were additionally affected by differences in location relative to the hot central core of the fire.

Experiments were conducted to investigate the macroscopic thermal behaviour of 2m diameter Jet A fires in crosswinds of 3m/s to 13m/s. Two scenarios were considered: with and without a 2.7m diameter, 10.8m long, blocking object situated 3.4m downwind of the fire. These scenarios simulated transportation accidents with the fire representing a burning pool of aviation fuel and the object simulating an aircraft fuselage. To date, the limited number of experiments that have been conducted to examine wind effects on fire behaviour have been performed at small scale, which does not fully simulate the physics of large fires, or in outdoor facilities, with poorly controlled wind conditions. This thesis presents the first systematic characterization of the thermal environment in a large, turbulent fire under controlled wind conditions, with and without a large downwind blocking object. In experiments without the object, flame geometry was measured using temperature contour plots and video images, and the results compared to values predicted using published correlations. Results were greatly affected by the method used to measure flame geometry and by differences in boundary conditions between experiments. Although the presence of the blocking object prevented direct measurement of flame geometry due to interaction between the fire plume and object, temperature and heat flux measurements were analyzed to describe overall effects of the object on fire plume development. The fire impinged on the blocking object at wind speeds below 7m/s and interacted with the low-pressure wake region behind the object. Laboratory-scale experiments were also conducted to examine the responses of different heat flux gauges to controlled heating conditions simulating those found in wind-blown fires. Schmidt-Boelter, Gardon and Hemispherical Heat Flux gauges and a Directional Flame Thermometer were exposed to a convective flow and to radiation from a cone calorimeter heater. Measurements were influenced by differences between the calibration and measurement environments, differences in sensor surface temperature, and unaccounted thermal losses from the sensor plate. Heat flux results from the fires were consistent with those from the cone calorimeter, but were additionally affected by differences in location relative to the hot central core of the fire.

This thesis presents the details of designing and commissioning the multi-use static/dynamic large-scale soil testing table. The table was developed with the intention of creating a large scale testing apparatus versatile enough to carry out several different types of testing on a large scale. This report describes the background research done to develop the testing table concept and the thinking that went into each component. The apparatus itself consists of a shake table with a laminar soil container (inside dimensions L:100cm W:50cm H:65cm) and a top which can be lowered to apply overburden pressures on specimens. It is set up to run both static and cyclic tests on large soil samples. The final design allows for performing shaking tests with a non-fixed top, static and dynamic simple shear tests, and direst shear tests with minimal changes to the table configuration. The table has separate control and data acquisition systems which are necessary to run and record tests. All components of the table will be explained thoroughly within the thesis. Preliminary testing was done with the table to determine how well it is functioning and what needs to be done to further improve it. Static simple shear and cyclic simple shear tests were both run, and while the table showed some flaws, the results seem promising. It is determined that with proper instrumentation and after addressing some small issues, the testing table can be a useful and versatile tool in the future. This thesis will outline the strengths and flaws of the table as currently constructed and determine what the future applications for this testing apparatus will be. / text

Significant diagonal cracking in reinforced concrete inverted-T straddle bent caps has been reported throughout the State of Texas. Many of the distressed structures were recently constructed and all have been in service for less than two decades. The unique nature of the problem prompted a more detailed look into the design and behavior of such structural components. Strut-and-tie modeling is currently recommended for design of deep (rectangular) beams, but its application to more complex structures has not been fully explored. Due to concerns with current design provisions the application of strut-and-tie modeling to inverted-T beams was investigated along with serviceability-related considerations in this dissertation. An experimental study was conducted in which thirty-three reinforced concrete inverted-T beam tests were conducted. The effects of the following variables were evaluated: ledge depth and length, quantity of web reinforcement, number of point loads, member depth, and shear span-to-depth ratio. A strut-and-tie design method proposed by Birrcher et. al (2009), initially calibrated for compression-chord loaded deep beams, was investigated. It was concluded that the strut-and-tie method was a simple and accurate design method, and it was recommended for use in inverted-T beam design. A vi recommendation was also made for the amount of minimum web reinforcement needed for strength and serviceability considerations. A simple service-load check was proposed for the purpose of limiting diagonal cracking under service loads. Finally, a chart was created to aid in the evaluation of distressed, diagonally-cracked inverted-T bent caps in the field. / text

In this thesis, we focused on two problems in mobile application development: contextualization and large-scale testing. We identified the limitations of current contextualization and testing solutions. On one hand, advanced-remote-computing- based mobilization does not provide context awareness to the mobile applications it mobilized, so we presented contextify to provide context awareness to them without rewriting the applications or changing their source code. Evaluation results and user surveys showed that contextify-contextualized applications reduce users' time and effort to complete tasks. On the other hand, current mobile application testing solutions cannot conduct tests at the UI level and in a large-scale manner simultaneously, so we presented and implemented automated cloud computing (ACT) to achieve this goal. Evaluation results showed that ACT can support a large number of users and it is stable, cost-efficiency as well as time-efficiency.

In the past two decades, there have been significant advances in the development of self-centering (SC) seismic force resisting systems. However, examples of SC systems used in practice are limited due to unusual field construction practices, high initial cost premiums and deformation incompatibility with the gravity framing. A self-centering beam moment frame (SCB-MF) has been developed that virtually eliminates residual drifts and concentrates the majority of structural damage in replaceable fuse elements. The SCB consists of a I-shaped steel beam augmented with a restoring force mechanism attached to the bottom flange and can be shop fabricated. Additionally, the SCB has been designed to eliminate the deformation incompatibility associated with the self-centering mechanism. The SCB-MF system is investigated and developed through analytical, computational, and experimental means. The first phase of the work involves the development of the SCB concepts and the experimental program on five two-thirds scale SCB specimens. Key parameters were varied to investigate their effect on global system hysteretic response and their effect on system components. These large-scale experiments validated the performance of the system, allowed the investigation of detailing and construction methods, provided information on the behavior of the individual components of the system. The experimental results also provided data to confirm and calibrate computational models that can capable of capturing the salient features of the SCB-MF response on global and component level. As a part of the second phase, a set of archetype buildings was designed using the self-centering beam moment frame (SCB-MF) to conduct a non-linear response history study. The study was conducted on a set of 9 archetype buildings. Four, twelve and twenty story frames, each with three levels of self-centering ratios representing partial and fully self-centering systems, were subjected to 44 ground motions scaled to two hazard levels. This study evaluated the performance of SCB-MFs in multi-story structures and investigated the probabilities of reaching limit states for earthquake events with varying recurrence period. The experimental and computational studies described in this dissertation demonstrate that the SCB-MF for steel-framed buildings can satisfy the performance goals of virtually eliminating residual drift and concentrating structural damage in replaceable fuses even during large earthquakes. / Ph. D.

<p dir="ltr">Girder ends of steel bridges can be corrosion damaged due to deicing salts, water, and other contaminants leaking from deck expansion joints. When the corrosion becomes significant, it can decrease the sectional properties of end steel girders and eventually reduce structural resistance against bearing and shear. Conventional methods that are typically used to repair corrosion-damaged girders require a substantial amount of time and resources to complete and often cause public inconvenience due to traffic lane closure. Therefore, there is a need for practical, rapid, and robust repair methods that can be implemented by maintenance personnel of a local Department of Transportation (DOT).</p><p dir="ltr">In this study, five innovative repair methods for corroded steel girders were evaluated through a selection process called the House of Quality Matrix, a commonly used tool in the consumer product industry. After completing the evaluation and additional numerical simulations, the "Sandwich Panel" repair method was selected for further investigation. The main concept of the proposed "Sandwich Panel" repair method is the encasement of the corroded region with a filler material reinforced by threaded rods. Two thin steel plates installed on both girder sides serve as stay-in-place formwork, expediting the installation process. This repair method eliminates labor-intensive steps of jacking, welding, and formwork disassembly, making it more cost-effective and less time-consuming.</p><p dir="ltr">The structural performance of the method was evaluated experimentally by conducting seven large-scale tests. Various test parameters were considered in the tests, including i) threaded rod layout, ii) filler material, and iii) support condition. The test specimens were corrosion-damaged steel girders from decommissioned highway bridges in Indiana. The experimental results indicate that the method is effective enough to recover the girder's original design strength. The experimental evaluation was followed by a numerical parametric study using finite element models benchmarked using the experimental results. Detailed design guidelines and recommendations were developed based on the experimental and numerical results.</p>

Major portion of hurricane-induced economic loss originates from damages to building structures. The damages on building structures are typically grouped into three main categories: exterior, interior, and contents damage. Although the latter two types of damages, in most cases, cause more than 50% of the total loss, little has been done to investigate the physical damage process and unveil the interdependence of interior damage parameters. Building interior and contents damages are mainly due to wind-driven rain (WDR) intrusion through building envelope defects, breaches, and other functional openings. The limitation of research works and subsequent knowledge gaps, are in most part due to the complexity of damage phenomena during hurricanes and lack of established measurement methodologies to quantify rainwater intrusion. This dissertation focuses on devising methodologies for large-scale experimental simulation of tropical cyclone WDR and measurements of rainwater intrusion to acquire benchmark test-based data for the development of hurricane-induced building interior and contents damage model. Target WDR parameters derived from tropical cyclone rainfall data were used to simulate the WDR characteristics at the Wall of Wind (WOW) facility. The proposed WDR simulation methodology presents detailed procedures for selection of type and number of nozzles formulated based on tropical cyclone WDR study. The simulated WDR was later used to experimentally investigate the mechanisms of rainwater deposition/intrusion in buildings. Test-based dataset of two rainwater intrusion parameters that quantify the distribution of direct impinging raindrops and surface runoff rainwater over building surface — rain admittance factor (RAF) and surface runoff coefficient (SRC), respectively — were developed using common shapes of low-rise buildings. The dataset was applied to a newly formulated WDR estimation model to predict the volume of rainwater ingress through envelope openings such as wall and roof deck breaches and window sill cracks. The validation of the new model using experimental data indicated reasonable estimation of rainwater ingress through envelope defects and breaches during tropical cyclones. The WDR estimation model and experimental dataset of WDR parameters developed in this dissertation work can be used to enhance the prediction capabilities of existing interior damage models such as the Florida Public Hurricane Loss Model (FPHLM).

Large-scale testing of low-rise buildings or components of tall buildings is essential as it provides more representative information about the realistic wind effects than the typical small scale studies, but as the model size increases, relatively less large-scale turbulence in the upcoming flow can be generated. This results in a turbulence power spectrum lacking low-frequency turbulence content. This deficiency is known to have significant effects on the estimated peak wind loads. To overcome these limitations, the method of Partial Turbulence Simulation (PTS) has been developed recently in the FIU Wall of Wind lab to analytically compensate for the effects of the missing low-frequency content of the spectrum. This method requires post-test analysis procedures and is based on the quasi-steady assumptions. The current study was an effort to enhance that technique by investigating the effect of scaling and the range of applicability of the method by considering the limitations risen from the underlying theory, and to simplify the 2DPTS (includes both in-plane components of the turbulence) by proposing a weighted average method. Investigating the effect of Reynolds number on peak aerodynamic pressures was another objective of the study. The results from five tested building models show as the model size was increased, PTS results showed a better agreement with the available field data from TTU building. Although for the smaller models (i.e., 1:100,1:50) almost a full range of turbulence spectrum was present, the highest peaks observed at full-scale were not reproduced, which apparently was because of the Reynolds number effect. The most accurate results were obtained when the PTS was used in the case with highest Reynolds number, which was the1:6 scale model with a less than 5% blockage and a xLum/bm ratio of 0.78. Besides that, the results showed that the weighted average PTS method can be used in lieu of the 2DPTS approach. So to achieve the most accurate results, a large-scale test followed by a PTS peak estimation method deemed to be the desirable approach which also allows the xLum/bm values much smaller than the ASCE recommended numbers.