As a result of high crash frequencies on roadways, transportation safety has become a high priority for the United States Department of Transportation and the Utah Department of Transportation. A large percentage of fatal and injury crashes on roadways occur at intersections and traffic signals have been implemented to reduce these severe crashes. There is a need to evaluate the effectiveness of the traffic signal improvements through the development of Crash Modification Factors (CMFs). Recent research has shown that traditional safety evaluation methods have been inadequate in developing CMFs. In recent years, Bayesian statistical methods have been utilized in traffic safety studies to more accurately analyze the effectiveness of safety improvements. The hierarchical Bayesian method is an advanced statistical technique that has the capability to account for the shortcomings of traditional methods and to more fully reflect the effectiveness of safety improvements. This report uses a hierarchical Bayesian model to analyze the effectiveness of new traffic signal installations and modified traffic signals. CMFs were developed for multiple scenarios for both new and modified traffic signals. A benefit-to-cost (B/C) analysis was also performed for each improvement to determine how long it would take to recover the cost of installation. The results showed that there was an increase in overall crashes for both new signal installations and modifications to existing signals. The severe crash analysis revealed that there was an increase in non-severe crashes and a reduction in severe crashes; the improvements are effectively reducing severe crashes and improving safety at intersections. The B/C analyses indicate that there is a safety benefit to both improvements and that new signal installation costs can be recovered in approximately 5 years while the installation of a left-turn signal modification can be recovered in approximately 9 weeks.

Two way left turn lanes (TWLTL) and raised medians are common median treatments on roadways. This research focused on evaluating the safety effectiveness of conversion of TWLTLs into raised medians using Before-After and Cross Sectional Studies. In the Before-After Studies, we evaluated the effect of this treatment using the Naive, Before-After with Comparison Group (CG), and Before-After with Empirical Bayes (EB) Methods. In order to apply these methods, a total of 33 segments of a treated group and 109 segments of a comparison group have been collected. Also, safety performance functions (SPFs) have been developed using the negative binomial model in order to calibrate crash modification factors (CMF) using the Before-After with Empirical Bayes Method. This research also evaluated the safety effectiveness of this treatment on four and six lane roads using Before-After with CG and Before-After with EB. The type of raised medians was further evaluated using Before-After with CG and EB. In sum, the results from this study show that applying the before-After and Cross Sectional studies have proved that the conversion from a TWLTL to a raised median helped to reduce total, fatal and injury, head on, angle, and left turn crashes. It significantly reduces crashes for head-on and left turn crashes, by restricting turning maneuvers. Also, this study has proved that the treatment is more effective on four rather than six lane roads. Furthermore, two types of raised medians, concrete and lawn curb, were evaluated after the conversion from TWLTLs. It was found that both medians have similar effects due to the conversion, and both median types helped in reducing the number of crashes.

Dans les collisions Pb-Pb au LHC, un milieu chaud et dense formé de quarks et de gluons déconfinés est formé, communément appelé Plasma de Quarks et de Gluons (PQG). Le PQG est l’état hypothétique de l’univers primordial quelques microsecondes après le Big Bang et constituerait encore à ce jour le cœur des étoiles à neutrons. Une des signatures les plus frappantes de l’occurrence du PQG lors de collisions d’ions lourds est la suppression des jets. Ce phénomène appelé étouffement des jets est attribué au mécanisme de perte d’énergie du parton à l’origine du jet lors de son trajet au travers du milieu formé par le PQG.Les deux dernières décennies ont vu l’émergence d’une formulation théorique du phénomène d’étouffement des jets dans le cadre de la Chromo Dynamique Quantique. La perte d’énergie étant le plus fréquemment attribuée dans la littérature à des processus radiatifs et collisionnels. Un nouveau mécanisme de perte d’énergie à été étudié dans ce travail de thèse qui outre la description des effets de diffusions multiples, met en œuvre une perte d’énergie radiative induite par un champ chromomagnétique, de sorte qu’un parton rapide se propageant au travers du milieu ressentira l’effet des champs magnétique et de couleur tout en subissant des diffusions multiples avec les particules du milieu.De plus, les modèles théoriques prédisent une dépendance de la perte d’énergie avec la charge de couleur et la masse du parton issu d’une diffusion à grand transfert d’impulsion lors de sa traversée du milieu.Une telle dépendance en masse peut être étudiée en mesurant la production de hadrons et de jets contenant des quarks lourds dans les collisions pp, p-Pb et Pb-Pb au LHC. Dans cette thèse, un modèle original du milieu est présenté, décrit comme un ensemble de centres de diffusion statiques colorés en présence d’un champ chromomagnétique, de même qu’une description du mécanisme de perte d’énergie associé. Enfin, la mesure de la production de jets issus de quarks beaux avec le détecteur ALICE dans les colllsions pp et p-Pb à l’énergie de 5.02 TeV au LHC à l’aide d’une méthode d’étiquetage utilisant le paramètre d’impact des traces est présenté dans cette thèse. / In Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC, a hot and dense medium of deconfined quarks and gluons is formed, the so-called Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP).The QGP is conjectured to be the state of matter of the early Universe up to few microseconds after the Big Bang and may still exist in the core of neutron stars. One of the most striking signatures of the QGP formation in heavy-ion collisions is the suppression of jet production. This phenomenon, called jet quenching, is ascribed to the energy lost by the initial parton while traveling through the QGP medium.In the last two decades, many theoretical developments of the theory of jet quenching have been formulated within pQCD.The main energy loss mechanisms proposed in the literature are attributed to radiative and collisional processes. Another kind of energy loss is developed in this work comprises a background field induced radiative energy loss which besides that besides scattering effects. Under the suggested model, a fast parton propagating through the medium will feel the effect of the color magnetic and the color electric fields while undergoing multiple scatterings with the particles in the medium.Besides, theoretical models predict that energy loss depends on the color charge and mass of the hard-scattered parton traversing the medium. Such mass dependence can be studied by measuring the production of hadrons and jets containing heavy-quarks in pp, p-Pb and Pb-Pb collisions at the LHC.In this thesis report, a new model for the medium is presented, which is described as a collection of static colored scattering centers in the presence of a chromomagnetic field, together with the description of the related energy loss mechanism. The ALICE measurement of b-jet production in pp and p-Pb collisions at $sqrt{s_{mathrm{NN}}}=5.02$ TeV using an impact parameter based tagger is also presented.

Title: Study of proton-proton and heavy-ion collisions with the ATLAS experi- ment at the LHC Author: Mgr. Petr Balek Department: Institute of Particle and Nuclear Physics Supervisor: Doc. RNDr. Jiří Dolejší, CSc. Abstract: The presented results show a suppression in a production of charged hadrons in heavy-ion collisions with respect to the production measured in proton- proton collisions. Lead-lead data at √ sNN = 2.76 TeV were recorded by the AT- LAS experiment at the LHC in 2010 and 2011 and they have a total integrated luminosity of 0.15 nb−1 , and proton-proton data at √ s = 2.76 TeV were recorded in 2011 and 2013 having an integrated luminosity of 4.2 nb−1 . The results are presented in wide transverse momentum (0.5 < pT < 150 GeV) and pseudorapid- ity (|η| < 2) ranges, and also in different centrality intervals of Pb+Pb collisions. Nuclear modification factor RAA shows a clear pT-dependence with a minimum at around 7 GeV, however above 60 GeV, it reaches a plateau with no significant pT-dependence. As a function of |η|, the RAA is flat over whole pT region. Keywords: ATLAS detector, heavy-ion collisions, charged-hadron spectra, nuclear modification factor RAA

Pedestrian countdown signals (PCSs) are viable traffic control devices that assist pedestrians in crossing intersections safely. Despite the fact that PCSs are meant for pedestrians, they also have an impact on drivers’ behavior at intersections. This study focuses on the evaluation of the safety effectiveness of PCSs to drivers in the cities of Jacksonville and Gainesville, Florida. The study employs two Bayesian approaches, before-and-after empirical Bayes (EB) and full Bayes (FB) with a comparison group, to quantify the safety impacts of PCSs to drivers. Specifically, crash modification factors (CMFs), which are estimated using the aforementioned two methods, were used to evaluate the safety effects of PCSs to drivers. Apart from establishing CMFs, crash modification functions (CMFunctions) were also developed to observe the relationship between CMFs and traffic volume. The CMFs were established for distinctive categories of crashes based on crash type (rear-end and angle collisions) and severity level (total, fatal and injury (FI), and property damage only (PDO) collisions). The CMFs findings, using the EB approach indicated that installing PCSs result in a significant improvement of driver’s safety, at a 95% confidence interval (CI), by a 8.8% reduction in total crashes, a 8.0% reduction in rear-end crashes, and a 7.1% reduction in PDO crashes. In addition, FI crashes and angle crashes were observed to be reduced by 4.8%, whereas a 4.6% reduction in angle crashes was observed. In the case of the FB approach, PCSs were observed to be effective and significant, at a 95% Bayesian credible interval (BCI), for a total (Mean = 0.894, 95% BCI (0.828, 0.911)), PDO (Mean = 0.908, 95% BCI (0.838, 0.953)), and rear-end (Mean = 0.920, 95% BCI (0.842, 0.942)) crashes. The results of two crash categories such as FI (Mean = 0.957, 95% BCI (0.886, 1. 020)) and angle (Mean = 0.969, 95% BCI (0.931, 1.022)) crashes are less than one but are not significant at the 95 % BCI. Also, discussed in this study are the CMFunctions, showing the relationship between the developed CMFs and total entering traffic volume, obtained by combining the total traffic on the major and the minor approaches. In addition, the CMFunctions developed using the FB indicated the relationship between the estimated CMFs with the post-treatment year. The CMFunctions developed in this study clearly show that the treatment effectiveness varies considerably with post-treatment time and traffic volume. Moreover, using the FB methodology, the results suggest the treatment effectiveness increased over time in the post-treatment years for the crash categories with two important indicators of effectiveness, i.e., total and PDO, and rear-end crashes. Nevertheless, the treatment effectiveness on rear-end crashes is observed to decline with post-treatment time, although the base value is still less than one for all the three years. In summary, the results suggest the usefulness of PCSs for drivers.

Heavy-ion collisions are a powerful tool to study hot and dense QCD matter, the so-called Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). Since heavy quarks (charm and beauty) are dominantly produced in the early stages of the collision, they experience the complete evolution of the system. Measurements of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decay is one possible way to study the interaction of these particles with the QGP. With ALICE at LHC, electrons can be identified with high efficiency and purity. A strong suppression of heavy-flavour decay electrons has been observed at high $p_{m T}$ in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV. Measurements in p-Pb collisions are crucial to understand cold nuclear matter effects on heavy-flavour production in heavy-ion collisions. The spectrum of electrons from the decays of hadrons containing charm and beauty was measured in p-Pb collisions at $\\sqrt = 5.02$ TeV. The heavy flavour decay electrons were measured by using the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) and the Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EMCal) detectors from ALICE in the transverse-momentum range $2 < p_ < 20$ GeV/c. The measurements were done in two different data set: minimum bias collisions and data using the EMCal trigger. The non-heavy flavour electron background was removed using an invariant mass method. The results are compatible with one ($R_ \\approx$ 1) and the cold nuclear matter effects in p-Pb collisions are small for the electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays. / Colisões de íons pesados relativísticos é uma ferramenta poderosa para se estudar o plasma de quarks e glúons (QGP). Quarks pesados ({\\it charm} e {\\it beauty}) são produzidos nos estágios iniciais da colisão e participam da evolução completa do sistema. Medidas de elétrons provenientes de quarks pesados é uma das possíveis formas de se estudar a interação destas partículas com o QGP. Utilizando o detetor ALICE do LHC, elétrons podem ser identificados com alta eficiência e boa pureza. Uma forte supressão de elétrons provenientes de quarks pesados foi observada em alto $p_$ em colisões de Pb-Pb a 2.76 TeV. Medidas do mesmo observável em colisões p-Pb são cruciais para se entender os efeitos da matéria nuclear fria na produção de tais partículas. O espectro de elétrons provenientes de hádrons que contêm {\\it charm} ou {\\it beauty} foi medido em colisões p-Pb a $\\sqrt = 5.02$ TeV. Os elétrons foram identificados utilizando o {\\it Time Projection Chamber} (TPC) e o {\\it Electromagnetic Calorimeter} (EMCal) do detetor ALICE, no intervalo de momento transversal de $2 < p_ < 20$ GeV/c. As medidas foram realizadas utilizando dois diferentes conjunto de dados: colisões de mínima tendenciosidade ({\\it minimum bias (MB)}) e colisões tomadas utilizando o trigger do EMCal. Os elétrons de fundo foram removidos utilizando um método de massa invariante. Os resultados são compatíveis com a unidade ($R_ \\approx$ 1) e os efeitos da matéria nuclear fria são pequenos para elétrons provenientes de quarks pesados.

Heavy-ion collisions are a powerful tool to study hot and dense QCD matter, the so-called Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP). Since heavy quarks (charm and beauty) are dominantly produced in the early stages of the collision, they experience the complete evolution of the system. Measurements of electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decay is one possible way to study the interaction of these particles with the QGP. With ALICE at LHC, electrons can be identified with high efficiency and purity. A strong suppression of heavy-flavour decay electrons has been observed at high $p_{m T}$ in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV. Measurements in p-Pb collisions are crucial to understand cold nuclear matter effects on heavy-flavour production in heavy-ion collisions. The spectrum of electrons from the decays of hadrons containing charm and beauty was measured in p-Pb collisions at $\\sqrt = 5.02$ TeV. The heavy flavour decay electrons were measured by using the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) and the Electromagnetic Calorimeter (EMCal) detectors from ALICE in the transverse-momentum range $2 < p_ < 20$ GeV/c. The measurements were done in two different data set: minimum bias collisions and data using the EMCal trigger. The non-heavy flavour electron background was removed using an invariant mass method. The results are compatible with one ($R_ \\approx$ 1) and the cold nuclear matter effects in p-Pb collisions are small for the electrons from heavy-flavour hadron decays. / Colisões de íons pesados relativísticos é uma ferramenta poderosa para se estudar o plasma de quarks e glúons (QGP). Quarks pesados ({\\it charm} e {\\it beauty}) são produzidos nos estágios iniciais da colisão e participam da evolução completa do sistema. Medidas de elétrons provenientes de quarks pesados é uma das possíveis formas de se estudar a interação destas partículas com o QGP. Utilizando o detetor ALICE do LHC, elétrons podem ser identificados com alta eficiência e boa pureza. Uma forte supressão de elétrons provenientes de quarks pesados foi observada em alto $p_$ em colisões de Pb-Pb a 2.76 TeV. Medidas do mesmo observável em colisões p-Pb são cruciais para se entender os efeitos da matéria nuclear fria na produção de tais partículas. O espectro de elétrons provenientes de hádrons que contêm {\\it charm} ou {\\it beauty} foi medido em colisões p-Pb a $\\sqrt = 5.02$ TeV. Os elétrons foram identificados utilizando o {\\it Time Projection Chamber} (TPC) e o {\\it Electromagnetic Calorimeter} (EMCal) do detetor ALICE, no intervalo de momento transversal de $2 < p_ < 20$ GeV/c. As medidas foram realizadas utilizando dois diferentes conjunto de dados: colisões de mínima tendenciosidade ({\\it minimum bias (MB)}) e colisões tomadas utilizando o trigger do EMCal. Os elétrons de fundo foram removidos utilizando um método de massa invariante. Os resultados são compatíveis com a unidade ($R_ \\approx$ 1) e os efeitos da matéria nuclear fria são pequenos para elétrons provenientes de quarks pesados.

Les collisions d’ions lourds au LHC permettent l’étude des propriétés de la matière nucléaire soumise à des conditions extrêmes de température et densité d’énergie où on assisterait à la formation du Plasma de Quarks et Gluons (QGP). La mesure des saveurs lourdes ouvertes (charme et beauté) est particulièrement intéressante pour l’étude des propriétés du QGP. L’étude des collisions d’ions lourds au LHC nécessite aussi la mesure des collisions pp et p–Pb. Les collisions p-Pb permettent en particulier d’étudier les effets nucléaire froids et d’interpréter les effets nucléaires chauds observés dans les collisions Pb–Pb. Cette thèse est dédiée à l’étude de la production des saveurs lourdes ouvertes via les muons simples dans les collisions p–Pb à √8NN = 5.02 TeV aux rapidités avant et arrière avec le détecteur ALICE au LHC. La référence pp est estimée à partir des mesures pp à √8 = 2.76 TeV et 7 TeV et utilisant des calculs pQCD pour l’extrapolation à √8 = 5.02 TeV. Les mesures du facteur de modification nucléaire (RpPb) et du rapport des sections efficaces aux rapidités avant et arrière indiquent que les effets nucléaires froids sont faibles sur tout le domaine en impulsion transverse (pT) aux rapidités avant (RpPb ≈ 1). Aux rapidités arrière, le facteur de modification nucléaire est sensiblement plus grand que un dans la région 2 < pT < 4 GeV/c. Les résultats confirment que la forte suppression des taux de production des muons issus du charme et de la beauté mesurée dans les collisions centrales Pb–Pb est due au milieu dense et chaud. Le facteur de modification nucléaire et le rapport des sections efficaces aux rapidités avant et arrière sont aussi mesurés en fonction de la centralité dans les collisions p-Pb. Le facteur de modification nucléaire reste compatible avec l’unité à grand pT dans les collisions centrales. / The LHC heavy-ion physics program aims at investigating the properties of strongly-interacting matter in extreme conditions of temperature and energy density where the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) is formed. In high-energy heavy-ion collisions, heavy quarks (charm and beauty) are regarded as efficient probes of the properties of the QGP. The heavy-ion physics program requires also the study of proton-proton (pp) and proton-nucleus (p–Pb) collisions. The study of p–Pb collisions is used to investigate cold nuclear matter effects and to validate and quantify hot nuclear matter effects which are observed in nucleus-nucleus (Pb–Pb) collisions. This thesis work is devoted to the study of open heavy-flavour production at forward and backward rapidity via single muons in p–Pb collisions at √8NN = 5.02 TeV with the ALICE experiment at the LHC. The pp reference using available measurements at 2.76 and 7 TeV and a pQCD-driven method for the scaling to 5.02 TeV is estimated. The measurements of the nuclear modification factor (RpPb) at forward and backward rapidity and forward-to-backward ratio in p–Pb collisions, indicate that cold nuclear matter effects are small over the whole transverse momentum (pT) region at forward rapidity (RpPb compatible with unity within uncertainties). In the backward rapidity, the nuclear modification factor deviates from unity in the intermediate pT region (2 < pT < 4 GeV/c). These results confirm that the strong suppression measured at high pT in central Pb–Pb collisions is due to final-state effects induced by the hot and dense nuclear medium. The results of the nuclear modification factor and forward-to-backward ratio as a function of centrality in p–Pb collisions are discussed. Even in central collisions, the nuclear modification factor is compatible with unity at high pT.

Les calculs de chromodynamique quantique sur réseau prévoient, que pour un potentiel baryonique nul et une température de T ∼ 173 MeV , il devrait être possible d'observer une transition de la phase de la matière hadronique vers un plasma de quarks et de gluons. Les collisions d'ions lourds ultra-relativistes devraient permettre de mettre en évidence ce changement de phase. Les saveurs lourdes peuvent être utilisées pour sonder les premiers instants des collisions pendant lesquels la température est la plus élevée. Le LHC va permettre d'étudier les collisions entre noyaux de plomb et les collisions entre protons à une énergie jamais égalée : √s = 5.5 TeV (√sNN = 14 TeV ) pour le plomb (les protons). Le détecteur ALICE est dédié à l'étude des collisions d'ions lourds mais peut également mesurer les collisions entre protons. Il est équipé d'un spectromètre à muons conçu pour l'étude des saveurs lourdes. Cette thèse présente les performances du spectromètre pour la mesure de la section efficace de production inclusive des hadrons beaux (B) et charmés (D) dans les collisions proton-proton. La première étape de cette mesure consiste à extraire les distributions des muons de décroissance des hadrons B et D. L'étape suivante consiste à extrapoler les distributions aux sections efficaces de production inclusive des hadrons. Cette thèse contient également une étude préliminaire des performances du spectromètre pour la mesure du rapport de modification nucléaire et de l'observable associée nommée RB=D dans les collisions plomb-plomb de centralité0−10%. L'accent est porté sur les incertitudes et l'intervalle en impulsion transverse sur lequel ces observables pourront être mesurées. / Lattice quantum chromodynamics calculations predict a transition from the phase of hadronic matter to quark and gluon plasma for a temperature T ∼ 173 MeV and a vanishing baryonic potential. Ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions allow to highlight this phase transition. Heavy flavours can be used to probe the first instants of the collisions where the temperature is the highest. The LHC will provide proton-proton and lead-lead collisions at unprecedented large energy (√s = 14 TeV and √sNN = 5.5 TeV respectively). The ALICE detector is dedicated to heavy ion collisions but it can also measure proton-proton collisions. The detector includes a muon spectrometer. The spectrometer has been disigned to measure heavy flavours. This PhD thesis presents the performance of the spectrometer to measure beauty hadrons (B) and charmed hadrons (D) inclusive production cross-section in proton-proton collisions. The first step of the measurement consists in extracting heavy hadron decayed muon distributions. The next step consists in extrapolating these distributions to heavy hadrons inclusive production cross-section. This PhD thesis also presents a preliminary study of the performance of the spectrometer for the measurement of the nuclear modification factor and the associated observable named RB=D in 0−10% central heavy ions collisions. Uncertainties and transverse impulsion range of extraction of the observables have been investigated.

L'étude de la production des quarks charmés dans les collisions de hautes énergies de noyaux atomiques offre une approche inédite pour l'étude du plasma de quarks et de gluons. La compréhension et la caractérisation de cet état de la matière déconfinée, de prime abord retrouvé dans les systèmes les plus lourds, nécessitent une connaissance fine des systèmes les plus légers, telles que les collisions proton-proton (pp) et proton-plomb (p-Pb). Dans ce manuscrit, nous présentons la mesure de la production des mésons charmés-étranges Ds+, à rapidité centrale, avec les données du run 2 du LHC, recueillies en 2016 par l'expérience ALICE. Deux systèmes sont étudiés : les collisions pp à √s=13 TeV et p-Pb à √sNN=5,02 TeV. La section efficace de production des Ds+, leur abondance relative et leur facteur de modification nucléaire sont mesurés puis comparés à d'autres mesures et à diverses prédictions théoriques. Le résultat p-Pb établit une nouvelle référence pour l'étude des collisions Pb-Pb. / The study of the production of charm quarks in high-energy atomic-nucleus collisions offers an genuine approach for the study of the quark-gluon plasma. The understanding and characterisation of this state of deconfined-matter, at first sight created in heaviest systems, require a fine knowledge of lightest systems, such as proton-proton (pp) and proton-lead (p-Pb) collisions. In this manuscript, we present the measurement of the charm-strange mesons Ds+ production, at central rapidity, with the LHC run 2 data, collected in 2016 with the ALICE experiment. Two systems are studied: pp collisions at √s=13 TeV and p-Pb collisions at √sNN=5.02 TeV. The production cross-section of Ds+, their relative abundance and their nuclear modification factor are measured then compared to other measurements and to various theoretical predictions. The p-Pb result establishes a new reference for the study of Pb-Pb collisions.