This study examines the use of performance-based engineering in earthquake liquefaction hazard analysis with Cone Penetration Test data (CPT). This work builds upon previous research involving performance-based liquefaction analysis with the Standard Penetration Test (SPT). Two new performance-based liquefaction triggering models are presented herein. The two models used in this liquefaction analysis are modified from the case-history based probabilistic models proposed by Ku et al. (2012) and Boulanger and Idriss (2014). Using these models, a comparison is made between the performance-based method and the conventional pseudo-probabilistic method. This comparison uses the 2014 USGS probabilistic seismic hazard models for both methods. The comparison reveals that, although in most cases both methods predict similar liquefaction hazard using a factor of safety against liquefaction, by comparing the probability of liquefaction, the performance-based method on average will predict a smaller liquefaction hazard.

The thesis presents background on solar thermal energy and addresses the structural challenges associated with the deployment of concentrating solar power fields in urban areas. Two potential structural systems and urban locales of deployment are proposed and investigated to determine whether they have the potential to be a cost-effective renewable energy solution for urban areas. The structural issues explored in the thesis include flutter, the wind loading of open frame structures, performance-based design, and the design of flexibly mounted equipment on a building.

This dissertation develops a new concept for performance-based monitoring (PBM) of instrumented buildings subjected to earthquakes. This concept is achieved by simultaneously combining and advancing existing knowledge from structural mechanics, signal processing, and performance-based earthquake engineering paradigms. The PBM concept consists of 1) optimal sensor placement, 2) dynamic response reconstruction, 3) damage estimation, and 4) loss analysis. Within the proposed concept, the main theoretical contribution is the derivation of a nonlinear model-based observer (NMBO) for state estimation in nonlinear structural systems. The NMBO employs an efficient iterative algorithm to combine a nonlinear model and limited noise-contaminated response measurements to estimate the complete nonlinear dynamic response of the structural system of interest, in the particular case of this research, a building subject to an earthquake. The main advantage of the proposed observer over existing nonlinear recursive state estimators is that it is specifically designed to be physically realizable as a nonlinear structural model. This results in many desirable properties, such as improved stability and efficiency. Additionally, a practical methodology is presented to implement the proposed PBM concept in the case of instrumented steel, wood-frame, and reinforced concrete buildings as the three main types of structural systems used for construction in the United States. The proposed methodology is validated using three case studies of experimental and real-world large-scale instrumented buildings. The first case study is an extensively instrumented six-story wood frame building tested in a series of full-scale seismic tests in the final phase of the NEESWood project at the E-Defense facility in Japan. The second case study is a 6-story steel moment resisting frame building located in Burbank, CA, and uses the recorded acceleration data from the 1991 Sierra Madre and 1994 Northridge earthquakes. The third case is a seven-story reinforced concrete structure in Van Nuys, CA, which was severely damaged during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The results presented in this dissertation constitute the most accurate and the highest resolution seismic response and damage measure estimates obtained for instrumented buildings. The proposed PBM concept will help structural engineers make more informed and swift decisions regarding post-earthquake assessment of critical instrumented building structures, thus improving earthquake resiliency of seismic-prone communities.

As a component of the regulatory structure controlling building construction and land development in Australia, the system of building regulation was reformed during a period of significant restructuring of the Australian economy. The microeconomic reforms aimed to find efficiencies in government and industry sectors, and with respect to the latter, facilitate the development of competitive trade structures across national and global markets. The research provides a critical narrative account of the development and outcomes of the microeconomic reform of building regulation between 1990 and 2003. The microeconomic reform process is examined in the context of the vastly differing approaches of two Australian states, Victoria and New South Wales, with respect to the national reform agenda which was initiated and led by the Commonwealth government in response to the increasing globalization of the national economy. An understanding of what happened and why and how t he states differed with respect to the national reform agenda enabled the outcomes of the reforms to be examined for their impact upon government, industry and the community. The regulation of building construction is a constitutional responsibility of the state governments and has traditionally been controlled by local government. However, control is increasingly being centralized at the national level, in response to international pressures to adopt performance-based regulations, standards and governance systems that accord to neoliberal ideology. This has resulted in a reduction of state and local government involvement in certain building control functions with a commensurate increased role for the private sector; an increase in the complexity and quantity of regulatory instruments; a reduction in government accountability for the standard of building construction; the development of structures to facilitate competitive intranational and international trade in construction-related goods and services and a reduction in the quality and standard of buildings. The principal benefits of the reforms have accrued to industry and to government and the least benefits have accrued to the community/consumer.

教師素質乃影響教育品質的重要因素，美國對中小學教師實施的表現本位付給計畫，用以提高教師專業素養，可作為我國改革師範教育的借鏡。本研究的目的有三：（一）探討美國功績付給計畫及生涯階梯計畫兩種表現本位付給計畫的背景、理論基礎及實施現況；（二）評析美國表現本位付給計畫的實施成效；（三）歸納研究發現，對我國教育提出建言。 　　本研究採取文獻分析法，蒐集資料，根據相關主題，欲兼顧橫向與縱向分析。 　　經過文獻分析之後，得出本研究的結論： 　　一、美國表現本位付給計畫乃師資改革的途徑。 　　二、表現本位付給計畫以教師表現的成績作為加給的依據，並具有一套評鑑系統來決定獎賞與否。 　　三、表現本位付給計畫面臨表現的定義、付給的作用、評鑑客觀性及財政負擔等問題。 　　四、兩種表現本位付給計畫中，生涯階梯計畫對教師職能分級，設有教學昇遷管道，安排較為完善，將成為美國表現本位付給計畫的主流。 　　根據研究結果，我國實施表現本位付給計畫，應採取下述措施： 　　一、在教育行政方面 　　　（一）制定表現本位付給計畫時，必須兼顧人事決策（考績）與輔導教師專業成長兩大目標。 　　　（二）深入研究並了解優良表現的內涵。 　　　（三）所安排之酬賞制度應能激發教師表現優良。 　　　（四）及早建立教師生涯階梯制度。 　　　（五）建立一套可信而有效的評鑑系統。 　　　（六）應設法贏得立法機構、教師及相關人員的支持與參與。 　　　（七）採取其他相關措施包括：準備足夠的經費、營造良好組織氣氛、改善教師工作生活的品質、建立教師換証制度、結合現行的教師實習制度及從地方到中央建立一套完備的進修制度。 　　二、學校方面 　　　（一）建立以學校為中心的教師進修制度。 　　　（二）成立校內評鑑委員會。 　　　（三）增加教師參與決定學校事務的機會。 / The performance-based pay plans that include merit pay plans and career ladder plans have emerged as one approach to improving the quality of teacher in America.Because of increasing criticism of educational standards and alleged decline in professional ability of teachers in our country, to base pay onteachers'performance in America is a solution of our educational problems.The three purposes of this study are (1) to investigate the history, relational theories and contents of performance-based pay plans , (2) to review theeffects of performance-based pay plans, and (3) to provide suggestions for ourteachers' education by the findings of this research.The literature analysis reveal that (1) Performance-based pay plans can improve the quality of teachers; (2) Performance-based pay plans have some problems including the difficults of a valid definition of performance, the issue of validity of using pay as a motivator, the complaints against evaluation systems, and high cost etc, ; (3)Career ladder plans which utilize the idea of career ladder that teacher canatuain higher pay and higher professional status will be the currently popular proposals of performance-based pay plans.The study yield a set of recommendations for the design of performance-based pay plans:(1) The purposes of plans are to make decisions about the retention, transfer, or dismissal of staff members and to help teachers about professional growth; (2) Good performance need be clearly studied and realized; (3) The reward system canmotivate teacher; (4) Teacher career ladders must be established; (5)The systemof evaluation is reliable and valid; (6)Legislature, teacher and others involvedsupport the plans; (7) The school-based in-service education system must be established; (8) Let teachers involve in making decisions about school; (9)other administrative policies are used.

Les travaux présentés contribuent à un des enjeux majeurs de l'Entreprise Etendue liée au domaine de la production d'énergie électrique. L'objectif est de maintenir en dynamique la qualité des services rendus par les processus de production. Ces travaux ont ainsi pour objet, en se référant au cadre de modélisation d'Entreprise GERAM, de proposer une méthodologie réutilisable pour l'automatisation intégrée des centrales hydroélectriques. Ces dernières étant structurellement des systèmes stables, cette méthodologie est basée sur une approche orientée processus et aboutit au développement de modèles pérennes et réutilisables. Le point central de cette méthodologie consiste en la définition d'un modèle de référence ICMMS (Intelligent Control-Maintenance-technical Management Systems) formalisant la connaissance générique, de niveau terrain, applicable à l'automatisation de toute centrale hydroélectrique. La mise en œuvre de ce modèle de référence conduit à la proposition d'une architecture HSAS (Hybrid Smart Automation System) qui intègre en un tout cohérent sur les points de vue Contrôle, Maintenance et Gestion Technique, les différents composants d'automatisation distribués, supportés par des actionneurs, capteurs, ou contrôleurs conventionnels de niveau terrain. Par rapport à cette architecture, les concepts innovants de "Surveillance Conditionnelle" pour l'îlot Maintenance et d' "Atténuation de Perturbations" pour l'îlot Contrôle sont définis et étudiés afin d'être intégrés au système ICMMS. De plus, nous proposons, pour la Gestion Technique, des concepts, critères et outils pour l'évaluation de performances des HGUs (Hydroelectric Generating Units). Cette contribution est basée sur la définition d'un système d'évaluation des performances économiques utilisant des descripteurs quantitatifs mesurant l'état d'efficacité, le niveau de gestion de l'exploitation et l'état de maintenance de ces unités. Une nouvelle stratégie en lien avec la maintenance, intitulée EBM (Economic performance Based Maintenance), est ainsi formalisée. L'ensemble de nos propositions est validée sur une étude de cas.

<p>CEO compensation is a relevant topic in today's society that touches both political and economic questions which are of interest for the whole general public. It affects people indirectly through CEOs actions and how these actions affect company performances. Due to the fact that there is a financial crisis, this thesis has its aim to catch some light over CEO compensation and its relation to company performances, if there is one.</p><p>The purpose was to investigate if we could find a relation between CEO compensation and company performances by using variables which we considered significant for this study. These variables are collected from each company's annual reports and which we have chosen to focus on the two past years 2007 and 2008, as it is the most recent data. For the principle of our thesis a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was applied, to best suite the purpose. When finding a sustainable and significant result, regressions of different variables from the annual reports were drawn and the outcomes of these were interpreted and analyzed. Our findings show that turnover is the only variable which indicated any significant p-value in the regressions drawn. Of all regressions three show significance and all arerelated to turnover. Given these results we can conclude that the other variables are not related to the CEO compensation in this case study.</p>

CEO compensation is a relevant topic in today's society that touches both political and economic questions which are of interest for the whole general public. It affects people indirectly through CEOs actions and how these actions affect company performances. Due to the fact that there is a financial crisis, this thesis has its aim to catch some light over CEO compensation and its relation to company performances, if there is one. The purpose was to investigate if we could find a relation between CEO compensation and company performances by using variables which we considered significant for this study. These variables are collected from each company's annual reports and which we have chosen to focus on the two past years 2007 and 2008, as it is the most recent data. For the principle of our thesis a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods was applied, to best suite the purpose. When finding a sustainable and significant result, regressions of different variables from the annual reports were drawn and the outcomes of these were interpreted and analyzed. Our findings show that turnover is the only variable which indicated any significant p-value in the regressions drawn. Of all regressions three show significance and all arerelated to turnover. Given these results we can conclude that the other variables are not related to the CEO compensation in this case study.

A typical 1960s Type 2 Construction steel MRF hospital structure in Quebec, representative of a prevalent construction philosophy of the time, was investigated and modelled in OpenSees using an advanced strength degradation model. The structure was then subjected to a nonlinear time-history analysis (NLTHA) for Montreal (MTL) and Vancouver (VAN) ground motions and was found to be deficient under the design hazard levels. Retrofits were proposed for the two orthogonal frames at both sites using a performance-based approach. An experimental program determined that the connections had less ductility than expected and began deteriorating around 2.0% interstorey drift. The OpenSees model was updated according to the experimental connection behaviour and the predicted NLTHA performance of the structure worsened. The proposed retrofit designs for both orthogonal frames in both MTL and VAN were updated with the new connection behaviour and final retrofit designs were proposed.

A typical 1960s Type 2 Construction steel MRF hospital structure in Quebec, representative of a prevalent construction philosophy of the time, was investigated and modelled in OpenSees using an advanced strength degradation model. The structure was then subjected to a nonlinear time-history analysis (NLTHA) for Montreal (MTL) and Vancouver (VAN) ground motions and was found to be deficient under the design hazard levels. Retrofits were proposed for the two orthogonal frames at both sites using a performance-based approach. An experimental program determined that the connections had less ductility than expected and began deteriorating around 2.0% interstorey drift. The OpenSees model was updated according to the experimental connection behaviour and the predicted NLTHA performance of the structure worsened. The proposed retrofit designs for both orthogonal frames in both MTL and VAN were updated with the new connection behaviour and final retrofit designs were proposed.