Recently, several major incidents occurred in worldwide metro and subway systems due to inadequate or inappropriate emergency procedures. In this study, the traditional and innovative metro underground stations were analyzed utilizity the CFAST and FDS computer program. A comparative study has been conducted to evaluate the smoke descending rate, and temperature distribution, etc with addressable zoned smoke control system. Dynamic egress analysis was followed to validate the NFPA 130 which was taken as the design guidelines to evaluate the evacuation time using SIMULEX program. Finally, the smoke management design and egress system was integrated, which warrants its qpplication in actual engineering designs.

The model building and fire codes in Canada permit prescriptive-based design and performance-based design approaches. Within this regulatory framework, prescriptive-based designs are attributed objective and functional statements to qualify the level of fire protection and life safety required. Performance-based designs, or alternative solutions to prescriptive-based designs, must be demonstrated to achieve at least an equivalent level of performance as the prescriptive requirement based on evaluation of each associated objective and functional statement. Due to the qualitative performance descriptions available, the current system for developing and reviewing alternative solutions is vulnerable to the acceptance of over-designed or under-designed life safety and fire protection measures in buildings. The objective of this thesis is to establish a method to compare the performance of alternative solutions with prescriptive design requirements on a quantitative basis. This thesis generates eight objectives for a fire risk analysis tool to address the challenges identified in the building regulatory industry. Based on review of existing techniques, a new fire risk analysis framework is developed. The Quantitative Design Decision (QDD) method, integrates risk analysis with quantitative decision assessment techniques to facilitate application-specific quantification of performance objectives and to aid evaluation of performance-based designs. The method utilizes an iterative three-stage structure. To demonstrate the application of the QDD method, a case-study simulation has been conducted. The case-study provides an evaluation of alternative designs to the prescriptive requirements for explosion-relief ventilation in rooms housing flammable vapour producing operations. The case study supports the conclusion that QDD achieves the eight objectives set out in this thesis. For validation, the QDD method must be applied to a wider variety of practical design challenges and it is recommended that the results be considered in conjunction with live fire test data to verify key aspects of the performance decisions generated. Future work should include evaluation of Delphi technique application in the Design Decision Stage of the QDD method. It is proposed that the method developed can be extended for use as a general performance-based design tool.

Preschool years are an important period for executive function (EF) development. The two common ways of assessing EF in preschoolers are performance-based (PB) and rating measures. One of the most commonly used rating scales for preschoolers is the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function – Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). The current study explored the longitudinal relationship between three PB measures (Grass/Snow, Shape School, Self-ordered Pointing) and corresponding BRIEF-P scales (Inhibit, Shift, Working Memory) in typically developing preschoolers. There were three assessments in six-month intervals. Participants included 101 children at Time 1, with 86 and 75 in subsequent assessment time points. Using a latent variable approach, longitudinal measurement invariance was tested, supporting partial strong invariance. Results showed a lack of direct correlations between PB measures and corresponding BRIEF-P scales across time. These findings were interpreted in the context of existing literature, yielding a more nuanced understanding of what these two types of measures assess. Specifically, it is proposed that BRIEF-P measures children’s subjective, average level of EF, while PB tasks measure their objective, in-the-moment EF. / Graduate

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Physical function has been identified as a core outcome to be assessed in low back pain (LBP). However, all recommended physical function measures are Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs). Performance-Based Measures (PBMs) are important measures that are practical and are prone to fewer biases. Two systematic reviews provided evidence on the psychometric properties of PBMs but were not comprehensive. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify PBMs developed for or used to assess physical function in LBP and to review studies evaluating the psychometric properties of these PBMs systematically. The first manuscript of the thesis was the systematic review protocol developed using the COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health status Measurement INstruments) manual 2018. The protocol was also registered on PROSPERO (CRD42020147968). The protocol also outlined the use of the COMINS Risk of Bias (COSMIN-ROB) checklist 2018; standard priory hypotheses and criterions developed to evaluate the results of each psychometric property; as well as a GRADE criterion (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations) to assess the level of evidence. Two reviewers independently screened, evaluated, and extracted data. The second manuscript was the systematic review written in the format of a journal for future submission. Our database search identified 47 studies assessing 115 PBMs. In general, findings included five different LBP diagnoses (e.g., non-specific LBP) and different LBP durations (e.g., acute, chronic). The level of evidence of each PBM or psychometric property mainly were generated from single studies. A high risk of bias assessed by the COSMIN-ROB checklist was found for most of the included studies. Overall, the included studies' results often did not meet our priory hypotheses for good psychometric properties. Hence, most PBMs' psychometric properties were found to have a low level of evidence. There was not a single PBM that demonstrated a good level of evidence for all properties. In conclusion, significant heterogeneity was found between studies leading to a limited level of evidence. PBMs need to be used with great caution. High-quality studies that investigate PBMs' psychometric properties are needed. / Thesis / Master of Science Rehabilitation Science (MSc) / Low Back Pain (LBP) care costs the Canadian health care system millions of dollars every year. Most clinicians and researchers use self-report questionnaires filled out by their patients to assess physical function. However, performance measures where patients perform tasks while being observed are also recommended to assess physical function. Performance-based measures can be used alone or in combination with self-report measures. To select the most appropriate performance measures, we need to know how good and trustworthy these measures are. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to collect all possible performance measures that were developed or used to assess physical function in LBP patients; then summarized the available evidence on their psychometric properties (reliability, validity and responsiveness). We searched five scientific databases and found 47 studies that evaluated 115 performance measures. Most included studies were of low quality and evaluated different tests or test properties. We found that most measures were not reliable, accurate or were sensitive to change. Therefore, clinicians and researchers need caution when selecting and interpreting results of these performance measures when evaluating physical function in LBP.

This thesis investigated the potential advantages and disadvantages of high performance structures by comparing the financial and environmental impacts of a performance based four-story office building to one designed to meet minimum code-level requirements. To generate a comparison, the lateral system of a four-story structure utilizing buckling restrained braced frames was designed to meet code-level requirements per the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures (ASCE 7-05) and again to meet the immediate occupancy criteria defined by ASCE 41-06 Seismic Rehabilitation of Existing Buildings. The following was then performed: Test the structural performance of both buildings using simulated code-level and maximum considered earthquakes Develop construction costs of both structures using RSMeans Square Foot Cost and Construction Cost Data Determine the financial benefit associated with the upgraded structure by subjecting both structures to a suite of earthquakes Calculate the carbon footprint generated during each building’s construction. The final project costs for the code level and immediate occupancy structures were $27.43 million and $27.93 million respectively, resulting in an upgrade cost of $500,000 or roughly 1.8% of the overall project cost. The upgrade cost was then input in FEMA’s Benefit-Cost Analysis, where it found the upgrade cost resulted in an annual savings ranging from $43,000 to $98,000 over the building’s 50-year life cycle. The carbon footprints were generated using BuildingScope, which relies on volumetric quantities of construction materials. The final models resulted in a carbon footprint of 7890 CO2 eq and 7940 CO2 eq for the code level and immediate occupancy structures respectively, showing favor for the structure utilizing fewer materials. Although the additional materials used in the immediate occupancy structure resulted in a slightly larger carbon footprint, the added capacity will decrease damages, resulting in an overall reduction of energy generated during the building’s life cycle.

This study is an evaluation of Post Closure Care (PCC) duration of landfills using performance based methodology. The post closure care phase begins once the landfill is closed. As required by the Resource Conservation Recovery Act (RCRA) Subtitle D, PCC duration for municipal solid waste landfills is 30 years. During the PCC period, the landfill operator/owner is required to conduct monitoring for leachate, landfill gas, and ground-water and maintain the integrity of the cap so that the landfill does not impose a threat to surrounding human health and environment (HH&E). The duration of PCC can be reduced by the director of an approved State if an owner/operator of a landfill demonstrates that the landfill exhibits no threat to the surrounding HH&E or can be increased if the director of the approved State determines that an increased PCC period is required for the protection of HH&E. RCRA provides flexibility in optimizing PCC duration of landfills, although it does not identify the criteria/methodology which can be used in demonstrating the status of a landfill from the point of PCC. Researchers worldwide recognize that the threat imposed by a landfill after closure depends on the extent of degradation occurring inside the landfill. The increased functional stability of landfills reduces its risk to the surrounding HH&E. However, there is a wide range of opinions in defining functional stability of a landfill. The present thesis applies performance based methodology, developed by Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF), to making a decision on the PCC of landfills. Performance based methodology is a modular approach encompassing all four PCC components of landfills (Leachate, gas, groundwater and cap maintenance). This methodology was applied to Alachua County Southwest Landfill (ACSWLF) in Alachua County, Florida. Each module was analyzed individually and recommendations on the PCC monitoring at the landfill site were provided.

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