The purpose of this project is to evaluate the safety and operational differences between three left-turn treatments: permitted, protected, and protected-permitted left-turn phasing. Permitted phasing allows vehicles to turn left after yielding to any opposing vehicles; protected phasing provides an exclusive phase for vehicles to turn left that does not allow opposing vehicles; and protected-permitted phasing combines the previous phasing alternatives, allowing vehicles to turn after yielding while also providing some green time for protected left-turns.As part of evaluating the differences between these left-turn treatments, crashes before and after the change at intersections that had experienced a permanent change from one phase alternative to another were compared. The crashes that took place at these intersections were compared with the number of crashes experienced at a baseline set of intersections. A general increase in total crashes was observed for most intersections, and an increase in left-turn crashes per million entering vehicles was also observed in intersections that had experienced a change from protected to protected-permitted phasing; no other clear trends were observed.The research team also gathered simulated data using VISSIM traffic modeling software and safety data were extracted from these simulations using the Surrogate Safety Assessment Model (SSAM) created by the Federal Highway Administration to identify decision boundaries between each left-turn treatment. The simulations modeled intersections with 1-, 2-, and 3-opposing-lane configurations with permitted and protected-permitted models (split into green times of 10-, 15-, and 20-seconds) for a total of 12 different simulation models. Each model was divided into 100-225 different volume scenarios, with incremental increases in left-turn vs. opposing volumes. By exporting trajectory files from VISSIM and importing these files into SSAM, crossing conflicts for each volume combination in each model were identified and extracted. These were then entered into MATLAB to create contour maps; the contours of these maps represent the number of crossing conflicts per hour associated with different combinations of left-turn and opposing volume. Basic decision boundaries were observed in the contour maps for each model. To extract an equation to estimate each boundary, JMP Pro statistical analysis software was used to perform a linear regression analysis and develop natural log-based equations estimating the decision boundaries for each configuration and phase alternative. These equations were then charted using Excel and final decision boundaries were developed for the 1-, 2-, and 3-lane configurations between permitted and protected-permitted phasing as well as between protected-permitted and protected phasing.

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This dissertation proposes a new method of studying pragmatic language use in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The existing research into pragmatic language use in ASD has predominantly used interviews and experiments in clinical environments to gather data from participants with ASD. These research methods focus heavily on comprehension, on comparing the performance of the participant with ASD to their non-autistic interlocutor. The methodology proposed in this thesis involves using observation and a naturalistic environment to gather conversational data that can be used to fill several gaps in the current research on pragmatic language use in ASD. In this study, people with ASD interacted with either non-autistic people or other people with ASD in triadic conversation sessions. These sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analysed for various pragmatic uses of language that previous research had observed were impaired, such as types of non-literal language and conversational turn taking. The pragmatic language use of three participants with ASD, representing three different levels of language ability, was analysed. The results showed that some participants used types of pragmatic language differently based on with whom they were communicating and also that some purported pragmatic impairments in ASD may not be as ‘impaired’ as they seemed based on previous research. For example, while all participants in this study used more interruptions when interacting with others with ASD compared to when interacting with non- autistic people, the rates of interruption were far less than what has been observed between non-autistic speakers (Hancock & Rubin, 2014), even though people with ASD have been described in the research literature as interrupting frequently (Ochs, Kremer-Sadlik, Sirota, & Solomon, 2004). The research presented in this dissertation has implications for future clinical research into pragmatic language impairments in any speech community and provides an additional methodology that can be used, expanding on the types of research questions that can be investigated in this area. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This thesis proposes a new method of studying pragmatic language use in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This methodology involves using observation and the data that can be gathered using it can fill several gaps in the current research on pragmatic language use in ASD. In this study, people with ASD interacted with either non-autistic people or other people with ASD in triadic conversation sessions. These sessions were recorded, transcribed, and analysed for various aspects of pragmatic uses of language. The pragmatic language use of three participants with ASD, representing three different levels of language ability, was analysed. The results showed that some participants used types of pragmatic language differently based on with whom they were communicating and also that some purported pragmatic impairments in ASD may not be as ‘impaired’ as they seemed based on previous research.

Personalization constitutes the mechanisms and technologies necessary to customize information access to the end-user. It can be defined as the automatic adjustment of information content, structure, and presentation. The central thesis of this dissertation is that modeling interaction explicitly in a representation, and studying how partial information can be harnessed in it by program transformations to direct the flow of the interaction, can provide insight into, reveal opportunities for, and define a model for personalized interaction. To evaluate this thesis, a formal modeling methodology is developed for personalizing interactions with information systems, especially hierarchical hypermedia, based on program transformations. The predominant form of personalized interaction developed in this thesis is out-of-turn interaction, a technique which empowers the user to take the initiative in a user--system dialog by providing unsolicited, but relevant, information out-of-turn. Out-of-turn interaction helps flexibly bridge any mismatch between the user's model of information seeking and the system's hardwired hyperlink structure in a manner fundamentally different from extant solutions, such as multiple faceted browsing classifications and search tools. This capability is showcased through two interaction interfaces using alternate modalities to capture and communicate out-of-turn information to the underlying system: a toolbar embedded into a traditional browser for out-of-turn textual input and voice-enabled content pages for out-of-turn speech input. The specific research issues addressed involve identifying and developing representations and transformations suitable for general classes of hierarchical hypermedia, providing supplemental interactions for improving the personalized experience, and studying user's (out-of-turn) interactions with resulting systems. / Ph. D.

The research presented in this thesis, studies driver gap acceptance behavior for permissive left turn movements at signalized intersections. The thesis attempts to model the gap acceptance behavior using three different approaches, a deterministic statistical approach, a stochastic approach, and a psycho-physical approach. First, the deterministic statistical modeling approach is conducted using logistic regression to characterize the impact of a number of variables on driver gap acceptance behavior. The variables studied are the gap duration, the driver's wait time in search of an acceptable gap, the time required to travel to clear the conflict point, and the rain intensity. Considering stochastic gap acceptance, two stochastic approaches are compared, namely: a Bayesian and a Bootstrap approach. The study develops a procedure to model stochastic gap acceptance behavior while capturing model parameter correlations without the need to store all parameter combinations. The model is then implemented to estimate stochastic opposed saturation flow rates. Finally, the third approach uses a psycho-physical modeling approach. The physical component captures the vehicle constraints on gap acceptance behavior using vehicle dynamics models while the psychological component models the driver deliberation and decision process. In general, the three proposed models capture gap acceptance behavior for different vehicle types, roadway surface conditions, weather effects and types of control which could affect the driver gap acceptance behavior. These findings can be used to develop weather responsive traffic signal timings and can also be integrated into emerging IntelliDrive systems. / Master of Science

Algorithmically designed reward functions can influence groups of learning agents toward measurable desired sequential joint behaviours. Influencing learning agents toward desirable behaviours is non-trivial due to the difficulties of assigning credit for global success to the deserving agents and of inducing coordination. Quantifying joint behaviours lets us identify global success by ranking some behaviours as more desirable than others. We propose a real-valued metric for turn-taking, demonstrating how to measure one sequential joint behaviour. We describe how to identify the presence of turn-taking in simulation results and we calculate the quantity of turn-taking that could be observed between independent random agents. We demonstrate our turn-taking metric by reinterpreting previous work on turn-taking in emergent communication and by analysing a recorded human conversation. Given a metric, we can explore the space of reward functions and identify those reward functions that result in global success in groups of learning agents. We describe 'medium access games' as a model for human and machine communication and we present simulation results for an extensive range of reward functions for pairs of Q-learning agents. We use the Nash equilibria of medium access games to develop predictors for determining which reward functions result in turn-taking. Having demonstrated the predictive power of Nash equilibria for turn-taking in medium access games, we focus on synthesis of reward functions for stochastic games that result in arbitrary desirable Nash equilibria. Our method constructs a reward function such that a particular joint behaviour is the unique Nash equilibrium of a stochastic game, provided that such a reward function exists. This method builds on techniques for designing rewards for Markov decision processes and for normal form games. We explain our reward design methods in detail and formally prove that they are correct.

我國2000年總統大選結果為台灣帶來首次的政黨輪替，使我國在民主化的路程上更進一步地朝向民主鞏固(Democracy Consolidation)的階段，在這樣的時代中，公務人員必須更加重視民意，並在人民心中建立值得信賴的形象。而在人民的「腦海圖像」大多是由傳播媒體傳遞的訊息所建構而成的，故公共管理者須了解人民從傳播媒體獲得什麼樣的訊息，以及公務人員在傳播媒體上的形象究竟為何，才能對症下藥地進行公務人員的形象改造。 因此，本研究以聯合報系的電子資料庫「聯合知識庫」為分析資料的來源，資料範圍則為我國第一次總統大選前後各一任總統任期，即1996年5月20日到2004年5月19日的公務人員新聞，採用傳播學界的研究方法─內容分析與框架分析，分析上述時間範圍內的聯合報的新聞內容，以了解公務人員在報紙上所呈現的形象究竟為何，以及比較2000年政黨輪替前後公務人員的報導形象，是隨著執政黨的更替而有所不同。 結果發現，報紙給予公務人員的框架有三：「大人」、「公僕」及「員工」，其中以「公僕」為在新聞之中最常見的公務人員形象框架；再者，報紙多以中立立場、極短篇幅，以及純新聞的報導方式來報導公務人員。最後，如果比較政黨輪替前後的公務人員新聞之後，發現兩時期的公務人員皆被報紙視為「公僕」，而且多被給予負面的報導；但亦有所不同之處：政黨輪替之後，公務人員新聞的報導篇幅變小，對公務人員的評價負面新聞比例不變，但正面新聞比例有上升的趨勢。 / In democratic polity, the important aspect of governance is public opinion. After the year of the first party turn-over, bureaucrats need to build reliable images in people’s head and try to earn their support for the policies. But, what is the images of bureaucrats in people’s head is an interesting but unsolved question for the field of public administration. To answer the question, the researcher tries to analyze the stories about bureaucrats in the media---the strong fourth branch of a democratic government. By using content analysis and frame analysis, this research uses the data collected from the news in the United Daily News to answer the above questions. Between the years of 1996 to 2004, 998 sample news are selected from the database of UDNDATA. The findings are as follows: First of all, as a whole, there are three types of newsframes of bureaucrats utilized: “authoritarians”, “public servants”, and “employees”, and the newsframe of public servant appears to be the most popular one. Secondly, bureaucrats’ news is covered in less than 500 words and in the tone of neutrality and negativity. Thirdly, there is no difference in newsframe between the news before and after the first party turn-over. However, the news space is getting shorter and the amounts of positive coverage are increased after the year of 2000.

Recently in analytic philosophy, interest in the issue of the epistemic value of art has been revived. Philosophers have sought to establish whether and in what ways art is a source of knowledge, understanding or a means of inquiry. In philosophy this is a longstanding question, addressed both in the Greek and German traditions, but it seems pertinent to ask the question again today in light of significant changes that have taken place in contemporary art practice. In my thesis, I investigate this question from two perspectives: in terms of analytic philosophy of art, and in terms of developments in contemporary art since the 1960s. In Part I, I offer a defence of a philosophical theory of artistic value, critically overview the extant philosophical literature on the question of epistemic value of art, and explain why the inherently experimental character of contemporary art makes it difficult simply to apply the available theories. I argue that a philosophical engagement with contemporary art requires a different, more inductive method. In Part II, I closely consider three recent developments in which the relationship between art and knowledge has been rendered more complex. The Conceptual Art movement of the 1960s and 1970s privileged concerns with concepts, thought processes and truth over expression, materiality and fidelity to genre. The social turn of the 1990s cast the artist in a position that is almost indistinguishable from that of a teacher, social activist or even of a technology developer. And the artists working within the bio art movement of the 1990s and 2000s have assimilated the activity of the artist to that of the scientist, sometimes blurring the two roles. The goal of the thesis is twofold. On the one hand, I show how cases from recent art history put pressure on some key commitments in recent analytic philosophy. Revisions and challenges are suggested in particular for extant theories of artistic value, conceptions of artistic autonomy and heteronomy, and some popular accounts of the epistemic value of art. On the other hand, concepts from analytic philosophy are used to shed light on some of the more radical developments in recent art practice, and to rethink the ways in which art participates in the broader culture.

The aim of the thesis is to explore depictions of sexuality in popular science fiction film and television through a focus on storytelling, narrative, characters and genre. The thesis analyses science fiction as a film and television genre with a focus on the conventions, interpretations, and definitions of genre as part of larger contexts. Central to the argumentation is films and television series, from Star Wars and Star Trek, to Firefly and Torchwood. The approach allows a consideration of how the storytelling conventions of science fiction are, and have been, affected by its contexts. Through a consideration of a historical de-emphasis on narrative complexity and character formation in science fiction, the thesis displays and analyses a salient tendency towards juvenile and heteronormative narratives. This tendency is represented by a concept that I call the Star’verses, through which this dominant idea of science fiction as a juvenile, techno-centred, masculine, and heteronormative genre became firmly established. This generic cluster has remained a dominant influence on science fiction film and television since the 1980s. However, as argued, a major discursive shift took place in science fiction at the turn of the millennium. This adult turn in science fiction film, and television in particular, is attributed to contextual changes, but also to the influence of television dramaturgy. It explains why science fiction in the 21st century is not as unfamiliar with depictions of sexuality as its predecessors were. This turn does not signal a total abandonment of what the Star’verses represent; it instead contributes to a change to this dominant idea of the generic identity of science fiction. While sexuality has been disassociated from much science fiction, it is also argued that the science fiction narrative has extensive queer potential. Generic conventions, such as aliens and time travel, invite both queer readings and queer storytelling; the latter however is seldom used, especially in science fiction film. A majority of the examples of science fiction narrative that use this queer potential can be found in television. In cinema, however, this progression is remarkably slow. Therefore, the thesis analyses whether the storytelling techniques of Hollywood cinema, to which science fiction film owes much of its dramaturgy, could be considered heteronormative. A comparison is made to television dramaturgy in order to display the possibilities for the serialised, character-focused science fiction narrative. Ultimately, the thesis investigate the possibility for subversive storytelling and whether a normative use of dramaturgy needs to be overthrown in order to tell a subversive story.

The submitted thesis deals with the function of private minority schools of Central School Foundation and destiny of their teachers in South Bohemia between 1880 and 1918. In the first chapters it takes down circumstances of the rise of Central School Foundation and the school laws of the second half of the 19th century, which was important for primary schools and their teachers. Decision points of this work are chapters about private minority schools of Central School Foundation and their teachers. In this part, the work is based on the sources from National Archive in Prague and States district archives in South Bohemia (school chronicles and documents). The chapter about private minority schools of Central School Foundation takes down these schools from their opening to transfer into public administration and later support of Central School Foundation to their public schools. The chapters about teachers of Central School Foundation mapping their problems as employee private association, their financial and living conditions and their provision in case of old age and illness. Key words: Central School Foundation, South Bohemia, national minority schools, teachers, the turn of 19th and 20th century.