Major safety concerns are present at rural high speed intersections. When long uninterrupted tangents are located near rural intersections, the drivers can become inattentive to upcoming decision points. Traffic control devices could aid in mitigating these occurrences by warning drivers of upcoming decision points. One such device is transverse rumble strips, which act to provide motorists with an audible and tactile warning that their vehicle is approaching a decision point of critical importance to safety. The objective of this research was to determine if the presence of transverse rumble strips were an effective warning device for drivers approaching rural stop-controlled intersections. To evaluate the effectiveness of transverse rumble strips, vehicle speeds were measured at three locations along the approach to an intersection both before and after the installation of rumble strips. Vehicle speeds were measured at nine rural stop-controlled intersection sites in Texas. Overall, the installation of rumble strips generally produced small, but statistically significant (p ? 0.05), reductions in traffic speeds. There were some negative driver behavioral impacts (i.e., speed increases) that occurred after the installation of rumble strips. There were a few instances where speed change reductions of greater than 1 mph occurred, however, the overall trend was that speed change reductions were equal to or less than 1 mph. Although the rumble strips did not produce meaningful reductions in traffic speeds, they should still be considered based upon previous accident reductions and minimal installation costs.

The recent emergencies on college campuses including the Virginia Tech massacre of April, 2007, the Northern Illinois University shootings and the Union University tornado highlight the importance of disaster preparedness within the university community. This study is a survey exploring the daily rhythms of student life, the communication channels open to students and students composition and characteristics. This survey finds that students have frequent access to communication technologies which can be utilized as warning channels. The study also concludes that many students do not actively seek out information relative to emergency preparedness and the gaps in the populations knowledge require increased disaster education by the university.

Man portable air defence systems, MANPADS, pose a big threat to civilian and military aircraft. This thesis aims to find methods that could be used in a missile approach warning system based on infrared cameras. The two main tasks of the completed system are to classify the type of missile, and also to estimate its position and velocity from a sequence of images. The classification is based on hidden Markov models, one-class classifiers, and multi-class classifiers. Position and velocity estimation uses a model of the observed intensity as a function of real intensity, image coordinates, distance and missile orientation. The estimation is made by an extended Kalman filter. We show that fast classification of missiles based on radiometric data and a hidden Markov model is possible and works well, although more data would be needed to verify the results. Estimating the position and velocity works fairly well if the initial parameters are known. Unfortunately, some of these parameters can not be computed using the available sensor data.

The cash conversion cycle which is a very important indicator measures how efficient a company manages its working capital. This indicator clearly points the effect of a company business operation from the cash flow point of view. Basically, it is an excellent systematic financial system that includes the function which will fully describe the important parts of daily operation behavior of a company. According to this study, the cash conversion cycle can completely show the skeleton of working capital management and its own business operation character of a company. By using the cash conversion cycle as a base, the model of working capital management cycle is created from a system dynamics method. A close-tight and highly dependent relationship between revenue and profit growth rate with the cash conversion cycle is illustrated in this model by inputting some criteria. The illustration shows: 1.The cash conversion cycle will affect a company¡¦s profitability. 2.The cash conversion cycle will affect Cash flow shortage risk. 3.The cash conversion cycle focuses on the period of time between ¡§payment and receiving¡¨. When a company¡¦s revenue increases substantially but profit is not increased accordingly, the length of time between payments and receiving shows a gap is created by increasing cash payments on production but less increasing or decreasing cash receiving on sales. This gap will gradually cause cash outflow greater than cash inflow. Although the account indicates that the company is profitable, the company business operation will still suffer from the cash shortage eventually. Of course, the company¡¦s strong refinancing ability may solve this problem. However, if the company has problem of refinancing and increasing its operation capital, the raising cash outflow from the gap will trigger off a counterintuitive of ¡§bankruptcy from the technical insolvency ¡§.

Wider awareness, proper preparedness and effective mitigation strategies need better understanding of tsunamis and tsunami hazard assessment. Tsunami assessment study covers the exchange and enhancement of available earthquake and tsunami data, development of bathymetric and topographic data in sufficient resolution, selection of possible or credible tsunami scenarios, selection and application of the valid and verified numerical tools for tsunami generation, propagation, coastal amplification, inundation and visualization. From this point of view, this thesis deals with all these components of tsunami hazards assessment. The database of 38 different seismic sources is generated and applied to Eastern Mediterranean Basin by using numerical code called NAMI DANCE. Furthermore, the simulation results are compared and discussed. In the thesis, the difficulties in defining seismic source parameters, the effect of dip and rake (slip) angle on seismic generated tsunamis are evaluated. Moreover, the performance of the numerical code, the accuracy of results, the efficiency of the numerical methods in the application to Mediterranean Basin Tsunamis and the comparisons of simulations in nested domains for Bodrum, Kas and Iskenderun are given as case studies. According to the study, north-west and south-west of Turkey may have tsunami risk more than other regions. The maximum wave amplitudes, which may be expected to occur near the shore, are found more than 4 m. However, maximum positive wave amplitude observed in history is approximately 8 m. The arrival time of first wave to hit the coasts vary in a range of 15 to 60 minutes depending on the closeness of the location to the sources&rsquo / epicenter.

Major safety concerns are present at rural high speed intersections. When long uninterrupted tangents are located near rural intersections, the drivers can become inattentive to upcoming decision points. Traffic control devices could aid in mitigating these occurrences by warning drivers of upcoming decision points. One such device is transverse rumble strips, which act to provide motorists with an audible and tactile warning that their vehicle is approaching a decision point of critical importance to safety. The objective of this research was to determine if the presence of transverse rumble strips were an effective warning device for drivers approaching rural stop-controlled intersections. To evaluate the effectiveness of transverse rumble strips, vehicle speeds were measured at three locations along the approach to an intersection both before and after the installation of rumble strips. Vehicle speeds were measured at nine rural stop-controlled intersection sites in Texas. Overall, the installation of rumble strips generally produced small, but statistically significant (p ? 0.05), reductions in traffic speeds. There were some negative driver behavioral impacts (i.e., speed increases) that occurred after the installation of rumble strips. There were a few instances where speed change reductions of greater than 1 mph occurred, however, the overall trend was that speed change reductions were equal to or less than 1 mph. Although the rumble strips did not produce meaningful reductions in traffic speeds, they should still be considered based upon previous accident reductions and minimal installation costs.

Water distribution systems are vulnerable to intentional, along with accidental, contamination of the water supply. Contamination warning systems (CWS) are strategies to lessen the effects of contamination by delivering early indication of an event. Online quality monitoring, a network of sensors that can assess water quality and alert an operator of contamination, is a critical component of CWS, but utilities are faced with the decision of what locations are optimal for deployment of sensors. A sensor placement algorithm was developed and implemented in a commercial network distribution model (i.e. KYPIPE) to aid small utilities in sensor placement. The developed sensor placement tool was then validated using 12 small distribution system models and multiple contamination scenarios for the placement of one and two sensors. This thesis also addresses the issue that many sensor placement algorithms require calibrated hydraulic/water quality models, but small utilities do not always possess the financial resources or expertise to build calibrated models. Because of such limitations, a simple procedure is proposed to recommend optimal placement of a sensor without the need for a model or complicated algorithm. The procedure uses simple information about the geometry of the system and does not require explicit information about flow dynamics.

Bakgrund: Bland det värsta som kan hända företag är att få en going-concern varning eftersom det är en signal till intressenter om att företag inte tros överleva under en längre tidsperiod. Tidigare studier har studerat effekterna av en going-concern varning för företags intressenter och på kortsikt vad som händer med företag. Det gör att vi vill studera hur företag agerar för att undvika konkurs och likvidation och därmed överleva going-concern varning. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att förklara hur företag agerar för att överleva en going-concern varning med fokus på kommunikation. Vi kommer därför att skapa en modell. Metod: Studien har en forskningsansats som är deduktiv där vi tar avstamp från resursberoende teorin, institutionell teori och attribution theory. Den empiriska datan är av kvantitativ art och är insamlad via enkätundersökning samt en dokumentstudie av årsredovisningar. Slutsats: Vi har kommit fram till att en going-concern varning är en kris för företag. Företagen behöver identifiera relevanta intressenter vid en going-concern varning på grund av begränsade resurser. Identifieringen sker genom att studera om företaget innehar främst attributen makt och brådskande men även attributet legitimitet. För att företagen ska behålla en god relation till sina intressenter vid krisen behövs allmän och specifik kommunikation. För att hantera en going-concern varning och minska de negativa effekterna kan företagen använda sig av primär och sekundär kriskommunikationsstrategier. / Background: One of the worst things that can happen to a business is to receive a going-concern warning. That is due to the fact that a going-concern warning is a signal to stakeholders concerning the matter that it is a risk that the business will not survive the next twelve months. Earlier studies have examined the effects of a going-concern warning on the businesses stakeholders and what happens to companies in the short term. That has made us want to examine how business leaders act to avoid bankruptcy and liquidation and therefore survive a going-concern warning. Purpose: The purpose of our study is to explain how business leaders act in order to survive a going-concern warning. The focus of the study will be on communication. To fulfill this purpose we will construct a model. Method: The study has a deductive research approach with a base in resource dependence theory, attribution theory and institutional theory. The empirical data is of a quantitative nature and is collected through survey and a document study of annual reports. Conclusion: We have come to the conclusion that receiving a going-concern warning will be experienced like a crisis by companies. Due to scarce resources companies will need to priorities their stakeholder in order to keep the ones relevant to the survival of the business. Business leaders will identify relevant stakeholder by examining the presence of power, legitimacy and urgency in stakeholder-manager relationships. Companies will in order to keep a good relationship with their stakeholders communicate though information channels directed towards the public and specific stakeholders. To reduce the effects of a going-concern warning companies will use primary and secondary crisis response strategies.

評估俄羅斯菸盒警示圖文之警示效果研究 / Nowadays tobacco use leads to one of the most common reasons of preventable deaths. According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey, in 2012 Russia has moved to the first place as a most smoking country in the world. Since 2013 Russian government has implemented a variety of methods to reduce smoking in the country. There is not much research done to analyze one of these methods, graphic warning labels on cigarette packs, which were implemented in Russia more than one year ago. Therefore current study aims to evaluate how college students in Russia react on these warning labels. Using fear appeal theory and Witte’s Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), this research explains the advantages and disadvantages of graphic warning labels in Russia. Focus group was conducted to evaluate each of 12 graphic warnings. According to the focus group participants, the paradontosis, stillbirth, oncological diseases, and prematurity were the labels that made them feel concerned. The participants felt that these topics were very important, as the pictures were unpleasant, scary, or disgusting. However, topics, such as impotence, suffering, and emphysema were evaluated as indifferent, irrelevant, and not impressive. Also it has been noted that there is lack of knowledge among Russian college students about the harmful consequences of smoking. Topics, such as early aging and impotence were evaluated as they make no sense and irrelevant to smoking.

Five-axis CNC milling machine tools bring great facility to produce complex workpieces with increased dimensional accuracy and better surface quality in shorter machining times. However, kinematics of five-axis machine tools has a complex form which makes it difficult to operate these machine tools properly. The difficulty arises from the complexity of NC-Code generation and tool path verification. Collision of machine tool or setup components with each other is a severe problem in five-axis machining operations and usually results from inadequate postprocessors or insufficient collision checking due to absence of well-prepared simulation and verification programs. Five-axis CNC machine tool owners may get rid of this problem by purchasing commercial postprocessors, simulation and verification programs. However, these programs are expensive and small and medium enterprises (SME&rsquo / s) usually cannot afford the costs of these programs. In the related libraries of commercial programs, there is great number of CNC machine tools, which is generally unnecessary for SME&rsquo / s. An alternative to overcome this problem is to develop particular program, which is capable of postprocessing, simulating and verifying milling operations, for each certain five-axis CNC machine tool. In this study, a software named &ldquo / Manus 1.0&rdquo / , which performs postprocessing and simulation processes, has been developed for the high speed &ldquo / Mazak Variaxis 630-5X&rdquo / CNC five-axis machine tool, located in METU-BILTIR Center. Moreover, tool path verification algorithms have been developed to detect collisions. The software has been written in Borland C++ Builder5.0. The developed program has been tested in sample milling operations and satisfactory results have been achieved.