This thesis documents the results of the calibration of the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) safety performance function (SPF) for rural two-lane two-way roadway segments in Utah and the development of new SPFs using negative binomial and hierarchical Bayesian modeling techniques. SPFs estimate the safety of a roadway entity, such as a segment or intersection, in terms of number of crashes. The new SPFs were developed for comparison to the calibrated HSM SPF. This research was performed for the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT).The study area was the state of Utah. Crash data from 2005-2007 on 157 selected study segments provided a 3-year observed crash frequency to obtain a calibration factor for the HSM SPF and develop new SPFs. The calibration factor for the HSM SPF for rural two-lane two-way roads in Utah is 1.16. This indicates that the HSM underpredicts the number of crashes on rural two-lane two-way roads in Utah by sixteen percent. The new SPFs were developed from the same data that were collected for the HSM calibration, with the addition of new data variables that were hypothesized to have a significant effect on crash frequencies. Negative binomial regression was used to develop four new SPFs, and one additional SPF was developed using hierarchical (or full) Bayesian techniques. The empirical Bayes (EB) method can be applied with each negative binomial SPF because the models include an overdispersion parameter used with the EB method. The hierarchical Bayesian technique is a newer, more mathematically-intense method that accounts for high levels of uncertainty often present in crash modeling. Because the hierarchical Bayesian SPF produces a density function of a predicted crash frequency, a comparison of this density function with an observed crash frequency can help identify segments with significant safety concerns. Each SPF has its own strengths and weaknesses, which include its data requirements and predicting capability. This thesis recommends that UDOT use Equation 5-11 (a new negative binomial SPF) for predicting crashes, because it predicts crashes with reasonable accuracy while requiring much less data than other models. The hierarchical Bayesian process should be used for evaluating observed crash frequencies to identify segments that may benefit from roadway safety improvements.

This thesis contains the results of the development of crash prediction models for curved segments of rural two-lane two-way highways in the state of Utah. The modeling effort included the calibration of the predictive model found in the Highway Safety Manual (HSM) as well as the development of Utah-specific models developed using negative binomial regression. The data for these models came from randomly sampled curved segments in Utah, with crash data coming from years 2008-2012. The total number of randomly sampled curved segments was 1,495. The HSM predictive model for rural two-lane two-way highways consists of a safety performance function (SPF), crash modification factors (CMFs), and a jurisdiction-specific calibration factor. For this research, two sample periods were used: a three-year period from 2010 to 2012 and a five-year period from 2008 to 2012. The calibration factor for the HSM predictive model was determined to be 1.50 for the three-year period and 1.60 for the five-year period. These factors are to be used in conjunction with the HSM SPF and all applicable CMFs. A negative binomial model was used to develop Utah-specific crash prediction models based on both the three-year and five-year sample periods. A backward stepwise regression technique was used to isolate the variables that would significantly affect highway safety. The independent variables used for negative binomial regression included the same set of variables used in the HSM predictive model along with other variables such as speed limit and truck traffic that were considered to have a significant effect on potential crash occurrence. The significant variables at the 95 percent confidence level were found to be average annual daily traffic, segment length, total truck percentage, and curve radius. The main benefit of the Utah-specific crash prediction models is that they provide a reasonable level of accuracy for crash prediction yet only require four variables, thus requiring much less effort in data collection compared to using the HSM predictive model.

The modulus of aggregate base layers in pavement structures can potentially be increased through the use of geogrid. However, methods for determining how much structural benefit can be expected from a given geogrid product have not been standardized. A laboratory testing protocol is therefore needed to enable evaluation, in terms of modulus or California bearing ratio (CBR), for example, of the degree of improvement that may be achieved by a given geogrid. Consequently, the objective of this research was to identify a laboratory test method that can be used to quantify improvements in structural capacity of aggregate base materials reinforced with geogrid. For this research, National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 598 repeated load triaxial, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) T 307 quick shear, and CBR testing protocols were used to test unreinforced and geogrid-reinforced aggregate base materials from northern Utah. Biaxial and triaxial geogrid were investigated in multiple reinforcement configurations. Several statistical analyses were performed on the results of each test method to identify the test that is most likely to consistently show an improvement in the structural capacity of aggregate base materials reinforced with geogrid. The results of this research indicate that, for the methods and materials evaluated in this study, calculation of the modulus at 2 percent strain from the AASHTO T 307 quick shear data is the test method most likely to consistently show an improvement in structural capacity associated with geogrid reinforcement. Of the three configurations investigated as part of this research, placing the geogrid at an upper position within a specimen is preferred. Given that the end goal of the use of geogrid reinforcement is to improve pavement performance, additional research is needed to compare the results of the AASHTO T 307 quick shear test obtained in the laboratory with the structural capacity of geogrid-reinforced aggregate base materials measured in the field. In addition, correlations between the results of the AASHTO T 307 quick shear test and resilient modulus need to be investigated in order to incorporate the findings of the AASHTO T 307 quick shear test on reinforced base materials into mechanistic-empirical pavement design.

The study starts with a historical overview of the notion of gender and sexual identity and belonging in the German Christian church as seen from a queer and intersectional gender studies perspective. The following study moves to explore three individual experiences and encounters with the Christian church. The experiences are contemporary and have been made by queer Christians inside the church and during the creation of a personal faith that is suitable for their needs. With the analytical help of the feminist standpoint theory and queer theory, the researcher examines a limited empirical corpus based on three interviews. The study centers on the experiences of these participants and asks fundamental questions about how to unite two significant belongings that seem to be contradictory. These sample stories include individuals who openly belong to the queer community. They have worked in and for the church or study theology. The stories of such double belonging have been investigated through semi-structured interviews. The discussion and analysis outline similar experiences made by the participants. The main findings include the lack of language and role models that lead to experiences of loneliness and exclusion. How they construe their sense of faith varies as faith is individual. Nevertheless, and as highlighted, is the immense significance of being religious, the importance of spirituality and faith for the inquired members of the LGBTQIA+ community, but not necessarily church as an institution.

Severe flooding events in recent years have underlined the importance of accurate hydrological modelling in urban areas. There are many important parameters relating to both the rainfall distribution and properties of the land on which the rain falls that controls the impacts of the rain event. While the importance of input parameters such as initial water content, topography and extent of hardened surfaces is widely known, their impact on hydrological response in urban areas is not thoroughly understood. In 2017, scientists from the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SMHI, presented five empirical hyetographs based on long-term Swedish municipal rain data (Olsson, et al., 2017). The hyetographs vary in location of peak and distribution of intensity. Olsson (2019) evaluated the hydrological response in terms of water depth of the hyetographs in relation to Chicago Design Storm (CDS), a common design storm used in Swedish hydrological modelling, and found that CDS nearly always overestimates the hydrological response in comparison to the empirical hyetographs, meaning historical rainfall intensity distributions, developed by SMHI.  The aim of this thesis is to analyse the robustness of empirical hyetographs by conducting a sensitivity analysis of a generic urban model with a variation of input parameters. A statistical analysis of data on hardened surfaces, topography and initial water content was conducted to find the median, 5th and 95th percentile respectively of the range of values in Swedish conditions. These values were applied to a synthetic urban model and run together with the five empirical hyetographs and CDS in MIKE 21. The results indicate that the empirical hyetographs are not very robust relating to variations in infiltration capacity (initial water content and amount of hardened areas), while they are more robust when varying the topography. The variation of topography also resulted in large variations in water depth, time to peak and extent of flooded area, while variation of initial water content and amount of hardened surfaces had smaller, although still clear, effects. Furthermore, the results show that hyetographs with a late peak are more sensitive to variations in initial water content and hardened surfaces than hyetographs with an early peak. On average, CDS estimates the response in comparison to the empirical hyetographs accurately, with an average overestimation of 0.5%, but does not capture the range and complexity of the empirical hyetographs. Including the frequency of the different hyetographs, CDS gave an overestimation of 5% compared to the empirical hyetographs. The highlight the uncertainty in using CDS as input for urban cloudburst modelling, but limitations in form of catchment properties in a study area and the importance of the input values limits the generability of the study. / De senaste årens allvarliga översvämningshändelser har understrukit vikten av noggrann hydrologisk modellering i stadsområden. Även om betydelsen av parametrar som initial vattenmättnad, topografi och andelen hårdgjorda ytor är allmänt känd, är deras inverkan på urban hydrodynamisk modellering inte helt klarlagd. Under 2017 presenterade forskare från Sveriges Meteorologiska och Hydrologiska Institut, SMHI, fem empiriska hyetografer baserade på långvariga kommunala regndata (Olsson et al., 2017). Hyetograferna varierar i fördelning av intensitet och tidsmässig placering av maxintensitet. Olsson (2019) utvärderade hyetografernas hydrologiska respons i relation till Chicago Design Storm (CDS), en vanlig designstorm som används i svensk hydrologisk modellering, och fann att CDS nästan alltid överskattar responsen i jämförelse med de empiriska hyetograferna.  Syftet med detta examensarbete är att analysera robustheten hos de empiriska hyetograferna genom att utföra en känslighetsanalys av en generisk stadsmodell med en variation av ingångsparametrar. En statistisk analys av data om hårdgjorda ytor, topografi och initial vattenmättnad genomfördes för att hitta median, 5:e respektive 95:e percentilen av värdena i svenska förhållanden. Dessa värden applicerades på en generisk stadsmodell och kördes tillsammans med de fem empiriska hyetograferna och CDS i MIKE 21. Resultaten indikerar att de empiriska hyetograferna inte är helt robusta vad gäller variationer i infiltrationskapacitet (initial vattenmättnad och andel hårdgjorda ytor), medan de är mer robusta vid variation av topografin. Variationen av topografi resulterade också i stora variationer i vattendjup, tid till maxflöde och utbredning av översvämmat område, medan variation av initial vattenmättnad och mängden hårdgjorda ytor hade mindre, men fortfarande tydliga, effekter. Vidare visar resultaten att hyetografer med sen topp är känsligare för variationer i initial vattenhalt och hårdgjorda ytor än hyetografer med tidig topp. I genomsnitt uppskattar CDS responsen från de empiriska hyetograferna korrekt, med en genomsnittlig överskattning på 0.5%, men fångar inte omfånget och komplexiteten hos de empiriska hyetograferna. Inräknat frekvensen av de olika hyetograferna gav CDS en överskattning på 5 % jämfört med de empiriska hyetograferna. Resultaten belyser osäkerheterna i att använda CDS regn som drivdata i skyfallsmodelleringar för stadsplanering, men begränsningar i form av markegenskaper i ett enskilt studieområde och vikten av modellens initialvärden begränsar dock generaliteten för studien.

Inom hälso- och sjukvård pågår ett ständigt förändringsarbete, både vad det gäller metoder och arbetssätt. Då båda författarna har många års erfarenhet som sjuksköterskor, har vi hunnit vara med om flera implementeringar på våra respektive arbetsplatser. Utifrån personalens upplevelser kan dessa implementeringar vara av både positiv och negativ karaktär. Detta gjorde att tankarna väcktes om vad det var som gjorde att vi upplevde vissa förändringar positiva och andra negativa? Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilka möjligheter och hinder sjuksköterskan ser vid implementering av nya metoder eller arbetssätt. Metoden var en kvalitativ intervjuundersökning på tio yrkesverksamma sjuksköterskor. Resultatet visade att många sjuksköterskor upplevde att tiden och informationen var de största möjligheterna men även hindret gällande hur lyckad en implementering skulle bli. Slutsats: Många sjuksköterskor var positiva till implementering, men att man många gånger såg tiden och informationen som avgörande för huruvida lyckad eventuell implementering skulle bli. Det som man även pekade på var att varifrån beslutet än kom, var det viktigt att de som skulle implementera något verkligen såg vinsterna med det nya. Annars tenderade det att misslyckas på grund av bristande engagemang. / The health care is in a constant change, both in terms of methods and approaches. Both authors have many years of experience as nurses, we have therefore been involved in several implementations at our respective workplace. Based on our experiences this implementation can be either of positive or negative character. What was it that made the experience of changes in some case positive and in some negative? The purpose of the study was to explore the possibilities and obstacles nurse’s have to face when implementation of new methods or approaches is to take place. The method was a qualitative interview study of ten professional nurses. The results showed that many nurses felt that the time and information was the greatest opportunities but also the obstacle of how successful an implementation would be. Conclusion: Many nurses were positive to implementation, but they saw many times that the time and information was critical to how successfully any implementation would be. It also pointed out to us that wherever the decision came from, it was important that those who would implement something really saw the benefits of the new. Otherwise it tended to fail because of lack of commitment.

This thesis acts as one of the first studies that analyzes the safety effects of Edge Lane Roads (ELR) for all road users. This is important since ELRs can be a solution to many issues, such as alleviating congestion, increasing multimodality along roadways, and reducing maintenance costs. ELRs in both North America and Australia were observed. Starting with the North American ELRs, the following study designs were employed to estimate the safety of ELRs: (a) yoked comparison where each ELR installation was matched with at least two comparable 2-lane roads to serve as comparison sites and (b) an Empirical Bayes (EB) before/after analysis for ELR sites where requisite data on AADT and other relevant characteristics were available. Crash data was collected and compiled into four different groups: ELR before implementation, ELR after implementation, comparison site before ELR implementation, and comparison site after ELR comparison. The yoked comparison showed 9 of the 13 sites that had lower crash counts compared to their respective comparison sites. The EB analysis showed all 11 ELRs that were observed demonstrated a reduction in crashes. Moving to the Australian ELRs, the following study designs were employed: (c) analysis of general crash counts/trends, and (d) reverse EB analysis. The analysis of general crash counts and trends showed that each of the Australian ELRs exhibited very low amounts of crashes for 5 years, which further shows how safe these facilities are. Moving forward to the reverse EB analysis, 5 of the 8 ELR sites demonstrated a reduction in crashes. Overall, the results were generally favorable and indicated that ELRs provided a safer experience for cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians. More analysis is recommended as more data becomes available on these ELRs. Examples of this include using pedestrian and bicycle data to better understand the safety effects VRUs experience on North American facilities or gathering enough crash data to conduct 3-year reverse EB analyses for ELRs that were expanded to 2-lane roads. Hence, a recommendation can be made to implement a few experimental ELRs in rural locations throughout the State of California to help it meet its SB-1 objectives.

KM is the process of creating value from the intangible assets of an enterprise. It deals with how best to leverage knowledge internally in the enterprise (in its individual employees, and the knowledge that gets built into its structures and systems) and externally to the customers and stakeholders. As KM initiatives, projects and systems are just beginning to appear in organisations, there is little research and empirical field data to guide the successful development and implementation of such systems or to guide the expectations of the potential benefits of such systems. In addition, about 84 per cent of KM programmes failed or exerted no significant impact on the adopting organisations worldwide due to inability to consider many critical factors that contribute to the success of KM project implementation. Hence, this study is an exploratory investigation into the KM implementation based on an integrated approach. This includes: (1) a comprehensive review of the relevant literature; (2) a comprehensive analysis of secondary case studies of KM implementations in 90 organisations presented in the literature, in order to arrive at the most critical factors of KM implementation and their degree of criticality; (3) exploratory global survey of 92 organisations in 23 countries that have already implemented or are in the process of implementing KM; (4) in-depth case studies of four leading organisations to understand how KM implementation processes and the critical factors identified are being addressed. Based on the empirical findings of the study, 28 critical factors were identified that must be carefully considered in the KM implementation to achieve a successful project. Moreover, the study proposes an integrated model for effective KM implementation which contains essential elements that contribute to project success. / Government of Saudi Arabia represented by King Saud University.

The oil and gas industry in Libya has suffered a number of health and safety accidents including environmental disasters due to the nature of the work involved and the hazardous materials it handles in all facets of exploration and production. Such issues have hitherto not received due attention by the Libyan Authorities. The fact that strict HSE assessment standards are neither well-defined nor established in Libya is not helpful. Furthermore, oil and gas industry in new free Libya has suffered immensely during the 2011 Arab Spring and its rebuilding poses a number of critical HSE challenges. The purpose of the research is to develop and validate a HSE Performance Review Methodology for Libyan oil and gas industry based on clearly defined and measurable aspects for assessment. The thesis starts by performing a comprehensive literature review on all aspects of HSE including universal standards. The review indicates that there is a gap in respect of semi-qualitative methods for assessing HSE performance commensurate with other disciplines. The thesis then identifies four key research problems in the context of Libyan oil and gas industries. Based on these problems, an empirical research was conducted and included three distinct Stages. Stage 1 consisted of a pilot study based on an interview questionnaire with 15 experienced HSE professionals working in oil and gas companies in Libya to help identify key issues pertaining to HSE assessment. Data analysis results for Stage 2 have been used to derive a list of 12 main groups of HSE questions which have then been tested on 84 HSE professionals working in Libya stemming from 35 medium and large oil and gas companies. Modal distribution analyses have been performed to scope down the number of HSE performance factors, which would then be used in Stage 3 of the empirical research. This consisted of issuing the same 84 interviewees with a questionnaire requesting their assessment of how Critical, Important and Less Important were the 60 factors identified. Central Tendency, Variation Ratios and Indices of Diversity were used to successfully analyse the data. With the QAA Subject Review in mind as a potential model for the sought methodology, and a mapping of the four research problems with data analysis results from Stages 1, 2 and 3; six HSE Performance Review Aspects emerged: Prevention, Surveillance, Response, Achievements, Resource and HSE Management and Enhancement – judged and graded using a 1 to 4 scale. The HSE Performance Review methodology has been validated by direct application to five comprehensive studies starting from the self-assessment document written by the companies, an extensive review visit by peer-assessors and a final report showing grades, benchmarks and shortcomings. Lessons learned from the validation exercise have been used to revise the definition of the six Aspects and used to propose an appropriate implementation plan in Libya. The results of the validation exercise are very encouraging and readily confirm that the methodology can be applied to other industry sectors.

The research investigates the feasibility of applying 2D accessibility guidelines to enhance a 3D digital planning tool's accessibility for individuals with visual impairments. Three primary research questions guide this study. It incorporated a mixed-method data collection approach to comprehensively investigate these questions. The study began with a designer interview to understand the current state of accessibility within a 3D planning tool, how designers ensure compliance with guidelines, guideline adherence, and implementation strategies.Subsequently, empirical user testing was conducted involving six participants with visual impairments. This methods aimed to obtain diverse user perspectives, emphasizing the user-centered nature of the study. The designer interview highlighted four critical accessibility issues: keyboard accessibility, information clarity, clear labeling, and focus visibility. Addressing these issues aligned the 3D planning tool with WCAG 2.1 guidelines and resulted in significant enhancements in it's accessibility.Empirical user testing revealed varying degrees of success among different users with visual impairments, highlighting both the successes and challenges of implementing accessibility features, and emphasizing the complexity of designing for individuals with visual impairments. The study identified key features that contributed to an enhanced user experience, including accessibility through assistive technology, effective scanning navigation strategies, and challenges for improvements in areas such as clear descriptions and interaction feedback. This research has broader implications, impacting both the practical and scientific fields of accessibility. It offers practical significance for companies like IKEA, emphasizing the importance of a user-centered approach to empower users and gather unique insights from individuals with disabilities. Contributing inclusivity and user-friendliness in 3D planning tools.The findings highlight the significance of accessible user interface elements and the importance of compatibility with assistive technologies. A need for inclusive design methods in the development of 3D planning tools and the creation of specific accessibility guidelines designed for 3D environments. In conclusion, this research demonstrates the feasibility of applying 2D accessibility guidelines to enhance the accessibility of 3D digital planning tools. The research contributes to both practical design considerations and the scientific understanding of accessibility challenges in 3D environments.It holds the potential to improve the industry, empower users, and enhance overall accessibility standards. The findings underscore the importance of user-centered design, the complexity of designing in 3D context and to diverse user needs, the interplay between accessibility and usability, and the ongoing need for improvements to enhance the user experience, to create more inclusive and user-friendly 3D digital planning solutions for everyone.