M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed August 20, 2009). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 178-184).

A generic object-oriented simulation platform is developed in order to conduct experiments on the performance of assignment schemes. The simulation platform, called Genesis, is generic in the sense that it can model the key parameters that describe a parallel system: the architecture, the program, the assignment scheme and the message routing strategy. Genesis uses as its basis a sound architectural representation scheme developed in the thesis. The thesis reports results from a number of experiments assessing the performance of assignment schemes using Genesis. The comparison results indicate that the new assignment scheme proposed in this thesis is a promising alternative to the work-greedy assignment schemes. The proposed scheme has a time-complexity less than those of the work-greedy schemes and achieves an average performance better than, or comparable to, those of the work-greedy schemes. To generate an assignment, some parameters describing the program model will be required. In many cases, accurate estimation of these parameters is hard. It is thought that inaccuracies in the estimation would lead to poor assignments. The thesis investigates this speculation and presents experimental evidence that shows such inaccuracies do not greatly affect the quality of the assignments.

Increasingly, highway transportation projects are tending to involve maintenance and rehabilitation work. The age and the condition of the transportation asset, in addition to funding constraints have been the key drivers of this trend. This implies that construction operations take place in the presence of traffic flows, leading to the creation of construction work zones. This has safety implications for the commuters and construction workers alike. In addition, construction operations also hamper mobility through the work zone. Effective management of the work zone is thus very important from the perspective of construction and mobility. The preferred and mandated method to manage the impacts of the work zone is the Transportation Management Plan, which prescribes a set of coordinated strategies for the same. The strategies used in a TMP range from enforcing lane closures to modifying the construction sequencing. As the choice of particular strategies or a combination of those affects the work zone, assessing TMP strategies is important to inform future decisions. This thesis proposes a framework for the qualitative assessment of TMP strategies and TMP processes using cognitive task analysis methods. The application of the proposed method is demonstrated through two case studies of large highway reconstruction projects, involving significant bridge reconstruction. The knowledge elicitation techniques are discussed and the obtained knowledge is represented using different knowledge representation structures. The benefits and the applicability of CTA methods are explored through the case studies of projects using different contracting strategies. Finally, recommendations are made for the design of decision support tools, based on the insights obtained through the analysis. / text

Increasingly, highway transportation projects are tending to involve maintenance and rehabilitation work. The age and the condition of the transportation asset, in addition to funding constraints have been the key drivers of this trend. This implies that construction operations take place in the presence of traffic flows, leading to the creation of construction work zones. This has safety implications for the commuters and construction workers alike. In addition, construction operations also hamper mobility through the work zone. Effective management of the work zone is thus very important from the perspective of construction and mobility. The preferred and mandated method to manage the impacts of the work zone is the Transportation Management Plan, which prescribes a set of coordinated strategies for the same. The strategies used in a TMP range from enforcing lane closures to modifying the construction sequencing. As the choice of particular strategies or a combination of those affects the work zone, assessing TMP strategies is important to inform future decisions. This thesis proposes a framework for the qualitative assessment of TMP strategies and TMP processes using cognitive task analysis methods. The application of the proposed method is demonstrated through two case studies of large highway reconstruction projects, involving significant bridge reconstruction. The knowledge elicitation techniques are discussed and the obtained knowledge is represented using different knowledge representation structures. The benefits and the applicability of CTA methods are explored through the case studies of projects using different contracting strategies. Finally, recommendations are made for the design of decision support tools, based on the insights obtained through the analysis. / text

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1990. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-73). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis, PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

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