The development and control of traffic jams caused by incidents in rectangular grid networks.

Urban traffic congestion is becoming a central issue in transport planning. If the present growth in car ownership and use continues, traffic jams are likely to increase in frequency and extent, particularly within the central areas of major cities. Whilst it is important to study the impact of congestion in the field, there is an urgent need for a fundamental understanding of the causes of congestion and the way in which it propagates. But, although a number of control schemes for controlling traffic congestion exist, no comprehensive rationale for an effective dispersal strategy has been developed. This research is mainly concerned with the properties of incident-induced traffic jams on rectangular grid networks, and possible measures for preventing and controlling them. The research investigates the underlying structure of such jams using a combination of theoretical and simulation models developed for this purpose. Using these models, gridlock is identified as a crucial stage in the evolution of traffic jams. However, most conventional traffic management measures aim to increase capacity and hence postpone the onset of gridlock and are unsuitable when gridlock has already set in. This thesis develops several alternative strategies for protecting networks from gridlock and dissipating traffic jams once they have formed. The treatment focuses on the installation of bans at specific network locations. The bans come in two forms: turn or ahead. Turn bans are imposed on selected links to break gridlock cycles at the nucleus of the traffic jam. By contrast, ahead bans are implemented around the traffic jam envelope to reduce input into critical sections of the road. The control strategies are tested extensively using the simulation model and as a result, some general control principles have emerged. These are not intended to be immediately applicable to real networks since they incorporate some simplifying assumptions. However, they point to certain characteristics of traffic jam growth and dispersal which would not be accessible in any other way

How Reading Comprehension Strategies Support English Learners In A Primary Integrated Environment

English Learners (ELs) are an important and growing population of students in schools nationwide, and how they are taught can have a major impact on their academic success (of course). The overall purpose for this study is to ensure that ELs in my own classroom are taught reading comprehension strategies from an effective curriculum that meets their specific needs. The curriculum used in the school in which this study was conducted was a combination of Daily 5 and the Treasures curriculum. The question posed for my research is: “What instructional strategies are appropriate for teaching reading comprehension to second language students in an integrated primary environment?” In particular, I examine what aspects of the Daily 5 and Treasures curriculum work for ELLs in this class. The literature review for this capstone describes various literacy curricula that have been used and examines the evidence of academic success for ELs. It also describes the Daily 5 curriculum in detail, since that curriculum is used in this study. The study itself uses a mixed methods approach in which qualitative and quantitative research methods are used to analyze the success of the Daily 5 curriculum with a group of third grade EL students. Specifically, the study uses state test scores, formative assessments, student surveys, teacher surveys, and researcher observations as data. This data is analyzed in detail and I draw conclusions about the Daily 5 curriculum in my analysis. This study suggests that while the Daily 5 curriculum has some successful components, it is generally not successful with ELs and needs to be supplemented with additional instructional strategies. Finally, the capstone provides a series of recommendations for supporting ELs in a primary integrated environment

Leather Whips and Rapier Wit: Observations on Sadomasochists and the World They Have Created

What kind of world is the kink and fetish community? Is it a deep, dark, devilish abyss splattered with bodily fluids, coursing with gyrating bodies stomping out its heartbeat? Polite society seemingly thinks so. Bondage, and even worse, sadomasochism are portrayed by today\u27s television and media as satanic and evil, not what love between a man and woman should be. In today\u27s day and age, love is no longer limited to just one man or one woman, but still seems only appropriately hidden away behind closed doors, hidden from parents or children, a dirty act until marriage. What happens when you take a look into that abyss and find yourself swallowed whole by it? What happens when you shrug away the guilt and dogma of all your years and walk into this world you could never understand alone? I did such a thing; I cast away the restrictions of faith, ignored the nagging ghost of my mother\u27s voice on my conscious, and found myself my perfect guide on my first solo expedition into the unknown

A survey of vitamin D status in a northern suburbs practice in Johannesburg, South Africa

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Medicine in the branch of Internal Medicine Johannesburg, 2014Background: Hypovitaminosis D is endemic worldwide. With the discovery of extra skeletal receptors for 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, the influence of vitamin D (25(OH)D3) deficiency has been investigated in metabolic diseases. In South Africa, little is known about 25(OH)D3 status. Aim: To investigate the 25(OH)D3 status in patients in Johannesburg, and to assess for any correlation between 25(OH)D3 , metabolic diseases and patient demographics and seasonal variation. Methods: A retrospective study of 1000 patients attending a northern suburb practice in Johannesburg was performed. Serum 25(OH)D3 levels, demographics and metabolic data were collected. Results: The mean 25(OH)D3 level was 24.45ng/ml and 74.3% were vitamin D deficient. There was no difference in mean 25(OH)D3 levels between age or gender groups. The lowest mean 25(OH)D3 was in the Indian race (p=0.001), HOMA-IR >2 (p=0.001), fasting glucose >7 (p=0.016) and highest was measured during the summer (p=0.001). There was a significant correlation between 25(OH)D3 level and cholesterol (p=0.001), however no correlation was found with hypertension or diabetes. Conclusion: This study reports a high incidence of hypovitaminosis D especially among Indians. In this study there was no correlation between hypovitaminosis D and metabolic factors except for a negative correlation with the cholesterol level

Mangfold: et problem eller en ressurs? En kvalitativ studie av to barnehagers arbeid med kulturelt mangfold med fokus på tilhørighet og forskjellighet i barnegruppen

Problemstilling: Hvordan legger barnehagens personale til rette for et kulturelt mangfold med fokus på tilhørighet og forskjellighet i barnegruppen?publishedVersio

Ingen förstår varandra : Om poetiska framställningar av djur i Aase Bergs Liknöjd fauna

The problem of representing animals in literature and poetry is a topic that lately has started to receive more attention from theorists and literary scholars. In her poetry book Liknöjd fauna, the swedish poet Aase Berg creates a space for negotiating and deconstructing the borders between human, animal and nature. At the same time, the poems seem to lead a discussion on the very act of representing animals in text. This paper investigates how Berg uses different methods, such as collage and anthropomorphism, in order to represent animals not as commodified entities or exotic Others, but as living creatures with their own complex worlds