An Investigation into Vehicle Acceleration Characteristics on Freeway Loop Ramps

Freeway loop ramps are the most restrictive common interchange ramp design, with sharp curves and low design speeds. Drivers utilizing these ramps can be forced to accelerate rapidly on entry ramps or decelerate rapidly on exit ramps. This thesis has several goals: to gain information about acceleration and deceleration on freeway loop ramps—both where it occurs and the magnitude of the speed change rate; to evaluate what ramp characteristics are most predictive of speed change rate and form models based off of these characteristics; to use the observed speed change rates to form a way to test for the adequacy of auxiliary lanes. To accomplish these goals, the author uses a large dataset from the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 Naturalistic Driving Study (SHRP2 NDS). The dataset contains time-series vehicle dynamic data from nearly 2,000 vehicle trips on 20 freeway loop ramps in 5 states. The author supplemented this data set to be able to tie the dataset to physical locations and analyze the impact of various ramp characteristics on the speed change rates. The author uses two new terms, deceleration ratio and acceleration ratio to show where on the loop ramps deceleration and acceleration occur. Next, the actual deceleration rates and acceleration rates are shown and compared to the commonly used current rates. The author then models these rates using the most predictive ramp variables—radius of curve and speed limit of the adjacent freeway. Next, the author calls for updating the assumption of vehicle acceleration on ramps, suggesting that the rates of acceleration and deceleration may be closer than previously assumed and that acceleration may not be constant on loop ramps. Finally, the author introduces a method for determining the adequacy of auxiliary lanes on freeway loop ramps. In this thesis, the author finds that much of the acceleration on entrance loop ramps and deceleration on exit loop ramps occurs outside of the loop ramp proper—on either the freeway or the auxiliary lanes—and notes the importance of adequate auxiliary lanes. The author finds that deceleration rates on exit loop ramps may be lower than previously thought and recommends that a lower rate be used for design purposes. The author finds that using the “normal” acceleration rate of 3.6 ft/sec^2, many of the studied ramps do not provide adequate room for vehicles to reach the freeway speed limit before they are forced to merge onto the freeway

The artistry of John: the Fourth Gospel as narrative christology

The present work has two aims. The first aim is to introduce the method of narrative criticism to New Testament scholars and we attempt to do this in Part One. Narrative criticism of the Bible has been practised since the early 1980's, but since that time no one has established the nature and the aims of the method. This thesis is the first work to define what a comprehensive narrative-critical approach to the gospels might entail. It is also the first work to include historical concerns in the narrative-critical programme. The examples of narrative criticism we do have in New Testament studies all assume that narrative criticism must be an a-historical method. We point out the fallacy of this view by drawing attention to the recent sociological studies of the narrative form and to the narrative history debate in History Faculties during the 1960's and 1970's. These two movements in scholarship necessitate an historical dimension to narrative criticism if the narrative form is not to be greatly restricted and over-simplified. In Part One we provide an apology for narrative criticism and we show how future Johannine scholars might examine JOHN as narrative Christology (chapter one), narrative performance (chapter two), community narrative (chapter three) and narrative history (chapter four). In Part Two we provide an illustration of the method at work. Taking the Johannine passion narrative as our text (John 18-19), we show how this part of JOHN might be examined as narrative Christology (chapter five), narrative performance (chapter six), community narrative (chapter seven) and narrative history (chapter eight). This thesis is the first to expose these chapters to a thorough and rigorous literary approach. Our analysis reveals that the fourth evangelist has constructed his passion story with great artistry. We draw particular attention to narrative echo-effects, characterization, tragic mood, the reader's response of "home-coming" and time-shapes in John 18-19. These, and many other narrative strategies, contribute towards the classic, disclosing power of JOHN's story of the death of Jesus

An Investigation into Vehicle Acceleration Characteristics on Freeway Loop Ramps

Freeway loop ramps are the most restrictive common interchange ramp design, with sharp curves and low design speeds. Drivers utilizing these ramps can be forced to accelerate rapidly on entry ramps or decelerate rapidly on exit ramps. This thesis has several goals: to gain information about acceleration and deceleration on freeway loop ramps—both where it occurs and the magnitude of the speed change rate; to evaluate what ramp characteristics are most predictive of speed change rate and form models based off of these characteristics; to use the observed speed change rates to form a way to test for the adequacy of auxiliary lanes. To accomplish these goals, the author uses a large dataset from the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 Naturalistic Driving Study (SHRP2 NDS). The dataset contains time-series vehicle dynamic data from nearly 2,000 vehicle trips on 20 freeway loop ramps in 5 states. The author supplemented this data set to be able to tie the dataset to physical locations and analyze the impact of various ramp characteristics on the speed change rates. The author uses two new terms, deceleration ratio and acceleration ratio to show where on the loop ramps deceleration and acceleration occur. Next, the actual deceleration rates and acceleration rates are shown and compared to the commonly used current rates. The author then models these rates using the most predictive ramp variables—radius of curve and speed limit of the adjacent freeway. Next, the author calls for updating the assumption of vehicle acceleration on ramps, suggesting that the rates of acceleration and deceleration may be closer than previously assumed and that acceleration may not be constant on loop ramps. Finally, the author introduces a method for determining the adequacy of auxiliary lanes on freeway loop ramps. In this thesis, the author finds that much of the acceleration on entrance loop ramps and deceleration on exit loop ramps occurs outside of the loop ramp proper—on either the freeway or the auxiliary lanes—and notes the importance of adequate auxiliary lanes. The author finds that deceleration rates on exit loop ramps may be lower than previously thought and recommends that a lower rate be used for design purposes. The author finds that using the “normal” acceleration rate of 3.6 ft/sec^2, many of the studied ramps do not provide adequate room for vehicles to reach the freeway speed limit before they are forced to merge onto the freeway

The artistry of John: the Fourth Gospel as narrative christology

The present work has two aims. The first aim is to introduce the method of narrative criticism to New Testament scholars and we attempt to do this in Part One. Narrative criticism of the Bible has been practised since the early 1980's, but since that time no one has established the nature and the aims of the method. This thesis is the first work to define what a comprehensive narrative-critical approach to the gospels might entail. It is also the first work to include historical concerns in the narrative-critical programme. The examples of narrative criticism we do have in New Testament studies all assume that narrative criticism must be an a-historical method. We point out the fallacy of this view by drawing attention to the recent sociological studies of the narrative form and to the narrative history debate in History Faculties during the 1960's and 1970's. These two movements in scholarship necessitate an historical dimension to narrative criticism if the narrative form is not to be greatly restricted and over-simplified. In Part One we provide an apology for narrative criticism and we show how future Johannine scholars might examine JOHN as narrative Christology (chapter one), narrative performance (chapter two), community narrative (chapter three) and narrative history (chapter four). In Part Two we provide an illustration of the method at work. Taking the Johannine passion narrative as our text (John 18-19), we show how this part of JOHN might be examined as narrative Christology (chapter five), narrative performance (chapter six), community narrative (chapter seven) and narrative history (chapter eight). This thesis is the first to expose these chapters to a thorough and rigorous literary approach. Our analysis reveals that the fourth evangelist has constructed his passion story with great artistry. We draw particular attention to narrative echo-effects, characterization, tragic mood, the reader's response of "home-coming" and time-shapes in John 18-19. These, and many other narrative strategies, contribute towards the classic, disclosing power of JOHN's story of the death of Jesus

Landscapes of Internment: British Prisoner of War Camps and the Memory of the First World War

This article has been accepted for publication and will appear in a revised form, subsequent to peer review and/or editorial input by Cambridge University Press, in Journal of British Studies published by Cambridge University Press. Copyright Cambridge University Press.During the First World War, all the belligerent powers interned both civilian and military prisoners. In Britain alone, over 100,000 people were held behind barbed wire. Despite the scale of this enterprise, interment barely features in Britain's First World War memory culture. By exploring the place of prisoner of war camps within the "militarized environment" of the home front, this article demonstrates the centrality of internment to local wartime experiences. Being forced to share the same environment meant that both British civilians and German prisoners clashed over access to resources, roads and the surrounding landscape. As the article contends, it was only when the British started to employ the prisoners on environmental improvement measures, such as land drainage or river clearance projects, that relations gradually improved. With the end of the war and closure of the camps, however, these deep entanglements were quickly forgotten. Instead of commemorating the complexities of the conflict, Britain's memory culture focused on more comfortable narratives; British military "sacrifice" on the Western Front quickly replaced any discussion of the internment of the "enemy" at home

Understanding stories of professional formation during early childhood education and care practice placements

Narrative inquiry as a methodological approach enables us to examine how people represent their experiences and selves through storytelling (Chase, S. E. 2005. ‘Narrative Inquiry: Multiple Lenses, Approaches, Voices.’ In The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, edited by N. Denzin and Y. Lincoln, 651–679. London: Sage). To understand these constructions, other kinds of knowledge are required. Theories of social life, for example, help to interpret areas which narrative inquiry is good at revealing about human experiences such as the animation of temporality, sociality and place (Clandinin, J., V. Caine, A. Estefan, J. Huber, M. S. Murphy, and P. Steeves. 2015. ‘Places of Practice: Learning to Think Narratively.’ Narrative Works 5 (1). Accessed November 30, 2017. https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/NW/issue/view/1799). Drawing on interviews with practice educators and final-year undergraduate early childhood education and care (ECEC) students in North-West Ireland, this paper considers how narrative inquiry and education theories work together to illuminate key learning experiences of ECEC undergraduate students during 12-week practice placements. In this paper I attempt to show how two education theories – ‘Threshold Concepts’ and ‘Communities of Practice’ – shed light on the nature of these key learning experiences. The paper suggests that narrative inquiry offers an emancipatory research approach by uncovering human and reflective elements of learning journeys made by ECEC students during their practice placements

Vibrationally resolved electron-impact excitation cross sections for singlet states of molecular hydrogen

We present calculations of vibrationally resolved cross sections for excitation of the , B 1 Σ+u, C 1IIu, B’ 1Σ+u, D 1IIu, and E, F 1Σ+8 electronic states of molecular hydrogen. Here we apply the adiabatic nuclei convergent close-coupling method formulated in two-center prolate spheroidal coordinates. We find significant disagreement with previous calculations, where available