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Uncertainty Quantification Problems in Tsunami Modeling and Reduced Order Models for Hyperbolic Partial Differential Equations
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2017-06In this thesis, we consider an uncertainty quantification (UQ) problem that arises from tsunami modeling, namely the probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment (PTHA) problem. The goal of PTHA is to compute the probability of inundation at coastal communities, and the uncertainty originates from the unknown slip distribution of potential tsunamigenic earthquakes. First, we show that the Karhunen-Lo`eve (K-L) expansion can be used to gener- ate a wide range of random earthquake scenarios that represent this uncertainty well. Then we propose a multi-resolution approach to estimate the inundation: since it is computation- ally expensive to accurately estimate the inundation resulting from each scenario by using only fine-grid runs, many cheap coarse-grid runs are used instead to bulid an approximation. For physical models that involve hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs), dimen- sionality reduction techniques such as the K-L expansion or multi-resolution approaches face limitations due to the fact that snapshot matrices built from solutions often exhibit slow de- cay in singular values, whereas fast decay is crucial for the success of many projection-based model reduction methods. To overcome this problem, we build on previous work in symme- try reduction [Rowley and Marsden, Physica D (2000), pp. 1-19] and propose an iterativealgorithm we call transport reversal that decomposes the snapshot matrix into multiple shift- ing profiles, each with a corresponding speed in 1D. Its applicability to typical hyperbolic problems is demonstrated through numerical examples, and other natural extensions that modify the shift operator are considered. Transport or wave phenomena are much more complicated in multiple spatial dimensions, and in our approach to extend the transport reversal algorithm to higher dimensions it becomes crucial to generalize the large time-step (LTS) operators [LeVeque, SIAM J. Numer. Anal. (1985), pp.1051-1073]. For this purpose, we introduce a dimensional splitting method using the Radon transform, that enables the transport reversal introduced above for 1D to be extended to higher spatial dimensions. This dimensional splitting is of interest in its own right, and its applications to the solution of acoustic equation, absorbing boundary condition and displacement interpolation are illustrated. This splitting method requires inverting the Radon transform, and a method for inversion using conjugate gradient algorithm will be discussed
Community Cultural Arts Participation through Sensory Friendly Theatre: Parent and Organization Experiences and Perspectives
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2017Background: Children with sensory processing and developmental disabilities and their families experience barriers in the built, sensory, and social environments that limit their community cultural arts participation. Occupational therapists have begun using innovative service delivery approaches to dismantle these barriers and provide this population with community participation access. Using organization-level consultation, occupational therapists partner with community cultural arts organizations to develop sensory friendly programs that utilize environmental modifications, preparatory materials, and trained staff to support cultural arts participation for this population of children and families. Objective: The primary aim of this research was to investigate family and organization experiences and impacts of a sensory friendly theatre program developed with organization-level occupational therapy consultation. A secondary aim was to investigate organization perspectives on the sensory friendly program development process and partnership with the occupational therapy consultant. Methods: Qualitative case study methodology was used to investigate parent and organization experiences and perspectives. Primary data were collected through in-person semi-structured interviews with nine parents and four theatre staff. Parent and staff interview data were coded and analyzed separately using an inductive approach to identify themes unique to each stakeholder group. Results: Sensory friendly theatre as a “Deeply Meaningful Family Participation Experience” was the primary theme emerging from the parent data. Two secondary themes, the “Power of the Social Environment” and “Unique Children Need Unique Supports” informed understanding of the factors behind families’ positive experiences. A final secondary theme, “Inclusive but Safe Participation Experiences” described parents’ visions for future community opportunities. Conceptualization of the sensory friendly program as “Ignited by Organizational Mission and Personal Commitment” was the prominent theme emerging from the organizational data. Additional themes, “Pathfinding with Expert Consultation and Internal Resources” and “Challenges Worth Tackling,” described staff’s perceptions of key program facilitators and challenges. A final theme, “Powerful Personal and Organization Impacts,” described perceived positive outcomes of sensory friendly program development. Limitations: The scope of this research was limited by the inclusion of only two stakeholder groups and lack of direct data from children with disabilities, actors, and crew members. The primary investigator’s involvement in program development increased potential for bias. Thus, methodological elements including member checks, multiple modes of data collection, peer review, and collaboration between multiple researchers were incorporated to promote trustworthiness of results. Conclusions: Research findings support the potential of sensory friendly programming to promote successful cultural arts participation among families with children with sensory processing and developmental disabilities. Findings also support organization-level consultation as a promising service delivery model to enhance community organizations’ capacities to serve diverse populations. More research is needed to broaden understanding of sensory friendly theatre’s impacts on stakeholders including children with disabilities, actors, and crew members. Further exploration of the consultative occupational therapy process within cultural arts and other community organizations is also needed to support development of best practices for this innovative service approach
"Scotland's Future in Scotland's Hands": Identity, Memory, and Grievance in the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2017-08The 2014 Scottish independence referendum was a benchmark moment in the history of Scottish nationalism, resulting directly from the Scottish National Party’s landslide victory in the 2011 Scottish parliamentary elections and indirectly from the gradual growth of the Scottish nationalist movement. Scottish nationalism is rooted in grievances against the British state, particularly the democratic deficit surrounding Scottish representation in the British government, as well as the survival of the distinct Scottish identity, perpetuated since the 1707 Act of Union through the legacy of Scotland’s unique civic institutions. Scottish collective memory has cemented national grievances in Scottish society and serves as a tool for nationalists to mobilize popular support, as happened during the 2014 referendum campaign. In their official campaign rhetoric, the SNP utilized collective memory of national grievances, especially that of the democratic deficit, to justify independence as the only course of action to ensure Scotland’s prosperity. In this paper, I present an overview of the historical development of Scottish nationalism and the independence movement from the 1707 Act of Union to the 2014 referendum. I then outline the ideological foundations of Scottish nationalism—grievance, collective memory, and institutional legacy—reviewing the scholarship and theories supporting these mechanisms and analyzing how they interact to shape the Scottish national movement. I then review the scholarship surrounding identity and nationalism in political discourse generally and in Scotland, as well as of other scholarship focusing on the 2014 referendum as an expression of Scottish nationalism. I then analyze the SNP’s campaign rhetoric—specifically the SNP government’s independence manifesto and speeches made by First Minister Alex Salmond and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for the Yes Scotland campaign—focusing on how the SNP constructed Scottish national identity and, most important, how they justified Scottish independence. I then investigate how the SNP’s rhetoric affected popular mobilization leading up to the referendum, before offering concluding thoughts on the likelihood of a second independence referendum
Methods for Evaluating the Performance and Human Stress-Factors of Percussive Riveting
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2017-06The aerospace industry automates portions of their manufacturing and assembly processes. However, mechanics still remain vital to production, especially in areas where automated machines cannot fit, or have yet to match the quality of human craftsmanship. One such task is percussive riveting. Because percussive riveting is associated with a high risk of injury, these tool must be certified prior to release. The major contribution of this thesis is to develop a test bench capable of percussive riveting for ergonomic evaluation purposes. The major issues investigated are: (i) automate the tool evaluation method to be repeatable; (ii) demonstrate use of displacement and force sensors; and (iii) correlate performance and risk exposure of percussive tools. A test bench equipped with servomotors and pneumatic cylinders to control xyz-position of a rivet gun and bucking bar simultaneously, is used to explore this evaluation approach
Quantifying the Influence of Dynamics Across Scales on Regional Climate Uncertainty in Western North America
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2017Uncertainties in climate projections at the regional scale are inevitably larger than those for global mean quantities. Here, focusing on western North American regional climate, several approaches are taken to quantifying uncertainties starting with the output of global climate model projections. Internal variance is found to be an important component of the projection uncertainty up and down the west coast. To quantify internal variance and other projection uncertainties in existing climate models, we evaluate different ensemble configurations. Using a statistical framework to simultaneously account for multiple sources of uncertainty, we find internal variability can be quantified consistently using a large ensemble or an ensemble of opportunity that includes small ensembles from multiple models and climate scenarios. The latter offers the advantage of also producing estimates of uncertainty due to model differences. We conclude that climate projection uncertainties are best assessed using small single-model ensembles from as many model-scenario pairings as computationally feasible. We then conduct a small single-model ensemble of simulations using the Model for Predic- tion Across Scales with physics from the Community Atmosphere Model Version 5 (MPAS- CAM5) and prescribed historical sea surface temperatures. In the global variable resolution domain, the finest resolution (at 30 km) is in our region of interest over western North Amer- ica and upwind over the northeast Pacific. In the finer-scale region, extreme precipitation from atmospheric rivers (ARs) is connected to tendencies in seasonal snowpack in mountains of the Northwest United States and California. In most of the Cascade Mountains, winters with more AR days are associated with less snowpack, in contrast to the northern Rockies and California’s Sierra Nevadas. In snowpack observations and reanalysis of the atmospheric circulation, we find similar relationships between frequency of AR events and winter season snowpack in the western United States. In spring, however, there is not a clear relationship between number of AR days and seasonal mean snowpack across the model ensemble, so caution is urged in interpreting the historical record in the spring season. Finally, the representation of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) — an important source of interannual climate predictability in some regions — is explored in a large single- model ensemble using ensemble Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOFs) to find modes of variance across the entire ensemble at once. The leading EOF is ENSO. The principal components (PCs) of the next three EOFs exhibit a lead-lag relationship with the ENSO signal captured in the first PC. The second PC, with most of its variance in the summer season, is the most strongly cross-correlated with the first. This approach offers insight into how the model considered represents this important atmosphere-ocean interaction. Taken together these varied approaches quantify the implications of climate projections regionally, identify processes that make snowpack water resources vulnerable, and seek insight into how to better simulate the large-scale climate modes controlling regional variability
The Influence of an Orographic Feature on an Idealized Mid-Latitude Cyclone
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2017-08The interaction of a mid-latitude cyclone with an isolated north-south mountain barrier is examined using idealized numerical simulation. A prototypical cyclone develops from an isolated disturbance in a baroclinically unstable shear flow upstream of the ridge, producing a cold front that interacts strongly with the topography. The structure and evolution of the lee waves launched by the topography are analyzed, including their temporal and their north-south variation along the ridge. Typical mountain wave patterns are generated by a 500-m high mountain, while substantial wave breaking occurs above a mountain with 2-km height, both at low levels in the lee and in the lower stratosphere. Both local wave characteristics (like their structure and magnitude) and integrated effects of these waves (the pressure drag and momentum flux) often exhibit significant differences from the waves produced in 2D or 3D simulations with steady large-scale flow structures corresponding to the instantaneous conditions over the mountain in the evolving flow. Stratospheric wave breaking over a sufficiently high ridge causes significant removal of the cross-mountain momentum, and strong regions of deceleration are observed above the jet core. Low-level blocking and displacement of the developing cyclone are other ways the mountain influences the synoptic system. Small-amplitude perturbations strongly influence the domain-averaged flow response to the terrain. The mountain waves are also observed to have an influence on the atmospheric KE spectra, producing a k^{-5/3} spectra over a wide range of mesoscale wavenumbers in the stratosphere; this slope is not present in the absence of terrain. The spectral energy budget is calculated, and the gravity waves directly inject energy into the mesoscale, which is then cascaded upscale. These results suggest that terrain forcing is sufficient for building a k^{-5/3} slope, and that direct forcing of the mesoscale is necessary for production of the observed mesoscale slopes, invalidating inertial cascade assumptions
Combining Biomarkers for Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Screening: Methods for Direct Maximization, Multilevel Outcomes, and Multicenter Studies
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2017-06Interest in using biomarkers for prognosis, diagnosis, and screening continues to grow in many clinical areas. However, most biomarkers have only modest predictive capacity and therefore are not clinically useful. As the cost of measuring individual biomarkers declines, investigators are increasingly interested in combining biomarkers to create tools that are clinically useful. Creating such tools involves constructing a combination of a set of biomarkers and evaluating its predictive capacity; in some settings where a large number of biomarkers are available, combination selection may be necessary. In this dissertation, we consider particular challenges that may arise in the construction, evaluation, and selection of biomarker combinations and propose methods to address these challenges. We first propose a distribution-free method to construct biomarker combinations by maximizing the true positive rate while constraining the false positive rate at some clinically acceptable level. We also consider the potential role of multilevel outcomes in combination construction and selection when there is interest in predicting a particular level of the outcome due to its clinical importance. Finally, we address issues related to the use of biomarker data from multiple centers. We describe the potential role of center in these studies, demonstrate problems with currently used methods for constructing biomarker combinations, present appropriate likelihood-based methods for constructing combinations, and consider how to correctly evaluate the performance of combinations in this setting. We then move beyond the maximum likelihood framework and propose a method that directly maximizes a center-adjusted measure of performance while allowing for penalization of variability in performance across centers. This research provides investigators with novel insights and methods that will facilitate the development of biomarker combinations for diagnosis, prognosis, and screening
Living Objects
No full textThesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2017-06During the last two years I have found new ways to develop and maintain relationships with others through my relationships with objects. Understanding the purpose of the object, the functionality, the way it exists within our world, and interacting with it to elucidate meaning outside of the traditional, functional scope that the object is originally intended is imperative to my work. The ritualistic acts of deconstruction and construction have given me the opportunity to bring tactility to intangible concepts regarding my identity within the context of my relationships. These rituals have shown me that it is much easier to comprehend the question of what it means to be human after requesting an answer from an inanimate object
Civic Community: Online Communities of Practice in Parkland
No full textWhile urbanization continues apace in Western states, people are also relocating to the fringes
of both the urban and rural landscape to a sort of middle ground mixture of urban, suburban and
rural. This diversity expands beyond just geography to culture, income level, education level and
race.. It is in these middle areas that homelessness, drugs, crime, and a need for community all
exist. This study examines a little of how one community, Parkland, Washington, came to be one
of these middle areas. Like many other areas similar to Parkland there has been an influx of
people over the last decade and with it there has been very little help from the city or the state to
address the issues that arise. There are three food banks and a traveling ministry that delivers
food to those who are housebound. There is no dedicated police department or sub station,
homeless shelter, resources centers, fire station or place to get resources or help.
The social media of online communities of practice (OCPG) can facilitate the creation of
an online civic community whose benefits extend beyond the individuals and their online group
to the entirety of the geographically bound area of their group. This can increase both the
breadth and depth of a civic community.
This study helps contribute to our understanding of the way in which OCPGs provide
connections in a physically bound community. Social cohesion and civic engagement were
observed while monitoring the different online groups. The results of this are a stronger and
more effective civic community. Through the observation It was also noticed that on some
occasions the benefits of social cohesion and civic engagement extend beyond both the OCPGs
members and the community of Parkland
Oral Epithelial Cell Sensing of LPS: A Novel Protection Mechanism of Oral Epithelium
No full textThesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2017-12The oral epithelium plays a pivotal role in protecting the underlying periodontal tissues from the microbial community found in the periodontal pockets. Having an appropriate phenotype displayed by oral epithelial cells (OECs) is a critical host component required for protection against bacterial invasion into gingival tissues. In the present study, oral epithelial homeostasis associated with the CXCL-8/IL-8 chemokine response was investigated in vitro to determine the mechanisms which OECs utilize for sensing gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms. The findings of this study have demonstrated a heterogeneous responsiveness of OECs by Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, a lipoprotein sensor. Notably, however, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major virulence factor of gram-negative bacteria, is not recognized by OECs unless the LPS is internalized into OECs. Activation of TLR4 in OECs occurs in the endosome, an intracellular event that requires an unidentified mechanism involving protein transport from the Golgi apparatus to the endosome. Although OECs are not able to detect LPS present in the microenvironment, cell wall derived from an oral commensal-turned pathogen Fusobacterium nucleatum promotes LPS internalization that partially involves FadA adhesion function. Cell wall proteins obtained from other pathogenic microbes that induce CXCL-8 fail to interact with intracellular TLR4 in OECs. Collectively, TLR4 only plays a role when microbial invasion or cell wall uptake occurs in the oral epithelium and thus partially contributes to CXCL-8–mediated periodontal homeostasis. This study has identified a unique LPS sensing mechanism of the oral epithelium to overcome a periodontal infection associated with LPS derived from gram-negative microbes that arises during dysbiosis