This study presented the development and in vitro analysis of the Arp Hembrane Type Blood Oxygenator and a ventricle type blood pump. The system is designed for newborns suffering from Respiratory Distress Syndrome (R.D.S.), especially the 15% who are unable to be helped by the Arp Infant Respirator. The analysis included oxygen transfer studies and hemolysis studies. The oxygenator was able to transfer as much as 140cc0₂/min/m² at a flow rate of 300 ml/min with flow augmentation. Inlet oxygen saturation 1vas between 25-35%. Both the oxygenator and the ventricle type blood pump caused only very low levels of hemolysis. The pump showed a net increase of 54 mg hemoglobin/100 ml plasma after 5 days of continuous running at a flow rate of 200 ml/min. The complete extracorporeal circuit showed a net increase of only 61 mg hemoglobin/100 ml plasma. From this study, it is believed that this extracorporeal circuit can ,supply oxygen (140 cc0₂/min/m²) to a patient over an extended period of total or partial cardiopulmonary by-pass (at least 5 days) without significant levels of hemolysis (61 mg% after 5 days). / Master of Science

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the use of hair root diameter and protein/root as a practical and reliable field method for assessment of protein nutritional status. Subjects were thirty-five Caucasian preschool children from rural low-income families. Hair root diameter and protein/root were compared to urinary nitrogen/creatinine ratio, height-age percentile, weight-age percentile, total serum protein, and serum albumin. Low but statistically significant correlation coefficients were found for hair root diameter to protein/root and for hair root diameter to serum albumin and TSP. No relationship was shown between hair and the other parameters measured. Mean hair root diameters and percentage anagen and telogen roots greatly exceeded the suggested standards. The suggested standards are based on research with Negroid and Asian hair while Caucasian hair was studied in this research. Racial differences in hair parameters may exist. All subjects had diets which exceeded the Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein but a large number had diets lower than recommended in iron, niacin, and calories. Children whose diets were low in calories had mean hair root bulb diameters close to the group mean root diameter. There was a larger number than expected of underweight and undersized children when heights and weights were compared to standards. It is recommended that future studies relating hair parameters to protein nutrition have larger numbers of subjects or greater dietary control than was possible in this study. / Master of Science

A systems analysis is presented for simulation of the descent of a decelerator (parachute) and spacecraft for entry through the atmosphere of the planet Mars by a flight test in the Earth's atmosphere. Engineering atmosphere models for Mars are defined and based on these models requirements for parachutes to be used for Mars entry are developed. Appropriate parachute model and scaling laws for Earth simulation of Mars performance are developed. A disk-gap-band parachute was selected for a flight test on Earth to simulate a mission profile of a decelerator for a planetary mission to Mars. The parachute is sized for a defined mission profile and accepted empirical methods are used to perform the design analysis of the parachute. A description of the flight test spacecraft system and the performance of the parachute during the full scale flight test is presented. The parachute sustained considerable damage during the test. The results of the Earth flight test are used to discuss predicted performance for an identically damaged parachute on Mars. / Master of Science

Dogs were used to run white- tailed deer at the Dublin Arsenal of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant between 22 April and 3 June 1972, and from 21 October 1972 to 26 May 1973. During the first phase of the study, trained deer hounds were used to chase deer in one-half of the study area, using the other half as a control area. During the second phase, hounds and non-hounds were used, and the entire study area was used for chasing. No significant differences in fawns per doe surviving to late summer censuses were found between deer run by dogs and those not subjected to chasing. No permanent home range changes as a result of dog chasing were noted, but some temporary changes did occur. These changes were usually of short duration, with most deer returning to their normal home ranges within a few days. Dog chases were usually of less than 30 minutes duration, and, due to the high density of the herd, dogs often switched trails and did not chase the same deer for extended periods. Hounds appeared to be more effective and persistent trailers, while non-hounds were generally faster. No healthy deer were caught by the dogs. In all chases, deer stayed well ahead of the dogs, with the exception of a deformed piebald fawn that was caught easily. Reported dog kills were investigated whenever possible. These reports were either inaccurate, or involved deer that were previously injured or for other reasons not in good physical condition. Dogs were not detrimental to this densely populated study herd, either by limiting its reproduction, inducing permanent home range changes, or killing individual deer. / Master of Science

Litter-fall and litter-layer data were collected from stands of 7, 13, 19 and 36-year-old naturally seeded, old-field, Virginia pine. The pattern of yearly litter-fall was highly seasonal with maximum needlefall occurring during the fall months. Estimated annual total litterfall ranged from2.90mt/ha dry weight in the 7-year-old stand to 5.49 mt/ha dry weight in the 36-year-old stand: The percent annual contribution of non-needle material to the total increased from 16.5% in the 7- year-old stand to 43.9% in the 36-year-old stand. Maximum litter-layer dry matter weight of 139 mt/ha and volatile matter weight (loss on ignition at 525°C) of 52 mt/ha occurred in the 36-year-old stand. The depth and maximum water storage of the litterlayer increased with stand age to a maximum of 5.34 cm and 1.42 cm respectively in the 36-year-old stand. Several models characterizing the accumulation and decomposition of litter were developed. The best fit model assumes that litter-fall changes with time and that the litter is split into two fractions with ea.ch fraction decomposing at a different fixed annual rate. This model supports the fact that litter-fall is a mixture of different components such as cellulose and lignin which are known to decompose at different rates. / Master of Science

Although Stephen Crane developed out of an ancestral and moral chemistry that might have produced a minister rather than a writer, he abandoned the letter, though not the spirit, of his parents' Methodism. Crane's studies of society, Maggie and George's Mother, are works of a writer who expresses a viewpoint through a concentrated moral vision. In these works Crane's major target was the drunkard, and particularly, the hypocrisy, the moral weakness, and the capacity for destruction embodied in the nature of this character. But Crane seemed to be imposing his views upon his material, dramatizing predetermined assessments of man and society; thus we detect most clearly in his early work the outlines of the Christian minister. Crane soon realized, however, that preaching could be fatal to literature. Later Crane was to travel in the American West and, as a result of his experiences there, an awareness, a perception of reality occurred in Crane's writing that had not been present in the earlier works. No longer would Crane's characters be controlled by his personal vision of reality, so severely restricted by his moralistic viewpoint. Through his exposure to the very new and different Western society, Crane would change his conception of the drunkard and adopt a more objective view of reality. No longer would the drunkard take on the one-dimensional characteristics of a temperance-novel character, but would mature with Crane's new vision into a cleverly developed literary device. / Master of Arts

The objectives of this study were to develop a training program designed for food production personnel with a high school education or less; to determine the relationship of aptitudes to learning from training; and to measure the learning achieved and retained as a result of training. Food production personnel at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University participated as subjects. A subject matter pencil and paper test was administered as a pretest post-test measure to the experimental and control groups to determine the learning achieved as a result of training. Aptitude tests were administered to the experimental and control groups and correlated with the difference score obtained from the pretest, post-test I measure. Further correlations were done to determine the relationship of position rank, length of service, and educational level to learning difference score. Learning achieved as a result of training in the experimental group was significant at the 0.001 level. Correlations of the aptitudes of general intelligence and Abstract Reasoning to learning were not significant at the 0.05 level. Position rank correlated positively with pre-test scores in the experimental group. Correlations of educational level and position rank to learning achieved were not significant at the 0.05 level. However, length of service did show a significant correlation to amount of gain from training. Based on the results of this study, it appears that training can be an effective means for increased job knowledge. Aptitudes do not appear to be related to learning achieved from training. Those persons who have been in a position the shortest period of time, tend to benefit the most from training. / Master of Science

Reproductive organs from 73 male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were collected in November and in December in South Carolina. Organ weights and spermatozoan reserves were analyzed by age class and for variation between months. Testes weights (g) in November were 15.12 ± 8.03, 61.53 ± 17.16, and 75.69 ± 13.71 for 0.5, 1.5, and older deer, and 14.81 ± 5.34, 46.66 ± 8.91, and 61.62 ± 12.91 in December, respectively. Epididymides weights (g) were 3.31 ± 0.78, 9.61±1.99, and 12.53 ± 2.30 in November and 3.36 ± 1.02, 8.92 ± 1.31, and 10.50 ± 2.07 in December for 0.5, 1.5, and older deer, respectively. Spermatozoan numbers (xl0⁹) in the testes were 0.182 ± 2.23, 6.59 ±. 2.96, and 8.46 ± 3.10 for 0.5, 1.5, and older deer in November and 0.108 ± 0.213, 5.05 ± 1.05, and 4.86 ± 2.23, respectively, in December. Epididymal spermatozoan numbers (xl0⁹) in November were 0.087 ± .174, 9.43 ± 2.85, .and 11.89 ± 4.15 in 0.5, 1.5, and older deer, respectively, and 0.094 ± 0.173, 8.73 ± 2.44, and 9.01±4.18, respectively, in December. The 1.5 year old deer had significant (P<0.05) lighter testes weights than 2.5 years old and older deer in November and December. There was a significant (P<0.05) reduction in testes weights and testicular spermatozoan numbers between November and December in adult deer. Fawn testes and epididymides weights, and testes and epididymides spermatozoan reserves were significantly (P<0.05) lower than older deer in November and in December. Nineteen male and 21 female fawns collected from the Radford Army Ammunition Plant were examined to ascertain attainment of puberty. One female was pregnant and three males had evidence of spermatogenesis. / Master of Science

A method for the recovery of Campylobacter fetus from poultry meat using the selective methods of Millipore membrane (0.65 μm) filtration and antibiotic (bacitracin, novobiocin and polymyxin) medium was described and utilized to isolate the organism from the surface of chicken necks contaminated in vitro and from retailed commercially processed poultry products. In a survival study one C. fetus strain remained viable for 5 days on the surface of poultry meat at 3ºC and for 20 days at -23.5ºC. Two strains survived on the meat surface for 10 days at -23.5ºC. Three C. fetus ss. jejuni isolates were obtained from the surface of 2 chicken necks and 1 whole dressed broiler purchased from local retail markets. These isolates were morphologically and biochemically indistinguishable from other C. fetus ss. jejuni strains isolated from human and avian disease. A discussion of the possible epidemiological implications of these findings was included. / Master of Science

"Citizens, Services and New Towns" is a study of two new towns, Reston, Virginia and Columbia, Maryland, their private governmental structures and their service delivery mechanisms. Because of the relative success of Reston and Columbia and the 1970 Housing Act, new towns are springing up across the country. There has been much concern for their physical planning and impact on the environment, yet relatively little attention has been focused on the effects of a new town on existing local governments. Little attention also has been given to how the new town will provide its citizens with services and how they will be financed. This study attempts to compare Reston and Columbia's servicing mechanisms, private governmental structures, and the local governmental context within which they operate, and to determine the more efficient, effective, and equitable service delivery system. The Columbia service delivery system meets these criteria. It combines preservicing and debt financing with a municipal-like private government. It seems to be more responsive to citizen needs than that of Reston, which waits until population creates a demand for services. Much of the data used to support the hypothesis was gathered during a research project done by Jean March and Linda Stenberg at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Additional information was gathered from interviews and from the existing literature. Reston's private government has been unable to provide services beyond land maintenance. It is too limited financially and structurally to do otherwise. Columbia has been able to offer a wide range of services and amenities because of its debt-financing mechanism. / Master of Urban Affairs