The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of freezing on apple slices in a sucrose media with two levels of replacement of regular and high conversion and commercial corn syrups. The dextrose equivalent of the syrup, drained weight, soluble solids of the syrup and fruit, the relationship of cellular structure and firmness and acceptability as judged by a taste panel were studied after 3 weeks and 3 months storage. Objective measures included drained weight, soluble solids, reducing sugar content of the syrup, Alla-Kramer shear press readings of firmness and microscopic examination of the apple tissue. Color, flavor, sweetness, firmness and overall acceptability of the apple slices were measured subjectively by a taste panel. The results obtained indicated that there was a movement of water out of the apple tissue, the amount of which was dependent on the dextrose equivalent of the syrup. There was also some slight migration of sugars into the apple slices, after cellular damage occurred. As the dextrose equivalent of the freezing media increased there was a decrease in drained weight and syrup soluble solids and an increase in fruit soluble solids, browning, cellular damage and firmness. The addition of" 25% commercial corn syrup to a 40% sucrose syrup would be highly recommended as a freezing media for York Imperial apples because of the increase in drained weight. slight increase in fruit soluble solids, less cellular damage and the retention of a more natural color. / Master of Science

Interviews with 20 conservation agents of the Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries provided information on 70 cases of deer spot-lighting violations in 1969 and 1970. An additional survey produced information on 41 deer spotlighting cases in in 1971, The number of spotlighting violations was observed to increase during the month of October, peak in November, and decrease in January, The average time of arrest for spotlighting was 11:37 p,m,, and the largest percentage of arrests were made on Saturday evenings. The various aspects of the violation were described including such factors as the weather; characteristics of the violator; weapon, spotlight and vehicle used; violation site; and apprehension site. Estimation of the extent of spotlighting in Virginia was made. Using two methods 6000 and 9000 violations per year were obtained, There were no significant correlations between legal deer kill or miles of road with the number of spotlighting arrests. Correspondence with several other states indicated violator and violation characteristics were similar to those found in Virginia. The sociological and criminological aspects of the violation were discussed, and a typology of the spotlighting violator was developed based on the assumption that the spotlighting violation occurred as the result of a decision made by the violator. / Master of Science

Three digestion trials were conducted with six yearling steers to study apparent digestibility of fecal waste from steers fed a ground, high roughage finishing ration. In the first trial steers were fed a basal ration containing approximately 50% roughage. The ration contained 14.3% crude protein and 22.8% crude fiber, dry basis. Apparent digestibility was 65% for dry matter and 66% for crude protein. The feces collected during this trial were dried in a forced air oven at 120 C and ground. The chemical composition of the feces was 13.2% crude protein, 31.4% crude fiber, 2.8% ether extract, 5.4% ash, 38.8% NFE, 70.9% cell walls and 44.8% ADF, dry basis. For trials 2 and 3 a switch-back design was used. In each trial one-half of the steers were fed the basal and the remainder were fed a ration in which dried cattle feces collected during trial 1 were substituted for 20% of the basal ration. / Master of Science

This study was designed to investigate the indicator bacterial densities in runoff from urban and rural sources and to compare these densities with the densities in both raw and secondary-treated, unchlorinated sewage effluents. Analysis was performed on a total of 42 samples, 22 of which were taken at the urban and the rural sites and correlated with storm flow. The remaining 20 samples were taken, 5 at each of the 4 sites, in order to establish respective baseline densities for total coliform, fecal coliform, and fecal streptococcus. Results indicated that mean values for total coliforms and fecal coliforms during dry flow were within Virginia State standards for urban runoff, but exceeded those two standards 100 percent and 91.9 percent of the time, respectively, during storm flow conditions. Mean values for total coliforms and fecal coliforms during dry flow at the rural site exceeded Virginia State standards 100 percent and 75 percent of the time, respectively. During storm flow the standards for both of these indicators were exceeded 100 percent of the time. It was also determined that the increase in densities typically lagged behind flow increases and maintained this lag while returning to baseline values. Finally, the FC/FS ratio as originally proposed by Geldreich was statistically supported as being valid for use in the identification of fecal pollution sources. Individual ratios were less than 0.7 at the urban watershed for 80% of the dry flow samples and 64.6 percent of the storm flow samples. For the rural site, FC/FS ratios were less than 0.7 for 25 percent of the dry flow samples and 81.8 percent of the wet flow samples. Samples of raw and secondary treated sewage exhibited ratios above 4.0, 40 percent, and 25 percent of the time respectively. / Master of Science

An experimental investigation of the tensile behavior of aluminum reinforced with angle-ply boron/epoxy laminates was conducted. It is shown that the ultimate stresses of a wide variety of laminate configurations fall within a very narrow range of values. Some configurations of composite reinforced aluminum laminates exhibited higher ultimate stress values than the corresponding all composite laminates while other configurations exhibited lower ultimate stresses than the corresponding all composite laminates. Elastic moduli and Poisson ratios agreed quite well with predicted values but strength predictions were inconsistent. / Master of Science

The effect of a supplemental food supply on the reproductive attainment of the gray squirrel was investigated in the squirrel populations of two food supplemented Experimental and two Control woodlots near the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Virginia, from December 1972 to June 1974. Mast, the major fall-winter food for the squirrel, was scarce to absent in the Fall of both 1972 and 1973. Due to the emigration of the residents of one of the Experimental woodlots in May of 1973, the study compared the reproductive, and other, responses of the squirrel populations in the remaining Experimental woodlot and the two Control woodlots. Two possible sources of supplemental food existed in one of the Control woodlots which may have influenced the reproductive attainment and survival of the squirrels in that area. / Master of Science

A blade-to-blade computer program, using the method of finite differences has been written to calculate the velocity distributions on the rotor blade of an axial-flow compressor. The shape of the blade has been approximated in two different ways employing a rather elaborate method and one whose primary goal was simplicity. The ensuing velocity distributions were compared and can be judged to be satisfactory in that they follow the expectations and show a reasonable behavior, even close to the leading and trailing stagnation point. The latter fact represents an improvement to results obtained from a previous work [ref. 3], however the calculations still need to be confirmed by the experiment. In the second part of this thesis, following a recommendation of reference 3, the blade boundary layer effects have been calculated from the velocity distributions of the first part. Considering certain assumptions, these results also may be judged as satisfactory and the rather important conclusion may be drawn that turbulent separation, if it occurs at all, takes place close to the rear stagnation point of the blade for the applied range of upstream velocities. Another conclusion may be drawn from the displacement thickness distribution in that the flow values would not affect greatly the potential flow calculation and hence an iterative procedure between the potential flow field and the blade boundary layer should converge rapidly. The results from the second part also require a confirmation by the experiment. / Master of Science

The classical objective of wildlife managers is to provide the public with the maximum number of hours of outdoor recreation by means of the wildlife resource without impairing that resource for future use. A biologist is continually concerned with the deterioration of wildlife populations and habitats. However, to evaluate populations and habitats from quantitative view is not sufficient; the quality or condition must also be evaluated if managers are to achieve their long-run objective. Any technique that would assist biologists in both quantitative and qualitative evaluations could further elucidate ecological nutritional relationships and could help assure that neither wildlife populations nor habitat would be seriously impaired for future use. / Master of Science

Some fisheries management activities have clearer relationships with angler consumption than others, end the clarity is usually reflected by the amount of historical data available upon which to base the relationship. Adequate historical data exists to derive the relationships between angler-days and access development, water development, regulation changes, and catchable trout stocking, so these relationships are probably the most reliable in PISCES. Little historical data exists to assess the effects of research and information and education activities upon angler-days. Therefore, the segments of PISCES accounting for research and information and education are probably the least reliable parts of the model. PISCES can be improved before it is utilized in decision analysis. First, the efficiency of the computer program could be improved. PISCES is functional, but computer time and storage space might be saved by altering the program. Second, sensitivity analysis of input variables would provide important information to future users of PISCES. And finally, an application study would reveal any unforeseen problems which might arise in using PISCES. If PISCES is never used to formulate management decision policies, it is hoped that some of the modeling techniques employed will prove useful in future efforts to model natural resource systems. / Master of Science

Possible effects of steady low strength magnetic fields on insects were studied using the cabbage looper moth, Trichoplusia ni (Hubner). In the first tests, adult loopers were used to determine their locational preference in response to areas of stronger or weaker magnetic field ranging from slightly above the geomagnetic field strength to a strength of 120 gauss. In a second series of tests, looper eggs were continuously exposed to steady magnetic fields of various strengths ranging from 10 to 1850 gauss. In a third series of tests t individual adult loopers were exposed to a steady 500 gauss field for five minutes. Oxygen consumption was monitored to indicate the level of moth activity before, during, and after this exposure. Results of the tests conducted revealed no effect of low magnetic fields on moth locational preference, egg hatchability, or activity level. / Master of Science