The feasibility of baling forest residues has been ascertained by examining three segments of the baling concept. These are: the in-woods evaluation of baling; the transportation aspects of the baling concept; and the utilization of baled forest residues for energy production at pulp and paper mills. The in-woods evaluation was accomplished by simulating and comparing two conventional systems and a baler equipped system on two stand types with the Harvesting Systems Simulator. The comparison demonstrated that a baler equipped system is a viable alternative to whole tree chipping for the recovery of forest residues. The baler equipped system has the advantages of less capital investment, less stringent operating requirements and the potential to generate more profits on stands of at least moderate timber sizes and moderate volumes of residue per acre. In the evaluation of the transportation aspects of baling the superior materials handling and hauling characteristics of baled material were disclosed. The uniform dimensions and high bulk densities of bales contribute to excellent loading, reloading and hauling capacities. Bales are also highly compatible with existing modes of transportation. The utilization of baled residues for energy production offers a potentially cheap and relatively accessible source of fuel for pulp and paper companies. Substantial savings can be obtained by substituting baled residues for coal or oil. / Master of Science

The topic of this thesis is the rehabilitation of the McGuire Building in the Market Area of Roanoke, Virginia. The McGuire Building was chosen for rehabilitation to serve as a catalyst to positively influence growth within the Market Area. Presently the Market Area of Roanoke is a small decaying area housing a farmer's curb market and the City Market Building. It is felt that both the farmer's curb market and the City Market Building possess a unique character. Unfortunately, as the Market Area decays, the size and importance of the farmer's curb market and the City Market Building dwindles. The design proposed in this thesis is a response to the need for the conservation of the Market Area of Roanoke and its unique character. / Master of Architecture

Copper oxide thin films were prepared on glass substrates by radio frequency sputtering of a sintered CuO target in various argon-oxygen atmospheres. Films sputtered in pure argon consisted of both CuO and Cu₂O due to partial dissociation of CuO during deposition. Sputtering in 10% and 50% oxygen afforded films composed entirely of CuO₁₊ₓ. All the sputtered films exhibited extrinsic p-type semiconduction. Both resistivity and thermal activation energy decreased with increasing oxygen content of the sputtering atmosphere. The resistivity of the CuO/Cu₂O films decreased with increasing Cu₂O content. Annealing of the CuO₁₊ₓfilms at 300℃ in air increased their resistivity, activation energy, and visible transmittance, while decreasing the lattice parameters slightly. These changes were attributed to the loss of excess oxygen trapped within the film lattice during sputtering. Annealing of the CuO/Cu₂O films under the same conditions oxidized the Cu₂O to CuO and increased film resistivity to values greater than 10³Ω-cm. A high degree of preferred orientation was observed in the films sputtered in the presence of oxygen. These films were oriented with the (111) planes parallel to the substrate surface and remained so even after annealing in air at 300℃. The (111) planes in CuO are composed of equal concentrations of copper and oxygen atoms and were identified as the most densely packed planes in the lattice. Films consisting of Cu₂O only were prepared by reducing previously sputtered films in a mixture of CO and CO₂ at 300℃. The technique proved to be a convenient means for obtaining Cu₂O films with reproducible properties which were useful in explaining the behavior of the CuO/Cu₂O films. / Master of Science

A prevocational horticulture training program for the E.M.R. student enrolled in special education was developed, evaluated, and revised in this study. One E.M.R. special education class, comprised of four male E.M.R. students, participated in the study. The special education teacher, with the assistance of the researcher, executed and evaluated the instructional unit over a ten-week period. Results of the study, based on a number of assessment procedures, indicated that the horticulture training program was an effective vocational instructional tool. It promoted good social and work attitudes, improved mental and work skills, increased motivation, and promoted a general knowledge of horticulture. Limitations of the study made it difficult to validly determine whether the horticulture instructional unit was the treatment responsible for the significant increase in student job skills' and attitudes' acquisition. In addition, the absence of follow-up studies made it difficult to assess the program's impact on the entry and success of the E.M.R. students into a regular vocational program. After evaluations and recommendations were made, the instructional unit was revised to produce a usable product, step-by-step horticulture instructional material for the E.M.R. student. The study provides a preliminary framework for further experimental investigation into·the utilization of horticulture as a prevocational training tool for the E.M.R. student. / Master of Science

The effect of oxidation-reduction potential (Eh) on the outgrowth, toxin production, and chemical inhibition of Clostridium botulinum type A spores was investigated. Growth, toxin formation, and Eh7 changes were monitored in an airtight four necked flask containing electrodes for continuous measurement of Eh and pH and connections for the exchange and mixing of prepurified nitrogen and anaerobic carbon dioxide. Strict anaerobic procedures and prepurified media were utilized to facilitate controlled conditions. In the electrode vessel the media were poised at the different Eh levels by sparging the pre reduced media with oxygen free nitrogen or by sparging oxidized media (media autoclaved under air) with the nitrogen gas. Outgrowth, toxin production, and Eh7 changes were measured under various growth conditions. In both oxidized (Eh7 = -60mv) and reduced (Eh7 = -145mv) media, there were no significant differences observed in the growth and toxin formation under uninhibited growth conditions. However, growth and toxin production were further delayed and/or decreased in the oxidized media as compared to the reduced media during inhibition by sodium chloride (5.5% and 6.5%), hydrogen ions (pH 5.2 and 5.3), and sucrose (30%). / Master of Science

A method is surveyed for telephone communication using a predictive adaptive delta modulator. This method is based on an estimation of the input waveform and an encoding of the signal into a digital sequence. The Kalman Filter does this estimation to filter out some of the noise, thus increasing the fidelity of the output to the original signal. The adaptive delta modulator does the encoding and allows the digital output to be reconstructed by a decoder which is identical to the feedback portion of the encoder. In implementing the adaptive delta modulator, a bi-state quantizer and tri-state quantizer are presented for comparison. Since the grannular region difficulties can be eliminated by the tri-state quantizer, the tri-state quantizer ADM provides a better stability. The present design also consists of a predictor which is based on the theory of a Taylor series expansion in order to match the overload rate whenever the signal slope becomes too sharp. The results indicate that the present design is suitable for implementation when the incoming messages are highly correlated-implying rapid signal sampling. / Master of Science

The behavior of fishes in and around power plant discharges has not been adequately explored despite the recent proliferation of electric generating stations. This study investigated the response of fish to heated and/or chlorinated waters in a field laboratory. Carp (Cyprinus carpio), channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) and golden shiners (Notemigonus crysoleucas) were tested at 6, 12, 18, 24 and 30-C acclimation temperatures in a steep concentration gradient. Residence time in the treated water was determined to be the most simple and sensitive index of avoidance behavior. TRC, CRC, and FRC avoidance thresholds varied between species and acclimation temperatures. HOCl avoidance thresholds were consistent between acclimation temperatures, suggesting that HOCl is the primary constituent of the TRC controlling avoidance behavior. Trials were conducted at 12 and 24 C in which the treated water was heated to a preferred temperature, derived in a shallow horizontal temperature gradient. At low chlorine doses fish significantly preferred the warmer water, whereas at high chlorine doses, the fish were repelled by the treated water. The TRC, CRC, and FRC avoidance thresholds varied between fish species, but the HOCl avoidance thresholds were similar for all species at 24 C. The avoidance thresholds for the carp and golden shiners were well below 96hrLC₅₀ values, signifying that they can avoid dangerous solutions before they are adversely affected. The channel catfish avoidance thresholds are slightly greater than reported 96hrLC₅₀ values, indicating a potential for mortalities in power plant discharges. This mortality has not been observed in the field and alternate explanations are discussed. Present interim criteria for chlorinated discharges may not adequately protect all warmwater fish. This study indicates that HOCl may greatly influence fish behavior and suggests that HOCl criteria be adopted for use in conjunction with current total residual chlorine criteria. / Master of Science

The applicability to composite materials of a particular NDI technique, vibrothermography, is studied. With this technique, specimens are excited with a high power, low frequency ultrasonic shaker while the specimen is monitored with an infrared camera. Once temperature patterns are developed, thermograms are photographed from the color display of the infrared camera. A three dimensional, orthotropic, finite difference heat conduction analysis is performed and written into a computer coding. After an estimate of the heat sources responsible for an experimental thermogram is made, these heat sources along with the material information is fed into the computer coding to produce an analytical temperature pattern. A comparison between the experimental and analytical thermograms may lead to further information concerning the nature of the heat sources. The computer coding is written to handle an eight ply symmetric laminate using one hundred elements per ply in the analysis. A listing of the computer coding along with a guide to its use, a sample data set, and a sample output are included in the thesis. / Master of Science

The thesis project has two general objectives. The primary objective is to design a facility whose plan incorporates and reflects an understanding of architecture — a facility that is right for its purpose, its people and its surroundings. A secondary objective is to document the process methodology leading to the proposed design solution. The project building type is a community college facility to serve approximately 850 students within a planned building area of 85,000 square feet. The Virginia Department of Community College's activity and space requirements document, dated November 1968, set forth for construction of phase II of the existing Radford-Pulaski Community College has been incorporated as a program requirement for this thesis project. The project site is the site of the existing Radford-Pulaski Community College which is a one hundred acre tract of land located near the Southwestern Virginia town of Dublin, in Pulaski County a part of the New River Valley Planning District. The thesis paper traces the development of the proposed design solution through the various phases of the design process to the final presentation of the proposed facility. The paper externalizes criteria selected to generate and guide the design effort; documents objectives, motivations, convictions, intentions and design decisions; discusses process methodology employed and presents various diagrammatic drawings and physical study models generated along the design path. The paper ends without a lengthy narrative justification of the proposed design solution, but instead with a presentation of architectural drawings illustrating the proposed facility. / Master of Architecture

Comparison and convergence studies are conducted with two non- linear finite element beam-column models. Both models admit physical and geometric nonlinearities. The models differ in their respective strain field representations. Model 2 permits a linear longitudinal and transverse strain variation. The strain field of model 3 can vary linearly in the transverse direction and quadratically in the longitudinal direction. The system model and solution process used with both element models are identical. The system model is defined by an energy function. The equilibrium path of the system is determined at discrete load levels. At each load level, application of the solution process yields the new equilibrium configuration of the system. Four test problems are selected to determine the relative merits of models 2 and 3. The models are tested over the entire range of response. The tests indicate that both models predict accurate responses throughout the range of response. Mesh refinement is seen to increase the accuracy of the models' response predictions. The models achieve identical response predictions in the linearly elastic range. The inelastic response predictions of model 2 are seen to be more accurate than those of model 3. Model 2 is computationally more efficient than model 3 over the entire range of response. The results of the studies reveal that throughout the range of response, the efficiency of response of model 2 is greater than that of model 3. / Master of Science