This study has the following purpose: (1) to find the relationship between teacher rating of pupil personality and standardized test results; (2) to find the relationship between teacher rating of pupil achievement and standardized test results; and (3) to determine where more emphasis should be placed in order to better evaluate the child and his work.

The purpose of this research is to hydraulically characterize an engineered wetland in Albany, Oregon. The wetland receives treated wastewater from both Albany Millersburg Water Reclamation Facility (AMWRF) and ATI Wah Chang. AMWRF's water is municipal waste water. ATI Wah Chang's water comes from its nearby metal processing plant. The wetland is designed to remove thermal input as well as nitrogen species from both sources. ATI Wah Chang effluent has significant nitrate concentrations. A reliable model is needed to estimate the denitrification potential of the wetland. In order to construct a model, accurate hydraulic parameters such as residence time and flow rate are needed. In the first few days after ATI started flow, the aquatic conductivity level of the wetland increased significantly. Conductivity was used as a tracer to estimate residence times in the wetland as well as to measure the split ratios from different water sources in the wetland (ATI Wah Chang and AMWRF). A pilot test on conductivity and flow rate was carried out on a single pond. The pilot test was designed to accurately measure the influent and effluent from a single pond. Using this information, rates of infiltration as well as unintended flow paths could be identified. A third tracer test was performed using Rhodamine W.T. This test allowed for the determination of the residence time of each pond, the wetland as a whole, and identified stagnant zones within the ponds. To simulate the nitrogen transportation and transformation process, a numerical model was developed. The model's input parameters include reaction rate constants for nitrification and denitrification, volume of each pond, flow rate, flow path connections, and temperature. The model simulated the tracer test that was performed on the wetland to verify its accuracy. The model is also capable of predicting denitrification potential in both pilot scale and field scale. It is also temperature sensitive because temperatures vary significantly; for instance, in winter when the average temperature in Albany is <5��C, denitrification rates decrease significantly. Through this research, hydraulic characterization as well as current denitrification rates in the wetland were identified. Strategies for increasing the denitrification rate were also identified through this research. / Graduation date: 2012

Microbial methane from subsurface organic-rich units such as coals and shale support approximately 5% of the United States and Canada's energy needs. In the deep subsurface, microbial methane is formed by the metabolism of primarily CO2, H2, and acetate by methanogens. These metabolites are the by-products of multi-step biodegradation of complex organic matter by microbial consortia. This study investigates microbial methane in the Illinois Basin, which is present in organic-rich shallow glacial sediments (surficial), Pennsylvanian coals (up to 600 m depth), and the Upper Devonian New Albany Shale (up to 900 m depth). Findings from the study show that hydrogeochemical conditions are favorable for methanogenesis in each reservoir, with a decrease in groundwater flushing rates corresponding to a decrease in average reservoir depth and an increase in carbon isotopic fractionation. The deeper reservoirs (coals and shale) were paleopasteurized, necessitating re-inoculation by methanogens. The microbes were likely advectively transported from shallow sediments into the coals and shale, where areas of microbial methanogenesis correlate with freshwater recharge. The recharge in the shale was primarily sourced from paleoprecipitation with minor contributions from glacial meltwater during the Pleistocene (4He ages). All areas sampled in the shale were affected by Pleistocene recharge, however groundwater ages in areas of microbial methanogenesis are younger (average 0.33 Ma) than areas with thermogenic methane (average 1.0 Ma). Estimates of in-situ microbial methane production rates for the shale (10-1000 TCF/Ma) are 104-106 times slower than laboratory rates. Only limited biodegradation is observed in the shale. In-situ stimulation of methane production may be most effective if aimed at increasing production of the supporting microbial consortia as well as methanogens. Trace metal concentrations in the shale are below known levels of inhibition or enhancement, with the exception of Fe, suggesting that microbial methanogenesis is not repressed by any of the measured trace metals and may be improved with the addition of Ag, Co, Cr, Ni, and Zn.

Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol) / Due to their popularity for tourism, giraffes are being introduced into Thicket areas within the Little Karoo region of the Western Cape. However, information regarding the activity budgets and diet selection of these giraffes is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to achieve three objectives; to determine the diurnal activity budget, diet composition and browsing levels, and the estimated browsing capacities of extralimital giraffe. The study was conducted on two privately owned farms, namely Kareesbos Private Game Reserve and Tsumkwe Private Game Reserves. Observations were completed on both study sites using the interval scan method, whereby observations were conducted on all visible individuals from 6 am – 6 pm for four days every 3 months (winter, spring, summer and autumn). Observations found browsing to be the most dominant activity displayed by both populations, with walking and rumination being the second and third most dominant activity. Females browsed more than males in both study sites. Dietary observations showed four species (Pappea capensis, Portulacaria afra, Euclea undulata and Searsia longispina) and five species (Searsia longispina, Euclea undulata, Pappea capensis, Vachellia karroo and Grewia robusta) to comprise approximately 90% and 80% of their diet in Kareesbos and Tsumkwe respectively. The importance of flower bearing species (Lycium spp. and Rhigozhum obovatum) increased during the spring and summer seasons in both study sites. In addition to the diet selection, browsing by both giraffe populations was shown to occur mostly below 2 m. Estimated browsing capacities for Kareesbos and Tsumkwe were 25 and 21, and 107 and 88 ha per giraffe, respectively, for the respective browse height strata of less than two metres and five metres. It is suggested that browsing capacities of less than two metres be considered when stocking giraffe and the number of individuals adjusted accordingly on each farm, due to the continuous low browsing of giraffe at less than two metres. Furthermore, results indicate that these giraffes have adapted to take advantage of forage available in ecosystems outside their natural ranges. Low foraging heights suggests possible niche overlap with other browsers, which may result in increased competition for food when it becomes limited. Long term ecological monitoring of extralimital populations and appropriate management procedures are therefore required to avoid the displacement and degradation of indigenous fauna and flora within the Little Karoo, and possible mortalities amongst the giraffe populations.

In today's, collaborative, customer-driven, networked economy, forming and sustaining strategic business relationships with customers, suppliers, and partners has become a mission-critical imperative for most businesses. This is the also case for the paper machine clothing industry. The organisations search and utilise for the key resources that can guarantee their success in the market place. The search for key success factors contributing to Albany International's leadership position in the paper machine clothing industry has been the dominant theme in this study. The literature review is predominantly focused on various types of business relationships, with particular interest toward cases of mergers, acquisitions, takeovers and joint ventures so identifying the key resources contributing to the development and delivery of sustained competitive advantage in the paper machine clothing industry. The study incorporates a critique of literature from technology strategy, cross cultural management, and strategic management fields. The research questions, set by the author, are designed to explore the technological, managerial and cultural factors contributing to the success of the organisation and its further growth in the market. Primary data has been collected through quantitative survey questionnaires, the results of which contribute to the development of the author's proposed model which is designed to predict the success of business relationships in the paper machine clothing industry. The results have been analyzed with Stata which revealed issues for further investigation. The most appropriate follow up research methodology for these latter issues was semi-structured interviews with managers of Albany International from the key branches. The analysis of the transcribed interviews has been undertaken with the use of QSR N6 (NUD*IST) qualitative software. The theoretical framework for business relationships success in the paper machine clothing industry is formed on the grounds derived from content analysis of the interviews. The new model, proposed by the author demonstrated that to build a successful business relationship Albany International had to approach this process from the four directions: due-diligence in terms of technological level, cultural fit, management styles, identification of the key people behind the business success. This process has to be clearly communicated to the employees, other people involved within the organisations in question, and to the external environment.

Applied research project (D. Min.)--School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, 2002. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-122).

Thesis (D. Min.)--New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 1995. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 137-145).

An analysis of undesirable speaking habits and speech defects of elementary pupils in Albany, Texas. Remedial speech training is recommended.

From 1696 through 1754, there were no less than eleven formal plans for a union of the British North-American colonies proposed. by a wide variety of sources, colonial and imperial. These formal proposals join an innumerable list of casual or informal calls for some sort of consolidated or union government. The idea of a united government of the American colonies is normally reserved for the middle to end of the eighteenth century but clearly the movement began long before that. Military ineffectiveness and shifting constitutional realities made union seem necessary to many observers. The colonies, as distinct and separate entities, were never able to cooperate in such a way as to allow them to wage a consistently successful war effort against the French in the various colonial wars. Additionally, Imperial officials were unhappy with this erosion of royal authority and saw union as an opportunity for reform. There was broad agreement on the need for union, though no comprehensive plan was ever adopted. The idea was debated in context of broader question on the future of the empire. Three main perspectives are discernable: imperial, localist, and provincial. These points of view had an important role in shaping the construction and debate over the plans for union. Ultimately, the goals of these different loose political groups were too divergent to allow for the implementation of a plan for union.

An analysis of mid-eighteenth century trading centers reveals a distinct pattern different from that of earlier seventeenth century trading communities. Consumable items comprised the majority of internal and external commerce for many of these trading port cities. Albany, New York, a hinterland trading center, mirrored these changes and can act as a case study for many of the global transitions of the eighteenth century. Taken within the broader framework and understanding of the consumer revolution, it becomes clear that Albanian culture and society became crystallized around its food items and their trade, much as the coastal communities commonly studied. Due to the emphasis placed on it by Albanians, food and its trade became the culturally, socially, and economically homogenizing factor that began shaping the modern city as it transitioned from its seventeenth century roots. By the middle of the eighteenth century, Albanians had become active consumers and experienced traders in a global marketplace and had experienced marked cultural hybridization as seen via its food trade and consumption. / Master of Arts