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There is an evident gap in the research regarding the environmental needs of older adults with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) and the design of therapeutic outdoor spaces for these persons. With the rapid growth of the aging population, appropriate outdoor spaces will become essential to improved quality of life for older adults with ADRD. This study explores nonpharmacological treatment approaches for persons with ADRD that can be facilitated in the outdoor environment. The study presents an examination of the literature, including theoretical frameworks and treatment approaches, interviews with professionals in the fields of landscape architecture and gerontology, and an assessment of case studies. Design guidelines identify the necessary landscape elements that can be incorporated in outdoor environments to reduce maladaptive behaviors and improve positive affect and the overall quality of life for persons with dementia. This study concludes with an example of a prototypical wander garden design that responds to the design guidelines and addresses the physical and mental capabilities of persons with ADRD. / Master of Landscape Architecture

Stalk rot reaction of maize (Zea mays L.) and its effect on yield was studied using 12 elite inbred parents (A619, A632, B73, H60, H93, H96, Mo17, Oh7B, Pa91, Va17, SS419, Va85) and all possible single crosses among them. The diallel study was conducted at Warsaw, Virginia in 1985. The experimental design was a split-plot with two stalk rot pathogens (Diplodia maydis and Fusarium moniliforme) and a control being the three whole plots and the inbreds described above and their single cross hybrids being the sub-plots. Plots were inoculated with the pathogens approximately three weeks following silking. Stalk rot scores and yield was taken four weeks following inoculation. Analyses of variance and combining ability analyses were performed on stalk rot scores and grain yield. There were no significant differences between the two pathogens for mean stalk rot score, but both were significantly higher in score than the control. Differences among the whole plots for mean yield were not significant. Hybrid/line by pathogen interactions were not significant for yield or stalk rot scores, indicating that the inbreds and their hybrids performed consistently across the pathogens and control. The estimates of GCA and SCA effects for stalk rot score both were significant with the GCA effects being the greater. This should indicate that stalk rot reaction would respond readily to selection in a breeding population. Per plant yields were not affected by the stalk rot treatments. Two Virginia lines, Val7 and Va85, were found to have both high yield and high levels of resistance to stalk rot, and should be good candidates for a breeding program stressing stalk rot resistance. / M.S.

An analysis of the green industry of Virginia was completed in the year 2002 using a mail survey sent to industry participants. The survey was conducted by the Virginia Agricultural Statistics Service (VASS). This data was used to run an economic impact analysis of the industry using IMPLAN Professional software. Additionally, the software was used to determine the approximate affects of drought and water restrictions on the green industry. VASS received a total of 1,146 surveys for a response rate of approximately 27%. Of these responses, 42 surveys indicated that they plan to have future green industry sales but were not presently involved in the business. Another 525 responses claimed to be no longer actively involved in the industry. Therefore, the actual response rate was much closer to 15%. This necessitated the use of numerous alternative data sources to create a more complete model representation of the green industry as a whole. Two separate model scenarios were created, the first using purely survey response data, the second including data from additional sources and factoring out for possible double-counting errors. Direct employment generated from the industry was predicted to be between 29 and 36 thousand jobs, depending on which model scenario is consulted. The total economic impacts predicted from the different models are $2.03 billion and $2.41 billion, respectively. The analysis of the affects of drought and water restrictions predicted a decrease in overall impacts by 33% and 23%, respectively. / Master of Science