Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is an indispensable raw material in beer brewing because it can provide unique aroma and bitterness to beer products. With growing consumer interests in locally-sourced ingredients and increasing number of microbreweries, hop production is emerging in many non-traditional U.S. growing regions like Virginia (VA). However, the lack of understanding on aroma chemistry of regional hops limited their prosperity. Moreover, suitable postharvest drying and packaging practices for VA hop producers are not available. This dissertation aims to address above issues by investigating the aroma chemistry of VA hops by varieties (Cascade, Chinook), growing locations (Meadowview/Petersburg/Blacksburg, VA), smaller-scale drying practices (oven drying, dehydrator drying, freeze drying) and packaging materials (PA/PE, OPP/Foil/PE, EVOH). Our efforts also extended to the novel application of hop-derived ingredients in non-beer drinks to promote value-added products. Solid phase microextraction and solvent-assisted flavor evaporation were applied for aroma extraction. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry was used with stable isotope dilution analysis and standard addition method for accurate quantitation of aroma-active compounds. A total of 33 and 36 aroma-active compounds were identified in all fresh and dried hops, respectively. Geraniol, β-myrcene, linalool, methyl octanoate and trans-α-bergamotene were found to be the predominant compounds. Aroma profiles varied significantly with growing locations for both varieties. Individual aroma contents and total essential oil were the highest in dehydrator-dried hops, indicating the advantage of dehydrator-drying being a suitable practice to retain aroma power in hops for most smaller-scale producers in VA. Most volatile compounds in different packaged dried hops showed decreased concentrations over 8-month storage, but the variation was not statistically significant. Hop essential oil (HEO) microcapsules, manufactured by spray drying using modified starch CAPSUL® as the wall material, showed high flavor retention and controlled aroma release. The addition of HEO microcapsules significantly improved the aroma recovery and stability in hop tea. Our findings enhance the understanding of the aroma chemistry in regional hops as affected by multiple pre- and postharvest factors. The novel non-beer application of HEO was also successfully demonstrated. / Doctor of Philosophy / Hop (Humulus lupulus L.) is an essential raw material in beer brewing because it can provide beer products with unique flavor. With the growing "buy local" trend among consumers in recent years, hop production is moving to many non-traditional growing regions in the U.S. including Virginia. This resulted in an increasing number of local craft breweries operating on a smaller scale across the state. However, the aroma characteristics of Virginia-grown hops are unclear. Specific suggestions related to hop postharvest processing and storage are also unavailable for regional smaller-scale hop producers. Therefore, this study aims to study the aroma characteristics of Virginia-grown hops by varieties, growing locations, smaller-scale drying practices and packaging strategies. The novel non-alcoholic application of hop essential oil (HEO, mixture of many hop aroma compounds) was also demonstrated in hop tea. The results showed that both fresh and dried Virginia hops had a complicated profile of aroma compounds that primarily exhibited typical citrus, woody and fruity attributes. Both Cascade and Chinook varieties harvested from Meadowview showed significantly higher aroma contents than hops harvested from the other two locations in Virginia. Most aroma compounds in hops were better preserved by dehydrator drying than freeze an oven drying. No significant change was observed in aroma compositions from hops packaged in three different materials after storage. Finally, HEO particles with enhanced stability were prepared by engineering approaches, which were finally added to hop tea bags for the evaluation of aroma-intensifying effects and storage stability. The results indicated an overall desirable characteristic for the obtained HEO particles. The addition of HEO particles could significantly enhance the aroma stability of hop tea products during storage. Overall, the findings from this study enable a better understanding of flavor chemistry of regional hops from various origins and demonstrated a successful application of HEO particles as a flavoring agent in non-beer products.

The purpose of this study was to understand the teaching practices of the Agriculture Faculty at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU). This study is at the intersection of the critical assessment and examination of assumption and exploring options and plans stages of transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 2000) and the environment factor of Astin's I-E-O model. Previous studies showed that tertiary education of Bangladesh fails to develop critical thinking abilities among the students. Higher order teaching practices help to develop critical thinking abilities among the students. Thus, it is important to explore the level of teaching practices at the Agriculture Faculty of BAU to understand how it supports critical thinking abilities among the students. Graduates being able to use critical thinking skills to solve agricultural issues will increase total food production and reduce national poverty. This study was an instrumental single case study. Faculty of Agriculture of BAU was the unit of analysis for this study. The findings of this study were only generalizable to the Agriculture Faculty at BAU and only relevant for Summer 2020. The phenomenon of this study was teaching practices at the Agriculture Faculty of BAU. Data sources included a census survey of active faculty members and content analysis of course syllabi. Findings from this study suggested that both teaching methods and course learning outcomes of the courses of the Agriculture Faculty at BAU were related the lower order of Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RevBT). Moreover, faculty members from biological science and engineering used more teaching practices from evaluating level of RevBT than social science disciplines. Evaluating level is considered as higher level of RevBT. Male faculty members also used more teaching practices related to analyzing level than female faculty members. Analyzing level is also considered as higher level of RevBT. Faculty members identified that they have lack of training, standard teaching resources to use higher order teaching practices. Moreover, they also said that students of the Agriculture Faculty at BAU are more interested in job preparation than classroom education. However, faculty members also felt that higher order teaching practices can improve the creativity and critical thinking abilities for students and brings enthusiasms in teaching. Faculty members recommended that BAU revise its curriculum, syllabi, and assessment strategies to create higher order teaching practices in classrooms. As a result of this study, there is opportunity for faculty to increase their use of higher order teaching practices and develop course outcomes that support higher order learning. In addition, the university should revise their existing curricula and assessment techniques and give more freedom to the faculty members to choose their teaching and assessment methods. Finally, training should be organized to support higher order teaching by female faculty members. / Doctor of Philosophy / The purpose of this case study was to understand the teaching practices of the Agriculture Faculty at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU). Conceptually, this study was coupled up with transformative learning theory (Mezirow, 2000) and the Astin's I-E-O model. The unit of analysis of this study was the educational environment provided by Agriculture faculty of BAU that offers a single under-graduate degree program called B.Sc. Ag. (Hons.). A structured survey questionnaire was used to collect data from the faculty members of the Agriculture Faculty of BAU based on Revised Bloom's Taxonomy (RevBT). Additionally, all course syllabi were analyzed to identify the level of intended teaching practices based on RevBT. RevBT is the benchmark standard to evaluate the cognitive orders of the teaching-learning process, curriculum planning, instruction, and test tasks. Findings from this study suggested that faculty members slightly more preferred teaching practices from the lower levels of RevBT for the classroom teaching at BAU. Findings also suggested that teaching practices connected to the higher cognitive levels of RevBT were significantly varied based on academic disciplines and gender of the faculty members. Faculty members mentioned that lack of students' interest in classroom lessons, the rigid curricula and existing examination system of BAU, large numbers of students in classes, and lack of training of the faculty members are the main limiting factors for them to use higher order teaching practices in classrooms. However, faculty members also wanted to use the higher order teaching practices in classrooms as higher order teaching practices enhances students' creativity, problem solving skills, and critical thinking skills. Faculty members suggested to update course curricula, syllabi, and the exam system to support higher-order teaching practices at BAU. Findings from the course syllabi analysis supported that most of the action verbs of course learning outcomes of the course syllabi were connected to the lower cognitive levels of RevBT. As a result of this study, there is opportunity for faculty to increase their use of higher order teaching practices and develop courses that support higher order learning. In addition, the university should revise their existing curricula and assessment techniques and give more freedom to the faculty members to choose their teaching and assessment methods. Finally, training should be organized to support higher order teaching by female faculty members.

Principals of Title I schools have a responsibility to ensure that all students achieve so that they may graduate on time and are career and college ready (Virginia Department of Education [VDOE], 2022b). This research focused on the principals' instructional leadership practices in elementary and middle Title I schools impacting student achievement. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify principal instructional leadership practices and their perceived impact on student achievement in elementary and middle Title I schools within a school division in Virginia. The research question was, what are the principal instructional leadership practices and their perceived impact on student achievement in elementary and middle Title I schools within a school division in Virginia as reported by principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and teachers? A demographic survey of eight teachers was completed, and one-on-one interviews were conducted with two principals, one assistant principal, and two instructional coaches, and focus interviews held with eight teachers. Data on instructional leadership practices and the perceived impact on student achievement in Title I schools in one school division in Virginia were analyzed. Deductive coding was used for this purpose to determine common themes from the data. Eight major findings were discovered including seven principal instructional leadership practices and the most impactful principal instructional leadership practices. Six of the findings pertain to elementary and middle Title I schools, and two of the findings were specific to elementary Title I schools. The research could provide current and future practitioners in elementary and middle Title I schools and school divisions with principal instructional leadership practices to help improve overall student achievement and close achievement gaps amongst student groups. Practitioners can utilize the study to assist with the professional development (PD) of Title I school principals and for developing principal preparation programs. Researchers might use the study for literature research-based strategies on instructional leadership practices and the perceived impact on student achievement in Title I schools. Whether students are learning face-to-face, blended, or virtual, these practices can be utilized by leaders of Title I schools to ensure that students achieve. / Doctor of Education / Principals of Title I schools have a responsibility to ensure that all students achieve so that they may graduate on time and are career and college ready. This research focused on the principals' instructional leadership practices impacting student achievement in elementary and middle Title I schools. The research question was, what are the principal instructional leadership practices and their perceived impact on student achievement in elementary and middle Title I schools within a school division in Virginia as reported by principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, and teachers? A demographic survey of eight teachers was completed, and one-on-one interviews were conducted with two principals, one assistant principal, and two instructional coaches, and focus interviews held with eight teachers. The research might benefit current and future practitioners in elementary and middle Title I schools and school divisions by providing principal instructional leadership practices to help improve overall student achievement and close achievement gaps amongst student groups. Practitioners can utilize the study to help with PD of principals or for developing principal preparation programs. This study might provide researchers with literature research-based strategies on instructional leadership practices and the perceived impact on student achievement in Title I schools.

An Exploration of Inclusive Management Practices: Through the Lenses of Public Managers Jessica Lee Spencer-Gallucci ABSTRACT This study explores how public managers think about and understand the practices of inclusive management (IM) in the workplace. Specifically, the research explores the lived experiences and perceptions of public managers and their implementation of inclusive management practices. The federal government is among the largest employers in the United States. Past and present presidential administrations recognize the importance of employee inclusion, engagement, and performance management as the foundations for building and sustaining the 21st-century workforce. This dissertation explores the intersection of inclusive management and diversity management. Although inclusive management practices have evolved into diversity management programs, government organizations continue to contend with implementing complex, inclusive practices in the workplace. Executive Order 13583 (2011) established a coordinated government-wide initiative to promote diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce. Changes in inclusive legislation and policies in President Trump's 2019 Management Agenda and the Office of Personnel Management's Strategic Plan 2018–2022 may indicate a shift in diversity and inclusion priorities. The Strategic Plan directs the Office of Personnel Management to provide federal supervisors enhanced public management tools that allow success in the workplace. As in previous years, the 2019 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) identified areas of concern in the workplace. Respondents expressed concerns about how their agency evaluates job performance, processes, merit promotions, and respondents' ability to influence organizational practices. Respondents also were concerned the results of the survey will not improve workplace practices. This research explores the meaning and understanding of inclusive practices through the lenses of eight public managers. Although relying on eight interviews limits the study's generalizability, closely focusing and reflecting on a handful of distinctive voices, this study enabled a greater sensitivity to the lived experiences described by study respondents. The research examines the massive changes taking place in workplaces and societies. The narrative inquiry explored the question: How do public managers and leaders think about and understand inclusive management practices? The literature review guiding the study focuses on theories and concepts related to inclusive leadership, inclusive management practices, inclusion and diversity programs, and theory-to-practice models. Analyzing the eight participants' lived experiences provide a meaningful way of identifying patterns or different ways of doing the same things with inclusive practices, public managers' motivation, and professional training. Overall, inclusive management studies linked historical knowledge of inclusion with current inclusive management practices to enhance public management in the 21st century. The accumulated experiences and perceptions of participants in this study contribute to the existing knowledge of inclusive management practices. The research expands the landscape of inclusive concepts, theories, and practices by focusing mainly on public managers' lived experiences and inclusive management views. This study's results indicate the participants' actions align with the literature related to inclusive leadership concepts and the value of employees' perception of belongingness and uniqueness in the workplace. / Doctor of Philosophy / An Exploration of Inclusive Management Practices: Through the Lenses of Public Managers Jessica Lee Spencer-Gallucci GENERAL AUDIENCE ABSTRACT Although U.S. government organizations have advanced toward a broad view of inclusion, many public managers continue to grapple with an inclusiveness that requires listening, engaging, and supporting all employees in completing core tasks to improve public management services. Most contemporary government work focuses on improved efficiencies and outcomes. Simultaneously, the government workforce demographics have broadened, and inclusion is fundamental to an organization's core values. Inclusion refers to employees' perception that they are part of the organization and its processes. In this paradigm, the employee participates in decision-making, employee work is essential to the team, has adequate access to organizational information, and commands the resources needed to achieve the organization's mission and goals. Massive public management policy changes are taking place in public organizations and societies more generally. Yet, many employees express concern efforts to ensure inclusive practices in public management lack genuine commitment to fostering shared-decision-making, open-communications, trust, fairness, and the ability for employees to contribute to the organization. Inclusive management has emphasized the importance of inclusiveness for the advancement of the workforce in the future. There is limited historical knowledge about how public managers share their practices and learn from experiences of inclusiveness. The existing literature examines the need for managers to practice inclusiveness in the workplace. Additionally, researchers addressed the need for employees to have a sense of belongingness and uniqueness. Despite these queries, relatively little is empirically known about how public managers enact inclusive practices in public management. This exploration seeks to close this gap. Specifically, the inquiry sought a deeper understanding of eight participants' expertise, activity, and knowledge in relational encounters related to inclusive practices. A primary objective is to create a more powerful narrative around the many aspects of the participants' individuality. The results of this study suggest inclusive practices such as inclusive leadership, open-communication, managing workplace challenges, and valuing employees as an asset helps shape the perception of how managers think about and understand inclusiveness. In this study, participants emphasized promoting employee engagement through trust, fairness, and equality for all workplace employees. The study provides a better understanding of inclusive practice patterns that align with existing literature related to inclusive management, diversity, inclusion, and other inclusion literature.

Forests of the Southeastern United States produce approximately 12% of all the world's wood products and represent 40% of all U.S. timberland, thus emphasizing the importance of Southeast in support of the United States' role as the world's largest timber producer. Producing such quantities of timber requires a substantial areas of forest harvest operations, which have the potential to disturb soils, facilitate erosion and potentially reduce water quality. Harvest sites routinely contain operational features such as skid trails, harvest areas, haul roads, decks/landings and stream crossings, all of which have the potential to influence erosion and sediment deposition in streams. Forestry best management practices (BMPs) were created to minimize the effects of harvesting operations on sedimentation and are implemented at varying levels throughout the Southeastern U.S. We quantified the area of these features on 111 recent harvest sites throughout 11 Southeastern states and three physiographic groupings (Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain). No significant differences were found between the groupings with regard to the percent of area occupied by each operational feature. Decks, haul roads, skid trails, and stream crossings comprised an average of 1.43%, 3.21%, 7.03%, and 0.19% of the harvest operations. Roads, decks, skid trails, and structures were combined into an access feature category. These combined access features occupied 13.0% of harvests in the Mountains, 10.2% in the Piedmont, and 10.4% in the Coastal Plain (10.4%). A companion study was developed to trap sediment delivered to the stream and quantify the sediment delivery ratios (SDRs) on a subset of harvests sites in order to determine the average amount of eroded material that could reach a stream from each specific operational feature following a harvest. Across all groupings, stream crossings had the highest average SDR (34.32%), while skid trails had the second highest SDR (21.04%). Substantial site variability resulted in large SDR differences with few meaningful significant differences, but stream crossings, skid trails, and haul roads had sufficiently high sediment delivery ratios across all groupings to warrant additional BMP focus on these areas. / Master of Science / The Southeastern United States is a major producer of forests and forest products, comprising about 40% of US timberland and 12% of global wood products. Support of this industry requires that over 4 million acres of forests are harvested annually across the southeastern U.S. and improper or under usage of forestry best management practices could result in soil erosion and subsequent transport to streams as sediment. Previous research indicates that different operational and access features found on logging sites have different erosion rates yet little data exists which document the percentages of erosion that is delivered as sediment to streams. Skid trails (trails that forestry equipment use within a harvesting operation) compromised the largest access feature average percent area (second to harvest area), followed by haul roads, then decks (area where equipment is kept and logs are processed and loaded), and finally stream crossings with the smallest average area. Stream crossings, skid trails and haul roads consistently had the highest average sediment delivery ratios for all groupings combined. However, substantial site variability resulted in large sediment delivery ratio differences with few meaningful significant differences.

Salmonella has been shown to survive in soils for extended periods. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) represents a promising alternative to fumigation used to manage soilborne diseases and pests; however, little is known about ASD's impact on Salmonella. The study aimed to compare Salmonella die-off following inoculation in ASD and non-ASD processed soil and compare Salmonella die-off in amended and non-amended soils following ASD. Two independent experiments were arranged in randomized complete block designs (four replications per treatment). Sandy-loam soil was inoculated with a Salmonella cocktail (5.5±0.2 log CFU/g) and amended with field-applicable rates of rye (R), rapeseed (RS), hairy vetch (HV), or pelletized poultry litter (PPL). Non-amended, anaerobic (ANC) and non-amended, aerobic controls (AC) were performed in parallel. Soils were irrigated to saturation and covered with plastic mulch. ASD was terminated by removal of plastic (3-weeks). Triplicate soil samples were collected pre-ASD and 0, 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, 31, 35, 38 and 42d post-ASD. Post-ASD soil was irrigated weekly. Salmonella was quantified using standard methods and a modified MPN enrichment protocol. Concentrations between treatments and time-points were analyzed for significance (P≤0.05). Separate log-linear models were used to examine effect of amendment and irrigation on Salmonella die-off during ASD and post-ASD. Salmonella concentrations decreased in all treatments during ASD with the greatest decrease being observed in ASD and non-ASD controls. Among ASD-processed, amended soil, the rye and rapeseed amendments had the greatest decrease in Salmonella concentrations. Salmonella concentrations decreased by ~1 log between pre-ASD and post-soil saturation (95% Confidence Interval (CI) =-1.31, -0.99), and by approximately 2 logs between pre-ASD and termination of ASD (CI=-2.14, -1.83). Salmonella concentrations were ~1 log higher in ASD-processed, pelletized poultry litter-amended soil, compared to the ASD control (CI=0.81, 1.26). The average daily die-off rate of Salmonella post-ASD was -0.05 log per g (CI=-0.05, -0.04). Following irrigation, Salmonella concentrations were 0.14 log greater, compared to no irrigation within 7 d (CI=0.05, 0.23). Salmonella serovar distribution differed by treatment, with >70% survival of Newport in pelletized poultry litter. ASD does not eliminate Salmonella concentrations in soil; instead some amendments may enhance Salmonella survival. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) is the process of removing soilborne weeds, soilborne diseases and insect by creating an anaerobic environment in the soil by incorporating easily decomposable soil amendments, covering with plastic mulch, and irrigating to saturation. The anaerobic soil environment persists for two- to six-weeks. ASD represents a promising alternative to fumigation used to manage soil-borne diseases and pests. However, little is known about ASD's impact on Salmonella, which has been shown to survive in soils for extended periods of time and can contaminate the edible part of produce. This study aimed to determine if ASD is an effective strategy to reduce or eliminate Salmonella from soils that contain typical amendments added to promote soil health, determine the distribution of Salmonella serovars in ASD treated soils, and examine the impact of irrigation. Two independent experiments were conducted in growth chambers. A common soil type in produce growing regions of the Eastern Shore of VA, sandy-loam soil was inoculated with a five-serovar Salmonella cocktail (~5.5±0.2 log CFU/g) and mixed with field-applicable rates of rye, rapeseed, hairy vetch, or pelletized poultry litter. ASD processed soils were irrigated to field saturation, covered with plastic mulch, and left for 3 weeks. Post-ASD, soils were irrigated weekly. Salmonella was quantified at least once per week for up to 6 weeks in soil samples collected in triplicate pre-ASD, post-field saturation, and post-ASD. The three-week anaerobic soil environment, created during ASD, allowed for greater Salmonella survival, compared to the aerobic soil environment. Salmonella survival in ASD processed soil was dependent on amendment. Salmonella concentrations decreased in all treatments during ASD with the greatest decrease being observed in ASD and non-ASD controls. Among ASD-processed, amended soil, the rye and rapeseed amendments had the greatest decrease in Salmonella concentrations. Pelletized poultry litter amended soil, in combination with ASD, had the highest Salmonella concentration, while rye had the lowest at each time-point post-ASD. Salmonella serovar distribution differed by treatment with greater survival of S. Poona in rye, S. Braenderup in hairy vetch and S. Newport in pelletized poultry litter. , Salmonella concentrations were 0.14 log greater, compared to no irrigation within 7 d. Overall, ASD did not eliminate Salmonella in soils. Compared to non-ASD processed soil, ASD processed soil had greater survival of Salmonella and the soil amendment used influenced the survival ability. While more research is needed on ASD and different soil amendments, the findings of this research would suggest pelletized poultry litter not be used as an amendment (i.e., carbon source in ASD) for fields used to grow produce eaten raw, especially when soils are potentially contaminated with Salmonella.

The purpose of this study was to explore leadership practices exercised by higher education leaders in Mongolia from the perspective of American leadership concepts. The study was based on leaders' practices. That is, the study examined how higher education leaders conduct themselves as administrators and how their leadership practices are perceived by their subordinates. This study differed from most of the related research on higher education in three ways. First, this study focused on leaders in higher education institutions in a transitional country of Asia. Second, previous related studies primarily concentrated on leaders from one sector (public v. private) or one type of post-secondary institution (two-year, four-year, and research universities and colleges). This study encompassed samples from both public and private higher education institutions representing different types of schools (universities, specialized institutions, and professional schools). Third, this study employed both forms of the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) instrument: LPI-Self and LPI-Observer. All leaders (Rectors, Deans, and Department Heads) completed an LPI-Self on themselves and all leaders were evaluated by all levels of followers at the institution including faculty members. The sample consisted of 20 Rectors, 20 Deans, 40 Department Heads, and 200 faculty members from 10 public and 10 private higher education institutions. The LPI-Self and the LPI-Observer instruments were translated into Mongolian and distributed to participants along with a short demographic survey. Data analysis procedures included: (1) creating individual profiles of self scores and observers scores for each leader using LPI scoring software; (2) producing a spreadsheet of demographic information and LPI data for statistical analysis using SPSS; (3) and, the actual analysis through t-tests, analyses of variance, and multiple comparison techniques. The results revealed that no group of higher education leaders in Mongolia were rated as high in terms of their practices even by their own self-assessment. Overall, the ratings on all five leadership practices of higher education leaders in Mongolia were lower than those of college and university leaders in the United States. Additionally, the ratings of followers on the practices of their leaders were significantly lower than self-ratings of the leaders themselves in a number of areas. One possible explanation for the findings might be the fact that leaders in higher education institutions in Mongolia are learning about leadership practices by trial and error during the country's transition from a socialist system to a democratic system. / Ph. D.

Families have a basic need to stay connected to each other. When families are separated by distance, they turn to communication technologies to stay connected with loved ones. However, most technologies do not provide the same feelings of connectedness that one feels from seeing loved ones. This dissertation explored the design and use of video-based technologies to allow families to communicate and remain connected across distance. The first part of this dissertation explored families' use of video mediated communication (VMC) systems and focused on determining design factors that are critical for its successful adoption. This research was conducted in three phases. Phase 1 explored families' use of a current VMC system, namely video conferencing, to uncover how and why families' use this technology to communicate with loved ones. An interview study led to findings about families' communication practices using video conferencing systems. These included initiating communication using other technologies prior to engaging in a video call, and sharing activities in each other's homes. Design recommendations that emerged from this study highlight the need for mechanisms in VMC systems that allow families to easily initiate communication and easily share everyday life. In Phase 2, design recommendations from Phase 1 were used to design and implement a dyadic VMC system with always-on video called the Family Window (FW). A field evaluation of the system uncovered a mix of practices, some similar to the use of video conferencing systems, for example to share activities, and some new practices that were made possible by the always-on video system. Design recommendations from this field evaluation highlight the importance of dedicated displays, mobility, and privacy controlling mechanisms. In Phase 3, design recommendations from the evaluation of the FW were used to design, implement, and evaluate a multifamily VMC system with called Family Portals. The second part of this dissertation describes the codification of families' communication and awareness practices using VMC systems, into patterns and a pattern language. These communication and awareness practices were codified into Patterns of Practices that can be used as a design tool to design technologies for domestic communication and as a vocabulary to describe domestic communication practices. / Ph. D.

To protect the integrity of the United State's waters, the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 promoted the establishment of Best Management Practices (BMPs) for forestry. A commonly used BMP is the reservation of Streamside Management Zones (SMZs). In this study the effectiveness of three different SMZ widths, 30.5 m (100 ft), 15.3 m (50 ft), and 7.6 m (25 ft), as well as thinning in 15.3 m SMZs were studied. The objectives of the study were to determine the effects these SMZ treatments had on carbon pools, carbon fluxes and environmental conditions in the SMZ. The benthic macroinvertebrate populations present within the stream were also examined because of their relationship to ecosystem carbon dynamics. Carbon storage in plant communities, litter layer, soil (upper 10 cm), and total organic carbon present (TOC) within streams were measured and quantified. Total CO₂ efflux and the major environmental drivers of soil CO₂ efflux, soil moisture and soil temperature, were monitored along a single transect within each SMZ. This study showed that carbon dynamics and stream biota (benthic macroinvertebrates) were not adversely effected by more narrow SMZ width and thinning within the SMZ. SMZ width did affect soil temperature, one of the environmental drivers affecting soil respiration. Based on these short-term results a 15.3 m SMZ with thinning or without thinning appears adequate to prevent changes in ecosystem function and water quality for forest applications. / Master of Science

Although behavioral inhibition has been found to be relatively stable, such stability has not always been shown. Moreover, although an association between parental shyness and child behavioral inhibition has been reported, this relationship is imperfect and indirect. The present study proposed that one factor that may impact these relationships is the attitudes parents hold toward having a shy, inhibited child. Although shyness is typically regarded as a negative and maladaptive trait, it is not necessarily viewed as problematic by all parents. The present study investigated a series of ten specific hypotheses that centered around the notion that variations in parental attitudes toward shyness may lead some parents to encourage and other parents to discourage behaviors typically associated with shyness in their young children. Using a longitudinal design, the present study examined the relations among the constructs of parental attitudes toward shyness, child behavioral inhibition, childrearing strategies, and parental shyness over a span of two years in a sample of 3 to 6 year-old children and their parents. Results revealed several interesting and valuable findings. Maternal attitudes toward shyness emerged as a moderator of the relationship between behavioral inhibition at Time 1 and Time 2. Maternal attitudes toward shyness also emerged as a significant moderator of the relationship between maternal shyness and child behavioral inhibition. However, childrearing strategies did not mediate the relationship between maternal attitudes toward shyness and behavioral inhibition in children as predicted. / Ph. D.