This thesis examines city conditions that attract high tech companies in Canada and the United States, gives an insight into the high tech industry in Richmond, analyses factors that determine the location of high tech in the City of Richmond, and identifies possible actions that the City of Richmond could take to attract high technology. The problem statement focuses on factors that determine the location of high tech industries in North American cities, generally, and in the City of Richmond, specifically. The thesis' methodology consists of a literature review, survey and interview research, statistical analysis, and policies and zoning regulations review. The economic and planning literature have provided better understanding of the definition of high tech industry, the types of high technology clusters, and the locational factors affecting the spatial distribution of high tech companies. Both the survey and the interview questions have focused on the effective methods of attracting high tech industries, the conditions making high tech industries successful in the surveyed cities, the development characteristics supporting high tech industries, the development tools used by the cities in practice, and the current effective planning approaches to high technology. The statistical analysis and the review of policies and zoning regulations have provided an insight into the number and size of the high tech companies located in the city of Richmond, as well as into Richmond's policies related to high technology. This thesis finds that high tech industries are foot - loose industries that often change locations due to factors, such as better tax climate, availability of an educated workforce, and post - secondary institutions presence. As a result, there is no standard framework to explain the locational pattern of high technology. However, this thesis identifies two sets of locational factors - general and specific - that are decisive for high technology today. There is an obvious requirement for general locational factors, such as a skilled workforce, post-secondary educational institutions proximity, linkages to other industries, good public transit, good quality business parks, higher building densities, and affordable housing. The specific locational factors depend on the type of high tech sector, and they are required by certain high tech sectors, such as biotechnology. The locational factors revealed by this thesis do not represent a framework that is applicable to all communities that aim to attract high tech businesses. However, the findings of this thesis present valid information for any community to consider before pursuing high tech policies and programs. In addition, this thesis leads to recommendations regarding the steps that communities could undertake in order to develop successful high tech policies and programs.

This thesis examines city conditions that attract high tech companies in Canada and the United States, gives an insight into the high tech industry in Richmond, analyses factors that determine the location of high tech in the City of Richmond, and identifies possible actions that the City of Richmond could take to attract high technology. The problem statement focuses on factors that determine the location of high tech industries in North American cities, generally, and in the City of Richmond, specifically. The thesis' methodology consists of a literature review, survey and interview research, statistical analysis, and policies and zoning regulations review. The economic and planning literature have provided better understanding of the definition of high tech industry, the types of high technology clusters, and the locational factors affecting the spatial distribution of high tech companies. Both the survey and the interview questions have focused on the effective methods of attracting high tech industries, the conditions making high tech industries successful in the surveyed cities, the development characteristics supporting high tech industries, the development tools used by the cities in practice, and the current effective planning approaches to high technology. The statistical analysis and the review of policies and zoning regulations have provided an insight into the number and size of the high tech companies located in the city of Richmond, as well as into Richmond's policies related to high technology. This thesis finds that high tech industries are foot - loose industries that often change locations due to factors, such as better tax climate, availability of an educated workforce, and post - secondary institutions presence. As a result, there is no standard framework to explain the locational pattern of high technology. However, this thesis identifies two sets of locational factors - general and specific - that are decisive for high technology today. There is an obvious requirement for general locational factors, such as a skilled workforce, post-secondary educational institutions proximity, linkages to other industries, good public transit, good quality business parks, higher building densities, and affordable housing. The specific locational factors depend on the type of high tech sector, and they are required by certain high tech sectors, such as biotechnology. The locational factors revealed by this thesis do not represent a framework that is applicable to all communities that aim to attract high tech businesses. However, the findings of this thesis present valid information for any community to consider before pursuing high tech policies and programs. In addition, this thesis leads to recommendations regarding the steps that communities could undertake in order to develop successful high tech policies and programs. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), School of / Graduate

This study investigated the effects of technology education, science, and mathematics (TSM) curriculum integration on the technological problem-solving ability of eighth grade technology education students. The researcher used a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design to compare the performance of students receiving correlated TSM integration to those not receiving integration in an adapted Technology, Science, Mathematics Integration Project Activity (LaPorte & Sanders, 1993). The students were to design, construct, and evaluate wind collectors to generate electricity. The collectors were mounted on a generator for the pretest and posttest measurements. The measure for treatment effect was the output wattage of the generator for each student's wind collector. The samples were drawn from middle schools that had two technology education teachers in the same school, each teaching eighth graders. The pilot study sample (N = 51) was selected from a middle school in rural south-central Virginia. The study sample (N = 33) was selected from a middle school in a suburb of Richmond, Virginia. Treatment group technology education teachers employed echnological problem solving, and they correlated instruction of key concepts with science and mathematics teachers using the adapted TSM Integration Activity. The control group technology education teachers did not correlate instruction with science and mathematics teachers. There was no significant difference between the treatment and control groups for technological problem solving. Evidence suggested that students were applying science and mathematics concepts. The researcher concluded that TSM curriculum integration may promote the application of science and mathematics concepts to technological problem solving and does not hinder the technological problem-solving ability of eighth technology education students. / Ph. D.

The focus of this dissertation is on exploring the needs of and services provided to orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) in Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal. This research is based on the findings from in-depth face-to-face interviews, and the focus group discussion conducted with key informants and primary caregivers of OVCs, respectively. The findings underline that although the needs of OVCs are similar to those of all other children, OVCs face unique challenges. It further shows that the government of South Africa has been responsive in developing relevant legislation, policies, and programmes that attempt to address the needs of OVCs. The findings also revealed that the services provided are coordinated, to a limited extent, through the Flagship Project led by the office of the Premier and. that coordination and integration of activities rendered by various stakeholders is crucial to a positive impact, and in increasing the accessibility of these services. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

The focus of this dissertation is on exploring the needs of and services provided to orphaned and vulnerable children (OVCs) in Richmond, KwaZulu-Natal. This research is based on the findings from in-depth face-to-face interviews, and the focus group discussion conducted with key informants and primary caregivers of OVCs, respectively. The findings underline that although the needs of OVCs are similar to those of all other children, OVCs face unique challenges. It further shows that the government of South Africa has been responsive in developing relevant legislation, policies, and programmes that attempt to address the needs of OVCs. The findings also revealed that the services provided are coordinated, to a limited extent, through the Flagship Project led by the office of the Premier and. that coordination and integration of activities rendered by various stakeholders is crucial to a positive impact, and in increasing the accessibility of these services. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV/AIDS)

In recent debate within education, the notion of barriers to learning has been reconceptualised to focus on systemic issues rather than deficits in individual learners. These barriers are factors which contribute to learning breakdown and exclusion. HIV / AIDS has been recognised as one of the factors which contributes to preventing children from participating in and benefiting from learning. In South Africa HIV/ AIDS has reached pandemic proportions. There has been a call for in depth qualitative micro-studies to supplement the numerous macro, quantitative studies on HIV / AIDS to explore contextualised experiences of HIV / AIDS and barriers to learning. This study was aimed at mapping barriers to learning in a context of HIV and AIDS amongst grade 6 and 9 learners in the Richmond district of KwaZulu-Natal. The study used semi- structured interviews and focus groups with participative methods of data collection. The total sample was 60 with an equal number of male and female participants. The data was analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis and the framework provided by Bronfenbrenner's theory with a particular focus on contextual factors to describe and analyse the barriers to learning in the study. The study found that psychosocial exclusionary factors that were located at different system levels in terms of Bronfenbrenner's theory exacerbated the impact of mv/ AIDS in the context of the study. The interconnectedness of, and the ripple effects amongst, these barriers to learning create additional challenges for the current education policies to minimize the impact of HIV / AIDS in formal education / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

The objectives of this study were to determine the loading of dead and down forest fuels in 6 forest cover types on the upper Coastal Plain of Virginia, specifically in the Richmond National Battlefield Park, and to determine the relationships between the fuels and the vegetation. The forest fuels and vegetation were sampled in stands of the following cover types: pine, oak-pine, mixed hardwood-pine, oak, mixed hardwood, and oak-mixed hardwood. The planar intersect method was utilized to quantify the woody fuels. and the forest floor was sampled in fixed area plots. The weight. volume, depth. and species of fuel particles was determined for each stand sampled in the Park, and this information was combined for an estimate of fuel loading by cover type. The overstory trees were sampled within prism plots, and the understory was sampled in fixed area plots. Standard forestry information was collected for each sampled stand, and estimates of species dominance, density, frequency and importance were determined. In general, the fuel loading was not different between the six cover types as determined with ANOVA procedures. due to the large variation of loads within each. The loading of certain sizes of fuel particles were different between a few cover types, due to both the influence of the overstory species and the site they had occupied. For example, the 1-hr. time-lag branch fuel loading was significantly greater in the oak cover type than in the pine or mixed hardwood cover types. Another significant difference was in the forest floor loads: the mixed hardwood cover type had a lighter forest floor than the pine or oak-pine cover types. This was most likely due to the higher quality of sites upon which the mixed hardwood stand were found, and the higher palatability of litter produced by these species, which would favor the decomposition of litter more than conditions found in the pine or oak-pine cover types. To quantify relationships between the fuel loads and forest vegetation and site characteristics, Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated between all the variables. Many significant relationships were found, though all but one correlation coefficient was under 0.51: total forest floor load and forest floor depth had a correlation coefficient of 0.75. Forest and site variables significantly related to fuel loadings were tested for their predictive value with multiple regression statistics. The resulting set of regressions had low coefficients of determination and varying levels of precision; their usefulness would depend on the level of sampling intensity and precision one would want to expend to get an estimate of fuel loading in a stand. If a rough estimate requiring little time in the field is desirable, then these regressions would be useful. / Master of Science

Syfte: Att undersöka om frånvaro av sederingsmål påverkar sederingsnivå samt att kartlägga sederingsdjupet, bedömt enligt Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS-skalan) hos intuberade patienter på IVA, Norrlands Universitetssjukhus (NUS). Bakgrund: Vikten av en adekvat sedering är något som medvetandegjorts de senaste åren och trenden inom intensivvård har gått från användandet av djup sedering med muskelblockad till en mer ytlig sederingsstrategi. Översedering leder till olika former av komplikationer i form av förlängd ventilatortid och vårdtid samt ökad mortalitet. Undersedering ökar riskerna för stress och smärta. En adekvat sederingsnivå innebär att patienten är lugn och komfortabel men lättväckt. För att erhålla den optimala sederingsnivån och därigenom undvika de negativa effekterna av både över- och undersedering, är sederingsskalor ett viktigt hjälpmedel. Design: En journalgranskning med kvantitativ ansats och med retrospektiv design utfördes. Metod: Under perioden 1 januari till 30 juni vårdades totalt 422 patienter på IVA, NUS. Efter granskning enligt inklusions- och exklusionskriterier återstod 46 patienter som ingick i studien. Journalerna granskades med avseende på ordinerade mål och bedömda nivåer enligt RASS. Populationsbeskrivning samt insamlade RASS mål och nivåer fördes in i Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 23,0). Resultat: Hos studiens 46 patienter registrerades totalt 216 dygn där patienterna varit sederade och intuberade. Av dessa saknades ordinerat sederingsmål 47% av dygnen. Frånvaro av ordinerat sederingsmål påverkade inte sederingsdjupet så att statistisk signifikant skillnad förelåg mellan patienter med och utan mål. Totalt registrerades 1048 uppmätta RASS nivåer med syfte att kartlägga sederingsdjup. Medelvärdet för varje enskild patient per dygn räknades ut och alla medelvärden sammanställdes. Sederingsdjupen låg på en lägre nivå än -3 de första fyra dygnen för att därefter gå mot en ytligare nivå. Konklusion: Genom att identifierar bakomliggande faktorer till smärta och oro kan sjuksköterskan bidra med att minska många negativa konsekvenser av inadekvat sedering. Det var ett positivt fynd att sederingsdjupen förändrades över tid till en mer, enligt litteraturen adekvat, sederingsnivå. Utifrån resultatet ses ett behov av fler studier för att kunna utröna vad som påverkar RASS-nivåerna och för att utvärdera hur adekvat sederade patienter är. Det skulle vara av intresse att undersöka detta på en större population och under en längre tidsperiod. / Aim: To investigate if absence of goals for sedation affect the level of sedation and to map out the depth of sedation, assessed according to the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS-scale) on intubated patients at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Norrlands Universitetssjukhus (NUS). Background: The importance of adequate sedation is something that has been raised to awareness the last years and the trend within intensive care has gone from extensive use of sedatives with neuromuscular blocking agents to a more lightly sedative strategy. Over-sedation leads to different kinds of complications such as prolonged mechanical ventilation and hospital stay and also increases mortality rates. Under-sedation increases the risk for stress and pain. An adequate level of sedation is defined as when the patient is calm and comfortable yet easy to arouse from sleep. To obtain the appropriate level of sedation, and thereby avoiding the negative effects of both over- and under-sedation, sedation scales are an important tool. Design: Data was collected using medical records. A quantitative approach with retrospective design was performed. Method: From january 1st to june 30th 2015 a totalt of 422 patients were admitted to the ICU, NUS. After auditing the medical reccords according to the inclusion- and exklusionkriterias 46 patients were included in the study. The medical records were audited regarding sedation goals and sedation scores according to the RASS scale. All collected patients’ characteristics, RASS goals and levels were typed in to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS 23,0). Results: The 46 patients in the study were sedated and intubated a totalt of 216 days. Sedation goals were absent 47% of those days. An absence of sedation goals did not affect the depth of sedation, there were no significant difference between patients with and without sedation goals. In totalt 1048 sedation scores as measured by the RASS scale were collected with the purpose of maping out the sedation depth. The mean for each patient per every 24 hours were calculated and compiled. The sedation scores were lower than -3 the first four days, thereafter the scores changed towards a less heavy sedation. Conclusion: By identifying underlying factors for pain and anxiety, the ICU nurse can reduce the many negative consequences of inadequate sedation. It was a positive finding that the depth of sedation changed over time towards a, according to previous studies, more appropriate level of sedation. The results indicate that there is a need for further studies to investigate what affect the levels of sedation and to assess how appropriate patients are sedated. It would be of interest to examine this on a larger group of patients and for a longer period of time.

This thesis examines the issue of Texas annexation from the viewpoints of two southern cities: Richmond, Virginia, and New Orleans, Louisiana. It looks primarily at four major newspapers, two in each city: the Richmond Enquirer and the Richmond Whig; and the New Orleans Times-Picayune and the New Orleans Whig. These four newspapers were examined thoroughly from January 1844 to July 1845. In addition to the above newspapers, the Congressional Globe and national voting patterns on Texas annexation were examined. Analysis of the editorial articles in the above newspapers offers the best possibility of understanding public sentiment toward Texas annexation and the presidential election of 1844. The evidence examined in this study indicates that Texas annexation became a decisive issue in the presidential election of 1844. It also shows that, although the press and elements within both Democratic and Whig parties were aware that the slavery question was intricately linked to the Texas annexation issue, slavery and sectional politics were not the primary factors influencing annexation. Ultimately, fundamental concerns regarding western expansion in general, especially for the Whigs, and political party loyalty proved the decisive factors in the presidential election of 1844 and Texas annexation. The evidence gathered in this study indicates that Texas annexation deliberately became an issue in the presidential election by the Democratic party. It also shows that although consideration was given to the slavery question by elements of both the Whig and Democratic parties, sectional politics did not enter into play concerning the annexation of Texas.

Mary Wingfield Scott (1895-1983) was a leading figure in the historic preservation movement in Richmond, Virginia. Scott demonstrated a preservation philosophy that transitioned from the sentimental, patriotic focus of early preservation efforts to a modern, academic approach that valued the built environment for its relationship to the city and its history. Scott educated persons on the value of preserving houses that were architecturally significant or connected to the city’s heritage. She documented the antebellum housing of Richmond in two books, founded the William Byrd Branch of the APVA, conducted walking tours throughout the city, wrote a newsletter for the William Byrd Branch, and purchased houses to prevent their demolition. Scott was a strong advocate of adaptive reuse, which she applied to the Greek Revival houses known as Linden Row. Scott’s approach to preservation is mirrored in the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) enacted in 1966 and Richmond’s 2009 Downtown Plan.