The effect of stormwater runoff on the water quality of Peters Creek was investigated. Creek water was sampled at rural, suburban and urban sites. Background and runoff samples were analyzed for sediment, nutrient and heavy metal concentrations. The area upstream of the suburban site was found to contribute the greatest contamination to the creek but the heavy metal contributions were accumulated throughout the watershed. The creek water contained sufficient nutrients to potentially contribute to the eutrophication of Smith Mountain Lake downstream. As the watershed has been developed, flooding has increased in frequency. The detrimental effects of runoff can be reduced in the watershed by clearing the trash from the creek bed, enforcing construction erosion control and creek bed alteration ordinances and by building a series of detention basins in the creek upstream from common sites of flooding. / Master of Science / incomplete_metadata

Unionist sentiment was prevalent in Rockbridge County, Virginia for much of the secession crisis. This thesis traces the political development of Unionism in Rockbridge, examines the economic factors that influenced many county residents to maintain allegiance to the federal Union, and shows how this allegiance manifested itself. My study also reveals that Unionism in Rockbridge eroded gradually during the secession crisis. Many Unionists ultimately favored allying Virginia with the Confederacy because they recognized both the threat Abraham Lincoln posed to their liberty and the possible ramifications of isolating their state from the rest of the slave states. / Master of Arts

This empirical study of governmental finances of Fairfax County, Virginia, for Fiscal Year 1971 compares revenues and expenditures for two types of communities within its boundaries -- Reston, a growing new town, and West Springfield, a conventional suburb. Among the ten services provided by the County to both communities, education accounted for the largest share of expenditures. On the revenue side the real estate tax was the principal source. Reston's fiscal impact, the ratio of revenues to expenditures, is more favorable for the County than that of West Springfield because of the commercial-industrial tax base present in a new town which is absent from the conventional suburb and because Reston's school-age population differed from West Springfield's. For FY71 West Springfield did not produce revenues equal to expenditures made for it. The reader is cautioned to not project from a single year's fiscal impact to other years or to other communities. Yet the results obtained from these contrasting types of communities within a single governmental jurisdiction cannot be ignored. Implications of this research and recommendations for Fairfax County, governmental decision-makers at local, state and federal levels, and for the Department of Housing and Urban Development are presented. Methodology for estimation of revenues and expenditures for Reston and West Springfield, criteria by which West Springfield was selected, and general descriptions of the two communities and services provided by the County are included. / Master of Urban Affairs

The specific problem of this study was to determine common characteristics of midlife professional, technical, and managerial workers who have made voluntary radical career changes, to identify positive and negative experiences faced by these individuals, and to identify coping strategies used by the career changer and families of the career changers. Data were gathered by the participant observation method of qualitative research. Twenty purposively selected career changers were interviewed using semi- structured interview questions. Questions were categorized as follows: personal background, schooling, career history, the career change, and after the career change. The interview sessions were tape recorded. Responses to the interview questions were assembled, codified, and examined for similarities. A profile of a middle-aged professional who has made a radical career change was developed. Excerpts from the profile follow. This individual: (a) is about 43 years old, (b) has worked in the same career for about 13 years prior to the change, (c) experienced no major traumatic event before the change, (d) received no assistance from a "help" agency during the time of change, (e) had few barriers to overcome in making the transition, (f) adjusted to the change with a minimum of effort, and (g) remained financially stable after the change. A major finding of the study was that 17 of the 20 subjects said they were better off psychologically after making the career change. / Ed. D.

I Sverige är underhåll och förnyelse av vatten- och avloppsledningsnätet i huvudsak ett kommunalt ansvar. Då ledningarna försämras över tid är förnyelseplaneringen en av de viktigaste frågorna för den framtida VA-försörjningen. I dagsläget är underhållsarbetet mycket eftersatt trots att det läggs stora summor pengar på förnyelse av ledningsnäten. Detta beror till stor del på att effektiva metoder saknas för prioritering av ledningar utifrån förnyelsebehov. I denna studie presenteras en metod baserad på multikriterieanalys och geografiska informationssystem (GIS) för att skapa en prioriteringsordning av VA-ledningar med hänsyn till ett antal faktorer som påverkar dessa mer eller mindre negativt. I studien har en intervju och en enkätundersökning utförts för att identifiera viktiga faktorer och rangordna dessa utifrån hur de påverkar livslängden hos en VA-ledning. Vikter har beräknats med Simos metod som därefter använts för att beräkna en prioriteringsordning enligt TOPSIS algoritm. Metoden har implementerats i QGIS med insticksmodulen VectorMCDA på svenska vektordata för att generera en prioriteringsordning och presentera denna i en kartbild. Resultatet visar att en generering av en prioriteringsordning av VA-ledningar enligt TOPSIS algoritm är möjlig i en GIS-miljö i open source. Slutsatsen är att metoden skulle kunna vara ett alternativ för personer med breda kunskaper inom VA för att på ett enkelt sätt skapa en tillförlitlig prioriteringsordning av VA-ledningar och presentera resultatet på en kartbild. / In Sweden, maintenance and renewal of the water and sewage system are essentially a municipal responsibility. As the water and sewage pipes deteriorate over time, renewal planning is one of the most important issues for the future function of the network. At present, the maintenance work is highly neglected despite the fact that large sums of money are added to the renewal of the pipeline networks. This is largely due to the lack of efficient methods for prioritizing pipes based on their need of rehabilitation. This study presents a method based on multi-criteria analysis and geographical information systems (GIS) to create a prioritization order of pipes considering a number of factors that affect these more or less negatively. In this study an interview and a survey were conducted to identify key factors and rank these based on how they affect the longevity of a water pipe. Weights have been calculated using Simos’ procedure, which was subsequently used to calculate an order of priority according to TOPSIS algorithm. The method has been implemented in QGIS with the plugin VectorMCDA on Swedish vector data to generate an order of priority and present the result in a map view. The results show that generating a prioritization order of pipes according to TOPSIS algorithm is possible in an open source GIS environment. The conclusion is that the method could be an alternative for people with broad knowledge in water distribution systems in order to easily create a reliable order of priority of water pipes and to present the result in a map view.

"The Enchanted Plantation: Literature, Speculation, and the Credit Economy in Virginia, 1688-1754" examines the beginnings of a regionally-based literary culture in colonial Virginia and focuses specifically on texts that either originate from, or have close ties to, the colony's political and administrative capital at Williamsburg. The dissertation argues that literary practices and literary production in Virginia at this time were crucial to the imagination and material construction of Virginia's unevenly-developed plantation landscape, specifically as this plantation landscape arose within the new speculative and financial markets of the early eighteenth century. Individual chapters demonstrate how reading, writing, and publishing--practices that enabled, and were enabled by, a transatlantic empire built upon speculation and credit--were increasingly tied to land speculation and a managerial ethos of plantation administration. While surveying and bringing to light the many genres and writers associated with Virginia and its capital during this period (including financial literature by government officials, public oratory and ballads in Williamsburg, quitrent poetry, the periodical culture of the Virginia Gazette, and William Byrd II's historical narratives), the dissertation analyzes how Virginia's early literary culture assisted in both creating and managing the Virginia plantation as a slave society, a colonial contact zone, and a scene of financial investment.

Bei der arbuskulären Myorrhiza-Symbiose (AM) und der Wurzelknöllchen-Symbiose (RNS) handelt es sich um symbiotische Interaktionen, die einen großen Vorteil für Pflanzenwachstum und kultivierung mit sich bringen. Während bei der AM Pilze die Pflanze mit verschiedenen Nährstoffen aus dem Boden versorgen, stellen die in den Wurzelknöllchen lokalisierten Rhizobien der Pflanze fixierte Stickstoffverbindungen zur Verfügung. Folglich ist es von großem Interesse, die Entwicklung dieser Symbiosen im Detail zu verstehen. Für die Erkennung der arbuskulären Mykorrhiza-Pilze und der Stickstoff-fixierenden Rhizobien durch die Pflanze sind lösliche symbiotische Signalmoleküle essentiell, die zu der Gruppe der Lipochitinoligosaccharide (LCOs) gehören. Während der Entwicklung der AM und der RNS erkennen die Pflanzenwurzeln diese LCOs über Lysin-Motiv-Rezeptor-ähnliche Kinasen der Plasmamembran. Eine der ersten Antworten der Wurzelzellen auf Nod-LCOs ist eine Depolarisierung des Membranpotentials. An dieser Antwort sind mit großer Wahrscheinlichkeit Anionenkanäle der Plasmamembran beteiligt, da sie auch bei Depolarisierungen als Antwort auf andere Stimuli bzw. Stressantworten involviert sind. In Arabidopsis stellt die S-Typ-Familie eine bedeutende Gruppe von Anionenkanälen dar, die von Calcium-abhängigen Kinasen (CPKs) aktiviert werden. Da Nod-LCOs repetitive Veränderungen des zytosolischen Calcium-Levels induzieren, wurde in dieser Arbeit die Hypothese aufgestellt, dass Calcium-Signale CPKs aktivieren. CPKs sorgen im Gegenzug für die Stimulation von S-Typ-Anionenkanälen in Wurzelzellen. Die Änderungen des Membranpotentials in M. truncatula-Wurzelhaarzellen als Antwort auf Nod- und Myc-LCOs wurden mittels intrazellulärer Mikroelektroden analysiert. Es wurde gezeigt, dass Nod-LCOs in M. truncatula-Wurzelhaarzellen eine Depolarisierung des Membranpotentials induzieren. Doch Wurzelhaarzellen reagieren nicht nur auf Nod-LCOs. So konnte in dieser Studie zum ersten Mal eine Depolarisierung als Antwort auf sulfatisierte Myc-LCOs nachgewiesen werden. Eine zweite Gruppe von Myc-LCOs, denen die Sulfatgruppe fehlt, löste keine Reaktion des Membranpotentials aus. Diese Daten deuten darauf hin, dass Wurzelhaarzellen für die Erkennung von sulfatisierten LCOs von symbiotischen Pilzen und Bakterien dasselbe Perzeptionssystem nutzen. Diese Schlussfolgerung wird von Experimenten unterstützt, in denen vor der Stimulation durch Nod-LCOs ein sulfatisierter Myc-LCO hinzugegeben wurde. Diese sukzessive Zugabe von zwei Stimuli führte zu einer einzigen Depolarisierung. Die sulfatisierten Myc-LCOs unterdrückten die Antwort des Membranpotentials auf Nod-LCOs. Die Beziehung zwischen Nod-LCO-induzierten zytosolischen Calcium-Signalen und Änderungen des Membranpotentials wurde mit einer Kombination aus intrazellulären Mikroelektroden und Imaging eines Calcium-sensitiven Fluoreszenzfarbstoffs analysiert. In Messungen der zytosolischen Calcium-Konzentration wurde keine transiente Zunahme innerhalb der ersten vier Minuten nach der Applikation der Nod-LCOs beobachtet. Die durch Nod-LCOs induzierten Depolarisierungen traten früher auf und erreichten ihr Maximum normalerweise nach drei Minuten. Demnach geht die Depolarisierung des Membranpotentials den zytosolischen Calcium-Signalen voraus. Diese Beobachtung wurde von simultanen Messungen beider Antworten bestätigt. Um der Möglichkeit einer Beteiligung von S-Typ-Anionenkanälen an der LCO-abhängigen Depolarisierung nachzugehen, wurden zwei in den Wurzeln exprimierte M. truncatula-Orthologe der AtSLAC1-Anionenkanal-Familie identifiziert. Die klonierten Anionenkanäle, MtSLAC1, MtSLAH2-3A und MtSLAH2-3B zeigten bei der Untersuchung in Xenopus-Oozyten die typischen Charakteristika von S-Typ-Anionenkanälen. So konnte gezeigt werden, dass MtSLAH2-3A und MtSLAH2-3B eine Proteinkinase sowie externes Nitrat zur Aktivierung benötigen. Außerdem zeichnen sie sich durch eine sehr viel höhere Permeabilität für Nitrat im Vergleich zu Chlorid aus. Ähnlich wie bei AtSLAH3 macht eine Koexpression mit AtSLAH1 genau wie eine intrazelluläre Azidifikation MtSLAH2-3A und MtSLAH2-3B zu Anionenkanälen, die unabhängig von externem Nitrat und einer Phosphorylierung durch eine Proteinkinase aktiv sind. Weil S-Typ-Anionenkanäle eine hohe Permeabilität für Nitrat aufweisen, wurde der Einfluss von Änderungen der extrazellulären Anionenkonzentration auf die Nod-LCO-induzierte Depolarisierung analysiert. Es stellte sich heraus, dass eine Verringerung der extrazellulären Nitratkonzentration die Antwort beschleunigt. Eine Erhöhung der extrazellulären Chlorid- und Sulfatkonzentration hingegen führte zu einer Verstärkung der Depolarisierung. Diese Beobachtung spricht dafür, dass andere Anionenkanal-Typen wie ALMT-Kanäle an der Depolarisierung des Membranpotentials durch LCOs beteiligt sind. Die Daten dieser Arbeit zeigen eine Abhängigkeit der Nod-LCO-induzierten Änderungen des Membranpotentials vom M. truncatula-Genotyp. Neben Nod-LCOs lösen auch sulfatisierte Myc-LCOs eine Depolarisierung des Membranpotentials aus. Vermutlich werden sulfatisierte Nod- und Myc-LCOs von demselben Rezeptorsystem erkannt. Die Nod-LCO-induzierte Depolarisierung ist unabhängig von Änderungen des zytosolischen Calcium-Levels. Folglich sind in die Depolarisierung keine S-Typ-Anionenkanäle involviert, die ausschließlich durch Calcium-abhängige Protein-Kinasen aktiviert werden. Interessanterweise lassen sich die MtSLAH2-3-Anionenkanäle aus M. truncatula im Gegensatz zu AtSLAH3 von Calcium-unabhängigen SnRK2/OST1-Proteinkinasen aktivieren. Dies ermöglicht die Aktivierung der MtSLAH2-3-Anionenkanäle in Abwesenheit eines Calcium-Signals. In weiterführenden Studien sollten die Genexpressionsprofile von Calcium-unabhängigen Proteinkinasen wie SnRK2 und S-Typ-Anionenkanälen aus M. truncatula sowie deren Interaktionen untersucht werden. So könnte eine Aussage darüber getroffen werden, ob diese Proteinkinasen die Anionenkanäle MtSLAH2-3 Nod-LCO-spezifisch aktivieren. Außerdem wäre es von großem Interesse, verschiedene M. truncatula-Mutanten zu untersuchen, denen Gene für MtSLAH2-3A, MtSLAH2-3B und R-Typ-Anionenkanäle fehlen. Diese Experimente könnten zur Identifizierung von Genen führen, die an der frühen Entwicklung der Symbiose beteiligt sind und erklären, warum nur eine kleine Gruppe von Pflanzen dazu in der Lage ist, eine RNS einzugehen, während die AM im Pflanzenreich weit verbreitet ist. / Arbuscular Mycorrhiza (AM) and Root Nodule Symbiosis (RNS) are symbiotic interactions with a high benefit for plant growth and crop production. In the soil, AM fungi supply the plant with a broad range of nutrients, whereas the rhizobium bacteria in the root nodules provide fixed nitrogen sources. Thus, it is of great interest to understand the developmental process of these symbiotic interactions. For recognition of AM fungi and nitrogen-fixing bacteria by plants, diffusible symbiotic signals are essential, which belong to the group of lipochitinoligosaccharides (LCOs). During the development of AM and RNS, plant roots sense these LCOs with pairs of lysin motiv domain receptor-like kinases that are located in the plasma membrane. One of the earliest Nod-LCO-triggered responses of root cells represents the depolarization of the plasma membrane. It is likely that plasma membrane anion channels are essential for this reaction, as these channels are required for depolarization in response to a number of other stimuli/stress responses. In Arabidopsis, the S-type family is a prominent group of anion channels that are activated by calcium-dependent Protein Kinases (CPKs). As Nod-LCOs can trigger repetitive elevations of the cytosolic calcium level, we hypothesized that calcium signals activate CPKs, which in turn stimulate S-type anion channels in root cells. The membrane potential changes of M. truncatula root hair cells in response to Nod- and Myc-LCOs were analyzed by using intracellular micro electrodes. In accordance with previous studies in M. sativa, Nod-LCOs evoked a membrane depolarization in root hairs cells of M. truncatula. Root hair cells not only were sensitive to Nod-LCOs, but for the first time a depolarization response was also shown in response to sulphated Myc-LCOs. However, a second group of Myc-LCO-signals, which lack the sulfate group, did not initiate any reaction of the membrane potential. These data thus suggest that root hair cells use the same perception system to sense sulfated LCOs of symbiotic fungi and bacteria. This conclusion was supported by experiments in which a sulfated Myc-LCO was applied, prior to stimulation with Nod LCOs. This successive application of two stimuli resulted only in a single transient depolarization, as sulfated Myc-LCOs repressed plasma membrane responses to Nod-LCOs. The relations between Nod-LCO-induced cytosolic calcium signals and membrane potential changes were studied with a combination of intracellular micro electrodes and calcium sensitive reporter dye imaging. In measurements of the cytosolic calcium concentration the first transient increase was not observed within four minutes after application of Nod-LCOs. Nod-LCO-induced depolarizations occurred earlier and normally peaked after three minutes. In contrast to current models as well as the initial hypothesis of this project, the membrane depolarization thus precedes the cytosolic calcium signals, which was confirmed by simultaneous measurement of both responses. As S-type anion channels are good candidates for the induction of the LCO-dependent depolarization, we indentified two root-expressed M. truncatula orthologues of AtSLAC1-family. The cloned S-type anion channels, MtSLAC1, MtSLAH2-3A and MtSLAH2-3B showed typical characteristics of S-type anion channels, when studied in Xenopus oocytes. Thereby we could show that both M. truncatula anion channels, MtSLAH2-3A and MtSLAH2-3B, need a protein kinase and external nitrate for activation. They are characterized by a much higher permeability for nitrate compared to chloride. Similarly, to AtSLAH3 coexpression with AtSLAH1 or intracellular acidification rendered MtSLAH2-3A/B independent from phosphorylation via protein kinases and external nitrate. Because S-type anion channels show a high permeability for nitrate, we tested the influence of changes in the extracellular anion concentration on the Nod-LCO induced depolarization. It turned out that the response was accelerated when the concentration gradient for nitrate was decreased. However, increasing the extracellular chloride and sulfate concentrations also enhanced the magnitude of the depolarization, which indicates that other types of anion channels, such as ALMT channels may contribute to the LCO-triggered depolarization of root hairs. The data generated in this project show that the Nod-LCO induced membrane potential change is strongly dependent on the genotype of M. truncatula. This early response in the recognition of symbiotic microorganisms is also induced by sulfated Myc-LCOs, which seem to be perceived via the same receptor system as Nod-LCOs. In contrast to our expectations, the depolarization response to Nod-LCOs is independent of changes in the cytosolic calcium level. Consequently, S-type anion channels, activated solely by calcium-dependent protein kinases are not involved in this response. Interestingly, in contrast to the Arabidopsis SLAH3, the SLAH2-3s from M. truncatula are activated via calcium-independent SnRK2/OST1-like kinases which would allow the activation of the channels even in the absence of calcium transients. Thus, in future studies the expression profile and interaction of calcium-independent protein kinases like SnRK2s and S-type anion channels in M. truncatula should be determined to investigate whether these proteins are capable of activating MtSLAH2-3A/B in a Nod-LCO-specific manner. Moreover, the further analysis of M. truncatula mutants that lack MtSLAH2-3A/B as well as M. truncatula R-type anion channels will be of great interest. These experiments can thus lead to the identification of genes that are involved in early symbiosis-related events, which may explain why only a small group of plants is able to develop root nodules, whereas the interaction with mycorrhiza is found for a large variety of plant species.

Thesis (M.U.R. Pl.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1984. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 127-130). Also available via the Internet.

Title from PDF of title page. / Professional research project (Au.D.)--University of South Florida, 2000. / Document formatted into pages; contains 19 p. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: Eligibility reform in the VA and the resulting increased caseloads have brought about unacceptable wait times for new audiology appointments. Mandates to decrease wait times without increased resources have brought new demands on audiology clinics. One proposed solution is the addition of audiology technicians to VA audiology clinic practice. The first purpose of this study was to survey the attitudes of VA audiologists and service chiefs regarding the use of technicians. The second purpose was to ask the survey respondents to assign as generally appropriate or inappropriate, job duties which might be accomplished by an audiology technician. Following a pre-survey to pilot the questionnaire, the final survey was e-mailed to all members of a national e-mail group. Ninety-three acceptable responses were analyzed. The survey responses indicate that a large majority of the respondents hold positive attitudes concerning the use of technicians, believe technicians can accomplish some duties now done by audiologists and believe technicians can help reduce current appointment backlogs. The respondents assigned a number of clerical, assistive, minor hearing aid repair and other duties as appropriate for technicians and many testing, evaluation, programming, and perceived professional duties as inappropriate for technicians. There were several items which were not clearly assigned as either appropriate or inappropriate technician duties. Open-ended responses indicated that strong feelings, both positive and negative, exist within the audiology and service chief community. The survey results will be used to develop an audiology technician job description and to identify specific training needs for establishing audiology technician positions throughout the VA healthcare system. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 75 p. : ill., maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 53-57).