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M.S.

A knowledge of the characteristics of a town situation should make some contribution to the understanding of small town life. A survey of a particular town should unfold somewhat the way towns function, the way social controls operate, and especially the saga of social change. The purpose of this study is to present a systematic account of the life of one of the oldest Virginia towns west of the Blue Ridge Mountains; a town established on the frontier by people who had a purpose for coming into the wilderness. Evidence will be presented to show how environment has influenced the growth and behavior of the population. The town's establishment, development, and decline will be traced along with stories of men and women whose records shine brightly in Fincastle's long history from 1772 to 1942... / Master of Science

During June 15-18, 1864, the Federal Army of the Potomac launched a series of attacks against the vital Confederate rail center of Petersburg, Virginia. Union leaders believed that capturing Petersburg would force the abandonment of the Rebel capital at Richmond. The assaults failed, however, and the opposing armies settled into a ten-month siege.This study investigated the opening battles for Petersburg on three levels. First, the strategic dispositions and movements of the Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia are discussed prior to and during the battles. Secondly, the study looks carefully at the tactical situation on each of the four days of fighting. Thirdly, the paper reveals the personal side of combat through the use of soldiers' diaries, letters, and regimental histories. The thesis concludes that Federal failure occurred because of poor Union leadership and staff work, a strong Confederate defense, and extreme exhaustion throughout the Northern army. / Master of Arts

A limnological survey of Lake Laura and its tributary streams was conducted from June to October 1986 to evaluate causes of excessive algal blooms experienced in past years. Lake Laura was classified as mesotrophic based upon total phosphorus surface water, chlorophyll g, and secchi disc levels measured. Due to atypical meteorological conditions experienced during the study, the Vollenwieder model was utilized to evaluate the impact of various nutrient sources on Lake Laura under more typical conditions. Nonpoint source runoff from agricultural and pasture land and effluent from the Orkney Springs waste water treatment plant were determined to be the main sources of nutrient inputs to Lake Laura. A description of lake and drainage basin monitoring methods, model results, and an analysis of recommended lake management practices to control future algal blooms is included. / Master of Science

Master of Science

The Nitella which grows in Mountain Lake, Giles County, Virginia, was investigated and found to be Nitella megacarpa (T.F.A.) em. R.D.W. after N. furcata subsp. megacarpa and not N. flexilis (L.) Ag. as previously reported. Internodal cell length was found to increase with depth, pigment content changed with depth, biomass distribution had decreased since an earlier study, primary productivity was low and was associated with the depth of maximum biomass and pigment content, and the furcations of the branchlets increased in shallower water. / M.S.

Architecture can facilitate the learning process. This book outlines a design exploration of this fundamental premise. The architectural platform for this exploration is a music conservatory dedicated to teaching the traditional mountain music of Appalachia. The rich history of mountain music and its centuries-old conversational method of conveyance remain the underlying premise of this thesis. A successful bluegrass conservatory must provide places for its students to engage in three occasions: Discovery, Revelation, and Education. Architectural form is significant to these occasions in that it not only allows, but promotes their occurrence. The discovery of inspirational material can occur in a formal stage-and-seat configuration as in the auditorium, or in an informal environment such as the street. The moment in which a musician reveals or explores this inspirational material can be a private one, most likely to take place in the individual rooms of the residential buildings. The most important occasion, education, takes place as it has for centuries - within conversation. Learning the language of bluegrass music is most likely when two or more students sit together to play, share their knowledge, and build on it. These conversations are key to the learning process and can take place on the benches lining the streets, in the indoor gathering rooms, on balconies and porches overlooking the streets, etc. The discovery, revelational, and educational processes are not chronological and must all happen coincidentally within the school grounds. I have set out to build an architectural language whose meaning is derived by conventional pragmatic parameters. This system of rules or notions governs all aspects of this school's design from stair to stage. The parameters are set according to the intrinsic requirements of placing a building on the land that must promote the occurrence of discovery, revelation, and education. / Master of Architecture

The movement patterns, range areas and energetics of canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) wintering in the upper Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, were investigated. Eighty-seven juvenile female canvasbacks were radio-tracked between 30 December 1988 and 25 March 1989. Diurnal time and energy budgets were constructed for a time of day-season matrix for canvasbacks using riverine and main bay habitats. Canvasbacks were very active at night, making regular and often lengthy crepuscular movements (x = 11.7 km) from near shore habitats during the day to off shore habitats at night. Movement patterns were similar for birds using habitats on the eastern and western shores of the Bay. Canvasbacks had extensive home ranges averaging 14,286 ha, and used an average of 1.97 core areas. Sleeping was the predominant diurnal behavior. Telemetry indicated that canvasbacks actively fed at night. Canvasbacks spent more time in active behaviors (e.g. swimming, alert) on the eastern shore than on the the western shore. Similarly, canvasbacks were more active during daytime hours at locations where artificial feeding occurred. Behavioral patterns were only weakly correlated with weather patterns. Canvasbacks appeared to reduce energy expenditure in mid-winter by reducing distances moved, reducing feeding activities and increasing the amount of time spent sleeping. This pattern was observed even though 1988-89 mid-winter weather conditions were very mild. / Master of Science

The effects of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti) on chironomid production was assessed in the New River in southern West Virginia. Production was measured in a year without Bti treatment (1987) and a year with treatment (1988). Sampling was conducted from June through November at Sandstone Falls, 16 km below Bluestone Dam in Summers County. Sampling was restricted to rock outcrops covered with Podostemum (river weed). Samples were collected at 2- wk intervals with a quantitative device that delineates an area of 0.01 m². Three species belonging to two genera accounted for about two-thirds of chironomid production in both years. Cohort production intervals were estimated to be 27 d for both species of Cricotopus and 20 d for P. convictum. Total chironomid production from June through November 1987 was 10.8 g/m² and during the same period in 1988 was 33.8 g/m². In 1987, the production of C. bicinctus and Cc. politus was 4.09 g/m² (38% of total chironomid production), and production of P. convictum was 2.46 g/m² (23%). In 1988, the production of C. bicinctus and C. politus was 12.39 g/m² (37%), and production of P. convictum was 11.38 g/m² (34%). Bti treatments caused no adverse effect on chironomid production in 1988, because the same species were dominant and their production was 3X higher. In addition, density and mean individual biomass were greater in 1988 than in 1987. The production increase in 1988 was probably related to environmental factors other than Bti treatments, such as discharge and Podostemum standing stock. / Master of Science