The Virginia oyster industry changed markedly in the period between 1950 and the present. This change has been the result of a variety of forces which can be conveniently classified as economic, biological and institutional. In general, biological forces initiated a series of changes in the fishery which have had economic impacts and impacts on the institutional structure of the fishery. The biological forces have had a much more severe impact on the seed-planting, or private grounds, sector than on the public grounds sector. The dependence of the seed planting sector on public seed beds and the different regulatory regimes applicable to the public and private grounds makes it difficult to draw firm conclusions on the relative merits of alternative tenure structures. The magnitudes of economic, biological and public policy forces as contributing factors to the decline of the oyster fishery are estimated and it is concluded that the biological forces have played the dominant role in the decline of the Virginia oyster fishery. It is suggested that attention be focused on the physical and management inputs to the production of oysters and on methods for bringing forth an appropriate resource mix. It is argued that either a predominantly private grounds fishery, a predominantly public grounds ‘' fishery, with appropriate institutional modifications to allow efficient harvest technologies to be used without threatening the viability of the resource base, or a mixed tenure system could be used and with appropriate management could result in substantial revitalization of the Virginia oyster industry. However, because of the biological changes which have occurred, management, whether public or private, takes on a much more important role in determining the future of the Virginia oyster fishery. / Ph. D. / incomplete_metadata

School counselors are in a position to receive referrals concerning children's reactions to changing family structures and to help a stepchild adjust to stepfamily living. This study assessed the need for training and education of Virginia middle school counselors regarding their knowledge about counseling stepchildren. This was done by measuring their level of knowledge through the development and use of the instrument, Knowledge and Skills for Counseling Stepchildren: A Self Assessment (KSCS). The focus of this study was the development and refinement of the KSCS. The purpose of the instrument was to assess the training needs of middle school counselors' knowledge about counseling stepchildren. The development of the KSCS took place through conducting item analyses on two pilot studies. Results of the study established a profile of middle school counselors past preparation, current strengths and deficiencies, and the need for training in the area of counseling stepchildren. The majority of counselors had done no prior reading or taken any coursework on the counseling of stepchildren. Test scores on the KSCS were negatively skewed, reflecting a low level of knowledge and identifying a need for training and education in this area. The majority of counselors came from schools where enrollment was 501 to 1,000 and 30% of their caseloads were stepchildren. Counselors from schools where enrollment was 0 to 500 and over 1,000 had caseloads where stepchildren also represented one-third of the students counseled, indicating a consistently high population of stepchildren. The majority of counselors offered no psychological or educational counseling program specifically for stepchildren. Six counselors offered a program specifically for stepchildren and 15 offered time-limited groups for children with separated or divorced parents that addressed issues pertinent to stepfamily living. Recommendations include revisions to the KSCS and required coursework on the counseling of stepchildren for state certification of school counselors. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study is to assess the role intersectoral linkages play in shaping the short-run size distribution of household income. Input-output models are constructed for four regions in Virginia using secondary data. Two distinguishing features of these models are that the household sector is disaggregated into 12 income classes and unemployment benefits are an endogenous component of household income. Using these models, it is concluded that: (a) As linkages increase, the effects on inequality of changes in different components of final demand converge. (b) Increasing the degree of linkage, with constant industry mix, will tend to increase inequality. (c) Although the degree and pattern of linkages among household groups varies from region to region, all income groups are more strongly linked to middle income households than to either high or low income households. / Ph. D.

Optimum spring N fertilizer rates for winter wheat in Virginia vary widely from field to field, but traditionally spring N is applied at a uniform rate to all fields. A recently-developed tissue test procedure provides a field-specific evaluation of crop N status and predicts optimum N rate for the second spring N application in a split spring application management system. However, this procedure is based on a small number of researcher-planted experiments utilizing a single cultivar; it fails to provide field-specific rate recommendations for the first spring N application; and it is not accessible to farmers who are unwilling to split their spring N applications. Our objectives were: to evaluate the reliability of the tissue test procedure in a large number of farmer fields; to develop a method for making field-specific N rate recommendations for the first spring application in a split-application management system; and to develop a method for making field-specific N rate recommendations in a single-application management system. Forty-five spring N rate experiments were established in farmer fields over a five-year period. A range of N fertilizer rates was applied in early spring (Zadoks growth stage 25) and again in mid-spring (Zadoks growth stage 30) in all possible combinations. Yield data were used to calculate economic optimum N rates at growth stage (GS) 25 and GS 30 with split-application management, and at GS 25 with single-application management. These optima were regressed against a variety of predictor variables measured in the same fields. The reliability of the previously-developed tissue test procedure for making GS 30 N rate recommendations was confirmed. Tiller density was the best predictor of optimum GS 25 N rate with split-application management, while soil nitrate to 90 cm was the best predictor of optimum GS 25 N rate with single-application management. These three relationships fit together to form a flexible and powerful system for making spring N rate recommendations for winter wheat. This system increased estimated profit and apparent fertilizer efficiency in these experiments. / Ph. D.

The development of oak stems of advance regeneration and stump sprout origin was studied during a two-year period following clearcutting and whole-tree removal in eight midslope stands in the Ridge and Valley Province of southwestern Virginia. Oak regeneration was also characterized in several older clearcuts. Height and diameter of oaks of stump sprout origin in the two-year-old stands was significantly greater than that of advance regeneration stems, and the difference in size among regeneration types appeared to persist into the oldest (17- and 28-year-old) stands sampled. Chestnut oak, which had been the dominant oak species in most pre-harvest stands, had higher density of advance regeneration stems, higher frequency of stump sprouting, and greater sprout production per stump than scarlet or black oak two years after harvesting. However, shoot growth of advance regeneration during the two-year period did not differ among oak species when initial stem site and vigor were accounted for taller stump sprouts in the two-year-old stands were associated with more productive sites (as indicated by site index, topographic variables, and vegetation composition), whereas biomass production per stump was less closely related to site quality. Height and diameter growth of oak advance regeneration during the two-year post-harvest period were significantly greater on sites of medium quality than OD sites of low quality. Density of well-established oak stems of advance regeneration origin two years after harvest was greatest in stands of site index 55-65 (base age 50), and fell off on sites of higher and lower quality. Models developed to predict two-year stump sprout production from characteristics of the parent tree generally explained less than 40 percent of the variation among stumps, while models describing growth of advance regeneration individuals from pre-harvest measurements accounted for as much as 82 percent of the variation. Regeneration in most of the two-year-old stands appeared adequate for restocking of oaks to at least their pre-harvest level, although stems will probably be widely spaced and mostly of stump sprout origin on both the poorest and the most productive sites. / Ph. D.

In recent years the Central Appalachian coal industry has suffered from a number of changes in the structure of the coal market. Foremost among these changes have been the collapse of the domestic steel industry and the passage of the Staggers Act. In the past high quality central Appalachian coal was sold mainly as premium coking coal. This market failed, and continues to shrink. Regional coal producers are now looking to the rising demand for steam coal in a nation which is turning away from oil and nuclear power generation. With the possible passage of the Clean Air Act, low sulfur central Appalachian coal may have a promising future, but only if its production can reach this new market. Prior to 1980, regulated rail tariffs gave coal producers access to most consumers, while independent railroads competed for freight. Railroad deregulation greatly improved the position of the railroads, but weakened that of regional coal producers. Central Appalachia and the southern coastal states were left with only two railroads, CSX and NS. These railroads now set their own rates and secretly negotiate contracts with shippers. Due to the configuration of ownership of these tracks, the vast majority of mines and utility plants were left with access to only one carrier. In this situation rail transportation has become the primary concern. Mines unable to originate shipments on the same railroad which is serving the utility plant find themselves locked out of that market unless their mine price is sufficiently low enough to compensate for the increased rail rate. Most of the coal burning plants in Virginia are located on CSX, while the vast majority of southwest Virginia's coal production is served by NS. With a higher mining cost than in eastern Kentucky and southern West Virginia, Virginia producers are having great difficulty in competing in the state's steam coal market. This dissertation is the first effort to quantitatively specify the regional steam coal market. This is done by identifying sources of data which are subsequently used to generate short term forecasts of mine price. These forecasts are used in the cost vector of a Virginia coal Purchasing model which is solved to determine the optimal pattern of coal purchases for Virginia utilities. The structure of the model is based on a detailed market analysis which accounts for the influence of rail rates. / Ph. D.

A decisionmaking framework was developed to assess atmospheric deposition impacts on regional softwood inventory in Virginia. This decision making framework consists of three segments: a forest inventory projection model, a timber production function, and a timber consumption model. The Timber Resource Inventory Model (TRIM) was used to project future forest inventory, given initial inventory data, yield information, and harvest request. The timber production function allows the estimation of the individual effects of input variables on stand growth and yield. The timber consumption model was linked with TRIM to simulate the interactions between timber removals and inventory levels. Algorithm analysis, sensitivity analysis, and an a priori analysis were used to examine the feasibility of TRIM for projecting atmospheric deposition impacts on inventory. Modification of growth and harvest decision variables in TRIM allows this impact estimation. Schumacher's yield model was modified to develop the timber production function according to goodness-of-fit, minimal collinearity, and biological rationale. Crown length was used as a surrogate of a. biological factor to reflect atmospheric deposition impacts on stand growth and yield. The small variance inflation factor allows the crown length elasticity to serve as a measure of the quantitative effects on the yield table. A system of predictor equations was added to the yield equation for simulating stand dynamics. A consumption function approach was used to develop the timber removals model. The BoxCox transformation, the stepwise regression procedure, and standard error were used to select the functional form, predictor variables, and estimates for the timber removals model. This removals model was linked with TRIM for simulating the interactions between removals and inventory levels for Forest Industry and Other Private. The existing forecasts of removals based on Forest Service projections were used for impact estimation for all ownerships. This decisionmaking framework was applied to the softwood inventory data in Virginia to demonstrate the impact estimation. Sensitivity analysis showed that the percentage reduction of inventory and removals is directly related to the crown length reduction. The larger the crown length reduction, the greater the percentage reduction of the inventory. The percentage reduction of yield tables due to the crown length reduction is slightly less than the overall percentage reduction of the inventory but is slightly greater than the overall percentage reduction of removals. The quantitative information on atmospheric deposition impacts on crown variables is a key to the impact estimation for inventory and removals. Also, this decision making framework can be used to measure some silvicultural practice effects on regional inventory. / Ph. D.

This study sought to assess the level of school law knowledge possessed by Virginia public school teachers in the areas of tort liability, the teacher and his/her employment, and legal responsibilities regarding students. This knowledge was studied as it related to the type and recency of school law training, membership and activity in professional teachers' associations, the highest degree obtained, the grade level taught, the type of degree obtained (education/not-education), and the number of years of teaching experience. A questionnaire was developed to collect demographic information and to assess the level of knowledge possessed by Virginia teachers. A 30 item test, consisting of 15 true-false and 15 multiple choice questions, was sent to 401 teachers throughout Virginia. Of the 401 questionnaires sent, 314 or 78.3% were returned. The average total score on the test was 41.08%.The means for the subareas were as follows: tort liability was 24.7%, the teacher and his/her rights was 43.7%, and legal responsibilities regarding students was 54.8%. Analysis of variance or t-tests were used as appropriate to see if a relationship existed between knowledge of school law and each of the demographic variables. A significant difference was indicated at the .05 level or better between knowledge of school law and each of the following variables: 1. school law training, 2. grade level taught, 3. whether the undergraduate degree was earned in education or not. A significant difference was not indicated between knowledge of school law and any of the other demographic variables. As reported earlier the average percent correct on the test was 41.08% which is lower than the lowest score of any of the Virginia principals studied by Caldwell. This level of knowledge was considered adequate or average; therefore, the level of knowledge of school law possessed by teachers in Virginia is less than adequate. / Ed. D.

The 800 and 900 blocks of West Franklin Street, Richmond , Virginia were developed during the period of 1855 to 1925. As a result, manifested on these two blocks are important examples of late-Victorian and early twentieth-century American architecture. The predominance of the Second Empire and Richardsonian Romanesque styles indicate that this neighborhood experienced the most intensive building campaign during the 1880s and 1890s. This development corresponds to the period of economic recovery experienced in Richmond after the Reconstruction. Though Richmond suffered economically due to its geographical and political position during and immediately following the Civil War (1861-65), the post-Reconstruction economic recovery made possible financial success for a small number of enterprising Richmonders. Tobacco, trade, and manufacturing were the leading occupations of the financially successful. The original residents of West Franklin Street and their homes are evidence of this prosperity. Roughly one quarter made their fortunes in tobacco, one quarter in manufacturing, one quarter were merchants of one type of another, and the balance were independent business men, lawyers, stockbrokers, and real estate developers. These successful Richmonders chose to erect monuments to their success in the homes they commissioned from local and nationally known architects, builders, and craftspeople. This thesis charts the pattern of social, aesthetic, and architectural development by identifying the patrons, architects, contractors, and craftspeople who built the 800 and 900 blocks of West Franklin Street. The 800 and 900 blocks of West Franklin Street, comprised in a National Register Historic District, are now largely owned by the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In 1925, the school began acquiring the old residences and remodelling them into dormitories and classrooms, eventually acquiring 34 out of 42 of the extant original buildings. Consequently, VCU now owns a major intact collection of architectural and historical merit. Though VCU has commissioned master plans and architectural guidelines to guide the development of the growing university, there are no specific guidelines for the maintenance and treatment of the historic buildings. The adoption of and adherence to a university-wide preservation plan is proposed in order to protect this unique and important district.

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