Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Economics and Social Science, 1963. / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 240-244). / by Michael Rieber. / Ph.D.

Michigan is a state with a relatively long history in formalized employee-employer relations in the public sector. In 1965, the Public Employees Relations Act was established. Under this Act most public employees had the right to organize, to bargain, to hold representative elections, to expect determination of appropriate bargaining units and to seek redress of unfair labor practices. Employers were obligated to bargain in good faith. Mediation and factfinding could be initiated by employers or employees in case of impasse. Strikes were illegal under the Act, but severe penalties for striking, present in previous acts, were removed. This Public Employee Relations Act was amended in 1972 to provide for compulsory arbitration of contract disputes for police and fire fighters. Factfinding remained the terminal point in the intervention process for all other public sector disputes. The establishment of interest arbitration for "essential" public employees, i.e., police and fire fighters, saw a dramatic decline in the number of strikes among those groups. However, among "non~essential" employees, the number of strikes in Michigan increased dramatically and Michigan earned the dubious distinction of being one of the most strike-prone in the nation for the public sector. The vast majority of these strikes involved public school teachers--mostly in elementary and secondary schools. The primary research technique utilized in the study was the Likert-type questionnaire. Respondents were asked to indicate their feelings toward 39 statements (strongly agree to strongly disagree). The responses to the statements, all of which were directed toward aspects of contract dispute resolution, were tabulated according to groups. The group to which the instruments were sent were the local school board chairmen, the local superintendents of schools, the presidents of local teacher associations or unions and the local staff of NEA affiliate associations. Analysis of variance and the Duncan multiple-range test were applied to the data to test the statistical significance of mean responses by group. The basic conclusions reached through this study, were as follows: 1. Public school employer leaders did not agree that compulsory and binding arbitration are effective contract settlement devices. Teacher organization leaders disagree with those sentiments. 2. Employer leaders and employee leaders disagreed on whether arbitration is in the public interest. Employers say not, employees disagreed. They agree that binding arbitration serves the public interest if it eliminates strikes. 3. Employee leaders found arbitrators better qualified and competent than employer leaders found them. 4. Employers supported mediation of disputes while teacher leaders question its effectiveness. 5. Staff did not agree that factfinding was an effective settlement device. 6. All groups agreed that voluntary arbitration is effective. 7. All groups agreed that the public prefers arbitration to job actions. 8. All groups agreed that parties in dispute will only submit to arbitration when it appears to be to their advantage. This study suggested continued public school labor unrest in Michigan; political confrontation over compulsary arbitration for "non-essential" public employees and the need to experiment with mediation-arbitration as a contract dispute settlement device. / Ed. D.

This study was conducted in the 826-hectare enclosure at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant, Dublin, Virginia, and was designed to determine the effect of fall orphaning on white-tailed deer fawns (Odocoileus virginianus). Data were collected on: 1) the survival rate of fawns, 2) the location of home ranges, and 3) the association of fawns with other deer. Twenty-one tagged fawns were orphaned in the fall by immobilizing and removing their mothers. Eighteen fawns were selected as controls. Data were recorded from July 1973 through March 1974, and included the location of the fawns and the number, sex, and age of associated deer. Under the conditions of this study, fall orphaning did not have any influence on the survival of fawns. All of the fawns were alive at the conclusion of the study in March 1974. The mean shift in center of activity was 233 meters for orphans without siblings, 206 meters for orphans with siblings, and 171 meters for controls. Orphans with twins remained together while orphans without siblings sought the company of other deer and associated with a variety of family groups, orphans, and adult bucks. Shifts in centers of activity and association patterns with other deer indicate that orphaning causes a conflict between the need to remain in familiar territory and a desire to associate with other deer. / Master of Science

Studies on two adhesives (Metlbond 1113 and 1113-2) identified as having applications in the bonding of composite materials are presented. Constitutive equations capable of describing changes in material behavior with strain rate are derived from various theoretical approaches. It is shown that certain unique relationships exist between these approaches. It is also shown that the constitutive equation derived from mechanical models can be used for creep and relaxation loading. Modifications to the constitutive equations for constant strain rate loading are proposed. Nonlinear constitutive equations are derived using a nonlinear perturbation technique in conjunction with a modified Bingham model. Using the modified Bingham model, constitutive equations describing loading-unloading behavior are also proposed. The stress-strain behavior of the adhesives is shown to be significantly rate dependent. Further it is shown that a rate dependent stress-whitening (crazing) phenomenon occurs prior to the maximum stress. A region of elastic behavior, a rate and time dependent region, and a region of perfectly plastic flow are identified in the stress-strain behavior. Information regarding variations of Poisson's ratio with rate and time is also presented. The elastic limit stress and strain, and maximum stress are shown to be rate dependent and agree well with an empirical equation proposed by Ludwik. Analytical predictions based on modified Ramberg-Osgood equations are shown to agree well with experimental stress-strain-strain rate results. It is shown that the coefficients of these equations are different before and after stress-whitening due to changes in the properties of the adhesives. Analytical predictions based on the modified Bingham model are shown to agree well with the constant strain rate results. It is also shown that the nonlinear model indicates that the coefficients of the modified Bingham model may vary due to the change in material properties before and after stress-whitening. A creep to failure phenomenon is shown to exist and is correlated with a delayed yield equation proposed by Crochet. Loading-unloading results are presented and are shown to correlate well with the proposed form of the loading-unloading equations for the modified Bingham model. Experimental results obtained for relaxation tests above and below the glass transition temperature are presented. It is shown that the adhesives obey the time-temperature superposition principle. / Ph. D.

Sclerotinia crown and stem rot (SCSR), caused by Sclerotinia trifoliorum Eriks., causes serious spring losses in some fall=sown, no-tillage alfalfa fields. In microplots artificially infested with sclerotia, greatest numbers of apothecia were found during November and December. Temperature and rainfall had significant impact on apothecium development. A proposed prediction method for apothecium appearance considers monitoring mean soil temperature. For apothecium initiation to occur, it was necessary for sclerotia to be subjected to an estimated 17 days of temperature at or below 15 C before apothecium production occurred. Soil temperatures were usually below 10 C at the time of apothecium appearance. Greatest numbers of apothecia occurred between 5-10 C. Rainfall influenced the number of apothecia, with significant increases occurring early in the 1984-85 production period. / Master of Science

In the work described in this thesis, the Feynman-Dyson perturbation theory, developed from quantum field theory, was employed in semiempirical calculations on trans - polyacetylene. A variety of soliton-like excited states of the molecule were studied by the PPP-UHF-RPA method. The results of this study provide useful information on the nature of these states, which are thought to account for the unique electrical conduction properties of trans - polyacetylene and similar conducting polymers. Feynman-Dyson perturbation theory was also used to extend Hartree-Fock theory by the inclusion of time-independent second-order self-energy insertions. The results of calculations on polyenes show that consideration of this approach is warranted, as the contribution of the second- order terms is significant. The computer program, written during the course of the research reported here, is discussed as well. / Ph. D.

Great loads occur on human body in traffic accidents. Children body have less resistance to these loads. Child Restraint Systems (CRS) are the safety elements used in vehicles for children. In this study, the overturning and the dynamic test setups for CRS, have been designed and analysed according to United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Regulation No 44 (ECE R44). After manufacturing of the test setups, four different types of CRSs sold in Turkish market have been selected to evaluate their performance according to ECE R44. Each seat has been used once for the tests. The tests have been performed and evaluated according to the performances of CRSs for the dynamic test head displacement limit criterion, the acceleration limit criterion, the abdominal penetration criterion and the overturning head displacement limit criterion. 11 overturning tests and 8 dynamic tests at the sled test facility available in METU-BILTIR Center Vehicle Safety Unit have been conducted. In the tests, P-series 3 years, 6 years and 10 years old child test dummies have been used. During the dynamic tests, 3-axial accelerometer, high-g high speed camera and data acquisition system are also used to gather the test data. 8 more dynamic test with unlocked vehicle safety belt which is improper usage and commonly encountered in real life. As the result of the tests, none of the CRSs succeed in the tests for child seats which are supposed to be used by 3-6 years old children according to ECE R 44 Group II.