The purpose of this study was to examine provisions of the Constitution of West Virginia, enactments of the West Virginia Legislature, decisions of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals, policies of the West Virginia Board of Education, opinions of the Attorney General, and interpretations of the State Superintendent of Schools to ascertain the legal status of West Virginia public school personnel with respect to their employment rights. Federal Constitutional provisions, statutes, and court cases were also cited when of overriding importance or when West Virginia legal references were found to be inadequate. Legal research of the employment process and rights of public school employees focused on the following areas: nomination for employment, discrimination, substantive and procedural due process, certification, employee classifications, probationary and continuing contracts, assignment and transfer, suspension and dismissal, resignation, employment term, and compensation. Other legal provisions reviewed in relationship to West Virginia public school personnel included academic freedom, assignment of duties, personal leave, leaves of absence and other absences, workmen's compensation, unemployment compensation, insurance benefits, retirement, seniority, reductions in force, grievance procedures, employee organizations, and collective bargaining. / Ed. D.

Rural West Virginia has a very high percentage of older adults. The age-related disease of Alzheimer’s threatens the health of older Appalachians, yet research on Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in this population is scarce. In order to improve screening rates for cognitive impairment, Appalachians need to understand their vulnerability. The first step would be to assess their knowledge about AD but a suitable AD knowledge test has not been developed. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of a new measure of knowledge about AD that is culturally congruent, and to examine factors that may predict AD knowledge in this rural population. A correlational descriptive study was conducted with 240 participants from four samples of older adults in south central rural Appalachian West Virginia using surveys and face-to-face interviews. Results from tests for stability, reliability including Rasch modeling, discrimination and point biserial indices, and concurrent, divergent, and construct validity were favorable. Findings were that although more diversity in test item difficulty is needed, the test discriminated well between persons with higher and lower levels of education [F(2, 226) = 170.51, p = .001]. Using multiple regression, the predictors of AD knowledge included caregiver status, miles from a healthcare provider, gender, and education; (R2=.05, F(4,187) = 2.65, p =. 04). Only years of education accounted for a significant proportion of unique variance in predicting the total BKAD score (t = 2.14, p =. 03). Implications include the need for further tool refinement, testing for health literacy, coordination with recent statewide efforts to educate the public regarding AD, and community based participatory research in designing culturally effective education programs that will ultimately increase screening and detection of Alzheimer’s disease in rural populations. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

Conserving the earth's precious water supply is of increasing importance in light of the growing population and climate dynamics; therefore, this study focuses on identifying those exotic species that are best suited for the changing climate and environment of the Lower Kanawha Valley Region in West Virginia without compromising the water sustainable qualities once exhibited by the indigenous species. This task was accomplished by reviewing, analyzing, and evaluating the plant hydraulics and habitat matching characteristics associated with the identified native and exotic species. These species were limited to those produced or found in the local nurseries and garden centers in the designated region, thereby providing a practical and water sustainable plant list for the local homeowners and design professionals. The final list of species was translated into a master planting design of an arboretum displaying and demonstrating water conservation on the grounds of the Hurricane Valley Park. / Department of Landscape Architecture

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to explore politicians’ attitudes toward the Equal Rights Amendment. It was hypothesized that certain social, background and political variables would influence the politicians’ attitudes toward ratification or rejection of the Equal Rights Amendment. Data were collected from legislators and former legislators from the states of West Virginia and Virginia. Approximately 70.2 percent of the 195 delegates and former delegates responded to the survey. The findings indicated that the social, background and political variables under investigation were not related to politicians’ attitudes toward the Equal Rights Amendment. Further, lobbying efforts in both states were generally ineffective. The general lack of relationships among the variables toward the Equal Rights Amendment was considered to be influenced by the traditional one-party political control of the state of Virginia. / Master of Science

The responses at three trophic levels (phytoplankton, zooplankton, young-of-the-year bluegill) were compared between a limed and unlimed arm in a moderately fertile, circumneutral reservoir that was sensitive to acidification, but had not yet shown signs of damage. The east arm (25.5 ha) of Flat Top Lake was treated with 28.8 dry metric tonnes of calcite using slurry box technology between July 13-20, 1987. The design was confounded because calcite dissolution products diffused into the unlimed (west) arm after the treatment which made total alkalinity similar between the arms within 1 month. Phytoplankton gross productivity and chlorophyll a was similar between the arms for the pre- and post-treatment samples as well as for the period after the treatment when total alkalinity was relatively higher in the limed arm. Zooplankton biomass was higher in the unlimed than limed arm in the pre-treatment samples but was similar between the arms in the post-treatments samples; however, the changes in zooplankton biomass after treatment in the limed arm could not be attributed to the treatment. Phytoplankton community composition for the common netplankton and nannoplankton was similar between the limed and unlimed arms for the combined pre- and post-treatment samples: however, Gemellicystis spp., Gloeocystis spp., and Dinobryon spp. showed an order of magnitude higher density in the limed relative to the unlimed arm on the initial post-treatment sample. This difference, as well as the observed post-treatment differences in zooplankton community composition between the two arms could not be attributed to the treatment because there were minimal impacts on nutrient levels (e.g., CO2, total phosphorus) and zooplankton-phytoplankton interactions. Lake transparency was significantly deeper in the limed arm relative to the unlimed arm for the post-treatment samples; however, a corresponding lower dissolved organic carbon concentration was not measured in the limed arm. Young-of-the-year bluegill (e.g., primarily those 15-20 d old) showed significantly higher growth rates in the unlimed arm during the period when total alkalinity was higher in the limed arm, apparently due to a higher density of suitable pelagic zooplankton in the unlimed arm during this period. In conclusion, no significant positive or negative responses to the treatment were detected because of trophic level interactions. The high pre-treatment pH (7.07), small change in post-treatment pH, low dissolution percentage (8-10%), the inability of the sediment dose to neutralize the acidic sediments and induce phosphorus release, and phosphorus rather than carbon dioxide limited primary productivity were the main factors why no significant post-treatment biological responses were detected. / Master of Science

Chaos theory holds that systems act in unpredictable nonlinear ways and that their behavior can only be observed, never predicted. This is an informative model for an organization in crisis. The West Virginia water contamination crisis, which began on January 9, 2014, fits the criteria of a system in chaos. Given the lack of appropriate response from the established organizations involved, many emergent organizations formed to help fill unmet informational and physical needs of the affected population. Crisis researchers have observed these ephemeral organizations for decades, but the recent proliferation of information communication technologies (ICT’s) have made their activities more widespread and observable. In West Virginia, their activities were indispensable to the affected population and helped restore a sense of normalcy. In this chaotic system, the emergent organizations functioned as strange attractors, helping move the system away from bifurcation and towards normalcy. This dissertation uses a qualitative approach to study the emergent organizations and how their presence and efforts were the mechanism that spurred the self-organization process.

<p>Selenium (Se) is a micronutrient necessary for the function of a variety of important enzymes; Se also exhibits a narrow range in concentrations between essentiality and toxicity. Oviparous vertebrates such as birds and fish are especially sensitive to Se toxicity, which causes reproductive impairment and defects in embryo development. Selenium occurs naturally in the Earth's crust, but it can be mobilized by a variety of anthropogenic activities, including agricultural practices, coal burning, and mining. </p><p>Mountaintop removal/valley fill (MTR/VF) coal mining is a form of surface mining found throughout central Appalachia in the United States that involves blasting off the tops of mountains to access underlying coal seams. Spoil rock from the mountain is placed into adjacent valleys, forming valley fills, which bury stream headwaters and negatively impact surface water quality. This research focused on the biological impacts of Se leached from MTR/VF coal mining operations located around the Mud River, West Virginia. </p><p>In order to assess the status of Se in a lotic (flowing) system such as the Mud River, surface water, insects, and fish samples including creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) and green sunfish (Lepomis cyanellus) were collected from a mining impacted site as well as from a reference site not impacted by mining. Analysis of samples from the mined site showed increased conductivity and Se in the surface waters compared to the reference site in addition to increased concentrations of Se in insects and fish. Histological analysis of mined site fish gills showed a lack of normal parasites, suggesting parasite populations may be disrupted due to poor water quality. X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy techniques were used to determine the speciation of Se in insect and creek chub samples. Insects contained approximately 40-50% inorganic Se (selenate and selenite) and 50-60% organic Se (Se-methionine and Se-cystine) while fish tissues contained lower proportions of inorganic Se than insects, instead having higher proportions of organic Se in the forms of methyl-Se-cysteine, Se-cystine, and Se-methionine. </p><p>Otoliths, calcified inner ear structures, were also collected from Mud River creek chubs and green sunfish and analyzed for Se content using laser ablation inductively couple mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). Significant differences were found between the two species of fish, based on the concentrations of otolith Se. Green sunfish otoliths from all sites contained background or low concentrations of otolith Se (< 1 µg/g) that were not significantly different between mined and unmined sites. In contrast creek chub otoliths from the historically mined site contained much higher (&#8805; 5 µg/g, up to approximately 68 µg/g) concentrations of Se than for the same species in the unmined site or for the green sunfish. Otolith Se concentrations were related to muscle Se concentrations for creek chubs (R2 = 0.54, p = 0.0002 for the last 20% of the otolith Se versus muscle Se) while no relationship was observed for green sunfish. </p><p>Additional experiments using biofilms grown in the Mud River showed increased Se in mined site biofilms compared to the reference site. When we fed fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) on these biofilms in the laboratory they accumulated higher concentrations of Se in liver and ovary tissues compared to fathead minnows fed on reference site biofilms. No differences in Se accumulation were found in muscle from either treatment group. Biofilms were also centrifuged and separated into filamentous green algae and the remaining diatom fraction. The majority of Se was found in the diatom fraction with only about 1/3rd of total biofilm Se concentration present in the filamentous green algae fraction </p><p>Finally, zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos were exposed to aqueous Se in the form of selenate, selenite, and L-selenomethionine in an attempt to determine if oxidative stress plays a role in selenium embryo toxicity. Selenate and selenite exposure did not induce embryo deformities (lordosis and craniofacial malformation). L-selenomethionine, however, induced significantly higher deformity rates at 100 µg/L compared to controls. Antioxidant rescue of L-selenomethionime induced deformities was attempted in embryos using N-acetylcysteine (NAC). Pretreatment with NAC significantly reduced deformities in the zebrafish embryos secondarily treated with L-selenomethionine, suggesting that oxidative stress may play a role in Se toxicity. Selenite exposure also induced a 6.6-fold increase in glutathione-S-transferase pi class 2 gene expression, which is involved in xenobiotic transformation. No changes in gene expression were observed for selenate or L-selenomethionine-exposed embryos.</p><p>The findings in this dissertation contribute to the understanding of how Se bioaccumulates in a lotic system and is transferred through a simulated foodweb in addition to further exploring oxidative stress as a potential mechanism for Se-induced embryo toxicity. Future studies should continue to pursue the role of oxidative stress and other mechanisms in Se toxicity and the biotransformation of Se in aquatic ecosystems.</p> / Dissertation

Cheat River is a novel about balancing family obligations against self-preservation. That is what's at stake for Allison and Andrew McKenna, a pair of siblings in rural Appalachia who must endure their father's abandonment and their pregnant mother's breakdown. At first, the two find solace from their parents' problems on the banks of the river from which the novel takes its name. But eventually, Andrew's homosexual feelings drive him to the bohemian streets of Philadelphia in the early '90s where he falls in with political activists and a household of misfits. He disappears, and Allison comes to the city to look for him. By retracing her brother's life, she realizes not only what he meant to her but what it will take to survive on her own.

This doctoral essay examines the vocal solo and duet repertoire of Kenneth Mahy, an American composer of art song and choral music in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. By examining his songs, assessing their difficulty, and analyzing their texts, this essay establishes that Kenneth Mahy is a composer worthy of note. In addition, this study provides pedagogical observations and performance notes of his songs. Furthermore, this essay provides biographical information about Mahy, and examines how his training, education, military experience, and unique experiences as the son of missionaries in China and the Philippines, among other influences, have affected and shaped his compositions. Resources include source material gathered from Mahy's personal archives, manuscripts and scores, and personal interviews with Mahy. This information provides comprehensive insight into a unique and deserving composer of modern American art song.