Terminating Employees in Virginia: A Roadmap for the Employer, the Employee, and Their Counsel

In Virginia, as elsewhere, employees are increasingly challenging the employer\u27s decision to terminate the employment relationship. Consequently, the employer\u27s time and resources are diverted from the operation of business to the defense of employee lawsuits. The probability and\u27risk of such litigation can be minimized if the employer, advised by his counsel, structures his employment con- tracts and relationships with an awareness of the legal consequences of his actions

The Outsiders: Examining the Effects of Political Appointments on Public-Sector Employee Engagement

Scholars have long examined the inherent trade-offs between control and capability when presidents politicize the executive branch through their appointment powers, including through appointments. Research has consistently connected high ratios of appointees to career leaders with decreased agency performance and higher voluntary turnover at the career senior ranks. However, far less attention has been paid to the cumulative effect of such appointments on the engagement of the civil service workforce, a factor shown to influence organizational performance. Using the 2012 and 2016 Federal Employee Viewpoint Surveys, I evaluate the relationship between degree of agency politicization and self-reported measures of engagement among civil servants. Preliminary analysis indicates the use of political appointments by presidents can impede agency efforts to build and sustain an engaged workforce. The findings suggest the negative outcomes associated with these appointments are both broader and more enduring than the tenure of a single appointee, presenting a new perspective for scholarly understanding of the dynamics at play when presidents politicize the agencies they are entrusted to lead

Evaluation of Rescue Applications on Glyphosate-Resistant Palmer Amaranth

Options for glyphosate-resistant (GR) Palmer amaranth [Amaranthus palmeri (S. Wats)] control are becoming limited. Research was conducted in 2014 and 2015 to evaluate the effectiveness of rescue herbicide applications on glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth. Research was established to evaluate efficacy provided by new and current herbicide programs on GR Palmer amaranth that was larger than recommended at the time of herbicide application. Studies included a postemergence application of different herbicides used singly and in combination at different initial application timings; sequential postemergence application timing evaluating herbicide tank mix combinations at five different time intervals between applications; and postemergence evaluation of herbicide tank mix combinations at multiple application timings

Defendant\u27s Exhibit 190: Cleveland Police Dept Report

Report re: Spencer Houk as suspect (Authenticity Stipulated to during Pagel Testimony)https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/defendant_exhibits_2000/1025/thumbnail.jp

Defendant\u27s Exhibit 190: Cleveland Police Dept Report

Report re: Spencer Houk as suspect (Authenticity Stipulated to during Pagel Testimony)https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/defendant_exhibits_2000/1025/thumbnail.jp

Reading and Writing Like a Scientist: Implementation of Disciplinary Literacy Strategies in a Middle School Science Classroom

This study examined what happened when disciplinary literacy strategies were implemented in a middle school science class along with the students’ and teachers’ perceptions of these strategies. The researcher implemented disciplinary literacy strategies that went along with the scope and sequence for seventh-grade science at the time of implementation of the study. She collected data through surveys, observations, and interviews with students and teachers. Data were analyzed through the constant comparative method and coding. When disciplinary literacy strategies were implemented, students showed compartmentalization of reading and writing to their ELAR classes. Teachers showed negative perceptions of their students’ literacy abilities. The students overall had more negative perceptions of the strategies than positive while the teachers had overall positive perceptions of the strategies used. This led the teachers to come up with solutions for future use of disciplinary literacy in their science classrooms

Primary Productivity Distributions Along the River-Dominated Shoreline of the Bay of St. Louis, MS Estuary

Potential primary production was measured for six consecutive months (July 2010 to December 201 0) at selected stations along the shoreline of the Bay of Saint Louis (BSL) estuary. Monthly surface and a series of subsurface (0.5 m) samples were taken to observe the temporal (monthly and short-term) and spatial variability in production relative to environmental variables that potentially could influence phytoplankton photosynthesis. Daily areal primary production, PP was modeled using photosynthesis-irradiance (P-E) parameters in conjunction with in situ irradiance measurements and biomass data collected during sampling. Although spatial variability was not observed, PP varied seasonally and ranged from 1.90 g C m-2 d-1 in July to 0.06 g C m-2 d-1 in December. Short-term variability also was observed. Production ranged from 0.25 to 0.84 g C m-2 d-1 over the course of a week and within-day values ranged from 0.36 to 0. 72 g C m-2 d-1 with peak production occurring at midday. Temporal variability was attributed primarily to changes in temperature (seasonal), river discharge (week-long), and incident irradiance (diurnal). Annual production for the BSL estuary was estimated at 197.3 g C m-2 d-1 and is comparable to other temperate, mesotrophic estuaries. The results from this study provide the first modeled estimates of primary production within the BSL system and will facilitate ecological research and monitoring efforts within this locally important estuary

Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on Microbial-Mediated Cellulose Decomposition in Mississippi Gulf Coast Salt Marshes

Field studies were conducted to examine the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on rates of marsh organic matter decomposition. Decomposition in surface and subsurface marsh sediments was assessed in stands of Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus in 9 Mississippi Gulf Coast marshes exposed to differing oiling intensities. The cotton strip bioassay technique was used as a proxy for cellulose decomposition. In addition, rates of microbial respiration, fungal biomass (ergosterol) and nutrients (C:N, C:P) of surface sediment cotton strips were also quantified. Subsurface cotton strip decay, as determined by losses in tensile strength, were significantly different among marsh sites, with higher overall rates being observed in oiled versus unoiled S. alterniflora plant zones (pJ. roemerianus plant zones (p\u3e0.05). In contrast to subsurface sediments, cotton strip decay in surface sediments displayed an opposite pattern, with significantly (p\u3e0.05) higher rates of decay in unoiled versus oiled S. alterniflora and J. roemerianus plant zones. Cotton strip C:N and C:P ratios were negatively correlated with losses in cotton strip tensile strength. In addition, both fungal ergosterol concentrations and microbial respiration rates were positively correlated with cotton strip decay and negatively correlated with C:N and C:P ratios, providing evidence that N and P availabilities in marsh sediments may have limited the activity of microbial communities. Although conducted ~1.5 years after the Deep Water Horizon oil spill, this study suggests that both subsurface and surface microbial processes may still be affected by oil