Radiation sensitive solid state switch

A mechanically operable solid state switch suited for use in achieving a variable circuit-switching function is described. This switch is characterized by an annular array of photoresponsive switching devices, disposed in communication with an included source of radiation, and a plurality of interchangeable, mechanically operable interrupter disks. Each disk has a predetermined pattern of transparent and opaque portions. Operative displacement of each disk serves to make and break selected electrical circuits through the photo responsive devices of said array

Pressure rig for repetitive casting

The invention is a pressure rig for repetitive casting of metal. The pressure rig performs like a piston for feeding molten metal into a mold. Pressure is applied to an expandable rubber diaphragm which expands like a balloon to force the metal into the mold. A ceramic cavity which holds molten metal is lined with blanket-type insulating material, necessitating only a relining for subsequent use and eliminating the lengthy cavity preparation inherent in previous rigs. In addition, the expandable rubber diaphragm is protected by the insulating material thereby decreasing its vulnerability to heat damage. As a result of the improved design the life expectancy of the pressure rig contemplated by the present invention is more than doubled. Moreover, the improved heat protection has allowed the casting of brass and other alloys with higher melting temperatures than possible in the conventional pressure rigs

Hottonia inflata Elliot

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/10041/thumbnail.jp

Hottonia inflata Elliot

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/10041/thumbnail.jp

Using Spatial Models To Map Bird Distributions Along The Madison River

The Avian Science Center developed predictive maps of species distributions for the Madison River based on newly available riverine system data from the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) and the Natural Heritage Program’s Landscape Integrity Model. We used a maximum entropy model (MaxEnt) to predict species distributions using species occurrence locations collected from 2003-2010. Models performed well for 13 species, demonstrating that available environmental data layers, including NWI, can be used to successfully predict species distributions along the Madison River for a number of important riparian bird species. These models allow fine-scale mapping of habitat suitability for riparian birds, which fills gaps in current data on species distributions, and can be used to prioritize riparian conservation and restoration projects

A Survey Study of a Human Relations Training Program for a Select Group of Airport Public Safety Officers

The problem of this study was to survey the perceived effectiveness of a human relations training program for a select group of Public Safety Officers at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. In relation to this select group of Public Safety Officers, the purposes of the study were as follows: (1) to describe the selection procedures, (2) to provide a general overview of the procedures involved in a thirteen-week police training program, (3) to describe the human relations training aspects of the thirteen-week police training program, (4) to describe the public safety officer trainees in terms of their performance on various criteria measurements, (5) to assess and describe the personality characteristics of the Public Safety Officer trainees, and (6) to determine the Public Safety Officers' perceptions of, and reactions to, the human relations training aspects of the thirteen-week police training program

Monitoring for Adaptive Management in Coniferous Forests of the Northern Rockies

Monitoring can and should be much more than the effort to track population trends; it can be a proactive effort to understand the effects of human activities on bird populations. It should be an integral part of the adaptive management process. With this in mind, the Northern Region Landbird Monitoring Program has a dual focus: (1) to monitor long-term bird population trends, and (2) to study bird-habitat relationships and management effects. By conducting permanent, longterm monitoring transects every other year, we are free to use the intervening years to study the effects of specific management activities. The coordination and funding is in place to achieve an impressive degree of replication in such studies. These alternate-year monitoring efforts have great potential to get managementoriented results into the hands of managers in the short term, so planning can be improved before long-term trends might reveal a problem. We have conducted several such projects, including the effects of partialcut logging in coniferous forests, and the effects of grazing on willow-riparian bird communities. We discuss here another such project that we initiated in 2001, on bird responses to dry-forest restoration in the northern Rockies. Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) stands have been greatly altered from historical conditions due to logging and fire suppression. Active treatment of ponderosa pine forests to reverse historical trends is a recent management direction involving wellfinanced, regionally coordinated restoration efforts. The widespread distribution and abundance of planned treatments provided a unique opportunity for a controlled research design (with high replication), including pre- and post-treatment surveys. We present some preliminary results and discuss their relevance to adaptive management

SecNav / CBLAST 2002 field experiment deployment / recovery cruises and data report, F/V Nobska, June 19-20, 2002, F/V Nobska, September 4 and 9, 2002, mooring data, June 19 - September 9, 2002

During the summer of 2002, six surface moorings and one subsurface mooring were deployed south of Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The moorings were deployed from June to September 2002 to collect meteorological and oceanographic data. This was done both to support the Coupled Boundary Layered Air-Sea Transfer Low wind (CBLAST-Low) cooperative experiment and to address the question of regional predictability in the littoral regime under research supported by a Secretary of the Navy/Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Chair. The aim was to capture the mesoscale development and response of inner shelf waters to local synoptic atmospheric, tidal and larger scale oceanic forcing under predominantly low wind conditions. This report covers the operational aspects of the 2002 experiment, including deployment, recovery, and mooring setups, as well as basic data returns.Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under Contract Numbers N00014-01-1-0029 and N00014-99-1-0090

Effects of Silvicultural Treatments on Forest Birds in the Rocky Mountains: Implications and Management Recommendations

The short-term effects of timber harvesting practices on landbird species vary widely among species. Thus, the maintenance of populations of all species will require a long-term management strategy that involves maintenance of a variety of habitats over a broad landscape

Deer reduce habitat quality for a woodland songbird: evidence from settlement patterns, demographic parameters, and body condition.

Understanding avian responses to ungulate-induced habitat modification is important because deer populations are increasing across much of temperate Europe and North America. Our experimental study examined whether habitat quality for Blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) in young woodland in eastern England was affected by deer, by comparing Blackcap behavior, abundance, and condition between paired plots (half of each pair protected from deer). The vegetation in each pair of plots was the same age. The Blackcap is an ideal model species for testing effects of deer on avian habitat quality because it is dependent on dense understory vegetation and is abundant throughout much of Europe. We compared timing of settlement, abundance, age structure (second-year vs. after-second-year), and phenotypic quality (measured as a body condition index, body mass divided by tarsus length) between experimental and control plots. We used point counts to examine Blackcap distribution, and standardized mist netting to collect demographic and biometric data. Incidence of singing Blackcaps was higher in nonbrowsed than in browsed plots, and singing males were recorded in nonbrowsed plots earlier in the season, indicating earlier and preferential territory establishment. Most Blackcaps, both males and females, were captured in vegetation prior to canopy closure (2–4 years of regrowth). Body condition was superior for male Blackcaps captured in nonbrowsed plots; for second-year males this was most marked in vegetation prior to canopy closure. We conclude that deer browsing in young woodland can alter habitat quality for understory-dependent species, with potential consequences for individual fitness and population productivity beyond the more obvious effects on population density