The ability to paint the darker side of life in a paradoxically expressive, beautiful way is what Townsend hopes to mirror to his readers. "I want to draw out the beauty of things that are not normally considered attractive."

This Open Access volume aims to methodologically improve our understanding of biodiversity by linking disciplines that incorporate remote sensing, and uniting data and perspectives in the fields of biology, landscape ecology, and geography. The book provides a framework for how biodiversity can be detected and evaluated-focusing particularly on plants-using proximal and remotely sensed hyperspectral data and other tools such as LiDAR. The volume, whose chapters bring together a large cross-section of the biodiversity community engaged in these methods, attempts to establish a common language across disciplines for understanding and implementing remote sensing of biodiversity across scales. The first part of the book offers a potential basis for remote detection of biodiversity. An overview of the nature of biodiversity is described, along with ways for determining traits of plant biodiversity through spectral analyses across spatial scales and linking spectral data to the tree of life. The second part details what can be detected spectrally and remotely. Specific instrumentation and technologies are described, as well as the technical challenges of detection and data synthesis, collection and processing. The third part discusses spatial resolution and integration across scales and ends with a vision for developing a global biodiversity monitoring system. Topics include spectral and functional variation across habitats and biomes, biodiversity variables for global scale assessment, and the prospects and pitfalls in remote sensing of biodiversity at the global scale.

This book provides a first synthetic view of an emerging area of ecology and biogeography, linking individual- and population-level processes to geographic distributions and biodiversity patterns. Problems in evolutionary ecology, macroecology, and biogeography are illuminated by this integrative view. The book focuses on correlative approaches known as ecological niche modeling, species distribution modeling, or habitat suitability modeling, which use associations between known occurrences of species and environmental variables to identify environmental conditions under which populations can be maintained. The spatial distribution of environments suitable for the species can then be estimated: a potential distribution for the species. This approach has broad applicability to ecology, evolution, biogeography, and conservation biology, as well as to understanding the geographic potential of invasive species and infectious diseases, and the biological implications of climate change.

The authors lay out conceptual foundations and general principles for understanding and interpreting species distributions with respect to geography and environment. Focus is on development of niche models. While serving as a guide for students and researchers, the book also provides a theoretical framework to support future progress in the field.

The mechanical and optical properties of the metallized Teflon FEP thermal control materials on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have degraded over the nearly seven years the telescope has been in orbit. Given the damage to the outer layer of the multi-layer insulation (MLI) that was apparent during the second servicing mission (SM2), the decision was made to replace the outer layer during subsequent servicing missions. A Failure Review Board was established to investigate the damage to the MLI and identify a replacement material. The replacement material had to meet the stringent thermal requirements of the spacecraft and maintain mechanical integrity for at least ten years. Ten candidate materials were selected and exposed to ten-year HST-equivalent doses of simulated orbital environments. Samples of the candidates were exposed sequentially to low and high energy electrons and protons, atomic oxygen, x-ray radiation, ultraviolet radiation and thermal cycling. Following the exposures, the mechanical integrity and optical properties of the candidates were investigated using Optical Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), a Laboratory Portable Spectroreflectometer (LPSR) and a Lambda 9 Spectroreflectometer. Based on the results of these simulations and analyses, the Failure Review Board selected a replacement material and two alternates that showed the highest likelihood of providing the requisite thermal properties and surviving for ten years in orbit.

This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!

Thread of Decency spans sixty-five years and three generations of the Matheson men who are confronted and assaulted by corrupt business practices and immoral, greedy businessmen practitioners. The Matheson's aren't especially religious, they simply, by their nature, subscribe to ethical values that are passed from one generation to the next through example and respect. John Matheson has recently started a new job and is about to be joined by his wife in a move from Michigan when he dies suddenly in a Phoenix hospital emergency room. The family is devastated and John's young professional son Al is especially affected. He's lost his father, his guidepost and his mentor. Over the following years, Al deals with his business adversities as his father had - resolute, alone and with consequence when holding moral ground. Immoral and unethical business practices, like bacteria, need a media in which to grow. There must be a conducive, often ignored business environment. The Matheson men never sit back and dismiss these realities, even when they aren't directly affected. Each, in his own way, takes the assault of these evils head on -- often to their own material detriment and pain. Their solace lies in realizing they've taken the honorable path and have the respect of their loved ones. Antagonist Ernie Dickerson likewise inherits his values from his father, ones completely opposite from those of the Matheson family. Ernie and Al are unaware of a coincident Phoenix past they both share until the fateful collision of their present day roles in a business setting. Near the end of a tumultuous career Al learns the real circumstances surrounding his father's death. After the many years, will Al, his son Paul and a Phoenix detective be able to piece together the puzzle? Will there indeed be any justice and closure for the Matheson family?

This project was completed to fulfill PMIS (#89044) which will help UPDE resource managers to make informed recommendations to other management agencies on water flow requirements conducive to the survival of A. heterodon mussels in the upper Delaware River. This project also supports several specific recovery tasks listed in the Dwarf Wedge Mussel Recovery Plan (USFWS 1993). These include Task 1.11: Conduct studies of species' distribution and status; Task 1.2: Identify essential habitat and key areas in need of protection; and Task 4.2: Characterize the species' habitat requirements for all life history stages.

Millions of individuals depend on the internet for information, communication, commerce and the conduct of personal business. Corporations depend on the internet for business-to-business and global intra and inter-business functions. The internet has become foundational to our lives. There is hardly a month that goes by that we don't become aware of computer viruses, internet scams or business frauds and failures. How about WikiLeaks? Paperless, by A. Townsend Marshall, shows how eerily plausible it would be to compromise the internet and take undetected control of it. Maybe Assange read Paperless. The novel is fiction, but . . . A computer scientist and doctoral candidate, Rich Fuller, proposes as his thesis a study to uncover weaknesses and propose remedies to the evolving internet. He is rebuffed by his doctoral committee and drops out of academia. The disenfranchised computer scientist sets out to prove his thesis by developing sophisticated software that exploits the internet and any business or individual who transacts over it. Fuller uses his ideas to develop highly successful businesses and commercial computer applications. Al Matheson is a happily retired IT executive who also had met the challenges of suspect business practices over the years. He is lured by out of retirement by an old friend to 'lead just one last challenging project'. The project is to implement Rich Fuller's so called commercial systems in a leading-edge manufacturing company. Success is mandatory for this company's future. A team of consultants, led by Al Matheson, is beset with unexplainable anomalies when they try to implement Rich Fuller's commercial packages. Their pursuit for answers leads the team down a winding path of personal devastation and murder. Technological assault on the world's most critical systems ensues. Could it happen now or in the future? Paperless shows just how and with a chilling conclusion as to what may lay ahead. Maybe the Assanges of the world are laying the way and a harbinger of cyber terror yet to play out.