New Releases by Adam Christopher

Mute swans ( Cygnus olor ), an exotic species of waterfowl, have been found to negatively impact native waterbirds and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) communities in the Chesapeake Bay and lower Great Lakes. Mute swans were first recorded in Illinois in 1971 and their population is small, but growing. In 2008-09, I studied mute swans in central Illinois to investigate whether they negatively impacted waterbirds through aggressive actions and SAV through over-grazing. I also estimated mute swan territory size to estimate potential habitat exclusion and population growth potential. Mute swan territory size averaged 7.0 ha, allowing the current population of approximately 60 breeding pairs to increase to over 125 pairs. I did not find that mute swans reduced above-ground SAV, although I did find that below-ground biomass was reduced where mute swans fed freely. Mute swan aggression was most frequent in early spring and decreasing throughout the breeding season. Most waterbirds were found just as close or closer to mute swans as to control points, although gadwall ( Anas strepera ) were found farther away perhaps suggesting either avoidance or exclusion. As mute swans become more abundant in Illinois, further monitoring is necessary to prevent significant negative impacts to wetlands and waterbirds.

Keywords: low velocity impact damage, optical sensors, composites, FBG, Bragg grating, structural health monitoring.

Abstract: Presently, security threats from computer viruses to malicious intrusion imperil computer users. To mitigate and counter these threats, a consortium of hardware and software vendors and consumer-electronics manufacturers are implementing "trusted computing" (TC) standards on present and future computer systems. These standards define security policies that can defend computer systems against attacks. However, in their zeal to protect intellectual property, the content and computer industries plan to use TC technologies in ways that will likely infringe upon users'' civil liberties and hamper innovation. Here, details of these technologies and their uses and misuses are explained. An overview of technologies on which TC depends is presented, followed by an explanation of exactly what TC is. Interactions between TC-supported computer hardware, operating systems, and software are explored, as are the potential impacts on civil liberties and the economy. Finally, present and future TC computer systems are analyzed and reasonable policy suggestions are offered.

Canon''s got an impressive, hot new Pro-level digital SLR camera, and photographers will want to understand how to use every one of its up-to-the-minute functions. With Magic Lantern, they will. It goes well beyond the camera''s instruction manual, and explains how to handle all the decisive moments in shooting the action. Find out how to take advantage of the camera''s 8.2 megapixel resolution from its low-noise CMOS sensor. Learn how to set digital shooting speed records with the Mark II''s 8.5-frames-per-second drive and high-speed JPEG image buffer. (It can buffer 69 megapixels per second.) You''ll understand all the camera''s ins and outs, meet all the challenges of professional shooting, and get amazing results.

Abstract: Previous experimental work has shown the efficacy of vortex generator jets as a means for control of external flow, particularly in the case of separated flow and high-angle-of-attack stall for an airfoil. Effective control of the flow separation requires a model for the relevant fluid dynamics that accurately captures the physics involved, including the interaction between the actuators and the system, while simultaneously being simple enough to run in real time.