Grassfirespresents the latest information from CSIRO on the behavior and spread of fires in grasslands. This second edition follows ten years of research aimed at improving the understanding of fundamental processes involved in the behavior of bushfires and grassfires. The book has been extensively revised and new case studies have been added to reflect the latest findings in research and investigations. The book covers all aspects of fire behavior and spread in the major types of grasses in Australia. It examines the factors that affect fire behavior in continuous grassy fuels; fire in spinifex fuels; the effect of weather and topography on fire spread; wildfire suppression strategies; and how to reconstruct grassfire spread after the fact. The three fire-spread meters designed by CSIRO and used for the prediction of fire danger and rate of spread of grassfires are explained and their use and limitations discussed. This new edition expands on the historical view of grassfires with respect to extensive Aboriginal burning, combustion chemistry, flame structure and temperature, spotting and spread in discontinuous/eaten out fuels, and the effect of wind in complex terrain. The case studies in the chapter "Wildfires and Their Suppression" have been updated and include the major wild grassfire events of recent years, the January 2003 ACT fires and the 2005 Wangary, SA fire. The "Myths, Facts and Fallacies" chapter includes new myths and a new section on personal safety during a wild grass fire. Of interest to all rural fire fighters and rural landholders, students and teachers of courses on landscape and ecological processes, rural and peri-urban dwellers, fire authorities and researchers.
California and other wildfire-prone western states have experienced a substantial increase in the number and intensity of wildfires in recent years. Wildlands and climate experts expect these trends to continue and quite likely to worsen in coming years. Wildfires and other disasters can be particularly devastating for vulnerable communities. Members of these communities tend to experience worse health outcomes from disasters, have fewer resources for responding and rebuilding, and receive less assistance from state, local, and federal agencies. Because burning wood releases particulate matter and other toxicants, the health effects of wildfires extend well beyond burns. In addition, deposition of toxicants in soil and water can result in chronic as well as acute exposures. On June 4-5, 2019, four different entities within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop titled Implications of the California Wildfires for Health, Communities, and Preparedness at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at the University of California, Davis. The workshop explored the population health, environmental health, emergency preparedness, and health equity consequences of increasingly strong and numerous wildfires, particularly in California. This publication is a summary of the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
In this book, Kathleen A. Kendall-Tackett, a seasoned psychologist with a successful record in publishing for a broad market, shows academics how to communicate their ideas effectively to a wider audience. With humor and personal anecdotes, she provides practical information on coming up with ideas for articles and books, beating procrastination, and writing effective, jargon-free prose.
Thinning is a technique widely used in the pre-processing stage of a pattern recognition system to compress data and to enhance feature extraction in the subsequent stage. It reduces a digitized pattern to a skeleton so that all resulting branches are 1 pixel thick. The method seems easy at first and has many advantages, however after two decades of intensive research, it has been found to be very challenging due to the difficulties in programming computers to do it.This collection of 15 papers by leading scientists working in the area examines the theoretical and experimental aspects of thinning methodologies. The authors have addressed the problems faced, compared their performance results with others, and assessed the challenges ahead. Researchers will find the volume helpful in shedding light on difficult issues and stimulating further research in the area.
This textbook presents the fundamental concepts and methods for understanding and working with images and video in an unique, easy-to-read style which ensures the material is accessible to a wide audience. Exploring more than just the basics of image processing, the text provides a specific focus on the practical design and implementation of real systems for processing video data. Features: includes more than 100 exercises, as well as C-code snippets of the key algorithms; covers topics on image acquisition, color images, point processing, neighborhood processing, morphology, BLOB analysis, segmentation in video, tracking, geometric transformation, and visual effects; requires only a minimal understanding of mathematics; presents two chapters dedicated to applications; provides a guide to defining suitable values for parameters in video and image processing systems, and to conversion between the RGB color representation and the HIS, HSV and YUV/YCbCr color representations.
Living Life as if Thinking Matters Why dissent is crucial to health, happiness, hope, and a better world This is a book about living life better and solving its dilemmas by putting thinking ahead of popular beliefs. We are all born on the starting line of life with blank mental slates. Then each of us has our mind filled in by parents, schools, peers, and experts. The result is a society stuffed with given beliefs, none of which we own, andas you will learn in this bookmost of which are wrong. Although important questions are often debated, there seems to be no satisfying solutions. Instead, shortsighted agendas prevail, money dictates decisions, and ethics seems a thing of the past. We all sense this misdirection and can feel helpless as the world spirals out of control. Since ultimately everything in life happens because of the way we think, solutions depend upon thinking too. That does not mean playing the victim and relying on others, but reaching within to see the sense, goodness, and direction that lie there. Dr. Wysong helps readers tap into their unlimited resources and take control. All of lifes important topics are discussed in this encyclopedic, wise, and helpful book, including: how to achieve optimal health, think correctly about politics, family, love, sex, the environment, economics, government, and social issues, and how to self-improve and cultivate conscience. If you would like to understand life better, be healthier, happier, have meaning, contribute to a better world, and avoid some bumps and bruises along the way, this is your guidebook.
Debbie Macomber calls KNIT TOGETHER the project of her heart. Whenever she speaks, her theme is simple: don't be afraid to dream. God created us for a reason, and when we come to recognize our deepest longing, we can discover His plan for our lives. Full of encouragement and divine empowerment for women, the book centers around the Bible's assurance that God knits each one of us together in our mother's womb. Debbie deftly weaves her own story throughout the book, using the knitting theme of her most recent bestsellers to create metaphors that explore God's handiwork in creating us for a purpose.