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Fire exclusion and mismanaged grazing are globally important drivers of environmental change in mesic C4 grasslands and savannas. Although interest is growing in prescribed fire for grassland restoration, we have little long‐term experimental evidence of the influence of burn season on the recovery of herbaceous plant communities, encroachment by trees and shrubs, and invasion by exotic grasses. We conducted a prescribed fire experiment (seven burns between 2001 and 2019) in historically fire‐excluded and overgrazed grasslands of central Texas. Sites were assigned to one of four experimental treatments: summer burns (warm season, lightning season), fall burns (early cool season), winter burns (late cool season), or unburned (fire exclusion). To assess restoration outcomes of the experiment, in 2019, we identified old‐growth grasslands to serve as reference sites. Herbaceous‐layer plant communities in all experimental sites were compositionally and functionally distinct from old‐growth grasslands, with little recovery of perennial C4 grasses and long‐lived forbs. Unburned sites were characterized by several species of tree, shrub, and vine; summer sites were characterized by certain C3 grasses and forbs; and fall and winter sites were intermediate in composition to the unburned and summer sites. Despite compositional differences, all treatments had comparable plot‐level plant species richness (range 89–95 species/1000 m2). At the local‐scale, summer sites (23 species/m2) and old‐growth grasslands (20 species/m2) supported greater richness than unburned sites (15 species/m2), but did not differ significantly from fall or winter sites. Among fire treatments, summer and winter burns most consistently produced the vegetation structure of old‐growth grasslands (e.g., mean woody canopy cover of 9%). But whereas winter burns promoted the invasive grass Bothriochloa ischaemum by maintaining areas with low canopy cover, summer burns simultaneously limited woody encroachment and controlled B. ischaemum invasion. Our results support a growing body of literature that shows that prescribed fire alone, without the introduction of plant propagules, cannot necessarily restore old‐growth grassland community composition. Nonetheless, this long‐term experiment demonstrates that prescribed burns implemented in the summer can benefit restoration by preventing woody encroachment while also controlling an invasive grass. We suggest that fire season deserves greater attention in grassland restoration planning and ecological research.

In his new collection of poems, Dick Davis, the acclaimed author ofBelonging, addresses themes that he has long worked with-travel, the experience of being a stranger, the clash of cultures, the vagaries of love, the pleasures and epiphanies of meaning that art allows us. ButA Trick of Sunlightintroduces a new theme that revolves around the idea of happiness-is it possible, must it be illusory, is its fleetingness an essential part of its nature so that disillusion is inevitable?Many of the poems are shaded by the poet's awareness of growing older, and by the ways that this both shuts down many of life's possibilities and frees us from their demands. The levity of some verses here is something of a departure for Davis, but his insights can be mordant too, revealing darknesses as often as they invoke frivolity.As Davis's readers have come to expect, the poems inA Trick of Sunlight. aim at the aesthetic satisfactions that accompany accurate observations expressed with wit, intelligence, and grace. But they achieve as well an immediacy and rawness of vision that seem to belie his careful craft.

\"The magnificent and final work of an author who dedicated his life to questioning the nature of reality and perception, the malleability of space and time, and the relationship between the human and the divine.\"--Provided by the publisher.

This article discusses the reasons why Ferdowsi does not begin the Shahnameh with the episode of Zoroaster, which he quotes from the version of Daqiqi, but rather with an account of the creation of the world that, in contrast to Islamic historians writing before Ferdowsi, does not attempt to accommodate a Qur'anic view of creation and human history, but neither does he give a cosmology dominated or well informed by Zoroastrian theology. Similarly, Ferdowsi tends to present pre-Islamic Iran as having a consistent religious history, and perhaps avoids beginning with Goshtāsp's conversion to the religion of Zoroaster, as he makes Daqiqi appear to do, in order to minimize the role of religious conflict in Iranian history, again diverging from historians of the Islamic period writing before him. The article also explores the role of God in the Shahnameh and the absence of theodicy.

With an introduction by John Lasseter-- and very little else in the way of words-- this second book in The Artist Series lavishly showcases the most brilliant animation created by such luminaries as Ub Iwerks, Norm Ferguson, Ben Sharpsteen, Hamilton Luske, Dick Huemer, Grim Natwick, Art Babbitt, Fred Moore, Bill Tytla, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston, Milt Kahl, Marc Davis, John Lounsbery, Ward Kimball, Eric Larson, Les Clark, Wolfgang Reitherman, John Sibley, Bill Justice, Clyde Geronimi, Ted Berman, Glen Keane, Andreas Deja, Eric Goldberg, Mark Henn and Tony Bancroft. The artwork-- much of which has never before been published-- offers the opportunity to marvel at the those magical lines of pencil that brought life to so many unforgettable Disney characters. Animation represents a rare opportunity to enjoy a glimpse into the truly spectacular trove of treasures from the Walt Disney Animation Research Library.

There are worlds within our own in which even the smallest victories are hard won, the tender moment is almost unbearable, and the understated rings like a bell.Belonging, a new collection by British poet Dick Davis, is an extended visit to these worlds.Deepened by his dry wit and the formal rigor of his verse, the poems ofBelongingnegotiate their way among personal and political divides-generations in a family, man and woman, and the tentative present and our inherited pasts.But behind much of the writing there is also a desire for a kind of idealized belonging-to a clerisy of civilized and humane decency which can be found intermittently in all cultures and is the monopoly of none. Davis's own cosmopolitan background provides the context for many of the poems, yet he is concerned always to find the humanly universal within the local and anecdotal-a hope realized in these careful and incandescent poems.

\"When Wally West, the adolescent nephew of the Flash's fiancee accidentally gained powers of superspeed, he became the Scarlet Speedster's sidekick. Growing up as his hero's protege, Kid Flash had a childhood of amazing action and adventure. But on the day that The Flash died, Wally's carefree adolescence abruptly ended and his life as an adult began. THE FLASH BY MARK WAID BOOK ONE looks back at Wally's earliest days as the Kid Flash and explores the gamut of his emotions and experiences from his first day as a child hero to his succession of Barry Allen as the new Flash. A journey full of humor and drama, this story shows just how much Wally West loves being the fastest man alive\"-- Provided by publisher.

The multifaceted U.S. construction environment, characterized by vast projects and intricate agreements, is anchored in trust, exemplified by bonding. For Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), the bonding process can be challenging.This dissertation provides an in-depth evaluation of the \"System for facilitating a project between contractors and owners,\" a patented methodology innovatively developed by my father, Dr. Dick Davis, Sr. and later approved through my research efforts, as indicated by the patent number US8346582B1. The system adeptly gathers and processes data from owners, projects, and contractors. Despite its proficiency in managing extensive contractor and project data, the system faces challenges in coherently rating contractors for specific projects without substantial human intervention. This is a critical function as it informs the recommendations given to project owners, who have the final say in contract awards. Ensuring accuracy and impartiality in these recommendations is vital to support an equitable landscape for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) without an increase in cost and better performance outcomes.Using Elaborated Action Design Research (Mullarkey & Hevner, 2019), the study sought to answer: How can data-driven algorithmic methods refine the patented system to enhance DBE policies and expand the contractor pool in bondable public-sector construction projects? A scenario and sensitivity analysis was employed, focusing on the diverse attributes and profiles of contractors. Initial findings highlighted ambiguities in the patented system, leading to the development of diagnostic instruments for clarity. The subsequent cycle identified myriad attributes impacting DBE participation, emphasizing the need for a dynamic, adaptable approach. The design cycle involved rigorous iteration, culminating in a modified Match Score Algorithm to expand DBE participation based on contractor profiles, attributes, and interventions. This algorithm was tested across various simulations, revealing its adaptability and effectiveness in ensuring an equitable contractor-project alignment process. The final cycles presented and evaluated the results, with visual tools and expert evaluations underscoring the algorithm's significance.Two hypotheses were central: The following two hypotheses were made in this study.Hypothesis 1: Merging two algorithms into an optimized algorithmic method will increase the size of the contractor pool in public-sector construction projects.Hypothesis 2: The optimized algorithm method will result in a more equitable distribution of bondable opportunities among a pool of DBE contractors in public-sector construction projects.The research outcome envisions a construction sector where DBEs, supported by unbiased algorithmic evaluations and forward-thinking policies, navigate the bonding process seamlessly, fostering a diverse, technologically advanced, and ethically sound industry.