Catalogue Search | MBRL
Are you sure you want to remove the book from the shelf?
{{itemTitle}}
745
result(s) for
"Swanson, Mark"
Sort by:
The coptic papacy in Islamic Egypt, 641-1517
\"In Volume 1 of this series, Stephen Davis contended that the themes of \"apostolicity, martyrdom, monastic patronage, and theological resistance\" were determinative for the cultural construction of Egyptian church leadership in late antiquity. Volume 2, The Coptic Papacy in Islamic Egypt, shows that the medieval Coptic popes (641-1517 CE) were regularly portrayed as standing in continuity with their saintly predecessors; however, at the same time, they were active in creating something new, the Coptic Orthodox Church, a community that struggled to preserve a distinctive life and witness within the new Islamic world order. Building on recent advances in the study of sources for Coptic church history, the present volume aims to show how portrayals of the medieval popes provide a window into the religious and social life of their community\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
The forgotten stage of forest succession: early-successional ecosystems on forest sites
Early-successional forest ecosystems that develop after stand-replacing or partial disturbances are diverse in species, processes, and structure. Post-disturbance ecosystems are also often rich in biological legacies, including surviving organisms and organically derived structures, such as woody debris. These legacies and post-disturbance plant communities provide resources that attract and sustain high species diversity, including numerous early-successional obligates, such as certain woodpeckers and arthropods. Early succession is the only period when tree canopies do not dominate the forest site, and so this stage can be characterized by high productivity of plant species (including herbs and shrubs), complex food webs, large nutrient fluxes, and high structural and spatial complexity. Different disturbances contrast markedly in terms of biological legacies, and this will influence the resultant physical and biological conditions, thus affecting successional pathways. Management activities, such as post-disturbance logging and dense tree planting, can reduce the richness within and the duration of early-successional ecosystems. Where maintenance of biodiversity is an objective, the importance and value of these natural early-successional ecosystems are underappreciated.
Journal Article
المواجهة بين المسيحية الشرقية والإسلام المبكر
يسلط كتاب (المواجهة بين المسيحية الشرقية والإسلام المبكر) الضوء على بعض النصوص والمخطوطات التي تم استعراضها للمرة الأولى بمحاولة لإعادة بناء المفاهيم التاريخية التقليدية والكشف عن معطيات تاريخية جديدة تعنى بالقرن السابع، قرن ظهور الإسلام المدعو عصر الظلام في التاريخ البيزنطي. ما يبرهن على مستوى التعقيد والتداخل الذي اتسمت فيه العلاقات بين بيزنطة والإسلام وتعود أهمية العمل على الدقة العلمية في تغطية الأحداث والسجالات اللاهوتية التي واكبتها من جهة ومناقشته المصادر التي اعتمد عليها المؤرخون من جهة أخرى. الكتاب هو عمل بحثي لمجموعة من الباحثين في التاريخ البيزنطي الذين يتناولون بعض أهم تفاصيل مدة تاريخية تعد من أدق الحقب وأكثرها توترا بين الإسلام والإمبراطورية البيزنطية وتكمن أهمية العمل في دراسة كريستولوجيا القرآن الكريم، إضافة إلى كيفية تشكل صورة الآخر، المسلم والمسيحي والتي غالبا ما تحكمت فيها أنماط التصورات الدينية وإسقاطاتها في ديانتين جمعهما الجوار الجغرافي وفرقهما الاختلاف العقائدي. يستعرض الكتاب مجموعة من النصوص المهمة لاحتوائها على السجالات والرسائل المسيحية الموجهة ضد الإسلام على أثر الفتح العربي، كما يوضح أهمية وتأثير الصراع اللاهوتي المسيحي-مسيحي في انتشار الإسلام ويبرز المناقشات العقائدية الأولى التي تواجه بها الإسلام والمسيحية حول الصلب والقيامة، حيث اتخذت المناظرات اللاهوتية سمة الجدل الدفاعي، اعتمادا على حجج تستمد قوتها من امتلاك المساجلين المسيحيين لشروط القياس المنطقي والاستدلالات الفلسفية، الأمر الذي اكتسبوه سابقا من خلال مواجهة الدين اليهودي. تنوع الحجج والباحثين في هذا العمل هو ما يجعله مرجعا بحثيا غني، حيث يخوض بعدد من النواحي الهامة الكفيلة بتغيير المفاهيم السائدة عن تلك الحقبة التاريخية الغامضة من العصور الوسطى ويفك وثاق معطيات نوعية من الأحداث التاريخية، ما يجعله إضافة ثرية للمكتبة العربية المتعطشة لهذا النوع من البحوث.
Book
The Importance of Large-Diameter Trees to Forest Structural Heterogeneity
Large-diameter trees dominate the structure, dynamics and function of many temperate and tropical forests. However, their attendant contributions to forest heterogeneity are rarely addressed. We established the Wind River Forest Dynamics Plot, a 25.6 ha permanent plot within which we tagged and mapped all 30,973 woody stems ≥ 1 cm dbh, all 1,966 snags ≥ 10 cm dbh, and all shrub patches ≥ 2 m(2). Basal area of the 26 woody species was 62.18 m(2)/ha, of which 61.60 m(2)/ha was trees and 0.58 m(2)/ha was tall shrubs. Large-diameter trees (≥ 100 cm dbh) comprised 1.5% of stems, 31.8% of basal area, and 17.6% of the heterogeneity of basal area, with basal area dominated by Tsuga heterophylla and Pseudotsuga menziesii. Small-diameter subpopulations of Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla and Thuja plicata, as well as all tree species combined, exhibited significant aggregation relative to the null model of complete spatial randomness (CSR) up to 9 m (P ≤ 0.001). Patterns of large-diameter trees were either not different from CSR (Tsuga heterophylla), or exhibited slight aggregation (Pseudotsuga menziesii and Thuja plicata). Significant spatial repulsion between large-diameter and small-diameter Tsuga heterophylla suggests that large-diameter Tsuga heterophylla function as organizers of tree demography over decadal timescales through competitive interactions. Comparison among two forest dynamics plots suggests that forest structural diversity responds to intermediate-scale environmental heterogeneity and disturbances, similar to hypotheses about patterns of species richness, and richness- ecosystem function. Large mapped plots with detailed within-plot environmental spatial covariates will be required to test these hypotheses.
Journal Article
Ecological Importance of Large-Diameter Trees in a Temperate Mixed-Conifer Forest
Large-diameter trees dominate the structure, dynamics and function of many temperate and tropical forests. Although both scaling theory and competition theory make predictions about the relative composition and spatial patterns of large-diameter trees compared to smaller diameter trees, these predictions are rarely tested. We established a 25.6 ha permanent plot within which we tagged and mapped all trees ≥1 cm dbh, all snags ≥10 cm dbh, and all shrub patches ≥2 m(2). We sampled downed woody debris, litter, and duff with line intercept transects. Aboveground live biomass of the 23 woody species was 507.9 Mg/ha, of which 503.8 Mg/ha was trees (SD = 114.3 Mg/ha) and 4.1 Mg/ha was shrubs. Aboveground live and dead biomass was 652.0 Mg/ha. Large-diameter trees comprised 1.4% of individuals but 49.4% of biomass, with biomass dominated by Abies concolor and Pinus lambertiana (93.0% of tree biomass). The large-diameter component dominated the biomass of snags (59.5%) and contributed significantly to that of woody debris (36.6%). Traditional scaling theory was not a good model for either the relationship between tree radii and tree abundance or tree biomass. Spatial patterning of large-diameter trees of the three most abundant species differed from that of small-diameter conspecifics. For A. concolor and P. lambertiana, as well as all trees pooled, large-diameter and small-diameter trees were spatially segregated through inter-tree distances <10 m. Competition alone was insufficient to explain the spatial patterns of large-diameter trees and spatial relationships between large-diameter and small-diameter trees. Long-term observations may reveal regulation of forest biomass and spatial structure by fire, wind, pathogens, and insects in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forests. Sustaining ecosystem functions such as carbon storage or provision of specialist species habitat will likely require different management strategies when the functions are performed primarily by a few large trees as opposed to many smaller trees.
Journal Article
A phylogenomic rodent tree reveals the repeated evolution of masseter architectures
Understanding the number of times a trait has evolved is a necessary foundation for comprehending its potential relationships with selective regimes, developmental constraints and evolutionary diversification. Rodents make up over 40% of extant mammalian species, and their ecological and evolutionary success has been partially attributed to the increase in biting efficiency that resulted from a forward shift of one or two portions of the masseter muscle from the zygomatic arch onto the rostrum. This forward shift has occurred in three discrete ways, but the number of times it has occurred has never been explicitly quantified. We estimated an ultrametric phylogeny, the first to include all rodent families, using thousands of ultraconserved elements. We examined support for evolutionary relationships among the five rodent suborders and then incorporated relevant fossils, fitted models of character evolution, and used stochastic character mapping to determine that a portion of the masseter muscle has moved forward onto the rostrum at least seven times (with one reversal) during the approximately 70 Myr history of rodents. Combined, the repeated evolution of this key innovation, its increasing prevalence through time, and the species diversity of clades with this character underscores the adaptive value of improved biting efficiency and the relative ease with which some advantageous traits arise.
Journal Article
Assessing silvopasture management as a strategy to reduce fuel loads and mitigate wildfire risk
Managing private forests for wildfire resilience is challenging due to conflicting social, economic, and ecological decisions that may result in an increase of surface fuel loads leading to greater fire risk. Due to fire suppression and a changing climate, land managers in fire-prone regions face an increasing threat of high severity fires. Thus, land managers need fuel treatment options that match their forest types and management objectives. One potential option for producers that graze livestock is silvopasture management, where livestock, forages, and overstory vegetation are carefully managed for co-benefits on the same unit of land. This study compared forest composition and structure, fuel types, and vegetative biomass between silvopasture and non-grazed managed forests in Washington, U.S. We show that silvopasture management results in reductions in grass biomass, litter, and duff depth when compared to non-grazed managed forest. These findings point to the integrated nature of silvopasture, where management of overstory composition and structure, understory vegetation, and grazing can reduce fuel loads and potential wildfire risk.
Journal Article
Classical Field Theory and the Stress-Energy Tensor (Second Edition)
This text uses basic differential geometry, variational techniques, and group theory to derive the Newtonian theory of fluids and the theories of scalar, spinor, vector, and tensor fields. Numerous classical situations are analysed which have direct implications for quantum field theory.
eBook
Evidence for pre-climacteric activation of AOX transcription during cold-induced conditioning to ripen in European pear (Pyrus communis L.)
European pears (Pyrus communis L.) require a range of cold-temperature exposure to induce ethylene biosynthesis and fruit ripening. Physiological and hormonal responses to cold temperature storage in pear have been well characterized, but the molecular underpinnings of these phenomena remain unclear. An established low-temperature conditioning model was used to induce ripening of 'D'Anjou' and 'Bartlett' pear cultivars and quantify the expression of key genes representing ripening-related metabolic pathways in comparison to non-conditioned fruit. Physiological indicators of pear ripening were recorded, and fruit peel tissue sampled in parallel, during the cold-conditioning and ripening time-course experiment to correlate gene expression to ontogeny. Two complementary approaches, Nonparametric Multi-Dimensional Scaling and efficiency-corrected 2-(ΔΔCt), were used to identify genes exhibiting the most variability in expression. Interestingly, the enhanced alternative oxidase (AOX) transcript abundance at the pre-climacteric stage in 'Bartlett' and 'D'Anjou' at the peak of the conditioning treatments suggests that AOX may play a key and a novel role in the achievement of ripening competency. There were indications that cold-sensing and signaling elements from ABA and auxin pathways modulate the S1-S2 ethylene transition in European pears, and that the S1-S2 ethylene biosynthesis transition is more pronounced in 'Bartlett' as compared to 'D'Anjou' pear. This information has implications in preventing post-harvest losses of this important crop.
Journal Article
Effects of Remedial Sport Hunting on Cougar Complaints and Livestock Depredations
Remedial sport hunting of predators is often used to reduce predator populations and associated complaints and livestock depredations. We assessed the effects of remedial sport hunting on reducing cougar complaints and livestock depredations in Washington from 2005 to 2010 (6 years). The number of complaints, livestock depredations, cougars harvested, estimated cougar populations, human population and livestock populations were calculated for all 39 counties and 136 GMUs (game management units) in Washington. The data was then analyzed using a negative binomial generalized linear model to test for the expected negative relationship between the number of complaints and depredations in the current year with the number of cougars harvested the previous year. As expected, we found that complaints and depredations were positively associated with human population, livestock population, and cougar population. However, contrary to expectations we found that complaints and depredations were most strongly associated with cougars harvested the previous year. The odds of increased complaints and livestock depredations increased dramatically (36 to 240%) with increased cougar harvest. We suggest that increased young male immigration, social disruption of cougar populations, and associated changes in space use by cougars - caused by increased hunting resulted in the increased complaints and livestock depredations. Widespread indiscriminate hunting does not appear to be an effective preventative and remedial method for reducing predator complaints and livestock depredations.
Journal Article