Most Popular Books by Adam Christopher

A collection of rad tattoos by third generation tattooer and painter Adam France.

This textbook features 30 grammar-based exercises for the elementary learner of the English language. Detailed grammar explanations, illustrations, and the answers to the 30 exercises are included.

The evolution of antibiotic resistance is shaped by interactions between genes, the chemical environment, and an antibiotic''s mechanism of action. This thesis explores these interactions with experiments, theory, and analysis, seeking a mechanistic understanding of how different interactions between genes and drugs can enhance or constrain the evolution of antibiotic resistance.

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.

50+ images Inspired by Tim Burton Greatest works The Nightmare Before Christmas Coloring Book! This coloring book provide hours of fun, calm, relaxation and stress relief through creative expression. Enjoy coloring! About the book: * Seria of Tim Burton''s Inspired Coloring Books * High quality premium images * Printed single sided resist bleed-through * A great way to relax, unwind, and let your creativity flow! * Single-sided pages, 8.5x11 size * Perfect as gift for kids and adults

50+ images Inspired by Tim Burton Greatest works The Nightmare Before Christmas Colouring Book! This colouring book provide hours of fun, calm, relaxation and stress relief through creative expression. Enjoy colouring! About the book: * Seria of Tim Burton''s Inspired Colouring Books * High quality premium images * Printed single sided resist bleed-through * A great way to relax, unwind, and let your creativity flow! * Single-sided pages, 8.5x11 size * Perfect as gift for kids and adults

Strategies animals use to find and consume food in the face of conflicting forces such as competition and predation are central questions in the fields of ecological theory and management. Whereas theoretical models abound, proper empirical tests of these theories are less abundant. In studying the relationship between food abundance, predation risk, and competition there exists an array of confounding factors, which need to be accounted for by manipulating some aspect of the system. I used a guild of spring migratory ducks as a model system and manipulated food abundance in areas differing in presumed risk to assess the relative effects of food abundance, predation risk, competition, and life history characteristics on foraging strategies used by ducks. Using a randomized block design, I established a pair of 0.4 ha plots (block) in emergent, open water, and forested wetlands in the Wabash River Floodplain in eastern Illinois. I randomly selected one plot within each block to supplement with 2000 kg/ha of corn ( Zea mays ), creating an area of very high duck food abundance next to a control area with no added food. I conducted instantaneous focal animal samples and used video recorders to estimate the proportion of time mallard ( Anas platyrhynchos ), blue-winged teal (Anas discors ), wood duck (Aix sponsa ), ring-necked duck (Aythya collaris ), and lesser scaup (Aythya affinis ) devoted to feeding, identify the specific behaviors used, and estimate feeding stint lengths and frequencies. I used these metrics as an index of risk that ducks were willing to engage in for a known food reward. I predicted that species with a faster life history strategy, factors that increase perceived predation risk (cover, water depth, group size), and increase energetic demand (due to nesting or temperature), would elicit more risk-taking behaviors in ducks. This would be realized by an increase in the proportion of time spent feeding, longer feeding durations, and deeper feeding behaviors in treatment plots compared with control plots. Consistent with my life history prediction, species with a faster life history strategy were willing to engage in more risky behavior (feeding more) for a greater food reward (food treatment). Mallards, lesser scaup, and wood ducks exhibited risk-taking behavior consistent with perceived predation risk. Mallards devoted more time to feeding and used longer feeding stints when in areas with less cover. Alternatively, lesser scaup devoted more time to feeding when in areas of more cover. Wood ducks devoted more time to feeding in treatment plots, when in shallow areas, and larger flocks. When blue-winged teal fed on the surface (eyes above water), they devoted more overall time to feeding indicating that surface feeding is less risky than deeper feeding. Wood ducks and lesser scaup exhibited behavior consistent with an increase in energetic demand as observed by an increase in the proportion of time devoted to feeding later in the spring. I also examined how food abundance influenced aspects of ducks'' foraging niches. I found that dabbling ducks used a greater variety of behaviors (behavior niche breadth) when in treatment plots compared to control plots and also shifted to slightly deeper feeding behaviors in treatment plots. This greater breadth when food was more abundant was due to individuals of the same species diverging from one another, rather than each individual using a broader array of behaviors. Overall, I found substantial variability among and within species in how they manage risk while foraging, although this was partially explained by life history theory, and what types of conditions they perceive as risky. I document the importance of taking the state of the forager (life history, perceived risk, energetic demand) into account when examining patterns of risk-taking.

Over the centuries, in our nation''s times of need, a supernatural force appears to battle back the enemies of the United States: The Shield. Today, the country -- the whole world -- is on the edge of chaos. The middle class is dying as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Global warming''s effects on the environment are drastic and dramatic, with superstorms and deadly droughts a common occurrence. The government increases its grip on the lives of ordinary people, controlling information and curtailing freedoms and privacy. For some, the government itself has become an enemy of the people, and revolution is on the minds of Americans all across the country. The Shield returns--but what happens when she''s not sure who the enemy is? A modern action and conspiracy thriller by bestselling novelists Adam Christopher and Chuck Wendig featuring the dynamic artwork of David Williams, The Shield: Daughter Of The Revolution gives readers a topical, relevant and jarring new take on the classic hero. The Shield, Vol. 1: Daughter Of The Revolution collects the first story arc of the ongoing The Shield comic book series. The stories, characters, and incidents in the publication are entirely fictional. Many of these stories are also products of another time, and may be found to be dated or objectionable in some cases by today''s standards. The stories are represented in the publication without alteration for the purposes of historical reference and research only, and were added to your library at the discretion of your local or institution administrator. Any questions or concerns about the content contained herein should be addressed to them.

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

InyGa1-yAs alloys are critical in commercial applications such as high speed transistors, light emitting diodes, solid state lasers, photovoltaics, and photo-detectors. However, the range of compositions used in these applications is often limited to the range of InyGa1-yAs compositions which are lattice matched to elementary or binary semiconductor substrates. Additionally, the integration of InyGa1-yAs based devices on silicon substrates has been limited by complicated processing procedures. In order to resolve these issues we developed two compositionally graded buffer systems to integrate InyGa1-yAs devices on InP and Si substrates. The development of InyGa1-yAs devices on Si substrates also used the direct growth of Ge on Si offcut substrates. InAsxP1-x compositionally graded buffers were investigated for the growth of InyGa1-yAs compositions with lattice constants greater than InP. We report the effects of strain gradient, growth temperature, and strain initiation sequence (gradual or abrupt strain introduction) on threading dislocation density, surface roughness, epi-layer relaxation, and tilt. We find that gradual introduction of strain causes increased dislocation densities (u003e106 cm-2) and tilt of the epi-layer (u003e 0.10°). A method of abrupt strain initiation is proposed which can result in dislocation densities as low as 1.0x105 cm-2 for films graded from the InP lattice constant to InAs0.15P0.85. A model for a two-energy level dislocation nucleation system is proposed based on our results. We demonstrate a method for the growth of InyGa1-yAs devices on Si substrates in a single process run. Two epitaxial layers were used to change the lattice constant from the Si substrate to the InyGa1-yAs lattice constant. The first layer was a Ge layer grown directly on Si. To reduce the threading dislocation density to

Keywords: rational expectations, Wall Street Journal, economic forecasting, Lamont hypothesis.

The IV-VI semiconductors, and specifically the lead-salts (PbS, PbSe, and PbTe), are a natural choice for nanocrystal science. In nanocrystals, because of their narrow band gap, small effective masses, and large dielectric constants, they offer a unique combination of both strong confinement and strong dielectric contrast with their environment. Studying how these two effects modify optical and electrical properties of nanocrystals will be the topic of this dissertation. We begin with a summary of the synthesis of high-quality PbS and PbSe nanocrystals. Special care is taken to explain the chemical procedures in detail to an audience not expected to have significant prior chemistry knowledge. The synthesized nanocrystals have bright and tunable emission that spans the edge of the visible to the near-IR spectrum (700-1800 nm), and they are capped with organic ligands making them easily adaptable to different substrates or hosts . This combination of high optical quality and flexible device engineering make them extremely desirable for application. Moving beyond single-material nanocrystals, we next explore nanocrystal heterostructures, specifically materials with a spherical core of one semiconductor and a shell of another. Core-shell structures are commonly used in nanocrystals as a method to separate the core material, where the electrons and holes are expected to stay, from interfering effects at the surface. This typically results in improvements in stability and fluorescence quantum efficiency. To that end, we develop a model to explain how confinement plays out across abrupt changes in material, focusing on the optical and electrical properties of recently synthesized PbSe/PbS core-shell quantum dots. We show that for typical sizes of these nanocrystals, a novel type of nanocrystal heterostructure is created, where electrons and holes extend uniformly across the abrupt material boundary, and the shell does not act as a protecting layer. For very large sizes not yet achievable, we expect that the electron and hole will separate in different layers, with potentially measurable effects. Comparisons are made to optical and electrical measurements on these structures, showing good agreement. Next, we explore how shape can impact nanocrystal properties, on top of their intrinsic size or material dependence. By looking at cylindrically shaped nanocrystals, called "nanorods," with aspect ratios 10, we explore how having a slightly extended dimension can impact nanocrystal properties. A model is developed to explain their electronic structure, with surprising results. Foremost is that along the extended dimension, electrons and holes are strongly electrically bound, not with each other directly, but with their image charges in the outer host dielectric material. Nevertheless, the energy spectra of the excitons remains nearly hostindependent, with the effects of this strong binding instead seen in a redistribution of transition oscillator strength. To test the model, we develop a novel synthesis of high quality PbSe nanorods, and find good agreement with measured absorption spectra. Finally, we present a study on the transfer of charge into and out of a nanocrystal. By modeling the charge transfer process within a modified Marcus Theory, we isolate the relevant parameters that can be used to control the rate of transfer. Primary among these are the values of the quantum dot energy levels, and the electrostatic charging energy of the acceptor. We vary the former by changing the quantum dot size, and the latter by varying the host dielectric constant. To test the model, we chemically bind a small molecular acceptor molecule to the surface of PbS nanocrystals and use transient fluorescence to measure the rate of charge transfer. Both the dependence of the rate on quantum dot size and host dielectric constant show good agreement with the model.

The Tang dynasty (618-907 CE), ruling at a time when the rest of Eurasia seemed to be having tremendous political and social difficulties, stands out as a period of prosperity, expansion, cultural growth, cosmopolitanism and political unity. This dissertation focuses on the port-city of Guangzhou, located on the southeastern coast of China, which was the acknowledged prime destination for maritime trade for most of the Tang dynasty. The specific historical question of this work investigates the influence of international maritime trade on the growth and expansion of Guangzhou during the Tang dynasty. The main assertion of this study is that, during the period of the Tang dynasty, Guangzhou not only grew in urban form due to the flourishing economy, but also became a multivalent symbol---representing both the culture of the imperial center and also the local characteristics of its frontier location. Ultimately, this period in Guangzhou''s history would create a space for the creation of a separate Cantonese identity within the larger narrative of a Han Chinese identity. This dissertation contributes to the historical discourse on the importance of cities in pre-modern Chinese history, frontiers in Chinese history, identity formation, cross-cultural trade in pre-modern times, and the maritime connections between East and Southeast Asia.

Since the dawn of electronic communication, controversy and debate has constantly surrounded the question: what is the appropriate role of electronic media in society? This dissertation takes a rhetorical approach in exploring the context and controversy surrounding our newest form of electronic communication, the internet. I argue that the internet represents a medium that is facilitating a cultural re-articulation of well-worn myths commonly associated with new technologies. I establish this claim through the exploration of two case studies. In my first case study I address the debate surrounding the 2011 Stop Online Piracy Act and its connection to the myth of the romantic genius. The second case study examines the Federal Trade Commission''s 2015 Net Neutrality Order and its relationship with the myth of democratic access. Within each of these case studies I utilize elements of historical criticism, mythic criticism, and the narrative paradigm to explore the divide between our cultural understanding regarding the myths of commodification and participation. Finally, I place both case studies in conversation with one another and discuss the implications of our evolving articulations of media and American society. I conclude that the internet represents a still evolving technology which comes closer than any medium before it to achieving the lofty goals of democratic participation ascribed to it.

This dissertation is presented in three parts. In the first part, using a combination of simultaneous RNA and protein detection, high-resolution confocal microscopy, and image segmentation, I show that it is possible to resolve and count the number of mRNA transcripts for a given gene within single-cells of fixed Drosophila embryos. I used these methods to study the stochastic nature of transcription at the endogenous locus of the Hox gene Sex combs reduced, and I uncovered evidence for transcriptional bursting as well as divergent modes of transcription. This was the first time such analyses had been carried out in an intact metazoan organism. In the second part, I present evidence that despite the presence of several well conserved putative binding sites in the 3''UTR of the Hox gene Antennapedia, the microRNA miR-iab-4-5p does not appear to play a large role in the regulation of Antennapedia protein levels during embryogenesis, and at most has very subtle effects. This is important, because despite the fact that Drosophila Hox genes and Hox-cluster encoded microRNAs are very strongly predicted to interact in silico, most investigations of these interactions have uncovered only very subtle (if any) effects on protein levels. This suggests that our ability to predict miRNA target sites in silico is very lacking, or that, in general, microRNAs play very subtle roles during development. In the third part, I investigate the function of the homolog of the Grainy head transcription factor in the fungus Neurospora crassa. In all animal model organisms in which they have been studied, Grainy head transcription factors play a conserved role in epidermal barrier formation and healing. I therefore thought it would be interesting to investigate the function of this transcription factor in fungi, organisms which lack an epidermis. Using microarray and phenotypic analyses I uncovered evidence that the Grainy head homolog in Neurospora plays a role in cell-wall formation, defense, and virulence. This points to an interesting connection between transcriptional control of physical-barrier formation in animals, and physical-barrier formation, defense, and virulence in fungi.

In practice, it provided courts with a means to enact the mandates from the Visigothic Code and to foster stability. The result was a flexible synthesis of law, liturgy, and sacred space that was in many cases capable of harnessing spiritual and community pressure in legal proceedings.