Most Popular Books by Michael Todd

*Warning: Graphic bro-humor, and much stupidity from guys who don't know any better. Two guys find a hot alien chick and save the world, right? No, not so much. John and his friend Gage split up. One raced off into space to save the girl while his friend promised to start a 'Save the Alien' effort. What could possibly go wrong? Well, anal probes for one. Meehix believes she needs the help of an old friend who is one of the best computer hackers in the galaxy. The only problem? He's on ice. For 500 years. In a prison that no one has escaped from. Piece of cake, right?

How To Be.Success Strategies for the Young, Gifted, and Black, is the only book of its kind because it speaks to young African Americans and equips them with practical strategies for success.

Titus lost his beloved parents in an auto accident, but soon learned a family secret over 40 years old from his dads diary. Dad was an inheritor of a magical telescope built by the famed Archimedes over two thousand years ago. It was used to hunt down his ancient enemy, Tarides, in the star filled night before he could destroy our world. Who is to take over? Was the diary a joke or is there a magical telescope or a secret observatory hidden in the Whitbys old house? Titus finds himself next in line as the inheritor meets the man that has defied time itself, travels to the planet Mykler, and tries to save earth before a major planetary disaster and war destroys them all.

The rules have changed. Now the Damned can go on vacation, and even hook up. Without Pandora near him, can Calvin get a little action in Cabo? Unfortunately, the general has a different demand of Katie coming from a whole industry. Requested to be in New York, Katie is working a side job or two. Her mercenary skills are useful, and profitable, for other types of hard jobs. And this time, the Damned can help a child. There will be hell to pay when Katie and Pandora come calling, with no quarter for the demons. Scroll back to the top and click "Read for Free" or "Buy Now," and kick back for a fun supernatural action-packed adventure that will have you yelling for the good guys and laughing at the arguments between Katie and...her. " ***** Be prepared to handle sleep deprivation." - Torn Asunder - Book 01 - Protected by the Damned. " ***** A masterly told tale about a group of dedicated contemporary warriors standing between humans and demons. A can't put down read. Characters that grow in interesting ways and well balanced action. Well done and an exciting opening to a new series." - Torn Asunder - Book 01 - Protected by the Damned. " ***** Be warned... very addictive!" - Torn Asunder - Book 01 - Protected by the Damned. " ***** A story with kick-ass heroes and characters written where you feel like you are part of their crew stuck in a story that you has you entertained from page 1. Katie and team are a lot of fun to read about. Definitely a different take on Demons." Lisa M. Frett - Torn Asunder - Book 01 - Protected by the Damned. --- NOTE: This book contains cursing. Perhaps humorous cursing, but cursing nonetheless. If this offends you, I suggest you don't read this book.

Panel discussion covering issues students need to know as they graduate and go out into the workforce. Jonathan D. Golden, M.S. is a pastor and the founder and president of Golden Coaching and Consulting. Lynne Padgett, Ph.D. in private practice. Rebecca G. Palpant, M.S. program development coordinator for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism at the Carter Center Mental Health Program in Atlanta.

Studies were conducted in the field and in containers in Mississippi from 2017-2019 to optimize Italian ryegrass control in corn production. Most fall-applied residual herbicides provided ≥ 90% Italian ryegrass control 56 days after treatment (DAT) in both field and container experiments. Oxyflurofen provided 95% Italian ryegrass control 28 DAT but only 81% control 56 DAT in field plots. S-metolachlor plus atrazine followed by paraquat produced the highest return on investment for both site-years. The timing of removal study indicates the optimum time to remove Italian ryegrass relative to corn planting is approximately three to four weeks prior to planting. In the droplet size study, Italian ryegrass control when S-metolachlor was sprayed with the TTI was lower than when S-metolachlor was sprayed with the AIXR in containers 28 DAT. Italian ryegrass control when paraquat was sprayed with the AIXR was greater than when paraquat was sprayed with the TTI.

UCSMP Secondary, Transition Mathematics, Teacher Edition, Volumes 1 and 2

In Air Traffic Control (ATC), communications outages may lead to immediate loss of communications or radar contact with aircraft. In the short term, there may be safety related issues as important services including power systems, ATC, or communications for first responders during a disaster may be out of service. Significant financial damage from airline delays and cancellations may occur in the long term. This highlights the different types of impact that may occur after a disaster or other geographic event. The question is How do we evaluate and improve the ability of a mission-critical network to perform its mission during geographically correlated failures? To answer this question, we consider several large and small networks, including a multi-layer ATC Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) network known as SWIM. This research presents a number of tools to analyze and mitigate both long and short term geographic vulnerabilities in mission critical networks. To provide context for the tools, a disaster planning approach is presented that focuses on Resiliency Evaluation, Provisioning Demands, Topology Design, and Mitigation of Vulnerabilities. In the Resilience Evaluation, we propose a novel metric known as the Network Impact Resilience (NIR) metric and a reduced state based algorithm to compute the NIR known as the Self-Pruning Network State Generation (SP-NSG) algorithm. These tools not only evaluate the resiliency of a network with a variety of possible network tests, but they also identify geographic vulnerabilities. Related to the Demand Provisioning and Mitigation of Vulnerabilities, we present methods that focus on provisioning in preparation for rerouting of demands immediately following an event based on Service Level Agreements (SLA) and fast rerouting of demands around geographic vulnerabilities using Multi-Topology Routing (MTR). The Topology Design area focuses on adding nodes to improve topologies to be more resistant to geographic vulnerabilities. Additionally, a set of network performance tools are proposed for use with mission critical networks that can model at least up to 2nd order network delay statistics. The first is an extension of the Queueing Network Analyzer (QNA) to model multi-layer networks (and specifically SOA networks). The second is a network decomposition tool based on Linear Algebraic Queueing Theory (LAQT). This is one of the first extensive uses of LAQT for network modeling. Benfits, results, and limitations of both methods are described.

Neoclassical economics asserts that individuals maximize their utility subject to constraints, such as income. Rational choice and expected utility theories are natural outgrowths of utility maximization and posit that, when making decisions, individuals consider all information, weigh the costs and benefits, and then consistently make the best choice to maximize their utility. Behavioral economics, on the other hand, advances that these constant-rationality assumptions are dubious and unrealistic. Among other things, behavioral economics recognizes that individuals use heuristics and that decision making can be subject to cognitive biases, which cause divergences from neoclassical rational choice expectations. A popular (and growing) use of applied behavioral economics is in "choice architecture" and "nudges"-that is, increasing desirable outcomes by strategically structuring information and choices (i.e., the framing of information and choices). In financial planning, there are many financially healthy behaviors, such as planning for retirement, engaging in monthly budgeting, and ensuring that various risks are covered by insurance. Despite these tasks being objectively useful, positive, and valuable behaviors, many individuals do not engage in these behaviors (or other behaviors that are regularly recommended by financial advisors and planners). Therefore, this dissertation investigated whether applying a behavioral economics-based approach-namely narrative message framing through a prospect theory lens-affected the intentions to engage in retirement planning, monthly budgeting, and analyzing the need for insurance. In short, whether narrative message framing can be used as a "nudge" to increase financial planning intentions. This study also incorporated regulatory focus theory, which regards how individuals self-regulate. Under this theory, framing effects may be stronger when the frame matches the individual's regulatory focus-this is known as regulatory fit. Using primary data from randomized experiments, this dissertation explored three financial planning domains and investigated four research questions in each domain: (a) the effect of narratives on financial-planning intentions; (b) whether the valence of the narrative (positive or negative framing in the story) mattered (and if this varied by domain); (c) whether the framing effect, if any, depended on the individual-level characteristic of regulatory focus; and (d) whether regulatory fit enhanced framing effects. The three financial planning domains explored were retirement planning (a behavior with future consequences), cash-flow and budget planning (a behavior with present consequences), and insurance-needs planning (a behavior that involved risk analysis). Results indicated that narrative message framing was effective to increase financial planning intentions. Moreover, the framing effect depended on the underlying financial behavior. The framing effect also varied based on the individual's regulatory focus. Stated simply, stories were powerful, framing mattered, and people responded differently to those frames. These findings are relevant to financial planners, financial services companies, financial-related non-profits and professional organizations, and policymakers, among others, all of whom can use these results to increase (nudge) the intentions to engage in various positive financial behaviors.

This dissertation fills gaps in the existing literature by discussing in more explicit ways the links between power and authority and migration management; by discussing with more empirical detail the rise of assisted voluntary return and reintegration programming EU states; and by demonstrating intra-organizational messaging consistency on AVRR and migration governance more generally. The dissertation also contributes new empirical data with regard to IOM-managed AVRR programming in Cyprus, Malta, and Greece.

High school students in the United States for the past century have typically taken science courses in a sequence of biology followed by chemistry and concluding with physics. An alternative sequence, typically referred to as “physics first” inverts the traditional sequence by having students begin with physics and end with biology. Proponents of physics first cite advances in biological sciences that have dramatically changed the nature of high school biology and the potential benefit to student learning in math that would accompany taking an algebra-based physics course in the early years of high school to support changing the sequence. Using a quasi-experimental, quantitative research design, the purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of science course sequencing on student achievement in math and science at a school district that offered both course sequences. The Texas state end-of-course exams in biology, chemistry, physics, algebra I and geometry were used as the instruments measuring student achievement in math and science at the end of each academic year. Various statistical models were used to analyze these achievement data. The conclusion was, for students in this study, the sequence in which students took biology, chemistry, and physics had little or no impact on performance on the end-of-course assessments in each of these courses. Additionally there was only a minimal effect found with respect to math performance, leading to the conclusion that neither the traditional or “physics first” science course sequence presented an advantage for student achievement in math or science.

The future of aviation technology is transitioning to cleaner, more efficient and higher endurance aircraft solutions. As fully electric propulsion systems still fall short of the operational requirements of modern day aircraft, there is increasing pressure and demand for the aviation industry to explore alternatives to fossil fuel driven propulsion systems. The primary focus of this research is to experimentally evaluate hybrid electric propulsion systems (HEPS) for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) which combine multiple power sources to improve performance. HEPS offer several potential benefits over more conventional propulsion systems such as a smaller environmental impact, lower fuel consumption, higher endurance and novel configurations through distributed propulsion. Advanced operating modes are also possible with HEPS, increasing the vehicle's versatility and redundancy in case of power source failure. The primary objective of the research is to combine all of the components of a small-scale HEPS together in a modular test bench for evaluation. The test bench uses components sized for a small-scale UAV including a 2.34kW two-stroke 35cc engine and a 1.65kW brushless DC motor together with an ESC capable of regenerative braking. Individual components were first tested to characterize performance, and then all components were assembled together in a parallel configuration to observe system-level performance. The parallel HEPS is capable of functioning in the four required operating modes: EM Only, ICE Only, Dash Mode (combined EM and ICE power) as well as Regenerative Mode where the onboard batteries get recharged. Further, the test bench was implemented with a supervisory controller to optimize system performance and run each component in the most efficient region to achieve torque requirements programmed into mission profiles. The logic based controller operates with the ideal operating line (IOL) concept and is implemented with a custom LabView GUI. The system is able to run on electric power or ICE power interchangeably without making any modifications to the transmission as the one-way bearing assembly engages for whichever power source is rotating at the highest speed. The most impressive of these sets of tests is the Dash mode testing where the output torque of the propeller is supplied from both the EM and ICE. Working in tandem, it was proved that the EM was drawing 19.9A of current which corresponds to an estimated 0.57Nm additional torque to the propeller for a degree of hybridization of 49.91%. Finally, the regenerative braking mode was proven to be operational, capable of recharging the battery systems at 13A. All of these operating modes attest to the flexibility and convenience of having a hybrid-electric propulsion system. The results collected from the test bench were validated against the models created in the aircraft simulation framework. This framework was created in MATLAB to simulate the performance of a small UAV and compare the performance by swapping in various propulsion systems. The purpose of the framework is to make direct comparisons of HEPS performance for parallel and series architectures against conventional electric and gasoline configuration UAVs, and explore the trade-offs. Each aircraft variable in the framework was modelled parametrically so that parameter sweeps could be run to observe the impact on the aircraft's performance. Finally, rather than comparing propulsion systems in steady-state, complex mission profiles were created that simulate real life applications for UAVs. With these experiments, it was possible to observe which propulsion configurations were best suited for each mission type, and provide engineers with information about the trade-offs or advantages of integrating hybrid-electric propulsion into UAV design. In the Pipeline Inspection mission, the exact payload capacities of each aircraft configuration could be observed in the fuel burn versus CL,cruise parameter sweep exercise. It was observed that the parallel HEPS configuration has an average of 3.52kg lower payload capacity for the 35kg aircraft (17.6%), but has a fuel consumption reduction of up to 26.1% compared to the gasoline aircraft configuration. In the LIDAR Data collection mission, the electric configuration could be suitable for collection ranges below 100km but suffers low LIDAR collection times. However, at 100km LIDAR collection range, the series HEPS has an endurance of 16hr and the parallel configuration has an endurance of 19hr. In the Interceptor mission, at 32kg TOW, the parallel HEPS configuration has an endurance/TOW of 1.3[hr/kg] compared to 1.15[hr/kg] for the gasoline aircraft. This result yields a 13% increase in endurance from 36.8hr for gasoline to 41.6hr for the parallel HEPS. Finally, in the Communications Relay mission, the gasoline configuration is recommended for all TOW above 28kg as it has the highest loiter endurance.

Teacher perceptions of factors that influence their own self-efficacy with using one-to-one technology during literacy instruction were examined through a multi-site, multi-subject case study. An initial survey was administered to determine the self-efficacy level of a group of participants from a school district that was implementing a one-to-one technology initiative. From this initial data set, four participants with varying levels of self-efficacy were invited to participate in the second, qualitative, phase of the data collection process to better understand factors they perceived to influence these levels. Results revealed that teachers perceived their self-efficacy of one-to-one technology use during literacy instruction to be influenced by several factors including the overall value they assigned to technology and the level of technical and moral support they received. Common themes emerged that indicate more can be done to improve teachers' self-efficacy with one-to-one technology use, which may in turn increase district's return on their technology investment.