Northampton Community College

About: Northampton Community College is a education organization based out in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 3410 authors who have published 4582 publications receiving 130398 citations. The organization is also known as: Northampton County Area Community College.

Forest edges and habitat selection in birds : a functional approach

Abstract: Edge effects encompass a complex panoply of biotic and abiotic phenomena across woodland borders. I identify four main explanations which have been proposed to explain avian habitat selection with respect to forest edges: 1) individualistic resource and patch use, 2) biotic interactions; 3) microclimate modification and 4) changes in vegetation structure. 1) relates nest site location in woodlands relative to the edge to the proximity of food resources. It is shown that. all other things being equal, birds which are wholly dependent on resources found within woodlands will tend to avoid forest edges. Woodland species dependent upon resources found in adjacent habitats will tend to be found near to edges to enable their exploitation. 2) identifies competition, predation and brood parasitism as factors which have the potential to influence bird habitat selection near edges. 3) identifies microclimate modification as a potential influence which may act directly on nesting success or indirectly through its effects on food supply; 4) relates the activities of birds. such as nesting, feeding or use of song posts, to vegetation structure and/or floristic composition at the edge. Research on edge effects of birds in woodland has provided few practical recommendations to conservation managers. Forest edge management needs to take into account the multiple cause and effects which influence habitat selection at the edge and to target species of conservation concern.

Improved transparent boundary formulations for the elastic-wave equation

Abstract: It is shown that the paraxial approximations to the wave equation used by Clayton and Engquist can be improved upon, allowing more accurate finite-difference formulations at internal boundaries and corners, and formulations that are stable over a wider range of the parameters.

On relevance weights with little relevance information

Abstract: S.E. Robertson and S. Walker Centre for Interactive Syetema Research Department of Information Scienee City University, Northampton Square

What do secondary school boys understand about evolution and heredity before they are taught the topics

Abstract: Results are reported of an investigation into what schoolboys understand about evolution and heredity before they are taught these topics. This was explored by means of open-ended interviews. It was found that the boys' understanding had seven foci: evolution as a phenomenon, why evolution occurred, the process of change, adaptation, selection, chance, and inheritance. The concept of adaptation was found to be particularly well established, that of chance least so. Naturalistic and Lamarckian interpretations of evolution were predominant. Key concepts in the boys' existing knowledge were identified and incorporated into outline teaching schemes.