Stratified random sampling (SRS) provides a scientifically based estimate of a population comprising mutually exclusive, homogenous subgroups. In the National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM) program, SRS is used to estimate recreation visitation and visitor characteristics across activities on National forests. However, with rising costs and declining budgets, carrying out an annually established SRS poses challenges in how and where to reduce sampling...

Acidic deposition is one of the most serious environmental problems affecting Shenandoah National Park in north-central Virginia. The park is the third most contaminated park in the National Park System because of the deposition of acid rain. Acid rain affects headwater streams in the park by temporarily reducing the acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) of the water, a process termed episodic acidification. In turn, the increase in acidic components in...

Surface fuel deposition and decomposition rates are important to fire management and research because they can define the longevity of fuel treatments in time and space and they can be used to design, build, test, and validate complex fire and ecosystem models useful in evaluating management alternatives. We determined rates of surface fuel litterfall and decomposition for a number of major forest types that span a wide range of biophysical conditions...

In 1998 the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the National Park Service formed the Collaborative Environmental Monitoring and Research Initiative (CEMRI) to test strategies for integrated environmental monitoring among the agencies. The initiative combined monitoring and research efforts of the participating Federal programs to evaluate health and sustainability of forest and freshwater aquatic systems in the Delaware River Basin....

Many of America's national forests and grasslands--collectively called the National Forest System--ace increased risks and alterations from escalating housing development on private rural lands along their boundaries. National forests and grasslands provide critical social, ecological, and economic benefits to the American public. This study projects future housing density increases on private rural lands at three distances--, 3, and 10 miles--from...

In the United States, most nonprescription drugs are available over-the-counter (OTC) in pharmacies and other stores. Experts have suggested that drug availability could be increased by establishing an additional class of nonprescription drugs that would be held behind the counter (BTC) but would require the intervention of a pharmacist before being dispensed; a similar class of drugs exists in many other countries. Although the Food and Drug Administration...

TSLIB is a C application programming interface (API) for a flat-panel, touch screen in manufactured by MicroTouch. Unlike most software drivers for this device, the TSL is not designed to be a transparent replacement for a mouse input pointer. The TSLIB supports not only single-point input, but also continuous-point input to facilitate support for gesture-type input data in a multimodal, interactive environment. Also, unlike most drivers for this...

Welcome to Santo Ileso, a vibrant fictional city in the heart of the American Southwest. In a world rife with crime, where lawless factions fight for power, a group of young friends embark on their own criminal venture, as they rise to the top in their bid to become Self Made. As the future Boss, with Neenah, Kevin, and Eli by your side, you'll form The Saints - and take on Los Panteros, The Idols, and Marshall as you build your empire across the...

"Body and Soul - The State of the Jewish Nation" presents a comprehensive examination of the broad and deep connections between the Jewish people and the land of Israel. World-renowned historians, archaeologists, political scientists, religious leaders, and experts in international law and media trace the evocative evolution of the relationship between the Jewish people and their homeland that is over 3,000 years old. Designed to refute the still...

Personnel security clearances are used to verify that national security information, which in some cases could cause exceptionally grave damage to national security if disclosed, is entrusted only to those who have proven reliability and loyalty to the nation. In response to long-standing problems with timeliness and backlogs, Congress mandated clearance reforms as part of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA), and since...