Birds: A visual guide
by Joanna Burger
Buffalo, N.Y. : Firefly Books, 2006.
Call# QL674 .B897 2006

From Firefly Books:

“With hundreds of color photographs and precise illustrations, along with explanatory annotations, Birds examines all aspects of avian life evolutionary beginnings, biology, behavior. This comprehensive reference provides up-to-date information on the conservation status of various species at risk. It also describes how birds have adapted, and how they continue to cope with such inhospitable habitats as tropical rainforests, arid deserts and the frigid Antarctic continent. Readers will find detailed information about the remarkable phenomenon of avian migration across continents and oceans, which covers the mechanics of flight and the structure of feathers. The historical role of birds in literature and the arts is also included.

“FactFiles,” found throughout this book, provide quick access to essential facts on each bird species. Birders will welcome this profusely and beautifully illustrated book — with its expert information — as an ideal reference and resource guide.

Neural networks for applied sciences and engineering : from fundamentals to complex pattern recognition
by Sandhya Samarasinghe
Boca Raton, FL : Auerbach, 2007.
Call# QA76.87 .S255 2007

From CRC Press Online:

“In response to the exponentially increasing need to analyze vast amounts of data, Neural Networks for Applied Sciences and Engineering: From Fundamentals to Complex Pattern Recognition provides scientists with a simple but systematic introduction to neural networks.

Beginning with an introductory discussion on the role of neural networks in scientific data analysis, this book provides a solid foundation of basic neural network concepts. It contains an overview of neural network architectures for practical data analysis followed by extensive step-by-step coverage on linear networks, as well as, multi-layer perceptron for nonlinear prediction and classification explaining all stages of processing and model development illustrated through practical examples and case studies. Later chapters present an extensive coverage on Self Organizing Maps for nonlinear data clustering, recurrent networks for linear nonlinear time series forecasting, and other network types suitable for scientific data analysis.

With an easy to understand format using extensive graphical illustrations and multidisciplinary scientific context, this book fills the gap in the market for neural networks for multi-dimensional scientific data, and relates neural networks to statistics.

Features
* Explains neural networks in a multi-disciplinary context
* Uses extensive graphical illustrations to explain complex mathematical concepts for quick and easy understanding
* Examines in-depth neural networks for linear and nonlinear prediction, classification, clustering and forecasting
* Illustrates all stages of model development and interpretation of results, including data preprocessing, data dimensionality reduction, input selection, model development and validation, model uncertainty assessment, sensitivity analyses on inputs, errors and model parameters”

Life in the estuary : illustrated guide and ecology
by Malcolm B. Jones
Canterbury University Press, 2005.
Call# QL139 .J65 2005

From Canterbury University Press:

“Estuaries are places where rivers meet the sea, and they have a unique environment as a result of the mixing of fresh water with seawater. They provide diverse opportunities for observing and understanding wildlife.

This guide to the estuarine environment describes the dominant organisms and their ecology.

Based on the successful formula of an earlier book (Animals of the Estuary Shore), Life in the Estuary includes easy to use keys and illustrations to identify many common species of plants and animals, including invertebrates, birds and fish.

Although based primarily on organisms found within the Avon-Heathcote Estuary, Christchurch, this book is an ideal beach-combing companion for the identification of common species found throughout New Zealand in estuaries, mudflats, rocky shores, salt marshes, sand and surf beaches.

Over the weekend of June 16-17, the library databases will be altered to reflect the new LSU ID numbers. How will this affect you? No longer will faculty, staff, or students be able to log in from off campus to the library with their SSN. This ONLY affects off-campus access to the library.

Logging in with identification is required for off-campus users, whether they are using the journal databases or renewing books through the library catalog. Distance students also will have to have a TigerCard and use their TigerCard number.

If you are a summer term instructor, please mention this to your students. Also if any of your written materials give directions about logging in to the library resources with an SSN, please make a change in the wording.

In case you have any questions or problems, you may call the Reference Desk at 578-8875 for assistance.

LSU Libraries has just subscribed to a new database from ProQuest: Nursing and Allied Health Source.

ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source provides users with reliable healthcare information covering nursing, allied health, alternative and complementary medicine, and much more. This versatile database is designed to meet the needs of researchers at healthcare facilities as well as nursing and allied health programs at academic institutions. ProQuest Nursing & Allied Health Source provides abstracting and indexing for more than 650 titles, with over 580 titles in full-text.

Introduction to birds of the southern California coast
by Joan Easton Lentz
Berkeley : University of California Press, 2006.
Call# QL684 .C2 L46 2006

From the University of California Press:

“This easy-to-use, concise, informative guide is a must for anyone who wants to leave behind Southern California’s noisy freeways and crowded beaches in search of the wild places where birds can be found. An excellent introduction, an indispensable regional guide, and a perfect companion for excursions from San Luis Obispo County to the Mexican border, it is designed to familiarize birdwatchers, hikers, naturalists, residents, and travelers with the appearance and behavior of 120 of the most common coastal birds.

*Features 120 superb color plates and lifelike habitat drawings that depict birds in their natural surroundings

*Sixteen maps show numerous birding sites accompanied by detailed directions

*Species accounts include information on the abundance and seasonal status of each bird and give intriguing natural history details

*Introductory sections describe the coastal habitats of Southern California, provide tips for beginning birdwatchers, and discuss the basics of bird behavior”

Seeking the sacred raven : politics and extinction on a Hawaiian Island
by Mark Jerome Walters
Washington: Island Press/Shearwater Books, 2006.
Call# QL696 .P2367 W35 2006

From Island Press:

“Will the ‘Alala ever return to the wild? A bird sacred to Hawaiians and a member of the raven family, the ‘Alala today survives only in captivity. How the species once flourished, how it has been driven to near-extinction, and how people struggled to save it, is the gripping story of Seeking the Sacred Raven.

For years, author Mark Jerome Walters has tracked the sacred bird’s role in Hawaiian culture and the indomitable ‘Alala’s sad decline. Trekking through Hawaii’s rain forests high on Mauna Loa, talking with biologists, landowners, and government officials, he has woven an epic tale of missed opportunities and the best intentions gone awry. A species that once numbered in the thousands is now limited to about 50 captive birds.

Seeking the Sacred Raven is as much about people and culture as it is about failed policies. From the ancient Polynesians who first settled the island, to Captain Cook in the 18th century, to would-be saviors of the ‘Alala in the 1990s, individuals with conflicting passions and priorities have shaped Hawaii and the fate of this dwindling cloud-forest species.

Walters captures brilliantly the internecine politics among private landowners, scientists, environmental groups, individuals and government agencies battling over the bird’s habitat and protection. It’s only one species, only one bird, but Seeking the Sacred Raven illustrates vividly the many dimensions of species loss, for the human as well as non-human world.”