The Northern Spotted Owl (Strir oc.c*idcwtcrlis (*( i ; i r i / i~ Xantus I 859) hiis become a surrogate for efforts to preserve rcmaining old growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. We review here il viability iinalysis prcpiired by the U. S. Forest Service which evaluates risks of extinction resulting separately from ( a ) stochastic demographic processes, (b) inbreeding and loss of genetic ...

Since 1983, study of natural selection has relied heavily on multiple regression of fitness on the values for a set of traits via ordinary least squares (OLSs), as proposed by Lande and Arnold, to obtain an estimate of the quadratic relationship between fitness and the traits, the fitness surface. However, well-known statistical problems with this approach can affect inferences about selection....

Daar is vier biljoen mense in die wêreld. Veertig miljoen van hulle is blind. As die verhouding tussen bevolkingsaanwas en blindheid nie verm inder nie, sal die syfer teen die einde van die eeu verdubbel wees. Ten minste 80% van die wêreld se blindheid kom voor in die ontwikkelende lande van A sië, Afrika en Latyns-Am erika. Die Internasionale Agentskap vir die Voorkom ing van Blindheid (I .A ....

A general framework is presented to unify diverse models of natural selection. This framework is based on the Price Equation, with two additional steps. First, characters are described by their multiple regression on a set of predictor variables. The most common predictors in genetics are alleles and their interactions, but any predictor may be used. The second step is to describe fitness by mu...

Darwin proposed an explicitly aesthetic theory of sexual selection in which he described mate preferences as a 'taste for the beautiful', an 'aesthetic capacity', etc. These statements were not merely colourful Victorian mannerisms, but explicit expressions of Darwin's hypothesis that mate preferences can evolve for arbitrarily attractive traits that do not provide any additional benefits to ma...

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is characterized by functional changes in B and T cells, plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), and monocytes, as well as autoantibody deposition at inflammation sites and raised levels of circulating cytokines and chemokines (Bosch et al, 2011). In SLE, the autoimmune activity is mediated by chronically activated pDCs, resulting in high levels of type I interfe...