1. We assessed the relative influence of variability in recruitment age, dynamic reproductive investment (time-specific reproductive states) and frailty (unobserved differences in survival abilities across individuals) on survival in the black-legged kittiwake. Furthermore, we examined whether observed variability in survival trajectories was best explained by immediate reproductive investment,...

Is physiological performance a suitable proxy of fitness in plants? Although, several studies have been conducted to measure some fitness-related traits and physiological performance, direct assessments are seldom found in the literature. Here, we assessed the physiology-fitness relationship using second-generation individuals of the invasive plant species Taraxacum officinale from 17 localitie...

This paper presents a new genetic approach based on arithmetic crossover for solving the economic dispatch and environmentally constrained economic dispatch problems. Elitism, arithmetic crossover and mutation are used in the genetic algorithm to generate successive sets of possible operating policies. The proposed technique improves the quality of the solution. The employed arithmetic crossove...

this study investigated 1) whether the effect of teacher-developed graphic organizers vis-à-vis student-developed ones was more significant on improving intermediate efl learners’ writing, and 2)whether the use of both graphic organizers had any impact on their writing. the participants were selectedin two stages: 130 students sat for a piloted proficiency test. those who scored above half ofth...

BACKGROUND The mainland of the Americas is home to a remarkable diversity of languages, and the relationships between genes and languages have attracted considerable attention in the past. Here we investigate to which extent geography and languages can predict the genetic structure of Native American populations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Our approach is based on a Bayesian latent cluste...

A study was carried out in mungbean Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek) with eight ‘lines’ and four ‘testers’ crossed in a Line x Tester Genetic variability, heritability and genetic advance were estimated for marketable and its component yield traits in 48 lines of carrot (Daucus carota var. sativa L.). The study showed high ranges for total yield (3.15 -7.56 kg/plot), marketable yield (2.60 – 6.85 kg...