We excavated and mapped the lateral extension of 32 creosotebush shrubs (Larrea tridentata) in the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico to examine the effect of neighborhood interaction on root distribution. The smallest closed-angle polygon encompassing all roots of an individual was taken as a representation of its root system. Several geometrical characteristics of these polygons were measured an...

under an intensive competitive environment, the construction industry is facing pressure to meet the higher customer expectations under a tighter budget. on the other hand, construction is one of the main sectors generating greenhouse gases. according to published statistics, construction industry is one of the most important resources of greenhouse emissions in the world. therefore, based on t...

The local structure of high-pressure ${\mathrm{BaTiO}}_{3}$ has been interrogated by neutron total scattering methods up to pressures 4.18 GPa at ambient temperature. Competitive refinements cubic, tetragonal, and rhombohedral distortion modes against pair distribution functions indicate contrasting behavior temperature- pressure-induced cubic ${\mathrm{BaTiO}}_{3}$. Suppression the mode amplit...

this qualitative study analyzes the reasons of college students for learning english as a foreign language (efl) in costa rica and the reasons of high school students for learning german as a foreign language (gfl) in the us. it asks to what extent the learners’ reasons align with or deviate from neoliberal discourses that commodify foreign languages. the analysis of 27 interviews in a us high ...

this paper tries to test the relationship between trade openness and economic growth in former soviet :union: countries after their independence in 1991. it has become an article of faith in most economic and political circles that opening up the economy to international trade will produce substantial benefits in terms of greater consumer choice and higher living standards. higher productivity ...

In the summer and fall of 1999, the city of Chicago sponsored a public art exhibit of over 300 life-sized fiberglass cows. In November, 140 of the cows were put up for auction; 75 on the Internet and 65 at a live, in-person auction. Collectively, they sold for $3,487,252, almost 7 times initial estimates. This paper attempts to explain this phenomenon by using the theoretical lenses of three mo...

Evolutionary Robotics (ER) employs population-based artificial evolution to develop behavioral robotics controllers. In this paper we focus on the formulation and application of a fitness selection function for ER that makes use of intra-population competitive selection. In the case of behavioral tasks, such as game playing, intra-population competition can lead to the evolution of complex beha...

Social competition is a fundamental mechanism of evolution and plays a central role in structuring individual interactions and communities. Little is known about the factors that affect individuals' competitive success, particularly in humans. Key factors might include stress, a major evolutionary pressure that can affect the establishment of social hierarchies in animals, and individuals' trai...

Evolutionary Robotics (ER) employs population-based artificial evolution to develop behavioral robotics controllers. In this paper we focus on the formulation and application of a fitness selection function for ER that makes use of intra-population competitive selection. In the case of behavioral tasks, such as game playing, intra-population competition can lead to the evolution of complex beha...

A total of 228 men, aged 18 to 22 years (109 black and 119 white), underwent monitoring of heart rate (HR) and systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) responses during several stressor conditions and a 30-minute posttask rest period. Stressors included the cold pressor test and three reaction-time tasks: noncompetitive, competitive, and competitive plus money incentive. Substantial wi...