in order to evaluate the intercropping of corn (zea mays l.) and bean cultivars (phaseolus spp.) an experiment was carried out in a randomized complete block design with three replicaties at sari agricultural sciences and natural resources university during growing season of 2010. the experimental treatments consisted of sole cropping of corn, white bean, bush bean, red bean, pinto bean and swo...

Female green swordtails, Xiphophorus helleri, possess a preference for the multicomponent male sword. Previous work suggests that this female preference is a result of a pre-existing receiver bias favouring a sword and has contributed to sword evolution via intersexual selection. We use video presentations to investigate how females respond to components of this composite trait. Complete swords...

The handicap theory of sexual selection posits that male display traits that are favored in mate choice come at a significant cost to performance. We tested one facet of this hypothesis in the green swordtail (Xiphophorus helleri). In this species, the lower ray of male caudal fin is extended into a 'sword', which serves to attract potential mates. However, bearing a long sword may increase dra...

Male swordtail fish of the genus Xiphophorus (Poeciliidae) possess a "sword" that is composed of several colored elongated ventral fin rays of the caudal fin. The sword is a secondary sexual trait that evolved through sexual selection by female preference. To uncover the developmental mechanisms underlying the metamorphosis from a juvenile caudal fin to the sword, we have devised a transplantat...

it seems impossible to think of the persian art without mentioning the significant presence of gardens. they are present in miniature painting, architecture, and literature. one of the modern works of persian fiction in which gardens play a significant role is malakut (1961), a novella by the modern iranian fiction writer bahram sadeqi (1936-1984). the story of this novella begins in a “green g...

1. Exaggerated morphological structures that evolve under sexual selection have the potential to alter functional relationships and hence affect aspects of movement. These effects may be more pronounced when the exaggerated morphological trait is coupled to the propulsive system. 2. Many studies have examined the effects of sexually selected traits on whole-organism performance, but few have do...

We present a method for simultaneous Receding Horizon Estimation and Control of a robotic arm equipped with a sword in an adversarial situation. Using a single camera mounted on the arm, we solve the problem of blocking a opponent’s sword with the robot’s sword. Our algorithm uses model-based sensing to estimate the opponent’s intentions from the camera’s observations, while it simultaneously a...