Escaping the evolutionary trap: Can size-related contest advantage compensate for juvenile mortality disadvantage when parasitoids develop in unnatural invasive hosts?

Control of invasive hosts by generalist parasitoids.

This article was motivated by the invasion of leaf-mining microlepidopteron attacking horse chestnut trees in Europe and the need for a biological control. Following Owen & Lewis (2001, Bull. Math. Biol., 63, 655-684), we consider predation of leafminers by a generalist parasitoid with a Holling Type II functional response. We first identified six equilibrium points and discussed their stabilit...

Escaping the Non-Quantitative Trap

Quantitative modelling and analysis is common in safety engineering, but it is often criticised. Objections include the difficulty in acquiring probabilities (e.g. for human error), the dubious assumptions often needed to manipulate them (e.g. independence of events), and the inherent uncertainty involved in making decisions based on probabilistic predictions. Clearly, poor predictions are of l...

Can personality traits and intelligence compensate for background disadvantage? Predicting status attainment in adulthood.

This study investigated the interplay of family background and individual differences, such as personality traits and intelligence (measured in a large U.S. representative sample of high school students; N = 81,000) in predicting educational attainment, annual income, and occupational prestige 11 years later. Specifically, we tested whether individual differences followed 1 of 3 patterns in rel...

Multilingual Education for Indigenous Children: Escaping the Vicious Cycle of Language Disadvantage in IndiaMultilingual Education for Indigenous Children: Escaping the Vicious Cycle of Language Disadvantage in India

Escaping the trap of allergic rhinitis

Rhinitis is often the first symptom of allergy but is frequently ignored and classified as a nuisance condition. Ironically it has the greatest socioeconomic burden worldwide caused by its impact on work and on daily life. However, patients appear reticent to seek professional advice, visiting their doctor only when symptoms become 'intolerable' and often when their usual therapy proves ineffec...