For the visual system, luminance contrast is a fundamental property of images, and is one of the main inputs of any simulation of visual processing. Many models intended to evaluate visual properties such as image discriminability compute perceived contrast by using contrast sensitivity functions derived from studies of human spatial vision. Such use is of questionable validity even for such ap...

RANDY THORNHILL AND CRAIG PALMER’S NEW BOOK A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion (2000a) sets up a stark contrast between evolutionary theory and feminist theory that performed perfectly in its intended role as a media hook (for a summary of the book, see Thronhill & Palmer, 2000b). The authors have appeared on CNN, Dateline, and other television programs, and on Natio...

This paper is an overview of results' on the subword complexity of various classes of languages obtained by iterating a mapping, and more precisely on the asymptotic behaviour of this complexity. In the first section we consider iterated morphisms, that is DOL languages. In this area the subword complexity falls into one of five classes, and class membership can be determined. The second sectio...

Conservation dollars are and likely always will be limiting. Spending those dollars effectively and efficiently is of pivotal importance (Wilson et al., 2006). Martins et al. (2006) present an analysis of economic costs of invasive mammal eradications on islands that they claim ‘provide conservation planners with a robust, if preliminary, estimate of the cost of any proposed eradication program...

We study the impact of a drop of liquid onto a thin layer of the same liquid. We give an overview of the sequence of events that occur as the two most important dimensionless control parameters are varied. In particular, multiple cohorts of droplets can be ejected at different stages after impact due to different mechanisms. Edgerton’s famous Milkdrop Coronet is only observed for a narrow range...

In an optimal growth setting, where the only productive asset is a renewable resource which is jointly exploited, it is shown that competitively the resource may be over-used or under-used. The diversion from optimal use arises due to the externality embodied in the jointness of exploitation and would intuit over-use. Surprisingly, under-use has been derived as an equilibrium phenomenon by Dutt...

The relational complexity, introduced by G. Cherlin, G. Martin, and D. Saracino, is a measure of ultrahomogeneity of a relational structure. It provides an information on minimal arity of additional invariant relations needed to turn given structure into an ultrahomogeneous one. The original motivation was group theory. This work focuses more on structures and provides an alternative approach. ...

Hospital evacuation is a difficult process that requires a robust strategy and careful execution. In the past, threats leading to possible evacuation were primarily natural disasters. In recent years the broadened nature of threats, including hazardous material spills and terrorist incidents, has complicated this already complex problem. Its importance continues to grow, but there is still no c...