The paper deals with the adaptive mechanisms in differential evolution (DE) algorithm. DE is a simple and effective stochastic algorithm frequently used in solving the real-world global optimization problems. The efficiency of the algorithm is sensitive to setting its control parameters. Several adaptive approaches have appeared recently in order to avoid control-parameter tuning. A new adaptive variant of differential evolution is proposed in this study. It is based on a combination of two adaptive approaches published before. The new algorithm was tested on the well-known set of benchmark problems developed for the special session of CEC2005 at four levels of population size and its performance was compared with the adaptive variants that were applied in the design of the new algorithm. The new adaptive DE variant outperformed the others in several test problems but its efficiency on average was not better.
The article deals with the forms of the adaption of vernacular buildings situated in the upper part of the Ore Mountains to cold
climate. Unfavourable climatic conditions in the mountainous areas were a significantly restricting factor, especially in terms of agriculture and permanent settlement. The Ore Mountains folk house is a result of the century-long adaptation to cold climate, and as such it includes a set of purposeful measures. These could be seen in the layout and construction of the house (a compact house with integrated shed, specific forms of roof) and materials used
(boarding or shingle-panelling to protect gables and half-timbered
walls, shingle or thatch roofs). Different architectural elements, which were conditioned by the local climate and were typical for the
traditional architecture in the Ore Mountains, developed there (wind
porch, bay toilet, another entrance on the second floor).
The present text maps the actual situation of the participants of the controlled resettlement from the former Soviet Union to the Czech Republic in the years 1992–1993. Better to say, it maps the situation of a group of these settlers who at present live in the village Milovice, in the revitalized former military domain in the south-eastern part of the region Střední Čechy (Central Bohemia). The aim of the research was to analyze how the settlers perceive their reception from part of the majorite society, to study their adaptive strategies and to find out if the resettlement to the Czech Republic and the choice of the mentioned locality fulfilled their wishes and to what degree. The final part of the article summarizes what the settlers see as positive and what as negative aspects of the resettlement. The text is based on repeated directed interviews and observations realized in Milovice in the years 2008–2009.
We determined burrow temperature variation for the Chinese pangolin in winter over a study period from 1 December 2009 to 28 February 2010, at Luofushan Nature Reserve, China. Our results show that the air temperature inside the burrow was stable with only a slight fluctuation, the diurnal variation amplitude was merely 0.0-0.5 °C (SD = 0.08 ± 0.09 °C, n = 90), and winter temperature fluctuated between 17.8-21.0 °C. On the contrary, air temperature outside the burrow fluctuated dramatically, the diurnal variation
amplitude ranging from 0.7-20.0 °C (SD = 4.99 ± 3.47 °C, n = 90); the seasonal temperature fluctuated between 4.6-38.3 °C. In winter,
the average temperature inside the burrow was 18.96 °C (SD = 0.91, n = 90), and significantly higher than the average temperature
outside the burrow (p < 0.01), which was 15.16 °C (SD = 3.85, n = 90). No significant relationship was found between the temperatures inside and outside the burrow, and the temperature changes outside the burrow had almost no significant influence on thermal conditions inside the burrow. It was therefore proposed that the most optimum ambient temperature for Chinese pangolins in winter was in the range of 18-21 °C.
Žít v cizině, adaptovat se na nové prostředí a novou mentalitu obyvatel a přijmout novou identitu cizince je všestranně náročný proces. Z toho důvodu vznikla Facebooková skupina „Češi v zahraničí: Sám sebou i v cizině”, která si klade za cíl vzájemnou podporu a inspiraci Čechů v podobné životní situaci v cizině. and Living abroad, adapting to a new environment and a new mentality of people and adopting a new identity as a foreigner is a very psychologically demanding process by all means. For this reason, a Facebook group “Czechs abroad: be yourself even abroad” was formed. It aims to support and inspire Czechs in a similar life situation abroad.
Chromosome number, karyotype formula, C-banding pattern, genome size and DNA base composition were studied in three species of Hyalidae and seven species of Talitridae. A karyotype of 25 chromosome pairs, with median centromeres (FN = 100), was found in all the species of Talitridae analysed and Apohyale prevostii. Genome size (C-value) varies among Talitrida from 0.94 pg in Apohyale crassipes to 2.81 pg in Orchestia gammarellus, and the percentage of AT-DNA in the whole genome ranges from 56.12% in A. crassipes to 68.17% in Sardorchestia pelecaniformis. In comparison with Hyalidae, Talitridae show more uniformity in chromosome number and karyotype formula, and have larger genomes. There is a direct correlation between total DNA content and the amount of C-heterochromatic DNA. The cytogenetical data on Talitrida were compared from a phylogenetic and an evolutional point of view. The increase in genome size during the evolution of the Talitrida possibly had a role in their adaptation to supralittoral life and extreme subaerial conditions.
The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a well-studied species in terms of its colour polymorphism, where it occurs as two distinct colour morphs, red and green. It is proposed that the occurrence and maintenance of this polymorphism is an adaptive response to environmental factors, in particular natural enemies and host plant quality. We hypothesized that these adaptations are directly mirrored in the energy reserves accumulated by the different colour morphs during their pre-adult stages and reflect their specialization for particular ecological roles. We quantitatively measured the different energy reserves of red and green pea aphids and found that the total energy reserves of these morphs did not differ. Interestingly, these reserves were made up of different components in the red and green colour morphs. There was a higher percentage content of water-soluble carbohydrates and lipids in the red clones and higher percentage content of protein in green clones. These finding are in accordance with green clones being more fecund than red ones and needing more protein for reproduction than red clones, which produce more winged offspring when crowded or in response to the presence of natural enemies and so, need more lipids and carbohydrates to fuel their walking and flight. Apparently, different colour morphs are physiologically specialized to adjust their energy reserves in relation to their specific ecological adaptations and maximize their fitness in terms of dispersal, reproduction, defense and survival., Seyed Mohammad Ahsaei ... []., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The relationship between body size and reproduction was investigated for two laboratory strains of Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas). A strain originating from Surinam and maintained for about 15 years under laboratory conditions, did not demonstrate any significant relationship between body length and fecundity. A second strain originated from Brazil where it had been reared in the laboratory for several generations but under different conditions of climate, food and housing. In the first generation of the Brazilian strain, a significant positive relationship was found between body length and total number of eggs. Results suggest that colonization might act initially in favour of a positive body size/fecundity relationship. In contrast, females of the fifth and tenth generations, like those of the Surinamese strain, showed no significant relationship between body length and reproduction. Fecundity of the tenth generation of the Brazilian strain, with an average of 317 eggs per female, was significantly greater than that or the first and fifth generation, with 220 and 243 eggs per female, respectively. The strain from Surinam, with 545 eggs per female, had a markedly higher reproductive capacity than any generation of the Brazilian strain. Adult body weights of different generations of the Brazilian strain increased consistently from the first to the tenth generation, indicating an adaptation to the new environment. Females and males of the Surinamese strain lived longer than those of the Brazilian one. Besides differences related to the geographical origin of the strains, greater fecundity and longevity in long-term laboratory strains of P. nigrispinus may reflect selective adaptation to food and climatic conditions in the laboratory environment.
Roots of six Cucurbitaceae species were exposed to low (14 °C), middle (24 °C), and high (34 °C) temperatures while aerial parts of plants were maintained at ambient temperatures between 23 and 33 °C. The highest dry mass (DM), photon-saturated rate of net photosynthesis (PNsat), and stomatal conductance (gs) were found at 14 °C in figleaf gourd and turban squash plants, at 24 °C in cucumber and melon plants, while bitter melon and wax gourd plants had lower DM, PNsat, and gs at 14 °C than at 24 or 34 °C. Sub-or supra-optimum root temperatures did not induce photoinhibition but induced slight changes in the quantum efficiency of photosystem 2, PS2 (ΦPS2) and photochemical quenching (qp). Meanwhile, xylem sap abscisic acid (ABA) concentration followed a contrasting change pattern to that of gs. Thus the change in PNsat was mainly due to the change in gs and roots played an important role in the regulation of stomatal behaviour by delivering increased amount of ABA to shoots at sub-or supra-optimum root temperatures. and Y. P. Zhang ... [et al.].