Discrete population genetics models with unequal (skewed) fertilities are considered, with an emphasis on skewed versions of Cannings models, conditional branching process models in the spirit of Karlin and McGregor, and compound Poisson models. Three particular classes of models with skewed fertilities are investigated, the Wright-Fisher model, the Dirichlet model, and the Kimura model. For each class the asymptotic behavior as the total population size N tends to infinity is investigated for power law fertilities and for geometric fertilities. This class of models can exhibit a rich variety of sub-linear or even constant effective population sizes. Therefore, the models are not necessarily in the domain of attraction of the Kingman coalescent. For a substantial range of the parameters, discrete-time coalescent processes with simultaneous multiple collisions arise in the limit.

For a drop on an incline with small tilt angle α, when the contact line is a circle of radius r, we derive the relation mgsinα=γrπ/2(cosθ^{min}-cosθ^{max}) at first order in α, where θ^{min} and θ^{max} are the contact angles at the back and at the front, m is the mass of the drop and γ the surface tension of the liquid. We revisit in this way the Furmidge model for a large range of contact angles. We also derive the same relation at first order in the Bond number B=ρgR^{2}/γ, where R is the radius of the spherical cap at zero gravity. The drop profile is computed exactly in the same approximation. Results are compared with surface evolver simulations, showing a surprisingly large range of contact angles for applicability of first-order approximations.