I have faced one problem in maximizing a very complicated likelihood through R-package GenSA. But it takes huge time. But I have to replicates the process for more than 1000 times. Could you suggest me some other packages which can handle such likelihood function quickly. regrads, Raju -- "They alone live who live for others,the rest are more dead than alive" -Swami Vivekananda Raju Maiti(SRF) Applied Statistics Unit Indian Statistical Institute 203 B.T.Road Kolkata-108 [[alternative HTML version deleted]]