Assessment of discretely measured indicators and maximum daily trunk shrinkage for detecting water stress in pomegranate trees

Measurements obtained by the continuous monitoring of trunk diameter fluctuations were comparedwith discrete measurements of midday stem water potential and midday leaf conductance (gl)in adult pomegranate trees (Punica granatum L. cv. Mollar de Elche). Control plants (T0) were irrigateddaily above their crop water requirements in order to attain non-limiting soil water conditions in 2009 and 2010, while T1 plants were subjected to water stress by depriving them of irrigation water for34 days in 2010, after which time irrigation was restored and plant recovery was studied for 7 days.T1 plants showed a substantial degree of water stress, which developed slowly. Maximum daily trunkshrinkage (MDS) was identified to be the most suitable plant-based indicator for irrigation scheduling inadult pomegranate trees, because its signal:noise ((T1/T0):coefficient of variation) ratio was higher thanthat for midday stem water potential((T1/T0):coefficient of variation) and gl((T0/T1):coefficient of variation). MDS increasedin response to water stress, but when the stemfell below ¿1.67 MPa, the MDS values decreased. Fornon-limiting water conditions, MDS could be predicted from mean daily air temperature (Tm) throughexponential equations fitted to pooled data across several seasons. First-order equations were alsoobtained by pooling data across several seasons to predict MDS from crop reference evapotranspira-tion (ETo), mean daily air vapour pressure deficit (VPDm), Tmand solar radiation (Rs), but these should beused only within a certain range of values (ETo, 2.1¿7.4 mm; VPDm, 0.64¿2.96 kPa; Tm, 12.1¿28.3¿C; Rs,119.4¿331.3 Wm¿2). Hence, automated MDS measurements have the potential to be used in irrigationscheduling of pomegranate, and these values can be normalized to non-limiting water conditions bylocally derived empirical relationships with meteorological variables.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (CICYT/FEDER) AGL2010-19201-C04-01AGRAgencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID

Diseño, procesamiento y caracterización de laminados de tipo CERMET/WC-CO y WC-CO/WC-CO para aplicaciones de herramientas

Las herramientas para mecanizado de alta velocidad están sometidas a condiciones de servicio extremas y variables, requiriéndose el desarrollo de materiales con composiciones y microestructuras que varíen localmente (función gradiente) según la aplicación. En este trabajo, se presenta un novedoso diseño multicapa con forma de prisma basado en la disposición alternada de capas de cermet y metal duro. Las capas externas de cermet confieren resistencia a la oxidación y al desgaste, mientras que las de WC-Co aportan una mejora de la tenacidad de fractura y de la resistencia a la propagación de grietas. El material laminado debe combinar las capas a distinto estado tensional (tracción o compresión). Se han estimado dos distribuciones de tensiones posibles en el laminado (σR (WC-Co) = -742 MPa y σR (Cermet) = 82,5 MPa) y (σR (WC-Co) = -666 MPa y σR (Cermet) = 166 MPa). Las tensiones de compresión de las capas tenaces y la fuerte intercara actúan como barrera contra la propagación de los defectos presentes o generados en la capa externa.Cutting tools used for high-speed machining are subjected to extreme and variable operating conditions, which requires the development of materials with compositions and microstructures that change locally depending on the application (gradient function). In this work, we propose a novel multilayer design in the shape of prism, based on the alternate arrangement of cermets and hard metals layers. The cermet outer layers provide oxidation and wear resistance, while WC-Co layers improve fracture toughness and crack propagation resistance. The laminate must combine the layers at different stress state (tensile or compressive stress). We calculated two possible stress distributions (σR (WC-Co) = -742 MPa y σR (Cermet) = 82,5 MPa) and (σR (WC-Co)= -666 MPa y σR (Cermet)= 166 MPa). The compression stress acts as a barrier to the propagation of the existing or created defects on the external cermet layers

From chemosynthesis-based communities to cold-water corals: Vulnerable deep-sea habitats of the Gulf of Cádiz

The Gulf of Cádiz (GoC) represents an area of ecological importance within the northeastern Atlantic Ocean due to the presence of Mediterranean and Atlantic water masses, a heterogeneous seafloor and a biological confluence. Nevertheless, information on the presence of vulnerable deep-sea habitats is still very scarce and it is of importance for further habitat monitoring within the context of the Habitats and Marine Strategy Framework Directives and for improving conservation and resource extraction management. From 2010 to 2012, fluid migration and emission related edifices (e.g., mud volcanoes, diapirs) from the Spanish continental margin of the GoC have been explored using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV; Liropus 2000) and an underwater camera sled (UCS; APHIA 2012) as well as several devices for collecting sediment and fauna. Different vulnerable deep-sea habitats have been observed, including anoxic bottoms with bacterial mats, sea-pen communities, sponge aggregations, antipatharian and gorgonian communities and also cold-water coral banks. Some of these habitats are included in conservation lists of the habitat directive and in international conventions (OSPAR, RAC/SPA), however some of them are located in areas of the GoC that are exposed to intense trawling. The diversity of habitats detected in the Spanish continental margin of the GoC highlights the importance of seepage related edifices as inducers of seabed and habitat heterogeneity in deep-sea areas.En prens

Benchmarking scientific performance by decomposing leadership of Cuban and Latin American institutions in Public Health

This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Scientometrics. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1831-z”.Comparative benchmarking with bibliometric indicators can be an aid in decision-making with regard to research management. This study aims to characterize scientific performance in a domain (Public Health) by the institutions of a country (Cuba), taking as reference world output and regional output (other Latin American centers) during the period 2003–2012. A new approach is used here to assess to what extent the leadership of a specific institution can change its citation impact. Cuba was found to have a high level of specialization and scientific leadership that does not match the low international visibility of Cuban institutions. This leading output appears mainly in non-collaborative papers, in national journals; publication in English is very scarce and the rate of international collaboration is very low. The Instituto de Medicina Tropical Pedro Kouri stands out, alone, as a national reference. Meanwhile, at the regional level, Latin American institutions deserving mention for their high autonomy in normalized citation would include Universidad de Buenos Aires (ARG), Universidade Federal de Pelotas (BRA), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientı´ficas y Te´cnicas (ARG), Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (BRA) and the Centro de Pesquisas Rene Rachou (BRA). We identify a crucial aspect that can give rise to misinterpretations of data: a high share of leadership cannot be considered positive for institutions when it is mainly associated with a high proportion of non-collaborative papers and a very low level of performance. Because leadership might be questionable in some cases, we propose future studies to ensure a better interpretation of findings.This work was made possible through financing by the scholarship funds for international mobility between Andalusian and IberoAmerican Universities and the SCImago GroupPeer reviewe

Different degrees of malnutrition and immunological alterations according to the aetiology of cirrhosis: a prospective and sequential study

OBJECTIVES: In this work we investigated how immunological dysfunction and malnutrition interact in alcoholic and viral aetiologies of cirrhosis. METHODS: To investigate the matter, 77 cirrhotic patients divided in three aetiologies [Alcohol, HCV and Alcohol + HCV) and 32 controls were prospectivelly and sequentially studied. Parameters of humoral immunity (Components 3 and 4 of seric complement and immunoglobulins A M, G and E) and of cellular immunity (total leukocytes and lymphocytes in peripheral blood, T lymphocytes subpopulations, CD4+ and CD8+, CD4+/CD8+ ratio and intradermic tests of delayed hypersensitivity), as well as nutrititional parameters: anthropometric measures, serum albumin and transferrin were evaluated. RESULTS: Multiple statistical comparisons showed that IgM was higher in HCV group; IgG was significantly elevated in both HCV and Alcohol + HCV, whereas for the Alcohol group, IgE was found at higher titles. The analysis of T- lymphocytes subpopulations showed no aetiologic differences, but intradermic tests of delayed hypersensitivity did show greater frequency of anergy in the Alcohol group. For anthropometric parameters, the Alcohol +HCV group displayed the lowest triceps skinfold whereas creatinine – height index evaluation was more preserved in the HCV group. Body mass index, arm muscle area and arm fat area showed that differently from alcohol group, the HCV group was similar to control. CONCLUSION: Significant differences were found among the main aetiologies of cirrhosis concerning immunological alterations and nutritional status: better nutrition and worse immunology for HCV and vice-versa for alcohol

Time connectedness of fear

This paper examines the interconnection between four implied volatility indices representative of the investors' consensus view of expected stock market volatility at different maturities during the period January 3, 2011-May 4, 2018. To this end, we first perform a static analysis to measure the total volatility connectedness in the entire period using a framework proposed by Diebold and Yilmaz (2014). Second, we apply a dynamic analysis to evaluate both the net directional connectedness for each market using the TVP-VAR connectedness approach developed by Antonakakis and Gabauer (2017). Our results suggest that a 72.27%, of the total variance of the forecast errors is explained by shocks across the examined investor time horizons, indicating that the remainder 27.73% of the variation is due to idiosyncratic shocks. Furthermore, we find that volatility connectedness varies over time, with a surge during periods of increasing economic and financial instability. Finally, we also document a superior performance of the TVP-VAR approach to connectedness respect to the original one proposed by Diebold and Yilmaz (2014

Structural Conformers of (1,3-Dithiol-2-ylidene)ethanethioamides: The Balance Between Thioamide Rotation and Preservation of Classical Sulfur-Sulfur Hypervalent Bonds

The reaction of N-(2-phthalimidoethyl)-N-alkylisopropylamines and S2Cl2 gave 4-N-(2-phthalimidoethyl)-N-alkylamino-5-chloro-1,2-dithiol-3-thiones that quantitatively cycloadded to dimethyl or diethyl acetylenedicarboxylate to give stable thioacid chlorides, which in turn reacted with one equivalent of aniline or a thiole to give thioanilides or a dithioester. Several compounds of this series showed atropisomers that were studied by a combination of dynamic NMR, simulation of the signals, conformational analysis by DFT methods, and single crystal X-ray diffraction, showing a good correlation between the theoretical calculations, the experimental values of energies, and the preferred conformations in the solid state. The steric hindering of the crowded substitution at the central amine group was found to be the reason for the presence of permanent atropisomers in this series of compounds and the cause of a unique disposition of the thioxo group at close-to-right angles with respect to the plane defined by the 1,3-dithiole ring in the dithiafulvene derivatives, thus breaking the sulfur–sulfur hypervalent bond that is always found in this kind of compounds.Ministerio de Economıá y Competitividad, Spain (Project CTQ2012- 31611), Junta de Castilla y León, Consejería de Educación y Cultura y Fondo Social Europeo (Project BU246A12-1), and the European Commission, Seventh Framework Programme (Project SNIFFER FP7-SEC-2012-312411

Fungal Planet description sheets: 868-950

Novel species of fungi described in this study include those from various countries as follows: Australia, Chaetomella pseudocircinoseta and Coniella pseudodiospyri on Eucalyptus microcorys leaves, Cladophialophora eucalypti, Teratosphaeria dunnii and Vermiculariopsiella dunnii on Eucalyptus dunnii leaves, Cylindrium grande and Hypsotheca eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus grandis leaves, Elsinoe salignae on Eucalyptus saligna leaves, Marasmius lebeliae on litter of regenerating subtropical rainforest, Phialoseptomonium eucalypti (incl. Phialoseptomonium gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus grandis × camaldulensis leaves, Phlogicylindrium pawpawense on Eucalyptus tereticornis leaves, Phyllosticta longicauda as an endophyte from healthy Eustrephus latifolius leaves, Pseudosydowia eucalyptorum on Eucalyptus sp. leaves, Saitozyma wallum on Banksia aemula leaves, Teratosphaeria henryi on Corymbia henryi leaves. Brazil, Aspergillus bezerrae, Backusella azygospora, Mariannaea terricola and Talaromyces pernambucoensis from soil, Calonectria matogrossensis on Eucalyptus urophylla leaves, Calvatia brasiliensis on soil, Carcinomyces nordestinensis on Bromelia antiacantha leaves, Dendryphiella stromaticola on small branches of an unidentified plant, Nigrospora brasiliensis on Nopalea cochenillifera leaves, Penicillium alagoense as a leaf endophyte on a Miconia sp., Podosordaria nigrobrunnea on dung, Spegazzinia bromeliacearum as a leaf endophyte on Tilandsia catimbauensis, Xylobolus brasiliensis on decaying wood. Bulgaria, Kazachstania molopis from the gut of the beetle Molops piceus. Croatia, Mollisia endocrystallina from a fallen decorticated Picea abies tree trunk. Ecuador, Hygrocybe rodomaculata on soil. Hungary, Alfoldia vorosii (incl.Alfoldia gen. nov.) from Juniperus communis roots, Kiskunsagia ubrizsyi (incl. Kiskunsagia gen. nov.) from Fumana procumbens roots. India, Aureobasidium tremulum as laboratory contaminant, Leucosporidium himalayensis and Naganishia indica from windblown dust on glaciers. Italy, Neodevriesia cycadicola on Cycas sp. leaves, Pseudocercospora pseudomyrticola on Myrtus communis leaves, Ramularia pistaciae on Pistacia lentiscus leaves, Neognomoniopsis quercina (incl. Neognomoniopsis gen. nov.) on Quercus ilex leaves. Japan, Diaporthe fructicola on Passiflora edulis × P. edulis f. flavicarpa fruit, Entoloma nipponicum on leaf litter in a mixed Cryptomeria japonica and Acer spp. forest. Macedonia, Astraeus macedonicus on soil. Malaysia, Fusicladium eucalyptigenum on Eucalyptus sp. twigs, Neoacrodontiella eucalypti (incl. Neoacrodontiella gen. nov.) on Eucalyptus urophylla leaves. Mozambique, Meliola gorongosensis on dead Philenoptera violacea leaflets. Nepal, Coniochaeta dendrobiicola from Dendriobium lognicornu roots. New Zealand, Neodevriesia sexualis and Thozetella neonivea on Archontophoenix cunninghamiana leaves. Norway, Calophoma sandfjordenica from a piece of board on a rocky shoreline, Clavaria parvispora on soil, Didymella finnmarkica from a piece of Pinus sylvestris driftwood. Poland, Sugiyamaella trypani from soil. Portugal, Colletotrichum feijoicola from Acca sellowiana. Russia, Crepidotus tobolensis on Populus tremula debris, Entoloma ekaterinae, Entoloma erhardii and Suillus gastroflavus on soil, Nakazawaea ambrosiae from the galleries of Ips typographus under the bark of Picea abies. Slovenia, Pluteus ludwigii on twigs of broadleaved trees. South Africa, Anungitiomyces stellenboschiensis (incl. Anungitiomyces gen. nov.) and Niesslia stellenboschiana on Eucalyptus sp. leaves, Beltraniella pseudoportoricensis on Podocarpus falcatus leaf litter, Corynespora encephalarti on Encephalartos sp. leaves, Cytospora pavettae on Pavetta revoluta leaves, Helminthosporium erythrinicola on Erythrina humeana leaves, Helminthosporium syzygii on a Syzygium sp. barkcanker, Libertasomyces aloeticus on Aloe sp. leaves, Penicillium lunae from Musa sp. fruit, Phyllosticta lauridiae on Lauridia tetragona leaves, Pseudotruncatella bolusanthi (incl. Pseudotruncatellaceae fam. nov.) and Dactylella bolusanthi on Bolusanthus speciosus leaves. Spain, Apenidiella foetida on submerged plant debris, Inocybe grammatoides on Quercus ilex subsp. ilex forest humus, Ossicaulis salomii on soil, Phialemonium guarroi from soil. Thailand, Pantospora chromolaenae on Chromolaena odorata leaves. Ukraine, Cadophora helianthi from Helianthus annuus stems. USA, Boletus pseudopinophilus on soil under slash pine, Botryotrichum foricae, Penicillium americanum and Penicillium minnesotense from air. Vietnam, Lycoperdon vietnamense on soil. Morphological and culture characteristics are supported by DNA barcodes