Effect of water supply on leaf area development, stomatal activity, transpiration, and dry matter production and distribution in young olive trees

Two-year-old olive trees cv. Cornicabra, trained in a central leader form for hedgerow planting, were grown outdoors in 45-L weighing lysimeters to evaluate the effect of water supply on growth and development. Four treatments were established and maintained for 155 days during spring–autumn. Treatment T100 was irrigated to maintain the potting medium close to water-holding capacity by progressive replenishment of consumption that was measured at weekly intervals by weighing and recording drainage. Treatments T80, T60, and T40 received 80, 60, and 40%, respectively, of the water applied to T100. For these treatments, transpiration and leaf area were measured every fortnight. Dry matter in roots, stems, and leaves was measured at the beginning and end of the experiment. Leaf conductance was measured at 09:00 and 12:00 solar time every fortnight and at c. 2-hourly intervals throughout one day each month. Over the experimental period, T100 produced 0.42±0.01m2 leaf area, 319.6±60.4 g dry biomass, and transpired 77.5±1.1 L water. Water stress significantly reduced leaf area development and dry matter production (P<0.05) in T60 and T40, but not in T80. There was no effect on dry matter partitioning to the various organs of the trees or the roots/aerial part ratio. Leaf conductance was more sensitive to water stress than vegetative growth, with significant differences (P<0.05) established among treatments 3 weeks before differences were observed in transpiration. In autumn, transpiration and leaf conductance increased in all treatments independently of soil water status. Over the experiment, transpiration efficiency (TE, g/L) increased with reducedwater supply, with a significant difference (P<0.10) between T100 and both T60 and T40. The study has established that maximum growth of young olive plants can be achieved, without effect on the distribution of biomass between organs, at water supply less than that required to support maximum transpiration

Assessment of CTF boiling transition and critical heat flux modeling capabilities using the OECD/NRC BFBT and PSBT benchmark databases

The need to refine models for best-estimate calculations, based on good-quality experimental data, has been expressed in many recent meetings in the field of nuclear applications. The modeling needs arising in this respect should not be limited to the currently available macroscopic methods but should be extended to next-generation analysis techniques that focus on more microscopic processes. One of the most valuable databases identified for the thermalhydraulics modeling was developed by the Nuclear Power Engineering Corporation (NUPEC), Japan. From 1987 to 1995, NUPEC performed steady-state and transient critical power and departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) test series based on the equivalent full-size mock-ups. Considering the reliability not only of the measured data, but also other relevant parameters such as the system pressure, inlet sub-cooling and rod surface temperature, these test series supplied the first substantial database for the development of truly mechanistic and consistent models for boiling transition and critical heat flux. Over the last few years the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) under the sponsorship of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has prepared, organized, conducted and summarized the OECD/NRC Full-size Fine-mesh Bundle Tests (BFBT) Benchmark. The international benchmark activities have been conducted in cooperation with the Nuclear Energy Agency/Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (NEA/OECD) and Japan Nuclear Energy Safety (JNES) organization, Japan. Consequently, the JNES has made available the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) NUPEC database for the purposes of the benchmark. Based on the success of the OECD/NRC BFBT benchmark the JNES has decided to release also the data based on the NUPEC Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) subchannel and bundle tests for another follow-up international benchmark entitled OECD/NRC PWR Subchannel and Bundle Tests (PSBT) benchmark. This paper presents an application of the joint Penn State University/Technical University of Madrid (UPM) version of the well-known subchannel code COBRA-TF, namely CTF, to the critical power and departure from nucleate boiling (DNB) exercises of the OECD/NRC BFBT and PSBT benchmark

The representation of women in the family in Spanish television fiction

The rise of television drama in the late nineties challenged comedy as the most popular and resilient genre of fiction. The diversity of themes and growing complexity of new narratives have relegated family representations –key to comedy’s success- to contextualize sentimental and sexual relationships and, to a lesser extent, the work sphere of female characters. This article analyses the context and family relations of 709 female characters represented, with varying degrees of importance, in 84 programs of Spanish television fiction (series, serials, TV movies, miniseries and sketches) premiered in 2012 and 2013. The approach combines quantitative (SPSS coding) and qualitative (socio-semiotics and script theory) methods. The analysis reveals that Spanish television fiction offers a complex picture of family relationships, which mixes clichés and stereotypes, while trying to capture reality. Generational conflicts are the most common misunderstandings in everyday representations of female characters, although most of the women generally have the support of their families to address problems and difficulties of their exciting fictional experiences.El auge del drama televisivo, a finales de los noventa, le disputó a la comedia el protagonismo que la había convertido en el género más popular y resistente de la ficción a lo largo de más de cuatro décadas. La variedad de temáticas y la creciente complejidad narrativa de los nuevos formatos de ficción fueron relegando las representaciones de la familia, la clave del éxito de la comedia, al contexto de los avatares sentimentales, sexuales y, en menor medida, laborales de los personajes femeninos. Este artículo analiza el contexto y las relaciones familiares de los 709 personajes femeninos representados, con un grado variable de protagonismo, en los 84 programas de la ficción televisiva española de estreno (series, seriales, TVmovies, miniseries y sketches), emitidos a lo largo de 2012 y 2013. El método utilizado combina técnicas cuantitativas (codificación en SPSS) y cualitativas (socio-semiótica y script theory). El análisis revela que la ficción televisiva española proyecta una imagen compleja de la familia, en la que se mezclan tópicos y estereotipos, pero que intenta reflejar la realidad. Los conflictos generacionales representen las desavenencias más frecuentes de la vida cotidiana de los personajes analizados, aunque la mayor parte de las mujeres representadas en el contexto familiar suelen contar con apoyo de los suyos para afrontar los problemas y los conflictos de sus azarosas existencias de ficción.Este artículo ha sido elaborado en el marco del proyecto “La construcción social de la mujer en la ficción televisiva y la web 2.0: estereotipos, recepción y retroalimentación” (FEM2012-33411), financiado por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. En esta parte de la investigación han participado, además de las autoras, Deborah Castro, Mariluz Sánchez, Belén Granda, Tatiana Hidalgo, Elsa Soro y Karina Tiznado (investigadoras), y Marc Bellmunt, Germán Muñoz, Lucía Trabajo, Estitxu Garay y Amaia Nerecan (colaboradores)

Yield determination in olive hedgerow orchards. I. Yield and profiles of yield components in north–south and east–west oriented hedgerows

A study of the vertical distribution of flowering and fruit set and of components of yield (fruit numbers, fruit size, and fruit oil content) was maintained for 2 years in N–S- and E–W-oriented olive hedgerows of comparable structure (row spacing 4m, hedgerow height to 2.5 m, width c. 1m) near Toledo, Spain (39.98N). Mean yield of the N–S orchard was 1854 kg oil/ha without difference between sides or years. Yield of the E–W orchard was greater in 2006, producing 2290 kg/ha, but only 1840 kg/ha in 2007, the same as the N–S orchard. The S side of the E–Worchard yielded more (59%) than the N side in 2007. In both orchards and years, most fruit was produced at 1.0–2.0m height and fruit density was the most influential component in these differences, reflecting more intense bud initiation in these upper layers. Other components that determined fruit number, fertile inflorescences, fruits per fertile inflorescence, and fruit drop were not significantly different between layers. Fruit characteristics depended on hedgerow position. In both N–S and E–W hedgerows, fruit high in the hedgerow was the largest, most mature, and with highest oil content. These differences were more marked in N–S than in E–W hedgerows. Fruit growth and development were concentrated from the middle of September until the end November. Oil content per fruit increased linearly during that period when 65% of final oil content was accumulated. Similar patterns were observed between sides. The results of yield and yield profiles are discussed in the general context of light interception. The results suggest the importance of hedgerow porosity, and distinct penetration patterns of direct-beam radiation through N–S and E–W hedgerows, as the basis for explanation of the high yield of the N side of E–W hedgerows

Influence of sustainability practices and green image on the re-visit intention of small and medium-size towns

This study set a model to predict the e ect of corporate social responsibility and green image on visit intention in small and medium-size towns (SMST). At present, there is a keen social awareness towards environmental problems, and cities are required to reduce their ecological footprint and make more sustainable use of natural resources. Increasingly, tourists are considering “green options” in their decision making. The questionnaire responses, obtained from a sample of 221 tourism in Malaga town (Spain) were analyzed using a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to test the research hypothesis related to the positive influence of sustainability practices, green image, trust with the intention of revisiting related to the loyalty of the destination. This study shows that there is a positive relationship between sustainability practices and re-visit intention and between the green image and re-visit intention, both directly and indirectly, through trust. Also, the fact that this relationship is more significant if it is part of the green image than if it is part of sustainability actions. To practice, this study provides managerial implications to help executives adopt green actions, thanks to their positive e ects on tourist loyalty and the di erent way of manifesting this loyalty.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Technology, governance, and a sustainability model for small and medium-sized towns in Europe

New and cutting-edge technologies causing deep changes in societies, playing the role of game modifiers, and having a significant impact on global markets in small and medium-sized towns in Europe (SMSTEs) are the focus of this research. In this context, an analysis was carried out to identify the main dimensions of a model for promoting innovation in SMSTEs. The literature review on the main dimensions boosting the innovation in SMSTEs and the methodological approach was the application of a survey directed to experts on this issue. The findings from the literature review reflect that technologies, governance, and sustainability dimensions are enablers of SMSTEs’ innovation, and based on the results of the survey, a model was implemented to boost innovation, being this the major add-on of this research.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Yield determination in olive hedgerow orchards. II. Analysis of radiation and fruiting profiles

Profiles of fruit density, fruit size, and oil content were measured on 12 occasions in 7 olive orchards in Spain and 2 in Australia. Orchard structure varied widely. Height ranged from 2.0 to 5.5 m, row spacing from 3 to 6 m, and canopy width from 0.7 to 3m. Most orchards were oriented north–south (N–S) but one in Spain was oriented close to east–west (E–W)(208NE–SW). All orchards in Spain were cv. Arbequina, and in Australia they were cvv. Barnea and Picual. Analyses with a model of interception and transmission that estimated interception by individual sides of hedgerows revealed that fruit size and oil content were strongly related to intercepted radiation during the month before harvest across all orchards. Relationships were also evident between fruit density and interception but varied among orchards and years, indicating the importance of other environmental and probably physiological effects. In N–S orchards of cv. Arbequina, average fruit size and oil content increased linearly from 0.40 g (dry weight) to 0.72 g, and from 36 to 49% (of dry weight), as daily intercepted PAR increased from 6 to 25 mol/m2 (15–60% of horizontally incident radiation). The general principles of response extended to E–W orchards. There, it was shown that generally large fruit with high oil content on S sides was consistent with the plateau responses to radiation evident in the more extensive N–S data. On the N side, however, and accounting for transmission through the hedgerow, both fruit size and oil content were greater than in positions intercepting equivalent radiation inN–S orchards. Examples are provided of the utility of responses of fruit density, size, and oil content in establishing combinations of row height, row width, and row distance to improve or maintain productivity in some of the orchards included in the study

Plant surfaces as vehicles of Bacillus cereus responsible of human food poisoning

• Introduction A major concern in food safety is the contamination of fresh and stored food with spoiling bacteria that provoke human poisoning. Bacillus cereus is a common food-borne pathogen responsible of important poisoning outbreaks and severe bacteraemia and septicaemia. Poisoning caused by B. cereus is classified in two main categories: emetic and diarrheic. The emetic poisoning is correlated to the production of cereulide. This toxin is very heat stable, and it can be produced in the food contaminated by B. cereus cells. Diarrheic poisoning is provoked by the enterotoxin hemolysin BL, the non-hemolytic enterotoxin and the cytotoxin K. • Objective To study the interaction of B. cereus with plants as a bacteria reservoir, and in ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables. • Materials & Methods A collection of strains implicated in food-borne outbreaks were tested in vitro for a battery of phenotypes related to bacterial multicellular behaviour and thus interaction with host. 1. Solid or liquid media were used to study biofilm formation, motility or adhesion to surfaces. 2. Leaves, fruits and vegetables (melon leaf, cucumber leaf and fruit and endive) were used to study the persistence of B. cereus over time and their distribution and organization by electron microscopy. • Results All the strains behaved similarly in vitro, only some persisted on plant surfaces. Among them, the emetic strain AH187 was selected because bacterial cells persisted on a concentration of 104-105 CFU per gram of leaf, vegetable or fruit, with a sporulation rate of 40%. The electron microscopy images showed the organization of bacteria in well-developed biofilms with visible extracellular matrix. Finally, mass spectrometry analysis proved the presence of some isoforms of cereluide on the different surfaces. • Conclusion The fact that cells of B. cereus persist in leaf surface mainly as vegetative cells are indicative of their ability to adapt to the physico-chemical changeable phyllosphere, and thus to produce the emetic toxin cereulide. The presence of spores, and the formation of biofilms can be indicative of the versatile adhesive properties of this strain to diverse surfaces. Altogether are supportive of the importance of plant surfaces either as reservoir of bacterial cells or as vehicles for further contamination and food poisoning.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

A Double Classification of Common Pitfalls in Ontologies

The application of methodologies for building ontologies has improved the ontology quality. However, such a quality is not totally guaranteed because of the difficulties involved in ontology modelling. These difficulties are related to the inclusion of anomalies or worst practices in the modelling. In this context, our aim in this paper is twofold: (1) to provide a catalogue of common worst practices, which we call pitfalls, and (2) to present a double classification of such pitfalls. These two products will serve in the ontology development in two ways: (a) to avoid the appearance of pitfalls in the ontology modelling, and (b) to evaluate and correct ontologies to improve their quality