Three-Algebras in N = 5, 6 Superconformal Chern-Simons Theories: Representations and Relations

In this work we present 3-algebraic constructions and representations for three-dimensional N = 5 supersymmetric Chern-Simons theories, and show how they relate to theories with additional supersymmetries. The N = 5 structure constants give theories with Sp(2N) \times SO(M) gauge symmetry, as well as more exotic symmetries known from gauged supergravity. We find explicit lifts from N = 6 to 8, and N = 5 to 6 and 8, for appropriate gauge groups.Comment: 23 pages. Published version. References correcte

Identification of the Antibacterial Compound Produced by the Marine Epiphytic Bacterium Pseudovibrio sp. D323 and Related Sponge-Associated Bacteria

Surface-associated marine bacteria often produce secondary metabolites with antagonistic activities. In this study, tropodithietic acid (TDA) was identified to be responsible for the antibacterial activity of the marine epiphytic bacterium Pseudovibrio sp. D323 and related strains. Phenol was also produced by these bacteria but was not directly related to the antibacterial activity. TDA was shown to effectively inhibit a range of marine bacteria from various phylogenetic groups. However TDA-producers themselves were resistant and are likely to possess resistance mechanism preventing autoinhibition. We propose that TDA in isolate D323 and related eukaryote-associated bacteria plays a role in defending the host organism against unwanted microbial colonisation and, possibly, bacterial pathogens

The role of traditional varieties of tomato as sources of functional compounds

BACKGROUND: Traditional varieties of tomato, usually associated with excellent organoleptic quality, are increasingly appreciated in European quality markets. A collection of 126 populations of 16 traditional varieties from the East of Spain (a secondary diversity center for tomato) have been evaluated during two years in order to determine their potential value as sources of functional compounds, including ascorbic acid, lycopene, B-carotene and total phenolic content. RESULTS: Population and population x year interaction significantly affected lycopene and ascorbic acid contents, while year effect was also significant for B-carotene. Despite finding some global trends in certain varieties concerning their functional value, high levels of variation have been found at the intra-varietal level. Populations with high levels of the compounds analyzed have been found, as well as different levels of intra-population and inter-year variation. Maximum mean contents for both years have reached 308 mg kg-1 of ascorbic acid, 130 mg kg-1 of lycopene, 30 mg kg-1 of B-carotene and 89 mg caffeic acid 100g-1 of total phenolic contents, though it is difficult to identify accessions with joint high values of the three compounds. CONCLUSION: These results open the possibility to promote traditional materials as sources of functional compounds, thus strengthening their quality niches and consolidating their price-premium. Additionally, these materials could also be used in breeding programs for quality.The funds for development of this research were provided by Fundacion de la Comunidad Valenciana para la Investigacion Agroalimentaria (AGROALIMED). Carles Cortes-Olmos expresses his gratitude to Universitat Politecnica of Valencia for the concession of a PhD grant.Cortes-Olmos, C.; Leiva-Brondo, M.; Rosello, J.; Raigón Jiménez, MD.; Cebolla Cornejo, J. (2014). The role of traditional varieties of tomato as sources of functional compounds. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. 94(14):2888-2904. doi:10.1002/jsfa.6629S28882904941

E-mobility solutions for urban transportation:User needs across four continents

Aiming at setting up a global platform for e-mobility solutions, the EU-funded project SOLUTIONSplus (2020–2023) established nine living labs in Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America to test innovative solutions involving new services, business models, vehicle types, and charging systems. A user needs analysis was undertaken in all project cities. The paper summarizes the main findings of this analysis and investigates the effect of the external environment on user needs. The perceived importance of electric vehicles in mobility patterns, quality of life, and city environment is examined, along with expected challenges in the respective market penetration. It is found that these perceptions are correlated with external factors such as air pollution or traffic congestion, leading to possible adjustments of the e-mobility promoting efforts according to the local stakeholder priorities

Determinants of social media adoption by B2B organizations

This study contributes to the current dearth of knowledge on the potential of social media as a marketing tool in industrial settings, by focusing on factors that determine social media adoption by B2B organizations. A conceptual model, which draws on the technology acceptance model and resource-based theory, is developed and tested using quantitative data from B2B organizations in the UK. Findings suggest that perceived usefulness of social media within B2B organizational contexts is determined by image, perceived ease of use and perceived barriers. Additionally, the results show that adoption of social media is significantly affected by organizational innovativeness and perceived usefulness. The moderating role of organizational innovativeness is also tested but no support is found. The findings of the study are further validated via nine qualitative interviews with B2B senior managers, yielding additional interesting and in-depth insights into the drivers of social media adoption by B2B organizations

Shedding light on plant litter decomposition: Advances, implications and new directions in understanding the role of photodegradation

Litter decomposition contributes to one of the largest fluxes of carbon (C) in the terrestrial biosphere and is a primary control on nutrient cycling. The inability of models using climate and litter chemistry to predict decomposition in dry environments has stimulated investigation of non-traditional drivers of decomposition, including photodegradation, the abiotic decomposition of organic matter via exposure to solar radiation. Recent work in this developing field shows that photodegradation may substantially influence terrestrial C fluxes, including abiotic production of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. Research has also produced contradictory results regarding controls on photodegradation. Here we summarize the state of knowledge about the role of photodegradation in litter decomposition and C cycling and investigate drivers of photodegradation across experiments using a meta-analysis. Overall, increasing litter exposure to solar radiation increased mass loss by 23% with large variation in photodegradation rates among and within ecosystems. This variation was tied to both litter and environmental characteristics. Photodegradation increased with litter C to nitrogen (N) ratio, but not with lignin content, suggesting that we do not yet fully understand the underlying mechanisms. Photodegradation also increased with factors that increased solar radiation exposure (latitude and litter area to mass ratio) and decreased with mean annual precipitation. The impact of photodegradation on C (and potentially N) cycling fundamentally reshapes our thinking of decomposition as a solely biological process and requires that we define the mechanisms driving photodegradation before we can accurately represent photodegradation in global C and N models. © 2012 US Government

Meta Modeling for Business Process Improvement

Conducting business process improvement (BPI) initiatives is a topic of high priority for today’s companies. However, performing BPI projects has become challenging. This is due to rapidly changing customer requirements and an increase of inter-organizational business processes, which need to be considered from an end-to-end perspective. In addition, traditional BPI approaches are more and more perceived as overly complex and too resource-consuming in practice. Against this background, the paper proposes a BPI roadmap, which is an approach for systematically performing BPI projects and serves practitioners’ needs for manageable BPI methods. Based on this BPI roadmap, a domain-specific conceptual modeling method (DSMM) has been developed. The DSMM supports the efficient documentation and communication of the results that emerge during the application of the roadmap. Thus, conceptual modeling acts as a means for purposefully codifying the outcomes of a BPI project. Furthermore, a corresponding software prototype has been implemented using a meta modeling platform to assess the technical feasibility of the approach. Finally, the usability of the prototype has been empirically evaluated