Empowered cities? An analysis of the structure and generated value of the smart city Ghent

Smart cities have gained momentum as a conceptual model which embodies a fresh wave of techno-optimism and emphasizes the positive effects of ICT and other innovative technologies in a city, often in combination with multidisciplinary collaborative partnerships. This article assesses a series of six smart city initiatives within one local city ecosystem by proposing a conceptual framework which is then used to analyze the architecture, value flows and contextual dimensions of the smart city Ghent. The results of our analysis show the multi-level collaborative value creation potential in a smart city and shed light on the complexity of these processes. The main conclusion is that current smart city initiatives face the challenge of evolving from demonstrators towards real sustainable value. Smart cities often have a technological deterministic, project-based approach, which forecloses a sustainable, permanent and growing future for the project outcomes

Induced expression of selected plant defence related genes in pot azalea, Rhododendron simsii hybrid

A set of putative marker genes to study plant defense responses against Polyphagotarsonemus latus, a key pest in the production of Rhododendron simsii hybrids, was selected and validated. Genes belonged to the biosynthetic pathway of phytohormones jasmonic acid (JA) (RsLOX, RsAOS, RsAOC, RsOPR3 and RsJMT) and salicylic acid (SA) (RsPAL and RsICS). Furthermore, RsPPO, a putative marker gene for oxidative stress response was successfully cloned from R. simsii. A CTAB-based extraction protocol was optimized to assure excellent RNA quality for subsequent RT-qPCR analysis. The RT-qPCR protocol was extensively tested and RsRG7 and RsRG14 were selected as reference genes from a geNorm pilot study. Validation of the marker genes was done after application with elicitors [methyl jasmonate (MeJA), coronatine, beta-aminobutyric acid and acibenzolar-Smethyl] or wounding. Both 100 mu M MeJA and 0.1 lM coronatine had a significant effect on the expression of all marker genes. Foliar application of MeJA on the shoots resulted in a significantly earlier response when compared to root application and subsequent sampling of the shoots. Expression patterns after MeJA treatment were generally the same in six R. simsii genotypes: 'Nordlicht', 'Elien', 'Aiko Pink', ' Michelle Marie', 'Mevrouw Gerard Kint' and 'Sachsenstern'. Wounding resulted in the same expression patterns as MeJA treatment except for RsJMT. None of the genotypes showed a significant induction of the latter gene 6 h upon wounding. Findings of these experiments indicated that the tolerant genotype 'Elien' has low basal expression levels of RsPPO. This might be the first step towards the breeding of mite-tolerant genotypes