Search results for "Native"

Accounting for service quality to customers in the efficiency of water companies: evidence from England and Wales

2015

This paper investigates the role of service quality to customers in the efficiency assessment of water companies in England and Wales. To achieve this, data envelopment analysis techniques are employed to compute the technical efficiency of the water companies following two approaches: (i) traditional assessment based on quantity variables (without the inclusion of service quality variables) and (ii) alternative assessment considering quantity and service quality variables as undesirable outputs. The analysis covers 22 water and sewerage companies and water only companies providing drinking water services. The results indicate that the traditional efficiency assessment reveals a high level …

Individual measurements and nested designs in aquaculture experiments: a simulation study

1998

Simple and nested models for analysis of variance (ANOVA) in aquaculture experiments were compared with the help of computer simulations. Simple models for analysing variables that are based on tank means, such as final weight and growth rate, were found to be sensitive to differences in the number of individual observations in each tank. In comparison to nested models that take into account individual measurements, the simple models were found to overestimate the F ratio and increase the risk of committing type I error, i.e., accepting a false alternative hypothesis. Further, nested models permit greater flexibility in experimental design, and allow more economical solutions within a given…

Identifying Social Entrepreneurial Behaviour in Farmers participation in Alternative Food Network

2016

The concept of social entrepreneurship is growing rapidly and attracting increased attention from research institutions and business schools around the world to understand how these satisfy the needs of communities, those private and public institutions are not adequately addressing. Social entrepreneurship, identified as activity with a social objective, was used in this study as a conceptual tool to empirically examine farmer’s participation in AFNs. Using a behavioural approach, we conducted a survey in Sicily, Italy, using a questionnaire with modified items from the Edinburgh Study of Decision Making on Farms. From the results emerges that around 64% of the farmers participating in AFN…

Local economies and consumer participation: the organic food fairs

2012

New consumption habits stand out against the idea of a rational consumer, which is aimed at maximizing utility according to budget constraint. Presently, people have the tendency to behave differently according to various purchase opportunities; a significant role is played by both ethical sides and selfless motivations. These new trends fall within the context of a new social paradigm that foresees postmodern society’s rise. Consumers have the tendency to use the market as an arena in which political, ethical and environmental issues may arise, starting a new trend of an alternative consumption called “political consumerism”. In this paper we’ll try to understand how new consumption habits…

Are Sicilian forests at less risk of invasion by alien plants?

Climate change could facilitate the spread of invasive alien plants by making plant communities and individuals weaker and less competitive. Indeed, alien plants are generally more adapted to the rapidly changing environmental conditions that are being determined in the coming decades. Moreover, while alien plants have, until recent years, mainly affected synanthropic communities and man-made habitats, they are increasingly able to affect also more complex natural communities such as forests. The talk will show some Sicilian cases.

Handroanthus heptaphyllus (Bignoniaceae) in Sicily: a new casual alien to Italy and Europe

2018

Handroanthus heptaphyllus (Bignoniaceae) is an ornamental tree native to different regions of South America (Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay). Here we report from Sicily the first case of natural regeneration in Europe.

Fungi related to larvae of red palm weevil Rhynchophorous ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

2010

As a first step to developing effective biocontrol strategies, we analyzed the pathogens and mainly the entomopathogenic fungal species, present into dead larvae of Rhynchophorous ferrugineus; a quarantine pest recently introduced and acclimated in Sicily (Italy). From 2008 to 2010, we estimated the natural larval mortality (> second instar) of R. ferrugineus collected from infested palm Phoenix canariensis; that was variable from 10 to 35%, according to the different seasons Among the different pathogens recorded the fungi seems have an important role, than in order to distinguish saprophytic or opportunistic species from potential pathogens (including the non cultivable ones) we applied d…

Contenimento naturale di Bactrocera oleae (Rossi): clima o parassitoidi? Confronto tra Western Cape (Sud Africa) e Sicilia

2017

Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), mosca delle olive, è presente anche in Sud Africa, ma finora non si sono avute notizie di infestazioni economicamente rilevanti negli oliveti. L’accertata presenza di un maggior numero di braconidi parassitoidi della mosca delle olive rispetto alle aree mediterranee è stata ed è considerata da molti autori la principale causa di queste minori infestazioni, senza che però siano stati eseguiti in Sud Africa adeguati studi sulle infestazioni da B. oleae e sui fattori cli- matici delle aree interessate. Analizzando recenti dati sui livelli d’infestazione di B. oleae registrati su olivo coltivato e selvatico nel Western Cape e in Sicilia, appaiono simili in una norm…

Mediterranean plant germination reports – 3

2021

This is the third issue of the series of germination reports from Mediterranean areas (sensu Med-Checklist). It comprises germination protocols for 40 taxa: Teucrium from Sardinia by M. Porceddu & al. (Nos. 46-47); Campanula from North Italy by S. Villa & al. (No. 48); Anacamptis from Greece by S. Oikonomidis & C. A. Thanos. (No. 49); Astragalus, Iris, Jacobaea, and Klasea from central Italy by V. Di Cecco & al. (No. 50-53); Drimia, Periploca, Asparagus, Myrtus, and Pancratium from Malta by J. Buhagiar & al. (Nos. 54-58); Thymus from Sicily by G. Gugliuzza & al. (No. 59); Agrostemma, Bupleurum, and Xeranthemum from North Italy by A. Cucchietti & al. (Nos. 60-62);…

Seed germination reports for Sicilian endemic taxa of the genus Helichrysum (Asteraceae)

2021

In the present study, successful germination protocols for 11 different taxa of the genus Helichrysum native to Sicily are discussed. Eight of them are representative of strict endemic Sicilian taxa, 2 are Italian sub endemic and one, namely H. stoechas, is a widespread W Mediterranean species. Given the controversial taxonomic status and relationships of the Mediterranean Helichrysum, the taxonomic approach enhancing the existing diversity of Sicilian populations was herein adopted from current literature. First germination records are given for some of the investigated taxa.