Search results for "PRODUCTIVITY"

Holocene climate variability of the Western Mediterranean: Surface water dynamics inferred from calcareous plankton assemblages

2020

A high-resolution study (centennial scale) has been performed on the calcareous plankton assemblage of the Holocene portion of the Ocean Drilling Program Site 976 (Alboran Sea) with the aim to identify the main changes in the surface water dynamic. The dataset also provided a seasonal foraminiferal sea surface water temperatures (SSTs), estimated using the modern analog technique SIMMAX 28, and it was compared with available geochemical and pollen data at the site. Three main climate shifts were identified as (1) the increase in abundance of Syracosphaera spp. and Turborotalita quinqueloba marks the early Holocene humid phase, during maximum summer insolation and enhanced river runoff. It i…

A Terrestrial Diet Close to the Coast: A Case Study from the Neolithic Levels of Nerja Cave (Málaga, Spain)

2017

Here we present an evaluation of faunal studies and new isotopic results on human and faunal remains from the first farmers at Nerja Cave (Malaga, Spain), and assess the data obtained from a regional perspective and on the basis of the archaeological and archaeozoological context. The evidence shows that the Neolithic peoples who inhabited the cave had a mainly terrestrial diet, even if living on the coastline and in a region with a high marine productivity, as observed during previous periods at the same cave. This sharp dietary shift occurring at the onset of the Neolithic for this region supports the hypothesis that different modes of exploitation during distinct time periods are best ex…

Creative industries and productivity in the European regions. Is there a Mediterranean effect?

2021

EFFECT OF CULTIVAR AND CROWN SIZE ON YIELD AND QUALITY OF STRAWBERRY FRESH BARE ROOT PLANTS IN SICILY

2012

In the southern regions of Mediterranean areas the plantations with fresh plants (winter planting system) have almost completely replaced those with cold stored plants (summer planting system). Particularly, fresh bare root plants produced in high elevation nurseries located in Spain and Poland and, in experimental phase, in the southern of Italy (in the mountains of Sicily, Calabria, Basilicata) are the most used. Such type of plant usually has a crown diameter from 6 to 14 mm, but the smallest plants should be (<8 mm) discarded in phase of selection and packing. Objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the different crown diameter on the earliness, productivity and qual…

Soil degradation and its impact on desertification: A research design for Mediterranean environments

1988

Summary Much is said but little is known of the processes and linkages of soil degradation with desertification. With particular emphasis on South-East Spain, a research design is proposed to characterize the processes, their dynamics and effect on productivity. Through detailed monitoring of plot experiments at three slope positions, changes in soil physical and chemical parameters and analyses of runoff and eroded sediments will be related to induced destruction of the vegetation. Knowing the cause and process will lead to the identification of management techniques that may protect vulnerable Mediterranean environments.

Holocene millennial-scale productivity variations in the Sicily Channel (Mediterranean Sea)

2008

[1] The calcareous nannofossil assemblages of Ocean Drilling Program Hole 963D from the central Mediterranean Sea have been investigated to document oceanographic changes in surface waters. The studied site is located in an area sensitive to large-scale atmospheric and climatic systems and to high- and low-latitude climate connection. It is characterized by a high sedimentation rate (the achieved mean sampling resolution is <70 years) that allowed the Sicily Channel environmental changes to be examined in great detail over the last 12 ka BP. We focused on the species Florisphaera profunda that lives in the lower photic zone. Its distribution pattern shows repeated abundance fluctuations of …

Combined Stress Conditions in Melon Induce Non-additive Effects in the Core miRNA Regulatory Network

2021

Climate change has been associated with a higher incidence of combined adverse environmental conditions that can promote a significant decrease in crop productivity. However, knowledge on how a combination of stresses might affect plant development is still scarce. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been proposed as potential targets for improving crop productivity. Here, we have combined deep-sequencing, computational characterization of responsive miRNAs and validation of their regulatory role in a comprehensive analysis of response of melon to several combinations of four stresses (cold, salinity, short day, and infection with a fungus). Twenty-two miRNA families responding to double and/or triple …

Boosting Ethanol Productivity of Zymomonas mobilis 8b in Enzymatic Hydrolysate of Dilute Acid and Ammonia Pretreated Corn Stover Through Medium Optim…

2019

The presence of toxic degradation products in lignocellulosic hydrolysate typically reduced fermentation rates and xylose consumption rate, resulting in a decreased ethanol productivity. In the present study, Zymomonas mobilis 8b was investigated for high cell density fermentation with cell recycling to improve the ethanol productivity in lignocellulosic hydrolysate. The fermentation performances of Z. mobilis 8b at various conditions were first studied in yeast extract-tryptone medium. It was found that nutrient level was essential for glucose and xylose co-fermentation by Z. mobilis 8b and high cell density fermentation with cell recycling worked well in yeast extract-tryptone medium for …

Adapting a Phage to Combat Phage Resistance

2020

Phage therapy is becoming a widely recognized alternative for fighting pathogenic bacteria due to increasing antibiotic resistance problems. However, one of the common concerns related to the use of phages is the evolution of bacterial resistance against the phages, putatively disabling the treatment. Experimental adaptation of the phage (phage training) to infect a resistant host has been used to combat this problem. Yet, there is very little information on the trade-offs of phage infectivity and host range. Here we co-cultured a myophage FCV-1 with its host, the fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare, in lake water and monitored the interaction for a one-month period. Phage resistance was…

Incentive Schemes, Private Information and the Double-Edged Role of Competition for Agents

2013

This paper examines the effect of imperfect labor market competition on the efficiency of compensation schemes in a setting with moral hazard and risk-averse agents, who have private information on their productivity. Two vertically differentiated firms compete for agents by offering contracts with fixed and variable payments. The superior firm employs both agent types in equilibrium, but the competitive pressure exerted by the inferior firm has a strong impact on contract design: For high degrees of vertical differentiation, i.e. low competition, low-ability agents are under-incentivized and exert too little effort. For high degrees of competition, high-ability agents are over-incentivized…