Effects of form of nitrogen fertilization on the accumulation of Pb, As, Sc Ge and U in shoots of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.)

Science.gov (United States)

Wiche, Oliver; Székely, Balázs; Moschner, Christin; Heilmeier, Hermann

2015-04-01

Nitrogen (N) fertilization is necessary for growth and development of plants but it may also causes an increased metal uptake by plants due to changes of physiochemical properties of the elements in soil. The research in phytoremediation and phytomining conducted so far has revealed that the effect of nitrogen fertilizers initially depends on the form of application, as N is the only element that can be readily utilized by plants in its cationic (ammonia) or anionic form (nitrate) causing several effects in soil-plant system. However, to our knowledge most of the recent studies only documented an improvement of yield parameters and the uptake of heavy metals by plants as a result of different forms of N-fertilization. Here we report the result of a field experiment were we tried to obtain more information about the effects of form of N-fertilization on uptake of As, Pb, Sc Ge and U in reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.). In this study, reed canary grass was grown on 15 plots (4 m² each) under field conditions on a semi-field lysimer at the off-site soil recycling and remediation center in Hirschfeld (Saxony, Germany). To test the effects of a fertilization with different N-forms on the accumulation, the plots plants received 5 g N / m² in three doses as NH4SO4, Mg(NO3)2 or NH4NO3. The geometrical arrangement of plots was randomized and every treatment was fivefold replicated. After a 50 day period of plant growth, the plants were harvested and concentrations of trace metals in the shoots were measured with ICP-MS. As a result of the different N-treatments we found that in plants treated with NH4SO4 concentrations of Pb and As as well as of Sc, Ge and U were significantly increased in plant tissues compared to plants treated with NH4NO3. Furthermore, no significant changes in mineral composition of plants between the Mg(NO3)2 and NH4NO3 treatments could be observed. Our interpretation of these results is that it might be an effect of the acidification of

Nutrition and energetics of the canary (Serinus canarius).

Science.gov (United States)

Harper, E J; Turner, C L

2000-07-01

Canaries appear to be primarily seed-eaters, although there are no reports of their feeding ecology in the wild. In captivity, they are offered seed-based diets, preferring to consume seeds such as canary, rapeseed and millet. The mean daily dry-matter intake ranges from 3 to 4 g, which corresponds to a mean gross energy intake of approximately 70 kJ per bird per day. The efficiency of dietary metabolism is high (0.85), which equates to individual metabolizable energy intakes of 45-75 kJ per bird per day. For a canary of average body weight (22 g) the data can be fitted to a regression equation to predict a requirement of 62 kJ ME per day. This corresponds to published information on the energy requirements of other passerine species, but deviates from the predictive equation for poultry. The digestibility values for protein, fat and carbohydrate are similar to those obtained for the budgerigar, although it is likely that the digestibility coefficient is dependent upon the seed type and alimentary tract lipase and amylase activities. Nutrient requirements of canary chicks have not yet been determined, although recent studies have provided data on the nutrient intakes of developing chicks. The newly-hatched canary chick has a rapid growth rate, achieving 90% of its asymptotic body mass by 11 days of age. Gross energy intake is approximately 3 kJ per day following hatching and by day 10 is equivalent to that of an adult canary. It appears that the protein intake should lie between 16.5 and 21.9% of the diet (as is), with peak intake occurring between 8 and 10 days of age.

Integrated non-food concept of rape seed, reed canary grass and flax processing for fiber, fuel oil and solid fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sipilae, K.

1998-01-01

The target of the project was to investigate if rape seed based fuel oil and diesel fuel component, agrofiber and solid fuel from other annual crops could be produced effectively as an alternative to existing non-economical biodiesel-RME and ethanol production. Without heavy tax incentives the biodiesel and grain ethanol can not compete with conventional liquid fuels, the present EU fuel tax legislation will not permit any permanent tax incentives for commercial scale operations. Based on several studies by VTT the rape seed oil will be 30 % cheaper than RME and the utilization as a component 10-30 % blended to heating oil or diesel fuel might the most flexible solution. Neste Oy has carried out the combustion tests with 20 kW boiler and VTT the diesel engine tests with 20 % unprocessed rape seed oil mixtures, the oil was delivered by Mildola Oy. For the co-utilization of annual crops and straw, several laboratory scale combustion and flash pyrolysis tests have been carried out by VTT with straw, reed canary grass etc. In fluid bed combustion 10-30 % addition of rape seed straw and reed canary grass, which have high ash melting point, seems to be less problematic compared to other straw species, which are used for example in Denmark. In a flash pyrolysis process, the alkalies will remain in the char and a low alkali level bio oils can be produced. As a final step in order to reach the zero subsidy target, an extensive laboratory work is carried out to produce agro fibre from flax, reed canary grass and wheat straw. The laboratory results show that a good quality pulp can be produced to be mixed with conventional wood fibres, the quality of flax pulp is even better compared to conventional pulp. During the next months an overall economic calculations will be carried out in Finnish, Danish and Italian conditions as an EU-Apas project in order to see the competitiveness of such integrated concepts to conventional RME and reed canary grass combustion. (orig.)

Intercropping of reed canary grass, phalaris arundinacea l., with legumes can cut costs for n-fertilization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palmborg, Cecilia; Lindvall, Eva (Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Dept. of Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden, Umeaa (Sweden)), e-mail: eva.lindvall@njv.slu.se

2010-07-15

In a field experiment close to Oestersund in mid Sweden reed canary grass was intercropped with barley, Alsike clover, Trifolium hybridum L., red clover, T. pratense L., goats rue, Galega orientalis L. or a combination of red clover and goats rue. There were also three fertilization treatments: A: Recommended amounts of N, P and K. B: Recommended amounts of P and K and half amount of N. C: Sewage sludge application before sowing (establishment year) and recommended amounts of P and K and half amount of N. The biomass was lower where reed canary grass had been undersown in barley, and higher with full N-fertilization than with half N-fertilization. However there were no significant differences between legume intercrops with half N-fertilization and pure reed canary grass with full Nfertilization. Alsike clover was the most productive legume, followed by red clover. The amount of nitrogen fixed by the legumes was less with full N-fertilization (29 kg/ha as a mean) than with half N-fertilization (38 kg/ha). Intercropping with legumes could substitute half of the N in fertilization but similar experiments in other parts of Sweden has shown that there is a higher risk of weed problems

Inhibition by Seeds of Phalaris canariensis Extracts of Key Enzymes Linked to Obesity.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez Gutierrez, Rosa Martha; Madrigales Ahuatzi, Diana; Cruz Victoria, Teresa

2016-01-01

Obesity and its associated diseases are an increasing problem around the world. One hyperglycemic remedy is reduction of glucose absorption performed by suppressing digestion of carbohydrates and lipids through the use of inhibitors. Phalaris canariensis (P canariensis) is a species belonging to the Graminaceae family and is used in traditional medicine in Mexico for treatment of diabetes and obesity. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of different extracts of the seeds of P canariensis on enzymes metabolizing fat and carbohydrates, obtained using 3 solvents. The seeds of P canariensis were extracted using hexane (ALH), chloroform (ALC), and methanol (ALM) and were investigated for their antiobesity potential. This research was conducted in the Laboratory of Research of Natural Products in the School of Chemical Engineering at the National Polytechnic Institute and in the Research Laboratory of Enzymology in the National School of Biological Sciences. Different concentrations of the extracts were used to study the inhibition of enzymatic activity by porcine pancreatic α-amylase, with carbose as a positive control. The inhibitory activity of α-glucosidase was determined using the standard method with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Pancreatic lipase (PL) activity was measured by absorbance at 412 nm, and the data obtained were compared with orlistat. The PL activity was assessed using a second method measuring the rate of release of oleic acid from triolein. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity was measured by released (3H)-oleic acid. Lipolytic activity in cultured, mouse, 3T3-Ll adipocytes was used as a measure of hormone-sensitive lipase activity. The inhibitory activity of rat intestinal sucrase was determined by measuring the glucose released. A Caco-2 cell assay determined the content of free glucose. The ALH extract of P canariensis showed potent inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 2.13 and 1.25 mg/mL as compared with α-amylase and �

Differences in breeding bird assemblages related to reed canary grass cover cover and forest structure on the Upper Mississippi River

Science.gov (United States)

Kirsch, Eileen M.; Gray, Brian R.

2017-01-01

Floodplain forest of the Upper Mississippi River provides habitat for an abundant and diverse breeding bird community. However, reed canary grass Phalaris arundinacea invasion is a serious threat to the future condition of this forest. Reed canary grass is a well-known aggressive invader of wetland systems in the northern tier states of the conterminous United States. Aided by altered flow regimes and nutrient inputs from agriculture, reed canary grass has formed dense stands in canopy gaps and forest edges, retarding tree regeneration. We sampled vegetation and breeding birds in Upper Mississippi River floodplain forest edge and interior areas to 1) measure reed canary grass cover and 2) evaluate whether the breeding bird assemblage responded to differences in reed canary grass cover. Reed canary grass was found far into forest interiors, and its cover was similar between interior and edge sites. Bird assemblages differed between areas with more or less reed canary grass cover (.53% cover breakpoint). Common yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas, black-capped chickadee Parus atricapillus, and rose-breasted grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus were more common and American redstart Setophaga ruticilla, great crested flycatcher Myiarchus crinitus, and Baltimore oriole Icterus galbula were less common in sites with more reed canary grass cover. Bird diversity and abundance were similar between sites with different reed canary grass cover. A stronger divergence in bird assemblages was associated with ground cover ,15%, resulting from prolonged spring flooding. These sites hosted more prothonotary warbler Protonotaria citrea, but they had reduced bird abundance and diversity compared to other sites. Our results indicate that frequently flooded sites may be important for prothonotary warblers and that bird assemblages shift in response to reed canary grass invasion.

Integrated non-food concept of rape seed, reed canary grass and flax processing for fiber, fuel oil and solid fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sipilae, K.

1995-01-01

The target of this project is to investigate if rape seed based fuel oil and diesel fuel component, agrofiber and solid fuel from other annual crops could be produced effectively as an alternative to existing non economical biodiesel-RME and ethanol production. Without heavy tax incentives the biodiesel and grain ethanol can not compete with conventional liquid fuels, the present EU fuel tax legislation will not permit any permanent tax incentives for commercial scale operations. Based on several studies by VTT the rape seed oil will be 30 % cheaper than RME and the utilization as a component 10-30 % blended to heating oil or diesel fuel might the most flexible solution. Neste Oy has carried out the combustion tests with 20 kW boiler and VTT the diesel engine tests with 20 % unprocessed rape seed oil mixtures, the oil was delivered by Mildola Oy. For the co-utilization of annual crops and straw, several laboratory scale combustion and flash pyrolysis tests have been carried out by VTT with straw, reed canary grass etc. In a flash pyrolysis process, the alkalies will remain in the char and a low alkali level bio oils can be produced. As a final step in order to reach the zero subsidy target, an extensive laboratory work is carried out to produce agrofibre from flax, reed canary grass and wheat straw. During the next months an overall economic calculations will be carried out in Finnish, Danish and Italian conditions as an EU-Apas project in order to see the competitiveness of such integrated concepts to conventional RME and reed canary grass combustion

Biomass yield and greenhouse gas emissions from a drained fen peatland cultivated with reed canary grass under different harvest and fertilizer regimes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kandel, Tanka Prasad; Elsgaard, Lars; Karki, Sandhya

2013-01-01

Reed canary grass (RCG, Phalaris arundinacea L.) is a suitable energy crop for cultivation in northern peatlands. However, the atmospheric impact of RCG cultivation as influenced by harvest frequency and fertilization is not clear. Here, we compared the biomass yield and greenhouse gas (GHG......) balance for RCG cultivation in peatlands affected by cutting frequency and fertilizer managements. The managements included one-cut (OC) and two-cut (TC) systems that were either fertilized (TC-F) or unfertilized (TC-U) after the first cut in summer. Biomass yield of OC, TC-F and TC-U were 12, 16 and 11...

Integrated non-food concept of rape seed, reed canary grass and flax processing for fiber, fuel oil and solid fuel; Energiarypsi - peltojen non-food vaihtoehtoja

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sipilae, K. [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland). Energy Production Technologies

1995-12-31

The target of this project is to investigate if rape seed based fuel oil and diesel fuel component, agrofiber and solid fuel from other annual crops could be produced effectively as an alternative to existing non economical biodiesel-RME and ethanol production. Without heavy tax incentives the biodiesel and grain ethanol can not compete with conventional liquid fuels, the present EU fuel tax legislation will not permit any permanent tax incentives for commercial scale operations. Based on several studies by VTT the rape seed oil will be 30 % cheaper than RME and the utilization as a component 10-30 % blended to heating oil or diesel fuel might the most flexible solution. Neste Oy has carried out the combustion tests with 20 kW boiler and VTT the diesel engine tests with 20 % unprocessed rape seed oil mixtures, the oil was delivered by Mildola Oy. For the co-utilization of annual crops and straw, several laboratory scale combustion and flash pyrolysis tests have been carried out by VTT with straw, reed canary grass etc. In a flash pyrolysis process, the alkalies will remain in the char and a low alkali level bio oils can be produced. As a final step in order to reach the zero subsidy target, an extensive laboratory work is carried out to produce agrofibre from flax, reed canary grass and wheat straw. During the next months an overall economic calculations will be carried out in Finnish, Danish and Italian conditions as an EU-Apas project in order to see the competitiveness of such integrated concepts to conventional RME and reed canary grass combustion

Integrated non-food concept of rape seed, reed canary grass and flax processing for fiber, fuel oil and solid fuel; Energiarypsi - peltojen non-food vaihtoehtoja

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sipilae, K [VTT Energy, Espoo (Finland). Energy Production Technologies

1996-12-31

The target of this project is to investigate if rape seed based fuel oil and diesel fuel component, agrofiber and solid fuel from other annual crops could be produced effectively as an alternative to existing non economical biodiesel-RME and ethanol production. Without heavy tax incentives the biodiesel and grain ethanol can not compete with conventional liquid fuels, the present EU fuel tax legislation will not permit any permanent tax incentives for commercial scale operations. Based on several studies by VTT the rape seed oil will be 30 % cheaper than RME and the utilization as a component 10-30 % blended to heating oil or diesel fuel might the most flexible solution. Neste Oy has carried out the combustion tests with 20 kW boiler and VTT the diesel engine tests with 20 % unprocessed rape seed oil mixtures, the oil was delivered by Mildola Oy. For the co-utilization of annual crops and straw, several laboratory scale combustion and flash pyrolysis tests have been carried out by VTT with straw, reed canary grass etc. In a flash pyrolysis process, the alkalies will remain in the char and a low alkali level bio oils can be produced. As a final step in order to reach the zero subsidy target, an extensive laboratory work is carried out to produce agrofibre from flax, reed canary grass and wheat straw. During the next months an overall economic calculations will be carried out in Finnish, Danish and Italian conditions as an EU-Apas project in order to see the competitiveness of such integrated concepts to conventional RME and reed canary grass combustion

Reed canary grass observations of effects on crop stand and fibre quality caused by infestation of Epicalamus phalaridis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. HELLQVIST

2008-12-01

Full Text Available A severe infestation of the gall midge Epicalamus phalaridis (Diptera: Cecidomyiidaeoccurred in a field of reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinacea in northern Sweden. The midge species has potential to become a serious pest on Phalaris grown for bioenergy or fibre production. Larvae of the midge feed beneath leaf sheaths and the crop lodges in late summer. Details are given on the biology of the midge. In the infested field, population densities of the midge were very high during three consecutive years. The crop was weakened and the occurrence of weeds increased. The dry matter yields declined markedly and were after three years of midge-attack about 50% of the average yield in the preceding years. The yield dropped comparatively more when the crop was harvested in the spring as opposed to harvest in late autumn and more at a nitrogen fertilisation at 100 kg compared to 200 kg N ha–1 per year. The effect of midge attack on fibre quality was studied. The fibre properties of midge-infested parts of internodes were poor, but as midge-damaged parts are brittle, they could probably be sorted out in a fractionation process. Undamaged parts of infested internodes had the same fibre properties as those from an uninfested crop.;

Winery wastewater inhibits seed germination and vegetative growth of common crop species.

Science.gov (United States)

Mosse, Kim P M; Patti, Antonio F; Christen, Evan W; Cavagnaro, Timothy R

2010-08-15

The ability to reuse winery wastewater would be of significant benefit to the wine industry, as it could potentially be a cost-effective method of wastewater management, whilst at the same time providing a valuable water resource. This study investigated the effects of different dilutions of a semi-synthetic winery wastewater on the growth and germination of four common crop species in a glasshouse study; barley (Hordeum vulgare), millet (Pennisetum glaucum), lucerne (Medicago sativa) and phalaris (Phalaris aquatica). The wastewater caused a significant delay in the germination of lucerne, millet and phalaris, although overall germination percentage of all species was not affected. Vegetative growth was significantly reduced in all species, with millet being the most severely affected. The germination index of barley correlated very highly (r(2)=0.99) with barley biomass, indicating that barley seed germination bioassays are highly relevant to plant growth, and therefore may be of use as a bioassay for winery wastewater toxicity. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Food preferences of wild house-mice (Mus musclus L).

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, F P; Bradfield, A; Redfern, R

1974-12-01

The relative acceptance of various plain foods by wild house-mice (Mus musculus L.) was compared in laboratory choice tests. The palatability of glycerine and six oils, each included at 5% in pinhead oatmeal, was compared in a similar manner.The most favoured food was found to be whole canary seed (Phalaris canariensis). Pinhead oatmeal and wheat were also comparatively well accepted. Glycerine, corn oil, arachis oil and mineral oil were more palatable than either olive, linseed or cod-liver oils.The results of the choice tests are considered in relation to the use of poison baits for the control of free-living mice.

Food preferences of wild house-mice (Mus musculus L.)*

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, F. P.; Bradfield, A.; Redfern, R.

1974-01-01

The relative acceptance of various plain foods by wild house-mice (Mus musculus L.) was compared in laboratory choice tests. The palatability of glycerine and six oils, each included at 5% in pinhead oatmeal, was compared in a similar manner. The most favoured food was found to be whole canary seed (Phalaris canariensis). Pinhead oatmeal and wheat were also comparatively well accepted. Glycerine, corn oil, arachis oil and mineral oil were more palatable than either olive, linseed or cod-liver oils. The results of the choice tests are considered in relation to the use of poison baits for the control of free-living mice. PMID:4531454

Energy crop cultivations of reed canary grass - An inferior breeding habitat for the skylark, a characteristic farmland bird species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vepsaelaeinen, Ville [Finnish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 17, University of Helsinki, FI-00014 Helsinki (Finland)

2010-07-15

Here, I present the first comparison of the abundance of farmland birds in energy grass fields and in cereal-dominated conventionally cultivated fields (CCFs). I demonstrate that in boreal farmland, skylark (Alauda arvensis) densities were significantly lower in reed canary grass (RCG) (Phalaris arundinacea) fields than in CCFs. I found that during the early breeding season RCG fields and CCFs are equally good habitats, but over the ensuing couple of weeks RCG rapidly grows too tall and dense for field-nesting species. Consequently, RCG is an inferior habitat for skylark for laying replacement clutches (after failure of first nesting) or for a second clutch after one successful nesting. The results imply that if RCG cultivation is to be expanded, the establishment of large monocultures should be avoided in farmland landscapes; otherwise the novel habitat may affect detrimentally the seriously depleted skylark population, and probably also other field-nesting bird species with similar breeding habitats. (author)

The use of reed canary grass and giant miscanthus in the phytoremediation of municipal sewage sludge.

Science.gov (United States)

Antonkiewicz, Jacek; Kołodziej, Barbara; Bielińska, Elżbieta Jolanta

2016-05-01

The application of municipal sewage sludge on energy crops is an alternative form of recycling nutrients, food materials, and organic matter from waste. Municipal sewage sludge constitutes a potential source of heavy metals in soil, which can be partially removed by the cultivation of energy crops. The aim of the research was to assess the effect of municipal sewage sludge on the uptake of heavy metals by monocotyledonous energy crops. Sewage sludge was applied at doses of 0, 10, 20, 40, and 60 Mg DM · ha(-1) once, before the sowing of plants. In a 6-year field experiment, the effect of four levels of fertilisation with sewage sludge on the uptake of heavy metals by two species of energy crops, reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) of 'Bamse' cultivar and giant miscanthus (Miscanthus × giganteus GREEF et DEU), was analysed. It was established that the increasing doses of sewage sludge had a considerable effect on the increase in biomass yield from the tested plants. Due to the increasing doses of sewage sludge, a significant increase in heavy metals content in the energy crops was recorded. The heavy metal uptake with the miscanthus yield was the highest at a dose of 20 Mg DM · ha(-1), and at a dose of 40 Mg DM · ha(-1) in the case of reed canary grass. Research results indicate that on account of higher yields, higher bioaccumulation, and higher heavy metal uptake, miscanthus can be selected for the remediation of sewage sludge.

Upgrading of solid biofuels and feedstock quality

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Burvall, Jan [Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Umeaa (Sweden). Dept. of Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden

1998-06-01

This paper treats upgrading of biomass to pellets, briquettes and powder and the quality needed of the initial feedstock. The main raw materials are wood and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) 5 refs, 6 figs, 2 tabs

Consumo e valor nutritivo de alimentos utilizados para Bicudo-verdadeiro (“Sporophila maximiliani” Consumption and nutritive value of feedstuffs used for great-billed seed finch (“Sporophila maximiliani”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elis Regina de Moraes Garcia

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Foi conduzido um estudo para determinar o consumo e o valor nutritivo do alpiste comum (Phalaris Canariensis L., arroz (Oryza Sativa L., painço verde (Panicum Miliaceum L. e capim-arroz (Echinochloa Spp para Bicudo-verdadeiro (Sporophila maximiliani. Foram utilizadas 24 fêmeas adultas com idade média de dois anos, distribuídas em um delineamento inteiramente ao acaso, com quatro tratamentos, três repetições e duas aves por unidade experimental. Foi utilizado o método de coleta total de excretas para determinar os coeficientes de metabolização aparente da matéria seca, proteína e energia, assim como os valores de energia metabolizável aparente e corrigida para o balanço de nitrogênio. Não houve diferença nos consumos, com média de 3,55±0,11 gramas de alimento/ave/dia. O arroz apresentou os melhores valores para os coeficientes de metabolização da matéria seca (90,57% e da energia (90,55%. Os coeficientes de metabolização da proteína não diferiram entre os alimentos. Os melhores valores de energia metabolizável foram obtidos para o alpiste (3.612kcal/EM kg e o capim-arroz (3.509kcal/EM kg.An experiment was carried out to determinate the nutritive value and consumption of canary grass (Phalaris canariensis L., rice (Oryza sativa L., proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L. and barnyard grass (Echinochloa spp for the Great-billed Seed Finch (Sporophila maximiliani. Twenty four adult females averaging two years of age were assigned to a completely randomized design with four treatments, three replicates and two birds per pen. Fecal output was used to determine dry matter, protein and energy metabolizable coefficients, and also the values of apparent metabolizable energy and corrected by nitrogen. No differences were observed in consumption, with 3.55±0.11g of feedstuff/birds/day. Rice provided the best values for metabolization coefficients of dry matter (90.57% and energy (90.55%. No differences were observed for protein

Climatic sensitivity of hydrology and carbon exchanges in boreal peatland ecosystems, with implications on sustainable management of reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea, L.) on cutaway peatlands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gong Jinnan

2013-11-01

The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of climate change on soil hydrology and carbon (C) fluxes in boreal peatland ecosystems, with implications for the feasibility of cultivating reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea, L; RCG) as a way to restore the C sink in cutaway peatlands under Finnish conditions. First, hydrological models were developed for pristine peatland ecosystems and the cutaway peatlands under RCG cultivation. Concurrently, the hydrological responses to varying climatic forcing and mire types were investigated for these ecosystems. Thereafter, process-based models for estimating the seasonal and annual C exchanges were developed for the pristine mires and cutaway peatlands. The C models incorporated the hydrological models for corresponding ecosystems. Model simulations based on the climate scenarios (ACCLIM, developed by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, FMI) were further carried out to study the impacts of climate change on the C exchanges in the peatland ecosystems during the 21st century. The simulation showed that the water table (WT) in the pristine Finnish mires would draw down slightly during the 21st century. Such a chance in WT would be related to a decrease in the CO{sub 2} sink but an increase in the CH{sub 4} source at the country scale, as driven mainly by the rising temperature (Ta) and increasing precipitation (P). These changes in CO{sub 2}/ CH{sub 4} fluxes would decrease the total C-greenhouse gas (GHG) sink (CO{sub 2} equilibrium) by 68% at the country scale, and the changes would be more pronounced toward the end of the century. The majority of pristine fens in southern and western Finland and the pristine bogs near the coastal areas would become centurial CO{sub 2} sources under the changing climate. On the other hand, the major distribution of fens in northern Finland would act to increase the CH{sub 4} source at the country scale, whereas the CH{sub 4} emission would tend to decrease with WT in the southern

The Limacidae of the Canary Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Regteren Altena, van C.O.

1950-01-01

CONTENTS Introduction............... 3 Systematic survey of the Limacidae of the central and western Canary Islands 5 Biogeographical notes on the Limacidae of the Canary Islands . . . . 21 Alphabetical list of the persons who collected or observed Limacidae in the Canary Islands.............. 31

Ile-1781-Leu and Asp-2078-Gly Mutations in ACCase Gene, Endow Cross-resistance to APP, CHD, and PPZ in Phalaris minor from Mexico

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hugo Cruz-Hipolito

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Herbicides that inhibit acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACCase are commonly used in Mexico to control weedy grasses such as little seed canarygrass (Phalaris minor. These herbicides are classified into three major families (ariloxyphenoxypropionates (APP, cyclohexanodiones (CHD, and, recently, phenylpyrazolines (PPZ. In this work, the resistance to ACCase (APP, CHD, and PPZ inhibiting herbicides was studied in a biotype of Phalaris minor (P. minor from Mexico, by carrying out bioassays at the whole-plant level and investigating the mechanism behind this resistance. Dose-response and ACCase in vitro activity assays showed cross-resistance to all ACCase herbicides used. There was no difference in the absorption, translocation, and metabolism of the 14C-diclofop-methyl between the R and S biotypes. The PCR generated CT domain fragments of ACCase from the R biotype and an S reference were sequenced and compared. The Ile-1781-Leu and Asp-2078-Gly point mutations were identified. These mutations could explain the loss of affinity for ACCase by the ACCase-inhibing herbicides. This is the first report showing that this substitution confers resistance to APP, CHD, and PPZ herbicides in P. minor from Mexico. The mutations have been described previously only in a few cases; however, this is the first study reporting on a pattern of cross-resistance with these mutations in P. minor. The findings could be useful for better management of resistant biotypes carrying similar mutations.

Plant growth and microbial processes in a constructed wetland planted with Phalaris arundinacea

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Edwards, K.R.; Čížková, Hana; Zemanová, K.; Šantrůčková, H.

2006-01-01

Roč. 27, č. 2 (2006), s. 153-165 ISSN 0925-8574 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA206/02/1036 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60870520 Keywords : Constructed wetland * N mineralization * P mineralization * nutrient uptake * Phalaris arundinacea * non-structural carbohydrates * eutrophication Subject RIV: DJ - Water Pollution ; Quality Impact factor: 1.331, year: 2006

Seasonal varability of the Canary Current

Science.gov (United States)

Vélez-Belchí, P.; Hernandez-Guerra, A.; Pérez-Hernández, M. D.

2016-02-01

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is recognized as an important component of the climate system, contributing to the relatively mild climate of northwest Europe. Due to its importance, the strength of the AMOC is continually monitored along 26ºN with several moorings, east of the Bahamas, in the Middle Atlantic Ridge and south of the Canary islands, known as the RAPID array. The measurements of the RAPID array show a 6 Sv seasonal cycle for the AMOC, and recent studies have pointed out the dynamics of the eastern Atlantic as the main driver for this seasonal cycle, specifically, rossby waves excited south of the Canary Islands.Due to the important role of the eastern Atlantic, in this study we describe the seasonal cycle of the Canary Current (CC) and the Canary Upwelling Current (CUC), using hydrographic data from two cruises carried out in a box around the Canary Islands, the region where the eastern component of the RAPID array is placed. CTD, VMADCP and LADCP data were combined with inverse modeling in order to determine absolute geostrophic transports in the Canary Islands region in fall and spring. During spring, the overall transport of Canary Current and the CUC was southward. In the Lanzarote Passage (LP), between the Canary Islands and Africa, the CUC transported 0.6±0.20 Sv southward, while the Canary Current transported 1.0±0.40 Sv in the oceanic waters of the Canary Islands Archipelago. During fall, the CUC transported 2.8±0.4Sv northward, while the CC transported 2.9±0.60 Sv southward in the oceanic waters of the Canary Islands Archipelago. The seasonal cycle observed has and amplitude of 3.4Sv for the CUC and 1.9Sv for the CC. Data from a mooring in the LP and the hydrographic data was used to calibrate geostrophic transport estimated using altimetry data. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle of the geostrophic transport obtained using the calibrated altimetry data (Figure 1) was quite similar to the seasonal cycle of the

Seasonal cycle of the Canary Current.

Science.gov (United States)

Vélez-Belchí, P.; Hernandez-Guerra, A.; Pérez-Hernández, M. D.

2015-12-01

The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is recognized as an important component of the climate system, contributing to the relatively mild climate of northwest Europe. Due to its importance, the strength of the AMOC is continually monitored along 26ºN with several moorings east of the Bahamas, in the Middle Atlantic Ridge and south of the Canary islands, known as the RAPID array. The measurements of the RAPID array show a 6 Sv seasonal cycle for the AMOC, and recent studies have pointed out the dynamics of the eastern Atlantic as the main driver for this seasonal cycle, specifically, rossby waves excited south of the Canary Islands. Due to the important role of the eastern Atlantic, in this study we describe the seasonal cycle of the Canary Current (CC) and the Canary Upwelling Current (CUC) using hydrographic data from two cruises carried out in a box around the Canary Islands, the region where the eastern component of the RAPID array is placed. CTD, VMADCP and LADCP data were combined with inverse modeling in order to determine absolute geostrophic transports in the Canary Islands region in fall and spring. During spring, the overall transport of Canary Current and the CUC was southward. In the Lanzarote Passage (LP), between the Canary Islands and Africa, the CUC transported 0.6±0.20 Sv southward, while the Canary Current transported 1.0±0.40 Sv in the oceanic waters of the Canary Islands Archipelago. During fall, the CUC transported 2.8±0.4Sv northward, while the CC transported 2.9±0.60 Sv southward in the oceanic waters of the Canary Islands Archipelago. The seasonal cycle observed has an amplitude of 3.4Sv for the CUC and 1.9Sv for the CC. Data from a mooring in the LP and the hydrographic data was used to calibrate geostrophic transport estimated using altimetry data. The amplitude of the seasonal cycle of the geostrophic transport obtained using the calibrated altimetry data (Figure 1) was quite similar to the seasonal cycle of the

Overseas seed dispersal by migratory birds.

Science.gov (United States)

Viana, Duarte S; Gangoso, Laura; Bouten, Willem; Figuerola, Jordi

2016-01-13

Long-distance dispersal (LDD) promotes the colonization of isolated and remote habitats, and thus it has been proposed as a mechanism for explaining the distributions of many species. Birds are key LDD vectors for many sessile organisms such as plants, yet LDD beyond local and regional scales has never been directly observed nor quantified. By sampling birds caught while in migratory flight by GPS-tracked wild falcons, we show that migratory birds transport seeds over hundreds of kilometres and mediate dispersal from mainland to oceanic islands. Up to 1.2% of birds that reached a small island of the Canary Archipelago (Alegranza) during their migration from Europe to Sub-Saharan Africa carried seeds in their guts. The billions of birds making seasonal migrations each year may then transport millions of seeds. None of the plant species transported by the birds occurs in Alegranza and most do not occur on nearby Canary Islands, providing a direct example of the importance of environmental filters in hampering successful colonization by immigrant species. The constant propagule pressure generated by these LDD events might, nevertheless, explain the colonization of some islands. Hence, migratory birds can mediate rapid range expansion or shifts of many plant taxa and determine their distribution. © 2016 The Author(s).

The deep Canary poleward undercurrent

Science.gov (United States)

Velez-Belchi, P. J.; Hernandez-Guerra, A.; González-Pola, C.; Fraile, E.; Collins, C. A.; Machín, F.

2012-12-01

Poleward undercurrents are well known features in Eastern Boundary systems. In the California upwelling system (CalCEBS), the deep poleward flow has been observed along the entire outer continental shelf and upper-slope, using indirect methods based on geostrophic estimates and also using direct current measurements. The importance of the poleward undercurrents in the CalCEBS, among others, is to maintain its high productivity by means of the transport of equatorial Pacific waters all the way northward to Vancouver Island and the subpolar gyre but there is also concern about the low oxygen concentration of these waters. However, in the case of the Canary Current Eastern Boundary upwelling system (CanCEBS), there are very few observations of the poleward undercurrent. Most of these observations are short-term mooring records, or drifter trajectories of the upper-slope flow. Hence, the importance of the subsurface poleward flow in the CanCEBS has been only hypothesized. Moreover, due to the large differences between the shape of the coastline and topography between the California and the Canary Current system, the results obtained for the CalCEBS are not completely applicable to the CanCEBS. In this study we report the first direct observations of the continuity of the deep poleward flow of the Canary Deep Poleward undercurrent (CdPU) in the North-Africa sector of the CanCEBS, and one of the few direct observations in the North-Africa sector of the Canary Current eastern boundary. The results indicate that the Canary Island archipelago disrupts the deep poleward undercurrent even at depths where the flow is not blocked by the bathymetry. The deep poleward undercurrent flows west around the eastern-most islands and north east of the Conception Bank to rejoin the intermittent branch that follows the African slope in the Lanzarote Passage. This hypothesis is consistent with the AAIW found west of Lanzarote, as far as 17 W. But also, this hypothesis would be coherent

Lead pollution: effects on chlorophyll. [Phalaris canariensis, Lemna minor, graminaceae

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fiussello, N

1973-01-01

The emissions of motors are responsible for the high concentrations of lead in soil and plants near roads. In man, when the concentration of lead in blood exceeds the value of 30 ..mu..g/100 ml, is shown a decrease of haemaglobin and an increase of ALA urinary content. Since the early stages of chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway are similar if not identical with those leading to haem as far as protoporphyrin IX, it is interesting to ascertain if lead can specifically interfere in chlorophyll biosynthesis. In sand cultures with 200 p.p.m. of lead (the conc. in roadside soils), after 2 weeks, wheat shows a diminution of 16,5% in fresh weight 7,5% in dry weight and 6,5% in chlorophyll; Phalaris canariensis shows a diminution of 68% f.w., 41% d.w. and 39% chl. in comparison with the controls. A water-plant, Lemna minor, is more sensitive: the chlorophyll content, referred to dry weight, shows after a week a diminution of 32% and 55% with 10/sup -4/M and 10/sup -3/M lead nitrate. Lead in 200 p.p.m. conc. is surely poisonous against the tested plants but a specific action on chlorophyll synthesis could be accepted, at present, only for Lemna minor. It is possible that in wheat and in Phalaris a part of lead is bound in root-system, the more damaged, while in Lemna it can reach more easily the chloroplasts. At present a detectable increase of ALA, in plants treated with lead, has not been proved both in Graminaceae and in Lemna minor.

Evaluation of equipment for broadcast seed sowing of canary and linseed.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Boschini-Figueroa

2015-01-01

Full Text Available El objetivo del presente trabajo fue evaluar la efectividad de dos equipos de voleo de semillas de plantas forrajeras. La investigación se realizó en Ochomogo de Cartago, en el año 2010. Se emplearon semillas de alpiste (Phalaris canariensis y linaza (Linum usitatissimum L. El modelo estadístico fue el de tres caminos de clasificación. Las variables medidas fueron: tiempo empleado en recorrer la franja de trabajo, cantidad de semilla esparcida al voleo por segundo (mg/s, número de semillas esparcidas y peso/m2. La distribución de semilla fue de 5,14 mg/seg en ambas especies. Se encontraron diferencias (p<0,05 entre equipos y dentro de ellos, se obtuvieron descargas muy diferenciadas (p<0,01 entre los grados de aceleración y entre los niveles de apertura del voleo. El efecto de la adición de agregados en mezcla con la semilla fue significativo (p<0,01, en el orden de 21, 14 y 9 kg/ha de semilla pura, mezcla con 25% y 50% de agregados, respectivamente. Se realizó un análisis de superficie de respuesta para determinar el grado de aceleración requerido en la bomba de motor o el nivel de apertura de la voleadora manual, junto con el nivel de agregados necesarios en la mezcla, para lograr densidades de 6, 8 y 10 kg/ha en cada equipo empleado.

Fate of xenobiotic compounds and plants activity in reed bed sludge treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Xijuan; Pauli, Udo; Rehfus, Stefan

different plants: bulrush (Typha), reed (Phragmites australis) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) were planted into 12 containers with a size of 1m Х 1m X 1m which were builded with 20cm gravel and 50cm sludge to study the plants activity in sludge degradation process, 4 containers were left...

Effects of flood inundation and invasion by Phalaris arundinacea on nitrogen cycling in an Upper Mississippi River floodplain forest

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, Whitney; DeJager, Nathan R.; Strauss, Eric A.; Thomsen, Meredith

2017-01-01

Although floodplains are thought to serve as important buffers against nitrogen (N) transport to aquatic systems, frequent flooding and high levels of nutrient availability also make these systems prone to invasion by exotic plant species. Invasive plants could modify the cycling and availability of nutrients within floodplains, with effects that could feedback to promote the persistence of the invasive species and impact N export to riverine and coastal areas. We examined the effect of flooding on soil properties and N cycling at a floodplain site in Pool 8 of the Upper Mississippi River with 2 plant communities: mature native forest (Acer saccharinum) and patches of an invasive grass (Phalaris arundinacea). Plots were established within each vegetation type along an elevation gradient and sampled throughout the summers of 2013 and 2014. Spatial trends in flooding resulted in higher soil organic matter, porosity, and total nitrogen and carbon in low elevations. Nutrient processes and NH4+ and NO3− availability, however, were best explained by vegetation type and time after flooding. Phalaris plots maintained higher rates of nitrification and higher concentrations of available NH4+ and NO3−. These results suggest that invasion by Phalarismay make nitrogen more readily available and could help to reinforce this species' persistence in floodplain wetlands. They also raise the possibility that Phalaris may decrease floodplain N storage capacity and influence downstream transport of N to coastal zones.

Intoxicação experimental por Phalaris angusta (Gramineae em bovinos Experimental poisoning by Phalaris angusta (Gramineae in cattle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renato Silva de Sousa

1999-07-01

Full Text Available Para investigar os efeitos da ingestão de diferentes quantidades da planta Phalaris angusta em bovinos, oito bezerros, com idade variando entre 6-8 meses, foram divididos em 4 grupos com 2 animais cada. Os animais do grupo I receberam somente P. angusta na alimentação, enquanto que os animais do grupo II receberam P. angusta (75%, aveia (Avena sativa e azevém (Lolium multiflorum (25%. Os animais do grupo III receberam P. angusta (50%, aveia e azevém (50% e os animais do grupo IV receberam somente aveia e azevém e serviram como controles. Todos os animais que ingeriram P. angusta adoeceram. Um animal do grupo I morreu 34 dias após o início da ingestão da planta e os outros animais foram sacrificados, in extremis, em um período que variou de 18 a 32 dias após o início do experimento. Os principais sinais clínicos observados foram alterações de locomoção, tremores generalizados, quedas e crises convulsivas. Alterações macroscópicas foram observadas apenas no encéfalo e eram caracterizadas por focos de coloração verde-azulada no tálamo, mesencéfalo e medula oblonga. Microscopicamente observou-se pigmento granular marrom-amarelado no citoplasma de neurônios das regiões macroscopicamente afetadas. Alterações ultra-estruturais consistiram de lisossomos contendo material com densidade e orientação variáveis. A quantidade de P. angusta ingerida não foi um fator determinante na gravidade do quadro clínico, nem na intensidade das lesões observadas. A intensidade dos sinais clínicos também não teve uma relação direta com a severidade das lesões macro e microscópicas. Phalaris angusta demonstrou ter ação exclusivamente neurotóxica e deve ser considerada no diagnóstico diferencial em casos de animais com sinais clínicos de origem nervosa, consistentes com síndrome tremorgênica.To investigate the effects of the ingestion of different amounts of Phalaris angusta, eight 6-8-month-old calves were assigned to four

Canary: an atomic pipeline for clinical amplicon assays.

Science.gov (United States)

Doig, Kenneth D; Ellul, Jason; Fellowes, Andrew; Thompson, Ella R; Ryland, Georgina; Blombery, Piers; Papenfuss, Anthony T; Fox, Stephen B

2017-12-15

High throughput sequencing requires bioinformatics pipelines to process large volumes of data into meaningful variants that can be translated into a clinical report. These pipelines often suffer from a number of shortcomings: they lack robustness and have many components written in multiple languages, each with a variety of resource requirements. Pipeline components must be linked together with a workflow system to achieve the processing of FASTQ files through to a VCF file of variants. Crafting these pipelines requires considerable bioinformatics and IT skills beyond the reach of many clinical laboratories. Here we present Canary, a single program that can be run on a laptop, which takes FASTQ files from amplicon assays through to an annotated VCF file ready for clinical analysis. Canary can be installed and run with a single command using Docker containerization or run as a single JAR file on a wide range of platforms. Although it is a single utility, Canary performs all the functions present in more complex and unwieldy pipelines. All variants identified by Canary are 3' shifted and represented in their most parsimonious form to provide a consistent nomenclature, irrespective of sequencing variation. Further, proximate in-phase variants are represented as a single HGVS 'delins' variant. This allows for correct nomenclature and consequences to be ascribed to complex multi-nucleotide polymorphisms (MNPs), which are otherwise difficult to represent and interpret. Variants can also be annotated with hundreds of attributes sourced from MyVariant.info to give up to date details on pathogenicity, population statistics and in-silico predictors. Canary has been used at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne for the last 2 years for the processing of clinical sequencing data. By encapsulating clinical features in a single, easily installed executable, Canary makes sequencing more accessible to all pathology laboratories. Canary is available for download as source

Cofirmation of resistance in littleseed canarygrass (phalaris minor retz) to accase inhibitors in central punjab-pakistan and alternative herbicides for its management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abbas, T.; Burgos, N. R.; Nadeem, M. A.; Matloob, A.; Farooq, N.; Chauhan, B. S.

2017-01-01

Littleseed canarygrass (Phalaris minor) infests wheat and other winter crops in Pakistan and many other countries. Studies were conducted in Pakistan to confirm littleseed canarygrass resistance to fenoxaprop-P-ethyl and to appraise the efficacy of other postemergence herbicides against this grassy weed. A field survey was conducted to collect putative fenoxaprop-resistant seeds from various districts of the central Punjab in March 2015. Dose-response assays were conducted in the greenhouse to confirm resistance to fenoxaprop. The response of fenoxaprop-resistant littleseed canarygrass to diverse herbicide molecules like clodinafop-propargyl, metribuzin, pinoxaden, and sulfosulfuron was also evaluated in further dose-response bioassays. All accessions manifested variable resistance to fenoxaprop, which ranged from 2.52- to 6.00-fold. The resistant accessions also showed low-level cross-resistance (two-fold) to clodinafop. Metribuzin, pinoxaden, and sulfosulfuron were still effective in controlling fenoxaprop-resistant canarygrass. This is the first scientific documentation of resistance to ACCase inhibitor herbicides in central Punjab, Pakistan. The use of alternative herbicides in conjunction with other agronomic practices is crucial for sustainable wheat production in the country. (author)

Phalaris canariensis L. (Poaceae: A new alien plant record for Kashmir Himalaya, India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shugufta Rasheed

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The correct taxonomic identification assumes first and foremost priority in the scientific documentation of biodiversity. The Kashmir Himalaya, located in the north-western side of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot, is well-known for its diverse flora which merits immediate scientific documentation. In this context, the present study reports Phalaris canariensis L. (Poaceae as a new alien plant record to the flora of Kashmir Himalaya, India. In this paper, a detailed description, photographs, and comparison of diagnostic characters with allied species are provided to scientifically validate this alien plant record for this Himalayan region.

Blood profile and meat quality of Holstein-Friesian steers finished on total mixed ration or flaxseed oil-supplemented pellet mixed with reed canary grass haylage.

Science.gov (United States)

Utama, D T; Lee, S G; Baek, K H; Chung, W S; Chung, I A; Kim, D I; Kim, G Y; Lee, S K

2018-02-01

Holstein-Friesian steer beef production is renowned globally as a secondary product of the milk industry. Grass feeding is a common practice in raising Holstein steers because of its low cost. Furthermore, grass feeding is an alternative way to produce beef with a balanced n-6 to n-3 fatty acids (FAs) ratio. However, the performance and meat quality of Holstein-Friesian cattle is more likely to depend on a high-quality diet. The aim of this study was to observe whether feeding two mixed diets; a corn-based total mixed ration (TMR) with winter ryegrass (Lolium perenne) or flaxseed oil-supplemented pellets with reed canary grass haylage (n-3 mix) provided benefits on carcass weight, meat quality and FA composition compared with cattle fed with reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) haylage alone. In all, 15 21-month-old Holstein-Friesian steers were randomly assigned to three group pens, were allowed free access to water and were fed different experimental diets for 150 days. Blood samples were taken a week before slaughter. Carcass weight and meat quality were evaluated after slaughter. Plasma lipid levels and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), creatine kinase (CK) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were determined. Diet did not affect plasma triglyceride levels and GGT activity. Plasma cholesterol levels, including low-density and high-density lipoproteins, were higher in both mixed-diet groups than in the haylae group. The highest activities of plasma AST, CK and ALP were observed in the haylage group, followed by n-3 mix and TMR groups, respectively. Carcass weight was lower in the haylage group than in the other groups and no differences were found between the TMR and n-3 mix groups. Although the n-3 mix-fed and haylage-fed beef provided lower n-6 to n-3 FAs ratio than TMR-fed beef, the roasted beef obtained from the TMR group was more acceptable with better overall meat physicochemical properties and sensory scores

Temporal variability of mass transport across Canary Islands Channels

Science.gov (United States)

Marrero-Díaz, Ángeles; Rodríguez-Santana, Ángel; José Machín, Francisco; García-Weil, Luis; Sangrà, Pablo; Vélez-Belchí, Pedro; Fraile-Nuez, Eugenio

2014-05-01

The equatorward flowing Canary Current (CC) is the main feature of the circulation in the Canary Islands region. The CC flow perturbation by the Canary Islands originate the Canary Eddy Corridor which is the major pathway for long lived eddies in the subtropical North Atlantic (Sangrà et al., 2009, DSR). Therefore the variability of the CC passing through the Canary Archipelago will have both local and regional importance. Past studies on the CC variability trough the Canary Islands point out a clearly seasonal variability (Fraile-Nuez et al, 2010 (JGR); Hernández-Guerra et al, 2002 (DSR)). However those studies where focused on the eastern islands channels missing the variability through the western island channels which are the main source of long lived eddies. In order to fill this gap from November 2012 until September 2013 we conducted trimonthly surveys crossing the whole islands channels using opportunity ships (Naviera Armas Ferries). XBT and XCTD where launched along the cross channels transects. Additionally a closed box circling the Archipelago was performed on October 2013 as part of the cruise RAPROCAN-2013 (IEO) using also XBT and XCTD. Dynamical variables where derived inferring salinity from S(T,p) analytical relationships for the region updated with new XCTD data. High resolution, vertical sections of temperature, potential density, geostrophic velocity and transport where obtained. Our preliminary results suggest that the CC suffer a noticeable acceleration in those islands channels where eddy shedding is more frequent. They also indicate a clearly seasonal variability of the flows passing the islands channels. With this regard we observed significant differences on the obtained seasonal variability with respect the cited past studies on the eastern islands channel (Lanzarote / Fuerteventura - Africa coast). This work was co-funded by Canary Government (TRAMIC project: PROID20100092) and the European Union (FEDER).

Ratite eggshells from lanzarote, canary islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Franz Sauer, E G; Rothe, P

1972-04-07

Struthious and aepyornithoid eggshells from Tertiary calcareous sediments on Lanzarote prove the presence, until about 12 million years ago, of large flightless birds. The calcarenite horizon is recognized as an old land surface. Mesozoic sedimentary rocks in the basement of the volcanic islands of Lanzarote and neighboring Fuerteventura indicate that at least part of the Canary Archipelago is underlain by continental crust. Separation of the eastern Canaries from Africa raight have been by rifting, and a land connection might still have existed in the lower Pliocene.

Dietary intake of aluminum in a Spanish population (Canary Islands).

Science.gov (United States)

González-Weller, Dailos; Gutiérrez, Angel José; Rubio, Carmen; Revert, Consuelo; Hardisson, Arturo

2010-10-13

The aim of this study was to analyze the aluminum content in foods and beverages most commonly consumed by the Canary Island population to determine the dietary intake of this metal throughout the Canary Islands as a whole and in each of the seven islands (Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera, and El Hierro). Four hundred and forty samples were analyzed by ICP-OES. Estimated total intake of aluminum for the Canary population was 10.171 mg/day, slightly higher than the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI; 10 mg/day for a person weighing 70 kg). Aluminum intake by age and sex of the Canary Island population was also determined and compared values from other populations, both national and international.

Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

1992-01-01

This easterly looking view shows the seven major volcanic islands of the Canary Island chain (28.0N, 16.5W) and offers a unique view of the islands that have become a frequent vacation spot for Europeans. The northwest coastline of Africa, (Morocco and Western Sahara), is visible in the background. Frequently, these islands create an impact on local weather (cloud formations) and ocean currents (island wakes) as seen in this photo.

Dust Storm Hits Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

A thick pall of sand and dust blew out from the Sahara Desert over the Atlantic Ocean yesterday (January 6, 2002), engulfing the Canary Islands in what has become one of the worst sand storms ever recorded there. In this scene, notice how the dust appears particularly thick in the downwind wake of Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. Perhaps the turbulence generated by the air currents flowing past the island's volcanic peaks is churning the dust back up into the atmosphere, rather than allowing it to settle toward the surface. This true-color image was captured by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying aboard NASA's Terra satellite, on January 7, 2002. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC

Effect of some adjuvants application on enhancing sulfosulfuron herbicide performance on Phalaris minor- Poaceae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Mehdizadeh

2015-02-01

Full Text Available Nowadays environmental pollution by pesticides application is a major concern for health. Efficiency of many herbicides can be increased by adding adjuvants to the spray solution. Therefore greenhouse study was conducted during 2014 to determine the efficacy of three adjuvants (Citogate, Castor oil and Canola oil at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2 (%v/v with 5, 10, 20, 30 and 40 g a.i\\ha of sulfosulfuron herbicide on littleseed canary grass. Results showed that the adjuvants enhanced the efficacy of sulfosulfuron in decreasing the dry weights of littleseed canary grass. Performance of herbicide was increased with enhancing its concentrations. Measured ED50 and ED90 concentrations of sulfosulfuron in control were 16.74 and 32.22 g a.i\\ha, respectively. Whereas the values for Citogate 0.2 (%v\\v, was 5.86 and 13.34 g a.i\\ha, respectively. The addition of Citogate and Castor oil had the highest and lowest effect on sulfosulfuron efficacy against Littleseed canary grass. In conclusion, the study revealed that Citogate concentrations had powerful effects on herbicide efficacy followed by Canola oil.

The conditions for use of reed canary grass briquettes and chopped reed canary grass in small heating plants; Foerutsaettningar foer anvaendning av roerflensbriketter och hackad roerflen i mindre vaermecentraler

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paulrud, Susanne; Davidsson, Kent; Holmgren, Magnus A. (Swedish National Testing and Research Inst., Boraas (Sweden)); Hedman, Henry; Oehman, Rikard; Leffler, Joel (ETC, Piteaa (Sweden))

2010-09-15

The aim of this study was to test fuel blends of briquettes and chopped reed canary grass in three existing heating plants (50 kW - 500 kW) and elucidate the requirements for good performance and low emissions. In addition, the study investigated production of reed canary grass briquettes using a Polish screw press developed for straw. Some tests with a bale shredder were also undertaken. The screw press technique is of interest for reed canary grass because it is a simple technique, easy to handle, developed for small scale production, and for straw. The test with reed canary grass in this study showed that the technique worked well but that further adjustments and a longer test period are needed in order to achieve higher bulk density and mechanical strength. The test with chopped reed canary grass shows that a system with a forage harvester is slightly more effective than baling and cutting in a bale shredder. The study concluded that few existing heating plants of size 50 kW-1 MW that currently use wood fuels will be able to use reed canary grass without adjustment, conversion or replacement of the combustion equipment. Reed canary grass has 15-20 times higher ash content than wood briquettes and 2-3 times higher ash content than forest residue; the combustion equipment must be able to handle these properties. The boiler must be equipped with a continuously operating ashing system and it must be possible to move the ash bed mechanically. There is a risk of high content of unburned matter if the residence time in the boiler is too short, due to the structure and low bulk density of the reed canary grass ash. Using a blend of wood briquettes and reed canary briquettes results in lower ash content, but also affects the ash chemistry and tends to lower the initial ash fusion temperature compared to using 100 % reed canary grass. Blending chopped reed canary grass and wood chips in an existing small scale heating plant also requires measures to achieve an even fuel

On freshwater Ostracoda (Crustacea) collected on the Canary Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meisch, Claude; Broodbakker, Nico W.

1990-01-01

Les auteurs ont examiné une collection de 38 échantillons d’Ostracodes d’eau douce récoltés par le Prof. J. H. Stock sur les Iles Canaries de 1985 à 1987. Seules quelques espèces ont été trouvées. Cypridopsis lanzarotensis fut décrite par Mallwitz (1984) de l’île de Lanzarote (îles Canaries); c’est

Non-native earthworms promote plant invasion by ingesting seeds and modifying soil properties

Science.gov (United States)

Clause, Julia; Forey, Estelle; Lortie, Christopher J.; Lambert, Adam M.; Barot, Sébastien

2015-04-01

Earthworms can have strong direct effects on plant communities through consumption and digestion of seeds, however it is unclear how earthworms may influence the relative abundance and composition of plant communities invaded by non-native species. In this study, earthworms, seed banks, and the standing vegetation were sampled in a grassland of central California. Our objectives were i) to examine whether the abundances of non-native, invasive earthworm species and non-native grassland plant species are correlated, and ii) to test whether seed ingestion by these worms alters the soil seed bank by evaluating the composition of seeds in casts relative to uningested soil. Sampling locations were selected based on historical land-use practices, including presence or absence of tilling, and revegetation by seed using Phalaris aquatica. Only non-native earthworm species were found, dominated by the invasive European species Aporrectodea trapezoides. Earthworm abundance was significantly higher in the grassland blocks dominated by non-native plant species, and these sites had higher carbon and moisture contents. Earthworm abundance was also positively related to increased emergence of non-native seedlings, but had no effect on that of native seedlings. Plant species richness and total seedling emergence were higher in casts than in uningested soils. This study suggests that there is a potential effect of non-native earthworms in promoting non-native and likely invasive plant species within grasslands, due to seed-plant-earthworm interactions via soil modification or to seed ingestion by earthworms and subsequent cast effects on grassland dynamics. This study supports a growing body of literature for earthworms as ecosystem engineers but highlights the relative importance of considering non-native-native interactions with the associated plant community.

Clinical and pathological findings of concurrent poxvirus lesions and aspergillosis infection in canaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Reza, Kheirandish; Nasrin, Askari; Mahmoud, Salehi

2013-03-01

To investigate clinical, pathological and mycological findings in canaries, in which pox lesions and Aspergillus fumigatus (A. fumigatus) infection were observed simultaneously. This study was performed on a breeding colony (about 100 canaries) affected by fatal wasting disease. Necropsy was undertaken on 10 severely affected canaries, and gross lesions were recorded. Samples from internal organs displaying lesions were obtained for histopathological evaluation. Tracheal swap samples of internal organs of the all infected animals with lesions at necropsy were cultured in Sabouraud Dextrose Agar for mycological examination. At necropsy, caseous foci were determined in the lungs, on the air sacs, liver, spleen, heart. Swelling of the eyelids, diffuse hemorrhages in the subcutaneous tissue with small papular lesions of the skin were other typical necropsy findings. Histopathologically, pathognomonic eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies, which called Bollinger bodies, in both skin cells and vacuolated air way epithelial cells confirmed canary pox infection. Moreover, histopathological examination of the white-yellowish caseous foci revealed necrotic granulomatous reaction consisting of macrophages, heterophil leukocytes and giant cells encapsulated with a fibrous tissue. After the culture of the tissue samples, the formation of bluish green colonies confirmed A. fumigatus infection. Canary pox has been known as the disease that can result in high losses in a short time, as a re-emerging disease that has not been present during recent years in canary flocks in Iran. So, the current paper provides useful information to prevent misdiagnosed of canary pox disease which can cause secondary mycotic infection.

Stygofauna of the Canary Islands, 9. The amphipod genus Pseudoniphargus (Crustacea) in the Canary Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stock, Jan H.

1988-01-01

Pseudoniphargus was known from inland stygohabitats in the Iberian peninsula, the Azores, Madeira, N.W. Africa, and Bermuda, but not from the Canary Islands. Systematic sampling in six of the seven larger islands of the latter archipelago has revealed the presence of the genus in Tenerife (4

Interannual variability of mass transport in the Canary region from LADCP data

Science.gov (United States)

Comas-Rodríguez, Isis; Hernández-Guerra, Alonso; Vélez-Belchí, Pedro; Fraile-Nuez, Eugenio

2010-05-01

The variability of the Canary Current is a widely studied topic regarding its role as eastern boundary of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. The Canary region provides indeed an interesting study area in terms of estimating variability scales of the Subtropical Gyre as well as the water masses dynamics. RAPROCAN (RAdial PROfunda de CANarias - Canary deep hydrographic section) is a project based on the reaching of these goals through the obtaining of hydrographic measures during cruises taking place approximately along 29°N, to the North of the Canary Archipelago, twice a year since 2006. The full depth sampling carried out allows the study of temperature and salinity distribution and the calculation of mass transports across the section. The transport estimates are compared to those obtained from previous measurements and estimates in the region. Therefore, transports and their variability through the last decade are quantified. The most significant advance made to previous works is the use of LADCP (Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) data informing the initial geostrophic calculations. Thus, corrections are applied to each geostrophic profile considering the reference velocity obtained from LADCP data. ADCP-referenced transport estimates are obtained, providing a successful comparison between the velocity fields obtained from the hydrographic measures. While this work shows the interannual variability observed in winter since 1997, preliminary results confirm previous hypotheses about the magnitude of the Canary Current. Those results including LADCP data also provide new aspects in the circulation distribution across the Canary Archipelago. Also moored current meter data were taken into account in the up close study of the Current through the Lanzarote Passage. Interesting conclusions were drawn that certify the usefulness of LADCP data in referencing geostrophic calculations, while corroborating the results obtained through this methodology. Hence

Construct exploit constraint in crash analysis by bypassing canary

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ning; Huang, Shuguang; Huang, Hui; Chang, Chao

2017-08-01

Selective symbolic execution is a common program testing technology. Developed on the basis of it, some crash analysis systems are often used to test the fragility of the program by constructing exploit constraints, such as CRAX. From the study of crash analysis based on symbolic execution, this paper find that this technology cannot bypass the canary stack protection mechanisms. This paper makes the improvement uses the API hook in Linux. Experimental results show that the use of API hook can effectively solve the problem that crash analysis cannot bypass the canary protection.

Ameliorative Effect of Hexane Extract of Phalaris canariensis on High Fat Diet-Induced Obese and Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosa Martha Perez Gutierrez

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Obesity is one of the major factors to increase various disorders like diabetes. The present paper emphasizes study related to the antiobesity effect of Phalaris canariensis seeds hexane extract (Al-H in high-fat diet- (HFD- induced obese CD1 mice and in streptozotocin-induced mild diabetic (MD and severely diabetic (SD mice.AL-H was orally administered to MD and SD mice at a dose of 400 mg/kg once a day for 30 days, and a set of biochemical parameters were studied: glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, lipid peroxidation, liver and muscle glycogen, ALP, SGOT, SGPT, glucose-6-phosphatase, glucokinase, hexokinase, SOD, CAT, GSH, GPX activities, and the effect on insulin level. HS-H significantly reduced the intake of food and water and body weight loss as well as levels of blood glucose, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, lipoprotein, oxidative stress, showed a protective hepatic effect, and increased HDL-cholesterol, serum insulin in diabetic mice. The mice fed on the high-fat diet and treated with AL-H showed inhibitory activity on the lipid metabolism decreasing body weight and weight of the liver and visceral adipose tissues and cholesterol and triglycerides in the liver. We conclude that AL-H can efficiently reduce serum glucose and inhibit insulin resistance, lipid abnormalities, and oxidative stress in MD and SD mice. Our results demonstrate an antiobesity effect reducing lipid droplet accumulation in the liver, indicating that its therapeutic properties may be due to the interaction plant components soluble in the hexane extract, with any of the multiple targets involved in obesity and diabetes pathogenesis.

Ameliorative Effect of Hexane Extract of Phalaris canariensis on High Fat Diet-Induced Obese and Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Perez Gutierrez, Rosa Martha; Madrigales Ahuatzi, Diana; Horcacitas, Maria Del Carmen; Garcia Baez, Efren; Cruz Victoria, Teresa; Mota-Flores, Jose Maria

2014-01-01

Obesity is one of the major factors to increase various disorders like diabetes. The present paper emphasizes study related to the antiobesity effect of Phalaris canariensis seeds hexane extract (Al-H) in high-fat diet- (HFD-) induced obese CD1 mice and in streptozotocin-induced mild diabetic (MD) and severely diabetic (SD) mice.AL-H was orally administered to MD and SD mice at a dose of 400 mg/kg once a day for 30 days, and a set of biochemical parameters were studied: glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, lipid peroxidation, liver and muscle glycogen, ALP, SGOT, SGPT, glucose-6-phosphatase, glucokinase, hexokinase, SOD, CAT, GSH, GPX activities, and the effect on insulin level. HS-H significantly reduced the intake of food and water and body weight loss as well as levels of blood glucose, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, lipoprotein, oxidative stress, showed a protective hepatic effect, and increased HDL-cholesterol, serum insulin in diabetic mice. The mice fed on the high-fat diet and treated with AL-H showed inhibitory activity on the lipid metabolism decreasing body weight and weight of the liver and visceral adipose tissues and cholesterol and triglycerides in the liver. We conclude that AL-H can efficiently reduce serum glucose and inhibit insulin resistance, lipid abnormalities, and oxidative stress in MD and SD mice. Our results demonstrate an antiobesity effect reducing lipid droplet accumulation in the liver, indicating that its therapeutic properties may be due to the interaction plant components soluble in the hexane extract, with any of the multiple targets involved in obesity and diabetes pathogenesis.

Factors affecting post-control reinvasion by seed of an invasive species, Phragmites australis, in the central Platte River, Nebraska.

Science.gov (United States)

Galatowitsch, Susan M.; Larson, Diane L.; Larson, Jennifer L.

2016-01-01

Invasive plants, such as Phragmites australis, can profoundly affect channel environments of large rivers by stabilizing sediments and altering water flows. Invasive plant removal is considered necessary where restoration of dynamic channels is needed to provide critical habitat for species of conservation concern. However, these programs are widely reported to be inefficient. Post-control reinvasion is frequent, suggesting increased attention is needed to prevent seed regeneration. To develop more effective responses to this invader in the Central Platte River (Nebraska, USA), we investigated several aspects of Phragmites seed ecology potentially linked to post-control reinvasion, in comparison to other common species: extent of viable seed production, importance of water transport, and regeneration responses to hydrology. We observed that although Phragmites seed does not mature until very late in the ice-free season, populations produce significant amounts of viable seed (>50 % of filled seed). Most seed transported via water in the Platte River are invasive perennial species, although Phragmites abundances are much lower than species such as Lythrum salicaria, Cyperus esculentus and Phalaris arundinacea. Seed regeneration of Phragmites varies greatly depending on hydrology, especially timing of water level changes. Flood events coinciding with the beginning of seedling emergence reduced establishment by as much as 59 % compared to flood events that occurred a few weeks later. Results of these investigations suggest that prevention of seed set (i.e., by removal of flowering culms) should be a priority in vegetation stands not being treated annually. After seeds are in the seedbank, preventing reinvasion using prescribed flooding has a low chance of success given that Phragmites can regenerate in a wide variety of hydrologic microsites.

Recirculation of the Canary Current in fall 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández-Guerra, Alonso; Espino-Falcón, Elisabet; Vélez-Belchí, Pedro; Dolores Pérez-Hernández, M.; Martínez-Marrero, Antonio; Cana, Luis

2017-10-01

Hydrographic measurements together with Ship mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers and Lowered Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (LADCP) obtained in October 2014 are used to describe water masses, geostrophic circulation and mass transport of the Canary Current System, as the Eastern Boundary of the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. Geostrophic velocities are adjusted to velocities from LADCP data to estimate an initial velocity at the reference layer. The adjustment results in a northward circulation at the thermocline layers over the African slope from an initial convergent flow. Final reference velocities and consequently absolute circulation are estimated from an inverse box model applied to an ocean divided into 13 neutral density layers. This allows us to evaluate mass fluxes consistent with the thermal wind equation and mass conservation. Ekman transport is estimated from the wind data derived from the Weather Research and Forecasting model. Ekman transport is added to the first layer and adjusted with the inverse model. The Canary Current located west of Lanzarote Island transports to the south a mass of - 1.5 ± 0.7 Sv (1 Sv = 106 m3 s- 1 ≈ 109 kg s- 1) of North Atlantic Central Water at the surface and thermocline layers ( 0-700 m). In fall 2014, hydrographic data shows that the Canary Current in the thermocline (below at about 80 m depth to 700 m) recirculates to the north over the African slope and flows through the Lanzarote Passage. At intermediate layers ( 700-1400 m), the Intermediate Poleward Undercurrent transports northward a relatively fresh Antarctic Intermediate Water in the range of 0.8 ± 0.4 Sv through the Lanzarote Passage and west of Lanzarote Island beneath the recirculation of the Canary Current.

Nutrient uptake and biomass accumulation for eleven different field crops

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. HAKALA

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Oil hemp (Cannabis sativa L., quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd., false flax (Camelina sativa (L. Crantz, caraway (Carum carvi L., dyer’s woad (Isatis tinctoria L., nettle (Urtica dioica L., reed canary grass (RCG (Phalaris arundinacea L., buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench, linseed (Linum usitatissimum L., timothy (Phleum pratense L. and barley (Hordeum vulgare L. were grown under uniform conditions in pots containing well fertilised loam soil. Dry matter (DM accumulation was measured repeatedly, and contents of minerals N, P, K, Ca and Mg at maturity. Annual crops accumulated above-ground biomass faster than perennials, while perennials had higher DM accumulation rates below ground. Seeds had high concentrations of N and P, while green biomass had high concentrations of K and Ca. Stems and roots had low concentrations of minerals. Concentrations of K and P were high in quinoa and caraway, and that of P in buckwheat. Hemp and nettle had high Ca concentrations, and quinoa had high Mg concentration. N and P were efficiently harvested with seed, Ca and K with the whole biomass. Perennials could prevent soil erosion and add carbon to the soil in the long term, while annuals compete better with weeds and prevent erosion during early growth. Nutrient balances in a field could be modified and nutrient leaching reduced by careful selection of the crop and management practices.;

Science of active galactic nuclei with the GTC and CanariCam

Science.gov (United States)

Levenson, Nancy A.; Packham, Christopher C.; Alonso-Herrero, Almudena; Aretxaga, Itziar; Colina, Luis; Díaz-Santos, Tanio; Elitzur, Moshe; Mason, Rachel E.; Perlman, Eric S.; Radomski, James T.; Roche, Patrick F.; Rodríguez Espinosa, José Miguel; Young, Stuart; Telesco, Charles M.

2008-07-01

CanariCam is the facility mid-infrared (MIR) instrument for the Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC), a 10.4m telescope at the Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos on La Palma. One of the science drivers for CanariCam is the study of active galactic nuclei (AGN). We will exploit the instrument's high sensitivity in imaging, spectroscopy, and polarimetry modes to answer fundamental questions of AGN and their host galaxies. Dust in the nucleus of an active galaxy reprocesses the intrinsic radiation of the central engine to emerge in the MIR. Current work demonstrates that the hot dust immediately associated with the AGN, which blocks direct views of the AGN from some lines of sight, is confined to small (parsec) scales. Thus, high spatial resolution is essential to probe the "torus" of unified AGN models separate from the host galaxy. CanariCam provides a 0.08" pixel scale for Nyquist sampling the diffraction-limited point spread function at 8μm, and narrow (0.2") spectroscopy slits (with R=120-1300). New observations with the GTC/CanariCam will provide key constraints on the physical conditions in the clumpy torus, and we will sensitively determine AGN obscuration as a function of nuclear activity. We will therefore address the fueling process and its relationship to the torus, the interaction with the host galaxy, and dust chemistry. These data will be essential preparation for the next generation of telescopes that will observe the distant universe directly to explore galaxy and black hole formation and evolution, and the GTC/CanariCam system uniquely provides multiple modes to probe AGN.

Energy rape seed - Non-food alternatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sipilae, K.

1995-01-01

The aim of the project is to evaluate possibilities to use agrobiomass for several energy end use sectors. The reference is common European approach where ethanol and rape seed oil is produced for transportation sector. The production costs are approximately 3 - 4 times higher compared to non taxed refinery price of gasoline and diesel fuel. This is also the case for energy crops compared to peat and coal. For Finnish conditions several other options are studied including technical and economical assessments. Solid fuels in form of energy crops like reed canary grass, salix-SRF and straw are evaluated as a feed to multifuel fluid bed boilers and as a futuristic scenario also for flashpyrolysis oil production. Rape seed oil is tested by Neste Oy as a biocomponent in heating oil and as a biocomponent in diesel fuel in engines by VTT. According to present results about 10 - 20 % rape seed oil can be mixed unprocessed to heating oils. Agrofibre production is studied in a laboratory phase with two advanced cooking methods to produce a high value product as a fraction of a biorefinery. The aim of the project is to identify possible research and development paths for future activities. With present prices no agrobiomass is today economically competitive with other fuels. (author)

Non-native vascular plants from Canary Islands (Spain): nomenclatural and taxonomical adjustments

OpenAIRE

Verloove, F.

2013-01-01

Se propone correcciones taxonómicas y nomenclaturales respecto a 88 taxones no nativos de la lista de plantas vasculares de las Islas Canarias (España). Non-native vascular plants from Canary Islands (Spain): nomenclatural and taxonomical adjustments. Corrections and other adjustments are proposed for 88 non-native taxa from the checklist of vascular plants from the Canary Islands (Spain).

Long term volcanic hazard analysis in the Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Becerril, L.; Galindo, I.; Laín, L.; Llorente, M.; Mancebo, M. J.

2009-04-01

Historic volcanism in Spain is restricted to the Canary Islands, a volcanic archipelago formed by seven volcanic islands. Several historic eruptions have been registered in the last five hundred years. However, and despite the huge amount of citizens and tourist in the archipelago, only a few volcanic hazard studies have been carried out. These studies are mainly focused in the developing of hazard maps in Lanzarote and Tenerife islands, especially for land use planning. The main handicap for these studies in the Canary Islands is the lack of well reported historical eruptions, but also the lack of data such as geochronological, geochemical or structural. In recent years, the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and the improvement in the volcanic processes modelling has provided an important tool for volcanic hazard assessment. Although this sophisticated programs are really useful they need to be fed by a huge amount of data that sometimes, such in the case of the Canary Islands, are not available. For this reason, the Spanish Geological Survey (IGME) is developing a complete geo-referenced database for long term volcanic analysis in the Canary Islands. The Canarian Volcanic Hazard Database (HADA) is based on a GIS helping to organize and manage volcanic information efficiently. HADA includes the following groups of information: (1) 1:25.000 scale geologic maps, (2) 1:25.000 topographic maps, (3) geochronologic data, (4) geochemical data, (5) structural information, (6) climatic data. Data must pass a quality control before they are included in the database. New data are easily integrated in the database. With the HADA database the IGME has started a systematic organization of the existing data. In the near future, the IGME will generate new information to be included in HADA, such as volcanological maps of the islands, structural information, geochronological data and other information to assess long term volcanic hazard analysis. HADA will permit

The water landscapes of the Canary Islands

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lee, Gini; Braae, Ellen Marie; Diedrich, Lisa

2013-01-01

Island environments, particularly small archipelagos such as the Canary Islands, are more visible subject to the vagaries of change wrought by ecological and climate dynamics, shifting social conditions and economic impacts subject to global markets, than is witnessed on continental worlds....

Late Pliocene and Quaternary Eurasian locust infestations in the Canary Archipelago

Science.gov (United States)

Meco, J.; Muhs, D.R.; Fontugne, M.; Ramos, A.J.; Lomoschitz, A.; Patterson, D.

2011-01-01

The Canary Archipelago has long been a sensitive location to record climate changes of the past. Interbedded with its basalt lavas are marine deposits from the principal Pleistocene interglacials, as well as aeolian sands with intercalated palaeosols. The palaeosols contain African dust and innumerable relict egg pods of a temperate-region locust (cf. Dociostaurus maroccanusThunberg 1815). New ecological and stratigraphical information reveals the geological history of locust plagues (or infestations) and their palaeoclimatic significance. Here, we show that the first arrival of the plagues to the Canary Islands from Africa took place near the end of the Pliocene, ca. 3Ma, and reappeared with immense strength during the middle Late Pleistocene preceding MIS (marine isotope stage) 11 (ca. 420ka), MIS 5.5 (ca. 125ka) and probably during other warm interglacials of the late Middle Pleistocene and the Late Pleistocene. During the Early Holocene, locust plagues may have coincided with a brief cool period in the current interglacial. Climatically, locust plagues on the Canaries are a link in the chain of full-glacial arid-cold climate (calcareous dunes), early interglacial arid-sub-humid climate (African dust inputs and locust plagues), peak interglacial warm-humid climate (marine deposits with Senegalese fauna), transitional arid-temperate climate (pedogenic calcretes), and again full-glacial arid-cold climate (calcareous dunes) oscillations. During the principal interglacials of the Pleistocene, the Canary Islands recorded the migrations of warm Senegalese marine faunas to the north, crossing latitudes in the Euro-African Atlantic. However, this northward marine faunal migration was preceded in the terrestrial realm by interglacial infestations of locusts. ??? Locust plagues, Canary Islands, Late Pliocene, Pleistocene, Holocene, palaeoclimatology. ?? 2010 The Authors, Lethaia ?? 2010 The Lethaia Foundation.

Imaging Canary Island hotspot material beneath the lithosphere of Morocco and southern Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Meghan S.; O'Driscoll, Leland J.; Butcher, Amber J.; Thomas, Christine

2015-12-01

The westernmost Mediterranean has developed into its present day tectonic configuration as a result of complex interactions between late stage subduction of the Neo-Tethys Ocean, continental collision of Africa and Eurasia, and the Canary Island mantle plume. This study utilizes S receiver functions (SRFs) from over 360 broadband seismic stations to seismically image the lithosphere and uppermost mantle from southern Spain through Morocco and the Canary Islands. The lithospheric thickness ranges from ∼65 km beneath the Atlas Mountains and the active volcanic islands to over ∼210 km beneath the cratonic lithosphere in southern Morocco. The common conversion point (CCP) volume of the SRFs indicates that thinned lithosphere extends from beneath the Canary Islands offshore southwestern Morocco, to beneath the continental lithosphere of the Atlas Mountains, and then thickens abruptly at the West African craton. Beneath thin lithosphere between the Canary hot spot and southern Spain, including below the Atlas Mountains and the Alboran Sea, there are distinct pockets of low velocity material, as inferred from high amplitude positive, sub-lithospheric conversions in the SRFs. These regions of low seismic velocity at the base of the lithosphere extend beneath the areas of Pliocene-Quaternary magmatism, which has been linked to a Canary hotspot source via geochemical signatures. However, we find that this volume of low velocity material is discontinuous along strike and occurs only in areas of recent volcanism and where asthenospheric mantle flow is identified with shear wave splitting analyses. We propose that the low velocity structure beneath the lithosphere is material flowing sub-horizontally northeastwards beneath Morocco from the tilted Canary Island plume, and the small, localized volcanoes are the result of small-scale upwellings from this material.

Intra-specific downsizing of frugivores affects seed germination of fleshy-fruited plant species

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Méndez, Néstor; Rodríguez, Airam; Nogales, Manuel

2018-01-01

The loss of largest-bodied individuals within species of frugivorous animals is one of the major consequences of defaunation. The gradual disappearance of large-bodied frugivores is expected to entail a parallel deterioration in seed dispersal functionality if the remaining smaller-sized individuals are not so effective as seed dispersers. While the multiple impacts of the extinction of large bodied species have been relatively well studied, the impact of intraspecific downsizing (i.e. the extinction of large individuals within species) on seed dispersal has rarely been evaluated. Here we experimentally assessed the impact of body-size reduction in the frugivorous lizard Gallotia galloti (Lacertidae), an endemic species of the Canary Islands, on the seed germination patterns of two fleshy-fruited plant species (Rubia fruticosa and Withania aristata). Seed germination curves and the proportions of germinated seeds were compared for both plant species after being defecated by large-sized individuals and small-sized individuals. The data show that seeds of W. aristata defecated by larger-sized lizards germinated faster and in a higher percentage than those defecated by small-sized lizards, while no differences were found for R. fruticosa seeds. Our results suggest that disappearance of the largest individuals of frugivorous species may impair recruitment of some plant species by worsening seed germination. They also warn us of a potential cryptic loss of seed dispersal functionality on defaunated ecosystems, even when frugivorous species remain abundant.

Surface currents in the Canary Basin from drifter observations

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Meng; Paduan, Jeffrey D.; Niiler, Pearn P.

2000-09-01

Satellite-tracked drifting buoys, deployed in the Canary Basin as part of the Subduction Experiment between July 1991 and October 1993 and the French Semaphore Experiment during October 1993, were used to obtain a description of surface currents and temperature in the Canary Basin. The study focuses on surface water convergence, eddy energy production, and heat transport. The Azores Current associated with the subtropical convergence zone is clearly visible at 34°N, and bifurcates around 22°W, with the major branch of the current circling the Madeira plateau and joining the Canary Current along the continental slope. Eddy kinetic energy maxima are found along the Azores Current. The mean current revealed a region of maximum convergence north of the Azores Current around longitude 29°W occurring with a negative heating anomaly and positive work done by the Reynolds stress. The southward meridional temperature fluxes in the Ekman layer (0-50 m) between 37°W and the African and European coast are estimated between -0.076±0.022×l015 W, produced by mean southward volume transport in our study area. The residual between local surface heat fluxes and horizontal convergence of heat implies a vertical heat convergence process associated with mesoscale temperature and flow fields.

Amplitude modulation of sexy phrases is salient for song attractiveness in female canaries (Serinus canaria).

Science.gov (United States)

Pasteau, Magali; Ung, Davy; Kreutzer, Michel; Aubin, Thierry

2012-07-01

Song discrimination and recognition in songbird species have usually been studied by measuring responses to song playbacks. In female canaries, Serinus canaria, copulation solicitation displays (CSDs) are used as an index of female preferences, which are related to song recognition. Despite the fact that many studies underline the role of song syntax in this species, we observed that short segments of songs (a few seconds long) are enough for females to discriminate between conspecific and heterospecific songs, whereas such a short duration is not sufficient to identify the syntax rules. This suggests that other cues are salient for song recognition. In this experiment, we investigated the influence of amplitude modulation (AM) on the responses (CSDs) of female canaries to song playbacks. We used two groups of females: (1) raised in acoustic isolation and (2) raised in normal conditions. When adult, we tested their preferences for sexy phrases with different AMs. We broadcast three types of stimuli: (1) songs with natural canary AM, (2) songs with AM removed, or (3) song with wren Troglodytes troglodytes AM. Results indicate that female canaries prefer and have predispositions for a song type with the natural canary AM. Thus, this acoustic parameter is a salient cue for song attractiveness.

West Nile Virus Infection in American Singer Canaries: An Experimental Model in a Highly Susceptible Avian Species.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmeister, Erik K; Lund, Melissa; Shearn Bochsler, Valerie

2018-01-01

This study investigated the susceptibility of American singer canaries ( Serinus canaria) to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Adult canaries were inoculated with 10 5 , 10 2 , and 10 1 plaque forming units (PFU) of WNV. All birds became infected and mortality occurred by 5 days postinoculation. The load of viral RNA as determined by RT-qPCR was dose dependent, and was higher at all doses than the level of viral RNA detected in American crows ( Corvus brachyrhynchos) challenged with 10 5 PFU of WNV. In a subset of birds, viremia was detected by virus isolation; canaries inoculated with 10 1 PFU of WNV developed viremia exceeding 10 10 PFU/mL serum, a log higher than American crows inoculated with 10 5 PFU of virus. In canaries euthanized at 3 days postinoculation, WNV was isolated at >10 7 PFU of virus/100 mg of lung, liver, heart, spleen, and kidney tissues. Pallor of the liver and splenomegaly were the most common macroscopic observations and histologic lesions were most severe in liver, spleen, and kidney, particularly in canaries challenged with 10 2 and 10 1 PFU. Immunoreactivity to WNV was pronounced in the liver and spleen. IgG antibodies to WNV were detected in serum by enzyme immunoassay in 11 of 21 (52%) challenged canaries and, in 4 of 5 (20%) of these sera, neutralization antibodies were detected at a titer ≥ 1:20. American singer canaries provide a useful model as this bird species is highly susceptible to WNV infection.

West Nile virus infection in American singer canaries: An experimental model in a highly susceptible avian species

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmeister, Erik K.; Lund, Melissa; Shearn-Bochsler, Valerie I.

2018-01-01

This study investigated the susceptibility of American singer canaries (Serinus canaria) to West Nile virus (WNV) infection. Adult canaries were inoculated with 105, 102, and 101plaque forming units (PFU) of WNV. All birds became infected and mortality occurred by 5 days postinoculation. The load of viral RNA as determined by RT-qPCR was dose dependent, and was higher at all doses than the level of viral RNA detected in American crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos) challenged with 105 PFU of WNV. In a subset of birds, viremia was detected by virus isolation; canaries inoculated with 101 PFU of WNV developed viremia exceeding 1010 PFU/mL serum, a log higher than American crows inoculated with 105 PFU of virus. In canaries euthanized at 3 days postinoculation, WNV was isolated at >107 PFU of virus/100 mg of lung, liver, heart, spleen, and kidney tissues. Pallor of the liver and splenomegaly were the most common macroscopic observations and histologic lesions were most severe in liver, spleen, and kidney, particularly in canaries challenged with 102 and 101 PFU. Immunoreactivity to WNV was pronounced in the liver and spleen. IgG antibodies to WNV were detected in serum by enzyme immunoassay in 11 of 21 (52%) challenged canaries and, in 4 of 5 (20%) of these sera, neutralization antibodies were detected at a titer ≥ 1:20. American singer canaries provide a useful model as this bird species is highly susceptible to WNV infection.

An Overview of Geodetic Volcano Research in the Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, José; González, Pablo J.; Camacho, Antonio G.; Prieto, Juan F.; Brú, Guadalupe

2015-11-01

The Canary Islands are mostly characterized by diffuse and scattered volcanism affecting a large area, with only one active stratovolcano, the Teide-Pico Viejo complex (Tenerife). More than 2 million people live and work in the 7,447 km2 of the archipelago, resulting in an average population density three times greater than the rest of Spain. This fact, together with the growth of exposure during the past 40 years, increases volcanic risk with respect previous eruptions, as witnessed during the recent 2011-2012 El Hierro submarine eruption. Therefore, in addition to purely scientific reasons there are economic and population-security reasons for developing and maintaining an efficient volcano monitoring system. In this scenario geodetic monitoring represents an important part of the monitoring system. We describe volcano geodetic monitoring research carried out in the Canary Islands and the results obtained. We consider for each epoch the two main existing constraints: the level of volcanic activity in the archipelago, and the limitations of the techniques available at the time. Theoretical and observational aspects are considered, as well as the implications for operational volcano surveillance. Current challenges of and future perspectives in geodetic volcano monitoring in the Canaries are also presented.

The ichthyoplankton assemblage of the Canaries-African Coastal Transition Zone: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Rodriguez, J. M.; Moyano, M.; Hernandez-Leon, S.

2009-12-01

In this paper we review information on the ichthyoplankton assemblage of the Canaries-African Coastal Transition Zone (C-ACTZ). This CTZ shows the singularity that the Canary Archipelago interrupts the main flow of the Canary Current and Trade Winds, introducing large mesoscale variability, in the form of island warm wakes and cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies downstream of the islands. Besides, upwelling filaments stretch towards the archipelago from the African coastal upwelling, transporting phytoplankton, zooplankton and fish larvae. They also interact with eddies shed from the islands to exchange water properties and biogenic material. All these mesoscale features influence the composition, structure, abundance and distribution of the larval fish community (LFC) of the region. The Canary Current (CC) and eddies shed from the islands drag larvae of island neritic fish species into the oceanic region and contribute, along warm wakes, to the horizontal distribution of fish larvae. Upwelling and upwelling filaments transport larvae of African neritic species into the oceanic region. These larvae dominate the LFC and account for the relatively high average larval fish abundance found in the C-ACTZ during the summer upwelling season. Filaments originated in the region of Cape Juby-Cape Bojador are entrained around a quasi-permanent cyclonic eddy, trapped between Gran Canaria Island and the African coast, forming a system through which most of the African neritic larvae may return to the African shelf. However, some larvae reach the eastern islands of the Canary archipelago and they may be spread all over the neritic region of the archipelago by eddies shed from the islands. Also in summer, the distribution of the LFC of the C-ACTZ is vertically stratified and fish larvae seem to carry out little or not diel vertical migration. Overall, this study highlights the strong relationship between mesoscale oceanographic processes and the LFC in the C-ACTZ.

DynaGuard: Armoring Canary-Based Protections against Brute-Force Attacks

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-11

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The Caridean Crustacea of the Canary Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Holthuis, L.B.

1949-01-01

The present paper is based mainly on material collected at the Canary Islands during the spring of 1947 by Dr. G. Thorson of Universitetets Zoologiske Museum at Copenhagen and Dr. C. O. van Regteren Altena of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie at Leiden. Most of the specimens were collected by

Variation in sequences containing microsatellite motifs in the perennial biomass and forage grass, Phalaris arundinacea (Poaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Barth, Susanne; Jankowska, Marta Jolanta; Hodkinson, Trevor Roland; Vellani, Tia; Klaas, Manfred

2016-03-22

Forty three microsatellite markers were developed for further genetic characterisation of a forage and biomass grass crop, for which genomic resources are currently scarce. The microsatellite markers were developed from a normalized EST-SSR library. All of the 43 markers gave a clear banding pattern on 3% Metaphor agarose gels. Eight selected SSR markers were tested in detail for polymorphism across eleven DNA samples of large geographic distribution across Europe. The new set of 43 SSR markers will help future research to characterise the genetic structure and diversity of Phalaris arundinacea, with a potential to further understand its invasive character in North American wetlands, as well as aid in breeding work for desired biomass and forage traits. P. arundinacea is particularly valued in the northern latitude as a crop with high biomass potential, even more so on marginal lands.

Wine tourism in the Canary Islands: An exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Duarte Alonso, Abel

2008-04-01

Full Text Available Wine tourism is experiencing significant development in both new and old European wine regions. In the case of the Canary Islands, wine has been produced and traded for centuries but little is known about the current state or potential for wine tourism on the islands, despite the fact that millions of tourists, including many potential wine tourists, visit the islands each year. In this exploratory study, the perspectives of winery owners and managers on wine tourism are examined via in-depth face-to-face interviews among 23 small winery operators to reveal that the scope for exploiting wine tourism on the islands has been recognized and that some wineries are either already involved in wine tourism, includ-ing as part of a wine trail, or plan to be more involved in the future. It was also discovered, that there were a number of issues that challenge the development of their wine and wine tourism industry, includ-ing competition from non-Canary Island wines and anti-drink-drive laws that are inhibit passers by to consume wine at the cellar door. Operators stressed the need to find a balance between mass tourism and the niche produce of wine. Moreover, the findings identify avenues for future research on wine tourism development in the Canary Islands.

Wind Power adapted to load hollow in the Canary Islands; Adaptacion de Eolicos a huecos de tension en Canarias-2015

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodriguez Velazquez, A.

2008-07-01

This article is intended to analyse and point out the benefits that could be reached for the Canary Islands electrical systems in relation to wind technology adaptation (actual and future) to the voltage hollow, as required by the Canary Islands Government Directive 1541, dated November 15th 2006. This subject is of vital importance due to the increasing volume of wind power plants foreseen in the Energy Plan for the Canary Islands 2006 (PECAN), who will turn the Canary Islands into a pilot system in relation to wind power integration within an isolated system. (Author)

Identification of changes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds proteome in response to anti-trx s gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Hongxiang; Zhang, Huizhen; Li, Yongchun; Ren, Jiangping; Wang, Xiang; Niu, Hongbin; Yin, Jun

2011-01-01

Thioredoxin h (trx h) is closely related to germination of cereal seeds. The cDNA sequences of the thioredoxin s (trx s) gene from Phalaris coerulescens and the thioredoxin h (trx h) gene from wheat are highly homologous, and their expression products have similar biological functions. Transgenic wheat had been formed after the antisense trx s was transferred into wheat, and it had been certified that the expression of trx h decreased in transgenic wheat, and transgenic wheat has high resistance to pre-harvest sprouting. Through analyzing the differential proteome of wheat seeds between transgenic wheat and wild type wheat, the mechanism of transgenic wheat seeds having high resistance to pre-harvest sprouting was studied in the present work. There were 36 differential proteins which had been identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). All these differential proteins are involved in regulation of carbohydrates, esters, nucleic acid, proteins and energy metabolism, and biological stress. The quantitative real time PCR results of some differential proteins, such as trx h, heat shock protein 70, α-amylase, β-amylase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, 14-3-3 protein, S3-RNase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and WRKY transcription factor 6, represented good correlation between transcripts and proteins. The biological functions of many differential proteins are consistent with the proposed role of trx h in wheat seeds. A possible model for the role of trx h in wheat seeds germination was proposed in this paper. These results will not only play an important role in clarifying the mechanism that transgenic wheat has high resistance to pre-harvest sprouting, but also provide further evidence for the role of trx h in germination of wheat seeds.

Identification of Changes in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Seeds Proteome in Response to Anti–trx s Gene

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Hongxiang; Zhang, Huizhen; Li, Yongchun; Ren, Jiangping; Wang, Xiang; Niu, Hongbin; Yin, Jun

2011-01-01

Background Thioredoxin h (trx h) is closely related to germination of cereal seeds. The cDNA sequences of the thioredoxin s (trx s) gene from Phalaris coerulescens and the thioredoxin h (trx h) gene from wheat are highly homologous, and their expression products have similar biological functions. Transgenic wheat had been formed after the antisense trx s was transferred into wheat, and it had been certified that the expression of trx h decreased in transgenic wheat, and transgenic wheat has high resistance to pre-harvest sprouting. Methodology/Principal Findings Through analyzing the differential proteome of wheat seeds between transgenic wheat and wild type wheat, the mechanism of transgenic wheat seeds having high resistance to pre-harvest sprouting was studied in the present work. There were 36 differential proteins which had been identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS). All these differential proteins are involved in regulation of carbohydrates, esters, nucleic acid, proteins and energy metabolism, and biological stress. The quantitative real time PCR results of some differential proteins, such as trx h, heat shock protein 70, α-amylase, β-amylase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, 14-3-3 protein, S3-RNase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and WRKY transcription factor 6, represented good correlation between transcripts and proteins. The biological functions of many differential proteins are consistent with the proposed role of trx h in wheat seeds. Conclusions/Significance A possible model for the role of trx h in wheat seeds germination was proposed in this paper. These results will not only play an important role in clarifying the mechanism that transgenic wheat has high resistance to pre-harvest sprouting, but also provide further evidence for the role of trx h in germination of wheat seeds. PMID:21811579

Identification of changes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L. seeds proteome in response to anti-trx s gene.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongxiang Guo

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Thioredoxin h (trx h is closely related to germination of cereal seeds. The cDNA sequences of the thioredoxin s (trx s gene from Phalaris coerulescens and the thioredoxin h (trx h gene from wheat are highly homologous, and their expression products have similar biological functions. Transgenic wheat had been formed after the antisense trx s was transferred into wheat, and it had been certified that the expression of trx h decreased in transgenic wheat, and transgenic wheat has high resistance to pre-harvest sprouting. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Through analyzing the differential proteome of wheat seeds between transgenic wheat and wild type wheat, the mechanism of transgenic wheat seeds having high resistance to pre-harvest sprouting was studied in the present work. There were 36 differential proteins which had been identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS. All these differential proteins are involved in regulation of carbohydrates, esters, nucleic acid, proteins and energy metabolism, and biological stress. The quantitative real time PCR results of some differential proteins, such as trx h, heat shock protein 70, α-amylase, β-amylase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, 14-3-3 protein, S3-RNase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, and WRKY transcription factor 6, represented good correlation between transcripts and proteins. The biological functions of many differential proteins are consistent with the proposed role of trx h in wheat seeds. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: A possible model for the role of trx h in wheat seeds germination was proposed in this paper. These results will not only play an important role in clarifying the mechanism that transgenic wheat has high resistance to pre-harvest sprouting, but also provide further evidence for the role of trx h in germination of wheat seeds.

Prevalence of multiple sclerosis in Lanzarote (Canary Islands)

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, J R; Rodriguez, S; Sosa Henriquez, M; Batista, E; Corujo, E; Font de Mora Turon, A; Hernandez Hernandez, D; Betancor Leon, P

1989-02-01

In the island of Lanzarote of the Province of Las Palmas, which is part of the Spanish archipelago of the Canary Islands, the prevalence of multiple sclerosis is 15 per 100,000. The prevalence of MS in Lanzarote seems related more to ethnic conditions than to geography.

Carbonate system distribution south of the Canary Islands in spring 2000

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iván R. Ucha

2010-11-01

Full Text Available The measurement of the surface molar fraction of CO2 (atmosphere and sea water and water column pHT, total alkalinity, AT, nutrients and oxygen were carried out in spring 2000 at the European Station for Time Series in the Ocean at the Canary Islands (ESTOC and in the area located south of the Canary Islands. The significant eddy field strongly affecting the pattern of the chemical and carbonate system variables is presented and discussed. A mixing model based on the thermohaline properties of the water masses was established. The model explained over 97% of the variability found in the distribution of the chemical variables. Intermediate waters to the south of the Canary Islands show a high contribution of Antarctic waters with about 5% of pure Antarctic Intermediate Water. Moreover, the surface structure affected the atmosphere-ocean carbon dioxide exchange, making the area act as a CO2 sink taking up 9.1 mmol m-2 week-1, corresponding to 0.03 Mt of CO2 which were taken up by the area in a week at the end of March 2000.

Rhizobia from Lanzarote, the Canary Islands, That Nodulate Phaseolus vulgaris Have Characteristics in Common with Sinorhizobium meliloti Isolates from Mainland Spain▿

Science.gov (United States)

Zurdo-Piñeiro, José Luis; García-Fraile, Paula; Rivas, Raúl; Peix, Alvaro; León-Barrios, Milagros; Willems, Anne; Mateos, Pedro Francisco; Martínez-Molina, Eustoquio; Velázquez, Encarna; van Berkum, Peter

2009-01-01

The stable, low-molecular-weight (LMW) RNA fractions of several rhizobial isolates of Phaseolus vulgaris grown in the soil of Lanzarote, an island of the Canary Islands, were identical to a less-common pattern found within Sinorhizobium meliloti (assigned to group II) obtained from nodules of alfalfa and alfalfa-related legumes grown in northern Spain. The P. vulgaris isolates and the group II LMW RNA S. meliloti isolates also were distinguishable in that both had two conserved inserts of 20 and 46 bp in the 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer region that were not present in other strains of S. meliloti. The isolates from P. vulgaris nodulated bean but not Medicago sativa, while those recovered from Medicago, Melilotus, and Trigonella spp. nodulated both host legumes. The bean isolates also were distinguished from those of Medicago, Melilotus, and Trigonella spp. by nodC sequence analysis. The nodC sequences of the bean isolates were most similar to those reported for S. meliloti bv. mediterranense and Sinorhizobium fredii bv. mediterranense (GenBank accession numbers DQ333891 and AF217267, respectively). None of the evidence placed the bean isolates from Lanzarote in the genus Rhizobium, which perhaps is inconsistent with seed-borne transmission of Rhizobium etli from the Americas to the Canaries as an explanation for the presence of bean-nodulating rhizobia in soils of Lanzarote. PMID:19218416

Rhizobia from Lanzarote, the Canary Islands, that nodulate Phaseolus vulgaris have characteristics in common with Sinorhizobium meliloti isolates from mainland Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Zurdo-Piñeiro, José Luis; García-Fraile, Paula; Rivas, Raúl; Peix, Alvaro; León-Barrios, Milagros; Willems, Anne; Mateos, Pedro Francisco; Martínez-Molina, Eustoquio; Velázquez, Encarna; van Berkum, Peter

2009-04-01

The stable, low-molecular-weight (LMW) RNA fractions of several rhizobial isolates of Phaseolus vulgaris grown in the soil of Lanzarote, an island of the Canary Islands, were identical to a less-common pattern found within Sinorhizobium meliloti (assigned to group II) obtained from nodules of alfalfa and alfalfa-related legumes grown in northern Spain. The P. vulgaris isolates and the group II LMW RNA S. meliloti isolates also were distinguishable in that both had two conserved inserts of 20 and 46 bp in the 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer region that were not present in other strains of S. meliloti. The isolates from P. vulgaris nodulated bean but not Medicago sativa, while those recovered from Medicago, Melilotus, and Trigonella spp. nodulated both host legumes. The bean isolates also were distinguished from those of Medicago, Melilotus, and Trigonella spp. by nodC sequence analysis. The nodC sequences of the bean isolates were most similar to those reported for S. meliloti bv. mediterranense and Sinorhizobium fredii bv. mediterranense (GenBank accession numbers DQ333891 and AF217267, respectively). None of the evidence placed the bean isolates from Lanzarote in the genus Rhizobium, which perhaps is inconsistent with seed-borne transmission of Rhizobium etli from the Americas to the Canaries as an explanation for the presence of bean-nodulating rhizobia in soils of Lanzarote.

Optimizing reed canary grass cropping to increase profitability. Field studies of plant varieties, intercropping with legumes and barley, fertilization and soil compaction; Optimering av odlingsaatgaerder i roerflen foer oekad loensamhet. Faeltstudier av sorter, samodling med baljvaexter och korn, goedsling samt markpackning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palmborg, Cecilia; Lindvall, Eva (Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences, Umeaa (Sweden). Agricultural Research for Northern Sweden)

2010-05-15

Reed Canary Grass is a promising crop for biofuel production. For reed canary grass the first year is an establishment year when the small biomass is not harvested. The second year the biomass is usually cut in late autumn but the harvest (removal of the biomass from the field) is delayed until spring. This technique has resulted in lower costs and increases in fuel quality through lower ash contents, including lower contents of chlorine, sodium and potassium. However costs for production are still high, especially establishment costs, fertilization costs and harvesting costs. The aim of this project was to test ways to cut costs per MWh by increased yields, and decreased establishment costs. The methods used have been variety trials to develop more productive plant material, intercropping with nitrogen fixing legumes to reduce the nitrogen demand of the crop, fertilization with waste material (sewage sludge, reed canary grass ash or poultry manure) and harvest at frozen ground as a strategy to reduce soil compaction and harvest damages on the crop. Reed canary grass grown as a fuel has so far been grown as a mono culture. However, when it is been grown for forage, or as a biogas crop, intercropping with legumes has been successful in some studies. In addition to NPK-fertilizers sewage sludge, ash from combustion of reed canary grass and poultry manure was used. An economic calculation showed that the establishment costs (the first two growing seasons) can be lowered by intercropping with red clover. However it is also involves more risks, related to weeds, and cannot be recommended on fallow soil with a large seed bank of weeds. A ten year old reed canary grass ley was used for the experiment. Two 25 m wide strips were harvested with a mower on November 19 2008 when the top soil was frozen. The harvested material was chopped and removed from the field the following day. The following spring, May 19 2009, the remaining reed canary grass on the field was cut with a

Xenopsylla spp. (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae) in murid rodents from the Canary Islands: an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Sánchez, S; Gómez, M S

2012-11-01

The geographical and host distributions of Xenopsylla fleas parasitizing murid rodents on the Canary Islands have been reported. Three Xenopsylla species, X. cheopis, X. brasiliensis and X. guancha, have been detected on two rodents species, Mus musculus and Rattus rattus. X. guancha has been the most prevalent species detected, specifically on M. musculus, the most abundant rodent, but it has been detected only on three eastern islands, where the species is endemic. X. cheopis has been shown to be the most widely distributed species throughout the archipelago and the species most frequently found on R. rattus. X. brasiliensis has been shown to be the least prevalent Xenopsylla species, with the lowest geographical distribution on the Canary Islands and focused only on R. rattus. The detection of both X. cheopis and X. brasiliensis on the island of Lanzarote, and of X. guancha on the island of Fuerteventura and the islet of La Graciosa represents the first report of these species on those particular Canary Islands.

Xenopsylla spp. (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae in murid rodents from the Canary Islands: An update

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sánchez S.

2012-11-01

Full Text Available The geographical and host distributions of Xenopsylla fleas parasitizing murid rodents on the Canary Islands have been reported. Three Xenopsylla species, X. cheopis, X. brasiliensis and X. guancha, have been detected on two rodents species, Mus musculus and Rattus rattus. X. guancha has been the most prevalent species detected, specifically on M. musculus, the most abundant rodent, but it has been detected only on three eastern islands, where the species is endemic. X. cheopis has been shown to be the most widely distributed species throughout the archipelago and the species most frequently found on R. rattus. X. brasiliensis has been shown to be the least prevalent Xenopsylla species, with the lowest geographical distribution on the Canary Islands and focused only on R. rattus. The detection of both X. cheopis and X. brasiliensis on the island of Lanzarote, and of X. guancha on the island of Fuerteventura and the islet of La Graciosa represents the first report of these species on those particular Canary Islands.

(Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) from the Canary Islands, eastern Atlantic

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The genus Osmundea is a strongly supported monophyletic group within the Laurencia complex and shows a disjunct distribution occurring in the North-East and South-West Pacific, the Indian and Atlantic oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. Its phenotypic plasticity on the Canary Islands may be the result of the high ...

The Lithospheric Structure Beneath Canary Islands from Receiver Function Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Martinez-Arevalo, C.; Mancilla, F.; Helffrich, G. R.; Garcia, A.

2009-12-01

The Canary Archipelago is located a few hundred kilometers off the western Moroccan coast, extending 450 km west-to-east. It is composed of seven main islands. All but one have been active in the last million years. The origin of the Canary Islands is not well established and local and regional geology features cannot be completely explained by the current models. The main aim of this study is to provide new data that help us to understand and constrain the archipelago's origin and tectonic evolution. The crustal structure under each station is obtained applying P-receiver function technique to the teleseismic P arrivals recorded by the broadband seismic network installed at the Canary Island by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) and two temporary stations (MIDSEA and IRIS). We computed receiver functions using the Extended-Time Multitaper Frequency Domain Cross-Correlation Receiver Function (ET-MTRF) method. The results show that the crust is thicker, around 22 km, in the eastern islands (Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) than in the western ones (El Hierro, La Palma, Tenerife), around 17 km, with the exception of La Gomera island. This island, located in the west, exhibits similar crustal structure to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. A discontinuity at 70-80 km, possibly the LAB (Lithosphere Asthenosphere Boundary) is clearly observed in all the stations. It appears that Moho depths do not track the LAB discontinuity.

Virtual Community, social network and media environment of Canary Isands regional digital newspapers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. Francisco Manuel Mateos Rodríguez

2008-01-01

Full Text Available The impact of the new communication and information technologies has favoured the creation of multiple local newspaper websites in the Canary Islands, thus making the regional press emerge as an alternative on the rise. This tendency affects significantly both traditional and new editions of the different regional and local newspapers from the Canaries and motivates a different distribution, positioning and development within the local media environment in which these media share a novel dimension of communication with a specific virtual community and social network within the World Wide Web.

Cadmium dietary intake in the Canary Islands, Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rubio, C.; Hardisson, A.; Reguera, J.I.; Revert, C.; Lafuente, M.A.; Gonzalez-Iglesias, T.

2006-01-01

Cadmium (Cd) in the human diet constitutes a potential chronic hazard to health. In the nonsmoking general population, diet is the major source of cadmium exposure; therefore, it is important to monitor the dietary intake of this heavy metal to quantify and improve the understanding of Cd accumulation in the human body. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of Cd in a range of food and drink commonly consumed in the Canary Islands. Food samples (420) were analyzed for Cd by atomic absorption spectrometry. The most recent nutritional survey conducted for the Canarian population was used to define the food and drink groups analyzed. The measured Cd concentrations combined with the food consumption data resulted in a total Cd intake in the Canary Islands of 0.16 μg/kg of body weight/day, which is well below the respective provisional tolerable weekly intake of Cd of 1 μg/kg of body weight per day determined by the FAO/WHO. The results are also compared with values reported for other national and international communities

Soybean seed treatment with nickel improves biological nitrogen fixation and urease activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José eLavres Junior

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Nickel (Ni is an essential micronutrient required for plants’ metabolism due to its role as a structural component of urease and hydrogenase, which in turn perform nitrogen (N metabolism in many legume species. Seed treatment with cobalt, molybdenum and Bradyrhizobium strains has been widely practiced to improve crops. Additionally, seed treatment together with Ni fertilization of soybean might improve the efficiency of biological nitrogen fixation (BNF, boosting grain dry matter yield and N content. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of soybean seed treatment with Ni rates (0, 45, 90,135, 180, 360 and 540 mg kg-1 on biological nitrogen fixation (BNF, directly by the 15N natural abundance method (δ15N‰ and by measurement of urease [E.C. 3.5.1.5] activity, as well as indirectly by nitrogenase (N-ase activity [E.C. 1.18.6.1]. Soybean plants (cultivar BMX Potência RR were grown in a sandy soil up to the R7 developmental stage (grain maturity, at which point the nutrient content in the leaves, chlorophyll content, urease and N-ase activities, Ni and N content in the grains, nodulation (at R1 - flowering stage, as well as the contribution of biological nitrogen fixation (δ15N ‰, were evaluated. The proportion of N derived from N2 fixation varied from 77 to 99% using the natural 15N abundance method and non-nodulating Panicum miliaceum and Phalaris canariensis as references. A Ni rate of 45 mg kg-1 increased BNF by 12% compared to the control. The increased N uptake in the grains was closely correlated with chlorophyll content in the leaves, urease and N-ase activities, as well as with nodulation. Grain dry matter yield and aerial part dry matter yield increased, respectively, by 84% and 51% in relation to the control plants at 45 mg kg-1 Ni via seed treatment. Despite, Ni concentration was increased with Ni-seed treatment, Ni rates higher than 135 mg kg-1 promoted negative effects on plant growth and yield. In these

Forage seeding in rangelands increases production and prevents weed invasion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Josh Davy

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Increasing forage productivity in the Sierra foothill rangelands would help sustain the livestock industry as land availability shrinks and lease rates rise, but hardly any studies have been done on forage selections. From 2009 to 2014, in one of the first long-term and replicated studies of seeding Northern California's Mediterranean annual rangeland, we compared the cover of 22 diverse forages to determine their establishment and survivability over time. Among the annual herbs, forage brassica (Brassica napus L. and chicory (Cichorium intybus L. proved viable options. Among the annual grasses, soft brome (Bromus hordeaceus and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum performed well. However, these species will likely require frequent reseeding to maintain dominance. Long-term goals of sustained dominant cover (> 3 years are best achieved with perennial grasses. Perennial grasses that persisted with greater than 50% cover were Berber orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata, Flecha tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum and several varieties of hardinggrass (Phalaris aquatica L., Perla koleagrass, Holdfast, Advanced AT. In 2014, these successful perennials produced over three times more dry matter (pounds per acre than the unseeded control and also suppressed annual grasses and yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis L. cover.

Epigean freshwater Gammaridae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) from La Gomera (Canary Islands)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beyer, Gabriele; Stock, Jan H.

1994-01-01

Description of two new species of freshwater amphipods from La Gomera (Canary Islands), both found in the higher parts of the island: Chaetogammarus chaetocerus n. sp. and Rhipidogammarus gomeranus n. sp. Both species have distinct Afro- Iberian relationships.

Isotopic signatures of otoliths and the stock structure of canary rockfish along the Washington and Oregon coast

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao, Yongwen; Svec, Russell A.; Wallace, Farron R.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► Otoliths of 120 canary rockfish were analyzed for δ 18 O and δ 13 C. ► δ 18 O and δ 13 C values of the otoliths ranged from −0.2‰ to +1.7‰ and −5.4‰ to −1.4‰. ► No separation was observed from the isotopic data and δ 18 O vs. δ 13 C correlation. ► No significant difference was computed between WA and OR samples especially in δ 13 C. ► Canary rockfish may belong to a single spawning stock or population coast-wide. - Abstract: Canary rockfish are one of the commercially important rockfish species along the US Pacific coast. Yet little is known about their life history and stock structure. In this study 120 canary rockfish otoliths were collected from waters off the Washington and Oregon coast and subjected to stable O and C isotope (δ 18 O and δ 13 C) analyses. One powder sample was taken from the nucleus of each otolith, and the other from the 5th annual ring. Data from otolith nuclei can provide information on the natal sources and spawning stock separations, while data from age-1 to age-5 may indicate changes in fish habitat. Overall the δ 18 O values in otoliths of canary rockfish ranged from −0.2‰ to +1.7‰, whereas δ 13 C values of the same samples ranged from −5.4‰ to −1.4‰. The isotopic data and correlation of δ 18 O versus δ 13 C did not show clear separation between Washington and Oregon samples, similar to those for a previous study on yelloweye rockfish from the same region. These results suggest that canary rockfish may belong to a single spawning stock or population along the Washington and Oregon coast

Fishing methods for sustainable shrimp fisheries in the Canary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

During the past 20 years, experimental cruises have been conducted around the Canary Islands (North-West Africa) to investigate the biodiversity of the deep-sea ecosystem and to explore new fisheries resources. Although pandalid shrimps were shown to be very abundant in this region, information is lacking regarding ...

Opportunistic nectar-feeding birds are effective pollinators of bird-flowers from Canary Islands: experimental evidence from Isoplexis canariensis (Scrophulariaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Rodríguez, María C; Valido, Alfredo

2008-11-01

Insular floras, characterized by simple pollination networks, sometimes include novel mutualistic agents such as nonspecialist nectarivores. In this study we confirmed the effective pollination of Isoplexis canariensis by opportunistic nectar-feeding birds in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain. This plant is among the ornithophilous species of the Canarian flora that lack past and present specialist nectarivorous birds. Experimental hand pollinations revealed self-compatibility, but cross-pollinated flowers produced a greater percentage of viable seeds than self-pollinated ones. Flowers were visited by five species of birds (Phylloscopus canariensis, Parus caeruleus, Sylvia melanocephala, Serinus canarius, and Fringilla coelebs) and by the endemic lizard (Gallotia galloti, Lacertidae). Insect pollination was absent, and the few insect visitors acted as nectar thieves or secondary nectar robbers. Birds represented 93.1% of total visits, with the Canarian Chiffchaff, Ph. canariensis, being the most frequent visitor. Flowers visited by birds set more, larger, and heavier fruit than flowers from which birds were excluded. Bird visitation also enhanced seed viability. These results demonstrate the active role of these opportunistic birds as effective pollinators of this Canarian bird-flower species. Further, the results reveal the need to consider the effect of these birds on the evolution of ornithophilous floral traits in absence of specialist nectarivores.

Demographic history of Canary Islands male gene-pool: replacement of native lineages by European

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amorim António

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The origin and prevalence of the prehispanic settlers of the Canary Islands has attracted great multidisciplinary interest. However, direct ancient DNA genetic studies on indigenous and historical 17th–18th century remains, using mitochondrial DNA as a female marker, have only recently been possible. In the present work, the analysis of Y-chromosome polymorphisms in the same samples, has shed light on the way the European colonization affected male and female Canary Island indigenous genetic pools, from the conquest to present-day times. Results Autochthonous (E-M81 and prominent (E-M78 and J-M267 Berber Y-chromosome lineages were detected in the indigenous remains, confirming a North West African origin for their ancestors which confirms previous mitochondrial DNA results. However, in contrast with their female lineages, which have survived in the present-day population since the conquest with only a moderate decline, the male indigenous lineages have dropped constantly being substituted by European lineages. Male and female sub-Saharan African genetic inputs were also detected in the Canary population, but their frequencies were higher during the 17th–18th centuries than today. Conclusion The European colonization of the Canary Islands introduced a strong sex-biased change in the indigenous population in such a way that indigenous female lineages survived in the extant population in a significantly higher proportion than their male counterparts.

Identification and antimicrobial resistance of members from the Enterobacteriaceae family isolated from canaries (Serinus canaria

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ruben V. Horn

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract: The Enterobacteriaceae family contains potentially zoonotic bacteria, and their presence in canaries is often reported, though the current status of these in bird flocks is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the most common genera of enterobacteria from canaries (Serinus canaria and their antimicrobial resistance profiles. From February to June of 2013, a total of 387 cloacal swab samples from eight domiciliary breeding locations of Fortaleza city, Brazil, were collected and 58 necropsies were performed in canaries, which belonged to the Laboratory of Ornithological Studies. The samples were submitted to microbiological procedure using buffered peptone water and MacConkey agar. Colonies were selected according to their morphological characteristics on selective agar and submitted for biochemical identification and antimicrobial susceptibility. A total of 61 isolates were obtained, of which 42 were from cloacal swabs and 19 from necropsies. The most isolated bacteria was Escherichia coli with twenty five strains, followed by fourteen Klebsiellaspp., twelve Enterobacterspp., seven Pantoea agglomerans, two Serratiaspp. and one Proteus mirabilis. The antimicrobial to which the strains presented most resistance was sulfonamides with 55.7%, followed by ampicillin with 54.1% and tetracycline with 39.3%. The total of multidrug-resistant bacteria (MDR was 34 (55.7%. In conclusion, canaries harbor members of the Enterobacteriaceae family and common strains present a high antimicrobial resistance rate, with a high frequency of MDR bacteria.

A biological oil adsorption filter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pasila, A.

2005-01-01

A new oil adsorption method called adsorption filtration (AF) has been developed. It is a technology where by oil residues can be cleaned from water by running it through a simple filter made from freeze treated, dried, milled and then fragmented plant material. By choosing suitable plants and fragmentation sizes it is possible to produce filters, which pass water but adsorb oil. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibilities of manufacturing oil adsorbing filter materials from reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) or hemp fibre (Cannabis sativa L.). The oil (80 ml) was mixed with de-ionised water (200 ml) and this mixture was filtered through 10 or 20 g adsorption filters. Fine spring harvested hemp fibre (diameter less than 1 mm) and reed canary grass fragments adsorb 2-4 g of oil per gram of adsorption material compared to 1-3 g of water. Adsorption filtration is thus a novel way of gathering spilled oil in shallow coastal waters before the oil reaches the shore. (author)

A biological oil adsorption filter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pasila, A [University of Helsinki (Finland). Dept. of Agricultural Engineering and Household Technology

2005-12-01

A new oil adsorption method called adsorption filtration (AF) has been developed. It is a technology where by oil residues can be cleaned from water by running it through a simple filter made from freeze treated, dried, milled and then fragmented plant material. By choosing suitable plants and fragmentation sizes it is possible to produce filters, which pass water but adsorb oil. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibilities of manufacturing oil adsorbing filter materials from reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea), flax (Linum usitatissimum L.) or hemp fibre (Cannabis sativa L.). The oil (80 ml) was mixed with de-ionised water (200 ml) and this mixture was filtered through 10 or 20 g adsorption filters. Fine spring harvested hemp fibre (diameter less than 1 mm) and reed canary grass fragments adsorb 2-4 g of oil per gram of adsorption material compared to 1-3 g of water. Adsorption filtration is thus a novel way of gathering spilled oil in shallow coastal waters before the oil reaches the shore. (author)

Tenarife Island, Canary Island Archipelago, Atlantic Ocean

Science.gov (United States)

1991-01-01

Tenarife Island is one of the most volcanically active of the Canary Island archipelago, Atlantic Ocean, just off the NW coast of Africa, (28.5N, 16.5W). The old central caldera, nearly filled in by successive volcanic activity culminating in two stratocones. From those two peaks, a line of smaller cinder cones extend to the point of the island. Extensive gullies dissect the west side of the island and some forests still remain on the east side.

Long term effects of ash fertilization of reed canary grass; Laangtidseffekter av askgoedsling vid roerflensodling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palmborg, Cecilia; Lindvall, Eva

2011-03-15

Reed canary grass (RCG) is a bio-energy crop with large potential. It is a 1.5 . 2.5 m tall grass that is harvested in spring when it is grown as a fuel. At spring harvest it yields 3 . 10 ton field dried material per ha and year. One disadvantage when reed canary grass is used as a fuel is the high ash content, 5-10 %. This means that large quantities of ash have to be deposited which is expensive, about 1000 SEK/ton. However, since reed canary grass ash contains reasonable amounts of plant nutrients like phosphorous (P), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) it could be recycled as fertilizer in agriculture. The ash can be used without any pretreatment since, in agriculture, plant availability is desirable. The aim of this project, was to evaluate a field experiment, where ash was used as a fertilizer in reed canary grass. The experiment was established at the SLU research station in Umea, Sweden in the spring 2002. Three different fertilizer treatments were applied: Treatment A was fertilized with an ash produced by combustion of RCG together with municipal wastes (paper, plastic, leather), treatment B, an ash from combustion of RCG, and for treatment C commercial fertilizers were used. In total, 100 kg ha-1 of nitrogen (N), 15 kg ha-1 of phosphorous (P) and 80 kg ha-1 of potassium (K), were applied each year in all treatments. The amount of ash in treatment A and B was calculated from the chemical analysis of the ashes to be equal to the required amount of P, while K and N were supplied also by commercial fertilizers. [Table 1. Composition of the ashes] Literature study: There is a lack of knowledge about fertilization with reed canary grass ash, since few experiments have been conducted. The composition of reed canary grass is dependent of harvest date and the soil substrate. The amount of ash and the amount of harmful substances such as potassium and chloride generally decreases over winter, giving an increased fuel quality from spring harvest compared to autumn

Systematics of Serinus canaries and the status of Cape and Yellow ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

] canicollis) and Yellow-crowned (S. [c.] flavivertex) canaries (2.8%) was similar to differences between other closely-related species and there are marked plumage differences between these taxa, we suggest that they be elevated to full ...

Analysis of volcano rock from Canary islands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sitek, J.; Sedlackova, K.; Dekan, J.

2013-01-01

In this work we have analyzed the basalt rock from Lanzarote, which is the easternmost island of the Canary Islands lying in the Atlantic Ocean and has a volcanic origin. It was born through fiery eruptions and has solidified lava streams as well as extravagant rock formations. We compared our results with composition of basalt rocks from some other places on the Earth. Different iron oxides created on the volcanic rocks during their weathering on the Earth surface has been also analyzed. (authors)

Urban-touristic impacts on the aeolian sedimentary systems of the Canary Islands: conflict between development and conservation

OpenAIRE

Leví García-Romero; Antonio I. Hernández-Cordero; Elisabeth Fernández-Cabrera; Carolina Peña-Alonso; Luis Hernández-Calvento; Emma Pérez-Chacón

2016-01-01

Aeolian sedimentary systems in the Canary Islands differ significantly from other European and African systems due to their natural characteristics (climate, vegetation and insular isolation). Consequently, their geomorphological processes are unique. In turn, they are areas under high human pressure from touristic development. The aim of this paper is to analyze the impacts of urban-touristic development in four aeolian sedimentary systems in the Canaries: Maspalomas, Corralejo, Lambra and J...

Blood pressure reducing effects of Phalaris canariensis in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Passos, Clévia Santos; Carvalho, Lucimeire Nova; Pontes, Roberto Braz; Campos, Ruy Ribeiro; Ikuta, Olinda; Boim, Mirian Aparecida

2012-02-01

The birdseed Phalaris canariensis (Pc) is popularly used as an antihypertensive agent. The aqueous extract of Pc (AEPc) was administered in adult normotensive Wistar rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and in prehypertensive young SHR (SHR(Y), 3 weeks old). Animals received AEPc (400 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1), by gavage) for 30 days, then groups were divided into 2 subgroups: one was treated for another 30 days and the other received water instead of AEPc for 30 days. AEPc reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) in both adult groups; however, treatment interruption was followed by a gradual return of the SBP to baseline levels. SHR(Y) became hypertensive 30 days after weaning. AEPc minimized the increase in SBP in SHR(Y), but blood pressure rose to levels similar to those in the untreated group with treatment interruption. There were no changes in renal function, diuresis, or Na(+) excretion. Pc is rich in tryptophan, and the inhibition of the metabolism of tryptophan to kynurenine, a potential vasodilator factor, prevented the blood pressure reducing effect of AEPc. Moreover, AEPc significantly reduced sympathoexcitation. Data indicate that the metabolic derivative of tryptophan, kynurenine, may be a mediator of the volume-independent antihypertensive effect of Pc, which was at least in part mediated by suppression of the sympathetic tonus.

Tillage and residue burning affects weed populations and seed banks.

Science.gov (United States)

Narwal, S; Sindel, B M; Jessop, R S

2006-01-01

An integrated weed management approach requires alternative management practices to herbicide use such as tillage, crop rotations and cultural controls to reduce soil weed seed banks. The objective of this study was to examine the value of different tillage practices and stubble burning to exhaust the seed bank of common weeds from the northern grain region of Australia. Five tillage and burning treatments were incorporated in a field experiment, at Armidale (30 degrees 30'S, 151 degrees 40'E), New South Wales, Australia in July 2004 in a randomized block design replicated four times. The trial was continued and treatments repeated in July 2005 with all the mature plants from the first year being allowed to shed seed in their respective treatment plots. The treatments were (i) no tillage (NT), (ii) chisel ploughing (CP), (iii) mould board ploughing (MBP), (iv) wheat straw burning with no tillage (SBNT) and (v) wheat straw burning with chisel ploughing (SBC). Soil samples were collected before applying treatments and before the weeds flowered to establish the seed bank status of the various weeds in the soil. Wheat was sown after the tillage treatments. Burning treatments were only initiated in the second year, one month prior to tillage treatments. The major weeds present in the seed bank before initiating the trial were Polygonum aviculare, Sonchus oleraceus and Avena fatua. Tillage promoted the germination of other weeds like Hibiscus trionum, Medicago sativa, Vicia sp. and Phalaris paradoxa later in the season in 2004 and Convolvulus erubescens emerged as a new weed in 2005. The MBP treatment in 2004 reduced the weed biomass to a significantly lower level of 55 g/m2 than the other treatments of CP (118 g/m2) and NT plots (196 g/m2) (P < 0.05). However, in 2005 SBC and MBP treatments were similar in reducing the weed biomass. In 2004, the grain yield trend of wheat was significantly different between CP and NT, and MBP and NT (P < 0.05) with maximum yield of 5898

Population structure of the banana weevil, an introduced pest in the Canary Islands, studied by RAPD analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Magaña, C; Beroiz, B; Hernández-Crespo, P; Montes de Oca, M; Carnero, A; Ortego, F; Castañera, P

2007-12-01

The banana weevil (BW), Cosmopolites sordidus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is one of the most important insect pests of bananas and plantains. The mobility and the origin of BW infestations at the Canary Islands (Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma) have been analysed using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) as molecular markers. Populations from Costa Rica, Colombia, Uganda and Madeira were also included for comparison. One hundred and fifteen reproducible bands from eight primers were obtained. The level of polymorphism in the populations from the Canary Islands (40-62%) was in the range of those found in other populations. Nei's genetic distances, pair-wise fixation index (FST) values indicate that the closest populations are Tenerife populations among themselves (Nei's genetic distance=0.054-0.100; FST=0.091-0.157) and Costa Rica and Colombia populations (Nei's genetic distance=0.049; FST=0.113). Our results indicate the existence of BW local biotypes with limited gene flow and affected by genetic drift. These results are compatible with a unique event of colonization at Tenerife; whereas, the outbreaks in La Gomera and La Palma may come from independent introductions. The Madeira population is phylogenetically and geographically closer to the Canary Islands populations, suggesting that it is the most likely source of the insects introduced in the Canary Islands.

Nannofossils in 2011 El Hierro eruptive products reinstate plume model for Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Zaczek, Kirsten; Troll, Valentin R.; Cachao, Mario; Ferreira, Jorge; Deegan, Frances M.; Carracedo, Juan Carlos; Soler, Vicente; Meade, Fiona C.; Burchardt, Steffi

2015-01-01

The origin and life cycle of ocean islands have been debated since the early days of Geology. In the case of the Canary archipelago, its proximity to the Atlas orogen led to initial fracture-controlled models for island genesis, while later workers cited a Miocene-Quaternary east-west age-progression to support an underlying mantle-plume. The recent discovery of submarine Cretaceous volcanic rocks near the westernmost island of El Hierro now questions this systematic age-progression within the archipelago. If a mantle-plume is indeed responsible for the Canaries, the onshore volcanic age-progression should be complemented by progressively younger pre-island sedimentary strata towards the west, however, direct age constraints for the westernmost pre-island sediments are lacking. Here we report on new age data obtained from calcareous nannofossils in sedimentary xenoliths erupted during the 2011 El Hierro events, which date the sub-island sedimentary rocks to between late Cretaceous and Pliocene in age. This age-range includes substantially younger pre-volcanic sedimentary rocks than the Jurassic to Miocene strata known from the older eastern islands and now reinstate the mantle-plume hypothesis as the most plausible explanation for Canary volcanism. The recently discovered Cretaceous submarine volcanic rocks in the region are, in turn, part of an older, fracture-related tectonic episode.

On the seasonal variability of the Canary Current and the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation

Science.gov (United States)

Vélez-Belchí, Pedro; Pérez-Hernández, M. Dolores; Casanova-Masjoan, María.; Cana, Luis; Hernández-Guerra, Alonso

2017-06-01

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is continually monitored along 26°N by the RAPID-MOCHA array. Measurements from this array show a 6.7 Sv seasonal cycle for the AMOC, with a 5.9 Sv contribution from the upper mid-ocean. Recent studies argue that the dynamics of the eastern Atlantic is the main driver for this seasonal cycle; specifically, Rossby waves excited south of the Canary Islands. Using inverse modeling, hydrographic, mooring, and altimetry data, we describe the seasonal cycle of the ocean mass transport around the Canary Islands and at the eastern boundary, under the influence of the African slope, where eastern component of the RAPID-MOCHA array is situated. We find a seasonal cycle of -4.1 ± 0.5 Sv for the oceanic region of the Canary Current, and +3.7 ± 0.4 Sv at the eastern boundary. This seasonal cycle along the eastern boundary is in agreement with the seasonal cycle of the AMOC that requires the lowest contribution to the transport in the upper mid-ocean to occur in fall. However, we demonstrate that the linear Rossby wave model used previously to explain the seasonal cycle of the AMOC is not robust, since it is extremely sensitive to the choice of the zonal range of the wind stress curl and produces the same results with a Rossby wave speed of zero. We demonstrate that the seasonal cycle of the eastern boundary is due to the recirculation of the Canary Current and to the seasonal cycle of the poleward flow that characterizes the eastern boundaries of the oceans.

Seasonal variability of the diapycnal mixing in the Canary Islands channels

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Santana, Angel; Marrero-Díaz, Angeles; Machín, Francisco Jose; García-Weil, Luis; Sangrà, Pablo; Vélez-Belchí, Pedro; Fraile-Nuez, Eugenio; Estrada-Allis, Sheila

2014-05-01

Trimonthly surveys of XBT and XCTD (Expandable Bathytermograph and Conductivity-Temperature-Depth) crossing the whole Canary Islands channels were carried out (projects TRAMIC and PROMECA) from November 2012 until September 2013 using opportunity ships (Naviera Armas Ferries). With this data set and using salinity analytical relationships (Machín et al, 2010), vertical sections of temperature and potential density were obtained for each channel and season. In order to estimate the intensity of the diapycnal mixing in the first 500 m of the pycnocline, vertical sections of Thorpe length scale, Turner angle and gradient Richardson number (from the geostrophic vertical shear) were calculated for all the cases. The first results show how the diapycnal mixing due to the vertical shear instabilities is more intense close to the islands and in summer when the seasonal pycnocline is present. Mixing due to double diffusion processes (salt fingers) was found without sizable changes in the permanent pycnocline. Net turbulence diffusivities and diapycnal diffusive fluxes with their variability spatial and temporal will be estimate for each channel taking into account that processes of double diffusion and turbulence induced by vertical shear are present at the same time. Additionally the results obtained from hydrographic data from the cruise RAPROCAN-2013 (IEO) (October 2013) around Canary Islands will be used to compare them with the channels results. This work was co-funded by Canary Government (TRAMIC project: PROID20100092), European Union (FEDER) and Spanish Government (PROMECA: CTM2008-04057/MAR and CTM2009-06993-E/MAR)

Fine-structure contamination by internal waves in the Canary Basin

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gostiaux, L.; van Haren, H.

2012-01-01

Over a range of 132.5 m, 54 temperature sensors (1 mK relative accuracy) were moored yearlong while sampling at 1 Hz around 1455 m in the open Canary Basin. Coherence between individual records shows a weak but significant peak above the local buoyancy frequency N for all vertical separations Delta

Phalaris minor control, resistance development and strategies for ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

African Journal of Biotechnology ... It is a very competitive weed of wheat, oat and barley crops in Pakistan. ... However, tillage method, planting time, method of herbicide application, optimum dose, higher seed rate, early sowing, bed planting, ...

Inadvertent exposure to organochlorine pesticides DDT and derivatives in people from the Canary Islands (Spain)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zumbado, Manuel; Goethals, Muriel; Alvarez-Leon, Eva E.; Luzardo, Octavio P.; Cabrera, Felix; Serra-Majem, Lluis; Dominguez-Boada, Luis

2005-01-01

In 1998, one of the largest determinations of organochlorine pesticides in a representative sample of a Spanish population (682 serum samples from the Canary Islands) was made in the context of the 'Canary Islands Nutrition Survey' (ENCA). In the Canary Islands, extensive farming areas have been developed in these last decades, with greenhouses dedicated to intensive cultivation using DDT in huge amounts. In Spain, similarly to other European countries, DDT was banned in the late 1970s. The pesticide residues in human serum are indicative of past and present exposure to them. Our objective is to point out the differences of pesticide contamination between islands; and together with this, if a connection could be established with gender, age, or habitat of subjects. Concentration of selected persistent organochlorine pollutants (p,p'-DDT, o,p'-DDT, p,p'-DDE, o,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDD, and o,p'-DDD) was measured with gas chromatography-electron capture detector. Almost all of the samples (99.3%) presented detectable levels of some DDT-derivatives, being p,p'-DDE the most frequently detected organochlorine. The median concentration of total DDT body burden, expressed in ng/g fat, present in the Canary Islands (370 ng/g fat) was similar to that found in other European countries, although it was noteworthy that a fourth of the population showed a total DDT body burden higher than 715 ng/g. Interestingly, statistical significant differences were found in serum levels of organochlorine pesticides between islands, being these levels higher in people from Tenerife and Gran Canaria (415 and 612 ng/g fat, respectively), the islands that present both highest population and highest surface devoted to intensive agriculture. As expected, serum levels of both total DDT body burden and p,p'-DDE increased with age. Statistically significant differences were also found in relation to gender, women showing higher levels of these organochlorine pesticides than men. One of the most relevant

A new species of Sarcodictyon (Anthozoa: Stolonifera) from Tenerife, Canary Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ocaña, O.; Brito, A.; Nuñez, J.

1992-01-01

A new species of Stolonifera, Sarcodictyon canariensis, from Tenerife, Canary Islands, is described and illustrated. It is characterized by its large size, the form of its sclerites and internal anatomy. The material was collected at a depth of 95-130 m in the community of Dendrophyllia ramea

First record of Ligia oceanica (Linnaeus, 1767) (Isopoda: Ligiidae) in the Canary Islands

OpenAIRE

Ramírez, Rubén; Riera, Rodrigo

2013-01-01

This study presents the first record of L. oceanica in the Canary Islands. Additionally, body features between L. oceanica and Ligia italica Fabricius, 1798, the other sea-slater inhabiting the Archipelago, were compared.

Age and sex dimorphism in the Canary Blue Tit Cyanistes teneriffae ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Canary Blue Tit Cyanistes teneriffae has recently been split off from the Common Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus as a separate species. Live biometrics from across the entire distribution on the island of Tenerife (subspecies teneriffae teneriffae) are reported. Results suggest that first-year birds had similar bill shape to ...

Introduction of non-native marine fish species to the Canary Islands waters through oil platforms as vectors

Science.gov (United States)

Pajuelo, José G.; González, José A.; Triay-Portella, Raül; Martín, José A.; Ruiz-Díaz, Raquel; Lorenzo, José M.; Luque, Ángel

2016-11-01

This work documents the introduction of non-native fish species to the Canary Islands (central-eastern Atlantic) through oil rigs. Methodological approaches have included surveys by underwater visual censuses around and under oil platforms and along the docking area of rigs at the Port of Las Palmas. Eleven non-native fish species were registered. Paranthias furcifer, Abudefduf hoefleri, Acanthurus bahianus, Acanthurus chirurgus, and Acanthurus coeruleus are first recorded from the Canaries herein. Other three species could not be identified, although they have never been observed in the Canaries. Cephalopholis taeniops, Abudefduf saxatilis, and Acanthurus monroviae had been previously recorded. Native areas of these species coincide with the areas of origin and the scale of oil rigs with destination the Port of Las Palmas. The absence of native species in the censuses at rigs and their presence at rigs docking area, together with the observation of non-native species after the departure of platforms, reject the possibility that these non-native species were already present in the area introduced by another vector. C. taeniops, A. hoefleri, A. saxatilis, A. chirurgus, A. coeruleus and A. monroviae are clearly seafarer species. A. bahianus seems to be a potential seafarer species. P. furcifer is a castaway species. For the moment, the number of individuals of the non-native species in marine ecosystems of the Canaries seems to be low, and more investigation is needed for controlling these translocations.

The One-humped Camel in the Canary Islands: History and Present Status

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wilson, RT.

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The one-humped camel (Camelus dromedarius L. is not indigenous to the Canary Islands but based on historical references was introduced at the very beginning of the fifteenth century. The camel thrived in the subtropical dry environment. A long period of isolation from other animals of the same species meant that the animals were virtually disease free. This made the Islands an ideal base for exporting camels to new areas such that camels from the Canaries went to Peru in the sixteenth century, to Brazil in the eighteenth century, Venezuela and Bolivia in the early part of the nineteenth century and Australia in 1840. Camels went to several Caribbean islands in the middle of the nineteenth century. More recently (late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries some animals were exported from the islands to mainland Europe, notably France, Spain and the Netherlands, and to South America. Camels have been used in military operations, as transport and draught animals in support of agriculture and have found a role in the tourist industry. In early 2013 there were some 1,300 camels distributed over four of the larger islands of the archipelago in herds varying in size from a single animal to herds of as many as 150 head: a large group of about 400 heads kept in a Safari Park on the island of Fuerteventura is considered as the national conservation herd. The "Canary" camel has recently been shown to be genetically distinct from most other populations and it has been proposed that it should be designated as a distinct breed.

Carbon neutral archipelago – 100% renewable energy supply for the Canary Islands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gils, Hans Christian; Simon, Sonja

2017-01-01

Highlights: • A pathway to a 100% renewable energy supply for the Canary Islands is presented. • Hourly system operation is analysed, considering flexibility options and sector linkage. • Results show feasibility of a carbon neutral energy supply with local resources. • High resolution power system model highlights importance of grid connections. - Abstract: As many other small islands and archipelagos, the Canary Islands depend to a high degree on energy imports. Despite its small surface, the archipelago has a high potential for renewable energy (RE) technologies. In this paper, we present a scenario pathway to a 100% RE supply in the Canary Islands by 2050. It relies on a back-casting approach linking the bottom-up accounting framework Mesap-PlaNet and the high resolution power system model REMix. Our analysis shows that locally available technology potentials are sufficient for a fully renewable supply of the islands’ power, heat, and land transport energy demands. To follow the pathway for achieving a carbon neutral supply, expansion of RE technology deployment needs to be accelerated in the short-term and efforts towards greater energy efficiency must be increased. According to our results, an extended linkage between energy sectors through electric vehicles as well as electric heating, and the usage of synthetic hydrogen can contribute notably to the integration of intermittent RE power generation. Furthermore, our results highlight the importance of power transmission in RE supply systems. Supply costs are found 15% lower in a scenario considering sea cable connections between all islands.

High seed dispersal ability of Pinus canariensis in stands of contrasting density inferred from genotypic data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Unai López de Heredia

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Aim of the study: Models that combine parentage analysis from molecular data with spatial information of seeds and seedlings provide a framework to describe and identify the factors involved in seed dispersal and recruitment of forest species. In the present study we used a spatially explicit method (the gene shadow model in order to assess primary and effective dispersal in Pinus canariensis. Area of study: Pinus canariensis is endemic to the Canary Islands (Spain. Sampling sites were a high density forest in southern slopes of Tenerife and a low density stand in South Gran Canaria. Materials and methods: We fitted models based on parentage analysis from seeds and seedlings collected in two sites with contrasting stand density, and then compared the resulting dispersal distributions. Main results: The results showed that: 1 P. canariensis has a remarkable dispersal ability compared to other pine species; 2 there is no discordance between primary and effective dispersals, suggesting limited secondary dispersal by animals and lack of Janzen-Connell effect; and 3 low stand densities enhance the extent of seed dispersal, which was higher in the low density stand. Research highlights: The efficient dispersal mechanism of P. canariensis by wind inferred by the gene shadow model is congruent with indirect measures of gene flow, and has utility in reconstructing past demographic events and in predicting future distribution ranges for the species.

New Oxidized Zoanthamines from a Canary Islands Zoanthus sp.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco Cen-Pacheco

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Three new norzoanthamine-type alkaloids, named 2-hydroxy-11-ketonorzoan thamide B (1, norzoanthamide B (2 and 15-hydroxynorzoanthamine (3, were isolated from Zoanthus sp. specimens collected at the Canary Islands. Their structures were determined by interpretation of NMR and HR-ESIMS data. Relative configurations of their chiral centers were proposed on the basis of ROESY spectra and by comparison of their spectroscopic data with those of the well-known compound, norzoanthamine.

Studi Gaya Vintage Pada Interior Cafe Di Surabaya. (Studi Kasus : Canary Cafe, DailySweet Cafe Dan Stilrod Cafe)

OpenAIRE

Mariana Wibowo, Lia Monica Tejo

2014-01-01

Research studies is about the application of vintage style in some cafe in Surabaya aims to determine the application of vintage design styles contained in the interior of the cafe Carpentier Kitchen , Canary Cafe , Daily Sweet Cafe , and Stilroad Cafe . Research studies of vintage style design will be carried out in Surabaya with a case study that some cafe in Surabaya that meets the criteria of vintage design styles , including the Carpentier Kitchen , Canary Cafe , Daily Sweet Cafe , and S...

Genetic diversity of a clonal angiosperm near its range limit: The case of Cymodocea nodosa at the Canary Islands

OpenAIRE

Alberto, Filipe; Arnaud-Haond, Sophie; Duarte, Carlos M.; Serrao, Ester Álvares

2006-01-01

The seagrass Cymodocea nodosa forms a unique community in the Canary Islands, where it is classified as an endangered species. Biogeographic theory predicts that clonal species on islands near their distributional limits might show lower proportions of sexual (versus clonal) reproduction, lower genetic diversity, and higher differentiation. We addressed these hypotheses by comparing the genetic structure of C. nodosa from 10 meadows in the 4 main Canary Islands with 2 Iberian sites (Atlantic ...

[Cardiovascular risk: initial estimation in the study cohort "CDC of the Canary Islands in Venezuela"].

Science.gov (United States)

Viso, Miguel; Rodríguez, Zulma; Loreto, Neydys; Fernández, Yolima; Callegari, Carlos; Nicita, Graciela; González, Julio; Cabrera de León, Antonio; Reigosa, Aldo

2011-12-01

In Venezuela as in the Canary Islands (Spain), cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. The purpose of this research is to estimate the cardiovascular risk in the Canary Islands migrants living in Venezuela and participating in the study cohort "CDC of the Canary Islands in Venezuela". 452 individuals, aged 18 to 93 years (54.9% women), were enrolled between June 2008 and August 2009. A data survey was performed and their weight, height, abdomen and hip circumferences, and blood pressure were measured. After a 12-hour fasting period, a blood sample was obtained for glucose and lipid profile determinations. 40.5% of the subjects were over 65 years of age and 8% corresponded to the younger group (18-30 years). In men, the average age was 57.69 +/- 18.17 years and the body mass index 29.39 +/- 5.71 kg/m2, whereas women were 56.50 +/- 16.91 years and 28.20 +/- 5.57 kg/m2, respectively. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 49.1%, overweight and obesity together 75,2%, abdominal obesity 85.4%, diabetes 17.4%, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) 12.2%, elevated blood pressure 52.9%, low HDL-cholesterol 53,8% and elevated serum triglycerides 31%. Among subjects without diabetes or IFG, a third showed a high triglycerides/HDL-cholesterol ratio, indicating insulin resistance. We conclude that the Canarian-Venezuelan community suffers high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (obesity, abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, diabetes). In relation to the current population of the Canary Islands, they show a lower frequency of IFG and a higher frequency of low HDL-cholesterol. In comparison to the Venezuelan population (Zulia), they showed to have lower prevalence of IFG, low HDL cholesterol and elevated triglycerides.

The Canary Basin contribution to the seasonal cycle of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation at 26°N

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Hernández, M. D.; McCarthy, G. D.; Vélez-Belchí, P.; Smeed, D. A.; Fraile-Nuez, E.; Hernández-Guerra, A.

2015-11-01

This study examines the seasonal cycle of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) and its eastern boundary contributions. The cycle has a magnitude of 6 Sv, as measured by the RAPID/MOCHA/WBTS project array at 26°N, which is driven largely by the eastern boundary. The eastern boundary variations are explored in the context of the regional circulation around the Canary Islands. There is a 3 month lag between maximum wind forcing and the largest eastern boundary transports, which is explained in terms of a model for Rossby wave generated at the eastern boundary. Two dynamic processes take place through the Lanzarote Passage (LP) in fall: the recirculation of the Canary Current and the northward flow of the Intermediate Poleward Undercurrent. In contrast, during the remaining seasons the transport through the LP is southward due to the Canary Upwelling Current. These processes are linked to the seasonal cycle of the AMOC.

The Effect of Trichoderma on Heavy Metal Mobility and Uptake by Miscanthus giganteus, Salix sp., Phalaris arundinacea, and Panicum virgatum

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malgorzata J. Kacprzak

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The effect of land application of biomaterials based on two strains of Trichoderma fungus on phytoremediation processes was studied. Six metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Ni were analysed in soil and soil leachate as well as in plant tissues. The translocation index (Ti and metal bioconcentration factors (BCF calculated for the inoculated plants were increased compared to the noninoculated control, except for Pb and Salix sp. Simultaneously, the mobilisation of metals in soil solution as an effect of biomaterials was noted. The highest values of Ti—339% (for Cr, 190% (for Ni, and 110% (for Cu—were achieved for the combination Miscanteus giganteus and Trichoderma MSO1. The results indicated that the application of fungus has positive effects on increasing the biomass, soil parameters (C, N, and P, and solubility of heavy metals in soil and therefore in enhancing phytoextraction for Miscanthus giganteus L., Panicum virgatum L., Phalaris arundinacea L., and Salix sp.

The renewable energies in Canary Islands. Las energias renovables en las islas Canarias

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Institute for Diversification and saving of energy.

1994-01-01

The situation of renewable energies in Canary Island is presented. Technical and economical aspects of renewable sources are studied: wind energy, solar thermal energy, photovoltaic energy, urban solid wastes incineration, biomass, hydropower and geothermal energy. Finally the environment aspects are presented.

Stygofauna of the Canary Islands, 8 Amphipoda (Crustacea) from inland groundwaters of Fuerteventura

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Stock, Jan H.

1988-01-01

New material of Bogidiella from Fuenteventura (Canary Islands) provided evidence that the specimens of the genus previously recorded from inland groundwaters belong to a species new to science: B. (Stygogidiella) purpuriae, closely related to the thalassostygobiont, B. (S.) uniramosa from Lanzarote.

The impact of the climate on the epidemiology of Dirofilaria immitis in the pet population of the Canary Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Montoya-Alonso, J A; Carretón, E; Morchón, R; Silveira-Viera, L; Falcón, Y; Simón, F

2016-01-30

Cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis (heartworm) is a zoonotic vector borne disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis which affects domestic dogs and cats. Two of the seven Canary Islands are historically hyperendemic areas of dirofilariosis, although no epidemiological study has ever been carried out which includes the other islands. The aim of the study was to complete the epidemiological status of cardiopulmonary dirofilariosis in the canine and feline population throughout all the Canary Islands. 1643 client-owned dogs and 707 client-owned cats were tested for D. immitis antigens (dogs), and anti-D. immitis and anti-Wolbachia antibodies (cats). The prevalence of canine dirofilariosis in the Canary Islands was 15.7%, and the seroprevalence of feline dirofilariosis was 18.1%. A remarkable disparity was found when evaluating the results by island separately, which ranged from from 0% in Lanzarote and El Hierro, low prevalences and seroprevalences in Fuerteventura (1.8% and 2.5% in dogs and cats, respectively), to higher prevalences on the other 4 islands; ranging between 15.7% (dogs) and 14.3% (cats) in La Palma 22.5% (dogs) and 24.1% (cats) in Tenerife. In addition, prevalences and seroprevalences were very variable within each island, these differences being associated to local climate conditions. The distribution and prevalence of dirofilariosis in the Canary Islands is heterogeneous and related to climate, demographic factors and management of pets in the studied areas. Dirofilariosis remains hyperendemic in 4 of the 7 Islands. Since D. immitis is a zoonosis, veterinary and health authorities should be aware of the current prevalence and seroprevalence of animal dirofilariosis. The results show the need for awareness raising campaigns to promote the implementation of prophylactic measures in pets, in order to achieve a decrease in the prevalence of animal dirofilariosis in the Canary Islands. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Revision of the Cerobasis annulata group (Psocoptera: Trogiidae) from the Canary Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Baz, A.

1993-01-01

The species of the Cerobasis annulata group from the Canary Islands are revised. A key to the seven species is provided; the Holarctic C. annulata is added for comparison. Five new species are described: Cerobasis rosae spec. nov., C. ericaceus spec. nov., C. anagaensis spec. nov., C. longicornis

Mapping the geogenic radon potential of the eastern Canary Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Rubiano, Jesús G.; Alonso, Hector; Arnedo, Miguel. A.; Tejera, Alicia; Martel, Pablo; Gil, Juan M.; Rodriguez, Rafael; González, Jonay

2014-05-01

The main contribution of indoor radon comes from soils and thus, the knowledge of the concentration of this gas in soils is important for estimating the risk of finding high radon indoor concentrations. To characterize the behavior of radon in soils, it is common to use the a quantity named Radon Potential which results of a combination of properties of the soil itself and from the underlying rock, such as concentration and distribution of radium, porosity, permeability, the moisture content and meteorological parameters, among others. In this work, the results three year of campaigns of measurement radon gas as well as the permeability in soils of the Eastern Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) are presented. By combining these two parameters and through the use of geostatistic interpolation techniques, the radon potential of soils is estimated and it is used to carry on a classification of the territory into hazard zones according to their potential for radon emanation. To measure the radon soil gas a probe equipped with a "lost" sharp tip is inserted to the desired sampling depth. One of the characteristics of the Canary Islands is the absence of developed soils and so the bedrock is found typically at very shallow depth. This fact has led us to adopt a sampling depth of 50 cm at most. The probe is connected to the continuous radon monitor Durridge RAD7 equipped with a solid-state alpha spectrometer to determine concentration radon using the activity its short-lived progeny. Dried soil air is delivered to the RAD7 radon monitor by pumping. A half hour counting time for all sampling points has been taken. In parallel to the radon measurement campaign, the permeability of soils has also been determined at each point using the permeameter RADON-JOK. The principle of operation of this equipment consists of air withdrawal by means of negative pressure. The gas permeability is then calculated using the known flow of air flowing through the probe

Pre-study - mobile briquetting plant for reed canary grass in inland Northern Sweden; Foerstudie - mobil briketteringsanlaeggning foer roerflen i norrlands inland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paulrud, Susanne; Lundmark, Bo

2009-07-01

The aim of this preliminary study was to summarize existing information and to develop an outline plan for a mobile briquette plant based on the conditions and requirements of reed canary grass production on forestry land. The results of the study show that there is potential to build up small-scale briquette production from reed canary grass in the areas around Arvidsjaur, Lycksele and Malaa. Important conclusions from the study are that there are potential users for reed canary grass briquettes in all three areas studied, but that profitability for mobile briquette plants is dependent on the willingness of the users to pay well for the briquettes. These briquette plants would need a relatively high degree of automation for commercial operation to be profitable. The first plant should therefore be collocated with another business so that staff, machinery (e.g. loader) and storage space can be shared with other operations. One appropriate location would be to build up activities for a mobile reed canary grass briquette plant around Glommers Miljoeenergi's pellet plant in Glommerstraesk. Thus, the plant could be used as a demonstration mobile unit, with a stationary 'home production base'CO{sub 2} Glommerstraesk

The effects of introducing natural gas in the Canary Islands for electricity generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos-Real, Francisco Javier; Moreno-Piquero, Juan Carlos; Ramos-Henriquez, Jose Manuel

2007-01-01

This study analyses the economic effects of introducing natural gas in the Canary Islands to generate electricity in combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plants. To this end we will evaluate how this measure contributes to achieving the objectives of the islands' energy policy and we calculate the cost of generating a kWh from this technology. For this calculation we obtain the net present value (NPV) of the total production costs during the economic lifetime of the plant so as to subsequently find the unitary cost per kWh generated. The result obtained indicates that the kWh cost is some 25% lower than the cost of using petroleum derivatives. Additionally, if we consider the positive effect of CO 2 emissions reductions, the cost is 41% lower. The introduction of natural gas will also be a decisive factor in complying with Kyoto requirements and in diversifying supply sources in the Canaries

[Comparing the perspectives of primary care doctors in the Canary Islands and Alberta (Canada)].

Science.gov (United States)

Mahtani-Chugani, Vinita; López-Hijazo, Asunción; Manca, Donna; Sanz-Alvarez, Emilio

2012-05-01

To examine the advantages and disadvantages of two different Health Care Systems from the perspective of Primary Care (PC) physicians. Qualitative research based on the analysis of documents written as diaries for the study. Primary Care in the Canary Islands (Spain) and Alberta (Canada) CONTEXT AND PARTICIPANTS: Intentional sample to identify different profiles of physicians. Participants were asked to write a document describing their work activities, including the impact of the organisational system and on their personal life. Two representatives of the health care system were asked to write a detailed description about how PC is organised in their country. Nine diaries were collected (5 from the Canary Islands and 4 from Alberta). Ritchie & Spencer framework was used for the analysis. In Alberta, physicians have access to more complementary tests; they can offer hospital care; they have to sort out administrative work; they can choose were to work; and can specialise in different types of health care services. In the Canary Islands physicians can have paid holidays and the administrative issues do not depend on them, patients have a physician assigned and seem to have more institutional support. The results of this study allow us to constructively analyse the role of PC physicians, assess the advantages and re-think the disadvantages related to how we work in order to learn from other health care systems. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

Ichthyoplankton transport from the African coast to the Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Brochier, Timothée; Mason, Evan; Moyano, Marta; Berraho, Amina; Colas, Francois; Sangrà, Pablo; Hernández-León, Santiago; Ettahiri, Omar; Lett, Christophe

2011-08-01

The Canary Upwelling System (CUS), a major eastern boundary upwelling system, sustains large cross-border fisheries of small pelagic fish, which poses the question of stock connectivity. Studies suggest that ichthyoplankton transport from the northwest African coast to the Canary Islands (CI) is facilitated by coastal-upwelling associated filaments. Here we analyze connections between larval supply to the CI and sardine and anchovy populations that spawn over the continental shelf. For both species, ichthyoplankton observations (1) at the shelf and (2) near the island of Gran Canaria (GC) are used. Predictions of ichthyoplankton transport to GC are obtained from the Ichthyop Lagrangian transport model, which is forced by a high-resolution hydrodynamic model (ROMS) that reproduces the regional circulation. Results show that upwelling filaments play an important role in the transport of larvae to GC. However, (1) filaments are not the only mechanism, and (2) filament presence does not necessarily imply larval transport. Anchovy and sardine larval presence at GC appears to be independent of the respective adult spawning seasonality. Combining of observed and modeled data does not succeed in reproducing the observed larval patterns at GC. Various hypotheses are proposed to explain this discrepancy in larval transport to GC.

[Prevalence of antibodies against Coxiella burnetii in a healthy population in Lanzarote (Canary Islands)].

Science.gov (United States)

Pascual Velasco, F; Otero Ferrio, I; Borobio Enciso, M V

1991-05-01

The Canary Islands area now appears to be a Q-fever endemic zone, especially the west side (La Palma island). The situation in the eastern islands in unknown. In order to evaluate the seric prevalence of Coxiella burnetii, 100 serum samples that were taken from the adult population of Lanzarote and, following strict criteria, were analysed using a complement fixation test; blood donors and patients who had suffered a recent infection were excluded. The study was carried out during November/1986. Three serum samples were positive, one had titers of 1/8 and the other two showed 1/64. This prevalence rate of residual Coxiella burnetii antibodies in Lanzarote (3%)--despite being low compared to other areas in Spain--together with te recent cases described, confirms the suspicion that the Canary Islands area is indeed a new endemic Q-fever zone.

The genus Alvania on the Canary Islands and Madeira (Mollusca: Gastropoda) Part 1

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moolenbeek, R.G.; Hoenselaar, H.J.

1989-01-01

Micromolluscs of the family Rissoidae and belonging to the genus Alvania s.l. from the Canary Islands and the Madeira archipelago are revised. For several species the type locality is restricted and lectotypes are designated for Rissoa canadensis d’Orbigny, 1839, R. euchila Watson, 1886, R.

Canary: An NLP Platform for Clinicians and Researchers.

Science.gov (United States)

Malmasi, Shervin; Sandor, Nicolae L; Hosomura, Naoshi; Goldberg, Matt; Skentzos, Stephen; Turchin, Alexander

2017-05-03

Information Extraction methods can help discover critical knowledge buried in the vast repositories of unstructured clinical data. However, these methods are underutilized in clinical research, potentially due to the absence of free software geared towards clinicians with little technical expertise. The skills required for developing/using such software constitute a major barrier for medical researchers wishing to employ these methods. To address this, we have developed Canary, a free and open-source solution designed for users without natural language processing (NLP) or software engineering experience. It was designed to be fast and work out of the box via a user-friendly graphical interface.

Two new species of the genus Peristenus Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) from the Canary Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Achterberg, van C.; Guerrero, E.R.

2003-01-01

Two new species of the genus Peristenus Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) from the Canary Islands are described and illustrated: Peristenus angifemoralis spec. nov. from Tenerife, and P. gloriae spec. nov. from Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

Magmatic water contents determined through clinopyroxene: Examples from the Western Canary Islands, Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Weis, Franz A.; Skogby, Henrik; Troll, Valentin R.; Deegan, Frances M.; Dahren, Börje

2015-07-01

Water is a key parameter in magma genesis, magma evolution, and resulting eruption styles, because it controls the density, the viscosity, as well as the melting and crystallization behavior of a melt. The parental water content of a magma is usually measured through melt inclusions in minerals such as olivine, a method which may be hampered, however, by the lack of melt inclusions suitable for analysis, or postentrapment changes in their water content. An alternative way to reconstruct the water content of a magma is to use nominally anhydrous minerals (NAMs), such as pyroxene, which take up low concentrations of hydrogen as a function of the magma's water content. During magma degassing and eruption, however, NAMs may dehydrate. We therefore tested a method to reconstruct the water contents of dehydrated clinopyroxene phenocrysts from the Western Canary islands (n = 28) through rehydration experiments followed by infrared and Mössbauer spectroscopy. Employing currently available crystal/melt partitioning data, the results of the experiments were used to calculate parental water contents of 0.71 ± 0.07 to 1.49 ± 0.15 wt % H2O for Western Canary magmas during clinopyroxene crystallization at upper mantle conditions. This H2O range is in agreement with calculated water contents using plagioclase-liquid-hygrometry, and with previously published data for mafic lavas from the Canary Islands and comparable ocean island systems elsewhere. Utilizing NAMs in combination with hydrogen treatment can therefore serve as a proxy for pre-eruptive H2O contents, which we anticipate becoming a useful method applicable to mafic rocks where pyroxene is the main phenocryst phase.

Description of a new species of Glycymeris (Bivalvia: Arcoidea) from Madeira, Selvagens and Canary Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Goud, J.; Gulden, G.

2009-01-01

After revision of the Glycymerididae in the collection of the National Museum of Natural history, a new species, Glycymeris vanhengstumi is described here. It occurs off the coast of Madeira, the Selvagens and the Canary Islands.

Pronounced fixation, strong population differentiation and complex population history in the Canary Islands blue tit subspecies complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansson, Bengt; Ljungqvist, Marcus; Illera, Juan-Carlos; Kvist, Laura

2014-01-01

Evolutionary molecular studies of island radiations may lead to insights in the role of vicariance, founder events, population size and drift in the processes of population differentiation. We evaluate the degree of population genetic differentiation and fixation of the Canary Islands blue tit subspecies complex using microsatellite markers and aim to get insights in the population history using coalescence based methods. The Canary Island populations were strongly genetically differentiated and had reduced diversity with pronounced fixation including many private alleles. In population structure models, the relationship between the central island populations (La Gomera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria) and El Hierro was difficult to disentangle whereas the two European populations showed consistent clustering, the two eastern islands (Fuerteventura and Lanzarote) and Morocco weak clustering, and La Palma a consistent unique lineage. Coalescence based models suggested that the European mainland forms an outgroup to the Afrocanarian population, a split between the western island group (La Palma and El Hierro) and the central island group, and recent splits between the three central islands, and between the two eastern islands and Morocco, respectively. It is clear that strong genetic drift and low level of concurrent gene flow among populations have shaped complex allelic patterns of fixation and skewed frequencies over the archipelago. However, understanding the population history remains challenging; in particular, the pattern of extreme divergence with low genetic diversity and yet unique genetic material in the Canary Island system requires an explanation. A potential scenario is population contractions of a historically large and genetically variable Afrocanarian population, with vicariance and drift following in the wake. The suggestion from sequence-based analyses of a Pleistocene extinction of a substantial part of North Africa and a Pleistocene/Holocene eastward

Pronounced fixation, strong population differentiation and complex population history in the Canary Islands blue tit subspecies complex.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bengt Hansson

Full Text Available Evolutionary molecular studies of island radiations may lead to insights in the role of vicariance, founder events, population size and drift in the processes of population differentiation. We evaluate the degree of population genetic differentiation and fixation of the Canary Islands blue tit subspecies complex using microsatellite markers and aim to get insights in the population history using coalescence based methods. The Canary Island populations were strongly genetically differentiated and had reduced diversity with pronounced fixation including many private alleles. In population structure models, the relationship between the central island populations (La Gomera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria and El Hierro was difficult to disentangle whereas the two European populations showed consistent clustering, the two eastern islands (Fuerteventura and Lanzarote and Morocco weak clustering, and La Palma a consistent unique lineage. Coalescence based models suggested that the European mainland forms an outgroup to the Afrocanarian population, a split between the western island group (La Palma and El Hierro and the central island group, and recent splits between the three central islands, and between the two eastern islands and Morocco, respectively. It is clear that strong genetic drift and low level of concurrent gene flow among populations have shaped complex allelic patterns of fixation and skewed frequencies over the archipelago. However, understanding the population history remains challenging; in particular, the pattern of extreme divergence with low genetic diversity and yet unique genetic material in the Canary Island system requires an explanation. A potential scenario is population contractions of a historically large and genetically variable Afrocanarian population, with vicariance and drift following in the wake. The suggestion from sequence-based analyses of a Pleistocene extinction of a substantial part of North Africa and a Pleistocene

Multiple independent colonization of the Canary Islands by the winged grasshopper genus Sphingonotus Fieber, 1852.

Science.gov (United States)

Husemann, Martin; Deppermann, Jana; Hochkirch, Axel

2014-12-01

Volcanic archipelagos represent ideal systems to study processes of colonization, differentiation and speciation. The Canary Islands are one of the best studied archipelagos, being composed of seven main islands with a well-known geological history. Most taxa have colonized these islands stepwise from the African or Iberian mainland from east to west, following their geological origin as well as the predominating wind direction and ocean currents. Furthermore, within-island radiations have been reported for several taxa. The grasshopper genus Sphingonotus is species-rich and occurs with nine fully winged species on the Canary Islands, seven of which are endemic to single or few islands. We inferred a phylogeny of these species and their North African and Iberian relatives based upon sequences of three mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene of 136 specimens. Surprisingly, our results suggest that almost all Sphingonotus species colonized the archipelago independently from the mainland and nearly no inter-island colonization occurred. Despite their strong flight capabilities, only one pair of endemic species are closely related (S. sublaevis from Gran Canary and S. pachecoi from Lanzarote). Moreover, no within-island speciation events were detected. We hypothesize that passive wind dispersal from the African mainland was the main driver of the colonization process and that most Sphingonotus species are not able to cover inter-island distances by active flight. This, together with strong intrageneric niche overlap might explain the lack of within-island speciation in this taxon. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CO2 - The Canary in the Energy Efficiency Coal Mine

Science.gov (United States)

Somssich, Peter

2011-04-01

While much of the discussion surrounding CO2 is focused on its role as a GHG (green house gas) and its affect on Climate Change, CO2 can also be viewed as an indicator for reductions in fossil fuel use and increased energy efficiency. Much as the canary in a mine was used to warn miners of unsafe health conditions in a mine, CO2 can be seen as allowing us to effectively track progress towards energy efficiency and sustainability. Such an effort can best be achieved by either a Carbon Tax or a Cap and Trade system which was highly effective as part of the 1992 Clean Air Act, contributing to a significant reduction of SO2 and acid rain. A similar attempt has been made using the 1997 Kyoto Protocol to reduce carbon emissions. The mechanisms of how this treaty was intended to work will be explained, and examples will be given, both in the USA and Europe, of how the protocol was used to reduce energy consumption and energy dependence, while also reducing CO2 emissions. Regardless of how strong an impact CO2 reduction may have for Climate Change issues, a reduction of CO2 is guaranteed to produce energy benefits, monetary benefits and can even enhance national security. For all of these reasons, we need the CO2 canary.

Long-term volcanic hazard assessment on El Hierro (Canary Islands)

Science.gov (United States)

Becerril, L.; Bartolini, S.; Sobradelo, R.; Martí, J.; Morales, J. M.; Galindo, I.

2014-07-01

Long-term hazard assessment, one of the bastions of risk-mitigation programs, is required for land-use planning and for developing emergency plans. To ensure quality and representative results, long-term volcanic hazard assessment requires several sequential steps to be completed, which include the compilation of geological and volcanological information, the characterisation of past eruptions, spatial and temporal probabilistic studies, and the simulation of different eruptive scenarios. Despite being a densely populated active volcanic region that receives millions of visitors per year, no systematic hazard assessment has ever been conducted on the Canary Islands. In this paper we focus our attention on El Hierro, the youngest of the Canary Islands and the most recently affected by an eruption. We analyse the past eruptive activity to determine the spatial and temporal probability, and likely style of a future eruption on the island, i.e. the where, when and how. By studying the past eruptive behaviour of the island and assuming that future eruptive patterns will be similar, we aim to identify the most likely volcanic scenarios and corresponding hazards, which include lava flows, pyroclastic fallout and pyroclastic density currents (PDCs). Finally, we estimate their probability of occurrence. The end result, through the combination of the most probable scenarios (lava flows, pyroclastic density currents and ashfall), is the first qualitative integrated volcanic hazard map of the island.

New xenophytes from La Palma (Canary Islands, Spain, with emphasis on naturalized and (potentially invasive species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Otto

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Many years of field work in La Palma (western Canary Islands yielded a number of interesting new records of non-native vascular plants. Amaranthus blitoides, A. deflexus, Aptenia cordifolia, Argemone ochroleuca, Begonia schmidtiana, Capsella rubella, Cardamine hamiltonii, Centratherum punctatum, Cerastium fontanum subsp. vulgare, Chasmanthe floribunda (widely confused with C. aethiopica and Crocosmia xcrocosmiiflora in Macaronesia, Chenopodium probstii, Commelina latifolia var. latifolia, Dichondra micrantha, Dysphania anthelmintica, Epilobium ciliatum, Erigeron sumatrensis, Erodium neuradifolium, Eucalyptus globulus, Euphorbia hypericifolia, E. maculata, Gamochaeta antillana, Geranium pyrenaicum, Hedychium coronarium, Hypochaeris radicata, Kalanchoe daigremontiana, K. delagoensis, K. xhoughtonii, Kickxia commutata subsp. graeca, K. spuria subsp. integrifolia, Lactuca viminea subsp. ramosissima, Landoltia punctata, Malvastrum coromandelianum subsp. capitatospicatum, Oenothera jamesii, Orobanche nana, Oxalis latifolia, Papaver hybridum, P. setigerum, Pilea microphylla, Podranea ricasoliana, Polygonum arenastrum, Portulaca granulatostellulata, P. nicaraguensis, P. nitida, P. papillatostellulata, Rumex crispus subsp. crispus, R. pulcher subsp. pulcher, R. xpratensis, Sechium edule, Sida spinosa var. angustifolia, Silene nocturna, Solanum abutiloides, S. alatum, S. decipiens, Sonchus tenerrimus, Spergularia marina, Stellaria pallida, Tragopogon porrifolius subsp. australis, Tribulus terrestris and Trifolium repens subsp. repens are naturalized or (potentially invasive xenophytes, reported for the first time from either the Canary Islands or from La Palma. 37 additional, presumably ephemeral taxa are reported for the first time from the Canary Islands, whereas 56 ephemeral taxa are new for La Palma..

Vicia vulcanorum (Fabaceae a new species from the island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands

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Morales-Mateos, J. B.

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Vicia vulcanorum J. Gil & M. L. Gil (Fabaceae, a new species of subg. Cracca (Dumort. Peterm., sect. Cracca Dumort. is described and illustrated from the island of Lanzarote, Canary Islands, north-west of Africa. It is related to and compared with Vicia cirrhosa C. Sm. ex Webb & Berthel. and Vicia filicaulis Webb & Berthel., two endemic species from the western and central group of the Canary Islands, and Vicia ferreirensis Goyder, an endemic species from Porto Santo Island, Madeira Archipelago.Se describe e ilustra Vicia vulcanorum J. Gil & M. L. Gil (Fabaceae, una nueva especie y endemismo de la isla de Lanzarote, Islas Canarias, perteneciente al subg. Cracca (Dumort. Peterm., sect. Cracca Dumort. Se encuentra relacionada y es comparada con Vicia cirrhosa C. Sm. ex Webb & Berthel. y Vicia filicaulis Webb & Berthel., especies endémicas de las islas centrales y occidentales del archipiélago canario, y con Vicia ferreirensis Goyder, especie endémica de la isla de Porto Santo, en el archipiélago de Madeira.

Boring sponges (Porifera, Clionidae) collected during the "Tydeman" Canary Islands expedition Cancap-II, 1977

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groot, de R.A.

1980-01-01

INTRODUCTION AND MATERIAL The boring sponges of the Canary Islands have never been studied in any detail, but the boring fauna of this archipelago cannot be expected to be very rich. All islands are volcanic and calcareous rocks are not common. Consequently, in most areas large shells and rhodophyte

Melt evolution beneath thick lithosphere: A magmatic inclusions study of La Palma, Canary Islands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nikogosian, I.; Elliott, T.R.; Touret, J.L.R.

2002-01-01

Volcanism in the Canary Islands is notable for its highly alkalic character even in the shield building lavas of the currently most active island, La Palma. In order to understand better the processes responsible for this alkalic end of the compositional spectrum of ocean island basalts (OIB), we

Volcanic hazard assessment for the Canary Islands (Spain using extreme value theory

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R. Sobradelo

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The Canary Islands are an active volcanic region densely populated and visited by several millions of tourists every year. Nearly twenty eruptions have been reported through written chronicles in the last 600 yr, suggesting that the probability of a new eruption in the near future is far from zero. This shows the importance of assessing and monitoring the volcanic hazard of the region in order to reduce and manage its potential volcanic risk, and ultimately contribute to the design of appropriate preparedness plans. Hence, the probabilistic analysis of the volcanic eruption time series for the Canary Islands is an essential step for the assessment of volcanic hazard and risk in the area. Such a series describes complex processes involving different types of eruptions over different time scales. Here we propose a statistical method for calculating the probabilities of future eruptions which is most appropriate given the nature of the documented historical eruptive data. We first characterize the eruptions by their magnitudes, and then carry out a preliminary analysis of the data to establish the requirements for the statistical method. Past studies in eruptive time series used conventional statistics and treated the series as an homogeneous process. In this paper, we will use a method that accounts for the time-dependence of the series and includes rare or extreme events, in the form of few data of large eruptions, since these data require special methods of analysis. Hence, we will use a statistical method from extreme value theory. In particular, we will apply a non-homogeneous Poisson process to the historical eruptive data of the Canary Islands to estimate the probability of having at least one volcanic event of a magnitude greater than one in the upcoming years. This is done in three steps: First, we analyze the historical eruptive series to assess independence and homogeneity of the process. Second, we perform a Weibull analysis of the

Improving GNSS time series for volcano monitoring: application to Canary Islands (Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

García-Cañada, Laura; Sevilla, Miguel J.; Pereda de Pablo, Jorge; Domínguez Cerdeña, Itahiza

2017-04-01

The number of permanent GNSS stations has increased significantly in recent years for different geodetic applications such as volcano monitoring, which require a high precision. Recently we have started to have coordinates time series long enough so that we can apply different analysis and filters that allow us to improve the GNSS coordinates results. Following this idea we have processed data from GNSS permanent stations used by the Spanish Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) for volcano monitoring in Canary Islands to obtained time series by double difference processing method with Bernese v5.0 for the period 2007-2014. We have identified the characteristics of these time series and obtained models to estimate velocities with greater accuracy and more realistic uncertainties. In order to improve the results we have used two kinds of filters to improve the time series. The first, a spatial filter, has been computed using the series of residuals of all stations in the Canary Islands without an anomalous behaviour after removing a linear trend. This allows us to apply this filter to all sets of coordinates of the permanent stations reducing their dispersion. The second filter takes account of the temporal correlation in the coordinate time series for each station individually. A research about the evolution of the velocity depending on the series length has been carried out and it has demonstrated the need for using time series of at least four years. Therefore, in those stations with more than four years of data, we calculated the velocity and the characteristic parameters in order to have time series of residuals. This methodology has been applied to the GNSS data network in El Hierro (Canary Islands) during the 2011-2012 eruption and the subsequent magmatic intrusions (2012-2014). The results show that in the new series it is easier to detect anomalous behaviours in the coordinates, so they are most useful to detect crustal deformations in volcano monitoring.

Uranium-series ages of corals, sea level history, and palaeozoogeography, Canary Islands, Spain: an exploratory study for two Quaternary interglacial periods

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Muhs, Daniel R.; Meco, Joaquín; Simmons, Kathleen R.

2014-01-01

We present the first U-series ages of corals from emergent marine deposits on the Canary Islands. Deposits at + 20 m are 481 ± 39 ka, possibly correlative to marine isotope stage (or MIS) 11, while those at + 12 and + 8 m are 120.5 ± 0.8 ka and 130.2 ± 0.8 ka, respectively, correlative to MIS 5.5. The age, elevations, and uplift rates derived from MIS 5.5 deposits on the Canary Islands allow calculations of hypothetical palaeo-sea levels during the MIS 11 high sea stand. Estimates indicate that the MIS 11 high sea stand likely was at least + 9 m (relative to present sea level) and could have been as high as + 24 m. The most conservative estimates of palaeo-sea level during MIS 11 would require an ice mass loss equivalent to all of the modern Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets; the more extreme estimates would require additional ice mass loss from the East Antarctic ice sheet. Extralimital southern species of mollusks, found in both MIS 11 and MIS 5.5 deposits on the Canary Islands, imply warmer-than-modern sea surface temperatures during at least a part of MIS 11 and much warmer sea surface temperatures during at least a part of MIS 5.5. Both MIS 11 and MIS 5.5 marine deposits on the Canary Islands contain extralimital northern species of mollusks as well, indicating cooler-than-present waters at times during these interglacial periods. We hypothesize that the co-occurrence of extralimital southern and northern species of marine invertebrates in the fossil record of the Canary Islands reflects its geographic location with respect to major synoptic-scale controls on climate and ocean currents. Previous interglacials may have been characterized by early, insolation-forced warming, along with northward migration of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ), accompanied by weakened trade winds and diminished upwelling. This allowed the arrival of extralimital southern taxa from the tropical Senegalese faunal province. During later parts of the MIS 11 and 5

MIO-PLIOCENE CRUSTACEANS FROM THE CANARY ISLANDS, SPAIN

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JUAN FRANCISCO BETANCORT

2014-11-01

Full Text Available There are few previous references to fossil crustaceans for the Neogene marine layers of the Canary Islands (Spain. The Mio-Pliocene marine sedimentary layers in the eastern islands (Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote were previously characterised by the presence of numerous fossil fauna, mainly anthozoans and molluscs, which correspond to an equatorial-typepalaeoclimate, warmer than the present climate. This Mio-Pliocene transition dated between 9.3 and 4.1 Ma. In this paper, 12 fossil crustacean taxa are identified and classified, including decapods and barnacles: Balanus concavus Bronn, 1831, Balanus spongicola Brown, 1827, Balanus perforatus Bruguière, 1789, Chenolobia testudinaria Linnè, 1767, Tetraclita cf. rubescens Darwin, 1854, Callianassa matsoni Rathbun, 1935, Callianassa sp., Upogebia sp, Eriphia aff. verrucosa (Forskal, 1775 , Maja sp., Scylla michelini Milne-Edwards, 1861 and Ocypode sp. Some of these taxa mean new references for the Atlantic islands and the North African Atlantic and definitely enlarge the palaeographic distribution of Neogene crustaceans beyond the Mediterranean region, extending it to the North Atlantic. Particularly significant are the presence of Tetraclita cf. rubescens ,this being the first reported fossil occurrence of this barnacle outside the North America Pacific coasts, and Chenolobia testudinaria , indicating for the first time the existence of marine turtles in these islands during the Neogene. These results are coherent with previous research hypothesising the existence of a flow of surface water between the Pacific and Atlantic in the Mio-Pliocene transition (Central American Seaway, CAS which explains the arrival of organisms, in larval stage, from Central America to the Canary Islands.

Removal of personal care compounds from sewage sludge in reed bed container (lysimeter) studies - Effects of macrophytes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chen, Xijuan; Pauly, Udo; Rehfus, Stefan

2009-01-01

as on the bactericide Triclosan. Additionally, the capacity of different macrophytes species to affect the treatment process was examined. Three different macrophyte species were compared: bulrush (Typha latifolia), reed (Phragmites australis) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea). They were planted...... into containers (lysimeters) with a size of 1 m × 1 m × 1 m which were filled with 20 cm gravel at the bottom and 50 cm sludge on top, into which the macrophytes were planted. During the twelve months experiment reduction of 20-30% for HHCB and AHTN, 70% for Triclosan and 70% for OTNE were determined under...... environmental conditions. The reduction is most likely due to degradation, since volatilization, uptake into plants and leaching are insignificant. No difference between the containers with different macrophyte species or the unplanted containers was observed. Considering the usual operation time of 10 years...

Fish larvae from the Canary region in autumn

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J. M. Rodríguez

2000-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the taxonomic composition of the fish larvae community in the Canary region in autumn 1991 is presented. In total, 8699 larvae belonging to 58 fish families were studied. 176 taxonomic groups were identified, 149 at species level and the rest were identified at a higher level. The most numerous family and the one that presented the greatest number of species was Myctophidae. The most frequently caught species was Cyclothone braueri. The taxonomic composition (at family level of the fish larvae community, dominated by four mesopelagic families, was typical of oceanic regions of warm waters. The most remarkable feature of the fish larvae community was its high specific diversity.

Bartonella in Rodents and Ectoparasites in the Canary Islands, Spain: New Insights into Host-Vector-Pathogen Relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Abreu-Yanes, Estefania; Martin-Alonso, Aaron; Martin-Carrillo, Natalia; Livia, Katherine Garcia; Marrero-Gagliardi, Alessandro; Valladares, Basilio; Feliu, Carlos; Foronda, Pilar

2018-01-01

Bartonella genus is comprised of several species of zoonotic relevance and rodents are reservoirs for some of these Bartonella species. As there were no data about the range of Bartonella species circulating among rodents in the Canary Islands, our main aim was to overcome this lack of knowledge by targeting both the citrate synthase (gltA) and the RNA polymerase beta subunit (rpoB) genes. A total of 181 small mammals and 154 ectoparasites were obtained in three of the Canary Islands, namely Tenerife, La Palma, and Lanzarote. The overall prevalence of Bartonella DNA in rodents was 18.8%, whereas the prevalence in ectoparasites was 13.6%. Bartonella sequences closely related to the zoonotic species Bartonella elizabethae, Bartonella tribocorum, and Bartonella rochalimae were identified in rodents, whereas two different gltA haplotypes similar to B. elizabethae were also detected in fleas. Furthermore, Bartonella queenslandensis DNA was also identified in rodents. A strong host specificity was observed, since B. elizabethae DNA was only found in Mus musculus domesticus, whereas gltA and rpoB sequences closely related to the rest of Bartonella species were only identified in Rattus rattus, which is probably due to the host specificity of the arthropod species that act as vectors in these islands. Our results indicate that humans may contract Bartonella infection by contact with rodents in the Canary Islands.

"You Can't Go Home, Yankee:" Teaching U.S. History to Canary Islands Students

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Juan Jose

2002-01-01

In this article, the author shares his experience and the challenges he faced in teaching an inclusive American history to Canary Islands students. The author teaches two undergraduate courses related to the U.S., plus a graduate course in American culture and political liberalism. Presently, eleven credits (two semester courses) serve as the…

Isotopic composition of reduced and oxidized sulfur in the Canary Islands: implications for the mantle S cycle

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Beaudry, P.; Longpre, M. A.; Wing, B. A.; Bui, T. H.; Stix, J.

2017-12-01

The Earth's mantle contains distinct sulfur reservoirs, which can be probed by sulfur isotope analyses of volcanic rocks and gases. We analyzed the isotopic composition of reduced and oxidized sulfur in a diverse range of volcanically derived materials spanning historical volcanism in the Canary Islands. Our sample set consists of subaerial volcanic tephras from three different islands, mantle and sedimentary xenoliths, as well as lava balloon samples from the 2011-2012 submarine El Hierro eruption and associated crystal separates. This large sample set allows us to differentiate between the various processes responsible for sulfur isotope heterogeneity in the Canary archipelago. Our results define an array in triple S isotope space between the compositions of the MORB and seawater sulfate reservoirs. Specifically, the sulfide values are remarkably homogeneous around d34S = -1 ‰ and D33S = -0.01 ‰, while sulfate values peak at d34S = +4 ‰ and D33S = +0.01 ‰. Lava balloons from the El Hierro eruption have highly enriched sulfate d34S values up to +19.3 ‰, reflecting direct interaction between seawater sulfate and the erupting magma. Several sulfate data points from the island of Lanzarote also trend towards more positive d34S up to +13.8 ‰, suggesting interaction with seawater sulfate-enriched lithologies or infiltration of seawater within the magmatic system. On the other hand, the modal values and relative abundances of S2- and S6+ in crystal separates suggest that the Canary Island mantle source has a d34S around +3 ‰, similar to the S-isotopic composition of a peridotite xenolith from Lanzarote. We infer that the S2- and S6+ modes reflect isotopic equilibrium between those species in the magmatic source, which requires 80 % of the sulfide to become oxidized after melting, consistent with measured S speciation. This 34S enrichment of the source could be due to the recycling of hydrothermally-altered oceanic crust, which has been previously suggested

New 40Ar / 39Ar age and geochemical data from seamounts in the Canary and Madeira volcanic provinces: Support for the mantle plume hypothesis

Science.gov (United States)

Geldmacher, J.; Hoernle, K.; Bogaard, P. v. d.; Duggen, S.; Werner, R.

2005-08-01

The role of mantle plumes in the formation of intraplate volcanic islands and seamount chains is being increasingly questioned. Particular examples are the abundant and somewhat irregularly distributed island and seamount volcanoes off the coast of northwest Africa. New 40Ar / 39Ar ages and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope geochemistry of volcanic rocks from seamounts northeast of the Madeira Islands (Seine and Unicorn) and northeast of the Canary Islands (Dacia and Anika), however, provide support for the plume hypothesis. The oldest ages of shield stage volcanism from Canary and Madeira volcanic provinces confirm progressions of increasing age to the northeast. Average volcanic age progression of ∼1.2 cm/a is consistent with rotation of the African plate at an angular velocity of ∼0.20° ± 0.05 /Ma around a common Euler pole at approximately 56° N, 45° W computed for the period of 0-35 Ma. A Euler pole at 35° N, 45° W is calculated for the time interval of 35-64 Ma. The isotope geochemistry further confirms that the Madeira and Canary provinces are derived from different sources, consistent with distinct plumes having formed each volcanic group. Conventional hotspot models, however, cannot easily explain the up to 40 m.y. long volcanic history at single volcanic centers, long gaps in volcanic activity, and the irregular distribution of islands and seamounts in the Canary province. A possible explanation could involve interaction of the Canary mantle plume with small-scale upper mantle processes such as edge-driven convection. Juxtaposition of plume and non-plume volcanism could also account for observed inconsistencies of the classical hotspot concept in other volcanic areas.

The genus Alvania on the Canary islands and Madeira (Mollusca: Gastropoda), part 2 [final part

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moolenbeek, R.G.; Hoenselaar, H.J.

1998-01-01

Five Alvania species from the Canary Islands and the Madeira Archipelago are revised. A new species to science, A. johannae is described and for three species lectotypes are designated. Altogether 13 littoral alvaniids are presently known from this area. Doubtful records are enumerated and a list of

Impaired recovery of syllable repertoires after unilateral lesions of the HVC of male domesticated canaries.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Halle, F; Gahr, M.; Kreutzer, M.

2003-01-01

Particular features of the song of adult male canaries such as a large syllable repertoire resulting in a great diversity of song phrases and special so-called 'complex' syllables enhance various features of female reproductive behaviour. These features are produced in a species or strain dependent

Urban-touristic impacts on the aeolian sedimentary systems of the Canary Islands: conflict between development and conservation

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Leví García-Romero

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Aeolian sedimentary systems in the Canary Islands differ significantly from other European and African systems due to their natural characteristics (climate, vegetation and insular isolation. Consequently, their geomorphological processes are unique. In turn, they are areas under high human pressure from touristic development. The aim of this paper is to analyze the impacts of urban-touristic development in four aeolian sedimentary systems in the Canaries: Maspalomas, Corralejo, Lambra and Jable Sur. Spatial and surface changes of variables related to geomorphology and vegetation are obtained by photo-interpretation of historical aerial photography and current orthophotos. The results indicate that the systems affected by urban-touristic development have experienced significant environmental changes. In contrast, the systems that have not been affected by building and construction of infrastructure show minor changes.

Wildlife-vehicle collisions in Lanzarote Biosphere Reserve, Canary Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Tejera, Gustavo; Rodríguez, Beneharo; Armas, Carlos; Rodríguez, Airam

2018-01-01

Insular wildlife is more prone to extinction than their mainland relatives. Thus, a basic understanding of non-natural mortality sources is the first step in the development of conservation management plans. The Canary Islands are an important tourist destination due to their unique climate and rich scenery and biodiversity. During the last few decades, there has been significant development of urban areas and busy road networks. However, there have been no studies describing the effects of road mortality on wildlife in this archipelago. We describe the temporal and spatial patterns of wildlife roadkill in Lanzarote (UNESCO Biosphere Reserve), using counts from cars for an entire annual cycle. A total of 666 roadkills were recorded (monthly average of 0.09 birds/km and 0.14 mammals/km) comprising at least 37 species including native birds and introduced mammals. Seasonal abundance, richness and diversity of roadkills showed a high peak during summer months for both mammals and birds. GLMs indicated that accidents (including birds and mammals) have a higher probability of occurrence close to houses and on roads with high speed limits. When analysed separately, mammal kills occurred in sectors with high speed limits, close to houses and in areas surrounded by exotic bushes, while bird roadkills appeared in road sectors with high speed limits, close to houses and low traffic volume. Our findings highlight that roads are a potential threat to native birds in the eastern Canary Islands. Detailed studies on the local population dynamics of highly affected species, such as the Houbara Bustard, Eurasian Stone Curlew, Barn Owl or Southern Shrike, are urgently needed to determine whether these levels of road mortality are sustainable.

Phytoseiid mites of the Canary Islands (Acari, Phytoseiidae. II. Tenerife and La Gomera Islands

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Ferragut, F.

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Phytoseiid mites (Acari, Phytoseiidae inhabiting plants in natural ecosystems from Tenerife and La Gomera islands (Canary Islands have been studied. Surveys were conducted from 1997 to 2002. Eleven species were collected, one of them being reported for the first time from the Canary Islands and six of them reported for the first time from Tenerife and La Gomera islands. Euseius machadoi n. sp. collected from woody plants in the Canarian laurisilva is proposed as a new species.

En muestreos realizados desde 1997 hasta 2002 se ha estudiado la fauna de ácaros fitoseidos (Acari, Phytoseiidae asociada a plantas de ecosistemas naturales de las islas de Tenerife y La Gomera (Islas Canarias. Se han recolectado un total de 11 especies, siendo una de ellas citada por vez primera en las islas Canarias y seis de ellas citadas por primera vez en las islas de Tenerife y La Gomera. Euseius machadoi n. sp., recolectado en plantas leñosas de la laurisilva canaria, se propone como una nueva especie.

Methane emission to the atmosphere from landfills in the Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Hernández, Pedro A.; Asensio-Ramos, María; Rodríguez, Fátima; Alonso, Mar; García-Merino, Marta; Amonte, Cecilia; Melián, Gladys V.; Barrancos, José; Rodríguez-Delgado, Miguel A.; Hernández-Abad, Marta; Pérez, Erica; Alonso, Monica; Tassi, Franco; Raco, Brunella; Pérez, Nemesio M.

2017-04-01

Methane (CH4) is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases, and is increasing in the atmosphere by 0.6% each year (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, 2013). This gas is produced in landfills in large quantities following the anaerobic degradation of organic matter. The IPCC has estimated that more than 10% of the total anthropogenic emissions of CH4 are originated in landfills. Even after years of being no operative (closed), a significant amount of landfill gas could be released to the atmosphere through its surface as diffuse or fugitive degassing. Many landfills currently report their CH4 emissions to the atmosphere using model-based methods, which are based on the rate of production of CH4, the oxidation rate of CH4 and the amount of CH4 recovered (Bingemer and Crutzen, 1987). This approach often involves large uncertainties due to inaccuracies of input data and many assumptions in the estimation. In fact, the estimated CH4 emissions from landfills in the Canary Islands published by the Spanish National Emission and Pollutant Sources Registration (PRTR-Spain) seem to be overestimated due to the use of protocols and analytical methodologies based on mathematical models. For this reason, direct measurements to estimate CH4 emissions in landfills are essential to reduce this uncertainty. In order to estimate the CH4 emissions to the atmosphere from landfills in the Canary Islands 23 surveys have been performed since 1999. Each survey implies hundreds of CO2and CH4 efflux measurements covering the landfill surface area. Surface landfill CO2 efflux measurements were carried out at each sampling site by means of a portable non-dispersive infrared spectrophotometer (NDIR) model LICOR Li800 following the accumulation chamber method. Samples of landfill gases were taken in the gas accumulated in the chamber and CO2 and CH4 were analyzed using a double channel VARIAN 4900 micro-GC. The CH4 efflux measurent was computed combining CO2 efflux and CH4/CO2 ratio

Teachers' Opinions of Student Dropout from Formal Music Education Centres of the Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Lorenzo Socorro, Sonia; Escandell Bermúdez, María Olga; Castro Sánchez, José Juan

2016-01-01

One hundred and eighty-five teachers were surveyed to determine their opinion of student dropout from formal music centres in the Canary Islands. The goal of the study was to investigate the causes of dropout and strategies to prevent it. Teachers' opinions were collected by means of a questionnaire. The influence of the environment on the…

Shallow geothermal field in Lanzarote (Canary Island). Potential evaluation and heat extraction test

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diez-Gil, J.L.; Valentin, A. [Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Madrid (Spain); Torres, F. [Universidad de Barcelona (Spain); Albert, J.F.

1994-12-31

Boreholes were used to perform various experiments. A thermometry was carried out, as well as chemical analysis and an hydrodynamic modelling. This paper presents the scientific aims and conclusions of the whole project called ``Shallow H.D.R. geothermal field`` in Lanzarote (Canary Islands). Potential evaluation and heat extraction test are presented. (Project JOUG-0004 ES -JR - JOULE Program of the EEC). (TEC). 2 tabs.

Age validation of canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger) using two independent otolith techniques: lead-radium and bomb radiocarbon dating.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrews, A H; Kerr, L A; Cailliet, G M; Brown, T A; Lundstrom, C C; Stanley, R D

2007-11-04

Canary rockfish (Sebastes pinniger) have long been an important part of recreational and commercial rockfish fishing from southeast Alaska to southern California, but localized stock abundances have declined considerably. Based on age estimates from otoliths and other structures, lifespan estimates vary from about 20 years to over 80 years. For the purpose of monitoring stocks, age composition is routinely estimated by counting growth zones in otoliths; however, age estimation procedures and lifespan estimates remain largely unvalidated. Typical age validation techniques have limited application for canary rockfish because they are deep dwelling and may be long lived. In this study, the unaged otolith of the pair from fish aged at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada was used in one of two age validation techniques: (1) lead-radium dating and (2) bomb radiocarbon ({sup 14}C) dating. Age estimate accuracy and the validity of age estimation procedures were validated based on the results from each technique. Lead-radium dating proved successful in determining a minimum estimate of lifespan was 53 years and provided support for age estimation procedures up to about 50-60 years. These findings were further supported by {Delta}{sup 14}C data, which indicated a minimum estimate of lifespan was 44 {+-} 3 years. Both techniques validate, to differing degrees, age estimation procedures and provide support for inferring that canary rockfish can live more than 80 years.

Prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the Canary Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Cabrera López, Carlos; Juliá Serdá, Gabriel; Cabrera Lacalzada, Cristina; Martín Medina, Ana; Gullón Blanco, José Antonio; García Bello, Miguel Ángel; Cabrera Navarro, Pedro

2014-07-01

The prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) varies significantly among the different geographical areas reported. In Spain, two epidemiological studies have shown a prevalence of 9-10% in the population aged over 40. However, neither of these studies included the Canary Islands, which are of interest due to their climatic conditions and high incidence of smoking. A random group of 1,353 subjects aged between 40 and 70years was selected from a sample population of 596,478 individuals. Participants completed a questionnaire and then performed spirometry with bronchodilator testing if obstruction was observed. COPD was diagnosed when the post-bronchodilator FEV1/FVC ratio was less than 0.70. The prevalence of COPD was 7.3% (95%CI: 5.5-9.5) and was higher in males than in females (8.7% vs. 6.3%, P=.134). The incidence of smoking was 29.4% (95%CI: 25.4-33.1) and was also higher in males than in females (35.1% vs 25.4%, P<.001). The prevalence of COPD stratified by severity of obstruction, according to the GOLD criteria, was 16% in groupi, 69.9% in groupii, 10.4% in groupiii and 3.3% in groupiv. 71.6% of the subjects were underdiagnosed and 63.5% undertreated. Despite having one of the highest rates of smoking in Spain, the prevalence of COPD in the Canary Islands is lower than in most of the Spanish regions studied. Copyright © 2013 SEPAR. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Mapping natural radioactivity of soils in the eastern Canary Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnedo, M A; Rubiano, J G; Alonso, H; Tejera, A; González, A; González, J; Gil, J M; Rodríguez, R; Martel, P; Bolivar, J P

2017-01-01

The Canary Islands archipielago (Spain) comprises seven main volcanic islands and several islets that form a chain extending for around 500 km across the eastern Atlantic, between latitudes 27°N and 30°N, with its eastern edge only 100 km from the NW African coast. The administrative province of Las Palmas comprises the three eastern Canary Islands (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria). An extensive study of terrestrial gamma dose rates in surface soils has been carried out to cover the entire territory of the province (4093 km 2 ). The average outdoor gamma dose rate in air at 1 m above ground is 73 nGyh -1  at Gran Canaria, 32 nGyh -1  at Fuerteventura, and 25 nGyh -1  at Lanzarote. To complete the radiological characterization of this volcanic area, 350 soil samples at 0-5 cm depth were collected to cover all the geologic typologies of the islands. These samples were measured using high resolution gamma spectrometry to determine the activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K. The average values obtained were 25.2 Bq/kg, 28.9 Bq/kg, and 384.4 Bq/kg, respectively. Maps of terrestrial gamma activity, effective dose, and activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K for the region have been developed through the use of geostatistical interpolation techniques. These maps are in accord with the geology of the islands. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nutrient supply to reed canary grass as a bioenergy crop. Intercropping and fertilization with ash or sewage sludge

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindvall, Eva

2012-07-01

Production of renewable energy from herbaceous crops on agricultural land is of great interest since fossil fuels need to be replaced with sustainable energy sources. Reed canary grass (RCG), Phalaris arundinacea L. is an interesting species for this purpose. The aim of this thesis was to study different approaches to reduce the requirement of mineral fertilizers in RCG production for bioenergy purposes. Paper I describes a study where fertilization effects and risk of heavy metal enrichment were studied, using annual applications of ash for seven years. Ash from co-combustion of RCG and municipal wastes (mixed ash), pure RCG ash and commercial fertilizers were compared. The experiment was harvested each spring. Paper II describes an ongoing study in which the effects of intercropping RCG in mixture with nitrogen-fixing perennial legumes are examined in two experiments, in combination with various fertilization treatments. Three fertilization treatments were applied: high N, low N (half of the high N) and low N + RCG ash/sewage sludge. A delayed harvest method was used; cutting the biomass in late autumn and harvesting in spring. Besides dry matter yield, the N-fixation rate was estimated. The results from paper I showed no differences between treatments in the dry matter yields or in the heavy metal concentrations in the biomass. Soil samples, taken when the experiment was finished, showed differences between treatments for Cd, Pb and Zn only in the uppermost soil level, highest levels for the mixed ash treatment. The results in paper II showed that at one site the legume proportion in the mixtures was low and did not affect RCG growth negatively. The high N treatment gave a higher spring yield than the low N treatments. Mean rates of N2-fixation in the first production year were 12-28, 33-40 and 55 kg N ha-1 kg for goat's rue (Galega orientalis Lam.), red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), and alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum L.), plots, respectively. At the

Seed quality in informal seed systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Biemond, P.C.

2013-01-01

Keywords: informal seed systems, seed recycling, seed quality, germination, seed pathology, seed health, seed-borne diseases, mycotoxigenic fungi, Fusarium verticillioides, mycotoxins, Vigna unguiculata, Zea mays, Nigeria.

Seed is a crucial input for agricultural production.

Reed Canary Grass Project. Development of a new crop production system based on delayed harvesting and a system for its combined processing to chemical pulp and bio fuel powder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olsson, Rolf (ed.) (and others)

2004-07-01

The Reed canary grass project has been performed by 13 partners 8 countries; Sweden, Finland, Germany, Denmark, England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. The aim of the project has been to evaluate if new breeding lines of reed canary grass suits in different European agricultural areas and to evaluate if the new delayed harvesting method originally developed in Sweden can be used all over the northern parts of Europe. The other part of the project deals with developing a system for its combined processing to chemical pulp and biofuel powder. The scientific objectives are to develop the C3 plant reed canary grass to an economically and environmentally competitive industrial crop for combined production of high quality chemical pulp and bioenergy fuel powder. Main results obtained in the project can be summarised as follows: The screening trials with new breeding lines of reed canary grass have shown a large potential for getting higher yields and better quality in new industrial varieties of reed canary grass. The best breeding lines tested gave at average a yield 20 % higher than now existing forage varieties which all economic calculations are based on. The results show that the delayed harvesting method gives important quality improvements and can be used except in areas with maritime climate. The research on chemical pulping and paper making have been successfully developed in the project and the obtained results in laboratory and pilot scale made it also possible to increase the ambitions in the project and include research on mill scale in cooperation with industry. This gave also possibilities to develop technologies needed for the whole chain from production fields to long distance handling and transport technology of intermediate processed raw materials. Different cooking processes have been developed for reed canary grass and a new cooking method the soda-oxygen process has given extremely high pulp yields if combined with intermediate processed raw material

Geodetic Volcano Monitoring Research in Canary Islands: Recent Results

Science.gov (United States)

Fernandez, J.; Gonzalez, P. J.; Arjona, A.; Camacho, A. G.; Prieto, J. F.; Seco, A.; Tizzani, P.; Manzo, M. R.; Lanari, R.; Blanco, P.; Mallorqui, J. J.

2009-05-01

The Canarian Archipelago is an oceanic island volcanic chain with a long-standing history of volcanic activity (> 40 Ma). It is located off the NW coast of the African continent, lying over a transitional crust of the Atlantic African passive margin. At least 12 eruptions have been occurred on the islands of Lanzarote, Tenerife and La Palma in the last 500 years. Volcanism manifest predominantly as basaltic strombolian monogenetic activity (whole archipelago) and central felsic volcanism (active only in Tenerife Island). We concentrate our studies in the two most active islands, Tenerife and La Palma. In these islands, we tested different methodologies of geodetic monitoring systems. We use a combination of ground- and space-based techniques. At Tenerife Island, a differential interferometric study was performed to detect areas of deformation. DInSAR detected two clear areas of deformation, using this results a survey-based GPS network was designed and optimized to control those deformations and the rest of the island. Finally, using SBAS DInSAR results weak spatial long- wavelength subsidence signals has been detected. At La Palma, the first DInSAR analysis have not shown any clear deformation, so a first time series analysis was performed detecting a clear subsidence signal at Teneguia volcano, as for Tenerife a GPS network was designed and optimized taking into account stable and deforming areas. After several years of activities, geodetic results served to study ground deformations caused by a wide variety of sources, such as changes in groundwater levels, volcanic activity, volcano-tectonics, gravitational loading, etc. These results proof that a combination of ground-based and space-based techniques is suitable tool for geodetic volcano monitoring in Canary Islands. Finally, we would like to strength that those results could have serious implications on the continuous geodetic monitoring system design and implementation for the Canary Islands which is under

EVALUATING THE IMAGE OF TOURISM DESTINATIONS. THE CASE OF THE AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY OF THE CANARY ISLANDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Roxana - Andreea SARAGEA

2011-12-01

Full Text Available In the context of increased competition on the international tourism market, the assessment of destination image has become a research subject for both managers aiming to improve destination positioning and academic researchers. In order to obtain a competitive advantage, every tourist destination must identify, maintain and reinforce, through appropriate marketing policies, unique items that form and build over time "the destination' s image". Accordingly, the ultimate target of the tourist destinations' promoters should be to achieve a high level of coincidence between the promoted or projected image and the perceived image of the destination, held by potential and actual tourists. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to illustrate promotional techniques and methods used by the authorities of the Canary Islands over the years (projected image, and to identify, through a survey among the citizens of Braşov, the image that they have of the Canary Islands (perceived image.

Arrival of radionuclides released by the Fukushima accident to Tenerife (Canary Islands)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

López-Pérez, M.; Ramos-López, R.; Perestelo, Nayra R.; Duarte-Rodriguez, X.; Bustos, J.J.; Alonso-Pérez, S.; Cuevas, E.; Hernández-Armas, J.

2013-01-01

Two weeks after the accident at the Fukushima-Daichi nuclear power plant, 131I, 137Cs and 134Cs activities were measured in two different stations located in Tenerife (Canary Islands), situated at 300 (FIMERALL) and 2400 (IZAÑA) m.a.s.l, respectively. Peak measured activity concentrations were: 1.851 mBq/m3 (131I); 0.408 mBq/m3 (137Cs) and 0.382 mBq/m3 (134Cs). The activities measured at the FIMERALL station were always higher than at IZAÑA station, suggesting that the radioactive plume arrived to the island associated with low altitude air masses. Simulations of potential dispersion of the radioactive cloud (137Cs) after the nuclear accident in reactor Fukushima I show that radioactive pollution reached remote regions such as the Canary Islands in the Eastern subtropical North Atlantic. The corresponding effective dose to the local population was 1.17 nSv, a value less than one millionth of the annual limit for the general public. Therefore, there was no risk to public health. - Highlights: ► Arrival of radionuclides to Tenerife following the accident of Fukushima. ► The atmospheric concentration of radionuclides was always higher at low altitude. ► After reaching the peak concentration a sharp decrease of radionuclides was observed. ► Air mass forward trajectory analysis confirms the potential arrival of radionuclides to Tenerife.

A new anoplocephalid (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea) from Gallotia atlantica (Reptilia, Lacertidae) in the Canary Islands, Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Foronda, Pilar; Abreu-Acosta, Néstor; Casanova, Juan Carlos; Ribas, Alexis; Valladares, Basilio

2009-06-01

A new species of anoplocephalid cestode is described from Gallotia atlantica (Reptilia, Lacertidae) on the Canary Islands, Spain. Oochoristica feliui n. sp. belongs to the group of Oochoristica spp. having circular suckers and fewer than 25 testes in a single cluster: O. lygosomae Burt, 1933; O. lygosomatis Skinker, 1935; O. elongata Dupouy et Kechemir, 1973; O. jonnesi Bursey, McAllister and Freed, 1997; O. junkea Johri, 1950; O. macallisteri Bursey and Goldberg, 1996; O. novaezelandae Schmidt and Allison, 1985; O. parvogenitalis Dupouy and Kechemir, 1973; and O. sobolevi (Spasskii, 1948) Spaskii, 1951. Oochoristica feliui n. sp. differs from these species in a variety of characters such as the number of proglottids, size of the scolex and suckers, presence of a neck, size and shape of the ovary (divided into 5-6 lobules), ovoid shape of the vitelline gland, a spined cirrus, size of eggs, oncosphere and oncosphere hooks, and the presence of 2 osmoregulatory canals. Gallotia spp. are endemic to the Canary Islands. This is the first report of an adult cestode species in this lizard.

Effect of Additives and Fuel Blending on Emissions and Ash-Related Problems from Small-Scale Combustion of Reed Canary Grass

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sébastien Fournel

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Agricultural producers are interested in using biomass available on farms to substitute fossil fuels for heat production. However, energy crops like reed canary grass contain high nitrogen (N, sulfur (S, potassium (K and other ash-forming elements which lead to increased emissions of gases and particulate matter (PM and ash-related operational problems (e.g., melting during combustion. To address these problematic behaviors, reed canary grass was blended with wood (50 wt% and fuel additives (3 wt% such as aluminum silicates (sewage sludge, calcium (limestone and sulfur (lignosulfonate based additives. When burned in a top-feed pellet boiler (29 kW, the four blends resulted in a 17%–29% decrease of PM concentrations compared to pure reed canary grass probably because of a reduction of K release to flue gas. Nitrogen oxides (NOx and sulfur dioxide (SO2 emissions varied according to fuel N and S contents. This explains the lower NOx and SO2 levels obtained with wood based products and the higher SO2 generation with the grass/lignosulfonate blend. The proportion of clinkers found in combustion ash was greatly lessened (27%–98% with the use of additives, except for lignosulfonate. The positive effects of some additives may allow agricultural fuels to become viable alternatives.

Assessment of abandoned agricultural land resource for bio-energy production in Estonia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kukk, Liia; Astover, Alar; Roostalu, Hugo; Suuster, Elsa; Noormets, Merrit; Sepp, Kalev (Estonian Univ. of Life Sciences, Inst. of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Tartu (Estonia)); Muiste, Peeter (Estonian Univ. of Life Sciences, Inst. of Forestry and Rural Engineering, Tartu (Estonia))

2010-03-15

The current study locates and quantifies abandoned agricultural areas using the Geographic Information System (GIS) and evaluates the suitability of abandoned fields for bio-energy production in Tartumaa (Tartu County) in Estonia. Soils of abandoned areas are generally of low quality and thereby limited suitability for crop production; as a result soil-crop suitability analyses could form the basis of knowledge-based bio-energy planning. The study estimated suitable areas for bio-energy production using willow (Salix sp), grey alder [Alnus incana (L.) Moench], hybrid aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.Populus tremula L.), reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.), and Caucasian goat's rue (Galega orientalis Lam.) in separate plantations. A combined land-use strategy is also presented as these crops are partially suitable to the same areas. Reed canary grass and grey alder have the highest energy potentials and each would re-use more than 80% of the available abandoned agricultural land. Energy grasses and short-rotation forestry in combined land-use strategy represents the opportunity of covering approximately a quarter of county's annual energy demand. The study estimates only agronomic potential, so further bio-energy analysis should take into account technical and economic limitations. Developed framework supports knowledge-based decision-making processes from field to regional scale to achieve sustainable bio-energy production

Changes of phenolic profiles and antioxidant activity in canaryseed (Phalaris canariensis L.) during germination.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhijie; Yu, Lilei; Wang, Xinkun; Gu, Zhenxin; Beta, Trust

2016-03-01

Canaryseed is an important cereal crop in western Canada. The changes of the total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activities, phenolic acid profiles (free and bound) of canaryseed during germination were investigated in the present study. The growth properties also were investigated. Fresh weight, shoot length and root length increased, whereas dry mass of canaryseed decreased during germination. A 22.3% loss of dry matter was observed at 120h of germination. The total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of free and bound extracts showed a general trend of germinated seeds>raw seeds>soaked seeds. Free, bound and total phenolic content significantly increased 1042%, 120% and 741% at the end of germination as compared to raw seeds (pphenolic content and antioxidant activities. TPC and ORAC values showed the highest correlation (r=0.9984). Six phenolic acids in free phenolic extracts and seven phenolic acids in bound phenolic extracts were detected, respectively. Bound ferulic acid, the dominant phenolic acid in canaryseed, significantly increased during germination (p<0.05). Study showed that germination provided a new approach to further develop canaryseed as a functional food for human consumption. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seed regulations and local seed systems

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Louwaars, N.

2000-01-01

Seed regulations have been introduced in most countries based on the development of formal seed production. Concerns about seed quality and about the varietal identity of the seeds have commonly led to seed laws. However, formal regulations are often inappropriate for informal seed systems, which

Recent changes and drivers of the atmospheric evaporative demand in the Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Vicente-Serrano, Sergio M.; Azorin-Molina, Cesar; Sanchez-Lorenzo, Arturo; El Kenawy, Ahmed; Martín-Hernández, Natalia; Peña-Gallardo, Marina; Beguería, Santiago; Tomas-Burguera, Miquel

2016-08-01

We analysed recent evolution and meteorological drivers of the atmospheric evaporative demand (AED) in the Canary Islands for the period 1961-2013. We employed long and high-quality time series of meteorological variables to analyse current AED changes in this region and found that AED has increased during the investigated period. Overall, the annual ETo, which was estimated by means of the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith equation, increased significantly by 18.2 mm decade-1 on average, with a stronger trend in summer (6.7 mm decade-1). In this study we analysed the contribution of (i) the aerodynamic (related to the water vapour that a parcel of air can store) and (ii) radiative (related to the available energy to evaporate a quantity of water) components to the decadal variability and trends of ETo. More than 90 % of the observed ETo variability at the seasonal and annual scales can be associated with the variability in the aerodynamic component. The variable that recorded more significant changes in the Canary Islands was relative humidity, and among the different meteorological factors used to calculate ETo, relative humidity was the main driver of the observed ETo trends. The observed trend could have negative consequences in a number of water-depending sectors if it continues in the future.

Exercise Tiger: assessing the BCM impact of the 2012 Olympics on Canary Wharf.

Science.gov (United States)

Evett, Jonathan

2011-02-01

In this paper, collective corporate resilience is studied to see how a culture of sharing information and planning may assist other business communities to prepare for future events. The London 2012 Summer Olympic Games will see huge opportunity for businesses in London, and across Europe, but not without cost. Canary Wharf lies in the heart of London's Docklands and less than three miles from the Olympic Park at Stratford. Purpose-built as a business district, it accommodates a working population of 95,000 people, is home to some of the world's leading brands and has a vibrant retail complex of over 200 shops, bars and restaurants. This business community is preparing for every aspect of the Olympics and, in particular, the disruption the Games will bring. As a private estate, the community resilience approach fostered here is both better defined and finite in terms of those it includes as a result. Preparing together with joint exercises, forums and open communications in a network of trusted partners is yielding collective benefits and lending a stronger voice in the call for more information from official agencies. This paper outlines the benefits of collective planning and reports on the success of Canary Wharf's annual estate-wide business continuity exercise - the first major collective Olympics planning exercise in London.

Unusual Vermamoeba Vermiformis Strain Isolated from Snow in Mount Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Reyes-Batlle

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Background: Free-living amoebae (FLA are protozoa that are widely distributed in the environment mainly in water and soil related habitats. Thermophilic amoebae are among the most common FLA in water bodies, being Vermamoeba vermiformis one of the most common species reported worldwide from these sources. Interestingly, V. vermiformis has often been reported to survive at high temperatures and osmotic pressure worldwide.Materials and Methods: In this study, snow samples were collected from Mount Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands during the winter season of 2014. The samples were culture on non nutrient agar plates and checked daily for the presence of FLA. After a week, V. vermiformis amoebae were observed in the plates incubated at room temperature and 37ºC.Results: Molecular characterization was carried out by amplifying the 18S rDNA gene and DNA sequencing, confirmed that the isolated strain belonged to Vermamoeba vermiformis species.Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of Vermamoeba vermiformis isolation from such an inusual habitat (low temperatures and high altitude and the first report of these species in the Canary islands.

Dewfall measurements on Lanzarote, Canary Islands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graf, A.; Kuttler, W. [Univ. of Duisburg-Essen, Inst. of Geography, Essen (Germany); Werner, J. [Univ. of Muenster, Inst. of Landscape Ecology, Muenster (Germany)

2004-10-01

At Lanzarote, Canary Islands, condensation is considered to play a significant role in the water budget of fields mulched with porous volcanic products (''Picon''). Here, 68 nights of gravimetric condensation measurements with mulched and bare surfaces, along with meteorological measurements were carried out. Results presented here indicate two major findings of interest with respect to general assumption: Firstly, nocturnal condensation on the mulch surface is lower than on a dry bare (loam) soil surface. A slightly higher nocturnal cooling of the mulched surface, and resulting higher dewfall in the strict sense, is overcompensated by the stronger hygroscopic properties of the soil. Secondly, dewfall, though otherwise consistent in magnitude and meteorological dependency with empirical and theoretical knowledge in literature, can still be observed at high wind speeds (u {approx} 10 m s{sup -1} at 10 m a.g.l.) in northern to north-eastern trade winds that carry moist air from the sea. Dewfall to the mulched surface was observed in 39 of the measurement nights with a mean nocturnal sum of 0.07 mm. (orig.)

Long-range order in canary song.

Science.gov (United States)

Markowitz, Jeffrey E; Ivie, Elizabeth; Kligler, Laura; Gardner, Timothy J

2013-01-01

Bird songs range in form from the simple notes of a Chipping Sparrow to the rich performance of the nightingale. Non-adjacent correlations can be found in the syntax of some birdsongs, indicating that the choice of what to sing next is determined not only by the current syllable, but also by previous syllables sung. Here we examine the song of the domesticated canary, a complex singer whose song consists of syllables, grouped into phrases that are arranged in flexible sequences. Phrases are defined by a fundamental time-scale that is independent of the underlying syllable duration. We show that the ordering of phrases is governed by long-range rules: the choice of what phrase to sing next in a given context depends on the history of the song, and for some syllables, highly specific rules produce correlations in song over timescales of up to ten seconds. The neural basis of these long-range correlations may provide insight into how complex behaviors are assembled from more elementary, stereotyped modules.

Clinical presentation of acute Q fever in lanzarote (Canary Islands): a 2-year prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pascual Velasco, F; Borobio Enciso, M V; González Lama, Z; Carrascosa Porras, M

1996-01-01

The clinical manifestations of acute Q fever may differ markedly from country to country. In this regard, fever and hepatitis seem to be the dominant clinical features of acute Coxiella burnetii infection in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. A possible interaction between environmental factors and some strains of C. burnetii could explain the different clinical presentations of acute Q fever.

The Canary Basin contribution to 26ºN AMOC Seasonality

Science.gov (United States)

Pérez-Hernández, M. D.; McCarthy, G.; Smeed, D.; Hernandez-Guerra, A.; Vélez-Belchí, P.

2014-12-01

Recent studies have shown that the seasonal transport of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) is linked with seasonal density changes in the eastern boundary of the Atlantic. As measured by the RAPID/MOCHA array, the AMOC has a seasonal peak-to-peak value of 6 Sv, with two relative maximums in July and October. The relative maximum in October coincides with the weakest transport of the upper mid-ocean transport (UMO), from the Bahamas to the eastern boundary, whose amplitude is 4 Sv. The seasonally averaged dynamic height indicates that the major source of seasonal variability in the UMO is due to the eastern boundary in fall. Data from the RAPID/MOCHA array at 26ºN is analyzed together with the data from a 15-year mooring between the African coast and the Canary Islands at 28ºN, in the Lanzarote Passage, the so-called Eastern Boundary Current Mooring (EBC4). The seasonal dynamics of the eastern boundary is analyzed: the recirculation of the Canary Current in fall through the Lanzarote Passage, the Rossby wave formation and the wind forcing. Significant correlations are found between the transport through the LP and the UMO. The transport of the North Atlantic Central Water (NACW) as measured by the EBC4 mooring has a correlation of 0.75 at zero lag with the UMO transport, and the transport of the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) and Mediterranean Water (MW) are correlated 0.77/0.85 respectively, with a lag of one moth with the UMO. The results stress the importance of the eastern boundary in determining the seasonal variability of the AMOC, as measured by the RAPID/MOCHA array.

Spatial structure and associations in Pinus canariensis population at the treeline, Pico del Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šrůtek, Miroslav; Doležal, J.; Hara, T.

2002-01-01

Roč. 34, č. 2 (2002), s. 201-210 ISSN 1523-0430 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KSK6005114 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6005908 Keywords : Pinus canariensis * Canary Islands Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 0.964, year: 2002

Gypsum speleothems in lava tubes from Lanzarote, Canary Islands. Did you say gypsum?

OpenAIRE

Huerta, Pedro; Martín-García, Rebeca; Rodríguez-Berriguete, Álvaro; Iglesia, A. la; Martín-Pérez, Andrea; Alonso-Zarza, Ana María

2015-01-01

Lanzarote is the easternmost island of the volcanic Canary archipielago considered together with Fuerteventura the low relief islands of the archipielago. These island receive less rain than 300 mm/year. Basaltic lava flows preserves lava tubes formed during cooling and solidification of external parts of lava, while internal parts were still hot and flowing. When lava flow stopped the lava abandoned the tubes, and the tubes preserved empty. These tubes actuate as caves and som...

Modelling the possible interaction between edge-driven convection and the Canary Islands mantle plume

Science.gov (United States)

Negredo, A. M.; Rodríguez-González, J.; Fullea, J.; Van Hunen, J.

2017-12-01

The close location between many hotspots and the edges of cratonic lithosphere has led to the hypothesis that these hotspots could be explained by small-scale mantle convection at the edge of cratons (Edge Driven Convection, EDC). The Canary Volcanic Province hotspot represents a paradigmatic example of this situation due to its close location to the NW edge of the African Craton. Geochemical evidence, prominent low seismic velocity anomalies in the upper and lower mantle, and the rough NE-SW age-progression of volcanic centers consistently point out to a deep-seated mantle plume as the origin of the Canary Volcanic Province. It has been hypothesized that the plume material could be affected by upper mantle convection caused by the thermal contrast between thin oceanic lithosphere and thick (cold) African craton. Deflection of upwelling blobs due to convection currents would be responsible for the broader and more irregular pattern of volcanism in the Canary Province compared to the Madeira Province. In this study we design a model setup inspired on this scenario to investigate the consequences of possible interaction between ascending mantle plumes and EDC. The Finite Element code ASPECT is used to solve convection in a 2D box. The compositional field and melt fraction distribution are also computed. Free slip along all boundaries and constant temperature at top and bottom boundaries are assumed. The initial temperature distribution assumes a small long-wavelength perturbation. The viscosity structure is based on a thick cratonic lithosphere progressively varying to a thin, or initially inexistent, oceanic lithosphere. The effects of assuming different rheologies, as well as steep or gradual changes in lithospheric thickness are tested. Modelling results show that a very thin oceanic lithosphere (models assuming temperature-dependent viscosity and large viscosity variations evolve to large-scale (upper mantle) convection cells, with upwelling of hot material being

New Age and Geochemical Data From Seamounts in the Canary and Madeira Volcanic Provinces: A Contribution to the "Great Plume Debate"

Science.gov (United States)

Geldmacher, J.; Hoernle, K.; van den Bogaard, P.; Duggen, S.; Werner, R.

2004-12-01

The role of hotspots (mantle plumes) in the formation of intraplate volcanic island and seamount groups is being increasingly questioned, in particular concerning the abundant and somewhat irregularly distributed island and seamount volcanoes off the coast of northwest Africa. However, new 40Ar/39Ar ages and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope geochemistry of volcanic rocks from two seamounts northeast of the Canary Islands and two northeast of the Madeira Islands provide new support for the plume hypothesis. The oldest ages of shield stage volcanism from seamounts and islands northeast of the Canary and Madeira Islands confirm progressions of increasing age to the northeast for both island/seamount chains consistent with northeast directed plate motion. Calculated angular velocities for the average movement of the African plate in both regions gave similar values of about 0.45\\deg plus/minus 0.05\\deg/Ma around a rotation pole located north of the Azores Islands. Furthermore, the curvature of the chains clearly deviates from the E-W orientation of fracture zones in the East Atlantic. A local control of surface volcanism by lithospheric zones of weakness, however, is likely for some E-W elongated seamounts and islands. The isotope geochemistry additionally confirms that the two volcanic provinces are derived from distinct sources, consistent with distinct mantle plumes having formed both volcanic groups. Conventional hotspot models, however, cannot easily explain the wide distribution of seamounts in the Canary region and the long history of volcanic activity at single volcanic centers (e.g. Dacia seamount, 47-4 Ma; Selvagen Islands, 30-3 Ma). A possible explanation could involve interaction of a Canary mantle plume with small-scale upper mantle processes such as edge driven convection at the edge of the NW African craton (e.g. King and Ritsema, 2000, Science 290, 1137-1140).

Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands: an ocean testbed for ocean energy converters

Science.gov (United States)

González, Javier; Hernández-Brito, Joaquín.; Llinás, Octavio

2010-05-01

The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN) is a Governmental Consortium aimed to build and operate an off-shore infrastructure to facilitate the deep sea research and speed up the technology associated. This Consortium is overseen by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Canarian Agency for Research and Innovation. The infrastructure consists of an oceanic platform located in an area with depths between 50-100 meters, close to the continental slope and four kilometers off the coast of Gran Canaria, in the archipelago of the Canary Islands. The process of construction will start during the first months of 2010 and is expected to be finished in mid-year 2011. PLOCAN serves five strategic lines: an integral observatory able to explore from the deep ocean to the atmosphere, an ocean technology testbed, a base for underwater vehicles, an innovation platform and a highly specialized training centre. Ocean energy is a suitable source to contribute the limited mix-energy conformed in the archipelago of the Canary Islands with a total population around 2 million people unequally distributed in seven islands. Islands of Gran Canaria and Tenerife support the 80% of the total population with 800.000 people each. PLOCAN will contribute to develop the ocean energy sector establishing a marine testbed allowing prototypes testing at sea under a meticulous monitoring network provided by the integral observatory, generating valuable information to developers. Reducing costs throughout an integral project management is an essential objective to be reach, providing services such as transportation, customs and administrative permits. Ocean surface for testing activities is around 8 km2 with a depth going from 50 to 100 meters, 4km off the coast. Selected areas for testing have off-shore wind power conditions around 500-600 W/m2 and wave power conditions around 6 kW/m in the East coast and 10 kW/m in the North coast. Marine currents in the Canary Islands are

Seasonal Variability of Wind Sea and Swell Waves Climate along the Canary Current: The Local Wind Effect

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Alvaro Semedo

2018-03-01

Full Text Available A climatology of wind sea and swell waves along the Canary eastern boundary current area, from west Iberia to Mauritania, is presented. The study is based on the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF reanalysis ERA-Interim. The wind regime along the Canary Current, along west Iberia and north-west Africa, varies significantly from winter to summer. High summer wind speeds generate high wind sea waves, particularly along the coasts of Morocco and Western Sahara. Lower winter wind speeds, along with stronger extratropical storms crossing the North Atlantic sub-basin up north lead to a predominance of swell waves in the area during from December to February. In summer, the coast parallel wind interacts with the coastal headlands, increasing the wind speed and the locally generated waves. The spatial patterns of the wind sea or swell regional wave fields are shown to be different from the open ocean, due to coastal geometry, fetch dimensions, and island sheltering.

Native and introduced gastropods in laurel forests on Tenerife, Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Kappes, Heike; Delgado, Juan D.; Alonso, María R.; Ibáñez, Miguel

2009-09-01

The introduction of non-native gastropods on islands has repetitively been related to a decline of the endemic fauna. So far, no quantitative information is available even for the native gastropod fauna from the laurel forests (the so-called Laurisilva) of the Canary Islands. Much of the original laurel forest has been logged in recent centuries. Based on vegetation studies, we hypothesized that densities and the number of introduced species decline with the age of the regrowth forests. We sampled 27 sites from which we collected thirty native and seven introduced species. Two introduced species, Milax nigricans and Oxychilus alliarius, were previously not reported from the Canary Islands. Assemblage composition was mainly structured by disturbance history and altitude. Overall species richness was correlated with slope inclination, prevalence of rocky outcrops, amounts of woody debris and leaf litter depth. Densities were correlated with the depth of the litter layer and the extent of herb layer cover and laurel canopy cover. Introduced species occurred in 22 sites but were neither related to native species richness nor to the time that elapsed since forest regrowth. One introduced slug, Lehmannia valentiana, is already wide-spread, with densities strongly related to herb cover. Overall species richness seemed to be the outcome of invasibility, thus factors enhancing species richness likely also enhance invasibility. Although at present introduced species contribute to diversity, the potential competition between introduced slugs and the rich native semi-slug fauna, and the effects of introduced predatory snails ( Oxychilus spp. and Testacella maugei) warrant further monitoring.

Hepatic lesions in cetaceans stranded in the Canary Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Jaber, J R; Pérez, J; Arbelo, M; Andrada, M; Hidalgo, M; Gómez-Villamandos, J C; Van Den Ingh, T; Fernández, A

2004-03-01

This article describes the gross, histopathologic, and ultrastructural findings of the livers of cetaceans stranded on the coast of the Canary Islands between 1992 and 2000. A total of 135 cetaceans were included in the study, among which 25 were common dolphins (Delphinus delphis), 23 Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis), 19 striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), and 15 other species of dolphins and whales. The most common lesion observed in these animals was a nonspecific chronic reactive hepatitis (47/135), followed by hyaline intracytoplasmic inclusions in hepatocytes (33/135). Parasitic cholangitis was detected in 8/135 animals, whereas hepatic lipidosis was presented in 7/135 animals. The ultrastructure of hyaline hepatocytic cytoplasmic inclusions is described, and possible causes of these inclusions are discussed.

Three new records of Desmodorids (Nematoda, Desmodoridae) from sandy seabeds of the Canary islands

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Riera, Rodrigo; Núñez, Jorge; Brito, María del Carmen

2012-01-01

In an ecological study of meiofaunal assemblages in two locations (Los Abrigos and Los Cristianos) of Tenerife (Canary Islands, NE Atlantic Ocean), several desmodorid species were found throughout the study period. Three species belonging to the family Desmodoridae were collected in intertidal and shallow subtidal sandy seabeds. These species were Desmodorella aff. tenuispiculum Allgen, 1928, Metachromadora sp. and Spirinia parasitifera Bastian, 1865. Descriptions, figures and tables with mer...

Heaven it's my wife! Male canaries conceal extra-pair courtships but increase aggressions when their mate watches.

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Davy Ung

Full Text Available Many animals live in a communication network, an environment where individuals can obtain information about competitors or potential mates by observing interactions between conspecifics. In such an environment, interactants might benefit by changing their signalling behaviour in the presence of an audience. This audience effect seems widespread among species, has been observed during various types of interaction (e.g. intra-sexual vs. inter-sexual interaction and varies according to the social context (e.g. gender, hierarchical or mating status of the audience. However, the way individuals might adapt their signalling behaviour to a combination of these factors remains poorly understood. To address this question, we studied how the presence of an audience affects the behaviour of male domestic canaries Serinus canaria during two types of interactions: (i an extra-pair interaction and (ii a male-male competition for food. Males were observed under three conditions: (a in the absence of audience, (b in the presence of their mate or (c of a familiar female. Our results show that male domestic canaries minutely adapt their courting and agonistic behaviours to a combination of: (i the type of interaction (extra-pair interaction/male-male competition, (ii the social context (mate, familiar female or nobody in audience and (iii the behaviours of both the audience and the interactant. These results highlight the ability of animals to subtly adapt their behaviour to the social environment. This also raises questions about the cognitive foundations and evolution of these processes especially considering that canaries are known neither for having high cognitive abilities nor for being a typical example for the social intelligence hypothesis.

Hospitalizations realted to herpes zoster infection in the Canary Islands, Spain (2005-2014).

Science.gov (United States)

García-Rojas, Amós; Gil-Prieto, Ruth; Núñez-Gallo, Domingo Ángel; Matute-Cruz, Petra; Gil-de-Miguel, Angel

2017-08-24

Herpes zoster is an important problem of public health especially among the elderly in Spain. A population-based retrospective epidemiological study to estimate the burden of herpes zoster requiring hospitalization in the Canary Islands, Spain was conducted by using data from the national surveillance system for hospital data, Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos. Records of all patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of herpes zoster in any position and cases of primary diagnosis (ICD-9-MC codes 053.0-053.9) during a 10-year period (2005-2014), were selected. A total of 1088 hospitalizations with a primary or secondary diagnosis of herpes zoster were identified during the study period. Annually there were 6.99 hospitalizations by herpes zoster per 100,000 population. It increases with age reaching a maximum in persons ≥85 years of age (43.98 admissions per 100,000). Average length of hospitalization was 16 days and 73 patients died, with a case-fatality rate of 4.03%. In 22% of the cases hospitalized, herpes zoster was the primary diagnosis. The hospitalization burden of herpes zoster in adults in the Canary Islands was still important during the last decade and justify the implementation of preventive measures, like vaccination in the elderly or other high risk groups to reduce the most severe cases of the disease.

Survey of diseases caused by Fusarium spp. on palm trees in the Canary Islands

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Julio Hernández-Hernández

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Between 2006 and 2007, palm trees growing in both gardens and public parks and natural palm groves in the Canary Islands (Spain, and showing symptoms of wilt and dieback, were surveyed. Isolates were recovered from affected tissues of the crowns, leaves and vascular fragments on potato dextrose agar (PDA. After incubation, the Fusarium spp. colonies recovered were single-spored. They were transferred to PDA and Spezieller Nahrstoffarmer Agar (SNA for morphological identification. Identification of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Canariensis was confirmed by PCR with the specific primers HK66 and HK67, which amplified a fragment of 567 bp. Fusarium wilt caused by F. oxysporum f. sp. canariensis was found on 54 Phoenix canariensis trees growing on four islands: Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, La Palma and Tenerife. F. proliferatum occurred on fifteen palms (10 P. canariensis, 1 P. dactylifera, 3 Roystonea regia and 1 Veitchia joannis located in Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Tenerife. Both these Fusarium species were found only in diseased palms from gardens and public parks, but not in natural palm groves. The results show that Fusarium wilt of P. canariensis is common in the Canary Islands and for the first time report F. proliferatum affecting different palm species in those islands.

Petrological and geochemical studies of mantle xenoliths from La Palma, Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Janisch, Astrid; Ntaflos, Theodoros

2015-04-01

La Palma is the second youngest island, after El Hierro, of the Canary archipelago. The archipelago consists of seven large islands, forming an east-west-trending island chain, and several seamounts. All together they form a volcanic belt of around 800 km length and 450 km width, which presumably comprises roughly the Canary hotspot. The islands are located off the western coast of Morocco, Africa. The distance ranges from 100 km to 500 km. Concurrently with the distance, subaerial volcanism age progresses from the oldest lava in the east to the youngest in the west of the archipelago. Presently, La Palma is in the shield building stage of growth (alongside with El Hierro and Tenerife) and is furthermore the fastest growing island of the Canary archipelago. Historical volcanic eruptions are restricted on the younger islands, La Palma and El Hierro, with the last eruption at the south end of La Palma in 1971. Mantle xenoliths described in this work were collected at the slopes of San Antonio Volcano, Fuencaliente, brought to the surface during the 1677/1678 eruption. The mantle xenolith collection comprises sp-lherzolites, sp-harzburgites and pyroxenites. The texture can be distinguished between coarse-grained matrix and fine-grained veins in various thicknesses, mostly with olivine and pyroxene but also with amphibole, phlogopite as well as apatite. Mineral analyses reveal the existence of primary and secondary ol, cpx and opx. Primary ol has Fo contents of 89.2 to 91.7 and NiO ranging from 0.3 to 0.45 wt.%, whereas secondary ol show Fo values of 78.4 to 91.9 but with NiO below 0.3 wt.%. Primary cpx are predominantly Cr-Diopsides with En48.7-51.9-Wo43.5-44.3-Fs4.1-4.9 and Mg# of 91.5 to 92.4. Secondary cpx, primarily Ti-Augit, display En36.7-44.4-Wo47.7-49.6-Fs6.7-13.0 and Mg# of 75.3 to 90.8. Primary opx compositions are in range of En89.3-90.6-Wo1.3-1.5-Fs8.1-9.3 with Mg# between 90.7 and 92.0. Secondary opx exhibit En88.7-89.2-Wo1.7-1.9-Fs9.1-9.5 and Mg# of 90

A new species of Eimeria Schneider, 1875 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from Alectoris barbara (Aves: Phasianidae) from the Canary Islands (Spain)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fernández-Alvarez, A.; Modrý, David; Foronda, P.

2016-01-01

Roč. 115, č. 5 (2016), s. 1817-1825 ISSN 0932-0113 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Coccidia * Eimeria barbarae n. sp * Alectoris barbara * Canary Island Subject RIV: GJ - Animal Vermins ; Diseases, Veterinary Medicine Impact factor: 2.329, year: 2016

Radon concentration in dwellings of Lanzarote (Canary Islands)

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Pinza, C.; Armas, J.H. [La Laguna Univ., Tenerife (Spain). Faculty of Medicine; Poffijn, A. [Ghent Rijksuniversiteit (Belgium). Lab. voor Kernfysica

1997-07-01

A total of 126 radon passive dosemeters were distributed in 63 dwellings on the island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands) to measure the indoor radon concentration in the period April-June 1994. The mean overall indoor concentration was 50 Bq.m{sup -3} with a standard deviation of 17 Bq.m{sup -3}. Applying the conversion factor for the effective dose, recommended by ICRP 65, this results in a mean effective dose of 0.75 mSv.y{sup -1}. The mean radon concentration in single-family houses proves to be higher at the ground floor than in upper levels. The mean radon concentration obtained in bedrooms is higher than in living-rooms, independently of the floor they are located at. Statistically significant differences in the mean radon concentration have been found depending on the soil permeability (P = 0.001) and building materials used (P 0.0006). (author).

Radon concentration in dwellings of Lanzarote (Canary Islands)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinza, C.; Armas, J.H.; Poffijn, A.

1997-01-01

A total of 126 radon passive dosemeters were distributed in 63 dwellings on the island of Lanzarote (Canary Islands) to measure the indoor radon concentration in the period April-June 1994. The mean overall indoor concentration was 50 Bq.m -3 with a standard deviation of 17 Bq.m -3 . Applying the conversion factor for the effective dose, recommended by ICRP 65, this results in a mean effective dose of 0.75 mSv.y -1 . The mean radon concentration in single-family houses proves to be higher at the ground floor than in upper levels. The mean radon concentration obtained in bedrooms is higher than in living-rooms, independently of the floor they are located at. Statistically significant differences in the mean radon concentration have been found depending on the soil permeability (P = 0.001) and building materials used (P 0.0006). (author)

Spatial structure and associations in Pinus canariensis population at the treeline, Pico del Teide, Tenerife, Canary Islands

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šrůtek, Miroslav; Doležal, J.; Hara, T.

2002-01-01

Roč. 34, č. 2 (2002), s. 201-210 ISSN 1523-0430 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA206/00/1445; GA AV ČR(CZ) KSK6005114 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6005908 Keywords : Pinus canariensis * Canary Islands Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 0.964, year: 2002

Screening the wetland plant species Alisma plantago-aquatica, Carex rostrata and Phalaris arundinacea for innate tolerance to zinc and comparison with Eriophorum angustifolium and Festuca rubra Merlin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Matthews, David J. [Wetland Ecology Research Group, Department of Botany, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland)]. E-mail: davematt00@hotmail.com; Moran, Bridget M. [Wetland Ecology Research Group, Department of Botany, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Otte, Marinus L. [Wetland Ecology Research Group, Department of Botany, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland)

2005-03-01

Several wetland plant species appear to have constitutive metal tolerance. In previous studies, populations from contaminated and non-contaminated sites of the wetland plants Typha latifolia, Phragmites australis, Glyceria fluitans and Eriophorum angustifolium were found to be tolerant to high concentrations of metals. This study screened three other species of wetland plants: Alisma plantago-aquatica, Carex rostrata and Phalaris arundinacea for innate tolerance to zinc. The degree of tolerance was compared to known zinc-tolerant E. angustifolium and Festuca rubra Merlin. It was found that A. plantago-aquatica and P. arundinacea did not posses innate tolerance to zinc, but that C. rostrata was able to tolerate elevated levels of zinc, at levels comparable to those tolerated by E. angustifolium and F. rubra Merlin. The findings support the theory that some wetland angiosperm species tend to be tolerant to exposure to high levels of metals, regardless of their origin. - Some wetland angiosperms are tolerant to high concentrations of metals, regardless of conditions in the plants' natural habitat.

Screening the wetland plant species Alisma plantago-aquatica, Carex rostrata and Phalaris arundinacea for innate tolerance to zinc and comparison with Eriophorum angustifolium and Festuca rubra Merlin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matthews, David J.; Moran, Bridget M.; Otte, Marinus L.

2005-01-01

Several wetland plant species appear to have constitutive metal tolerance. In previous studies, populations from contaminated and non-contaminated sites of the wetland plants Typha latifolia, Phragmites australis, Glyceria fluitans and Eriophorum angustifolium were found to be tolerant to high concentrations of metals. This study screened three other species of wetland plants: Alisma plantago-aquatica, Carex rostrata and Phalaris arundinacea for innate tolerance to zinc. The degree of tolerance was compared to known zinc-tolerant E. angustifolium and Festuca rubra Merlin. It was found that A. plantago-aquatica and P. arundinacea did not posses innate tolerance to zinc, but that C. rostrata was able to tolerate elevated levels of zinc, at levels comparable to those tolerated by E. angustifolium and F. rubra Merlin. The findings support the theory that some wetland angiosperm species tend to be tolerant to exposure to high levels of metals, regardless of their origin. - Some wetland angiosperms are tolerant to high concentrations of metals, regardless of conditions in the plants' natural habitat

Comparison of planted soil infiltration systems for treatment of log yard runoff.

Science.gov (United States)

Hedmark, Asa; Scholz, Miklas; Aronsson, Par; Elowson, Torbjorn

2010-07-01

Treatment of log yard runoff is required to avoid contamination of receiving watercourses. The research aim was to assess if infiltration of log yard runoff through planted soil systems is successful and if different plant species affect the treatment performance at a field-scale experimental site in Sweden (2005 to 2007). Contaminated runoff from the log yard of a sawmill was infiltrated through soil planted with Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gärtner (common alder), Salix schwerinii X viminalis (willow variety "Gudrun"), Lolium perenne (L.) (rye grass), and Phalaris arundinacea (L.) (reed canary grass). The study concluded that there were no treatment differences when comparing the four different plants with each other, and there also were no differences between the tree and the grass species. Furthermore, the infiltration treatment was effective in reducing total organic carbon (55%) and total phosphorus (45%) concentrations in the runoff, even when the loads on the infiltration system increased from year to year.

Mechanism of isoproturon resistance in Phalaris minor: in silico design, synthesis and testing of some novel herbicides for regaining sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Durg Vijay; Adeppa, Kuruba; Misra, Krishna

2012-04-01

Isoproturon, 3-p-cumenyl-1 dimethylurea was the only herbicide controlling Phalaris minor, a major weed growing in wheat fields till the early 1980s. Since it has acquired resistance against isoproturon, like other substituted urea herbicides, where the identified target site for isoproturon is in the photosynthetic apparatus at D1 protein of Photosystem-II (PS-II). Nucleotide sequence of susceptible and resistant psbA gene of P. minor has been reported to have four point mutations. During the present work D1 protein of both susceptible and resistant biotypes of P Minor has been modeled. Transmembrane segments of amino acids were predicted by comparing with the nearest homolog of bacterial D1 protein. Volume and area of active site of both susceptible and resistant biotypes has been simulated. Isoproturon was docked at the active site of both, susceptible and resistant D1 proteins. Modeling and simulation of resistance D1 protein indicates that the resistance is due to alteration in secondary structure near the binding site, resulting in loss in cavity area, volume and change in binding position, loss of hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interaction and complete loss of hydrophobic sites. To regain sensitivity in resistant biotype new derivatives of isoproturon molecules have been proposed, synthesized and tested. Among the 17 derivatives we found that the N-methyl triazole substituted isoproturon is a potential substitute for isoproturon.

Genetically depauperate in the continent but rich in oceanic islands: Cistus monspeliensis (Cistaceae in the Canary Islands.

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Mario Fernández-Mazuecos

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Population genetic theory holds that oceanic island populations are expected to have lower levels of genetic variation than their mainland counterparts, due to founder effect after island colonization from the continent. Cistus monspeliensis (Cistaceae is distributed in both the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean region. Numerous phylogenetic results obtained in the last years allow performing further phylogeographic analyses in Cistus. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We analyzed sequences from multiple plastid DNA regions in 47 populations of Cistus monspeliensis from the Canary Islands (21 populations and the Mediterranean basin (26 populations. The time-calibrated phylogeny and phylogeographic analyses yielded the following results: (1 a single, ancestral haplotype is distributed across the Mediterranean, whereas 10 haplotypes in the Canary Islands; (2 four haplotype lineages are present in the Canarian Islands; (3 multiple colonization events across the archipelago are inferred; (4 the earliest split of intraspecific lineages occurred in the Early to Middle Pleistocene (<930,000 years BP. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The contrasting pattern of cpDNA variation is best explained by genetic bottlenecks in the Mediterranean during Quaternary glaciations, while the Canarian archipelago acted as a refugium of high levels of genetic diversity. Active colonization across the Canarian islands is supported not only by the distribution of C. monspeliensis in five of the seven islands, but also by our phylogeographic reconstruction in which unrelated haplotypes are present on the same island. Widespread distribution of thermophilous habitats on every island, as those found throughout the Mediterranean, has likely been responsible for the successful colonization of C. monspeliensis, despite the absence of a long-distance dispersal mechanism. This is the first example of a plant species with higher genetic variation among oceanic island

Changes in infiltration rate into Andisols for change of use (Tenerife, Canary I.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neris, J.; Fuentes, J.; Dorta, M. A.; Jimenez, C.; Tejedor, M.

2009-01-01

The volcanic island of Tenerife (Canary Islands) has a wide variety of Andisols which have formed on recent pyroclast materials (Udands, Ustands, Xerands and Vitrands. The Udands are situated on the nor then side of the island, at heights where condensation of the trade winds occurs (900-1600m), while the Ustands are also located mostly on this side, albeit at a lower attitudinal strip. Under natural conditions, these soils present favourable physical properties, with high structural stability and resistance to water erosion. (Author) 11 refs.

Mantacaprella macaronensis, a new genus and species of Caprellidae (Crustacea: Amphipoda) from Canary Islands and Cape Verde.

Science.gov (United States)

Maite, Vázquez-Luis; José M, Guerra-García; Susana, Carvalho; Lydia Png-Gonzalez

2013-01-01

Mantacaprella macaronensis new genus, new species, is described based on specimens collected from Canary Islands and Cape Verde. Mantacaprella is close to the genera Parambus, Pseudolirius, Propodalirius and Paracaprella, but can be distinguished by the combination of the following characteristics: pereopods 3, 4 and 5 two-articulate; pereopods 6 and 7 six-articulate; mandibular molar present and palp absent; male abdomen with a pair of well-developed appendages. The new species has been found living in Cymodocea nodosa meadows and Caulerpa prolifera beds from 8.8 to 14.6 m depth in Gran Canaria (Canary Islands), and in natural rocky and artificial habitats (shipwrecks) at 25 m in Sal Island (Cape Verde). Even though the new species is one of the dominant amphipods inhabiting meadows of Cymodocea nodosa in Gran Canaria and in Cape Verde, it had not been described so far. This reflects the lack of knowledge on Macaronesian invertebrates, such as amphipods, and the need of further taxonomical studies to better characterise the whole biodiversity of this region and to design adequate programmes of management and conservation.

Electricity generation cost in isolated system: The complementarities of natural gas and renewables in the Canary Islands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marrero, Gustavo A. [Facultad de Ciencias Economicas, Campus de Guajara, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands) (Spain); Fundacion de Estudios de Economia Aplicada (FEDEA), C/Jorge Juan 46, 28001 Madrid (Spain); Ramos-Real, Francisco Javier [Facultad de Ciencias Economicas, Campus de Guajara, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands) (Spain); Instituto Universitario de Desarrollo Regional, Facultad de Ciencias Economicas, Campus de Guajara, Universidad de La Laguna, 38071 Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands) (Spain)

2010-12-15

The Canary Islands offer an example of an isolated electric grid of relative important size within the EU. Due to its peculiarities, the role of renewable energies and their complementarity with fossil fuels offers a solid path to achieving the main energy policy goals of the Islands. The purpose of this paper is to assess the current situation and the energy objectives proposed in the Energy Plan of the Canaries (PECAN, 2006) for the electricity industry, taking into account the average cost and the risk associated with the different alternatives for generating electricity by means of the Mean-Variance Portfolio Theory. Our analysis highlights the inefficiency of the current electricity generating mix in terms of cost, risk and lack of diversification. Shifting toward an efficient system would involve optimizing the use of endogenous energy sources and introducing natural gas to generate electricity. This scenario would mean reducing both cost and risk by almost 30% each, as well as atmospheric CO{sub 2} emissions. Our results agree with the PECAN philosophy. (author)

Multi-event behavior of El Golfo landslide (El Hierro Island, Canary Archipelago)

Science.gov (United States)

León, Ricardo; Biain, Ander; Urgeles, Roger; Somoza, Luis; Ferrer, Mercedes; García-Crespo, Jesús; Francisco Mediato, José; Galindo, Inés; Yepes, Jorge; Gimenez-Moreno, Julia

2017-04-01

Based on the re-interpretation of a vast onshore-offshore data set, a new morpho-structural characterization of the El Golfo giant landslide in the island of El Hierro (Canary Archipelago, Spain) is presented. Offshore multibeam echosounder data, chirp sub-bottom profiles, multichannel seismic reflection data and onshore information from water wells and galleries have been analyzed to determine the nature of the event. The subaerial headscarp shows a non-continuous arcuate profile formed by two nested semi-circular amphitheaters that extend offshore along a smooth chute, suggesting the occurrence of at least two large retrogressive events. Channels/gullies and escarpments developed along the submarine sector of the scar also indicate smaller-scale events and predominance of sediment bypass. At the base of submerged island, two subunits within the related submarine mass transport deposit (MTD) are identified on multichannel seismic reflection profiles confirming the multi-event nature of the landslide. The MTD, identified as a debris avalanche, has a total estimated volume of 318 km3: 84 km3 and 234 km3, for the lower and upper subunits respectively. Data from wells and galleries show abrasion platforms with beach deposits at sea-level (0 masl) formed after the landslide scar and buried by the El Golfo post-collapse infill lavas, suggesting an age at least older than 23.5-82.5 ka for the landslide. This work has been supported by the projects IGCP-640 S4SLIDE, High resolution seabed mapping EASME/EMFF/2016/005 and CTM2010-09496-E. Keywords: Submarine landslides, volcanic islands, debris avalanche, Canary Islands

A Lagrangian study tracing water parcel origins in the Canary Upwelling System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Evan Mason

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The regional ocean circulation within the Canary Upwelling System between 31°N and 35°N is studied using numerical tools. Seasonal mean and near-instantaneous velocity fields from a previously-generated climatological Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS solution of the Canary Basin are used to force a series of offline Lagrangian particle-tracking experiments. The primary objective is to identify the pathways through which water parcels arrive at the upwelling region north of Cape Ghir. Examining year-long pathways, the Azores Current contributes over 80% of particles annually, of which a large proportion arrive directly from offshore (from the northwest, while others travel along the shelf and slope from the Gulf of Cadiz. The remaining ~20% originate within the Gulf of Cadiz or come from the south, although the southern contribution is only significant in autumn and winter. When season-long pathways are considered, the alongshore contributions become increasingly important: northern contributions reach 40% in spring and summer, while southern values exceed 35% in winter. This study also shows that coastal upwelling changes both spatially and temporally. Upwelling becomes intensified near Cape Beddouza, with most upwelling occurring within ~40 km from shore although significant values may reach as far as 120 km offshore north of Cape Beddouza; at these locations the offshore integrated upwelling reaches as much as 4 times the offshore Ekman transport. In the Cape Beddouza area (32°N to 33°N, upwelling is negligible in February but intensifies in autumn, reaching as much as 3 times the offshore Ekman transport.

Irradiation effect on the seed vigor, SOD activity and MDA content in germinating seeds of yellow-seeded and black-seeded rape seed (Brassica napus L.)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Han Jixiang; Hu Danhong; Liu Houli

1993-01-01

Seeds of a set of near-isogenic lines (Brassica napus L.) with different seed coat color from yellow to black were irradiated by 60 Co γ-rays of 150 krad. Seed vigor, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in germinating seeds were analysed. In these characters, no significant difference between yellow-seeded lines (YLs) and black-seeded lines (BLs) showed before irradiation. But after irradiation, SOD activity in YLs was lower than that in BLs. While MDA content in YLs was obviously higher that that in DLs. As a result of irradiation, seed vigor of YLs was lower than that in BLs. these results indicated that the irradiation resistance of rape seed was related to the level of SOD as well as protective structure or substances in seed coat and that the radiosensitivity of YLs was higher than that of DLs

Development and recent activity of the San Andrés landslide on El Hierro, Canary Islands, Spain

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Klimeš, Jan; Yepes, J.; Becerril, L.; Kusák, Michal; Galindo, I.; Blahůt, Jan

2016-01-01

Roč. 261, MAY 15 (2016), s. 119-131 ISSN 0169-555X R&D Projects: GA MŠk LM2010008 Grant - others: National Geographic Society W244-12 Institutional support: RVO:67985891 Keywords : Deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSDs) * Landslide monitoring * Creep movements * Canary Islands Subject RIV: DE - Earth Magnetism, Geodesy, Geography Impact factor: 2.958, year: 2016

Planck intermediate results XXXVI. Optical identification and redshifts of Planck SZ sources with telescopes at the Canary Islands observatories

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ade, P. A. R.; Aghanim, N.; Arnaud, M.

2016-01-01

We present the results of approximately three years of observations of Planck Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ) sources with telescopes at the Canary Islands observatories as part of the general optical follow-up programme undertaken by the Planck Collaboration. In total, 78 SZ sources are discussed. Deep-i...

Organic leek seed production - securing seed quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deleuran, Lise Christina; Boelt, Birte

2011-01-01

To maintain integrity in organic farming, availability of organically produced GM-free seed of varieties adapted to organic production systems is of vital impor-tance. Despite recent achievements, organic seed supply for a number of vegetable species is insufficient. Still, in many countries...... seeds. Tunnel production is a means of securing seed of high genetic purity and quality, and organic leek (Allium porrum L.) seed production was tested in tunnels in Denmark. The present trial focused on steckling size and in all years large stecklings had a positive effect on both seed yield...

Organic Leek Seed Production - Securing Seed Quality

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Deleuran, L C; Boelt, B

2011-01-01

To maintain integrity in organic farming, availability of organically produced GM-free seed of varieties adapted to organic production systems is of vital impor-tance. Despite recent achievements, organic seed supply for a number of vegetable species is insufficient. Still, in many countries...... seeds. Tunnel production is a means of securing seed of high genetic purity and quality, and organic leek (Allium porrum L.) seed production was tested in tunnels in Denmark. The present trial focused on steckling size and in all years large stecklings had a positive effect on both seed yield...

Serological survey of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii and Coxiella burnetii in rodents in north-western African islands (Canary Islands and Cape Verde).

Science.gov (United States)

Foronda, Pilar; Plata-Luis, Josué; del Castillo-Figueruelo, Borja; Fernández-Álvarez, Ángela; Martín-Alonso, Aarón; Feliu, Carlos; Cabral, Marilena D; Valladares, Basilio

2015-05-29

Coxiella burnetii and Toxoplasma gondii are intracellular parasites that cause important reproductive disorders in animals and humans worldwide, resulting in high economic losses. The aim of the present study was to analyse the possible role of peridomestic small mammals in the maintenance and transmission of C. burnetii and T. gondii in the north-western African archipelagos of the Canary Islands and Cape Verde, where these species are commonly found affecting humans and farm animals. Between 2009 and 2013, 108 black rats (Rattus rattus) and 77 mice (Mus musculus) were analysed for the presence of Coxiella and Toxoplasma antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescence (IFA), respectively. Our results showed a wide distribution of C. burnetii and T. gondii, except for T. gondii in Cape Verde, in both rodent species. The overall seroprevalence of C. burnetii antibodies was 12.4%; 21.1% for Cape Verde and 10.2% for the Canary Islands. With respect to T. gondii, seropositive rodents were only observed in the Canary Islands, with an overall seroprevalence of 15%. Considering the fact that both pathogens can infect a large range of hosts, including livestock and humans, the results are of public health and veterinary importance and could be used by governmental entities to manage risk factors and to prevent future cases of Q fever and toxoplasmosis.

Checklists of Crustacea Decapoda from the Canary and Cape Verde Islands, with an assessment of Macaronesian and Cape Verde biogeographic marine ecoregions.

Science.gov (United States)

GonzÁlez, JosÉ A

2018-04-23

The complete list of Canarian marine decapods (last update by González Quiles 2003, popular book) currently comprises 374 species/subspecies, grouped in 198 genera and 82 families; whereas the Cape Verdean marine decapods (now fully listed for the first time) are represented by 343 species/subspecies with 201 genera and 80 families. Due to changing environmental conditions, in the last decades many subtropical/tropical taxa have reached the coasts of the Canary Islands. Comparing the carcinofaunal composition and their biogeographic components between the Canary and Cape Verde archipelagos would aid in: validating the appropriateness in separating both archipelagos into different ecoregions (Spalding et al. 2007), and understanding faunal movements between areas of benthic habitat. The consistency of both ecoregions is here compared and validated by assembling their decapod crustacean checklists, analysing their taxa composition, gathering their bathymetric data, and comparing their biogeographic patterns. Four main evidences (i.e. different taxa; divergent taxa composition; different composition of biogeographic patterns; different endemicity rates) support that separation, especially in coastal benthic decapods; and these parametres combined would be used as a valuable tool at comparing biotas from oceanic archipelagos. To understand/predict south-north faunal movements in a scenario of regional tropicalization, special attention is paid to species having at the Canaries their southernmost occurrence, and also to tropical African warm-affinity species.

Mantle to surface degassing of carbon- and sulphur-rich alkaline magma at El Hierro, Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Longpré, Marc-Antoine; Stix, John; Klügel, Andreas; Shimizu, Nobumichi

2017-02-01

Basaltic volcanoes transfer volatiles from the mantle to the surface of the Earth. The quantification of deep volatile fluxes relies heavily on estimates of the volatile content of primitive magmas, the best archive of which is provided by melt inclusions. Available data from volcanoes producing mafic alkaline lavas in a range of tectonic settings suggest high volatile fluxes, but information remains sparse, particularly for intraplate ocean islands. Here we present measurements of volatile and trace element concentrations, as well as sulphur speciation, in olivine-hosted melt inclusions and matrix glasses from quenched basanite lava balloon samples from the 2011-2012 submarine eruption at El Hierro, Canary Islands. The results reveal remarkably high concentrations of dissolved volatiles and incompatible trace elements in this magma, with ∼80 ppm Nb and up to 3420 ppm CO2, 3.0 wt.% H2O and 5080 ppm S. Reconstructed primitive CO2 contents, considering CO2/Nb systematics and possible CO2 sequestration in shrinkage bubbles, reach weight percent levels, indicating that carbon is a major constituent of Canary Island magmas at depth and that exsolution of a CO2-rich fluid begins in the mantle at pressures in excess of 1 GPa. Correlations between sulphur concentration, sulphur speciation and water content suggest strong reduction of an initially oxidised mantle magma, likely controlled by coupled H2O and S degassing. This late-stage redox change may have triggered sulphide saturation, recorded by globular sulphide inclusions in clinopyroxene and ulvöspinel. The El Hierro basanite thus had a particularly high volatile-carrying capacity and released a minimum of 1.3-2.1 Tg CO2 and 1.8-2.9 Tg S to the environment, causing substantial stress on the local submarine ecosystem. These results highlight the important contribution of alkaline ocean island volcanoes, such as the Canary Islands, to volatile fluxes from the mantle.

On the occurrence of egg masses of the diamond-shaped squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus Troschel, 1857 in the subtropical eastern Atlantic (Canary Islands. A potential commercial species?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alejandro Escanez

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Data on opportunistic sightings of diamond-shaped squid Thysanoteuthis rhombus egg masses in the Canary Islands (Atlantic Ocean are presented. A total of 16 egg masses of this species were recorded and photographed from 2000 to 2010 around the western islands of the archipelago (El Hierro, Tenerife and La Gomera. These data reveal the existence of an important spawning area for diamond-shaped squid around the Canary Islands, in subtropical east Atlantic waters. We provide preliminary data for the potential development of an artisanal fishery focused on this species, and a discussion on its potential impacts on the marine ecosystem.

Empty seeds are not always bad: simultaneous effect of seed emptiness and masting on animal seed predation.

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Ramón Perea

Full Text Available Seed masting and production of empty seeds have often been considered independently as different strategies to reduce seed predation by animals. Here, we integrate both phenomena within the whole assemblage of seed predators (both pre and post-dispersal and in two contrasting microsites (open vs. sheltered to improve our understanding of the factors controlling seed predation in a wind-dispersed tree (Ulmus laevis. In years with larger crop sizes more avian seed predators were attracted with an increase in the proportion of full seeds predated on the ground. However, for abundant crops, the presence of empty seeds decreased the proportion of full seeds predated. Empty seeds remained for a very long period in the tree, making location of full seeds more difficult for pre-dispersal predators and expanding the overall seed drop period at a very low cost (in dry biomass and allocation of C, N and P. Parthenocarpy (non-fertilized seeds was the main cause of seed emptiness whereas seed abortion was produced in low quantity. These aborted seeds fell prematurely and, thus, could not work as deceptive seeds. A proportion of 50% empty seeds significantly reduced ground seed predation by 26%. However, a high rate of parthenocarpy (beyond 50% empty seeds did not significantly reduce seed predation in comparison to 50% empty seeds. We also found a high variability and unpredictability in the production of empty seeds, both at tree and population level, making predator deception more effective. Open areas were especially important to facilitate seed survival since rodents (the main post-dispersal predators consumed seeds mostly under shrub cover. In elm trees parthenocarpy is a common event that might work as an adaptive strategy to reduce seed predation. Masting per se did not apparently reduce the overall proportion of seeds predated in this wind-dispersed tree, but kept great numbers of seeds unconsumed.

Gastronomy and National Identity Construction in the Canary Islands. A Case Study through the Recipe Books from Conde de Siete Fuente’s Archives (1880-1930

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Judit Gutiérrez de Armas

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper follows recent discussions about the role of gastronomy in the construction of culinary national identities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, focusing on the construction of late gastronomic Canary nationalism. It examines national and regional cookbooks —aimed mainly at a female audience— and extends the study to the kitchen, analysing the effects of cookery bestsellers on the diet of the social elites of the Canary Islands and gauging the impact of other influences like British gastronomy, through research on handwritten recipes in family archives. Finally, the transmission cycle of this domestic knowledge within the female socialisation universe will also be analysed.

Groundwater and marine intertidal Tubificidae (Oligochaeta) from the Canary and Cabo Verde Islands, with descriptions of two new species

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Erséus, Christer

1992-01-01

Seven species of Tubificidae are recorded from the Canary Islands, viz. Heterodrilus amplus n. sp., Coralliodrilus leviatriatus Erséus, 1979, Limnodriloides agnes Hrabĕ, 1967, L. janstocki n. sp., Aktedrilus cuneus Erséus, 1984, A. parvithecatus (Erséus, 1978), and Tubifex tubifex (Müller, 1774);

Seed-borne pathogens and electrical conductivity of soybean seeds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adriana Luiza Wain-Tassi

2012-02-01

Full Text Available Adequate procedures to evaluate seed vigor are important. Regarding the electrical conductivity test (EC, the interference in the test results caused by seed-borne pathogens has not been clarified. This research was carried out to study the influence of Phomopsis sojae (Leh. and Colletotrichum dematium (Pers. ex Fr. Grove var. truncata (Schw. Arx. fungi on EC results. Soybean seeds (Glycine max L. were inoculated with those fungi using potato, agar and dextrose (PDA medium with manitol (-1.0 MPa and incubated for 20 h at 25 °C. The colony diameter, index of mycelial growth, seed water content, occurrence of seed-borne pathogens, physiological potential of the seeds, measured by germination and vigor tests (seed germination index, cold test, accelerated aging and electrical conductivity, and seedling field emergence were determined. The contents of K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+ in the seed and in the soaking solution were also determined. A complete 2 × 4 factorial design with two seed sizes (5.5 and 6.5 mm and four treatments (control, seeds incubated without fungi, seeds incubated with Phomopsis and seeds incubated with Colletotrichum were used with eight (5.5 mm large seeds and six (6.5 mm large seeds replications. All seeds submitted to PDA medium had their germination reduced in comparison to the control seeds. This reduction was also observed when seed vigor and leached ions were considered. The presence of Phomopsis sojae fungus in soybean seed samples submitted to the EC test may be the cause of misleading results.

Giraudia sphacelarioides (Phaeophyceae) at the Canary Islands and in Danish waters: a study in ecotypic differentiation and its biogeographical implications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kristiansen, Aase; Pedersen, Poul Møller

2003-01-01

Comparative culture studies on isolates from Lanzarote (Canary Islands) and from Danish waters of Giraudia sphacelarioides show that temperature plays the key role to determine its geographical distribution. Experiments show that the upper lethal temperature is the same for both isolates 26.5--31...

From 3D to 4D seismic tomography at El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Yeguas, A.; Koulakov, I.; Jakovlev, A.; Ibáñez, J. M.

2012-04-01

In this work we are going to show the advantages of a dynamic tomography 4D, versus a static image 3D related with a volcanic reactivation and eruption at El Hierro island (Canary Islands, Spain). In this process a high number of earthquakes before and during the eruptive processes have been registered. We are going to show a 3D image as an average of the velocity structure and then the characteristics and physical properties on the medium, including the presence or not of magma. This image will be complemented with its evolution along the time, observing its volcanic dynamic and its influence over the medium properties, including its power as an important element on early warnings protocols. After more than forty years of quiet at Canary Islands, since 1971 with Teneguía eruption at La Palma Island, and more than 200 years on El Hierro Island (The last eruption known at El Hierro took place in 1793, volcán de Lomo Negro), on 19th July on 2011 the Spanish seismic national network, administered by IGN (Instituto Geográfico Nacional), detected an increase of local seismic activity below El Hierro island (Canary Islands, Spain). Since this moment an intense swarm took place, with more than 11000 events, until 11th December, with magnitudes (MLg) from 0.2 to 4.4. In this period two eruptive processes have been declared in front of the South coast of El Hierro island, and they have not finished yet. This seismic swarm has allowed carrying out a 3D seismic tomography, using P and S waves traveltimes. It has showed a low velocity from the North to the South. On the other hand, we have performed a 4D seismic tomography, taking the events occurred at different intervals of time. We can observe the evolution of the negative anomaly along the time, from the North to the South, where has taken place La Restinga submarine eruption. 4D seismic tomography is an innovative and powerful tool able to show the evolution in time of a volcanic process.

Determinación del potencial depurador del cultivo hidropónico de Phalaris spp y Pennisetum clandestinum Hochst, mediante la técnica de la película nutriente

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Luis Eduardo Cruz Torres

1990-07-01

Full Text Available El presente estudio corresponde a la segunda etapa de la evaluación de un sistema de tratamiento de aguas residuales domésticas conocido como la Técnica de la Película Nutriente (TPN, utilizando dos especies de gramíneas: Pennisetum clandestinum Hochst (pasto kikuyo y Phalaris spp (pasto brasilero. Los resultados permitieron establecer que las raíces actúan como un filtro biológico de los sólidos y materia orgánica, y además absorben los nutrientes contenidos en este tipo de aguas residuales. Por otra parte, el establecimiento de una cadena trófica o "cadena depuradora" de organismos (plancton y fauna asociada contribuye en gran medida en la remoción de polutantes. Bajo las condiciones de operación, el sistema de tratamiento (TPN removió eficientemente bacterias coliformes de origen fecal, seguido por sólidos suspendidos, materia orgánica y en menor grado los nutrientes.

Different pattern of contamination by legacy POPs in two populations from the same geographical area but with completely different lifestyles: Canary Islands (Spain) vs. Morocco.

Science.gov (United States)

Henríquez-Hernández, Luis Alberto; Luzardo, Octavio P; Arellano, José Luis Pérez; Carranza, Cristina; Sánchez, Nieves Jaén; Almeida-González, Maira; Ruiz-Suárez, Norberto; Valerón, Pilar F; Camacho, María; Zumbado, Manuel; Boada, Luis D

2016-01-15

The archipelago of the Canary Islands is one of the so-called ultra-peripheral territories of the European Union due to its geographical location away from the continent. Although the level of socioeconomic development and lifestyle of this region is comparable to that of any other of the European Union, it is just 100 km off the coast of Morocco, in the African continent. The population of the Canaries has been extensively studied with respect to their levels of POPs, and it has been described that their levels are relatively high compared to other European regions. It has been speculated with that the proximity to Africa may be associated with this level of contamination, but so far this theory has not been verified. This paper describes for the first time the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a sample of the population of Morocco (n = 131), which were compared with those of a similar sample of the population of permanent residents in the Canary Islands (n = 100) in order to check this hypothesis. Our results showed that Moroccans have higher median values of OCPs than the residents in the Canaries (∑ OCP = 150.2 ng/g lw vs. 83.4 ng/g lw, p = 0.0001). Regarding the PCBs, although recent studies have reported that new environmental sources of PCBs exist in several African countries (including Morocco), the plasma levels of most congeners were significantly higher in Canarians than in Moroccans, especially for the dioxin-like PCBs (median = 7.3 ng/g lw vs. 0.0 ng/g lw, p = 0.0001). The detailed analysis of our results suggests that the levels of these pollutants in the Canarian people are more influenced by their lifestyle and the previous use of these chemicals in the archipelago than by its geographical vicinity with Morocco.

An Institutional Approach to Bordering in Islands: The Canary Islands on the African-European Migration Routes

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Dirk Godenau

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Islands play a significant role in international irregular maritime migration. Frequently they are part of maritime interstitial spaces between states, and their location, combined with institutional membership, makes them part of international migration routes and subject to border management strategies. In this paper borders are analysed as social institutions used for regulating relative permeability through rules of entry and exit for persons, goods and capital. Borders institutionalize territoriality and are politically implemented by states. They are selective, also in migration, and irregular border transit is not always indicative of an inability to control. The Canary Islands are used as an illustrative example of how border management at the southern edge of the European Union has evolved towards more coercive deterrence and tighter surveillance. The Canary Islands experienced irregular maritime immigration from the west African coasts during the first decade of the 21st century and most of these migrants intended to use the islands as transit space towards the European continent. Increasing surveillance in countries of origin, enforcement of border controls and stricter return policies were used to stop flows. The so-called “cayuco crisis” in 2006 induced institutional change in border management and forced the active involvement of the EU through FRONTEX.

Mass wasting and subaerial weathering in guyot formation: the Hawaiian and Canary Ridges as examples

Science.gov (United States)

Christian Smoot, N.

1995-10-01

By using a combination of bathymetry and topography in the computerized GRASS 3D package, guyot evolution has been determined on the fast-moving Pacific plate for the subaerial, low sloped Hawaiian Island chain. On the slow-moving African plate, the timing of guyot formation has been determined for the subaerial, steeper sloped Canary Islands chain. In the Hawaiian chain, the Niihau Island platform was already essentially formed, although there is a platform at the 180 m elevation on Kauai Island if the remaining peaks are discounted. By Fuerteventura Island in the Canary chain the seamount/island has already been flattened. Both of these platforms are far above the influence of wave cutting. The causal agent of flattening is primarily mass wasting by landsliding, caused in part by earthquake activity on the moving plates. This disproves the subsidence and wavecut theory of guyot formational processes in that the guyot is already formed before it subsides. The islands lie in the tropical coral zone, yet coral formation has little effect on the flattening process. This may be because the turbidity from slumps kills the coral. This exercise also gives a time limit for the reduction of pristine volcanic slopes to the typical guyot surface, that time being between one and four million years. It is apparent that wave cutting merely polishes the stone, applying the finishing patina.

Rhizobia from Lanzarote, the Canary Islands, that nodulate Phaseolus vulgars have characteristics in common with Sinorhizobium meliloti isolates from mainland Spain

Science.gov (United States)

Common bean and Medicago rhizobia isolated from five locations on the island of Lanzarote, the Canary Islands, by partial analysis of 10 chromosomal genes were shown to exhibit close similarity to Sinorhizobium meliloti. Several bean isolates from Lanzarote, mainland Spain and Tunisia nodulated Leu...

Stygofauna of the Canary Islands, 4. Liagoceradocus acutus Andres, 1978, a blind anchihaline amphipod from Lanzarote: redescription, taxonomic status and occurrence

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Rondé-Broekhuizen, Brigitte L.M.; Stock, Jan H.

1987-01-01

Liagoceradocus acutus Andres, 1978, has been found in different localities on Lanzarote, Canary Islands. A redescription is provided and the taxonomic status of the genus Liagoceradocus is discussed. The species shows sexual dimorphism mainly in the morphology of the propodus of gnathopods 1 and 2,

Does the informal seed system threaten cowpea seed health?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Biemond, P.C.; Oguntade, O.; Lava Kumar, P.; Stomph, T.J.; Termorshuizen, A.J.; Struik, P.C.

2013-01-01

Most smallholder farmers in developing countries depend on an informal Seed System (SS) for their seed. The informal SS is often criticized because farmer-produced seed samples are not tested for seed health, thus accepting the risk of planting infected seeds. Here we aimed at assessing the quality

European Regional activation towards Brussels: From the heart to the Ultra-periphery of Europe. Walloon and Canary Islands’ strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jorge Tuñón

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Wallonia and the Canary Islands are both regions with legislative capacities within the European Union (EU. They have traditionally shared serious socio-economic deficits. Therefore, while a new European Regional policy was being designed, they both built regional strategies in order to extract as much as they can from the EU. How far are these Sub-State activations towards Brussels linked to regional gains (outputs from the EU? How different are both mobilisations? How can the higher degree of success of the Canary Islands be explained, taking into account that the Archipelago is far away from the heart of Europe and Wallonia is within it? The research, based on a qualitative analysis method, will be carried out through findings about the regional mechanisms developed to influence the European institutions: the participation (direct and non direct within the Council of Ministers, the Committee of the Regions, the regional interaction with the European Commission, the establishment of representative bodies in Brussels and the participation within interregional associations.

Spatial vent opening probability map of El Hierro Island (Canary Islands, Spain)

Science.gov (United States)

Becerril, Laura; Cappello, Annalisa; Galindo, Inés; Neri, Marco; Del Negro, Ciro

2013-04-01

The assessment of the probable spatial distribution of new eruptions is useful to manage and reduce the volcanic risk. It can be achieved in different ways, but it becomes especially hard when dealing with volcanic areas less studied, poorly monitored and characterized by a low frequent activity, as El Hierro. Even though it is the youngest of the Canary Islands, before the 2011 eruption in the "Las Calmas Sea", El Hierro had been the least studied volcanic Island of the Canaries, with more historically devoted attention to La Palma, Tenerife and Lanzarote. We propose a probabilistic method to build the susceptibility map of El Hierro, i.e. the spatial distribution of vent opening for future eruptions, based on the mathematical analysis of the volcano-structural data collected mostly on the Island and, secondly, on the submerged part of the volcano, up to a distance of ~10-20 km from the coast. The volcano-structural data were collected through new fieldwork measurements, bathymetric information, and analysis of geological maps, orthophotos and aerial photographs. They have been divided in different datasets and converted into separate and weighted probability density functions, which were then included in a non-homogeneous Poisson process to produce the volcanic susceptibility map. Future eruptive events on El Hierro is mainly concentrated on the rifts zones, extending also beyond the shoreline. The major probabilities to host new eruptions are located on the distal parts of the South and West rifts, with the highest probability reached in the south-western area of the West rift. High probabilities are also observed in the Northeast and South rifts, and the submarine parts of the rifts. This map represents the first effort to deal with the volcanic hazard at El Hierro and can be a support tool for decision makers in land planning, emergency plans and civil defence actions.

Efficiency of alfalfa seed processing with different seed purity

OpenAIRE

Đokić, Dragoslav; Stanisavljević, Rade; Terzić, Dragan; Milenković, Jasmina; Radivojević, Gordana; Koprivica, Ranko; Štrbanović, Ratibor

2015-01-01

The work was carried out analysis of the impact of the initial purity of raw alfalfa seed on the resulting amount of processed seed in the processing. Alfalfa is very important perennial forage legume which is used for fodder and seed production. Alfalfa seed is possible to achieve high yields and very good financial effects. To obtain the seed material with good characteristics complex machines for cleaning and sorting seeds are used. In the processing center of the Institute for forage crop...

Temporal Variations of Shallow Subtidal Meiofauna in Los Cristianos Bay (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Ne Atlantic Ocean)

OpenAIRE

Riera, Rodrigo; Nunez, Jorge; Brito, Maria del Carmen

2014-01-01

A subtidal meiofaunal assemblage in Los Cristianos Bay, Tenerife, Canary Islands was sampled from May 2000 to April 2001, at 3 m depth. Nematodes dominated overwhelmingly during the study period, ranging from 84.52% in May 2000 to 95.93% in October 2000. Copepods and polychaetes were the second and the third most abundant groups, respectively. Meiofaunal densities showed significant differences throughout the study period, with minimum abundances during the spring-summer months (May-July) and...

The helminth community of the skink Chalcides sexlineatus from Gran Canaria (Canary Islands).

Science.gov (United States)

Roca, V; Carretero, M A; Jorge, F; Perera, A; Ferrero, A; Rodríguez-Reina, S

2012-06-01

A survey of the gastrointestinal helminth communities of a population of Chalcides sexlineatus Steindachner, a small skink endemic to Gran Canaria island (Canary Archipelago, Spain), was conducted to determine the prevalence, abundance and species diversity of intestinal parasites in these reptiles. Only three parasite species were found, one cestode, Oochoristica agamae Baylis, 1919 and two nematodes, Parapharyngodon micipsae (Seurat, 1917) and Pharyngodonidae gen. sp. Helminth infracommunities of C. sexlineatus showed low values of abundance and species richness and diversity, being more similar to the helminth community of Tarentola boettgeri boettgeri (Steindachner) rather than those of Gallotia stehlini (Schenkel), both syntopic with the sampled host.

Extinction of endemic vertebrates on islands : The case of the giant rat Canariomys bravoi (Mammalia, Rodentia) on Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bocherens, Herve; Michaux, Jacques; Talavera, Francisco Garcia; Van der Plicht, Johannes

2006-01-01

Fossil bone collagen (14)C dating and delta(13)C and delta(15)N isotopic measurements of the rodent Canariomys bravoi from Tenerife (Canary Islands.. Spain) were used to test two different hypotheses about the causes of extinctions of endemic vertebrates on islands. climate versus humans. For the

Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of the Essential Oils from Three Melaleuca Species Grown in Tunisia

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Ismail Amri

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The chemical composition of the essential oils of Melaleuca armillaris Sm., Melaleuca styphelioides Sm. and Melaleuca acuminata F. Muell., collected in Tunisia, was studied by means of GC and GC-MS analysis. In all, 46 compounds were identified, 38 for M. armillaris, 20 for M. acuminata and eight for M. styphelioides, respectively. The presence of a sesquiterpenic fraction (52.2% characterized the oil from M. armillaris; M. sthypheliodes oil was rich in methyl eugenol, a phenolic compound (91.1%, while M. acuminata oil is mainly constituted by oxygenated monoterpenoids (95.6%. The essential oils were evaluated for their in vitro potentially phytotoxic activity against germination and initial radicle growth of Raphanus sativus L., Lepidium sativum L., Sinapis arvensis L., Triticum durum L. and Phalaris canariensis L. seeds. The radicle elongation of five seeds was inhibited at the highest doses tested, while germination of all seeds was not affected. Moreover, the essential oils showed low antimicrobial activity against eight selected microorganisms.

Chemical composition and biological activities of the essential oils from three Melaleuca species grown in Tunisia.

Science.gov (United States)

Amri, Ismail; Mancini, Emilia; De Martino, Laura; Marandino, Aurelio; Lamia, Hamrouni; Mohsen, Hanana; Bassem, Jamoussi; Scognamiglio, Mariarosa; Reverchon, Ernesto; De Feo, Vincenzo

2012-12-05

The chemical composition of the essential oils of Melaleuca armillaris Sm., Melaleuca styphelioides Sm. and Melaleuca acuminata F. Muell., collected in Tunisia, was studied by means of GC and GC-MS analysis. In all, 46 compounds were identified, 38 for M. armillaris, 20 for M. acuminata and eight for M. styphelioides, respectively. The presence of a sesquiterpenic fraction (52.2%) characterized the oil from M. armillaris; M. sthypheliodes oil was rich in methyl eugenol, a phenolic compound (91.1%), while M. acuminata oil is mainly constituted by oxygenated monoterpenoids (95.6%). The essential oils were evaluated for their in vitro potentially phytotoxic activity against germination and initial radicle growth of Raphanus sativus L., Lepidium sativum L., Sinapis arvensis L., Triticum durum L. and Phalaris canariensis L. seeds. The radicle elongation of five seeds was inhibited at the highest doses tested, while germination of all seeds was not affected. Moreover, the essential oils showed low antimicrobial activity against eight selected microorganisms.

Molecular modeling and computational simulation of the photosystem-II reaction center to address isoproturon resistance in Phalaris minor.

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Durg Vijay; Agarwal, Shikha; Kesharwani, Rajesh Kumar; Misra, Krishna

2012-08-01

Isoproturon is the only herbicide that can control Phalaris minor, a competitive weed of wheat that developed resistance in 1992. Resistance against isoproturon was reported to be due to a mutation in the psbA gene that encodes the isoproturon-binding D1 protein. Previously in our laboratory, a triazole derivative of isoproturon (TDI) was synthesized and found to be active against both susceptible and resistant biotypes at 0.5 kg/ha but has shown poor specificity. In the present study, both susceptible D1((S)), resistant D1((R)) and D2 proteins of the PS-II reaction center of P. minor have been modeled and simulated, selecting the crystal structure of PS-II from Thermosynechococcus elongatus (2AXT.pdb) as template. Loop regions were refined, and the complete reaction center D1/D2 was simulated with GROMACS in lipid (1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylglycero-3-phosphoglycerol, POPG) environment along with ligands and cofactor. Both S and R models were energy minimized using steepest decent equilibrated with isotropic pressure coupling and temperature coupling using a Berendsen protocol, and subjected to 1,000 ps of MD simulation. As a result of MD simulation, the best model obtained in lipid environment had five chlorophylls, two plastoquinones, two phenophytins and a bicarbonate ion along with cofactor Fe and oxygen evolving center (OEC). The triazole derivative of isoproturon was used as lead molecule for docking. The best worked out conformation of TDI was chosen for receptor-based de novo ligand design. In silico designed molecules were screened and, as a result, only those molecules that show higher docking and binding energies in comparison to isoproturon and its triazole derivative were proposed for synthesis in order to get more potent, non-resistant and more selective TDI analogs.

Growth stage of Phalaris minor Retz. and wheat determines weed control and crop tolerance of four post-emergence herbicides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rubia Rasool

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Phalaris minor Retz. has evolved multiple herbicide resistance in wheat growing areas in northwestern India. An understanding of the effect of growth stage on herbicide tolerance of wheat and control of P. minor will help in selecting the most appropriate herbicide for different situations. The weed control and crop safety of four commonly used wheat herbicides (sulfosulfuron, pinoxaden, fenoxaprop plus metribuzin and mesosulfuron plus iodosulfuron, each applied at four different wheat growth stages was investigated in field studies for two years. P. minor plants were at 1, 2-3, 3-4 and 7-8 leaf stages when the herbicides were applied at Zadok 12-Z12, Z13, Z21 and Z23 stages of wheat, respectively. Sulfosulfuron application at Z12 and Z13 wheat stages (before first irrigation, provided >80% control of P. minor and produced wheat grain yield (4.5-4.7 t/ha similar to the weed-free check (4.9 t/ha in both years. Pinoxaden, fenoxaprop plus metribuzin and mesosulfuron plus iodosulfuron application at Z12 and Z13 wheat stages recorded significantly lower wheat grain yield (3.62-3.95 t/ha due to poor weed control, crop toxicity or both. All the four herbicides were equally effective on P. minor when applied at Z21 wheat stage. At Z23 wheat stage, pinoxaden gave >90% control of P. minor and the highest wheat grain yield (4.82 t/ha. The results are expected to allow changes in the current recommendation of the timing of post-emergence herbicides for the management of P. minor in wheat.

Dietary intake of barium, bismuth, chromium, lithium, and strontium in a Spanish population (Canary Islands, Spain).

Science.gov (United States)

González-Weller, Dailos; Rubio, Carmen; Gutiérrez, Ángel José; González, Gara Luis; Caballero Mesa, José María; Revert Gironés, Consuelo; Burgos Ojeda, Antonio; Hardisson, Arturo

2013-12-01

The aim of this study was to analyze barium, bismuth, chromium, lithium, and strontium contents in food and beverages consumed by the population of the Canary Islands (Spain) as well as determine dietary intake of these metals in the archipelago as a whole and in its individual islands. To this end, 440 samples were analyzed by ICP-OES and GFAAS. Barium concentrations ranged from 5.210 ± 2.117 mg/kg in nuts to 0.035 ± 0.043 mg/L in water. Viscera exhibited the highest levels of bismuth (38.07 ± 36.80 mg/kg). The cold meat and sausages group stood out for its high chromium concentrations (0.494 ± 0.257 mg/kg). The highest concentration of lithium and strontium came out in nuts (8.761 ± 5.368 mg/kg and 9.759 ± 5.181 mg/kg, respectively). The total intakes of barium, bismuth, chromium, lithium, and strontium were 0.685, 1.274, 0.087, 3.674, and 1.923 mg/day, respectively. Cereals turned out to contribute most to the dietary intake of barium, bismuth, chromium, and lithium in the Canary Islands, while fruit contributes most to the strontium intake. We also performed a metal intake study by age and sex of the population and compared the outcome with data from other regions, both national and international.

Phylogeography and seed dispersal in islands: the case of Rumex bucephalophorus subsp. canariensis (Polygonaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Talavera, María; Navarro-Sampedro, Laura; Ortiz, Pedro L; Arista, Montserrat

2013-02-01

Rumex bucephalophorus subsp. canariensis is an endemic taxon to Macaronesia with diaspore polymorphism. The origin and colonizing route of this taxon in Macaronesia was studied using molecular data and information on diaspore types. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was used in 260 plants from 22 populations of R. bucephalophorus subsp. canariensis, four from the Madeiran archipelago and 18 from the Canary archipelago. Diaspore production was analysed in 9-50 plants from each population used for AFLP analysis. One hundred and one plants from the Madeiran archipelago and 375 plants from the Canary Islands were studied. For each plant the type of diaspore produced was recorded. Overall populations had low genetic diversity but they showed a geographical pattern of genetic diversity that was higher in the older eastern islands than in the younger western ones. Two types of dispersible diaspores were found: in the eastern Canary islands (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Gran Canaria), plants produced exclusively long-dispersible diaspores, whereas in the western Canary islands (Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro) and the Madeiran archipelago plants produced exclusively short-dispersible diaspores. Genetically, the studied populations fell into four main island groups: Lanzarote-Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife-El Hierro and La Gomera-Madeira archipelago. A Moroccan origin of R. bucephalophorus subsp. canariensis is hypothesized with a colonization route from the eastern to the western islands. In addition, at least one gene flow event from La Gomera to the Madeiran archipelago has taken place. During the colonization process the type of dispersible diaspore changed so that dispersability decreased in populations of the westernmost islands.

Tracing variability in the iodine isotopes and species along surface water transect from the North Sea to the Canary Islands

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

He, Peng; Aldahan, Ala; Hou, Xiaolin

2016-01-01

A complete transect of surface water samples from the North Sea to the Canary Islands was collected during a continuous period in 2010. The samples were analyzed for total 129I and 127I isotopes and their iodide and iodate species. The results indicate a large variability in the total 129I and its...

Development of a simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker set to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

GREGORY

2010-08-23

Aug 23, 2010 ... varieties. Tuber seeds of most of these varieties are not produced and distributed in an organized way ... races from Canary Islands using 19 SSR markers. The ... The aim of the current study was to determine a set of.

Physiological quality and seed respiration of primed Jatropha curcas seeds

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Micheli Angelica Horbach

2017-11-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT Seed deterioration is a natural and irreversible process. Nevertheless, seed priming with water and antioxidants can minimize oxidative damage in oilseeds, resulting in attenuation of seed deterioration. The objective of this assay was to evaluate seed priming on respiratory activity of Jatropha curcas submitted to accelerated aging. Seeds from two provenances (Janauba and Pedro J. Caballero were submitted to three priming treatments (control, immersion in deionized water, and with 750 µmol L-1 of ascorbic acid and treated for accelerated aging at 41 °C for 72 h. The results showed that the priming of J. curcas seeds promoted tolerance to accelerated aging. Primed seeds, with ascorbic acid from Janauba and deionized water from Pedro J. Caballero, resulted in a higher percentage of normal seedlings, and increased germination speed index and seed respiration. The decline of physiological quality of J. curcas seeds after accelerated aging is directly associated with a reduction in respiratory activity that is related to seed moisture content.

High resolution modelling results of the wind flow over Canary Islands during the meteorological situation of the extratropical storm Delta (28–30 November 2005

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J. M. Baldasano

2008-05-01

Full Text Available On 28–29 November 2005 an extratropical storm affected the Canary Islands causing significant damage related to high average wind speeds and intense gusts over some islands of the archipelago. Delta was the twenty-sixth tropical or subtropical storm of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. It represents an unusual meteorological phenomenon for that region, and its impacts were underestimated by the different operational meteorological forecasts during the previous days of the arrival of the low near Canary Islands. The aim of this study is to reproduce the local effects of the flow that were observed over the Canary Islands during the travel of the Delta storm near the region using high-resolution mesoscale meteorological simulations. The Advanced Research Weather Research & Forecasting Model (WRF-ARW is applied at 9, 3 and 1 km horizontal resolution using ECMWF forecasts as initial and boundary conditions. The high-resolution simulation will outline the main features that contributed to the high wind speeds observed in the archipelago. Variations in vertical static stability, vertical windshear and the intense synoptic winds of the southwestern part of Delta with a warm core at 850 hPa were the main characteristics that contributed to the development and amplification of intense gravity waves while the large-scale flow interacted with the complex topography of the islands.

Applicability of T-S algorithms to the Canary Islands region

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A. Marrero-Díaz

2001-07-01

Full Text Available The high cost of oceanographic cruises often makes it advisable to use opportunity vessels for simple measurements, such as determining the temperature of the water column with expandable bathythermographs (XBT. In this work we examine the goodness and reliability of a method aimed at obtaining the maximum possible information from XBT data, and we apply it to the Canary Islands region. It consists in calculating analytic relations between temperature and salinity from historical conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD data for the region, which are then used to hindcast/forecast the salinity and density distribution, as well as the distribution of other inferred quantities such as velocity. A hindcasting is carried out using direct independent temperature measurements obtained from a hydrographic cruise south of the island of Gran Canaria. At depths greater than 100-150 m the results show good agreement with the calculations obtained from CTD in situ data.

The Lanzarote Geodynamic Laboratory: new capabilities for monitoring of volcanic activity at Canary Islands

Science.gov (United States)

Arnoso, J.; Vélez, E. J.; Soler, V.; Montesinos, F. G.; Benavent, M.

2012-04-01

The volcanic island of Lanzarote is located at the northeastern end of the Canary Islands. Together with Fuerteventura Island, Lanzarote constitutes the emergent part of the East Canary Ridge, which presents a NNE-SSW volcanic alignment. Last eruptive events took place in 1824 and during the period 1730-1736, which is the largest to occur in the archipelago and throw out about 1.3 km3 of volcanic materials. The Lanzarote Geodynamic Laboratory (LGL) was created in 1986 with the idea of making Lanzarote as a natural laboratory to carry out studies in order to acquire more knowledge about its origin, present status and evolution (Vieira et al., 1991; 2006). The LGL has a multidisciplinary scientific purpose and, among others, various objectives are devoted to investigate mass distribution in the Earth system and surface displacements associated to volcanic and/or seismic activity in the island. The influence of LGL is extended throughout the whole geographical area of Lanzarote, including small islands located at the north. The laboratory has 3 observing modules distributed along the island according to its infrastructure and scientific objectives, where more than 70 sensors are recording continuously gravity variations, ground deformations, sea level, seismic activity, meteorological parameters, etc. All these observations are supplemented by periodic measurement of geodetic and geophysical networks that allow us to make studies at local, insular and regional scales. The application of geodetic and geophysical techniques to identify geodynamic signals related to volcanic processes is then a permanent research activity of the laboratory. Nowadays, this fact becomes more interesting due to the ongoing volcanic eruption that is taking place in other island of the Canary Archipelago, El Hierro, since past July 2011. That is, the multidisciplinary research carry on up to now at the LGL allow us to apply multiparameter observations of different kinds of volcanic

Evaluation of Wheat (Triticum aestivum, L. Seed Quality of Certified Seed and Farm-Saved Seed in Three Provinces of Iran

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Khazaei Fardin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to study the seed quality aspects of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. and the extent of weed seed contamination present in wheat seeds produced in different regions of Iran. Four districts (cities, each including 12 fields (six certified seed fields and six farm-saved seed fields, were selected in each regions (provinces. One kilogram of the wheat seed sample was collected from each field for analysis in the laboratory. Wheat seeding was commonly done by farm-saved seed sourced from within the farm due to the high costs of certified seeds purchased from outside sources, followed by the low seed quality. The use of a farm-saved seed resulted in a higher germination rate and a lower mean time to germination compared with another system. The more positive temperatures experienced by mother plants could decrease the number of normal seedling and seedling length vigor index. Generally there was virtually no difference about physiological quality between certified seed and farm-saved seed sector that is related to lower quality of certified seed. The certified produced seeds had the lower number of weed seed, species and genus before and after cleaning. The highest seed purity and 1000 seed weight was obtained from the certified seed production system. The need for cleaning the farm-saved seed samples before sowing is one of the important findings of this survey.

Seed dormancy and seed longevity: from genetic variation to gene identification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nguyen, T.P.

2014-01-01

Seed dormancy and seed longevity are the most important survival traits in the soil seed bank. Both traits are induced during seed maturation and evolved to assure seed survival during environmental conditions that cannot support the regular course of life. Seed dormancy is related to the timing of

Influence of Fungicides Application and Seed Processing on Sunflower Seed Quality

OpenAIRE

Šimić, Branimir; Svitlica, Brankica; Ćosić, Jasenka; Andrić, Luka; Rozman, Vlatka; Postić, Jelena; Liović, Ivica

2009-01-01

The aim of the research was to determine influence of methods of seed processing and application of fungicides on mass of 1000 seeds, intergrowth energy and seed germination of sunflower hybrids ‘Favorit’ and ‘Apolon’ in 2005 and 2006. Selected untreated seeds of both sunflower hybrids (control) had a minimal mass of 1000 seeds (55-59 g), intergrowth energy (18-37 %) and seed germination (39-52 %). In both years of research maximal seed quality, mass of 1000 seeds (67-69 g), intergrowth energ...

Wetland management strategies lead to tradeoffs in ecological structure and function

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Ariane L. Peralta

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Anthropogenic legacy effects often occur as a consequence of land use change or land management and can leave behind long-lasting changes to ecosystem structure and function. This legacy is described as a memory in the form of ecological structure or ecological interactions that remains at a location from a previous condition. We examined how forested floodplain restoration strategy, based on planting intensity, influenced wetland community structure and soil chemical and physical factors after 15 years. The site was divided into 15 strips, and strips were assigned to one of five restoration treatments: plantings of acorns, 2-year-old seedlings, 5-ft bareroot trees, balled and burlapped trees, and natural seed bank regeneration. Our community composition survey revealed that plots planted with bareroot or balled and burlapped trees developed closed tree canopies with little herbaceous understory, while acorn plantings and natural colonization plots developed into dense stands of the invasive species reed canary grass (RCG; 'Phalaris arundinacea'. Restoration strategy influenced bacterial community composition but to a lesser degree compared to the plant community response, and riverine hydrology and restoration strategy influenced wetland soil conditions. Soil ammonium concentrations and pH were similar across all wetland restoration treatments, while total organic carbon was highest in forest and RCG-dominated plots compared to mixed patches of trees and open areas. The differences in restoration strategy and associated economic investment resulted in ecological tradeoffs. The upfront investment in larger, more mature trees (i.e., bareroot, balled and burlapped led to floodplain forested communities, while cheaper, more passive planting strategies (i.e., seedlings, seedbank, or acorns resulted in dense stands of invasive RCG, despite the similar floodplain hydrology across all sites. Therefore, recovery of multiple ecosystem services that

The role of drainage ditches in greenhouse gas emissions and surface leaching losses from a cutaway peatland cultivated with a perennial bioenergy crop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hyvonen, N.P.; Huttunen, J.T.; Shurpali, N.J.; Lind, S.E.; Marushchak, M.E.; Martikainen, P.J. [University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio (Finland). Dept. of Environmental Science], E-mail: niina.hyvonen@uef.fi; Heitto, L. [Environmental Research of Savo-Karjala Ltd, Kuopio (Finland)

2013-06-01

We studied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from drainage ditches and leaching losses in a boreal cutaway peatland cultivated with reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea) for bioenergy. The objectives of the study were to assess to what extent GHG emissions from drainage ditches and leaching of carbon and nutrients via surface drainage contribute to the total losses of carbon and nitrogen from the site. The emissions of CH{sub 4}, N{sub 2}O and CO{sub 2} were measured with static chamber methods for three years and leaching losses for seven years. On average, the drainage ditches (covering 6% of the study site area) released 10% of the total CH{sub 4} emission (0.33 g m{sup -2} a{sup -1}), and 1% and 5% of the total N{sub 2}O and CO{sub 2} emissions, respectively. Leaching of total nitrogen and phosphorous were 0.31 and 0.03 g m{sup -2} a{sup -1}, respectively. Leaching values were lower than those reported for agricultural catchments in general. (orig.)

Farmer’s seed sources and seed quality: 2. seed health

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bishaw, Z.; Struik, P.C.; Gastel, van A.J.G.

2013-01-01

The study assessed the health quality of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) seed samples collected from formal and informal sector in Ethiopia and Syria. In Ethiopia, several seed-borne fungi were found on wheat samples: Cochliobolus sativum, Fusarium avenaceum, F.

[Dynamics of seed rain of Tripterygium hypoglaucum and soil seed bank].

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhi-Wei; Wei, Yong-Sheng; Liu, Xiang; Su, Shu; Qu, Xian-You; Wang, Chang-Hua

2017-11-01

Tripterygium hypoglaucum is an endangered species in arid areas of Xiannvshan Chongqing, China. The dynamic characteristics of seed rain and soil seed bank of T. hypoglaucum were studied in this paper．Results showed that T. hypoglaucum years of mature seeds distribution number up to October; the seed rain occurred from the last ten-day of September to in the first ten-day of November and the peak of scattered seed rain concentrated in the October．The numbers of soil seed bank at 2-5 cm soil layer,mainly concentrated in the 1.5-3.5 m range. T. hypoglaucum seeds to the wind as a force for transmission, the transmission ability is strong, but in the process of natural reproduction, full mature seed rate is low, the soil seed bank seeds seed short-lived factors these were unfavorable for the natural reproduction of T. hypoglaucum population. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

[Procedure of seed quality testing and seed grading standard of Prunus humilis].

Science.gov (United States)

Wen, Hao; Ren, Guang-Xi; Gao, Ya; Luo, Jun; Liu, Chun-Sheng; Li, Wei-Dong

2014-11-01

So far there exists no corresponding quality test procedures and grading standards for the seed of Prunus humilis, which is one of the important source of base of semen pruni. Therefor we set up test procedures that are adapt to characteristics of the P. humilis seed through the study of the test of sampling, seed purity, thousand-grain weight, seed moisture, seed viability and germination percentage. 50 cases of seed specimens of P. humilis tested. The related data were analyzed by cluster analysis. Through this research, the seed quality test procedure was developed, and the seed quality grading standard was formulated. The seed quality of each grade should meet the following requirements: for first grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 68%, thousand-grain weight 383 g, purity ≥ 93%, seed moisture ≤ 5%; for second grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 26%, thousand-grain weight ≥ 266 g, purity ≥ 73%, seed moisture ≤9%; for third grade seeds, germination percentage ≥ 10%, purity ≥ 50%, thousand-grain weight ≥ 08 g, seed moisture ≤ 13%.

Morphological and molecular study of the cyanobiont-bearing dinoflagellate Sinophysis canaliculata from the Canary Islands (eastern central Atlantic).

Science.gov (United States)

García-Portela, María; Riobó, Pilar; Rodríguez, Francisco

2017-04-01

The presence of the benthic dinophysoid dinoflagellate Sinophysis canaliculata has been reported in the Canary Islands (eastern central Atlantic) in live field observations and on fixed macroalgal samples from intertidal ponds (26 sampling sites from El Hierro, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote islands). In vivo Sinophysis cells were typically pale pink colored. Light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy micrographs showed a small characteristic narrow hypothecal cut that matched the original description of S. canaliculata. SSU rRNA gene (rDNA) nuclear phylogeny showed that S. canaliculata is closely related to S. microcephalus. Sinophysis specimens displayed cyanobacterial endosymbionts with orange autofluorescence from phycoerythrins. SSU rDNA analyses of the cyanobionts nearly matched a former sequence obtained from S. canaliculata in the Pacific Ocean (Japan). S. canaliculata survived up to 5 months in the original seawater samples. During that period cyanobionts were always present and maintained their orange autofluorescence, although the pink color gradually vanished (<1 month) in most individuals. Molecular similarity of Sinophysis cyanobionts from the Canary Islands and Japanese waters suggest a deterministic relationship, likely a temporary maintenance inside their host via some specific grazing system. © 2016 Phycological Society of America.

After Timanfaya: overpopulation and soil erosion in the north of Lanzarote (Canary Islands)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Criado, C.; Romero, C.; Solar, V.

2009-01-01

The eruption of Timanfaya (1730-1736) has been the most important volcanic activity on Canary Islands during historical times (after XV Century). The lave flows and piroclastic layers buried at least 1/4 of Lanzarote surface. Overall the island we can see artificial cross-sections showing ash layers, overlapping paleargids soils or interbedded between alluvial sediment on the bottom of in filled valleys. Sedimentological analysis has been applied on four cross-section located along the island. These data, together with historical information and pottery remains, allow conclude a very recent age for many of this layers, produced by a strong erosion input started by the overgrazing produced by the concentration of livestock during the volcanic crisis. (Author) 6 refs.

[Lifestyle and treatment adherence of type 2 diabetes mellitus people in the Canary Islands].

Science.gov (United States)

de León, Antonio Cabrera; Rodríguez, José Carlos del Castillo; Coello, Santiago Domínguez; Pérez, María Del Cristo Rodríguez; Díaz, Buenaventura Brito; Alamo, Carlos Borges; Fernández, Lourdes Carrillo; González, Delia Almeida; Sánchez, José Juan Alemán; Hernández, Ana González; Aguirre-Jaime, Armando

2009-01-01

The Canary Islands population experiences the highest type 2 diabetes (DM2) mortality in Spain. We studied lifestyle, unknown DM2 and treatment adherence in diabetics of these islands. Cross-sectional study of 6729 subjects from the general population (age 18-75) that participate in the cohort study "CDC of the Canary Islands". We found out their medical problems, diet, physical activity, medications, smoking, etc. Prevalence of DM2 was 12% in men and 10% in women (p=0.005). The disease was unknown in 22% of men and 9% of women (p DM2, lack of treatment and lack of adherence, 48% of men and 28% of women did not follow a regular treatment. Diabetics' men prevalences of smoking (28%; CI(95%)=23-33) and sedentariness (62%; CI(95%)=56-68) were similar to non diabetic men, but obesity was more frequent in diabetics (45 versus 25%; p women showed a higher obesity (54 versus 27%; p < 0.001) and a lower smoking prevalence (11 versus 22%; p < 0,001) than non diabetics, but they presented a similar sedentariness (75%; CI(95%)=70-79). In both sexes, energy intake was lower in diabetics (p < 0.001), but 93% of them (CI(95%)=91-95) showed a high consumption of calories from saturated fat and 69% (CI(95%)=65-72) presented metabolic syndrome. The Canarian diabetics are a sedentary and obese population that show a high consumption of saturated fats and high prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The proportion of them following regular treatment is low, specially in diabetic men that, in addition, still smoke.

Bereavement care interventions and outcome criteria planned by community nurses in the Canary Islands.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Álvaro, Martín; García-Hernández, Alfonso Miguel; Brito-Brito, Pedro Ruymán; Aguirre-Jaime, Armando; Fernández-Gutiérrez, Domingo Ángel

2018-02-19

Nursing care in bereavement is complex. Primary health care is the ideal setting to support the bereaved, but we do not know much about the care plans designed by primary health care nurses in the treatment of grief. To identify the outcomes criteria and interventions planned by nurses for mourners with and without complications in the Canary Islands. Retrospective longitudinal study, using the electronic health records of the Canary Islands health service of people with a diagnosis of grieving, risk of complicated grieving and complicated grieving, in the period 2009-2014. NOC outcomes criteria were recorded in 67% of the mourners, and up to 24 different outcomes were identified. The main outcomes measures were Grief resolution; Psychosocial adjustment, Life change; Coping; Family coping; Family social climate and Caregiver emotional health. The remaining outcomes were present in less than 1% of the mourners. Although the outcomes criteria proposed by nurses in the mourners with and without complications were quite homogeneous, differences in interventions were found. In 67% of the cases, NIC interventions were reported. Ninety-nine different interventions were identified in the mourners; the most frequent were Emotional support; Grief work facilitation; Active listening; Coping enhancement and counselling. The remaining identified interventions were present in less than 5% of patients. The main interventions in the mourners with complications were Grief work facilitation; Coping enhancement; Active listening; Counselling and Family integrity promotion. Nurses state that there are more interventions and outcomes in mourners with complications. Given the few methodologically reliable studies that prove their effectiveness, continued research in this area is recommended. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Cosmic Magnetic Fields : XXV Canary Islands Winter School of Astrophysics

CERN Document Server

Martinez Gonzalez, Maria Jesus

2018-01-01

Magnetic fields pervade the universe and play an important role in many astrophysical processes. However, they require specialised observational tools, and are challenging to model and understand. This volume provides a unified view of magnetic fields across astrophysical and cosmological contexts, drawing together disparate topics that are rarely covered together. Written by the lecturers of the XXV Canary Islands Winter School, it offers a self-contained introduction to cosmic magnetic fields on a range of scales. The connections between the behaviours of magnetic fields in these varying contexts are particularly emphasised, from the relatively small and close ranges of the Sun, planets and stars, to galaxies and clusters of galaxies, as well as on cosmological scales. Aimed at young researchers and graduate students, this up-to-date review uniquely brings together a subject often tackled by disconnected communities, conveying the latest advances as well as highlighting the limits of our current understandi...

Geochronological constraints on the evolution of El Hierro (Canary Islands)

Science.gov (United States)

Becerril, Laura; Ubide, Teresa; Sudo, Masafumi; Martí, Joan; Galindo, Inés; Galé, Carlos; Morales, Jose María; Yepes, Jorge; Lago, Marceliano

2016-01-01

New age data have been obtained to time constrain the recent Quaternary volcanism of El Hierro (Canary Islands) and to estimate its recurrence rate. We have carried out 40Ar/39Ar geochronology on samples spanning the entire volcanostratigraphic sequence of the island and 14C geochronology on the most recent eruption on the northeast rift of the island: 2280 ± 30 yr BP. We combine the new absolute data with a revision of published ages onshore, some of which were identified through geomorphological criteria (relative data). We present a revised and updated chronology of volcanism for the last 33 ka that we use to estimate the maximum eruptive recurrence of the island. The number of events per year determined is 9.7 × 10-4 for the emerged part of the island, which means that, as a minimum, one eruption has occurred approximately every 1000 years. This highlights the need of more geochronological data to better constrain the eruptive recurrence of El Hierro.

Size, physiological quality, and green seed occurrence influenced by seeding rate in soybeans

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Sampaio Ferreira

2017-05-01

Full Text Available The seeding rate influences the intraspecific competition, which might affect the development and quality of seeds in soybean. However, the impact of seeding rate on the physical and physiological qualities of soybean seeds needs to be better elucidated. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of soybean plant density on the seed size as well as the effects of the interaction between the plant density and seed size on the seed mass, green seed occurence, and physiological seed quality. The experiments were carried out in the growing seasons of the years 2013/14 and 2014/15 in a Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico, under a randomized complete block design, using the NK 7059 RR cultivar with six replications. Four plant densities (150, 300, 440, and 560 thousand viable seeds ha–1 were evaluated. After the classification of seeds into four sizes, using a set of sieves, a 4 ×4 factorial scheme was used for the statistical analysis of the four plant densities and four seed sizes. The seed samples were evaluated for the seed mass, green seed percentage, germination, and vigor. Under thermal and water stress during seed development, an increase in the seeding rate led to a reduction in the green seed occurrence and an increase in the seed size and mass. However, in the absence of thermal and water stress, the seed size and mass were not altered by the seeding rate and, there was no occurrence of green seeds.

Rainfall, fog and throughfall dynamics in a sub-tropical ridge-top cloud forest, National Park of Garajonay (La Gomera, Canary Islands, Spain)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

García-Santos, G.; Bruijnzeel, L.A.

2011-01-01

Mixed tree-heath/beech forest is a type of subtropical montane cloud forest found on wind- and fog-exposed ridges in the Canary Islands. With a dry season of 5 months and an annual precipitation of 600-700 mm, the extra water inputs through fog interception assume particular importance in this

(Heckel) seeds

African Journals Online (AJOL)

UTILISATEUR

Garcinia kola seeds to six different hormonal pre-germination treatments. This consisted of ... Thus, seed dormancy in this case is not a coat- imposed .... development of the cultivation of the species. The cause .... Hormonal regulation of seed ...

Many missing rings in old Canary pines can be related with age, fires and traditional uses

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Génova, M.; Santana, C.; Martínez, B.

2017-11-01

Aim and area of study: In the present paper we estimated the age of four monumental Pinus canariensis of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) by means of tree-ring analysis. Many tree-ring series have been accurately studied and many missing rings have been determined. Material and methods: The trees were dead and the samples analysed were big disks. We measured numerous radii and crossdated the individual tree-ring series, paying particular attention to the existence and location of missing rings. We have distinguished between missing outer rings (MORs) and missing inner rings (MIRs) and analysed the possible causes of both. Main results: We determined an average of 8.8% total missing rings (MRs) for these long-lived trees, with a maximum of 96 MRs in a series of over 500. We have tried to establish a tree-ring chronology on Gran Canaria Island, also having the tree-ring series from Inagua site, but the long individual tree-ring series analysed do not crossdate between them. Research highlights: We consider the Canary pine a species hard to conducting dendroecological studies, especially if the samples come from managed old trees, in which a large amount of known and potentially unknown missing rings can hampered dating. Even knowing the difficulties involved in dendrochronological analyses of P. canariensis, we can confirm that it is a long-lived species, which can grow to over 500 years, and some of whose growth changes could be associated with certain historical and ecological events.

Many missing rings in old Canary pines can be related with age, fires and traditional uses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Génova, M.; Santana, C.; Martínez, B.

2017-01-01

Aim and area of study: In the present paper we estimated the age of four monumental Pinus canariensis of Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain) by means of tree-ring analysis. Many tree-ring series have been accurately studied and many missing rings have been determined. Material and methods: The trees were dead and the samples analysed were big disks. We measured numerous radii and crossdated the individual tree-ring series, paying particular attention to the existence and location of missing rings. We have distinguished between missing outer rings (MORs) and missing inner rings (MIRs) and analysed the possible causes of both. Main results: We determined an average of 8.8% total missing rings (MRs) for these long-lived trees, with a maximum of 96 MRs in a series of over 500. We have tried to establish a tree-ring chronology on Gran Canaria Island, also having the tree-ring series from Inagua site, but the long individual tree-ring series analysed do not crossdate between them. Research highlights: We consider the Canary pine a species hard to conducting dendroecological studies, especially if the samples come from managed old trees, in which a large amount of known and potentially unknown missing rings can hampered dating. Even knowing the difficulties involved in dendrochronological analyses of P. canariensis, we can confirm that it is a long-lived species, which can grow to over 500 years, and some of whose growth changes could be associated with certain historical and ecological events

Experience of the Canary Islands in the development of insular 100% RES systems and micro-grids

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Piernavieja, Gonzalo; Suarez, Salvador; Henriquez, Daniel [Instituto Tecnologico de Canarias (Canary Islands Institute of Technology - ITC), Las Palmas, Gran Canaria (Spain). RandD Div.

2010-07-01

Given the mentioned circumstances, conventional energy planning in the Canary Islands is a very complex task. The Regional Energy Plan PECAN (2007-2015) tries to correct the existing critical situation setting, among others, the ambitious goal of >25% electricity from RES (mostly wind) for 2015. In parallel to this conventional energy planning, outstanding initiatives in the distributed generation field are underway. ITC vision is that the Canarian Archipelago, given its particular characteristics (insular systems of different sizes, abundant RES potential -different sources-, important natural and biodiversity heritage, etc.), are a laboratory for testing and demonstrating new energy technologies in real conditions, as well as their commercial implementation. These new technologies include energy storage (particularly for excess RES that cannot be absorbed by the grids), development of 100% energy self- sufficiency models (with exclusive use of RES) and micro-/minigrids with high RES penetration and RES forecasting, including advanced ICTs and sustainable mobility concepts (e.g. V2G technologies). Given the high conventional generation costs and the relatively low RES costs (wind electricity production cost is less than 0.03 Euro/kWh), the Canary Islands could in the short term achieve grid parity, and in this sense pioneer the change to a RES based energy system. Models tested on the islands could be exported or extrapolated to our islands, regions of developing countries and even other regions in continental Europe. (orig.)

Evidence for magmatic underplating and partial melt beneath the Canary Islands derived using teleseismic receiver functions

Science.gov (United States)

Lodge, A.; Nippress, S. E. J.; Rietbrock, A.; García-Yeguas, A.; Ibáñez, J. M.

2012-12-01

In recent years, an increasing number of studies have focussed on resolving the internal structure of ocean island volcanoes. Traditionally, active source seismic experiments have been used to image the volcano edifice. Here we present results using the analysis of compressional to shear (P to S) converted seismic phases from teleseismic events, recorded by stations involved in an active source experiment "TOM-TEIDEVS" (Ibáñez et al., 2008), on the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands. We supplement this data with receiver function (RF) analysis of seismograms from the Canary Islands of Lanzarote and La Palma, applying the extended-time multitaper frequency domain cross-correlation estimation method (Helffrich, 2006). We use the neighbourhood inversion approach of Sambridge (1999a,b) to model the RFs and our results indicate magmatic underplating exists beneath all three islands, ranging from 2 to 8 km, but showing no clear correlation with the age of the island. Beneath both La Palma and Tenerife, we find localized low velocity zones (LVZs), which we interpret as due to partial melt, supported by their correlation with the location of historical earthquakes (La Palma) and recent earthquakes (Tenerife). For Lanzarote, we do not sample the most recently volcanically active region and find no evidence for a LVZ. Instead, we find a simple gradational velocity structure, with discontinuities at ˜4, 10 and 18 km depth, in line with previous studies.

Phenolics in the seed coat of wild soybean (Glycine soja) and their significance for seed hardness and seed germination.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, San; Sekizaki, Haruo; Yang, Zhihong; Sawa, Satoko; Pan, Jun

2010-10-27

Hardseededness in annual wild soybean (Glycine soja Sieb. Et Zucc.) is a valuable trait that affects the germination, viability, and quality of stored seeds. Two G. soja ecotypes native to Shandong Province of China have been used to identify the phenolics in the seed coat that correlate with the seed hardness and seed germination. Three major phenolics from the seed coat were isolated and identified as epicatechin, cyanidin 3-O-glucoside, and delphinidin 3-O-glucoside. Of the three phenolics, only the change of epicatechin exhibited a significant positive correlation with the change of hard seed percentages both under different water conditions during seed development and under different gas conditions during seed storage. Epicatechin also reveals a hormesis-like effect on the seed germination of G. soja. Epicatechin is suggested to be functionally related to coat-imposed hardseededness in G. soja.

Seed predators exert selection on the subindividual variation of seed size.

Science.gov (United States)

Sobral, M; Guitián, J; Guitián, P; Larrinaga, A R

2014-07-01

Subindividual variation among repeated organs in plants constitutes an overlooked level of variation in phenotypic selection studies, despite being a major component of phenotypic variation. Animals that interact with plants could be selective agents on subindividual variation. This study examines selective pressures exerted during post-dispersal seed predation and germination on the subindividual variation of seed size in hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). With a seed offering experiment and a germination test, we estimated phenotypic selection differentials for average and subindividual variation of seed size due to seed predation and germination. Seed size affects germination, growth rate and the probability of an individual seed of escaping predation. Longer seeds showed higher germination rates, but this did not result in significant selection on phenotypes of the maternal trees. On the other hand, seed predators avoided wider seeds, and by doing so exerted phenotypic selection on adult average and subindividual variation of seed size. The detected selection on subindividual variation suggests that the levels of phenotypic variation within individual plants may be, at least partly, the adaptive consequence of animal-mediated selection. © 2013 German Botanical Society and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Producing the target seed: Seed collection, treatment, and storage

Science.gov (United States)

Robert P. Karrfalt

2011-01-01

The role of high quality seeds in producing target seedlings is reviewed. Basic seed handling and upgrading techniques are summarized. Current advances in seed science and technology as well as those on the horizon are discussed.

Hot seeding using large Y-123 seeds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scruggs, S J; Putman, P T; Zhou, Y X; Fang, H; Salama, K

2006-01-01

There are several motivations for increasing the diameter of melt textured single domain discs. The maximum magnetic field produced by a trapped field magnet is proportional to the radius of the sample. Furthermore, the availability of trapped field magnets with large diameter could enable their use in applications that have traditionally been considered to require wound electromagnets, such as beam bending magnets for particle accelerators and electric propulsion. We have investigated the possibility of using large area epitaxial growth instead of the conventional point nucleation growth mechanism. This process involves the use of large Y123 seeds for the purpose of increasing the maximum achievable Y123 single domain size. The hot seeding technique using large Y-123 seeds was employed to seed Y-123 samples. Trapped field measurements indicate that single domain samples were indeed grown by this technique. Microstructural evaluation indicates that growth can be characterized by a rapid nucleation followed by the usual peritectic grain growth which occurs when large seeds are used. Critical temperature measurements show that no local T c suppression occurs in the vicinity of the seed. This work supports the suggestion of using an iterative method for increasing the size of Y-123 single domains that can be grown

Report on seed born diseases in organic seed and propagation material

OpenAIRE

Micheloni, C.; Plakolm, G.; Schärer, H.

2007-01-01

The key questions which will be addressed in this report are: • Are seed born diseases an important factor that prevents seed companies from producing organic seeds and organic farmers from using them? • Which seed treatments are available in organic farming? Which treatments are or will be acceptable? To which degree are they effective? • Are the thresholds for seed born diseases different among Member States? Can this cause unfair competition among farmers and seed producers? • ...

Seed drill depth control system for precision seeding

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kirkegaard Nielsen, Søren; Munkholm, Lars Juhl; Lamandé, Mathieu

2018-01-01

acting on the drill coulters, which generates unwanted vibrations and, consequently, a non-uniform seed placement. Therefore, a proof-of-concept dynamic coulter depth control system for a low-cost seed drill was developed and studied in a field experiment. The performance of the active control system...... depth control system this variability was reduced to±2 mm. The system with the active control system operated more accurately at an operational speed of 12 km h−1 than at 4 km h−1 without the activated control system.......An adequate and uniform seeding depth is crucial for the homogeneous development of a crop, as it affects time of emergence and germination rate. The considerable depth variations observed during seeding operations - even for modern seed drills - are mainly caused by variability in soil resistance...

Effects of seed fermentation method on seed germination and vigor ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The present study was conducted to examine the influence of Lagenaria siceraria seed fermentation method on seed germination and vigor. Three seed fermentation methods (fermented in ambient air, plastic bag stored in ambient or in plastic bag buried) were tested on two cultivars during two years. Seed germination and ...

Ciguatera fish poisoning on the West Africa Coast: An emerging risk in the Canary Islands (Spain).

Science.gov (United States)

Boada, Luis D; Zumbado, Manuel; Luzardo, Octavio P; Almeida-González, Maira; Plakas, Steven M; Granade, Hudson R; Abraham, Ann; Jester, Edward L E; Dickey, Robert W

2010-12-01

Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP) is endemic in certain tropical and subtropical regions of the world. CFP had not been described on the West Africa Coast until a 2004 outbreak in the Canary Islands. In 2008-2009, two additional outbreaks of ciguatera occurred. Individuals afflicted had consumed lesser amberjack (Seriola rivoliana) captured from nearby waters. Caribbean ciguatoxin-1 (C-CTX-1) was confirmed in fish samples by LC-MS/MS. Ciguatoxic fish in this region may pose a new health risk for the seafood consumer. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Seed selection by earthworms : chemical seed properties matter more than morphological traits

OpenAIRE

Clause, J.; Forey, E.; Eisenhauer, N.; Seal, C.E.; Soudey, A.; Colville, L.; Barot, Sébastien

2017-01-01

Aims : The passage of seeds through the earthworm gut potentially damages seeds, altering seed and seedling performances depending on seed traits. This work was conducted to study to what extent chemical and morphological seed traits determine the seed attractiveness for earthworms. Methods : We tested seed selection via the ingestion and digestion of 23 grassland plant species spanning a range of 14 morphological and chemical traits by two common earthworm species: the anecic Lumbricus te...

Studies on the Vigour of Soybean Seeds : II. Varietal Differences in Seed Coat Quality and Swelling Components of Seed during Moisture Imbibition

OpenAIRE

Mugnisjah, Wahju Qamara; Shimano, Itaru; Matsumoto, Shigeo; 島野, 至; 松本, 重男

1987-01-01

Laboratory experiment was conducted to elucidate the physiological factor determining the association of seed size and seed coat quality with varietal differences in seed vigour, and to pursue an alternative on the mechanism of varietal differences in seed resistance to field weathering. Results of this study revealed that seed polymer change (seed volume change minus seed weight change during moisture imbibition) was the physiological factor determining the association of seed size and seed ...

19 CFR 10.57 - Certified seed potatoes, and seed corn or maize.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Certified seed potatoes, and seed corn or maize... Provisions Potatoes, Corn, Or Maize § 10.57 Certified seed potatoes, and seed corn or maize. Claim for classification as seed potatoes under subheading 0701.10.00, as seed corn (maize) under subheading 1005.10...

Additions to the flora of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Verloove, F.

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Additions to the flora of Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain.- Recent fieldwork in Tenerife, especially in September 2010, yielded several interesting new records of non-native vascular plants. Bothriochloa ischaemum var. songarica, “Asian” Cardamine flexuosa, Cestrum parqui, Digitaria violascens, Ficus lyrata, Ficus rubiginosa, Hoffmannseggia glauca, Hyparrhenia rufa subsp. altissima, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Merremia tuberosa, Passiflora morifolia, Phytolacca dioica, Schefflera actinophylla and Solanum abutiloides are reported for the first time from the Canary Islands, while Eragrostis barrelieri var. pygmaea, Ficus microcarpa, Ipomoea purpurea, Leucaena leucocephala subsp. glabrata, Sechium edule, Tradescantia zebrina and Turnera ulmifolia are new to the flora of the island of Tenerife. New records of Acacia cyclops, Atriplex suberecta, Heliotropium curassavicum, Paspalum dilatatum, P. notatum, Pluchea ovalis, Pulicaria paludosa, Sclerophylax spinescens and Solanum villosum subsp. miniatum confirm their recent expansion on the island of Tenerife. New records are provided for the recently described Sporobolus copei . Finally, Paspalum vaginatum (hitherto possibly confused with P. distichum and Potentilla indica are confirmed from the island of Tenerife.

Adiciones para la flora de Tenerife (Islas Canarias, España.- Algunos recientes trabajos de campo en Tenerife, especialmente en Septiembre de 2010, trajeron consigo varias nuevas e interesantes adiciones de plantas vasculares no autóctonas. Bothriochloa ischaemum var. songarica, Cardamine flexuosa “Asiática”, Cestrum parqui, Digitaria violascens, Ficus lyrata, Ficus rubiginosa, Hoffmannseggia glauca, Hyparrhenia rufa subsp. altissima, Jacaranda mimosifolia, Merremia tuberosa, Passiflora morifolia, Phytolacca dioica, Schefflera actinophylla y