Prodistomum priedei n. sp. is described from Epigonus telescopus from the Porcupine Seabight. It differs fromits closest relatives, P. waltairensis, P. hynnodi and P.alaskensis (Ward & Fillingham, 1934) n. comb. [originally Opechona], in its relatively smaller ventral sucker and smallereggs. Other differentiating features are tabulated. Attention is drawn tothe host-parasite relationship associating a lepocreadiine lepocreadiid witha perciform host, a relationship which is common in warm shallow waters butunusual in cold deep-sea conditions. This may indicate that host andparasite have colonised the deep sea simultaneously and co-evolved in thatenvironment.

The conditions of legitimating and introducing a managerial approach in the Belgian judicial system are examined, along with their limits and consequences on legal professionals. The professional culture in Belgian courts has, for a long time, been reluctant to cost-analysis and an organizational approach from a managerial perspective. As in many other Western lands however, the judicial system in Belgium is now confronted with the growing impact of a rationale of efficiency. Accepted by certain legal professionals even though specific arrangements came under question, this process of change has brought to light a juxtaposition and competition between various types (legal, political, managerial) of regulations. It has led to: redefining the professional identity of magistrates, increasing the complexity of the judiciary's legitimacy and altering the balance of power between legal professionals. Models of the “good” magistrate and “good” justice have thus been redefined.

Water deficit is an important constraint for wheat yield generation under Mediterranean environments. However, nitrogen (N) availability could limit yield in a more important way than poor water conditions. The aim of the work was to analyze, using the Ceres-Wheat crop simulation model, to what degree N fertilization constitutes a tool for reducing the gap between attainable and potential yield. Firstly, the model was calibrated and validated under a wide range of N and water conditions for the region of the Ebro Valley (NE Spain). Anthesis and maturity date were adequately predicted by the model. Predictions of yield tended to be quite accurate in general, though under severe water deficits precision was lower. We then assessed the gap between attainable and potential yield considering different N availabilities at sowing taking into account a weather database of 17 years for the location of Agramunt (NE Spain), representative of cereal growing conditions of the Mediterranean Catalonia. Potential yield ranged between 3.5 and 8.1 Mg ha−1. Variations in potential yield were explained by the duration of the period from sowing to anthesis and by the level of incident radiation during the period immediately previous to anthesis. Average attainable yield was 1.8 Mg ha−1 for N availability of 50 kgN ha−1; but increased to 2.8 Mg ha−1 for higher N availabilities (100–250 kgN ha−1). In the 25%of the worst years there was no effect of N availability on attainable yield. Increasing N availability beyond 100 kgN ha−1 generated a gain in yield only in 6%of the years. Variations between years in attainable yields were mainly explained by rainfall during the period from sowing to anthesis, whereas differences in attainable yield between N treatments increased with increases in rainfall. The gap between potential yield and attainable yield was higher in years with higher potential yield. On the other hand, the higher the attainable yield, the lower the gap. Thus, the proportion of the yield gap ascribed to N availability varied depending on the conditions of the growing season. In the high-yielding potential years, the main restriction for growth was water shortage, and fertilizing only slightly reduced the gap. Conversely, in rainy years characterized by low potential yields and mild water stresses, N management may constitute a simple tool for effectively reducing yield gap under rain-fed conditions.

Cu micro-tubes were fabricated by electroless deposition in an etched porous aluminum membrane without sensitization and activation. The aluminum membrane having square holes was prepared from a high-purity aluminum foil electrochemically. The aluminum reduced Cu2+ into Cu and the formed Cu nuclei served as the catalyst for the further reduction of Cu2+. The auto-catalysis substituted the preparation of a novel metal catalyst through sensitization or activation and greatly simplified the deposition process. A two-step operation was developed to improve the deposition of copper, which enhanced the deposition reaction inside the micro-pores. With the help of the membrane, Cu micro-tubes with an outer diameter of about 1–2 μm and a wall thickness in the order of tens to several hundreds nanometers were obtained. The surface-deposited copper layer served as a substrate for the copper micro-tubes, and as the result the resulted material possessed strong mechanical strength as well as high surface area.