Safety and sustainability research for university schools of fine arts

Designing new teaching programs for both undergraduate and graduate university studies involves integrating concepts and methodologies regarding quality, work safety and hazard prevention, and environmental protection. One of the challenges facing Spanish research within the realm of European Higher Education concerns health and safety issues in the Arts.In the case of Fine Arts, student exploration is one of the fundamental pillars of the study program; therefore it is imperative that art studios be optimized. This optimization affects both designated resources (infrastructures, materials, equipment, etc.) and organization of the teaching force.In this context, the aim of our research is to improve educational practices by designing quality measures that are both friendly to the environment and hazardous free. The aim here is to assure adequate art studio and laboratory management, and provide students with hazard free health and environmentally safe concepts that can be incorporated in their professional lives.The school of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona is part of a pilot program, where our experience in educational innovation and research is serving as a reference for the implantation of OSHAS 18001 norms.

Safety and sustainability research for university schools of fine arts

Designing new teaching programs for both undergraduate and graduate university studies involves integrating concepts and methodologies regarding quality, work safety and hazard prevention, and environmental protection. One of the challenges facing Spanish research within the realm of European Higher Education concerns health and safety issues in the Arts.In the case of Fine Arts, student exploration is one of the fundamental pillars of the study program; therefore it is imperative that art studios be optimized. This optimization affects both designated resources (infrastructures, materials, equipment, etc.) and organization of the teaching force.In this context, the aim of our research is to improve educational practices by designing quality measures that are both friendly to the environment and hazardous free. The aim here is to assure adequate art studio and laboratory management, and provide students with hazard free health and environmentally safe concepts that can be incorporated in their professional lives.The school of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona is part of a pilot program, where our experience in educational innovation and research is serving as a reference for the implantation of OSHAS 18001 norms.

Why evolution matters for species conservation: perspectives from three case studies of plant metapopulations

We advocate the advantage of an evolutionary approach to conservation biology that considers evolutionary history at various levels of biological organization. We review work on three separate plant taxa, spanning from one to multiple decades, illustrating extremes in metapopulation functioning. We show how the rare endemics Centaurea corymbosa (Clape Massif, France) and Brassica insularis in Corsica (France) may be caught in an evolutionary trap: disruption of metapopulation functioning due to lack of colonization of new sites may have counterselected traits such as dispersal ability or self-compatibility, making these species particularly vulnerable to any disturbance. The third case study concerns the evolution of life history strategies in the highly diverse genus Leucadendron of the South African fynbos. There, fire disturbance and the recolonization phase after fires are so integral to the functioning of populations that recruitment of new individuals is conditioned by fire. We show how past adaptation to different fire regimes and climatic constraints make species with different life history syndromes more or less vulnerable to global changes. These different case studies suggest that management strategies should promote evolutionary potential and evolutionary processes to better protect extant biodiversity and biodiversification.

Safety and sustainability research for university schools of fine arts

Designing new teaching programs for both undergraduate and graduate university studies involves integrating concepts and methodologies regarding quality, work safety and hazard prevention, and environmental protection. One of the challenges facing Spanish research within the realm of European Higher Education concerns health and safety issues in the Arts.In the case of Fine Arts, student exploration is one of the fundamental pillars of the study program; therefore it is imperative that art studios be optimized. This optimization affects both designated resources (infrastructures, materials, equipment, etc.) and organization of the teaching force.In this context, the aim of our research is to improve educational practices by designing quality measures that are both friendly to the environment and hazardous free. The aim here is to assure adequate art studio and laboratory management, and provide students with hazard free health and environmentally safe concepts that can be incorporated in their professional lives.The school of Fine Arts at the University of Barcelona is part of a pilot program, where our experience in educational innovation and research is serving as a reference for the implantation of OSHAS 18001 norms.

Oceanografia e Qu��mica: unindo conhecimentos em prol dos oceanos e da sociedade

The marine environment is certainly one of the most complex systems to study, not only because of the challenges posed by the nature of the waters, but especially due to the interactions of physical, chemical and biological processes that control the cycles of the elements. Together with analytical chemists, oceanographers have been making a great effort in the advancement of knowledge of the distribution patterns of trace elements and processes that determine their biogeochemical cycles and influences on the climate of the planet. The international academic community is now in prime position to perform the first study on a global scale for observation of trace elements and their isotopes in the marine environment (GEOTRACES) and to evaluate the effects of major global changes associated with the influences of megacities distributed around the globe. This action can only be performed due to the development of highly sensitive detection methods and the use of clean sampling and handling techniques, together with a joint international program working toward the clear objective of expanding the frontiers of the biogeochemistry of the oceans and related topics, including climate change issues and ocean acidification associated with alterations in the carbon cycle. It is expected that the oceanographic data produced this coming decade will allow a better understanding of biogeochemical cycles, and especially the assessment of changes in trace elements and contaminants in the oceans due to anthropogenic influences, as well as its effects on ecosystems and climate. Computational models are to be constructed to simulate the conditions and processes of the modern oceans and to allow predictions. The environmental changes arising from human activity since the 18th century (also called the Anthropocene) have made the Earth System even more complex. Anthropogenic activities have altered both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and the legacy of these impacts in the oceans include: a) pollution of the marine environment by solid waste, including plastics; b) pollution by chemical and medical (including those for veterinary use) substances such as hormones, antibiotics, legal and illegal drugs, leading to possible endocrine disruption of marine organisms; and c) ocean acidification, the collateral effect of anthropogenic emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere, irreversible in the human life time scale. Unfortunately, the anthropogenic alteration of the hydrosphere due to inputs of plastics, metal, hydrocarbons, contaminants of emerging concern and even with formerly "exotic" trace elements, such us rare earth elements is likely to accelerate in the near future. These emerging contaminants would likely soon present difficulties for studies in pristine environments. All this knowledge brings with it a great responsibility: helping to envisage viable adaptation and mitigation solutions to the problems identified. The greatest challenge faced by Brazil is currently to create a framework project to develop education, science and technology applied to oceanography and related areas. This framework would strengthen the present working groups and enhance capacity building, allowing a broader Brazilian participation in joint international actions and scientific programs. Recently, the establishment of the National Institutes of Science and Technology (INCTs) for marine science, and the creation of the National Institute of Oceanographic and Hydrological Research represent an exemplary start. However, the participation of the Brazilian academic community in the latest assaults on the frontier of chemical oceanography is extremely limited, largely due to: i. absence of physical infrastructure for the preparation and processing of field samples at ultra-trace level; ii. limited access to oceanographic cruises, due to the small number of Brazilian vessels and/or absence of "clean" laboratories on board; iii. restricted international cooperation; iv. limited analytical capacity of Brazilian institutions for the analysis of trace elements in seawater; v. high cost of ultrapure reagents associated with processing a large number of samples, and vi. lack of qualified technical staff. Advances in knowledge, analytic capabilities and the increasing availability of analytical resources available today offer favorable conditions for chemical oceanography to grow. The Brazilian academic community is maturing and willing to play a role in strengthening the marine science research programs by connecting them with educational and technological initiatives in order to preserve the oceans and to promote the development of society.

Spatiotemporal Features of Coastal Waters in Southwest Finland

In coastal waters, physico-chemical and biological properties and constituents vary at different time scales. In the study area of this thesis, within the Archipelago Sea in the northern Baltic Sea, seasonal cycles of light and temperature set preconditions for intra-annual variations, but developments at other temporal scales occur as well. Weather-induced runoffs and currents may alter water properties over the short term, and the consequences over time of eutrophication and global changes are to a degree unpredictable. The dynamic characteristics of northern Baltic Sea waters are further diversified at the archipelago coasts. Water properties may differ in adjacent basins, which are separated by island and underwater thresholds limiting water exchange, making the area not only a mosaic of islands but also one of water masses. Long-term monitoring and in situ observations provide an essential data reserve for coastal management and research. Since the seasonal amplitudes of water properties are so high, inter-annual comparisons of water-quality variables have to be based on observations sampled at the same time each year. In this thesis I compare areas by their temporal characteristics, using both inter-annual and seasonal data. After comparing spatial differences in seasonal cycles, I conclude that spatial comparisons and temporal generalizations have to be made with caution. In classifying areas by the state of their waters, the results may be biased even if the sampling is annually simultaneous, since the dynamics of water properties may vary according to the area. The most comprehensive view of the spatiotemporal dynamics of water properties would be achieved by means of comparisons with data consisting of multiple annual samples. For practical reasons, this cannot be achieved with conventional in situ sampling. A holistic understanding of the spatiotemporal features of the water properties of the Archipelago Sea will have to be based on the application of multiple methods, complementing each other���s spatial and temporal coverage. The integration of multi-source observational data and time-series analysis may be methodologically challenging, but it will yield new information as to the spatiotemporal regime of the Archipelago Sea.

The role of microRNAs and retinoid signaling during spinal cord regeneration in the adult newt.

The molecular events after spinal cord injury that lead to the establishment of a permissive environment and epimorphic regeneration remain unclear. Two molecular pathway regulators that may converge to create a spinal cord regeneration-permissive environment in the urodele are retinoic acid (RA) and microRNAs (miRNAs). Recent evidence suggests that RAR��-mediated signaling is necessary for tail and caudal spinal cord regeneration in the adult newt. MicroRNAs are attractive candidates as mediators of retinoid signaling during regeneration, as their pleiotropic effects are vital in situations where global changes in gene expression are required. Thus, the overall aim of this thesis was to determine if miRNAs are involved in tail and caudal spinal cord regeneration in the adult newt, and if they act as regulators and/or effectors of retinoid signaling during this process. I have demonstrated here, for the first time, that multiple miRNAs are dysregulated in response to spinal cord injury in the adult newt, as well as in response to inhibition of retinoid signaling. Two of these miRNAs, miR-133a and miR-1, appear to target RAR��2 transcripts both in vivo and in vitro. Inhibition of RA signaling via RAR�� with a selective antagonist, LE135, alters the pattern of expression of these miRNAs, which leads to an inhibition of tail regeneration. These data are indicative of a negative feed back loop, albeit potentially an indirect one. I also aimed to examine which miRNAs are affected by inhibiting RA synthesis during regeneration, and provided a long list of miRNAs that are dysregulated. These data provide the foundation for future studies on the putative roles of these miRNAs, as well as their function in retinoid signaling. Overall, these studies provide the first evidence for a role for miRNAs as mediators of retinoid signaling during caudal spinal cord regeneration in any system.

Investigation of the structure and dynamics of the centromeric epigenetic mark

Le centrom��re est le site chromosomal o�� le kinetochore se forme, afin d���assurer une s��gr��gation fid��les des chromosomes et ainsi maintenir la plo��die appropri��e lors de la mitose. L���identit�� du centromere est h��rit��e par un m��canisme ��pig��n��tique impliquant une variante de l���histone H3 nomm��e centromere protein-A (CENP-A), qui remplace l���histone H3 au niveau de la chromatine du centrom��re. Des erreurs de propagation de la chromatine du centrom��re peuvent mener �� des probl��mes de s��gr��gation des chromosomes, pouvant entra��ner l���aneuplo��die, un ph��nom��ne fr��quemment observ�� dans le cancer. De plus, une expression non-r��gul��e de CENP-A a aussi ��t�� rapport��e dans diff��rentes tumeurs humaines. Ainsi, plusieurs ��tudes ont cherch��es �� ��lucider la structure et le r��le de la chromatine contenant CENP-A dans des cellules en prolif��ration. Toutefois, la nature mol��culaire de CENP-A en tant que marqueur ��pig��n��tique ainsi que ces dynamiques �� l'ext��rieur du cycle cellulaire demeurent des sujets d��bat. Dans cette th��se, une nouvelle m��thode de comptage de mol��cules uniques �� l'aide de la microscopie �� r��flexion totale interne de la fluorescence (TIRF) sera d��crite, puis exploit��e afin d'��lucider la composition mol��culaire des nucl��osomes contenant CENP-A, extraits de cellules en prolif��ration. Nous d��montrons que les nucl��osomes contenant CENP-A marquent les centrom��res humains de fa��on ��pig��n��tique �� travers le cycle cellulaire. De plus, nos donn��es d��montrent que la forme pr��nucl��osomale de CENP-A, en association avec la prot��ine chaperon HJURP existe sous forme de monom��re et de dim��re, ce qui refl��te une ��tape interm��diaire de l'assemblage de nucl��osomes contenant CENP-A. Ensuite, des analyses quantitatives de centrom��res lors de diff��renciation myog��nique, et dans diff��rents tissus adultes r��v��lent des changements globaux qui maintiennent la marque ��pig��n��tique dans une forme inactive suite �� la diff��rentiation terminale. Ces changements incluent une r��duction du nombre de points focaux de CENP-A, un r��arrangement des points dans le noyau, ainsi qu'une r��duction importante de la quantit�� de CENP-A. De plus, nous d��montrons que lorsqu'une d��diff��renciation cellulaire est induite puis le cycle cellulaire r��-entam��, le ph��notype "diff��renci��" d��crit ci-haut est r��cup��r��, et les centrom��res reprennent leur ph��notype "prolif��ratif". En somme, cet oeuvre d��crit la composition structurale sous-jacente �� l'identit�� ��pig��n��tique des centrom��res de cellules humaines lors du cycle cellulaire, et met en lumi��re le r��le de CENP-A �� l'ext��rieur du cycle cellulaire.

Differential induction, isolation, physicochemical and molecular characterization of temperate phages of environmental Vibrio cholerae as evidence of phage mediated Horizontal Gene Transfer

The resurgence of the enteric pathogen Vibrio cholerae, the causative organism of epidemic cholera, remains a major health problem in many developing countries like India. The southern Indian state of Kerala is endemic to cholera. The outbreaks of cholera follow a seasonal pattern in regions of endemicity. Marine aquaculture settings and mangrove environments of Kerala serve as reservoirs for V. cholerae. The non-O1/non-O139 environmental isolates of V. cholerae with incomplete ���virulence casette��� are to be dealt with caution as they constitute a major reservoir of diverse virulence genes in the marine environment and play a crucial role in pathogenicity and horizontal gene transfer. The genes coding cholera toxin are borne on, and can be infectiously transmitted by CTX��, a filamentous lysogenic vibriophages. Temperate phages can provide crucial virulence and fitness factors affecting cell metabolism, bacterial adhesion, colonization, immunity, antibiotic resistance and serum resistance. The present study was an attempt to screen the marine environments like aquafarms and mangroves of coastal areas of Alappuzha and Cochin, Kerala for the presence of lysogenic V. cholerae, to study their pathogenicity and also gene transfer potential. Phenotypic and molecular methods were used for identification of isolates as V. cholerae. The thirty one isolates which were Gram negative, oxidase positive, fermentative, with or without gas production on MOF media and which showed yellow coloured colonies on TCBS (Thiosulfate Citrate Bile salt Sucrose) agar were segregated as vibrios. Twenty two environmental V. cholerae strains of both O1 and non- O1/non-O139 serogroups on induction with mitomycin C showed the presence of lysogenic phages. They produced characteristic turbid plaques in double agar overlay assay using the indicator strain V. cholerae El Tor MAK 757. PCR based molecular typing with primers targeting specific conserved sequences in the bacterial genome, demonstrated genetic diversity among these lysogen containing non-O1 V. cholerae . Polymerase chain reaction was also employed as a rapid screening method to verify the presence of 9 virulence genes namely, ctxA, ctxB, ace, hlyA, toxR, zot,tcpA, ninT and nanH, using gene specific primers. The presence of tcpA gene in ALPVC3 was alarming, as it indicates the possibility of an epidemic by accepting the cholera. Differential induction studies used ��ALPVC3, ��ALPVC11, ��ALPVC12 and ��EKM14, underlining the possibility of prophage induction in natural ecosystems, due to abiotic factors like antibiotics, pollutants, temperature and UV. The efficiency of induction of prophages varied considerably in response to the different induction agents. The growth curve of lysogenic V. cholerae used in the study drastically varied in the presence of strong prophage inducers like antibiotics and UV. Bacterial cell lysis was directly proportional to increase in phage number due to induction. Morphological characterization of vibriophages by Transmission Electron Microscopy revealed hexagonal heads for all the four phages. Vibriophage ��ALPVC3 exhibited isometric and contractile tails characteristic of family Myoviridae, while phages ��ALPVC11 and ��ALPVC12 demonstrated the typical hexagonal head and non-contractile tail of family Siphoviridae. ��EKM14, the podophage was distinguished by short non-contractile tail and icosahedral head. This work demonstrated that environmental parameters can influence the viability and cell adsorption rates of V. cholerae phages. Adsorption studies showed 100% adsorption of ��ALPVC3 ��ALPVC11, ��ALPVC12 and ��EKM14 after 25, 30, 40 and 35 minutes respectively. Exposure to high temperatures ranging from 50��C to 100��C drastically reduced phage viability. The optimum concentration of NaCl required for survival of vibriophages except ��EKM14 was 0.5 M and that for ��EKM14 was 1M NaCl. Survival of phage particles was maximum at pH 7-8. V. cholerae is assumed to have existed long before their human host and so the pathogenic clones may have evolved from aquatic forms which later colonized the human intestine by progressive acquisition of genes. This is supported by the fact that the vast majority of V. cholerae strains are still part of the natural aquatic environment. CTX�� has played a critical role in the evolution of the pathogenicity of V. cholerae as it can transmit the ctxAB gene. The unusual transformation of V. cholerae strains associated with epidemics and the emergence of V. cholera O139 demonstrates the evolutionary success of the organism in attaining greater fitness. Genetic changes in pathogenic V. cholerae constitute a natural process for developing immunity within an endemically infected population. The alternative hosts and lysogenic environmental V. cholerae strains may potentially act as cofactors in promoting cholera phage ������blooms������ within aquatic environments, thereby influencing transmission of phage sensitive, pathogenic V. cholerae strains by aquatic vehicles. Differential induction of the phages is a clear indication of the impact of environmental pollution and global changes on phage induction. The development of molecular biology techniques offered an accessible gateway for investigating the molecular events leading to genetic diversity in the marine environment. Using nucleic acids as targets, the methods of fingerprinting like ERIC PCR and BOX PCR, revealed that the marine environment harbours potentially pathogenic group of bacteria with genetic diversity. The distribution of virulence associated genes in the environmental isolates of V. cholerae provides tangible material for further investigation. Nucleotide and protein sequence analysis alongwith protein structure prediction aids in better understanding of the variation inalleles of same gene in different ecological niche and its impact on the protein structure for attaining greater fitness of pathogens. The evidences of the co-evolution of virulence genes in toxigenic V. cholerae O1 from different lineages of environmental non-O1 strains is alarming. Transduction studies would indicate that the phenomenon of acquisition of these virulence genes by lateral gene transfer, although rare, is not quite uncommon amongst non-O1/non-O139 V. cholerae and it has a key role in diversification. All these considerations justify the need for an integrated approach towards the development of an effective surveillance system to monitor evolution of V. cholerae strains with epidemic potential. Results presented in this study, if considered together with the mechanism proposed as above, would strongly suggest that the bacteriophage also intervenes as a variable in shaping the cholera bacterium, which cannot be ignored and hinting at imminent future epidemics.

O trabalho cooperativo entre professores nos diferentes grupos de ��rea disciplinar na mesma escola

O trabalho cooperativo nas comunidades escolares apresenta in��meras vantagens ao n��vel do desenvolvimento dos alunos, dos professores e da pr��pria escola. No entanto, continuam a existir v��rias lacunas neste tipo de actividades e, especificando Portugal, existem muitos trabalhos de tipo diagn��stico, que n��o chegam para implantar cultura de coopera����o. Quando falamos da implementa����o da coopera����o nas escolas, temos de atender, obrigatoriamente, �� cultura de escola vivenciada nas mesmas e �� lideran��a, pois influenciam a coopera����o. Este trabalho tem como finalidade verificar at�� que ponto existe trabalho cooperativo entre professores e perceber como se desenvolve a cultura de coopera����o entre professores nos diferentes grupos de ��rea disciplinar duma mesma escola. Para verificar este objectivo, participaram 13 respons��veis dos diferentes grupos de ��reas Disciplinares de uma escola secund��ria da zona do Estoril. Estes foram inquiridos atrav��s da aplica����o de um question��rio adaptado, daquele que foi validado e utilizado por Bolam et al (2005), e atrav��s de uma entrevista semi-estruturada, para an��lise da percep����o que os mesmos t��m sobre a coopera����o e a cultura vivenciada dentro dos seus Grupos de ��rea Disciplinar. No geral, verificou-se que, relativamente �� coopera����o e �� cultura cooperativa de grupo, os Departamentos de ��rea Curricular n��o diferem significativamente entre si, n��o existindo um grande sentido de coopera����o. De acordo com as percep����es dos inquiridos, verificou-se que existe uma fraca participa����o dos professores em ac����es cooperativas focalizadas no desenvolvimento profissional docente e focalizadas no desenvolvimento da cultura cooperativa ou atrav��s das prec��rias condi����es ou pr��ticas extr��nsecas a este desenvolvimento. Analisando a globalidade das mudan��as verificadas nos ��ltimos dois anos, constatou-se que os Grupos de ��rea Disciplinar est��o a viver um momento de estagna����o na maioria das quest��es inquiridas. Averiguou-se, tamb��m, que a n��o/fraca lideran��a por parte dos respons��veis de grupo de ��rea disciplinar, resulta numa fraca participa����o dos professores em quest��es cooperativas. Atrav��s deste estudo, pode-se concluir que existe uma fraca coopera����o entre os professores do mesmo Grupo de ��rea Disciplinar desta escola. Conclui-se tamb��m que a escola atravessa um momento de estagna����o, n��o existindo um real desenvolvimento da cultura cooperativa na escola.

Am��rica Latina y Europa ante los cambios globales (Tema Central)

El art��culo se refiere a los cambios globales que se han dado en el sistema internacional cuyo resultado ha sido el debilitamiento de la gobernanza global. En esta l��gica, el autor argumenta que las relaciones de poder han provocado un cambio en los conceptos tradicionales de las Ciencias Sociales y las Relaciones Internacionales, especialmente los relacionados al tiempo y espacio que en la actualidad son globales y simult��neos. Finalmente concluye que varias tendencias afectar��n a Am��rica Latina y a la Uni��n Europea en cuanto a la globalizaci��n, la paz, el afianzamiento del sistema democr��tico, la diplomacia de cumbres, la cooperaci��n y al poder como elemento cambiante.

The sea level conundrum: insights from paleo studies

Empirical Constraints on Future Sea Level Rise; Bern, Switzerland, 25���29 August 2008; Eustatic sea level (ESL) rise during the 21st century is perhaps the greatest threat from climate change, but its magnitude is contested. Geological records identify examples of nonlinear ice sheet response to climate forcing, suggesting a strategy for refining estimates of 21st-century sea level change. In August 2008, Past Global Changes (PAGES), International Marine Past Global Change Study (IMAGES), and the University of Bern cosponsored a workshop to address this possibility. The workshop highlighted several ways that paleoceanography studies can place limits on future sea level rise, and these are enlarged upon here.

Comparison of different boundary layer surface schemes using single point micrometeorological field data

���In the last decade, a vast number of land surface schemes has been designed for use in global climate models, atmospheric weather prediction, mesoscale numerical models, ecological models, and models of global changes. Since land surface schemes are designed for different purposes they have various levels of complexity in the treatment of bare soil processes, vegetation, and soil water movement. This paper is a contribution to a little group of papers dealing with intercomparison of differently designed and oriented land surface schemes. For that purpose we have chosen three schemes for classification: i) global climate models, BATS (Dickinson et al., 1986; Dickinson et al., 1992); ii) mesoscale and ecological models, LEAF (Lee, 1992) and iii) mesoscale models, LAPS (Mihailovi��, 1996; Mihailovi�� and Kallos, 1997; Mihailovi�� et al., 1999) according to the Shao et al. (1995) classification. These schemes were compared using surface fluxes and leaf temperature outputs obtained by time integrations of data sets derived from the micrometeorological measurements above a maize field at an experimental site in De Sinderhoeve (The Netherlands) for 18 August, 8 September, and 4 October 1988. Finally, comparison of the schemes was supported applying a simple statistical analysis on the surface flux outputs.

Comparison of different boundary layer surface schemes using single point micrometeorological field data

���In the last decade, a vast number of land surface schemes has been designed for use in global climate models, atmospheric weather prediction, mesoscale numerical models, ecological models, and models of global changes. Since land surface schemes are designed for different purposes they have various levels of complexity in the treatment of bare soil processes, vegetation, and soil water movement. This paper is a contribution to a little group of papers dealing with intercomparison of differently designed and oriented land surface schemes. For that purpose we have chosen three schemes for classification: i) global climate models, BATS (Dickinson et al., 1986; Dickinson et al., 1992); ii) mesoscale and ecological models, LEAF (Lee, 1992) and iii) mesoscale models, LAPS (Mihailovi��, 1996; Mihailovi�� and Kallos, 1997; Mihailovi�� et al., 1999) according to the Shao et al. (1995) classification. These schemes were compared using surface fluxes and leaf temperature outputs obtained by time integrations of data sets derived from the micrometeorological measurements above a maize field at an experimental site in De Sinderhoeve (The Netherlands) for 18 August, 8 September, and 4 October 1988. Finally, comparison of the schemes was supported applying a simple statistical analysis on the surface flux outputs.