Improving control of storage diseases on apple by combining biological and physical post-harvest methods

Post-harvest non-chemical treatments consists of a large range of different approaches, including strengthening of the commodity’s natural defence mechanisms, thermotherapy, application of antagonistic microorganisms and natural antimicrobial substances. NEX0101 is a promising antagonistic biocontrol agent containing the yeast Candida oleophila as the active ingredient. NEX0101 was developed by Bionext, a spin-off from the laboratory of Dr. H. Jijakli, and is currently evaluated for commercial use. The product contains a yeast strain isolated from apple fruit and was originally developed for the control of post-harvest diseases on apple. The antifungal effectiveness of this antagonist can be increased by addition of calcium salts. As the mode of action of this yeast is based on the colonisation of wounds, the mean targets of NEX0101 are blue mould, caused by Penicillium expansum, and grey mould, caused by Botrytis cinerea. Facing possible latent infections, thermotherapy by using hot water treatments could provide an advanced control towards lenticelrot (Gloeosporium spp.). A combination of both physical and biological treatment techniques could broaden the spectrum to all key pathogens on apple and pear. The use of NEX0101 for the control of P. expansum was examined in combination with calcium gluconate. According to the results the combination NEX0101 with calcium gluconate provides an advanced mould control towards P. expansum The best results were achieved using NEX0101 in combination with post-harvest dipping by thermotherapy. The hot water treatment alone was clearly inefficient towards wound parasite P. expansum, on the contrary thermotherapy stimulates the decay caused by this postharvest pathogen. For the future a combination of biological and physical treatments could offer a worthy non-chemical alternative for organic and integrated fruit growers towards fruit rot decay, although more research is necessary to implement these methods in practice

Evaluation of the users value of salts against apple scab and powdery mildew for fruit production

The research was aimed at finding anti resistance strategies for Integrated fruit growing. As the salts tested may be approvable for organic farming, the trial results are also of value for the development of scab an mildew control strategies for organic fruit growing. As new fungicides are mainly unisite action fungicides, the problem of fungicide resistance development is becoming more important every year. Combining chemical fungicides, which is the best anti-resistance strategy, is not always possible or recommended in the case when the number of available chemical fungicides are limited or a reduction in fungicide use is asked for. Therefore the use of salts as an anti-resistance strategy was looked upon. The salts evaluated were K(HCO3), KH2PO3, KHPO4 and K2SiO3. When using these salts as an anti-resistance strategy the efficacy obtained when spraying the compounds alone was often to low to be used in rotation with chemical fungicides. Only with K(HCO3)2 a good efficacy can be observed in some years. The variation in efficacy with K(HCO3)2 observed is higher for powdery mildew. K(HCO3)2 can be considered as a ideal product for scab control in organic orchards at moments of low infection risk

Proliferation Sensitivity of Dual Use Equipment for Laser Isotope Separation

The international nuclear security is strengthened by explicit import/export control of dual-use equipment. This paper reports on a methodology applying Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) to enhance this control by detecting changes in import behaviour. The methodology is applied to the import of a combination of components that might be used for the construction of Laser Isotope Separation (LIS)plants. The critical components that are necessary for the construction of a LIS plant are determined and implemented in a Tree structure. The fractions of the critical components’ export to the total export are converted to probabilities, which are inserted in the constructed Tree. The Tree is analysed by the Fault Tree Analyser ASTRA that calculates the Top Event probability, Minimal Cut Sets (MCS) and the Criticality Index. The latter is interpreted as a deviation in import behaviour of a given nation for sensitive components. The evolution in time of the Top Event probability is obtained by analyzing real data from five year periods, in seven subsequent time frames,starting with the period 1995-1999 towards the final period 2001-2005. This technique provides a powerful tool to re–analyse import statistics by evaluating the change in import of a combination of sensitive components. It is found that five year periods show a meaningful evolution of the Top Event probability and are a good estimate. However, the five year time frame conditions the analysis of the change in infrastructure and equipment with potential use for laser enrichment. Advanced versions of this probabilistic method may provide customs services with an effective tool that is of potential use for detecting anomalies in import behaviour of LIS or other sensitive technologies

Resilience, well-being and informal and formal support in multi-problem families during the Covid-19 pandemic

BACKGROUND: The Covid-19 pandemic may have had negative effects on youth and parental mental health, especially in high-risk populations such as multi-problem families (i.e., families that experience problems in multiple domains, such as mental health and social network problems). Using one to four assessments during all phases of the Covid-19 pandemic up until January 2022, we examined the associations between pandemic-related stress and mental health (resilience and well-being) of youth and parents from multi-problem families. We also investigated whether experienced informal (i.e., youth informal mentoring) and formal support (i.e., therapist support) served as protective factors in this association. METHODS: A total of 92 youth aged 10–19 years (46.7% girls; mean age 16.00 years) and 78 parents (79.5% female; mean age 47.17 years) filled in one to four questionnaires between March 2020 and January 2022. Multi-level analyses were conducted to account for the nested structure of the data. RESULTS: For youth, pandemic-related stress was associated with lower well-being, but not with resilience. Perceived support from both mentors and therapists was positively associated with youth mental health. Furthermore, high perceived therapist support protected youth from the negative effect of pandemic-related stress on resilience. For parents, pandemic-related stress was not related to mental health, irrespective of therapist support. Yet, therapist support was directly and positively associated with parental mental health. CONCLUSIONS: Youth from multi-problem families who experience pandemic-related stress are at risk of (elevated) mental health problems during the pandemic, specifically if they have no or weak therapist support. The mental health of parents, however, was minimally affected by pandemic-related stress, indicating strength and flexibility. Youth and parents who experienced support during the pandemic reported higher levels of resilience and well-being, demonstrating the importance of support for individuals’ mental health during stressful times such as a pandemic. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13034-022-00542-2

Ideology and organisation in Chinese law: towards a new paradigm for legality

Asian Studie