Disease suppression of potting mixes amended with composted biowaste

Peat mining destroys valuable nature areas and contributes to the greenhouse effect. This warrants the search for alternatives for peat in potting mixes. Composted biowaste could provide such an alternative. An additional advantage of (partially) replacing peat by compost is the increased disease suppressiveness. In this study, nine commercial composted biowastes were tested for disease suppressiveness using the pathosystems Pythium ultimum-cucumber, Phytophthora cinnamomi-lupin and Rhizoctonia solani-carrot. Increased disease suppression was found in compost-amended potting mixes for all three pathosystems. The level of disease suppression ranged from slight stimulation of disease to strong suppression. Suppressiveness against one disease was not well correlated with that against the other diseases. The CO2 production, a measure of general microbial activity, was the parameter most strongly correlated with the level of disease suppression. Wetsieving the biowaste with tap water over a 4-mm sieve prior to composting yielded a compost with an 2.4-fold increase in organic matter and a twofold decrease in EC and Cl--concentration of the compost. The latter reductions allow for an increase of the amount of peat that can be replaced by compost. A linear relation was found between the amount of compost added to the potting mix and the level of disease suppression indicating the potential for increasing disease suppressiveness of potting mixes by replacing peat by high-quality composted biowastes

Single-Site Root Inoculations on Eggplant with Microsclerotia of Verticillium dahliae

¿ For many soilborne plant pathogens, disease results from multiple root infections. Studying the infection dynamics of single or multiple propagules of these pathogens applied at one site of the root system may be the basis for understanding the development of disease caused by multiple root infections. The effect of single-site inoculations of roots of eggplant seedlings with microsclerotia of the wilt-causing fungus Verticillium dahliae, was studied. Experiments were conducted using specially designed pots which enabled the incorporation and removal of inoculum in the soil. Inoculations were carried out by placing microsclerotia, firmly embedded in small sections of polypropylene screen filter, directly below the growing tip of the main root of young eggplant seedlings. Three to 4 days after inoculation, the root had grown over the screen filter, and the filter was removed. Root platings showed high infection levels at the inoculation site, but also several (discrete) root infections were noted some distance above and below the site of inoculation. Exposure of the root to the lowest number of microsclerotia (26/inoculation site) was sufficient to lead to up to 65% root infections. Number of plants with root infections declined over time, ranging from a maximum of 65-100% 2-4 wk after inoculation, to 10-29% at 6-7 wk after inoculation. Apparently, V. dahliae died in nonsystemic infections after some time

Delegating Clozapine Monitoring to Advanced Nurse Practitioners:An Exploratory, Randomized Study to Assess the Effect on Prescription and Its Safety

To test whether: (1) psychiatrists will prescribe clozapine more often if they can delegate the monitoring tasks to an advanced nurse practitioner (ANP), (2) clozapine monitoring by an ANP is at least as safe as monitoring by a psychiatrist. Patients from 23 Dutch outpatient teams were assessed for an indication for clozapine. ANPs affiliated to these teams were randomized to Condition A: clozapine monitoring by an ANP, or Condition B: monitoring by the psychiatrist. The safety of monitoring was evaluated by determining whether the weekly neutrophil measurements were performed. Staff and patients were blinded regarding the first hypothesis. Of the 173 patients with an indication for clozapine at baseline, only seven in Condition A and four in Condition B were prescribed clozapine (Odds Ratio = 2.24, 95% CI 0.61-8.21; p = 0.225). These low figures affected the power of this study. When we considered all patients who started with clozapine over the 15-month period (N = 49), the Odds Ratio was 1.90 (95% CI 0.93-3.87; p = 0.078). With regard to the safety of the monitoring of the latter group of patients, 71.2% of the required neutrophil measurements were performed in condition A and 67.3% in condition B (OR = 0.98; CI = 0.16-3.04; p = 0.98). Identifying patients with an indication for clozapine does not automatically lead to improved prescription rates, even when an ANP is available for the monitoring. Clozapine-monitoring performed by an ANP seemed as safe as that by a psychiatrist

Handbook for Composting and Compost Use in Organic Horticulture

Compost, as a product of recycling processes, can be a very appropriate input material for organic farming, provided the composting process is well-managed, the input materials are free of contaminants, and the resulting product is applied according to the system’s ecological needs. Compost is a very important input material for organic greenhouse production. Organic greenhouse production may vary in the level of intensity, but it is generally a system with high turnover rates of organic matter, high inputs of both nutrients and energy, and high production levels. Compost is used as an important source of organic matter and nutrients in greenhouse horticulture, and is an important component of growing media for nurseries. Compost plays an important role in building a resilient farming system, by providing both the energy sources and the nutrients to sustain soil biodiversity

Testing the paradox of enrichment along a land use gradient in a multitrophic aboveground and belowground community

In the light of ongoing land use changes, it is important to understand how multitrophic communities perform at different land use intensities. The paradox of enrichment predicts that fertilization leads to destabilization and extinction of predator-prey systems. We tested this prediction for a land use intensity gradient from natural to highly fertilized agricultural ecosystems. We included multiple aboveground and belowground trophic levels and land use-dependent searching efficiencies of insects. To overcome logistic constraints of field experiments, we used a successfully validated simulation model to investigate plant responses to removal of herbivores and their enemies. Consistent with our predictions, instability measured by herbivore-induced plant mortality increased with increasing land use intensity. Simultaneously, the balance between herbivores and natural enemies turned increasingly towards herbivore dominance and natural enemy failure. Under natural conditions, there were more frequently significant effects of belowground herbivores and their natural enemies on plant performance, whereas there were more aboveground effects in agroecosystems. This result was partly due to the “boom-bust” behavior of the shoot herbivore population. Plant responses to herbivore or natural enemy removal were much more abrupt than the imposed smooth land use intensity gradient. This may be due to the presence of multiple trophic levels aboveground and belowground. Our model suggests that destabilization and extinction are more likely to occur in agroecosystems than in natural communities, but the shape of the relationship is nonlinear under the influence of multiple trophic interactions.

Association Between an Increase in Serum Sodium and In-Hospital Mortality in Critically Ill Patients*

OBJECTIVES: In critically ill patients, dysnatremia is common, and in these patients, in-hospital mortality is higher. It remains unknown whether changes of serum sodium after ICU admission affect mortality, especially whether normalization of mild hyponatremia improves survival. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Ten Dutch ICUs between January 2011 and April 2017. PATIENTS: Adult patients were included if at least one serum sodium measurement within 24 hours of ICU admission and at least one serum sodium measurement 24-48 hours after ICU admission were available. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: A logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-IV-predicted mortality was used to assess the difference between mean of sodium measurements 24-48 hours after ICU admission and first serum sodium measurement at ICU admission (Δ48 hr-[Na]) and in-hospital mortality. In total, 36,660 patients were included for analysis. An increase in serum sodium was independently associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality in patients admitted with normonatremia (Δ48 hr-[Na] 5-10 mmol/L odds ratio: 1.61 [1.44-1.79], Δ48 hr-[Na] > 10 mmol/L odds ratio: 4.10 [3.20-5.24]) and hypernatremia (Δ48 hr-[Na] 5-10 mmol/L odds ratio: 1.47 [1.02-2.14], Δ48 hr-[Na] > 10 mmol/L odds ratio: 8.46 [3.31-21.64]). In patients admitted with mild hyponatremia and Δ48 hr-[Na] greater than 5 mmol/L, no significant difference in hospital mortality was found (odds ratio, 1.11 [0.99-1.25]). CONCLUSIONS: An increase in serum sodium in the first 48 hours of ICU admission was associated with higher in-hospital mortality in patients admitted with normonatremia and in patients admitted with hypernatremia

Biologische grondontsmetting met Herbie (‘Bodemresetten’) als alternatief voor stomen 2011-2012

In een meerjarig onderzoek gefinancierd door het Productschap Tuinbouw en het Ministerie van Economische zaken in het kader van het programma Kas als Energiebron, hebben Wageningen UR Glastuinbouw en BLGG gekeken naar ‘Bodemresetten met Herbie’ als alternatief voor stomen. Gebleken is dat een hoge bodemtemperatuur het proces stimuleert. Zonder anaerobe omstandigheden is er geen effect. Er is positief (dus bestrijdend) effect gevonden op: Verticillium dahliae , wortelknobbel aaltjes, S clerotinia sclerotiorum, wortelduizendpoot, tripslarven, slakken en ook andere bodemorganismen zoals bodemmijten en springstaarten. Er kon geen effect van Bodemresetten aangetoond worden op verhoogde weerbaarheid tegen Pythium . Het proces kan worden gemonitord aan de hand van gasmetingen van O 2 en H 2 S. In een uitgedroogde grond en een bodem die lang braak gelegen heeft verloopt het proces niet goed. De hoeveelheid broeikasgas die vrijkomt bij Bodemresetten wordt als verwaarloosbaar ingeschat in vergelijking met stomen. In een gangbare chrysantenteelt is Bodemresetten zonder extra kosten ten opzichte van stomen toe te passen als dit maximaal twee weken duurt en uitgevoerd wordt rond periode 5 zodat het opbrengstverlies valt in periode 7-8

The incidence of psychotic disorders among migrants and minority ethnic groups in Europe: Findings from the multinational EU-GEI study

BackgroundIn Europe, the incidence of psychotic disorder is high in certain migrant and minority ethnic groups (hence: 'minorities'). However, it is unknown how the incidence pattern for these groups varies within this continent. Our objective was to compare, across sites in France, Italy, Spain, the UK and the Netherlands, the incidence rates for minorities and the incidence rate ratios (IRRs, minorities v. the local reference population).MethodsThe European Network of National Schizophrenia Networks Studying Gene-Environment Interactions (EU-GEI) study was conducted between 2010 and 2015. We analyzed data on incident cases of non-organic psychosis (International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition, codes F20-F33) from 13 sites.ResultsThe standardized incidence rates for minorities, combined into one category, varied from 12.2 in Valencia to 82.5 per 100 000 in Paris. These rates were generally high at sites with high rates for the reference population, and low at sites with low rates for the reference population. IRRs for minorities (combined into one category) varied from 0.70 (95% CI 0.32-1.53) in Valencia to 2.47 (95% CI 1.66-3.69) in Paris (test for interaction: p = 0.031). At most sites, IRRs were higher for persons from non-Western countries than for those from Western countries, with the highest IRRs for individuals from sub-Saharan Africa (adjusted IRR = 3.23, 95% CI 2.66-3.93).ConclusionsIncidence rates vary by region of origin, region of destination and their combination. This suggests that they are strongly influenced by the social context