Validation of associations between plant traits and thrips damage in cabbage

When cabbage is cultivated for storage in the Netherlands, it is usually harvested around mid-October. This type of cabbage crop may be severely damaged by thrips (Thrips tabaci). The thrips population on the plants and the more severe symptoms develop mostly during September and October. Also during cold storage symptoms continue to develop. The damage caused by thrips is due to the symptoms that develop after feeding, which are small callus-like growths that will turn brownish after some time and which may cover substantial amounts of leaf area. Large differences exist between cabbage varieties in their susceptibility to thrips damage. Based on several years of field trials with more than 40 commercial varieties and gene bank accessions it was established that a large proportion of the variation for thrips damage could be explained by a few plant traits: the amount of leaf surface wax, earliness and Brix (Voorrips et al, 2008). Using an F3-line population derived from a cross between a high-damage, low-wax, high-Brix, earlier heading and a low-damage, high-wax, low-Brix, later heading accession we determine whether the relations between plant traits and thrips damage can be confirme

Enhanced Resolution of Poly-(Methyl Methacrylate) Electron Resist by Thermal Processing

Granular nanostructure of electron beam resist had limited the ultimate resolution of electron beam lithography. We report a thermal process to achieve a uniform and homogeneous amorphous thin film of poly methyl methacrylate electron resist. This thermal process consists of a short time-high temperature backing process in addition to precisely optimized development process conditions. Using this novel process, we patterned arrays of holes in a metal film with diameter smaller than 5nm. In addition, line edge roughness and surface roughness of the resist reduced to 1nm and 100pm respectively.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

The Connectivity Debate in the South Caucasus Reconsidered

This article considers the connectivity debate in the South Caucasus, which was catalysed by the prospective opening of borders and transit routes after Azerbaijan's victory in 2020's Second Karabakh War and further foregrounded by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The article discusses how this debate has to date been flawed by simplistic, securitised and conservative thinking about connectivity. Rather than generating new interdependencies conducive to peace, securitised connectivity risks the exclusion of actors and spaces beyond the state, the weaponisation of trade corridors and continuing regional fracture to the benefit of external actors and detriment of regional resilience