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

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

Nerves are more abundant than blood vessels in the degenerate human intervertebral disc

Chronic low back pain (LBP) is the most common cause of disability worldwide. New ideas surrounding LBP are emerging that are based on interactions between mechanical, biological and chemical influences on the human IVD. The degenerate IVD is proposed to be innervated by sensory nerve fibres and vascularised by blood vessels, and it is speculated to contribute to pain sensation. However, the incidence of nerve and blood vessel ingrowth, as well as whether these features are always associated, is unknown. We investigated the presence of nerves and blood vessels in the nucleus pulposus (NP) of the IVD in a large population of human discs

Class 3 semaphorins expression and association with innervation and angiogenesis within the degenerate human intervertebral disc

Nerve and blood vessel ingrowth during intervertebral disc degeneration, is thought to be a major cause of low back pain, however the regulation of this process is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the expression and regulation of a subclass of axonal guidance molecules known as the class 3 semaphorins, and their receptors; plexins and neuropilins within human NP tissue and their regulation by pro-inflammatory cytokines. Importantly this determined whether semaphorin expression was associated with the presence of nerves and blood vessels in tissues from human intervertebral discs. The study demonstrated that semaphorin3A, 3C, 3D, 3E and 3F and their receptors were expressed by native NP cells and further demonstrated their expression was regulated by IL-1β but to a lesser extent by IL-6 and TNFα. This is the first study to identify sema3C, sema3D and their receptors within the nucleus pulposus of intervertebral discs. Immunopositivity shows significant increases in semaphorin3C, 3D and their receptor neuropilin-2 in degenerate samples which were shown to contain nerves and blood vessels, compared to non-degenerate samples without nerves and blood vessels. Therefore data presented here suggests that semaphorin3C may have a role in promoting innervation and vascularisation during degeneration, which may go on to cause low back pain

A large geometric distortion in the first photointermediate of rhodopsin, determined by double-quantum solid-state NMR

Double-quantum magic-angle-spinning NMR experiments were performed on 11,12-C-13(2)-retinylidene-rhodopsin under illumination at low temperature, in order to characterize torsional angle changes at the C11-C12 photoisomerization site. The sample was illuminated in the NMR rotor at low temperature (similar to 120 K) in order to trap the primary photointermediate, bathorhodopsin. The NMR data are consistent with a strong torsional twist of the HCCH moiety at the isomerization site. Although the HCCH torsional twist was determined to be at least 40A degrees, it was not possible to quantify it more closely. The presence of a strong twist is in agreement with previous Raman observations. The energetic implications of this geometric distortion are discussed

Improved Non-Pt Alloys for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction at Fuel Cell Cathodes Predicted from Quantum Mechanics

Based on studies on Pt_3Co and Pt_3Ni, we developed the hypothesis that improved alloy catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at fuel cell cathodes should have a surface layer that is noble (e.g., Pt, Pd, or Rh) while the second layer should have ~50% electropositive metal to decrease the critical barriers for ORR, and we used quantum mechanics (QM) to examine 80 binary alloys of composition Y_3X, where Y = Pt, Pd, Rh, and X is any of the three rows of transition metals (columns 3−11). This study identified that for Pd_3X, good segregating alloys include X = Re (best), W, Os, Mo, Ru, Ir, Tc, Rh, Co, Ta, Nb, and Ni. Of these we selected Pd_3W as particularly promising since it is known experimentally to form an ordered alloy and was found to have a desirable d-band center. We then examined the critical barriers for various steps of the ORR with Pd_3W and compared them to the analogous barriers for Pt, Pt_3Co, and Pd. These results suggest that Pd_3W will exhibit ORR properties dramatically improved over pure Pd and close to that of pure Pt. The cost of Pd_3W is ~6 times less than pure Pt, suggesting that Pd_3W catalysts might lead to significant decreases in catalyst cost, while maintaining performance

In gas laser ionization and spectroscopy experiments at the Superconducting Separator Spectrometer (S3): Conceptual studies and preliminary design

International audienceThe results of preparatory experiments and the preliminary designs of a new in-gas laser ionization and spectroscopy setup, to be coupled to the Super Separator Spectrometer S3 of SPIRAL2-GANIL, are reported. Special attention is given to the development and tests to carry out a full implementation of the in-gas jet laser spectroscopy technique. Application of this novel technique to radioactive species will allow highsensitivity and enhanced-resolution laser spectroscopy studies of ground- and excited-state properties of exotic nuclei

Gene expression profiling of early intervertebral disc degeneration reveals a down-regulation of canonical Wnt signaling and caveolin-1 expression: implications for development of regenerative strategies

INTRODUCTION: Early degeneration of the intervertebral disc (IVD) involves a change in cellular differentiation from notochordal cells (NCs) in the nucleus pulposus (NP) to chondrocyte-like cells (CLCs). The purpose of this study was to investigate the gene expression profiles involved in this process using NP tissue from non-chondrodystrophic and chondrodystrophic dogs, a species with naturally occurring IVD degeneration. METHODS: Dual channel DNA microarrays were used to compare 1) healthy NP tissue containing only NCs (NC-rich), 2) NP tissue with a mixed population of NCs and CLCs (Mixed), and 3) NP tissue containing solely CLCs (CLC-rich) in both non-chondrodystrophic and chondrodystrophic dogs. Based on previous reports and the findings of the microarray analyses, canonical Wnt signaling was further evaluated using qPCR of relevant Wnt target genes. We hypothesized that caveolin-1, a regulator of Wnt signaling that showed significant changes in gene expression in the microarray analyses, played a significant role in early IVD degeneration. Caveolin-1 expression was investigated in IVD tissue sections and in cultured NCs. To investigate the significance of Caveolin-1 in IVD health and degeneration, the NP of 3-month-old Caveolin-1 knock-out mice was histopathologically evaluated and compared with the NP of wild-type mice of the same age. RESULTS: Early IVD degeneration involved significant changes in numerous pathways, including Wnt/β-catenin signaling. With regard to Wnt/β-catenin signaling, axin2 gene expression was significantly higher in chondrodystrophic dogs compared with non-chondrodystrophic dogs. IVD degeneration involved significant down-regulation of axin2 gene expression. IVD degeneration involved significant down-regulation in Caveolin-1 gene and protein expression. NCs showed abundant caveolin-1 expression in vivo and in vitro, whereas CLCs did not. The NP of wild-type mice was rich in viable NCs, whereas the NP of Caveolin-1 knock-out mice contained chondroid-like matrix with mainly apoptotic, small, rounded cells. CONCLUSIONS: Early IVD degeneration involves down-regulation of canonical Wnt signaling and Caveolin-1 expression, which appears to be essential to the physiology and preservation of NCs. Therefore, Caveolin-1 may be regarded an exciting target for developing strategies for IVD regeneration

Improving quality and equity in schools in socially disadvantaged areas

Background: Recent effectiveness studies have investigated the relationship between two dimensions of effectiveness - namely, quality and equity. Specifically, the question of whether effective schools can also reduce the initial differences in student outcomes attributed to student background factors has been examined. In this context, the Dynamic Approach to School Improvement (DASI) makes use of theory and the research findings of effectiveness studies to try to improve school effectiveness in terms of quality and equity. Purpose: This study aimed to examine whether the implementation of DASI in primary schools in socially disadvantaged areas in four European countries (Cyprus, England, Greece and Ireland) was able to promote student learning outcomes in mathematics and to reduce the impact of student background factors on student achievement in mathematics. Design and methods: A sample of 72 primary schools across the four countries was randomly split into experimental and control groups. At the beginning and at the end of the school year, mathematics tests were administered to all students of Grades 4-6 (n = 5560; student ages 9-12 years). The experimental group made use of DASI. Within-country multilevel regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the impact of the intervention and search for interaction effects between the use of DASI and student background factors on final achievement. Results: In each country, the experimental group achieved better results in mathematics than the control group. At the beginning of the intervention, the achievement gap based on socio-economic status (SES) was equally large in the experimental and the control groups. Only in the experimental group did the achievement gap based on SES become smaller. However, DASI was not found to have an effect on equity when the equity dimension was examined by focusing on the achievement gap based on either gender or ethnicity. Conclusions: Implications of findings are drawn and the importance of measuring equity in terms of student achievement gaps based on different background factors, rather than only on SES, is emphasised. We propose the evaluation of the impact of interventions on promoting equity by the use of various criteria