Control of Rhizopus stolonifer in strawberries by the combination of essential oil with carboxymethylcellulose.

Strawberry has a limiting postharvest shelf life, especially because of soft rot. The antifungal activity of the essential oils (EOs) of Eucalyptus staigeriana, Lippia sidoides and Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus was tested in vitro against plant pathogen Rhizopus stolonifer. The chemical composition of the EO with the highest activity and its effects on pathogen morphology were verified. The in vivo antifungal activity of this EO associated with carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) coating, in preventive and curative applications, was also evaluated. L. sidoides EO presented the highest in vitro antifungal activity. The analysis of the chemical composition of this EO showed a prevalence of the compound thymol and the scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed that L. sidoides EO was able to cause damage to the cell wall and the intracellular components of the pathogen. Strawberries treated with L. sidoides EO associated with CMC presented a reduction in disease severity, especially when treated in a curative way.

Social-ecological network analysis for sustainability sciences: a systematic review and innovative research agenda for the future.

Social-ecological network (SEN) concepts and tools are increasingly used in human-environment and sustainability sciences. We take stock of this budding research area to further show the strength of SEN analysis for complex human-environment settings, identify future synergies between SEN and wider human-environment research, and provide guidance about when to use different kinds of SEN approaches and models. We characterize SEN research along a spectrum specifying the degree of explicit network representation of system components and dynamics. We then systematically review one end of this spectrum, what we term "fully articulated SEN" studies, which specifically model unique social and ecological units and relationships. Results show more focus on methodological advancement and applied ends. While there has been some development and testing of theories, this remains an area for future work and would help develop SENs as a unique field of research, not just a method. Authors have studied diverse systems, while mainly focused on the problem of social-ecological fit alongside a scattering of other topics. There is strong potential, however, to engage other issues central to human-environment studies. Analyzing the simultaneous effects of multiple social, environmental, and coupled processes, change over time, and linking network structures to outcomes are also areas for future advancement. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of (fully articulated) SEN research, a necessary step that can help scholars develop comparable cases and fill research gaps.

Improving network approaches to the study of complex social-ecological interdependencies.

Achieving effective, sustainable environmental governance requires a better understanding of the causes and consequences of the complex patterns of interdependencies connecting people and ecosystems within and across scales. Network approaches for conceptualizing and analyzing these interdependencies offer one promising solution. Here, we present two advances we argue are needed to further this area of research: (i) a typology of causal assumptions explicating the causal aims of any given network-centric study of social-ecological interdependencies; (ii) unifying research design considerations that facilitate conceptualizing exactly what is interdependent, through what types of relationships, and in relation to what kinds of environmental problems. The latter builds on the appreciation that many environmental problems draw from a set of core challenges that re-occur across contexts. We demonstrate how these advances combine into a comparative heuristic that facilitates leveraging case-specific findings of social-ecological interdependencies to generalizable, yet context-sensitive, theories based on explicit assumptions of causal relationships.

Do-it-yourself networks: a novel method of generating weighted networks.

Network theory is finding applications in the life and social sciences for ecology, epidemiology, finance and social-ecological systems. While there are methods to generate specific types of networks, the broad literature is focused on generating unweighted networks. In this paper, we present a framework for generating weighted networks that satisfy user-defined criteria. Each criterion hierarchically defines a feature of the network and, in doing so, complements existing algorithms in the literature. We use a general example of ecological species dispersal to illustrate the method and provide open-source code for academic purposes.

Validation of modelled imaging plates sensitivity to 1-100 keV x-rays and spatial resolution characterisation for diagnostics for the "PETawatt Aquitaine Laser".

Thanks to their high dynamic range and ability to withstand electromagnetic pulse, imaging plates (IPs) are commonly used as passive detectors in laser-plasma experiments. In the framework of the development of the diagnostics for the Petawatt Aquitaine Laser facility, we present an absolute calibration and spatial resolution study of five different available types of IP (namely, MS-SR-TR-MP-ND) performed by using laser-induced K-shell X-rays emitted by a solid silver target irradiated by the laser ECLIPSE at CEntre Lasers Intenses et Applications. In addition, IP sensitivity measurements were performed with a 160 kV X-ray generator at CEA DAM DIF, where the absolute response of IP SR and TR has been calibrated to X-rays in the energy range 8-75 keV with uncertainties of about 15%. Finally, the response functions have been modeled in Monte Carlo GEANT4 simulations in order to reproduce experimental data. Simulations enable extrapolation of the IP response functions to photon energies from 1 keV to 1 GeV, of interest, e.g., for laser-driven radiography.

Vulnerability of CMOS image sensors in Megajoule Class Laser harsh environment.

CMOS image sensors (CIS) are promising candidates as part of optical imagers for the plasma diagnostics devoted to the study of fusion by inertial confinement. However, the harsh radiative environment of Megajoule Class Lasers threatens the performances of these optical sensors. In this paper, the vulnerability of CIS to the transient and mixed pulsed radiation environment associated with such facilities is investigated during an experiment at the OMEGA facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE), Rochester, NY, USA. The transient and permanent effects of the 14 MeV neutron pulse on CIS are presented. The behavior of the tested CIS shows that active pixel sensors (APS) exhibit a better hardness to this harsh environment than a CCD. A first order extrapolation of the reported results to the higher level of radiation expected for Megajoule Class Laser facilities (Laser Megajoule in France or National Ignition Facility in the USA) shows that temporarily saturated pixels due to transient neutron-induced single event effects will be the major issue for the development of radiation-tolerant plasma diagnostic instruments whereas the permanent degradation of the CIS related to displacement damage or total ionizing dose effects could be reduced by applying well known mitigation techniques.

Diagnostics hardening for harsh environment in Laser Megajoule (invited).

The diagnostic designs for the Laser Megajoule (LMJ) will require components to operate in environments far more severe than those encountered in present facilities. This harsh environment will be induced by fluxes of neutrons, gamma rays, energetic ions, electromagnetic radiations, and, in some cases, debris and shrapnel, at levels several orders of magnitude higher than those experienced today on existing facilities. The lessons learned about the vulnerabilities of present diagnostic parts fielded mainly on OMEGA for many years, have been very useful guide for the design of future LMJ diagnostics. The present and future LMJ diagnostic designs including this vulnerability approach and their main mitigation techniques will be presented together with the main characteristics of the LMJ facility that provide for diagnostic protection.

Diagnostic components in harsh radiation environments: possible overlap in R&D requirements of inertial confinement and magnetic fusion systems.

The next generation of large scale fusion devices--ITER/LMJ/NIF--will require diagnostic components to operate in environments far more severe than those encountered in present facilities. This harsh environment is the result of high fluxes of neutrons, gamma rays, energetic ions, electromagnetic radiation, and in some cases, debris and shrapnel, at levels several orders of magnitude higher than those experienced in today's devices. The similarities and dissimilarities between environmental effects on diagnostic components for the inertial confinement and magnetic confinement fusion fields have been assessed. Areas in which considerable overlap have been identified are optical transmission materials and optical fibers in particular, neutron detection systems and electronics needs. Although both fields extensively use cables in the hostile environment, there is little overlap because the environments and requirements are very different.

Continuous wave Doppler methods to dialysis access monitoring.

Dialysis access failure is the major cause of morbidity among patients undergoing hemodialysis. Reduced blood flow reveals access malfunction. This work discusses two methods based on directional continuous wave Doppler system to evaluate the access blood flow. By changing the dialysis blood pump flow rate, the variable flow Doppler method measures the access blood flow. Software was developed to make feasible its application during clinical routine. A second method proposes the spectral broadening index (SBI) to characterize the access performance. Preliminary results show that a SBI above 1.9 denotes poor blood flow (less than 600ml/min. Sensibility=80%. Specificity=83%). According to the National Kidney Foundation, patients whose access flow is inferior to 600 ml/min should be referred for fistulogram. The second method is easier to be applied in dialysis sessions.

A low cost Doppler system for vascular dialysis access surveillance.

The National Kidney Foundation guidelines for vascular access recommend access surveillance to avoid morbidity among patients undergoing hemodialysis. Methods to detect access failure based on CW Doppler system are being proposed to implement surveillance programs at lower cost. This work describes a low cost Doppler system implemented in a PC notebook designed to carry out this task. A Doppler board samples the blood flow velocity and delivers demodulated quadrature Doppler signals. These signals are sampled by a notebook sound card. Software for Windows OS (running at the notebook) applies CFFT to consecutive 11.6 ms intervals of Doppler signals. The sonogram is presented on the screen in real time. The software also calculates the maximum and the intensity weighted mean frequency envelopes. Since similar systems employ DSP boards to process the Doppler signals, cost reduction was achieved. The Doppler board electronic circuits and routines to process the Doppler signals are presented.