Search

Societal Impact Statement: Plant‐parasitic nematodes are a major concern for global food security, and many existing control options are being phased out due to adverse impacts on the environment. Here, we show that although application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) increases host tolerance to these parasites, these benefits decrease as the parasite burden increases, limiting long‐term benefits. This effect was consistent between experiments in the glasshouse and in the field environment, demonstrating the relevance of research into usable technologies. Our findings have potential to aid decision making regarding application of AMF inocula for optimum results in agricultural systems. Summary: Plant‐parasitic nematodes are a leading global threat to crop production and food security aims. Control strategies based on nematicides and fertilisers are increasingly undesirable due to economic and environmental impacts. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) may induce host tolerance against pests such as the potato cyst nematode (PCN).Here, we determined the impact of PCN density on the tolerance induced by AMF‐host interactions. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of five AMF inocula on PCN fitness though glasshouse and field trials.Greater PCN densities reduce the increased tolerance that AMF may confer on their hosts. This may be due to reduced mycorrhizal colonisation of hosts under higher PCN infection and potentially a threshold at which the presence of PCN severely impacts fungal growth. When tested in the field, the outcomes of AMF inoculation on crop yields were still positive. Inoculation of soil in the field also increased PCN multiplication, suggesting that AMF‐induced tolerance may become reduced in the near future when the threshold PCN density is reached.Addition of AMF to agricultural soils may provide a short‐term benefit yet lead to a long‐term detriment by increasing PCN populations. The effects observed were driven by only one out of the five introduced AMF species, indicating that the remaining species were redundant for this application. This raises important considerations for future application of AMF inocula in agricultural systems and aids our understanding of how widely used 'beneficial' soil amendments impact the agricultural ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 1995-96 inquiry conducted by Sir Richard Scott into exporting defense equipment into Iraq relied on an unusual collection of procedural precedents. First, the government gave Scott the power to hold a tribunal in order to question witnesses. Second, Scott was granted control over the contents of his report. Finally, Scott asserted control over excluding the press and public during testimony. Evaluation of the soundness of permitting these procedures will take many years.

The British Government commissioned Sir Richard Scott, a Lord Justice of Appeal, to conduct an inquiry on the British exports of arms and related equipment to Iraq in Nov 1992. In Feb 1996, Scott came out with a five-volume report on the British Government's political and administrative conduct toward the said issue. The Scott Inquiry has remained a story on two levels, namely, on the alleged political scandal involving the Margaret Thatcher-John Major Conservative Government and the longer-term interest among political observers of how Scott used his unprecedented investigatory powers.

One of the most influential and apparently enduring models of the political-bureaucratic relations has been the 'Whitehall model' derived from British practices. Yet the relationship between bureaucrats and politicians in Britain, often poorly understood in the past, has changed in recent years to such an extent that the continued existence of the 'Whitehall model' can be doubted. This article draws on published sources and, for background, interviews conducted since 1989 with higher (Grade III and above) civil servants and current or former ministers to explore how and why the Whitehall model is threatened with extinction. The wider implications of this development for British policy making and for the study of the relations between bureaucrats and politicians are explored., The state of the bureaucracy in Britain and its relationship with politicians has become a matter of almost public attention. Long an area that was of limited interest to practitioners [...]

Nanoscale thermometry, an approach based on non-invasive, yet precise measurements of temperature with nanometer spatial resolution, has emerged as a very active field of research over the last few years. In transmission electron microscopy, nanoscale thermometry is particularly important during in situ experiments or to assess the effects of beam induced heating. In this article, we present a nanoscale thermometry approach based on electron energy-loss spectroscopy in a transmission electron microscope to measure locally the temperature of silicon nanoparticles using the energy shift of the plasmon resonance peak with respect to the zero-loss peak as a function of temperature. We demonstrate that using non-negative matrix factorization and curve fitting of stacked spectra, the temperature accuracy can be improved significantly over previously reported manual fitting approaches. We will discuss the necessary acquisition parameters to achieve a precision of 6 meV to determine the plasmon peak position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charles Dickens's work has been taken and adapted for many different ends. Quite a lot of attention has been given to film and television versions of the novels, many of which are very distinguished. The stage and screen musical based on his work, essentially a product of the last fifty years, has been neither as studied nor as respected. This paper looks at the connection between Dickens's novels, the celebration of "London-ness" and its articulation in popular forms of working-class music and song. It will argue that potentially unpromising texts were taken and used to articulate pride and a sense of community for groups representing the disadvantaged of the East End and, more specifically, for first-generation Jewish settlers in London. This is all the more surprising as it was in the first instance through depictions of Oliver Twist and the problematic figure of Fagin that an Anglo-Jewish sensibility was able to express itself. Other texts by Dickens, notably Pickwick Papers, A Christmas Carol and The Old Curiosity Shop, were also adapted to musical forms with varying results, but the period of their heyday was relatively short, as their use of traditional and communitarian forms gave place in the people's affection to manufactured pop/rock and operetta forms. I will argue that this decline was partly the product of changing London demographics and shifts in theatre economics and partly of the appropriation of Dickens by the academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Regina v Presser [1958] VR 45, is the most seminal case regarding fitness to plead for accused persons in Australia and New Zealand. It is not widely understood that Presser was a 14-year-old boy with intellectual disability. We aim to describe a clearer narrative regarding Edward John Presser.Method: Review of attainable newspaper reports framed within an historical context of fitness and relevant case law.Results: Presser's narrative is described in greater detail than previously understood by clinicians and lawyers. Ramifications for fitness assessment are discussed including doli incapax and human rights considerations.Conclusions: The Presser criteria are widely applied; however, the case involved a 14-year-old boy with intellectual disability. Greater awareness of Presser's narrative assists clinicians providing expert evidence regarding fitness to plead for adolescents and persons with intellectual disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]