Plastic Bags Research Articles

Effect of Packaging Method and Storage Environment on Activity of Magnesium Oxide and Mechanical Properties of Basic Magnesium Sulfate Cement.

As one of the raw materials of basic magnesium sulfate cement (BMSC), the activity of light-burned magnesium oxide (MgO) has an important effect on the hydration rate, hydration products, and mechanical properties of BMSC. To reveal the influence of packaging method, storage environment, and storage time on the activity of MgO and the mechanical properties of BMSC, an experiment was conducted by using ordinary woven bags, peritoneal woven bags, and plastic and paper compound bags to store the finished BMSC and the raw materials (light-burned MgO, MgSO4·7H2O, fly ash, and a chemical additive) under the conditions of natural environment, sealed environment, and wet environment, respectively. Comparative analysis of the effects of packaging method, storage conditions, and storage time on the activity of MgO and the mechanical properties of BMSC was performed through the mechanical strength test of mortar specimens. The results showed that in a sealed environment, the loss of a-MgO content in light-burned MgO was minimized, which was more conducive to keeping the mechanical properties of BMSC stable. In the wet environment, the mechanical strength of BMSC was significantly reduced in the early stage (1 day) due to the significant reduction in the activity of MgO, and the mechanical strength of the finished BMSC and prepared BMSC after 120 days of storage was still lost, regardless of the packaging method. However, the storage environment and packaging method had relatively little effect on the late mechanical strength (28 days) of BMSC. It is advisable to use ordinary woven bags for packaging in natural and sealed environments as this is more economical for engineering applications. Plastic and paper compound bags are superior to ordinary woven bags and peritoneal woven bags in wet environments.

Stochastic dynamics mass spectrometric and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic structural analyses of composite biodegradable plastics

<p>The (partial) replacement of synthetic polymers with bioplastics is due to increased production of conventional packaging plastics causing for severe environmental pollution with plastics waste. The bioplastics, however, represent complex mixtures of known and unknown (bio)polymers, fillers, plasticizers, stabilizers, flame retardant, pigments, antioxidants, hydrophobic polymers such as poly(lactic acid), polyethylene, polyesters, glycol, or poly(butylene succinate), and little is known of their chemical safety for both the environment and the human health. Polymerization reactions of bioplastics can produce no intentionally added chemicals to the bulk material, which could be toxic, as well. When polymers are used to food packing, then the latter chemicals could also migrate from the polymer to food. This fact compromises the safety for consumers, as well. The scarce data on chemical safety of bioplastics makes a gap in knowledge of their toxicity to humans and environment. Thus, development of exact analytical protocols for determining chemicals of bioplastics in environmental and food samples as well as packing polymers can only provide warrant for reliable conclusive evidence of their safety for both the human health and the environment. The task is compulsory according to legislation Directives valid to environmental protection, food control, and assessment of the risk to human health. The quantitative and structural determination of analytes is primary research task of analysis of polymers. The methods of mass spectrometry are fruitfully used for these purposes. Methodological development of exact analytical mass spectrometric tools for reliable structural analysis of bioplastics only guarantees their safety, efficacy, and quality to both humans and environment. This study, first, highlights innovative stochastic dynamics equations processing exactly mass spectrometric measurands and, thus, producing exact analyte quantification and 3D molecular and electronic structural analyses. There are determined synthetic polymers such as poly(ethylenglycol), poly(propylene glycol), and polyisoprene as well as biopolymers in bags for foodstuffs made from renewable cellulose and starch, and containing, in total within the 20,416–17,495 chemicals per sample of the composite biopolymers. Advantages of complementary employment in mass spectrometric methods and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy is highlighted. The study utilizes ultra-high resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometric and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic data on biodegradable plastics bags for foodstuffs; high accuracy quantum chemical static methods, molecular dynamics; and chemometrics. There is achieved method performance |<em>r</em>| = 0.99981 determining poly(propylene glycol) in bag for foodstuff containing 20,416 species and using stochastic dynamics mass spectrometric formulas. The results highlight their great capability and applicability to the analytical science as well as relevance to both the fundamental research and to the industry.</p>

Fuzzy FMEA-Resilience Approach for Maintenance Planning in a Plastics Industry ‎

The productivity and efficiency of industrial systems are highly affected by failures and machine breakdowns. Further, in asset-intensive industries, unexpected failures are considered the primary source of operational risk. In response, the maintenance department strives to calculate reliable estimates of the risk levels associated with such failures and develop resilient maintenance strategies that enable it to respond effectively to equipment failures. The research developed a framework for integrating fuzzy failure mode and effects analysis (FFMEA) with resilience engineering (RE) concepts for maintenance planning. The framework consists of four main stages: FFMEA, Risk iso-surface (RI), resilience assessment, and maintenance planning. In FFMEA, multiple sub-factors were considered for each main risk factor and evaluated using fuzzy logic. Then, in the RI stage, the risk priority number (RPN) was calculated through a fuzzy approach that considered the order of the importance of the main three risk factors. The fuzzy resilience assessment was applied through a survey of fifty-one questions related to the main four RE potentials to determine the need for resilient maintenance strategies. Finally, the RPN-Resilience diagram was employed to classify maintenance activities into six main maintenance strategies. A case study from a production line of plastic bags was used for illustration. The main advantage of the proposed FFMEA is that it divides the main risk criteria into sub-criteria to increase the accuracy of risk assessment and evaluate resilience potentials under fuzziness. In conclusion, the integration of the risk-resilience evaluation is a valuable tool for effectively planning maintenance activities.

Suitability of aromatic polyurethanes for use in nuclear applications

Plastic bags are used to facilitate the storage and transport of nuclear materials. In case the storage container becomes damaged, these bags act as a protection barrier against possible contamination. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a polymer commonly used in such applications, but unfortunately, it contributes to the corrosion of the metal container due to HCl evolution. Thus, this work evaluated aging effects on chemical and thermo-mechanical properties of aromatic polyurethanes with the intent to find a replacement for PVC. Aromatic poly(ether)urethanes were aged for up to 21 months under combined gamma irradiation and thermal treatment conditions. A few samples were also placed into actual nuclear storage containers and aged for a similar time period. Experimental techniques, such as FT-IR, NMR, mass spectrometry, TGA, DSC, and tensile tests were employed to characterize two types of polyurethanes, one with and another one without a flame-retardant additive. Our unique aging approach shows that these aromatic polyurethanes are well placed to substitute PVC bags and thus, avoid corrosion of storage metal containers used by the nuclear industry.

Assessment of bacterial and parasitic contamination of fruits gathered from specific local markets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BackgroundAround the world, food-borne illnesses are still a frequent and significant hazard to public health. Human infection outbreaks brought on by eating raw fruits have happened more frequently. Fruits have been connected in recent years to a number of outbreaks of food-borne illness around the globe, including in Ethiopia.ObjectiveTo assess bacterial and parasitic contamination of fruits gathered from specific local markets in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was carried out using fruits gathered from Addis Ababa local marketplaces. Convenient sampling were applied. With the assumption that each vendor provided 30 samples, a total of 120 fruit samples were gathered. Fruit samples were gathered in a plastic bag that had been sanitized and then brought to the lab for bacterial and parasitological investigation. All of the samples were checked for intestinal parasites and bacterial contamination. SPSS software version 25 was used to analyze the data. The Pearson's Chi-square test was used to assess categorical variables. The student's t-test was utilized to compare continuous variables, which were represented as the mean ± standard deviation. Using both univariate and multivariate analysis, odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were computed. Statistical significance was defined as a P < 0.05.ResultsThere was a 100 (83.3%) level of bacterial contamination. While Salmonella and Shigella species were not recovered, S. aureus isolates 16 (13.3%) were the most common bacterial contamination, followed by E. coli isolates 8 (6.7%). The samples of bananas, mangos, papayas, and avocados from all four sites had total coliform (TCC) bacteria ranging from 2.1 × 103 to 3.2 × 104, 8.3x 102 to 1.8x 105CFU/g, 1.6x 102 to 3.7 x 104, and 1.2x 102 to 3.8 x 104 CFU/g, in that order. No parasites were found in this investigation.Conclusion and recommendationIt is usually recommended that customers in this research region wash and handle infected fruits properly to prevent bacterial illnesses. In addition, fruit dealers should have their bacterial contaminations routinely inspected. Large-scale research is advised to support this discovery.

Forensic Characterisation of Complex Suicides: A Literature Review

Complex suicides refer to using two or more suicide modes. In the literature, complex suicides are distinguished into planned and unplanned. Using multiple methods is related to ensuring a fatal result or because the first method appears too painful, time-consuming, or ineffective. The review aims to provide an overview of the critical features of complex suicides in the forensic context. The review was conducted by searching online databases (PubMed Central and Scopus) up to March 2023. We identified 52 articles that met the inclusion criteria, describing 261 cases. Suicides were classified as planned in 136 cases (52.1%); 105 cases (40.2%) were defined as unplanned, while in the remaining 20 cases (7.7%), the authors did not propose any classification. In 2/261 (0.8%) cases, four modes were indicated, three modes were observed in 34/261 cases (13%), and in 224/261 (85.8%) cases the suicides were carried out using a combination of two distinct methods. The method most frequently employed in the first instance in unplanned suicides were sharp-force injuries and stabbing, followed by mechanical asphyxia (hanging, self-strangulation, plastic bag suffocation) and a fall from height. Regarding planned suicide, the most frequent suicide methods were asphyxia, intoxication (drugs, substances of abuse, or alcohol), and poisoning via toxic substances. Complex suicides represent a relatively rare entity in forensic pathology; nevertheless, they can be challenging for the forensic pathologist in terms of differential diagnosis compared to homicides, due to the sometimes multifaceted presentation.

Biodegradation of Plastic Wastes in Soil: A Review on Testing and Evaluation Procedures

The recalcitrant behaviour of plastic creates an acute pollution on soil and aquatic biota. The plastic polymer synthesised from petroleum takes several hundred years to degrade. During excavation activities on the lands within or at the outskirts of urban limits, single use plastic wrappers and bags that were buried long ago, can be found in large quantities. Researchers have already identified the potentiality of microorganisms to biodegrade the plastic polymers. These microorganisms utilise plastic as a sole source of carbon and mineralise them into carbon dioxide under optimum environmental conditions. This paper provides a brief review on the biodegradation studies carried out by various researchers, spectra of microorganisms identified with the potential to degrade various polymeric substances, methods of testing and evaluations in order to quantify the effectiveness of degradation, their shortfalls and risks involved in implementing bioremediation technique in the field. A review on other related aspects that are deemed to be relevant to this topic are also discussed.

Odourless vegetable oils as insect pest repellents for short-term protection of various food packaging materials

The repellent activity of two odourless vegetable oils (sweet almond—SAO and soybean—SO) applied on filter paper and four types of food packaging materials (polyethylene film, plastic gunnysacks, cardboard, and wood) was tested against three species of stored product pests (Sitophilus granarius, Tribolium castaneum, and Oryzaephilus surinamensis). The repellence of three doses was evaluated after 24 h, and after 7, 14, 21, and 28 days. Both oils exhibited a repellent effect when applied to filter paper, but this effect decreased with time and concentration. The most susceptible species was T. castaneum. The maximum repellence was 84% and 76% for SO and SAO, respectively. On packaging materials, the repellent effect diminished after a certain period of time, ranging from 7 to 28 days. Subsequently, the oils even became attractive. Generally, the repellent effects of both SO and SAO were higher on cardboard and wood slab than on polyethylene film and plastic gunnysacks. As such, in the case of SO, the repellence against T. castaneum was 88% 24 h after application on cardboard, whilst 68% on plastic bag. This work demonstrated the repellent potential of vegetable oils in the short term for the protection of packaged food against stored product pests.

A Novel Method to Sanitize Breast Pump Equipment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

Enhancing the current breast pump sanitization method may improve maternal satisfaction and increase a mother's likelihood of providing human milk for their hospitalized infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Other than Centers for Disease Control (CDC) data, there is lack of studies on sanitization practices. Currently, the only option in the hospital setting for breast pump equipment cleaning is a steam sanitization plastic bag. Using the Q. Basin will increase participant satisfaction compared to the steam sanitization bag. A multi-phased pilot study was conducted in our quaternary care NICU to test the Q. Basin, a novel design developed to wash, dry, and safely steam sanitize breast pump equipment compared to the standard steam bag. A bacterial study was conducted on breast pump equipment from 10 mothers by swabbing the equipment immediately at hour zero and 24hours. Twenty NICU mothers concurrently evaluated their satisfaction via a 3-question survey comparing the Q. Basin and the steam sanitization plastic bag method. The results showed a 20% increase in satisfaction with Q. Basin compared to the steam bag method. Data analysis from the satisfaction survey concludes that mothers pumping preferred the Q. Basin as a quicker, faster, and more environmentally friendly method for breast pump part sanitization. Additional safety and materials studies are required before using the Q. Basin in the clinical environment.

Pengendalian Kualitas Produk Cacat Jumbo Bag Menggunakan Siklus Pdca (Plan-Do-Check-Act) di PT. XYZ

PT. XYZ, a plastic bag packaging industry, is still facing poor quality problems and a high level of malfunction. The sewing and printing sectors are the biggest contributors to defects in the production of Jumbo Bag. The objective of this research is to identify the causes of dominant defects, provide repair solutions, and reduce product defects, as well as decrease the value of defects per unit of dominating defects. To solve this problem, the researchers used the plan-do-check-action method (PDCA). The PDCA method is used to identify and address defects, while the 5W1H is used for identifying the cause of defects and developing corrective solutions. Using this method, PT. XYZ can reduce product defects and improve the quality of the Jumbo Bag. The result is a reduction in defects per unit of wrong sewing defect from 0.014 DPU to 0.005 DPU, accessory deficiency defects from 0.008 DPU to 0.04 DPU, hole defects of 0.007 DPU to 0.001 DPU, and printing defects from 0.004 DPU to 0.044 DPU. Thus, the company can improve product quality and meet customer expectations.

New Technique for Identification of Ichthyoplankton and Its Application in Biomonitoring Studies, Management and Conservation of Neotropical Fish.

Despite significant advancements in ichthyoplankton collection and data processing, challenges persist in the taxonomic identification of these organisms, particularly their eggs. To overcome these challenges, a novel technique has been developed to facilitate the identification of live eggs collected directly in wild. This user-friendly technique includes the collection, processing of the material, and field incubation. Sampling must be conducted using a pelagic net towed at low speed, preferably during early evening. The material processing involves pre-sorting and sorting to remove eggs and larvae. The separated eggs, kept in an aerated bowl, can be identified based on their morphological and meristic characteristics. Unidentified eggs can be placed in plastic bags with oxygen and incubated directly in the aquatic environment for 48-72 h. After this incubation period, the hatched larvae at the yolk-sac or preflexion stage, are identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. Depending on the study's purpose, hatched larvae and field-collected larvae can be transported to research centers for further development, released back into the natural environment, or fixed to complete the collection. The application of this technique supports management and monitoring programs by identifying spawning areas through egg identification, forming broodstock, and replenishing threatened species, thereby enhancing scientific collections of ichthyoplankton. Additionally, it reduces mortality in ichthyoplankton techniques, including endangered species. Therefore, we believe that this novel taxonomic technique for identifying live ichthyoplankton represents a paradigm shift in the monitoring, management, and conservation of fish, as well as in ecological stewardship and advances in this area of research.

First Report of Fruit Rot Disease on melon (Cucumis melo L.) Caused by Fusarium ipomoeae in China.

Fusarium rot on melon fruit has become an important postharvest disease for producers worldwide, typically involving multiple Fusarium pathogens (Khuna et al. 2022; Medeiros Araújo et al. 2021). In 2022, Fusarium fruit rot of muskmelon (Cucumis melo var. conomon) occurred sporadically in a field at Huainan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (32.658193º N, 117.064922º E) with an incidence of about 10%. Among these diseased muskmelons, a fruit exhibiting a white to yellowish colony athe intersection of the diseased and healthy tissues was collected and labeled TGGF22-17. The streak plate method was employed to isolate fungal spores on Bengal Red PDA (potato dextrose agar), which were then incubated at 25℃ in darkness. Following isolation and purification, a single-spore strain, TGGF22-17, was obtained and analyzed using morphological characters on PDA, synthetic nutrient agar (SNA) and carnation leaf agar (CLA) (Leslie and Summerell 2006), along with molecular identification. Colours were rated according to the color charts of Kornerup and Wanscher (1978). Based on the colony morphology on PDA, the isolate displayed a rosy buff or buff color with a white to buff margin. The colony margin was undulate, with the reverse transitioning from amber-yellow to honey-yellow. Aerial macroconidia on SNA were thin-walled, hyaline, mostly 3-5 septate, falcate, and measured 18.5-46.4 (x̄=34.2) × 2.9-4.8 (x̄ =3.9) μm in size (n =50). Sporodochial macroconidia on CLA were mostly five-septate with long apical and basal cells, exhibiting dorsiventral curvature. They were hyaline, with the apical cell hooked to tapering and the basal cell foot-shaped, measuring 46.5-89.6 (x̄ =72.3) × 3.5-5.0 (x̄ =4.3) μm in size (n = 100). Portions of three loci (TEF-1α, RPB1 and RPB2) were amplified and sequenced as described by Wang et al. (2019). Sequences were deposited in GenBank with accession number PP196583 to PP196585. The three gene sequences (TEF-1α, RPB1 and RPB2) of strain TGGF2022-17 shared 99.5% (629/632bp), 97.9% (1508/1540 bp) and 99.9% (1608/1609 bp) identity to the ex-type strain F. ipomoeae LC12165 respectively by pairwise DNA alignments on the FUSARIOID-ID database (https://www.fusarium.org). Phylogenetic analysis of the partial TEF-1α and RPB2 sequences with PhyloSuite (Zhang et al. 2020) showed the isolated fungus clustered with F. ipomoeae. Based on the morphological and phylogenetic analyses, TGGF22-17 was identified as F. ipomoeae. Pathogenicity tests were performed on healthy melons, which were surface-sterilized with 75% alcohol and wounded using a sterilized inoculation needle. A 4-mm diameter plug from a 7-day-old SNA culture of TGGF22-17 was aseptically inserted in the middle of the wound, sealed with plastic bag after absorbent cotton was included to maintain moisture. Five melons were each inoculated at three points. Noncolonized PDA agar plugs served as the negative control. The inoculated and uninoculated plugs were removed approximately 48 hours after inoculation. The melon inoculated with TGGF22-17 exhibited water-soaked black lesions 48h post-inoculation, resulting in a 100% infection rate (15/15). After 7 days, mycelium was obseved on the inoculated melons. No disease symptoms were observed on the uninoculated melons. To fulfill Koch's postulates, fungi were isolated from the inoculated fruit and confirmed as F. ipomoeae by morphological observation. Fusarium ipomoeae has been reported to cause fruit rot on winter squash (Cucurbita maxima) in Japan (Kitabayashi et al. 2023). To our knowledge, this is the first report of fruit rot on muskmelon caused by F. ipomoeae in China and this report will be valuable for monitoring and management of fruit rot disease on muskmelons.

First Report of Fruit Scab Caused by Alternaria alternata on Actinidia chinensis in Korea.

Kiwi (Actinidia chinesis) is an economically important fruit in Korea, with 1,300 ha cultivated and a production of approximately 25,000 tons per year (Kim and Koh, 2018; Kim and Choi, 2023). In late June 2020, fruit scab symptoms were observed on A. chinensis var. rufopulpa in an orchard in Suncheon, Korea. The incidence of scab symptoms among 20-year-old trees was over 75%, primarily superficial, but rendered the fruit less marketable. In the initial stages of the disease, small, light-brown, circular, and oval spots were formed. As the superficial spots expanded, they became cracked scabs measuring 1 to 7 cm with light edges at the later stages. To isolate the causal pathogen, two lesions were cut from two sections of symptomatic tissue, from each of seven fruits from seven trees. Lesions were surface-sterilized with 70% ethanol for 1 min and washed three times with sterilized distilled water (SDW). The sterilized pieces were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated in the dark at 25°C for one week. After subculturing on PDA, single-spore isolation produced 14 isolates: SYP-410 to 423). All 14 colonies appeared greyish-green and cottony on PDA after 7 d. Conidia were pale brown, ellipsoid to obclavate, with ornamented walls, 1 to 6 transverse and 0 to 3 vertical septa, and length × width of 21.5 to 53.4 × 7.3 to 19.2 μm (avg. 33.0 × 12.0 μm, n = 100). Their morphological characteristics were consistent with Alternaria spp. (van der Waals et al. 2011; Woudenberg et al. 2015). We randomly selected three isolates from the morphologically similar cultures and named them SYP-412 to 414 for further investigation. The ITS (GenBank accession nos.: OR901850 to 52), gapdh (OR924309 to 11), tef1 (OR924312 to 14), rpb2 (OR924315 to 17), Alt a1 (OR924318 to 20), endoPG (OR924321 to 23), and OPA10-2 (OR924324 to 26) sequences from SYP-412 to 414 had a 100% (515 bp/515 bp), 100% (578/578), 100% (240/240), 100% (724/724), 95.55% (451/472), 99.33% (445/448), and 100% (634/634) identity with that of type strain A. alternata CBS 918.96 (AF347032, AY278809, KC584693, KC584435, AY563302, KP124026, and KP124633), respectively. Results from the maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis, based on the seven concatenated gene sequences, placed the representative isolates in a clade with A. alternata. Pathogenicity of SYP-412 was tested using 12 surface-sterilized two-month-old kiwifruits on a 20-year-old trees. Six kiwifruits were spray-inoculated with 5 mL of a conidial suspension (1 × 106 conidia/ml) generated after culturing in PDA medium for 7 d, with or without wounding. Another six control fruits were inoculated with SDW with and without wounding. The inoculated kiwifruits were enclosed in plastic bags to maintain high humidity for one day. Scab symptoms were observed in both wounded and unwounded fruits six weeks after inoculation, but not in the control. The pathogenicity test was performed on a total of three separate trees twice. To satisfy Koch's postulates, A. alternata was re-isolated from all the symptomatic tissues and confirmed by analyzing the ITS and rpb2 genes. Although scab disease caused by A. tenuissima (now A. alternata) has been previously reported in kiwifruit of A. chinensis var. rufopulpa in China (Woudenberg et al. 2015; Ma et al., 2019), this is the first report of its occurrence on kiwifruit in Korea and will help in future detection and control.

SODIS with hydrogen peroxide: an effective household water treatment option under sub-tropical climatic conditions of bangladesh.

Solar disinfection (SODIS) is an affordable and sustainable Household Water Treatment (HWT) method endorsed by WHO. However, its limitations include longer sunlight exposure requirements, incomplete microbial inactivation, and post-SODIS microbial regrowth during monsoon and winter seasons in subtropical climates. To address these limitations, the performance of SODIS with H2O2 for microbial inactivation during the monsoon and winter seasons in Bangladesh was evaluated following the WHO HWT protocols. Moreover, the process was verified using drinking water samples collected from restaurants, households, and slums. All SODIS experiments were conducted using reflective reactors with PET bottles and plastic bags, adding 10 mg/L of H2O2, and exposing them to sunlight for 6 h. The results showed that E. coli was completely inactivated within 2 h in plastic bags and within 3 h in PET bottles during the monsoon season, achieving an LRV of > 5. In winter, both achieved an LRV > 5 within 3 h and plastic bags showed more efficient in microbial inactivation than PET bottles. The microbial inactivation rates were 5 times higher than those of conventional SODIS. No regrowth of microorganisms was observed during the subsequent post-SODIS period of 12 h and 24 h at room temperature. The study findings suggest that SODIS with H2O2 has the potential for complete microorganism inactivation with shorter sunlight exposure in subtropical climates with moderate to low solar irradiation and can be adopted as a reliable disinfection option for rural and urban communities with unsafe drinking water supply.

What kind of corrosion products are “black spots”? —Effects of reduced sulfur compounds on corrosion of bronze artefacts

While deterioration due to the generation of “black spots” is reported, consensus on the specific corrosion products comprising black spots and underlying deterioration mechanisms is lacking. This study investigated the deterioration of copper objects by analysing the black spots that appeared on them and proposes environmental conditions to suppress the appearance of black spots. Bronze artefacts excavated from a marine archaeological site, on which black spots were generated, were closely observed, and investigated. First, X-ray fluorescence and micro-X-ray diffraction analyses were performed on a bronze artefact, from which the black spots were removed, to determine the composition of the artefact. Second, to investigate the composition of the black spots, fine structure analysis of the black spots on the fine fragments of the bronze artefacts was conducted using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron diffraction (ED) analysis. The results indicate that the black spots were partially composed of metallic copper and a fine particle mixture of Cu2S and CuSO4. These results imply that the transformation of copper sulfide to metallic copper may have played an important role in the initiation and propagation of black spots. In this study, ED analysis was performed on the microscopic area of the black spots; no amorphous phases were detected, and all observed phases were identified as crystalline materials. To determine the sources of gas-phase sulfur compounds that cause black spots, H2S and carbonyl sulfide (COS) emissions from a spherical clay artefact (a cannon ball with gunpowder excavated from an underwater archaeological site) which was exhibited in the same showcase with the bronze artefacts were analysed via gas chromatography. The concentrations of H2S and COS were 0.462 and 8.636 ppb, respectively; these are significantly higher than those in the lower troposphere. These results indicate that deterioration by black spots occurred because of H2S and COS, which were emitted from the spherical clay artefact excavated from an underwater archaeological site in the exhibition case. In addition, it was confirmed that the inclusion of deoxygenating and dehumidifying agents (RP-AN) in the plastic bag in which the spherical clay artefact was inserted resulted in a significant decrease in the concentration of H2S and COS.

First Report of Xanthomonas perforans Causing Bacterial Spot of Pepper (Capsicum annuum) in North Carolina.

North Carolina (NC) is the fifth largest producer of bell pepper (Capsicum annuum) in the US with an estimated 2,400 acres in production (NASS-USDA, 2022). A survey of bacterial diseases of peppers was initiated in 2020 after numerous bacterial spot outbreaks were reported in NC. Bacterial spot is caused by a complex of four Xanthomonads: X. euvesicatoria, X. vesicatoria, X. perforans, and X. hortorum pv. gardneri (Larrahondo-Rodríguez et al., 2022). If not preemptively managed, bacterial spot can cause up to 40% yield loss (Kousik and Ritchie, 1998). During the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons, 103 yellow mucoid colonies were isolated from plants representing 51 pepper cultivars symptomatic of bacterial spot, i.e., water-soaked leaf lesions that become necrotic spots on leaves and fruits across 22 commercial fields in NC following published methods (Klein-Gordon et al., 2021). All colonies were characterized to species using the qPCR species-specific primers and probes described by Strayer et al. 2016. Of the 103 colonies, 12 isolates tested positive for X. perforans. To confirm qPCR results, a Multi-Locus Sequence Analysis (MLSA) was run using fusA, gapA, gltA, gyrB, and lacF following previously described methods (Almeida et al., 2010) on three representative isolates: AHX61, collected in September 2020 from a field with 20% disease severity in Wake County on cv. Canary Bell; AHX261, collected in July 2021 from a field with 50% disease severity in Sampson County on Jalapeño; and AHX426, collected in August 2021 from a field with 50% disease severity in Dublin County on Jalapeño. All gene sequences were deposited to NCBI (GenBank Accessions: OQ799538-OQ799552) and compared to those from X. euvesicatoria, X. hortorum pv. gardneri, X. perforans, and X. vesicatoria type strains (Almeida et al., 2010). The MLSA showed AHX61, AHX261, and AHX426 cluster with X. perforans ICMP16690T, sharing 99-100% nucleotide similarity. Koch's postulates were performed with the three strains, Xp1484T [ X. perforans type strain, (Wilson 1987)], and water as a negative control. Three 10-week-old bell pepper plants (cv. Early Cal Wonder) were dip-inoculated in 600 mL of a bacterial suspension at an OD600 of 0.3 (~5x108 CFU/mL) and 0.04% Silwet L-77 per strain or water. All 18 plants were individually incubated in a plastic bag for 48 h post-inoculation at 28°C, 80% relative humidity, and 14 h:10 h light-dark cycle in a growth chamber, after which plastic bags were removed. Water-soaking and necrotic spots characteristic of bacterial spot were first observed at six days post-inoculation (dpi). At 14 dpi, symptomatic leaves were removed from treated plants to attempt pathogen re-isolation. Yellow mucoid colonies similar in morphology to those originally inoculated were recovered from all plants and confirmed to be X. perforans through sequencing; no isolates were recovered from water-treated plants. To our knowledge, this is the first time X. perforans is isolated in commercial bell pepper and specialty pepper fields in the state. This is an indication that the Xanthomonas population on peppers in the state is more diverse than previously reported and that pathogen populations will require monitoring for possible species shifts for this crop in NC.

First report of leaf spot on Daphniphyllum macropodum caused by Neopestalotiopsis clavispora in China.

Daphniphyllum macropodum Miq., an evergreen arbor, is widely cultivated in southern China for its ornamental and medicinal value (Su et al. 2013). In October 2019, a severe leaf spot was observed on D. macropodum in Jinggangshan National Nature Reserve in Ji'an city, Jiangxi, China (114°06'23″E, 26°32'25″N). The plants were about 15 years old, and the disease incidence was estimated to be 15% (4/26 plants). The disease primarily appeared as small black spots on the leaves. At the late stage, the spots enlarged and coalesced into regular or irregular gray necrotic lesions with dark margins. We collected five samples per plant and total 20 samples were collected to isolated the pathogen strains. The margin of the diseased tissues was cut into 5 mm × 5 mm pieces; surface disinfected with 70% ethanol and 2% NaOCl for 30 s and 60 s, respectively; and rinsed thrice with sterile water. Tissues were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and incubated at 25°C in the dark. Pure cultures were obtained by single-spore isolation method, and the representative isolates, JRM3, JRM6, and JRM8 were used for morphological studies and phylogenetic analyses. The colonies of three isolates grown on PDA were white, cottony, and flocculent, contained undulate edges with dense aerial mycelium on the surface at 25 °C. Conidiomata was black conidial masses on PDA. Conidia were 5-celled, clavate to fusiform, smooth, 19.3 to 24.4 long × 6.1 to 8.6 μm wide (n = 50). The 3 median cells were dark brown to olivaceous, the central cell was darker than the other 2 cells, and the basal and apical cells were hyaline. All conidia developed one basal appendage (3.4 to 8.3 μm long; n = 50), and 2 to 3 apical appendages (18 to 32 μm long; n = 50), filiform. The morphological characteristics of the isolates are comparable with those of the genus Neopestalotiopsis (Maharachchikumbura et al. 2014). The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions, β-tubulin 2 (TUB2) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) were amplified from genomic DNA for the three isolates using primers ITS1/ITS4, T1/Bt-2b, EF1-728F/EF-2 (Maharachchikumbura et al. 2014), respectively. The sequences of the isolates were submitted to GenBank (ITS, OQ372202 to OQ372204; TUB2, OQ390129 to OQ390131; TEF1-α, OQ390126 to OQ390128). A maximum likelihood and Bayesian posterior probability analyses using IQtree v. 1.6.8 and Mr. Bayes v. 3.2.6 with the concatenated sequences placed JRM3, JRM6, and JRM8 in the clade of N. clavispora. Based on the multi-locus phylogeny and morphology, three isolates were identified as N. clavispora. To confirm pathogenicity, eight healthy 10-year-old D. macropodum plants growing in the field were chosen, and 4 leaves per plant were wounded with a sterile needle and inoculated with 10 μL conidial suspension per leaf (106 conidia/ml). Eight plants inoculated with sterile water were used as control. All the inoculated leaves were covered with plastic bags to maintian a humidity environment for 2 days. The leaves inoculated with conidial suspension showed similar symptoms to those observed in the field, whereas control leaves were asymptomatic for 10 days. The same fungus were re-isolated from the lesions, whereas no fungus was isolated from control leaves. N. clavispora was determined as the pathogen of a variety of plant diseases, including Kadsura coccinea (Xie et al. 2018), Dendrobium officinale (Cao et al. 2022), Macadamia integrifolia (Santos et al. 2019). However, this is the first report of N. clavispora infecting D. macropodum in China. This work provided crucial information for epidemiologic studies and appropriate control strategies for this newly emerging disease.

Bisifusarium lunatum causing cladode soft rot in pear cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera L. Salm-Dyck) in Brazil.

Cactus pear var. miúda (Nopalea cochenillifera L. Salm-Dyck) is an important crop for the Northeast region of Brazil, composing one of the main sources of animal feed. By April 2021, cladode rot caused death of several cactus pear plants in a production area located in Itaporanga, Paraíba state, Brazil (7°21'55.35" S and 38°11'38.68" W). The infected cladodes showed brown circular necrotic spots, and soft rot with perforations that extended throughout the cladode, followed by tipping over and death of the infected plants. The incidence of the disease ranged from 10 to 30% of the plants. Bisifusarium strains were isolated and cultured on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and syntetic-nutrient-poor-agar (SNA). The colonies showed purple color on PDA. On SNA, macroconidia (n = 100) were abundant, hyaline, slightly falcate, three-septate, measuring 11.0-23.1 x 2.3-4.1 μm. Microconidia (n = 100) were oval, generally aseptate, measuring 4.1-8.7 x 2.3-3.0 μm. Conidiogenic cells formed into short monophialides. Chlamydospores were not observed. According to these morphological features, the pathogen was initially identified as Bisifusarium lunatum (Gryzenhoutm et al. 2017). For further confirmation of the identification, the partial sequences of translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF1-α) and the second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB2) genes were sequenced for a representative isolate (CMA 34: GenBank accession no: TEF1-α: OR536502; and RPB2: OR553509) and compared to other Bisifusarium species from GenBank database. Subsequently, it was subjected to a phylogenetic analysis of maximum likelihood including previously published sequences. According to BLAST searches, the TEF1-α and RPB2 sequences were 99% (637/640 nt) and 100% (312/312 nt) similar to B. lunatum (COUFAL0213: TEF1-α (MK640219), and RPB2 (MK301291)), respectively. The isolate was also clustered in a clade containing the ex-type of B. lunatum with 100% support (SH-aLRT and UFboot), being confidently assigned to this species. The pathogenicity test was performed after Medeiros et al. (2015), by using healthy two months old cactus pear seedlings (n = 10) cultivated in a greenhouse. Sterile toothpicks were distributed over colonies of the representative isolate grown on PDA at 25 ± 2 °C for seven days. Seedling cladodes were stuck with the toothpicks, moistened with sterile water and covered with transparent plastic bags for 24h, thus simulating a humid chamber. Following three months, all control plants (stuck with sterile toothpicks) remained healthy, while those inoculated with the representative isolate exhibited rot symptoms. This test was performed twice. B. lunatum was reisolated from symptomatic cladodes and identified as previously described, thus fulfilling the Koch's postulates. To our best knowledge, this is the first report of B. lunatum causing soft rot on N. cochenillifera in Brazil. Besides N. cochenillifera, this species was also reported on Opuntia ficus-indica in India (Gryzenhoutm et al., 2017), which raises concern regarding its ability to infect other forage sources for cattle feed in Brazilian semiarid regions. The present study highlights that the precise identification of B. lunatum is a key factor to adjust control strategies and management of the disease to prevent the spread of this disease to prevent its spread to other crops.

Humor as Hope?

This article examines the use of humor in contemporary environmental short films, centering on the alleviating power of humor and its capacity to challenge conventional modes of perception. It argues that humor constitutes an important narrative device in the stories of critical hope that scholars claim are necessary in moving beyond the debilitating registers of apocalyptic rhetoric and crisis discourse. By comparing two short films—the Indian satire Finding Beauty in Garbage, and the American mockumentary The Majestic Plastic Bag—the article examines the affordance of irony, parody, and satire to model alternative and hopeful ways of interacting with contemporary toxic landscapes. The article demonstrates that while genres and devices such as satire, irony, and parody all trouble anthropocentric paradigms of human mastery, they do so in different ways and with different implications. Whereas satire offers an effective vehicle for lamenting the proliferation of waste, the critical mood that defines the genre also restricts its capacity for generating meanings and sensibilities outside conventional environmental discourse. By contrast, parody and irony appear more suited to mobilize such changes, as their playful estrangements model innovative and self-reflexive ways of perceiving waste as a source of beauty, a site of agency, and an object of guilt.

First Report of Anthracnose Caused by Colletotrichum plurivorum on Passion fruit in Guangxi, China.

Passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims.) is popular for its rich taste and nutritional value. The planting area of passion fruit in Guangxi has reached 24,300 ha, with an annual output of 380,000 t (Qian 2023). In March 2023, leave spots on more than half of the plants (cv. Qinmi "NO.9"). Moreover, the incidence of disease on the leaves was approximately 20% in Shabu Town, Qinnan District, Qinzhou City, Guangxi, China (N20˚54'-22˚41', E107˚27'-109˚56'). Leaf diseases were orbicular or irregular in shape, white, whitish-grey, yellowish, or gray in color. When leaves were severely affected, larger blotches were formed with yellow halos. For pathogen isolation, three diseased leaf samples were collected from three gardens, respectively, and 5×5 mm tissues were cut from infected margins, surface-disinfected in 75% ethanol for 15 s, followed by 2% sodium hypochlorite for 1 min, rinsed three times with sterile water, and incubated on PDA at 25°C under 12/12 h light/darkness. After 5 days, ninety cultures were isolated, sixty isolates with similar morphology were retained, and three representative isolates BY-1, BY-2, and BY-4 were randomly selected for further study. On PDA, colonies of the three isolates displayed white or grayish-white. Conidia were single-celled, hyaline, and cylindrical, measuring 17.3±1.5 × 6.3±0.7 μm, 17.8±1.7 × 6.0±0.6 μm, and 16.3±1.4 × 6.4±0.6 μm (n=90) for BY-1, BY-2, and BY-4, respectively. Appressoria were single, brown or black, and irregular in shape, measuring 10.2±1.1×6.5±0.5 μm, 10.5±1.3×7.3±0.6, and 10.9±0.8×7.0±0.8 (n=90) for BY-1, BY-2, and BY-4, respectively. These morphological characteristics were similar to Colletotrichum spp. as previously described (Damm et al. 2019). The isolates were further identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer (ITS-ITS1/ITS4), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH-GDF/GDR), actin (ACT-512F/783R), partial sequences of the chitin synthase 1 (CHS-1-79F/354R), and beta-tubulin 2 (TUB2-T1/Bt2b) (Zhang et al. 2023). All sequences were deposited in GenBank (ITS: OR741759 to OR741761, GAPDH: OR767654 to OR767656, ACT: OR767657 to OR767659, CHS-1: OR767660 to OR767662, TUB2: OR767651 to OR767653). A phylogenetic tree was built with RAxML version 8.2.10 based on concatenated sequences of ITS-GAPDH-ACT-CHS-1-TUB2. The results revealed that the three isolates clustered with C. plurivorum. To confirm the pathogenicity of the three isolates, attached leaves of healthy 5-month-old passion fruit plants were injured in the middle region with sterile toothpicks and inoculated with 20 μL of spore suspension (106 conidia/mL), and the noninoculated control received 0.05% Tween-20 (6 leaves/plant, 3 plants/treatment). The inoculated plants were kept in a greenhouse at 25°C and covered with plastic bags to maintain high humidity. After 9 days, all inoculated leaves were symptomatic, whereas no symptoms were observed in the control. C. plurivorum was reisolated from infected leaves, confirming Koch's postulates. C. plurivorum has been reported to infect Abelmoschus esculentus (Batista et al. 2020) and Carya illinoinensis in China (Zhang et al. 2023). However, this is the first report of anthracnose caused by C. plurivorum on passion fruit in China. The results can provide a robust basis for scientific prevention and control of anthracnose.