More than two-thirds of newborn lives could be saved worldwide if evidence-based interventions were successfully implemented. We developed the NeoTree application to improve quality of newborn care in resource-poor countries. The NeoTree is a fully integrated digital health intervention that combines immediate data capture, entered by healthcare workers (HCW) on admission, while simultaneously providing them with evidence-based clinical decision support and newborn care education. We conducted a mixed-methods intervention development study, codeveloping and testing the NeoTree prototype with HCWs in a district hospital in Malawi. Focus groups explored the acceptability and feasibility of digital health solutions before and after implementation of the NeoTree in the clinical setting. One-to-one theoretical usability workshops and a 1-month clinical usability study informed iterative changes, gathered process and clinical data, System Usability Scale (SUS) and perceived improvements in quality of care. HCWs perceived the NeoTree to be acceptable and feasible. Mean SUS before and after the clinical usability study were high at 80.4 and 86.1, respectively (above average is >68). HCWs reported high-perceived improvements in quality of newborn care after using the NeoTree on the ward. They described improved confidence in clinical decision-making, clinical skills, critical thinking and standardisation of care. Identified factors for successful implementation included a technical support worker. Coproduction, mixed-methods approaches and user-focused iterative development were key to the development of the NeoTree prototype, which was shown to be an agile, acceptable, feasible and highly usable tool with the potential to improve the quality of newborn care in resource-poor settings.

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Background: Weed control represents a major issue in plant cultivation in containers. Manual weed control is very expensive and the use of chemical herbicide or plastic mulch films has a large environmental impact. The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of an experimental biodegradable chitosan-based mulching spray in controlling weed growth in containers. This research also studied the effect of this mulch on the growth of Viburnum lucidum Mill. plants to test for possible phytotoxic effects. Results:The study compared a total of six treatments derived from three types of weed control (no weed control; herbicide, oxadiazon; mulching spray) applied in containers either filled only with the sterile substrate or filled with the sterile substrate and then artificially inoculated with seeds of the weed species [Sonchus asper (L.) Hill subsp. asper and Epilobium montanum L.]. The mulch controlled the weeds effectively for more than 2 months after its application even under severe weed infestation. The mulching spray controlled the emergence of S. asper more efficiently than E. montanum plants, probably because the latter has a stronger capacity to penetrate the mulch film during emergence.Conclusions: Three months after its application, the mulch started to degrade and this allowed some weeds to emerge in the containers, but, in general, the mulch performed better than the herbicide. The chitosan-based mulch did not have any negative effective on the growth of V. lucidum plants.

Background and Aims: Post-veraison trimming and defoliation have been proposed as strategies to decrease the concentration of berry carbohydrate at harvest and of wine alcohol, but it is unclear which of these two pruning techniques is more suitable and at what intensity they should be applied. The aimof this 3-year study was to compare the suitability of two intensities of post-veraison trimming or defoliation in controlling sugar accumulation in the berries of Aglianico grapevines.\ud Methods and Results: Five treatments were compared: two intensities of defoliation, two intensities of shoot trimming and a control. All pruning treatments decreased berry TSS at harvest and wine alcohol concentration. Defoliation and trimming of moderate intensity also improved wine sensory score, whereas intense defoliation and trimming can affect negatively this parameter.\ud Conclusions: Post-veraison defoliation and trimming of moderate intensity appear to be suitable strategies for decreasing berry TSS at harvest and wine alcohol concentration.\ud Significance of the Study: The selection of the correct intensity of leaf removal appears to be one of the critical factors in correctly designing a suitable strategy of post-veraison summer pruning that aims to decrease sugar accumulation in the berries, whereas the choice of the type of pruning appears to be less crucial