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BACKGROUND Over the past decade, demethylation inhibitor (DMI) and succinate dehydrogenase inhibitor (SDHI) fungicides have been extensively used to control to septoria tritici blotch, caused by Zymoseptoria tritici on wheat. This has led to the development and selection of alterations in the target-site enzymes (CYP51 and SDH, respectively). RESULTS Taking advantage of newly and previously developed qPCR assays, the frequency of key alterations associated with DMI (CYP51-S524T) and SDHI (SDHC-T79N/I, C-N86S and C-H152R) resistance was assessed in Z. tritici-infected wheat leaf samples collected from commercial crops (n = 140) across 14 European countries prior to fungicide application in the spring of 2019. This revealed the presence of a West to East gradient in the frequencies of the most common key alterations conferring azole (S524T) and SDHI resistance (T79N and N86S), with the highest frequencies measured in Ireland and Great Britain. These observations were corroborated by sequencing (CYP51 and SDH subunits) and sensitivity phenotyping (prothioconazole-desthio and fluxapyroxad) of Z. tritici isolates collected from a selection of field samples. Additional sampling made at the end of the 2019 season confirmed the continued increase in frequency of the targeted alterations. Investigations on historical leaf DNA samples originating from different European countries revealed that the frequency of all key alterations (except C-T79I) has been gradually increasing over the past decade. CONCLUSION Whilst these alterations are quickly becoming dominant in Ireland and Great Britain, scope still exists to delay their selection throughout the wider European population, emphasizing the need for the implementation of fungicide antiresistance measures. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Fungicide resistance has become a challenging problem in management of Septoria tritici blotch (STB), caused by Zymoseptoria tritici, the most destructive disease of winter wheat throughout western and northern Europe. To ensure the continued effectiveness of those fungicides currently used, it is essential to monitor the development and spread of such resistance in field populations of the pathogen. Since resistance to the key families of fungicides used for STB control (demethyalation inhibitors or azoles, succinate dehydrogenase inhibitors or SDHIs and Quinone outside Inhibitors or QoIs) is conferred through target-site mutations, the potential exists to monitor resistance through the molecular detection of alterations in the target site genes. As more efficient fungicides were developed and applied, the pathogen has continuously adapted through accumulating multiple target-site alterations. In order to accurately monitor these changes in field populations, it is therefore becoming increasingly important to completely sequence the targeted genes. Here we report the development of a PacBio assay that facilitates the multiplex amplification and long-read sequencing of the target gene(s) for the azole (CYP51), SDHI (Sdh B, C, and D), and QoI (cytochrome b) fungicides. The assay was developed and optimised using three Irish Z. tritici collections established in spring 2017, which capture the range of fungicide resistance present in modern European populations of Z. tritici. The sequences obtained through the PacBio assay were validated using traditional Sanger sequencing and in vitro sensitivity screenings. To further exploit the long-read and high throughput potential of PacBio sequencing, an additional nine housekeeping genes (act, BTUB, cal, cyp, EF1, GAPDH, hsp80-1, PKC, TFC1) were sequenced and used to provide comprehensive Z. tritici strain genotyping.

The centralising of women within institutional responses to sexual violence (Ministry of Justice, 2019) and sexual violence scholarship (Fanslow & Robinson, 2004a, 2011; Fanslow, Robinson, Crengle, & Perese, 2010; Gavey, 1991; Jordan, 2004, 2008) consequently means that despite men being both the primary perpetrators of sexual violence, and whose privileged identities create and maintain rape culture, men often remain invisible within sexual violence discourse. To gain insight into how young men understand sexual violence, rape culture, and their own identity within these structures, this research involved (n=11) qualitative semi-structured interviews with cisgender men aged between 18-30 who identified as heterosexual. These interviews highlighted the complexities of participant’s comprehension of sexual violence, particularly regarding the typology and motivations of offenders, the relationship between gender, alcohol, power and consent, and the various perceived causes of sexual violence. Participants also signalled the importance of comprehensive consent and sex education as a method of sexual violence prevention. This research is essential to responsibilise sexual violence prevention as the obligation of men, effectively inform prevention, intervention and response measures, and work towards ultimately eradicating sexual violence and the wider rape culture in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Following recent high-profile allegations of gender-based violence perpetrated by professional rugby players in contexts involving alcohol in New Zealand, concerns regarding the safety of women in the context of New Zealand rugby culture have emerged. Despite these concerns, no previous studies have explored how rugby culture is enacted in gendered environments where alcohol is consumed, nor has research considered how women in these environments perceive or experience rugby culture. This research addresses an important literature gap, by exploring how women working in licensed leisure venues perceive and experience New Zealand rugby culture. Applying a feminist lens, this qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews with fifteen women who had experience working in New Zealand’s night-time economy. This study found that experiences of violence, degradation, and sexual objectification were a routine and expected part of the women’s interactions with rugby culture. These experiences profoundly impacted their ability to enjoy and participate in rugby, compromised their feelings of workplace safety and satisfaction, and contributed to a range of adverse mental health outcomes. While alcohol was considered to exacerbate antisocial behaviours within rugby culture, the participants identified multiple pathways to rugby-related violence, all of which can be linked to a ‘Kiwi bloke’ version of masculinity that prizes heterosexuality, toughness, and alcohol consumption. Based on these findings, this research concludes that in gendered environments that involve alcohol, New Zealand rugby culture cannot be considered a safe culture for women. This study therefore emphasises the need to prioritise ways of addressing attitudes, behaviours, and approaches to masculinity within rugby culture that may be conducive to gender-based violence and, given the cultural dominance of rugby in New Zealand, serves as an urgent call for further empirical research to inform the developm

This thesis explores the experiences of New Zealanders who order illicit drugs from cryptomarkets, with particular attention to their perspectives on New Zealand’s conventional illicit drug market, the negatives and positives of drug cryptomarkets, and their notable insights and features. Internationally, research on engagement with drug cryptomarkets is emergent. However, peer-reviewed research on New Zealand drug cryptomarket users remains absent. This thesis attempts to begin to fill this gap, exploring the experiences and viewpoints of New Zealand drug cryptomarket users within the context of existing international literature. The study utilised qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 12 New Zealanders who have accessed drug cryptomarkets. The data from the interviews were interpreted through thematic analysis using constructivist grounded theory. The research found that the constraints of New Zealand’s conventional drug market push some drug consumers to use cryptomarkets to access illicit drugs. Although drug cryptomarkets have various pull factors that attract participants to them, they also have negative aspects which influence participants’ choices and behaviours when accessing cryptomarkets. The findings that are presented give voice to the lived experiences of New Zealanders who access drug cryptomarkets, extend scholarly knowledge of cryptomarket users, and highlight further avenues for research.

Throughout the 1990s, Vietnam experienced a dramatic rise in the prevalence of HIV among people who use drugs. In response, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health implemented several legal and policy interventions in the name of harm reduction. However, perceptions about drug use, people who use drugs, addiction and the nature of official interventions are contested. For many Vietnamese officials, abstinence remains the dominant philosophy. Drug use is considered a ‘social evil’ in Vietnam and people who use drugs face draconian controls and incarceration in the name of treatment and crime prevention. Against this background, this thesis explores how key stakeholders perceive harm reduction philosophy and how they apply it in policy and practice. Based on qualitative and quantitative methods, it presents findings from a survey with 250 respondents and 26 semi-structured interviews, all with professionals involved in responding to drug use in Vietnam. The thesis illustrates that these professionals prefer abstinence approaches, and often see addiction as the result of moral failings and brain diseases. While some interventions in the name of harm reduction are accepted, they are firmly rooted within a narrow public health perspective. Professional misperceptions about the key principles and practices of ‘authentic’ harm reduction are widespread. Many professionals believe, for example, that harms can only be limited through reductions in the demand and supply of drugs, or that detaining people who use drugs in compulsory treatment centres is a form of harm reduction. These rationales have resulted in continuing police crackdowns, and the use of ‘pseudo’ harm reduction strategies to control and punish people who use drugs. Meanwhile, there are limited official attempts to address problems experienced by people who use drugs, like social isolation, stigma, discrimination, human rights violations, or problems of community reintegration. In conclusion, while a harm reduction rheto