Comparisons of organic and conventional maize and tomato cropping systems from a long-term experiment in California

Yield differences and trends, organic matter accumulation, and the loss of nutrients to deeper soil horizons are discussed using data from organic and conventional maize/tomato cropping systems from the Long Term Research on Agricultural Systems Project (LTRAS) at the University of California, Davis. Compared to the conventional system, higher and increasing yields of tomatoes were observed in organic systems, but lower yields of maize. Fruit quality, measured as soluble solids, was not significantly different. Soil organic matter increased in the organic system, but remained stable in the conventional one. More irrigation water was used in the organic system than in the conventional one due to higher rates of infiltration, but less winter runoff occurred during the rainy season for the same reason. There was no measurable loss of inorganic N (NO3, NH4) in soil to 3 m depth in either the conventional or organic system after ten years of farming

EQUITY-POWER TO RESCIND CONVEYANCE FOR FRAUD-SURVIVAL

Defendants obtained a deed from plaintiffs\u27 testator shortly before he died. Plaintiffs, his residuary devisees, filed a bill seeking cancellation of the deed, alleging that it was procured by undue influence. Defendants demurred on the ground that undue influence is a species of fraud and the power to rescind a conveyance for fraud does not survive the grantor\u27s death. The demurrer was overruled. On appeal, held, affirmed. The power to rescind was not extinguished by the grantor\u27s death. Glojek v. Glojek, (Wis. 1948) 35 N.W. (2d) 203

GIFTS - CAUSA MORTIS -AUTOMOBILES - EFFECT OF STATUTE ON TRANSFER OF TITLE BY GIFT AND WILL

Plaintiff filed a bill in chancery seeking a declaration of rights with respect to an automobile to which she claimed title by reason of a gift causa morris. Although the evidence offered by plaintiff on trial tended to support a valid common law gift causa mortis, defendant contended that the gift was ineffective because of the failure of the donor to comply with a statute which stated that in the event of the sale or other transfer . . . of the ownership of a motor vehicle for which a certain certificate of title has been issued . . . the holder of such certificate shall endorse on the back of same an assignment thereof with warranty of title . . . and deliver the same to the purchaser or transferee. Held, the words or other transfer include gifts causa mortis, and an assignment and delivery of the certificate of title are essential to the execution of a valid gift. Taylor v. Burdick, 320 Mich. 25, 30 N.W. (2d) 418 (1948)

Water-Use Characteristics of Warm-Season Putting Green Cultivars and Management Practices Associated with New Putting Green Genetics

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is the most common turfgrass used on golf course putting greens in the southeastern United States (Lyman et al., 2007). In 2013, the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) started a 5-year trial of warm-season putting green cultivars. One of the bermudagrass cultivars in the study is MSB-285 (experimental cultivar). MSB-285 is a sister plant of MSB-264 (Philley and Munshaw, 2011) and is a distinct cultivar of C. dactylon × C. transvaalensis. MSB-285 has a more extensive root system and upright growth habit than traditional bermudagrass putting green cultivars (Philley and Munshaw, 2011). Due to MSB-285’s unique genetic makeup and growth habit, the objectives of this research were to determine if best management practices used to maintain ultradwarf bermudagrasses would be suitable for MSB-285 and to determine the water-use characteristics of MSB-285 compared to industry standard cultivars

Water-Use Characteristics of Warm-Season Putting Green Cultivars and Management Practices Associated with New Putting Green Genetics

Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is the most common turfgrass used on golf course putting greens in the southeastern United States (Lyman et al., 2007). In 2013, the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) started a 5-year trial of warm-season putting green cultivars. One of the bermudagrass cultivars in the study is MSB-285 (experimental cultivar). MSB-285 is a sister plant of MSB-264 (Philley and Munshaw, 2011) and is a distinct cultivar of C. dactylon × C. transvaalensis. MSB-285 has a more extensive root system and upright growth habit than traditional bermudagrass putting green cultivars (Philley and Munshaw, 2011). Due to MSB-285’s unique genetic makeup and growth habit, the objectives of this research were to determine if best management practices used to maintain ultradwarf bermudagrasses would be suitable for MSB-285 and to determine the water-use characteristics of MSB-285 compared to industry standard cultivars

Novel Exploration Techniques (NETs) for Malaria Policy Interventions

The task of decision-making under uncertainty is daunting, especially for problems which have significant complexity. Healthcare policy makers across the globe are facing problems under challenging constraints, with limited tools to help them make data driven decisions. In this work we frame the process of finding an optimal malaria policy as a stochastic multi-armed bandit problem, and implement three agent based strategies to explore the policy space. We apply a Gaussian Process regression to the findings of each agent, both for comparison and to account for stochastic results from simulating the spread of malaria in a fixed population. The generated policy spaces are compared with published results to give a direct reference with human expert decisions for the same simulated population. Our novel approach provides a powerful resource for policy makers, and a platform which can be readily extended to capture future more nuanced policy spaces.Comment: Under-revie

\u3cem\u3eCommentary\u3c/em\u3e Distance-Dependent Effectiveness of Diversionary Bear Bait Sites

We (Stringham and Bryant 2015) previously reported on Bryant’s experiment in diversionary baiting of black bears (Ursus americanus). This occurred during the historically severe drought of 2007, in the Lake Tahoe Basin at the border of California and Nevada, USA. Effectiveness of baiting was inversely related to each community’s distance from the bait site. That has provoked the question whether conflict rates during the period of baiting would have fallen anyway even without baiting. We show here that the general trend during both pre and post-baiting years (2005–2006 and 2008–2009) was for an increase in conflicts during the same months that conflict rate declined during 2007. We also previously reported that, when data were pooled from all 20 communities, total conflicts in the year after baiting were lower than in the year before baiting; there was no backlash after baiting ended. The question has since arisen about whether pooling data across all communities hid backlash in those communities closest to a 2007 bait site – that post-baiting conflict rate was also inversely related to each community’s distance from the nearest bait station. However, our regressions reveal no such relationship between distance versus total annual conflicts in each community during either or both of the 2 years post-baiting (2008–2009)

BILLS AND NOTES--INDORSEMENT FOR DEPOSIT ONLY --EFFECT ON NEGOTIABILITY

Defendant, in payment for goods purchased, drew two checks payable to W which W indorsed pay to order of plaintiff bank for deposit only and deposited with plaintiff. Plaintiff credited W\u27s account with the amount of the checks, which sum was immediately withdrawn. Defendant then stopped payment of the checks as W failed to deliver the goods purchased; and, since W was bankrupt, plaintiff sought to recover the amount of the checks from defendant. Defendant sought to assert a defense which was good against W, on the theory that plaintiff, as restrictive indorsee, was merely a trustee for W and not a holder in due course. Held, the trial court was correct in finding that plaintiff was a holder in due course. Rubio Sav. Bank of Brighton v. Acme Farm Products Co., (Iowa 1949) 37 N.W. (2d) 16

EQUITY-INJUNCTION-NONCONFORMANCE OF LUSTRON HOUSE TO BUILDING RESTRICTIONS

Plaintiffs, as landowners in a restricted Detroit subdivision, sought to restrain the defendants from erecting a Lustron house in violation of restrictions limiting construction to full basement, one-family dwellings, costing a minimum of $6,000 and composed of brick, brick veneer, hollow tile or stucco. These restrictions were imposed on all lots in the subdivision by the original owner in 1925. The Lustron house, although costing approximately$7,500, had no basement and was constructed entirely of steel. After agreeing to remove it should the court enforce the restrictions, defendants erected the house. On appeal from a decree granting an injunction, held, affirmed by an equally divided court. Evergreen Village Civic Assn. v. Oakborn, Inc., 327 Mich. 161 (1950)