Cross-Disciplinary Analysis of the On-Farm Transition from Conventional to Organic Vegetable Production

This farm-scale analysis of the three-year transition to organic from conventional vegetable production tracked the changes in crop, soil, pest and management on two ranches (40 and 47 ha) in the Salinas Valley, California. Many small plantings of a diverse set of cash crop and cover crop species were used, as compared to only a few species in large monocultures in conventional production. The general trends with time were: increase in soil biological indicators, low soil nitrate pools, adequate crop nutrients, minor disease and weed problems, and sporadic mild insect damage. Some crops and cultivars consistently produced higher yields than others, relative to the maximum yield for a given crop. Differences in insect and disease damage were also observed. These results support the value of initially using a biodiverse set of taxa to reduce risk, then later choosing the best-suited varieties for optimal production. The grower used some principles of organic farming (e.g., crop diversity, crop rotation, and organic matter management), but also relied on substitution-based management, such as fertigation with soluble nutrients, initially heavy applications of organic pesticides, and use of inputs derived from off-farm sources. The organic transition was conducive to both production goals and environmental quality

What factors attract people to play romantic video games?

People in romantic relationships often benefit from improved mental and physical health and well-being. Today, these relationships can be recreated using virtual agents. For instance, some people anthropomorphize and fall in love with a virtual partner in a romantic video game. Although previous psychological research has examined anthropomorphized agents, it has neglected virtual romantic relationships. This study aims to examine the desire to play underlying playing romantic video games (RVGs). In Study 1, 43 Japanese participants completed a survey about their desire to play RVGs and their current romantic relationship status. The research revealed that a human-like voice and the use of touch were perceived as important factors in anthropomorphized relationships. In Study 2, an independent sample of 281 Japanese participants replicated the results of Study 1 regarding the importance of voice and touch in RVGs. Moreover, we found that a desire to develop social skills and alleviate negative emotions independently desire to play RVG use. As an important first step, these findings reveal several factors which might contribute to developing a romantic relationship with a virtual agent

Effects of cognitive strategies on behavioral intentions towards strangers: A replication study in the United Kingdom

Previous studies have examined the effects of four cognitive strategies (defensive pessimism (DP), strategic optimism (SO), realistic pessimism (RP), and unjustified optimism (UO)) on cognitive and behavioral patterns in task-related situations. In this context, Shimizu, Nakashima, & Morinaga (2016) found that a tendency toward DP was associated with considerate and respectful behavioral intentions and provided insights into the functions of cognitive strategies in interpersonal contexts. This finding was replicated by Shimizu, Abe, & Nakashima (2020), who showed that UOs had less considerate and respectful behavioral intentions than RPs and SOs. In the present study, we attempted to examine whether the findings of Shimizu et al. (2020) could be replicated in a British adult population (N = 186) who participated in an online survey. Path analysis showed that the association between cognitive strategies and behavioral intentions was not replicated, although the model presented in Shimizu et al. (2020) was fitted (CFI = .99，RMSEA = .05，SRMR = .03). Differences in the functioning of cognitive strategies among participant age groups and cultures are discussed.本研究は，JSPS科研費（17J04187）の補助を受けて行われた

Phos-tag analysis of Rab10 phosphorylation by LRRK2:a powerful assay for assessing kinase function and inhibitors

Autosomal dominant mutations that activate the leucine-rich repeat kinase-2 (LRRK2) cause inherited Parkinson's disease. Recent work has revealed that LRRK2 directly phosphorylates a conserved Thr/Ser residue in the effector-binding switch-II motif of a number of Rab GTPase proteins, including Rab10. Here we describe a facile and robust method to assess phosphorylation of endogenous Rab10 in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), lung and spleen derived B Cells, based on the ability of the Phos-tag reagent to retard the electrophoretic mobility of LRRK2 phosphorylated Rab10. We exploit this assay to show that phosphorylation of Rab10 is ablated in kinase inactive LRRK2[D2017A] knock-in MEFs and mouse lung, demonstrating that LRRK2 is the major Rab10 kinase in these cells/tissue. We also establish that the Phos-tag assay can be deployed to monitor the impact that activating LRRK2 pathogenic (G2019S and R1441G) knock-in mutations have on stimulating Rab10 phosphorylation. We show that upon addition of LRRK2 inhibitors, Rab10 is dephosphorylated within 1-2 min, markedly more rapidly than the Ser935 and Ser1292 biomarker sites that require 40-80 min. Furthermore, we find that phosphorylation of Rab10 is suppressed in LRRK2[S910A, S935A] knock-in MEFs indicating that phosphorylation of Ser910 and Ser935 and potentially 14-3-3 binding play a role in facilitating the phosphorylation of Rab10 by LRRK2 in vivo. The Rab Phos-tag assay has the potential to significantly aide with evaluating the effect that inhibitors, mutations and other factors have on the LRRK2 signalling pathway

Guidelines for Genome-Scale Analysis of Biological Rhythms

Genome biology approaches have made enormous contributions to our understanding of biological rhythms, particularly in identifying outputs of the clock, including RNAs, proteins, and metabolites, whose abundance oscillates throughout the day. These methods hold significant promise for future discovery, particularly when combined with computational modeling. However, genome-scale experiments are costly and laborious, yielding “big data” that are conceptually and statistically difficult to analyze. There is no obvious consensus regarding design or analysis. Here we discuss the relevant technical considerations to generate reproducible, statistically sound, and broadly useful genome-scale data. Rather than suggest a set of rigid rules, we aim to codify principles by which investigators, reviewers, and readers of the primary literature can evaluate the suitability of different experimental designs for measuring different aspects of biological rhythms. We introduce CircaInSilico, a web-based application for generating synthetic genome biology data to benchmark statistical methods for studying biological rhythms. Finally, we discuss several unmet analytical needs, including applications to clinical medicine, and suggest productive avenues to address them

Guidelines for Genome-Scale Analysis of Biological Rhythms

Genome biology approaches have made enormous contributions to our understanding of biological rhythms, particularly in identifying outputs of the clock, including RNAs, proteins, and metabolites, whose abundance oscillates throughout the day. These methods hold significant promise for future discovery, particularly when combined with computational modeling. However, genome-scale experiments are costly and laborious, yielding ‘big data’ that is conceptually and statistically difficult to analyze. There is no obvious consensus regarding design or analysis. Here we discuss the relevant technical considerations to generate reproducible, statistically sound, and broadly useful genome scale data. Rather than suggest a set of rigid rules, we aim to codify principles by which investigators, reviewers, and readers of the primary literature can evaluate the suitability of different experimental designs for measuring different aspects of biological rhythms. We introduce CircaInSilico, a web-based application for generating synthetic genome biology data to benchmark statistical methods for studying biological rhythms. Finally, we discuss several unmet analytical needs, including applications to clinical medicine, and suggest productive avenues to address them

Cabbage Production in California

Basic information for commercial cabbage producers, including information on crop climatic requirements, varieties, planting, fertilization, harvest, and marketing channels

Cabbage Production in California

Basic information for commercial cabbage producers, including information on crop climatic requirements, varieties, planting, fertilization, harvest, and marketing channels