The Cyclin-dependent Kinase Activator, Spy1A, Is Targeted for Degradation by the Ubiquitin Ligase NEDD4

Spy1A is a cyclin-like protein required for progression through the G(1)/S phase of the cell cycle. Elevated Spy1A protein levels have been implicated in tumorigenesis and are attributed to overriding the DNA damage response and enhancing cell proliferation. Understanding how Spy1A is produced and degraded is essential in resolving how it contributes to normal and abnormal growth processes. Herein, we demonstrate that Spy1A is degraded in a cell cycle-dependent manner during mitosis via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. We have resolved the E3 ligase and essential phosphorylation sites mediating Spy1A degradation. Furthermore, we have determined that non-degradable forms of Spy1A do not trigger cell cycle arrest but, rather, contribute to uncontrolled cell growth. Further investigation into the regulation of Spy1A may reveal novel strategies for understanding the etiology and progression of specific growth disorders

Linking Resilience Theory and Diffusion of Innovations Theory to Understand the Potential for Perennials in the U.S. Corn Belt

In the last 200 yr, more than 80% of the land in the U.S. Corn Belt agro-ecosystem has been converted from natural perennial vegetation to intensive agricultural production of row crops. Despite research showing how re-integration of perennial vegetation, e.g., cover crops, pasture, riparian buffers, and restored wetlands, at strategic landscape positions can bolster declining regional ecosystem functions, the amount of land area devoted to row crop production in the Corn Belt continues to increase. As this region enters a time of fast-paced and uncertain reorganization driven by the emerging bioeconomy, changes in land use will continue to take place that will impact the resilience of the Corn Belt’s linked social and ecological systems for years to come. Both resilience theory and the diffusion of innovations theory investigate how change is brought about in systems through the adaptation and innovation of social actors. In this paper, we integrate these two frameworks in the analysis of 33 in-depth interviews to improve our understanding of how rural Corn Belt stakeholders make conservation decisions in the midst of an uncertain future. Interview data indicate that the adoption of conservation practices is based not only on immediate profitability but also on the interplay between contextual factors at three distinct levels of the system: compatibility with farm priorities, profitability, practices, and technologies; community-level reinforcement through local social networks, norms, and support structures; and consistent, straightforward, flexible, and well-targeted incentives and regulations issuing from regional institutions. Interviewees suggest that the multiscale drivers that currently support the continued expansion of row crop production could be realigned with conservation objectives in landscapes of the future. Adaptation of social actors through collaborative learning at the community level may be instrumental in brokering the sort of multiscale system change that would lead to more widespread adoption of perennial cover types in the Corn Belt

Participatory ecology for \u27Agriculture of the Middle\u27: Developing tools and partnerships to bridge gaps among science, people and policy in landscape change

Based on findings of this project, the adaptive landscape changes needed to significantly incorporate perennial vegetation strategies into Iowa\u27s Corn Belt-dominated agriculture are possible if a coordinated strategy of change is coupled across three scales: field/individual, landscape/community, and regional/institutional

Direct Democracy, State Governments, and the Re-energized GMO Debate : Implications of California's Proposition 37

It is often convenient to divide the world into those countries that have been generally accepting of agricultural biotechnology and those that are not. While the debate over biotechnology continues to rage where biotechnology has not been accepted, in adopting countries the debate is often seen as being over. This has been the case for the United States. In fact, the debate over agricultural biotechnology has continued but has not had a high profile. The debate in the United States has been re-energized due to California's 2012 Proposition 37, which would have required labeling of GM-foods in the state. Given the importance of California in both the national food system and national politics, Proposition 37 had national and international ramifications. While Proposition 37 was rejected by a narrow margin, it has spurred other state- and municipal-level initiatives regarding the regulation of biotechnology. This article examines the political dynamics underlying Proposition 37 and the economic implications of similar regulatory initiatives becoming law in the future. The article argues that proposed measures can have a major influence on attempts to regulate in other jurisdictions

Acute Stress Selectively Reduces Reward Sensitivity

Stress may promote the onset of psychopathology by disrupting reward processing. However, the extent to which stress impairs reward processing, rather than incentive processing more generally, is unclear. To evaluate the specificity of stress-induced reward processing disruption, 100 psychiatrically healthy females were administered a probabilistic stimulus selection task (PSST) that enabled comparison of sensitivity to reward-driven (Go) and punishment-driven (NoGo) learning under either “no stress” or “stress” (threat-of-shock) conditions. Cortisol samples and self-report measures were collected. Contrary to hypotheses, the groups did not differ significantly in task performance or cortisol reactivity. However, further analyses focusing only on individuals under “stress” who were high responders with regard to both cortisol reactivity and self-reported negative affect revealed reduced reward sensitivity relative to individuals tested in the “no stress” condition; importantly, these deficits were reward-specific. Overall, findings provide preliminary evidence that stress-reactive individuals show diminished sensitivity to reward, but not punishment, under stress. While such results highlight the possibility that stress-induced anhedonia might be an important mechanism linking stress to affective disorders, future studies are necessary to confirm this conjecture.Psycholog

Thermal Tolerances of the Spotted-Wing Drosophila Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

The spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii Matsumura) is an invasive species of Asian origin that is now widely distributed in North America and Europe. Because of the female’s serrated ovipositor, eggs are laid in preharvest fruit, causing large economic losses in cultivated berries and stone fruit. Modeling D. suzukii population dynamics and potential distribution will require information on its thermal tolerance. Large summer populations have been found in regions with severe winter conditions, though little is known about responses to prolonged low-temperature exposure. We used controlled chambers to examine D. suzukii fecundity, development rate, and mortality across a range of temperatures encompassing the upper and lower thresholds (5–35°C). Optimal temperatures ( Topt ) were found to be 28.2°C for the development of the egg-to-adult stage, and 22.9°C for reproductive output. No adult eclosion occurred below 8.1°C ( Tlower ) or above 30.9°C ( Tupper ). We also investigated survival outcomes following prolonged (42-d) low-temperature exposure to a simulated cold winter (−5, −3, −1, 1, 3, and 5°C). Adult survival was dependent on temperature, with a mean LT50 of 4.9°C. There were no effects of sex, mating status, geographic strain, and photoperiod preexposure on overwintering survival. Thirty-eight percent of females that were mated prior, but not after, prolonged low-temperature exposure produced viable offspring, suggesting that this species may undergo sperm storage. This study provides data on the thermal tolerances of D. suzukii , which can be used for models of D. suzukii population dynamics, degree-day, and distribution models

Parental Anxiety Associated with Summer Camp Experiences: A Comparative Analysis Across Volunteer and Employee-Staffed Camps

Parent anxiety can limit a parent’s willingness to involve their child in out-of-school time experiences such as summer camps. Researchers have studied anxiety within the context of camp, but these studies used narrow frameworks of anxiety. In this exploratory study, we collected open-ended responses about causes of parent anxiety associated with summer camp experiences from 656 parents whose children attended one of two Extension-administered camps. The camps represented different camp staffing models—one primarily staffed by volunteers and the other primarily staffed by employees. The primary purpose of the study was to identify salient categories of anxiety and to examine if anxiety differed based on staffing model. The secondary purpose was to develop a camp-related parent anxiety measure informed by the anxiety categories. Eleven categories were constructed from the data, which both affirmed and expanded existing literature on parent anxiety associated with camp experiences. No differences in parent anxiety were found based on staffing model, suggesting that parents were no more likely to perceive anxiety associated with camp when the program was staffed with volunteers as they were when the program was staffed by employees. Implications for practice and future directions are examined