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The potato is one of the most important food and cash crops in Malawi, but current yields are low and the fertilizer recommendations rely on outdated soil fertility information. To understand the influence of soil factors in limiting current potato production, the mineralogical and physicochemical soil characteristics of 26 farms in the central highlands of Malawi were evaluated. Cluster analysis with clay, crystalline iron oxide, and total carbon content revealed three clusters with two corresponding to Ferralsols and one to Regosols, which are known to exist in the area. In the three clusters, the soil was generally acidic with low exchangeable acidity and aluminium (Al; < 0.7 cmolc kg-1); thus, Al toxicity was not a concern because the soil solution Al would be very low to negatively affect plant growth. Inorganic nitrogen was adequate, while available phosphate and exchangeable potassium (K) were variable within each cluster. However, a deficiency in exchangeable calcium (Ca; < 3.6 cmolc kg-1) and magnesium (Mg; < 1.2 cmolc kg-1) indicated that low base cation concentration was the problem and the potential yield-limiting factor. Soil management, not soil type, appeared to determine soil nutrient conditions based on the current soil Ca and Mg deficiencies and variable K nutrient status. There is a need for updating the current fertilizer recommendations by incorporating K, Ca, and Mg and promoting soil amendment interventions using locally available animal manure and plant ash. Key words: acid soil; fertilizer; Ferralsols, Regosols, Solanum tuberosum L., aluminium toxicity, calcium; magnesium.

Maize grain hardness influences storage pest resistance, a key characteristic valued by smallholder farmers. The structural changes in the endosperm determine grain hardness and are influenced by agronomic practices. The purpose of this study was to establish whether supply of calcium and magnesium based fertilizers can alter physicochemical properties of local and hybrid maize varieties and reduce the infestation by larger grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae)) during storage. Two local and one hybrid maize varieties commonly grown by smallholder farmers in Malawi were cultivated under three fertilizer treatments (NPK (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium), NPK plus gypsum, and NPK plus dolomite). After harvest, the grains were classified into flint and dent types, followed by P. truncatus infestation and determination of their physicochemical properties. The addition of gypsum and dolomite fertilizers led to higher levels of amylose, total zein and β-14 zein, traits associated with kernel hardness, compared to the application of NPK fertilizer. Moreover, local maize varieties showed higher resistance to P. truncatus infestation, hardness and biochemical properties associated with hardness (total zein, α-19 and β-14 zein, starch lysophosphatidylcholine, and non-starch free fatty acid) compared to hybrid variety. Our study suggests the potential for utilizing Ca and Mg nutrition in maize to improve kernel hardness, thus adoption of gypsum and dolomite by smallholder farmers may be beneficial against P. truncatus during storage.

Backgrounds Antidepressants are widely used to treat major depressive disorder. First-line treatments with antidepressants are only successful in one-third of patients; however, evidence from randomized controlled trials on second-line treatments is limited. Moreover, recently acceptability is suggested to be a good indicator of overall treatment success. Methods This is a multi-center two-arm, three-phased randomized controlled trial performed in Japan from December 2013 to March 2017 comparing the acceptability of escitalopram and duloxetine as a second-line drug. Patients, who failed to respond to antidepressants such as sertraline, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, milnacipran or mirtazapine for at least 3 weeks, were randomized to either escitalopram (Group A) or duloxetine (Group B) in Step 1 (8 weeks). In Step 2 (8 weeks), the drug was switched to the other if the first drug failed. The discontinuation rate at the end of Step 1 was the primary endpoint and non-inferiority of escitalopram vs duloxetine was tested. In addition, change in clinical measures from baseline were also assessed at the end of Step 1, 2 and up to 52 weeks. Results At the end of Step 1, Group A (n = 82) was significantly superior to Group B (n = 78) in discontinuation rate (4.9% to 19.2%, P = 0.007). The change in clinical indices from baseline were not different between the groups at either timepoint. Limitations As the major reason for discontinuation in Group B was the “withdrawal of consent” the concrete reason could not be verified. Conclusions As a second-line treatment drug, escitalopram was suggested to be non-inferior to duloxetine in acceptability. Trial registration UMIN CTR(UMIN000012367), registered on December 1st, 2013 and last updated on April 4th, 2017.

Long-term use of benzodiazepine (BZD) is not recommended for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment option for discontinuation of BZDs in patients with anxiety disorders. This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to clarify whether CBT is effective for discontinuing BZD anxiolytics in patients with anxiety disorders. This study was preregistered with PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42019125263). A literature search of major electronic databases was conducted in December 2018. Three randomized controlled trials were included in this review, and meta-analyses were performed. The proportion of discontinuing BZD anxiolytics was significantly higher in the CBT plus gradual tapering group than in the gradual tapering alone group, both in the short term (3 months after allocation; number needed to treat [NNT]: 3.2, 95% confidence interval: 2.1 to 7.1; risk ratio: 1.96, 95% confidence interval: 1.29 to 2.98, p=0.002, three studies) and long term (6 to 12 months after allocation; NNT: 2.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.9 to 5.3; risk ratio: 2.16, 95% confidence interval: 1.41 to 3.32, p=0.0004, three studies). CBT may be effective for discontinuing BZD anxiolytics, both in the short term and in the long term after the allocation. Further studies with larger sample sizes are necessary to draw definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy and safety of CBT for discontinuing BZD anxiolytics in patients with anxiety disorders. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

The aim of this study was to establish the attributes of kernel type based on kernel hardness and its interrelationship with maize endosperm chemical components, which are essential during storage. Three local varieties and one hybrid variety commonly grown by smallholder farmers in central Malawi were used. For storage experiment, the maize samples were infested with Prostephanus truncatus, larger grain borer (LGB) for eight weeks. Due to the high propensity of maize to cross-pollinate, the kernels were classified into flint and dent kernels to establish the physicochemical properties of the kernel type and variety independently. Local variety (L-3) exhibited the lowest number and weight of damaged grains and the highest adult LGB cadavers. Local variety, L-1 and L-3 had significantly the highest proportion of flint kernels type. Moreover, flint kernels of local varieties showed significantly the highest hardness, and the highest content of protein, total zein, α-zein and zinc (p < 0.05). Furthermore, hardness was significantly and positively correlated with total zein and 14 kDa β-zein content (p < 0.05). Zein in the endosperm, particularly 19 and 22 kDa α-zein mainly contributed to distinct hardness of the local varieties hence may contribute to physical barrier of the kernels against storage pests. Key words: Maize, local variety, kernel type, hardness, chemical properties, larger grain borer.

Three parental strains of Lecanicillium spp. and eleven hybrid strains previously obtained by protoplast fusion were evaluated for their virulence to different life stages of Trialeurodes vaporario...

Proper management of N, P, and K fertilizers is considered very important to maximize tuber yield and attain desirable processing quality. Generally, farmers apply NPK fertilizer rates based on the preplant soil tests. However, very limited information is available on the influence of available soil nutrients and in-season NPK application rates on yield and quality of tubers. In the present study, paired soil and tuber samples were evaluated from 170 commercial production sites to evaluate potential relationship between soil nutrients, tuber yield, and tuber quality. These paired samples gave us the opportunity to not only study yield response to fertilizer application rates but also study the relationship between soil nutrient availability and tuber nutrient concentrations. We found that about 50%, 80%, and 70% of farmers applied more NPK than recommended rates, respectively. Our results suggest that, in general available soil NPK increases tuber NPK concentrations and tuber N and K concentrations can reduce specific gravity. Interestingly, tuber P concentration had no effect on specific gravity. We also found some variations in these responses to nutrients (NPK) among cultivars suggesting some genetic control for the traits studied. Results also suggest that application of NPK fertilizers in excess of recommended rates on soils that are already rich in these nutrients does not increase tuber yields and may in fact increase potential environmental degradation associated with excessive fertilization and the cost of production.

Longer root hair length (RHL) increases root surface area, thereby contributing to increased phosphorous uptake. This study aimed to identify useful germplasms and quantitative trait loci (QTL) for RHL improvement in wheat. The genetic variation in RHL was examined using hydroponic culture in 117 hexaploid wheat strains. Rhizosheath size and phosphorous uptake ability were also examined using high P-fixing soils with extremely low phosphorous availability (Andisols). QTL analysis was performed using backcross inbred lines from a cross between a Spanish spelt strain and a bread wheat variety. A wide range in genetic variation was found, especially in spelt wheat and landraces of bread wheat, whereas modern bread wheat varieties tended to show shorter RHL. Interestingly, remarkably longer RHL were observed in Spanish spelt strains than in strains from other countries. RHL exhibited a significant positive correlation with rhizosheath size and phosphorous uptake in soils. A QTL on chromosome 2A (QRhl.obu-2A) conferring longer RHL by the allele of a Spanish spelt strain was identified. It was co-located with TaRSL4-2AS, a key regulator of root hair elongation. Spanish spelt wheat strains could be unique germplasms that provide a useful allele for increasing RHL to enhance phosphorous uptake ability.

The demand for processing potatoes has been increasing in Japan since the 1970s due to changes in eating habits from fresh potatoes to processed products. However, domestic supply of potatoes has not changed for the past five decades and the country is not self-sufficient in potato production. Understanding potato crop and soil-environmental yield limiting factors at growers’ management level is important to guide formulation of better management practices to increase yields. This study was conducted in Hokkaido, Japan, to evaluate the performance of four popular processing potato cultivars under variable soil environment and grower management conditions. The study was conducted by obtaining soil and tuber samples from 90 and 80 fields in Tokachi and Kamikawa districts, respectively, in two growing seasons. These two districts represent very contrasting soil types. Kamikawa has pyroclastic flow deposit soils classified as Inceptisols whereas Tokachi has volcanic ash soils known as Andisols. Paired samples of soil and tubers were evaluated at each of these sites. The results indicated the following: (1) Significant cultivar effect on various measured parameters including tuber yield, tuber number, mean tuber weight and specific gravity. (2) Toyoshiro cultivar performed better than other cultivars in both Tokachi and Kamikawa districts. (3) Yields varied from 21.9 to 68.2 t ha−1 indicating that with good management, there is a considerable yield-improvement opportunity. (4) Interestingly, stem number was significantly affected by soil type. The stem numbers were generally greater in the Kamikawa District suggesting high available N and P and lower available Ca in this region, possibly in conjunction with other unmeasured factors, contributed to greater stem numbers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in personality traits among violent, theft, and illegal drug use criminals, comparing them with normal adults. Inmates (N = 645) and normal adults (N = 4546) in Japan responded to a questionnaire, including the Big Five personality traits. Results indicated that violent criminals tended to show lower Agreeableness and higher Extraversion than other criminals. Theft criminals tended to display low Conscientiousness. Illegal drug use criminals showed higher Extraversion and Openness. Inmates tended to show higher Extraversion, Agreeableness, Openness, and Conscientiousness than normal adults. Characteristics of personality traits of criminals were discussed.

Calcium (Ca) nutrition for potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is important to increase tuber Ca concentration and improve potato tuber yield and quality. High tuber Ca content among other benefits mitig...

The effects of entomopathogenic fungus Lecanicillium muscarium on feeding and host preference were investigated on Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyroidae) using 2aF43 and Mycotal® strains. Feeding activity was monitored up to day five post fungal inoculation using electric penetration graph while host preference was evaluated by choice-test bioassay for 72 h. Our results showed a reduction in the ability of the infected insects to ingest xylem and reach the phloem. Interestingly the two tested fungal strains interfered on different feeding activities. Only 2aF43 reduced cell puncturing in both insects. Pre-inoculation of plants by 2aF43 increased feeding difficulties and searching time of B. tabaci by 74.9% and 40.1%, respectively. Host choice bioassay showed that insects started aborting the fungal-treated leaf disks after 24 h. By the lapse of 72 h, 2aF43 had a repulsion range of 93.3–95.3% which was higher than that of Mycotal® that ranged between 80.0% and 80.7% in both whiteflies. Using choice-test bioassay and electric penetration graph recording, we revealed that L. muscarium effectively repelled whiteflies and deterred them from normal feeding that potentially reduce plant damage.

This chapter presents the genesis, characteristics, classification, distribution, and land uses of the 10 soil grade groups (Human-made soils, Organic soils, Andosols, Podzols, Fluvic soils, Red-Yellow soils, Stagnic soils, Eutrosols, Brown Forest soils, and Regosols) in the Soil Classification System of Japan. Human-made soils are referred to soils formed through an anthropogenic process, especially in anthropized areas such as urban, industrial, traffic, mining, and waste disposal areas. Organic soils are formed under wetland conditions where the rate of organic matter production exceeds the rate of organic matter decomposition. Andosols are mainly derived from volcanic ejecta or tephra and form during a long period of pedogenetic soil formation process have unique and distinctive properties among soils, such as their fluffy and light surface properties, high humus content, and very high phosphorus-fixing capacity. Podzols are characterized by the eluviation of aluminum (Al) and iron (Fe) from the albic E horizon and their illuviation in the spodic B (Bs) horizon. Fluvic soils are young soils developed from recent alluvial deposits. Red-Yellow soils are a red or yellow color, low accumulation of organic matter, low base saturation, and strong weathering. Stagnogley soils are distributed in terraces, hills, and mountainous areas having a shallow groundwater table. Eutrosols are characterized by high base saturation, that is, with a eutric condition. Brown Forest soils are relatively young soils, are widely distributed in a rather wide range of temperate, and warm temperate zones in humid (high precipitation) climates without fresh volcanic ash deposition. Regosols are very weak weathering soils, which are divided into four groups: Volcanogenous Regosols, Sandy Regosols, Lithosols, and Terrestrial Regosols.

The Ultimatum Game (UG) allows for the assessment of altruistic behavior as well as the perception of fairness. We examined the effects of visual social cues (gaze of others), factors associated with autism, and trust on UG performance in typical adults (TAs) and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We hypothesized that individuals with ASD would be less affected by visual social cues than TAs. We recruited 30 TAs and 30 individuals with ASD. Participants completed 30 trials of the UG, during which the visual background was altered to include either stylized eyespots, flowers, or a neutral background. Reaction times and money distributed in each condition were recorded. Reaction times did not vary among background conditions in either group, although individuals with ASD responded more slowly overall. TAs distributed less money in the neutral background and flowers conditions than in the eyespots condition, while no significant differences in the amount of money distributed were observed among background conditions for individuals with ASD, who also distributed more money overall than TAs. Such findings may be due to decreased susceptibility to social cues among individuals with ASD.

Abnormalities in functional brain networks in schizophrenia have been studied by examining intrinsic and extrinsic brain activity under various experimental paradigms. However, the identified patterns of abnormal functional connectivity (FC) vary depending on the adopted paradigms. Thus, it is unclear whether and how these patterns are inter-related. In order to assess relationships between abnormal patterns of FC during intrinsic activity and those during extrinsic activity, we adopted a data-fusion approach and applied partial least square (PLS) analyses to FC datasets from 25 patients with chronic schizophrenia and 25 age- and sex-matched normal controls. For the input to the PLS analyses, we generated a pair of FC maps during the resting state (REST) and the auditory deviance response (ADR) from each participant using the common seed region in the left middle temporal gyrus, which is a focus of activity associated with auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs). PLS correlation (PLS-C) analysis revealed that patients with schizophrenia have significantly lower loadings of a component containing positive FCs in default-mode network regions during REST and a component containing positive FCs in the auditory and attention-related networks during ADR. Specifically, loadings of the REST component were significantly correlated with the severities of positive symptoms and AVH in patients with schizophrenia. The co-occurrence of such altered FC patterns during REST and ADR was replicated using PLS regression, wherein FC patterns during REST are modeled to predict patterns during ADR. These findings provide an integrative understanding of altered FCs during intrinsic and extrinsic activity underlying core schizophrenia symptoms., Highlights • A new fMRI analysis method for data fusion was applied to schizophrenia fMRI data. • Multiple patterns of abnormal functional connectivity were linked in schizophrenia. • Abnormal networks included the auditory language and saliency networks and DMN. • The identified patterns of connectivity abnormalities were correlated with symptoms.

The formation of cross-links between pectin molecules via Ca2+ in the potato tuber cell wall is a determinant factor on processing properties of potato and the quality of its products such as French fries. Thus, in this study, potato tubers varying significantly in their calcium concentrations were analyzed to investigate whether an increased absorption of calcium by a potato tuber led to an increase in the calcium concentration in the cell wall and how the calcium concentration in the cell wall influenced on the formation of cross-links between pectin molecules via Ca2+. Correlation analysis revealed that calcium absorbed by a potato tuber was bound to the cell wall as a water insoluble form 99 days after planting or later. Furthermore, with an increase in the calcium concentration in the cell wall, the content of chelator soluble pectin increased throughout tuber bulking and maturation stages. However, the degree of methylation was not a limiting factor in the formation of cross-links between pectin chains via Ca2+. Atomic force microscopy images of parenchyma cell walls prepared from mature potato tubers indicated an increase in the amount of calcium cross-linked pectin molecules with an increase in the calcium concentration in the cell wall. The present study demonstrated that the calcium concentration of the cell wall of potato tubers significantly affected the formation of cross-linkages between pectin molecules and, consequently, contributed to an enhanced formation of pectin-calcium networks in the cell wall.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the potential of an orange Malawian local maize variety MW5021 by comparing with a hybrid variety DKC-9089 for nutritional quality and processing properties such as proximate and mineral composition as well as pasting and thermal properties of the flour, and resistance against Prostephanus truncatus infestation during storage of the grain. Maize plants sampled for the experiments were cultivated under three different fertilizer applications, namely 0, 92 and 184 kg-N/ha, considering the chemical fertilizer input among Malawian smallholder farmers. Even without fertilizer input, significantly higher contents of crude protein, Mg, P, Ca, Fe and Zn were observed in MW5021, as compared with DKC-9089. Among pasting properties, setback of the flour slurry from MW5021 was significantly lower than DKC-9089 for all fertilizer treatments. Two-way ANOVA indicated that MW5021 had significantly lower number of grains damaged by P. truncatus than DKC-9089, throughout 12 weeks of storage experiment at 28±2°C. Thus, this study revealed that the Malawian orange local variety MW5021 retained by the smallholder farmers has considerably higher nutritional quality and P. truncatus resistance as well as lower retrogradation hardening after cooking the flour, than the hybrid maize DKC-9089. Key words: Maize, Mineral composition, pasting properties, postharvest losses, Prostephanus truncatus, Malawi.

There is growing evidence of excessive use of phosphate fertilizer and high residual soil phosphate levels in arable cropping systems in Japan. However, there is a lack of regional-scale informatio...

The Specific Levels of Functioning Scale (SLOF) has been reported to provide a measure of social function in patients with schizophrenia. The aim of this multi-center study was to determine convergent validity of the Japanese version of SLOF, and if cognitive insight would be associated with social function. Fifty-eight patients with schizophrenia participated in the study. Social function, neurocognition, and daily activity skills were evaluated by the Social Functioning Scale (SFS), Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS) and UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment-Brief (UPSA-B), respectively. We also assessed cognitive insight with the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS). Significant relationships were noted between scores on the SLOF vs. those of the SFS, BACS, UPSA-B, and BCIS. Specifically, the correlation between performance on the UPSA-B and SLOF scores was significantly more robust compared to the correlation between performance on the UPSA-B and scores on the SFS. Similarly, the correlation between scores on the BACS and SLOF tended to be more robust than that between the BACS and SFS. Importantly, while the correlation between scores on the BCIS and SLOF reached significance, it was not so between scores on the BCIS and SFS. The SLOF Japanese version was found to provide a measure of social consequences in patients with schizophrenia. Importantly, this study is the first to indicate the relationship between cognitive insight and social function evaluated by the SLOF. This finding is consistent with the observation that SLOF scores were considerably associated with performances on objective functional measures.

We investigated the potential of entomopathogenic hypocrealean fungi that naturally occur in or on adult mosquitoes for use as biocontrol agents of vector mosquitoes. The fungi were isolated from wild mosquitoes collected in Japan and Burkina Faso using two isolation methods (with and without surface sterilization). Detected fungal species included Beauveria bassiana sensu lato, Isaria spp., Paecilomyces spp., Lecanicillium spp., and Simplicillium spp. These isolates were used in bioassays against adult female Anopheles stephensi mosquitoes. The median survival time ranged from 5.8 to 14.9 d (control, 17.0 d). Reduced survival times were observed in the isolates from surface-sterilized mosquitoes from Japan, with the isolate B. bassiana s.l. 60-2 exhibiting the highest virulence. This study indicates that adult mosquitoes are naturally infected with various entomopathogenic hypocrealean fungi, and that some of these isolates have the potential for use as fungal pesticides to control vector mosquitoes.

In this article, we review the downregulation of acetylcholinergic activity in schizophrenia and discuss the similarity and difference between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and schizophrenia in terms of acetylcholine (ACh) and anticholinergic activity (AA); then, we propose the use of cognition-enhancing therapy for schizophrenia. As ACh regulates an inflammatory system, when the cholinergic system is downregulated to a critical level, the inflammatory system is activated. We consider the possibility that AA appears endogenously in AD and accelerates AD pathology. This hypothesis can also be applied to schizophrenia. In fact, even before the onset of the disorder, in the prodromal phase of schizophrenia, cognitive dysfunction exists, and antibodies against astrocyte muscarinic-1 and muscarinic-2 receptors are present in the serum of patients with the paranoid type of schizophrenia. Then we noted that the prodromal phase in schizophrenia might correspond to the mild stage in AD and the acute phase to moderate stage concerning AA. We also think that we should enhance cognition in schizophrenia even in the prodromal phase because as mentioned above, downregulation of ACh is prominent in schizophrenia even in the prodromal phase.