Identification and quantification of drivers of forest degradation in tropical dry forests: a case study in Western Mexico

The intensity of forest degradation is linked to landowners' decisions on management of their shifting cultivation systems. Understanding the processes involved in this land use type is therefore essential for the design of sustainable forest management practices. However, knowledge of the processes and patterns of forest transition that result from this practice is extremely limited. In this study, we used spatially-explicit binary logistic regression to study the proximate factors that relate to forest degradation by combining biophysical and socio-economic variables. Our study region is within the Ayuquila Basin, in Western Mexico, a typical fragmented tropical dry forest landscape dominated by shifting cultivation. Through a survey and semi-structured interviews with community leaders, we obtained data on the forest resources and on the uses that people make of them. Detailed forest cover maps for 2004 and 2010 were produced from high-resolution SPOT 5 data, and ancillary geographical data were used to extract spatial variables. The degree of social marginalization of each community and the ratio of forest area to population size were the main factors positively correlated with the probability of the occurrence of forest degradation. Livestock management and use of fence posts by the communities were also positively associated with forest degradation. Among biophysical factors, forest degradation is more likely to occur in flatter areas. We conclude that local drivers of forest degradation include both socioeconomic and physical variables and that both of these factors need to be addressed at the landscape level while developing measures for activities related to REDD+. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Predictive capacity of boar sperm morphometry and morphometric sub-populations on reproductive success after artificial insemination

The aim of the study was to compare the morphometric features of sperm head size and shape from the Pietrain line and the Duroc × Pietrain boar crossbred terminal lines, and to evaluate their relationship with reproductive success after artificial insemination of sows produced from crossbreeding the York, Landrace and Pietrain breeds. Semen samples were collected from 11 sexually mature boars. Only ejaculates with greater than 70% motility rate and <15% of abnormal sperm were used for artificial inseminations (AI) and included in the study. Samples were analyzed using an ISAS®v1 computer-assisted sperm analysis system for eight morphometric parameters of head shape and size (CASA-Morph). Sub-populations of morphometric ejaculates were characterized using multivariate procedures, such as principal component (PC) analysis and clustering methods (k-means model). Four different ejaculate sub-populations were identified from two PCs that involved the head shape and size of the spermatozoa. The discriminant ability of the different morphometric sperm variables to predict sow litter size was analyzed using a receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis. Sperm head length, ellipticity, elongation, and regularity showed significant predictive capacity on litter size (0.59, 0.59, 0.60, and 0.56 area under curve (AUC), respectively). The morphometric sperm sub-populations were not related to sow litter size

Influence of occlusal collision corrections completed by two intraoral scanners or a dental design program on the accuracy of the maxillomandibular relationship.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM Occlusal collisions of articulated intraoral digital scans can be corrected by intraoral scanners (IOSs) or dental design software programs. However, the influence of these corrections on the accuracy of maxillomandibular relationship is unclear. PURPOSE The purpose of this clinical investigation was to measure the effect of occlusal collision corrections completed by the IOSs or dental design software programs on the trueness and precision of maxillomandibular relationship. MATERIAL AND METHODS Casts of a participant mounted on an articulator were digitized (T710). The experimental scans were obtained by using 2 IOSs: TRIOS4 and i700. The intraoral digital scans of the maxillary and mandibular arches were obtained and duplicated 15 times. For each duplicated pair of scans, a bilateral virtual occlusal record was acquired. Articulated specimens were duplicated and assigned into 2 groups: IOS-not corrected and IOS corrected (n=15). In the IOS-not corrected groups, the IOS software program postprocessed the scans maintaining the occlusal collisions, while in the IOS-corrected groups, the IOS software program eliminated the occlusal collisions. All articulated specimens were imported into a computer-aided design (CAD) program (DentalCAD). Three subgroups were developed based on the CAD correction: CAD-no change, trimming, or opening the vertical dimension. Thirty-six interlandmark distances were measured on the reference and each experimental scan to compute discrepancies by using a software program (Geomagic Wrap). Root mean square (RMS) was selected to compute the cast modifications performed in the trimming subgroups. Trueness was examined using 2-way ANOVA and pairwise comparison Tukey tests (α=.05). Precision was evaluated with the Levene test (α=.05). RESULTS The IOS (P<.001), the program (P<.001), and their interaction (P<.001) impacted the trueness of the maxillomandibular relationship. The i700 obtained higher trueness than the TRIOS4 (P<.001). The IOS-not corrected-CAD-no-changes and IOS-not-corrected-trimming subgroups obtained the lowest trueness (P<.001), while the IOS-corrected-CAD-no-changes, IOS-corrected-trimming, and IOS-corrected-opening subgroups showed the highest trueness (P<.001). No significant differences in precision were found (P<.001). Furthermore, significant RMS differences were found (P<.001), with a significant interaction between Group×Subgroup (P<.001). The IOS-not corrected-trimmed subgroups obtained a significantly higher RMS error discrepancy than IOS-corrected-trimmed subgroups (P<.001). The Levene test showed a significant discrepancy in the RMS precision among IOSs across subgroups (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS The trueness of the maxillomandibular relationship was influenced by the scanner and program used to correct occlusal collisions. Better trueness was obtained when the occlusal collisions were adjusted by the IOS program compared with the CAD program. Precision was not significantly influenced by the occlusal collision correction method. CAD corrections did not improve the results of the IOS software. Additionally, the trimming option caused volumetric changes on the occlusal surfaces of intraoral scans

Efficient computation of the overpartition function and applications

In this paper we develop a method to calculate the overpartition function efficiently using a Hardy-Rademacher-Ramanujan type formula, and we use this method to find many new Ramanujan-style congruences whose existence is predicted by Treneer and a few of which were first discovered by Ryan, Scherr, Sirolli and Treneer

Fusarium wilt of banana: Current knowledge on epidemiology and research needs toward sustainable disease management

Banana production is seriously threatened by Fusarium wilt (FW), a disease caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense (Foc). In the mid-twentieth century FW, also known as “Panama disease”, wiped out the Gros Michel banana industry in Central America. The devastation caused by Foc race 1 was mitigated by a shift to resistant Cavendish cultivars, which are currently the source of 99% of banana exports. However, a new strain of Foc, the tropical race 4 (TR4), attacks Cavendish clones and a diverse range of other banana varieties. Foc TR4 has been restricted to East and parts of Southeast Asia for more than 20 years, but since 2010 the disease has spread westward into five additional countries in Southeast and South Asia (Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, India, and Pakistan) and at the transcontinental level into the Middle East (Oman, Jordan, Lebanon, and Israel) and Africa (Mozambique). The spread of Foc TR4 is of great concern due to the limited knowledge about key aspects of disease epidemiology and the lack of effective management models, including resistant varieties and soil management approaches. In this review we summarize the current knowledge on the epidemiology of FW of banana, highlighting knowledge gaps in pathogen survival and dispersal, factors driving disease intensity, soil and plant microbiome and the dynamics of the disease. Comparisons with FW in other crops were also made to indicate possible differences and commonalities. Our current understanding of the role of main biotic and abiotic factors on disease intensity is reviewed, highlighting research needs and futures directions. Finally, a set of practices and their impact on disease intensity are discussed and proposed as an integrative management approach that could eventually be used by a range of users, including plant protection organizations, researchers, extension workers and growers

La evaluación en salud mental: aspectos conceptuales y metodológicos.

Se realiza en este trabajo un análisis crítico de aspectos conceptuales y metodológicos relativos al proceso de evaluación en salud mental. Se intenta, para ello, dar respuesta a una serie de interrogantes que se refieren a: las funciones y objetivos de la evaluación, los criterios de «éxito» que se utilizan, los niveles del proceso de gestión en los que se lleva a cabo la evaluación, la metodología precisa para su realización y las instancias a las que van dirigidos los datos que se obtienen con la evaluació

La evaluación en salud mental: aspectos conceptuales y metodológicos.

Se realiza en este trabajo un análisis crítico de aspectos conceptuales y metodológicos relativos al proceso de evaluación en salud mental. Se intenta, para ello, dar respuesta a una serie de interrogantes que se refieren a: las funciones y objetivos de la evaluación, los criterios de «éxito» que se utilizan, los niveles del proceso de gestión en los que se lleva a cabo la evaluación, la metodología precisa para su realización y las instancias a las que van dirigidos los datos que se obtienen con la evaluació