Fuel use and cookstove preferences in the SAVA region

Madagascar’s population relies almost exclusively on solid biomass, i.e., firewood and charcoal, for subsistence. The ongoing extraction of such natural resources is unsustainable, threatening endemic biodiversity with extinction, and jeopardizing the long-term livelihoods of local populations. Improved, or fuel-efficient, cookstove programs have been implemented in Madagascar for more than a decade to mitigate deforestation. The Duke Lemur Center-SAVA Conservation (DLC-SAVA) and other NGOs have subsidized “rocket” fuel-efficient ADES-brand stoves in the SAVA region as part of ongoing conservation activities. To re-assess our DLC-SAVA subsidy program, we conducted surveys in 15 communes in the SAVA region to document fuel use, cookstove preferences, and the potential impact of ADES-brand stoves. We show that: (i) firewood was used more frequently than charcoal in more remote villages; (ii) metal tripods were the most frequently used cooking structure despite their low fuel efficiency; (iii) ADES-brand stoves were rarely owned and oftentimes underused; and (iv) “cooking time” and “fuel efficiency” were the most commonly preferred stove features given by respondents using firewood-fueled and charcoal-fueled cookstoves respectively. The low incidence of ADES stoves in our sample calls for a larger-scale program to increase their availability and accessibility to the region, a more comprehensive training/advertising strategy, and more effective logistical planning to distribute and sell the stoves across larger regions far from urbanized centers. Moreover, NGOs could assist in providing training on fuel-efficient stove design to experienced individuals who are already producing and distributing stoves locally, as a way to support sustainability while promoting and leveraging local knowledge. We conclude that because a large portion of the population is using metal tripods on a regular basis, introducing any type of “fuel-efficient” stove at a large scale, is expected to make a difference in biomass consumption, in addition to reducing the burden imposed on biomass collectors and carriers. RésuméLa population de Madagascar dépend presque exclusivement d’une biomasse solide, c’est-à-dire du bois de chauffage ou du charbon de bois, pour sa subsistance. Le niveau actuel de l’exploitation des ressources naturelles n’est pas pérenne et menaçe d'extinction la biodiversité endémique en mettant en péril les moyens de subsistance à long terme des habitants. Des programmes destinés à la promotion de foyers améliorés ou économes en énergie ont été mis en œuvre à Madagascar pendant plus de dix ans pour atténuer la déforestation. Le Duke Lemur Center-SAVA Conservation (DLC-SAVA) et d'autres ONG ont subventionné des foyers améliorés d’une grande efficacité énergétique de la marque ADES dans la région SAVA dans le cadre des activités de conservation en cours. Pour ré-évaluer le programme de subvention DLC-SAVA, des enquêtes ont été menées dans 15 communes de la région SAVA afin de documenter l'utilisation de combustible, les préférences en matière de foyers et l'impact potentiel des foyers de la marque ADES. Les résultats obtenus ont permis de montrer que (i) le bois de chauffage est plus fréquemment utilisé que le charbon de bois dans les villages les plus reculés ; (ii) les trépieds métalliques sont la structure de cuisson la plus utilisée malgré son faible rendement énergétique ; (iii) les foyers améliorés de la marque ADES ont été trouvés en petit nombre et souvent sous-utilisés ; et (iv) le temps de cuisson et l'efficacité énergétique étaient les deux choix les plus souvent mentionnés par les répondants utilisant respectivement des fourneaux à bois et à charbon de bois. La faible incidence des foyers ADES dans notre échantillon montre qu’un programme à plus grande échelle doit être déployé et devra être élaboré sur une stratégie de formation et de sensibilisation plus complète avec une meilleure planification logistique pour la distribution et la vente de foyers améliorés dans l’ensemble de la région, y compris dans les zones éloignées des centres urbains. Les ONG pourraient participer à une formation spécifique des personnes qui ont déjà une expérience dans la production et la distribution de foyers au niveau local pour qu’elles acquièrent les compétences en matière de conception de foyers améliorés à haute efficacité énergétique, afin de favoriser la durabilité tout en profitant des connaissances locales. Comme une grande partie de la population utilise régulièrement des trépieds en métal, l'introduction de tout type de réchaud « économe en combustible » à grande échelle devrait faire une différence dans la consommation de la biomasse, en plus de réduire les coûts liés à la récolte et au transport

Estimation of genetic parameters for cheese-making traits in Spanish Churra sheep

Artículo de investigaciónThe global production of sheep milk is growing, and the main industrial use of sheep milk is cheese making. The Spanish Churra sheep breed is one of the most important native dairy breeds in Spain. The present study aimed to estimate genetic parameters for a wide range of traits influencing the cheese-making ability of Churra sheep milk. Using a total of 1,049 Churra ewes, we studied the following cheese-making traits: 4 traits related to milk coagulation properties (rennet coagulation time, curd-firming time, and curd firmness at 30 and 60 min after addition of rennet), 2 traits related to cheese yield (individual laboratory cheese yield and individual laboratory dried curd yield), and 3 traits measuring curd firmness over time (maximum curd firmness, time to attain maximum curd firmness, and syneresis). In addition, a list of milk traits, including the native pH of the milk and several milk production and composition traits (milk yield; the fat, protein, and dried extract percentages; and the somatic cell count), were also analyzed for the studied animals. After discarding the noncoagulating samples (only 3.7%), data of 1,010 ewes were analyzed with multiple-trait animal models by using the restricted maximum likelihood method to estimate (co)variance components, heritabilities, and genetic correlations. In general, the heritability estimates were low to moderate, ranging from 0.08 (for the individual laboratory dried curd yield trait) to 0.42 (for the fat percentage trait). High genetic correlations were found within pairs of related traits (i.e., 0.93 between fat and dried extract percentages, −0.93 between the log of the curd-firming time and curd firmness at 30 min, 0.70 between individual laboratory cheese yield and individual laboratory dried curd yield, and −0.94 between time to attain maximum curd firmness and syneresis). Considering all the information provided here, we suggest that in addition to the current consideration of the protein percentage trait for improving cheese yield traits, the inclusion of the pH of milk as a measured trait in the Churra dairy breeding program would represent an efficient strategy for improving the cheese-making ability of milk from this breed.S

Seasonal variation in glucose and insulin is modulated by food and temperature conditions in a hibernating primate

Feast-fast cycles allow animals to live in seasonal environments by promoting fat storage when food is plentiful and lipolysis when food is scarce. Fat-storing hibernators have mastered this cycle over a circannual schedule, by undergoing extreme fattening to stockpile fuel for the ensuing hibernation season. Insulin is intrinsic to carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and is central to regulating feast-fast cycles in mammalian hibernators. Here, we examine glucose and insulin dynamics across the feast-fast cycle in fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, the only obligate hibernator among primates. Unlike cold-adapted hibernators, dwarf lemurs inhabit tropical forests in Madagascar and hibernate under various temperature conditions. Using the captive colony at the Duke Lemur Center, we determined fasting glucose and insulin, and glucose tolerance, in dwarf lemurs across seasons. During the lean season, we maintained dwarf lemurs under stable warm, stable cold, or fluctuating ambient temperatures that variably included food provisioning or deprivation. Overall, we find that dwarf lemurs can show signatures of reversible, lean-season insulin resistance. During the fattening season prior to hibernation, dwarf lemurs had low glucose, insulin, and HOMA-IR despite consuming high-sugar diets. In the active season after hibernation, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, and glucose tolerance all increased, highlighting the metabolic processes at play during periods of weight gain versus weight loss. During the lean season, glucose remained low, but insulin and HOMA-IR increased, particularly in animals kept under warm conditions with daily food. Moreover, these lemurs had the greatest glucose intolerance in our study and had average HOMA-IR values consistent with insulin resistance (5.49), while those without food under cold (1.95) or fluctuating (1.17) temperatures did not. Remarkably low insulin in dwarf lemurs under fluctuating temperatures raises new questions about lipid metabolism when animals can passively warm and cool rather than undergo sporadic arousals. Our results underscore that seasonal changes in insulin and glucose tolerance are likely hallmarks of hibernating mammals. Because dwarf lemurs can hibernate under a range of conditions in captivity, they are an emerging model for primate metabolic flexibility with implications for human health

Respuesta productiva de truchas arcoíris (Oncorhynchus mykiss) al régimen alimenticio con alimentos comerciales bajo condiciones de crianza intensiva en el Lago Titicaca

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of two feeding regimes (7 vs 6 d) and three commercial foods (TO= Tomasino®, NA= Naltech® and SA= Salmofood®) on the productive-commercial performance and organ development. of rainbow trout in the fattening phase under conditions of Lake Titicaca, Peru. A total of 1080 trout of 185 g live weight (LW), 26.5 cm total length (TL) and 1.00 body condition index (BCI) were randomly placed in 36 1.2x1.2x1.6 m nylon cages (30 trout/cage). The control of productive parameters (LW, TL and feed consumption) was carried out at 30, 60 and 90 d. The BCI, the mean daily feed intake (DFI), the mean daily weight gain (DWG) and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) were determined. The carcass yield (CY), fillet yield (FY), pigmentation (MP) and the relative weight of the organs were determined at 215 d. The feeding regime did not affect the LW, TL and BCI, but the 7-d feeding had a better FCR (1.12 vs 1.25; p<0.001). Feeding with TO and NA produced lower DFI (3.7, 4.0 and 4.3 g/d; p<0.001), lower DWG (2.9, 3.3 and 4.1 g/d; p<0.001) and worse FCR (1.27, 1.21 and 1.07; p<0.001) with respect to SA at 90 d, respectively. The CY, FY and MP were not affected, but the relative weights of the liver and heart were influenced by feed. It is concluded that the 7-d diet improved feed conversion and pigmentation, while commercial feeds influenced productive performance, pigmentation and relative weight of organs, but not carcass and fillet yield of trout.El objetivo del estudio fue determinar el efecto de dos regímenes de alimentación (7 vs 6 d) y de tres alimentos comerciales (TO= Tomasino®, NA= Naltech® y SA= Salmofood®) sobre el rendimiento productivo-comercial y desarrollo de órganos de truchas arcoíris en la fase de engorde en condiciones de lago Titicaca, Perú. Un total de 1080 truchas de 185 g de peso vivo (PV), 26.5 cm longitud total (LT) y 1.00 de índice de condición corporal (ICC) fueron colocadas al azar en 36 jaulas de nylon de 1.2x1.2x1.6 m (30 truchas/jaula). El control de parámetros productivos (PV, LT y consumo de alimento) fue realizado a los 30, 60 y 90 d. Se determinó el ICC, el consumo medio diario de alimento (CMD), la ganancia media diaria de peso (GMD) y el índice de conversión alimenticia (ICA). El rendimiento de canal (RC), de filete (RF), la pigmentación (PF) y el peso relativo de los órganos se determinó a los 215 d. El régimen alimenticio no afectó el PV, LT y ICC, pero la alimentación de 7 d tuvo mejor ICA (1.12 vs 1.25; p<0.001). La alimentación con TO y NA produjeron menor CMD (3.7, 4.0 y 4.3 g/d; p<0.001), menor GMD (2.9, 3.3 y 4.1 g/d; p<0.001) y peor ICA (1.27, 1.21 y 1.07; p<0.001) respecto a SA a los 90 d, respectivamente. El RC, RF y PF no fueron afectados, pero el peso relativo del hígado y corazón fue influenciado por los alimentos. Se concluye, que el régimen alimenticio de 7 d mejoró la conversión alimenticia y la pigmentación, en tanto que los alimentos comerciales influyeron en el rendimiento productivo, la pigmentación y en el peso relativo de los órganos, pero no en el rendimiento de canal y filete de las truchas

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and post-GWAS analyses for technological traits in Assaf and Churra dairy breeds

20 p.This study aimed to perform a GWAS to identify genomic regions associated with milk and cheese-making traits in Assaf and Churra dairy sheep breeds; second, it aimed to identify possible positional and functional candidate genes and their interactions through post-GWAS studies. For 2,020 dairy ewes from 2 breeds (1,039 Spanish Assaf and 981 Churra), milk samples were collected and analyzed to determine 6 milk production and composition traits and 6 traits related to milk coagulation properties and cheese yield. The genetic profiles of the ewes were obtained using a genotyping chip array that included 50,934 SNP markers. For both milk and cheese-making traits, separate single-breed GWAS were performed using GCTA software. The set of positional candidate genes identified via GWAS was subjected to guilt-by-association-based prioritization analysis with ToppGene software. Totals of 84 and 139 chromosome-wise significant associations for the 6 milk traits and the 6 cheese-making traits were identified in this study. No significant SNPs were found in common between the 2 studied breeds, possibly due to their genetic heterogeneity of the phenotypes under study. Additionally, 63 and 176 positional candidate genes were located in the genomic intervals defined as confidence regions in relation to the significant SNPs identified for the analyzed traits for Assaf and Churra breeds. After the functional prioritization analysis, 71 genes were identified as promising positional and functional candidate genes and proposed as targets of future research to identify putative causative variants in relation to the traits under examination. In addition, this multitrait study allowed us to identify variants that have a pleiotropic effect on both milk production and cheese-related traits. The incorporation of variants among the proposed functional and positional candidate genes into genomic selection strategies represent an interesting approach for achieving rapid genetic gains, specifically for those traits difficult to measure, such as cheese-making traits.S

Teeth, Sex, and Testosterone : Aging in the World's Smallest Primate

Peer reviewe

Consensus on post COVID in the Spanish national health system: Results of the CIBERPOSTCOVID eDelphi study

Background: In 2021, the Spanish Ministry of Health launched the CIBERPOSTCOVID project to establish what post COVID was. The present study reports the level of agreement among stakeholders on post COVID and its clinical and diagnostic characteristics in the Spanish health system. Methods: The agreement on post COVID among clinicians, public health managers, researchers and patients' representatives was explored in a real-time, asynchronous online Delphi. In a two-wave consensus, respondents rated from 1 (total disagreement) to 6 (total agreement) 67 statements related to terminology, duration, etiology, symptoms, impact on quality of life, severity, elements to facilitate diagnosis, applicability in the pediatric population, and risk factors. Consensus was reached when 70 % of ratings for a statement were 5 or 6, with an interquartile range equal or less than 1. Findings: A total of 333 professionals and patients participated in this eDelphi study. There was agreement that post COVID was "a set of multi-organic symptoms that persist or fluctuate after acute COVID-19 infection and are not attributable to other causes" with a minimum duration of 3 months. The highest levels of agreement were found in the most frequent symptoms and its impacts on everyday activities. Aspects related to the diagnostic process and the measurement of its severity reached a lower level of consensus. There was agreement on the need to rule out previous health problems and assess severity using validated functional scales. However, no agreement was reached on the risk factors or specific features in the pediatric population. Interpretation: This policy-based consensus study has allowed the characterization of post COVID generating collective intelligence and has contributed to an operational definition applicable in clinical practice, health services management and useful for research purposes in Spain and abroad. Agreements are consistent with existing evidence and reference institutions at European and international level.The CIBERPOSTCOVID is a commissioned project of the Spanish Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Science and Innovation, funded through the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and CIBER -Consorcio Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red- (ES21PI01).S

Molecular Adaptation to Folivory and the Conservation Implications for Madagascar’s Lemurs

The lemurs of Madagascar include numerous species characterized by folivory across several families. Many extant lemuriform folivores exist in sympatry in Madagascar’s remaining forests. These species avoid feeding competition by adopting different dietary strategies within folivory, reflected in behavioral, morphological, and microbiota diversity across species. These conditions make lemurs an ideal study system for understanding adaptation to leaf-eating. Most folivorous lemurs are also highly endangered. The significance of folivory for conservation outlook is complex. Though generalist folivores may be relatively well equipped to survive habitat disturbance, specialist folivores occupying narrow dietary niches may be less resilient. Characterizing the genetic bases of adaptation to folivory across species and lineages can provide insights into their differential physiology and potential to resist habitat change. We recently reported accelerated genetic change in RNASE1, a gene encoding an enzyme (RNase 1) involved in molecular adaptation in mammalian folivores, including various monkeys and sifakas (genus Propithecus; family Indriidae). Here, we sought to assess whether other lemurs, including phylogenetically and ecologically diverse folivores, might show parallel adaptive change in RNASE1 that could underlie a capacity for efficient folivory. We characterized RNASE1in 21 lemur species representing all five families and members of the three extant folivorous lineages: (1) bamboo lemurs (family Lemuridae), (2) sportive lemurs (family Lepilemuridae), and (3) indriids (family Indriidae). We found pervasive sequence change in RNASE1 across all indriids, a dN/dS value \u3e 3 in this clade, and evidence for shared change in isoelectric point, indicating altered enzymatic function. Sportive and bamboo lemurs, in contrast, showed more modest sequence change. The greater change in indriids may reflect a shared strategy emphasizing complex gut morphology and microbiota to facilitate folivory. This case study illustrates how genetic analysis may reveal differences in functional traits that could influence species’ ecology and, in turn, their resilience to habitat change. Moreover, our results support the body of work demonstrating that not all primate folivores are built the same and reiterate the need to avoid generalizations about dietary guild in considering conservation outlook, particularly in lemurs where such diversity in folivory has probably led to extensive specialization via niche partitioning

The FANCM:p.Arg658* truncating variant is associated with risk of triple-negative breast cancer.

Breast cancer is a common disease partially caused by genetic risk factors. Germline pathogenic variants in DNA repair genes BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, ATM, and CHEK2 are associated with breast cancer risk. FANCM, which encodes for a DNA translocase, has been proposed as a breast cancer predisposition gene, with greater effects for the ER-negative and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtypes. We tested the three recurrent protein-truncating variants FANCM:p.Arg658*, p.Gln1701*, and p.Arg1931* for association with breast cancer risk in 67,112 cases, 53,766 controls, and 26,662 carriers of pathogenic variants of BRCA1 or BRCA2. These three variants were also studied functionally by measuring survival and chromosome fragility in FANCM -/- patient-derived immortalized fibroblasts treated with diepoxybutane or olaparib. We observed that FANCM:p.Arg658* was associated with increased risk of ER-negative disease and TNBC (OR = 2.44, P = 0.034 and OR = 3.79; P = 0.009, respectively). In a country-restricted analysis, we confirmed the associations detected for FANCM:p.Arg658* and found that also FANCM:p.Arg1931* was associated with ER-negative breast cancer risk (OR = 1.96; P = 0.006). The functional results indicated that all three variants were deleterious affecting cell survival and chromosome stability with FANCM:p.Arg658* causing more severe phenotypes. In conclusion, we confirmed that the two rare FANCM deleterious variants p.Arg658* and p.Arg1931* are risk factors for ER-negative and TNBC subtypes. Overall our data suggest that the effect of truncating variants on breast cancer risk may depend on their position in the gene. Cell sensitivity to olaparib exposure, identifies a possible therapeutic option to treat FANCM-associated tumors