Pricing agricultural inputs from biodiversity-rich ecosystems and habitats without input markets

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on the analysis of an understudied problem in the economic literature. It proposes a valuation methodology for inputs that come from biodiversity-rich ecosystems/habitats and are used in agro-food production at zero input cost because there is not a market for such inputs. Design/methodology/approach: Following Onofri et al. (2017), the authors computed the value of the marginal productivity of different inputs in three selected case studies (Angola, Mozambique and Brazil). Results are theory based and rigorous but show a strong contingency, case based, relative dimension that is captured, in the framework, by the \u201crelativity ratio.\u201d The ratio expresses the relative weight of the value generated by the input that comes from biodiversity-rich ecosystems/habitats in the per capita monthly available income of the farmer and aims at conveying additional insights to the economic valuation. Findings: In this paper, the assessment of agricultural inputs value (price) in the absence of inputs markets is done, with an application to three different case studies. The inputs are peculiar since they come from habitats and ecosystems that are very biodiversity-rich. Originality/value: The paper proposes a practical, though rigorous, methodology for the assessment of the value (price) of agricultural inputs in absence of inputs markets. Markets do not exist since the inputs come from biodiversity-rich habitats and ecosystems

Understanding stochastic perturbation theory: toy models and statistical analysis

The numerical stochastic perturbation method based on Parisi-Wu quantisationis applied to a suite of simple models to test its validity at high orders.Large deviations from normal distribution for the basic estimators aresystematically found in all cases (``Pepe effect''). As a consequence oneshould be very careful in estimating statistical errors. We present someresults obtained on Weingarten's ``pathological'' model where reliable resultscan be obtained by an application of the bootstrap method. We also present someevidence that in the far less trivial application to Lattice Gauge Theory asimilar problem should not arise at moderately high loops (up toO(\alpha^{10}))

Equation of Motion for a Spin Vortex and Geometric Force

The Hamiltonian equation of motion is studied for a vortex occuring in 2-dimensional Heisenberg ferromagnet of anisotropic type by starting with the effective action for the spin field formulated by the Bloch (or spin) coherent state. The resultant equation shows the existence of a geometric force that is analogous to the so-called Magnus force in superfluid. This specific force plays a significant role for a quantum dynamics for a single vortex, e.g, the determination of the bound state of the vortex trapped by a pinning force arising from the interaction of the vortex with an impurity.Comment: 13 pages, plain te

BIOMEX (Biology and Mars Experiment): Preliminary results on Antarctic black cryptoendolithic fungi in ground based experiments

The main goal for astrobiologists is to find traces of present or past life in extraterrestrial environment or in meteorites. Biomolecules, such as lipids, pigments or polysaccharides, may be useful to establish the presence of extant or extinct life (Simoneit, B et al., 1998). BIOMEX (Biology and Mars Experiment) aims to measure to what extent biomolecules, such as pigments and cellular components, preserve their stability under space and Mars-like conditions. The experiment has just been launched in the space and will be exposed on EXPOSE-R payload to the outside of the International Space Station (ISS) for about 2 years. Among a number of extremophilic microorganisms tested, the Antarctic cryptoendolithic black fungus Cryomyces antarcticus CCFEE 515 was included in the experiment. The fungus, living in the airspaces of porous rocks, was already chosen in previous astrobiological investigation for studying the interplanetary transfer of life via meteorites. In that context, the fungus survived 18 months of exposure outside of the ISS (Onofri al., 2012); for all these reasons it is considered an optimal eukaryotic model for astrobiological exploration. Before launch dried samples were exposed, in ground based experiments, to extreme conditions, including vacuum, irradiation and temperature cycles.Upon sample re-hydration and survival analysis, including colony forming ability, Propidium MonoAzide (PMA) assay-coupled quantitative PCR (Mohapatra and La Duc, 2012) all the test systems survived, neither any DNA damage was detectable. Our analyses focused also on mineral-microorganisms interactions and stability/degradation of typical fungal macromolecules, in particular melanin, when exposed to space and simulated Martian conditions, contributing to the development of libraries of biosignatures in rocks, supporting future exploration missions

Resistance of Antarctic black fungi and cryptoendolithic communities to simulated space and Martian conditions

Dried colonies of the Antarctic rock-inhabiting meristematic fungi Cryomyces antarcticus CCFEE 515, CCFEE 534 and C. minteri CCFEE 5187, as well as fragments of rocks colonized by the Antarctic cryptoendolithic community, were exposed to a set of ground-based experiment verification tests (EVTs) at the German Aerospace Center (DLR, Köln, Germany). These were carried out to test the tolerance of these organisms in view of their possible exposure to space conditions outside of the International Space Station (ISS). Tests included single or combined simulated space and Martian conditions. Responses were analysed both by cultural and microscopic methods. Thereby, colony formation capacities were measured and the cellular viability was assessed using live/dead dyes FUN 1 and SYTOX Green. The results clearly suggest a general good resistance of all the samples investigated. C. minteri CCFEE 5187, C. antarcticus CCFEE 515 and colonized rocks were selected as suitable candidates to withstand space flight and long-term permanence in space on the ISS in the framework of the LIchens and Fungi Experiments (LIFE programme, European Space Agency)

New issues for Numerical Stochastic Perturbation Theory

First attempts in the application of Numerical Stochastic Perturbation Theory (NSPT) to the problem of pushing one loop further the computation of SU(3) (SU(2)) pertubative beta function (in different schemes) are reviewed and the relevance of such a computation is discussed. Other issues include the proposal of a different strategy for gauge-fixed NSPT computations in lattice QCD.Comment: 3 pages, Latex, LATTICE98(algorithms

Cultivation area affects the presence of fungal communities and secondary metabolites in Italian durum wheat grains

In this study, durum wheat kernels harvested in three climatically different Italian cultivation areas (Emilia Romagna, Umbria and Sardinia) in 2015, were analyzed with a combination of different isolation methods to determine their fungal communities, with a focus on Fusarium head blight (FHB) complex composition, and to detect fungal secondary metabolites in the grains. The genus Alternaria was the main component of durum wheat mycobiota in all investigated regions, with the Central Italian cultivation area showing the highest incidence of this fungal genus and of its secondary metabolites. Fusarium was the second most prevalent genus of the fungal community in all cultivation environments, even if regional differences in species composition were detected. In particular, Northern areas showed the highest Fusarium incidence, followed by Central and then Southern cultivation areas. Focusing on the FHB complex, a predominance of Fusarium poae, in particular in Northern and Central cultivation areas, was found. Fusarium graminearum, in the analyzed year, was mainly detected in Emilia Romagna. Because of the highest Fusarium incidence, durum wheat harvested in the Northern cultivation area showed the highest presence of Fusarium secondary metabolites. These results show that durum wheat cultivated in Northern Italy may be subject to a higher FHB infection risk and to Fusarium mycotoxins accumulation

The Higher Derivative Expansion of the Effective Action by the String-Inspired Method, Part I

The higher derivative expansion of the one-loop effective action for an external scalar potential is calculated to order O(T**7), using the string-inspired Bern-Kosower method in the first quantized path integral formulation. Comparisons are made with standard heat kernel calculations and with the corresponding Feynman diagrammatic calculation in order to show the efficiency of the present method.Comment: 13 pages, Plain TEX, 1 figure may be obtained from the authors, HD-THEP-93-4