Non-Timber Forest Products as an Alternative to Reduce Income Uncertainty in Rural Households

Rural households face uncertain income due to several risks associated with markets, climate and productive uncertainties. In South Ecuador, subsistence seasonal agriculture constitutes the main livelihood strategy for local farmers. Non-timber forest products, such as Caesalpinia spinosa locally known as tara, constitute an alternative to diversify income. Tara is collected from natural areas, by mostly women, during male migration periods, which coincide with the dry season. To identify farmers´ income composition, a field survey was conducted among 125 farmers, who also happen to collect tara. Prevalent agricultural options for the region included maize, beans, cattle ranching, pigs and poultry. To calculate risk-efficient combinations, we applied Markowitz’s portfolio theory, which combines options based on their income and risk performance. The results revealed that tara is only part of low-income portfolios, despite the low correlation between the markets. The exclusion in tara from high-income portfolios might be a consequence of its lower returns compared with other options such as maize and cattle ranching. Collectors need to improve efficiency during harvest and post-harvest processes to reduce loss, which is above 50%. If appropriately managed, tara could contribute to raising household income, alleviating agricultural risks and boosting gender equality

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

Search for heavy resonances decaying to two Higgs bosons in final states containing four b quarks

A search is presented for narrow heavy resonances X decaying into pairs of Higgs bosons (H) in proton-proton collisions collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC at root s = 8 TeV. The data correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19.7 fb(-1). The search considers HH resonances with masses between 1 and 3 TeV, having final states of two b quark pairs. Each Higgs boson is produced with large momentum, and the hadronization products of the pair of b quarks can usually be reconstructed as single large jets. The background from multijet and t (t) over bar events is significantly reduced by applying requirements related to the flavor of the jet, its mass, and its substructure. The signal would be identified as a peak on top of the dijet invariant mass spectrum of the remaining background events. No evidence is observed for such a signal. Upper limits obtained at 95 confidence level for the product of the production cross section and branching fraction sigma(gg -> X) B(X -> HH -> b (b) over barb (b) over bar) range from 10 to 1.5 fb for the mass of X from 1.15 to 2.0 TeV, significantly extending previous searches. For a warped extra dimension theory with amass scale Lambda(R) = 1 TeV, the data exclude radion scalar masses between 1.15 and 1.55 TeV

Search for supersymmetry in events with one lepton and multiple jets in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Peer reviewe

Measurement of the top quark mass using charged particles in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe

Fungi’s Swiss Army Knife: Pleiotropic Effect of Melanin in Fungal Pathogenesis during Cattle Mycosis

Fungal threats to public health, food security, and biodiversity have escalated, with a significant rise in mycosis cases globally. Around 300 million people suffer from severe fungal diseases annually, while one-third of food crops are decimated by fungi. Vertebrate, including livestock, are also affected. Our limited understanding of fungal virulence mechanisms hampers our ability to prevent and treat cattle mycoses. Here we aim to bridge knowledge gaps in fungal virulence factors and the role of melanin in evading bovine immune responses. We investigate mycosis in bovines employing a PRISMA-based methodology, bioinformatics, and data mining techniques. Our analysis identified 107 fungal species causing mycoses, primarily within the Ascomycota division. Candida, Aspergillus, Malassezia, and Trichophyton were the most prevalent genera. Of these pathogens, 25% produce melanin. Further research is required to explore the involvement of melanin and develop intervention strategies. While the literature on melanin-mediated fungal evasion mechanisms in cattle is lacking, we successfully evaluated the transferability of immunological mechanisms from other model mammals through homology. Bioinformatics enables knowledge transfer and enhances our understanding of mycosis in cattle. This synthesis fills critical information gaps and paves the way for proposing biotechnological strategies to mitigate the impact of mycoses in cattle

Etiología de la Mastitis bovina en Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador

Background: Cattle mastitis is a global sanitary and economic problem that affects human and animal health. Several microorganisms involved in its etiology, such as Mycoplasma bovis, make prevention and control more difficult. Aim. To deepen the bacterial etiology of cattle mastitis in Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, where collected milk was observed to have Mollicutes. Materials and methods: A number of 247 milking cows were studied in 2015-2016 in herds from Zamora-Chinchipe province, selected in areas with adequate ecological characteristics. The California Mastitis Test (CMT) was run on milk samples from each cow whereas Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) was performed to detect Mollicutes, and a bacteriological diagnostic was made to identify other pathogens. A comparison of proportions analysis was conducted to analyze the results of Mollicute presence, and CMT in the cows per cantons, and between the pathogens identified in the Mollicute-positive cows. Chi-square helped evaluate the relation between the Mollicute diagnostic results and CMT, and the pathogens identified. Logistic regression was useful to compare the prevalence ratio (PR). Results: The frequency of subclinical mastitis was found at high levels (81.4%) through CMT, and a frequency of 33.2% of Mycoplasma spp.-positive cows. In the bacteriological diagnostic, Streptococcus spp. (27.2%) and Staphylococcus aureus (22.1%) showed the highest frequencies (P< 0.05). S. aureus was detected with the highest frequency in the Mycoplasma spp.-positive cows (43.8%; P<0.05). Conclusions: The high infection caused by Mycoplasma spp. and S. aureus was significant, due to their potential repercussion on the clinical-epidemiological behavior of bovine mastitis in the province. Key words:   Bovine mastitis, Mollicutes, Mycoplasma, PCR, StaphylococcusAntecedentes: La mastitis bovina, problema sanitario y económico a nivel global, tiene implicaciones para la salud animal y humana. Numerosos microorganismos involucrados en su etiología complican su prevención y control, como Mycoplasma bovis. Objetivo. Profundizar en la etiología bacteriana de la mastitis bovina en Zamora-Chinchipe, Ecuador, en cuyos rebaños se constató previamente la presencia de Mollicutes en leche de tanque. Materiales y métodos: Durante 2015 y 2016 se muestrearon 247 vacas en ordeño de rebaños bovinos lecheros en la provincia Zamora-Chinchipe, seleccionados en los conglomerados definidos en el territorio según sus características ecológicas. Las muestras de leche de cada vaca se investigaron mediante Prueba California para Mastitis (CMT), y para el diagnóstico microbiológico de Mollicutes se realizó Reacción en Cadena de la Polimerasa (PCR), así como el diagnóstico bacteriológico para la identificación de otros patógenos. Mediante comparación de proporciones se analizaron los resultados del diagnóstico de Mollicutes y CMT en vacas por cantones y entre los patógenos identificados en las vacas positivas a Mollicutes. A través de Chi Cuadrado se evaluó la relación entre los resultados del diagnóstico de Mollicutes y CMT, y de los patógenos identificados, y por regresión logística se comparó su Razón de Prevalencia (RP). Resultados: Se encontró elevada frecuencia de mastitis subclínica (81.4%) mediante CMT y una frecuencia de 33,2 % de vacas positivas a Mycoplasma spp. En el diagnóstico bacteriológico Streptococcus spp. (27,2%) y Staphylococcus aureus (22,1%) tuvieron las mayores frecuencias (P< 0,05). S. aureus se detectó con la mayor frecuencia en vacas positivas a Mycoplasma spp. (43,8%; P<0,05). Conclusiones: Se destaca la importancia de la elevada coinfección de Mycoplasma spp. y S. aureus por su repercusión potencial en el comportamiento clínico-epidemiológico de la mastitis bovina en la provincia. Palabras clave: Mastitis Bovina, Mollicutes, Mycoplasma, PCR, Staphylococcu

Effect of melatonin and caffeine supplementation to freezing medium on cryosurvival of peruvian paso horse sperm using a two-step accelerating cooling rate

This research examined the antioxidant and cryoprotective effects of melatonin (ME) and caffeine (CAF) supplementation in freezing medium on the cryosurvival of Peruvian Paso horse sperm using a two-step accelerating cooling rate. Twenty ejaculates from four adult and fertile stallions were recovered, initially diluted with INRA-96 , and finally frozen with INRA-Freeze  with either no supplementation (as control), 1 mM ME, or 2mM CAF using a two-ramp freezing system content inside a cryogenic-box and liquid nitrogen vapors. The sperm kinematic parameters and integrity of the plasma and acrosomal membranes of fresh semen and cryopreserved samples were evaluated using the CASA system (SCA-Evolution  2018) and PI/fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated peanut (Arachis hypogaea) agglutinin double fluorescent test, respectively. The oxidative stress of post-thaw sperm samples was also assessed using the CellRox Deep Red fluorescence test. The results showed that curvilinear velocity and average-path velocity were greater ( p < 0.05) after freezing with CAF than the control group. In addition, there were significance differences ( p < 0.01) between stallions (1–4) in post-thaw kinematic parameters regardless of ME or CAF addition. Both ME and CAF improved (p < 0.05) the proportion of sperm with intact plasma membranes and intact acrosomes. Nevertheless, neither CAF nor ME improved the oxidative stress after the cryopreservation process