Land use/land cover change dynamics and drivers in a low-grade marginal coffee growing region of Veracruz,Mexico

In the state of Veracruz, Mexico, lowland and marginal coffee growing regions have been particularly vulnerable since the 1989 coffee crisis. Government programs have promoted production diversification as a strategy to improve local incomes and conserve environmentally beneficial shade-tree coffee agroforests. We present results on land use/land cover dynamics in the municipality of Zozocolco de Hidalgo from 1973 to 2006. The municipality is recognized for its indigenous population and poverty, and currently, diversification efforts are being implemented. Our study combines remote sensing and GIS analyses, binary logistic regression and econometric modeling, as well as socioeconomic surveys to evaluate land use/land cover change (LULCC) dynamics and explore potential environmental and socioeconomic drivers. Results show that tree cover and coffee agroforests had largely been conserved during the first decade after the coffee crisis. But, recent trends indicate loss of tree cover in coffee agroforests and their conversion mostly to pasture. Land use/land cover drivers are largely explained by spatially explicit environmental variables such as slope and elevation. Relevant socioeconomic variables such as distance to markets and land use profitability were not significantly related to land use changes in Zozocolco. Surveys revealed that many households had converted coffee agroforests to pasture or agriculture in the past decade and others intended on renting or selling their agroforest plots, mostly for conversion to pasture. Diversification programs may not be sufficient to stem deforestation in lowland and marginal coffee growing regions. Moreover, information about locally varying socioeconomic and cultural contexts needs to be strongly considered in order to formulate effective strategies.     

Evaluation of translocation as a tool for mitigating development threats to great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) in England, 1990-2001

Great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) are protected under European and UK legislation, but are frequently the subject of conflict between development and conservation in England. When this occurs, the developer is legally obliged to instigate a mitigation plan to reduce the impacts on the newts. This usually involves the translocation of newts coupled with habitat enhancement and creation. We reviewed mitigation projects carried out in England between 1990 and 2001 by (1) analysing licensing information collected by the governmental licensing authorities; and (2) a questionnaire survey of a sample of mitigation projects. Over half of the licensed projects on file contained no report of the work undertaken. There was an increase in the number of new translocation projects from less than 10 a year in the early 1990s to over 80 a year by 2000. This translates into about £1.5 million per year currently being spent on great crested newt mitigation projects. Most of these projects involved in situ translocations of newts to areas within or adjacent to the development site. The number of newts translocated per project declined over the same period, and was related to the total area of habitat destroyed and work effort. About 27% of great crested newt terrestrial habitat was destroyed during the developments along with about half of all ponds. Although the number of new ponds created compensated for the number of known great crested newt ponds lost, there was a net loss in terms of overall area of aquatic habitat. Where follow-up monitoring of translocations was conducted, there was evidence of breeding at most sites one-year post-development, but it is unclear whether these populations were sustainable in the long-term.     

CREDIT MANAGEMENT ANALYSIS OF SEMI-INTENSIVE SHRIMP FARMING IN MEXICO

Credit management (funding source with its specific interest rate, its timing, and amount) and its trade, affect feasibility of commercial shrimp farming. To analyze optimal trade credit management, an existing bioeconomic model of a semi-intensive shrimp farm (139 hectares with 44 earthen ponds) located in Sinaloa, Mexico, was extended to create a framework that assesses the decision-making problem related to funding from input suppliers (feed and postlarvae) during one culture cycle, integrating stochastic factors like shrimp mortality and pond water temperature. Through the application of Monte Carlo simulation and genetic algorithm-based optimization techniques, results show that the minimum funding cost is US$15,710 (for an operation budget of US$603,790), 27% lower than alternative funding scenarios (P-value <0.001). Although framed at the firm level, this approach optimizes any funding planning scenario in short-term credit management, particularly in funding schemes involving input suppliers. Further research is needed to relate credit management at the firm level with other elements of the value chain.     

A/E大肠杆菌疫苗动物模型的建立

致病性和出血性大肠杆菌 (代表株 EPEC E2 34 8和 EHEC O15 7)是婴幼儿腹泻、出血性结肠炎和尿路感染综合征 (尿毒症 )的主要病原菌 ,它们同属于粘附脱落 (Attaching/ Effacing,A/ E)大肠杆菌群 ,具有许多共同的毒力基因 ,定位于致病岛 L EE(the locus of enterocyte effacement)上。本试验主要就 A/ E大肠杆菌致病岛 L EE的 2个主要调节基因 lux和 ler基因对细菌致病性和免疫原性的影响进行了研究。所使用的始发菌株为兔致病性大肠杆菌 RDEC- 1,根据同源重组的原理 ,利用自杀性载体 p CVD44 2技术 ,敲除了位于染色体上的 lux和 ler基因 ,构建了 lux和 ler基因缺失突变株 ,研究了这 2个基因对细菌生长、毒力因子表达的调控作用以及基因缺失突变株的致病性和免疫保护作用。家兔实验研究表明 ,lux基因缺失突变株仍然残存着部分致病作用 ,不足以成为理想的致弱疫苗 ;而 ler基因缺失突变株安全性好 ,具有良好的免疫保护作用 ,是理想的家兔致弱疫苗候选株。这些研究资料为人 A/ E大肠杆菌疫苗 ,尤其是 EHEC O15 7疫苗的研制指明了方向 ,并提供了技术路线。     

An H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that invaded Japan through waterfowl migration

In 2010, an H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) was isolated from feces of apparently healthy ducks migrating southward in Hokkaido, the northernmost prefecture of Japan. The H5N1 HPAIVs were subsequently detected in domestic and wild birds at multiple sites corresponding to the flyway of the waterfowl having stopovers in the Japanese archipelago. The Hokkaido isolate was genetically nearly identical to H5N1 HPAIVs isolated from swans in the spring of 2009 and 2010 in Mongolia, but less pathogenic in experimentally infected ducks than the 2009 Mongolian isolate. These findings suggest that H5N1 HPAIVs with relatively mild pathogenicity might be selected and harbored in the waterfowl population during the 2009-2010 migration seasons. Our data provide "early warning" signals for preparedness against the unprecedented situation in which the waterfowl reservoirs serve as perpetual sources and disseminators of HPAIVs.