Effect of neighbouring village conditions and infrastructure interdependency on economic opportunity: A case study of the Yogyakarta region,Indonesia

To determine whether the inclusion of conditions in neighbouring villages and infrastructure interdependency are able to improve the performance of infrastructure–economy interaction models, we compare three related and progressive concepts. The first concept defines economic opportunity in a village as a function of available infrastructure within that village. The second concept includes the effect of economic opportunity in neighbouring villages in addition to available infrastructure within the village. In the third concept, we include the interdependency of infrastructures as another factor affecting the potential level of economic development in the village. We use Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and a Geographic Information System (GIS) to model the first concept, and we add a spatial-lag model for the second. The third model expands on the second by introducing a Sugeno Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) and a rule-based OLS to capture the nature of infrastructure interdependency. The result of the three models is validated by a known spatial distribution of poverty levels and subjective well-being that serve as proxies for economic opportunity in the Yogyakarta region in Indonesia. The results demonstrate that the third model provides a more accurate prediction of the real conditions and performs consistently better than the other two models. We therefore conclude that conditions in neighbouring villages and infrastructure interdependency influence the economic opportunity of a village and should be considered in policy making regarding resource allocation in infrastructure development.     

Stable isotope ratio analysis for authentication of lamb meat

The effectiveness of the analysis of stable isotope ratios ((13)C/(12)C and (15)N/(14)N) in fractions of lamb meat, measured by isotope ratio mass spectrometry, was evaluated as a method of feeding and geographical origin authentication. Analyses were carried out on meat from 12 lamb types, produced in couples in six European countries (country of origin, CO) and divided in three groups according to the feeding regime during their finishing period: suckled milk only, pasture without any solid supplementation and supplementation containing maize grain (feeding regime, FR). These analyses were made on two samples of longissimus thoracis muscle, taken from the 13th rib section of the left side of two different lambs, randomly chosen between the 120 selected to represent each lamb type. δ(13)C values varied significantly in different meat fractions, the difference being higher in protein than in fat (average difference 5.0‰). However, the pairs δ(13)C values of crude fat and protein were highly correlated (r=0.976) and affected by lamb type in a similar fashion, mainly reflecting animals' feeding regime. Even δ(15)N values of meat protein fraction showed significant differences between lamb types, not dependant on the feeding regime. In fact, lambs fed on similar diets, but in different countries, gave meat with different (15)N relative abundances. These findings provide the possibility of discriminating lamb types within the same feeding regime. Canonical discriminant analysis was carried out to evaluate whether lamb meat from different CO or FR or CO×FR interaction could be mathematically distinguished by its stable isotope ratios. On the basis of CO, the corrected empirical allocation of 79.2% of the initial observations and the corrected cross-validation of two thirds of the individual meat samples was obtained. FR gave better results: 91.7% of the individual meat samples was both correctly allocated and cross-validated, indicating the high potential of stable isotope ratio analysis as a tool for lamb diet characterisation. The most satisfactory classification attained, using K-means clustering technique and canonical discriminant analysis, enabled a good resolution of six CO×FR groups of lamb types: Icelandic fed on pasture; British and French grazing; Italian; suckled and Karagouniko concentrates finished; French Lacaune; Ternasco de Aragon. It was concluded that multielement stable isotope analysis may be considered promising for the reliable evaluation of lamb meat authenticity, in the same way as for wine, fruit juice, honey and dairy products.     

Calpain system in vitro activity and myofibril fragmentation index in fallow deer (Dama dama): effects of age and supplementary feeding

Calpain system (μ- and m-calpain, calpastatin) and myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) were analysed on muscle longissimus thoracis et lumborum of 16 male fallow deer, half 18- and half 30-month-old, slaughtered after a 4-month feeding trial on pasture alone or with concentrate supplement. Diet did not produce any difference on the measured variables. The muscle of the elder deer had a higher calpastatin level 6 h post-mortem (136.0 vs. 99.7 units/50 g, for the 30- and 18-months-old, respectively), and a lower MFI value, particularly 24 h post-mortem (71.1 vs. 89.1). This is in agreement with previous data showing tougher meat from 30-month-old animals.     

Framework for Scalable File System Metadata Crawling and Differencing

Identifying file systems metadata changes such as which files have been added, modified or removed from the file system has many usages. In this paper we present a framework we developed for identifying those changes in increasing speeds. Our framework which is composed of crawling, hashing, and scheduling components, allows to scale the crawl to multiple client workstations that operate in parallel on the same file system in a non-overlapping fashion. Experiments carried using real-world data indicate performance improvement (speedup) of up to 36X using our framework compared to legacy crawling utilities such as Linux’s ‘find’.     

Mandibular Gland Secretion of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melipona beecheii</Emphasis>: Chemistry and Behavior

The mandibular gland secretion of Melipona beecheii contains a rich mixture of terpenoid and oxygenated compounds and unsaturated and saturated hydrocarbons. However, it differs markedly from the 11 other Brazilian species examined in previous studies, both by the absence of 2-heptanol and the presence of rose oxides. The most abundant compound was geranyl hexanoate, whereas the most volatile compounds were cis- and trans-rose oxide and geraniol. The complete blend and five individual components found in the gland secretion were tested by electroantennography (EAG) and behavioral assays. The complete mandibular gland extract and geraniol elicited the strongest EAG responses, whereas these and farnesyl acetate induced the strongest attack response from workers. The role of the rose oxides remains to be elucidated, as they do not appear to play a major role as an alarm pheromone of this species.     

Carbon value dynamics for France: A key driver to support mitigation pledges at country scale

The climate agenda in France and several other countries is a complex combination of unilateral commitments with regional and international objectives. When analyzing national policies, the findings of worldwide analyses are of limited accuracy and the large aggregates on which they are built level out most local specificities and inertia. Specific assessments are hence needed. This paper quantifies the dynamic evolution of carbon values for French climate and energy policy. Its time dependency over successive periods and the effects of setting intermediate targets are evaluated using a long-term optimization model. Addressing critical issues for France, we produce consistent energy, emissions and carbon value estimates with a 5-year time step. Our results are situated above the upper range of carbon value estimates of world models with an overlapping zone. We show that the official policy guideline value is only consistent with an optimistic combination of assumptions. The central estimates are 4 times greater than the guideline carbon value for 2050 and up to 14 times greater in 2020 because of short-term inertia that are costly to move. We also find that with intermediate objectives, the carbon value’s dynamic is more than a simple upward curve and that its variability is itself time dependent.     

Effect of origin,breeding and processing conditions on the isotope ratios of bioelements in dry-cured ham

The stable isotope ratios (SIR) of the bioelements (²H/¹H, ¹³C/¹²C, ¹⁵N/¹⁴N, ¹⁸O/¹⁶O, ³⁴S/³²S) of the defatted dry matter and marbling and subcutaneous fat fractions, were assessed on 86 ham samples belonging to six different types, with the aim of ascertaining the effect of origin and production system on 11 isotopic ratios. The ham types were obtained from pigs reared in three regions, examining in every location one different production factor at two levels of expression: pig genotype (local breed vs. industrial hybrid) in Friuli (Italy), pig feeding regime (Bellota vs. Campo) in Extremadura (Spain) and ham seasoning time (mid vs. end) in Emilia (Italy). The isotopic composition of meteoric water and the dietary abundance of C₄ plants allowed to distinguish Italian PDO from Spanish hams. The contrasting treatments within the regional batches generated promising differences in SIR, potentially useful for tracing the whole ham production system, including the processing procedure.     

Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis for Assessing the Authenticity of Food of Animal Origin

The main elemental constituents (H, C, N, O, and S) of bio‐organic material have different stable isotopes (²H, ¹H; ¹³C,¹²C; ¹⁵N,¹⁴N; ¹⁸O,¹⁷O,¹⁶O; ³⁶S, ³⁴S, ³³S, and ³²S). Isotopic ratios can be measured precisely and accurately using dedicated analytical techniques such as isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS). Analysis of these ratios shows potential for assessing the authenticity of food of animal origin. In this review, IRMS analysis of food of animal origin and variability factors related to stable isotope ratios in animals are described. The study also lists examples of application of stable isotope ratio analysis to meat, dairy products, fish, and shellfish and emphasizes the strengths and weaknesses of the technique. Geographical, climatic, pedological, geological, botanical, and agricultural factors affect the stable isotope ratios (SIR) of bio‐elements, and SIR variations are ultimately incorporated into animal tissue through eating, drinking, breathing, and exchange with the environment, being recorded in the resulting foods. SIR analysis was capable of determining geographical origin, animal diet, and the production system (such as organic/conventional or wild/farmed) for pork, beef, lamb, poultry, milk, butter, cheese, fish, and shellfish. In the case of the hard PDO (protected designations of origin) cheeses Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano it is also used in real‐life situations to assess the authenticity of grated and shredded cheese on the market.