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This study examines the structural and geographical changes in Chile’s dairy cattle systems from 1997 to 2021, using data from agricultural censuses. It focuses on variables like animal stocks, herd sizes, pasture utilization, and stocking rates, analyzed through descriptive statistics, multivariable analysis, and geographical mapping. The findings show a significant decrease in dairy farms (−69%) and dairy cattle stocks (−25.4%), with regional disparities: southern farms increased in importance while central farms declined. There is a trend towards intensification, with higher stocking rates and larger herd sizes. Grassland utilization shifted, with a decrease in natural pastures and an increase in improved and sown pastures. The study identifies four typological groups based on stocking rates, dimensions, and pasture use, reflecting distinct evolutionary paths influenced by climate change, land use, economic dynamics, and technology. Geographical analyses highlight regional variations. This research provides insights into the dynamics of Chile’s dairy farming sector and its sustainability challenges and opportunities amidst changing environmental and socioeconomic conditions.

Abstract The tumor immune composition influences prognosis and treatment sensitivity in lung cancer. The presence of effective adaptive immune responses is associated with increased clinical benefit after immune checkpoint blockers. Conversely, immunotherapy resistance can occur as a consequence of local T-cell exhaustion/dysfunction and upregulation of immunosuppressive signals and regulatory cells. Consequently, merely measuring the amount of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) may not accurately reflect the complexity of tumor-immune interactions and T-cell functional states and may not be valuable as a treatment-specific biomarker. In this work, we investigate an immune-related biomarker (PhenoTIL) and its value in associating with treatment-specific outcomes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PhenoTIL is a novel computational pathology approach that uses machine learning to capture spatial interplay and infer functional features of immune cell niches associated with tumor rejection and patient outcomes. PhenoTIL’s advantage is the computational characterization of the tumor immune microenvironment extracted from H&E-stained preparations. Association with clinical outcome and major non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) histology variants was studied in baseline tumor specimens from 1,774 lung cancer patients treated with immunotherapy and/or chemotherapy, including the clinical trial Checkmate 057 (NCT01673867).

Abstract Prognostic markers currently utilized in clinical practice for estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and lymph node-negative (LN−) invasive breast cancer (IBC) patients include the Nottingham grading system and Oncotype Dx (ODx). However, these biomarkers are not always optimal and remain subject to inter-/intra-observer variability and high cost. In this study, we evaluated the association between computationally derived image features from H&E images and disease-free survival (DFS) in ER+ and LN− IBC. H&E images from a total of n = 321 patients with ER+ and LN− IBC from three cohorts were employed for this study (Training set: D1 (n = 116), Validation sets: D2 (n = 121) and D3 (n = 84)). A total of 343 features relating to nuclear morphology, mitotic activity, and tubule formation were computationally extracted from each slide image. A Cox regression model (IbRiS) was trained to identify significant predictors of DFS and predict a high/low-risk category using D1 and was validated on independent testing sets D2 and D3 as well as within each ODx risk category. IbRiS was significantly prognostic of DFS with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.33 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.02–5.32, p = 0.045) on D2 and a HR of 2.94 (95% CI = 1.18–7.35, p = 0.0208) on D3. In addition, IbRiS yielded significant risk stratification within high ODx risk categories (D1 + D2: HR = 10.35, 95% CI = 1.20–89.18, p = 0.0106; D1: p = 0.0238; D2: p = 0.0389), potentially providing more granular risk stratification than offered by ODx alone.

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to assess consumer knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions toward dairy products from sheep and goats. A web-based survey was conducted in Latin America (Mexico and Chile), Europe (Italy, Spain, Greece, and Denmark), and Asia (Bangladesh). From March to June 2021, adult participants answered an online survey available in 5 languages. In total, 1,879 surveys were completed. Categorical and ordinal data were analyzed as frequencies and percentages. To determine the relationship between the variables for purchasing and consumption behaviors of respondents who declared that they consume dairy products, a multiple correspondence analysis was carried out. Most completed surveys were from Mexico and Italy (30% and 33.7%, respectively). Most respondents were between 18 and 29 yr old, female, highly educated, and employed. The majority of respondents (70.8%) declared that they consume dairy products from small ruminants. Consumers preferred products from both sheep and goats (49.4%); however, it was observed that in Mexico, Denmark, and Bangladesh, more than 50% preferred goat dairy products. The most-consumed products were mature and fresh cheeses. Mature cheese was the most-preferred product in Chile; in Mexico, Italy, Greece, and Denmark, it was fresh cheese. Unlike the rest of the countries, in Bangladesh, dairy product consumption from small ruminants was observed by more than 30% of respondents. In Mexico, a higher percentage of people do not consume sheep or goat dairy products because they are unfamiliar with them. In Mexico, Chile, and Bangladesh, limited market availability was also a variable responsible for nonconsumption. In European and Asian countries, sheep and goat dairy products are not consumed because consumers dislike them, in addition to a greater awareness of sustainability and climate change issues. The multiple correspondence analysis defined 5 dimensions. Dimension 1 was associated with the geographic location of the respondent (country and continent), the type of milk (sheep or goat), and the consideration of well-being and health as characteristics associated with the consumption of dairy products from small ruminants. Dimension 2 was associated with the respondent's country of origin and the frequency of consumption. Dimension 3 was associated with gender, education, and employment status. Dimension 4 was associated with the respondent's age, the association of the “healthy” concept of sheep and goat dairy products, and the consideration of the nutritional benefits of dairy as responsible for considering them healthy. Dimension 5 was associated with a “strong smell and taste” of sheep and goat dairy products. This study showed that consumer attitudes toward dairy products from sheep and goats vary between continents. In conclusion, results showed consumer interest in animal welfare and environmental impact issues related to small ruminant farming as well as a general attraction to local products. It seems that these factors contribute to consumers' perception of the quality of dairy products, so the industry and select farmers should carefully consider incorporating them into their supply chain.

Abstract Despite known histological, biological, and clinical differences between lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), relatively little is known about the spatial differences in their corresponding immune contextures. Our study of over 1000 LUAD and LUSC tumors revealed that computationally derived patterns of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) on H&E images were different between LUAD (N = 421) and LUSC (N = 438), with TIL density being prognostic of overall survival in LUAD and spatial arrangement being more prognostically relevant in LUSC. In addition, the LUAD-specific TIL signature was associated with OS in an external validation set of 100 NSCLC treated with more than six different neoadjuvant chemotherapy regimens, and predictive of response to therapy in the clinical trial CA209-057 (n = 303). In LUAD, the prognostic TIL signature was primarily comprised of CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells, whereas in LUSC, the immune patterns were comprised of CD4+ T, CD8+ T, and CD20+ B cells. In both subtypes, prognostic TIL features were associated with transcriptomics-derived immune scores and biological pathways implicated in immune recognition, response, and evasion. Our results suggest the need for histologic subtype-specific TIL-based models for stratifying survival risk and predicting response to therapy. Our findings suggest that predictive models for response to therapy will need to account for the unique morphologic and molecular immune patterns as a function of histologic subtype of NSCLC.

Abstract Collagen fiber organization has been found to be implicated in breast cancer prognosis. In this study, we evaluated whether computerized features of Collagen Fiber Orientation Disorder in Tumor-associated Stroma (CFOD-TS) on Hematoxylin & Eosin (H&E) slide images were prognostic of Disease Free Survival (DFS) in early stage Estrogen Receptor Positive (ER+) Invasive Breast Cancers (IBC). A Cox regression model named MCFOD-TS, was constructed using cohort St (N = 78) to predict DFS based on CFOD-TS features. The prognostic performance of MCFOD-TS was validated on cohort Sv (N = 219), a prospective clinical trial dataset (ECOG 2197). MCFOD-TS was prognostic of DFS in both St and Sv, independent of clinicopathological variables. Additionally, the molecular pathways regarding cell cycle regulation were identified as being significantly associated with MCFOD-TS derived risk scores. Our results also found that collagen fiber organization was more ordered in patients with short DFS. Our study provided a H&E image-based pipeline to derive a potential prognostic biomarker for early stage ER+ IBC without the need of special collagen staining or advanced microscopy techniques.

An exploratory study was conducted to analyze combinations of variables that define typological groups that condition the abandonment/continuity of sheep farming in the semi-arid region of Chile. Three typological groups were identified. Group I is made up of middle-aged farmers with the largest flocks. Group II has typical farms from an arid zone, own by elderly male farmers. Group III is located in areas near urban centers and has a greater presence of women farmers. The study allowed to identify the variables that influence the continuity of sheep farmers and to determine strategies that avoid/delay the abandonment of the activity.

Background We present a computational approach (ArcTIL) for quantitative characterization of the architecture of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and their interplay with cancer cells from digitized H&E-stained histology whole slide images and evaluate its prognostic role in three different gynecological cancer (GC) types and across three different treatment types (platinum, radiation and immunotherapy).Methods In this retrospective study, we included 926 patients with GC diagnosed with ovarian cancer (OC), cervical cancer, and endometrial cancer with available digitized diagnostic histology slides and survival outcome information. ArcTIL features quantifying architecture and spatial interplay between immune cells and the rest of nucleated cells (mostly comprised cancer cells) were extracted from the cell cluster graphs of nuclei within the tumor epithelial nests, surrounding stroma and invasive tumor front compartments on H&E-stained slides. A Cox proportional hazards model, incorporating ArcTIL features was fit on the OC training cohort (N=51), yielding an ArcTIL signature. A unique threshold learned from the training set stratified the patients into a low and high-risk group.Results The seven feature ArcTIL classifier was found to significantly correlate with overall survival in chemotherapy and radiotherapy-treated validation cohorts and progression-free survival in an immunotherapy-treated validation cohort. ArcTIL features relating to increased density of TILs in the epithelium and invasive tumor front were found to be associated with better survival outcomes when compared with those patients with an increased TIL density in the stroma. A statistically significant association was found between the ArcTIL signature and signaling pathways for blood vessel morphogenesis, vasculature development, regulation of cell differentiation, cell-substrate adhesion, biological adhesion, regulation of vasculature development, and angiogenesis.Conclusions This study reveals that computationally-derived features from the spatial architecture of TILs and tumor cells are prognostic in GCs treated with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and checkpoint blockade and are closely associated with central biological processes that impact tumor progression. These findings could aid in identifying therapy-refractory patients and further enable personalized treatment decision-making.

PurposeThere is a lack of biomarkers for accurately prognosticating outcome in both human papillomavirus-related (HPV+) and tobacco- and alcohol-related (HPV−) oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). The aims of this study were to i) develop and evaluate radiomic features within (intratumoral) and around tumor (peritumoral) on CT scans to predict HPV status; ii) investigate the prognostic value of the radiomic features for both HPV− and HPV+ patients, including within individual AJCC eighth edition-defined stage groups; and iii) develop and evaluate a clinicopathologic imaging nomogram involving radiomic, clinical, and pathologic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) prediction for HPV+ patients.Experimental DesignThis retrospective study included 582 OPSCC patients, of which 462 were obtained from The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA) with available tumor segmentation and 120 were from Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF, denoted as SCCF) with HPV+ OPSCC. We subdivided the TCIA cohort into training (ST, 180 patients) and validation (SV, 282 patients) based on an approximately 3:5 ratio for HPV status prediction. The top 15 radiomic features that were associated with HPV status were selected by the minimum redundancy–maximum relevance (MRMR) using ST and evaluated on SV. Using 3 of these 15 top HPV status-associated features, we created radiomic risk scores for both HPV+ (RRSHPV+) and HPV− patients (RRSHPV−) through a Cox regression model to predict DFS. RRSHPV+ was further externally validated on SCCF. Nomograms for the HPV+ population (Mp+RRS) were constructed. Both RRSHPV+ and Mp+RRS were used to prognosticate DFS for the AJCC eighth edition-defined stage I, stage II, and stage III patients separately.ResultsRRSHPV+ was prognostic for DFS for i) the whole HPV+ population [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.97, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.35–2.88, p < 0.001], ii) the AJCC eighth stage I population (HR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.04–3.83, p = 0.039), and iii) the AJCC eighth stage II population (HR = 3.61, 95% CI: 1.71–7.62, p < 0.001). HPV+ nomogram Mp+RRS (C-index, 0.59; 95% CI: 0.54–0.65) was also prognostic of DFS (HR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.27–2.71, p = 0.001).ConclusionCT-based radiomic signatures are associated with both HPV status and DFS in OPSCC patients. With additional validation, the radiomic signature and its corresponding nomogram could potentially be used for identifying HPV+ OPSCC patients who might be candidates for therapy deintensification.

One of the main production challenges associated with climate change is the reduction of carbon emissions. Increasing the efficiency of resource utilization is one way to achieve this purpose. The modification of production systems through improved reproductive, genetic, feed, and grazing management practices has been proposed to increase technical–economic efficiency, even though the “environmental viability” of these modifications has not always been evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of feeding and management strategies on the carbon footprint (CF) and economic variables in the traditional cow–calf system in southern Chile using a simulation model. The modifications evaluated corresponded to combinations of stocking rate, use of creep feeding practices with different supplementation levels, and the incorporation of feed additives to the supplement, using factorial experiments. Additionally, the scenarios were evaluated with and without carbon sequestration. The CF for the baseline scenarios was 12.5 ± 0.3 kg of CO2−eq/kg of live weight (LW) when carbon sequestration was considered and 13.0 ± 0.4 kg of CO2−eq/kg of LW in the opposite case. Changes in stocking rate, supplementation level, and consideration of carbon sequestration in pasture and soil had a significant effect on the CF in all simulated scenarios. The inclusion of additives in the supplement did not have a significant effect on production costs. With regard to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, incorporating canola oil presented the best average results. The model developed made the selection of environmentally viable feed strategies or management adaptations possible.

The winter diet of dairy cows in Mediterranean climate regions is usually a total mixed ration with a base of conserved summer crops such as corn silage and alfalfa hay. However, there is increased labor and financial cost related to this kind of feeding, which could be reduced if fresh forages were used in place of some of the conserved forage in the cow diet. The objective of our study was to evaluate the effect of including fresh mixed annual ryegrass and berseem clover into the diet of dairy cows on milk, nitrogen utilization, and methane emission. Twenty-four lactating dairy cows were split into two groups and offered either a diet similar to that usually offered to the cows (CON) or one where a mixture of fresh annual ryegrass and berseem clover was used to partially substitute the corn silage and alfalfa hay in the diet (MIX). Milk yield was recorded automatically, and methane emissions were estimated using the SF6 tracer technique. The MIX diet had lower crude protein concentration (148 vs. 170 g/kg DM) but higher DM digestibility (81.6 vs. 78.6%) than the CON diet. Compared to the cows offered the CON diet, milk yield was reduced when cows were fed the MIX diet (36.4 vs. 31.9 kg/d), but methane emissions (381 vs. 332 g/d) and nitrogen excretion were also reduced (238 vs. 180 g/d). Nitrogen use efficiency was unaffected (30.8%). In addition, milk from cows fed the MIX diet had a fatty acid profile considered to be more beneficial to human health than that of the milk from cows fed the CON diet. Increasing the protein concentration in the MIX diet, either by direct supplementation or increasing the proportion of legume in the mixed herbage, could overcome the reduction on milk and positively affect methane emission and N use efficiency.

The aim of the study was to characterize Chilean consumers of commercial fluid milk and determine if sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and/or perception on nutritive components of milk affect its consumption. A face-to-face interview was conducted through a stratified random sampling with 501 persons in the Province of Santiago, Metropolitan Region, Chile. The interviews were conducted at the entrance of major supermarkets from 5 different municipalities of the Province of Santiago. Interviews were performed from 10.00 h a.m to 13.00 h p.m. and from 15.00 hours to 17.30 h p.m. every day. Sixteen percent of respondents declared not consuming milk due to animal cruelty followed by self-reported lactose intolerance among other reasons. The most consumed types of milk were whole (25 %), semi-skimmed (24 %) and skimmed (25 %) followed by other types. The majority of respondents that consume milk declared to do it at home (93 %; n = 393), while the rest (7 %; n = 30) declared to consume milk elsewhere (at a coffee shop, restaurant, as a guest, etc.). Participants declared to make their purchase by prioritizing price followed by brand, type of milk, expiration date, nutritional information, packaging, and milk origin. Respondents (86 %) declared to know some nutritional benefits from drinking milk: 47.6 % said that milk was important due to its mineral supply, followed by supply of vitamins (17 %), proteins (17.1 %), fat (13.5 %), sugars (4.5 %) and other components (0.4 %). Most of the answers were associated in some degree with sociodemographic factors. Overall, women declared to consume more skimmed milk whereas, males declared to consume in first place whole milk. Respondents between 18-35 years old declared to consume skimmed and whole milks, while respondents with more than 55 years declared to consume fortified milk followed by semi-skimmed. Consumption of skimmed milk was higher in the high-income socioeconomic class whereas the low-income socioeconomic class resulted in higher consumption of whole milk.

El estudio plantea evaluar la vulnerabilidad del sistema de protección contra incendios de las edificaciones del campus de la Universidad del Quindío, siguiendo los requerimientos establecidos en el año 2010 en los títulos J “Requerimientos de protección contra incendios en edificaciones” y K “Requisitos complementarios” de la Norma Sismo Resistente de Colombia. De acuerdo al resultado de la evaluación, se definen las alternativas de solución a emplear. En este el artículo se presenta, de igual manera, el procedimiento a realizar para evaluar el estado y la capacidad de acción que puede tener una Institución de Educación Superior según las características de sus edificaciones.

The objectives of this study were to determine differences in knowledge and perception of animal welfare (with emphasis on dairy cattle) among undergraduate students from two universities with different missions and visions and between students from different faculties. One thousand surveys were obtained from Universidad de Chile (UChile; n = 500) and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC; n = 500) students. The students from both universities were from the following faculties: Agronomy, Architecture, Biology, Economic Sciences, Psychology, Law, Philosophy, Basic Education, Civil Engineering and Medicine. The majority (77%) of students from both universities were aware of animal welfare. Most (56%) students understand animal welfare as the ‘mental and physical state of animals’. Regardless of their faculty, around 97% of the total respondents perceived animal welfare as important for production systems. Regarding specific knowledge about cows’ welfare related to milk management and behavior, students from Economic Sciences, Psychology, Law, Philosophy, Basic Education, and Civil Engineering had less (p < 0.001) self-reported knowledge about cows’ basic behavior and specific management practices such as milking and were more negative in their perceptions of dairy production. Overall, results showed that the students’ faculty explained most of the differences among undergraduate students in relation to their perceptions and knowledge about animal welfare. Our data is important, as undergraduate students will make purchasing and power decisions as well as having potential influence on future policies that could modify the animal production industry.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical and texture changes of the Manchego-style cheese produced from hair sheep (Pelibuey) throughout 180 days of ripening, as well as consumer’s acceptance. Cheese pH was constant from 1 to 180 days of ripening. Moisture, water activity, fat, elasticity and hardness decreased from day 1 to day 180, while protein, trichloroacetic acid-soluble N and free amino acid increased. Cheese lightness decreased as ripening time increased, while elasticity and hardness decreased. Principal Component Analysis was useful in discriminating cheeses according to their physicochemical composition and that allowed cheeses to be classified in two groups according to their ripening time and this resulted in those with less than 60 days and those with more than 90 days of ripening. Compared with cheeses ripened at 1 and 90 days, aged cheeses at 180 days reduced scores for appearance, color, odor, taste, texture and overall acceptance. Overall, Manchego-style cheeses from hair sheep had the usual ripened-cheese physicochemical changes.

Dual-purpose cattle smallholder farms (DP) exhibit a critical economic situation. The objective of this research was building a typology for DP in tropical conditions and characterizing them technologically. This will help developing more effective public policies in DP farms located in tropical conditions. A sample of 1.475 farms located in the tropical area of Mexico was selected. The typology was built using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). Subsequently, five groups were identified by a hierarchical cluster analysis with Ward’s method. Groups 1 and 2, covered a 46.5% of the farms; these ones presented a small-scale productive model with low levels of technological adoption, improvements were mainly associated to the area of reproduction and genetics. Very small farms (Group 3) showed orientation to subsistence. They need to improve all the technological areas. Groups 4 and 5 (29.4% of the sample) were the biggest and more specialized farms. Group four farms were located in dry tropics and showed the highest levels of technological adoption in the areas of reproduction, management, and feeding. These farms require improvement in the areas of reproduction, animal health, and feeding. Group 5 farms were located in the wet tropics and showed specialization in reproduction, genetics, and animal health areas. In this last group, it is necessary to improve management and feeding areas.

Las explotaciones de ovino de raza Manchega vinculadas a la denominación de origen protegido “Queso Manchego” son caracterizadas por aspectos técnicos, sociales y comerciales. A partir de una muestra aleatoria, estratificada y proporcional de 157 explotaciones, la información se obtuvo mediante encuesta directa al productor. La caracterización se realizó mediante análisis descriptivos. La muestra se estratificó en base al número de ovejas y uso de tecnología. Los grupos se compararon mediante un ANOVAC multifactorial. La explotación media responde a un sistema extensivo mixto agricultura-ganadería, de tipo pastoril (85 %), con 888 ovejas y 1,124 ha de superficie total (ST), el 18 % de la ST se usa en agricultura, el resto es pasto natural. El productor tiene 48 años en promedio, existe esperanza de continuidad en la actividad (91 %), y de relevo generacional (74 %). La comercialización se realiza en un 91 % por los canales comerciales tradicionales, y sólo en un 9 % por los canales alternativos. El mayor desafío se asocia a los altos precios de los insumos y el precio de los productos. Las ventajas competitivas de las explotaciones la constituyen; por una parte el bajo nivel de inversiones y la realización de una actividad agrícola de baja producción, aspectos que le confieren flexibilidad. A partir de la estratificación por dimensión y uso de tecnología se establecen diferentes modelos productivos destacando explotaciones pequeñas y grandes con bajo uso de tecnologías, y grandes con elevado uso de tecnología.

El avance en los sistemas ganaderos se asocia a la implementación de tecnologías en la producción y a la mejora de sus ingresos. El objetivo del presente estudio fue la identificación e implementación de paquetes te cnológicos y su relación con los resultados productivos en vacuno de doble propósito de la provincia de Manabí, Ecua dor en dos zonas climáticas: el Bosque seco tropical y el húmedo tropical. Se agrupan 25 tecnologías en seis paquetes tecnológicos (PT) seleccionadas mediante una metodología cualitativa y participativa. Se realizaron entrevistas en una muestra de 41 explotaciones para evaluar la implementación de los paquetes tecnológicos, mediante estadística desc riptiva, correlaciones de Sperman y regresiones múltiples. Se obtienen los mayores niveles de implementación en los paquetes de salud animal (76 %), uso de la tierra y alimentación (55 %). El PT de alimentación se correlacion a ( P

Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito do uso de monensina, complexo de leveduras, ácidos graxos poliinsaturados e aminoácidos no consumo de matéria seca e nutrientes, na estimativa da digestibilidade ruminal, nos parâmetros de fermentação ruminal (pH, concentração de nitrogênio amoniacal e de ácidos graxos de cadeia curta), na população de protozoários e na produção de metano. Foram utilizados seis bovinos e com peso corporal de 530 ± 15 kg, recebendo complexo de leveduras, ácidos graxos poliinsaturados e aminoácidos (5 g/dia); monensina (5 g/dia); caulim (5 g/dia), usado como controle adicionado à dieta composta de feno de capim-tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.); e concentrado, na relação 80:20. O delineamento experimental adotado para análise do consumo e da digestibilidade foi o de blocos completos casualizados e, para análise dos parâmetros ruminais e da produção de metano, o de parcelas subdivididas. O consumo foi influenciado pelo uso de monensina na dieta, mas não diferiu entre os aditivos. As digestibilidades da matéria seca e dos nutrientes não foram influenciadas pelo fornecimento dos aditivos. A relação acetato:propionato nos animais alimentados com a dieta com monensina foi menor que naqueles que receberam o complexo de leveduras e ácidos graxos poliinsaturados e aminoácidos, diminuindo a perda de energia na forma de metano. O pH e a concentração de nitrogênio amoniacal foram adequados para o crescimento bacteriano. A concentração de metano não é alterada pelo uso dos aditivos testados.The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of monensin, yeast complex, unsaturated fatty acids and amino acids on dry matter and nutrient intake, total and partial digestibility and ruminal parameters of ruminal fermentation (pH, ammonia nitrogen concentration and short chain fatty acids), the protozoa population and methane production. Six castrated steers, body weight 530 ± 15 kg were used, receiving yeast complex, polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids (5 g/dia), monensin (5 g/dia), caulim (5g/dia, used as control), added to a diet consisting of Tifton 85 (Cynodon spp.) hay and concentrate at 80:20. A randomized complete block design was used to analyze and a split-plot design was used to analyze ruminal fermentation and methane production. The intakes were influenced by monensin in the diet, and no difference was observed among the additives. The dry matter and nutrients digestibilities, were not influenced by supplementing with additives. The acetate:propionate ratio in the animals fed the diet with monensin was smaller than in those that received the yeast complex and polyunsaturated fatty acids and amino acids, decreasing the energy loss in the form of methane. The pH and ammonia nitrogen concentration were adequate to microbial growth. The methane concentration was not altered with the use of the amino acids tested.

Over the last decade, pastoral systems have been intensified in response to an increasing demand for meat and milk, by generating environmental and social problems due to its high dependence on external inputs. The objective of this research was to analyze the economic feasibility of dairy pastoral system in La Pampa (Argentina). The main successful factors were identified through technical efficiency analysis, and subsequently improvement actions were suggested. The technique data envelopment analysis creates efficiency indexes by comparing the performance of each farm with the best practice, which defines the production frontier. The farms were classified attending to two criteria: first, the level of efficiency, second, the regular use of supplementation feed. The results showed that about 40% of the farms were efficient and the efficiency rate of the farms without supplementary feed was 80%. A 70% of the farms uses their own grassland resources adjusting milk yield to the capacity of the pasture. The technical efficiency for this group is 14% higher than the rest. Inefficient farms can adopt different strategies to enhance by practicing benchmarking. One of the examples studied shows two ways to do it: on the one hand the extensification by producing at a minimum cost; on the other hand, the technification, linked to the increase of stocking rate and the use of strategic supplementation. Finally, small changes in the management of the farms positively impact on performance, use of resources, and the sustainability of the system.

Sheep production systems in regions with a Mediterranean climate are important in social, economic and environmental terms. Modeling these systems allows, among others, evaluation of the costs efficiencies which in turn permits assessing the expected effects of changes in production variables. This paper presents a prototype analysis of the economic sustainability of ecological dairy sheep systems of Castilla-La Mancha, Central Spain evaluated through the estimation of costs efficiencies. Costs functions were developed using data from 31 farms. Rate of supplementary feeding, labour use, and flock size were used to measure the cost efficiency. On average, cost efficiency was 61.7±15.5%, with significant differences among typological groups. High efficiency was found in only 29% of the farms. The economic analyses performed suggest that the continued existence of economically unsustainably farms is explained by the available subsidies, lack of amortization of fixed assets leading to progressive decapitalization, and subsistence incomes by family groups (gross family income).

Las explotaciones de ovino de raza Manchega vinculadas a la enominación de origen protegido “Queso Manchego” son caracterizadas por aspectos técnicos, sociales y comerciales. A partir de una muestra aleatoria, estratificada y proporcional de 157 explotaciones, la información se obtuvo mediante encuesta directa al productor. La caracterización se realizó mediante análisis descriptivos. La muestra se estratificó en base al número de ovejas y uso de tecnología. Los grupos se compararon mediante un ANOVAC multifactorial. La explotación media responde a un sistema extensivo mixto agricultura-ganadería, de tipo pastoril (85 %), con 888 ovejas y 1,124 ha de superficie total (ST), el 18 % de la ST se usa en agricultura, el resto es pasto natural. El productor tiene 48 años en promedio, existe esperanza de continuidad en la actividad (91 %), y de relevo generacional (74 %). La comercialización se realiza en un 91 % por los canales comerciales tradicionales, y sólo en un 9 % por los canales alternativos. El mayor desafío se asocia a los altos precios de los insumos y el precio de los productos. Las ventajas competitivas de las explotaciones la constituyen; por una parte el bajo nivel de inversiones y la realización de una actividad agrícola de baja producción, aspectos que le confieren flexibilidad. A partir de la estratificación por dimensión y uso de tecnología se establecen diferentes modelos productivos destacando explotaciones pequeñas y grandes con bajo uso de tecnologías, y grandes con elevado uso de tecnología.

Sustainability of the organic farming dairy sheep systems in the central region of Spain (Castilla-La Mancha) has been assessed using an adaptation of the Framework for the Evaluation of Management Systems Incorporating Sustainability Indicators (MESMIS). The critical points and indicators that determine the organic dairy sheep systems were identified. These indicators were classified according to attributes and sustainability dimension to their aggregated indexes. The sustainability was evaluated in each of the 31 sampled farms, which were then grouped into three production systems (Family Subsistence, Commercial Semi-Intensive and Family Commercial). The Family Commercial system presented the best global sustainability index, highlighting the sustainability attributes of productivity and adaptability, as well as the environmental conservation dimension. The Family Subsistence system was located in an intermediate situation, presenting some resemblance to the Family Commercial System, but it was still considerably less productive. The Commercial Semi-Intensive system had shortcoming attributable to its degree of intensification and technical mismanagement. Self-weaknesses were identified for each system and recommendations have been proposed for increasing their level of sustainability.

The aim of this work was to identify and characterize the typologies of caprine systems in the Dominican Republic, which would determine their technical and economic performance. Data from 33 goat farms were collected by random sampling, where 51 technical and socio-economic variables were analyzed by multivariate analysis. This analysis allowed the selection of four principal components related to intensification, productivity, diversification, technological level and farm size. The subsequent cluster analysis classified the farms into three groups. Group 1, called Traditional subsistence, includes medium sized extensive farms with traditional management and low levels of productivity, technology and stocking rate. Group2 develops a semi-extensive system with increased levels of technology and use of external feed, higher ovine production and larger proportion of land in ownership even though it achieves low productive and economic performance. Finally, Group 3, called Traditional commercial, comprises large size farms with low levels of technology, applying external labour more efficiently and achieves acceptable economic results. Taking into account the characteristics of the systems identified, enhancing strategies to the caprine sector should be primarily aimed at group 1 and 2 farms, focusing on the improvement of low productivity and profitability levels.