Assessing the role of forest resources in improving rural livelihoods in West Bengal of India

Forest resources play a vital role in supporting the livelihoods of rural communities residing in forest-rich areas.In India,a forest-rich country,a significant proportion of non-timber forest products(NTFPs)is consumed locally,supporting numerous rural communities relying on forests for essential resources,such as firewood,timber,and NTFPs.This study focuses on two forest-dominant districts in West Bengal of India,namely,Jhargram District and Paschim Medinipur District.Furthermore,this study aims to enhance the understanding of forest-dependent communities by comparing the standard of living among different village classes.Thus,we categorized villages into three classes based on the distance from home to forests,including inner villages,fringe villages,and outer villages.Through focus group discussions and household surveys,we explored the sources of local economy,income sources of household,and reasons for economic diversification in different village classes.The study findings confirm that substantial variations existed in the income sources and the standard of living in these villages.Forest income varied dramatically among the three village classes,with inner villages having greater forest income than fringe villages and outer villages.Meanwhile,households in outer villages depended on forests and engaged in diverse economic activities for their livelihoods.Compared with inner and fringe villages,households in outer villages derived a significant portion of their income from livestock.This discrepancy can be attributed to challenges,such as inadequate transportation,communication,and underdeveloped market chains in inner villages.Moreover,these findings emphasize the need to develop sustainable forest management practices,create alternative income-generation opportunities,and improve infrastructure and market access in inner villages,as well as promote economic diversification in outer villages.Through targeted policy measures,these forest-rich regions can achieve improved livelihoods,enhanced standard of living,and increased resilience for their communities.

Species Identification of a Commonly Believed Sinarapan Fish Mystichtys luzonensis （Smith, 1902） in Lakes Buhi and Bato of Bicol Region

The paper aimed to determine the true identity of a presumed or commonly believed Sinarapan fish and compare their phylogenetic relationships by using DNA barcoding. The fish samples were collected by researchers from a fisheries research and development institution in April 2015 from four different lakes of Bicol Region, i.e., Lakes Buhi, Danao, Manapao and Bato. DNA was extracted using cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide （CTAB） extraction buffer. The polymerase chain reaction （PCR） profile for the reaction was 94 ℃ for 10 min, followed by 35 cycles of 1 min at 94℃, 1 min at 48℃ and 1.5 min at 72℃, and a final extension of 10 min at 72℃. The CO 1 region with approximately 650 bp was amplified because of its capability to differentiate taxa. Sequencing was done by Macrogen while phylogenetic analysis was produced using a Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis （MEGA） software version 6.0. The findings showed that CO1 can be used as a DNA marker in molecular identification of the fish samples. Samples from two of the four lakes were successfully sequenced. From basic local alignment search tool （BLAST） results, the maximum parsimony （MP） and neighbor-joining （N J） trees revealed that samples from Lakes Buhi and Bato are not species of Sinarapan but rather species of Leiopotherapon plumbeus and Rhinogobius giurinus, respectively. Furthermore, DNA barcoding is very useful in proving the true identity of unknown samples.

An immunoglobulin Y that specifically binds to an in silico-predicted unique epitope of Zika virus non-structural 1 antigen

Objective:To identify unique immunogenic epitopes of Zika virus non-structural 1(NS1)antigen and produce immunoglobulin Y(IgY)for potential use in he diagnosis of of Zika virus infection.Methods:Immunogenic epitopes were identified using in silico B-cell epitope prediction.A synthetic peptide analog of the predicted epitope was used to induce antipeptide IgY production in hens which was purified using affinity chromatography.Presence of purified IgY and its binding specificity were performed by gel electrophoresis and ELISA,respectively.Results:Out of the nine continuous epitopes identified,the sequence at position 193-208(LKVREDYSLECDPAVI)was selected and used to produce anti-peptide IgY.The produced IgY was found to bind to the synthetic analog of the Zika virus NS1 immunogenic epitope but not to other flaviviruses and random peptides from other pathogens.Conclusions:In this study,we identified an immunogenic epitope unique to Zika virus that can be used to develop a serodiagnostic tool that specifically detect Zika virus infection.

GC–MS analysis of bioactive compounds present in different extracts of an endemic plant Broussonetia luzonica (Blanco) (Moraceae) leaves

Objective: To investigate and characterize the chemical composition of the different crude extracts from the leaves of Broussonetia luzonica(Blanco)(Moraceae)(B. luzonica), an endemic plant in the Philippines.Methods: The air dried leaves were powdered and subjected to selective sequential extraction using solvents of increasing polarity through percolation, namely, n-hexane,ethyl acetate and methanol to obtain three different extracts. Then, each of the extracts was further subjected to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.Results: Qualitative determination of the different biologically active compounds from crude extracts of B. luzonica using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed different types of high and low molecular weight chemical entities with varying quantities present in each of the extracts. These chemical compounds are considered biologically and pharmacologically important. Furthermore, the three different extracts possess unique physicochemical characteristics which may be attributed to the compounds naturally present in significant quantities in the leaves of B. luzonica.Conclusions: The three extracts possess major bioactive compounds that were identified and characterized spectroscopically. Thus, identification of different biologically active compounds in the extracts of B. luzonica leaves warrants further biological and pharmacological studies.