Important Reduction Research Articles

Reconversion of Agri-Food Production Systems and Deagrarianization in Spain: The Case of Cantabria

The term deagrarianization refers to the dwindling importance of agrarian activity as the economic and social basis of a rural area. Deagrarianization is reflected in the declining number of people engaged in agricultural production and a reduction in the relative importance of agricultural incomes. In addition to the economic consequences, deagrarianization also erodes the importance of the rural population in territorial organization and management and social functioning in rural areas. However, it is also true that the simultaneous shift towards the service economy in present-day rural economies and societies has not led to the disappearance of the rural space but, instead, given rise to new and multiple forms of rurality. The priority objective of the research on which this paper is based is to gain insight into the rural deagrarianization processes in Spain through the specific case of Cantabria. In order to analyze these dynamics, a series of basic indicators have been used. In order of importance, the main indicators employed were those related to the recent dynamics of agriculture, livestock, and forestry activity and the occupational structure of the population as regards its sectoral distribution, with particular attention being paid to the relative importance of livestock and forestry activities in relation to the direct exploitation of territorial resources. In the past, primary sector activities were very important in Cantabria, but their importance has steadily declined in both absolute and relative terms until reaching the current situation. In 2023, only 4579 people have been employed in agriculture out of a total of 214,574 active people (2.13%). It is very significant that between 2012 and 2021, the total number of employed people increased by 9.08% in Cantabria while the proportion of people employed in agricultural activities decreased by −12.90%. Farming is no longer the rural occupation par excellence; however, it continues to be important in most Cantabrian rural municipalities. The territorial distribution is even more revealing. Southern mountain municipalities can be considered the last stronghold of agricultural activity since, in most cases, more than a quarter of their active population is employed in this sector. These are also the rural areas with the highest levels of depopulation. In contrast, other activity sectors have also gained importance in rural areas, although not in the same way. In general, there is less service economy employment in inland rural municipalities, except in those that are county capitals offering services. Some rural, peri-urban, and coastal areas where tourism is more strongly developed also reach high values.

Blood pressure-lowering effects of SGLT2 inhibitors and GLP-1 receptor agonists for preventing of cardiovascular events and death in type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To investigate the lowering BP effects of sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) on the risk of major cardiovascular event stratified by glucose-lowering drugs, baseline BP, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and history of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes. We performed a systematic review of the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases search up to December 31, 2022, (PROSPERO, CRD42023400899) to identify all large-scale cardiovascular outcomes (CVO) trials of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RAs in which more than 1,000 patient-years of follow-up in each randomized group. Outcomes included all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) and its component (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction [MI], and stroke), heart failure, and renal failure. A random-effects meta-analyses were used to pool the estimates. Eighteen CVOTs (ten for SGLT2i and eight for GLP-1 RAs) with 127,606 patients with type 2 diabetes were included. Over 2.5years median follow-up, the average reduction of systolic BP was 2.2mmHg (mean difference [MD] - 2.2; 95% CI - 2.7 to - 1.7) with more important reduction (Pinteraction = 0.001) with SGLT2 inhibitors (- 2.9; - 3.4 to - 2.5) than with GLP-1 RAs (- 1.4; - 1.8 to - 1). With SGLT2i, every 5-mmHg reduction in systolic BP was associated with a significantly lower risk of mortality (hazard ratio[HR], 0.77; 95% CI 0.65-0.90), MACE (HR 0.81 [0.74-0.89]), cardiovascular death (HR 0.72 [0.59-0.88]), MI (HR 0.82 [0.71-0.95]), heart failure (HR 0.49 [0.42-0.57]), and renal failure (HR 0.46 [0.38-0.55]), while the association was not significant for stroke (HR 0.91 [0.69-1.19]). The corresponding effects for every 5-mmHg reduction in SBP with GLP-1 RAs were 0.65 (0.51-0.84) for all-cause mortality, 0.65 (0.56-0.76) for MACE, 0.62 (0.45-0.85) for CV death, 0.71 (0.52-0.76) for MI, 0.49 (0.35-0.69) for stroke, and 0.49 (0.35-0.66) for renal failure, while the association was not significant for heart failure (HR 0.82 [0.63-1.08]). In patients with type 2 diabetes, the hypotensive effects of SGLT2i and GLP-1 RAs were significantly associated with a reduction in mortality and cardiorenal events. These findings suggest that the lowering BP effect could be seen as an additive indicator of cardiovascular protection by SGLT2i and GLP-1 RAs drugs.

Telemedicine-Based Management of Oral Anticoagulation Therapy: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Oral anticoagulation is the cornerstone treatment of several diseases. Its management is often challenging, and different telemedicine strategies have been implemented to support it. The aim of the study is to systematically review the evidence on the impact of telemedicine-based oral anticoagulation management compared to usual care on thromboembolic and bleeding events. Randomized controlled trials were searched in 5 databases from inception to September 2021. Two independent reviewers performed study selection and data extraction. Total thromboembolic events, major bleeding, mortality, and time in therapeutic range were assessed. Results were pooled using random effect models. In total, 25 randomized controlled trials were included (n=25,746 patients) and classified as moderate to high risk of bias by the Cochrane tool. Telemedicine resulted in lower rates of thromboembolic events, though not statistically significant (n=13 studies, relative risk [RR] 0.75, 95% CI 0.53-1.07; I2=42%), comparable rates of major bleeding (n=11 studies, RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.82-1.07; I2=0%) and mortality (n=12 studies, RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.78-1.20; I2=11%), and an improved time in therapeutic range (n=16 studies, mean difference 3.38, 95% CI 1.12-5.65; I2=90%). In the subgroup of the multitasking intervention, telemedicine resulted in an important reduction of thromboembolic events (RR 0.20, 95% CI 0.08-0.48). Telemedicine-based oral anticoagulation management resulted in similar rates of major bleeding and mortality, a trend for fewer thromboembolic events, and better anticoagulation quality compared to standard care. Given the potential benefits of telemedicine-based care, such as greater access to remote populations or people with ambulatory restrictions, these findings may encourage further implementation of eHealth strategies for anticoagulation management, particularly as part of multifaceted interventions for integrated care of chronic diseases. Meanwhile, researchers should develop higher-quality evidence focusing on hard clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life. PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews CRD42020159208; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=159208.

Preventing HIV Among Adolescent Boys and Young Men Through PEPFAR-Supported Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision in 15 Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2018-2021.

Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) is an HIV prevention intervention that has predominantly targeted adolescent and young men, aged 10-24 years. In 2020, the age eligibility for VMMC shifted from 10 to 15 years of age. This report describes the VMMC client age distribution from 2018 to 2021, at the site, national, and regional levels, among 15 countries in southern and eastern Africa. Overall, in 2018 and 2019, the highest proportion of VMMCs were performed among 10-14-year-olds (45.6% and 41.2%, respectively). In 2020 and 2021, the 15-19-year age group accounted for the highest proportion (37.2% and 50.4%, respectively) of VMMCs performed across all age groups. Similarly, in 2021 at the site level, 68.1% of VMMC sites conducted the majority of circumcisions among men aged 15-24 years. This analysis highlights that adolescent boys and young men are the primary recipients of VMMC receiving an important lifetime reduction in HIV risk.

Semaglutide therapy decreases epicardial fat inflammation and improves psoriasis severity in patients affected by abdominal obesity and type-2 diabetes.

Psoriasis is often associated with abdominal obesity and type-2 diabetes (T2D). The inflammatory process in psoriasis can target adipose tissue depots, especially those surrounding the heart and coronary arteries, exposing to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. A 50-year-old female patient referred to us for abdominal obesity and T2D, which were not controlled with lifestyle modifications. She had suffered from psoriasis for some years and was treated with guselkumab, without success. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) attenuation and pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) attenuation for each coronary, defined as mean attenuation expressed in Hounsfield unit (HU), were assessed by routine coronary computed tomography angiography. At baseline, EAT attenuation was -80 HU and PCAT attenuation of the right coronary artery (RCA) was -68 HU, values associated with an increased cardiac mortality risk. Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) was 12.0, indicating severe psoriasis, while dermatology life quality index (DLQI) was 20, indicating a negative effect on the patient's life. Semaglutide (starting with 0.25 mg/week for 4 weeks, increased to 0.50 mg/week for 16 weeks, and then to 1 mg/week) was started. After 10 months, semaglutide treatment normalized glycated hemoglobin and induced weight loss, particularly at abdominal level, also followed by a reduction in computed tomography-measured EAT volume. EAT attenuation and PCAT attenuation of RCA decreased, showing an important reduction of 17.5 and 5.9% respectively, compared with baseline. PASI and DLQI decreased by 98.3 and 95% respectively, indicating an improvement in psoriasis skin lesions and an important amelioration of the patient's quality of life, compared with baseline. Psoriasis patients affected by obesity and type-2 diabetes (T2D) are often resistant to biologic therapies. Psoriasis is often associated with abdominal obesity, T2D, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), given their shared inflammatory properties and pathogenic similarities. Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) inflammation can cause the distinctive pattern of CVD seen in psoriasis. EAT and pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT) attenuation, assessed by routine coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA), can be used as biomarkers of inflammation and allow monitoring of medical anti-inflammatory therapies. The actions of semaglutide to reduce energy intake, improve glycemic control, and produce effective weight loss, particularly at the visceral fat depot level, can diminish adipose tissue dysfunction, reduce EAT attenuation and PCAT attenuation of the right coronary artery (RCA) and concomitantly ameliorate the clinical severity of psoriasis. Semaglutide therapy may be considered in psoriasis patients affected by T2D and abdominal obesity, despite low cardiovascular risk by traditional risk scores, who are resistant to biologic therapies.

Impact of the new corona virus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic on climateric women’s health: websurvey

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted society: causing the collapse of health systems around the world, and also had a significant impact on the economy, personal care, mental health and the quality of life of the population. Few studies have been done about pandemic and the climacteric population, and the impact on quality of life and health. Our objective was to Investigate changes in the health and health care of climacteric women residing in Brazil during the pandemic period. Cross-sectional study with climacteric women aged between 40 and 70 years, residing in Brazil. The evaluation was carried out using a Google Docs electronic form with questions related to sociodemographic, clinical, gynecological data, treatments, access to health services and consultations, as well as changes in behavior. The Menopause Rating Scale - MRS was applied to assess climacteric symptoms, validated for Portuguese. Results: 419 women answered the questionnaire. More than 45% were between 51 and 60 years of age, 56.6% being married and residing in Brazilian capitals. 60% of participants reported weight gain during the pandemic. 50.8% of participants reported a decrease in the weekly practice of physical activity More than 80% reported worsening mental health during this period, and 66.1% had a change in their sleep pattern. More than half reported having difficulty accessing gynecological consultations. Women living in capital cities reported a greater increase in alcohol consumption (p=0.002). Food intake increased for 54.9%; the category of civil servant was associated with a significant increase in consumption in relation to other professions (p=0.038). Women whose family incomes changed during the pandemic had a higher prevalence of weight gain (p=0.033) and also had a higher occurrence of changes in sleep quality (72.6% vs. 61.5%; p=0.018). Women with a high school education had a higher occurrence of alterations in personal and health care outcomes (p<0.001). Conclusion: We observed an important reduction in the health care of climacteric women during the pandemic period. Changes in life habits, such as increased food consumption and reduced physical activity, were quite prevalent. There was a deterioration in mental health, with a high prevalence of anxiety symptoms and changes in sleep quality. Despite the attenuation of the pandemic, attention should be given to the health care of this population, as the changes may have repercussions for many years.

Trends in the market of meat and meatcontaining canned food (review)

The factors infl uencing the development of the market of meat and meat-containing canned food are considered. In the Russian Federation, the largest amount of canned food is produced in the North-Western, Central and Volga Federal Districts. It is shown that the production of canned meat in Russia increased by 14.4% in 2016-2020. In 2021-2022, the growth in the production of canned meat continued. It was noted that during this period, the average prices for canned meat increased by 46.6%. The canned meat market is close to saturation, and the competition between producers is growing. Currently, the following trends in the Russian canned meat market are observed: an increase in the market volume in physical and monetary terms, a decrease in product quality due to the use of cheaper raw materials, a high proportion of counterfeit products, import substitution of raw materials and packaging materials, reduction of imports of canned meat, high share of government purchases in sales volume.

A pooled subgroup analysis of glucarpidase treatment in 86 pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients receiving high-dose methotrexate therapy in open-label trials.

Delayed methotrexate elimination can occur in patients undergoing high-dose methotrexate cancer treatment. Effectiveness of glucarpidase for rapidly reducing methotrexate concentrations was shown in compassionate-use trials in patients aged 0-84years. We performed post hoc analyses of infants (≥28days to <2years), children (≥2 to <12years), adolescents (≥12 to <15years), and young adults (≥15 to <25years) from four multicenter, open-label, single-arm, glucarpidase compassionate-use trials. Patients had toxic methotrexate levels due to delayed methotrexate elimination and/or renal dysfunction, and received glucarpidase (50U/kg). The primary endpoint was clinically important reduction (CIR) in plasma methotrexate (methotrexate ≤1μmol/L at all post-glucarpidase measurements) based on high-performance liquid chromatography. Among 86 patients included in efficacy analyses, CIR was achieved by zero of one infant (0.0%), five of 16 children (31.3%), seven of 24 adolescents (29.2%), and 26/45 young adults (57.8%). Median methotrexate reduction was 98.7% or higher in each group 15minutes post-glucarpidase. Patients with pre-glucarpidase methotrexate less than 50μmol/L (35/42, 83.3%) were more likely to achieve CIR than those with methotrexate 50μmol/L or higher (1/37, 2.7%). The most common treatment-related adverse event was paresthesia, occurring in three adolescents (4.5%) and six young adults (5.2%). No other treatment-related adverse event occurred in 5% or higher of any age group. After accounting for pre-glucarpidase methotrexate levels, glucarpidase efficacy at inducing CIR in pediatric/young adult patients was consistent, with efficacy observed in the overall study population (i.e., patients aged 0-84), and no unexpected safety findings were observed. These findings demonstrate glucarpidase (50U/kg) is an effective and well-tolerated dose for pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients.

Biofilm Formation of Two Different Marine Bacteria on Modified PDMS Surfaces is Affected by Surface Roughness and Topography.

Different strategies were tested to reduce biofilm formation of the model marine bacteria Cobetia marina and Marinobacter hydrocarbonoclasticus on cross-linked polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) coated aluminum and cellulose acetate surfaces modified by addition of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) or exposure of the surfaces to bromine vapors in the presence and absence of UV irradiation. The three surface modifications explored led to important reductions in biofilm formation for the two marine bacteria, up to 30% in the case of exposure to Br2(g). Biofouling reduction could be correlated to surface properties in all cases through the introduction of a quantitative theoretical model based on an effective roughness parameter, Raeff, that accounted for the different morphological changes observed. The model considers the possibility of bacterial inclusion into large surface wells, as observed by AFM in the case of Br2(g) + UV light treatment. In addition, a linear relationship was observed between biofouling reduction and the Raeff effective roughness parameter.

Reducing the Impact of Sensor Orientation Variability in Human Activity Recognition Using a Consistent Reference System

Sensor- orientation is a critical aspect in a Human Activity Recognition (HAR) system based on tri-axial signals (such as accelerations); different sensors orientations introduce important errors in the activity recognition process. This paper proposes a new preprocessing module to reduce the negative impact of sensor-orientation variability in HAR. Firstly, this module estimates a consistent reference system; then, the tri-axial signals recorded from sensors with different orientations are transformed into this consistent reference system. This new preprocessing has been evaluated to mitigate the effect of different sensor orientations on the classification accuracy in several state-of-the-art HAR systems. The experiments were carried out using a subject-wise cross-validation methodology over six different datasets, including movements and postures. This new preprocessing module provided robust HAR performance even when sudden sensor orientation changes were included during data collection in the six different datasets. As an example, for the WISDM dataset, sensors with different orientations provoked a significant reduction in the classification accuracy of the state-of-the-art system (from 91.57 ± 0.23% to 89.19 ± 0.26%). This important reduction was recovered with the proposed algorithm, increasing the accuracy to 91.46 ± 0.30%, i.e., the same result obtained when all sensors had the same orientation.

La dependencia energética de la Unión Europea y de España

RationaleIn recent decades, the European Union and Spain have become increasingly dependent on energy imports from third countries. Given how important these products are in production chains, this dependency could represent a source of vulnerability for the European economies.Takeaways•The energy products imported from third countries that are most vulnerable to international trade disruptions notably include natural gas, uranium, anthracite, oil and coal, all of which are in short supply within the European Union (EU), hard to substitute and, in general, concentrated in a few suppliers.•The main EU countries differ in terms of the extent of their external dependency, the energy suppliers they use and the vulnerability of their exposures. Spain is more reliant on third countries, although its imports are more diversified across different suppliers.•The patterns of the EU’s external energy dependency have been altered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, owing to the substantial reduction in European imports of energy products from Russia, which is no longer the region’s main energy supplier.

Transnational Trade and Economic Growth in Nigeria

The study investigated the impact of transnational trade on economic growth in Nigeria. To achieve the purpose of the study, transnational trade was disaggregated into: oil import, oil export, non-oil import, non-oil export, trade openness, foreign direct investment share of real gross domestic product and real effective exchange rate and regressed on economic growth proxied by growth rate of real GDP. Data on the variables above were sourced from the Central Bank of Nigeria statistical Bulletin and the World Bank database. The data were analysed using the Autoregressive and Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach due to the mixed order of stationarity of the variables. The results indicate that in the short run, non-oil export has positive and significant impact on economic growth while oil import and FDI share of real GDP have negative and significant effect on economic growth. The long run result shows that: oil import has direct and insignificant effect on growth while non-oil import, non-oil export, FDI share of real GDP and real effective exchange rate have negative and insignificant impact on economic growth. From the results the study concludes that transnational trade has serious implication on economic growth in the short run and less effect on economic growth in the long run in Nigeria over the period of this study. Based on these findings, the study suggests that policies should be geared toward increase in non-oil export, reduction in oil import, review of FDI inflow policies and trade liberalization as possible ways of improving the productive capacity of the Nigerian economy.

P-078 In vitro effects of polycarbophil vaginal moisturizing gel on sperm motility and vitality

Abstract Study question The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effects of intravaginal polycarbophil gel in sperm quality in an in vitro model. Summary answer Incubation of human sperm samples with a vaginal moisturizer containing polycarbophil gel 10% resulted in important reduction of sperm motility and vitality. What is known already The possible effect of lubricants on sperm quality has been a matter of debate for over 50 years. Despite the publication of a few studies, the real impact of lubricants on male gametes is remains unknown. Some commercial lubricants have been tested but so far there is a lack of studies evaluating the impact of vaginal moisturizers on seminal quality. Vaginal dryness is a recurring and significant complaint affecting couples trying to conceive who may use lubricants, vaginal moisturizers or even natural oils that could advsersely interfere with seminal quality. Study design, size, duration This paired prospective study involved seminal samples obtained fom 14 men undergoing fertility treatment at a private IVF clinic in Brazil from August/2020 to July/2022. The study was approved by the local review board and each participant signed an informed consent. Each sample was divided into two aliquots: 20% polycarbophil gel (final dilution 10%) or medium only. Statistical analysis was performed using D’Agostino/ Pearson, General Linear Model, Wilcoxon, Friedman’s. P values &amp;lt;0.05 were considered significant. Participants/materials, setting, methods Normozoospermic samples of 14 patients (alpha 0.05, power 0.8)were collected by masturbation, 2 to 5 days after the last ejaculation. After liquefaction ,10 μmL were analyzed using a Makler chamber according to World Helath Organization (WHO) guidelines. Samples were mixed 1:1 v/v with 20% policarbophil gel or with culture medium only, then incubated for 24h at 34 °c. Analysis were performed at 0, 15, 30 min and 24h to determine progressive motility and vitality (eosin-nigrosin test) Main results and the role of chance There was a significant decrease of sperm motility according to the WHO classification in both experimental conditions over time, but the reduction was more evident in the samples treated with polycarbophil gel (p &amp;lt; 0.0001 group x time, General LinearModel for Repeated Measure). The proportion of progressively motile sperm reduced immediately upon contact of the seminal sample with polycarbophil gel (time point 0 min) and decreased throughout the experiment, contrasting to incubation with culture medium (control), which only affected substantially sperm motility after 24h. In the validation cohort, the proportion of progressively motile sperm decreased from a median of 52% in fresh samples to 11% after 24h incubation with culture medium and 0% after 24h incubation with polycarbophil gel (p &amp;lt; 0.0001). Sperm vitality at the end of the experiment also differed significantly between treatments, with medians of 62.5% after exposure to culture medium and 47% after exposure to polycarbophil gel (p = 0.020, Wilcoxon’s test) Limitations, reasons for caution Results represent samples from a selected group of men undergoing fertility treatment at a private center in Brazil. The effect of polycarbophil gel in fertile males may be different. Moreover, the in vitro setting used here does not accurately mimic the vaginal environment which could interfere with the results. Wider implications of the findings Polycarbophil-based gels and similar products may harm sperm vitality and motility, therefore woment trying to conceive should avoid the use of such products until more studies prove otherwise. Trial registration number Not applicable

A multiscale approach to coupled nuclear and electronic dynamics. I. Quantum-stochastic Liouville equation in natural internal coordinates.

Multiscale methods are powerful tools to describe large and complex systems. They are based on a hierarchical partitioning of the degrees of freedom (d.o.f.) of the system, allowing one to treat each set of d.o.f. in the most computationally efficient way. In the context of coupled nuclear and electronic dynamics, a multiscale approach would offer the opportunity to overcome the computational limits that, at present, do not allow one to treat a complex system (such as a biological macromolecule in explicit solvent) fully at the quantum mechanical level. Based on the pioneering work of Kapral and Ciccotti [R. Kapral and G. Ciccotti, J. Chem. Phys.110, 8919 (1999)], this work is intended to present a nonadiabatic theory that describes the evolution of electronic populations coupled with the dynamics of the nuclei of a molecule in a dissipative environment (condensed phases). The two elements of novelty that are here introduced are (i) the casting of the theory in the natural, internal coordinates, that are bond lengths, bond angles, and dihedral angles; (ii) the projection of those nuclear d.o.f. that can be considered at the level of a thermal bath, therefore leading to a quantum-stochastic Liouville equation. Using natural coordinates allows the description of structure and dynamics in the way chemists are used to describe molecular geometry and its changes. The projection of bath coordinates provides an important reduction of complexity and allows us to formulate the approach that can be used directly in the statistical thermodynamics description of chemical systems.

Carbon emission reduction analysis for cloud computing industry: Can carbon emissions trading and technology innovation help?

The emerging cloud computing industry (CCI) has become an important source of carbon emissions; therefore, choosing an appropriate carbon emission reduction strategy is of key importance. Based on two important alternative carbon reduction strategies, namely carbon emissions trading (CET) and emission reduction technological innovation (ERTI), in this paper, a scenario-based simulation model of carbon emission reduction strategies is established for the CCI of China. Based on different derivative scenarios of CET and ERTI strategies, 22 carbon reduction strategy scenarios are designed and subjected to simulation analysis. Then, a slacks-based model that considers undesirable output is constructed and used to evaluate the comprehensive effect of proposed carbon reduction strategy scenarios. Based on the evaluation results of the strategy scenarios, a tolerant CET strategy scenario with a high free quota ratio and a low carbon trading price has the potential to reverse the increasing trend of carbon emissions. This tolerant strategy scenario can also achieve a more efficient carbon emission reduction result for the CCI in the long run. In terms of technology innovation, the strong promotion of installed zero‑carbon capacity and negative emission technology applications can effectively promote the reduction of carbon emissions. The results of this analysis show that the carbon emission reduction strategy with tolerant CET and strong ERTI will contribute to the healthy development of the CCI.

Assessing the Sustainability of the Consumption of Agricultural Products with Regard to a Possible Reduction in Its Imports: The Case of Countries That Import Corn and Wheat

The main goal of this study is to develop and apply a toolkit for assessing the sustainability level of countries that import certain types of agricultural products with regard to a possible reduction in the volume of such imports. An indicator was proposed for evaluating sustainability. A model of its decomposition was built, which made it possible to reveal the hierarchy of factors of the formation of the specified sustainability. The concept of sustainable growth in consuming a certain agricultural product by a group of importing countries was developed. In particular, such growth conditions were formalized. Approbation of the formed methodological principles was carried out on two groups of countries that import corn and wheat. In particular, it was established that an increase in the relative vulnerability level of countries to a reduction in imported food supplies is negatively correlated with an increase in the relative level of adaptation of countries to such a reduction. It was also found that as of 1 January 2023, the resistance level of the studied countries to a reduction in corn and wheat imports has significantly decreased. Proposals are developed to increase the resilience level of food-importing countries to possible disruptions in their import supplies.

Descriptive analysis of wine tourism in Querétaro and Baja California, Mexico

Objective: To present the characteristics of wine tourism that takes place in the states of Querétaro and Baja California, Mexico.Design/methodology/approach: Descriptive analysis through primary sources of information where 228 questionnaires were applied to those who carried out wine tourism in the states of Querétaro and Baja California, or who in the last three years have carried out this activity in Mexico.Results: The survey respondents reflect interest in the knowledge, production and culture of wine. In addition, they state that the wine routes in the study areas give them satisfaction in the price-quality ratio, wine tastings and gastronomy and that these are key to the development of viticulture in Mexico.Limitations on study/implications: People feel that they do not have enough knowledge about wine tourism, which limited their participation when answering the questionnaire. However, this work is a firstapproximation to carry out a study that relates wine tourism and thecompetitiveness of the wine industry in Mexico, for which the answers are timely.Findings/conclusions: Mexican wine is considered to have the potential¿ to compete with foreign wines in factors such as quality, flavor and price. In addition, there is a preference for the consumption of Mexican wines, especially red, rose and white. Therefore, the wine production from states such as Chihuahua, Sonora, Coahuila and Durango, which have a large territorial extension, should be taken advantage of, and more commercial wine routes should be created to help promote this industry at the national level to improve society through greater offer, job creation and reduction of imports.

Durability performance of RC beams strengthened with CFRP laminates and galvanized steel mesh bonded with epoxy and mortar systems

The galvanized steel mesh (GSM) systems are novel strengthening materials for the concrete structural elements, but their mechanical and long-term durability properties are needed to be investigated to enhance understanding and reliability in their use. This study investigates the behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRP) and GSM sheets under harsh climatic conditions of saline water and direct sunlight. The main focus was to recommend two important reduction factors, the bond reduction factor and the overall flexural reduction actor, when concrete beams are subjected to two said environments for a long period. These factors were compared to the ones recommended by different codes. The CFRP sheets were attached to the beams’ soffit with epoxy adhesive, whereas the GSM sheets were bonded either with epoxy (SME) or epoxy-based mortar (SMM). The specimens were weathered under saline water and direct sunlight for a period of 6, 12, and 24 months. The load-carrying capacity of CFRP, SMM, and SME strengthened specimens increased by 47%, 55%, and 55%, respectively, when compared to the unstrengthened specimens at 28 days. The bond capacity reduction factors (Rb) for CFRP, SMM, and SME strengthening systems were 0.75, 0.85, and 0.95 for saline water exposure, and 0.95, 0.85, and 0.85 for sun exposure, respectively, over a period of two years. On the other hand, the recommended overall flexure strength reduction factors (Rn) for CFRP, SMM, and SME strengthening systems were 0.85, 0.85, and 0.90 for saline water exposure, and 0.95, 0.90, and 0.90 for sun exposure, respectively. The results suggest that epoxy-based strengthening systems are more durable compared to the mortar-based systems under harsh climatic conditions.

Characterization of the Pearl Millet Cultivation Environments in India: Status and Perspectives Enabled by Expanded Data Analytics and Digital Tools

The cultivation of pearl millet in India is experiencing important transformations. Here, we propose a new characterization of the pearl millet production environment using the latest available district level data (1998–2017), principal component analysis, and large-scale crop model simulations. Pearl millet cultivation environment can be divided in up to five environments (TPEs). The eastern part of the country (Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh) emerges as the only region where pearl millet cultivation has grown (+0.4 Kha/year), with important yield increase (+51 kg/ha/year), and potential surplus that are likely exported. Important reductions of pearl millet cultivated area in Gujarat (−4.5 Kha/year), Maharashtra and Karnataka (−4 Kha/year) are potentially due to economy-driven transition to other more profitable crops, such as cotton or maize. The potential rain increase could also accelerate this transition. With R2∈ [0.15–0.61], the tested crop models reflected reasonably well the pearl millet production system in the A1 (North Radjasthan) and AE1 (South Rajastan and Haryana) TPEs covering the largest area (66%) and production share (59%), especially after the use of a new strategy for environment and management parameters calibration. Those results set the base for in silico system design and optimization in future climatic scenarios.

Innovation and credit market deepening: Evidence from Russian region

We investigate the impact of credit market deepening on innovation, considering the role of investment risk and investment potential in the context of Russian regions, analysing the panel time series data extracted from the Federal Statistics Department of the Russian Federation and using the method of moments quantile regression. Our baseline findings demonstrate that credit market development spurs innovation in the sample regions in all quantiles (q10–q90), and the credit market has a positive impact on innovation, regardless of whether investment risk is lower or higher. In addition, we reveal a U-shaped relationship between innovation and regional economic growth in Russian regions. We also observe reductions in imports and exports and a boosting effect of increased employment on innovation. We propose several potential policy measures and practical conclusions based on our findings.