Regional Production Research Articles

Aerosol Components Derived from Global AERONET Measurements by GRASP: A New Value-Added Aerosol Component Global Dataset and Its Application

Abstract Aerosols affect Earth’s climate both directly and indirectly, which is the largest uncertainty in the assessment of radiative forcings affecting anthropogenic climate change. The standard Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) aerosol products have been widely used for more than 30 years. Currently, there is strong community interest in the possibility of determining aerosol composition directly from remote sensing observations. This work presents the results of applying such a recently developed approach by Li et al. to extended datasets of the directional sky radiances and spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) measured by AERONET for the retrievals of aerosol components. First, the validation of aerosol optical properties retrieved by this component approach with AERONET standard products shows good agreement. Then, spatiotemporal variations of the obtained aerosol component concentration are characterized globally, especially the absorbing aerosol species (black carbon, brown carbon, and iron oxides) and scattering aerosol species (organic carbon, quartz, and inorganic salts). Finally, we compared the black carbon (BC) and dust column concentration retrievals to the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2), products in several regions of interest (Amazon zone, Indo-China Peninsula, North India, southern Africa, sub-Sahel, Gobi Desert, Middle East, Sahara Desert, and Taklamakan Desert) for new insights on the quantitative assessment of MERRA-2 aerosol composition products (R = 0.60–0.85 for BC; R = 0.75–0.90 for dust). The new value-added and long-term aerosol composition product globally is available online (https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.25415239.v1), which provides important measurements for the improvement and optimization of aerosol modeling to enhance estimation of the aerosol radiative forcing.

Growth and Productivity of Coffea arabica var. Esperanza L4A5 in Different Agroforestry Systems in the Caribbean Region of Costa Rica

This study focused on evaluating the growth and productivity of Coffea arabica var. Esperanza L4A5 in different agroforestry systems in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica, a non-traditional area for coffee cultivation due to its low altitude and challenging climatic conditions. Three tree coverages were investigated, in combination with two types of differentiated fertilization (physical and chemical), comparing the results with full sun coffee plots as a control: (1) Albizia saman, (2) Hymenaea courbaril + Erythrina poeppigiana, and (3) Anacardium excelsum + Erythrina poeppigiana. The results showed that tree associations significantly reduced the mortality of coffee plants and increased both the height and mature cherry production compared to full sun treatments. In particular, the tree coverages associated with chemical and physical fertilization achieved the highest growth and production rates, with A. excelsum + E. poeppigiana and H. courbaril + E. poeppigiana standing out with maximum mature cherry productions of 3.35 t/ha and 3.28 t/ha, respectively. Growth analysis revealed that rapid initial growth, especially under chemical fertilization, is crucial for maximizing productivity, although a rapid slowdown in growth was also observed after reaching the peak. These findings underscore the importance of combining tree coverages with appropriate fertilization strategies to optimize coffee production in agroforestry systems, particularly in low-altitude areas like the Costa Rican Caribbean. This study concludes that agroforestry systems not only improve the resilience of coffee crops to adverse environmental conditions but can also be a viable strategy for increasing productivity in non-conventional regions. This suggests the need for further research to assess the long-term impacts on soil health, biodiversity, and the economic viability of these systems.

Green hydrogen production from thermoelectric condensation of ambient moist air

As the world transitions towards reducing carbon emissions, green hydrogen produced through solar-powered alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) presents a promising eco-friendly fuel option. In response to the challenges caused by global warming, including air moisture saturation leading to unbalanced rainfall, flooding, concern for freshwater depletion and the limited availability of water and energy sources in arid regions. The present study introduces a novel method of integrating thermoelectric water condenser (TEWC) and AWE for green hydrogen production in remote and arid regions where both the water and the conventional energy sources are scarce. Numerical simulations of the present study show that the impact of relative humidity, temperature, and air flow rate significantly affect water condensation, energy requirement, and hydrogen production. The TEWC and AWE models showed excellent agreement with the experimental data. TEWC model reveled that the highest water production rate of 1.50 kg/(m2h) is achieved at ambient air temperature of 308 K and relative humidity of 80%. Furthermore, increasing the moist air flow from 1 m/s to 2 m/s results in a 47.5% increase in water production rate. The AWE model showed that cell's performance improved with higher temperatures, lower electrode-separator gap, and overpotentials. The hydrogen evolution rate reached a maximum of 5.2 kg/(m2h) at current density of 1.4 A/cm2 and potential of 3.96 V. By optimizing the TEWC and AWE systems the integrated method proved to be an efficient way of converting moist air into green hydrogen using solar energy, making it a viable and sustainable setup in remote arid regions.

Effect of management system and dietary seasonal variability on environmental efficiency and human net food supply of mountain dairy farming systems

Although mountain dairy cattle farming systems are pivotal for the economy, as well as for social and environmental aspects. They significantly contribute to the rural development which is currently strongly prioritized in the common EU agricultural policy, at the same time they are also increasingly criticized for having relatively high environmental impacts per kg of product, such as greenhouse gas emissions. Consequently, the aim of this study was to assess and compare the environmental efficiency of 2 common alpine dairy farming systems, with focus on the effects of grazing, considering the seasonal variability in feeding at individual cow level and farm management over a 3-year period. This study focuses on alpine farming systems but can be considered to represent well other topographically disadvantaged mountain areas. An intensively managed and globally dominating production system (high-input), aiming at high milk yield through relatively intensive feeding and the use of the high-yielding dual-purpose Simmental cattle, permanently confined in stables, was compared with a forage-based production system (low-input), based on seasonal grazing and the use of the autochthonous dual-purpose breed Tyrolean Grey. For the present analysis, a data set with information on feed intake and diet composition as well as animal productivity at individual cow level, and farm management data based on multiyear data recording was used. Four impact categories were quantified for 3 consecutive years: Global Warming Potential (GWP100), Acidification Potential (AP), Marine Eutrophication Potential (MEP), and Land Use (LU, m2yr and Pt, with the latter additionally considering the Soil Quality Index). Besides being attributed to 1 kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM), these impact categories were also related to 1 m2 of on-farm area. Due to limited agronomic options beyond forage production and pasture use in alpine regions, net provision of protein was calculated for both farming systems to assess food supply and quantify the respective food-feed competition. Overall, the low-input farming system had greater environmental efficiency in terms of MEP per kg FPCM, as well as MEP and AP per m2 than the high-input system. LU was found to be consistently higher for the high-input than for the low-input system, the GWP100 per kg of FPCM was lower for the high-input system. Additionally, pasture access had a significant effect on the reduction of environmental impacts. Lastly, the net protein provision was slightly negative for the high-input system and marginally positive for the low-input system, indicating a lower food-feed competition for the latter. Future studies should also address the social and economic aspects of the farming systems, to offer a comprehensive overview of the 3 key factors necessary for achieving more sustainable farming systems, particularly in disadvantaged marginal regions such as mountain areas.

Wildfire Emissions Offset More Permafrost Ecosystem Carbon Sink in the 21st Century

AbstractPermafrost ecosystems in high‐latitudes stock a large amount of carbon and are vulnerable to wildfires under climate warming. However, major knowledge gap remains in the effects of direct carbon loss from increasing wildfire biomass burning on permafrost ecosystem carbon sink. In this study, we used observation‐derived data sets and Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) simulations to investigate how carbon emissions from wildfire biomass burning offset permafrost ecosystem carbon sink under climate warming in the 21st century. We show that the fraction of permafrost ecosystem carbon sink offset by wildfire emissions was 14%–25% during the past two decades. The fraction is projected to be 28%–45% at the end of this century under different warming scenarios. The weakening carbon sink is caused by greater increase in wildfire emissions than net ecosystem production in permafrost regions under climate warming. The increased fraction of ecosystem carbon sink offset by wildfire carbon loss is especially pronounced in continuous permafrost region during the past two decades. Although uncertainties exist in simulations of wildfire emissions and ecosystem carbon budget, results from different models still show that wildfire emissions offset more permafrost ecosystem carbon sink in the 21st century. These findings highlight that carbon sink capacity of permafrost ecosystems is increasingly threatened by wildfires under the warming climate.

The impact of land use change on food security under the background of rapid urbanization - a case study of Xiamen city

Abstract China has undergone a long period of rapid urbanization from 2000 to 2020, resulted in huge conversion of arable land into built-up areas. This situation has raised concerns regarding food security, including issues like reduced food supply and challenges to achieving food self-sufficiency, particularly in certain regions and during special period. To address these issues, this study focuses on Xiamen, a rapidly urbanizing coastal city in China, and examined both the food supply and demand. On hand of the supply, this study mainly analyzed the attributes of the food availability, indicators like the food production (FP) of the ecosystem service value (ESV), per capita grain production, imports and exports along with food price were calculated. The findings revealed a significant expansion of built-up areas in Xiamen, mostly at the expense of arable land. The declining arable land coupled with population growth due to rapid urbanization contributed to a decrease in per capita grain production, drop to 6 kg in 2018, which is merely 1% of China’s average. A comparison of per capita grain production across various regions, as well as changes in China’s grain import and export, highlighted a notable discrepancy between urbanization rates and food security in Xiamen. It has become challenging for Xiamen to rely on outside for sustained food import. Therefore, it is imperative for Xiamen to implement a range of measures and policy interventions to ensure a certain level of food self-sufficiency and protect basic arable land.

Characteristics and contraceptive practices among Chinese women seeking abortion: a multicentre, descriptive study from 2019 to 2021

IntroductionDespite the widespread provision of free contraceptives and post-abortion care (PAC) services, China grapples with a high rate of unintended pregnancies and subsequent abortions. We aimed to study the evolving...

Renal Artery Blood Flow and Surface Parenchymal Perfusion During Renal Artery Endoshunting in a Porcine Model

ObjectiveIschaemia and reperfusion can result in permanent tissue damage. During complex open abdominal aortic surgery, transient clamping of renovisceral arteries may be required to successfully complete the vascular repair. Endovascular shunting (endoshunting) presents an alternative technique for managing such temporary renovisceral ischaemia. This study aimed to investigate the performance of endoshunting to the renal circulation in a porcine model. MethodsThis study of five domestic pigs investigated arterial volume flow rates during endoshunting of a single renal artery and the associated impact on renal perfusion parameters (laser Doppler renal parenchymal perfusion, renal oxygen extraction, and selective urinary output). The study was performed in three steps: baseline registrations (30 minutes), endoshunting (120 minutes), and restitution (60 minutes). The right kidney was used as the experimental side and the left kidney as control. ResultsThe median arterial flow rate in the left control kidney remained constant throughout the experiment. On the right (endoshunted) side, the baseline median arterial flow rate was 267 (range, 160 – 404) mL/min. Following activation of the endoshunt, the median arterial volume flow dropped by 59% to 110 (range, 45 – 150) mL/min (p = .018). During endoshunting, the median kidney surface perfusion decreased to 42% of the baseline value. On the control side, a rise in the median parenchymal perfusion was observed after endoshunt activation, which was again normalised following restitution of native right renal artery flow. During endoshunting, the median regional urine production was 0.32 (range, 0.12 – 0.50) mL/hour but resumed after renal artery flow restitution. ConclusionOn average, the endoshunted kidneys showed a rapid restoration of blood flow, parenchymal perfusion, and urine production after 120 minutes of endoshunting. This suggests that endoshunting to the kidney using an endoshunt system might be a promising strategy to preserve renal function when a temporary interruption of native renal artery blood flow is needed during complex vascular surgical repairs involving the renal arteries.

Study on reservoir heterogeneity of Chang 8 reservoir in Hongde Oilfield, western margin of Ordos Basin and knowledge of fine stratification development practice

Abstract In view of the problems of reservoir heterogeneity and unclear understanding of main control factors in Chang8 reservoir of Hongde Oilfield in the middle part of Tianhuan, Ordos Basin, efficient development and stable production are restricted by a large number of drilling, core data and log comparative analysis, using core observation, microscopic rock slice identification, scanning electron microscopy, mercury injection and phase infiltration experiments, etc. Based on the understanding of sedimentary facies and diagenesis, the quantitative analysis of Chang 8 in the study area is carried out from the macro intra-layer, interlayer, plane heterogeneity and microscopic heterogeneity. Finally, it is concluded that Chang 8 reservoir in Hongde Oilfield presents strong heterogeneity, and sedimentary microfacies, different clastic components of sandstone, diagenesis and other main factors affecting its strong heterogeneity. At the same time, in the development practice of De 5 area of Hongde Oilfield, the multi-stage sedimentary cycle division and step production and development were taken as a breakthrough, and the differential reservoir seepage theory was innovatively used to reduce the section/plane contradiction caused by reservoir heterogeneity, and a technical system such as regional fine stratified production, differentiated reservoir fracturing and reconstruction, single sand body fine injection and production control and stratified water injection was formed. The high efficiency development and utilization of strong heterogeneous reservoir is realized.

Autonomous Inflow Control Devices Help Maximize Life of Wells in Deepwater West Africa

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper OTC 35418, “Design Execution and Evaluation of Advanced Completions in Deepwater West Africa,” by Piyush Pankaj, SPE, Matthew S. Jackson, and Lokesh, ExxonMobil, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. Copyright 2024 Offshore Technology Conference. _ Deepwater wells offshore West Africa traverse a complicated faulted block with sand bodies that can feature thicknesses of tens of meters. The study described in the complete paper provides insight into designing advanced well completions under various challenging reservoir conditions with autonomous inflow control devices (AICDs) that enable maximizing the producing life of the wells. Introduction The study area for this paper has been a challenging brownfield. Wells have been drilled in difficult deepwater conditions, and the target reservoirs have been lenticular sands with interbedded shale layers. To further complicate production, the sand bodies are poorly consolidated. Openhole wells with standalone screen and gravel packs have become a common approach to address sand control. Water- and gas-injection programs have been used actively in the field during the past 25 years, which further augments production and reservoir management challenges. Water and gas breakthrough in the infill wells has been a major concern for reservoir management. To address the gas buildup in the near-wellbore region and early water production, AICDs have become a popular feature in the lower well-completion designs in high-angled wells that intersect multiple sand bodies along the lateral completion interval. Two case studies are provided in the complete paper; one is included in this synopsis. Flow-Control Technology Although technology that empowers the ability to control the flow of unwanted fluids from zones in the well has been in use since the 1990s, flow-control technology has rapidly evolved, with advancement fueled by the need for long, complex well designs. The two broad categories of these approaches include active and passive flow control. The decision to use inflow-control technologies can be driven by the following economic values: - Balance drawdown along the wellbore - Increase recovery factor and reserves - Improve well cleanup - Reduces risk of erosion or hot-spotting of sandface completion Choice of Inflow Control for West Africa Field of Study Fluidic-diode AICDs were chosen because of their applicability to encountered fluid properties and reservoir conditions and their robustness of design in providing reliable long-term solutions. The reliability is prolonged in such AICDs because they work without any moving parts. Upon changes in viscosity, density, and rate, the fluid flow path will vary to gain the required control of flow rates. This AICD design, with its special geometry, alters the flow path or pattern for preferential fluid restriction. Operational Execution Ultimately, the AICDs were deployed on an inner string. This allowed the standard wire-wrapped screens and gravel pack to function as the traditional sand-control mechanism, while the inner string, deployed inside the lower completion, provides resistance to flow from unwanted gas production.

The Periodical as Political Educator

Abstract This essay discusses how forms like political magazines, cultural journals, and party newspapers produced by twentieth-century anticolonial, left, and oppositional movements instituted practices of alternative pedagogy and political education across the Global South. These “revolutionary papers” served as a pedagogical infrastructure encompassing a critical curriculum drawn from ongoing movements, alternative histories, and regional literary production, to be used for collective practices of debate and inquiry. The essay introduces a series of digital teaching tools featured in the issue that study revolutionary periodicals such as the Cairo-based Afro-Asian literary magazine Lotus and underground pamphlets from the Mau Mau movement in Kenya. These teaching tools are accessible, interactive resources that provide archival, literary, and historical insights on movements and associated print cultures and are designed as pedagogical aids for the classroom and for political education in community settings. Along the way, the essay reflects on anticolonial periodicals as a resource for ongoing debates around decolonizing the university, and the possibilities presented by digital humanities approaches for the study of anticolonialism and Global South cultures.

Can Rice Farming through the National Strategy Food Estate Increase Regional Production?

Food estate is a large-scale food development program that is carried out in an integrated manner. This includes agriculture, plantations and livestock within an area. This research aims to (1) analyze the production factors of lowland rice farming as an effort to increase rice production in the national food estate strategy program in Central Kalimantan; (2) analyze the technical efficiency of lowland rice farming in an effort to increase rice production in the national food estate strategy program in Central Kalimantan. This research was carried out at the Siam Village Food Estate (COE). The sampling method used a random sampling method with a total sample of 89 people. The analysis method uses Cobb-Douglas production function analysis and Frontier Stochastic technical efficiency analysis. Research results: (1) land (X1), seeds (X2), lime (X3), and fertilizer (X4) have a significant effect (α<0.05) on lowland rice production results in the Balanti Siam village food estate, while pesticides (X5), labor (X6), machinery (X7), planting system dummy (D1), and planting pattern dummy (D2) do not have a significant effect on lowland rice production results on food aesthetic land in Balanti Siam village; (2) Farmers in Balanti Siam village are classified as technically efficient with an average technical efficiency of 96.5% (cut-off > 0.70), while individually there are 88 farmers who are classified as technically efficient. The production factors used in rice farming play an important role in production results. By using production factors efficiently, this can increase maximum rice production yields.

Regional development through innovation: a proposal for a technological hub framework

Brazil has made progress in innovation, although unevenly across its regions, with the state of Acre still facing challenges in this sector. The creation of an innovation and technology hub at Senai/AC aims to promote regional development by bringing together government, companies, and academia to stimulate local economic growth. This article proposes a strategic framework for the implementation of the Senai/AC Innovation and Technology Hub, with the goal of strengthening the regional economy and increasing industrial competitiveness. Based on a Systematic Literature Review, the best global and regional practices for the creation of innovation ecosystems were identified. The qualitative analysis of 40 articles resulted in strategic guidelines adapted to local needs, highlighting the importance of effective governance, resource mobilization, collaborative environments, human capital development, and a culture of innovation. The Senai/AC Hub has the potential to act as a catalyst for the state's socioeconomic development and strengthen local industries. Future studies can assess the effectiveness of the guidelines and the hub's impact on regional production chains, comparing it with other hubs to identify synergies and best practices.

Research and Development of A Comprehensive Management Platform for Intelligent Production and Construction of the Entire Process of Sulige Gas Field

Abstract The Sulige gas field is the first fully installed atmospheric field in China with an annual production capacity exceeding 30 billion cubic meters. It has the characteristics of low permeability and density, rapid development decline, and large annual compensation decline workload. As a pilot project for the regional production and construction project system in Changqing Oilfield, Sulige Gas Field Development Branch is facing problems such as a wide range of project management points, limited personnel, difficulty in engineering data collection, and tight time connection between various professional businesses. By using digital and information technology, it has developed and created a closed-loop management platform for the digital production capacity construction of the entire business chain of production and construction project drilling, testing, and investment, and constructed a multi-dimensional visual control mechanism for the entire process of a single well, Realized digital management of the operation of a single account for the entire business chain production and construction project of drilling and trial investment; Relying on operator resources to quickly and low-cost expand the basic network, achieving real-time video monitoring of multi platform drilling and testing sites, collection of construction data, and online tracking; Establish a big data model for condition analysis and early warning, and innovate the formation of a “digital+safety dual prevention mechanism” linkage management and dynamic and static risk early warning push; Develop 16 APP functions such as supporting coordinates and well site handover to achieve online flow management of production and construction business, more efficiently guide production organization and close connection of processes, and significantly improve the efficiency of production and construction organization; Creating a dedicated digital and intelligent environment for production and construction, achieving deep integration of digital and intelligent business with Oil and gas fields production and construction, further enhancing project management and collaborative combat capabilities among various specialties. The innovative digital production capacity closed-loop management of Sulige Gas Field platform realizes the full lifecycle and multidisciplinary integrated management of wellbore engineering. Its efficient digital production organization model can provide a certain reference for the organization and management of similar projects in the upstream of exploration and development.

CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF REGIONAL WAGE DIFFERENCE IN KAZAKHSTAN AND THE POSSIBILITY OF ITS REDUCTION

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of regional differences in wages, the development of a cluster typology of the regions of Kazakhstan in terms of wages and the justification of the possibilities of reducing its regional differentiation. The article provides an overview of scientists' points of view on the problem of labor income inequality, assesses the level of regional wage differences in Kazakhstan, conducts a cluster analysis and develops a typology of the country's regions according to the level of average nominal wages, gross regional product per capita and the share of gross value added of the quasi-public sector in the gross regional product. A group of regions has been identified that are most in need of regulatory measures to increase wages. The possibilities of reducing large regional wage differences are substantiated, primarily by attracting investments to boost the economy, increase employment and labor incomes, as well as by introducing increasing regional coefficients when setting minimum wage standards in remote areas, regions with difficult natural and climatic conditions. The methods of systematic literary review, logical analysis? analogies and generalizations, economic and statistical, cluster analysis, and typology are used.

ОПРЕДЕЛЕНИЕ РАВНОМЕРНОСТИ РАСПРЕДЕЛЕНИЯ ВРП И ДОХОДОВ БЮДЖЕТОВ РЕГИОНОВ

The article considers topical issues of regional development in the Republic of Kazakhstan in the context of income inequality and economic growth. Regional inequality in Kazakhstan is a topical issue that affects various aspects of the population's life and the country's development. The purpose of this article is to analyze the uniformity of the distribution of economic indicators by regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. For this purpose, the Lorenz curve and the Gini coefficient were used, which made it possible to analyze the uniformity of the distribution of two important economic indicators by regions: gross regional product (GRP) and regional budget revenues. The results of the analysis showed the uneven distribution of GRP depending on the population of the region. As a result of the analysis, the authors determined that the distribution of income between regional budgets is more uniform than the distribution of GRP. Thus, the formation of the size of regional budgets per capita has almost absolute equality. Keywords: regional budget, gross regional product (GRP), inequality, Lorenz curve, Gini coefficient.

Impact of Urbanization on Air Quality in Largest Сities of Kazakhstan

In the context of the rapid growth of urbanization and industrialization of Kazakhstan, the air pollution problem in large cities is becoming increasingly urgent. It is essential to assess the impact of economic growth on the environmental situation, as this allows us to develop strategies to improve air quality and ensure sustainable development. Thus, this study examines the impact of urbanization and economic growth on air pollution across four major cities in Kazakhstan from 2016 to 2022. Statistical methods were used to analyze the relationship between pollution levels and economic indicators, including gross regional product (GRP) and industrialization. The study covers the period from 2016 to 2022 and is based on data on concentrations of critical pollutants collected from the National Bureau of Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan. National monitoring sources collected air quality data, including PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO concentrations. Statistical analyses, as correlation and regression models, were applied to establish relationships between pollution levels and economic growth indicators. The study found significant correlations between economic activities and air pollution levels. In Almaty, a 10% increase in GRP corresponds to a 5% increase in pollutant concentrations. Almaty experienced the highest average PM2.5 concentration at 42 µg/m³, exceeding permissible norms by 20%. Other cities showed varied levels of pollution influenced by specific economic and industrial profiles. The results underscore the pressing need for effective urban management and strategic policy-making to mitigate the adverse effects of economic development on air quality.

Food consumption in East Kazakhstan region - focus on stability of indicators

Consumption of food products by the population is an important indicator of food security, as this concept includes not only food independence, but also the availability of food products. The aim is to assess the relationship between economic indicators and sustainable development of agro-industrial complex in East Kazakhstan for 2012-2023, with emphasis on the impact of the existing conditions and factors on food consumption patterns. Methods include econometric modeling, statistical estimation, data synthesis and regression analysis to study the obtained data, identify patterns and summarize suggestions and recommendations. Innovative econometric techniques supported by Eviews 12.0 software allow the interaction between different variables to be quantified with precision. Results show that growth in gross regional product per capita is correlated with improvements in dietary diversity and nutritional quality, increasing food security. The authors note that fluctuations in agricultural production significantly affect food availability and prices. An analysis of the level of food utilization is presented, which makes it possible to determine the state and prospects for the development of key branches of the agricultural sector of the region and the achievement of import substitution policy. The negative point is the problem of economic availability of food products in the region in the necessary volumes and assortment for residents with low incomes, which is caused by the growth of inflation and the decline in real money. It is shown that economic parameters explain about 95% of the variability in food consumption. The subsistence minimum plays an important role in food consumption. Its growth leads to an increase in food expenditures, which in turn affects the overall level of food consumption. Regular adjustments to social standards are needed. Conclusions - the possibilities of food stability in the country depend on the demand trends in the food market. There is a direct correlation between the productivity of agricultural production and the structure of consumer demand for food products. The state policy in the sphere of food consumption and provision of the population with food should include mechanisms to reduce income differences, stabilize prices, focus on balanced nutrition, and a comprehensive approach to forecasting consumer preferences.

Ресурсный потенциал сферы облачных инфокоммуникационных услуг в российских регионах: сравнительная оценка

The purpose of the study is to develop a methodological approach to comparative assessment of the resource potential of the cloud infocommunication services sphere in Russian regions in order to determine the state and development prospects of regional resources. The approach is based on the construction of integral indices of human and infrastruc-ture resources of the regions. The choice of statistical indicators included in the named indices was substantiated. The assessments of the level of development of the resource potential of the cloud infocommunication services sphere in Russian regions were constructed based on the current Rosstat data for 2022 and 2023. The regions were grouped by analogy with the groupings of the BCG matrix and the Gartner quadrant. Each region is assessed by two indices: «hu-man resources» and «infrastructure resources». Four groups of regions were defined, corresponding to the four quad-rants: with high scores for both indices; with high scores only for the infrastructure resources indicator; with high scores only for the human resources indicator; with low scores for both indicators. The prospects for the development of re-gional resources were determined, taking into account the identified specificity of regional resources and the share of costs for the implementation and use of digital technologies in the gross regional product. The results can be used to justify strategic directions for the development of the resource potential of the infocommunication sphere of Russian regions.

Situational analysis of maternal and infant mortality in Kazakhstan

Background. Previous studies from Western countries have shown an association between maternal and infant mortality and sociomedical problems. The social environment, which influences the health status of mothers and infants, is a function of the economic resources and forms of production of different regions. This study, for the first time, includes the study of preventable mortality from Pregnancy, childbirth, and the perinatal period, and Congenital malformations in Kazakhstan in the context of regions. For 2015-2019, maternal mortality decreased by 16.5% in Kazakhstan. However, since the start of the pandemic in 2020, the maternal mortality ratio has increased by 2.7 times, highlighting the urgent need for action. This study aims to provide the latest maternal and infant mortality policy and analyze their mortality ratios. The findings of this study have the potential to significantly impact healthcare policies and practices, making a substantial contribution to the field of maternal and child health. Methods. The regulatory documents related to maternal and child health in the Kazakhstan health system were appraised over the last ten years. To identify changes in avoidable mortality ratio trends for the period 2011-2021, joinpoint regression was used to calculate the average annual percentage change for every age group using the JoinPoint Regression Program, Version 4.9.1.0. Results. Crude mortality associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period was high in the 30-34 age group from 2015 to 2018. From 2019 to 2021, there has been an increase in mortality in the 35-39 age group from 0.48 (95% CI: - 0.06; 1.03) to 4.37 (95% CI: 2.83; 5.91) per 100,000 women. In general, there is a twofold increase in mortality in the period from 2018 to 2021. Treatable mortality from pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium fluctuated between 0.34 and 0.37 from 2015-2019, after which it rose to 1.07 in 2021 per 100.000 population. The highest increase can be seen in Atyrau, South and East Kazakhstan, Karagandy, and Almaty regions. The treatable mortality decreased in Kyzylorda and Akmola regions in the 2015-2021. Conclusion. Several regions need to increase efforts to reduce maternal mortality, which remains high nationally compared to OECD countries. This is the first study to examine the prevention of deaths from pregnancy, childbirth, and the perinatal period, as well as the development of birth defects in Kazakhstan by region, which helps physician decision-makers reconsider possible approaches to providing care at the primary health care level.