A competitividade do cooperativismo de pequeno porte no sistema agroindustrial do leite no oeste catarinense
Value chain, cadeia de valor, co-operatives, cooperativismo, dairy production, market, mercado, produção de leite
O artigo discute as transformações em curso na cadeia do leite e os desafios demandados ao cooperativismo de pequeno porte para ampliar seu espaço em um mercado cada vez mais competitivo e oligopolizado, onde a transnacionalização dos atores líderes tem exigido inovações tecnológicas, organizacionais e institucionais para atender exigências de escala e qualidade cada vez mais restritivas. O estudo aborda as transformações em curso na produção de leite na região oeste de Santa Catarina, destacando o reposicionamento do cooperativismo em face do novo padrão de concorrência do mercado. O foco reside nas mudanças organizacionais que têm possibilitado a pequenas cooperativas criar vantagens competitivas e, deste modo, viabilizar a reprodução social de uma ampla gama de agricultores familiares. Primeiramente, o artigo analisa a trajetória da cadeia de valor e o desenvolvimento recente do setor lácteo no Brasil. Em seguida, discute a inserção do cooperativismo e da agricultura familiar na cadeia produtiva. Finalmente, debate o desenvolvimento deste segmento no oeste catarinense tomando como exemplo a experiência da Associação das Cooperativas e Associações de Produtores Rurais do Oeste de Santa Catarina (Ascooper).
Maycon Noremberg Schubert, Paulo André Niederle
Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
https://revistaideas.ufrrj.br/ojs/index.php/ideas/article/view/102
A competitividade do regadio em Portugal no contexto da Nova Política Agrícola Comum: o caso de uma exploração agrícola no Alentejo
Alentejo, Alentejo (region of Portugal), CAP reform, Mathematical programming, Nova PAC, Programação matemática
A Nova Reforma da Política Agrícola Comum (PAC) aprovada em 2003 constitui um reforço dos principais objectivos das reformas anteriores de 1992 e de 2000, como a promoção da competitividade do sector agrícola, da multifuncionalidade dos espaços rurais e agrícolas e da exploração sustentável dos recursos. No essencial, substituem-se as ajudas diretas à produção previstas na maioria dos regulamentos das Organizações Comuns de Mercado, por um regime de pagamento único por exploração sujeito a normas de eco-condicionalidade e a limitações na reconversão dos sistemas de produção agrícola. Este artigo avalia os impactos da nova PAC na competitividade do regadio em Portugal nas explorações agrícolas do Alentejo, nomeadamente, dos efeitos do pagamento único na afetação e na retribuição dos recursos agrícolas, de modo a identificar as principais alterações nas orientações produtivas e nos rendimentos agrícolas. Também são avaliados alguns dos principais impactos sócio-econômicos e ambientais diretos decorrentes dos ajustamentos produzidos com a Nova PAC. A metodologia utilizada baseia-se no desenvolvimento de um modelo micro-econômico de programação matemática estocástica discreta de maximização do valor esperado e de minimização do risco, adaptado às características de uma empresa agrícola do Alentejo. O modelo é utilizado para avaliar prospectivamente o plano de produção e o rendimento no curto e no longo prazo, mediante os cenários da reforma da PAC de 2000 e da Nova Reforma da PAC de 2003.The 2003 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform constitutes a reinforcement of the main objectives of the previous reforms of 1992 and of 2000, namely the promotion of the agricultural competitiveness, the multiple functions of the rural and agricultural areas and the sustainable resource exploitation. The direct production aids in the most Common Market Organizations are replaced by an only payment for each farm, subject to echo-conditionality and limits on the agricultural systems changes. This article evaluates the impacts of 2003 CAP reform on the Portugal irrigation competitiveness in the Alentejo region farms. The effects of the only payment in the agricultural returns, the main changes in the crop patterns and in the agricultural incomes were studied. They are also appraised direct social economic and environmental impacts of the adjustments produced with the 2003 CAP reform. The followed methodology is a discreet stochastic programming model. This model maximizes the expected income and minimizes the risk at the farm level. It was used to assess the crop patterns and the farm income in the short and in the long term, in the scenarios of the 2000 CAP and the of the 2003 CAP.
Rui Manuel Sousa Fragoso, Carlos Marques
Sociedade Brasileira de Economia e Sociologia Rural
A comprehensive Chinese experience against SARS-CoV-2 in ophthalmology
coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, Ophthalmology, Ocular transmission
Abstract The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has now swept through the continents and poses a global threat to public health. Several investigations have been conducted to identify whether COVID-19 can be transmitted through the ocular route, and the conclusion is that it is a potential route but remains uncertain. Due to the face-to-face communication with patients, frequent exposure to tears and ocular discharge, and the unavoidable use of equipment which requires close proximity, ophthalmologists carry a high risk of contracting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Based on 33 articles published by Chinese scholars, guidelines and clinical practice experience in domestic hospitals, we have summarized the Chinese experience through the lens of ophthalmology, hoping to make a contribution to protecting ophthalmologists and patients around the world.
A-Yong Yu, Ruixue Tu, Xu Shao, An-Peng Pan, Kai-Jing Zhou, Jinhai Huang
A Comprehensive Mapping of the Druggable Cavities within the SARS-CoV-2 Therapeutically Relevant Proteins by Combining Pocket and Docking Searches as Implemented in Pockets 2.0
SARS-CoV-2, virtual screening, docking simulations, Blind docking, pocket search, pocket druggability
(1) Background: Virtual screening studies on the therapeutically relevant proteins of the severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) require a detailed characterization of their druggable binding sites, and, more generally, a convenient pocket mapping represents a key step for structure-based in silico studies; (2) Methods: Along with a careful literature search on SARS-CoV-2 protein targets, the study presents a novel strategy for pocket mapping based on the combination of pocket (as performed by the well-known FPocket tool) and docking searches (as performed by PLANTS or AutoDock/Vina engines); such an approach is implemented by the Pockets 2.0 plug-in for the VEGA ZZ suite of programs; (3) Results: The literature analysis allowed the identification of 16 promising binding cavities within the SARS-CoV-2 proteins and the here proposed approach was able to recognize them showing performances clearly better than those reached by the sole pocket detection; and (4) Conclusions: Even though the presented strategy should require more extended validations, this proved successful in precisely characterizing a set of SARS-CoV-2 druggable binding pockets including both orthosteric and allosteric sites, which are clearly amenable for virtual screening campaigns and drug repurposing studies. All results generated by the study and the Pockets 2.0 plug-in are available for download.
Alessandro Pedretti, Silvia Gervasoni, Giulio Vistoli, Carmine Talarico, Candida Manelfi, Andrea R. Beccari, Gabriel Studer, Gerardo Tauriello, Andrew Mark Waterhouse, Torsten Schwede
A Comprehensive Review of Common Bacterial, Parasitic and Viral Zoonoses at the Human-Animal Interface in Egypt
Zoonotic diseases, Egypt, influenza, MERS-CoV, rabies, cryptosporidiosis, fascioliasis, Campylobacteriosis, salmonellosis, Middle East
Egypt has a unique geographical location connecting the three old-world continents Africa, Asia and Europe. It is the country with the highest population density in the Middle East, Northern Africa and the Mediterranean basin. This review summarizes the prevalence, reservoirs, sources of human infection and control regimes of common bacterial, parasitic and viral zoonoses in animals and humans in Egypt. There is a gap of knowledge conerning the epidemiology of zoonotic diseases at the human-animal interface in different localities in Egypt. Some zoonotic agents are “exotic” for Egypt (e.g., MERS-CoV and Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus), others are endemic (e.g., Brucellosis, Schistosomiasis and Avian influenza). Transboundary transmission of emerging pathogens from and to Egypt occurred via different routes, mainly importation/exportation of apparently healthy animals or migratory birds. Control of the infectious agents and multidrug resistant bacteria in the veterinary sector is on the frontline for infection control in humans. The implementation of control programs significantly decreased the prevalence of some zoonoses, such as schistosomiasis and fascioliasis, in some localities within the country. Sustainable awareness, education and training targeting groups at high risk (veterinarians, farmers, abattoir workers, nurses, etc.) are important to lessen the burden of zoonotic diseases among Egyptians. There is an urgent need for collaborative surveillance and intervention plans for the control of these diseases in Egypt.
Yosra A. Helmy, Hosny El-Adawy, Elsayed M. Abdelwhab
A comprehensive review of imaging findings in COVID-19 - status in early 2021.
coronavirus, covid-19, SARS-CoV-2, imaging
Medical imaging methods are assuming a greater role in the workup of patients with COVID-19, mainly in relation to the primary manifestation of pulmonary disease and the tissue distribution of the angiotensin-converting-enzyme 2 (ACE 2) receptor. However, the field is so new that no consensus view has emerged guiding clinical decisions to employ imaging procedures such as radiography, computer tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging, and in what measure the risk of exposure of staff to possible infection could be justified by the knowledge gained. The insensitivity of current RT-PCR methods for positive diagnosis is part of the rationale for resorting to imaging procedures. While CT is more sensitive than genetic testing in hospitalized patients, positive findings of ground glass opacities depend on the disease stage. There is sparse reporting on PET/CT with [18F]-FDG in COVID-19, but available results are congruent with the earlier literature on viral pneumonias. There is a high incidence of cerebral findings in COVID-19, and likewise evidence of gastrointestinal involvement. Artificial intelligence, notably machine learning is emerging as an effective method for diagnostic image analysis, with performance in the discriminative diagnosis of diagnosis of COVID-19 pneumonia comparable to that of human practitioners.
Ali Afshar-Oromieh, Helmut Prosch, Cornelia Schaefer-Prokop, Karl Peter Bohn, Ian Alberts, Clemens Mingels, Majda Thurnher, Paul Cumming, Kuangyu Shi, Alan Peters, Silvana Geleff, Xiaoli Lan, Feng Wang, Adrian Huber, Christoph Gräni, Johannes T Heverhagen, Axel Rominger, Matthias Fontanellaz, Heiko Schöder, Andreas Christe, Stavroula Mougiakakou, Lukas Ebner
European journal of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging
A comprehensive review on the implementation of the biorefinery concept in biodiesel production plants
Biorefinery, Conceptual design, Environmental Sustainability, biodiesel, economic viability
Biodiesel is a promising alternative to petroleum diesel and its production from various generations of feedstocks by using different technologies has been constantly growing globally. However, in spite of such large scale of production, serious considerations should be taken into account to ensure the long-term sustainability of biodiesel production. This issue becomes more of concern given the fact that some generations of feedstocks used for biodiesel production are in clear conflict with food security. The concept of biorefinery has been at the center of attention with an aim to address these challenges by promoting an integral use of biomass to allow the production of multiple products along with biodiesel. Such implementation has been extensively studied over the last years and is expected to lead to economic, environmental, and social advantages over individual processes. The current review first presented an overview on biodiesel, its different feedstocks, and production technologies. Subsequently, the biorefinery concept and its correct implementation was technically discussed. Biodiesel production under the biorefinery scheme was also presented. Finally, techno-economic analysis of biodiesel production under the biorefinery concept by considering palm oil-based biorefinery as case study was investigated.
Christian David Botero Gutiérrez, Daissy Lorena Restrepo Serna, Carlos Ariel Cardona Alzate
Energy industries. Energy policy. Fuel trade, Fuel
A Comprehensive Statistical Analysis of the Six Major Crypto-Currencies from August 2015 through June 2020
cryptocurrency, bitcoin, risk measures, cointegrated VAR, EVT, pair-copulas
After more than a decade of existence, crypto-currencies may now be considered an important class of assets presenting some unique appealing characteristics but also sharing some features with real financial assets. This paper provides a comprehensive statistical analysis of the six most important crypto-currencies from the period 2015–2020. Using daily data we (1) showed that the returns present many of the stylized facts often observed for stock assets, (2) modeled the returns underlying distribution using a semi-parametric mixture model based on the extreme value theory, (3) showed that the returns are weakly autocorrelated and confirmed the presence of long memory as well as short memory in the GARCH volatility, (4) used an econometric approach to compute risk measures, such as the value-at-risk, the expected shortfall, and drawups, (5) found that the crypto-coins’ price trajectories do not contain speculative bubbles and that they move together maintaining the long run equilibrium, and (6) using static and dynamic D-vine pair-copula models, assessed the true dependence structure among the crypto-assets, obtaining robust copula based bivariate dynamic measures of association. The analyses indicate that the strength of dependence among the crypto-currencies has increased over the recent years in the cointegrated crypto-market. The conclusions reached will help investors to manage risk while identifying opportunities for alternative diversified and profitable investments. To complete the analysis we provide a brief discussion on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the crypto-market by including the first semester of 2020 data.
Beatriz Vaz de Melo Mendes, André Fluminense Carneiro
Finance, Risk in industry. Risk management
A Comprehensive Strategy for Laser Corneal Refractive Surgery during the COVID-19 Epidemic in a Tertiary Teaching Hospital in Wenzhou, China
The novel coronavirus pneumonia COVID-19 is caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which is highly contagious, has a long incubation period, and can be detected in patients’ tears and conjunctival secretions. In this study, we describe our experience regarding the necessary protective measures that need to be taken during ophthalmic examination and treatment. The authors reviewed the clinical work arrangements during the epidemic situation at the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in China and analyzed the prevention and control measures that were applied during the laser corneal refractive surgery process. The comprehensive protection protocol, which was established throughout the entire process, included both horizontal (medical staff-patient, medical staff-medical staff, and patient-patient) and vertical (preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative transmission assessment) approach and was mainly focused on strengthening the protection against potential aerosol transmission that may occur during intraocular pressure measurements and laser ablation. The described and proposed protocol, along with the further guidelines followed by the medical personnel, proved to be efficacious and contributed significantly to the control of the COVID-19 outbreak and the protection of both the patients and the medical staff.
Jia Zhang, Ioannis M. Aslanides, Vasileios Selimis, Nan-Ji Lu, Wei-Jie Liu, Hong-Xiao Jiang, Chao Zhang, Chen-Chen Xu, Qin-Mei Wang, Jia Qu, Shi-Hao Chen
A Computational Approach for Predicting Role of Human MicroRNAs in MERS-CoV Genome
The new epidemic Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is caused by a type of human coronavirus called MERS-CoV which has global fatality rate of about 30%. We are investigating potential antiviral therapeutics against MERS-CoV by using host microRNAs (miRNAs) which may downregulate viral gene expression to quell viral replication. We computationally predicted potential 13 cellular miRNAs from 11 potential hairpin sequences of MERS-CoV genome. Our study provided an interesting hypothesis that those miRNAs, that is, hsa-miR-628-5p, hsa-miR-6804-3p, hsa-miR-4289, hsa-miR-208a-3p, hsa-miR-510-3p, hsa-miR-18a-3p, hsa-miR-329-3p, hsa-miR-548ax, hsa-miR-3934-5p, hsa-miR-4474-5p, hsa-miR-7974, hsa-miR-6865-5p, and hsa-miR-342-3p, would be antiviral therapeutics against MERS-CoV infection.
Md. Zakir Hossain, Rozina Akter, Md Mahmudul Hasan, Md. Shahin Ullah, Md. Jaynul Abedin, G. M. Ahsan Ullah