1,733 research outputs found
AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE ENTERPRISE IN THE TRANSITION FROM SOCIALIST COLLECTIVE FARMING
No full textCooperative enterprise has appeal as a means of filling gaps in the economic institutions of the rural sectors of the transition economies of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. But in addition to problems that have faced cooperatives in the West because of their inherent characteristics, the Soviet-era legacy created cultural burdens that cooperatives will have to overcome. A review of countries’ experiences since 1989 indicates some commonalities in attempts to create “new cooperatives,” but also instructive differences across countries. The evidence so far is unfavorable for cooperatives in agricultural production. In marketing and input supply the current situation is more promising. In both production and marketing, the economic institutions remain in flux. Unique approaches involving cooperatives may take permanent root, but their long-term prospects are in doubt.Agribusiness,
RURAL LIVELIHOODS IN ARMENIA
No full textIn this paper the structure of the rural economy in Armenia is explored from a household perspective. The paper draws on the livelihoods framework, recognizing the different capitals and activities that support rural households' livelihood strategies. Ownership of capitals and access to activities are examined in relation to the incidence of poverty on the basis of data from a recent large-scale survey of rural households in Armenia. Different measures for the outcome of livelihood strategies in terms of well-being are observed, which are consistently linked to income levels across poor and other households. Income-poor households are found to be less well-endowed especially with financial and social capital. They derive smaller income shares from economic activities, and more from dissaving and social payments. The findings are relevant to policies aimed at alleviating rural poverty.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital,
TURKMENISTAN'S NEW PRIVATE FARMERS: THE EFFECT OF HUMAN CAPITAL ON PERFORMANCE
No full textAlmost all former socialist countries are introducing private farming as part of land reform. In countries where such farming existed one or two generations ago, land might be restituted to former owners. In Turkmenistan, where there had been little private agriculture and no small landowners, land was distributed to new beneficiaries. This paper shows that the previous position of the new farm “owners” strongly affected what resources they had (land, capital, water) and how effectively they used them. The study is based on a survey conducted in 2000 on a sample of 143 farmers from Turkmenistan’s all five administrative regions. The farmers were divided for analysis into five categories, according to previous positions (managers, middle-level specialists, skilled and unskilled workers, and administrative staff). On the average, all categories of farmers turned a profit. However, the most successful were the middle-level specialists (agronomists, engineers). They had the largest plots, the best land, and the best-equipped farms. Like the managers and the administrative staff, they had savings, some of which they used as startup capital. They diversified their production more than others, and were better able to obtain credit. Former unskilled workers were the least successful, lacking capital, and unable to afford risks, thus growing only wheat and cotton at the expense of other crops and of livestock. Earlier studies have shown that former position affected the share of resources received by individuals in the ex Soviet Union. In addition to confirming the finding, we have shown that former position also affected the use of those resources, and the economic performance of the users. Unfortunately, the sample size was small, and our conclusions remain thus tentative.Farm Management,
Immunomodulation and TNF-α inhibition for tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis syndrome: a case series
No full textBACKGROUND Tubulointerstitial nephritis and uveitis (TINU) syndrome combines acute inflammatory nephritis (AIN) and uveitis. Uveitis in TINU often requires systemic immunomodulatory therapy (IMT), including steroid-sparing agents. Although common for other noninfec-tious uveitides, the use of tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (TNFi) in TINU has seldom been described.METHODS This retrospective case series included patients <18 years of age with TINU followed at our tertiary care pediatric hospital. Disease characteristics at time of diagnosis and subse-quent ophthalmological and rheumatologic evaluations were extracted from the record. AIN was defined as the presence of abnormal renal function and urinalysis or renal biopsy findings consistent with TINU. Uveitis grading, site of inflammation, inactivity, and flare were defined according to Standardization of Uveitis Nomenclature.RESULTS A total of 10 patients (median age, 12.3 years; 6 females) were included. AIN preceded uve-itis onset in 6 patients. Uveitis was bilateral at onset in 7 patients. Uveitis inactivity was achieved with systemic corticosteroids (CS) in 2 and with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in 3 patients. Because of persistent ocular inflammation, despite CS and IMT, 4 patients were treated with TNFi. All rapidly achieved uveitis quiescence and maintained prolonged inactivity under combined treatment with TNFi and MMF.CONCLUSIONS Most patients in our study cohort required a steroid-sparing immunomodulator to achieve and maintain uveitis control. In the 50% of the cohort in whom conventional IMTs were inadequate, TNFi were able to maintain quiescence. TNF inhibition might be a useful treatment in IMT-refractory uveitis in TINU patients
Entire solutions to the Swift--Hohenberg equation via variational approach
No full textWe study the stationary Swift--Hohenberg equation in the whole space , . We
develop and modify the variational approach introduced by Lerman, Naryshkin and
Nazarov (2020) and obtain a series of periodic solutions with certain
additional symmetries.Comment: 24 pages, 1 figur
Renal blood flow in hypercolesterolemic pigs is increased by chronic antioxidant treatment
No full text
Reassessing the Carotid Artery Plaque “Rim Sign” on CTA: A New Analysis with Histopathologic Confirmation
No full textBACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The CTA “rim sign” has been proposed as an imaging marker of intraplaque hemorrhage in carotid plaques. This study sought to investigate such findings using histopathologic confirmation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Included patients had CTA neck imaging,1 year before carotid endarterectomy. On imaging, luminal stenosis and the presence of adventitial (,2-mm peripheral) and “bulky” (2 mm in maximum thickness. Carotid endarterectomy specimens were assessed for both the presence and the proportional makeup of lipid material, intraplaque hemorrhage, and calcification. RESULTS: Sixty-seven patients were included. Twenty-three (34.3%) were women; the average age was 70.4 years. Thirty-eight (57.7%) plaques had a rim sign on imaging, with strong interobserver agreement (k = 0.85). A lipid core was present in 64 (95.5%) plaques (average, 22.2% proportion of plaque composition); intraplaque hemorrhage was present in 52 (77.6%), making up, on average, 13.7% of the plaque composition. The rim sign was not associated with the presence of intraplaque hemorrhage (P = .11); however, it was associated with a greater proportion of intraplaque hemorrhage in a plaque (P = .049). The sensitivity and specificity of the rim sign for intraplaque hemorrhage were 61.5% and 60.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The rim sign is not associated with the presence of intraplaque hemorrhage on histology. However, it is associated with a higher proportion of hemorrhage within a plaque and therefore may be a biomarker of more severe intraplaque hemorrhage, if present
Correlation between computed tomography angiography and histology of carotid artery atherosclerosis: Can semi-automated imaging software predict a plaque's composition?
No full textBackground: Using computed tomography angiography to differentiate between components of carotid atherosclerotic lesions remains largely elusive. This study sought to validate a semi-automated software for computed tomography angiography plaque analysis using histologic comparisons. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was performed of consecutive patients that underwent a carotid endarterectomy, with pre-procedural computed tomography angiography imaging of the cervical arterial vasculature available for review. Images were evaluated using a commercially-available software package, which produced segmented analyses of intraplaque components (e.g. intraplaque hemorrhage, lipid-rich necrotic core, and calcifications). On imaging, each component was assessed in terms of its (1) presence or absence, and (2) both volume and proportion of the total plaque volume (if present). On histological evaluation of carotid endarterectomy specimens, each component was evaluated as an estimated proportion of total plaque volume. Results: Of 80 included patients, 30 (37.5%) were female. The average age was 69.7 years (SD = 9.1). Based on imaging, intraplaque hemorrhage was the smallest contributor to plaque composition (1.2% of volumes on average). Statistically significant linear associations were noted between the proportion of intraplaque hemorrhage, lipid-rich necrotic core, and calcifications on histology and the volume of each component on imaging (p values ranged from 0.0008 to 0.01). Area under curve were poor for intraplaque hemorrhage and lipid-rich necrotic core (0.59 and 0.61, respectively) and acceptable for calcifications (0.73). Conclusion: Semi-automated analyses of computed tomography angiography have limited diagnostic accuracy in the detection of intraplaque hemorrhage and lipid-rich necrotic core in carotid artery plaques. However, volumetric imaging measurements of different components corresponded with histologic analysis
Carotid plaques from symptomatic patients with mild stenosis is associated with intraplaque hemorrhage
No full textCarotid plaque vulnerability features beyond the degree of stenosis may play a key role in the pathogenesis
and recurrence of ischemic cerebrovascular events. This study sought to compare intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) as a
marker of plaque vulnerability in symptomatic patients with mild (<50%), moderate (50%–69%), and severe (≥70%) carotid
artery stenosis. We included patients who experienced ischemic cerebrovascular events with no other identifiable sources
and underwent carotid endarterectomy for mild (n=32), moderate (n=47), and severe (n=58) carotid artery stenosis. The
degree of stenosis and imaging hallmarks were assessed by computed tomography angiography or magnetic resonance
angiography. Plaque specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and Movat pentachrome staining. Carotid plaques
of patients with mild stenosis had a higher extent of IPH (%) on tissue analysis compared with patients with moderate (mild,
15.7% [interquartile range, 7.8%–26.7%]; moderate, 3.9% [0.0%–9.2%]; P<0.001) and severe carotid artery stenosis (mild,
15.7% [interquartile range, 7.8%–26.7%]; severe, 2.5% [interquartile range, 0.0%–11.2%]; P<0.001). When considering the
degree of carotid artery stenosis as a continuous variable, a lower lumen narrowing was associated with higher extent of
IPH (P<0.001; R, −0.329). Our major finding is the association of IPH with mild carotid artery stenosis based on histological
analysis. The current study may suggest that IPH potentially plays a role in the mechanism of stroke in patients with
nonobstructive carotid stenosis
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