Primary Sector Evolution: 1999-2009

nalysing the current situation of agriculture is very important because the economy in a lot of regions is based on this sector. For this reason, the present scenario in many regions mirrors that of agriculture. Farms and their structural evolution over the last decade allow us to see the effects of factors such as the economic crisis and the changes in Common Agrarian Policy (CAP) on this sector and the economies of some regions.In this sense, European countries compiled agrarian censuses in 2009 and 2010 to comply with the legal regulations established by the European Council in order to obtain a framework or directory of farms that could serve to carry out sampling designs for sectorial agricultural surveys. These censuses have been elaborated in Spain since 1982 and are the main source of primary sector information.Thus, in this paper we have used the agrarian census data from 2009 to analyse the current situation of farms. In addition, information from the 1999 agrarian census has been used to ascertain the main changes that have taken place in these farms during this decade. This analysis has made it possible to determine the main effects that the worldwide economic crisis has had on farm structure and, therefore, on the hard-hit agrarian economy

An Analysis Of The Temporal Evolution Of Agrarian Prices

At the end of 2007 and principles of 2008 took place the greater nourishing crisis of the last decades. This crisis was caused by a spectacular increase in the prices of some agricultural raw materials and in the costs of the agrarian production. Since the end of 2008 the prices of the agricultural raw materials have decreased with similar intensity as when they raised. In the upward period, the increases of prices quickly were moved to the final consumer prices without great impact in the farmer’s income but when the prices decreased they do not allow seeing so fast in the final consumers prices. In this paper, we analyse the evolution of the agricultural activity results over the last years. In order to do so, we consider the prices of agricultural raw materials and products made with these, without forgetting the production costs. This study analyses the evolution of: the differential between the producer (farmer and stockman) prices and the prices charged for agrarian products to the final consumers and the differential between the producer price and the production cost

Measurement of National Non-Visible Wealth through Intellectual Capital

The economy of knowledge requires measures of national wealth that take into account aspects not contemplated by GDP, in order to portray the situation of a country more truthfully. In this paper, we use a new model to measure the intellectual capital of nations, adapted from microeconomics. It is based on the observation of hidden capital as implicit generator of long-term wealth, considering not only sustainability and social wellbeing, but also intangible assets such as human development, economic structure, international trade, foreign image and innovation. This empirical study reveals the importance of hidden capital in a nation’s wealth, making the difference where economic growth is concerned, as the most developed countries record the highest scores of efficiency in terms of intangible capital.knowledge economy indicators, hidden wealth, intangibles, GDP

The Effects Of The Distribution Of Agricultural Direct Payments

The Common Agricultural Policy (the CAP) is the most important common policy of the European Union, for which reason it traditionally monopolizes a large part of the European Union budget. Without doubt, the aids that farms receive from this policy are the pillar on which it sustains the battered agricultural sectors. Among CAP aid, direct payments are particularly important, in 2008 accounting for about 37% of the total EU budget. The main objective of this paper is to analyse the effects that the distribution of the CAP direct payments have on the agrarian economy. Specifically, we have analysed the equality level in distribution of CAP direct aid in the countries of the European Union using a concentration index. In this way, we have examined the fairness of distribution of CAP direct aid in the agricultural sector

Cooperative Learning In Virtual Environments: The Jigsaw Method In Statistical Courses

This document sets out a novel teaching methodology as used in subjects with statistical content, traditionally regarded by students as difficult. In a virtual learning environment, instructional techniques little used in mathematical courses were employed, such as the Jigsaw cooperative learning method, which had to be adapted to the peculiarities of the subject. The aim of this methodological project is to adapt the teaching of statistical courses to the new European Higher Education Area

The Effect of the Stretch-Shortening Cycle in the Force–Velocity Relationship and Its Association With Physical Function in Older Adults With COPD

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the stretch-shortening cycle (SSC) on different portions of the force–velocity (F–V) relationship in older adults with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to assess its association with physical function. The participants were 26 older adults with COPD (79 ± 7 years old; FEV1 = 53 ± 36% of predicted) and 10 physically active non-COPD (77 ± 4 years old) older adults. The F–V relationship was evaluated in the leg press exercise during a purely concentric muscle action and compared with that following an eccentric muscle action at 10% intervals of maximal unloaded shortening velocity (V0). Vastus lateralis (VL) muscle thickness, pennation angle (PA), and fascicle length (FL) were assessed by ultrasound. Habitual gait speed was measured over a 4-m distance. COPD subjects exhibited lower physical function and concentric maximal muscle power (Pmax) values compared with the non-COPD group (both p < 0.05). The SSC increased force and power values among COPD participants at 0–100 and 1–100% of V0, respectively, while the same was observed among non-COPD participants only at 40–90 and 30–90% of V0, respectively (all p < 0.05). The SSC induced greater improvements in force, but not power, among COPD compared with non-COPD subjects between 50 and 70% of V0 (all p < 0.05). Thus, between-group differences in muscle power were not statistically significant after the inclusion of the SSC (p > 0.05). The SSC-induced potentiation at 50–100% of V0 was negatively associated with physical function (r = -0.40–0.50), while that observed at 80–100% of V0 was negatively associated with VL muscle thickness and PA (r = -0.43–0.52) (all p < 0.05). In conclusion, older adults with COPD showed a higher SSC-induced potentiation compared with non-COPD subjects, which eliminated between-group differences in muscle power when performing SSC muscle actions. The SSC-induced potentiation was associated with lower physical function, VL muscle thickness, and VL PA values. The SSC-induced potentiation may help as a compensatory mechanism in those older subjects with a decreased ability to produce force/power during purely concentric muscle actions

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe

Production of He-4 and (4) in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S=2.76 TeV at the LHC

Results on the production of He-4 and (4) nuclei in Pb-Pb collisions at root(NN)-N-S = 2.76 TeV in the rapidity range vertical bar y vertical bar <1, using the ALICE detector, are presented in this paper. The rapidity densities corresponding to 0-10% central events are found to be dN/dy4(He) = (0.8 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.3 (syst)) x 10(-6) and dN/dy4 = (1.1 +/- 0.4 (stat) +/- 0.2 (syst)) x 10(-6), respectively. This is in agreement with the statistical thermal model expectation assuming the same chemical freeze-out temperature (T-chem = 156 MeV) as for light hadrons. The measured ratio of (4)/He-4 is 1.4 +/- 0.8 (stat) +/- 0.5 (syst). (C) 2018 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe