Diagnosis of the agri-food value chains in the Republic of Moldova

The main aim of the paper is to present the state of the agro-food value chain in the Republic of Moldova in conditions of incomplete information and uncertainty. In order to accomplish this general scope, the methodological approaches were adjusted to the available scarce data and existing research resources. Three important outputs are foreseen as a result of the investigation: description of the current situation of the components of agri-food value chains and interaction among them; the rapid analysis of the main dimensions of the chain; identification of constraints and development opportunities. Performance of the agro-food value chains in the Republic of Moldova is affected by high energy costs, unstable sources of inputs supply, restricted access to end-markets. It is also necessary to improve the investment climate in order to modernize the agri-food chains

AGRICULTURAL LAND-USE CHANGES AND RURAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA

This paper focuses on the links between changes in the land use and sustainable rural development in the Republic of Moldova. A particular attention is addressed to the analysis of land ownership fragmentation, existing impediments for creation of sustainable agricultural systems based on principles of economic growth, social equity and protection of the environment. The following research methods such as analysis of the impact of public policies in rural areas, including in agriculture, comparative analysis, analysis of annual time series, were used. There were also used qualitative research methods such as: interviews of key stakeholders and focus groups’ interviews. Data for the quantitative analysis were collected from statistical yearbooks of the Republic of Moldova, National Land Cadastre and other available sources. The agricultural sector of the Republic of Moldova after the land reform is characterized by a polarization between large corporate farms and many small and fragmented family farms. The consolidation of land ownerships could become an effective instrument that can address both the problems of land fragmentation, but also the sustainable rural development in a wider context

Impact of economies of scale in the horticultural sector of the Republic of Moldova

The major objective of the article is to provide an overview of the Moldovan High Value Agriculture (HVA) sector that can be useful to investors, producers, traders, donors and government officials alike, enabling concrete actions to be taken toward significantly increasing HVA exports. The article examines how the farm restructuring and land reform processes in Moldova have affected productivity and incomes in horticulture. To capture a comprehensive picture of the impacts of farm restructuring this study integrates analysis into the different quantitative and qualitative surveys during last ten years. The quantitative surveys cover the present situation mostly through questions that can be answered simply through multiple choices of yes/no responses or in a numerical form. The article integrates also the major findings from the Agricultural Census 2011. The qualitative surveys complement the quantitative research by focusing on the process of change involved in restructuring, the reasons for these changes and peoples’ attitudes toward the changes. The major conclusion of this paper is that the HVA sector, which used to make a significant contribution to Moldova’s economy has undergone a profound collapse which resulted from major structural changes, including the fragmentation of land, depopulation of rural areas ,collapse of most irrigation schemes, and the rapid change in the demand of its traditional destination markets. Faced with this situation it would be unrealistic to expect a rapid recovery of the sector, even though a number of existing private sector initiative demonstrate the potential for profitable investment in a wide range of fresh and partly processed product

Support policies for agri-food export promotion in the Republic of Moldova

Agri-food trade has expanded over the recent decade in the Republic of Moldova. Trade policies promoted by the Republic of Moldova are mostly oriented towards product diversification, knowledge transfer and promotion of new competitive goods with high added value for domestic and foreign markets. The trade balance remains dynamic with significant fluctuations in product categories over time and countries of destination, due to climatic and trade shocks. In this context, the aim of the paper is to provide an analysis of agri-food sector and external trade, assess the impact of external factors over the national economy and opportunities for the better export targeting, and identify possible solutions to increase resilience to agro-food foreign trade shocks. For such tasks were used the statistical methods of analysis and informal interviews with main stakeholders. This paper’s outcome incorporates the scale, significance and dynamics of the agri-food export including the continued evolution of the regulatory agencies involved and the critical role of support policies provided by other sectors of national economy for the export promotion

Impact of economies of scale in the horticultural sector of the Republic of Moldova

The major objective of the article is to provide an overview of the Moldovan High Value Agriculture (HVA) sector that can be useful to investors, producers, traders, donors and government officials alike, enabling concrete actions to be taken toward significantly increasing HVA exports. The article examines how the farm restructuring and land reform processes in Moldova have affected productivity and incomes in horticulture. To capture a comprehensive picture of the impacts of farm restructuring this study integrates analysis into the different quantitative and qualitative surveys during last ten years. The quantitative surveys cover the present situation mostly through questions that can be answered simply through multiple choices of yes/no responses or in a numerical form. The article integrates also the major findings from the Agricultural Census 2011. The qualitative surveys complement the quantitative research by focusing on the process of change involved in restructuring, the reasons for these changes and peoples’ attitudes toward the changes. The major conclusion of this paper is that the HVA sector, which used to make a significant contribution to Moldova’s economy has undergone a profound collapse which resulted from major structural changes, including the fragmentation of land, depopulation of rural areas ,collapse of most irrigation schemes, and the rapid change in the demand of its traditional destination markets. Faced with this situation it would be unrealistic to expect a rapid recovery of the sector, even though a number of existing private sector initiative demonstrate the potential for profitable investment in a wide range of fresh and partly processed product

Foreword Special Issue on "New Simulation Methodologies for Next-Generation TCAD Tools"

Technology computer-aided design (TCAD) is an integral part of the development process of semiconductor technologies and devices, a field which has become increasingly complex and heterogeneous. Processing of integrated circuits requires nowadays over 400 process steps, and the resulting devices often have an intricate 3-D structure and contain various specifically designed materials. The full device behavior can only be understood by considering effects on all length scales from atomistic (material properties, interfaces, defects, and so on), to nanometric (quantum confinement, non-bulk properties, tunneling, ballistic transport, and so on), to full-chip dimensions (strain, heat transport, and so on), and time scales from femtoseconds (scattering, ferroelectric switching time, and so on) to seconds (trapping times, degradation, and so on). Voltages, currents, and charges have been scaled to such low levels that statistical effects and process variations have a strong impact. Devices based on new materials (e.g., 2-D crystals) and physical principles (ferroelectrics, magnetic materials, qubits, and so on) challenge standard TCAD approaches. While the simulation methods developed by the physics community can describe the basic device behavior, they often lack important simulation capabilities like, for example, transient simulations or integration with other TCAD tools, and are often too slow for daily use. Due to the complexity of semiconductor technology, it becomes more and more difficult to assess the impact of a change in processing or device structure on circuit performance by looking at a single aspect of an isolated device under idealized conditions. Instead, a TCAD tool chain is required which can handle realistic device structures embedded in a chip environment. New methodologies are required for all aspects of TCAD to ensure an efficient tool chain covering from atomistic effects to circuit behavior based on flexible simulation models that can handle new materials, device principles, and the ensuing large-scale simulations and that make use of artificial intelligence for well-chosen (sub)routines to decrease the overall simulation time. This Special Issue features six invited and 18 regular papers that address these problems

Tetra­methyl­ammonium dimethyl (phenyl­sulfonyl­amido)phosphate(1−)

The title compound, C4H12N+·C8H11NO5PS−, was obtained from tetra­methyl­ammonium hydroxide and dimeth­yl(phenyl­sulfon­yl)amido­phosphate. The tetra­methyl­ammonium cation has a slightly distorted tetra­hedral configuration and the N—C bond lengths lie in the range 1.457 (3)–1.492 (3) Å. In the crystal, no classical hydrogen bonds are observed between the cation and the anion

Monitoring of Neuromuscular block during emergency abdominal surgery

Relevance. Sixty percent of cases of residual neuromuscular block (rNMB) were recorded globally, yet this issue of rNMB in critically ill patients remains taboo. To predict any leftover NMB, a train-of-four stimulation (TOF) Watch SX was utilized to track the depth of muscle relaxant in emergency patients both during and after surgery, even when they were transported to the intensive care unit. This study aimed to investigate differences in the variability of neuromuscular block between two distinct surgical procedures: laparoscopic cholecystectomy (the control group) and emergency abdominal surgery (the investigation group). Materials and Methods. Using two different muscle relaxants and assessing their depth using accelerometry notably the TOF Watch SX. A total of 140 patients, aged 18-60 years with a BMI of 18-30 kg/m², participated in the study. Group I underwent planned cholecystectomy (control group), while Group II underwent emergency abdominal surgery (investigation group). The muscle relaxants Ridelat-C, generic of atracurium benzilate (Verofarm OOO, Harabovsk, Russia) and Kruaron, generic of rocuronium bromide (Verofarm OOO, Harabovsk, Russia) were administered, with various monitoring methods, including Drager Fabius, ECG, and lab results, Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2021 advanced with graphs and ANOVA. Results and Discussion. The results demonstrated profound skeletal muscle relaxation for planned cholecystectomy, with TOF 0 achieved at 165.9 ± 95 seconds for Kruaron and 183.3 ± 90 seconds for Ridelat-C. In emergency abdominal surgery, it took 207.1 ± 120 seconds with Kruaron and 255.5 ± 109.5 seconds with Ridelat-C at TOF0. Notably, Kruaron exhibited prolonged effects in Group II, leading to residual neuromuscular block in critically ills even 2.5 hours post-surgery. Conclusion . Neuromuscular blocking agents modestly exacerbated neuromuscular dysfunction, potentially contributing to acquired critical illness polyneuropathy/myopathy, severe sepsis/septic shock, and massive blood loss/haemorrhagic shock. In critically ills, a minimal calculated dose of Kruaron is recommended, while Ridelat-C, which metabolized within the blood plasma without involving the kidneys or liver, might be a better choice. Suggamadex was suggested for reversing Kruaron effects due to its rapid effect as compared to proserine