Rate of Fen-Peat Soil Subsidence Near Drainage Ditches (Central Poland)

This study analyzed design depths (to), post-subsidence depths (t), shallowing magnitudes (d = to − t) and ratio values (d/t) of 12 drainage ditches in a fragment of the drained Solec fen-peat (central Poland) over a period of 47 years between 1967 and 2014. A significant decrease of the designed depth of the ditches to was shown, from the average designed value of 0.97 m to their average depth after subsidence, t = 0.71 m. The ratio (d/t) of 0.41, which is associated with the degree of organic matter decomposition, indicated medium degree of peat decomposition. The average values of bank and bottom subsidence of the ditches during the analyzed period, 1967–2014, were 0.43 m and 0.17 m, respectively. The values of the average annual rate of land surface subsidence in the vicinity of the ditches were varied and within the range of 0.09 cm year−1 to 1.70 cm year−1, with an average of 0.92 cm year−1. Two linear empirical equations were proposed to calculate the amount of subsidence and the average annual rate of subsidence of peat soil surface near the drainage ditch route, based on the knowledge of the initial thickness of the peat deposit. The results of calculations using the equations proposed by the authors were compared with calculations of the same parameters using 10 equations published in the literature. The results obtained using the proposed equations were mostly larger than those calculated with literature-published equations.

World Trade Flows in XX Century

International trade represents the exchange of goods and services across state borders. In most countries, it forms a significant part of Gross Domestic Products (GDP). Although international trade has been presented throughout history, its economic, social, and political importance has increased in recent centuries, mainly due to industrialization, transport development, globalization, and multinational corporations. The work is planned methodologically to be explored through the graphic method, the method of index numbers and the average annual rate of change, and the trend method. The analysis of work is divided over the period. The first period is considered from 1948-1999, the second period from 1980-1999. In the 20th century, there were significant changes in the structure of international trade. By the 1960s, dominant products in international trade were primary products (raw materials), while from that period the international trade was dominated by industrial products.

Use of Echocardiography and Heart Failure In-Hospital Mortality from Registry Data in Japan

Background: Echocardiography requires a high degree of skill on the part of the examiner, and the skill may be more improved in larger volume centers. This study investigated trends and outcomes associated with the use and volume of echocardiographic exams from a real-world registry database of heart failure (HF) hospitalizations. Methods: This study was based on the Diagnosis Procedure Combination database in the Japanese Registry of All Cardiac and Vascular Datasets (JROAD-DPC). A first analysis was performed to assess the trend of echocardiographic examinations between 2012 and 2016. A secondary analysis was performed to assess whether echocardiographic use was associated with in-hospital mortality in 2015. Results: During this period, the use of echocardiography grew at an average annual rate of 6%. Patients with echocardiography had declining rates of hospital mortality, and these trends were associated with high hospitalization costs. In the 2015 sample, a total of 52,832 echocardiograms were examined, corresponding to 65.6% of all HF hospital admissions for that year. We found that the use and volume of echocardiography exams were associated with significantly lower odds of all-cause hospital mortality in heart failure (adjusted odds ratio (OR): 0.48 for use of echocardiography and 0.78 for the third tertile; both p < 0.001). Conclusions: The use of echocardiography was associated with decreased odds of hospital mortality in HF. The volumes of echocardiographic examinations were also associated with hospital mortality.

Coronary heart disease and stroke mortality trends in Brazil 2000–2018

Objective To analyse the mortality rate trend due to coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke in the adult population in Brazil. Methods From 2000 to 2018, a time trend study with joinpoint regression was conducted among Brazilian men and women aged 35 years and over. Age-adjusted and age, sex specific CHD and stroke trend rate mortality were measured. Results Crude mortality rates from CHD decreased in both sexes and in all age groups, except for males over 85 years old with an increase of 1.78%. The most accentuated declining occurred for age range 35 to 44 years for both men (52.1%) and women (53.2%) due to stroke and in men (33%) due to CHD, and among women (32%) aged 65 to 74 years due to CHD. Age-adjusted mortality rates for CHD and stroke decreased in both sexes, in the period from 2000 to 2018. The average annual rate for CHD went from 97.09 during 2000–2008 to 78.75 during 2016–2018, whereas the highest percentage of change was observed during 2008 to 2013 (APC -2.5%; 95% CI). The average annual rate for stroke decreased from 104.96 to 69.93, between 2000–2008 and 2016–2018, and the highest percentage of change occurred during the periods from 2008 to 2013 and 2016 to 2018 (APC 4.7%; 95% CI). Conclusion The downward trend CHD and stroke mortality rates is continuing. Policy intervention directed to strengthen care provision and improve population diets and lifestyles might explain the continued progress, but there is no room for complacency.

The Spatial–Temporal Changes of the Coupling Relationship among Agricultural Labor Force, Agricultural Economy, and Farmland in Chongqing

Agricultural labor force, agricultural economy, and farmland use are momentous components of sustainable development in rural areas, as well as essential causes of drastic changes in the urban–rural transformation. This paper studies the spatial–temporal characteristics of the labor–farmland–economy coupling structure from 2000 to 2018 in rural areas of Chongqing using spatial analysis technology. The study has four main results. First and foremost, not only has the average annual rate of the agricultural labor force in Chongqing reduced by 3.73%, but the reduction rates in Jiangbei District, Dadukou District, Nan’an District, Shapingba District, and Yubei District have exceeded 15%. Then, the average annual rate of the agricultural economy has increased by 9.32%, but it has been in a downward trend in Dadukou District, Jiangbei District, and Shapingba Districts. Furthermore, the average annual decline rate of farmland area is 0.34% with larger reduction occurring in the nine of the central urban districts, Chengkou County and Wushan County. Ultimately, there have been 33 districts and counties with the temporal–spatial characteristics of labor–farmland–economy coupling above primary coordination, which includes 16 districts and counties reaching a high coordination. This provides theoretical and methodical supports for the coordinated development of human and land industries in different regions.

HIV trends and disparities by gender and urban–rural residence among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa

Background In sub-Saharan Africa HIV transmission is a major challenge in adolescents, especially among girls and those living in urban settings. Major international efforts have aimed at reducing sexual transmission of HIV. This analysis aims to assess the trends in HIV prevalence by gender in adolescents, as well as urban–rural disparities. Methods HIV prevalence data at ages 15–19 years were obtained for 31 countries with a national survey since 2010 and for 23 countries with one survey circa 2005 and a recent survey circa 2015. Country medians and average annual rates of changes were used to summarize the trends for two subregions in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa and West and Central Africa, which largely correspond with higher and lower HIV prevalence countries. Data on HIV incidence at ages 15–24 and prevalence at 5–9 and 10–14 years were reviewed from 11 recent national surveys. Trends in urban–rural disparities in HIV prevalence and selected indicators of sexual and HIV testing behaviours were assessed for females and males 15–24 years, using the same surveys. Results HIV prevalence among girls 15–19 years declined in eastern and Southern Africa from 5.7 to 2.6% during 2005–2015 (country median), corresponding with an average annual rate of reduction of 6.5% per year. Among boys, the median HIV prevalence declined from 2.1 to 1.2%. Changes were also observed in West and Central Africa where median HIV prevalence among girls decreased from 0.7 to 0.4% (average annual rate of reduction 5.9%), but not for boys (0.3%). Girl-boy differences at 10–14 years were small with a country median HIV of 1.0% and 1.3%, respectively. Urban females and males 15–24 had at least 1.5 times higher HIV prevalence than their rural counterparts in both subregions, and since the urban–rural declines were similar, the gaps persisted during 2005–2015. Conclusions HIV prevalence among adolescents declined in almost all countries during the last decade, in both urban and rural settings. The urban–rural gap persisted and HIV transmission to girls, but not boys, is still a major challenge in Eastern and Southern African countries.

Performance evaluation of medical service for breast cancer patients based on diagnosis related groups

Background To evaluate the performance of medical service for patients with breast cancer in Henan Province, China, using diagnosis related groups (DRGs) indicators and to provide data to inform practices and policies for the prevention and control of breast cancer. Methods The data were collected from the front pages of medical records (FPMR) of all hospitals above class II that admitted breast cancer patients in Henan Province between 2016 and 2019. Breast cancer patients were the subjects in our study. China DRGs (CN-DRGs) was used as a risk adjustment tool. Three indicators, including the case mix index (CMI), number of DRGs, and total weight, were used to evaluate the range of available services for patients with breast cancer, while indicators including the charge efficiency index (CEI), time efficiency index (TEI) and inpatient mortality of low-risk group cases (IMLRG) were used to evaluate medical service efficiency and medical safety. Results Between 2016 and 2019, there were 103,760 patients with breast cancer. The total weight increased over the study period at an average annual rate of 21.71%. The TEI decreased over the study period by 15.60%. The CEI exhibited an increasing trend, but the average annual rate of increase was small (2.94%). The IMLRP was 0.02, 0, 0 and 0.01% in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Conclusion The performance of medical service improved between 2016 and 2019 for breast cancer patients discharged from study hospitals in Henan Province. The main area of improvement was in the range of available services, but medical institutions must still make efforts to improve the efficiency of medical services and ensure medical safety. DRGs is an effective evaluation tool.

Housing and communal services as a driver of the Urals Federal District sustainable development

The study aims to analyze the current state of the housing and communal services market in the Ural Federal District. The features of the housing and communal services market in the Urals Federal District have been investigated, key trends in the development of the studied market have been identified. The assessment of the volume of the housing and communal services market in the Urals Federal District in value terms is carried out, its dynamics in 2015-2020 is presented. The nature of the investigated market volume dynamics is revealed, the average annual rate of its growth and the drivers of market growth are determined. The structure of housing and communal services and the structure of the housing stock in the Ural Federal District within the regions and districts are considered. The heterogeneity of these structures is shown. A significant share (about 66.0%) in both structures presented falls on Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions. The study is based on statistical data from the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, data from specialized portals (Unified information resource - GIS Housing and Communal Services, State Corporation - Fund for Assistance to Reforming Housing and Utilities Sector (Housing and Utilities Fund)). The results obtained in this work helps further research to conduct a competitive analysis on the housing and communal services market in the Urals Federal District, determine the shares of the largest competitors in the studied market, estimate the volume of housing and communal services consumption per capita, as well as the saturation and estimated potential of the housing and communal services market in the Urals Federal District.

Wuhan coronavirus spread in Russia: macroeconomic production function in regard to transport and communication infrastructure

Transport and communication infrastructure plays an important role in ensuring economic growth, also in the context of the Wuhan coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) spread worldwide. The role of the communication component increases with the epidemic and the associated restrictive measures, which replace, to a certain extent, the transport component. We offer an econometric study of the macroeconomic production function in the Russian Federation with transport and communication infrastructure (the fixed assets average annual value of the Russian transport and communications sectors) for 1990–2018. The arguments for this function are the average annual value of fixed assets in constant 1990 prices, the average annual rate of the use of production capacities in Russian industry, the average annual number of people employed in the national economy, the average annual value of fixed assets of transport and communications in constant 1990 prices. Our research demonstrates that in 2010–2018 the GDP elasticity to production infrastructure was decreasing. We explain this by the reduction in the volume of capital investments in the infrastructure sector’s fixed assets. In addition, we offer an analytical modification of the macroeconomic production function for 2020 in the context of the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus among the Russian population by introducing into this function the average annual rates of labor and infrastructure capacity use, which, along with the average annual rate of fixed assets capacity use are functions of the predicted values of the daily number of the infected Russian citizens. These predicted values are calculated by the time dependent Gaussian quadratic exponent estimated by the least squares. We present the accuracy of the forecast results for the 2020 spring trends of the daily number of Russian and Moscow population infected with the Wuhan coronavirus. The average APE forecast error for 30 days ahead for Russia is 10.4% and the same for five weeks for Moscow is 10%. Moreover, we make forecasts of the officially published daily number of infected Russian population for fall 2020 – spring 2021.

Vietnam's Political Economy in Transition (1986-2016)

The transition economy of Vietnam enjoyed remarkable achievements in the first 20 years of economic renovation (Doi Moi) from 1986 to 2006. Notably, the economy grew at an average annual rate of 7.5% in 1991-2000 period. Vietnam’s Amended Constitution 1992 recognized the role of private sector in the economy. U.S.-Vietnam Trade Bilateral Agreement (US-BTA) was signed in 2001. The country's stock market made debut trading in 2000. Vietnam became a member of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995, then proceeded to full membership of the World Trade Organization in 2007, following which registered foreign direct investment (FDI) reached an all-time high of US$71.7 billion in 2008.