Agribusiness development trends in Georgia: modern challenges and solutions

Introduction. The article substantiates the importance of agribusiness development in solving the problem of food security and food security of the population. Economic indicators of agribusiness development in Georgia and Adjara region are analized, the role of determining agribusiness development trends and perspective directions in strengthening the rural community, especially in terms of rural community involvement in business is assessed. Therefore, in order to overcome the problem of agribusiness development, it is of special importance to study the development trends of agribusiness, to identify the current challenges in this field and to develop perspective directions of development. Aim and tasks. The aim of the research is to identify modern challenges based on the study of agribusiness development trends and to make recommendations on promising development directions. Results. The paper analyzes the views of researchers on alternative models of development in the field of agribusiness, focusing on the components of the agribusiness sector as a model. The article presents the conclusions and develops recommendations on overcoming the factors hindering the development of agribusiness and ways of future development. The development of the cooperation process is also important for the growth of scale and its place in international markets. Quantitative research has shown that 86% of farmers are not united in cooperatives. Even those who are united from year to year with less turnover of financial and material resources are recorded in the respective organizations, indicating their less life skills. Conclusions. Quantitative and qualitative research on the example of Adjara region (Georgia) has been conducted to identify the trends and characteristics of agribusiness development and to determine future directions. A questionnaire has been developed for the quantitative research and beneficiaries have been selected from the database of employees in the field of agribusiness, while for the qualitative research a group of experts has been identified and focus groups have been formed from these groups to clarify some problems. Quantitative research has identified the current challenges of agribusiness development, while qualitative research has identified the specific causes of the problems and the characteristics that will determine the future priorities of agribusiness development in the Adjara region.

Initiation and Prevention of Biological Damage by Radiation-Generated Protein Radicals

Ionizing radiations cause chemical damage to proteins. In aerobic aqueous solutions, the damage is commonly mediated by the hydroxyl free radicals generated from water, resulting in formation of protein radicals. Protein damage is especially significant in biological systems, because proteins are the most abundant targets of the radiation-generated radicals, the hydroxyl radical-protein reaction is fast, and the damage usually results in loss of their biological function. Under physiological conditions, proteins are initially oxidized to carbon-centered radicals, which can propagate the damage to other molecules. The most effective endogenous antioxidants, ascorbate, GSH, and urate, are unable to prevent all of the damage under the common condition of oxidative stress. In a promising development, recent work demonstrates the potential of polyphenols, their metabolites, and other aromatic compounds to repair protein radicals by the fast formation of less damaging radical adducts, thus potentially preventing the formation of a cascade of new reactive species.

Ranolazine: An Old Drug with Emerging Potential; Lessons from Pre-Clinical and Clinical Investigations for Possible Repositioning

Ischemic heart disease is a significant public health problem with high mortality and morbidity. Extensive scientific investigations from basic sciences to clinics revealed multilevel alterations from metabolic imbalance, altered electrophysiology, and defective Ca2+/Na+ homeostasis leading to lethal arrhythmias. Despite the recent identification of numerous molecular targets with potential therapeutic interest, a pragmatic observation on the current pharmacological R&D output confirms the lack of new therapeutic offers to patients. By contrast, from recent trials, molecules initially developed for other fields of application have shown cardiovascular benefits, as illustrated with some anti-diabetic agents, regardless of the presence or absence of diabetes, emphasizing the clear advantage of “old” drug repositioning. Ranolazine is approved as an antianginal agent and has a favorable overall safety profile. This drug, developed initially as a metabolic modulator, was also identified as an inhibitor of the cardiac late Na+ current, although it also blocks other ionic currents, including the hERG/Ikr K+ current. The latter actions have been involved in this drug’s antiarrhythmic effects, both on supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias (VA). However, despite initial enthusiasm and promising development in the cardiovascular field, ranolazine is only authorized as a second-line treatment in patients with chronic angina pectoris, notwithstanding its antiarrhythmic properties. A plausible reason for this is the apparent difficulty in linking the clinical benefits to the multiple molecular actions of this drug. Here, we review ranolazine’s experimental and clinical knowledge on cardiac metabolism and arrhythmias. We also highlight advances in understanding novel effects on neurons, the vascular system, skeletal muscles, blood sugar control, and cancer, which may open the way to reposition this “old” drug alone or in combination with other medications.

Project Strategic Framing Approach - The Strategy Table

Considering the different drivers and constrains of each party within a Joint Venture, the strategy table is an effective tool that provides a structured workflow to guarantee objectives alignment and to maximize value creation for all the Stakeholders during a pre-feasibility study. Eni used this opportunity framing approach to define alternative project development strategy options with the aim to create value for all the stakeholders. Thanks to this guided and structured approach each party, within a Joint Venture, can present and compare his view with others. Using the strategy table tool, as framing approach, allows to identify alternative development strategies (bookends) as a combination of strategic options applicable for a given strategy theme. Furthermore, a clear objectives (what) and rationale (why) associated to each strategy will be defined to support the evaluation. The range of strategy themes identified helps to test the potential tradeoff between various fundamental objectives. Through a structured process, characterized by the definition, framing, evaluation and decision phases, it is possible to streamline the alternative strategy themes options and rank them in terms of value creation for the stakeholders. Using the strategy table tool, as framing approach, implies a decision-making process that allows to choose the strategy that best achieves our goal while also reducing our exposure to risks. Frequently the decision structure of a problem is complex, especially when the decision being considered relates to a large of scale project involving many sub-decisions. The Strategy Table helps the project management team to achieve an informed decision since it allows to evaluate what we are planning to achieve, understanding what our options are and considering how each option performs with reference to our objectives and project risks. Once the bookends for all the strategy themes are defined (i.e. selected strategic choices for each focus decision), a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis is performed to qualitatively assess the identified strategies against strategic objectives and a short-list of strategies on which focus on more in details is defined. The final outcome represents the most promising development strategies to be tested during pre-feasibility and feasibility studies.

Current frontiers in quantum chemical simulations of NIR spectra – Polymers, biomolecules, aqueous matrix and interpretation of instrumental difference of handheld spectrometers

Analytical near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has developed rapidly over the past few decades and is today of incredible value for academic, industrial and institutional laboratories. These developments are closely related to the development of instruments and miniaturization, as well as the methods of multivariate analysis. The strong stimulus for the development of NIR spectroscopy originating from the application field resulted in the advancement of this technique to suite unitarian goals. By contrast, less actively explored have been the foundations of NIR spectroscopy. Much of the information contained in the NIR spectrum is still not easily accessible for the purpose of basic research. In the past few years, a promising development has been made in application of the methods of computational chemistry to NIR spectroscopy. In this article, the current frontier of this advancement is summarized. The scope of the recent accomplishments shifts closer to the challenging real-life problems, such as interactions of the analysed molecules with the matrix, including the aqueous environment. Particular attention was given to the interpretation of the chemical factors underlying instrumental differences between miniaturized NIR spectrometers using different technology and optical solutions. The applicability of the methods of computational chemistry to unravel intricate NIR spectral features of complex molecules such as biomolecules and polymers should be highlighted as well.

Thank You, Akira Hayami! The Xavier Database of Historical Japan

This article introduces the Xavier database, one of the major sources for studying historical populations in Japan. The database consists of 162 years of annual observations for 28,105 individuals living in three villages and one town of the current Fukushima prefecture between 1708 and 1870. We review the extensive efforts of the founder of Japanese historical demography, Akira Hayami, and his group in collecting, transcribing, coding, and finally making local population registers into this database for demographic analysis. We discuss the studies that flourished domestically and internationally using the data in the last two decades, followed by the discussion of current and promising development.

Certification of a Tourist Destination As an Intellectual Potential for the Development of Tourism in the Region

World and domestic experience shows that it is very effective to use the method of "tourist destinations" for the development of complex programs or strategies for tourism (1). As a result of numerous studies, a fairly coherent system of describing a "tourist destination" has been developed, allowing you to have a fairly comprehensive idea of both the product itself and the conditions for its receipt, attractiveness and related products. At the same time, the task of entrepreneurs, investors and representatives of regional authorities responsible for the tourism industry is to determine the prospects for the development of a particular tourist product or route. To do this, it is necessary to solve the problem of determining the investment attractiveness and prospects of a particular tourist destination, determine its competitiveness in relation to those available in this region and make a decision on the priority and expediency of investing in this direction of the tourism industry. This article is an attempt of the authors to formalize the process of determining the priority and promising development of regional tourism directions in the region, using the example of the tourism industry of Udmurtia. The basis is the preparation of a passport of a tourist destination and the use of expert assessments.

Formation of a strategic policy of a fish processing enterprise using SWOT analysis

Для определения конкурентоспособности и дальнейшего улучшения деятельности рыбоперерабатывающей организации в данной работе был использован SWOT-анализ. Результаты исследования дали возможность представить, как SWOT-анализ помогает устранить недостатки и сделать выбор перспективного развития на будущее для усиления конкурентоспособности организации. В статье приведен анализ информации о рыбоперерабатывающем предприятии. Вся информация сгруппирована и занесена в матрицу SWOT-анализа по четырем категориям: сильные и слабые стороны, возможности и угрозы. Были проанализированы значимость каждой сильной и слабой стороны, вероятность возникновения и сила влияния для каждой возможности и угрозы. Результатом исследования факторов микросреды рыбоперерабатывающей организации стало формирование матрицы стратегий. Выявлены четыре потенциально возможные стратегии (представленные ниже) предприятия, которые оно может выбрать. To determine the competitiveness and further improve the activities of the fish processing organization, a SWOT analysis was used in this work. The result of the study made it possible to present how SWOT analysis helps to eliminate shortcomings and make a choice of promising development for the future to strengthen the competitiveness of the organization. The article provides an analysis of information about the fish processing enterprise. All information is grouped and entered into the SWOT analysis matrix in four categories: strengths and weaknesses; opportunities and threats. The significance of each strong and weak side, the probability of occurrence and the strength of influence for each opportunity and threat were analyzed. The result of the study of the factors of the microenvironment of the fish processing organization was the formation of a matrix of strategies. Four potential strategies (presented below) that the enterprise can choose are identified.

COVID-19 Tracheostomy: Experience in a University Hospital With Intermediate Follow-up

The benefits of percutaneous dilational tracheostomy (PDT) placement have been well documented in patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation. However, the data regarding the benefit of PDT in coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) patients are scarce. The objective of this study is to evaluate the outcomes of a cohort of 37 patients who underwent tracheostomy as part of their COVID-19 care. Retrospective data from a series for 37 patients undergoing tracheostomy was collected using chart review. Primary outcomes included 30 and 60 day mortality, weaning rate, and decannulation rate. Secondary outcomes collected included admission demographics, comorbidities, and procedural information. Thirty-seven (37) patients requiring prolonged mechanical ventilation due to COVID-19. Of these 37 patients, 35 were alive 60 days post-PDT placement, 33 have been weaned from mechanical ventilation and 18 have been decannulated. The low mortality and high decannulation rates in this cohort in is a promising development in the care of critically ill COVID-19 patients. Of note, all participating physicians underwent routine polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing for infection with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 virus and no physician contracted COVID-19 as a result of their involvement. Overall, this case series describes the modified PDT technique used by our team and discusses the feasibility and potential benefit to PDT placement in COVID-19 patients requiring long-term mechanical ventilation.