The relationship between energy and non-energy factors and CO2 emissions in New Zealand.

The use of renewable energy as a fuel source and expansion of forest areas are the best ways for reducing CO2 emissions. This study aims to examine the effects of forest plantation area, renewable energies, real gross domestic product (GDP), and technological innovation on CO2 emissions in 9 regions of New Zealand between 2006 and 2019. For this purpose, it employs a pooled mean group methodology. Investigating the regional impacts of various variables, especially the forest area, on CO2 emissions is the main contribution of this study. The results suggest that planted forest areas can reduce CO2 emissions in the long run, but its impact in the short run is not significant. Non-renewable energy consumption is the major contributor to CO2 emissions in both the short and long run. While technological innovation and renewable energy consumption appear effective in reducing carbon emissions in the short term, they still contribute to increased CO2 emissions in the long term. At the regional level, we found that the forest plantation areas in Manawatu-Whanganui and Gisborne are important regions for reducing CO2 emissions. By taking account of these results, New Zealand should take swift action to properly manage and increase the current level of forest areas and if applicable expand them. It also needs to improve the current level of use of renewable energy to achieve its abatement goals.

Global Energy Price Volatility and Agricultural Commodity Prices in Malaysia.

Few studies have differentiated oil demand shocks from oil supply shocks in the literature that has investigated the impacts of these issues on the prices of agricultural products. This study attempts to investigate this problem by employing a structural vector autoregression (SVAR) technique on Malaysian data from January 1993 to December 2019. We found that the reactions of agricultural commodity prices to the changes in global oil prices largely depend on whether they result from oil demand shocks or oil supply shocks. Global oil demand shocks before the food price crisis (2006-2008) can explain a large share of the changes in prices of agricultural products, while after that period, their capacity to explain these changes becomes much weaker. After the food crisis period, the contribution of the oil supply shock to changes in the prices of agricultural products is higher than that of the oil demand shock. We can conclude that the role of oil supply in the economy in explaining changes in the prices of agricultural commodities is stronger after the food price crisis. This is because Malaysia's economy, as a net oil exporter, benefits from higher oil prices resulting in higher demand for agricultural products and, consequently, higher prices for agricultural commodities.

Imbalanced Expression of Th2 and Treg Cell-related Parameters in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells in Patients with Allergic Asthma.

BACKGROUND: The imbalance between Th2 and Treg cells plays fundamental role in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma. The current study aimed at assessing the expression of some Th2 and Treg cell-related parameters in patients with allergic asthma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples were collected from 30 patients with asthma and 36 healthy subjects. The serum levels of transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß, interleukin (IL)-4, as well as the expression levels of GATA3 and FOXP3 genes in PBMCs were determined by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. The PBMCs were cultured for 48 hours with/without phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation. The TGF-ß and IL-4 levels in supernatants were also determined. RESULTS: The serum levels of IL-4, the expression level of GATA3, and GATA3/FOXP3 ratio in patients with asthma were significantly higher than healthy subjects (P <0.002, P <0.001, and P <0.004, respectively). The FOXP3 expression did no differ between the two groups. The serum level of TGF-ß as well as its secretion profile in non-stimulated and stimulated PBMCs isolated from patients with asthma were significantly higher than those of the controls (P <0.03, P <0.001, and P <0.001, respectively). The serum TGF-ß levels in severe asthma were significantly higher than moderate asthma; whereas the TGF-ß secretion by PHA-stimulated PBMCs isolated from moderate asthma was higher than that of severe pattern of the disease (P <0.001 and P <0.05, respectively). The GTAT3/FOXP3 expression ratio in moderate asthma was significantly higher than severe form (P <0.04). CONCLUSION: The results confirmed a Th2 cell-biased pattern and possible contribution of TGF-ß in allergic asthma. TGF-ß may have different expression patterns in moderate and severe asthma and the two forms of the disease may have differences in some main immunological parameters.