Mercy health promoters: a paradigm for implementing third world practices for resource-poor conditions of the developed world.

PubMed

Clark, Peter A; Surry, Luke

2007-03-01

The foreign-born population in the United States, according to the "Current Populations Report" published in 2004, is estimated to exceed 33.5 million, or "11.7 percent of the U.S. population". The increase in foreign-born peoples and their need for health care is a complicated issue facing many cities, health systems and hospitals. Over the course of the past few years Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia has treated increasing numbers of foreign-born African patients. The majority have been presenting in the late stages of disease. The increase of foreign-born documented and undocumented African patients seen by Mercy Hospital seems to reflect a foreign-born population "boom" in Philadelphia over the past decade. To meet the needs of this growing population, the Mercy Hospital Task Force on African Immigration designed a program that centers on the developing world concept of "Health Promoters". This program is intended to serve as one possible solution for hospitals to cost-effectively manage the care of this growing percentage of foreign-born individuals in the population. This notion of a "Health Promoter" program in Philadelphia is unique as one of those rare occasions when a developing world concept is being utilized in a developed world environment. It is also unique in that it can serve as a paradigm for other hospitals in the United States to meet the growing need of health care for the undocumented population.

World Food Resources and Population: The Narrowing Margin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Lester R.

1981-01-01

This bulletin examines the narrowing margin between global food production and population growth. Between 1950 and 1971, world grain production nearly doubled and per capita production increased 31 percent. During the 1970s, gains in output barely kept pace with population growth, consumption per person declined in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of…

The world population explosion: causes, backgrounds and projections for the future

PubMed Central

Van Bavel, J.

2013-01-01

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the total world population crossed the threshold of 1 billion people for the first time in the history of the homo sapiens sapiens. Since then, growth rates have been increasing exponentially, reaching staggeringly high peaks in the 20th century and slowing down a bit thereafter. Total world population reached 7 billion just after 2010 and is expected to count 9 billion by 2045. This paper first charts the differences in population growth between the world regions. Next, the mechanisms behind unprecedented population growth are explained and plausible scenarios for future developments are discussed. Crucial for the long term trend will be the rate of decline of the number of births per woman, called total fertility. Improvements in education, reproductive health and child survival will be needed to speed up the decline of total fertility, particularly in Africa. But in all scenarios, world population will continue to grow for some time due to population momentum. Finally, the paper outlines the debate about the consequences of the population explosion, involving poverty and food security, the impact on the natural environment, and migration flows. Key words: Fertility, family planning, world population, population growth, demographic transition, urbanization, population momentum, population projections. PMID:24753956

The clinical consequences of an ageing world and preventive strategies.

PubMed

Lunenfeld, Bruno; Stratton, Pamela

2013-10-01

Over the past century, the world has seen unprecedented declines in mortality rates, leading to an accelerated increase in the world population. This century will realise falling fertility rates alongside ageing populations. The 20th century was the century of population growth; the 21st century will be remembered as the century of ageing. Increase in life expectancy is one of the highest achievements of humankind; however, ageing and age-related disease is a mounting challenge for individuals, families, and for social, economic, and healthcare systems. Since healthy life expectancy has lagged behind the increase in life expectancy, the rise in morbidity will increase the burden on healthcare systems. Implementation of preventive health strategies to decrease, delay or prevent frailty, lung, breast and colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis and osteopaenia, may increase health expectancy, and permit women to age gracefully and maintain independent living, without disability, for as long as possible. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Point of view: Paul Simon.

PubMed

Simon, P

1999-02-01

In this article, former US Senator Paul Simon notes that, in his lifetime, the population of the world has tripled and is expected to quadruple. Among the effects of this population growth will be a 55% increase in nitrate emissions that will feed algae and compromise fish supplies. The US was extremely short-sighted when it reduced funding for the international family planning (FP) programs that benefit all nations. False accusations that the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) operates with a "bloated bureaucracy" ignore the fact that this agency has only 166 employees. More appropriate criticism would assert that the task the UNFPA is trying to accomplish is too important and too vast for such a small staff. Without FP programs, earth would now have to support an additional 400 million people. While contraceptive use by married women in developing countries has increased from 10% in 1965 to above 50% today and life expectancy is increasing, we must recognize the fact that we are currently unable to provide most of the world's population with safe water and sanitation and that increased population size will only exacerbate this problem. Encouraging voluntary FP is humanitarian and prudent and will help protect the entire population of the world.

A fundamental shift. For most countries in the world, the principal threat to security will not be military aggression, but food scarcity.

PubMed

Brown, L M

1995-01-01

There has been enormous growth in world population over the last several decades. 90 million people are currently added to the world's population every year. That amounts to 250,000 people per day, or 10,000 per hour. However, the Earth is a finite body with finite resources. For the first time, the human population is beginning to push against some of the Earth's limits at the global level. The author cites the example of the stagnation in growth of the world fish catch. The world fish catch grew from 22 million tons in 1950 to 100,000 million tons by 1990. In 1950, the average person consumed 9 kg of seafood; by 1990, average per capita consumption had increased to 19 kg. Japan alone in 1994 consumed almost 10 million tons of seafood. Most marine biologists believe that oceanic fisheries cannot sustain a catch of more than 100 million tons of seafood per year. Indeed, 6 years have passed since we hit that limit and the catch has not increased. The per capita seafood catch has therefore declined by 7% and will continue to decline until world population size is stabilized. Already expensive, seafood will grow increasingly more costly as demand rises. Available water supplies and cropland are also declining. It has even been determined that there are limits to the amount of fertilizer crops can use. The author considers the rising consumerism in China as it becomes increasingly industrialized and urges Japan to continue to expand its financial support of international family planning programs, especially in the context of US budget cuts to family planning expenditures. For most countries in the world, the main threat to security will not be military aggression, but food scarcity.

[World population growth and the food supply].

PubMed

Huang, Y

1982-07-29

The general trend in the last several hundred years has been that the speed of growth in the food supply exceeds the speed of the population growth. For the time being, 2 major problems still exist. The 1st problem is that food production is still influenced by natural conditions. For example, abnormal weather conditions may cause regional food shortages. The 2nd problem is the imbalance of food consumption by the world population. This phenomenon exists between different social classes as well as between developed and developing countries. According to statistics released by the World Bank, 1 billion suffer from malnutrition today and most of them are in developing countries. In developed countries, about half of their increase in the food supply is for feed grains, and those countries follow the policy of reducing farm land for the purpose of maintaing stabl e grain prices. Up to the present time, grain prices have been unstable, and this has become a rather heavy economic burden for numerous developing countries. Many developing countries are trying to increase grain production by increasing their arable land and promoting their cultivating techniques. However, these countries are facing the problems of finding and adequate water supply, fertilizer, and pesticides. In addition, a rapid population growth in these countries has offset their endeavors in agriculture. In recent years, these counties have realized the necessity of birth control. The world population growth rate has decreased from 2% to about 1.7% in 1981. Birth control and an increase in the food supply will bring new hope to the world's problems of overpopulation and food supply.

Interface modeling for predicting atmospheric transport of biota

Treesearch

Gary L. Achtemeier

2002-01-01

The influx of foreign organisms and the growing resistance of resident organisms to chemical controls are coming at a time of increasing world population and need for greater efficiency in food production in the face of changing world climate. Rapid transportation and increased world trade have introduced foreign pests into American agricultural areas. Pesticides are...

Water availability in +2°C and +4°C worlds.

PubMed

Fung, Fai; Lopez, Ana; New, Mark

2011-01-13

While the parties to the UNFCCC agreed in the December 2009 Copenhagen Accord that a 2°C global warming over pre-industrial levels should be avoided, current commitments on greenhouse gas emissions reductions from these same parties will lead to a 50 : 50 chance of warming greater than 3.5°C. Here, we evaluate the differences in impacts and adaptation issues for water resources in worlds corresponding to the policy objective (+2°C) and possible reality (+4°C). We simulate the differences in impacts on surface run-off and water resource availability using a global hydrological model driven by ensembles of climate models with global temperature increases of 2°C and 4°C. We combine these with UN-based population growth scenarios to explore the relative importance of population change and climate change for water availability. We find that the projected changes in global surface run-off from the ensemble show an increase in spatial coherence and magnitude for a +4°C world compared with a +2°C one. In a +2°C world, population growth in most large river basins tends to override climate change as a driver of water stress, while in a +4°C world, climate change becomes more dominant, even compensating for population effects where climate change increases run-off. However, in some basins where climate change has positive effects, the seasonality of surface run-off becomes increasingly amplified in a +4°C climate.

Human Population: Fundamentals of Growth and Change.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stauffer, Cheryl Lynn, Ed.

This booklet focuses on eight elements of population dynamics: "Population Growth and Distribution"; "Natural Increase and Future Growth"; "Effect of Migration on Population Growth"; "Three Patterns of Population Change"; "Patterns of World Urbanization"; "The Status of Women";…

Some socio-economic aspects of population growth in the USSR.

PubMed

Simchera, V

1974-01-01

This summarizes population trends in the U.S.S.R. since the early 19 00's. On August 9, 1973, the population topped 250 million, almost precisely double that of Russia at the time of the 1st general census in 1897. Since 1922 it had increased by more than 84%. Russia has suffered more population loss in wars than any other country in modern times. The First World War, the Civil War, and the Second World War took a toll of more than 30 million, more than 20 million during the Second World War alone. The extent of these loses can be judged from the following: between 1897 and 1913 the population of Russia increased at the rate of 1.55% per annum or 34.6 million; if this had continued the population would have been at least 182.8 million by the end of 1922. As it was, the population was 136.1 million by 1922 and the hypothetical 182.8 million was not reached until 1952. More than 4/5 of today's population have been born since the October Revolution. Only 43 million were born before the revolution and only 7.5 were born in the last century. The economic base has grown much more rapidly than the population. For the period 1940-1972 the population increased 1.27 times, national income 9.51 times, fixed assets, 8.76 times, industrial production, 13.65 times, agricultural output, 2.14 times, and capital investment 14.52 times. The birthrate has been falling since World War 1 but total population growth has increased steadily. Birthrates have declined from 45.5/1000 in 1913 to 17.8/1000 in 1972 and a slight upturn is seen. It is expected that the birthrate will continue to increase slightly, then stabilize. Much of the population increase has come from significantly reduced mortality rates. 1st and 2nd children now account for 71% of all births. Family allowances, child care, free health care, and other social benefits encourage births while high employment levels for women, a shortage of men in the marriageable age ranges, and late marriages tend to depress the birthrate. The shortage of men is directly the result of the losses during World War 2. Employment opportunities have changed dramatically. The country has gone from a primarily agricultural nation to one in which 80% of the people are working class wage or salary earners. The current problem is closing the urban-rural gap and equalizing population density. 3/5 of the people are town-dwellers. To fight declining population in the villages and in the areas of Siberia and the Far East, new towns and new industrial and cultural centers are being established such as Bratsk, Ust-Ilim, Norilsk, and others.

Family planning and fertility decline: a global overview.

PubMed

Tabah, L

1977-01-01

Family planning and development policy concerns are not incompatible. The emphasis on development policies at the 1974 World Population Conference at Bucharest did not mean that world governments had lost interest in the population and family planning issue. Although worldwide attitudes toward family planning have become more and more favorable, this has not yet meant great impact on world demographic trends. The "inertia factor," i.e., the effects of high birthrates in the previous generation, will camouflage declining birthrates for some time to come. The trend of fertility reduction which was perceptible only among small populations a few years ago is also becoming manifest in larger Third World countries. Mortality rate declines have slowed down but there is no rising mortality due to starvation in any country. At present, food demand exceeds availability for 80% of the Third World population. It is predicted that the food deficit will increase 70% by the year 2000.

Population Growth and Family Planning. IN Visitors' Information Special Report. SO 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heisse, Thomas

The rapid and still-accelerating increase in the world's population, especially in developing nations, will have a number of serious economic, social, and ecological consequences for the whole world. Germany is attempting to help solve these problems by providing family planning and poverty alleviation assistance to developing nations. German…

Incorporating Case Studies into a World Food and Population Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Econopouly, Bethany F.; Byrne, Patrick F.; Johnson, Marc A.

2010-01-01

The use of case studies in college courses can increase student engagement with the subject matter and improve analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills. Case studies were introduced in a relatively large (54 students) undergraduate world food and population course at Colorado State University in the spring semester of 2008 and…

China Country Analysis Brief

EIA Publications

2015-01-01

China is the world's most populous country with a fast-growing economy that has led it to be the largest energy consumer and producer in the world. Rapidly increasing energy demand, especially for petroleum and other liquids, has made China influential in world energy markets.

[Population and development].

PubMed

Castanon Romo, R; Sandoval Navarrete, J

1996-01-01

This broad survey of the debate concerning the relationship between population growth and economic development discusses the history and current status of world population growth, summarizes several influential theoretical positions on the topic, and proposes that redefinition of women's social role is indispensable if worldwide control of population growth is to be achieved. The introductory section discusses the acceleration of population growth in the second half of the 20th century and the increasing concentration of growth in the poor and developing countries. The positions of those who see in population control a means of promoting economic development and political stability are contrasted to the positions of those who believe that a large and growing population is the key to achieving economic and political progress. The international community, facing great uncertainty about the size, distribution, and well-being of the future world population, is increasingly concerned about the effect of growing numbers on the environment and natural resources. The second section summarizes the works of Malthus, Julian Simon, and the Club of Rome, and analyzes the propositions of demographic transition theory. The conclusion notes that despite uncertainty about the future of world population, development, and health, most of the poorest countries have become aware of the desirability of slowing population growth. A broad redefinition of the social role of women will inevitably accompany the worldwide demographic transition.

The Cairo crunch.

PubMed

Myers, N

1994-01-01

The emphasis on excessive population growth in developing countries has diverted attention from the equally significant issue of excessive consumption in developed countries. For example, the rich nations, which contain only 22% of the world's population, cause 74-87% of major pollutants and consume 76-92% of global natural resources each year. While the world's wealthiest 1 billion people have doubled their consumption of meat, energy, steel, copper, and timber since 1950, there has been no increase among the poorest 1 billion. The worldwide value of luxury goods is equivalent to two-thirds of the gross national products of all Third World countries. Although the mass media's introduction into the Third World has raised the aspirations of the world's poor, stores of nonrenewable raw materials would be depleted within a decade if the standard of living were to be equalized. Even if per capita consumption worldwide declines to 2% per year from its current level of 3%, the sustainable capacity of the Earth is in jeopardy. The threat to the continued ability of the planet to sustain life and to the dignity of the have-nots could be ameliorated by a combination of measures, including zero population growth in developed countries, increased foreign aid to population programs in the Third World, production of goods that require fewer raw materials and generate less pollution, and reduced consumption in the North.

Grounding Water: Building Conceptual Understanding through Multimodal Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Kerry L.; Thomas-Hilburn, Holly; Haverland, Arin

2011-01-01

The world's population is growing by about 80 million people a year, implying an estimated increased freshwater demand of about 64 billion cubic meters annually (World Water Assessment Programme, 2009, Water in a Changing World: United Nations World Water Development Report 3, Chap. 1, p. 3-21). Groundwater depletion, which reduces the amount of…

Human suffering.

PubMed

1992-12-01

10 measures of quality of life are used to rank 141 countries in the International Human Suffering Index (HSI). The Index differentiates between extreme, high, moderate, and minimal levels of human suffering. Social welfare is the sum of 10 measures: life expectancy, daily caloric intake, clean drinking water, infant immunization, secondary school enrollment, gross national product per capita, the rate of inflation, communication technology (i.e., telephones), political freedom, and civil rights. Each measure is ranked between 0 and 10. The highest score indicates the greatest country stress, with the worst possible score being 100. About 1 billion people live in desperate poverty. Living conditions are the worst in Mozambique (93), followed by Somalia, Afghanistan, Haiti, and Sudan. Most of these countries also have high population growth. The most comfortable countries are Denmark (1), the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada, which have low population growth. Total scores of 75 or greater (extreme human suffering) occur in 27 countries (20 in Africa, 16 in Asia, and Haiti) with 8% of the world's population (432 million people). High human suffering scores range between 50 and 74 and include 56 countries (24 in Africa, 16 in Asia, 15 in the Western Hemisphere, and 1 in Oceania) with 3.5 billion people. The number of countries in this grouping increased from 44 countries with 58% of world population in 1987. Moderate suffering scores range from 25-49. Countries with moderate suffering number 34 countries (9 in Europe, 13 in Asia, 8 in the Western Hemisphere, and 2 in Oceania and 2 in Africa) with 11.8% of world population (636 million). Over the preceding 5-year period the number of countries increased from 29 countries with 10% of world population. Minimal human suffering occurs in 24 countries (17 in Europe, Israel and Japan in Asia; Canada, the US, and Barbados in the Western Hemisphere; and Australia and New Zealand in Oceania) with 14.8% of world population (797 million). Five years ago 27 countries with 21% of world population were in the minimal suffering group.

[Food and population: study of three countries].

PubMed

1988-12-01

In 1985, despite a nearly 25% worldwide surplus of cereals, more than 700 million poor people had insufficient food and some 17 million children died of malnutrition or related causes. 16% of the developing world's population is undernourished. Rapid population growth is a major reason for the world's hunger. Large families exhaust the resources of many urban couples and rural couples with little land. Closely spaced pregnancies deplete the nutritional resources of the mother and lead to low birth weight babies and inadequate lactation. Population growth in already densely populated countries reduces the land available for each family, inevitably contributing to poverty and rural malnutrition. Unemployment and underemployment reach alarming proportions in the city, where the combination of high fertility rates and migration from the countryside have produced growth twice that of the world population as a whole. Few developing countries have been able to generate sufficient investment to create new jobs for all seeking them. Unstable governments attempt to pacify urban unrest by subsidizing food prices and concentrating social and economic investments in the cities, causing further deterioration in rural conditions. Today more than 60 countries have food deficits, although not all are suffering. India, Kenya, and Mexico are 3 countries that have had some success in balancing population growth and food production, but each still has undernourished population sectors because of economic policies that fail to provide sufficient help to their poor and because of implacable population growth. Ending malnutrition in the 3 countries will require reducing the cost of food for households and increasing their incomes, but both objectives are made more difficult by rapid population growth. As a result of the green revolution and other factors, food production in India has tripled since 1950, but population has almost doubled in the same years. With rapid population growth, per capita agricultural productivity increased much more slowly than production. Kenya has enjoyed impressive economic growth since independence, but its rate of population growth of 4.2%/year, the highest in the world, has meant that per capita income increases have been modest. Average nutritional status has declined in Kenya since 1968. The rate of population growth in Mexico has declined to 2.3-2.6%/year in 1986 from the 3.5% of 1974, but population growth will be rapid for decades to come because of the young age structure. Agricultural production has increased but has not kept pace with population growth. Kenya, India, and Mexico have the human and natural resources to make further economic gains in the coming decades. The difficulty of feeding their populations adequately will increase to the extent that they fail to curb their rapid population increase.

A historical review of managed honey bee populations in Europe and the United States and the factors that may affect them.

PubMed

Vanengelsdorp, Dennis; Meixner, Marina Doris

2010-01-01

Honey bees are a highly valued resource around the world. They are prized for their honey and wax production and depended upon for pollination of many important crops. While globally honey bee populations have been increasing, the rate of increase is not keeping pace with demand. Further, honey bee populations have not been increasing in all parts of the world, and have declined in many nations in Europe and in North America. Managed honey bee populations are influenced by many factors including diseases, parasites, pesticides, the environment, and socio-economic factors. These factors can act alone or in combination with each other. This review highlights the present day value of honey bees, followed by a detailed description of some of the historical and present day factors that influence honey bee populations, with particular emphasis on colony populations in Europe and the United States. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[State of the world population, 1986].

PubMed

1987-01-01

The majority of the world population will soon reside in urban areas. At present, over 40% of the world's people are urban, and 50% will be urban soon after the year 2000. The proportion urban in developed countries has exceeded 50% since the mid-20th century, and in developing countries this level will be reached in the 1st quarter of the next century. Developing countries in Asia and Africa have less than 30% of their population urban. While over 70% of Latin America's population is urban. Within the next 50 years, the predominantly rural character of the developing countries will disappear forever. Currently the majority of the world's urban population lives in developing countries. In 1970, 695 million urban dwellers were in developed countries vs. 666 million in developing countries, but by 1985, there were only 849 million urban dwellers in developed countries vs. 1164 million in developing countries. By the year 2025, there will be nearly 4 times as many urban dwellers in developing countries. An increasing proportion of the urban population will reside in the largest cities. Around 2025, almost 30% of the urban population in developing countries will live in cities of over 4 million. Around 2000 there will be 5 cities of 15 million or more, 3 of them in developing countries. The proportion of the 20 largest cities in developing countries will increase from 9 in 1970 to 16 in 2000. The close relationship between city size and economic development that existed until the recent past is disappearing. It is possible that the very largest cities will no longer be at the center of international political and economic networks. Many developing countries will have to develop plans for cities of sizes never imagined in the developed countries of today. High rates of population increase in the developing countries are an inseparable aspect of their urbanization. Growth of the urban population in developing countries will continue to be rapid until well into the 21st century. The world rate of urban growth will continue to be about 2.5%/year during the 1st quarter of sthe 21st century. The annual rate of urban growth is 3.5% in developing countries and is highest in Africa, especially West Africa where it reaches 6.5%/year. Despite migration to cities, the rural population in developing countries will continue to grow at a rate of about 1%/year through the end of the century. In many rural areas, population density is already very high, and continued growth will hamper efforts to reduce urban migration. In developing countries, the increase in the urban population is due more to natural increase than to migration.

World Food Prospects for the 1990s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarrant, John R.

1990-01-01

Addresses world hunger issues and the increasing world population. Sees continued imbalance between supply and demand. Points out Europe and the United States are dealing with surplus production, whereas developing nations continue to import needed food. Argues solving hunger problems requires eliminating poverty through development programs.…

The third age, the Third World and the third millennium.

PubMed

Diczfalusy, E

1996-01-01

In the year 2000, world population will exceed 6200 million and life expectancy will be over 68 years. The UN population projections for the coming 20 years after 1996 range from a low of 7100 million to a high of 7800 million. Between 1950 and 1992, in developing countries, life expectancy at birth increased by 29 years in China, by 24 years in India and Indonesia, by 21 years in Bangladesh, and by 16 years in Brazil. The gender difference in life expectancy is only 1 year in India, but 6 years in a number of developed countries. Corresponding increases in Australia were from 12.2 to 14.7 years for men and from 14.9 to 18.8 years for women. By the year 2025, the UN projects that the elderly (65 years and older) will constitute 10% of the population in Asia and more than 20% in North America and Europe, whereas 1.8% of the population of Asia, 4.6% of North America, and 6.4% of Europe will be very old (80 years and older). By the year 2030, there may be 1200 million postmenopausal women around the world, 76% of them in the developing countries. During the period 1990-2025 the elderly population of Sweden will increase by 33%, whereas that of Indonesia will increase by 414%. Between 2000 and 2100, the global population aged 15 years or younger will gradually decrease from 31.4% to 18.3%, while the population aged 65 and over will increase from 6.8% to 21.6%. The persistence of poverty in developing countries combined with aging poses a formidable challenge because the majority of old people receive little special support. The epidemiological dimension of aging embraces mortality and morbidity. Each year 39 million people die in the developing world mainly from infectious and parasitic diseases, noncommunicable and communicable diseases, and injuries. In the developed countries 11 million die primarily from cardiovascular diseases and malignant neoplasms. In the developing countries noncommunicable diseases represent 87% of the disease burden resulting in increased isolation of the elderly. The ethical dilemma facing health care is poverty among the elderly.

Sorghum production and anthracnose disease management in future global energy and food security

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sorghum is the fifth most important cereal crop in world commerce with uses ranging from animal feed, food, in brewery, and recently as a potential source of biofuel. With the expected increase in the world's population, crop production outputs must be increased. Annual cereal production, including...

Impacts of population growth and economic development on the nitrogen cycle in Asia.

PubMed

Zhu, Zhaoliang; Xiong, Guangxi; Xing, Zhengqin

2005-12-01

Asia is the major consumer of fertilizer nitrogen and energy in the world, and consequently shares a considerable proportion of the world creation of reactive nitrogen (Nr). However, if estimated on per capita basis, Asia is characterized by a lower arable land area, fertilizer nitrogen consumption, energy consumption, and gross domestic product, as well as lower daily protein intake. To meet the increasing needs for food and energy for the growing population combined with the improvement of living standards, Nr will inevitably increase. The present study estimates the creation of Nr and the emissions of various N compounds into environment in Asia currently and in 2030. In comparison with the world averages, the lower fertilizer nitrogen and energy use efficiencies, and the lower use of animal wastes for agriculture imply that there is potential for moderating the increase in Nr and its impacts on the environment. Strategies for moderating the increase are discussed.

Impacts of population growth and economic development on the nitrogen cycle in Asia.

PubMed

Zhu, Zhaoliang; Xiong, Zhengqin; Xing, Guangxi

2005-09-01

Asia is the major consumer of fertilizer nitrogen and energy in the world, and consequently shares a considerable proportion of the world creation of reactive nitrogen (Nr). However, if estimated on per capita basis, Asia is characterized by a lower arable land area, fertilizer nitrogen consumption, energy consumption, and gross domestic product, as well as lower daily protein intake. To meet the increasing needs for food and energy for the growing population combined with the improvement of living standards, Nr will inevitably increase. The present study estimates the creation of Nr and the emissions of various N compounds into environment in Asia currently and in 2030. In comparison with the world averages, the lower fertilizer nitrogen and energy use efficiencies, and the lower use of animal wastes for agriculture imply that there is potential for moderating the increase in Nr and its impacts on the environment. Strategies for moderating the increase are discussed.

Fertility decline and population growth: China's dilemma.

PubMed

Gu, B

1996-02-01

This article includes the assertion by the deputy director and demographer of the China Information and Research Center that China must maintain and implement a strict population policy in order to feed its large population. China has 22% of the world's total population but only 7% of the world's total cultivated land. The population rate varies by province and region in China and ranges from replacement level fertility in Shanghai to high growth in remote and underdeveloped provinces. About 70 million people live under the poverty line or have an annual family income of under 500 yuan. The family planning programs should emphasize a service oriented approach. The increased power of women and improved educational status of women are also desired. Concern is recognized in government circles about the rapid aging of the population. Rural-urban migration has improved the economic climate in cities, but migration has also resulted in "some serious social problems." China has a low fertility level but rapid population growth. In the 1990s about 21 million babies were born, which is a net increase of about 14 million annually. Population growth is serious because of a strong population momentum from the previous baby boom of the 1960s. China has accomplished a great deal in a short period of time in reducing fertility under unfavorable socioeconomic conditions. Credit must be given to the Chinese government, its various departments, and public response. Present population is over 1.2 billion, which is higher than the total population of developed countries of the world.

Population structure in the Arab world and its impact on integration and development trends.

PubMed

El-hallak, M N

1986-12-01

The author examines three issues: "population structure in the Arab world; trends making for integration and unity among the Arab countries; and economic and social development trends." Data from the United Nations for 1985 and from recent censuses are used to discuss population size, growth, and spatial distribution; the labor force; age and sex distribution; and fertility, mortality, and natural increase. Figures are presented separately for 22 Arab countries. Attention is then given to the relationships between population structure and economic and social development and between development and Arab unity and integration. excerpt

World Population Crisis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehrlich, Paul R.; Ehrlich, Anne H.

1986-01-01

Rapid population growth, rising competition for resources, and increasing environmental deterioration are intertwined factors in the human predicament that feed political tensions and conflicts of the late twentieth century. Outlines dimensions of this predicament (including data on population, growth, military spending, quality of life, and…

World of Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McHale, Magda Cordell; And Others

1979-01-01

This bulletin takes a broad view of children in history, their current problems and needs throughout the world, and directions to be taken for fulfilling those needs. The world population of children under age 15 is projected to increase by 500 million to 1.9 billion in the year 2000. Despite the bonds created by global communications, large…

The USGS World Energy Program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ahlbrandt, Thomas S.

1997-01-01

The world has recently experienced rapid change to market-driven economies and increasing reliance on petroleum supplies from areas of political instability. The interplay of unprecedented growth of the global population, increasing worldwide energy demand, and political instability in two major petroleum exporting regions (the former Soviet Union and the Middle East) requires that the United States maintains a current, reliable, objective assessment of the world's energy resources. The need is compounded by the environmental implications of rapid increases in coal use in the Far East and international pressure on consumption of fossil fuels.

3D structural panels : a literature review

Treesearch

John F. Hunt

2004-01-01

The world population has surpassed the 6 billion mark and many of these people live in rapidly developing countries that are and will continue to place increasing pressure on the world's natural fiber resources. The total demand for raw material from the forest for housing, packaging, and for office and home furnishings, to name a few; are increasing. Traditional...

The need for agriculture phenotyping: “Moving from genotype to phenotype”

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Increase in the world population has called for the increased demand for agricultural productivity. Traditional methods to augment crop and animal production are facing exacerbating pressures in keeping up with population growth. This challenge has in turn led to the transformational change in the u...

High-resolution gridded population datasets for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2010, 2015, and 2020

PubMed Central

Sorichetta, Alessandro; Hornby, Graeme M.; Stevens, Forrest R.; Gaughan, Andrea E.; Linard, Catherine; Tatem, Andrew J.

2015-01-01

The Latin America and the Caribbean region is one of the most urbanized regions in the world, with a total population of around 630 million that is expected to increase by 25% by 2050. In this context, detailed and contemporary datasets accurately describing the distribution of residential population in the region are required for measuring the impacts of population growth, monitoring changes, supporting environmental and health applications, and planning interventions. To support these needs, an open access archive of high-resolution gridded population datasets was created through disaggregation of the most recent official population count data available for 28 countries located in the region. These datasets are described here along with the approach and methods used to create and validate them. For each country, population distribution datasets, having a resolution of 3 arc seconds (approximately 100 m at the equator), were produced for the population count year, as well as for 2010, 2015, and 2020. All these products are available both through the WorldPop Project website and the WorldPop Dataverse Repository. PMID:26347245

High-resolution gridded population datasets for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2010, 2015, and 2020.

PubMed

Sorichetta, Alessandro; Hornby, Graeme M; Stevens, Forrest R; Gaughan, Andrea E; Linard, Catherine; Tatem, Andrew J

2015-01-01

The Latin America and the Caribbean region is one of the most urbanized regions in the world, with a total population of around 630 million that is expected to increase by 25% by 2050. In this context, detailed and contemporary datasets accurately describing the distribution of residential population in the region are required for measuring the impacts of population growth, monitoring changes, supporting environmental and health applications, and planning interventions. To support these needs, an open access archive of high-resolution gridded population datasets was created through disaggregation of the most recent official population count data available for 28 countries located in the region. These datasets are described here along with the approach and methods used to create and validate them. For each country, population distribution datasets, having a resolution of 3 arc seconds (approximately 100 m at the equator), were produced for the population count year, as well as for 2010, 2015, and 2020. All these products are available both through the WorldPop Project website and the WorldPop Dataverse Repository.

Applying Thiessen Polygon Catchment Areas and Gridded Population Weights to Estimate Conflict-Driven Population Changes in South Sudan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jordan, L.

2017-10-01

Recent violence in South Sudan produced significant levels of conflict-driven migration undermining the accuracy and utility of both national and local level population forecasts commonly used in demographic estimates, public health metrics and food security proxies. This article explores the use of Thiessen Polygons and population grids (Gridded Population of the World, WorldPop and LandScan) as weights for estimating the catchment areas for settlement locations that serve large populations of internally displaced persons (IDP), in order to estimate the county-level in- and out-migration attributable to conflict-driven displacement between 2014-2015. Acknowledging IDP totals improves internal population estimates presented by global population databases. Unlike other forecasts, which produce spatially uniform increases in population, accounting for displaced population reveals that 15 percent of counties (n = 12) increased in population over 20 percent, and 30 percent of counties (n = 24) experienced zero or declining population growth, due to internal displacement and refugee out-migration. Adopting Thiessen Polygon catchment zones for internal migration estimation can be applied to other areas with United Nations IDP settlement data, such as Yemen, Somalia, and Nigeria.

Socio-Economic Instability and the Scaling of Energy Use with Population Size

PubMed Central

DeLong, John P.; Burger, Oskar

2015-01-01

The size of the human population is relevant to the development of a sustainable world, yet the forces setting growth or declines in the human population are poorly understood. Generally, population growth rates depend on whether new individuals compete for the same energy (leading to Malthusian or density-dependent growth) or help to generate new energy (leading to exponential and super-exponential growth). It has been hypothesized that exponential and super-exponential growth in humans has resulted from carrying capacity, which is in part determined by energy availability, keeping pace with or exceeding the rate of population growth. We evaluated the relationship between energy use and population size for countries with long records of both and the world as a whole to assess whether energy yields are consistent with the idea of an increasing carrying capacity. We find that on average energy use has indeed kept pace with population size over long time periods. We also show, however, that the energy-population scaling exponent plummets during, and its temporal variability increases preceding, periods of social, political, technological, and environmental change. We suggest that efforts to increase the reliability of future energy yields may be essential for stabilizing both population growth and the global socio-economic system. PMID:26091499

Socio-Economic Instability and the Scaling of Energy Use with Population Size.

PubMed

DeLong, John P; Burger, Oskar

2015-01-01

The size of the human population is relevant to the development of a sustainable world, yet the forces setting growth or declines in the human population are poorly understood. Generally, population growth rates depend on whether new individuals compete for the same energy (leading to Malthusian or density-dependent growth) or help to generate new energy (leading to exponential and super-exponential growth). It has been hypothesized that exponential and super-exponential growth in humans has resulted from carrying capacity, which is in part determined by energy availability, keeping pace with or exceeding the rate of population growth. We evaluated the relationship between energy use and population size for countries with long records of both and the world as a whole to assess whether energy yields are consistent with the idea of an increasing carrying capacity. We find that on average energy use has indeed kept pace with population size over long time periods. We also show, however, that the energy-population scaling exponent plummets during, and its temporal variability increases preceding, periods of social, political, technological, and environmental change. We suggest that efforts to increase the reliability of future energy yields may be essential for stabilizing both population growth and the global socio-economic system.

Meeting the Needs for More Fish Through Aquaculture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giap, D. H.; Lam, T. J.

2015-10-01

Fish is one of the major sources of animal protein. Due to rising world populations, increasing income and urbanization, demand for fish has been increasing. In order to meet the need for more fish, aquaculture has become increasingly important as wild populations and production from capture fisheries have declined due to overfishing and poor management. In recent years, production from aquaculture has increased rapidly to address the shortfalls in capture fisheries, especially in Asia where aquaculture production accounts for about 90% of world aquaculture production by volume. This paper reviews the status of the world’s fish production, provides an update on Asian aquaculture, and highlights developments that are contributing to sustainable fish production, particularly integrated multi-trophic aquaculture and aquaponics.

Food Production, Population Growth, and Environmental Quality. Caltech Population Program Occasional Papers, Series 1, Number 7.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Groth, Edward, III

This paper, one in a series of occasional publications, discusses trends in food production and population growth, emphasizing how environmental quality will be affected. The series is intended to increase understanding of the interrelationships between population growth and socioeconomic and cultural patterns throughout the world, and to…

Guide to Population Issues for Students and Teachers [and] Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Facing the Future, Lopez Island, WA.

As the world grapples with increasing environmental, social, and security problems, population is rarely considered a cause or contributing factor. The relationship of population to the human condition, and to the condition of the Earth, is often subtle and complex. But population growth affects almost every aspect of life from education to…

Resource demand growth and sustainability due to increased world consumption

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balatsky, Alexander V.; Balatsky, Galina I.; Borysov, Stanislav S.

The paper aims at continuing the discussion on sustainability and attempts to forecast the impossibility of the expanding consumption worldwide due to the planet’s limited resources. As the population of China, India and other developing countries continue to increase, they would also require more natural and financial resources to sustain their growth. We coarsely estimate the volumes of these resources (energy, food, freshwater) and the gross domestic product (GDP) that would need to be achieved to bring the population of India and China to the current levels of consumption in the United States. We also provide estimations for potentially neededmore » immediate growth of the world resource consumption to meet this equality requirement. Given the tight historical correlation between GDP and energy consumption, the needed increase of GDP per capita in the developing world to the levels of the U.S. would deplete explored fossil fuel reserves in less than two decades. These estimates predict that the world economy would need to find a development model where growth would be achieved without heavy dependence on fossil fuels.« less

Resource demand growth and sustainability due to increased world consumption

DOE PAGES

Balatsky, Alexander V.; Balatsky, Galina I.; Borysov, Stanislav S.

2015-03-20

The paper aims at continuing the discussion on sustainability and attempts to forecast the impossibility of the expanding consumption worldwide due to the planet’s limited resources. As the population of China, India and other developing countries continue to increase, they would also require more natural and financial resources to sustain their growth. We coarsely estimate the volumes of these resources (energy, food, freshwater) and the gross domestic product (GDP) that would need to be achieved to bring the population of India and China to the current levels of consumption in the United States. We also provide estimations for potentially neededmore » immediate growth of the world resource consumption to meet this equality requirement. Given the tight historical correlation between GDP and energy consumption, the needed increase of GDP per capita in the developing world to the levels of the U.S. would deplete explored fossil fuel reserves in less than two decades. These estimates predict that the world economy would need to find a development model where growth would be achieved without heavy dependence on fossil fuels.« less

The nitrogen index as a tool to reduce nitrogen loss to the environment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Continued population growth creates a need for increased productivity of agricultural systems around the world. Increased agricultural productivity will be needed to support a population that is anticipated to have an additional 2.5 billion people by the year 2050. Nitrogen was part of the 20th cent...

Water Availability and Management of Water Resources

EPA Science Inventory

One of the most pressing national and global issues is the availability of freshwater due to global climate change, energy scarcity issues and the increase in world population and accompanying economic growth. Estimates of water supplies and flows through the world's hydrologic c...

China: Awakening Giant Developing Solutions to Population Aging

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Ning Jackie; Guo, Man; Zheng, Xiaoying

2012-01-01

As the world's most populous country with the largest aging population and a rapidly growing economy, China is receiving increased attention from both the Chinese government and the governments of other countries that face low fertility and aging problems. This unprecedented shift of demographic structure has repercussions for many aspects of…

World Population: Facts in Focus. World Population Data Sheet Workbook. Population Learning Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crews, Kimberly A.

This workbook teaches population analysis using world population statistics. To complete the four student activity sheets, the students refer to the included "1988 World Population Data Sheet" which lists nations' statistical data that includes population totals, projected population, birth and death rates, fertility levels, and the…

Projection of future temperature-related mortality due to climate and demographic changes.

PubMed

Lee, Jae Young; Kim, Ho

2016-09-01

Understanding the effects of global climate change from both environmental and human health perspectives has gained great importance. Particularly, studies on the direct effect of temperature increase on future mortality have been conducted. However, few of those studies considered population changes, and although the world population is rapidly aging, no previous study considered the effect of society aging. Here we present a projection of future temperature-related mortality due to both climate and demographic changes in seven major cities of South Korea, a fast aging country, until 2100; we used the HadGEM3-RA model under four Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios (RCP 2.6, 4.5, 6.0, and 8.5) and the United Nations world population prospects under three fertility scenarios (high, medium, and low). The results showed markedly increased mortality in the elderly group, significantly increasing the overall future mortality. In 2090s, South Korea could experience a four- to six-time increase in temperature-related mortality compared to that during 1992-2010 under four different RCP scenarios and three different fertility variants, while the mortality is estimated to increase only by 0.5 to 1.5 times assuming no population aging. Therefore, not considering population aging may significantly underestimate temperature risks. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The future of aquaculture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fish is now the largest source of animal protein in the world, with aquaculture contributing more than half the world’s seafood supply. The world needs to produce significantly more fish in the future to meet the demands of a growing and increasingly affluent global population. Capture fisheries ar...

Soil: The forgotten piece of the water, food, energy nexus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The water, food, energy nexus has prompted sustainability concerns as interactions between these interdependent human needs is degrading natural resources required for a secure future world. Discussions about the future needs for food, water, and energy to support the increasing world population hav...

Population density and cancer mortality by gender and age in England and Wales and the Western World 1963-93.

PubMed

Pritchard, C; Evans, B

1997-07-01

The aetiology of malignant disease is multi-factorial, including contributory environmental factors. Based upon the premise that increases in the density of population will be coterminous with a worsening of the environment, it is hypothesised that such changes should be reflected in an increase in cancer mortality in general and in elderly populations. By focusing upon changes in the elderly (+75) deaths between two time periods, the study corrects for age factors related to cancer mortality. The study tests this hypothesis via correlations between population density and malignancy death rates in general and elderly age bands over a thirty year period. It was found that there were positive and significant correlations between population density and malignancy mortality rates in the Western World, especially amongst men, but all correlations strengthened in the direction hypothesised. The findings were not an artefact of longevity, further research is required to give a better understanding of these findings.

World Population: Toward the Next Century. Revised Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Elaine M.

This document consists of answers to questions on various aspects of world population. They are: What is the population of the world? How fast is the population of the world growing? When will the population of the world stop growing? Is the term "population explosion" accurate? Why did this sudden growth occur? Did people have more babies than…

The Influence of Cultural Immersion on Transcultural Self-Efficacy for Nursing Students at Private Faith-Based Baccalaureate Nursing Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroeder, Pamela A.

2012-01-01

As multicultural populations throughout the world continually increase, complex challenges and health care disparities are being created. Nurses spend more time in patient care management than any other health care professionals. The need for nurses to provide culturally competent care for increasingly diverse patient populations is critical to…

Research History and Opportunities in the Luquillo Experimental Forest

Treesearch

Sandra Brown; Ariel E. Lugo; Susan Silander; Leon Liegel

1983-01-01

Tropical forests account for about 50% of the world's total forest area and tropical countries have a total population of about one billion people. Today many of the tropical forests are being subjected to high rates of deforestation because of the increased demand for agricultural land and fuel by the increasing human population. Management of forest areas in...

Population growth rate and energy consumption correlations: Implications for the future

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sheffield, J.

1998-01-01

The fertility rate for women and the related population growth rate, for numerous developing (transitional) countries, show a downward trend with increasing annual per capita energy use. On the assumption that such historic trends will continue, estimates are made for some simple cases of the energy demands required to stabilize the world`s population in the period 2,100 to 2,150. An assessment is then made of how these energy demands might be met, capitalizing as much as possible on the indigenous energy resources for each of the ten major regions of the world: North America, Latin America, Europe OECD, Former Sovietmore » Union and Central and Eastern Europe, China, Pacific OECD, East Asia, South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Consideration is also given to the potential need to limit carbon emissions because of global warming concerns. The study highlights the crucial nature of energy efficiency improvements and the need to utilize all energy sources, if the world is to find a sustainable future with an improved standard of living for the developing world.« less

Virtual Worlds as a Context Suited for Information Systems Education: Discussion of Pedagogical Experience and Curriculum Design with Reference to Second Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dreher, Carl; Reiners, Torsten; Dreher, Naomi; Dreher, Heinz

2009-01-01

The context of Information Communication Technology (ICT) is changing dramatically. Today, Web 2.0 applications such as Facebook and MySpace are used ubiquitously in the general population, and Virtual Worlds are becoming increasingly popular in business, for example via simulations in Second Life. However the capacity of Virtual Worlds is…

Affordances and Constraints of Scaffolded Learning in a Virtual World for Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Rebecca W.; Reich, Stephanie M.

2011-01-01

In recent years there has been a marked increase in the number of virtual worlds aimed at populations between the ages of 6 to14 years. This article examines the content and design of one such site, Webkinz World, as a sociocultural context for informal learning. Focusing on the design and activities of this site sheds light on the ways in which…

The National Security Strategy of the United Kingdom: Security in an Interdependent World

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-03-01

and gas becomes increasingly concentrated, much of it in regions with potential for political instability. Increasing urbanisation will put much...trend towards urbanisation is set to continue, with the proportion of the global population living in cities rising from under 50% in 2000 to over...growing and increasingly urbanised global population will increase demand for food and water, at the same time as climate change and other trends put

Population Control, Family Planning and Planned Parenthood.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilmar, Norman A.

Remarks in this article were made as part of a panel discussion presented at the Planned Parenthood-World Population combined Southeast Council and National Board Meeting, Savannah, Georgia, in May 1970. The problems and consequences of an increasing birth rate are indicated along with the need for reducing present rates of population growth and…

China's Population Program at the Grassroots Level: Report on a Field Trip, Summer 1972.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Pi-chao

The goals of the Caltech Population Program are to increase understanding of the interrelationships between population growth and socioeconomic and cultural patterns throughout the world and to communicate this understanding. This series of occasional papers is one step in the process of communicating research results. The papers deal primarily…

UN food summit tries to focus world attention on hunger.

PubMed

Scommegna, P

1996-11-01

This article discusses the November 1996 World Food Summit in Rome, women's role as food producers, overconsumption, and justification for a world conference focus. The Summit was planned by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and is to focus on how to provide people with food security and how to keep pace with growing needs without causing environmental damage. The Summit takes place during a time when 841 million of the world population are chronically undernourished, of which 200 million are children. Millions more suffer from contaminated food and water, micronutrient deficiencies, and blindness due to lack of vitamin A. Agricultural production in 88 countries is deficient. These countries cannot produce enough food to feed their populations an adequate diet and cannot afford to import needed food. These countries include China, India, and most of sub-Saharan Africa. World grain stocks have dropped to low levels, export prices for cereals have risen, and the world fish harvest has leveled off. Over the next 50 years the world must raise food for about 4 billion more people with a limited supply of land and uneven water resources. African countries must increase food production by 300%, Latin America by 80%, Asia by 69%, and North America by 30%. The former strategy of increasing yields with fertilizers is no longer effective and there is no other alternative. In developing countries women are the main producers of food for the family. Future policies must recognize women's role in food production. Poverty would decrease and food supplies increase if poor women were given access to credit and technical advice, education and health care, and a place in the center of the world agenda for increasing food productivity. The global food system is inequitably concentrated among few, and the food trade is increasingly controlled by multinationals. Overconsumption is as serious a problem as overpopulation.

Urban Growth in Cairo 1965-98

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

The population of the Cairo metropolitan area has increased from less than 6 million in 1965 when the first picture was taken, to more than 10 million in 1998 (United Nations Population Division, World Urbanization Prospects, the 1999 revision). Population densities within the city are some of the highest in the world and the urban area has doubled to more than 400 square km during that period. Extraordinary rates of population growth are expected to continue, with a predicted population of around 14 million by 2015. Images Gem05-1-45778 and STS088-739-91 were provided by the Earth Sciences and Image Analysis Laboratory at Johnson Space Center. Additional images taken by astronauts and cosmonauts can be viewed at the NASA-JSC Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth.

Transgenic horticultural crops: challenges and opportunities

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, food insecurity and malnutrition continue to plague humankind, especially in third-world countries. It has been estimated that world food supplies must increase by up to 50% over the next 20 years due to population growth, even while farming land is being ra...

Environmental Activities. Environmental Education Curriculum.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Topeka Public Schools, KS.

This unit attempts to respond to societal concerns for the rapid depletion of our world's natural resources, our increasing world population, current pollution problems and the lack of knowledge about natural interdependence. The material is intended as a source from which primary teachers can select activities from five generalized groups as…

Globalism and Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowland, Michael L.

2011-01-01

With the advent of twenty-four-hour news media, local, state, and national agencies' warnings and with the explosive role of the Internet, people are more aware of global health concerns that may have significant consequences for the world's population. As international travel continues to increase, health care professionals around the world are…

Feeding a hungry world: the challenge of developing safe and effective methods of food preservation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Preventing the loss of harvested commodities due to either postharvest diseases or physiological breakdown (uncontrolled ripening) offers a significant approach to providing the increased yields of food that will be needed to feed the world population in the 21st century (Wilson 2013). Activities ...

The WFSA Global Anesthesia Workforce Survey.

PubMed

Kempthorne, Peter; Morriss, Wayne W; Mellin-Olsen, Jannicke; Gore-Booth, Julian

2017-09-01

Safe anesthesia and surgical care are not available when needed for 5 billion of the world's 7 billion people. There are major deficiencies in the specialist surgical workforce in many parts of the world, and specific data on the anesthesia workforce are lacking. The World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists conducted a workforce survey during 2015 and 2016. The aim of the survey was to collect detailed information on physician anesthesia provider (PAP) and non-physician anesthesia provider (NPAP) numbers, distribution, and training. Data were categorized according to World Health Organization regional groups and World Bank income groups. We obtained information for 153 of 197 countries, representing 97.5% of the world's population. There were marked differences in the density of PAPs between World Health Organization regions and between World Bank income groups, ranging from 0 to over 20 PAP per 100,000 population. Seventy-seven countries reported a PAP density of <5, with particularly low densities in the African and South-East Asia regions. NPAPs make up a large part of the global anesthesia workforce, especially in countries with limited resources. Even when NPAPs are included, 70 countries had a total anesthesia provider density of <5 per 100,000. Using current population data, over 136,000 additional PAPs would be needed immediately to achieve a minimum density of 5 per 100,000 population in all countries. The World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists Global Anesthesia Workforce Survey is the most comprehensive study of the global anesthesia workforce to date. It is the first step in a process of ongoing data collection and longitudinal follow-up. The authors recommend an interim goal of at least 5 specialist physician anesthesia providers (anesthesiologists) per 100,000 population. A marked increase in training of PAPs and NPAPs will need to occur if we are to have any hope of achieving safe anesthesia for all by 2030.

Inherent agricultural constraints in Allegheny Plateau soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

World population increases demand increased agricultural production. This can be accomplished through improved cultivars and production techniques or increased use of previously marginal agricultural regions. In the Allegheny Plateau (AP) region of the Appalachian Mountains, acid soils with toxic ...

[Are mental disorders increasing? Update of a systematic review on repeated cross-sectional studies].

PubMed

Richter, Dirk; Berger, Klaus

2013-05-01

Throughout the western world, an increasing demand for psychiatric services is reported. However, a systematic review published in 2008 came to the conclusion that there is no sufficient evidence for increasing mental disorders in the recent decades. A systematic review on studies with repeating cross-sectional surveys in the general population, published since 2008, was conducted. 33 study results were included into the review. The majority of publications did not report increasing mental health problems in the general population. The increasing demand for psychiatric services is not associated with increasing mental disorders in the general population. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

The natural history of violence.

PubMed Central

Russell, C; Russell, W M

1979-01-01

In the past, human violence was associated with food shortage, but recently it has increased even in relatively well-fed societies. The reason appears from studies of monkeys under relaxed, spacious conditions and under crowding stress. Uncrowded monkeys have unaggressive leaders, rarely quarrel, and protect females and young. Crowded monkeys (even well-fed) have brutal bosses, often quarrel, and wound and kill each other, including females and young. Crowding has similar behaviour effects on other mammals, with physiological disturbances including greater susceptibility to infections. All this appears to be a regular response to overpopulation, reducing the population before it has depleted its natural resources. Human beings, like monkeys and other mammals, need ample space, and become more violent when crowded. Human history is marked by population cycles: population outgrows resources, the resulting violence, stress and disease mortality cuts down the population, leading to a relief period of social and cultural progress, till renewed population growth produces the next crisis. The modern population crisis is world-wide, and explains the increase of violence even in well-fed societies. The solution to the problem of violence is to substitute voluntary birth control for involuntary death control, and bring about relaxed conditions for a reduced world population. PMID:114662

Middle East assessment.

PubMed

Mahran, M

1984-06-01

All governments of the Arab world are aware of the population issue, and there has been increasing interest in policies designed to bring about a lower rate of natural increase and older population age structure. Overpopulation is believed to be a major obstacle to economic development. The population activities of the Arab countries can be divided into 3 categories: national policy to reduce population growth; nongovernmental efforts to reduce population growth; and countries with pronatalist policies. The countries with a national policy to reduce population growth include Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco. All suffer severe problems of high density, young age structure, and lack of balance between the population and the economy. In these countries an active national family planning program operates alongside many active nongovernmental family planning associations. Reduction of the growth rate is regarded as urgent, and emigration is encouraged. In egypt contraceptives are readily available through commerical outlets, and village level social and economic activities are promoted in conjunction with family planning services. Tunisia is the only country to offer voluntary sterilization and 1st trimester abortion on request. Morocco includes family planning in its health and welfare services and there is an active voluntary family planning association. Countries in the group who have made nongovernmental efforts to reduce population growth include Algeria, Bahrain, Iarq, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Syria, and Democratic Yemen. all have major population problems and generally support reduced growth rated but as yet have no national family planning. In this group the highest rate of population increase is in Syria, 3.8% a year; the highest total fertility rate is in Bahrain with almost 8 children per women. Saudi Arabia, Kewait, Qwatar, Libya, and Oman have pronatalist policies. Methods of contraception are available in the private sector. The outstanding feature of these oil rich countries is their high per capita gross national product. A 1981 estimate showed Qatar's at US$27,790, to be the highest in the world. Generally, all the governments of the Arab world have become aware of population issues and of the population pressures within their own borders.

Food in health security in North East Asia.

PubMed

Moon, Hyun-Kyung

2009-01-01

Food and health security in North East Asia including South Korea, North Korea, China and Japan was compared. Because this region contains countries with many complex problems, it is worthwhile to study the current situation. With about 24% of the world's population, all North East Asian countries supply between 2400 and 3000 Kcal of energy. Regarding health status, two extreme problems exist. One is malnutrition in North Korea and China and the other is chronic degenerative disease in Japan, South Korea and China. Because quality, quantity and safety of the food supply have to be secured for health security, some topics are selected and discussed. 1) World food price can have an effect on food security for countries with a low food self sufficiency rate such as Japan and Korea; specially, for the urban poor. 2) Population aging can increase the number of aged people without food security. An aged population with less income and no support from their off-spring, because of disappearing traditional values, may have food insecurity. 3) Population growth and economic growth in this region may worsen food problems. Since a quarter of the world's population resides in this region, populations will continue to increase. With economic growth, people will consume more animal products. 4) Climate change generates food production problems. As the progress of industry continues, there will be less land for food and more pollutants in the environment. 5) Political instability will cause food insecurity and conflict will cause problems with regard to food aid.

Demographic Trends in the Republic of Zaire. Caltech Population Program Occasional Papers, Series 1, Number 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boute, Joseph

This paper, one in a series of occasional publications, discusses population growth and trends in the African Republic of Zaire. The series is intended to increase understanding of the interrelationships between population growth and socioeconomic and cultural patterns throughout the world, and to communicate this understanding to scholars and…

The National Landslide Information Center; data to reduce landslide damage

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, W. M.

1992-01-01

In a world of persistent and increasing construction on and occupation of hillslopes, canyons, and coastal bluffs, landslides are exacting an inexorable toll of human life and economic loss. In the 1980's, massive landslides disasters occurred throughout the world, many in regions where such disasters were historically unprecedented, or where their potential was forgotten or disregarded. by present generations. In some cases, large populations had moved onto unstable lands before renewed landslide activity. For example, the San Francisco Bay region in population between 1955 and 1982, and much of the new development occurred on hillsides and in canyons. Major rainstorms in both 1955 and 1982 produced abundant landslides throughout the region, but the landslides in 1982 proved much more devastating than those in 1955 because of the increased population density on sloping ground. Similar situations persist in many other population centers surrounded by hills and mountains, such as Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. 

Soil Erosion: Quiet Crisis in the World Economy. Worldwatch Paper 60.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Lester R.; Wolf, Edward C.

Although soil erosion is a natural process, it has increased to the point where it far exceeds the natural formation of new soil. However, with only occasional exceptions, national agricultural and population policies have failed to take soil depletion into account. Projections of world food production always incorporate estimates of future…

Access to Global Learning: A Matter of Will

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Hook, Steven R.

2006-01-01

Governments and individuals are increasingly turning to education to provide a deeper understanding of the world at large. However, with only 17 percent of the world's population able to advance beyond secondary education levels, new technologies and learning models are called upon to fulfill the need. Current developments in computer versatility,…

Waking up to Water

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hines, Chris

2007-01-01

Climate change is having a major effect on water cycles. There is an increased intensity and frequency of severe storms resulting in flooding. Floods in other parts of the world cause death on a major scale. Meanwhile across the planet, one billion people (a sixth of the world's population) do not have access to safe drinking water, and two…

[The HIV-pandemic in the third world--worse than anticipated?].

PubMed

Steen, Tore W; Drage, Mona; Klouman, Elise

2006-11-30

The first AIDS cases were discovered 25 years ago in the United States. We describe how the epidemic evolved in the Third World, with emphasis on the current situation and on the African continent, which is most affected. The present review article is based on a literature review and own working experience. In 2005, more than 90 % of HIV-infected persons lived in Third World countries, mainly Africa and Asia. Transmission in Africa is mainly heterosexual and approximately 60 % of the infected are women. Asia has epidemics among intravenous drug users and men who have sex with men, and among sex workers and their customers. Several Asian countries now have generalized epidemics. Urban populations are more affected than rural ones in all geographical areas of the world, with only a few exceptions. Modern HIV treatment saves many lives, but only an increase of preventive measures can reverse the current trends. To obtain a reversal, it is adamant with broad mobilization of affected populations, clear political leadership and prioritisation and a considerable increase in help from developed countries.

The shape of things to come.

PubMed

Gallagher, C F

1979-01-01

Basic projections for the future made by various international and national planning organizations form the basis for a report on the demographic, economic, and social implications of population growth for the year 2000, both as to the statistics involved and what they mean. The most signficiant factor is that by the end of the century, global population will be greater than 6 billion. Statistics on population patterns are presented for Asia; India; China; Africa; Latin America; North America; Europe, Oceania, and the USSR, including population growth; birthrate; mortality; population projections; population distribution; age of populations; and urbanization. The realities that stand behind these abstract and impersonal statistics of population change will pose significant problems in several major respects: how these increasing populations will support themselves; where they will live; and how they will be fed. These question are closely related, but the need to create jobs might come 1st since decisions about the kind of employment opportunities to be offered and where will directly affect the rural-urban population equation. It is clear that an enormous number of jobs must be found in developing countries by the end of the century, estimated at 500 million more. The economic implications of increasing urbanization in the developing world are explored, and it is noted that Asia, Latin America, and Africa now face the prospect of having to feed as many as 800 million more urbanites by the year 2000. Also, rural population will also continue to grow, and whether agricultural resources can be increased to what extent and how is a critical question. It is concluded that no matter how agriculture is improved or jobs found in developing countries, many will be poorly nourished, badly housed, and inadequately educated. It is finally suggested that by 2000 the Third World as such will no longer exist; instead the world will consist of older developed countries; rapidly developing countries; middle-income countries; oil-surplus countries; and still poor countries, with a movement toward a constantly more diversified echelon of socioeconomic levels of development, both among and within countries.

Analysing the World Population: Using Population Pyramids and "If the World Were a Village"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caniglia, Joanne; Leapard, Barbara

2010-01-01

The book "If the World Were a Village," by David J. Smith, is the context for analysing and creating graphs of the world's demographic information. Students examine numerical information regarding the more than six billion world inhabitants by imagining the world's population as 100 people.

Food systems: perspectives on demographics and affluence, food supply and consumption.

PubMed Central

Molitor, G T

1990-01-01

Global population may double by 2020 but the Malthusian specter of rapid population growth outracing slower increases in production will continue to be a false alarm. A vast array of agricultural technologies have the capacity to increase output 10-fold, perhaps as much as 100-fold. Discovery of a sweetener 54,000 times sweeter than sucrose (cane or beet sugar) indicates the magnitude of prodigious increases portended by new technologies. Productive agriculture, however, has become capital intense, limiting its availability in poorer nations. Increased production is the key to low prices and affordable supplies. In a world continuing to face starvation, there is no place for government policies purposely limiting supplies and artificially propping prices at high levels that place life-sustaining food beyond means of the poor. Affluence provides financial wherewithal to secure an adequate diet. Unfortunately, an estimated 25% of the world's population go hungry and face starvation. The specter of starvation may afflict as many as 600 million, and malnutrition, another 150 million by the year 2020. Improving self-sufficiency in these nations will remain a top humanitarian concern. PMID:2401256

Resolution on the population and food equation and the search for rational and efficient solutions to the problem of Third World debt to ensure that the world can eat, 9 September 1989.

PubMed

1989-01-01

In September 1989, the 82nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference passed a resolution "on the population and food equation and the search for rational and efficient solutions to the problem of Third World debt to ensure that the world can eat." This document contains major portions of that resolution. In the area of population, the resolution affirms family planning (FP) as a basic human right and affirms the right of governments to establish their own population policies. Governments are asked to provide the educational opportunities necessary to secure equality and rights for women. Service delivery systems should be improved to make FP accessible to the 300 million women in need. Governments should reduce infant and maternal mortality, promote child care and birth spacing, and increase population education activities. The resolution also states that the creation of peaceful conditions for development is an essential precondition for solving the world's problems. In the area of food, the eradication of hunger is designated one of the primary tasks of the international community. This will only occur when developing countries increase their food production and achieve self-sufficiency. Such action is a basic and primary responsibility of developing countries but creditor nations can provide low interest rates for food import assistance and funds to strengthen the agricultural sector. The resolution further considers the problem of developing country debt and deplores coercive measures applied by certain developed countries against developing countries. The resolution contains many suggestions for reducing debt in developing countries and achieving a more equitable distribution of wealth in the world. In the area of food resources and sustainable development, the resolution acknowledges that protection of the environment and the earth's resource base for future generations is a collective responsibility. Ecological threats to the production of food should be dealt with, industrialized countries should decrease consumption of natural resources, and food production should be ecologically sound.

China marks World Population Day. Address by Zhang Weiqing: (Excerpts).

PubMed

Zhang, W

1998-08-01

This is a summary of remarks by Minister Zhang Weiqing of China's State Family Planning Commission (SFPC) given on World Population Day in China. The world's population size has increased by 1 billion since 1987, and will reach 6 billion by 1999. As the most populous developing country in the world, China has a greater population pressure and bears a large responsibility regarding stabilization of the world's population and realization of sustainable development. China has a less developed economy and a high percentage of rural and illiterate persons, many of whom are below the poverty line. The interests of both present and future generations must be taken into account with regard to development. In addition, the modernization drive must include strategies for sustainable development and basic national policies of FP and environmental protection in order to achieve a balance among population growth, the economy, resources, and the environment. After 30 years of effort, China has succeeded in solving its population problem by integrating governmental guidance with voluntary public participation in FP. In 1997, the birthrate decreased to 16.57/1000, and the total fertility rate was below replacement level. Changes in attitude toward marriage and childbearing have occurred, as has awareness of voluntary participation in FP. However, some problems have emerged in the implementation of population and FP programs. China will carry out its programs strictly and effectively while developing the national economy. Goals include: 1) stressing the IEC program regarding contraception and regular FP management and services; 2) integrating the FP program with economic development; 3) helping the public to become well off; 4) protecting maternal and child health; 5) improving the status of women; 6) delivering reproductive services; and 7) improving social security measures. Efforts will be made to enable the public to have a more active part in implementing the FP program.

Spending our soil resources

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A third of the world's population suffers from food insecurity. With an expected 2 billion population increase in the next few decades, that number is expected to rise significantly, leading to more people that are insecure and starving unless our soils can produce more food. Added to the problem ar...

U.S. Population: Where We Are; Where We're Going.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Tak, Jean, Ed.

1982-01-01

Recent trends in the dynamics and character of the U.S. population, outlook for the remainder of 1980s, and prospects for long-term growth are reviewed. Estimated at 232 million as of mid-1982, the U.S. population is currently growing at about 1 percent/year, one of the developed world's highest growth rates. Natural increase (births minus deaths)…

Extreme heat waves under 1.5 °C and 2 °C global warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dosio, Alessandro; Mentaschi, Lorenzo; Fischer, Erich M.; Wyser, Klaus

2018-05-01

Severe, extreme, and exceptional heat waves, such as those that occurred over the Balkans (2007), France (2003), or Russia (2010), are associated with increased mortality, human discomfort and reduced labour productivity. Based on the results of a very high-resolution global model, we show that, even at 1.5 °C warming, a significant increase in heat wave magnitude is expected over Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia. Compared to a 1.5 °C world, under 2 °C warming the frequency of extreme heat waves would double over most of the globe. In a 1.5 °C world, 13.8% of the world population will be exposed to severe heat waves at least once every 5 years. This fraction becomes nearly three times larger (36.9%) under 2 °C warming, i.e. a difference of around 1.7 billion people. Limiting global warming to 1.5 °C will also result in around 420 million fewer people being frequently exposed to extreme heat waves, and ~65 million to exceptional heat waves. Nearly 700 million people (9.0% of world population) will be exposed to extreme heat waves at least once every 20 years in a 1.5 °C world, but more than 2 billion people (28.2%) in a 2 °C world. With current emission trends threatening even the 2 °C target, our study is helpful to identify regions where limiting the warming to 1.5 °C would have the strongest benefits in reducing population exposure to extreme heat.

[Intestinal parasitic diseases as a global health problem].

PubMed

Chacín-Bonilla, Leonor

2013-03-01

In today's world, parasitic disease agents are not restricted by geography or economy, and have become a significant global threat. The increasing globalization of the fresh produce market and greater international trade and travels, have contributed to the spread of these organisms in the industrialized world. Parasitic protozoa cause waterborne and foodborne outbreaks of diarrhea. The unprecedented flow of people introduces cultural and behavior patterns around the world; the increasing tendency to eat raw or undercooked meat and seafood, favors the dissemination of several parasitic pathogens. Climate changes are predicted to cause a global increase in soil-transmitted helminthiases. The multidisciplinary study of these agents, and the interaction among scientists, global health organizations and governments are imperative to reduce the burden of these diseases and improve the life of a large segment of the world population.

Environmental Health: Threats and their Interactions

PubMed Central

Holdstock, Douglas

2008-01-01

Improvements in the provision of an acceptable standard of health care, particularly in the developing world, will be undermined by three ongoing processes: ongoing armed conflicts; the threat of global warming due to rising levels of greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide emitted by developed countries; and by rapidly rising populations. The key features of these three threats are summarised, and it is shown that interactions between them increase both the likelihood of their occurrence and the probable harm that they will cause. Some of the interactions are described, with ways of providing health care taking into account the threats and their interactions, and the paradox is emphasised that better health care in the developing world will further increase population growth followed by increased greenhouse gas emissions. Improved education for women and free and unlimited access to modern methods of contraception are vital. PMID:21572838

Population pressures: threat to democracy.

PubMed

1992-06-01

The desire for political freedom and representative government is spreading throughout the world. The stability of democratic bodies is dependent on wise leaders, foreign aid, and slowing population growth. Rapid population growth strains political institutions and increases pressure on services. A Population Crisis Committee study found that only a few democratic countries with serious demographic pressures remained stable. The most stable countries were ones with lower levels of population pressure. Most of the 31 unstable countries were in Africa and in a band stretching from the Middle East to South Asia, and almost all had serious demographic pressures. Only 5 stable countries had high or very high demographic pressures. Since countries in the world are interdependent, population pressures have adverse consequences everywhere. Population pressures in the developing world are considered enhanced by the rapid growth of cities. Both the developed and the developing world face the problems of clogged highways, loss of wilderness, polluted lakes and streams, and stifling smog and acid rain conditions. The sociopolitical implications of demographic changes vary from country to country, but rapid growth and maldistribution of population strains existing political, social, and economic structures and relations between nations. Urban areas are the arena for clashes of cultures, competition for scarce housing and jobs, the breakdown of traditional family and social structures, and juxtapositions of extreme wealth next to extreme poverty. The growth of independent nation states since the 1940s has not allowed much time for development of effective political institutions. There are many obstacles to national unity and popular political participation. The potential for political instability is correlated with a number of factors: large youth populations in overcrowded cities with too high expectations and limited opportunities, diverse and intense ethnic and religious factors, and oppressive governments which violate human rights. Rapid growth has a harmful impact on the environment.

Accelerate social development to promote the advancement of society.

PubMed

Hao, J

1995-02-01

The statement of the vice minister of the Chinese State Planning Commission emphasized the achievements made by the government in improving the quality of life of the Chinese people, protecting the environment, controlling population growth, improving health and employment, improving public and social security, and promoting national solidarity. The Chinese government will look forward to sharing the Chinese experiences with social development at the forthcoming UN World Summit on Social Development in March, 1995. Since 1980 a national program for economic development has been in force. Since 1949 and the founding of the People's Republic and particularly since 1978, many advances have been made. The Chinese government has been able to provide adequate food and clothing for a population comprising 22% of the world's population living on 7% of the world's land. Not only have basic living standards been met, but per capital disposable income has increased. Ownership of durable consumer goods has increased to the level of moderately developed countries. Radio messages reach about 80% of the population, and television reaches about 83% of the population. Family planning programs have promoted a balance among population with ecology and socioeconomic development. The rate of natural increase has declined from 25.83 in 1970 to 11.45 in 1993. The crude birth rate for the same period declined from 33.43 to 18.09. The crude death rate has remained at about 6-7 per 1000 population. The total fertility rate has been reduced to 2.0. Life expectancy has increased from 65 years to 70 years. Illiteracy among the population 15 years and older has greater improved; the illiteracy rate among youth and adults was 7% in 1993. Environmental policies have brought industrial pollution under strict control. Sewage treatment plants have been built. Natural gas and centralized heating have been promoted. Sound agricultural practices have been promoted. Reforestation efforts have resulted in the planting of almost 10 billion new trees. 13.9% of land area was forested in 1993. 600,000 sq km of eroded land has been reclaimed. Natural preserves (776) cover 661,800 km. 97.7% of school-age children were enrolled in school in 1993. 53.7% of the senior middle school population was enrolled in technical education. 80.8% of rural population has access to safe drinking water.

Food and Population: Beyond Five Billion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendry, Peter

1988-01-01

The principle cause of hunger and malnutrition is poverty. The extent of popular access to gainful employment, to arable land, to suitable technologies determines nutritional status more than aggregate food production. World food production is rising; but population is also increasing, along with the numbers of those who, either temporarily or…

An ecosystem of products and systems for ambient intelligence - the AAL4ALL users perspective.

PubMed

Sousa, Filipe; Viola, Lara; Ferreira, Liliana; Trevisan, Gabriela; Cunha, David; Alves, José; Simões, Ricardo

2012-01-01

Developed societies are currently facing severe demographic changes: the world is getting older at an unprecedented rate. In 2000, about 420 million people, or approximately 7 percent of the world population, were aged 65 or older. By 2050, that number will be nearly 1.5 billion people, about 16 percent of the world population. This demographic trend will be also followed by an increase of people with physical limitations. The traditional health care systems, not only in Portugal, but also in all other European states, will be faced with new challenges. There is an urgent need to find solutions that allow extending the time people can live in their preferred environment by increasing their autonomy, self-confidence and mobility. AAL4ALL presents an idea for an answer through the development of an ecosystem of products and services for Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) associated to a business model and validated through large scale trial. This paper presents the results of the first survey developed within the AAL4ALL project: the users' survey targeted at the Portuguese seniors and pre-seniors. In this way, this paper addresses the lives of the Portuguese population aged 50 and over.

Population pressure, poverty and the environment.

PubMed

Camp, S L

1992-06-01

Using the agricultural revolution as a starting point, human population has grown 50 times since then. The amount of environmental and ecological damage inflicted by humans before the agricultural revolution pales in comparison to the damage done afterwards. It took until 1800, or approximately 9800 years from the beginning of the agricultural revolution, for world population to reach 1 billion. It took only 187 years to reach 5 billion and current projections estimate that it will take only 11 years to add the 6th billion. If the governments of the world do not work together during this decade and bring a family planning message to every couple of reproductive age, the results will be catastrophic. Every year 40-50 million acres of forest are cut down. On average, the people living in developing countries are cutting down forests twice as fast as they can grow back. Deforestation, combined with intensive agriculture, is turning the world's farm land into desert. Soil erosion and desertification threaten 1/3 of the total land surface which is home to 1/5 of the population. While high consumption levels in developed countries and industrial pollution worldwide do have a huge impact, the fact remains that increases in population place increased burdens on the ecology's carrying capacity. While the former problems urgently need to be addressed, reducing population growth rates eases pressure on all the aspects of the environment. China suffers from every kind of ecological problem and its reliance on high sulfur coal as a primary energy source threatens to undo all the efficiency improvements made in developed countries. Water shortages are common in China as they are in many other countries, again a problem that would be less severe if population growth were reduced. Urban areas are the fastest growing and least prepared to handle the increased demand for drinking water and sanitation control. The cost of universal family planning is only US$9 billion.

The Teacher and the World: A Study of Cosmopolitanism as Education. Teacher Quality and School Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, David

2011-01-01

Teachers over the world over are seeking creative ways to respond to the problems and possibilities generated by globalization. Many of them work with children and youth from increasingly varied backgrounds, with diverse needs and capabilities. Others work with homogeneous populations and yet are aware that their students will encounter many…

The Goal of Adequate Nutrition: Can It Be Made Affordable, Sustainable, and Universal?

PubMed

McFarlane, Ian

2016-11-30

Until about 1900, large proportions of the world population endured hunger and poverty. The 20th century saw world population increase from 1.6 to 6.1 billion, accompanied and to some extent made possible by rapid improvements in health standards and food supply, with associated advances in agricultural and nutrition sciences. In this paper, I use the application of linear programming (LP) in preparation of rations for farm animals to illustrate a method of calculating the lowest cost of a human diet selected from locally available food items, constrained to provide recommended levels of food energy and nutrients; then, to find a realistic minimum cost, I apply the further constraint that the main sources of food energy in the costed diet are weighted in proportion to the actual reported consumption of food items in that area. Worldwide variations in dietary preferences raise the issue as to the sustainability of popular dietary regimes, and the paper reviews the factors associated with satisfying requirements for adequate nutrition within those regimes. The ultimate physical constraints on food supply are described, together with the ways in which climate change may affect those constraints. During the 20th century, food supply increased sufficiently in most areas to keep pace with the rapid increase in world population. Many challenges will need to be overcome if food supply is to continue to meet demand, and those challenges are made more severe by rising expectations of quality of life in the developing world, as well as by the impacts of climate change on agriculture and aquaculture.

The sociology of landowner interest in restoring fire-adapted, biodiverse habitats in the wildland-urban interface of Oregon's Willamette Valley ecoregion

Treesearch

Max Nielsen-Pincus; Robert G. Ribe; Bart R. Johnson

2011-01-01

In many parts of the world, the combined effects of wildfire, climate change, and population growth in the wildland-urban interface pose increasing risks to both people and biodiversity. These risks are exemplified in western Oregon's Willamette Valley Ecoregion, where population is projected to double by 2050 and climate change is expected to increase wildfire...

Forecasting the viability of sea turtle eggs in a warming world.

PubMed

Pike, David A

2014-01-01

Animals living in tropical regions may be at increased risk from climate change because current temperatures at these locations already approach critical physiological thresholds. Relatively small temperature increases could cause animals to exceed these thresholds more often, resulting in substantial fitness costs or even death. Oviparous species could be especially vulnerable because the maximum thermal tolerances of incubating embryos is often lower than adult counterparts, and in many species mothers abandon the eggs after oviposition, rendering them immobile and thus unable to avoid extreme temperatures. As a consequence, the effects of climate change might become evident earlier and be more devastating for hatchling production in the tropics. Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) have the widest nesting range of any living reptile, spanning temperate to tropical latitudes in both hemispheres. Currently, loggerhead sea turtle populations in the tropics produce nearly 30% fewer hatchlings per nest than temperate populations. Strong correlations between empirical hatching success and habitat quality allowed global predictions of the spatiotemporal impacts of climate change on this fitness trait. Under climate change, many sea turtle populations nesting in tropical environments are predicted to experience severe reductions in hatchling production, whereas hatching success in many temperate populations could remain unchanged or even increase with rising temperatures. Some populations could show very complex responses to climate change, with higher relative hatchling production as temperatures begin to increase, followed by declines as critical physiological thresholds are exceeded more frequently. Predicting when, where, and how climate change could impact the reproductive output of local populations is crucial for anticipating how a warming world will influence population size, growth, and stability.

Emerging landscape degradation trends in the East African Horn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pricope, N. G.; Michaelsen, J.; Husak, G. J.; Funk, C. C.; Lopez-Carr, D.

2012-12-01

Increasing climate variability along with declining trends in rainfall represent major risk factors affecting food security in many regions of the world. We identify Africa-wide regions where significant rainfall decreases from 1979-2011 are coupled with significant human population density increases. The rangelands of the East African Horn remain one of the world's most food insecure regions with significantly increasing human populations predominantly dependent on pastoralist and agro-pastoralist livelihoods. Widespread vegetation degradation is occurring, adversely impacting fragile ecosystems and human livelihoods. Using MODIS land cover and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data collected since 2000, we observe significant changes in vegetation patterns and productivity over the last decade across the East African Horn and demonstrate that these two products can be used concurrently at large spatial scales to monitor vegetation dynamics at decadal time scales. Results demonstrate that a near doubling of the population in pastoral regions is linked with hotspots of degradation in vegetation condition. The most significant land cover change and browning trends are observed in areas experiencing drying precipitation trends in addition to increasing population pressures. These findings have serious implications for current and future regional food security monitoring and forecasting and for mitigation and adaptation strategies in a region where population is expected to continue increasing against a backdrop of drying climate trends.Fig.1(a)Change in standardized precipitation index in Africa between 1979-2010 (b)Change in population density at continental scale using the GRUMPv1 1990 and 2000 and AfriPop 2010 population density datasets Fig.2 Land cover change trajectories based on 2001-2009 MOD12Q1 Land Cover product for the East African Horn overlaid over aggregated FEWS Net Livelihoods Zones.

Conservation threats due to human-caused increases in fire frequency in Mediterranean-climate ecosystems.

PubMed

Syphard, Alexandra D; Radeloff, Volker C; Hawbaker, Todd J; Stewart, Susan I

2009-06-01

Periodic wildfire is an important natural process in Mediterranean-climate ecosystems, but increasing fire recurrence threatens the fragile ecology of these regions. Because most fires are human-caused, we investigated how human population patterns affect fire frequency. Prior research in California suggests the relationship between population density and fire frequency is not linear. There are few human ignitions in areas with low population density, so fire frequency is low. As population density increases, human ignitions and fire frequency also increase, but beyond a density threshold, the relationship becomes negative as fuels become sparser and fire suppression resources are concentrated. We tested whether this hypothesis also applies to the other Mediterranean-climate ecosystems of the world. We used global satellite databases of population, fire activity, and land cover to evaluate the spatial relationship between humans and fire in the world's five Mediterranean-climate ecosystems. Both the mean and median population densities were consistently and substantially higher in areas with than without fire, but fire again peaked at intermediate population densities, which suggests that the spatial relationship is complex and nonlinear. Some land-cover types burned more frequently than expected, but no systematic differences were observed across the five regions. The consistent association between higher population densities and fire suggests that regardless of differences between land-cover types, natural fire regimes, or overall population, the presence of people in Mediterranean-climate regions strongly affects the frequency of fires; thus, population growth in areas now sparsely settled presents a conservation concern. Considering the sensitivity of plant species to repeated burning and the global conservation significance of Mediterranean-climate ecosystems, conservation planning needs to consider the human influence on fire frequency. Fine-scale spatial analysis of relationships between people and fire may help identify areas where increases in fire frequency will threaten ecologically valuable areas. ©2009 Society for Conservation Biology.

Female breast cancer incidence and mortality in China, 2013

PubMed Central

Zuo, Ting‐Ting; Zheng, Rong‐Shou; Zeng, Hong‐Mei; Zhang, Si‐Wei

2017-01-01

Background Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. Population‐based cancer registration data from the National Central Cancer Registry were used to analyze and evaluate the incidence and mortality rates in China in 2013, providing scientific information for cancer prevention and control. Methods Pooled data were stratified by area (urban/rural), gender, and age group. National new cases and deaths were estimated using age‐specific rates and the corresponding population in 2013. The Chinese population in 2000 and Segi's world population were used to calculate age‐standardized rates. Results The estimated number of new breast cancer cases was about 278 800 in China in 2013. The crude incidence, age‐standardized rate of incidence by Chinese standard population, and age‐standardized rate of incidence by world standard population were 42.02/100 000, 30.41/100 000, and 28.42/100 000, respectively. The estimated number of breast cancer deaths was about 64 600 in China in 2013. The crude mortality, age‐standardized rate of mortality by Chinese standard population, and age‐standardized rate of mortality by world standard population were 9.74/100 000, 6.54/100 000, and 6.34/100 000, respectively. Both incidence and mortality were higher in urban than in rural areas. Age‐specific breast cancer incidence significantly increased with age, particularly after age 20, and peaked at 50–55 years, while age‐specific mortality increased rapidly after 25 years, peaking at 85+ years. Conclusions Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Chinese women, especially women in urban areas. Comprehensive measures are needed to reduce the heavy burden of breast cancer. PMID:28296260

Note on demographic estimates 1979.

PubMed

1979-01-01

Based on UN projections, national projections, and the South Pacific Commission data, the ESCAP Population Division has compiled estimates of the 1979 population and demogaphic figures for the 38 member countries and associate members. The 1979 population is estimated at 2,400 million, 55% of the world total of 4,336 million. China comprises 39% of the region, India, 28%. China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan comprise 6 of the 10 largest countries in the world. China and India are growing at the rate of 1 million people per month. Between 1978-9 Hong Kong experienced the highest rate of growth, 6.2%, Niue the lowest, 4.5%. Life expectancy at birth is 58.7 years in the ESCAP region, but is over 70 in Japan, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. At 75.2 years life expectancy in Japan is highest in the world. By world standards, a high percentage of females aged 16-64 are economically active. More than half the women aged 15-64 are in the labor force in 10 of the ESCAP countries. The region is still 73% rural. By the end of the 20th century the population of the ESCAP region is projected at 3,272 million, a 36% increase over the 1979 total.

Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050.

PubMed

Holden, Brien A; Fricke, Timothy R; Wilson, David A; Jong, Monica; Naidoo, Kovin S; Sankaridurg, Padmaja; Wong, Tien Y; Naduvilath, Thomas J; Resnikoff, Serge

2016-05-01

Myopia is a common cause of vision loss, with uncorrected myopia the leading cause of distance vision impairment globally. Individual studies show variations in the prevalence of myopia and high myopia between regions and ethnic groups, and there continues to be uncertainty regarding increasing prevalence of myopia. Systematic review and meta-analysis. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence of myopia and high myopia and estimated temporal trends from 2000 to 2050 using data published since 1995. The primary data were gathered into 5-year age groups from 0 to ≥100, in urban or rural populations in each country, standardized to definitions of myopia of -0.50 diopter (D) or less and of high myopia of -5.00 D or less, projected to the year 2010, then meta-analyzed within Global Burden of Disease (GBD) regions. Any urban or rural age group that lacked data in a GBD region took data from the most similar region. The prevalence data were combined with urbanization data and population data from United Nations Population Department (UNPD) to estimate the prevalence of myopia and high myopia in each country of the world. These estimates were combined with myopia change estimates over time derived from regression analysis of published evidence to project to each decade from 2000 through 2050. We included data from 145 studies covering 2.1 million participants. We estimated 1406 million people with myopia (22.9% of the world population; 95% confidence interval [CI], 932-1932 million [15.2%-31.5%]) and 163 million people with high myopia (2.7% of the world population; 95% CI, 86-387 million [1.4%-6.3%]) in 2000. We predict by 2050 there will be 4758 million people with myopia (49.8% of the world population; 3620-6056 million [95% CI, 43.4%-55.7%]) and 938 million people with high myopia (9.8% of the world population; 479-2104 million [95% CI, 5.7%-19.4%]). Myopia and high myopia estimates from 2000 to 2050 suggest significant increases in prevalences globally, with implications for planning services, including managing and preventing myopia-related ocular complications and vision loss among almost 1 billion people with high myopia. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Viral diseases of new world camelids.

PubMed

Kapil, Sanjay; Yeary, Teresa; Evermann, James F

2009-07-01

The increased popularity and population of New World camelids in the United States requires the development of a broader base of knowledge of the health and disease parameters for these animals by the veterinary livestock practitioner. Although our knowledge regarding infectious diseases of camelids has increased greatly over the past decade, the practice of camelid medicine is a relatively new field in North America, so it is important to seek out seasoned colleagues and diagnostic laboratories that are involved in camelid health treatment and diagnosis.

Suburban sprawl in the developing world: duplicating past mistakes? The case of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

PubMed

Loh, Lawrence C; Brieger, William B

Newly affluent developing world cities increasingly adopt the same unfortunate low-density suburban paradigm that shaped cities in the industrialized world. Identified by a World Bank report as a "mini-Los Angeles," Kuala Lumpur is a sentinel example of the results of unrestrained sprawl in the developing world. Factors driving sprawl included government policies favoring foreign investment, "mega-projects," and domestic automobile production; fragmented governance structures allowing federal and state government influence on local planning; increasing middle-class affluence; an oligopoly of local developers; and haphazard municipal zoning and transport planning. The city's present form contributes to Malaysia's dual burden of disease, with inner-city shantytown dwellers facing communicable disease and malnutrition while suburban citizens experience increasing chronic disease, injury, and mental health issues. Despite growing awareness in city plans targeted toward higher density development, Kuala Lumpur presents a warning to other emerging economies of the financial, societal, and population health costs imposed by quickly-built suburban sprawl.

Higher fertilizer inputs increase fitness traits of brown planthopper in rice

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

ice (Oryza sativa L.) is the primary staple food source for more than half of the world's population. In many developing countries, increased use of fertilizers is a response to increase demand for rice. In this study, we investigated the effects of three principal fertilizer components (nitrogen, p...

The gut immune system: A new frontier in gut health research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As the world population grows and developing countries become more affluent, the global consumption of meat will increase by more than 50% within the next 10 years. Confronting the increasing demand for poultry food products are emerging field diseases, increasing regulatory ban of antibiotics grow...

The Precarious Void of Extremist Ideology in Bangladesh: A Path Towards Understanding the Phenomenology of Militant Violence

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

55 viii Figure 1 Map of Bangladesh x 2 The Muslim World 43 3 Terrorist Incidents by Militant...identities shape the population’s view of the outside world .7 Regional expertise beyond Af-Pak Hands has become a national security imperative in a...post-9/11 world , in which increased focus must be placed on all of South Asia. The region contains more than half the world’s Muslim population within

Weed Management in 2050: Perspective on the Future of Weed Science

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The discipline of weed science is at a critical juncture. Decades of efficient chemical weed control has led to a rise in the number of herbicide resistant weed populations, with few new herbicides and increasing farm labor scarcity available to counter this trend. At the same time, world population...

California forest industry wood consumption and characteristics, 1972.

Treesearch

James O. Howard

1972-01-01

The California forest industry as it exists today is the product of dramatic post-World War II changes. Before World War II, the industry consisted almost entirely of sawmills, depending primarily upon redwood and pines for their raw material supply. Responding to the post-War building boom and local population growth, the sawmill industry increased rapidly—from 450 to...

Exploiting the explosion of information associated with whole genome sequencing to tackle Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in global food production systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The rates of foodborne disease caused by gastrointestinal pathogens continue to be a concern in both the developed and developing worlds. The growing world population, the increasing complexity of agri-food networks and the wide range of foods now associated with STEC are potential drivers for incre...

Historical Perspective of Traditional Indigenous Medical Practices: The Current Renaissance and Conservation of Herbal Resources

PubMed Central

Pan, Si-Yuan; Gao, Si-Hua; Zhou, Shu-Feng; Yu, Zhi-Ling; Chen, Hou-Qi; Zhang, Shuo-Feng; Tang, Min-Ke; Sun, Jian-Ning; Ko, Kam-Ming

2014-01-01

In recent years, increasing numbers of people have been choosing herbal medicines or products to improve their health conditions, either alone or in combination with others. Herbs are staging a comeback and herbal “renaissance” occurs all over the world. According to the World Health Organization, 75% of the world's populations are using herbs for basic healthcare needs. Since the dawn of mankind, in fact, the use of herbs/plants has offered an effective medicine for the treatment of illnesses. Moreover, many conventional/pharmaceutical drugs are derived directly from both nature and traditional remedies distributed around the world. Up to now, the practice of herbal medicine entails the use of more than 53,000 species, and a number of these are facing the threat of extinction due to overexploitation. This paper aims to provide a review of the history and status quo of Chinese, Indian, and Arabic herbal medicines in terms of their significant contribution to the health promotion in present-day over-populated and aging societies. Attention will be focused on the depletion of plant resources on earth in meeting the increasing demand for herbs. PMID:24872833

Historical perspective of traditional indigenous medical practices: the current renaissance and conservation of herbal resources.

PubMed

Pan, Si-Yuan; Litscher, Gerhard; Gao, Si-Hua; Zhou, Shu-Feng; Yu, Zhi-Ling; Chen, Hou-Qi; Zhang, Shuo-Feng; Tang, Min-Ke; Sun, Jian-Ning; Ko, Kam-Ming

2014-01-01

In recent years, increasing numbers of people have been choosing herbal medicines or products to improve their health conditions, either alone or in combination with others. Herbs are staging a comeback and herbal "renaissance" occurs all over the world. According to the World Health Organization, 75% of the world's populations are using herbs for basic healthcare needs. Since the dawn of mankind, in fact, the use of herbs/plants has offered an effective medicine for the treatment of illnesses. Moreover, many conventional/pharmaceutical drugs are derived directly from both nature and traditional remedies distributed around the world. Up to now, the practice of herbal medicine entails the use of more than 53,000 species, and a number of these are facing the threat of extinction due to overexploitation. This paper aims to provide a review of the history and status quo of Chinese, Indian, and Arabic herbal medicines in terms of their significant contribution to the health promotion in present-day over-populated and aging societies. Attention will be focused on the depletion of plant resources on earth in meeting the increasing demand for herbs.

Reproductive health, population growth, economic development and environmental change.

PubMed

Lincoln, D W

1993-01-01

World population will increase by 1000 million, or by 20%, within 10 years. Ninety-five per cent of this increase will occur in the South, in areas that are already economically, environmentally and politically fragile. Morbidity and mortality associated with reproduction will be greater in the current decade than in any period in human history. Annually, 40-60 million pregnancies will be terminated and 5-10 million children will die within one year of birth. AIDS-related infections, e.g. tuberculosis, will undermine health care in Africa (and elsewhere) and in places AIDS-related deaths will decimate the work-force. The growth in population and associated morbidity will inhibit global economic development and spawn new problems. The key issues are migration, the spread of disease, the supply of water and the degradation of land, and fiscal policies with respect to family planning, pharmaceuticals and Third-World debt. Full education, particularly of women, and more effective family planning in the South have the power to unlock the problem. Failure will see the developed countries, with their 800 million population, swamped by the health, economic and environmental problems of the South, with its projected population of 5400 million people for the year 2000.

Animal Welfare: What's coming down the pipe?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Concern for farm animal welfare is not a new concept. However, increased public pressure and an increasingly entangled global economy are effecting change across the world. The conversation about farm animal welfare is difficult because the world’s population has become disconnected from agricultur...

Population policies, programmes and the environment

PubMed Central

Speidel, J. Joseph; Weiss, Deborah C.; Ethelston, Sally A.; Gilbert, Sarah M.

2009-01-01

Human consumption is depleting the Earth's natural resources and impairing the capacity of life-supporting ecosystems. Humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively over the past 50 years than during any other period, primarily to meet increasing demands for food, fresh water, timber, fibre and fuel. Such consumption, together with world population increasing from 2.6 billion in 1950 to 6.8 billion in 2009, are major contributors to environmental damage. Strengthening family-planning services is crucial to slowing population growth, now 78 million annually, and limiting population size to 9.2 billion by 2050. Otherwise, birth rates could remain unchanged, and world population would grow to 11 billion. Of particular concern are the 80 million annual pregnancies (38% of all pregnancies) that are unintended. More than 200 million women in developing countries prefer to delay their pregnancy, or stop bearing children altogether, but rely on traditional, less-effective methods of contraception or use no method because they lack access or face other barriers to using contraception. Family-planning programmes have a successful track record of reducing unintended pregnancies, thereby slowing population growth. An estimated $15 billion per year is needed for family-planning programmes in developing countries and donors should provide at least $5 billion of the total, however, current donor assistance is less than a quarter of this funding target. PMID:19770155

[Global trends in food consumption and nutrition].

PubMed

Holmboe-Ottesen, G

2000-01-10

Obesity and lifestyle diseases increase all over the world, especially in developing countries. One reason is the change in diet. This nutrition transition is characterised by improvement in dietary variation, but also by increase in the content of fat and sugar. The transition seems to start at a lower level of income, compared to what occurred in the Western countries after the Second World War. The reason is that many foods are relatively cheaper, especially fat and sugar. The world market is presently flooded with cheap vegetable fat. Urbanisation leads to over-consumption by increasing market access to fatty and sugary foods, including fast foods. Globalization increases the consumption of sweet soda pops, biscuits and snacks produced by multinational companies. Western supermarkets and fast food franchises also promote these dietary changes (McDonaldization). It has been proposed that the population in developing countries is more vulnerable towards these dietary changes in regard to obesity and chronic diseases, due to undernutrition in early life (the Barker hypothesis). We may therefore expect an unprecedented increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases, especially diabetes type 2 in the developing countries. One may question if this increase will be a transient phenomenon, or if we can expect the same pattern as we have seen in the West, namely that the poor become the fat-test segment of the population, with the highest prevalence of chronic diseases.

Urban Environmental Education for Global Transformation Initiatives - Integrating Information and Communication Systems for Urban Sustainability in 2050.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaudhari, K.

2017-12-01

The Urban population of developing countries is predicted to rise from one third in 1990 to over 50% by 2025. In 1950 the world's total urban population was 734 million, of whom 448 million were living in developed countries and remaining 286 were in developing region. The total population on earth is predicted to increase by more than one billion people within the next 15 years, reaching 8.5 billion in 2030, and to increase further to 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100. Looking at the ever increasing urbanization.In 2016, an estimated 54.5 per cent of the world's populations inhabited in urban region. By 2030, urban areas are projected to shelter 60 per cent of people worldwide and one in every three people will live in cities with at least half a million inhabitants.On the basis of these figures and other global trends, it would appear that Africa and Asia will have the highest share of world's urban growth in next 25 years, resulting consideration rise of large number of metropolitan cities and towns. Therefore issues related to urban climate change will be important for socio economic development for urban transformation through environmental sustainability.The information and communication systems plays an important role in achieving the social sustainability through environmental sustainability for urban transformation. This presentation aims to start the Global initiatives on the problem identifications in environment education for global transformation, education for socio-economic and environmental sustainability due to urbanization in 2050 to investigate problems related to social-economic risks and management issues resulting from urbanization to aid mitigation planning in globalized world and to educate scientists and local populations to form a basis for sustainable solutions in environment learning.The presentation aims to assess the potential of information and communication technology for environment education,both within different societies and internationally for urban climate sustainability and global transformation for sustainable urban development. The presentation aims at building the global network of environment education organisations for effective application of information and communication technologies for Urban cliamte sustainability in 2050.

The Climate-Population Nexus in the East African Horn: Emerging Degradation Trends in Rangeland and Pastoral Livelihood Zones

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pricope, N. G.; Husak, G. J.; Funk, C. C.; Lopez-Carr, D.

2014-12-01

Increasing climate variability and extreme weather conditions along with declining trends in both rainfall and temperature represent major risk factors affecting agricultural production and food security in many regions of the world. We identify regions where significant rainfall decrease from 1979-2011 over the entire continent of Africa couples with significant human population density increase. The rangelands of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia in the East African Horn remain one of the world's most food insecure regions, yet have significantly increasing human populations predominantly dependent on pastoralist and agro-pastoralist livelihoods. Vegetation in this region is characterized by a variable mosaic of land covers, generally dominated by grasslands necessary for agro-pastoralism, interspersed by woody vegetation. Recent assessments indicate that widespread degradation is occurring, adversely impacting fragile ecosystems and human livelihoods. Using two underutilized MODIS products, we observe significant changes in vegetation patterns and productivity over the last decade all across the East African Horn. We observe significant vegetation browning trends in areas experiencing drying precipitation trends in addition to increasing population pressures. We also found that the drying precipitation trends only partially statistically explain the vegetation browning trends, further indicating that other factors such as population pressures and land use changes are responsible for the observed declining vegetation health. Furthermore, we show that the general vegetation browning trends persist even during years with normal rainfall conditions such as 2012, indicating potential long-term degradation of rangelands on which approximately 10 million people depend. These findings have serious implications for current and future regional food security monitoring and forecasting as well as for mitigation and adaptation strategies in a region where population is expected to continue increasing against a backdrop of drying climate trends.

Residual currents and long-term transport

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cheng, R.T.

1990-01-01

Estuaries, bays, and contiguous coastal seas of the world are the most valuable and yet most vulnerable marine ecosystems. For centuries, society has placed enormous value on coastal areas for living, working, and recreation. In nearly all regions of the world, the largest population is distributed along the coastlines. The marine ecosystems provide food, shelter, and spawning grounds for fisheries, and refuge and sanctuary for wildlife. Dramatic increases in the population living in coastal regions have changed the pattern of land use and the movement of sediments. Obviously, these changes have not come without a price. Accompanying the coastal population increase is competition for the use of estuarine and coastal resources: the diversion of fresh water for irrigation and the discharge of waste water into these systems. The changing patterns of water use have resulted in deterioration of water quality, and in irreversible impacts on many marine ecosystems. All of these alterations directly affect the economic development and the quality of life in adjacent regions.

The demographic impact of the Philippine family planning program: a tale of two Metro Manilas.

PubMed

1993-11-01

This pamphlet predicts the rates of contraceptive prevalence, total fertility, and population growth in the Philippines during 1970-2000. Contraceptive prevalence was 14.5% in 1970 and is expected to be 50% in 2000. Total fertility was 5.9 in 1970 and is expected to be 3.2 in 2000. Population was 36 million in 1970, 65 million in 1993, and is expected to be 75 million in 2000. If the family planning program had not continued to expand after 1970, population would have been 75 million in 1993 and would rise to 96.7 million in 2000. With expanded family planning, the difference in population for 2000 is 22 million people, or the equivalent of 2 metropolitan Manilas. A projected population that is smaller by 22 million is important for carrying capacity. A summary is given of the world situation proposed by Worldwatch. The projection is for increased demand for food from the 90 million people a year added to total world population. Food output during 1950-84 increased dramatically. However recent trends indicate that fish harvests from oceans have leveled off at 100 million tons a year and fish prices have risen rapidly. Fresh water shortages are now apparent in the United States, Mexico, China, India, and the Middle East. Grain production has slowed. Per capita output of rice, corn, and wheat has declined by 11% since 1984. World stocks of rice are low. Grain prices have doubled on the Chicago Board of Trade. Fertilizer use has declined 12% since 1989. Much crop production has reached maximum yields. Topsoil is disappearing, and cropland expanded only 2% in the last 10 years. Since 1945, 2 million hectares of land have been degraded by overgrazing, deforestation, and agricultural mismanagement.

Sustainability through precision agriculture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As population and standard of living increase in many parts of the world, so will the need for food and other agriculturally-based products. To be sustainable, these increases in production must occur with minimum impact on the environment and with efficient use of production resources, including la...

Relationships between human population density and burned area at continental and global scales.

PubMed

Bistinas, Ioannis; Oom, Duarte; Sá, Ana C L; Harrison, Sandy P; Prentice, I Colin; Pereira, José M C

2013-01-01

We explore the large spatial variation in the relationship between population density and burned area, using continental-scale Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) based on 13 years of satellite-derived burned area maps from the global fire emissions database (GFED) and the human population density from the gridded population of the world (GPW 2005). Significant relationships are observed over 51.5% of the global land area, and the area affected varies from continent to continent: population density has a significant impact on fire over most of Asia and Africa but is important in explaining fire over < 22% of Europe and Australia. Increasing population density is associated with both increased and decreased in fire. The nature of the relationship depends on land-use: increasing population density is associated with increased burned are in rangelands but with decreased burned area in croplands. Overall, the relationship between population density and burned area is non-monotonic: burned area initially increases with population density and then decreases when population density exceeds a threshold. These thresholds vary regionally. Our study contributes to improved understanding of how human activities relate to burned area, and should contribute to a better estimate of atmospheric emissions from biomass burning.

Relationships between Human Population Density and Burned Area at Continental and Global Scales

PubMed Central

Bistinas, Ioannis; Oom, Duarte; Sá, Ana C. L.; Harrison, Sandy P.; Prentice, I. Colin; Pereira, José M. C.

2013-01-01

We explore the large spatial variation in the relationship between population density and burned area, using continental-scale Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) based on 13 years of satellite-derived burned area maps from the global fire emissions database (GFED) and the human population density from the gridded population of the world (GPW 2005). Significant relationships are observed over 51.5% of the global land area, and the area affected varies from continent to continent: population density has a significant impact on fire over most of Asia and Africa but is important in explaining fire over < 22% of Europe and Australia. Increasing population density is associated with both increased and decreased in fire. The nature of the relationship depends on land-use: increasing population density is associated with increased burned are in rangelands but with decreased burned area in croplands. Overall, the relationship between population density and burned area is non-monotonic: burned area initially increases with population density and then decreases when population density exceeds a threshold. These thresholds vary regionally. Our study contributes to improved understanding of how human activities relate to burned area, and should contribute to a better estimate of atmospheric emissions from biomass burning. PMID:24358108

Strong bones in later life: luxury or necessity?

PubMed Central

Delmas, P. D.; Fraser, M.

1999-01-01

Osteoporosis is a global problem which will increase in significance as the population of the world both increases and ages. This report looks at how the demographic changes in different countries of the world will be reflected in the incidence and cost of osteoporotic disease. Comparisons are made between the data collected by the European Union's Report on Osteoporosis in the European Community, issued in June 1998, and some of the data available from other parts of the world. The importance of prevention, early detection and appropriate treatment is stressed, as well as the need for national health services to provide reimbursement of the costs of prevention, diagnosis and treatment for high-risk groups. PMID:10361759

Urbanization and its implications for food and farming.

PubMed

Satterthwaite, David; McGranahan, Gordon; Tacoli, Cecilia

2010-09-27

This paper discusses the influences on food and farming of an increasingly urbanized world and a declining ratio of food producers to food consumers. Urbanization has been underpinned by the rapid growth in the world economy and in the proportion of gross world product and of workers in industrial and service enterprises. Globally, agriculture has met the demands from this rapidly growing urban population, including food that is more energy-, land-, water- and greenhouse gas emission-intensive. But hundreds of millions of urban dwellers suffer under-nutrition. So the key issues with regard to agriculture and urbanization are whether the growing and changing demands for agricultural products from growing urban populations can be sustained while at the same time underpinning agricultural prosperity and reducing rural and urban poverty. To this are added the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to build resilience in agriculture and urban development to climate change impacts. The paper gives particular attention to low- and middle-income nations since these have more than three-quarters of the world's urban population and most of its largest cities and these include nations where issues of food security are most pressing.

Population thiamine status and varying cancer rates between western, Asian and African countries.

PubMed

Boros, L G

2000-01-01

The role of food supplements in the form of vitamins has not been extensively investigated in relation to varying cancer rates between populations of different geographical regions. New data indicate that thiamine (vitamin B1), a common food supplement in Western food products, is directly involved in nucleic acid ribose synthesis of tumor cells in its biologically activated form through the non-oxidative transketolase catalyzed pentose cycle reaction. Whether thiamine plays a role in increased cancer rates in the Western World by enhancing tumor cell proliferation, while increased consumption of thiaminase rich food limiting thiamine availability protects against common malignancies in Asia and Africa has not been evaluated. In the Western World, thiamine is a popular vitamin supplement in the form of tablets and it is also added to basic food items such as milled flour, cereals, peanut butter, refreshment drinks and pastas. On the contrary, thiaminase, the natural thiamine-degrading enzyme, is abundantly present in raw and fermented fish, certain vegetables and roasted insects consumed primarily in Africa and Asia. Excess thiamine supplementation in common food products may contribute to the increased cancer rates of the Western World.

The World Health Organization (WHO) dataset for guiding suicide prevention policies: A 3-decade French national survey.

PubMed

Fond, Guillaume; Zendjidjian, Xavier; Boucekine, Mohamed; Brunel, Lore; Llorca, Pierre-Michel; Boyer, Laurent

2015-12-01

Public health policies aim to prevent suicide in the general population. Assessing their effectiveness is required to further guide public health policies. The present article focuses on the French paradox. The French health care system was classified as the best in the world according the World Health Organization (WHO). However, suicide rates in France remain high compared to other European countries. The aim of the present article was to analyze (i) the evolution of suicide Age-Standardized Death (ASDRs) in France during the last three decades and the associations with socio-economic parameters and (ii) to understand which populations may specifically benefit from further targeted suicide prevention policies. The database of the World Health Organization (WHO), freely available, was explored in April 2015. ASDRs were calculated each year by ratio between the number of deaths by suicide and the total population (per 100,000 inhabitants). Number of deaths by gender and age were also analyzed. Overall, ASDR suicide has decreased since 1987 in France (-32.8% between 1987 and 2010). However, France kept the same rank (10/26) when compared to other European countries between 1987 and 2010. The relative burden of suicide in all-causes mortality increased during the same period (+28.2%) while the total number of deaths by suicide increased only slightly (+3.9%). More specifically, the number of deaths by suicide increased substantially in [35-54] years old (+40%) and 75+ years old (+27%) males, and in [35-54] (+41%) years old females. Between 2000 and 2010, suicide rates significantly decreased when yearly mean income increased, and when general and psychiatric care beds decreased. Although ASDR suicide has decreased in France since 1987, this decline is quite modest when considering its universal access to care, the prevention of depression and suicide public policies. Suicide prevention public policies should focus on evaluation and improvement of prevention and care in the [35-54] years old population, and in the males aged 75+. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Matching forage systems with cow size and environment for sustainable cow-calf production in the southern region

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There has been increased interest in intensification of cow-calf production due to an increasing world population and red meat demand along with reductions in available grazing lands. Intensified production can come about by increasing fertilization, supplementation, or feeding of stored forages, bu...

Invited review: Matching forage systems with cow size and environment for sustainable cow-calf production in the southern region of the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Due to increasing red meat demand from the projected increase in world population coupled with reductions in available grazing lands, there has been increased interest in intensification of cow-calf production. Mature cow size has increased by over 30% since the mid-1970s, increasing cow ME requirem...

Religious Encounters in Israeli State Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katz, Yaacov J.

2017-01-01

In this article, Yaccov Katz describes Israel as a unique country housing a population that has increased ten-fold since independence in 1948. It is a country composed of Jews and Arabs, veterans, and immigrants hailing from over 100 countries throughout the world. On the one hand, Israel has a population of secular Jews who profess to be Jewish…

Possible mechanisms of mammalian immunocontraception.

PubMed

Barber, M R; Fayrer-Hosken, R A

2000-03-01

Ecological and conservation programs in ecosystems around the world have experienced varied success in population management. One of the greatest problems is that human expansion has led to the shrinking of wildlife habitat and, as a result, the overpopulation of many different species has occurred. The pressures exerted by the increased number of animals has caused environmental damage. The humane and practical control of these populations has solicited the scientific community to arrive at a safe, effective, and cost-efficient means of population control. Immunocontraception using zona pellucida antigens, specifically porcine zona pellucida (pZP), has become one of the most promising population control tools in the world today, with notable successes in horses and elephants. A conundrum has risen where pZP, a single vaccine, successfully induces an immunocontraceptive effect in multiple species of mammals. This review describes the most current data pertaining to the mammalian zona pellucida and immunocontraception, and from these studies, we suggest several potential mechanisms of immunocontraception.

Mental health research in the Arab world.

PubMed

Jaalouk, Doris; Okasha, Ahmed; Salamoun, Mariana M; Karam, Elie G

2012-11-01

To assess the progression of mental health research over four decades in the Arab world. Publications on mental health in 21 Arab countries from 1966 to 2006 were screened using PubMed and Psychinfo. Data were collected and analyzed for Arab authors and affiliations, publication year, topic and type of journal. In 40 years (1966-2005), the Arab world published 2,213 articles on a vast variety of topics, most common being mood, anxiety and substance use disorders, and mostly in international journals. By the last decade, the total yearly publications increased about eightfold since the first two decades, and nearly doubled from the third one. The disparity of output was high across countries. The highest yearly output was from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Lebanon. Per million population, the top four producing countries were Kuwait, Bahrain, Lebanon and United Arab Emirates. Over a decade, the Arab world produced approximately 17% of the global output of mental health publications/million population and was comparative to Latin American and Caribbean countries. There is a wide gap in comparison with the industrialized world, with a fertile ground for cross-cultural and genetic studies.

Galactic civilizations - Population dynamics and interstellar diffusion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Newman, W. I.; Sagan, C.

1981-01-01

A model is developed of the interstellar diffusion of galactic civilizations which takes into account the population dynamics of such civilizations. The problem is formulated in terms of potential theory, with a family of nonlinear partial differential and difference equations specifying population growth and diffusion for an organism with advantageous genes that undergoes random dispersal while increasing in population locally, and a population at zero population growth. In the case of nonlinear diffusion with growth and saturation, it is found that the colonization wavefront from the nearest independently arisen galactic civilization can have reached the earth only if its lifetime exceeds 2.6 million years, or 20 million years if discretization can be neglected. For zero population growth, the corresponding lifetime is 13 billion years. It is concluded that the earth is uncolonized not because interstellar spacefaring civilizations are rare, but because there are too many worlds to be colonized in the plausible colonization lifetime of nearby civilizations, and that there exist no very old galactic civilizations with a consistent policy of the conquest of inhabited worlds.

Trastuzumab for metastatic breast cancer: Real world outcomes from an Australian whole-of-population cohort (2001-2016).

PubMed

Daniels, Benjamin; Kiely, Belinda E; Lord, Sarah J; Houssami, Nehmat; Lu, Christine Y; Ward, Robyn L; Pearson, Sallie-Anne

2018-04-01

Outcomes for patients treated in clinical trials may not reflect the experience in routine clinical care. We aim to describe the real-world treatment patterns and overall survival (OS) for women receiving trastuzumab for metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Retrospective, whole-of-population cohort study using demographic, dispensing, and medical services data for women in the Herceptin Program for HER2+MBC. We estimated time on trastuzumab and OS from first dispensing of trastuzumab for MBC and rates of cardiac monitoring prior to and during treatment. We stratified outcomes by two groups based on year of initiation: 2001-2008 and 2009-2015. We benchmarked outcomes to two key trastuzumab clinical trials: H0648g (median OS 25 months) and CLEOPATRA (control group median OS 41 months). Median age of the 5899 women at first trastuzumab dispensing was 57 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 48-66). Median time on trastuzumab increased from 15 months (7-33) in Group One to 18 months (8-42) in Group Two. Median OS increased from 27 months (12-57) in Group One to 38 months (16-83) in Group Two. Rates of cardiac monitoring increased at baseline (52%-76%), and on-treatment (47%-67%), in Group One and Two, respectively. OS, duration of trastuzumab, and frequency of cardiac monitoring increased over the study period. Outcomes for trastuzumab in this heterogeneous real world population were reassuringly comparable to those from clinical trials, with the median OS > 3 years in Group Two and 25% of patients living 7 years or longer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cultivating Transcultural Citizenship: A Writing across Communities Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guerra, Juan

2008-01-01

In an increasingly globalized world, in which demographics suggest that the U. S. population is becoming increasingly diverse, educational institutions are focusing almost exclusively on "learning outcomes" and generally ignoring "learning incomes"--i.e., what students bring with them when they come to school. To mitigate this…

Impact of the economic crisis and increase in food prices on child mortality: exploring nutritional pathways.

PubMed

Christian, Parul

2010-01-01

The current economic crisis and food price increase may have a widespread impact on the nutritional and health status of populations, especially in the developing world. Gains in child survival over the past few decades are likely to be threatened and millennium development goals will be harder to achieve. Beyond starvation, which is one of the causes of death in famine situations, there are numerous nutritional pathways by which childhood mortality can increase. These include increases in childhood wasting and stunting, intrauterine growth restriction, and micronutrient deficiencies such as that of vitamin A, iron, and zinc when faced with a food crisis and decreased food availability. These pathways are elucidated and described. Although estimates of the impact of the current crisis on child mortality are yet to be made, data from previous economic crises provide evidence of an increase in childhood mortality that we review. The current situation also emphasizes that there are vast segments of the world's population living in a situation of chronic food insecurity that are likely to be disproportionately affected by an economic crisis. Nutritional and health surveillance data are urgently needed in such populations to monitor both the impacts of a crisis and of interventions. Addressing the nutritional needs of children and women in response to the present crisis is urgent. But, ensuring that vulnerable populations are also targeted with known nutritional interventions at all times is likely to have a substantial impact on child mortality.

The Concept of Sustainable Agriculture: Challenges and Prospects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abubakar, M. S.; Attanda, M. L.

2013-12-01

Agriculture has changed dramatically, especially since the end of World War II. Food and fibre productivity raised due to new technologies, mechanization, increased chemical use, specialization and government policies that favoured maximizing production. Sustainable agriculture is a subject of great interest and lively debate in many parts of the world. Most agriculturalists agree that the concept of sustainable agriculture is of paramount importance to the sustainability of our biosphere and its ever increasing human population. This paper is an effort to identify the ideas, practices and policies that constitute concept of sustainable agriculture.

From Hospital to Home Care: Creating a Domotic Environment for Elderly and Disabled People.

PubMed

Lopez, Natalia M; Ponce, Sergio; Piccinini, David; Perez, Elisa; Roberti, Martin

2016-01-01

Advances in medicine have led to a significant increase in human life expectancy and, therefore, to a growing number of disabled elderly people who need chronic care and assistance [1]. The World Health Organization reports that the world's population over 60 years old will double between 2000 and 2050 and quadruple for seniors older than 80 years, reaching 400 million [2]. In addition, strokes, traffic-related and other accidents, and seemingly endless wars and acts of terrorism contribute to an increasing number of disabled younger people.

Epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections in global indigenous populations: data availability and gaps.

PubMed

Minichiello, Victor; Rahman, Saifur; Hussain, Rafat

2013-10-01

Socioeconomic and health disadvantage is widespread within and across indigenous communities in the world, leading to differentials in morbidity and mortality between indigenous and non-indigenous populations. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS, among indigenous populations are an emerging public health concern. The focus of this paper is on examining the STI epidemiology in indigenous communities in various parts of the world utilizing a range of data sources. Most of the STI research on global indigenous communities has concentrated on developed countries, neglecting more than half the world's indigenous people in the developing countries. This has resulted in major gaps in data at global level for STIs and HIV/AIDS among indigenous populations. Available data show that the prevalence of STIs is increasing among the indigenous communities and in several instances, the rates of these infections are higher than among non-indigenous populations. However, HIV still remains low when compared with the rates of other STIs. The paper argues that there is an urgent need to collect more comprehensive and reliable data at the global level across various indigenous communities. There is also an opportunity to reverse current trends in STIs through innovative, evidence-based and culturally appropriate targeted sexual health programmes.

United Nations population estimates and projections with special reference to the Arab world.

PubMed

1980-06-01

The United Nations Population Division has been preparing world population estimates and projections by region since 1951, by country since 1958, and by sex and age for each country since 1968. The latest revision of the projections was prepared in 1978. The 2 basic methods of preparing population projections are mathematical and component, and the component methods are most widely used at present, by both national governments and the United Nations. Before projections are prepared, the base data must be evaluated and adjusted. In the UN projections, the assumptions imply that orderly progress will be made and that there will be no catastrophes such as famines and epidemics during the projection period. The projectins are prepared in 4 variants--"medium", "high," "low," and "constant." A major source of uncertainty in populations arises from the problem of estimating future fertility. Changes in fertility affect the age distribution and the total population size more than changes in mortality. At the UN, mortality assumptions are initially made in terms of life expectancy at birth and then in terms of age-sex patterns of probabilities of survival corresponding to different life expectancy levels at birth. Some of the results of the 1978 revision of the medium variant of the estimates and projections are shown in table form. The world total population of 4,033,000,000 in 1975 is projected to reach 6,199,000,000 by the year 2000. Among the major areas and regions of the world, the most rapid population growth for the future is projected for the Arab countries, Africa and Latin America. Of the 2 Arab regions, North Africa and Southwest Asia, Southwest Asia is expected to have the higher rate of growth because of assumed continued immigration. Within the Arab regions, there has been an increasing diversity in the rate of population growth. This divergence is expected to narrow with assumed decreased migration rates during the 1980s.

Bipolar disorders in the Arab world: a critical review.

PubMed

Kronfol, Ziad; Zakaria Khalil, Mostafa; Kumar, Pankaj; Suhre, Karsten; Karam, Elie; McInnis, Melvin

2015-05-01

Bipolar disorders are common psychiatric disorders that affect 1-5% of the population worldwide. Major advances in the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of the disorders have recently occurred. The majority of published reports, however, originate from the Western hemisphere, mostly Europe and the United States. There is a shortage of data from the Arab world on bipolar disorders. In an era of globalization and rapid communication, it is not clear to what extent research findings pertaining to one part of the world are by necessity applicable to other parts. Psychiatric disorders are known to be affected by the culture in which they occur, and knowledge of variations in illness presentation in different ethnic groups is also increasing. However, knowledge of variations affecting Arab populations remains quite limited. This paper provides a critical review of the literature on bipolar affective disorders in the Arab world, pointing to major gaps in knowledge and future opportunities to fill these gaps. © 2015 New York Academy of Sciences.

The Demographic Crisis and Global Migration - Selected Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frątczak, Ewa Zofia

2016-01-01

Currently the world is undergoing a serious demographic shift, characterised by slowing population growth in developed countries. However, the population in certain less-developed regions of the world is still increasing. According to UN data, as of 2015, (World...2015), 244 million people (or 3.3% of the global population) lived outside their country of birth. While most of these migrants travel abroad looking for better economic and social conditions, there are also those forced to move by political crises, revolutions and war. Such migration is being experienced currently in Europe, a continent which is thus going through both a demographic crisis related to the low fertility rate and population ageing, and a migration crisis. Global migrations link up inseparably with demographic transformation processes taking place globally and resulting in the changing tempo of population growth. Attracting and discouraging migration factors are changing at the same time, as is the scale and range of global migration, and with these also the global consequences. The focus of work addressed in this paper is on global population, the demographic transformation and the role of global migrations, as well as the range and scale of international migration, and selected aspects of global migrations including participation in the global labour market, the scale of monetary transfers (remittances) and the place of global migration in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Transforming...2015) and the Europe of two crises (Domeny 2016).

Prevalence of chronic atrophic gastritis in different parts of the world.

PubMed

Weck, Melanie Nicole; Brenner, Hermann

2006-06-01

Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is a well-established precursor of intestinal gastric cancer, but epidemiologic data about its occurrence are sparse. We provide an overview on studies that examined the prevalence of CAG in different parts of the world. Articles containing data about the prevalence of chronic atrophic gastritis in unselected population samples and published until November 2005 were identified by searching the MEDLINE database. Furthermore, the references in the identified publications were screened for additional suitable studies. Studies comprising at least 50 subjects were included. Forty-one studies providing data on the prevalence of CAG in unselected population samples could be identified. CAG was determined by gastroscopy in 15 studies and by pepsinogen serum levels in 26 studies. Although results are difficult to compare due to the various definitions of CAG used, a strong increase with age, the lack of major gender differences, and strong variations between populations and population groups (in particular, relatively high rates in certain Asian populations) could be observed quite consistently. We conclude that CAG is relatively common among older adults in different parts of the world, but large variations exist. Large-scale international comparative studies with standardized methodology to determine CAG are needed to provide a coherent picture of the epidemiology of CAG in various populations. Noninvasive measurements of CAG by pepsinogen levels may be particularly suited for that purpose.

[The struggle against malaria in the Ottoman Empire during World War I and the legal regulations made to this end].

PubMed

Koylu, Zafer; Doğan, Nihal

2010-01-01

One of the most important disadvantages of war environmental is infectious diseases. The Ottoman Empire combated infectious diseases in addition to the war because of Balkan wars and afterwards first world war. Because of increasing migrations to Anatolia after Balkan wars spread some epidemic diseases, such as cholera, typhoid fever, plaque, dysentery, syphilis. With the start of the First World War, malaria began to spread within civilian population as well as the military. The population fell from power because of illness and therefore could not process the land tax failed to pay taxes. Founded in 1914 with the fight against epidemic diseases was initiated by the Sıhhiye ministry. Quinine was formed as tablets which was imported from Germany by legal regulation and was distributed to the public by Ziraat Bank. However, malaria epidemic could not be prevented because of long war years, lack of population, insufficiency of the preventive methods and lack of quinine, and about three quarters of the population caught malaria and in four years 412.000 soldiers had malaria and 20.000 of them died despite of measures.

Communicating Pacific Rim Risk: A GIS Analysis of Hazard, Vulnerability, Population, and Infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yurkovich, E. S.; Howell, D. G.

2002-12-01

Exploding population and unprecedented urban development within the last century helped fuel an increase in the severity of natural disasters. Not only has the world become more populated, but people, information and commodities now travel greater distances to service larger concentrations of people. While many of the earth's natural hazards remain relatively constant, understanding the risk to increasingly interconnected and large populations requires an expanded analysis. To improve mitigation planning we propose a model that is accessible to planners and implemented with public domain data and industry standard GIS software. The model comprises 1) the potential impact of five significant natural hazards: earthquake, flood, tropical storm, tsunami and volcanic eruption assessed by a comparative index of risk, 2) population density, 3) infrastructure distribution represented by a proxy, 4) the vulnerability of the elements at risk (population density and infrastructure distribution) and 5) the connections and dependencies of our increasingly 'globalized' world, portrayed by a relative linkage index. We depict this model with the equation, Risk = f(H, E, V, I) Where H is an index normalizing the impact of five major categories of natural hazards; E is one element at risk, population or infrastructure; V is a measure of the vulnerability for of the elements at risk; and I pertains to a measure of interconnectivity of the elements at risk as a result of economic and social globalization. We propose that future risk analysis include the variable I to better define and quantify risk. Each assessment reflects different repercussions from natural disasters: losses of life or economic activity. Because population and infrastructure are distributed heterogeneously across the Pacific region, two contrasting representations of risk emerge from this study.

Evaluation of task shifting in community-based DOTS program as an effective control strategy for tuberculosis.

PubMed

Gabriel, André P; Mercado, Charles P

2011-01-01

Tuberculosis (TB) remains to be the most prevalent and debilitating pulmonary (PTB) infection in the world today, affecting about one-third of the world's population. TB is an endemic disease in many developing countries, and efforts at eliminating the disease remain futile. While the course of the disease is indolent with years of latency, the reactivation of the disease can pose serious pulmonary and systemic infections that compromise multiple organ functions which lead to respiratory failure or end-organ damage. Despite attempts to control and eradicate the mycobacterium, the prevalence of the disease remains high due to increasing population rate, persistence of poverty and poor health care, treatment failure, increasing multidrug resistance as a consequence of treatment failure and poor compliance, and existence of comorbid conditions that compromise immune response. Limited government resources to screen and monitor disease progression of TB in third world countries hamper the eradication of the disease. In response, we have evaluated the efficiency and effectivity of a Community-Based Directly Observed Treatment, Short-Course (CB-DOTS), which is an equally effective alternative strategy to health center DOTS.

Population control II: The population establishment today.

PubMed

Hartmann, B

1997-01-01

Although population assistance represents a relatively small share of official development assistance, it influences many other aspects of development planning. The organizations that comprise the population establishment have a common purpose--the reduction of population growth in the Third World--but they are not homogeneous and sometimes have conflicting goals and strategies. National governments, multilateral agencies, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, academic centers, and pressure groups all contribute to creating and sustaining what has become a virtual population control industry. Through scholarships, travel grants, awards, and favorable publicity, Third World elites have been encouraged to join the population establishment. The World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.N. Fund for Population Activities have pursued explicit strategies for pressuring Third World governments to design and implement population policies, most recently in Africa.

Population Policies and Education: Exploring the Contradictions of Neo-Liberal Globalisation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bovill, Catherine; Leppard, Margaret

2006-01-01

The world is increasingly characterised by profound income, health and social inequalities (Appadurai, 2000). In recent decades development initiatives aimed at reducing these inequalities have been situated in a context of increasing globalisation with a dominant neo-liberal economic orthodoxy. This paper argues that neo-liberal globalisation…

Understanding the yield gap in wheat production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat production around the globe is a staple of human nutrition needs and will continue to provide a major component of global food security. The increases in world population demand that we continue to increase wheat production in a sustainable manner. To achieve this goal requires that we underst...

Producing biofuel crops: environmental and economic implications and strategies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The growing need for sustainable fuel sources must become compatible with the continued need for food by an ever increasing world population and the effects of climate change on ability to produce food and biofuel. Growing more hectares of biofuel crops such as corn increases sediment and nutrient l...

Plant-beneficial bacteria mitigate drought stress in soybean

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agriculture accounts for ~70% of all water use and the world population is increasing annually, soon more people will need to be fed, while also using less water. The use of plant-beneficial bacteria (PBB) is an eco-friendly alternative that can increase crop water use efficiency. This work aimed to...

Nutrient Uptake and Outcome network (NUOnet): Connecting a Wide Range of Natural Resource Conservation Networks

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Nutrient application and its uptake by crops are essential to increasing agricultural production, which is essential to feed a growing world population. Efficiency in management of nutrients could be increased with conservation practices that reduce nutrient losses to the environment and promote con...

[New projections for the world population to the year 2025].

PubMed

Srb, V

1988-03-01

The 1982 and 1984 population projection program of the United Nations containing estimations for the world's population for 2000-2025 had 3 variations: the median projection figure for 2000 was 6.122 billion and for 2025 8.025 billion. The respective figures of the high estimate were 6.340 and 9.088 billion, and the low estimate envisioned 5.927 and 7.358 billion people, respectively. THe corresponding rate of growth is expected to slow down from 1.67% during 1980-1985 to 1.38% during 2000- 2005, and to drop to 0.96% during 2020-2025. The rate of growth of the global population is to decrease from 37.6% during 1980-2000 to 27.4% during 2000-2020. The difference of the projections of 1982 and 1984 is only 29 million people (8.177 and 8.206, respectively). During the period 2000-2020 the population of Africa is expected to grow to make up 11.5% of the world's population, Europe would make up 10.20% and Asia 58.2%. By 2025 the respective figures would be 19.7%, 6.4%, and 55.3%. The rate of growth of 4 European regions would vary during 1980-2000 and 2000-2025: in Eastern Europe 10% and 7.3%, respectively, in Western Europe 2.0% and 0.0%, in Southern Europe 9.2% and 3.9%, and in Northern Europe 1.6% and -2.8%, respectively. The negative growth figures of the German Democratic Republic were revised from 1982 estimates to show a 2.5% and 2.4% increase during the respective periods. The slight increases (1.8% and 0.2%) projected for Hungary were reversed to zero or negative growth (0.0% and -0.8%). During these periods the growth figures for Czechoslovakia would be 8.3% and 8.0%, for Poland 14.7% and 9.2%, for Romania 15.2% and 11.4%, and for Bulgaria 7.6% and 4.6%, respectively. Life expectancy for the periods 1985-1990 and 2010-2025 is estimated at 61.1 and 70.5 years for the world, and 74.0 and 77.2 years for Europe.

Mate-location failure, the Allee effect, and the establishment of invading populations

Treesearch

Takehiko Yamanaka; Andrew M. Liebhold

2009-01-01

In recent years, increased global trade and travel have provided potent invasion pathways for ever-increasing numbers of alien species. Although many species from distant parts of the world have increased productivity and taken on critical roles in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and aquacultural industries, many other alien species have had serious deleterious...

A Case for Enhancing Environmental Education Programs in Schools: Reflecting on Primary School Students' Knowledge and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treagust, David F.; Amarant, Arlene; Chandrasegaran, A. L.; Won, Mihye

2016-01-01

Environmental education in schools is of increasing importance as the world population increases with the subsequent demand on resources and the potential for increased pollution. In an effort to enhance the standing of environmental education in the school curriculum, this study was designed to determine primary students' knowledge about the…

Mankind under threat -- Vatican.

PubMed

Sakala, C

1994-01-01

The United Nations has noted that 250,000 people are added to the global population daily. Urgent steps must be taken to curb such growth and stabilize the size of the global population. Existing population consumes available resources at an unsustainable rate, littering the environment with its waste. Even the global climate is changing as a result of these unsustainable patterns of production and consumption. The 1994 International Conference on Population and Development scheduled to be held in Cairo, September 5-13, will bring together delegates from countries around the world to discuss these issues and develop a plan to curb population growth and save the environment. Unlike the rest of the world, the Pope and the Vatican fail to see reason. Despite the pragmatic call to increase the practice of modern family planning, especially in developing countries, the Church has actually intensified its campaign against the conference and its objectives. The Pope argues that the conference will accelerate moral decline and charged that respect for the rights of the unborn and the importance of the family are contradicted by its proposals. He is especially up in arms over the UN proposition that women should be able to control their fertility through contraception and safe abortion. Approving only of natural family planning, the Pope believes that achieving world population goals by using contraception threatens mankind. Population experts, however, are urging the Vatican to face reality and help especially those women who feel their living conditions do not allow the practice of natural family planning.

Bioenergy Tree Plantations in the Tropics: Ecological Implications and Impacts. Commission on Ecology Paper Number 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davidson, J.

Uneven economic growth, rapid population increases, and high costs of fossil fuels have caused much of the human race to experience an energy crisis. For the world's poor people the energy requirements consist mainly of firewood. This crisis will be aggravated further as population trends begin to overwhelm natural resources. Future demands for…

Effects of urban land-use change on biogeochemical cycles

Treesearch

Richard V. Pouyat; Diane E. Pataki; Kenneth T. Belt; Peter M. Groffman; John Hom; Lawrence E. Band

2007-01-01

Urban land-use change, the conversion of agricultural recand natural ecosystems to human settlements, has become an important component of global change. Virtually all of the projected increase in the world's population is expected to occur in cities so that by the year 2007 more than half of the global population is expected to live in urban areas (United Nations...

Behind Bars II: Substance Abuse and America's Prison Population

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, 2010

2010-01-01

People in the United States, though only five percent of the world's population, consume two-thirds of the world's illegal drugs. People in the United States, though only five percent of the world's population, incarcerate 25 percent of the world's prisoners. It is no coincidence that of the 2.3 million inmates in U.S. prisons, 65 percent--1.5…

World Population: U.N. on the Move but Grounds for Optimism Are Scant

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holden, Constance

1974-01-01

Discusses current trends and problems relating to world population, and focuses on action being taken by the United Nations. This year (1974) has been designated World Population Year, and will be highlighted by a conference in Bucharest in which all 130 member governments will meet to confront the issue of population control. (JR)

Extreme Temperatures May Increase Risk for Low Birth Weight at Term

MedlinePlus

... research in the United States and throughout the world on fetal, infant and child development; maternal, child and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit ...

Sparsely-synchronized brain rhythm in a small-world neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sang-Yoon; Lim, Woochang

2013-07-01

Sparsely-synchronized cortical rhythms, associated with diverse cognitive functions, have been observed in electric recordings of brain activity. At the population level, cortical rhythms exhibit small-amplitude fast oscillations while at the cellular level, individual neurons show stochastic firings sparsely at a much lower rate than the population rate. We study the effect of network architecture on sparse synchronization in an inhibitory population of subthreshold Morris-Lecar neurons (which cannot fire spontaneously without noise). Previously, sparse synchronization was found to occur for cases of both global coupling ( i.e., regular all-to-all coupling) and random coupling. However, a real neural network is known to be non-regular and non-random. Here, we consider sparse Watts-Strogatz small-world networks which interpolate between a regular lattice and a random graph via rewiring. We start from a regular lattice with only short-range connections and then investigate the emergence of sparse synchronization by increasing the rewiring probability p for the short-range connections. For p = 0, the average synaptic path length between pairs of neurons becomes long; hence, only an unsynchronized population state exists because the global efficiency of information transfer is low. However, as p is increased, long-range connections begin to appear, and global effective communication between distant neurons may be available via shorter synaptic paths. Consequently, as p passes a threshold p th (}~ 0.044), sparsely-synchronized population rhythms emerge. However, with increasing p, longer axon wirings become expensive because of their material and energy costs. At an optimal value p* DE (}~ 0.24) of the rewiring probability, the ratio of the synchrony degree to the wiring cost is found to become maximal. In this way, an optimal sparse synchronization is found to occur at a minimal wiring cost in an economic small-world network through trade-off between synchrony and wiring cost.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in the World Mental Health Surveys.

PubMed

Koenen, K C; Ratanatharathorn, A; Ng, L; McLaughlin, K A; Bromet, E J; Stein, D J; Karam, E G; Meron Ruscio, A; Benjet, C; Scott, K; Atwoli, L; Petukhova, M; Lim, C C W; Aguilar-Gaxiola, S; Al-Hamzawi, A; Alonso, J; Bunting, B; Ciutan, M; de Girolamo, G; Degenhardt, L; Gureje, O; Haro, J M; Huang, Y; Kawakami, N; Lee, S; Navarro-Mateu, F; Pennell, B-E; Piazza, M; Sampson, N; Ten Have, M; Torres, Y; Viana, M C; Williams, D; Xavier, M; Kessler, R C

2017-10-01

Traumatic events are common globally; however, comprehensive population-based cross-national data on the epidemiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the paradigmatic trauma-related mental disorder, are lacking. Data were analyzed from 26 population surveys in the World Health Organization World Mental Health Surveys. A total of 71 083 respondents ages 18+ participated. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview assessed exposure to traumatic events as well as 30-day, 12-month, and lifetime PTSD. Respondents were also assessed for treatment in the 12 months preceding the survey. Age of onset distributions were examined by country income level. Associations of PTSD were examined with country income, world region, and respondent demographics. The cross-national lifetime prevalence of PTSD was 3.9% in the total sample and 5.6% among the trauma exposed. Half of respondents with PTSD reported persistent symptoms. Treatment seeking in high-income countries (53.5%) was roughly double that in low-lower middle income (22.8%) and upper-middle income (28.7%) countries. Social disadvantage, including younger age, female sex, being unmarried, being less educated, having lower household income, and being unemployed, was associated with increased risk of lifetime PTSD among the trauma exposed. PTSD is prevalent cross-nationally, with half of all global cases being persistent. Only half of those with severe PTSD report receiving any treatment and only a minority receive specialty mental health care. Striking disparities in PTSD treatment exist by country income level. Increasing access to effective treatment, especially in low- and middle-income countries, remains critical for reducing the population burden of PTSD.

On the number of New World founders: a population genetic portrait of the peopling of the Americas.

PubMed

Hey, Jody

2005-06-01

The founding of New World populations by Asian peoples is the focus of considerable archaeological and genetic research, and there persist important questions on when and how these events occurred. Genetic data offer great potential for the study of human population history, but there are significant challenges in discerning distinct demographic processes. A new method for the study of diverging populations was applied to questions on the founding and history of Amerind-speaking Native American populations. The model permits estimation of founding population sizes, changes in population size, time of population formation, and gene flow. Analyses of data from nine loci are consistent with the general portrait that has emerged from archaeological and other kinds of evidence. The estimated effective size of the founding population for the New World is fewer than 80 individuals, approximately 1% of the effective size of the estimated ancestral Asian population. By adding a splitting parameter to population divergence models it becomes possible to develop detailed portraits of human demographic history. Analyses of Asian and New World data support a model of a recent founding of the New World by a population of quite small effective size.

Campylobacter epidemiology: a descriptive study reviewing 1 million cases in England and Wales between 1989 and 2011.

PubMed

Nichols, Gordon L; Richardson, Judith F; Sheppard, Samuel K; Lane, Chris; Sarran, Christophe

2012-01-01

To review Campylobacter cases in England and Wales over 2 decades and examine the main factors/mechanisms driving the changing epidemiology. A descriptive study of Campylobacter patients between 1989 and 2011. Cases over 3 years were linked anonymously to postcode, population density, deprivation indices and census data. Cases over 5 years were anonymously linked to local weather exposure estimates. Patients were from general practice, hospital and environmental health investigations through primary diagnostic laboratories across England and Wales. There were 1 109 406 cases. Description of changes in Campylobacter epidemiology over 23 years and how the main drivers may influence these. There was an increase in Campylobacter cases over the past 23 years, with the largest increase in people over 50 years. Changes in the underlying population have contributed to this, including the impacts of population increases after World War I, World War II and the 'baby boom' of the 1960s. A recent increase in risk or ascertainment within this population has caused an increase in cases in all age groups from 2004 to 2011. The seasonal increase in cases between weeks 18 (Early May) and 22 (Early June) was consistent across ages, years and regions and was most marked in children and in more rural regions. Campylobacter prevalence by week in each region correlated with temperature 2 weeks before. There were higher prevalences in areas with a low population density, low deprivation and lower percentage of people of ethnic origin. Data from sero-phage and multilocus sequence typing show a few common types and many uncommon types. The drivers/mechanisms influencing seasonality, age distribution, population density, socioeconomic and long-term differences are diverse and their relative contributions remain to be established. Surveillance and typing provide insights into Campylobacter epidemiology and sources of infection, providing a sound basis for targeted interventions.

Issues of cultural diversity in acquired brain injury (ABI) rehabilitation.

PubMed

Lequerica, Anthony; Krch, Denise

2014-01-01

With the general population in the United States becoming increasingly diverse, it is important for rehabilitation professionals to develop the capacity to provide culturally sensitive treatment. This is especially relevant when working with minority populations who have a higher risk for brain injury and poorer rehabilitation outcomes. This article presents a number of clinical vignettes to illustrate how cultural factors can influence behavior in patients recovering from brain injury, as well as rehabilitation staff. The main objectives are to raise awareness among clinicians and stimulate research ideas by highlighting some real world examples of situations where a specialized, patient-centered approach needs to consider factors of cultural diversity. Because one's own world view impacts the way we see the world and interpret behavior, it is important to understand one's own ethnocentrism when dealing with a diverse population of patients with brain injury where behavioral sequelae are often expected. Being able to see behavior after brain injury with an open mind and taking into account cultural and contextual factors is an important step in developing culturally competent rehabilitation practices.

Worldwide cutaneous malignant melanoma incidences analyzed by sex, age, and skin type over time (1955–2007): Is HPV infection of androgenic hair follicular melanocytes a risk factor for developing melanoma exclusively in people of European-ancestry?

PubMed Central

Merrill, Stephen J.; Subramanian, Madhan; Godar, Dianne E.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT The cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) incidence has been increasing in an exponential manner in certain populations around the world for over 7 decades. To help illuminate the etiology, we performed worldwide temporal (1955–2007) CMM incidence analysis by sex, age (0–14, 15–29, 30–49, 50–69, 70–85+), and skin type on 6 continents using data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer. We observe an exponential increase in the CMM incidence over time and an increase of about 2 orders of magnitude between age groups 0–14 and 15–29 exclusively in European-ancestry populations around the world independent of skin type (I–III or III–IV). Other populations like the Chinese (III-IV) had much lower CMM incidences that either remained stable or temporally decreased but did not display a dramatic increase between the youngest age groups. The dramatic increase in the incidence between the youngest age groups found only in European-ancestry populations suggests one of the most important risk factors for CMM may be developing androgenic hair, the occurrence of which appears to correlate with the distribution of CMM over male and female body sites. Besides that potential new risk factor, the increasing CMM incidence with increasing age, known not to be from cumulative UV doses, may be associated with age-related changes to skin, i.e., thinning epidermis causing lower vitamin D3 levels, and hair, i.e., whitening from higher reactive oxygen species. The temporal exponential increasing CMM incidence in European-ancestry populations may be due to Human Papilloma Virus infection of follicular hair melanocytes, found in CMM biopsies. PMID:27588159

Science for Humanity: Giving Generously to Our World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sparks, R. Stephen J.

2010-09-01

Hardly a week goes by without some reminder that we live in an age of anxiety and a world in environmental crisis. As I write this message, unusual stratospheric wind patterns in the Northern Hemisphere seem to be implicated in tragic floods in Pakistan, landslides in China, and wildfires near Moscow. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico reminds us of our dependence on oil, the increasing scarcity of natural resources, and the adverse environmental impact of our appetite for these resources. The Haiti earthquake earlier this year demonstrates the vulnerability of human society to the natural world. So does the small volcanic eruption in Iceland that disrupted the travel plans of millions of people and cost the aviation industry billions of dollars. Our vulnerability seems to be increasing as the world's population continues to grow, as globalization and interdependencies advance at a giddy pace, and as human societies strive for economic growth.

Has the world really survived the population bomb? (Commentary on "how the world survived the population bomb: lessons from 50 years of extraordinary demographic history").

PubMed

Becker, Stan

2013-12-01

In his PAA presidential address and corresponding article in Demography, David Lam (Demography 48:1231-1262, 2011) documented the extraordinary progress of humankind-vis-à-vis poverty alleviation, increased schooling, and reductions in mortality and fertility-since 1960 and noted that he expects further improvements by 2050. However, although Lam briefly covered the problems of global warming and pollution, he did not address several other major environmental problems that are closely related to the rapid human population growth in recent decades and to the progress he described. This commentary highlights some of these problems to provide a more balanced perspective on the situation of the world. Specifically, humans currently are using resources at an unsustainable level. Groundwater depletion and overuse of river water are major problems on multiple continents. Fossil fuel resources and several minerals are being depleted. Other major problems include deforestation, with the annual forest clearing globally estimated to be an area the size of New York State; and species extinction, with rates estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times higher than background rates. Principles of ecological economics are presented that allow an integration of ecology and economic development and better potential for preservation of the world for future generations.

The major epidemic infections: a gift from the Old World to the New?

PubMed

Sessa, R; Palagiano, C; Scifoni, M G; di Pietro, M; Del Piano, M

1999-03-01

With the discovery of the New World, the Europeans flocked to America and with them spread infectious diseases. During long sea voyages the agents of these diseases increased their diffusion capacity in a suitable environment. Lack of hygiene, fatigue and privations, a diet without vitamins and many persons kept in confined spaces were the essential features of this environment. Sick persons, whose health conditions worsened during the journey to the New World, carried the germs of infectious diseases. The first disease to appear in the New World was smallpox described in 1518 in Hispaniola. From there the disease moved rapidly to Mexico in 1520, exterminating most of the Aztecs, Guatemala and to the territories of Incas from 1525-26, killing most of them and the King himself. The second disease, influenza, appeared in La Isabela, a few years later, causing a heavy epidemic between 1558 and 1559. Other diseases followed such as yellow fever and malaria. So Europeans and these invisible and mortal agents caused enormous destruction of American populations. In fact historians have estimated that beginning from early 1500, in only 50 years the population of Peru and Mexico fell from 60 to 10 million; in the latter country, in one century, the populations fell from an initial 10 million to only 2 million.

The population problem: conceptions and misconceptions.

PubMed

Berelson, B

1971-01-01

Only 1 in about 110 sex acts results in a conception and 1 in 270 in a live birth. Of all conceptions, 40% result in live births, 5% in stillbirths, and 55% never develop. 1/3 of all known conceptions ends in abortion, spontaneous or induced. It appears that the population problem depends on a small fraction of the potential. Misconceptions of the problem are corrected, and it is emphasized that while no social problem facing the U.S. would be easier with a larger population, demographic factors do not cause all of the other problems. Increasing numbers are not as important as the rate of increase (2% annually worldwide). Today's population problem has been caused by a decreased death rate, not an increased birthrate. There are 2 kinds of countries in the world today: those with a high standard of living and low fertility and those with a low standard of living and high fertility. Most of the uninformed women of the world would not choose to have large numbers of children if they had a choice. Population density is not a problem in itself. Experts disagree, but it is improbable that large numbers of people will die of starvation in the next few decades. Environmental deterioration is more the result of modern economic and technological practices than of demographic factors. Efforts at fertility control are not aimed at minorities in this country and elsewhere. The poor are discriminated against in access to family planning services and abortion. Moslems of developing countries have higher fertility rates than Roman Catholics in developed countries. There would be many social costs if the U.S. were to achieve zero population growth in the near future. The population problem has implications for the future quality of life.

A global analysis of human habitation on river deltas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edmonds, Douglas; Caldwell, Rebecca; Baumgardner, Sarah; Paola, Chris; Roy, Samapriya; Nelson, Amelia; Nienhuis, Jaap

2017-04-01

River deltas are ideal sites for human habitation because of their fertile floodplains, easy access to the ocean, and abundant land. But anthropogenic and natural processes are causing deltas to sink, which increases the probability of coastal flooding and human exposure to risk. The full extent of the risk posed to humans is unclear because the number of people living on river deltas is unknown. Towards this end we mapped the locations and areas of all deltas in the world (n= 1813). Using Google Earth we identified all river mouths (≥ 50 m wide) on marine coastlines that are also connected to an upstream catchment. Rivers that split into two or more active or relict distributary channels, end in a depositional protrusion from the shoreline, or do both, are defined as deltas. The depositional protrusion and distributary channel network define the geomorphic area of each delta. We mark the position of the delta apex at the first bifurcation, or for a single channel delta at the intersection of the regional shoreline and the main channel. We mark three lateral extents, one on either side of the main channel at the maximum displacement of the depositional protrusion or the distributary network, and one on the most basinward position of the delta. We define delta area as the convex hull around these extent points and the delta apex. For each delta area polygon we extract elevation from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission dataset and population count in years 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2020 from Gridded Population of the World, version 4. In total, deltas cover 0.56% of the total area of the world yet contain 4.1% of the world's population. The population on deltas has grown from 237 million in 2000 to projected values of 322 million in 2020. Deltaic population is growing at 1.59% per year, which outpaces the world growth rate of 1.11%. Additionally, population density is increasing with time from 322 people per km2 in year 2000 to projected values of 422 people per km2 in 2020. Of the 300 million people currently living on deltas, roughly 69% live below 10 meters elevation in the so-called low elevation coastal zone that is particularly susceptible to coastal flooding. Interestingly, the population in the low elevation coastal zone is unevenly distributed. The largest number of people, approximately 24%, live between 4 and 6 m elevation. This elevation range is also more densely populated at 580 people per km2, which is nearly 12 times the global mean of 47 people per km2. We consider these estimates to be a minimum given that we define delta area from the geomorphic footprint.

Complex networks generated by the Penna bit-string model: Emergence of small-world and assortative mixing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Chunguang; Maini, Philip K.

2005-10-01

The Penna bit-string model successfully encompasses many phenomena of population evolution, including inheritance, mutation, evolution, and aging. If we consider social interactions among individuals in the Penna model, the population will form a complex network. In this paper, we first modify the Verhulst factor to control only the birth rate, and introduce activity-based preferential reproduction of offspring in the Penna model. The social interactions among individuals are generated by both inheritance and activity-based preferential increase. Then we study the properties of the complex network generated by the modified Penna model. We find that the resulting complex network has a small-world effect and the assortative mixing property.

Modelling multiple threats to water security in the Peruvian Amazon using the WaterWorld policy support system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Soesbergen, A. J. J.; Mulligan, M.

2014-01-01

This paper describes the application of WaterWorld (www.policysupport.org/waterworld) to the Peruvian Amazon, an area that is increasingly under pressure from deforestation and water pollution as a result of population growth, rural-to-urban migration and oil and gas extraction, potentially impacting both water quantity and water quality. By applying single and combined plausible scenarios of climate change, deforestation around existing and planned roads, population growth and rural-urban migration, mining and oil and gas exploitation, we explore the potential combined impacts of these multiple changes on water resources in the Peruvian Amazon.

Strategies of the Brazilian chronic kidney disease prevention campaign (2003-2009).

PubMed

Mastroianni-Kirsztajn, Gianna; Bastos, Marcus G; Burdmann, Emmanuel A

2011-01-01

In Brazil, as in the rest of the world, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasing. In order to alert the population, health professionals and authorities to this risk, in 2003, the Brazilian Society of Nephrology launched a CKD prevention campaign called 'Previna-se'. In addition, since its onset, Brazil has participated in the World Kidney Day efforts and has developed several prevention strategies. Here, we summarize the main strategies adopted in this campaign (population screening, events and meetings, distribution of educational materials, routine report of estimated glomerular filtration rate) and our initial results, sharing practical experience that could be useful in other developing countries. Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

An Era of Global Scarcity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abelson, Philip H.

1973-01-01

Discusses problems facing the world with increasing demands for food, energy, raw materials and goods, and at the same time confronted with a population explosion. Views the future of the United States optimistically when compared to less developed countries. (JR)

Sustainability for Shrinking Cities

EPA Science Inventory

Shrinking cities are widespread throughout the world despite the rapidly increasing global urban population. These cities are attempting to transition to sustainable trajectories to improve the health and well-being of urban residents, to build their capacity to adapt to changing...

Occupational Cancer

MedlinePlus

... Agents Regulation and Policy Surveillance References Around the world, 12.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year, and the number is expected to increase due to the growth and aging of the population, as well as reductions in childhood mortality and ...

Effects of rising temperature on the viability of an important sea turtle rookery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laloë, Jacques-Olivier; Cozens, Jacquie; Renom, Berta; Taxonera, Albert; Hays, Graeme C.

2014-06-01

A warming world poses challenges for species with temperature-dependent sex determination, including sea turtles, for which warmer incubation temperatures produce female hatchlings. We combined in situ sand temperature measurements with air temperature records since 1850 and predicted warming scenarios from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to derive 250-year time series of incubation temperatures, hatchling sex ratios, and operational sex ratios for one of the largest sea turtles rookeries globally (Cape Verde Islands, Atlantic). We estimate that light-coloured beaches currently produce 70.10% females whereas dark-coloured beaches produce 93.46% females. Despite increasingly female skewed sex ratios, entire feminization of this population is not imminent. Rising temperatures increase the number of breeding females and hence the natural rate of population growth. Predicting climate warming impacts across hatchlings, male-female breeding ratios and nesting numbers provides a holistic approach to assessing the conservation concerns for sea turtles in a warming world.

Transgenic multivitamin corn through biofortification of endosperm with three vitamins representing three distinct metabolic pathways

PubMed Central

Naqvi, Shaista; Zhu, Changfu; Farre, Gemma; Ramessar, Koreen; Bassie, Ludovic; Breitenbach, Jürgen; Perez Conesa, Dario; Ros, Gaspar; Sandmann, Gerhard; Capell, Teresa; Christou, Paul

2009-01-01

Vitamin deficiency affects up to 50% of the world's population, disproportionately impacting on developing countries where populations endure monotonous, cereal-rich diets. Transgenic plants offer an effective way to increase the vitamin content of staple crops, but thus far it has only been possible to enhance individual vitamins. We created elite inbred South African transgenic corn plants in which the levels of 3 vitamins were increased specifically in the endosperm through the simultaneous modification of 3 separate metabolic pathways. The transgenic kernels contained 169-fold the normal amount of β-carotene, 6-fold the normal amount of ascorbate, and double the normal amount of folate. Levels of engineered vitamins remained stable at least through to the T3 homozygous generation. This achievement, which vastly exceeds any realized thus far by conventional breeding alone, opens the way for the development of nutritionally complete cereals to benefit the world's poorest people. PMID:19416835

Food Waste to Energy: An Overview of Sustainable Approaches for Food Waste Management and Nutrient Recycling

PubMed Central

Paritosh, Kunwar; Kushwaha, Sandeep K.; Yadav, Monika; Pareek, Nidhi; Chawade, Aakash

2017-01-01

Food wastage and its accumulation are becoming a critical problem around the globe due to continuous increase of the world population. The exponential growth in food waste is imposing serious threats to our society like environmental pollution, health risk, and scarcity of dumping land. There is an urgent need to take appropriate measures to reduce food waste burden by adopting standard management practices. Currently, various kinds of approaches are investigated in waste food processing and management for societal benefits and applications. Anaerobic digestion approach has appeared as one of the most ecofriendly and promising solutions for food wastes management, energy, and nutrient production, which can contribute to world's ever-increasing energy requirements. Here, we have briefly described and explored the different aspects of anaerobic biodegrading approaches for food waste, effects of cosubstrates, effect of environmental factors, contribution of microbial population, and available computational resources for food waste management researches. PMID:28293629

Food Waste to Energy: An Overview of Sustainable Approaches for Food Waste Management and Nutrient Recycling.

PubMed

Paritosh, Kunwar; Kushwaha, Sandeep K; Yadav, Monika; Pareek, Nidhi; Chawade, Aakash; Vivekanand, Vivekanand

2017-01-01

Food wastage and its accumulation are becoming a critical problem around the globe due to continuous increase of the world population. The exponential growth in food waste is imposing serious threats to our society like environmental pollution, health risk, and scarcity of dumping land. There is an urgent need to take appropriate measures to reduce food waste burden by adopting standard management practices. Currently, various kinds of approaches are investigated in waste food processing and management for societal benefits and applications. Anaerobic digestion approach has appeared as one of the most ecofriendly and promising solutions for food wastes management, energy, and nutrient production, which can contribute to world's ever-increasing energy requirements. Here, we have briefly described and explored the different aspects of anaerobic biodegrading approaches for food waste, effects of cosubstrates, effect of environmental factors, contribution of microbial population, and available computational resources for food waste management researches.

Psychiatric agriculture: systemic nutritional modification and mental health in the developing world.

PubMed

London, Douglas S; Stoll, Andrew L; Manning, Bruce B

2006-01-01

Modernization of agricultural systems to increase output causes changes to the nutritional content of food entire populations consume. Human nutritional needs differ from their "food", thus producing healthy agricultural products is not equivalent to providing agricultural products that are healthy for humans. Inclusion of the food production system as a factor in the increase of neuropsychiatric disorders and other chronic diseases helps explain negative trends in modern chronic diseases that remain unchecked despite stunning advances in modern medicine. Diseases in which our own technology plays a significant role include obesity and resulting disorders, such as diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, stroke and arthritis. Modernization's lure leads to importation of modern agricultural practices into a nutritionally vulnerable, malnourished and sometimes starving developing world. Wealthier nations hedge their food portfolio by having access to a wider variety of foods. The developing world's reliance on staple foods means even a minor widespread nutritional modification of one key food can have profound effects. New agricultural techniques may improve or exacerbate neuropsychiatric disorders through nutritional modification in regions where populations walk a nutritional tightrope with little margin for error. In most of the developing world western psychiatric interventions have failed to make inroads. People's consumption of fish has a demonstrated beneficial effect on their mental health and the omega-3 fatty acid content is a significant factor. Epidemiological, biological and agricultural studies implicate a lack of dietary omega-3s as a factor in certain mental disorders. Replenishing omega-3s has improved mental illnesses in controlled clinical trials. This article's detailed tilapia fish-farming model demonstrates how aquaculture/agriculture techniques can function as a public health intervention by increasing dietary omega-3s through creation of sustainable, economical and culturally appropriate food sources for the developing world.

Some implications of changing patterns of mineral consumption

USGS Publications Warehouse

Menzie, W. David; DeYoung,, John H.; Steblez, Walter G.

2003-01-01

DeYoung and Menzie (1999) examined the relations among population, Gross Domestic Product, and mineral consumption (aluminum, cement, copper, and salt) for Japan, Korea, and the United States between 1965 and 1995. They noted the extremely rapid growth of consumption in Korea between 1975 and 1995. Concomitantly, Korea's population growth rate declined. This paper extends that earlier work by examining patterns of consumption of these same commodities in the twenty most populous countries for the period 1970 through 1995. Developed countries, such as France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, show patterns of consumption that are stable (cement, copper, and salt) or grow slowly (aluminum). Some developing countries, including China, Thailand, and Turkey, show more rapid growth of consumption, especially of cement, copper, and aluminum. These changing patterns of mineral consumption in developing countries have important implications -- if they continue, there could be major increases in world mineral consumption and major increases in environmental residuals from mineral production and use. If China reaches the level of consumption of copper of developed countries, world consumption could reach levels more than twice that of 1995 (10.5 million tons).

Hypertension in the developing world: challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Mittal, Bharati V; Singh, Ajay K

2010-03-01

Hypertension is a major public health problem and a leading cause of death and disability in developing countries. One-quarter of the world's adult population has hypertension, and this is likely to increase to 29% by 2025. Modeled projections indicate an increase to 1.15 billion hypertensive patients by 2025 in developing countries. There is variability in the global prevalence of hypertension: hypertension is present in approximately 35% of the Latin American population, 20%-30% of the Chinese and Indian population, and approximately 14% in Sub-Saharan African countries. This heterogeneity has been attributed to several factors, including urbanization with its associated changes in lifestyle, racial ethnic differences, nutritional status, and birth weight. Compounding this high burden of hypertension is a lack of awareness and insufficient treatment in those with hypertension. The public health response to this challenge should drive greater promotion of awareness efforts, studies of risk factors for hypertension, and understanding of the impact of lifestyle changes. Also important are efforts to develop multipronged strategies for hypertension management in developing nations. Copyright 2010 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Obesity and diabetes in vulnerable populations: reflection on proximal and distal causes.

PubMed

Candib, Lucy M

2007-01-01

Around the world obesity and diabetes are climbing to epidemic proportion, even in countries previously characterized by scarcity. Likewise, people from low-income and minority communities, as well as immigrants from the developing world, increasingly visit physicians in North America with obesity, metabolic syndrome, or diabetes. Explanations limited to lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise are inadequate to explain the universality of what can be called a syndemic, a complex and widespread phenomenon in population health produced by multiple reinforcing conditions. Underlying the problem are complex factors-genetic, physiological, psychological, familial, social, economic, and political-coalescing to overdetermine these conditions. These interacting factors include events occurring during fetal life, maternal physiology and life context, the thrifty genotype, the nutritional transition, health impact of urbanization and immigration, social attributions and cultural perceptions of increased weight, and changes in food costs and availability resulting from globalization. Better appreciation of the complexity of causation underlying the worldwide epidemic of obesity and diabetes can refocus the work of clinicians and researchers to work at multiple levels to address prevention and treatment for these conditions among vulnerable populations.

Recent progress in understanding host mucosal response to avian coccidiosis and development of alternative strategies to mitigate the use of antibiotics in animal production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As the world population grows and developing countries become more affluent, the global consumption of meat will increase by more than 50% within the next 10 years. Confronting the increased demand for poultry food products are emerging field diseases, increasing regulatory bans of antimicrobial gro...

Planning and Designing: The Future in Library Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boaz, Martha

By the year 2,000 numerous changes will make this world very different from today's society. Our economy will be based on education and service related jobs instead of product-production. The population will almost double, and leisure time will increase dramatically due to increased automation. Continuous learning, often outside the formal…

Sustainable Agriculture - Enhancing environmental benefits, food nutritional quality and building crop resilience to abiotic and biotic stresses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Feeding nutrition-dense food to future world populations presents agriculture with enormous challenges as estimates indicate that crop production must as much as double. Crop production cannot be increased to meet this challenge simply by increasing land acreage or using past agricultural intensific...

Economic and Social Conditions Relating to Agriculture and Its Structure to Year 2000. CARD Miscellaneous Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heady, Earl O.

Possible economic and social trends in world agriculture by year 2000 will include increased energy costs; larger, fewer and more specialized farms; decreasing agricultural population; closer ties between farmers and large agribusinesses; more emphasis on consumer and environmental protection; and an increased importance of agriculture in…

The role of plant pathology and plant pathology journals in future food security

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The world's population is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050 and this will require a significant increase in crop production for global food security. Future increases in crop production will require limiting the effects of weeds, insects, and diseases incited by fungi, viruses, nematodes, and ba...

A survey on breeding strategies and selection objectives for increased feed efficiency and decreased methane emission

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The combined effects of world population growth, rising incomes and dietary changes have resulted in an increasing international demand for dairy and meat products. However, livestock can have negative impacts on the environment and the greater awareness of climate change has placed pressure on the ...

Standardized Thyroid Cancer Mortality in Korea between 1985 and 2010

PubMed Central

Choi, Yun Mi; Jang, Eun Kyung; Kwon, Hyemi; Jeon, Min Ji; Kim, Won Gu; Shong, Young Kee; Kim, Won Bae

2014-01-01

Background The prevalence of thyroid cancer has increased very rapidly in Korea. However, there is no published report focusing on thyroid cancer mortality in Korea. In this study, we aimed to evaluate standardized thyroid cancer mortality using data from Statistics Korea (the Statistical Office of Korea). Methods Population and mortality data from 1985 to 2010 were obtained from Statistics Korea. Age-standardized rates of thyroid cancer mortality were calculated according to the standard population of Korea, as well as World Health Organization (WHO) standard population and International Cancer Survival Standard (ICSS) population weights. Results The crude thyroid cancer mortality rate increased from 0.1 to 0.7 per 100,000 between 1985 and 2010. The pattern was the same for both sexes. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) for thyroid cancer for Korean resident registration population increased from 0.19 to 0.67 between 1985 and 2000. However, it decreased slightly, from 0.67 to 0.55, between 2000 and 2010. When mortality was adjusted using the WHO standard population and ICSS population weights, the ASMR similarly increased until 2000, and then decreased between 2000 and 2010. Conclusion Thyroid cancer mortality increased until 2000 in Korea. It started to decrease from 2000. PMID:25559576

Standardized Thyroid Cancer Mortality in Korea between 1985 and 2010.

PubMed

Choi, Yun Mi; Kim, Tae Yong; Jang, Eun Kyung; Kwon, Hyemi; Jeon, Min Ji; Kim, Won Gu; Shong, Young Kee; Kim, Won Bae

2014-12-29

The prevalence of thyroid cancer has increased very rapidly in Korea. However, there is no published report focusing on thyroid cancer mortality in Korea. In this study, we aimed to evaluate standardized thyroid cancer mortality using data from Statistics Korea (the Statistical Office of Korea). Population and mortality data from 1985 to 2010 were obtained from Statistics Korea. Age-standardized rates of thyroid cancer mortality were calculated according to the standard population of Korea, as well as World Health Organization (WHO) standard population and International Cancer Survival Standard (ICSS) population weights. The crude thyroid cancer mortality rate increased from 0.1 to 0.7 per 100,000 between 1985 and 2010. The pattern was the same for both sexes. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) for thyroid cancer for Korean resident registration population increased from 0.19 to 0.67 between 1985 and 2000. However, it decreased slightly, from 0.67 to 0.55, between 2000 and 2010. When mortality was adjusted using the WHO standard population and ICSS population weights, the ASMR similarly increased until 2000, and then decreased between 2000 and 2010. Thyroid cancer mortality increased until 2000 in Korea. It started to decrease from 2000.

The path towards sustainable energy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Steven; Cui, Yi; Liu, Nian

2017-01-01

Civilization continues to be transformed by our ability to harness energy beyond human and animal power. A series of industrial and agricultural revolutions have allowed an increasing fraction of the world population to heat and light their homes, fertilize and irrigate their crops, connect to one another and travel around the world. All of this progress is fuelled by our ability to find, extract and use energy with ever increasing dexterity. Research in materials science is contributing to progress towards a sustainable future based on clean energy generation, transmission and distribution, the storage of electrical and chemical energy, energy efficiency, and better energy management systems.

The path towards sustainable energy.

PubMed

Chu, Steven; Cui, Yi; Liu, Nian

2016-12-20

Civilization continues to be transformed by our ability to harness energy beyond human and animal power. A series of industrial and agricultural revolutions have allowed an increasing fraction of the world population to heat and light their homes, fertilize and irrigate their crops, connect to one another and travel around the world. All of this progress is fuelled by our ability to find, extract and use energy with ever increasing dexterity. Research in materials science is contributing to progress towards a sustainable future based on clean energy generation, transmission and distribution, the storage of electrical and chemical energy, energy efficiency, and better energy management systems.

World Population in Transition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merrick, Thomas W.; And Others

1986-01-01

This issue discusses world population trends and their implications for more and less developed countries. There have been two periods of major population expansion since 1750 with the first lasting almost 200 years and the second surge occurring after World War II. Growth rates in industrialized countries are now very low with fertility below…

The Puerto Rico Gap Analysis Project Volume 1: land cover, vertebrate species distributions, and land stewardship

Treesearch

W. A. Gould; C. Alarcon; B. Fevold; M.E. Jimenez; S. Martinuzzi; G. Potts; M. Quinones; M. Solórzano; E. Ventosa

2008-01-01

Puerto Rico faces a number of problems common to much of the world. Population is increasing while land area is not, and there are reassessments of land use policy and practice to accommodate growing populations, shifting economies, and changing public value systems. Puerto Rico shares similarities with the Eastern United States with its history of agricultural...

Forces and Factors Likely to Influence Vocational Education: The Aging Population.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Morgan V.; Norton, Lee

The aging of the population is one of the major influences on the environment in which vocational education operates. The number of people 65 and older will increase more slowly in next 25 years than in the past. Improvements in working conditions, health care, and pension plans since World War II have made those who will be 65 by the end of the…

Urbanization in the US: land use trends, impacts on forest area, projections, and policy considerations

Treesearch

Ralph Alig

2010-01-01

Since World War II, socio-economic drivers of US urbanization such as population totals and personal income levels have increased substantially. Human land use is the primary force driving changes in forest ecosystem attributes including forest area, which is the focus of this paper. The percentage of the US population residing in urban areas is higher than that in...

Innovative technology in hearing instruments: matching needs in the developing world.

PubMed

McPherson, Bradley

2011-12-01

Hearing instrument technology research is almost entirely focused on the projected needs of the consumer market in the developed world. However, two thirds of the world's population with hearing impairment live in developing countries and this proportion will increase in future, given present demographic trends. In developing regions, amplification and other hearing health needs may differ from those in industrialized nations, for cultural, health, or economic reasons. World Health Organization estimates indicate that at present only a small percentage of individuals in developing countries who are in need of amplification have access to hearing aid provision. New technologies, such as trainable hearing aids, advanced noise reduction algorithms, feedback reduction circuitry, nano coatings for hearing aid components, and innovative power options, may offer considerable potential benefits, both for individuals with hearing impairment in developing countries and for those who provide hearing health care services in these regions. This article considers the possible supporting role of innovative hearing instrument technologies in the provision of affordable hearing health care services in developing countries and highlights the need for research that considers the requirements of the majority of the world population in need of hearing instrument provision.

Real-World Evidence In Support Of Precision Medicine: Clinico-Genomic Cancer Data As A Case Study.

PubMed

Agarwala, Vineeta; Khozin, Sean; Singal, Gaurav; O'Connell, Claire; Kuk, Deborah; Li, Gerald; Gossai, Anala; Miller, Vincent; Abernethy, Amy P

2018-05-01

The majority of US adult cancer patients today are diagnosed and treated outside the context of any clinical trial (that is, in the real world). Although these patients are not part of a research study, their clinical data are still recorded. Indeed, data captured in electronic health records form an ever-growing, rich digital repository of longitudinal patient experiences, treatments, and outcomes. Likewise, genomic data from tumor molecular profiling are increasingly guiding oncology care. Linking real-world clinical and genomic data, as well as information from other co-occurring data sets, could create study populations that provide generalizable evidence for precision medicine interventions. However, the infrastructure required to link, ensure quality, and rapidly learn from such composite data is complex. We outline the challenges and describe a novel approach to building a real-world clinico-genomic database of patients with cancer. This work represents a case study in how data collected during routine patient care can inform precision medicine efforts for the population at large. We suggest that health policies can promote innovation by defining appropriate uses of real-world evidence, establishing data standards, and incentivizing data sharing.

Toward the 21st Century. A Continent in Crisis: Building a Future for Africa in the 21st Century. A Special Report by the Population Institute to the 101st Congress.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burdett, Hal; And Others

Africa's population is now 630 million, and it is growing faster than any other region in the world. But while Africa's population grows by 3.1 percent annually, the continent's food supply increases by only 1.1 percent per year. Throughout the 1980s more and more African governments have agreed that lasting development is possible only if…

Secular growth and its harmful ramifications.

PubMed

Samaras, T T; Storms, L H

2002-02-01

Secular growth has been occurring in Europe for about 150 years. In the USA, since 1900, each new generation has increased by an average of 1in (2.54cm) in height and about 10lb (4.54kg) in weight. This trend has generally been viewed as favorable and tallness is admired, with the current ideal height for a man in the Western world being 6ft 2in (188cm). The Japanese have increased in height since the end of the Second World War by about 5in (12.7cm) in height and the Chinese have been growing at the rate of 2.54cm/decade since the 1950s. In spite of admiring greater height, a world population of increasing height and body-weight is a major threat to our environment, health and survival. Based on more than two decades of research, quantitative data are given for increased use of resources, and increased pollution, energy and fiscal costs resulting from a population of larger people. The laws of scaling are described to show why the impact of increasing stature has a non-linear impact on consumption, body-weight, strength, pollution and economic costs. Paleontological findings indicating that larger body size increases the risk of extinction are also discussed. Various studies indicate a loss of 0.47 year of longevity for each cm increment of height. Caloric restricted diets are also reviewed for their applicability to humans. Recommendations are made for dietary practices to moderate growth in our youth and to postpone development of chronic or degenerative diseases. Copyright 2002 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

Agriculture and food availability -- remote sensing of agriculture for food security monitoring in the developing world

USGS Publications Warehouse

Budde, Michael E.; Rowland, James; Funk, Christopher C.

2010-01-01

For one-sixth of the world’s population - roughly 1 billion children, women and men - growing, buying or receiving adequate, affordable food to eat is a daily uncertainty. The World Monetary Fund reports that food prices worldwide increased 43 percent in 2007-2008, and unpredictable growing conditions make subsistence farming, on which many depend, a risky business. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are part of a network of both private and government institutions that monitor food security in many of the poorest nations in the world.

Are elderly dependency ratios associated with general population suicide rates?

PubMed

Shah, Ajit

2011-05-01

The elderly population size is increasing worldwide due to falling birth rates and increasing life expectancy. It has been hypothesized that as the elderly dependency ratio (the ratio of those over the age of 65 years to those under 65) increases, there will be fewer younger people available to care for older people and this, in turn, will increase the burden on younger carers with increased levels of psychiatric morbidity leading to an increase in general population suicide rates. A cross-national study examining the relationship between elderly dependency ratios and general population suicide rates was conducted using data from the World Health Organization and the United Nations websites. The main findings were of a significant and independent positive correlation between elderly dependency ratios and general population suicide rates in both genders. The contribution of cross-national differences in psychiatric morbidity in younger carers on general population suicide rates requires further study. The prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in younger carers of older people should be examined by: (i) cross-national studies using standardized measures of psychiatric morbidity that are education-free, culture-fair and language-fair; and (ii) within-country longitudinal studies with changing elderly dependency ratios over time.

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes reveal maternal population genetic affinities of Sea Island Gullah-speaking African Americans.

PubMed

McLean, David C; Spruill, Ida; Argyropoulos, George; Page, Grier P; Shriver, Mark D; Garvey, W Timothy

2005-08-01

To better understand the population substructure of African Americans living in coastal South Carolina, we used restriction site polymorphisms and an insertion/deletion in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to construct seven-position haplotypes across 1,395 individuals from Sierra Leone, Africa, from U.S. European Americans, and from the New World African-derived populations of Jamaica, Gullah-speaking African Americans of the South Carolina Sea Islands (Gullahs), African Americans living in Charleston, South Carolina, and West Coast African Americans. Analyses showed a high degree of similarity within the New World African-derived populations, where haplotype frequencies and diversities were similar. Phi-statistics indicated that very little genetic differentiation has occurred within New World African-derived populations, but that there has been significant differentiation of these populations from Sierra Leoneans. Genetic distance estimates indicated a close relationship of Gullahs and Jamaicans with Sierra Leoneans, while African Americans living in Charleston and the West Coast were progressively more distantly related to the Sierra Leoneans. We observed low maternal European American admixture in the Jamaican and Gullah samples (m = 0.020 and 0.064, respectively) that increased sharply in a clinal pattern from Charleston African Americans to West Coast African Americans (m = 0.099 and 0.205, respectively). The appreciably reduced maternal European American admixture noted in the Gullah indicates that the Gullah may be uniquely situated to allow genetic epidemiology studies of complex diseases in African Americans with low European American admixture. (c) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Food supply reliance on groundwater

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalin, Carole; Puma, Michael; Wada, Yoshihide; Kastner, Thomas

2016-04-01

Water resources, essential to sustain human life, livelihoods and ecosystems, are under increasing pressure from population growth, socio-economic development and global climate change. As the largest freshwater resource on Earth, groundwater is key for human development and food security. Yet, excessive abstraction of groundwater for irrigation, driven by an increasing demand for food in recent decades, is leading to fast exhaustion of groundwater reserves in major agricultural areas of the world. Some of the highest depletion rates are observed in Pakistan, India, California Central Valley and the North China Plain aquifers. In addition, the growing economy and population of several countries, such as India and China, makes prospects of future available water and food worrisome. In this context, it is becoming particularly challenging to sustainably feed the world population, without exhausting our water resources. Besides, food production and consumption across the globe have become increasingly interconnected, with many areas' agricultural production destined to remote consumers. In this globalisation era, trade is crucial to the world's food system. As a transfer of water-intensive goods, across regions with varying levels of water productivity, food trade can save significant volumes of water resources globally. This situation makes it essential to address the issue of groundwater overuse for global food supply, accounting for international food trade. To do so, we quantify the current, global use of non-renewable groundwater for major crops, accounting for various water productivity and trade flows. This will highlight areas requiring quickest attention, exposing major exporters and importers of non-renewable groundwater, and thus help explore solutions to improve the sustainability of global food supply.

How to meet the increasing demands of water, food and energy in the future?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Haiyun; Chen, Ji; Sivakumar, Bellie; Peart, Mervyn

2017-04-01

Regarded as a driving force in water, food and energy demands, the world's population has been increasing rapidly since the beginning of the 20th century. According to the medium-growth projection scenario of the United Nations, the world's population will reach 9.5 billion by 2050. In response to the continuously growing population during this century, water, food and energy demands have also been increasing rapidly, and social problems (e.g., water, food, and energy shortages) will be most likely to occur, especially if no proper management strategies are adopted. Then, how to meet the increasing demands of water, food and energy in the future? This study focuses on the sustainable developments of population, water, food, energy and dams, and the significances of this study can be concluded as follows: First, we reveal the close association between dams and social development through analysing the related data for the period 1960-2010, and argue that construction of additional large dams will have to be considered as one of the best available options to meet the increasing water, food and energy demands in the future. We conduct the projections of global water, food and energy consumptions and dam development for the period 2010-2050, and the results show that, compared to 2010, the total water, food and energy consumptions in 2050 will increase by 20%, 34% and 37%, respectively. Moreover, it is projected that additional 4,340 dams will be constructed by 2050 all over the world. Second, we analyse the current situation of global water scarcity based on the related data representing water resources availability (per capita available water resources), dam development (the number of dams), and the level of economic development (per capita gross domestic product). At the global scale, water scarcity exists in more than 70% of the countries around the world, including 43 countries suffering from economic water scarcity and 129 countries suffering from physical water scarcity. At the continental scale, most countries of Africa, the south and west Asia, and the central Europe are suffering from water scarcity. Third, with comprehensive consideration of population growth as the major driving force, water resources availability as the basic supporting factor, and topography as the important constraint, we address the question of future dam development and predict the locations of future large dams around the world. The results show that there will be 1,433 large dams built in the future, mainly in the Tibet Plateau and the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in Asia, the East African Plateau and the western part of Africa, the Andes Mountains and the Brazilian Plateau region in South America, the Rocky Mountains in North America, the Alps in Europe, and the Murray-Darling Basin in Oceania. Taking into account of the current situation of global water scarcity, these large dams are most likely to be constructed in countries that have abundant total available water resources or per capita available water resources, no matter whether they are experiencing "economic water scarcity" or have sufficient financial support.

Low levels of genetic divergence across geographically and linguistically diverse populations from India.

PubMed

Rosenberg, Noah A; Mahajan, Saurabh; Gonzalez-Quevedo, Catalina; Blum, Michael G B; Nino-Rosales, Laura; Ninis, Vasiliki; Das, Parimal; Hegde, Madhuri; Molinari, Laura; Zapata, Gladys; Weber, James L; Belmont, John W; Patel, Pragna I

2006-12-01

Ongoing modernization in India has elevated the prevalence of many complex genetic diseases associated with a western lifestyle and diet to near-epidemic proportions. However, although India comprises more than one sixth of the world's human population, it has largely been omitted from genomic surveys that provide the backdrop for association studies of genetic disease. Here, by genotyping India-born individuals sampled in the United States, we carry out an extensive study of Indian genetic variation. We analyze 1,200 genome-wide polymorphisms in 432 individuals from 15 Indian populations. We find that populations from India, and populations from South Asia more generally, constitute one of the major human subgroups with increased similarity of genetic ancestry. However, only a relatively small amount of genetic differentiation exists among the Indian populations. Although caution is warranted due to the fact that United States-sampled Indian populations do not represent a random sample from India, these results suggest that the frequencies of many genetic variants are distinctive in India compared to other parts of the world and that the effects of population heterogeneity on the production of false positives in association studies may be smaller in Indians (and particularly in Indian-Americans) than might be expected for such a geographically and linguistically diverse subset of the human population.

Mycotoxins

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

According to FAO, at least 25 percent of the world's food crops are contaminated with mycotoxins, at a time when the production of agricultural commodities is barely sustaining the increasing population. The global volume of such agricultural products as maize, groundnuts, copra, palm nuts and oilse...

MODELING THE RESPONSE OF FISH POPULATIONS TO EUTROPHICATION

EPA Science Inventory

Eutrophication resulting from nonpoint source pollution is one of the largest environmental problems in lakes and reservoirs around the world. Two characteristics of eutrophication, decreased dissolved oxygen and increased concentration of ammonia, are known to affect fishes, yet...

Government Legislation and Regulations in the United States

EPA Science Inventory

For centuries, customary or traditional laws have covered the use of biological resources throughout the world. As human population levels increase in all societies, voluntary actions governed by cultural practices are frequently insufficient to protect biodiversity, leading to...

The Influence on Population Weight Gain and Obesity of the Macronutrient Composition and Energy Density of the Food Supply.

PubMed

Crino, Michelle; Sacks, Gary; Vandevijvere, Stefanie; Swinburn, Boyd; Neal, Bruce

2015-03-01

Rates of overweight and obesity have increased dramatically in all regions of the world over the last few decades. Almost all of the world's population now has ubiquitous access to low-cost, but highly-processed, energy-dense, nutrient-poor food products. These changes in the food supply, rather than decreases in physical activity, are most likely the primary driver of population weight gain and obesity. To-date, the majority of prevention efforts focus on personalised approaches targeting individuals. Population-wide food supply interventions addressing sodium and trans fat reduction have proven highly effective and comparable efforts are now required to target obesity. The evidence suggests that strategies focusing upon reducing the energy density and portion size of foods will be more effective than those targeting specific macronutrients. Government leadership, clearly specified targets, accountability and transparency will be the key to achieving the food supply changes required to address the global obesity epidemic.

Disease transmission in territorial populations: the small-world network of Serengeti lions

PubMed Central

Craft, Meggan E.; Volz, Erik; Packer, Craig; Meyers, Lauren Ancel

2011-01-01

Territoriality in animal populations creates spatial structure that is thought to naturally buffer disease invasion. Often, however, territorial populations also include highly mobile, non-residential individuals that potentially serve as disease superspreaders. Using long-term data from the Serengeti Lion Project, we characterize the contact network structure of a territorial wildlife population and address the epidemiological impact of nomadic individuals. As expected, pride contacts are dominated by interactions with neighbouring prides and interspersed by encounters with nomads as they wander throughout the ecosystem. Yet the pride–pride network also includes occasional long-range contacts between prides, making it surprisingly small world and vulnerable to epidemics, even without nomads. While nomads increase both the local and global connectivity of the network, their epidemiological impact is marginal, particularly for diseases with short infectious periods like canine distemper virus. Thus, territoriality in Serengeti lions may be less protective and non-residents less important for disease transmission than previously considered. PMID:21030428

Population redistribution in Nigeria.

PubMed

Adebayo, A

1984-07-01

One of the major consequences of the reorganization of Nigeria from 4 states into 12 states in 1967 and then into 19 states in the late 1970s was the redistribution of the Nigerian population. Prior to 1967 Nigeria's rural population migrated primarily to the 4 state capitals of Kaduna, Ibadan, Enugu, Benin City and to the federal capital of Lagos. The creation of additional states, each with their own capital, provided new urban environments where migrants from rural areas were afforded opportunities for employment and social mobility. Between 1960-1980, World Bank estimates indicate that 1) population in Nigerian cityes of over 500,000 population increased from 22-57%; 2) the number of cities with a population of 500,000 or more increased from 2 to 9 and 3) the urban population increased from 13-20%. Given Nigeria's estimated population growth rate of 3.6%/year, it is imperative that the goverment continue its decentralization efforts. Tables show 1) population by region based on the 1963 census; 2) estimated population of the 19 state capitals for 1963 and 1975; and 3) estimated population of the areas included in each of the 19 states for 196o, 1977, 1979, and 19819

Is the risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia declining?

PubMed

Langa, Kenneth M

2015-01-01

The number of older adults with dementia will increase around the world in the decades ahead as populations age. Current estimates suggest that about 4.2 million adults in the US have dementia and that the attributable economic cost of their care is about $200 billion per year. The worldwide dementia prevalence is estimated at 44.3 million people and the total cost at $604 billion per year. It is expected that the worldwide prevalence will triple to 135.5 million by 2050. However, a number of recent population-based studies from countries around the world suggest that the age-specific risk of dementia may be declining, which could help moderate the expected increase in dementia cases that will accompany the growing number of older adults. At least nine recent population-based studies of dementia incidence or prevalence have shown a declining age-specific risk in the US, England, The Netherlands, Sweden, and Denmark. A number of factors, especially rising levels of education and more aggressive treatment of key cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, may be leading to improving 'brain health' and declining age-specific risk of Alzheimer's disease and dementia in countries around the world. Multiple epidemiological studies from around the world suggest an optimistic trend of declining population dementia risk in high-income countries over the past 25 years. Rising levels of education and more widespread and successful treatment of key cardiovascular risk factors may be the driving factors accounting for this decline in dementia risk. Whether this optimistic trend will continue in the face of rising worldwide levels of obesity and diabetes and whether this trend is also occurring in low- and middle-income countries are key unanswered questions which will have enormous implications for the extent of the future worldwide impact of Alzheimer's disease and dementia on patients, families, and societies in the decades ahead.

World Population and Beyond: A Teaching Strategy for Global Studies [And] Interchange. Population Education Newsletter. Vol. 7, No. 2, May 1978 [And] 1977 World Population Data Sheet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Leon E.; And Others

The unit contains a teacher's guide, student reading materials, and data sheets about a variety of worldwide demographic and economic variables. Designed for students in junior high through college, its goals are to encourage students to analyze the causes and consequences of world population and economic trends, and to detect interrelationships…

Illustrative Projections of World Populations to the 21st Century. Current Population Reports, Special Studies Series P-23, No. 79.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Maurice J., Ed.; O'Connell, Martin, Ed.

The document presents high, medium, and low projections of the world's population for the year 2000. The objective of the study is to determine demands on natural resources and the environment which will be brought about by changes in the world's population. The document is presented in three major sections. Section I provides an overview of the…

Why Population in 1974?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Connor, Marion

1974-01-01

Discusses the impact of world population growth leading to the establishment of the United Nations Fund for Population Activities and to the declaration of 1974 as World Population Year. Previews some of the parameters and interconnecting interests to be considered during this year of intensive population study. (JR)

Evaluation of World Population-Weighted Effective Dose due to Cosmic Ray Exposure

PubMed Central

Sato, Tatsuhiko

2016-01-01

After the release of the Report of the United Nations Scientific Committee of the Effects of Atomic Radiation in 2000 (UNSCEAR2000), it became commonly accepted that the world population-weighted effective dose due to cosmic-ray exposure is 0.38 mSv, with a range from 0.3 to 2 mSv. However, these values were derived from approximate projections of altitude and geographic dependences of the cosmic-ray dose rates as well as the world population. This study hence re-evaluated the population-weighted annual effective doses and their probability densities for the entire world as well as for 230 individual nations, using a sophisticated cosmic-ray flux calculation model in tandem with detailed grid population and elevation databases. The resulting world population-weighted annual effective dose was determined to be 0.32 mSv, which is smaller than the UNSCEAR’s evaluation by 16%, with a range from 0.23 to 0.70 mSv covering 99% of the world population. These values were noted to vary with the solar modulation condition within a range of approximately 15%. All assessed population-weighted annual effective doses as well as their statistical information for each nation are provided in the supplementary files annexed to this report. These data improve our understanding of cosmic-ray radiation exposures to populations globally. PMID:27650664

[The decline in the population growth rate--a priority issue in international politics].

PubMed

Rhein, E

1994-08-25

The Third International UN Conference on Population and Development took place in Cairo in early September 1994 with the participation of 200 governments and 1000 nongovernmental organizations to discuss ways of stabilizing world population at the possible lowest level and how industrialized countries could contribute to this effort. As a consequence of the advances in reproductive medicine the use of contraceptives skyrocketed: in 1994 more than half of men and women were using contraception compared to only 5% in 1950. However, the demographic momentum would still increase world population for another 100 years, even if fertility would drop to 2.2 children per couple (compared to 4 children in 1990). Nevertheless, the present generation could be instrumental in deciding whether the world's population will remain around 8 billion or reach 12 billion between 2050 and 2150. Poor countries can no longer afford an annual growth rate of 2-4% while also trying to improve living standards; this would require an economic growth rate of 6-8%. For the control of population growth both a sustainable environmental policy in the North, with rapid transition to renewable energy and recycling, and a more effective population policy in the South are needed. Family planning (FP) is the precondition of stabilization. The global FP outlays are envisioned to double from the 1994 figure of $5 billion to over $10 billion in the year 2000, with donor contributions to increase from 20% to 40% of the total. The US contribution is to double from $500 million by 2000, while the European Commission decided to boost expenditures for FP from DM 30 million in 1994 to DM 600 million by 2000. Japan is also expending $3 billion during this period. Recent promising developments have emerged: national pronatalist policies have diminished sharply and the pronatalist influence of religions has also declined. Political commitment at the highest level is central to a successful population policy as demonstrated in Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Egypt, whereas its lack resulted in failures in Pakistan, Turkey, and Algeria.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Valin, Hugo; Sands, Ronald; van der Mensbrugghe, Dominique

Understanding the capacity of agricultural systems to feed the world population under climate change requires a good prospective vision on the future development of food demand. This paper reviews modeling approaches from ten global economic models participating to the AgMIP project, in particular the demand function chosen and the set of parameters used. We compare food demand projections at the horizon 2050 for various regions and agricultural products under harmonized scenarios. Depending on models, we find for a business as usual scenario (SSP2) an increase in food demand of 59-98% by 2050, slightly higher than FAO projection (54%). The prospectivemore » for animal calories is particularly uncertain with a range of 61-144%, whereas FAO anticipates an increase by 76%. The projections reveal more sensitive to socio-economic assumptions than to climate change conditions or bioenergy development. When considering a higher population lower economic growth world (SSP3), consumption per capita drops by 9% for crops and 18% for livestock. Various assumptions on climate change in this exercise do not lead to world calorie losses greater than 6%. Divergences across models are however notable, due to differences in demand system, income elasticities specification, and response to price change in the baseline.« less

First evidence of resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in Italian Aedes albopictus populations 26 years after invasion.

PubMed

Pichler, Verena; Bellini, Romeo; Veronesi, Rodolfo; Arnoldi, Daniele; Rizzoli, Annapaola; Lia, Riccardo Paolo; Otranto, Domenico; Montarsi, Fabrizio; Carlin, Sara; Ballardini, Marco; Antognini, Elisa; Salvemini, Marco; Brianti, Emanuele; Gaglio, Gabriella; Manica, Mattia; Cobre, Pietro; Serini, Paola; Velo, Enkelejda; Vontas, John; Kioulos, Ilias; Pinto, Joao; Della Torre, Alessandra; Caputo, Beniamino

2018-06-01

Aedes albopictus has spread during the last few decades all over the world. This has increased significantly the risk of exotic arbovirus transmission (e.g. chikungunya, dengue, and Zika) also in temperate areas, as demonstrated by the Chikungunya 2007 and 2017 outbreaks in northeastern and central Italy. Insecticides are an important tool for limiting the circulation of these mosquito-borne viruses. The aim of the present study was to address the gap in current knowledge of pyrethroid insecticide resistance of European Ae. albopictus populations, focusing on populations from Italy, Albania and Greece. Bioassays for resistance to permethrin (0.75%), α-cypermethrin (0.05%) or deltamethrin (0.05%) were performed according to World Health Organization (WHO) protocols and showed reduced susceptibility (<90% mortality) of some Italian populations to permethrin and α-cypermethrin, but not to deltamethrin. This study reports the first evidence of resistance to pyrethroids in adult Italian Ae. albopictus populations. Results refer to the season preceding the Chikungunya 2017 outbreak in central Italy and highlight the need to increase efforts to monitor the spread of insecticide resistance and the need to develop strategies to limit the spread of insecticide resistance, particularly in areas where extensive treatments have been carried out to contain disease outbreaks. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

A comparison between ERS-1, JERS-1, and Radarsat-1 radar satellite imaging systems and Landsat MSS & TM and Spot Optical Satellite Imaging System to detect and monitor mangrove deforestation in East Kalimantan, Indonesia

Treesearch

Mahfud M. Zuhair; Yousif Ali Hussin; Michael Weir

2000-01-01

Mangrove forests are one of the primary features of coastal ecosystems throughout the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Mangroves are very sensitive and fragile resources, and the pressures of increasing population, food production, and industrial and urban development have caused a significant proportion of the world's mangroves to be destroyed....

USAID steps up anti-AIDS program.

PubMed

1991-01-01

This article considers the epidemic proportion of AIDS in developing countries, and discusses the U.S. Agency for International Development's (USAID) reworked and intensified strategy for HIV infection and AIDS prevention and control over the next 5 years. Developing and launching over 650 HIV and AIDS activities in 74 developing countries since 1986, USAID is the world's largest supporter of anti-AIDS programs. Over $91 million in bilateral assistance for HIV and AIDS prevention and control have been committed. USAID has also been the largest supporter of the World Health Organization's Global Program on AIDS since 1986. Interventions have included training peer educators, working to change the norms of sex behavior, and condom promotion. Recognizing that the developing world will increasingly account for an ever larger share of the world's HIV-infected population, USAID announced an intensified program of estimated investment increasing to approximately $400 million over a 5-year period. Strategy include funding for long-term, intensive interventions in 10-15 priority countries, emphasizing the treatment of other sexually transmitted diseases which facilitate the spread of HIV, making AIDS-related policy dialogue an explicit component of the Agency's AIDS program, and augmenting funding to community-based programs aimed at reducing high-risk sexual behaviors. The effect of AIDS upon child survival, adult mortality, urban populations, and socioeconomic development in developing countries is discussed. Program examples are also presented.

Population issues surface at human settlements conference.

PubMed

1996-01-01

This news brief focuses on the debate about population issues at the UN Conference on Human Settlements, held in Istanbul, Turkey, in June 1996. The Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements was adopted by world leaders at the conference. Leaders were committed to programs to improve standards of living, the right of citizens to adequate housing, and the mobilization of new financial resources. Dr. Sadik, as Executive Director of the UN Population Fund, stressed that natural increase accounts for 60% of urban population growth. Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, as UN Secretary General, stressed that over 50% of world population would live in urban centers by the year 2000, and almost 75% might do so by 2025. He indicated that all nations are interrelated; the poor and refugees from political conflict from one country travel to safer and richer countries. Dr. Sadik referred to the agreement at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) on stabilizing world population in the shortest time possible. This would require meeting the needs of men and women for health, education, and the power of personal decision making. The most important item was the satisfaction of women's need for reproductive health information and services and women's power to use services. Dr. Sadik urged that women be given the right to hold and inherit property and to obtain credit. It was pointed out that the language of Habitat's plan of action on population and development issues was frequently bracketed; consequently, the plan suffered from a lack of consensus. The debate between countries would end, if the language were not bracketed. Dr. Sadik recommended family planning for developing sustainable and liveable cities.

The global land-potential knowledge system (LandPKS): Supporting evidence-based, site-specific land use and management through cloud computing, mobile applications and crowdsourcing

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural production must increase significantly to meet the needs of a growing global population with increasing per capita consumption of food, fiber, building materials, and fuel. Consumption already exceeds net primary production in many parts of the world. In addition to reducing consumptio...

Malnutrition, a Global Problem

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Malnutrition is a general term for medical conditions caused by an inadequate diet and poor nutrition. Hunger and malnutrition are among the major difficulties confronting many countries around the world. Malnutrition can be caused by several factors, such as the sharp increase in population (curren...

The rise of the mesopredator

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Apex predators have experienced catastrophic declines throughout the world due to human persecution and habitat loss. These collapses in top predator populations are commonly associated with dramatic increases in the abundance of smaller predators. Known as ‘mesopredator release,’ this trophic inte...

Sustainable cow-calf operations and water quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The current high demand for quality protein and fiber production because of increasing world population has resulted in an intensification of agricultural production systems. As animal-based agriculture has evolved to larger production in subtropical regions of United States, the problems associated...

Planet Earth, 1984-2034: A Demographic Vision.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bouvier, Leon F.

1984-01-01

In recognition of the 1984 World Population Conference, this booklet examines the current state of world population and presents speculations on what it might be 50 years from now. World population, now close to 4.8 billion and growing at 1.8 percent a year, is being shaped by three demographic phenomena: prolonged below-replacement fertility in…

The Overpopulation Myth. Series on Public Issues No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saving, Thomas R.

In this booklet, one of a series intended to apply economic principles to major social and political issues of the day, it is argued that although doomsayers claim that world population growth is threatening the ability of the world to feed itself and that drastic measures should be taken to curb population growth, the world population situation…

The earth: can it support 5.2 billion people?

PubMed

Sadik, N

1989-12-01

In the last 20 years the world's population has grown by 1.6 billion and has reached 5.2 billion. The gap in population growth between developing and developed areas will increase in the next decade: at present 77% of the earth's population lives in developing countries. A major demographic factor is the future of urban growth where the number of cities over 5 million will increase to 45 by the end of the century. The aging of the population is another demographic factor found worldwide. By the year 2000, 13% of the population will be over 60: 70% of those will be in developed areas. Most developing countries now have a population policy. The total fertility rate has dropped more than 20% in developing countries since 1970. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has devoted a recent report to the purpose of investing in women. The key to the future of mankind is related directly to the extent that women can make decisions affecting their lives. It is apparent that the effects of resource misuse, environmental damage, and population growth crosses national borders indiscriminately. The key elements to a new approach of development are population, environment, and the role and status of women. In the development of national conservation policies and in the implementing a world strategy, the population environmental relationship will need to be addressed. Since women are directly and indirectly related to the environment by the tasks they perform they are also the most directly effected by environmental degradation. A new approach is needed for balanced development that recognized social, economic, population and environmental relationships. A realistic set of goals for population policy would be to slow the rapid population growth, decrease infant, child and maternal mortality, raise the status of women, and regulate the migration and distribution of population.

Mercy health promoter: A paradigm for just health care

PubMed Central

Clark, Peter A.; Schadt, Sam

2013-01-01

The foreign-born population in the United States, according to the “Current Populations Report” published in 2010, is estimated to exceed 39.9 million, or “12.9 percent of the U.S. population.” The increase in foreign-born peoples and their need for health care is a complicated issue facing many cities, health systems and hospitals. Over the course of the past few years Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia has treated increasing numbers of foreign-born African patients. The majority have been presenting in the late stages of disease. The increase of foreign-born documented and undocumented African patients seen by Mercy Hospitals seems to reflect a foreign-born population “boom” in Philadelphia over the past decade. To meet the needs of this growing population, the Mercy Hospital Task Force on African Immigration and the Institute of Catholic Bioethics at Saint Joseph’s University designed a program that centers on the third world concept of “Health Promoters.” This program is intended to serve as one possible solution for hospitals to cost-effectively manage the care of this growing percentage of foreign-born individuals in the population. This notion of a “Health Promoter” program in Philadelphia is unique as one of those rare occasions when a third world concept is being utilized in a first world environment. It is also unique in that it can serve as a paradigm for other hospitals in the United States to meet the growing need of health care for the undocumented population. As of November 2012 the Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia clinic became operative for patients who were referred from the Health Promoter clinics. To date, a total of forty-two patients have actively participated in the screenings, sixteen of which have been referred to Mercy Hospital of Philadelphia clinic for further evaluation. More than 75% of patient referrals were a result of high blood pressure. According to the American Medical Association, readings of 140–159 mmHg and above are indicative of stage 1 hypertension. Among those who presented at the Health Promoter screenings the mean systolic pressure for males was 140 mmHg and for females was 140.48 mmHg. PMID:24084364

Assortative mating and mutation diffusion in spatial evolutionary systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paley, C. J.; Taraskin, S. N.; Elliott, S. R.

2010-04-01

The influence of spatial structure on the equilibrium properties of a sexual population model defined on networks is studied numerically. Using a small-world-like topology of the networks as an investigative tool, the contributions to the fitness of assortative mating and of global mutant spread properties are considered. Simple measures of nearest-neighbor correlations and speed of spread of mutants through the system have been used to confirm that both of these dynamics are important contributory factors to the fitness. It is found that assortative mating increases the fitness of populations. Quick global spread of favorable mutations is shown to be a key factor increasing the equilibrium fitness of populations.

A population-induced renewable energy timeline in nine world regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warner, Kevin; Jones, Glenn

2016-04-01

Population growth and increasing energy access are incongruous with forecasts of declining non-renewable energy production and climate change concerns. The current world population of 7.3 billion is projected to reach 8.4 billion by 2030 and 11.2 billion by 2100. Currently, 1.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to electricity. The World Bank's Sustainable Energy for All initiative seeks to provide universal global access to energy by the year 2030. Though universal energy access is desirable, a significant reduction in fossil fuel usage is required before mid-century if global warming is to be limited to <2°C. Today, the global energy mix is derived from 91% non-renewable (oil, coal, natural gas, nuclear) and 9% renewable (e.g., hydropower, wind, solar, biofuels) sources. Here we use a nine region model of the world to quantify the changes in the global energy mix necessary to address population and climate change under two energy-use scenarios and find that significant restructuring of the current energy mix will be necessary to support the 2014 UN population projections. We also find that renewable energy production must comprise 87-94% of global energy consumption by 2100. Our study suggests >50% renewable energy needs to occur by 2028 in a <2°C warming scenario, but not until 2054 in an unconstrained energy use scenario. Each of the nine regions faces unique energy-population challenges in the coming decades. We find that global energy demand in 2100 will be more than double that of today; of this demand, 82% will need to be derived from renewable sources. More renewable energy production will be required in 2100 than the 2014 total global energy production. Given the required rate and magnitude of this transition to renewable energy, it is unlikely that the <2°C goal can be met. Focus should be placed on expanding renewable energy as quickly as possible in order to supply the projected world energy demand and to limit warming to 2.5-3°C by 2100.

Population, environment dynamics, poverty and quality of life in China.

PubMed

Gu, B

1996-12-01

This article focuses on the growth in poverty, environmental concerns, and Chinese government efforts to eliminate poverty with integrated programs. China had 1.2 billion people in February 1995, or 20% of total world population on 7% of the world's arable land. The rate of natural increase was 1.1% in 1996. China's population could double to 2.4 billion by 2060. About 14 million people are added every year. China has about 300 million women of childbearing age. Even with 1 child per woman, population would grow by 300 million. 18 provinces have population growth over the national average of 1.49%. Many of these provinces are also provinces with high population density, high poverty ratios, and higher than 2 birth orders. The highest growth is in western China. Poor households have a lower quality of life, more disabled members, high rates of endemic disease, and illiteracy. Among the very poor without adequate food or clothing, environmental protection is a meaningless concept. Poverty alleviation strategies have shifted from relief to economic development. State support combined with local resources in a pooling approach pays for poverty alleviation programs. The central government's share will increase until the year 2000. The number of poor was 80 million in 1994 (9% of total population) living in 592 poor counties in remote and mountainous areas. The number of poor was reduced to 65 million in 1996. An integrated approach of family planning and poverty alleviation operates in Jinzhai County of Anhui province. China is determined to reorient to a "service-oriented, client- centered, woman-sensitive, and rural-emphasized approach."

Population and policy in Finland.

PubMed

Hulkko, J

1989-03-01

Finland, with a population of 4.9 million, currently has an overall fertility rate of 1.6. There is a small population growth, but this is due to a large reproductive age group, return migration of Finns from Sweden, and a decrease in mortality that has increased the proportion of old people in the population. The state has no official population policy. A recommendation of the Finnish Committee on the World Population Year 1974 that the government establish an agency for population policy has not been adopted. The coalition government now in power has a program, however, aimed at influencing population growth. The program includes proposals to reduce work hours for parents with small children, increase the age limit for participation in the child allowance system, and increase the number of municipal day care facilities. Concerning regional policy, the government wants a balanced development of the country's different regions. Subsidiary industries of agriculture and forestry are being encouraged to preserve population levels in sparse areas. Finland also supports a health policy emphasizing preventive and non-institutional aspects of health care, with targets of life expectancy set at 82 years for women and 75 years for men by the year 2000.

Modelling multiple threats to water security in the Peruvian Amazon using the WaterWorld Policy Support System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Soesbergen, A. J. J.; Mulligan, M.

2013-06-01

This paper explores a multitude of threats to water security in the Peruvian Amazon using the WaterWorld policy support system. WaterWorld is a spatially explicit, physically-based globally-applicable model for baseline and scenario water balance that is particularly well suited to heterogeneous environments with little locally available data (e.g. ungauged basins) and which is delivered through a simple web interface, requiring little local capacity for use. The model is capable of producing a hydrological baseline representing the mean water balance for 1950-2000 and allows for examining impacts of population, climate and land use change as well as land and water management interventions on hydrology. This paper describes the application of WaterWorld to the Peruvian Amazon, an area that is increasingly under pressure from deforestation and water pollution as a result of population growth, rural to urban migration and oil and gas extraction, potentially impacting both water quantity and water quality. By applying single and combined scenarios of: climate change, deforestation around existing and planned roads, population growth and rural-urban migration, mining and oil and gas exploitation, we explore the potential combined impacts of these multiple changes on water resources in the Peruvian Amazon and discuss the likely pathways for adaptation to and mitigation against their worst effects. See Mulligan et al. (2013) for a similar analysis for the entire Amazon Basin.

The path towards sustainable energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chu, Steven; Cui, Yi; Liu, Nian

Civilization continues to be transformed by our ability to harness energy beyond human and animal power. A series of industrial and agricultural revolutions have allowed an increasing fraction of the world population to heat and light their homes, fertilize and irrigate their crops, connect to one another and travel around the world. All of this progress is fuelled by our ability to find, extract and use energy with ever increasing dexterity. Lastly, research in materials science is contributing to progress towards a sustainable future based on clean energy generation, transmission and distribution, the storage of electrical and chemical energy, energymore » efficiency, and better energy management systems.« less

The path towards sustainable energy

DOE PAGES

Chu, Steven; Cui, Yi; Liu, Nian

2016-12-20

Civilization continues to be transformed by our ability to harness energy beyond human and animal power. A series of industrial and agricultural revolutions have allowed an increasing fraction of the world population to heat and light their homes, fertilize and irrigate their crops, connect to one another and travel around the world. All of this progress is fuelled by our ability to find, extract and use energy with ever increasing dexterity. Lastly, research in materials science is contributing to progress towards a sustainable future based on clean energy generation, transmission and distribution, the storage of electrical and chemical energy, energymore » efficiency, and better energy management systems.« less

Urban Cholera and Water Sustainability Challenges under Climatic and Anthropogenic Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akanda, A. S.; Jutla, A.; Huq, A.; Faruque, A. G.; Colwell, R. R.

2013-12-01

The last three decades of surveillance data shows a drastic increase of cholera prevalence in the largest cholera-endemic city of the world - Dhaka, Bangladesh. Emerging megacities in the developing world, especially those located in coastal regions of the tropics remain vulnerable to similar. However, there has not been any systematic study on linking the long-term disease trends with changes in related climatic, environmental, or societal variables. Here, we analyze the 30-year dynamics of urban cholera prevalence in Dhaka with changes in climatic or societal factors: regional hydrology, flooding, water usage, changes in distribution systems, population growth and density in urban settlements, as well as shifting climate patterns. An interesting change is observed in the seasonal trends of cholera incidence; while an endemic upward trend is seen in the dry season, the post-monsoon trend seem to be more epidemic in nature. Evidence points to growing urbanization and rising population in unplanned settlements that have negligible to poor water and sanitation systems compounded by increasing frequency of record flood events. Growing water scarcity in the dry season and lack of sustainable water and sanitation infrastructure for urban settlements have increased endemicity of spring outbreaks, while record flood events and prolonged post-monsoon inundation have contributed to increased epidemic outbreaks in fall. We analyze our findings with the World Health Organization recommended guidelines and investigate water sustainability challenges in the context of climatic and anthropogenic changes in the region.

World-wide satellite night-light data as a proxy of society-hydrology interaction and vulnerability to flood risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ceola, S.; Laio, F.; Montanari, A.

2013-12-01

The study and the analysis of the interactions and feedbacks between hydrology and society constitute the main issue of socio-hydrology. Recent flood events, which occurred across the globe, highlighted once again that mitigation strategies are needed to reduce flood risk. In particular, quick procedures for the identification of vulnerable human settlements and flood prone areas are a necessary tool to identify priorities for flood risk management. To this aim, a 19-year long period of world-wide night light data, as a proxy of human population, and the global river network have been examined. The spatio-temporal evolution of artificial luminosity depending on the distance from the river network has been assessed in order to quantitatively identify the likelihood for a populated pixel to be reached by water. The analysis focuses both on a global and on a local scale. Hotspots, such as highly illuminated areas and developing regions, have been also examined. The analysis shows an increment of yearly-averaged artificial luminosity from 1992 to 2010 (i.e. the time period of satellite data availability), whereas light intensity tends to decrease with increasing distance from the river network. The results thus reveal an increased vulnerability of human settlements to flooding events. A nearly 70-year long period of peace and the economic development after the Second World War could reasonably explain the observed enhancement of human population proximity to water bodies.

Sorghum as a Versatile Feedstock for Bioenergy Production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

World economy development, population increase, and urban expansion accelerate the depletion of naturally preserved energy (fossil fuel), reduction in arable land, and trend of global climate change. Bioenergy, the forms of energy produced from materials of living organisms, holds special promise in...

A large scale virtual screen of DprE1.

PubMed

Wilsey, Claire; Gurka, Jessica; Toth, David; Franco, Jimmy

2013-12-01

Tuberculosis continues to plague the world with the World Health Organization estimating that about one third of the world's population is infected. Due to the emergence of MDR and XDR strains of TB, the need for novel therapeutics has become increasing urgent. Herein we report the results of a virtual screen of 4.1 million compounds against a promising drug target, DrpE1. The virtual compounds were obtained from the Zinc docking site and screened using the molecular docking program, AutoDock Vina. The computational hits have led to the identification of several promising lead compounds. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Collecting behavioural data using the world wide web: considerations for researchers

PubMed Central

Rhodes, S; Bowie, D; Hergenrather, K

2003-01-01

Objective: To identify and describe advantages, challenges, and ethical considerations of web based behavioural data collection. Methods: This discussion is based on the authors' experiences in survey development and study design, respondent recruitment, and internet research, and on the experiences of others as found in the literature. Results: The advantages of using the world wide web to collect behavioural data include rapid access to numerous potential respondents and previously hidden populations, respondent openness and full participation, opportunities for student research, and reduced research costs. Challenges identified include issues related to sampling and sample representativeness, competition for the attention of respondents, and potential limitations resulting from the much cited "digital divide", literacy, and disability. Ethical considerations include anonymity and privacy, providing and substantiating informed consent, and potential risks of malfeasance. Conclusions: Computer mediated communications, including electronic mail, the world wide web, and interactive programs will play an ever increasing part in the future of behavioural science research. Justifiable concerns regarding the use of the world wide web in research exist, but as access to, and use of, the internet becomes more widely and representatively distributed globally, the world wide web will become more applicable. In fact, the world wide web may be the only research tool able to reach some previously hidden population subgroups. Furthermore, many of the criticisms of online data collection are common to other survey research methodologies. PMID:12490652

Collecting behavioural data using the world wide web: considerations for researchers.

PubMed

Rhodes, S D; Bowie, D A; Hergenrather, K C

2003-01-01

To identify and describe advantages, challenges, and ethical considerations of web based behavioural data collection. This discussion is based on the authors' experiences in survey development and study design, respondent recruitment, and internet research, and on the experiences of others as found in the literature. The advantages of using the world wide web to collect behavioural data include rapid access to numerous potential respondents and previously hidden populations, respondent openness and full participation, opportunities for student research, and reduced research costs. Challenges identified include issues related to sampling and sample representativeness, competition for the attention of respondents, and potential limitations resulting from the much cited "digital divide", literacy, and disability. Ethical considerations include anonymity and privacy, providing and substantiating informed consent, and potential risks of malfeasance. Computer mediated communications, including electronic mail, the world wide web, and interactive programs will play an ever increasing part in the future of behavioural science research. Justifiable concerns regarding the use of the world wide web in research exist, but as access to, and use of, the internet becomes more widely and representatively distributed globally, the world wide web will become more applicable. In fact, the world wide web may be the only research tool able to reach some previously hidden population subgroups. Furthermore, many of the criticisms of online data collection are common to other survey research methodologies.

Sustaining water resources in South East England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodda, John C.

2006-07-01

The South East of England is one of the driest regions of the UK and it is also one of the most densely populated. As a consequence the available water resource per head of population is about half of the figure used by the World Bank to indicate that a country is suffering water stress. The South East Plan, prepared by the South East England Regional Assembly, proposes to increase the population of the region by about 1 million by 2026. This paper considers the ability of the Region's water resources to cope with this growth.

Designing Fit for Purpose Health and Social Services for Ageing Populations.

PubMed

Woo, Jean

2017-04-25

Population ageing is occurring in all countries, regardless of the level of economic development. While the rising burden of chronic diseases and disabilities as a consequence of this demographic transition is well recognized, the increasing prevalence of geriatric syndromes as a public health issue is not as well recognized. Recently the World Health Organization's World Health and Ageing Report emphasized functional ability as an important outcome for aging populations, highlighting the concept of raising intrinsic capacity throughout the life course. The complementary perspective is the prevention of frailty, which has physical, cognitive, social and psychological dimensions. Therefore, services for older people should encompass medical as well as social components. The need and evolution for a transition in health and social services in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China which has a population with the world's highest life expectancy, is presented as an example of how one developed economy attempts to meet the challenges of population ageing. There is a need to shift to integrated care in the community instead of specialty dominated hospital care, and to establish regular activities in the community to adopt and maintain a lifestyle that reduces frailty and disability (or promotes intrinsic capacity). A top down approach with financial incentives, together with public education to help drive policy changes, are key drivers of change. It is expected that there will be much heterogeneity between different countries in terms of barriers and facilitators, such that each country needs to document their needs and design appropriate services.

Population and the World Bank.

PubMed

Sankaran, S

1973-12-01

The World Bank Group regards excessive population growth as the single greatest obstacle to economic and social advance in the underdeveloped world. Since 1969 the Bank and the International Development Agency have provided countries with technical assistance through education, fact-finding, and analysis and given 65.7 million dollars for population projects. These projects, in India, Indonesia, Iran, Jamaica, and Malaysia provide training centers, population education, research, and evaluation as well as actual construction of clinics and mobile units. Because population planning touches sensitive areas of religion, caste, race, morality, and politics, the involved nation's political commitment to plan population growth is critical to the success of any program.

World and regional labour force trends and prospects.

PubMed

Ypsilantis, J N

1974-01-01

Changes in fertility during 1970-1985 will not have any effect on the composition of the world work force until 1985 because the people who will be of working age at that time have already been born. However, fertility for this period will directly influence the size of the age group 15-30 in the year 2000. Moreover, fertility trends for this period will have an indirect effect on participation of women in the labor force. The number of people in the labor force has proportionately followed total population. Just as total population is projected to increase in the single decade 1970-1980 by an amount equal to its size in 1750, so the labor force will increase by 360 million during the 1980's (its original size in 1750). By the end of the present century the world labor force may well number some 2,6000 million, reaching 3,000 million by the year 2010; 4,000 million by 2030; 5,000 million by 2070; and stabilizing at about 5,200 million by the end of the 21st century. There will be great regional variations. Increases will range from 20-35% in Europe and the U.S.S.R. to 100-120% in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. For East Asia and North America the increases may amount to 60% by the year 2000 and 100% by 2050. In 1970 less developed regions had 2/3 the world's labor force; by 2000 they will have 3/4. In 1970 about 20% of the labor force in more developed regions were working in agriculture while in less developed regions 2/3 were so engaged. In other terms, in more developed regions 10 farmers supported 108 persons while in less developed regions 10 farmers supported only 38. According to Food and Agriculture Organization projections, by 2000 only 3.5% of the labor force in developed regions and 43.5% in less developed regions will be in agriculture. Differences in gross national product between regions is striking. In 1970 the less developed regions contained 70% of world population, 67% of the world labor force, 87% of the world agricultural labor, and produced 15% of its wealth. There are also sharp contrasts in participation in the labor force. In less developed countries more youths and older persons are in the labor force while in developed countries more women work. By the year 2000 female activity rates in more developed regions will increase for ages 20-64 and decrease for those under 20 and over 64. This will raise female participation in the labor force to 35%. In less developed regions female participation is expected to decline. The proportion of young workers is expected to increase in less developed and decline in more developed regions; the same will be true for older workers. The dependency burden will be concentrated among the young in less developed nations; in more devel oped regions there will be larger numbers of older dependents.

Coasts: the ethical dimension.

PubMed

Olsen, S; Hale, L Z

1994-01-01

Rapidly increasing numbers of people are profoundly altering the very qualities of coastal regions that make them the preferred home for the majority of the world's population. Along with masses of people, coastal areas contain a high proportion of the world's productive and diverse ecosystems, produce most of the world's fish catch, and support major portions of the world's agriculture, industry, and tourism. Over years of development, changes have been noted to local environments. Along coastlines, global change is manifested in terms of major shifts in rainfall patterns, an increase in the number of violent and destructive storms, and a rise in sea level. However, much of the degradation and conflict noted is considered avoidable and unnecessary. National coastal management programs should prioritize bringing order and control to the process of change and consider equity issues in the development process. Moreover, a ¿two-track approach¿, which uses local-level demonstration projects to discover, test, and apply innovative governance and technical solutions to the complex matrix of coastal management issues, is recommended.

Population genetics of the olive-winged bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus) in a tropical urban-fragmented landscape.

PubMed

Tang, Grace S Y; Sadanandan, Keren R; Rheindt, Frank E

2016-01-01

With increasing urbanization, urban-fragmented landscapes are becoming more and more prevalent worldwide. Such fragmentation may lead to small, isolated populations that face great threats from genetic factors that affect even avian species with high dispersal propensities. Yet few studies have investigated the population genetics of species living within urban-fragmented landscapes in the Old World tropics, in spite of the high levels of deforestation and fragmentation within this region. We investigated the evolutionary history and population genetics of the olive-winged bulbul (Pycnonotus plumosus) in Singapore, a highly urbanized island which retains <5% of its original forest cover in fragments. Combining our own collected and sequenced samples with those from the literature, we conducted phylogenetic and population genetic analyses. We revealed high genetic diversity, evidence for population expansion, and potential presence of pronounced gene flow across the population in Singapore. This suggests increased chances of long-term persistence for the olive-winged bulbul and the ecosystem services it provides within this landscape.

It's Not How Old You Are, It's How You Are Old. State Discourse on Successful Ageing in Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooke, Mark

2016-01-01

According to Asher and Nandy, the global population of seniors will increase to 1.41 million in 2030 and is predicted to further grow to 2 billion by 2050. This will cause a fundamental change in the world's ageing structure, with the number of seniors equal to the child population (0-14 years). Today, seniors are being encouraged to be part of…

Opportunities of using bio-based materials for value-added composites

Treesearch

Zhiyong Cai

2010-01-01

Our forests are a naturally renewable resource that has been used as a principal source of bio-energy and building materials for centuries. The growth of world population and affluence has resulted in substantial increases in demand and in consumption for all raw materials. Resulting increases in demand for wood products provides a unique opportunity for developing new...

Sustainable landscapes in a world of change: tropical forests, land use and implementation of REDD+: Part I

Treesearch

Richard Birdsey; Yude Pan; Richard Houghton

2013-01-01

Tropical forests play a critical role in the Earth system; however, tropical landscapes have changed greatly in recent decades because of increasing demand for land to support agriculture and timber production, fuel wood, and other pressures of population and human economics. The observable results are a legacy of persistent deforestation, forest degradation, increased...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Allen, E.L.; Edmonds, J.A.

Since World War II, US energy demand has grown more rapidly than population, so that per capita consumption of energy was about 60% higher in 1978 than in 1947. Population growth and the expansion of per capita real incomes have led to a greater use of energy. The aging of the US population is expected to increase per capita energy consumption, despite the increase in the proportion of persons over 65, who consume less energy than employed persons. The sharp decline in the population under 18 has led to an expansion in the relative proportion of population in the prime-labor-forcemore » age groups. Employed persons are heavy users of energy. The growth of the work force and GNP is largely attributable to the growing participation of females. Another important consequence of female employment is the growth in ownership of personal automobiles. A third factor pushing up labor-force growth is the steady influx of illegal aliens.« less

Recent trends and perspectives of molecular markers against fungal diseases in wheat.

PubMed

Goutam, Umesh; Kukreja, Sarvjeet; Yadav, Rakesh; Salaria, Neha; Thakur, Kajal; Goyal, Aakash K

2015-01-01

Wheat accounts for 19% of the total production of major cereal crops in the world. In view of ever increasing population and demand for global food production, there is an imperative need of 40-60% increase in wheat production to meet the requirement of developing world in coming 40 years. However, both biotic and abiotic stresses are major hurdles for attaining the goal. Among the most important diseases in wheat, fungal diseases pose serious threat for widening the gap between actual and attainable yield. Fungal disease management, mainly, depends on the pathogen detection, genetic and pathological variability in population, development of resistant cultivars and deployment of effective resistant genes in different epidemiological regions. Wheat protection and breeding of resistant cultivars using conventional methods are time-consuming, intricate and slow processes. Molecular markers offer an excellent alternative in development of improved disease resistant cultivars that would lead to increase in crop yield. They are employed for tagging the important disease resistance genes and provide valuable assistance in increasing selection efficiency for valuable traits via marker assisted selection (MAS). Plant breeding strategies with known molecular markers for resistance and functional genomics enable a breeder for developing resistant cultivars of wheat against different fungal diseases.

An economic analysis of space solar power and its cost competitiveness as a supplemental source of energy for space and ground markets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marzwell, N. I.

2002-01-01

Economic Growth has been historically associated with nations that first made use of each new energy source. There is no doubt that Solar Power Satellites is high as a potential energy system for the future. A conceptual cost model of the economics value of space solar power (SSP) as a source of complementary power for in-space and ground applications will be discussed. Several financial analysis will be offered based on present and new technological innovations that may compete with or be complementary to present energy market suppliers depending on various institutional arrangements for government and the private sector in a Global Economy. Any of the systems based on fossil fuels such as coal, oil, natural gas, and synthetic fuels share the problem of being finite resources and are subject to ever-increasing cost as they grow ever more scarce with drastic increase in world population. Increasing world population and requirements from emerging underdeveloped countries will also increase overall demand. This paper would compare the future value of SSP with that of other terrestrial renewable energy in distinct geographic markets within the US, in developing countries, Europe, Asia, and Eastern Europe.

Human impact on long-term organic carbon export to rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noacco, Valentina; Wagener, Thorsten; Worrall, Fred; Burt, Tim P.; Howden, Nicholas J. K.

2017-04-01

Anthropogenic landscape alterations have increased global carbon transported by rivers to oceans since preindustrial times. Few suitable observational data sets exist to distinguish different drivers of carbon increase, given that alterations only reveal their impact on fluvial dissolved organic carbon (DOC) over long time periods. We use the world's longest record of DOC concentrations (130 years) to identify key drivers of DOC change in the Thames basin (UK). We show that 90% of the long-term rise in fluvial DOC is explained by increased urbanization, which released to the river 671 kt C over the entire period. This source of carbon is linked to rising population, due to increased sewage effluent. Soil disturbance from land use change explained shorter-term fluvial responses. The largest land use disturbance was during the Second World War, when almost half the grassland area in the catchment was converted into arable land, which released 45 kt C from soils to the river. Carbon that had built up in soils over decades was released to the river in only a few years. Our work suggests that widespread population growth may have a greater influence on fluvial DOC trends than previously thought.

Taiwan's population and family planning efforts: an historical perspective.

PubMed

Cernada, G; Sun, T H; Chang, M C; Tsai, J F

The unprecedented decline of Taiwan's natural population increase rate from 3% in 1963 to 1.9% in 1973, attributed primarily to an increasing use of contraception, brought universal attention to one of the first and most successful national family planning programs, at a time when successes were few. Taiwan met its goal of decreasing its natural increase rate despite its young population, increasing numbers of women of childbearing ages, a strong preference for sons and a per capita income at the outset in 1963 of less than U.S.$200. Recognition of this achievement brought thousands of professionals, particularly from developing countries, to study the program firsthand: more than 3,000 during 1970--73 alone. This was matched by an avalanche of publications about the program that appeared around the world, written by practitioners, academics and others. This article tells the story of this success.

Global use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco.

PubMed

Anderson, Peter

2006-11-01

Humans have always used drugs, probably as part of their evolutionary and nutritional heritage. However, this previous biological adaptation is unlikely to be so in the modern world, in which 2 billion adults (48% of the adult population) are current users of alcohol, 1.1 billion adults (29% of the adult population) are current smokers of cigarettes and 185 million adults (4.5% of the adult population) are current users of illicit drugs. The use of drugs is determined largely by market forces, with increases in affordability and availability increasing use. People with socio-economic deprivation, however measured, are at increased risk of harmful drug use, as are those with a disadvantaged family environment, and those who live in a community with higher levels of substance use. Substance use is on the increase in low-income countries which, in the coming decades, will bear a disproportionate burden of substance-related disability and premature death.

Observations from ERTS of overgrazing and cultivation impact on the earth's surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Otterman, J.; Walter, L. S.; Schmugge, T. J.

1976-01-01

ERTS-1 imagery was surveyed for cases of anthropogenic impact, similar to that in the Sinai, evidenced by the Sinai/Negev demarcation line. Reflectivities in several such cases were analyzed using ERTS computer compatible tapes. Sharp increases of surface reflectivity show the severe impact of overgrazing found in several places around the world. Agricultural cultivation can also result in pronounced change of reflectivities, as evidenced by the Montana, USA/Canada demarcation line. Such processes have probably been going on since prehistoric times, increasing with the human population and with the population of the grazing herds.

Food production -- problems and prospects.

PubMed

Anifowoshe, T O

1990-03-01

Improvements are needed in balancing the problems associated with population growth and food production. A review of the problems of rapid population growth and declining food production and suggestions for resolution are given. World population has increased over the past 10 years by 760 million, which is equal to adding the combined population of Africa and South America. Future increases are expected to bring total population to 6.1 billion by the year 2000 and 8.2 billion in 2025 (exponential increases). Food production/capita has declined since 1971 in the world and in Nigeria, particularly in the recent past. The food production problem is technical, environmental, social, political, and economic. Various scientific and technological methods for increasing food production are identified: mechanization, irrigation, use of fertilizers, control of weeds and insects, new varieties of farm animals or high-yielding strains of grain, land reclamation, soil conservation, river basin development, adequate storage facilities, infrastructure development, and birth control. Economic and social approaches involve short-term and long-term strategies in social readjustment and institutional change. For instance, large scale farmers should become contract growers for certain firms. Bureaucratic red tape should be eliminated in institutions which provide agricultural services. Environmental problems need urgent attention. Some of these problems are soil erosion from mechanization, water salinization from irrigation, accumulation of DDT in food and water and animal life from pesticide use, and water pollution from chemical fertilizers. Food production can be increased with more ecologically sound practices. Information about weather and weather forecasting allows for more suitable land management. The influence of rainfall (the amount and distribution) in Nigeria is greater than any other climatic factor. Solar radiation is a significant feature in production of dry matter and yield. Shifting cultivation and land tenure systems should involve conservation farming techniques. organic manures and appropriate use of chemical fertilizers can raise soil fertility. Other problems are identified as the spread of bilharzia and the settlement of nomadic tribes.

Economic viability of deficit irrigation in the western US

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In many arid regions of the world, population growth, groundwater depletion, and uncertain supplies have caused agricultural water to become increasingly scarce. Deficit irrigation (DI) provides a potential response to water scarcity, but no consensus exists on its economic viability. In this pape...

THE INFLUENCE OF A NOISE BARRIER AND VEGETATION ON AIR QUALITY NEAR A ROADWAY

EPA Science Inventory

A growing number of epidemiological studies conducted throughout the world have identified an increase in occurrence of adverse health effects for populations residing, working or attending school near major roadways. In addition, several air quality studies have identified incr...

Measuring and monitoring evapotranspiration over vineyards

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Water is already a scarce resource in many parts of the world. As the global population continues to grow, the competing demands for fresh water by urban, industrial, and agricultural user will also increase. To ensure there is sufficient water to meet these demands, policymakers, resource managers,...

How to implement a fracture liaison service

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The case for Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) for the prevention of secondary fractures is clear. With an ageing population, the burden of osteoporosis is set to increase. Despite evidence for the clinical effectiveness of secondary fracture prevention, translation in the real world setting remains di...

Volunteered Geographic Information (vgi) and Environmental Monitoring, a New Approach in Developing Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manouchehri, M.; Kiavarz Moghaddam, M.

2017-09-01

Increasing world population and unprecedented expansion of urbanization in the world has caused many environmental problems. The relationship between man and the environment is bidirectional one that have great short-term and long-term impacts on the cities and regions. The best way to deal with it is the participation of the people themselves. The use of new technologies has now become one of the most important methods for monitoring the environment that can increase the participation of citizens, improving environmental problems to provide the cheapest and the most accessible form. Developing countries such as Iran, which faces enormous environmental problems are suitable for the development of technological methods of monitoring. Large population and citizens' participation feasibility using VGI can have a positive effect on developing countries. Finally, by using F-VGI that ensures the validity and accuracy of data we can access an appropriate platform that leads us to suitable model for environment monitoring in the form of the application.

Water management for a megacity: Mexico City Metropolitan Area.

PubMed

Tortajada, Cecilia; Castelán, Enrique

2003-03-01

The paper presents an overview of the present situation of the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). The analysis indicates an urgent need to radically improve the current water supply and wastewater management practices, to become sustainable. The MCMA is one of the most rapidly growing urban centers of the world, with a population of about 21 million people, a very high rate of immigration and numerous illegal settlements. In order to meet the increasing water demand, successive governments have focused almost exclusively on supply management and engineering solutions, which have resulted in investments of hundreds of millions of USD and the construction of major infrastructure projects for interbasin water transfer. Environmental, economic and social policies associated with water management are mostly inadequate and insufficient, which is resulting in increasing deterioration in the environment, health and socioeconomic conditions of a population living in one of the largest urban agglomerations of the world. Surprisingly, however, no long-term strategies on demand-management, reuse, conservation, and improved water-management practices have been developed so far.

1974 is World Population Year.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Asian Population Programme News, 1974

1974-01-01

This publication is a special issue of the Asian Population Programme News. This particular publication is concerned with population year 1974. Highlights from the thirtieth session of the Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East (ECAFE) are presented. World, regional, and country population news are included in separate sections. A listing…

Economic Motives Behind the 2011 Egyptian Revolution

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

23 Figure 3. Poverty Headcount Ratio at $2 a day (PPP) (% of population) (from The World Bank, 2013...2013). .................................................................................................28 Figure 5. Similarity of World Food Price...Rate Annually, 2000‒2012.......................................................30 Figure 7. Egypt’s Population Growth since 2000 (from CIA World

Racial differences in venous thromboembolism.

PubMed

Zakai, N A; McClure, L A

2011-10-01

The incidence of venous thrombosis (VTE) varies by race, with African-Americans having over 5-fold greater incidence than Asian-ancestry populations, and an intermediate risk for European and Hispanic populations. Known racial differences in genetic polymorphisms associated with thrombosis do not account for this gradient of risk, nor do known racial variations in environmental risk factors. Data on the incidence of and risk factors for VTE outside of Europe and North America and in non-European ancestry populations are sparse. Common genetic polymorphisms in European-Ancestry populations, such as factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A, and environmental risk factors, such as obesity, may account for some of the increased risk in European populations, and high factor VIII, high von Willebrand factor and low protein C levels and increased prevalence of obesity may explain some of the increased risk in African-Americans. The low rates in Asian populations may be partially explained by low clinical suspicion in a perceived low-risk population and lack of access to healthcare in other populations. As risk factors for thrombosis, such as surgery and treatment for cancer, are applicable to more people, as obesity increases in prevalence in the developing world, and as surveillance systems for VTE improve, VTE may increase in previously low-risk populations. While differences in VTE by race due to genetic predisposition will probably always be present, understanding the reasons for racial differences in VTE will help providers develop strategies to minimize VTE in all populations. © 2011 International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Competition magnifies the impact of a pesticide in a warming world by reducing heat tolerance and increasing autotomy.

PubMed

Op de Beeck, Lin; Verheyen, Julie; Stoks, Robby

2018-02-01

There is increasing concern that standard laboratory toxicity tests may be misleading when assessing the impact of toxicants, because they lack ecological realism. Both warming and biotic interactions have been identified to magnify the effects of toxicants. Moreover, while biotic interactions may change the impact of toxicants, toxicants may also change the impact of biotic interactions. However, studies looking at the impact of biotic interactions on the toxicity of pesticides and vice versa under warming are very scarce. Therefore, we tested how warming (+4 °C), intraspecific competition (density treatment) and exposure to the pesticide chlorpyrifos, both in isolation and in combination, affected mortality, cannibalism, growth and heat tolerance of low- and high-latitude populations of the damselfly Ischnura elegans. Moreover, we addressed whether toxicant exposure, potentially in interaction with competition and warming, increased the frequency of autotomy, a widespread antipredator mechanism. Competition increased the toxicity of chlorpyrifos and made it become lethal. Cannibalism was not affected by chlorpyrifos but increased at high density and under warming. Chlorpyrifos reduced heat tolerance but only when competition was high. This is the first demonstration that a biotic interaction can be a major determinant of 'toxicant-induced climate change sensitivity'. Competition enhanced the impact of chlorpyrifos under warming for high-latitude larvae, leading to an increase in autotomy which reduces fitness in the long term. This points to a novel pathway how transient pesticide pulses may cause delayed effects on populations in a warming world. Our results highlight that the interplay between biotic interactions and toxicants have a strong relevance for ecological risk assessment in a warming polluted world. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can direct conversion of used nitrogen to new feed and protein help feed the world?

PubMed

Matassa, Silvio; Batstone, Damien J; Hülsen, Tim; Schnoor, Jerald; Verstraete, Willy

2015-05-05

The increase in the world population, vulnerability of conventional crop production to climate change, and population shifts to megacities justify a re-examination of current methods of converting reactive nitrogen to dinitrogen gas in sewage and waste treatment plants. Indeed, by up-grading treatment plants to factories in which the incoming materials are first deconstructed to units such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and clean minerals, one can implement a highly intensive and efficient microbial resynthesis process in which the used nitrogen is harvested as microbial protein (at efficiencies close to 100%). This can be used for animal feed and food purposes. The technology for recovery of reactive nitrogen as microbial protein is available but a change of mindset needs to be achieved to make such recovery acceptable.

Impacts of globalization in health.

PubMed

Ioannou, Andriani; Mechili, Aggelos; Kolokathi, Aikaterini; Diomidous, Marianna

2013-01-01

Globalization is the process of international integration arising from the interchange of world views, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture. Globalization describes the interplay of macro-social forces across cultures. The purpose of this study is a systematic review of the bibliography on the impacts of globalization in health. The consequences of globalization on health present a twofold dimension, on the one hand affects the health of the population and on the other hand organization and functioning of health systems. As a result of globalization, there has been an undeniable economic development and technological progress to support the level of health around the world, improving the health status of certain populations with a beneficial increase in life expectancy. In many aspects globalization is good but there are many problems too.

Survival ethics in the real world: the research university and sustainable development.

PubMed

Verharen, Charles; Tharakan, John; Bugarin, Flordeliz; Fortunak, Joseph; Kadoda, Gada; Middendorf, George

2014-03-01

We discuss how academically-based interdisciplinary teams can address the extreme challenges of the world's poorest by increasing access to the basic necessities of life. The essay's first part illustrates the evolving commitment of research universities to develop ethical solutions for populations whose survival is at risk and whose quality of life is deeply impaired. The second part proposes a rationale for university responsibility to solve the problems of impoverished populations at a geographical remove. It also presents a framework for integrating science, engineering and ethics in the efforts of multidisciplinary teams dedicated to this task. The essay's third part illustrates the efforts of Howard University researchers to join forces with African university colleagues in fleshing out a model for sustainable and ethical global development.

Reproductive Health: An Introduction to IUCD in India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tripathi, Vrijesh; Nandan, Deoki

2006-01-01

The world has a population of 6 billion. India alone has a population of 1 billion. This is despite the fact that India was the first country in the world to have a population policy. It is important to understand the factors that led to this population explosion and the complex links between population growth rates and levels of development.…

The demography of menopause.

PubMed

Hill, K

1996-03-01

Menopause marks a time of dramatic hormonal and often social change for women. Both risk factors and health needs are likely to change as women pass through menopause. This paper examines the demographic characteristics of the world population of menopausal and post-menopausal women, and also examines the implication of menopause for mortality risks. The numbers of women involved are large. Using age 50 as a proxy for menopause, about 25 million women pass through menopause each year, and we estimate that in 1990 there were 467 million post-menopausal women in the world, with an average age of about 60 years. By 2030, the world population of menopausal and postmenopausal women is projected to increase to 1.2 billion, with 47 million new entrants each year. The mortality implications of menopause are also substantial. Ratios of female to male mortality risks from all causes and from all major cause groups except neoplasms decline to low levels around menopause or shortly thereafter, and then rise again to near unity. This pattern is taken as evidence that the female reproductive period is broadly protective of health, but that this protection disappears after menopause. The main protective effect is through reduced risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, partially offset by increased risks of cancer mortality, particularly of the breast and endometrium.

Imperatives and Possibilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beairsto, Bruce; Carrigan, Tony

2004-01-01

Canadians in urban centers cannot help but notice an ever-increasing ethnic and cultural diversity. The country's national goal of annually landing approximately one percent of the population as newcomers from around the world ensures that this trend will continue. However, while the country has no difficulty attracting immigrants and refugees and…

Developing a Binational Geography Curriculum in Sustainability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oberle, Alex; Araya, Fabian; Cortés, Ximena; Ullestad, Mollie

2015-01-01

In a world with an ever-increasing population, diminishing natural resources, and greater levels of consumption, sustainability has emerged as a critical concept and it encompasses everything from international policy to lifestyle changes to "green" technologies. While various aspects of sustainability have been adopted by schools and…

Developing a Global Perspective: Educating for a Global Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Couvio, A. Buddy

1991-01-01

Five methods for increasing college student global awareness through campus activities programing are offered, including a "global quotient" quiz for student populations, international exchanges for activities staff, introduction of world music on campus, a weekly international television show aired on sed-circuit television, and a…

The Nutrition Crunch: A World View

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spurgeon, David

1973-01-01

Discusses the problem of providing sufficient protein to increasing populations, especially in underdeveloped countries. Focuses on the impact of the Green Revolution, genetics in improving protein yields, the expansion of fisheries, protein wastage in rearing animals and processing food, and the potential of microorganisms as a food source. (JR)

Baseline gene expression in conjunction with GSTM1 status predicts ozone exposure response

EPA Science Inventory

Air pollution exposure causes increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality and has been linked to the deaths of 7 million people every year by the World Health Organization. Approximately 40% of the population lack expression of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione S-transfer...

Basal gene expression predicts ozone-induced pro-inflammatory response in GSTM1-null individuals

EPA Science Inventory

Air pollution exposure causes increased cardiopulmonary morbidity and mortality and has been linked to the deaths of 7 million people every year by the World Health Organization. Approximately 40% of the population lack expression of the antioxidant enzyme glutathione S-transfer...

Identifying physiological gains in the historic Midwest soybean germplasm

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soybean yields in the US have steadily increased throughout the past century due to advances made in breeding and management practices. Despite these historical gains, producers will face a significant challenge to provide sufficient food, fiber, and fuel to supply a growing world population, which ...

Our Population Predicament: A New Look.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Tak, Jean, Ed.; And Others

1979-01-01

This Bulletin updates the story of world population presented in 1971, "Man's Population Predicament." Estimated at half a billion in 1650, world population reached 2 billion in 1930, 4 billion in 1975, and is projected to be about 6 billion in 2000. Most of today's rapid growth is occurring among people living in less developed…

Twenty-Two Dimensions of the Population Problem. Worldwatch Paper 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Lester R.; And Others

Twenty-two facets of the world population problem are explored. The topics are economic, social, ecological, and political in nature and generally portray the stresses and strains associated with continued population growth in a world inhabited by four billion people. These aspects of the population problem are discussed: literacy, oceanic…

Urban air quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fenger, Jes

Since 1950 the world population has more than doubled, and the global number of cars has increased by a factor of 10. In the same period the fraction of people living in urban areas has increased by a factor of 4. In year 2000 this will amount to nearly half of the world population. About 20 urban regions will each have populations above 10 million people. Seen over longer periods, pollution in major cities tends to increase during the built up phase, they pass through a maximum and are then again reduced, as abatement strategies are developed. In the industrialised western world urban air pollution is in some respects in the last stage with effectively reduced levels of sulphur dioxide and soot. In recent decades however, the increasing traffic has switched the attention to nitrogen oxides, organic compounds and small particles. In some cities photochemical air pollution is an important urban problem, but in the northern part of Europe it is a large-scale phenomenon, with ozone levels in urban streets being normally lower than in rural areas. Cities in Eastern Europe have been (and in many cases still are) heavily polluted. After the recent political upheaval, followed by a temporary recession and a subsequent introduction of new technologies, the situation appears to improve. However, the rising number of private cars is an emerging problem. In most developing countries the rapid urbanisation has so far resulted in uncontrolled growth and deteriorating environment. Air pollution levels are here still rising on many fronts. Apart from being sources of local air pollution, urban activities are significant contributors to transboundary pollution and to the rising global concentrations of greenhouse gasses. Attempts to solve urban problems by introducing cleaner, more energy-efficient technologies will generally have a beneficial impact on these large-scale problems. Attempts based on city planning with a spreading of the activities, on the other hand, may generate more traffic and may thus have the opposite effect.

Food security and climate change: a perfect storm needing an integrated solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scholes, R. J.

2011-12-01

The challenges of feeding the world and keeping it within a comfortable climate range loom large in public and policy debates, but to date have mostly been treated as independent issues. In reality they are closely intertwined, and any actions taken to manage one will have to consider the consequences for the other. It is well-understood that agriculture is climatically-sensitive. One of the thresholds defining 'dangerous' climate change is the limit of tolerance of major food production systems to high temperatures, droughts, floods, severe weather events and tropospheric ozone. Less widely-appreciated is the substantial effect which the food system has on climate forcing - currently around a third of the effect, once land use change is included. The size of the effect is highly influenced by land use and food system practices and policies. The remarkable gains in agricultural production since the 1960s and food surpluses in the developed world have masked the severe nutritional inadequacies already faced by a fifth of the global population. For a range of reasons, recent increases in food production have not matched the increasing demand brought about by population growth, changing diets and non-food uses for agricultural products. The result is rising food commodity prices and increasing food insecurity in many parts of the world. In the absence of decisive interventions, these trends are bound to worsen as the global population rises to a projected 9-10 billion people, per capita wealth rises, and water and land resources come under increasing pressure. The imperatives of ensuring food security are likely to materialize earlier than those related to avoiding climate disasters, which could result in actions making the later transgression of the safe climate limits inevitable. There is a narrow trajectory, involving technological, institutional, economic and values-based changes, that could navigate between two equally-unpleasant outcomes.

Global Pattern of Nasopharyngeal Cancer: Correlation of Outcome With Access to Radiation Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lam, Ka-On; Lee, Anne W.M., E-mail: annelee@hku-szh.org; Choi, Cheuk-Wai

Purpose: This study aimed to estimate the treatment outcome of nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) across the world and its correlation with access to radiation therapy (RT). Methods and Materials: The age-standardized mortality (ASM) and age-standardized incidence (ASI) rates of NPC from GLOBOCAN (2012) were summarized, and [1−(ASM/ASI)] was computed to give the proxy relative survival (RS). Data from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Bank were used to assess the availability of RT in surrogate terms: the number of RT equipment units and radiation oncologists per million population. Results: A total of 112 countries with complete valid datamore » were analyzed, and the proxy RS varied widely from 0% to 83% (median, 50%). Countries were categorized into Good, Median, and Poor outcome groups on the basis of their proxy RS (<45%, 45%-55%, and >55%). Eighty percent of new cases occurred in the Poor outcome group. Univariable linear regression showed a significant correlation between outcome and the availability of RT: proxy RS increased at 3.4% (P<.001) and 1.5% (P=.001) per unit increase in RT equipment and oncologist per million population, respectively. The median number of RT equipment units per million population increased significantly from 0.5 in the Poor, to 1.5 in the Median, to 4.6 in the Good outcome groups, and the corresponding number of oncologists increased from 1.1 to 3.3 to 7.1 (P<.001). Conclusions: Nasopharyngeal cancer is a highly treatable disease, but the outcome varies widely across the world. The current study shows a significant correlation between survival and access to RT based on available surrogate indicators. However, the possible reasons for poor outcome are likely to be multifactorial and complex. Concerted international efforts are needed not only to address the fundamental requirement for adequate RT access but also to obtain more comprehensive and accurate data for research to improve cancer outcome.« less

SNPs and Haplotypes in Native American Populations

PubMed Central

Kidd, Judith R.; Friedlaender, Françoise; Pakstis, Andrew J.; Furtado, Manohar; Fang, Rixun; Wang, Xudong; Nievergelt, Caroline M.; Kidd, Kenneth K.

2013-01-01

Autosomal DNA polymorphisms can provide new information and understanding of both the origins of and relationships among modern Native American populations. At the same time that autosomal markers can be highly informative, they are also susceptible to ascertainment biases in the selection of the markers to use. Identifying markers that can be used for ancestry inference among Native American populations can be considered separate from identifying markers to further the quest for history. In the current study we are using data on nine Native American populations to compare the results based on a large haplotype-based dataset with relatively small independent sets of SNPs. We are interested in what types of limited datasets an individual laboratory might be able to collect are best for addressing two different questions of interest. First, how well can we differentiate the Native American populations and/or infer ancestry by assigning an individual to her population(s) of origin? Second, how well can we infer the historical/evolutionary relationships among Native American populations and their Eurasian origins. We conclude that only a large comprehensive dataset involving multiple autosomal markers on multiple populations will be able to answer both questions; different small sets of markers are able to answer only one or the other of these questions. Using our largest dataset we see a general increasing distance from Old World populations from North to South in the New World except for an unexplained close relationship between our Maya and Quechua samples. PMID:21913176

Pharmacologic development of male hormonal contraceptive agents.

PubMed

Roth, M Y; Amory, J K

2011-01-01

The world population continues to increase dramatically despite the existence of contraceptive technology. The use of male hormonal contraception may help in preventing un intended pregnancies and managing future population growth. Male hormonal contraception relies on the administration of exogenous hormones to suppress spermatogenesis. Clinical trials have tested several regimens using testosterone, alone or in combination with a progestin. These regimens were shown to be >90% effective in preventing conception and were not associated with serious adverse events.

Potential for use of environmental factors in urban planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira da Silva, Ricardo; van der Ploeg, Martine; van Delden, Hedwig; Fleskens, Luuk

2016-04-01

Projections for population growth estimate, on top of the current 7.4 billion world population, an increase of 2 billion people for the next 40 years. It is also projected that 66 per cent of the world population in 2050 will live in urban areas. To accommodate the urban population growth cities are changing continuously land cover to urban areas. Such changes are a threat for natural resources and food production systems stability and capability to provide food and other functions. However, little has been done concerning a rational soil management for food production in urban and peri-urban areas. This study focuses on the assessment of soil lost due to urban expansion and discusses the potential loss regarding the quality of the soil for food production and environmental functions. It is relevant to increase the knowledge on the role of soils in peri-urban areas and in the interaction of physical, environmental and social factors. The methodology consists of assessing the soil quality in and around urban and peri-urban areas. It focuses particularly on the physical properties and the environmental factors, for two periods of time and account the potential losses due to urban expansion. This project is on-going, therefore current advances will be presented and will look for a discussion on the contribution of soil quality for decision-making and land management in urban and peri-urban areas.

The Conundrum of Impacts of Climate Change on Urbanization and the Urban Heat Island Effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quattrochi, Dale A.

2011-01-01

The twenty-first century is the first urban century according to the United Nations Development Program. The focus on cities reflects awareness of the growing percentage of the world's population that lives in urban areas. In 2000, approximately 3 billion people representing about 40% of the global population resided in urban areas. The United Nations estimates that by 2025, 60% of the world s population will live in urban areas. As a consequence, the number of megacities (those cities with populations of 10 million inhabitants or more) will increase by 100 by 2025. Thus, there is a critical need to understand the spatial growth of urban areas and what the impacts are on the environment. Moreover, there is a critical need to assess how under global climate change, cities will affect the local, regional, and even global climate. As urban areas increase in size, it is anticipated there will be a concomitant growth of the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI), and the attributes that are related to its spatial and temporal dynamics. Therefore, how climate change, including the dynamics of the UHI, will affect the urban environment, must be explored to help mitigate potential impacts on the environment (e.g., air quality, heat stress, vectorborne disease) and on human health and well being, to develop adaptation schemes to cope with these impacts.

Climate change and temperature-linked hatchling mortality at a globally important sea turtle nesting site.

PubMed

Laloë, Jacques-Olivier; Cozens, Jacquie; Renom, Berta; Taxonera, Albert; Hays, Graeme C

2017-11-01

The study of temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in vertebrates has attracted major scientific interest. Recently, concerns for species with TSD in a warming world have increased because imbalanced sex ratios could potentially threaten population viability. In contrast, relatively little attention has been given to the direct effects of increased temperatures on successful embryonic development. Using 6603 days of sand temperature data recorded across 6 years at a globally important loggerhead sea turtle rookery-the Cape Verde Islands-we show the effects of warming incubation temperatures on the survival of hatchlings in nests. Incorporating published data (n = 110 data points for three species across 12 sites globally), we show the generality of relationships between hatchling mortality and incubation temperature and hence the broad applicability of our findings to sea turtles in general. We use a mechanistic approach supplemented by empirical data to consider the linked effects of warming temperatures on hatchling output and on sex ratios for these species that exhibit TSD. Our results show that higher temperatures increase the natural growth rate of the population as more females are produced. As a result, we project that numbers of nests at this globally important site will increase by approximately 30% by the year 2100. However, as incubation temperatures near lethal levels, the natural growth rate of the population decreases and the long-term survival of this turtle population is threatened. Our results highlight concerns for species with TSD in a warming world and underline the need for research to extend from a focus on temperature-dependent sex determination to a focus on temperature-linked hatchling mortalities. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Phenotypic plasticity in a complex world: interactive effects of food and temperature on fitness components of a seed beetle.

PubMed

Stillwell, R Craig; Wallin, William G; Hitchcock, Lisa J; Fox, Charles W

2007-08-01

Most studies of phenotypic plasticity investigate the effects of an individual environmental factor on organism phenotypes. However, organisms exist in an ecologically complex world where multiple environmental factors can interact to affect growth, development and life histories. Here, using a multifactorial experimental design, we examine the separate and interactive effects of two environmental factors, rearing host species (Vigna radiata, Vigna angularis and Vigna unguiculata) and temperature (20, 25, 30 and 35 degrees C), on growth and life history traits in two populations [Burkina Faso (BF) and South India (SI)] of the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus. The two study populations of beetles responded differently to both rearing host and temperature. We also found a significant interaction between rearing host and temperature for body size, growth rate and female lifetime fecundity but not larval development time or larval survivorship. The interaction was most apparent for growth rate; the variance in growth rate among hosts increased with increasing temperature. However, the details of host differences differed between our two study populations; the degree to which V. unguiculata was a better host than V. angularis or V. radiata increased at higher temperatures for BF beetles, whereas the degree to which V. unguiculata was the worst host increased at higher temperatures for SI beetles. We also found that the heritabilities of body mass, growth rate and fecundity were similar among rearing hosts and temperatures, and that the cross-temperature genetic correlation was not affected by rearing host, suggesting that genetic architecture is generally stable across rearing conditions. The most important finding of our study is that multiple environmental factors can interact to affect organism growth, but the degree of interaction, and thus the degree of complexity of phenotypic plasticity, varies among traits and between populations.

[Contemporary family systems--developments, problems, and possibilities].

PubMed

Reich, Günter

2005-12-01

Contemporary forms of family life and their development are described. The thesis of the pluralism of family types as a historical new phenomenon is critically reviewed, with special consideration of the relationship between family life and working world. An increasing move away from the "fordistic model" of family life took place during the last two decades towards the "multilocal multigenerational family". This development is, among others, due to the increased life expectancy and the change in the population structure. Simultaneous to this the boundaries between family and working world become more permeable. If the stability of employments decreases and the mobility of employees increases in a large scale, is discussed controversely. For an increasing number of families it becomes more and more difficult to make flexibility at work compatible with security for the children or to cope with the consequences of unemployment.

Bucharest: poverty or population?

PubMed

1974-01-01

The controversy that occurred in Bucharest over the World Population Plan of Action had not been totally anticipated. Prior to the Conference, there appeared to be a general consensus that population growth was the crucial issue although it was recognized that population growth had to be considered in the context of socioeconomic and cultural development. What developed at Bucharest was a clear division between the developed countries who favored population control and implementation of family planning programs by 1986 and the developing countries who rejected the idea of population control unless it was associated with the redistribution of world resources. The reality of people having large families because they are poor cannot be denied, but, simultaneously, the problem of increasing numbers and their impact on the quality of life, nutrition, housing, education, and employment must be faced. Since affluent countries cannot be relied upon concerning the redistribution of their wealth, developing countries can bring about some change by redistributing the wealth within their countries. Adult literacy programs have been identified as a means to promote socioeconomic development, but these programs will only prove successful if they involve the adults in the process of learning by means of problem solving and cause them to reflect on their socioeconomic situation with the result of reinvolving themselves in society in order to change it.

The world's second largest population of humpback dolphins in the waters of Zhanjiang deserves the highest conservation priority

PubMed Central

Xu, Xinrong; Song, Jinyuan; Zhang, Zhenhua; Li, Peng; Yang, Guang; Zhou, Kaiya

2015-01-01

Chinese white dolphins (Sousa chinensis) inhabiting shallow coastal waters are vulnerable to impacts from human activities in the near shore waters. This study examined the population of Chinese white dolphins occurring off the coast of Zhanjiang in the northern South China Sea. A total of 492 Chinese white dolphins were identified, 176 of which were photographed on more than one occasion. The Zhanjiang Chinese white dolphin population is isolated from populations of conspecifics along the Guangdong coast. It is composed of approximately 1485 individuals (95% CI = 1371–1629; SE = 63.8), with estimates of mean representative range and core area of 168.51 and 44.26 km2, respectively. The high site fidelity and long-term residence of Chinese white dolphins in the study area are well established. A review of all available data indicates that based on what is currently known, the Zhanjiang Chinese white dolphin population is the second largest of the species and genus in the world. However, the recent industrial boom along the Zhanjiang coast has increased concerns regarding the conservation of the Zhanjiang Chinese white dolphin population. We recommend the designation of a national nature reserve as a most urgent measure for protecting Chinese white dolphins in Zhanjiang waters. PMID:25634769

The world's second largest population of humpback dolphins in the waters of Zhanjiang deserves the highest conservation priority.

PubMed

Xu, Xinrong; Song, Jinyuan; Zhang, Zhenhua; Li, Peng; Yang, Guang; Zhou, Kaiya

2015-01-30

Chinese white dolphins (Sousa chinensis) inhabiting shallow coastal waters are vulnerable to impacts from human activities in the near shore waters. This study examined the population of Chinese white dolphins occurring off the coast of Zhanjiang in the northern South China Sea. A total of 492 Chinese white dolphins were identified, 176 of which were photographed on more than one occasion. The Zhanjiang Chinese white dolphin population is isolated from populations of conspecifics along the Guangdong coast. It is composed of approximately 1485 individuals (95% CI = 1371-1629; SE = 63.8), with estimates of mean representative range and core area of 168.51 and 44.26 km(2), respectively. The high site fidelity and long-term residence of Chinese white dolphins in the study area are well established. A review of all available data indicates that based on what is currently known, the Zhanjiang Chinese white dolphin population is the second largest of the species and genus in the world. However, the recent industrial boom along the Zhanjiang coast has increased concerns regarding the conservation of the Zhanjiang Chinese white dolphin population. We recommend the designation of a national nature reserve as a most urgent measure for protecting Chinese white dolphins in Zhanjiang waters.

[Towards an urban world].

PubMed

1991-12-01

It has been estimated that by the year 2006, the proportion of the world's population residing in cities will for the 1st time exceed 50%. The entire urban population will be living on 1% of the earth's surface. Rapid growth of cities is largely limited to developing countries, where about 9/10 of urban growth is expected to occur in coming decades. Urban growth in developing countries is due to high fertility as well as inmigration of poor peasants seeking a better life. The current growth rate of Third World cities is 3.6% annually, which signifies doubling of the population in 20 years. Paris required over a century to grow from 547,000 to 3 million, but Lagos grew from 700,000 to 5.6 million in 20 years and Cairo grew by 6.5 million in 34 years. Immoderate population growth places a great strain on cities attempting to provide basic services. Only a few authoritarian governments have succeeded in limiting immigration to their metropolitan areas. Rapidly growing cities have become symbols not only of poverty and social deterioration, but of ecological destruction, contamination, and lack of health. Air pollution, waste management, and the water supply are 3 of the most serious problems of hygiene and sanitation in the world's cities. Air pollution is caused by various factors including car exhausts and coal burning. According to World Health Organization data, less than 60% of Third World housing has access to an adequate sanitary system. 90% of sewage is not treated before elimination. And millions of persons with no potable water supply are obliged to consume contaminated water or to use their scarce resources to buy water. Many cities lose up to 60% of their scarce water supplies through leaking pipes. If these pipes were repaired, and the loss amounted to the 12% typical of the US and Great Britain, this single measure would double the volume of potable water available. The lack of social balance is at the root of urban problems in the Third World. 600 million inhabitants of the Third World live in unhealthy housing. Most housing inhabited by the poor shares 2 characteristics: presence of pathogenic microorganisms because of lack of access to sanitary means of waste disposal, and crowding. The wealthy inhabitants of Third world cities must act to mitigate the problems of urban growth, but external aid will also be needed to raise the quality of the urban environment. The increasing crowdedness of cities should prompt authorities to make family planning services universally available.

Self-mixing of fly larvae during feeding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shishkov, Olga; Johnson, Christopher; Zhang, Bryan; Hu, David

2016-11-01

How do we sustainably feed a growing world population? One solution of increasing interest is the use of black solider fly larvae, pea-sized grubs envisioned to transform hundreds of tons of food waste into a sustainable protein source. Although startups across the world are raising these larvae, a physical understanding of how they should be raised and fed remains missing. In this study, we present experiments measuring their feeding rate as a function of number of larvae. We show that larger groups of larvae have greater mixing which entrains hungry larvae around the food, increasing feeding rate. Feeding of larvae thus differs from feeding of cattle or other livestock which exhibit less self-mixing.

Self mixing of fly larvae during feeding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shishkov, Olga; Johnson, Christopher; Hu, David

How do we sustainably feed a growing world population? One solution of increasing interest is the use of black solider fly larvae, pea-sized grubs envisioned to transform hundreds of tons of food waste into a sustainable protein source. Although startups across the world are raising these larvae, a physical understanding of how they should be raised and fed remains missing. In this study, we present experiments measuring their feeding rate as a function of number of larvae. We show that larger groups of larvae have greater mixing which entrains hungry larvae around the food, increasing feeding rate. Feeding of larvae thus differs from feeding of cattle or other livestock which exhibit less self-mixing.

Iron and steel recycling in the United States in 1998

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fenton, Michael D.

2001-01-01

Consumption of iron and steel scrap and the health of the scrap industry depend directly on the health of the steelmaking industry. The United States, as well as most of the world, is expected to consume increasing amounts of scrap as a steadily increasing population demands more steel products. World resources of scrap should be sufficient for the foreseeable future. An estimated 75 million metric tons (Mt) of scrap was generated during 1998 in the United States, and 35 Mt of old scrap and 18 Mt of new scrap was consumed. The recycling efficiency was calculated to be 52%, and the recycling rate was found to be 41%. (See appendix for definitions.)

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helmberger, Thomas K.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is considered to be one of the most common malignancies worldwide, and the most common one in Africa and Asia. Over the last decade, a rising incidence of up to 10-15/100,000 per population has been seen in the Western world, with an estimate of 250,000 deaths and more than a million worldwide per year. By the year 2010, the World Health Organization expects that HCC will be the leading cause of cancer mortality surpassing lung cancer. This increasing incidence is most likely related to an increasing prevalence of chronic hepatitis C (HC) and B (HB) virus infections and other diseases inducing chronic inflammation (Befeler and Di Bisceglie 2002; Llovet et al. 2003).

A systematic review of cognitive failures in daily life: Healthy populations.

PubMed

Carrigan, Nicole; Barkus, Emma

2016-04-01

Cognitive failures are minor errors in thinking reported by clinical and non-clinical individuals during everyday life. It is not yet clear how subjectively-reported cognitive failures relate to objective neuropsychological ability. We aimed to consolidate the definition of cognitive failures, outline evidence for the relationship with objective cognition, and develop a unified model of factors that increase cognitive failures. We conducted a systematic review of cognitive failures, identifying 45 articles according to the PRISMA statement. Failures were defined as reflecting proneness to errors in 'real world' planned thought and action. Vulnerability to failures was not consistently associated with objective cognitive performance. A range of stable and variable factors were linked to increased risk of cognitive failures. We conclude that cognitive failures measure real world cognitive capacity rather than pure 'unchallenged' ability. Momentary state may interact with predisposing trait factors to increase the likelihood of failures occurring. Inclusion of self-reported cognitive failures in objective cognitive research will increase the translational relevance of ability into more ecologically valid aspects of real world functioning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health in the Arab world: a view from within 1

PubMed Central

Batniji, Rajaie; Khatib, Lina; Cammett, Melani; Sweet, Jeffrey; Basu, Sanjay; Jamal, Amaney; Wise, Paul; Giacaman, Rita

2014-01-01

Since late 2010, the Arab world has entered a tumultuous period of change, with populations demanding more inclusive and accountable government. The region is characterised by weak political institutions, which exclude large proportions of their populations from political representation and government services. Building on work in political science and economics, we assess the extent to which the quality of governance, or the extent of electoral democracy, relates to adult, infant, and maternal mortality, and to the perceived accessibility and improvement of health services. We compiled a dataset from the World Bank, WHO, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Arab Barometer Survey, and other sources to measure changes in demographics, health status, and governance in the Arab World from 1980 to 2010. We suggest an association between more effective government and average reductions in mortality in this period; however, there does not seem to be any relation between the extent of democracy and mortality reductions. The movements for changing governance in the region threaten access to services in the short term, forcing migration and increasing the vulnerability of some populations. In view of the patterns observed in the available data, and the published literature, we suggest that efforts to improve government effectiveness and to reduce corruption are more plausibly linked to population health improvements than are efforts to democratise. However, these patterns are based on restricted mortality data, leaving out subjective health metrics, quality of life, and disease-specific data. To better guide efforts to transform political and economic institutions, more data are needed for healthcare access, health-care quality, health status, and access to services of marginalised groups. PMID:24452043

Governance and health in the Arab world.

PubMed

Batniji, Rajaie; Khatib, Lina; Cammett, Melani; Sweet, Jeffrey; Basu, Sanjay; Jamal, Amaney; Wise, Paul; Giacaman, Rita

2014-01-25

Since late 2010, the Arab world has entered a tumultuous period of change, with populations demanding more inclusive and accountable government. The region is characterised by weak political institutions, which exclude large proportions of their populations from political representation and government services. Building on work in political science and economics, we assess the extent to which the quality of governance, or the extent of electoral democracy, relates to adult, infant, and maternal mortality, and to the perceived accessibility and improvement of health services. We compiled a dataset from the World Bank, WHO, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Arab Barometer Survey, and other sources to measure changes in demographics, health status, and governance in the Arab World from 1980 to 2010. We suggest an association between more effective government and average reductions in mortality in this period; however, there does not seem to be any relation between the extent of democracy and mortality reductions. The movements for changing governance in the region threaten access to services in the short term, forcing migration and increasing the vulnerability of some populations. In view of the patterns observed in the available data, and the published literature, we suggest that efforts to improve government effectiveness and to reduce corruption are more plausibly linked to population health improvements than are efforts to democratise. However, these patterns are based on restricted mortality data, leaving out subjective health metrics, quality of life, and disease-specific data. To better guide efforts to transform political and economic institutions, more data are needed for health-care access, health-care quality, health status, and access to services of marginalised groups. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

HIV Treatment as Prevention: Natural Experiments Highlight Limits of Antiretroviral Treatment as HIV Prevention

PubMed Central

Wilson, David P.

2012-01-01

There is growing enthusiasm for increasing coverage of antiretroviral treatment among HIV-infected people for the purposes of preventing ongoing transmission. Treatment as prevention will face a number of barriers when implemented in real world populations, which will likely lead to the effectiveness of this strategy being lower than proposed by optimistic modelling scenarios or ideal clinical trial settings. Some settings, as part of their prevention and treatment strategies, have already attained rates of HIV testing and use of antiretroviral therapy—with high levels of viral suppression—that many countries would aspire to as targets for a treatment-as-prevention strategy. This review examines a number of these “natural experiments”, namely, British Columbia, San Francisco, France, and Australia, to provide commentary on whether treatment as prevention has worked in real world populations. This review suggests that the population-level impact of this strategy is likely to be considerably less than as inferred from ideal conditions. PMID:22807656

The Principles of Buoyancy in Marine Fish Eggs and Their Vertical Distributions across the World Oceans.

PubMed

Sundby, Svein; Kristiansen, Trond

2015-01-01

Buoyancy acting on plankton, i.e. the difference in specific gravity between plankton and the ambient water, is a function of salinity and temperature. From specific gravity measurements of marine fish eggs salinity appears to be the only determinant of the buoyancy indicating that the thermal expansions of the fish egg and the ambient seawater are equal. We analyze the mechanisms behind thermal expansion in fish eggs in order to determine to what extent it can be justified to neglect the effects of temperature on buoyancy. Our results confirm the earlier assumptions that salinity is the basic determinant on buoyancy in marine fish eggs that, in turn, influence the vertical distributions and, consequently, the dispersal of fish eggs from the spawning areas. Fish populations have adapted accordingly by producing egg specific gravities that tune the egg buoyancy to create specific vertical distributions for each local population. A wide variety of buoyancy adaptations are found among fish populations. The ambient physical conditions at the spawning sites form a basic constraint for adaptation. In coastal regions where salinity increases with depth, and where the major fraction of the fish stocks spawns, pelagic and mesopelagic egg distributions dominate. However, in the larger part of worlds' oceans salinity decreases with depth resulting in different egg distributions. Here, the principles of vertical distributions of fish eggs in the world oceans are presented in an overarching framework presenting the basic differences between regions, mainly coastal, where salinity increases with depth and the major part of the world oceans where salinity decreases with depth. We show that under these latter conditions, steady-state vertical distribution of mesopelagic fish eggs cannot exist as it does in most coastal regions. In fact, a critical spawning depth must exist where spawning below this depth threshold results in eggs sinking out of the water column and become lost for recruitment to the population. An example of adaptation to such conditions is Cape hake spawning above the critical layer in the Northern Benguela upwelling ecosystem. The eggs rise slowly in the onshore subsurface current below the Ekman layer, hence being advected inshore where the hatched larvae concentrate with optimal feeding conditions.

Complex Challenges in the Less-Developed World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Webster, P. J.

2016-12-01

The developing world faces special challenges in a changing climate. The immediate impacts of possible increased precipitation, more frequent and severe hazard events and sea-level rise are compounded by lack of resources and, often, rapidly growing populations. We examine the concept that the society that learns to deal with hazards in the current climate will be best placed to deal with possibly more frequent and more intense hazards in the future. We use as an example the conundrum facing Bangladesh where global sea-level rise is exaggerated by delta subsidence of river sediment. Sedimentation is expected to increase with increased river flow. We explore how authorities may deal with these multifaceted threats and how they need to carefully thread a strategy that leads to solutions and not exaggerations of the problem.

Framing Political Change: Can a Left Populism Disrupt the Rise of the Reactionary Right? Comment on "Politics, Power, Poverty and Global Health: Systems and Frames".

PubMed

Labonté, Ronald

2017-01-17

Solomon Benatar offers an important critique of the limited frame that sets the boundaries of much of what is referred to as 'global health.' In placing his comments within a criticism of increasing poverty (or certainly income and wealth inequalities) and the decline in our environmental commons, he locates our health inequities within the pathology of our present global economy. In that respect it is a companion piece to an editorial I published around the same time. Both Benatar's and my paralleling arguments take on a new urgency in the wake of the US presidential election. Although not a uniquely American event (the xenophobic right has been making inroads in many parts of the world), the degree of vitriol expressed by the President-elect of the world's (still) most powerful and militarized country is being used to further legitimate the policies of right-extremist parties in Europe while providing additional justification for the increasingly autocratic politics of leaders (elected or otherwise) in many other of the world's nations. To challenge right-populism's rejection of the predatory inequalities that 4 years of (neo)-liberal globalization have created demands strong and sustained left populism built, in part, on the ecocentric frame advocated by Benatar. © 2017 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Ambient air pollution, climate change, and population health in China.

PubMed

Kan, Haidong; Chen, Renjie; Tong, Shilu

2012-07-01

As the largest developing country, China has been changing rapidly over the last three decades and its economic expansion is largely driven by the use of fossil fuels, which leads to a dramatic increase in emissions of both ambient air pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs). China is now facing the worst air pollution problem in the world, and is also the largest emitter of carbon dioxide. A number of epidemiological studies on air pollution and population health have been conducted in China, using time-series, case-crossover, cross-sectional, cohort, panel or intervention designs. The increased health risks observed among Chinese population are somewhat lower in magnitude, per amount of pollution, than the risks found in developed countries. However, the importance of these increased health risks is greater than that in North America or Europe, because the levels of air pollution in China are very high in general and Chinese population accounts for more than one fourth of the world's totals. Meanwhile, evidence is mounting that climate change has already affected human health directly and indirectly in China, including mortality from extreme weather events; changes in air and water quality; and changes in the ecology of infectious diseases. If China acts to reduce the combustion of fossil fuels and the resultant air pollution, it will reap not only the health benefits associated with improvement of air quality but also the reduced GHG emissions. Consideration of the health impact of air pollution and climate change can help the Chinese government move forward towards sustainable development with appropriate urgency. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Quebrando Fronteras": Trends among Latino and Latina Undergraduate Engineers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camacho, Michelle Madsen; Lord, Susan M.

2011-01-01

Engineering, a field that has shaped the world's industrial and technological base, is ripe for an influx of Latino undergraduate students. Given U.S. Latino population increases, what is the trajectory of Latino participation in engineering education? Using an interdisciplinary lens, we critically examine Latino trends in undergraduate…

A Web-Based Virtual Classroom System Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adewale, Olumide S.; Ibam, Emmanuel O.; Alese, B. K.

2012-01-01

The population of students all over the world is growing without a proportionate increase in teaching/learning resources/infrastructure. There is also much quest for learning in an environment that provides equal opportunities to all learners. The need to provide an equal opportunity learning environment that will hitherto improve the system of…

Investing in Youth: The Nova Scotia School-to-Work Transition Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thiessen, Victor; Looker, E. Dianne

Economic, technological, and social changes occurring around the world have produced incredible challenges for youth, symbolized by persistently high youth unemployment rates despite increasing educational attainments and a shrinking youth population. Chapter 1 of this book provides an overview of the initiatives undertaken by Canada and the…

Language and Literacy Shifts in Refugee Populations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Lynellyn D.

The large scale movements of refugees in many areas of the world are having dramatic impacts on indigenous cultures, languages, and literacies. Both anecdotal evidence and research suggest that the experience of uprooting and displacement creates an increased demand for literacy, new forms of literate expression, and more multilingual…

Plural Societies and the Possibility of Shared Citizenship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merry, Michael S.

2012-01-01

As civilization pushes headlong into the twenty-first century, increasingly stringent demands for citizenship issue forth from governments around the world faced with a formidable assortment of challenges. Faced with these challenges, states are exploring ways to elicit civic attachments from their heterogeneous populations, but doing so is…

Migration and Adult Language Learning: Global Flows and Local Transpositions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Anne; Roberts, Celia

2010-01-01

In the 21st century, global flows politically, socially, economically, and environmentally are creating widespread movements of people around the world and giving rise to increased resettlements of immigrants and refugees internationally. The reality in most countries worldwide is that contemporary populations are multifaceted, multicultural,…

OUR SOCIETY'S FUTURE--IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF EXTENSION PROGRAMS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

GRIFFITH, WILLIAM S.

IN AN ADDRESS THE AUTHOR STATES THAT THE POPULATION EXPLOSION VERSUS WORLD FOOD PRODUCTION CAPACITY, TOGETHER WITH URBAN BLIGHT, POVERTY, AND FUNCTIONAL ILLITERACY, INCREASING COMPETITION FOR TRAINED MANPOWER, AND RELATED IMBALANCES IN AMERICAN EDUCATION CONSTITUTE MAJOR TRENDS AND ACUTE PROBLEMS IN TODAY'S SOCIETY. THE AUTHOR FEELS UNIVERSITIES…

Integrating Cultural Humility into Health Care Professional Education and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, E-shien; Simon, Melissa; Dong, XinQi

2012-01-01

As US populations become increasing diverse, healthcare professionals are facing a heightened challenge to provide cross-cultural care. To date, medical education around the world has developed specific curricula on cultural competence training in acknowledgement of the importance of culturally sensitive and grounded services. This article…

Proteome analysis of leaves of the desiccation-tolerant grass, Sporobolus stapfianus, in response to desiccation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Drought and its affects on agricultural production is a serious issue facing global efforts to increase food supplies and ensure food security for the growing world population. Understanding how plants respond to dehydration is an important prerequisite for developing strategies for crop improvement...

A Pedagogy for Global Understanding--Intercultural Dialogue: From Theory to Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dulabaum, Nina L.

2011-01-01

Given the current tensions and animosities between people of varying cultural and ethnic groups, intercultural dialogue, rooted in Europe's humanist tradition, offers a concrete strategy for fostering understanding, promoting tolerance and breaking down barriers based on stereotypes and xenophobic violence. As the world's population increases each…

Environmental Literacy of Undergraduate College Students: Development of the Environmental Literacy Instrument (ELI)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloyd-Strovas, Jenny; Moseley, Christine; Arsuffi, Tom

2018-01-01

As the world population continues to increase and natural resources become limited, environmental education (EE) in universities play an essential role in developing environmentally literate. This study measured the environmental literacy (EL) levels (familiar knowledge, factual knowledge, attitude, behavior) of undergraduate college students.…

Sustainable rangeland-based livestock production: A perspective on USA and global emerging trends

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A recent review of statistics published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization showed that global livestock numbers have increased steadily over the past 30 years. By 2030, livestock numbers in the developing world are expected to reach record highs that will surpass livestock popul...

Variances in nutrient content and yield of alfalfa protein concentrate processed with five methods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The demand for protein is growing with increased populations and world affluence. A sustainable and affordable protein source is needed to support the growing aquaculture industry worldwide. Alfalfa produces high levels of protein and provides numerous environmental services, potentially making it a...

The containment of world population growth.

PubMed

Caldwell, J C

1975-12-01

The world has reached the present position of unprecedentedly rapid population growth not by achieving uniquely high fertility but by bringing about extraordinarily low mortality. The high growth rate and the built-in momentum of the age structure are obstacles to achievement of an acceptable standard of living for most of the world's population. Although government population programs have the potential to curb this growth rate, this potential has not been realized, and such programs are too often perceived both by their administrators and the population concerned as an end in themselves rather than a means toward a better standard of living. It is in this latter perspective, and in the context of the total development process, that population programs should be implemented.

Sources of population and family planning assistance.

PubMed

1983-01-01

This document assesses the current status of population and family planning assistance throughout the world and provides brief sketches of the available sources including national governments, intergovernmental agencies such as the UNFPA and other UN entities, and nongovernmental funding, technical assistance, or funding and technical assistance organizations. The descriptions of aid-granting organizations describe their purposes, sources of funding, and activities, and give addresses where further information may be sought. At present about $100 million of the US $1 billion spent for family planning in developing countries each year comes from individuals paying for their own supplies and services, over $400 million is spent by national governments on their own programs, and about $450 million comes from developed country governments and private agencies. Over half of external assistance appears to be channeled through international agencies, and only a few countries provide a substantial proportion of aid bilaterally. In the past decade several governments, particularly in Asia, significantly increased the share of program costs they assumed themselves, and the most populous developing countries, China, India, and Indonesia, now contribute most of the funding for their own programs. Although at least 130 countries have provided population aid at some time, most is given by 12 industrialized countries. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is the largest single donor, but the US share of population assistance has declined to 50% of all assistance in 1981 from 60% in the early 1970s. Governments of Communist bloc countries have made only small contributions to international population assistance. Most governmental asistance is in cash grant form, but loans, grants in kind, and technical assistance are also provided. Private organizations give assistance primarily to other private organizations in developing countries, and have been major innovators in research, training and service delivery. Loan assistance is provided by the World Bank for combined health, nutrition, and population projects as well as poupulation education. Although international population assistance from donor governments and private organizations increased from about $165 million in 1971 to about $445 million in 1980, the increase in constant value was only about 10% after inflation. About 2/3 of international assistance goes to family planning services and contraceptives; other activities receiving support are basic data collection, research, and IEC. Greatly increased expenditures will be needed if population stability is to be achieved.

Population and Development: Perspective on a Teaching Challenge.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawson, Leslie

1995-01-01

Through the World Institute's Curriculum, students can look at the world's two largest nations, China and India, to learn about population and gender equity issues. This article describes the use of recent data gathered by international agencies and population education in the classroom. (LZ)

A Window Toward the World: Older Adults' Experiences of Becoming in Health and Developing as Human Beings Through Interacting With Others Using Real Video Communication.

PubMed

Hemberg, Jessica; Santamäki Fischer, Regina

The population in the Nordic countries, as well as globally, is increasingly becoming older. Concurrently, with an increased aging population, there is an increase in poor health and loneliness among older adults. The aim of this study was to uncover, from a caring science perspective, community-living older adults' experiences of interacting with others via real video communication. The study uses a hermeneutical approach. The material consists of interviews with older adults regarding their experiences of using real video communication. The texts were interpreted through hermeneutical reading. Study participation and data storage and handling for research purposes were approved by the participants when they provided their informed consent. Ethical permission to conduct this study was granted by a research board. The findings uncovered that welfare technology offers a metaphor-a window toward the world-that comprises the overarching core theme "Being in a movement toward becoming a unity as a human being," and 3 main themes: "Alleviating suffering through beating involuntary solitude," "Being in the world as an equal and dignified human being," and "Dedicating new perspectives and meaning in life." Welfare technology seems to be an important means to improve the quality of life for older adults living at home. Welfare technology enables older people to be in contact with other people in an easy way. Further research is needed to uncover issues of welfare technology from different perspectives.

Military Service and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in a Population-based Cohort

PubMed Central

Cudkowicz, Merit E.; Johnson, Norman

2015-01-01

Background: Military service has been suggested to be associated with an increased risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), but only one prospective study—of a volunteer cohort—has examined this question. Methods: We prospectively assessed the relation between service in the military and ALS mortality among participants in the National Longitudinal Mortality Study, a population-representative cohort of U.S. men and women surveyed from 1973 through 2002. Participant follow-up was conducted from 1979 through 2002 for ALS mortality. There were 696,743 men and 392,571 women who were 25 years old or more with military service data. In this group, there were 375 male ALS deaths and 96 female ALS deaths. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards. Results: Men who served in the military had an increased adjusted ALS death rate [HR: 1.23; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.98, 1.53] compared with those who did not serve. An increase in ALS mortality was found among those who served during World War II (HR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.13, 1.91) but not during other time periods. This pattern of results was similar for women, but with larger confidence intervals (HR for military service: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.29, 5.59; HR for service during World War II: 2.03; 95% CI: 0.45, 9.05). Conclusions: Military personnel have an increased risk of ALS, which may be specific to certain service periods although there was no data on actual deployment. Because of the longer follow-up time for World War II veterans, we cannot rule out that increased risk for those who served during other periods would be seen with further follow-up. PMID:26414854

Ethnomedicine in healthcare systems of the world: a Semester at Sea pilot survey in 11 countries.

PubMed

Muleady-Mecham, Nancy E; Schley, Stephanie

2009-06-17

An understanding and appreciation for the varied healthcare systems in use throughout the world are increasingly vital for medical personnel as patient populations are now composed of ethnically diverse people with wide-ranging belief systems. While not a statistically valid survey, this pilot study gives a global overview of healthcare differences around the world. A pilot study of 459 individuals from 11 different countries around the world was administered by 33 students in the upper division course, People, Pathology, and World Medicine from Semester at Sea, Fall 2007, to ascertain trends in healthcare therapies. Open-ended surveys were conducted in English, through an interpreter, or in the native language. Western hospital use ranked highly for all countries, while ethnomedical therapies were utilized to a lesser degree. Among the findings, mainland China exhibited the greatest overall percentage of ethnomedical therapies, while the island of Hong Kong, the largest use of Western hospitals. The figures and trends from the surveys suggest the importance of understanding diverse cultural healthcare beliefs when treating individuals of different ethnic backgrounds. The study also revealed the increasingly complex and multisystem-based medical treatments being used internationally.

Population dynamics and climate change: what are the links?

PubMed

Stephenson, Judith; Newman, Karen; Mayhew, Susannah

2010-06-01

Climate change has been described as the biggest global health threat of the 21(st) century. World population is projected to reach 9.1 billion by 2050, with most of this growth in developing countries. While the principal cause of climate change is high consumption in the developed countries, its impact will be greatest on people in the developing world. Climate change and population can be linked through adaptation (reducing vulnerability to the adverse effects of climate change) and, more controversially, through mitigation (reducing the greenhouse gases that cause climate change). The contribution of low-income, high-fertility countries to global carbon emissions has been negligible to date, but is increasing with the economic development that they need to reduce poverty. Rapid population growth endangers human development, provision of basic services and poverty eradication and weakens the capacity of poor communities to adapt to climate change. Significant mass migration is likely to occur in response to climate change and should be regarded as a legitimate response to the effects of climate change. Linking population dynamics with climate change is a sensitive issue, but family planning programmes that respect and protect human rights can bring a remarkable range of benefits. Population dynamics have not been integrated systematically into climate change science. The contribution of population growth, migration, urbanization, ageing and household composition to mitigation and adaptation programmes needs urgent investigation.

Genome-wide diversity and differentiation in New World populations of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax

PubMed Central

de Oliveira, Thais C.; Rodrigues, Priscila T.; Menezes, Maria José; Gonçalves-Lopes, Raquel M.; Bastos, Melissa S.; Lima, Nathália F.; Barbosa, Susana; Gerber, Alexandra L.; Loss de Morais, Guilherme; Berná, Luisa; Phelan, Jody; Robello, Carlos; de Vasconcelos, Ana Tereza R.

2017-01-01

Background The Americas were the last continent colonized by humans carrying malaria parasites. Plasmodium falciparum from the New World shows very little genetic diversity and greater linkage disequilibrium, compared with its African counterparts, and is clearly subdivided into local, highly divergent populations. However, limited available data have revealed extensive genetic diversity in American populations of another major human malaria parasite, P. vivax. Methods We used an improved sample preparation strategy and next-generation sequencing to characterize 9 high-quality P. vivax genome sequences from northwestern Brazil. These new data were compared with publicly available sequences from recently sampled clinical P. vivax isolates from Brazil (BRA, total n = 11 sequences), Peru (PER, n = 23), Colombia (COL, n = 31), and Mexico (MEX, n = 19). Principal findings/Conclusions We found that New World populations of P. vivax are as diverse (nucleotide diversity π between 5.2 × 10−4 and 6.2 × 10−4) as P. vivax populations from Southeast Asia, where malaria transmission is substantially more intense. They display several non-synonymous nucleotide substitutions (some of them previously undescribed) in genes known or suspected to be involved in antimalarial drug resistance, such as dhfr, dhps, mdr1, mrp1, and mrp-2, but not in the chloroquine resistance transporter ortholog (crt-o) gene. Moreover, P. vivax in the Americas is much less geographically substructured than local P. falciparum populations, with relatively little between-population genome-wide differentiation (pairwise FST values ranging between 0.025 and 0.092). Finally, P. vivax populations show a rapid decline in linkage disequilibrium with increasing distance between pairs of polymorphic sites, consistent with very frequent outcrossing. We hypothesize that the high diversity of present-day P. vivax lineages in the Americas originated from successive migratory waves and subsequent admixture between parasite lineages from geographically diverse sites. Further genome-wide analyses are required to test the demographic scenario suggested by our data. PMID:28759591

[Ten scenarios on the future of world population].

PubMed

Niyibizi, S

1990-04-01

This work presents 10 hypotheses concerning possible catastrophes that might befall the world's population in the future. The perspective is pessimistic, but in most cases the hypotheses represent possibilities only. The 1st hypothesis is that demographic imbalances resulting from the excess of births over deaths will result in a total world population too large to be sustained by the earth's finite resources. A return of the great epidemic diseases of the past or the global warming that is already threatening are 2 other possible fates, along with cooling of the atmosphere and reglaciation. Atomic, bacteriologic, and chemical warfare represents a different sort of possibility. A collision of planets or of the numerous manmade satellites now circling the earth might have disastrous consequences, as might earthquakes or floods. The end of the world is foreseen in the Bible, although details are sparse. Finally, AIDS is viewed by many as divine punishment for the perversions of the human population and by others as a viral disease capable of decimating the world's population and returning once thriving areas to an uninhabited state.

Investing in amnesia, or fantasy and forgetfulness in the World Bank's approach to healthcare reform in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Epprecht, M

1997-01-01

"Investing in Health," the World Bank's 1993 World Development Report, and a follow-up report, "Better Health in Africa," advocate investments in Third World health sectors as a means of increasing individual productivity and strengthening economic growth. Both reports maintain that structural adjustment policies have enhanced the physical health of low-income populations by improving the fiscal health of business elites. This essay critiques the World Bank's approach through a historical analysis of health care problems in sub-Saharan Africa with an emphasis on the devastating effects of colonialism, patriarchy, and imperialism. Although these documents contain many useful recommendations for Western donors (e.g., recognition of the destructive potential of alcohol and tobacco, the need for state regulation over key parts of the health sector, and the effects of gender on health status), they reflect an "investment in amnesia" regarding historical evidence on health care reform in Africa and an erroneous assumption that Western biomedicine is politically neutral. Foreign aid has tended to serve the needs of multinational corporations rather than African populations. Recommended, in place of structural adjustment policies, are measures such as a massive rebuilding of Africa's urban infrastructure, the enforcement of minimum wage laws, the preservation of ecosystems that supply traditional medicines, attention to the ecologic and health consequences of economic growth, and a feminist-led reproductive rights movement.

FWCW: a personal view.

PubMed

Li, A S

1995-12-01

The personal experiences at the Beijing Fourth World Conference on Women and the Nongovernmental Organization (NGO) Forum were described by a Chinese American veterinarian. The author became aware that women were primarily the persons living in poverty in the world. Business and government appeared more concerned with economic growth. As a consequence, developed countries with 20% of world population consume 80% of the world's resources. The privilege of money secures a position of power in the world, power to buy up the resources of the world. This process is unsustainable and inequitable. Women are viewed as key players in shifting the balance in favor of a higher quality of life. The NGO workshops on Women in Livestock Development (WILD) was run by women veterinarians, who worked at the local level with women in poor areas. WILD operates out of offices in Arkansas in the USA. WILD women work in Sichuan, China, among the Han and Tibetans in increasing family income through heifer and livestock production. Conference participants from WILD programs talked about their experiences with increased income and loans to other women. The World Women's Veterinary Association members, who attended the conference, visited a small animal clinic in Beijing run by the Agriculture Ministry, and Beijing Agricultural University and its Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Demonstrations were given of small animal acupuncture. The author found the conference to be a success and found that press reports misrepresented the energy generated by the meeting.

Nutrient resources for crop production in the tropics

PubMed Central

Vlek, P. L. G.; Kühne, R. F.; Denich, M.

1997-01-01

For the foreseeable future a majority of the population, and almost all the mal- and under-nourished, will continue to be found in the tropics and subtropics. Food security in these parts of the world will have to be met largely from local resources. The productivity of the land is to a large extent determined by the fertlity of the soil, which in turn is mostly determined by its organic matter content and stored nutrients. Soil organic matter is readily lost when organic matter inputs are reduced upon cultivation and more so upon intensification. The concomitant loss of topsoil and possible exposure of subsoil acidity may cause further soil degradation.
Plant nutrients to replenish what is yearly taken from the soil to meet the demands for food and fibre amount to 230 million tonnes (Mt). Current fertilizer consumption stands at about 130 Mt of N, P2O5,and K2O, supplemented by an estimated 90 Mt of N from biological nitrogen fixation worldwide. Although 80 per cent of the population lives in the developing world, only half the world's fertilizer is consumed there. Yet, as much as 50% of the increase in agricultural productivity in the developing world is due to the adoption of fertilizers. World population growth will cause a doubling in these nutrients requirements for the developing world by 2020, which, in the likely case of inadequate production, will need to be met from soil reserves. Because expansion of the cultivable land area is reaching its limits, the reliance on nutrient inputs and their efficient use is bound to grow.
With current urban expansion, nutrients in harvested products are increasingly lost from the rural environment as a whole. Estimates of soil nutrient depletion rates for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are alarmingly high. The situation may be more favourable in Latin America and Asia where fertilizer inputs are tenfold those of SSA. Closing the nutrient cycle at a community level in rural areas may be tedious; on an inter-regional level it is associated with considerable costs of collection, detoxification and transportation to the farms. Yet, at the rate at which some of the non-renewable resources such as phosphorus and potassium are being exploited, recycling of these nutrients will soon be required.

Hygiene Hypothesis: Is the Evidence the Same All Over the World?

PubMed

Leong, Rupert W; Mitrev, Nikola; Ko, Yanna

2016-01-01

The hygiene hypothesis refers to where modern living conditions are responsible for the increasing incidences of immune-related diseases including the development of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Improved hygiene may result in decreased enteric microbiota diversity and dysbiosis, which may be responsible for the development of IBD. The rising incidence of IBD is well documented in developing regions of the world, in accordance with the hygiene hypothesis. What is unknown, however, is whether the hygiene hypothesis is applicable all over the world. Hygiene cannot be easily measured and proxy markers need to be used. These include regional data such as a country's gross domestic product or an individual's affluence or exposure to infection risk factors. A comparative case-control study of Caucasian Australian IBD subjects versus migrants from the Middle East to Australia identified that environmental risk factors are different in the 2 populations. Among Australian Caucasians, hygiene-related environmental risk factors are no longer relevant in the development of IBD. Given the country's high affluence, there has been high hygienic standard for several generations. However, migrants from less affluent countries exposed to hygiene-related environmental factors are at increased risks of developing IBD, especially in the second generation migrants born in the affluent country. Divergent risk factors include the use of antibiotics in childhood increasing the risk of IBD in developed societies but being a risk factor for developing IBD in migrants. In India, risk factors associated with infections were found to be positively associated with the development of ulcerative colitis, rather than protective. The hygiene hypothesis is not applicable to all populations worldwide, being most relevant in societies undergoing increasing affluence or following migration from less to more affluent countries. This review examines data from around the world that link the hygiene hypothesis with the development of IBD and in particular the divergent results arising from data from affluent countries versus less-affluent countries. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Major impact: a global population policy can advance human development in the 21st century.

PubMed

Mcnamara, R S

1992-12-01

In Tokyo, Japan, former president of the World Bank, Robert McNamara, addressed the Global Industrial and Social Progress Research Institute Symposium in April 1992. He reiterated a statement he made during his first presentation as president of the World Bank in September 1968--rapid population growth is the leading obstacle to economic growth and social well-being for people living in developing countries. He called for both developed and developing countries to individually and collectively take immediate action to reduce population growth rates, otherwise coercive action will be needed. Rapid population growth prevents countries from achieving sustainable development and jeopardizes our physical environment. It also exacerbates poverty, does not improve the role and status of women, adversely affects the health of children, and does not allow children a chance at a quality life. Even if developing countries were to quickly adopt replacement level fertility rates, high birth rates in the recent past prevent them from reducing fast population growth for decades. For example, with more than 60% of females in Kenya being at least 19 years old (in Sweden they represent just 23%), the population would continue to grow rapidly for 70 years if immediate reduction to replacement level fertility occurred. Mr. McNamara emphasized than any population program must center on initiating or strengthening extensive family planning programs and increasing the rate of economic and social progress. Successful family planning programs require diverse enough family planning services and methods to meet the needs of various unique populations, stressing of family planning derived health benefits to women and children, participation of both the public and private sectors, and political commitment. McNamara calculated that a global family planning program for the year 2000 would cost about US$8 billion. He added that Japan should increase its share of funds to population growth reduction efforts.

Macroeconomic implications of population ageing and selected policy responses.

PubMed

Bloom, David E; Chatterji, Somnath; Kowal, Paul; Lloyd-Sherlock, Peter; McKee, Martin; Rechel, Bernd; Rosenberg, Larry; Smith, James P

2015-02-14

Between now and 2030, every country will experience population ageing-a trend that is both pronounced and historically unprecedented. Over the past six decades, countries of the world had experienced only a slight increase in the share of people aged 60 years and older, from 8% to 10%. But in the next four decades, this group is expected to rise to 22% of the total population-a jump from 800 million to 2 billion people. Evidence suggests that cohorts entering older age now are healthier than previous ones. However, progress has been very uneven, as indicated by the wide gaps in population health (measured by life expectancy) between the worst (Sierra Leone) and best (Japan) performing countries, now standing at a difference of 36 years for life expectancy at birth and 15 years for life expectancy at age 60 years. Population ageing poses challenges for countries' economies, and the health of older populations is of concern. Older people have greater health and long-term care needs than younger people, leading to increased expenditure. They are also less likely to work if they are unhealthy, and could impose an economic burden on families and society. Like everyone else, older people need both physical and economic security, but the burden of providing these securities will be falling on a smaller portion of the population. Pension systems will be stressed and will need reassessment along with retirement policies. Health systems, which have not in the past been oriented toward the myriad health problems and long-term care needs of older people and have not sufficiently emphasised disease prevention, can respond in different ways to the new demographic reality and the associated changes in population health. Along with behavioural adaptations by individuals and businesses, the nature of such policy responses will establish whether population ageing will lead to major macroeconomic difficulties. Copyright © 2015 World Health Organization. Published by Elsevier Ltd/Inc/BV. All rights reserved. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

World soccer cup as a trigger of cardiovascular events.

PubMed

Borges, Daniel Guilherme Suzuki; Monteiro, Rosane Aparecida; Schmidt, André; Pazin-Filho, Antonio

2013-06-01

Acute coronary syndromes are the major cause of death in Brazil and in the world. External stimuli, known also as triggers, such as emotional state and activity, may generate physiopathological changes that can trigger acute coronary syndromes. Among the studied triggers, the impact of stressful events, such as soccer championships, are controversial in literature and there is no effective data on the Brazilian population. To evaluate the acute effects of environmental stress induced by soccer games of the World Soccer Cup on increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Brazil. Public data were obtained from the Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde), regarding hospital admissions that had the International Code Disease of acute coronary syndromes from May to August, in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010 (155,992 admissions). Analysis was restricted to patients older than 35 years and admitted by clinical specialties. The incidence of myocardial infarction, angina and mortality were compared among days without World Cup soccer games (Group I: 144,166; 61.7 ± 12.3; 59.4% males); on days when there were no Brazil's soccer team matches (Group II: 9,768; 61.8 ± 12.3; 60.0% males); and days when there were Brazil's soccer team matches (Group III; 2,058; 61.6 ± 12.6; 57.8% males). Logistic regression was used to adjust to age, gender, population density and number of medical assistance units. The incidence of myocardial infarction increased during the period of World Cup soccer games (1.09; 95%CI = 1.05-1.15) and days when there were Brazil's matches (1.16; 95%CI = 1.06-1.27). There was no impact on mortality during the Cup (1.00; CI 95% = 0.93-1.08) and Brazil's matches (1.04; 95%CI = 0.93-1.22). World Cup soccer games and, specially, Brazil's matches have an impact on the incidence of myocardial infarction, but not on in-hospital mortality.

Use of amphetamine-type stimulants in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 2004-2015: a review.

PubMed

Shadloo, Behrang; Amin-Esmaeili, Masoumeh; Haft-Baradaran, Minoo; Noroozi, Alireza; Ghorban-Jahromi, Reza; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin

2017-05-01

Amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) are the second most commonly used illicit drugs in the world, after cannabis. The production of ATS has increased worldwide, including in the Middle East. This review aims to assess ATS use in the Islamic Republic of Iran. PubMed, Scientific Information Database (a national database) and Iranian Center for Addiction Studies were searched. The review included studies on the general population, university and high school students, other specific populations, and drug users. The result show that self-reported methamphetamine and ecstasy use in 2016 was < 1% in the general population and university and high-school students, but the prevalence was higher in certain groups. There has also been an increase in the proportion of ATS users among clients of drug treatment centres. The findings highlight the need for high quality epidemiological studies and closer monitoring of stimulant use in different populations.

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease through population-wide motivational strategies: insights from using smartphones in stroke prevention

PubMed Central

Feigin, Valery L; Norrving, Bo; Mensah, George A

2017-01-01

The fast increasing stroke burden across all countries of the world suggests that currently used primary stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention strategies are not sufficiently effective. In this article, we overview the gaps in, and pros and cons of, population-wide and high-risk prevention strategies. We suggest that motivating and empowering people to reduce their risk of having a stroke/CVD by using increasingly used smartphone technologies would bridge the gap in the population-wide and high-risk prevention strategies and reduce stroke/CVD burden worldwide. We emphasise that for primary stroke prevention to be effective, the focus should be shifted from high-risk prevention to prevention at any level of CVD risk, with the focus on behavioural risk factors. Such a motivational population-wide strategy could open a new page in primary prevention of not only stroke/CVD but also other non-communicable disorders worldwide. PMID:28589034

Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease through population-wide motivational strategies: insights from using smartphones in stroke prevention.

PubMed

Feigin, Valery L; Norrving, Bo; Mensah, George A

2016-01-01

The fast increasing stroke burden across all countries of the world suggests that currently used primary stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention strategies are not sufficiently effective. In this article, we overview the gaps in, and pros and cons of, population-wide and high-risk prevention strategies. We suggest that motivating and empowering people to reduce their risk of having a stroke/CVD by using increasingly used smartphone technologies would bridge the gap in the population-wide and high-risk prevention strategies and reduce stroke/CVD burden worldwide. We emphasise that for primary stroke prevention to be effective, the focus should be shifted from high-risk prevention to prevention at any level of CVD risk, with the focus on behavioural risk factors. Such a motivational population-wide strategy could open a new page in primary prevention of not only stroke/CVD but also other non-communicable disorders worldwide.

Population ageing: what should we worry about?

PubMed Central

Turner, Adair

2009-01-01

Approximately half the world's population now has replacement-level fertility or below. The UK experience in accommodating to a changing dependency ratio provides some generalizable insights. A mechanistic approach assuming a fixed retirement age and a need to raise fertility or increase immigration in order to maintain pensions at a fixed proportion of the gross domestic product (GDP) is overstated and wrong. It needs to be replaced by a welfare optimizing model, which takes into account the increasing years of healthy life, a slow rise in the pensionable age, capital inheritance and wider welfare considerations of population density that are not reflected in GDP measures. A combined replacement ratio (CRR) is suggested for developed countries combining the impact of the fertility rate and immigration rate. A CRR above 2 implies continued population growth. The current UK CRR of 2.48 is higher than needed for pension reasons, and it is suggested that it exceeds the welfare maximizing level. PMID:19770152

Moderating diets to feed the future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davis, Kyle F.; D'Odorico, Paolo; Rulli, Maria Cristina

2014-10-01

Population growth, dietary changes, and increasing biofuel use are placing unprecedented pressure on the global food system. While this demand likely cannot be met by expanding agricultural lands, much of the world's cropland can attain higher crop yields. Therefore, it is important to examine whether increasing crop productivity to the maximum attainable yield (i.e., yield gap closure) alone can substantially improve food security at global and national scales. Here we show that closing yield gaps through conventional technological development (i.e., fertilizers and irrigation) can potentially meet future global demand if diets are moderated and crop-based biofuel production is limited. In particular, we find that increases in dietary demand will be largely to blame should crop production fall short of demand. In converting projected diets to a globally adequate diet (3000 kcal/cap/d; 20% animal kcal) under current agrofuel use, we find that 1.8-2.6 billion additional people can be fed in 2030 and 2.1-3.1 billion additional people in 2050, depending on the extent to which yields can improve in those periods. Therefore, the simple combination of yield gap closure and moderating diets offers promise for feeding the world's population but only if long-term sustainability is the focus.

Implementing recommendations of the World Report on Disability for indigenous populations.

PubMed

Westby, Carol

2013-02-01

Typically, the types of services provided for people with communication disorders (PWCD) and the ways the services are provided have been designed for dominant populations in the Minority World. If services are to be truly accessible and equitable, they must be designed to account for cultural variations in beliefs, needs, and desires of PWCD and their families. This article describes the health conditions that put indigenous populations at particular risk for communicative disorders and gives examples of ways in which speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have addressed the recommendations of the World Report on Disability when working with PWCD in indigenous communities in Minority World countries.

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism in the Greek population.

PubMed

Sklavounou, E; Economou-Petersen, E; Karadima, G; Panas, M; Avramopoulos, D; Varsou, A; Vassilopoulos, D; Petersen, M B

1997-10-01

The APOE gene is located on chromosome 19, and the three common alleles are designated epsilon2, epsilon3, and epsilon4. The epsilon4 allele is associated with increased plasma cholesterol, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and decreased longevity. The objective of the present study was to estimate the distribution of APOE alleles in the Greek population by DNA analysis. The material consisted of 216 voluntary, healthy Greek blood donors (146 males/70 females). The APOE allele frequencies were epsilon2: 5.3%, epsilon3: 88.2%, epsilon4: 6.5%. The epsilon4 allele frequency of 6.5% in the Greek population is, together with the frequency in the Chinese population, among the lowest in the world.

The molecular genetic basis of Glanzmann thrombasthenia in the Iraqi-Jewish and Arab populations in Israel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Newman, P.J.; Seligsohn, U.; Lyman, S.

1991-04-15

Glanzmann thrombasthenia is an autosomal recessive bleeding disorder characterized by a decrease or absence of functional platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb-IIIa ({alpha}{sub IIb}{beta}{sub 3}) integrin receptors. Although thrombasthenia is a rare disorder, its occurrence is increased in some regions of the world where intracommunity marriage and consanguinity are commonplace, resulting in increased expression of autosomal recessive traits. The authors have been studying two populations having an unusually high frequency of Glanzmann disease, Iraqi Jews and Arabs living in Israel, and were able to distinguish the populations on the basis of immunodetectable GPIIIa and populations on the basis of immunodetectable GPIIIa andmore » platelet surface vitronectin receptor ({alpha}{sub v}{beta}{sub 3}) expression. In this article, they describe molecular genetic studies based on use of the PCR that have allowed us to characterize platelet mRNA sequences encoding GPIIb and GPIIIa from patients in these populations. These studies demonstrate the heterogeneity of Glanzmann thrombasthenia in different populations, and its homogeneity within geographically restricted populations, and offer insight into the requirements for integrin surface expression.« less

Changes in Scottish suicide rates during the Second World War.

PubMed

Henderson, Rob; Stark, Cameron; Humphry, Roger W; Selvaraj, Sivasubramaniam

2006-06-23

It is believed that total reported suicide rates tend to decrease during wartime. However, analysis of suicide rates during recent conflicts suggests a more complex picture, with increases in some age groups and changes in method choice. As few age and gender specific analyses of more distant conflicts have been conducted, it is not clear if these findings reflect a change in the epidemiology of suicide in wartime. Therefore, we examined suicide rates in Scotland before, during and after the Second World War to see if similar features were present. Data on deaths in Scotland recorded as suicide during the period 1931-1952, and population estimates for each of these years, were obtained from the General Register Office for Scotland. Using computer spreadsheets, suicide rates by gender, age and method were calculated. Forward stepwise logistic regression was used to assess the effect of gender, war and year on suicide rates using SAS V8.2. The all-age suicide rate among both men and women declined during the period studied. However, when this long-term decline is taken into account, the likelihood of suicide during the Second World War was higher than during both the pre-War and post-War periods. Suicide rates among men aged 15-24 years rose during the Second World War, peaking at 148 per million (41 deaths) during 1942 before declining to 39 per million (10 deaths) by 1945, while the rate among men aged 25-34 years reached 199 per million (43 deaths) during 1943 before falling to 66 per million (23 deaths) by 1946. This was accompanied by an increase in male suicides attributable to firearms and explosives during the War years which decreased following its conclusion. All age male and female suicide rates decreased in Scotland during World War II. However, once the general background decrease in suicide rates over the whole period is accounted for, the likelihood of suicide among the entire Scottish population during the Second World War was elevated. The overall decrease in suicide rates concealed large increases in younger male age groups during the War years, and an increase in male suicides recorded as due to the use of firearms. We conclude that the effects of war on younger people, reported in recent conflicts in Central Europe, were also seen in Scotland during the Second World War. The results support the findings of studies of recent conflicts which have found a heterogeneous picture with respect to age specific suicide rates during wartime.

Changes in Scottish suicide rates during the Second World War

PubMed Central

Henderson, Rob; Stark, Cameron; Humphry, Roger W; Selvaraj, Sivasubramaniam

2006-01-01

Background It is believed that total reported suicide rates tend to decrease during wartime. However, analysis of suicide rates during recent conflicts suggests a more complex picture, with increases in some age groups and changes in method choice. As few age and gender specific analyses of more distant conflicts have been conducted, it is not clear if these findings reflect a change in the epidemiology of suicide in wartime. Therefore, we examined suicide rates in Scotland before, during and after the Second World War to see if similar features were present. Methods Data on deaths in Scotland recorded as suicide during the period 1931 – 1952, and population estimates for each of these years, were obtained from the General Register Office for Scotland. Using computer spreadsheets, suicide rates by gender, age and method were calculated. Forward stepwise logistic regression was used to assess the effect of gender, war and year on suicide rates using SAS V8.2. Results The all-age suicide rate among both men and women declined during the period studied. However, when this long-term decline is taken into account, the likelihood of suicide during the Second World War was higher than during both the pre-War and post-War periods. Suicide rates among men aged 15–24 years rose during the Second World War, peaking at 148 per million (41 deaths) during 1942 before declining to 39 per million (10 deaths) by 1945, while the rate among men aged 25–34 years reached 199 per million (43 deaths) during 1943 before falling to 66 per million (23 deaths) by 1946. This was accompanied by an increase in male suicides attributable to firearms and explosives during the War years which decreased following its conclusion. Conclusion All age male and female suicide rates decreased in Scotland during World War II. However, once the general background decrease in suicide rates over the whole period is accounted for, the likelihood of suicide among the entire Scottish population during the Second World War was elevated. The overall decrease in suicide rates concealed large increases in younger male age groups during the War years, and an increase in male suicides recorded as due to the use of firearms. We conclude that the effects of war on younger people, reported in recent conflicts in Central Europe, were also seen in Scotland during the Second World War. The results support the findings of studies of recent conflicts which have found a heterogeneous picture with respect to age specific suicide rates during wartime. PMID:16796751

The world outlook for conventional agriculture. More emphasis is needed on farm price policy and plant research if future world food needs are to be met.

PubMed

Brown, L R

1967-11-03

1) The worldwide demand for food will continue to be strong in the coming decades. Two forces-rapidly growing population and, in much of the world, rapidly rising incomes-are expected to result in increases in the demand for food even more rapid than those that have occurred during the past. 2) Conventional agriculture has assured an adequate food supply for the economically advanced one-third of the world. The challenge now is to assure an adequate food supply for the remaining two-thirds, where population is now increasing at the rate of 1 million people per week and where malnutrition is already widespread. 3) Economically feasible prospects for significantly expanding the world's area of cultivated land in the 1960's and 1970's are limited and largely confined to sub-Saharan Africa and the Amazon Basin. Even here, agronomic problems will limit the rate of expansion. When the cost of desalting seawater is substantially reduced-probably not before the late 1970's or early 1980's at best-it may become feasible to irrigate large areas of desert. 4) Given the limited possibilities for expanding the area of land under cultivation, most of the increases in world food needs must be met, for the foreseeable future, by raising the productivity of land already under cultivation. Food output per acre, rather static throughout most of history, has begun to increase rapidly in some of the more advanced countries in recent decades. All of the increases in food production over the past quarter century in North America, western Europe, and Japan have come from increasing the productivity of land already under cultivation. The area under cultivation has actually declined. 5) Achieving dramatic gains in land productivity requires a massive investment of capital and the widespread adoption of new technology. A similar effort must now be made in the less-developed nations if these nations are to feed their people. The most important single factor influencing this rate of investment is food prices, more particularly the relationship between the price farmers receive for their food products and the cost of modern inputs such as fertilizer. 6) In some of the more-developed countries where per-acre yields have been rising for a long time, there is now evidence that the rate of yield increase may be slowing. Nonrecurring inputs may have made their maximum contribution to output in the case of some crops, pushing yield levels past the middle of the S-shaped logistic curve. Although this cannot be determined with any certainty, the possibility that the middle of the curve has been passed in some instances should be taken into account in viewing the long-term future. 7) If the rate of increase in yield per acre does in fact begin to slow in some of the agriculturally advanced countries, additional pressure will be put on the less-developed countries-which have much of the world's unrealized food-production potential-to meet the continuing future increases in world food needs. 8) Man has not yet been able to bypass the process of photosynthesis in the production of food. This dependence on photosynthesis plays a significant role in determining the upper levels of the S-shaped yield curve. Additional research is urgently needed to increase the photosynthetic efficiency of crops and to raise the upper levels of economically feasible yields.

The relationship between population ageing and the economic growth in Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brendan, Lo Rick; Sek, Siok Kun

2017-08-01

Asia has witnessed robust economic growth since the 1960s. Today, emerging markets in Asia have managed to maintain rapid growth even when the world's main economies suffer from debt and banking crises. However, declining total fertility rate, increasing life expectancy, continuous change of birth and death patterns, and increasing share of old age population in the age distribution in Asia exert significant pressure on its economies. This paper analyses the relationship between population ageing and economic growth using 2 different panels of countries; one Asian and another the from the oldest countries worldwide between 1970 and 2014. The analysis is based on the Auto Regression Distributed Lag models. The MG (Mean Group) and PMG (Pooled Mean Group) estimations are applied in this analysis. The Hausman Test is conducted to decide between the MG and PMG estimators. We find that ageing will negatively affect the economy in the long run. The growing number of youths will initially have a negative effect on the economy but would eventually lead to a positive growth in the future. The old age dependency ratio has yet to have affect the Asian economy but is expected eventually to impose a negative effect as seen in the oldest nations of the world.

An ecology for cities: A transformational nexus of design and ecology to advance climate change resilience and urban sustainability

Treesearch

Daniel L. Childers; Mary L. Cadenasso; J. Morgan Grove; Victoria Marshall; Brian McGrath; Steward T.A. Pickett

2015-01-01

Cities around the world are facing an ever-increasing variety of challenges that seem to make more sustainable urban futures elusive. Many of these challenges are being driven by, and exacerbated by, increases in urban populations and climate change. Novel solutions are needed today if our cities are to have any hope of more sustainable and resilient futures. Because...

Recent trends and perspectives of molecular markers against fungal diseases in wheat

PubMed Central

Goutam, Umesh; Kukreja, Sarvjeet; Yadav, Rakesh; Salaria, Neha; Thakur, Kajal; Goyal, Aakash K.

2015-01-01

Wheat accounts for 19% of the total production of major cereal crops in the world. In view of ever increasing population and demand for global food production, there is an imperative need of 40–60% increase in wheat production to meet the requirement of developing world in coming 40 years. However, both biotic and abiotic stresses are major hurdles for attaining the goal. Among the most important diseases in wheat, fungal diseases pose serious threat for widening the gap between actual and attainable yield. Fungal disease management, mainly, depends on the pathogen detection, genetic and pathological variability in population, development of resistant cultivars and deployment of effective resistant genes in different epidemiological regions. Wheat protection and breeding of resistant cultivars using conventional methods are time-consuming, intricate and slow processes. Molecular markers offer an excellent alternative in development of improved disease resistant cultivars that would lead to increase in crop yield. They are employed for tagging the important disease resistance genes and provide valuable assistance in increasing selection efficiency for valuable traits via marker assisted selection (MAS). Plant breeding strategies with known molecular markers for resistance and functional genomics enable a breeder for developing resistant cultivars of wheat against different fungal diseases. PMID:26379639

Why Population Matters, 1996.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Population Action International, Washington, DC.

Population growth around the world affects Americans through its impact on economy, environment, safety, and health, and the condition of the world children will inherit. The cumulative evidence is strong that current rates of population growth pose significant and interacting risks to human well-being and are a legitimate concern for Americans.…

Effect of global climate on termites population. Effect of termites population on global climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sapunov, Valentin

2010-05-01

The global climate is under control of factors having both earth and space origin. Global warming took place from XVII century till 1997. Then global cold snap began. This dynamics had effect on global distribution of some animals including termites. Direct human effect on climate is not significant. At the same time man plays role of trigger switching on significant biosphere processes controlling climate. The transformation of marginal lands, development of industry and building, stimulated increase of termite niche and population. Termite role in green house gases production increases too. It may have regular effect on world climate. The dry wood is substrate for metabolism of termites living under symbiosis with bacteria Hypermastigina (Flagellata). The use of dry wood by humanity increased from 18 *108 ton in XVIII to 9*109 to the middle of XX century. Then use of wood decreased because of a new technology development. Hence termite population is controlled by microevolution depending on dry wood and climate dynamics. Producing by them green house gases had reciprocal effect on world climate. It is possible to describe and predict dynamic of termite population using methods of mathematical ecology and analogs with other well studied insects (Colorado potatoes beetle, Chrisomelid beetle Zygogramma and so on). Reclamation of new ecological niche for such insects as termites needs 70 - 75 years. That is delay of population dynamics in relation to dynamics of dry wood production. General principles of population growth were described by G.Gause (1934) and some authors of the end of XX century. This works and analogs with other insects suggest model of termite distribution during XXI century. The extremum of population and its green house gases production would be gotten during 8 - 10 years. Then the number of specimens and sum biological mass would be stabilized and decreased. Termite gas production is not priority for climate regulation, but it has importance as fine regulator of global temperature and climate stability. Key words: termites, green house gases, mathematical modeling. Union symposia Biogeoscience BG2.1

An obsolete dichotomy? Rethinking the rural–urban interface in terms of food security and production in the global south.

PubMed

Lerner, Amy M; Eakin, Hallie

2011-01-01

The global food system is coming under increasing strain in the face of urban population growth. The recent spike in global food prices (2007–08) provoked consumer protests, and raised questions about food sovereignty and how and where food will be produced. Concurrently, for the first time in history the majority of the global population is urban, with the bulk of urban growth occurring in smaller-tiered cities and urban peripheries, or ‘peri-urban’ areas of the developing world. This paper discusses the new emerging spaces that incorporate a mosaic of urban and rural worlds, and reviews the implications of these spaces for livelihoods and food security. We propose a modified livelihoods framework to evaluate the contexts in which food production persists within broader processes of landscape and livelihood transformation in peri-urban locations. Where and how food production persists are central questions for the future of food security in an urbanising world. Our proposed framework provides directions for future research and highlights the role of policy and planning in reconciling food production with urban growth.

Species-richness patterns of the living collections of the world's botanic gardens: a matter of socio-economics?

PubMed

Golding, Janice; Güsewell, Sabine; Kreft, Holger; Kuzevanov, Victor Y; Lehvävirta, Susanna; Parmentier, Ingrid; Pautasso, Marco

2010-05-01

The botanic gardens of the world are now unmatched ex situ collections of plant biodiversity. They mirror two biogeographical patterns (positive diversity-area and diversity-age relationships) but differ from nature with a positive latitudinal gradient in their richness. Whether these relationships can be explained by socio-economic factors is unknown. Species and taxa richness of a comprehensive sample of botanic gardens were analysed as a function of key ecological and socio-economic factors using (a) multivariate models controlling for spatial autocorrelation and (b) structural equation modelling. The number of plant species in botanic gardens increases with town human population size and country Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person. The country flora richness is not related to the species richness of botanic gardens. Botanic gardens in more populous towns tend to have a larger area and can thus host richer living collections. Botanic gardens in richer countries have more species, and this explains the positive latitudinal gradient in botanic gardens' species richness. Socio-economic factors contribute to shaping patterns in the species richness of the living collections of the world's botanic gardens.

[African population growth: status and prospects].

PubMed

Tabutin, D

1991-01-01

Despite great improvements over the past several years, the quality of demographic data in Africa is still a problem, and Africa remains the least well known continent. Population growth is extremely rapid, with all countries growing at annual rates of over 3%. The natural increase rate even shows some signs of increasing slightly in the next decade or so. Africa's population was estimated at 220 million in 1950, 650 million at present, and is projected at 1.5 billion by 2025. Africans represented 9% of the world population in 1960, but will increase to 19% around 2025. The rapid population growth is the result of declining mortality since the 1950s unmatched by changes in fertility. There are significant socioeconomic and rural-urban mortality differentials in Africa, but as yet only highly educated urbanites have measurably reduced their family size. 2 consequences of this rapid growth are the youth of the population, with almost 50% under 20 years, and its high density in some areas. By 2025, 18 countries will have densities of over 100 persons per sq km. Almost everywhere in Africa, family sizes are at least 6 children/woman. 3 factors explaining this high level of fertility are the earliness and universality of marriage, rates of contraceptive usage of only 4-10% in most countries, and declining durations of breast feeding and sexual abstinence, which traditionally served as brakes on fertility. As a rule, women marry young and remain married until the end of their reproductive years. Divorce and widowhood are common, but remarriage is usually rapid if the woman is still of reproductive age. Life expectancy at birth in sub-Saharan Africa has increased from some 36 years around 1950 to 50 years at present. Progress in control of mortality, and especially infant mortality, has been slower than expected, and Africa still has by far the lowest life expectancy of any major region. Regional, rural-urban, and socioeconomic mortality differentials are considerable and sometimes increasing. In some countries the gaps in life expectancy between rural and urban residents or between social classes are as high as 15 or 20 years. The major causes of death have scarcely changed in 2 or 3 decades: diarrhea, measles, acute respiratory infections, tetanus, malaria, all aggravated by malnutrition and the new scourge of AIDS. Migration and urbanization remain major components of family survival strategies. The increasing pace of urbanization has brought a decline in urban living standards. About half of the world's refugees and displaced persons are in Africa. It was not its demography that brought Africa to its current position of underdevelopment, but population will exercise enormous pressure on available resources. Already for the continents as a whole, food production is increasing less rapidly than population. The challenges are immense: from now until 2000, the working age population will increase by 49% and the school age population (6-11 years) by 58%.

Population pressure. The road from Rio is paved with factions.

PubMed

Holloway, M

1992-09-01

Groups focused on women's rights, family planning and health, environmental protection, reduced consumption of natural resources, economic development and population control differ greatly in their views of population pressure's role in preventing sustainable development. Yet, it is these same groups that should be working together to achieve sustainable development. Some speakers at the 1991 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, encouraged world leaders to take immediate steps to deal with population growth and stated that poverty, environment, and population are intertwined. At the same time in the same city, panel participants at the Global Forum, attended by almost 2000 nongovernmental organizations, considered population control as a violation of women's rights, as a means to circumvent poverty eradication in developing countries, and as a means to suppress the poor in developing countries. These debates, whether population control or economic development is the best means to reduce population growth have been occurring since 1968. In the interim, the world population has increased form 3.5-5.5 billion. The population growth rate has fallen from 2-1.7%, however, but 97 million more people will appear on this earth each year during the 1990s. Because any discussion of contraceptives and family planning may be misinterpreted by members as abortion, many environmental groups do not address it. They also fear undertaking immigration issues, since past attempts were labelled as racist. Nevertheless, more and more organizations, e.g., the Natural Resources Defense Council, are beginning to address the need to focus on population growth to prevent environmental degradation. Further, some foundations, e.g., the Pew Charitable Trusts, are offering grants to environmental groups to begin population programs. All too often development plans neglect family health and do not consider the concerns of the target population.

Disability and Health

MedlinePlus

... Over a billion people, about 15% of the world's population, have some form of disability. Between 110 million ... disability. This corresponds to about 15% of the world's population. Between 110 million (2.2%) and 190 million ( ...

How Close Do We Live to Water? A Global Analysis of Population Distance to Freshwater Bodies

PubMed Central

Kummu, Matti; de Moel, Hans; Ward, Philip J.; Varis, Olli

2011-01-01

Traditionally, people have inhabited places with ready access to fresh water. Today, over 50% of the global population lives in urban areas, and water can be directed via tens of kilometres of pipelines. Still, however, a large part of the world's population is directly dependent on access to natural freshwater sources. So how are inhabited places related to the location of freshwater bodies today? We present a high-resolution global analysis of how close present-day populations live to surface freshwater. We aim to increase the understanding of the relationship between inhabited places, distance to surface freshwater bodies, and climatic characteristics in different climate zones and administrative regions. Our results show that over 50% of the world's population lives closer than 3 km to a surface freshwater body, and only 10% of the population lives further than 10 km away. There are, however, remarkable differences between administrative regions and climatic zones. Populations in Australia, Asia, and Europe live closest to water. Although populations in arid zones live furthest away from freshwater bodies in absolute terms, relatively speaking they live closest to water considering the limited number of freshwater bodies in those areas. Population distributions in arid zones show statistically significant relationships with a combination of climatic factors and distance to water, whilst in other zones there is no statistically significant relationship with distance to water. Global studies on development and climate adaptation can benefit from an improved understanding of these relationships between human populations and the distance to fresh water. PMID:21687675

Food and Population: A Global Concern [and] The Paradoxes of World Hunger.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Elaine M.

1984-01-01

Student and teacher materials are provided for a secondary unit on world hunger. The student materials are contained in a module entitled "Food and Population: A Global Concern," distributed with the newsletter "Interchange." The teacher materials are contained in the issue of the newsletter itself, subtitled "The Paradoxes of World Hunger." A…

Teaching about a Growing World with a Good Book and a Geographic Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinde, Elizabeth R.

2012-01-01

Despite wars, natural disasters, fears of epidemics and pandemics, and other catastrophic events that are vividly featured in media outlets, the world's population continues to rise. In fact, the world recently passed another demographic milestone: a human population of 7 billion people. The number of people on Earth has tripled since around 1930,…

Global drought and severe drought-affected populations in 1.5 and 2 °C warmer worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Wenbin; Sun, Fubao; Lim, Wee Ho; Zhang, Jie; Wang, Hong; Shiogama, Hideo; Zhang, Yuqing

2018-03-01

The 2015 Paris Agreement proposed a more ambitious climate change mitigation target on limiting global warming to 1.5 °C instead of 2 °C above preindustrial levels. Scientific investigations on environmental risks associated with these warming targets are necessary to inform climate policymaking. Based on the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) climate models, we present the first risk-based assessment of changes in global drought and the impact of severe drought on populations from additional 1.5 and 2 °C warming conditions. Our results highlight the risk of drought on a global scale and in several hotspot regions such as the Amazon, northeastern Brazil, southern Africa and Central Europe at both 1.5 and 2 °C global warming relative to the historical period, showing increases in drought durations from 2.9 to 3.2 months. Correspondingly, more total and urban populations would be exposed to severe droughts globally (+132.5 ± 216.2 million and +194.5 ± 276.5 million total population and +350.2 ± 158.8 million and +410.7 ± 213.5 million urban populations in 1.5 and 2 °C warmer worlds) and regionally (e.g., East Africa, West Africa and South Asia). Less rural populations (-217.7 ± 79.2 million and -216.2 ± 82.4 million rural populations in 1.5 and 2 °C warmer worlds) would be exposed to severe drought globally under climate warming, population growth and especially the urbanization-induced population migration. By keeping global warming at 1.5 °C above the preindustrial levels instead of 2 °C, there is a decrease in drought risks (i.e., less drought duration, less drought intensity and severity but relatively more frequent drought) and the affected total, urban and rural populations would decrease globally and in most regions. While challenging for both East Africa and South Asia, the benefits of limiting warming to below 1.5 °C in terms of global drought risk and impact reduction are significant.

Urbanisation and infectious diseases in a globalised world.

PubMed

Alirol, Emilie; Getaz, Laurent; Stoll, Beat; Chappuis, François; Loutan, Louis

2011-02-01

The world is becoming urban. The UN predicts that the world's urban population will almost double from 3·3 billion in 2007 to 6·3 billion in 2050. Most of this increase will be in developing countries. Exponential urban growth is having a profound effect on global health. Because of international travel and migration, cities are becoming important hubs for the transmission of infectious diseases, as shown by recent pandemics. Physicians in urban environments in developing and developed countries need to be aware of the changes in infectious diseases associated with urbanisation. Furthermore, health should be a major consideration in town planning to ensure urbanisation works to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in the future. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The World report on ageing and health: a policy framework for healthy ageing

PubMed Central

Beard, John R; Officer, Alana; de Carvalho, Islene Araujo; Sadana, Ritu; Pot, Anne Margriet; Michel, Jean-Pierre; Lloyd-Sherlock, Peter; Epping-Jordan, JoAnne E; Peeters, G M E E (Geeske); Mahanani, Wahyu Retno; Thiyagarajan, Jotheeswaran Amuthavalli; Chatterji, Somnath

2015-01-01

Although populations around the world are rapidly ageing, evidence that increasing longevity is being accompanied by an extended period of good health is scarce. A coherent and focused public health response that spans multiple sectors and stakeholders is urgently needed. To guide this global response, WHO has released the first World report on ageing and health, reviewing current knowledge and gaps and providing a public health framework for action. The report is built around a redefinition of healthy ageing that centres on the notion of functional ability: the combination of the intrinsic capacity of the individual, relevant environmental characteristics, and the interactions between the individual and these characteristics. This Health Policy highlights key findings and recommendations from the report. PMID:26520231

Climate change and temperate zone insects: the tyranny of thermodynamics meets the world of limited resources.

PubMed

Adamo, Shelley A; Baker, Jillian L; Lovett, Maggie M E; Wilson, Graham

2012-12-01

Climate change will result in warmer temperatures and an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. Given that higher temperatures increase the reproductive rate of temperate zone insects, insect population growth rates are predicted to increase in the temperate zone in response to climate. This consensus, however, rests on the assumption that food is freely available. However, under conditions of limited food, the reproductive output of the Texan cricket Gryllus texensis (Cade and Otte) was highest at its current normal average temperature and declined with increasing temperature. Moreover, low food availability decreased survival during a simulated heat wave. Therefore, the effects of climate change on this species, and possibly on many others, are likely to hinge on food availability. Extrapolation from our data suggests that G. texensis will show larger yearly fluctuations in population size as climate change continues, and this will also have ecological repercussions. Only those temperate zone insects with a ready supply of food (e.g., agricultural pests) are likely to experience the predicted increase in population growth in response to climate change; food-limited species are likely to experience a population decline.

Analysis of human resources for oral health globally: inequitable distribution.

PubMed

Gallagher, Jennifer E; Hutchinson, Lynn

2018-06-01

Oral diseases affect most of the global population. The aim of this paper was to provide a contemporary analysis of 'human resources for oral health' (HROH) by examining the size and distribution of the dental workforce according to World Health Organization (WHO) region and in the most populous countries. Publically available data on HROH and population size were sourced from the WHO, Central Intelligence Agency, United Nations, World Bank and the UK registration body. Population-to-dentist and dental-workforce ratios were calculated according to WHO region and for the 25 most populous countries globally. Workforce trends over time were examined for one high-income country, the UK. The majority of the world's 1.6 million dentists are based in Europe and the Americas, such that 69% of the world's dentists serve 27% of the global population. Africa has only 1% of the global workforce and thus there are marked inequalities in access to dental personnel, as demonstrated by population to dental-workforce ratios. Gaps exist in dental-workforce data, most notably relating to mid-level clinical providers, such as dental hygienists and therapists, and HROH data are not regularly updated. Workforce expansion and migration may result in rapid changes in dentist numbers. Marked inequalities in the distribution of global HROH exist between regions and countries, with inequalities most apparent in areas of high population growth. Detailed contemporary data on all groups of HROH are required to inform global workforce reform in support of addressing population oral health needs. © 2018 FDI World Dental Federation.

Fishing, fast growth and climate variability increase the risk of collapse

PubMed Central

Pinsky, Malin L.; Byler, David

2015-01-01

Species around the world have suffered collapses, and a key question is why some populations are more vulnerable than others. Traditional conservation biology and evidence from terrestrial species suggest that slow-growing populations are most at risk, but interactions between climate variability and harvest dynamics may alter or even reverse this pattern. Here, we test this hypothesis globally. We use boosted regression trees to analyse the influences of harvesting, species traits and climate variability on the risk of collapse (decline below a fixed threshold) across 154 marine fish populations around the world. The most important factor explaining collapses was the magnitude of overfishing, while the duration of overfishing best explained long-term depletion. However, fast growth was the next most important risk factor. Fast-growing populations and those in variable environments were especially sensitive to overfishing, and the risk of collapse was more than tripled for fast-growing when compared with slow-growing species that experienced overfishing. We found little evidence that, in the absence of overfishing, climate variability or fast growth rates alone drove population collapse over the last six decades. Expanding efforts to rapidly adjust harvest pressure to account for climate-driven lows in productivity could help to avoid future collapses, particularly among fast-growing species. PMID:26246548

Fishing, fast growth and climate variability increase the risk of collapse.

PubMed

Pinsky, Malin L; Byler, David

2015-08-22

Species around the world have suffered collapses, and a key question is why some populations are more vulnerable than others. Traditional conservation biology and evidence from terrestrial species suggest that slow-growing populations are most at risk, but interactions between climate variability and harvest dynamics may alter or even reverse this pattern. Here, we test this hypothesis globally. We use boosted regression trees to analyse the influences of harvesting, species traits and climate variability on the risk of collapse (decline below a fixed threshold) across 154 marine fish populations around the world. The most important factor explaining collapses was the magnitude of overfishing, while the duration of overfishing best explained long-term depletion. However, fast growth was the next most important risk factor. Fast-growing populations and those in variable environments were especially sensitive to overfishing, and the risk of collapse was more than tripled for fast-growing when compared with slow-growing species that experienced overfishing. We found little evidence that, in the absence of overfishing, climate variability or fast growth rates alone drove population collapse over the last six decades. Expanding efforts to rapidly adjust harvest pressure to account for climate-driven lows in productivity could help to avoid future collapses, particularly among fast-growing species. © 2015 The Author(s).

Not just a fallback food: global patterns of insect consumption related to geography, not agriculture.

PubMed

Lesnik, Julie J

2017-07-08

Insects as food are often viewed as fallback resources and associated with marginal environments. This study investigates the relationship between insect consumption and noncultivated landscapes as well as with other independent variables including latitude, area, population, and gross domestic product. Data were obtained from online databases including the World List of Edible Insects, the World Bank, and the World Factbook. A logistic regression model found that latitude could correctly predict the presence of edible insects 80% of the time and that arable land and gross domestic product showed no effect. Spearman rank-order correlation with number of insect species found significant relationships between area and population (but not density) and per capita gross domestic product as well as latitude. Further analysis of latitude using paired Mann-Whitney tests identified a general gradient pattern in reduction of edible insects with increased latitude. Results suggest that insect consumption represents a dynamic human-environment interaction, whereby insects are utilized in some of the world's lushest environments as well as areas where people have had great impact on the ecosystem. The concept that insects are a fallback food is an oversimplification that is likely rooted in Western bias against this food source. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Climatic Change and Human Evolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garratt, John R.

1995-01-01

Traces the history of the Earth over four billion years, and shows how climate has had an important role to play in the evolution of humans. Posits that the world's rapidly growing human population and its increasing use of energy is the cause of present-day changes in the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. (Author/JRH)

Understanding Teenage Depression: A Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Empfield, Maureen; Bakalar, Nicholas

The incidence of teenage depression has increased all over the world. In some populations it is has been accompanied by suicide, but suicide remains rare. Clinical depression, which entails many debilitating physical and psychological symptoms, is a serious disease that can do terrible and even permanent damage to a teenager's developmental…

Older Adults Seeking Healthcare Information on the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardt, Jeffrey H.; Hollis-Sawyer, Lisa

2007-01-01

Due to an aging population and increases in healthcare costs, particular attention needs to be focused on developing Internet sites that provide older adults with credible and accurate healthcare information. Present research findings suggest that motivation is only one factor that influences whether or not older adults utilize the World Wide Web…

International Pre-Service Teachers' Practicum Experiences in the U.S.: Ethnographic Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kang, Jihea

2017-01-01

Many colleges around the world have been undergoing demographic shifts under the influence of globalization. The population of international students continues to grow dramatically. As such increasing number of international students has been enrolling U.S colleges. Teacher education is not an exception. However, international teacher candidates'…

"World-Travelling": A Framework for Re-Thinking Teaching and Learning in Internationalised Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Vivienne

2014-01-01

In an era of unprecedented student mobility, increasingly diverse student populations in many national contexts, and globally interconnected environmental and social concerns, there is an urgent need to find new ways of thinking about teaching and learning. Static assumptions about so-called "Western" versus "non-Western"…

Urban Green Space and Its Impact on Human Health

Treesearch

Michelle Kondo; Jaime Fluehr; Thomas McKeon; Charles Branas

2018-01-01

Background: Over half of the world's population now lives in urban areas, and this proportion is expected to increase. While there have been numerous reviews of empirical studies on the link between nature and human health, very few have focused on the urban context, and most have examined almost exclusively cross-sectional research. This...

Science after School: Way Cool! A Course-Based Approach to Teaching Science Outreach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curtis, Kathleen S.

2017-01-01

Outreach efforts directed toward improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) literacy are vitally important to ensure that all of our citizens are prepared to fully participate in an increasingly complex and technology-driven world. Attempts to maximize the effectiveness of STEM outreach has focused on younger populations,…

Negotiating Social Membership in the Contemporary World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hagan, Jacqueline

2006-01-01

One of the defining characteristics of the late 20th and early 21st centuries is the increasing importance of international migration, an epoch Castles and Miller term the "age of migration." The precise size of the international migrant population is unknown. Much of this movement--such as unauthorized and other irregular flows--is not…

The Adolescentizing of the GED

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rachal, John R.; Bingham, Millard J.

2004-01-01

The changing demographic population of GED test-takers from the period of returning World War II veterans to today's younger, recent high school dropouts invites debate as to whether GED instruction should utilize methods of adult education. The growth trends in the U. S. from 1989 to 2001 indicate increasing numbers of 16- and 17-year-olds…

An Example-Centric Tool for Context-Driven Design of Biomedical Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dzombak, Rachel; Mehta, Khanjan; Butler, Peter

2015-01-01

Engineering is one of the most global professions, with design teams developing technologies for an increasingly interconnected and borderless world. In order for engineering students to be proficient in creating viable solutions to the challenges faced by diverse populations, they must receive an expe­riential education in rigorous engineering…

Golden rice: Development, Nutritional Assessment, and Potential for Alleviating Vitamin A Deficiency

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Golden Rice (GR) is a transgenic product engineered to produce beta-carotene in the rice endosperm. It has been developed as a means to combat vitamin A malnutrition, which exists throughout much of the developing world (especially in rice eating populations) and can lead to blindness, increased sus...

Best Practices for Twin Placement in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lacina, Jan

2012-01-01

The children's book "Two Is for Twins" celebrates twins and illustrates the many "twos" in a child's world. The uniqueness of twos does not have to mean separate classrooms for twins in child development programs, preschool, or elementary school settings. With recent dramatic increases in the US twin population, how should educators address the…

Post-Secondary Education in Canada: Strategies for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cappon, Paul

2008-01-01

Canada has one of the most highly educated populations in the world, but its position is increasingly vulnerable, particularly when considered against the deliberate measures that other leading nations are taking to enhance their postsecondary education (PSE) systems. The absence of national data makes it difficult for Canada to measure its PSE…

A Cell Phone in the Classroom: A Friend or a Foe?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Irina, Averianova

2012-01-01

Communication is getting increasingly mobile, with more than a third of the world's population using cellular phones. Recent statistics indicate that this proportion is much bigger among young people. Research has also registered significant predominance of short message exchange over other modes of interaction in youth culture, where e-mail is…

Disrupting Preconceptions: Challenges to Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs about ESL Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Courcy, Michele

2007-01-01

Students enter pre-service teacher education programmes with certain preconceptions about what the world is like, what classrooms are like and how students acquire literacy. In our increasingly multicultural society, teachers in pre-service teacher education courses are often not representative of the wider population. The present paper reports on…

Importance of Animals in Agricultural Sustainability and Food Security

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A conservative projection shows the world's population growing by 32% (to 9.5 billion) by 2050 and 53% (to 11 billion) by 2100 compared with its current level of 7.2 billion. Because most arable land worldwide is already in use, and water and energy also are limiting, increased production of food wi...

Poverty and Social Developments in Peru, 1994-1997. A World Bank Country Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

World Bank, Washington, DC.

From 1994 to 1997, social welfare improved in Peru. Areas of improvement included decreased poverty and severe poverty rates, increased school attendance and literacy, and a healthier population. Most important among health improvements was reduced malnutrition among young children. Social improvements stemmed from the favorable overall economic…

A Choice Theory Teaching and Learning Model for Working with Children of Prisoners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Oliver W.

2009-01-01

The prison population has increased substantially in countries around the world and significant numbers of these prisoners are parents. Children of prisoners experience separation from the imprisoned parent. The separation and precursors to the separation often diminish these children's social-emotional and educational well-being. In this paper,…

Student Perceptions of a Summer Ventures in Science and Mathematics Camp Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Binns, Ian C.; Polly, Drew; Conrad, James; Algozzine, Bob

2016-01-01

"As the world becomes increasingly technological, the value of (the ideas and skills of its population) will be determined in no small measure by the effectiveness of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States" and "STEM education will determine whether the United States will remain a…

Social Marketing Interventions Aiming to Increase Physical Activity among Adults: A Systematic Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kubacki, Krzysztof; Ronti, Rimante; Lahtinen, Ville; Pang, Bo; Rundle-Thiele, Sharyn

2017-01-01

Purpose: A significant proportion of the world's adult population is insufficiently active. One approach used to overcome barriers and facilitate participation in physical activity is social marketing. The purpose of this paper are twofold: first, this review seeks to provide a contemporary review of social marketing's effectiveness in changing…

Making the Transition to E-Learning: Strategies and Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullen, Mark, Ed.; Janes, Diane, Ed.

2007-01-01

Higher education institutions around the world are increasingly turning to e-learning as a way of dealing with growing and changing student populations. Education for the knowledge society means new skills and knowledge are needed and it means that lifelong learning has become a necessity. Higher education institutions are looking to e-learning to…

The Influence of the Brain on Overpopulation, Ageing and Dependency.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cape, Ronald D. T.

1989-01-01

With time, an increasing number in the world population is becoming old, and changes in the aging brain mean that a significant proportion of the aged are likely to be dependent on others. The devotion of resources to research into the aging brain could bring benefits far outweighing the investment. (Author/CW)

Cold Rolled Steel and Knowledge: What Can Higher Education Learn about Productivity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thille, Candace; Smith, Joel

2011-01-01

Higher education is simply not making substantial progress in addressing its most significant challenges: educating an increasingly diverse body of students while containing the cost that is putting postsecondary education beyond the reach of a growing percentage of the world's population. Tweaking long-standing strategies to achieve incremental…

Specific adaptation and genetic progress for grain yield in Great Plains hard winter wheats, 1987-2010

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Meeting the food demands of a growing world population will become increasingly difficult should the rate of genetic improvement in grain yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and other grain crops decelerate. Data from USDA-ARS coordinated long-term regional performance nurseries was used to exami...

Contributions of USDA-ARS Livestock Entomology Research to Meet Food Security Challenge

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The world population is over 7 billion and food insecurity threatens at least 1 billion people globally. Food demand is expected to increase two- to threefold by 2050. Of the world’s additional food needs, 70% can be produced with new and existing agricultural technologies. The U.S. industry produci...

Climate Impacts on Agriculture in the United States: The Value of Past Observations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Climate impacts on agriculture cause variations in crop yields and lead to lack of stability in grain production. This will become more critical as the world population continues to increase and demands more food. There have been many studies that have shown the impact of climate on agricultural pro...

A Conceptual Framework for Responsive Global Engagement in Communication Sciences and Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyter, Yvette D.

2014-01-01

The field of speech-language pathology needs a conceptual framework to guide the provision of services in a globalized world. Proposed in this article is a conceptual framework designed to facilitate responsive global engagement for professionals such as speech-language pathologists, who are increasingly serving diverse populations around the…

Citizenship for a Changing Global Climate: Learning from New Zealand and Norway

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayward, Bronwyn; Selboe, Elin; Plew, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

Young citizens under the age of 25?years make up just under half of the world's population. Globally, they face new, interrelated problems of dangerous environmental change, including increasing incidence of severe storms associated with a changing climate, and related new threats to human security. Addressing the complex challenge of climate…

Socio-Economic Profiles of Selected Ethnic/Visible Minority Groups--1981 Census.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Department of the Secretary of State, Ottawa (Ontario). Multiculturalism Directorate.

In Canada today no single ethnocultural group makes up a majority of the population. Increases in the number of immigrants, especially people from Third World nations, continue to accelerate Canada's ethnocultural heterogeneity. A new descriptive term "visible minority," is now used to describe persons who are non-white, and distinct…

Foraging and farming as niche construction: stable and unstable adaptations

PubMed Central

Rowley-Conwy, Peter; Layton, Robert

2011-01-01

All forager (or hunter–gatherer) societies construct niches, many of them actively by the concentration of wild plants into useful stands, small-scale cultivation, burning of natural vegetation to encourage useful species, and various forms of hunting, collectively termed ‘low-level food production’. Many such niches are stable and can continue indefinitely, because forager populations are usually stable. Some are unstable, but these usually transform into other foraging niches, not geographically expansive farming niches. The Epipalaeolithic (final hunter–gatherer) niche in the Near East was complex but stable, with a relatively high population density, until destabilized by an abrupt climatic change. The niche was unintentionally transformed into an agricultural one, due to chance genetic and behavioural attributes of some wild plant and animal species. The agricultural niche could be exported with modifications over much of the Old World. This was driven by massive population increase and had huge impacts on local people, animals and plants wherever the farming niche was carried. Farming niches in some areas may temporarily come close to stability, but the history of the last 11 000 years does not suggest that agriculture is an effective strategy for achieving demographic and political stability in the world's farming populations. PMID:21320899

Aging in the Republic of Bulgaria.

PubMed

Pitheckoff, Natalie

2017-10-01

Bulgaria, a southeastern European nation with 7.1 million inhabitants, is ranked 4th in the world for its rate of population aging. Bulgaria has one of the highest proportions of older adults in the world with approximately 20% aged 65 and older. Three main demographic factors have led to rapid population aging. These include emigration, high death rates, and low birth rates. This "perfect storm" of demographic factors has created numerous political, social, and economic challenges for Bulgaria. For example, informal support of older adults is declining as younger generations move abroad or to urban areas for greater employment opportunities. This has increased the need for formal long-term services and supports, which can be at odds with traditional values. Additionally, economic sustainability is a major concern for the nation as population aging and de-population continues. Few gerontological organizations, scholars, or secondary datasets exist in the country. To address these challenges, more research on aging is needed to encourage economic renewal, healthy aging policies, and long-term services and supports. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Gemstones

USGS Publications Warehouse

Olson, D.W.

2000-01-01

Part of the 1999 Industrial Minerals Review. A review of the state of the gemstone industry worldwide in 1999 is presented. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the estimated value of natural gemstones produced from U.S. deposits in 1999 was $13.5 million. The estimated value of U.S. apparent consumption of gemstones in 1999 was $6.88 billion, an increase of 9 percent from 1998. World demand for gem diamonds is expected to continue to increase with the increase in populations and personal incomes in industrialized nations.

The Victor-Bostrom Fund Report: Food and Population. Report No. 19, Summer-Fall 1974.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Victor-Bostrom Fund Committee, Washington, DC.

Eleven articles comprise this document which presents commentaries on nutrition, population, and environmental education. The articles deal specifically with the crises of a rapidly growing world population, a worsening world food situation, and an energy crisis. A number of specific recommendations, both national and international, are offered to…

The Diverse World of Early Childhood. Global Status Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neugebauer, Roger

2002-01-01

Examines demographic information about the status of young children around the world. Graphs nations with the largest populations of young children and highest percentage of their populations composed of young children in comparison to the aged, the percentage of regional populations under age 5 and over 64, and birth and infant mortality rates.…

World Population Ageing, 1950-2050.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

United Nations, New York, NY. Dept. of Economic and Social Affairs.

Population aging was one of the most distinctive events of the 20th century and will remain important throughout the 21st century. Initially, a phenomenon of more developed countries, the process has recently become apparent in much of the developing world as well. The shift in age structure associated with population aging has a profound impact…

Population Change, Resources, and the Environment. Population Trends and Public Policy No. 4.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobsen, Judith, Ed.

Intended for policymakers, this document focuses on environmental factors limiting the expansion of the world's food supply, the dilemma of fostering third world economic development, and prospects for energy development. The first of five parts gives an overview of a 1983 Population Reference Bureau conference which focused on current thinking…

Current ecological understanding of fungal-like pathogens of fish: what lies beneath?

PubMed Central

Gozlan, Rodolphe E.; Marshall, Wyth L.; Lilje, Osu; Jessop, Casey N.; Gleason, Frank H.; Andreou, Demetra

2014-01-01

Despite increasingly sophisticated microbiological techniques, and long after the first discovery of microbes, basic knowledge is still lacking to fully appreciate the ecological importance of microbial parasites in fish. This is likely due to the nature of their habitats as many species of fish suffer from living beneath turbid water away from easy recording. However, fishes represent key ecosystem services for millions of people around the world and the absence of a functional ecological understanding of viruses, prokaryotes, and small eukaryotes in the maintenance of fish populations and of their diversity represents an inherent barrier to aquatic conservation and food security. Among recent emerging infectious diseases responsible for severe population declines in plant and animal taxa, fungal and fungal-like microbes have emerged as significant contributors. Here, we review the current knowledge gaps of fungal and fungal-like parasites and pathogens in fish and put them into an ecological perspective with direct implications for the monitoring of fungal fish pathogens in the wild, their phylogeography as well as their associated ecological impact on fish populations. With increasing fish movement around the world for farming, releases into the wild for sport fishing and human-driven habitat changes, it is expected, along with improved environmental monitoring of fungal and fungal-like infections, that the full extent of the impact of these pathogens on wild fish populations will soon emerge as a major threat to freshwater biodiversity. PMID:24600442

Generalizability of clinical trials of advanced melanoma in the real-world, population-based setting.

PubMed

Sam, Davis; Gresham, Gillian; Abdel-Rahman, Omar; Cheung, Winson Y

2018-06-18

Results from novel therapeutics trials are not always generalizable to real-world patients. We aimed to determine the pattern in which trial findings are applied in a population-based setting of melanoma patients and consequent treatment outcomes. Patients with unresectable disease during 2011-2014 and referred to cancer centers in a large Canadian province were retrospectively reviewed. Based on eligibility criteria as described in registration trials of vemurafenib (Vem) and ipilimumab (Ipi), we classified patients into trial-eligible and ineligible and those treated and untreated with these agents. We identified 290 patients with known BRAF status for the Vem analysis and 212 patients previously treated with first-line agents for the Ipi analysis. For the Vem cohort, a total of 49 patients were considered trial-eligible, of whom 36 (73%) received treatment. For the Ipi cohort, there were 119 trial-eligible cases of whom 43 (36%) received therapy. Factors other than eligibility criteria most frequently associated with non-treatment in these cohorts included concerns regarding treatment harm and patient preferences. In multivariable analysis, overall survival was improved in Vem cohort patients considered trial-eligible and treated compared to those who were ineligible. Within the Ipi cohort, survival was improved in trial-eligible patients regardless of whether they received Ipi compared to ineligible patients. Real-world uptake of new melanoma treatments was suboptimal, and non-use in trial-eligible patients was frequent. Future clinical trials that are more pragmatically designed to include participants who better reflect the real-world population may facilitate increased uptake of novel therapeutics into routine clinical practice.

Two Different Views on the World Around Us: The World of Uniformity versus Diversity.

PubMed

Kwon, JaeHwan; Nayakankuppam, Dhananjay

2016-01-01

We propose that when individuals believe in fixed traits of personality (entity theorists), they are likely to expect a world of "uniformity." As such, they easily infer a population statistic from a small sample of data with confidence. In contrast, individuals who believe in malleable traits of personality (incremental theorists) are likely to presume a world of "diversity," such that they "hesitate" to infer a population statistic from a similarly sized sample. In four laboratory experiments, we found that compared to incremental theorists, entity theorists estimated a population mean from a sample with a greater level of confidence (Studies 1a and 1b), expected more homogeneity among the entities within a population (Study 2), and perceived an extreme value to be more indicative of an outlier (Study 3). These results suggest that individuals are likely to use their implicit self-theory orientations (entity theory versus incremental theory) to see a population in general as a constitution either of homogeneous or heterogeneous entities.

High water-stressed population estimated by world water resources assessment including human activities under SRES scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiguchi, M.; Shen, Y.; Kanae, S.; Oki, T.

2009-04-01

In an argument of the reduction and the adaptation for the climate change, the evaluation of the influence by the climate change is important. When we argue in adaptation plan from a damage scale and balance with the cost, it is particularly important. Parry et al (2001) evaluated the risks in shortage of water, malaria, food, the risk of the coast flood by temperature function and clarified the level of critical climate change. According to their evaluation, the population to be affected by the shortage of water suddenly increases in the range where temperature increases from 1.5 to 2.0 degree in 2080s. They showed how much we need to reduce emissions in order to draw-down significantly the number at risk. This evaluation of critical climate change threats and targets of water shortage did not include the water withdrawal divided by water availability. Shen et al (2008a) estimated the water withdrawal of projection of future world water resources according to socio-economic driving factors predicted for scenarios A1b, A2, B1, and B2 of the Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES). However, these results were in function of not temperature but time. The assessment of the highly water-stressed population considered the socioeconomic development is necessary for a function of the temperature. Because of it is easy to understand to need to reduce emission. We present a multi-GCM analysis of the global and regional populations lived in highly water-stressed basin for a function of the temperature using the socioeconomic data and the outputs of GCMs. In scenario A2, the population increases gradually with warming. On the other hand, the future projection population in scenario A1b and B1 increase gradually until the temperature anomaly exceeds around from +1 to +1.5 degree. After that the population is almost constant. From Shen et al (2008b), we evaluated the HWSP and its ratio in the world with temperature function for scenarios A1B, A2, and B1 by the index of W/Q. In global, the HWSP in scenario A2 increased rapidly when the anomaly of temperature is exceeding to about +1.5 degree. In the case of the scenario A1b, the gradient of increase of HWSP was less than that in the case of the scenario A2. When the value of temperature anomaly was exceeding to about + 1.5 degree, the gradient of increase of HWSP became loose. On the other hand, the HWSP in the scenario B1 decreased when the temperature anomaly was exceeding to about +1.2 degree. According to the estimation of the HWSP when the effect of climate change was ignored (that is, runoff was not changed), the HWSP was almost same (not shown). This result implied that it is strongly contributed by not the climate change but the socio-economical factors (ex; an irrigated area, increase of industrial water use, increase of population itself). In Parry et al (2001), the renewed high stressed population by coastal flooding, hunger, malaria, and water shortage were estimated. The risks of hunger and coastal flooding increase gradually with the warming. Risk of malaria widely increases. Meanwhile, the risk of water shortage rapidly increases after the temperature anomaly exceeds around +2.0 degree. From this result, they insist that the "dangerous level" for sustainable development is +2.0 degree and the target emission level is 550 ppmv. However, they did not consider the quantity of water intake. We estimated the HWSP considering the quantity of water withdrawal and its projection in future. From our result, the "dangerous level" is disagreed. We can insist that the climate change is not so effective within the water withdrawal. If anything, the socio-economic elements, for instance the variation of irrigation areas, industrial water withdrawal, and population itself, contribute to the HWSP. The HWSP and its ratio in each country should be necessary for not only scientific issue but also political issue.

How GNSS Enables Precision Farming

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-01

Precision farming: Feeding a Growing Population Enables Those Who Feed the World. Immediate and Ongoing Needs - population growth (more to feed) - urbanization (decrease in arable land) Double food production by 2050 to meet world demand. To meet thi...

Incidence and mortality of acute and chronic pancreatitis in the Netherlands: a nationwide record-linked cohort study for the years 1995-2005.

PubMed

Spanier, B W Marcel; Bruno, Marco J; Dijkgraaf, Marcel G W

2013-05-28

To analyze trends in incidence and mortality of acute pancreatitis (AP) and chronic pancreatitis (CP) in the Netherlands and for international standard populations. A nationwide cohort is identified through record linkage of hospital data for AP and CP, accumulated from three nationwide Dutch registries: the hospital discharge register, the population register, and the death certificate register. Sex- and age-group specific incidence rates of AP and CP are defined for the period 2000-2005 and mortality rates of AP and CP for the period 1995-2005. Additionally, incidence and mortality rates over time are reported for Dutch and international (European and World Health Organization) standard populations. Incidence of AP per 100000 persons per year increased between 2000 and 2005 from 13.2 (95%CI: 12.6-13.8) to 14.7 (95%CI: 14.1-15.3). Incidence of AP for males increased from 13.8 (95%CI: 12.9-14.7) to 15.2 (95%CI: 14.3-16.1), for females from 12.7 (95%CI: 11.9-13.5) to 14.2 (95%CI: 13.4-15.1). Irregular patterns over time emerged for CP. Overall mean incidence per 100000 persons per year was 1.77, for males 2.16, and for females 1.4. Mortality for AP fluctuated during 1995-2005 between 6.9 and 11.7 per million persons per year and was almost similar for males and females. Concerning CP, mortality for males fluctuated between 1.1 (95%CI: 0.6-2.3) and 4.0 (95%CI: 2.8-5.8), for females between 0.7 (95%CI: 0.3-1.6) and 2.0 (95%CI: 1.2-3.2). Incidence and mortality of AP and CP increased markedly with age. Standardized rates were lowest for World Health Organization standard population. Incidence of AP steadily increased while incidence of CP fluctuated. Mortality for both AP and CP remained fairly stable. Patient burden and health care costs probably will increase because of an ageing Dutch population.

The Geriatric Population and Psychiatric Medication

PubMed Central

Varma, Sannidhya; Sareen, Himanshu; Trivedi, J.K.

2010-01-01

With improvement in medical services in the last few years, there has been a constant rise in the geriatric population throughout the world, more so in the developing countries. The elderly are highly prone to develop psychiatric disorders, probably because of age related changes in the brain, concomitant physical disorders, as well as increased stress in later life. Psychiatric disorders in this population may have a different presentation than in other groups and some of psychopathologies might be mistaken for normal age related changes by an unwary clinician. Therefore the need of the day is to train psychiatrists and physicians to better recognize and manage mental disorders in this age group. PMID:21327169

DROUGHT AND POPULATION MOBILITY IN RURAL ETHIOPIA

PubMed Central

Mueller, Valerie

2011-01-01

Significant attention has focused on the possibility that climate change will displace large populations in the developing world, but few multivariate studies have investigated climate-induced migration. We use event history methods and a unique longitudinal dataset from the rural Ethiopian highlands to investigate the effects of drought on population mobility over a ten-year period. The results indicate that men’s labor migration increases with drought and that land-poor households are most vulnerable. However, marriage-related moves by women also decrease with drought. These findings suggest a hybrid narrative of environmentally-induced migration that recognizes multiple dimensions of adaptation to environmental change. PMID:22523447

Inferring strategies for disseminating physical activity policies, programs, and practices from the successes of tobacco control.

PubMed

Green, Lawrence W; Orleans, C Tracy; Ottoson, Judith M; Cameron, Roy; Pierce, John P; Bettinghaus, Erwin P

2006-10-01

Efforts at reducing tobacco use in the United States and Canada over the last half century have been amazingly successful. This article examines those efforts in order to identify policies, programs, and practices found useful in tobacco control that might be usefully disseminated to world populations to improve rates of physical activity. Tobacco-control activities began with efforts to influence the individual smoker through public education and counter-advertising. Increasing awareness of the addictive properties of tobacco, industry efforts to manipulate those properties, and to target youth with aggressive advertising, fueled public outrage that supported additional policy changes to include community interventions, legal actions, and restraints against the tobacco industry. The article first examines ways to view the process of transferring knowledge from one enterprise (reducing tobacco consumption) to another (increasing physical activity). Several theories of knowledge generalization and dissemination are explored: transfer, knowledge utilization, application, diffusion, and implementation. The second section identifies the dissemination of tobacco control by means of brief health behavior-change interventions for smoking cessation that have been successfully integrated into primary clinical care. The question of whether similar strategies can be successfully disseminated to increase physical activity is examined in detail. The article then moves on to look at the success of arguably the most successful program in the world at achieving a reduction in tobacco control-the State of California. Finally, we compare and contrast some of the lessons as they have played out in another national context-Canada. In the concluding section, some lessons are identified that we believe may be successfully utilized in societal attempts to increase physical activity in world populations.

Mortality from ischaemic heart disease by country, region, and age: statistics from World Health Organisation and United Nations.

PubMed

Finegold, Judith A; Asaria, Perviz; Francis, Darrel P

2013-09-30

Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. The World Health Organisation (WHO) collects mortality data coded using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD) code. We analysed IHD deaths world-wide between 1995 and 2009 and used the UN population database to calculate age-specific and directly and indirectly age-standardised IHD mortality rates by country and region. IHD is the single largest cause of death worldwide, causing 7,249,000 deaths in 2008, 12.7% of total global mortality. There is more than 20-fold variation in IHD mortality rates between countries. Highest IHD mortality rates are in Eastern Europe and Central Asian countries; lowest rates in high income countries. For the working-age population, IHD mortality rates are markedly higher in low-and-middle income countries than in high income countries. Over the last 25 years, age-standardised IHD mortality has fallen by more than half in high income countries, but the trend is flat or increasing in some low-and-middle income countries. Low-and-middle income countries now account for more than 80% of global IHD deaths. The global burden of IHD deaths has shifted to low-and-middle income countries as lifestyles approach those of high income countries. In high income countries, population ageing maintains IHD as the leading cause of death. Nevertheless, the progressive decline in age-standardised IHD mortality in high income countries shows that increasing IHD mortality is not inevitable. The 20-fold mortality difference between countries, and the temporal trends, may hold vital clues for handling IHD epidemic which is migratory, and still burgeoning. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brief Report: Rheumatoid Arthritis as the Underlying Cause of Death in Thirty-One Countries, 1987-2011: Trend Analysis of World Health Organization Mortality Database.

PubMed

Kiadaliri, Aliasghar A; Felson, David T; Neogi, Tuhina; Englund, Martin

2017-08-01

To examine trends in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as an underlying cause of death (UCD) in 31 countries across the world from 1987 to 2011. Data on mortality and population were collected from the World Health Organization mortality database and from the United Nations Population Prospects database. Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) were calculated by means of direct standardization. We applied joinpoint regression analysis to identify trends. Between-country disparities were examined using between-country variance and the Gini coefficient. Due to low numbers of deaths, we smoothed the ASMRs using a 3-year moving average. Changes in the number of RA deaths between 1987 and 2011 were decomposed using 2 counterfactual scenarios. The absolute number of deaths with RA registered as the UCD decreased from 9,281 (0.12% of all-cause deaths) in 1987 to 8,428 (0.09% of all-cause deaths) in 2011. The mean ASMR decreased from 7.1 million person-years in 1987-1989 to 3.7 million person-years in 2009-2011 (48.2% reduction). A reduction of ≥25% in the ASMR occurred in 21 countries, while a corresponding increase was observed in 3 countries. There was a persistent reduction in RA mortality, and on average, the ASMR declined by 3.0% per year. The absolute and relative between-country disparities decreased during the study period. The rates of mortality attributable to RA have declined globally. However, we observed substantial between-country disparities in RA mortality, although these disparities decreased over time. Population aging combined with a decline in RA mortality may lead to an increase in the economic burden of disease that should be taken into consideration in policy-making. © 2017, American College of Rheumatology.

World Bank Atlas: Population, Per Capita Product and Growth Rates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

World Bank, Washington, DC.

The ninth edition of the World Bank Atlas shows estimates of population, gross national product, and per capita production of 189 countries and territories for 1972. The data presented in the atlas are the result of the work of the World Bank Group whose major purpose is to provide both financial and technical assistance and to improve the living…

The Problems of Human Settlements. Draper World Population Fund Report, No. 2, Spring 1976.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piotrow, Phyllis T., Ed.

This report contains ten papers dealing with population growth that focus attention on the quality of life in human settlements and the values and practical policies to be sought. Some of the papers were prepared for the Habitat Conference convened in Vancouver by world governments in June 1976. The first paper discusses world action plans for…

Trends and Projected Estimates of GHG Emissions from Indian Livestock in Comparisons with GHG Emissions from World and Developing Countries

PubMed Central

Patra, Amlan Kumar

2014-01-01

This study presents trends and projected estimates of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from livestock of India vis-à-vis world and developing countries over the period 1961 to 2010 estimated based on IPCC guidelines. World enteric methane emission (EME) increased by 54.3% (61.5 to 94.9 ×109 kg annually) from the year 1961 to 2010, and the highest annual growth rate (AGR) was noted for goat (2.0%), followed by buffalo (1.57%) and swine (1.53%). Global EME is projected to increase to 120×109 kg by 2050. The percentage increase in EME by Indian livestock was greater than world livestock (70.6% vs 54.3%) between the years 1961 to 2010, and AGR was highest for goat (1.91%), followed by buffalo (1.55%), swine (1.28%), sheep (1.25%) and cattle (0.70%). In India, total EME was projected to grow by 18.8×109 kg in 2050. Global methane emission from manure (MEM) increased from 6.81 ×109 kg in 1961 to 11.4×109 kg in 2010 (an increase of 67.6%), and is projected to grow to 15×109 kg by 2050. In India, the annual MEM increased from 0.52×109 kg to 1.1×109 kg (with an AGR of 1.57%) in this period, which could increase to 1.54×109 kg in 2050. Nitrous oxide emission from manure in India could be 21.4×106 kg in 2050 from 15.3×106 kg in 2010. The AGR of global GHG emissions changed a small extent (only 0.11%) from developed countries, but increased drastically (1.23%) for developing countries between the periods of 1961 to 2010. Major contributions to world GHG came from cattle (79.3%), swine (9.57%) and sheep (7.40%), and for developing countries from cattle (68.3%), buffalo (13.7%) and goat (5.4%). The increase of GHG emissions by Indian livestock was less (74% vs 82% over the period of 1961 to 2010) than the developing countries. With this trend, world GHG emissions could reach 3,520×109 kg CO2-eq by 2050 due to animal population growth driven by increased demands for meat and dairy products in the world. PMID:25049993

The UK population: how does it compare?

PubMed

Matheson, Jil

2010-01-01

This is the fourth demographic report for the UK, providing an overview of the latest statistics on the population. This year's article compares the UK with other European countries and a range of nations from around the world. Statistical comparisons are made for fertility, mortality, ageing, migration and population density. The UK has an ageing population, but one that is not ageing as rapidly as some other countries such as Germany, Italy and Japan. Although life expectation in the UK is improving in line with most western European countries, relatively high levels of fertility ensure that the proportion of the population that is young remains high. Around one in ten residents of the UK are foreign born, a lower proportion than many developed countries. UK population density has increased steadily and is the fourth highest in the EU.

Cold periods and coronary events: an analysis of populations worldwide

PubMed Central

Barnett, A.; Dobson, A.; McElduff, P.; Salomaa, V.; Kuulasmaa, K.; Sans, S.; t for

2005-01-01

Study objective: To investigate the association between cold periods and coronary events, and the extent to which climate, sex, age, and previous cardiac history increase risk during cold weather. Design: A hierarchical analyses of populations from the World Health Organisation's MONICA project. Setting: Twenty four populations from the WHO's MONICA project, a 21 country register made between 1980 and 1995. Patients: People aged 35–64 years who had a coronary event. Main results: Daily rates of coronary events were correlated with the average temperature over the current and previous three days. In cold periods, coronary event rates increased more in populations living in warm climates than in populations living in cold climates, where the increases were slight. The increase was greater in women than in men, especially in warm climates. On average, the odds for women having an event in the cold periods were 1.07 higher than the odds for men (95% posterior interval: 1.03 to 1.11). The effects of cold periods were similar in those with and without a history of a previous myocardial infarction. Conclusions: Rates of coronary events increased during comparatively cold periods, especially in warm climates. The smaller increases in colder climates suggest that some events in warmer climates are preventable. It is suggested that people living in warm climates, particularly women, should keep warm on cold days. PMID:15965137

Trends in Global Gender Inequality (Forthcoming, Social Forces).

PubMed

Dorius, Shawn F; Firebaugh, Glenn

2010-07-01

This study investigates trends in gender inequality for the world as a whole. Using data encompassing a large majority of the world's population, we examine world trends over recent decades for key indicators of gender inequality in education, mortality, political representation, and economic activity. We find that gender inequality is declining in virtually all major domains, that the decline is occurring across diverse religious and cultural traditions, and that population growth is slowing the decline because populations are growing faster in countries where there is the greatest gender inequality.

Health and social security reforms in Latin America: the convergence of the World Health Organization, the World Bank, and transnational corporations.

PubMed

Armada, F; Muntaner, C; Navarro, V

2001-01-01

International financial institutions have played an increasing role in the formation of social policy in Latin American countries over the last two decades, particularly in health and pension programs. World Bank loans and their attached policy conditions have promoted several social security reforms within a neoliberal framework that privileges the role of the market in the provision of health and pensions. Moreover, by endorsing the privatization of health services in Latin America, the World Health Organization has converged with these policies. The privatization of social security has benefited international corporations that become partners with local business elites. Thus the World Health Organization, international financial institutions, and transnational corporations have converged in the neoliberal reforms of social security in Latin America. Overall, the process represents a mechanism of resource transfer from labor to capital and sheds light on one of the ways in which neoliberalism may affect the health of Latin American populations.

Approaches to Vaccination Among Populations in Areas of Conflict

PubMed Central

Nnadi, Chimeremma; Etsano, Andrew; Uba, Belinda; Ohuabunwo, Chima; Melton, Musa; Nganda, Gatei wa; Esapa, Lisa; Bolu, Omotayo; Mahoney, Frank; Vertefeuille, John; Wiesen, Eric; Durry, Elias

2017-01-01

Vaccination is an important and cost-effective disease prevention and control strategy. Despite progress in vaccine development and immunization delivery systems worldwide, populations in areas of conflict (hereafter, “conflict settings”) often have limited or no access to lifesaving vaccines, leaving them at increased risk for morbidity and mortality related to vaccine-preventable disease. Without developing and refining approaches to reach and vaccinate children and other vulnerable populations in conflict settings, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease in these settings may persist and spread across subnational and international borders. Understanding and refining current approaches to vaccinating populations in conflict and humanitarian emergency settings may save lives. Despite major setbacks, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative has made substantial progress in vaccinating millions of children worldwide, including those living in communities affected by conflicts and other humanitarian emergencies. In this article, we examine key strategic and operational tactics that have led to increased polio vaccination coverage among populations living in diverse conflict settings, including Nigeria, Somalia, and Pakistan, and how these could be applied to reach and vaccinate populations in other settings across the world. PMID:28838202

The new world atlas of artificial night sky brightness.

PubMed

Falchi, Fabio; Cinzano, Pierantonio; Duriscoe, Dan; Kyba, Christopher C M; Elvidge, Christopher D; Baugh, Kimberly; Portnov, Boris A; Rybnikova, Nataliya A; Furgoni, Riccardo

2016-06-01

Artificial lights raise night sky luminance, creating the most visible effect of light pollution-artificial skyglow. Despite the increasing interest among scientists in fields such as ecology, astronomy, health care, and land-use planning, light pollution lacks a current quantification of its magnitude on a global scale. To overcome this, we present the world atlas of artificial sky luminance, computed with our light pollution propagation software using new high-resolution satellite data and new precision sky brightness measurements. This atlas shows that more than 80% of the world and more than 99% of the U.S. and European populations live under light-polluted skies. The Milky Way is hidden from more than one-third of humanity, including 60% of Europeans and nearly 80% of North Americans. Moreover, 23% of the world's land surfaces between 75°N and 60°S, 88% of Europe, and almost half of the United States experience light-polluted nights.

Long-term safety and real-world effectiveness of fingolimod in relapsing multiple sclerosis

PubMed Central

Druart, Charlotte; El Sankari, Souraya; van Pesch, Vincent

2018-01-01

With a growing number of disease-modifying therapies becoming available for relapsing multiple sclerosis, there is an important need to gather real-world evidence data regarding long-term treatment effectiveness and safety in unselected patient populations. Although not providing as high a level of evidence as randomized controlled trials, and prone to bias, real-world studies from observational studies or registries nevertheless provide crucial information on real-world outcomes of a given therapy. In addition, evaluation of treatment satisfaction and impact on quality of life are increasingly regarded as complementary outcome measures. Fingolimod was the first oral disease-modifying therapy approved for relapsing multiple sclerosis. This review aims to summarize current knowledge on the long-term effectiveness and safety outcomes of multiple sclerosis patients on fingolimod. Impact on treatment satisfaction and quality of life will be discussed according to available data. PMID:29317850

Protecting the world against meningitis: new recommendations from the CDC's advisory committee on immunization practices.

PubMed

Cyrus, Scott S

2011-10-01

Meningococcal meningitis is a rare but often fatal disease. Throughout adolescence, the incidence of meningococcal meningitis increases, reaching a peak among individuals between the ages of 16 and 21 years. Vaccines are available to combat this deadly disease. Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices updated its recommendations on meningitis vaccination to improve outcomes and to prevent this disease in adolescents and other vulnerable populations, such as adults traveling internationally to epidemic areas. Improved meningitis vaccines and revised vaccination recommendations will help to create a healthier world.

The effects of country-level population policy for enhancing adaptation to climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunasekara, N. K.; Kazama, S.; Yamazaki, D.; Oki, T.

2013-11-01

The effectiveness of population policy in reducing the combined impacts of population change and climate change on water resources is explored. One no-policy scenario and two scenarios with population policy assumptions are employed in combination with water availability under the SRES scenarios A1b, B1 and A2 for the impact analysis. The population data used are from the World Bank. The river discharges per grid of horizontal resolution 0.5° are obtained from the Total Runoff Integrating Pathways (TRIP) of the University of Tokyo, Japan. Unlike the population scenarios utilized in the SRES emission scenarios and the newest representative concentration pathways, the scenarios employed in this research are based, even after 2050, on country-level rather than regional-level growth assumptions. Our analysis implies that the heterogeneous pattern of population changes across the world is the dominant driver of water stress, irrespective of future greenhouse gas emissions, with highest impacts occurring in the already water-stressed low latitudes. In 2100, Africa, Middle East and parts of Asia are under extreme water stress under all scenarios. The sensitivity analysis reveals that a small reduction in populations over the region could relieve a large number of people from high water stress, while a further increase in population from the assumed levels (SC1) might not increase the number of people under high water stress considerably. Most of the population increase towards 2100 occurs in the already water-stressed lower latitudes. Therefore, population reduction policies are recommended for this region as a method of adaptation to the future water stress conditions. Population reduction policies will facilitate more control over their future development pathways, even if these countries were not able to contribute significantly to greenhouse gas (GHG) emission cuts due to economic constraints. However, for the European region, the population living in water-stressed regions is almost 20 times lower than that in the lower latitudes. For countries with high population momentum, the population policy scenario with fertility-reduction assumptions gained a maximum of 6.1 times the water availability in Niger and 5.3 times that in Uganda compared with the no-policy scenario. Most of these countries are in sub-Saharan Africa. These countries represent 24.5% of the global population in the no-policy scenario, and the scenario with fertility-reduction assumptions reduces it to 8.7% by 2100. This scenario is also effective in reducing the area under extreme water stress in these countries. However, the policy scenario with assumptions of population stabilization at the replacement fertility rate increases the water stress in high-latitude countries. Nevertheless, the impact is low due to the high per capita water availability in the region. This research is expected to widen the understanding of the combined impacts of climate change in the future and of the strategies needed to enhance the space for adaptation.

Selected Nutrients and Their Implications for Health and Disease across the Lifespan: A Roadmap

PubMed Central

Péter, Szabolcs; Eggersdorfer, Manfred; van Asselt, Dieneke; Buskens, Erik; Detzel, Patrick; Freijer, Karen; Koletzko, Berthold; Kraemer, Klaus; Kuipers, Folkert; Neufeld, Lynnette; Obeid, Rima; Wieser, Simon; Zittermann, Armin; Weber, Peter

2014-01-01

Worldwide approximately two billion people have a diet insufficient in micronutrients. Even in the developed world, an increasing number of people consume nutrient-poor food on a regular basis. Recent surveys in Western countries consistently indicate inadequate intake of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals, compared to recommendations. The International Osteoporosis Foundation’s (IOF) latest figures show that globally about 88% of the population does not have an optimal vitamin D status. The Lancet’s “Global Burden of Disease Study 2010” demonstrates a continued growth in life expectancy for populations around the world; however, the last decade of life is often disabled by the burden of partly preventable health issues. Compelling evidence suggests that improving nutrition protects health, prevents disability, boosts economic productivity and saves lives. Investments to improve nutrition make a positive contribution to long-term national and global health, economic productivity and stability, and societal resilience. PMID:25533014

Rational design of high-yield and superior-quality rice.

PubMed

Zeng, Dali; Tian, Zhixi; Rao, Yuchun; Dong, Guojun; Yang, Yaolong; Huang, Lichao; Leng, Yujia; Xu, Jie; Sun, Chuan; Zhang, Guangheng; Hu, Jiang; Zhu, Li; Gao, Zhenyu; Hu, Xingming; Guo, Longbiao; Xiong, Guosheng; Wang, Yonghong; Li, Jiayang; Qian, Qian

2017-03-20

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is a staple food for more than half of the world's population. To meet the ever-increasing demand for food, because of population growth and improved living standards, world rice production needs to double by 2030 1 . The development of new elite rice varieties with high yield and superior quality is challenging for traditional breeding approaches, and new strategies need to be developed. Here, we report the successful development of new elite varieties by pyramiding major genes that significantly contribute to grain quality and yield from three parents over five years. The new varieties exhibit higher yield potential and better grain quality than their parental varieties and the China's leading super-hybrid rice, Liang-you-pai-jiu (LYP9 or Pei-ai 64S/93-11). Our results demonstrate that rational design is a powerful strategy for meeting the challenges of future crop breeding, particularly in pyramiding multiple complex traits.

Deafness in the developing world: the place of cochlear implantation.

PubMed

Tarabichi, M B; Todd, C; Khan, Z; Yang, X; Shehzad, B; Tarabichi, M M

2008-09-01

This paper attempts to review changes in the lives of hearing-impaired patients within the developing world, brought about by globalisation and development. The paper also explores limitations to improved care and addresses the collective moral responsibility of developed nations. Analysis of literature. Within developing nations, large populations have emerged with a similar pattern of problems, access to information and aspirations as those living in developed nations. However, marked differences in income have persisted. These trends have resulted in a relative increase in the proportion of the hearing-impaired population in need of cochlear implantation, while at the same time restricting their access to such treatment. The emergence of global markets and media and a shared sense of destiny amongst the people of this planet should translate into a concerted, worldwide effort to assist the deaf in developing countries. Much more can be done within existing resources and frameworks to improve the quality of these peoples' lives.

Ample food for increasing population.

PubMed

1999-12-01

This article reports the results of a 4-year study conducted by the Austria-based International Institute of Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The conclusion states that China will be able to feed its people, even when the country's population soars to 1.5 billion, as is projected to happen by 2025. Such a conclusion contradicts the result of earlier research which found that China could not feed its growing population because of a shortage of arable land, and would have to import a large amount of food, pushing up world food prices and threatening the security of other nations. However, authors of the latest study say that the earlier work underestimated China's cultivated land and the larger role that scientific advances and technology could play. According to them, the country has great potential to increase its food supply if appropriate measures are adopted.

An overview of the population dynamics in Malaysia.

PubMed

Arshat, H; Tey Nai Peng

1988-06-01

Between 1900 and 1985 the population of Malaysia has increased from 2 million to 16 million. Before World War II most of the growth was due to immigration from China and India; after World War II it was due to natural increase. The crude birth rate appears to be leveling off at about 31.3 and the crude death rate at 5.3. At the current rate of growth the total population will be about 32 million by 2015. The proportion of urban population increased from 27% in 1979 to 34% in 1980. In 1980 83% of the population lived in Peninsular Malaysia (39% of the land area), and 17% lived in Sabah and Sarawak (61% of the land area). Population density ranges from 12 persons per square kilometer in Sarawak to 4521 in the Federal Republic of Kuala Lumpur. The median age of the population is 17.4 years; 40% are under 14, and 3.6% are over 65. In most age groups there are more women than men. The annual growth rate for Malays is higher than for Chinese and Indians, and Malays constituted 55% of the population in 1980. 34% are Chinese and 10% are Indian. Total fertility rate declined from 68/1000 in 1957 to 39/1000 in 1985. Malay fertility (4.8 children) is higher than either Indian (2.9) or Chinese (2.7) Malay fertility has been increasing while that of Indians and Chinese is decreasing due to contraception. Also, among all 3 groups age at marriage has increased. Data from the 1984/85 Malaysian Population and Family Survey show that the differential fertility of the 3 groups is due largely to rural/urban distribution, education, and work patterns. Ideal family size, according to the survey, is 4.8. The National Population and Family Development Program would like to achieve a growth rate of 2%/year, and family planning knowledge has become virtually universal. KAP surveys show that by 1984 contraceptive prevalence was 51%; however 42% of all eligible women were using unreliable methods. In terms of efficient methods, contraceptive prevalence rate was 16% for Malays, 47% for Chinese, and 40% for Indians. Crude death rate has declined to less than 6/1000, largely due to reductions in infant and child mortality. Internal migration to the cities has done much to achieve the objectives of the New Economic Policy to equalize location and vocations of the 3 ethnic groups. Urbanization has slowed since the launching of various land development schemes in the 1960s. The population policy of the government is to achieve a stabilized population of 70 million by year 2070, which means that the fertility level must decrease from 4 to 2 children per woman. By 2000 when the population is expected to reach 22.4 million, the percentages of Malays, Chinese, and Indians is expected to be 61.5%, 28.7%, and 9.8% respectively.

Moscow, Russia

NASA Image and Video Library

2013-05-21

This image from NASA Terra spacecraft shows Moscow, the capital city of Russia, the northernmost megacity in the world, the most populous in Europe, and with a population of over 11,000,000, the 6th largest city proper in the world.

Beta2-adrenergic receptor allele frequencies in the Quechua, a high altitude native population.

PubMed

Rupert, J L; Monsalve, M V; Devine, D V; Hochachka, P W

2000-03-01

The beta2-adrenergic receptor is involved in the control of numerous physiological processes and, as the primary catecholamine receptor in the lungs, is of particular importance in the regulation of pulmonary function. There are several polymorphic loci in the beta2-adrenergic receptor gene that have alleles that alter receptor function, including two (A/G46, G/C79) that increase agonist sensitivity. As such a phenotype may increase vaso and bronchial dilation, thereby facilitating air and blood flow through the lungs, we hypothesized that selection may have favoured these alleles in high altitude populations as part of an adaptive strategy to deal with the hypoxic conditions characteristic of such environments. We tested this hypothesis by determining the allele frequencies for these two polymorphisms, as well one additional missense mutation (C/T491) and two silent mutations (G/A252 and C/A523) in 63 Quechua speaking natives from communities located between 3200 and 4200 m on the Peruvian altiplano. These frequencies were compared with those of two lowland populations, one native American (Na-Dene from the west coast of Canada) and one Caucasian of Western European descent. The Quechua manifest many of the pulmonary characteristics of high altitude populations and differences in allele frequencies between the Quechua and lowlanders could be indicative of a selective advantage conferred by certain genotypes in high altitude environments. Allele frequencies varied between populations at some loci and patterns of linkage disequilibrium differed between the old-world and new-world samples; however, as these populations are not closely related, significant variation would be expected due to stochastic effects alone. Neither of the alleles associated with increased receptor sensitivity (A46, G79) was significantly over-represented in the Quechua compared with either lowland group. The Quechua were monomorphic for the C allele at base 79. This variant has been associated with body mass index; however no clearly defined metabolic phenotype has been established. In addition, we sequenced the coding region of the gene in three unrelated Quechua to determine if there were any other polymorphisms common in this population. None were detected.

The economic and social context of special populations.

PubMed

Ashford, N A

1999-01-01

Changes in both technology and international trade are altering the world economy and hence are affecting the demand and supply of labor and the nature of work and working conditions. New materials, faster and more powerful computers, electronic and mobile communications, alternative energy systems, miniaturization, robotics, and biotechnology pose new opportunities, problems, and challenges. The tremendous expansion in information-based technologies in both manufacturing and services has resulted in impressive increases in productivity and demand for new skills, but they also have brought about the displacement and de-skilling of some labor by capital, the lowering of wages, and the increase of contingent, part-time, and temporary work. Special populations, in particular, may be differentially impacted.

Six Steps to a Sustainable Society. Worldwatch Paper 48.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Lester R.; Shaw, Pamela

This paper discusses six steps which must be taken on a global level to put society on a sustainable path. Of the various steps none is more important than bringing population growth to a halt. The official United Nations medium-level population projects, used by planners throughout the world, show world population reaching some 10.5 billion…

Globalization and occupational health: a perspective from southern Africa.

PubMed Central

Loewenson, R.

2001-01-01

Increased world trade has generally benefited industrialized or strong economies and marginalized those that are weak. This paper examines the impact of globalization on employment trends and occupational health, drawing on examples from southern Africa. While the share of world trade to the world's poorest countries has decreased, workers in these countries increasingly find themselves in insecure, poor-quality jobs, sometimes involving technologies which are obsolete or banned in industrialized countries. The occupational illness which results is generally less visible and not adequately recognized as a problem in low-income countries. Those outside the workplace can also be affected through, for example, work-related environmental pollution and poor living conditions. In order to reduce the adverse effects of global trade reforms on occupational health, stronger social protection measures must be built into production and trade activities, including improved recognition, prevention, and management of work-related ill-health. Furthermore, the success of production and trade systems should be judged on how well they satisfy both economic growth and population health. PMID:11584735

IMF, World Bank programs hinder AIDS prevention.

PubMed

Denoon, D J

1995-07-10

International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank structural adjustment programs (SAPs) imposed on developing nations in the 1980s inadvertently helped set the stage for the AIDS epidemic. These programs continue to hinder efforts to prevent HIV transmission. SAPs resulted in the following phenomena which place populations at risk of HIV infection: increased rural-urban migration of cheap labor sparked by a shift to an export-oriented economy, the development of transportation infrastructures in the 1980s to support the changed economy, increased migration and urbanization, and reduced government spending upon health and social services necessitated by the SAPs. For HIV transmission in developing countries to be substantially reduced, the SAP economic policies which may have promoted disease must be modified. An alternative development strategy must satisfy basic human needs such as food, housing, and transport; shift emphasis from the production of a small number of primary commodities for export to diversified agricultural production; support marginal producers and subsistence farmers; emphasize human resource development; end the top-down approach favored by the IMF and World Bank in favor of a truly cooperative development policy; alter the charters of the IMF and World Bank to permit the cancellation or restructuring of debt; and require AIDS Impact Reports of the IMF and World Bank.

Assessing the impacts of climate change and socio-economic changes on flow and phosphorus flux in the Ganga river system.

PubMed

Jin, L; Whitehead, P G; Sarkar, S; Sinha, R; Futter, M N; Butterfield, D; Caesar, J; Crossman, J

2015-06-01

Anthropogenic climate change has impacted and will continue to impact the natural environment and people around the world. Increasing temperatures and altered rainfall patterns combined with socio-economic factors such as population changes, land use changes and water transfers will affect flows and nutrient fluxes in river systems. The Ganga river, one of the largest river systems in the world, supports approximately 10% global population and more than 700 cities. Changes in the Ganga river system are likely to have a significant impact on water availability, water quality, aquatic habitats and people. In order to investigate these potential changes on the flow and water quality of the Ganga river, a multi-branch version of INCA Phosphorus (INCA-P) model has been applied to the entire river system. The model is used to quantify the impacts from a changing climate, population growth, additional agricultural land, pollution control and water transfers for 2041-2060 and 2080-2099. The results provide valuable information about potential effects of different management strategies on catchment water quality.

Land-atmosphere-aerosol coupling in North China during 2000­-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, J.; Jin, Q.; Yang, Z. L.; Zhou, L.

2017-12-01

North China is one of the most densely populated regions in the world. To its west, north, and northwest, the world's largest afforestation project has been going on for decades. At the same time, North China has been suffering from air pollution because of its large fossil fuel consumption. Here we show that the changes in land cover and aerosol concentration are coupled with the variations of land surface temperature, cloud cover, and surface solar radiation during the summer 2000-2013. Model experiments show that the interannual variation of aerosol concentration in North China is mainly a result of the varying atmospheric circulation. The increasing vegetation cover due to afforestation has enhanced surface evapotranspiration (ET) and cooled the local surface, and precipitation is observed to be increasing with ET. The model with prescribed increasing vegetation cover can simulate the increasing ET but cannot reproduce the increasing precipitation. Although this may be caused by model biases, the lack of aerosol processes in the model could also be a potential cause.

Sustainable Skyscrapers: Designing the Net Zero Energy Building of the Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kothari, S.; Bartsch, A.

2016-12-01

Cities of the future will need to increase population density in order to keep up with the rising populations in the limited available land area. In order to provide sufficient power as the population grows, cities must become more energy efficient. Fossil fuels and grid energy will continue to become more expensive as nonrenewable resources deplete. The obvious solution to increase population density while decreasing the reliance on fossil fuels is to build taller skyscrapers that are energy neutral, i.e. self-sustaining. However, current skyscrapers are not energy efficient, and therefore cannot provide a sustainable solution to the problem of increasing population density in the face of depleting energy resources. The design of a net zero energy building that includes both residential and commercial space is presented. Alternative energy systems such as wind turbines, photovoltaic cells, and a waste-to-fuel conversion plant have been incorporated into the design of a 50 story skyscraper that is not reliant on fossil fuels and has a payback time of about six years. Although the current building was designed to be located in San Francisco, simple modifications to the design would allow this building to fit the needs of any city around the world.

Effects of Clonal Reproduction on Evolutionary Lag and Evolutionary Rescue.

PubMed

Orive, Maria E; Barfield, Michael; Fernandez, Carlos; Holt, Robert D

2017-10-01

Evolutionary lag-the difference between mean and optimal phenotype in the current environment-is of keen interest in light of rapid environmental change. Many ecologically important organisms have life histories that include stage structure and both sexual and clonal reproduction, yet how stage structure and clonality interplay to govern a population's rate of evolution and evolutionary lag is unknown. Effects of clonal reproduction on mean phenotype partition into two portions: one that is phenotype dependent, and another that is genotype dependent. This partitioning is governed by the association between the nonadditive genetic plus random environmental component of phenotype of clonal offspring and their parents. While clonality slows phenotypic evolution toward an optimum, it can dramatically increase population survival after a sudden step change in optimal phenotype. Increased adult survival slows phenotypic evolution but facilitates population survival after a step change; this positive effect can, however, be lost given survival-fecundity trade-offs. Simulations indicate that the benefits of increased clonality under environmental change greatly depend on the nature of that change: increasing population persistence under a step change while decreasing population persistence under a continuous linear change requiring de novo variation. The impact of clonality on the probability of persistence for species in a changing world is thus inexorably linked to the temporal texture of the change they experience.

World population, world health and security: 20th century trends.

PubMed

Bashford, A

2008-03-01

The connection between infectious disease control and national security is now firmly entrenched. This article takes a historical look at another security issue once prominent in debate on foreign policy and international relations, but now more or less absent: overpopulation. It explores the nature of the debate on population as a security question, and its complicated historical relation to the development of world health.

Ethnic aspects of cancer trials in Asia.

PubMed

Leung, T W T

2007-01-01

New drugs which have potential in cancer therapy are emerging every day and there is an increasing demand for trial patients all over the world. Asia being the most populated continent, as well as a large market for drug sales, has its own epidemiology of disease. The Asian races also have specific genomics that might affect response to drug treatment. In addition, there are cultural issues to be considered when considering clinical trials. In conclusion, more clinical trials should be done among Asian populations for the best results of drug treatment.

The Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative in the Pacific Northwest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adams, Michael J.

2003-01-01

Amphibians have been disappearing from many locations around the world with reports of declines increasing in recent decades. Some of the most dramatic declines have occurred in areas that were thought to be protected from human disturbance. For example, the once-common boreal toad has virtually disappeared from Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Although there has been debate on whether these declines represent a short-term fluctuation in populations or major sustained losses, there is now general scientific consensus that something really is amiss with amphibian populations.

Sexually transmissible infections among female sex workers: an international review with an emphasis on hard-to-access populations.

PubMed

Cwikel, Julie G; Lazer, Tal; Press, Fernanda; Lazer, Simcha

2008-03-01

Women who work commercially in sex work (female sex workers [FSW]) are considered a high-risk group for sexually transmissible infections (STI), yet the level of reported pathogens varies in studies around the world. This study reviewed STI rates reported in 42 studies of FSW around the world published between 1995 and 2006 and analysed the trends and types of populations surveyed, emphasising difficult to access FSW populations. Studies were retrieved by PUBMED and other search engines and were included if two or more pathogens were studied and valid laboratory methods were reported. The five most commonly assessed pathogens were Neisseria gonorrhea (prevalence 0.5-41.3), Chlamydia trachomatis (0.61-46.2), Treponema pallidum (syphilis; 1.5-60.5), HIV (0-76.6), and Trichomonas vaginalis (trichomoniasis; 0.11-51.0). Neisseria gonorrhea and C. trachomatis were the most commonly tested pathogens and high prevalence levels were found in diverse areas of the world. HIV was highly prevalent mostly in African countries. Although human papillomavirus infection was surveyed in few studies, prevalence rates were very high and its aetiological role in cervical cancer warrant its inclusion in future FSW monitoring. Hard-to-access FSW groups tended to have higher rates of STI. The five most commonly detected pathogens correspond to those that are highly prevalent in the general population, however there is an urgent need to develop rapid testing diagnostics for all five pathogens to increase prevention and treatment, especially in outreach programs to the most vulnerable groups among FSW.

Sex and the single squirrel: a genetic view of forest management in the Pacific Northwest.

Treesearch

Sally Duncan

2003-01-01

Forest management throughout the world is producing simplified forests. There is growing concern that these forests maintain neither complete vertebrate communities nor conditions favorable to maintenance of genetic diversity of those vertebrate populations that do find habitat in simply structured stands. Genetics is increasingly being used as a basis for management...

Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in the Measurement of Rural Poverty: The Case of Iran

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hayati, Dariush; Karami, Ezatollah; Slee, Bill

2006-01-01

Poverty reduction is one of the major challenges confronting mankind and a principal obstacle to well-being for a large proportion of the world's population. New paradigms of development as advocated by Chambers and others focus strongly on poverty reduction. Poverty is increasingly recognised as a multifaceted concept that can be elucidated…

Leading Multi-Ethnic Schools: Adjustments in Concepts and Practices for Engaging with Diversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Saeeda

2008-01-01

The student population across world is increasingly reflective of diverse cultures, religions and ethnicities. This rich diversity may become a challenge for educational leaders, teachers, and policy-makers in the absence of an understanding of diverse sources of knowledge people draw on for directing their beliefs and daily practices. This paper…

A Distinctive Theory of Teaching and Learning for Older Learners: Why and Why Not?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tam, Maureen

2014-01-01

In the wake of the world's fast-growing ageing populations and the increasing recognition of the benefits of later life learning towards successful ageing, opportunities for elders and senior persons to engage in learning have proliferated, resulting in an array of programmes and activities being planned and organized by governments,…

Improving Systems Providing Education and Training throughout Life. Flexible Access to Technical and Vocational Education throughout Life.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bartram, John D.

A large majority of the world's people are denied access to learning. The link between technical and vocational education (TVE) and individual and workplace economic productivity is well documented. Many countries are experiencing combinations of increasing populations of young people and high unemployment rates. Existing traditions of training…

Dealing with Diversity in Higher Education: Awareness-Raising and a Linguistic Perspective on Teachers' Intercultural Competence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Neil

2016-01-01

Higher education institutions around the world are educating an increasingly diverse student population. While this responds to government discourse around widening participation and the need to internationalise, and while it can make for a stimulating teaching-learning environment, it can also present teachers with certain challenges that demand…

Nonantibiotic interventions to control pathogens and undesired microbial activities in mixed microbial populations residing in the gut of food-producing animals and their excreted wastes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The intensification and industrialization of animal agriculture throughout the world has led to considerable increases in animal production efficiencies but has also led to concerns that microbial pathogens, antibiotic residues, and other chemical contaminants could be concentrated in the environmen...

The effects of drought and herbivory on plant–herbivore interactions across 16 soybean genotypes in a field experiment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As the Earth’s climate continues to change, drought and insect population outbreaks are predicted to increase in many parts of the world. It is therefore important to understand how changes in such abiotic and biotic stressors might impact agroecosystems. 16 soybean genotypes were tested in a field ...

Opportunity and development of bio-based composites

Treesearch

Zhiyong Cai; Jerrold E. Winandy

2005-01-01

Our forests are a naturally renewable resource that has been used as a principal source of bio-energy and building materials for centuries. The rapid growth of world population has now resulted in substantial increases in demand and in consumption of all raw materials. This now provides a unique opportunity of developing new bio-based composites. The 100-year history...

Can elevated CO2 and ozone shift the genetic composition of aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands? New Phytologist

Treesearch

Emily V. Moran; Mark E. Kubiske

2013-01-01

The world's forests are currently exposed to increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) and ozone (O3). Both pollutants can potentially exert a selective effect on plant populations. This, in turn, may lead to changes in ecosystem properties, such as carbon sequestration. Here, we report how elevated CO

A statewide network for monitoring agricultural water quality and water quantity in Arkansas

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Arkansas produces the most rice, 3rd most cotton and 2nd most broilers of any state in the US. By 2050, agriculture will be asked to produce twice as much food, feed, and fiber for the projected world population, while challenged with reduced water availability from groundwater decline and increase...

Structure/function analysis of cotton-based peptide-cellulose conjugates: spatiotemporal/kinetic assessment of protease aerogels compared to nanocrystalline and paper cellulose

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The growing incidence of chronic wounds in the world population has prompted increased interest in chronic wound dressings with protease-modulating activity and protease point of care sensors to treat and enable monitoring of elevated protease-based wound pathology. However, the overall design featu...

Educating the Urban Poor: A Case Study of Running Preschools in Non-Notified Slums of India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaijayanti, K.; Subramanian, Mathangi

2015-01-01

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) recently reported that the world's population is shifting to its cities. India is no exception. Throughout the country, an increasing number of migrants are leaving agricultural lifestyles in search of economic and educational opportunities, often relocating to non-notified slums. Despite the fact that many…

Sediment Pore Water Ammonium Concentrations in Old Tampa Bay as Determined by the Diffusive Equilibration in Thin Films (DET) Technique

EPA Science Inventory

Increased nitrogen loading, associated with rapid human population growth, was thought to be a major driver of Tampa Bay water quality degradation in the decades immediately after the Second World War. Improvements in wastewater treatment in the early 1980s led to marked reductio...

Agricultural biology in the 3rd millennium: nutritional food security & specialty crops through sustainable agriculture and biotechnology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Food security and agricultural sustainability are of prime concern in the world today in light of the increasing trends in population growth in most parts of the globe excepting Europe. The need to develop capacity to produce more to feed more people is complicated since the arable land is decreasin...

Population and development.

PubMed

Okita, S

1989-03-01

This speech on the life and work of Rafael Salas, who had been the first executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and who contributed immensely to global awareness of population as a vital issue, inaugurated the Rafael M. Salas Lecture Series at the UN. Salas was concerned with individual rights and socioeconomic development while maintaining a balance between population and the environment. He built a large multinational assistance program for population activities and increased funding from $2.5 million in 1969 to $175 million to support 2500 projects in 130 developing countries. He organized both the 1974 World Population Conference and the 1984 International Conference on Population. In developing countries malnutrition and poverty are intertwined, lowering productivity and making people prone to diseases. Infant and child mortality rises with the malnutrition of mothers, therefore campaigns modelled after the postwar Japanese efforts are needed to improve nutrition, to train dietitians, and to introduce school lunch programs. Population stabilization could also be achieved in developing countries by raising income levels, although in Latin American countries birth rates have stayed the same despite increasing income. Direct measures are effective in reducing the birth rate: primary school education, increased income, improved nutrition, decline in infant mortality, higher status of women, and decisive governmental population policy. The Club of Rome report The Limits to Growth predicted that sometime in the 21st century a sudden decline in both population and industrial capacity will be reached at the present growth trends.

The role of interactions in a world implementing adaptation and mitigation solutions to climate change.

PubMed

Warren, Rachel

2011-01-13

The papers in this volume discuss projections of climate change impacts upon humans and ecosystems under a global mean temperature rise of 4°C above preindustrial levels. Like most studies, they are mainly single-sector or single-region-based assessments. Even the multi-sector or multi-region approaches generally consider impacts in sectors and regions independently, ignoring interactions. Extreme weather and adaptation processes are often poorly represented and losses of ecosystem services induced by climate change or human adaptation are generally omitted. This paper addresses this gap by reviewing some potential interactions in a 4°C world, and also makes a comparison with a 2°C world. In a 4°C world, major shifts in agricultural land use and increased drought are projected, and an increased human population might increasingly be concentrated in areas remaining wet enough for economic prosperity. Ecosystem services that enable prosperity would be declining, with carbon cycle feedbacks and fire causing forest losses. There is an urgent need for integrated assessments considering the synergy of impacts and limits to adaptation in multiple sectors and regions in a 4°C world. By contrast, a 2°C world is projected to experience about one-half of the climate change impacts, with concomitantly smaller challenges for adaptation. Ecosystem services, including the carbon sink provided by the Earth's forests, would be expected to be largely preserved, with much less potential for interaction processes to increase challenges to adaptation. However, demands for land and water for biofuel cropping could reduce the availability of these resources for agricultural and natural systems. Hence, a whole system approach to mitigation and adaptation, considering interactions, potential human and species migration, allocation of land and water resources and ecosystem services, will be important in either a 2°C or a 4°C world.

Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders among the Rural Geriatric Population: A Pilot Study in Karnataka, India

PubMed Central

Nair, Sreejith S.; Raghunath, Pooja; Nair, Sreekanth S.

2015-01-01

Background: Increasing life expectancy around the world, an outstanding achievement of our century, has brought with it new public health challenges. India is the second most populous country in the world, with over 72 million inhabitants above 60 years of age as of 2001. The life expectancy in India increased from 32 years in 1947 to over 66 years in 2010, with 8.0% of the population now reaching over 60 years of age. Few studies in India target the health, especially mental health, of this geriatric population. This study aims to estimate the current prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the geriatric population of the rural area of Singanodi,Karnataka, India. Methods: This cross sectional, epidemiological, community-based study was conducted in a rural health training area of Singanodi, Raichur District, Karnataka, India.The General Health Questionnaire-12, Mini Mental State Examination, and Geriatric Depression Scale were administered to 366 participants. Chi square tests with Yates correction were utilized for statistical analysis using SPSS 19.0 software. Results: We found that 33.9% of the geriatric population in the selected province were above the threshold for mental illness based on the GHQ-12 questionnaire. Females had a higher prevalence of mental disorder at 77.6% (152 out of 196) as compared to males who had a prevalence of 42.4% (72 out of 170). The most common psychiatric disorder was depression (21.9%), and generalized anxiety was present in 10.7% of the study population. Prevalence of cognitive impairment was 16.3%, with a significantly higher percentage of affected individuals in 80+ age group. Conclusion: Mental disorders are common among elderly people, but they are not well documented in rural India. The assessment of psychiatric disorder prevalence will help strengthen psycho-geriatric services and thus improve the quality of life of the elderly. A system that ensures comprehensive health care will have to be developed for this purpose as part of our future efforts. PMID:29138712

Prevalence of Psychiatric Disorders among the Rural Geriatric Population: A Pilot Study in Karnataka, India.

PubMed

Nair, Sreejith S; Raghunath, Pooja; Nair, Sreekanth S

2015-01-01

Increasing life expectancy around the world, an outstanding achievement of our century, has brought with it new public health challenges. India is the second most populous country in the world, with over 72 million inhabitants above 60 years of age as of 2001. The life expectancy in India increased from 32 years in 1947 to over 66 years in 2010, with 8.0% of the population now reaching over 60 years of age. Few studies in India target the health, especially mental health, of this geriatric population. This study aims to estimate the current prevalence of psychiatric disorders in the geriatric population of the rural area of Singanodi,Karnataka, India. This cross sectional, epidemiological, community-based study was conducted in a rural health training area of Singanodi, Raichur District, Karnataka, India.The General Health Questionnaire-12, Mini Mental State Examination, and Geriatric Depression Scale were administered to 366 participants. Chi square tests with Yates correction were utilized for statistical analysis using SPSS 19.0 software. We found that 33.9% of the geriatric population in the selected province were above the threshold for mental illness based on the GHQ-12 questionnaire. Females had a higher prevalence of mental disorder at 77.6% (152 out of 196) as compared to males who had a prevalence of 42.4% (72 out of 170). The most common psychiatric disorder was depression (21.9%), and generalized anxiety was present in 10.7% of the study population. Prevalence of cognitive impairment was 16.3%, with a significantly higher percentage of affected individuals in 80+ age group. Mental disorders are common among elderly people, but they are not well documented in rural India. The assessment of psychiatric disorder prevalence will help strengthen psycho-geriatric services and thus improve the quality of life of the elderly. A system that ensures comprehensive health care will have to be developed for this purpose as part of our future efforts.

Changes in size of populations and level of conflict since World War II: implications for health and health services.

PubMed

Garfield, Richard M; Polonsky, Jonathan; Burkle, Frederick M

2012-10-01

Armed conflicts include declared cross-border and internal wars and political, ethnic, and religious hostilities. The number of conflicts worldwide and their level of intensity have varied widely during the last 5 decades. Tracking conflicts throughout this period has focused predominantly on the number of individuals killed or displaced from these hostilities through count-based estimation systems, or establishing rates of excess mortality from demographic surveys. This report focuses on people living in areas with conflict by applying an estimated level of conflict intensity to data on the population of each territory with hostilities during 1946 to 2007. Data from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program/Peace Research Institute Oslo (UCDP/PRIO) Armed Conflict project database on 324 conflicts of any type in countries with populations greater than 500 000 were combined with conflict-intensity estimates from the Center for Systemic Peace and population data from the US Census Bureau International Data Base. More than half a billion people lived in conflict-affected areas in 2007. An increasing proportion of those affected by conflict lived in early postconflict areas, where hostilities were judged or declared during the last 5 years. In the past 2 decades, the average intensity of conflict among those living in areas with a current conflict has gradually declined. A burgeoning population lives in areas where conflict has recently ended, yet most of the world's large-scale medical responses to emergencies focus on high-intensity conflicts. Effective emergency and reconstruction activities in the health sector will depend on reorganizing services to increasingly focus on and transition to low-level and postconflict environments.

Global Environmental Alert Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grasso, V. F.; Cervone, G.; Singh, A.; Kafatos, M.

2006-12-01

Every year natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, etc. occur around the world, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries, billions of dollars in economic losses, and destroying natural landmarks and adveresely affecting ecosystems. Due to increasing urbanization, and increasingly higher percentage of the world's population living in megacities, the existence of nuclear power plants and other facilities whose potential destruction poses unacceptable high risks, natural hazards represent an increasing threat for economic losses, as well as risk to people and property. Warning systems represent an innovative and effective approach to mitigate the risks associated with natural hazards. Several state-of-the-art analyses show that early warning technologies are now available for most natural hazards and systems are already in operation in some parts of the world. Nevertheless, recent disasters such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and the 2005 Katrina hurricane, highlighted inadequacies in early warning system technologies. Furthermore, not all available technologies are deployed in every part of the world, due to the lack of awareness and resources in the poorer countries, leaving very large and densely populated areas at risk. Efforts towards the development of a global warning system are necessary for filling the gaps of existing technologies. A globally comprehensive early warning system based on existing technologies will be a means to consolidate scientific knowledge, package it in a form usable to international and national decision makers and actively disseminate this information to protect people and properties. There is not a single information broker who searches and packages the policy relevant material and delivers it in an understandable format to the public and decision makers. A critical review of existing systems reveals the need for the innovative service. We propose here a Global Environmental Alert Service (GEAS) that could provide information from monitoring, Earth observing and early warning systems to users in a near real time mode and bridge the gap between the scientific community and policy makers. Characteristics and operational aspects of GEAS are discussed.

Ensuring water availability in Mekelle City, Northern Ethiopia: evaluation of the water supply sub-project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oyedotun, Temitope D. Timothy

2017-11-01

The need and demand for water in the world are becoming acute with the growing population. This is mostly pressing in developing countries of which Mekelle City in Northern Ethiopia is not an exception. World Bank borehole-support sub-project was aimed at addressing this challenge. The evaluation of the intervention indicates that there is a significant increase in water supply in the city because of the sub-project. However, the increase in water supply has not been able to meet up with the already established and increasing demand. Coupled with this challenge are: the limited capacity of human capital and expertise that will ensure the proper management of borehole interventions; insufficient cost recovery for proper operation and maintenance of the projects; loss of land and farmlands and lack of compensations because of the projects which affect the livelihood.

A virtual water network of the Roman world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dermody, B. J.; van Beek, R. P. H.; Meeks, E.; Klein Goldewijk, K.; Scheidel, W.; van der Velde, Y.; Bierkens, M. F. P.; Wassen, M. J.; Dekker, S. C.

2014-12-01

The Romans were perhaps the most impressive exponents of water resource management in preindustrial times with irrigation and virtual water trade facilitating unprecedented urbanization and socioeconomic stability for hundreds of years in a region of highly variable climate. To understand Roman water resource management in response to urbanization and climate variability, a Virtual Water Network of the Roman World was developed. Using this network we find that irrigation and virtual water trade increased Roman resilience to interannual climate variability. However, urbanization arising from virtual water trade likely pushed the Empire closer to the boundary of its water resources, led to an increase in import costs, and eroded its resilience to climate variability in the long term. In addition to improving our understanding of Roman water resource management, our cost-distance-based analysis illuminates how increases in import costs arising from climatic and population pressures are likely to be distributed in the future global virtual water network.

A virtual water network of the Roman world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dermody, B. J.; van Beek, R. P. H.; Meeks, E.; Klein Goldewijk, K.; Scheidel, W.; van der Velde, Y.; Bierkens, M. F. P.; Wassen, M. J.; Dekker, S. C.

2014-06-01

The Romans were perhaps the most impressive exponents of water resource management in preindustrial times with irrigation and virtual water trade facilitating unprecedented urbanisation and socioeconomic stability for hundreds of years in a region of highly variable climate. To understand Roman water resource management in response to urbanisation and climate variability, a Virtual Water Network of the Roman World was developed. Using this network we find that irrigation and virtual water trade increased Roman resilience to climate variability in the short term. However, urbanisation arising from virtual water trade likely pushed the Empire closer to the boundary of its water resources, led to an increase in import costs, and reduced its resilience to climate variability in the long-term. In addition to improving our understanding of Roman water resource management, our cost-distance based analysis illuminates how increases in import costs arising from climatic and population pressures are likely to be distributed in the future global virtual water network.

A model for improving the health and quality of life of single mothers in the developing world.

PubMed

Mainthia, Rajshri; Reppart, Laura; Reppart, Jim; Pearce, Elizabeth C; Cohen, Jordan J; Netterville, James L

2013-12-01

Among the impoverished population of coastal Kenya, there is a rapidly growing group of young single mothers who suffer from adverse health outcomes, incomplete schooling, social ostracism by their communities, and economic hardship. To address this problem, in 2008 the Single Mothers Program (SMP) selected a group of vulnerable single mothers, provided them with basic relief and education, equipped them with training and start-up capital to run their own businesses, and assessed the impact of the program via a pre- and post-implementation survey. After two years in the program, a majority of the single mothers increased their contraceptive use, increased their degree of literacy, increased their individual incomes, and were more positively perceived by their communities. This study demonstrates a program model that can be used to improve the health and quality of life of single mothers and their children in similar communities throughout the world.