Structural stability of nonlinear population dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Cenci, Simone; Saavedra, Serguei

2018-01-01

In population dynamics, the concept of structural stability has been used to quantify the tolerance of a system to environmental perturbations. Yet, measuring the structural stability of nonlinear dynamical systems remains a challenging task. Focusing on the classic Lotka-Volterra dynamics, because of the linearity of the functional response, it has been possible to measure the conditions compatible with a structurally stable system. However, the functional response of biological communities is not always well approximated by deterministic linear functions. Thus, it is unclear the extent to which this linear approach can be generalized to other population dynamics models. Here, we show that the same approach used to investigate the classic Lotka-Volterra dynamics, which is called the structural approach, can be applied to a much larger class of nonlinear models. This class covers a large number of nonlinear functional responses that have been intensively investigated both theoretically and experimentally. We also investigate the applicability of the structural approach to stochastic dynamical systems and we provide a measure of structural stability for finite populations. Overall, we show that the structural approach can provide reliable and tractable information about the qualitative behavior of many nonlinear dynamical systems.

Stabilization process of human population: a descriptive approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Kayani, A K; Krotki, K J

1981-01-01

An attempt is made to inquire into the process of stabilization of a human population. The same age distribution distorted by past variations in fertility is subjected to several fixed schedules of fertility. The schedules are different from each other monotonically over a narrow range. The primary concern is with the process, almost year by year, through which the populations become stable. There is particular interest in the differential impact in the same original age distribution of the narrowly different fixed fertility schedules. The exercise is prepared in 3 stages: general background of the process of stabilization; methodology and data used; and analysis and discussion of the stabilization process. Among the several approaches through which the analysis of stable population is possible, 2 are popular: the integral equation and the projection matrix. In this presentation the interest is in evaluating the effects of fertility on the stabilization process of a population. Therefore, only 1 initial age distribution and only 1 life table but a variety of narrowly different schedules of fertility have been used. Specifically, the U.S. 1963 female population is treated as the initial population. The process of stabilization is viewed in the light of the changes in the slopes between 2 successive age groups of an age distribution. A high fertility schedule with the given initial age distribution and mortality level overcomes the oscillations more quickly than the low fertility schedule. Simulation confirms the intuitively expected positive relationship between the mean of the slope and the level of fertility. The variance of the slope distribution is an indicator of the aging of the distribution.

Gridded Population of the World, Version 3 (GPWv3): Population Count Grid

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Gridded Population of the World, Version 3 (GPWv3) consists of estimates of human population for the years 1990, 1995, and 2000 by 2.5 arc-minute grid cells and...

Ageing populations and changing worlds of work.

Science.gov (United States)

Beach, Brian

2014-08-01

Population ageing has reshaped the notion of retirement. The changes carry important implications for aspirations to extend working life. Cultural expectations regarding work and retirement must adapt to the reality posed by longer lives. The modern world is characterised by perpetual - and sometime rapid - change. Transformation throughout the second half of the 20th century brought about substantial shifts in the health and longevity of people in societies across the world. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the impacts of population ageing have gathered greater awareness in public consciousness and within the policy arena. Notions of old age, retirement, and later life have been fundamentally transformed, presenting stark challenges alongside novel opportunities for individuals, communities, and governments. Many of the topics of interest with respect to ageing populations are themselves the result of shifts that were unforeseen. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The World Population Conference: an international extravaganza.

Science.gov (United States)

Franda, M F

1974-09-01

The World Population Conference, held in Bucharest, Romania, August 19-30, 1974 is described. 1287 delegates representing 135 countries, pl us representatives of nongovernmental organizations, participants in related activities, and journalists attended. The task of the delegates was: 1) to decide on procedures; 2) to amend and approve a 20-page World Population Plan of Action (WPPA); and 3) to participate in 3 conference committees on social and economic development, natural resources and the environment, and family and human rights. The major political problem was that 106 of the 148 countries invited considered their population growth rates to be either satisfactory or too slow. The Chinese, Latin Americans, Africans, and the Holy See were opposed to family planning programs and directed most of their criticism toward the U.S. The Chinese and the U.S.S.R. both opposed the WPPA on most key votes, with both influencing much of the Third World. The U.S., Western Europe, Oceania, and most of Asia supported the draft WPPA. When the votes were counted, the draft WPPA had been weakened, although some strong statements favoring government family planning programs were retained. Perhaps the fact that such a conference was actually held is a step in the right direction.

Optimal exploitation of spatially distributed trophic resources and population stability

Science.gov (United States)

Basset, A.; Fedele, M.; DeAngelis, D.L.

2002-01-01

The relationships between optimal foraging of individuals and population stability are addressed by testing, with a spatially explicit model, the effect of patch departure behaviour on individual energetics and population stability. A factorial experimental design was used to analyse the relevance of the behavioural factor in relation to three factors that are known to affect individual energetics; i.e. resource growth rate (RGR), assimilation efficiency (AE), and body size of individuals. The factorial combination of these factors produced 432 cases, and 1000 replicate simulations were run for each case. Net energy intake rates of the modelled consumers increased with increasing RGR, consumer AE, and consumer body size, as expected. Moreover, through their patch departure behaviour, by selecting the resource level at which they departed from the patch, individuals managed to substantially increase their net energy intake rates. Population stability was also affected by the behavioural factors and by the other factors, but with highly non-linear responses. Whenever resources were limiting for the consumers because of low RGR, large individual body size or low AE, population density at the equilibrium was directly related to the patch departure behaviour; on the other hand, optimal patch departure behaviour, which maximised the net energy intake at the individual level, had a negative influence on population stability whenever resource availability was high for the consumers. The consumer growth rate (r) and numerical dynamics, as well as the spatial and temporal fluctuations of resource density, which were the proximate causes of population stability or instability, were affected by the behavioural factor as strongly or even more strongly than by the others factors considered here. Therefore, patch departure behaviour can act as a feedback control of individual energetics, allowing consumers to optimise a potential trade-off between short-term individual fitness

Local stability and Hopf bifurcation in small-world delayed networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Chunguang; Chen Guanrong

2004-01-01

The notion of small-world networks, recently introduced by Watts and Strogatz, has attracted increasing interest in studying the interesting properties of complex networks. Notice that, a signal or influence travelling on a small-world network often is associated with time-delay features, which are very common in biological and physical networks. Also, the interactions within nodes in a small-world network are often nonlinear. In this paper, we consider a small-world networks model with nonlinear interactions and time delays, which was recently considered by Yang. By choosing the nonlinear interaction strength as a bifurcation parameter, we prove that Hopf bifurcation occurs. We determine the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions and the direction of the Hopf bifurcation by applying the normal form theory and the center manifold theorem. Finally, we show a numerical example to verify the theoretical analysis

Local stability and Hopf bifurcation in small-world delayed networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Chunguang E-mail: cgli@uestc.edu.cn; Chen Guanrong E-mail: gchen@ee.cityu.edu.hk

2004-04-01

The notion of small-world networks, recently introduced by Watts and Strogatz, has attracted increasing interest in studying the interesting properties of complex networks. Notice that, a signal or influence travelling on a small-world network often is associated with time-delay features, which are very common in biological and physical networks. Also, the interactions within nodes in a small-world network are often nonlinear. In this paper, we consider a small-world networks model with nonlinear interactions and time delays, which was recently considered by Yang. By choosing the nonlinear interaction strength as a bifurcation parameter, we prove that Hopf bifurcation occurs. We determine the stability of the bifurcating periodic solutions and the direction of the Hopf bifurcation by applying the normal form theory and the center manifold theorem. Finally, we show a numerical example to verify the theoretical analysis.

Population Stabilization in India: A Sub-State level Analysis

OpenAIRE

Purohit C, Dr Brijesh

2007-01-01

The study aims at analyzing economic and policy factors impinging upon population stabilization measures at the district (sub-state level) in India. It reflects upon popularly debated notions, namely, that development is the best contraceptive or whether contraceptive is the best development. In order to reflect upon this notion, we hypothesize that the factors determining the success of population stabilization measures are likely to be different across rich and poor states. It is more likel...

World population, world health and security: 20th century trends.

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Iodine-129 dose to the world population from the nuclear power industry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocher, D.C.; Till, J.E.

1979-01-01

Because of the 15.7 million-year half life for 129 I and the mobility of iodine in the environment, releases of 129 I result in potential radiological impacts on the entire world population essentially in perpetuity. This paper presents estimates of dose to the world population from releases of 129 I by the world nuclear power industry during the years 1975 to 2020

Population Pressure and the Future of Saudi State Stability

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Cristo, Matthew M; Kovalcik, Mark P

2008-01-01

.... However, Saudi Arabia is also characterized by one of the fastest growing population rates in the world, and its economic and political capacity to absorb such rapid population growth is not so...

A population-induced renewable energy timeline in nine world regions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warner, Kevin J.; Jones, Glenn A.

2017-01-01

Approximately 1.1 billion people worldwide do not have access to electricity. The World Bank's Sustainable Energy for All initiative seeks to provide universal access to energy by the year 2030. The current world population of 7.3 billion is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 and 11.2 billion by 2100. Population growth and increasing energy access are incongruous with forecasts of declining non-renewable energy production and climate change concerns. Previous studies have examined these issues at global or at individual regional or national levels. Here we use a nine region model of the world with two per capita energy consumption scenarios to find that significant restructuring of the current energy mix will be necessary in order to support population projections. Modelled interaction between the regions highlights the importance of examining energy and population concerns in a systemic manner, as each of the nine regions faces unique energy-population challenges in the coming decades. As non-renewable energy reserves decline globally, the transition to a renewable energy infrastructure will develop at different times in each region. - Highlights: • A 9-region model of energy, population, and development through 2100 is presented. • Developing >50% renewable energy is required in 8 regions, though not concurrently. • Population growth and development will compound energy scarcity issues. • Early and significant renewable energy investment is key to realizing development. • Each region will face unique, though interlacing, challenges this century.

Cognitive factors in subjective stabilization of the visual world.

Science.gov (United States)

Bridgeman, B

1981-08-01

If an eye movement signal is fed through a galvanic mirror, to move a projected image which a subject is inspecting, prominent objects in the image may seem to jiggle or jump with the the eye when the gain is just below the threshold for detecting a jump of the entire image (Brune and Lücking 1969). We have refined and extended this observation with both naive and practiced subjects, finding results which contradict all of the current theories about the mechanism of stabilization of the visual world and suggest that cognitive factors in perception important influences on the stabilization process. Using this method with a paired photocell system to detect horizontal eye movements, some subjects saw a prominent object in the display jump slightly while the rest of the scene remained stable. The task was done first with landscape slides, then repeated with Escher prints where two sets of alternating figures completely filled the image. Subjects could concentrate on one set of forms as the "figure" and the other as the "ground", and reverse the two at will. In a majority of practiced subjects and in smaller proportion of naive subjects, motion of part of the "figure" was seen regardless of which alternative set of forms constituted it. Reversibility of the effect controlled for influence of object size, brightness, etc. in inducing the selective jump. These and related observations show that cognitive or attentional variables are as important as image properties or gain alone in determining subjective stabilization of the visual world, though current theories (inflow, outflow, cancellation, etc.) consider image position to be simple variable. Another experiment showed that image movement on the retina during saccades cannot explain saccadic suppression of displacement.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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)

World population problems: an overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Potts, M

1989-06-01

Over 50% of the world's population is below the age of marriage, which indicates rapid expansion of the population into the next century. The developing countries produce 85% of the births, 95% of infant deaths, and in some, 99% of maternal deaths. Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) will slow population growth but will not reverse the trend. Family planning programs have worked as evidenced by declining fertility rates. In the US there was a total fertility rate decline of 6 to 3.5 in 58 years. In Sri Lanka the same change took 30 years, in Thailand 15 years and in China 7 years. Family planning programs that are successful provide condoms cheaply, provide community distribution of pills, offer sterilization to male and females, and promote long periods of lactation. Abortion rates are often higher in countries where they are illegal and family planning is usually not offered. Social marketing and voluntary sterilization are the most cost effective birth control methods as proven in less developed countries. Management is the vital factor in more cost effective family planning programs. In sub-Saharan Africa and India there will be a need to subsidize contraceptives well into the next century. If the world is to be serious about family planning, many industrialized countries will have to contribute resources. Private sector involvement needs to be emphasized more in developing countries. Resources are low because of a lack of political will caused by a lack of understanding of the facts of demographic growth. There have been estimates that it will take $7.5 billion to satisfy the developing countries' birth control needs: there is only $1.5 billion being spent now. Many countries are not providing family planning quickly enough and may be forced to give up the freedom to choose family size. The choice of policy makers now is to increase the resources for contraceptive research, or to settle with abortion and sterilization as backup to inadequate methods.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Human population studies and the World Health Organization.

Science.gov (United States)

de Chadarevian, Soraya

2015-01-01

This essay draws attention to the role of the WHO in shaping research agendas in the biomedical sciences in the postwar era. It considers in particular the genetic studies of human populations that were pursued under the aegis of the WHO from the late 1950s to 1970s. The study provides insights into how human and medical genetics entered the agenda of the WHO. At the same time, the population studies become a focus for tracking changing notions of international relations, cooperation, and development and their impact on research in biology and medicine in the post-World War I era. After a brief discussion of the early history of the WHO and its position in Cold War politics, the essay considers the WHO program in radiation protection and heredity and how the genetic study of "vanishing" human populations and a world-wide genetic study of newborns fitted this broader agenda. It then considers in more detail the kind of support offered by the WHO for these projects. The essay highlights the role of single individuals in taking advantage of WHO support for pushing their research agendas while establishing a trend towards cooperative international projects in biology.

[United Nations world population prize to Dr. Halfdan Mahler. Acceptance speech].

Science.gov (United States)

Mahler, H

1995-06-01

The professional achievements of Halfdan Mahler, for which he was awarded the 1995 UN World Population Prize, are summarized, and Dr. Mahler's acceptance speech is presented. Dr. Mahler worked for reproductive health and sustainable development during his six years as secretary general of the IPPF. Under his leadership, the IPPF established world standards for family planning and reproductive health. Dr. Mahler also guided creation and implementation of the long-term IPPF strategic plan, Vision 2000. During his tenure as director general of the World Health Organization from 1973 to 1988, he established the special program of education, development, and training for research in human reproduction. Dr. Mahler's acceptance speech sketched a world of the future in which women control their reproductive lives and enjoy equality with men in work and at home, where adolescents understand and control their sexuality, where all children are desired and cared for, and where hard work brings success even in the poorest population sectors. The challenges of achieving this vision are enormous. The world's population will have doubled to 10 billion, and tensions and inequities will persist. But if the vision is not fulfilled, the present population will triple to 15 billion and competition for every kind of resource will be intolerable. In order to succeed, the rights to free and informed reproductive decision making must be guaranteed for every couple. Harmful practices that violate the right to autonomous reproductive decision making, such as early marriage or female genital mutilation, must be eliminated. Governments must commit themselves to educating and providing resources to women so that they can exercise their rights. Family planning services must be extended to the poor and marginal population sectors that still are denied access, and to adolescents who are at risk of unwanted pregnancy and disease.

World Population Day special symposium.

Science.gov (United States)

1998-08-01

This article describes Japan's celebration of World Population Day, and provides excerpts from speeches at the symposium held on July 8, 1998. The symposium, in Tokyo, was attended by about 300 people. The Chairman of JOICFP gave the opening address. The executive director of UNFPA congratulated Japan for its efforts in the field of population awareness and noted Japan's self-sufficiency despite its importation of 40% of its food and most of its raw materials. A keynote address was delivered by the president of CPE and the former UN Secretary General, who stressed income inequities in the 66% of developing countries within the 185 UN member states. The UN has been promoting sustainable development, but is facing the issue of limited arable land and population growth. The Tutsi and Hutus are fighting due to population based issues. The emphasis should be on women's reproductive rights and protection of women's human rights. 1998 is the 50th year of human rights; progress has been made. The UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador spoke about the disparity between the rich and poor in the Philippines. A small donation reaps incredible progress. Manila has high levels of adolescent childbearing. Men appear to be unaware of the disadvantages of childbearing too early. Rural areas are dominated by strict Roman Catholic beliefs. Manila has commercial sex workers who provide services to Japanese men. The 1998 Kato Award was given to women who raised awareness about coercion in the sex trade and female genital mutilation. The economic situation in Japan creates even greater need to promote family planning and reproductive health.

Stability patterns for a size-structured population model and its stage-structured counterpart

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zhang, Lai; Pedersen, Michael; Lin, Zhigui

2015-01-01

In this paper we compare a general size-structured population model, where a size-structured consumer feeds upon an unstructured resource, to its simplified stage-structured counterpart in terms of equilibrium stability. Stability of the size-structured model is understood in terms of an equivale...... to the population level....

Stability of transition to a world without nuclear weapons: Technical problems of verification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhigalov, V.

1998-01-01

A serious psychological barrier to acceptance of the concept for achieving the nuclear-weapon-free world is fear of facing the prospect that one or more nations or extremist political groups might develop their own nuclear weapons. Actually this is a question of stability of the nuclear-weapon-free world. From this point of view the most effective system of verification is an absolute necessity. This system must ensure detection of so called undeclared nuclear activity at early stage. Scientists of Russian nuclear centers are working today on solving this problem. This paper is considered to be a comprehensive attempt to analyze the technical and organizational aspects of the problems of transition to a nuclear-weapons-free world, setting aside the difficulties of resolving purely political problems

Components and public health impact of population growth in the Arab world.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asharaf Abdul Salam

Full Text Available The Arab world, which consists of the 22 member states of the Arab League, is undergoing a rapid transition in demographics, including fertility, mortality, and migration. Comprising a distinctive geographic region spread across West Asia and North East Africa and unified by the Arabic language, these states share common values and characteristics despite having diverse economic and political conditions. The demographic lag (high fertility and low mortality that characterizes the Arab world is unique, but the present trend of declining fertility, combined with the relatively low mortality, brings about significant changes in its population size. This research aimed to: (i assess the population growth in the Arab world over 3 time periods, (ii explore its components, and (iii understand its public health impact. Data from the International Data Base (IDB of the U.S. Census Bureau for 3 time periods (1992, 2002, and 2012 in 21 countries of the Arab world were analyzed by dividing them into four geographic sectors, namely, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC, West Asia, Maghreb, and the Nile Valley African Horn. The population of the Arab world has grown considerably due to both natural growth and migration. The immigration is pronounced, especially into resource-intensive GCC nations, not only from East Asian and Central African countries but also from resource-thrifty (limited-resource Arab nations. The migrations within, as well as outside, the Arab world reveal an interesting demographic phenomenon that requires further research: migration flows and trends. However, the transformations in public health statistics related to mortality-the impact of demographic changes-depict a new era in the Arab world.

Components and public health impact of population growth in the Arab world.

Science.gov (United States)

Abdul Salam, Asharaf; Elsegaey, Ibrahim; Khraif, Rshood; AlMutairi, Abdullah; Aldosari, Ali

2015-01-01

The Arab world, which consists of the 22 member states of the Arab League, is undergoing a rapid transition in demographics, including fertility, mortality, and migration. Comprising a distinctive geographic region spread across West Asia and North East Africa and unified by the Arabic language, these states share common values and characteristics despite having diverse economic and political conditions. The demographic lag (high fertility and low mortality) that characterizes the Arab world is unique, but the present trend of declining fertility, combined with the relatively low mortality, brings about significant changes in its population size. This research aimed to: (i) assess the population growth in the Arab world over 3 time periods, (ii) explore its components, and (iii) understand its public health impact. Data from the International Data Base (IDB) of the U.S. Census Bureau for 3 time periods (1992, 2002, and 2012) in 21 countries of the Arab world were analyzed by dividing them into four geographic sectors, namely, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), West Asia, Maghreb, and the Nile Valley African Horn. The population of the Arab world has grown considerably due to both natural growth and migration. The immigration is pronounced, especially into resource-intensive GCC nations, not only from East Asian and Central African countries but also from resource-thrifty (limited-resource) Arab nations. The migrations within, as well as outside, the Arab world reveal an interesting demographic phenomenon that requires further research: migration flows and trends. However, the transformations in public health statistics related to mortality-the impact of demographic changes-depict a new era in the Arab world.

Meeting the Sustainable Development Goals leads to lower world population growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Abel, Guy J; Barakat, Bilal; Kc, Samir; Lutz, Wolfgang

2016-12-13

Here we show the extent to which the expected world population growth could be lowered by successfully implementing the recently agreed-upon Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs include specific quantitative targets on mortality, reproductive health, and education for all girls by 2030, measures that will directly and indirectly affect future demographic trends. Based on a multidimensional model of population dynamics that stratifies national populations by age, sex, and level of education with educational fertility and mortality differentials, we translate these goals into SDG population scenarios, resulting in population sizes between 8.2 and 8.7 billion in 2100. Because these results lie outside the 95% prediction range given by the 2015 United Nations probabilistic population projections, we complement the study with sensitivity analyses of these projections that suggest that those prediction intervals are too narrow because of uncertainty in baseline data, conservative assumptions on correlations, and the possibility of new policies influencing these trends. Although the analysis presented here rests on several assumptions about the implementation of the SDGs and the persistence of educational, fertility, and mortality differentials, it quantitatively illustrates the view that demography is not destiny and that policies can make a decisive difference. In particular, advances in female education and reproductive health can contribute greatly to reducing world population growth.

The hydrocarbon era, world population growth and oil use -- a continuing geological challenge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Townes, H.L.

1993-01-01

The world's use of oil, the relationship of world population growth to this use, and what the energy situation might be in the future is a challenge to the geologist. The earth's population doubled between 1930 and 1975 and a comparison of world petroleum use and population growth show similar upward curves. Of the annual fossil fuel resources used in the world, crude oil supplies over 40 percent of the total resources. Petroleum is a finite resource and a projection of world oil production indicates it will peak early in the 21st century. Assuming an ultimate recovery range of 2600 to 3000 billion barrels of oil, 750 billion barrels have already been produced, there are 1000 billion barrels in proven reserves, and 1000 billion barrels remaining to be discovered. The challenge to the geologist will be to find these hidden oil reserves. Recovering this 1000 billion barrels of new oil reserves will require large capital expenditures and, currently, only 60 percent of the capital needed to discover this oil is being spent. With the world's demand for oil increasing, world-wide exploration expenditures are actually decreasing. Simple economics indicates that the reason for this drop in expenditures is that the price of oil is too low to encourage investment. Low oil prices also discourage investment in the development of alternative fuels. There is plenty of oil now, but the world must look to the future and realize present usage rate cannot continue forever. 23 refs., 10 figs

Problems of the recent population development in Tirol.

Science.gov (United States)

Penz, H

1992-01-01

Population trends in the Tirol, in western Austria, since World War II are analyzed. Consideration is given to the effect of altitude on the demographic development of communities and to the importance of tourism for population stability.

Temporal genetic stability of Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gloria-Soria, A; Kellner, D A; Brown, J E; Gonzalez-Acosta, C; Kamgang, B; Lutwama, J; Powell, J R

2016-06-01

The mosquito Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) (Diptera: Culicidae) is the primary vector of viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue and Chikungunya fever. In the absence of effective vaccines, the reduction of these diseases relies on vector control strategies. The success of these strategies is tightly linked to the population dynamics of target populations. In the present study, 14 collections from St. aegypti populations separated by periods of 1-13 years were analysed to determine their temporal genetic stability. Although temporal structure is discernible in most populations, the degree of temporal differentiation is dependent on the population and does not obscure the geographic structure of the various populations. The results suggest that performing detailed studies in the years prior to and after population reduction- or modification-based control interventions at each target field site may be useful in assessing the probability of success. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.

Possible limitations to SSPS use due to distribution of world population and world energy consumption centers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Claverie, M.J.; Dupas, A.P.

1980-09-01

Satellite solar power stations, as envisioned now, would be very large energy systems from the point of view of power output (about 5 GW) and of land requirements (more than 400 sq km for a rectenna and the associated exclusion area). These size constraints could lead to limitations in the use of SSPS in significant parts of the world, due to three main incompatibilities: too high population density, insufficient density of electrical demand, and obligation for a single power station to provide less than about 20% of the total electrical demand in a given geographical zone to assure reliability. The extent of these three possible limitations was assessed, using a future world energy model developed previously. The rationale behind this model is to divide the world into 10 deg latitude by 10 deg longitude zones, in which future electrical demands (in 2000 and 2020/2025) are computed according to energetical previsions of the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) and of the World Energy Conference (WEC). The results are world wide maps of electrical demand densities in 2000 and 2020/2025.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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…

On the stability analysis of a general discrete-time population model involving predation and Allee effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merdan, H.; Duman, O.

2009-01-01

This paper presents the stability analysis of equilibrium points of a general discrete-time population dynamics involving predation with and without Allee effects which occur at low population density. The mathematical analysis and numerical simulations show that the Allee effect has a stabilizing role on the local stability of the positive equilibrium points of this model.

[Population and development].

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Effects of isotropic alpha populations on tokamak ballooning stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spong, D.A.; Sigmar, D.J.; Tsang, K.T.; Ramos, J.J.; Hastings, D.E.; Cooper, W.A.

1986-12-01

Fusion product alpha populations can significantly influence tokamak stability due to coupling between the trapped alpha precessional drift and the kinetic ballooning mode frequency. Careful, quantitative evaluations of these effects are necessary in burning plasma devices such as the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor and the Joint European Torus, and we have continued systematic development of such a kinetic stability model. In this model we have considered a range of different forms for the alpha distribution function and the tokamak equilibrium. Both Maxwellian and slowing-down models have been used for the alpha energy dependence while deeply trapped and, more recently, isotropic pitch angle dependences have been examined

Effects of alpha populations on tokamak ballooning stability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spong, D.A.; Sigmar, D.J.; Tsang, K.T.; Ramos, J.J.; Hastings, D.E.; Cooper, W.A.

1986-01-01

Fusion product alpha populations can significantly influence tokamak stability due to coupling between the trapped alpha precessional drift and the kinetic ballooning mode frequency. This effect is of particular importance in parameter regimes where the alpha pressure gradient begins to constitute a sizable fraction of the thermal plasma pressure gradient. Careful, quantitative evaluations of these effects are necessary in burning plasma devices such as the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor and the Joint European Torus, and we have continued systematic development of such a kinetic stability model. In this model we have considered a range of different forms for the alpha distribution function and the tokamak equilibrium. Both Maxwellian and slowing-down models have been used for the alpha energy dependence while deeply trapped and, more recently, isotropic pitch angle dependence have been examined

World population growth, family planning, and American foreign policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharpless, J

1995-01-01

The US decision since the 1960s to link foreign policy with family planning and population control is noteworthy for its intention to change the demographic structure of foreign countries and the magnitude of the initiative. The current population ideologies are part of the legacy of 19th century views on science, morality, and political economy. Strong constraints were placed on US foreign policy since World War II, particularly due to presumptions about the role of developing countries in Cold War ideology. Domestic debates revolved around issues of feminism, birth control, abortion, and family political issues. Since the 1960s, environmental degradation and resource depletion were an added global dimension of US population issues. Between 1935 and 1958 birth control movements evolved from the ideologies of utopian socialists, Malthusians, women's rights activists, civil libertarians, and advocates of sexual freedom. There was a shift from acceptance of birth control to questions about the role of national government in supporting distribution of birth control. Immediately postwar the debates over birth control were outside political circles. The concept of family planning as a middle class family issue shifted the focus from freeing women from the burdens of housework to making women more efficient housewives. Family planning could not be taken as a national policy concern without justification as a major issue, a link to national security, belief in the success of intervention, and a justifiable means of inclusion in public policy. US government involvement began with agricultural education, technological assistance, and economic development that would satisfy the world's growing population. Cold War politics forced population growth as an issue to be considered within the realm of foreign policy and diplomacy. US government sponsored family planning was enthusiastic during 1967-74 but restrained during the 1980s. The 1990s has been an era of redefinition of

Incorporating Case Studies into a World Food and Population Course

Science.gov (United States)

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…

A population on the edge: genetic diversity and population structure of the world's northernmost harbour seals (Phoca vitulina)

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Liselotte Wesley; Lydersen, Christian; Frie, Anne Kirstine

2011-01-01

insight into consequences of population declines in a broader conservation context. The harbour seal population at Svalbard is the world's northernmost harbour seal population. Nothing is known about the genetic diversity, distinctiveness or origin of this small, marginalized mammalian population. Thus......  It is crucial to examine the genetic diversity and structure of small, isolated populations, especially those at the edge of their distribution range, because they are vulnerable to stochastic processes if genetic diversity is low and isolation level high, and because such populations provide...... microsatellites and variation in the D-loop. Each of the four locations was a genetically distinct population. The Svalbard population was highly genetically distinct, had reduced genetic diversity, received limited gene flow, had a rather low effective population size and showed an indication of having...

A population-induced renewable energy timeline in nine world regions

Science.gov (United States)

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 50% renewable energy needs to occur by 2028 in a 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 energy demand and to limit warming to 2.5-3°C by 2100.

A phenomenological theory of world population growth and global problems

CERN Document Server

Kapitza, Sergei P

1996-01-01

Of all global problems world population growth is the most significant one. To describe this process in its past and project it into the future a mathematical model is worked out. It treats the world population as an entity, seen as an open and evolv The approach is phenomenological and growth over very many generations is assumed to be selfsimilar and described by scaling. In terms of kinetics, the growth rate is proportional to the square of the total number of people and the nonlinear hyperbol of all mechanisms that contribute to our development in a collective interactive process. The model gives an estimate of the beginning of human evolution c.a. 4.4 million years ago and of the total number of people who ever lived c.a. 100 billion. In the scope of the model large scale cycles defined by history and anthropology are shown to be uniformly spaced in time on a logarithmic scale, expressing and inherent periodicity. As we approach the present, this progression of cycles is now termo transition. This is a s...

Life-history strategies associated with local population variability confer regional stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Pribil, Stanislav; Houlahan, Jeff E

2003-07-07

A widely held ecological tenet is that, at the local scale, populations of K-selected species (i.e. low fecundity, long lifespan and large body size) will be less variable than populations of r-selected species (i.e. high fecundity, short lifespan and small body size). We examined the relationship between long-term population trends and life-history attributes for 185 bird species in the Czech Republic and found that, at regional spatial scales and over moderate temporal scales (100-120 years), K-selected bird species were more likely to show both large increases and decreases in population size than r-selected species. We conclude that life-history attributes commonly associated with variable populations at the local scale, confer stability at the regional scale.

Thorium, uranium and plutonium in human tissues of world-wide general population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, N.P.

1990-01-01

The results on the concentrations of thorium, uranium and plutonium in human tissues of world-wide general populations are summarized. The majority of thorium and uranium are accumulated in the skeleton, whereas, plutonium is divided between two major organs: the liver and skeleton. However, there is a wide variation in the fractions of plutonium in the liver and the skeleton of the different populations. (author) 44 refs.; 15 figs

[World plan for reproductive autonomy and health].

Science.gov (United States)

Ospina, P

1994-06-01

The principal objective of the Third International Conference on Population and Development to be held in Cairo in 1994 is to achieve consensus on a Plan of Action to reinforce reproductive rights of individuals, who bear ultimate responsibility for slowing population growth. The Plan of Action should be adopted by all the peoples of the world in order to stabilize population growth during the next twenty years by means of programs to provide family planning and reproductive health services. The preliminary conference document incorporated recommendations and proposals of two preparatory committees, five regional conferences, six expert meetings, 109 countries, and over 400 nongovernmental organizations from around the world. At current rates of growth, the world's 5.7 billion inhabitants will increase to 9.1 billion by the year 2025, vastly increasing pressure on already limited resources and ecosystems. The central theme of the first World Population Conference in Bucharest in 1974 was the close relationship between population growth and socioeconomic development. The 1974 World Population Plan of Action stressed development of strategies to achieve a better quality of life and rapid socioeconomic development. Recommendations of the 1984 World Population Conference in Mexico remained centered on implementation of the Bucharest Plan of Action with a few additions. Although progress has been achieved in meeting the goals of the Bucharest Plan of Action, growth rates of some developing countries have actually increased. Poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, and discrimination against women are still obstacles to socioeconomic development, and contraceptive usage has not reached optimal levels. Urban migration remains excessive. Progress for many countries over the past decade has been directly related to increasing the access of women to health care and family planning. Themes related to women's status and rights will be incorporated in the 1994 Cairo Conference. The

The effects of host-feeding on stability of discrete-time host-parasitoid population dynamic models.

Science.gov (United States)

Emerick, Brooks; Singh, Abhyudai

2016-02-01

Discrete-time models are the traditional approach for capturing population dynamics of a host-parasitoid system. Recent work has introduced a semi-discrete framework for obtaining model update functions that connect host-parasitoid population levels from year-to-year. In particular, this framework uses differential equations to describe the host-parasitoid interaction during the time of year when they come in contact, allowing specific behaviors to be mechanistically incorporated. We use the semi-discrete approach to study the effects of host-feeding, which occurs when a parasitoid consumes a potential host larva without ovipositing. We find that host-feeding by itself cannot stabilize the system, and both populations exhibit behavior similar to the Nicholson-Bailey model. However, when combined with stabilizing mechanisms such as density-dependent host mortality, host-feeding contracts the region of parameter space that allows for a stable host-parasitoid equilibrium. In contrast, when combined with a density-dependent parasitoid attack rate, host-feeding expands the non-zero equilibrium stability region. Our results show that host-feeding causes inefficiency in the parasitoid population, which yields a higher population of hosts per generation. This suggests that host-feeding may have limited long-term impact in terms of suppressing host levels for biological control applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

$17 billion needed for population programme to year 2000: Dr. Nafis Sadik launches State of World Population Report.

Science.gov (United States)

1995-01-01

Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in her address on July 11 to the Foreign Press Association in London on the occasion of the release of the "1995 State of the World Population Report," stated that governments needed to invest in people, and that the estimated amount needed to reduce population numbers in developing countries was $17 billion for the year 2000. Two-thirds of the cost would be supplied by the developing countries. She said that coordinating population policies globally through such documents as the Programme of Action from the Cairo Conference would aid in slowing population growth. World population, currently 5.7 billion, is projected to reach 7.1-7.83 billion in 2015 and 7.9-11.9 billion in 2050. She also noted that certain conditions faced by women bear upon unsustainable population growth. The cycle of poverty continues in developing countries because very young mothers, who face higher risks in pregnancy and childbirth than those who delay childbearing until after the age of 20, are less likely to continue their education, more likely to have lower-paying jobs, and have a higher rate of separation and divorce. The isolation of women from widespread political participation and the marginalization of women's concerns from mainstream topics has resulted in ineffective family planning programs, including prevention of illness or impairment related to pregnancy or childbirth. Women, in most societies, cannot fully participate in economic and public life, have limited access to positions of influence and power, have narrower occupational choices and lower earnings than men, and must struggle to reconcile activities outside the home with their traditional roles. Sustainable development can only be achieved when social development expands opportunities for individuals (men and women), and their families, empowering them in the attainment of their social, economic, political, and cultural aspirations.

Assessment of dose to the critical group and the world population

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coulon, R.

1978-01-01

This paper reviews the basic principles of radiation protection and analyses the exposure of the public through radioactive transfers. The evaluation of the dose to the ''critical group'' is described and an application of the philosophy is proposed. A parallel study is conducted in the case of the evaluation of the dose to the world population. (author)

A demographic-economic explanation of political stability: Mauritius as a microcosm.

Science.gov (United States)

Lempert, D

1987-06-01

"This paper examines current models of economic and political development--social modernization theory, political and economic characteristics of stable regimes, and cross country analysis of political stability--and tests them on the Indian Ocean Island of Mauritius. The analysis continues with a causal explanation for political stability in Mauritius' recent history, derived from an examination of economic policies and demographic patterns. Political change in Mauritius over the past sixty years seems to be explained best by a model for political stability which integrates specific economic and demographic factors. The model, applicable to development in other third world nations, revises Malthus' conclusion that population and economic conditions move in an oscillatory relationship and replaces it with a more comprehensive theory, suggesting that political stability is a function of both economic development and a repeating cyclical relationship between economics and population." excerpt

We must tackle population problems.

Science.gov (United States)

Hironaka, W

1992-03-01

Thank you Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to speak out not only as a Japanese parliamentarian, but also as a member of GLOBE International, Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment, consisting of legislators from the US Congress, EC Parliament, USSR Assembly and Japanese Diet who have joined together to compare, improve and coordinate our respective legislative activities in an effort to effectively address the complex issues surrounding environment and development. Mr. Chairman, world population--which reached 5.4 billion in mid-1991--is growing exponentially. According to 1 UNFPA report 3 people are born every second, a total of 250,000 people every day or 95-100 million people every year. At this rate, world population will reach 6.4 billion by year 2001, and if this rate continues to go unchecked, world population will reach 14-15 billion by the end of the 21st century. GLOBE is highly aware of the relationship between rapidly growing human populations, environmental degradation and sustainable development. We urge UNCED negotiators to address population growth rates and the integrally linked concerns of resource consumption levels, particularly in the industrialized world, in their search for solutions to the conflict between environment and development. Negotiators should also seriously consider ways in which to broaden educational and economic opportunities for women to ease population growth rates, and to alleviate poverty and stresses on the environment that result from population pressures. Social and economic factors must be integrated into population planning. It is saddening to note that almost 40,000 children die every day due to malnutrition, lack of fresh water and access to resources. Over 100 million children do not receive a primary education. Mr. Chairman, worldwide demand for a range of family planning services is increasing faster than supply. Recent studies indicate that if quality family planning information, training and

Recombination gives a new insight in the effective population size and the history of the old world human populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Melé, Marta; Javed, Asif; Pybus, Marc; Zalloua, Pierre; Haber, Marc; Comas, David; Netea, Mihai G; Balanovsky, Oleg; Balanovska, Elena; Jin, Li; Yang, Yajun; Pitchappan, R M; Arunkumar, G; Parida, Laxmi; Calafell, Francesc; Bertranpetit, Jaume

2012-01-01

The information left by recombination in our genomes can be used to make inferences on our recent evolutionary history. Specifically, the number of past recombination events in a population sample is a function of its effective population size (Ne). We have applied a method, Identifying Recombination in Sequences (IRiS), to detect specific past recombination events in 30 Old World populations to infer their Ne. We have found that sub-Saharan African populations have an Ne that is approximately four times greater than those of non-African populations and that outside of Africa, South Asian populations had the largest Ne. We also observe that the patterns of recombinational diversity of these populations correlate with distance out of Africa if that distance is measured along a path crossing South Arabia. No such correlation is found through a Sinai route, suggesting that anatomically modern humans first left Africa through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait rather than through present Egypt.

Stability conditions and phase diagrams for two-component Fermi gases with population imbalance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Qijin; He Yan; Chien, C.-C.; Levin, K.

2006-01-01

Superfluidity in atomic Fermi gases with population imbalance has recently become an exciting research focus. There is considerable disagreement in the literature about the appropriate stability conditions for states in the phase diagram throughout the BCS to Bose-Einstein condensation crossover. Here we discuss these stability conditions for homogeneous polarized superfluid phases, and compare with recent alternative proposals. The requirement of a positive second-order partial derivative of the thermodynamic potential with respect to the fermionic excitation gap Δ (at fixed chemical potentials) is demonstrated to be equivalent to the positive definiteness of the particle number susceptibility matrix. In addition, we show the positivity of the effective pair mass constitutes another nontrivial stability condition. These conditions determine the (local) stability of the system towards phase separation (or other ordered phases). We also study systematically the effects of finite temperature and the related pseudogap on the phase diagrams defined by our stability conditions

Our World of 7 Billion: Population Studies in Today's Social Studies Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Wasserman, Pamela

2011-01-01

The study of world population integrates so many themes and disciplines in the social studies because it encompasses all of human history--the rise of agriculture and civilizations, scientific progress, territorial conflicts, changing gender roles and more. It is also at the heart of human geography and how people came to dominate and alter the…

Population pressures: threat to democracy.

Science.gov (United States)

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

Crop Breeding for Low Input Agriculture: A Sustainable Response to Feed a Growing World Population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vagner A. Benedito

2011-10-01

Full Text Available World population is projected to reach its maximum (~10 billion people by the year 2050. This 45% increase of the current world population (approaching seven billion people will boost the demand for food and raw materials. However, we live in a historical moment when supply of phosphate, water, and oil are at their peaks. Modern agriculture is fundamentally based on varieties bred for high performance under high input systems (fertilizers, water, oil, pesticides, which generally do not perform well under low-input situations. We propose a shift of research goals and plant breeding objectives from high-performance agriculture at high-energy input to those with an improved rationalization between yield and energy input. Crop breeding programs that are more focused on nutrient economy and local environmental fitness will help reduce energy demands for crop production while still providing adequate amounts of high quality food as global resources decline and population is projected to increase.

Global asymptotic stability of density dependent integral population projection models.

Science.gov (United States)

Rebarber, Richard; Tenhumberg, Brigitte; Townley, Stuart

2012-02-01

Many stage-structured density dependent populations with a continuum of stages can be naturally modeled using nonlinear integral projection models. In this paper, we study a trichotomy of global stability result for a class of density dependent systems which include a Platte thistle model. Specifically, we identify those systems parameters for which zero is globally asymptotically stable, parameters for which there is a positive asymptotically stable equilibrium, and parameters for which there is no asymptotically stable equilibrium. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Human Populations and the World Conservation Strategy. Commission on Ecology Paper Number 11.

Science.gov (United States)

Hanks, J.

This document serves as a supplement to the World Conservation Strategy (WCS) and outlines some of the critical aspects of the interaction between human populations, natural resources, and social and economic conditions. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of planning with people, and on packaging conservation programs so they are more…

Continuity of Y chromosome haplotypes in the population of Southern Poland before and after the Second World War.

Science.gov (United States)

Woźniak, Marcin; Grzybowski, Tomasz; Starzyński, Jarosław; Marciniak, Tomasz

2007-06-01

The Polish population is reported to be very homogenous as far as Y chromosome polymorphism is concerned. One of the hypotheses that explains this phenomenon is based on the assumption that massive migrations that took place in Poland after the Second World War might have evoked such an effect. Thus, knowledge of the pre-war frequencies of Y chromosome haplotypes in different parts of the country would be a useful tool in testing such a hypothesis. We have collected 226 DNA samples, together with family history data, from males living in the rural area of Małopolska, Polish Southern border region. Based on donors' family histories we were able to reconstruct an 'ancestral' subpopulation of 108 males whose ancestors had inhabited the area before both World Wars. We have analyzed 12 Y-STR loci: DYS19, DYS385, DYS389I&II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438 and DYS439 in all the collected samples. Comparisons of our contemporary and 'ancestral' population samples with other Polish and Central European populations showed that the population of Southern Małopolska is very closely related to other Polish and Slavic populations. The above-mentioned observations suggest that the population of Southern Poland could have been highly homogenous even before the Second World War.

Introducing the World Population Crises to Secondary Social Studies Classes: An Inquiry-Oriented Instructional Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Randall C.

1970-01-01

The author contends that students must be alerted to the dangers of overpopulation of the world and to the methods that exist to control population growth. He suggests topics for student inquiry. (CK)

Stability of the frequent COPD exacerbator in the general population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Reilev, Mette; Lykkegaard, Jesper; Halling, Anders

2017-01-01

Exacerbation frequency is central in treatment strategies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, whether chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients from the general population with frequent exacerbations continue to have frequent exacerbations over an extended period of time is c...... considerably over time. This could hold implications for COPD treatment and challenge assumptions made about disease progression....... is currently unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the stability of the frequent exacerbator in a population-based setting. To this end, we conducted a nationwide register-based descriptive study with a 10-year follow-up period of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients with at least one...... obstructive pulmonary disease treatment guidelines and their practical application. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE LUNG DISEASE: VARIATIONS IN DISEASE PROGRESSION: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who suffer from frequent exacerbations do not necessarily persist with such severity over time...

The world's northernmost harbour seal population-how many are there?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benjamin Merkel

Full Text Available This study presents the first abundance estimate for the world's northernmost harbour seal (Phoca vitulina population, which resides in Svalbard, Norway, based on three digital stereoscopic photographic surveys conducted in 2009 and 2010. The counts from these high resolution 3D images were combined with a novel method for estimating correction factors for animals that were in the water at the time of the surveys, in which extensive behavioural data from radio-tagged harbour seals were used together with age distribution data to estimate the proportion of seals of various age and sex classes hauled out at the times of the surveys. To detect possible seasonal shifts in age distribution between surveys, lengths of hauled out seals were measured from the stereoscopic images. No body-length differences were detected between the surveys; but, this may be due to a high degree of sexual dimorphism exhibited in this population. Applying the modelled correction factors, a total of 1888 (95% CI: 1660-3023, 1742 (1381-3549 and 1812 (1656-4418 harbour seals were estimated for the surveys flown on 01 August 2009, 01 August 2010 and 19 August 2010, respectively. The similarity between the three survey estimates (despite significant differences in the number of animals actually counted on the photos from each survey effort suggests that the variation in numbers of hauled out seals is reasonably accurately adjusted for by the haul-out probability model. The low population size, the limited spatial distribution of the population and its reduced genetic diversity make this population vulnerable to chance events, such as disease epidemics.

The World Population Dilemma.

Science.gov (United States)

Population Reference Bureau, Inc., Washington, DC.

This book is the third in a series published by the Population Reference Bureau aimed at illuminating the facts and consequences of human population dynamics for secondary and college-age students. Many illustrations, charts and graphs are included in this volume to help the reader grasp a number of the current ideas and concepts that are used in…

On the stability of nongyrotropic ion populations: A first (analytic and simulation) assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brinca, A.L.; Borda De Agua, L.; Winske, D.

1993-01-01

Nongyrotropic particle populations have been observed in various space plasmas, and invoked to explain different observations within space plasmas. The authors consider waves whose frequency is below the lower hybrid frequency. They look at the stability of such low frequency waves propagating in a magnetoplasma with nongyrotropic ion populations. They derive wave equations and dispersion relations. They find that the introduction of nongyrotropy results in the coupling of wave eigenmodes, and the enhancement of instability growth rates. They consider the question of the instability growth rates in this paper

Geothermal energy in the world energy scenario

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbier, E.

1989-01-01

This paper reports on the world energy consumption between 1960 and 1984 from primary energy sources (coal, natural gas, oil, hydropower, nuclear energy) and the same in percentages from 1925. This highlights the diminishing role of coal and the increased consumption of gas and oil. The latter has stabilized around 42% of the total after the drop in demand resulting from the oil crisis of 1973. The world energy consumption has then been divided into industrialized and developing countries. It appears that the latter, with a population equal to 68% of the total world population, consumed 23% of the world energy in 1982. Furthermore, the consumption figures show that the demand for domestic energy is much smaller in developing countries, and it is well-known that domestic energy consumed is one of the parameters used to assess standard of living. The total installed electric capacity throughout the world is then reported, divided between developed and developing countries, showing that the latter consumed 11% of all the electricity generated in the world in 1981. The world installed electric power of geothermal origin at the end of 1985 is shown, along with estimates for 1990. Geothermal energy represents 0.2% of the world electric power. This is obviously a small figure and indicates that geothermal energy plays a minor role on the world energy scene. However, if we distinguish between industrialized and developing countries, we can observe that, with their currently limited electrical consumption but good geothermal prospects, the developing countries could achieve quite a significant contribution to their total electric energy from that of geothermal origin, increasing at the moment from 3 to 19%. Finally, a comparison is made between electricity generating costs of different sources, showing that geothermal energy is competitive. A table illustrates the world evolution in installed geothermal capacity from 1950 to 1985. The non-electric uses of geothermal energy

Model or Myopia? Exploiting Water Markets to Address Population and Drought Risks in a Changing World

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, P. M.

2012-12-01

Climate change, population demands, and evolving land-use represent strong risks to the sustainable development and stability of world-wide urban water supplies. There is a growing consensus that non-structural supply management instruments such as water markets have significant potential to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities in complex urban water systems. This paper asks a common question, what are the tradeoffs for a city using water market supply instruments?. This question emerges quickly in policy and management, but its answer is deceptively difficult to attain using traditional planning tools and management frameworks. This research demonstrates new frameworks that facilitate rapid evaluation of hypotheses on the reliability, resiliency, adaptability, and cost-effectiveness of urban water supply systems. This study considers a broader exploration of the issues of "nonstationarity" and "uncertainty" in urban water planning. As we invest in new information and prediction frameworks for the coupled human-natural systems that define our water, our problem definitions (i.e., objectives, constraints, preferences, and hypotheses) themselves evolve. From a formal mathematical perspective, this means that our management problems are structurally uncertain and nonstationary (i.e., the definition of optimality changes across regions, times, and stakeholders). This uncertainty and nonstationarity in our problem definitions needs to be more explicitly acknowledged in adaptive management and integrated water resources management. This study demonstrates the potential benefits of exploring these issues in the context of a city in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas, USA determining how to use its regional water market to manage population and drought risks.

Stability in a changing world -

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olivares, Ingrid; Svenning, J.-C.; van Bodegom, Peter M

2016-01-01

Are the hyperdiverse local forests of the western Amazon undergoing changes linked to global and local drivers such as climate change, or successional dynamics? We analyzed local climatic records to assess potential climatic changes in Yasuní National Park, Ecuador, and compared two censuses (1995...... dynamics in Yasuní contrast with recent findings from eastern Amazon, where environmental change is driving significant changes in ecosystem dynamics. Our findings suggest that until now, local forests in the northwest Amazon may have escaped pressure from climate change. The stability of this rich palm...

Revisiting the role of individual variability in population persistence and stability.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Morozov

Full Text Available Populations often exhibit a pronounced degree of individual variability and this can be important when constructing ecological models. In this paper, we revisit the role of inter-individual variability in population persistence and stability under predation pressure. As a case study, we consider interactions between a structured population of zooplankton grazers and their predators. Unlike previous structured population models, which only consider variability of individuals according to the age or body size, we focus on physiological and behavioural structuring. We first experimentally demonstrate a high degree of variation of individual consumption rates in three dominant species of herbivorous copepods (Calanus finmarchicus, Calanus glacialis, Calanus euxinus and show that this disparity implies a pronounced variation in the consumption capacities of individuals. Then we construct a parsimonious predator-prey model which takes into account the intra-population variability of prey individuals according to behavioural traits: effectively, each organism has a 'personality' of its own. Our modelling results show that structuring of prey according to their growth rate and vulnerability to predation can dampen predator-prey cycles and enhance persistence of a species, even if the resource stock for prey is unlimited. The main mechanism of efficient top-down regulation is shown to work by letting the prey population become dominated by less vulnerable individuals when predator densities are high, while the trait distribution recovers when the predator densities are low.

Evaluation of great deserts of the world for perpetual radiowaste storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Libby, L.M.; Wurtele, M.G.; Whipple, C.G.

1982-01-01

Desert sites with a history of seismic stability were studied for storage of radioactive wastes because of the attractive meteorology, proven longterm geological stability, and distance from human population centers. Specific deserts were to be representative of various kinds of world deserts, if substantial information about each desert was available, to examine with respect to transporting, handling, storing, and cooling the radioactive waste, and the site suitability as to geological conditions, water availability, alternative land use, airborne emissions of heat, accidental radioactive emission, and possible socioeonomic impacts. No significant technical obstacles to the use of the world deserts as sites for a retrievable storage facility for 500 years were found. However, given the relatively low level of effort that was allocated between the many technical issues listed above, this study is neither a full risk assessment nor a full environmental impact analysis of such a facility. Assessments for siting the facility were made for five deserts, chosen to be representative of Old World, New World, Australian, interior, coastal, foggy, hot and cold: the Nullarbor Plain of Australia, the Namib in Africa, the Great Basin of the United States represented by the Nevada Test Site, the North Slope of Alaska and Canada, and the Egyptian desert

Colombian forensic genetics as a form of public science: The role of race, nation and common sense in the stabilization of DNA populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz-Marín, Ernesto; Wade, Peter; Cruz-Santiago, Arely; Cárdenas, Roosbelinda

2015-12-01

Abstract This article examines the role that vernacular notions of racialized-regional difference play in the constitution and stabilization of DNA populations in Colombian forensic science, in what we frame as a process of public science. In public science, the imaginations of the scientific world and common-sense public knowledge are integral to the production and circulation of science itself. We explore the origins and circulation of a scientific object--'La Tabla', published in Paredes et al. and used in genetic forensic identification procedures--among genetic research institutes, forensic genetics laboratories and courtrooms in Bogotá. We unveil the double life of this central object of forensic genetics. On the one hand, La Tabla enjoys an indisputable public place in the processing of forensic genetic evidence in Colombia (paternity cases, identification of bodies, etc.). On the other hand, the relations it establishes between 'race', geography and genetics are questioned among population geneticists in Colombia. Although forensic technicians are aware of the disputes among population geneticists, they use and endorse the relations established between genetics, 'race' and geography because these fit with common-sense notions of visible bodily difference and the regionalization of race in the Colombian nation.

A system dynamics feedback control model study of population of "India 2001" and policies for stabilizing growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, M K; Janahanlal, P S

1978-06-01

A mathematical population model is presented and diagrammed. The model is a nonlinear, higher order, self-regulating, goal-seeking system. In other words, the model treats the population system like a biological system which has positive and negative feedbacks. The model incorporates the effects of important economic factors that influence human birth and death rates. It calculates the total population size, which is a determinant of resource usage. It also indicates the demographic response, through a changing birth and death rate, to a changing resource supply. The model is illustrated with Indian population data, disaggregated by age into 15 levels each of which is, in turn, divided into 4 income levels. The effect on population growth of various alternative population policies is analyzed with the goal of stabilizing the population growth quickly without causing undue hardship. Different computer runs of the model are conducted, using different levels of family planning practice, different ages at marriage, and different distributions of income throughout the country. The policy which would result in the lowest population for the year 2001 is 1 in which family planning acceptance levels would increase from 15% in 1975 to 60% in 1980 and 100% from 1990 on. However, there is widespread opposition to this policy. It is felt that a much slower rise in family planning acceptance would be a more acceptable policy for stabilizing population in India.

Sharing the Planet. Population - Consumption - Species. Science and Ethics for a Sustainable and Equitable World

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van der Zwaan, B.; Petersen, A. (eds.)

2003-11-01

The world is going through the profound changes of a demographic transition. Population growth is best taken care of when women and men are able to choose freely and responsibly their number of children. The most important aspects are the availability of reliable and safe means and the access women have to knowledge, resources and decision power. General education is a prerequisite. (Groningen Manifesto, statement no. 7). The current international, political, economic and financial order still primarily reflects the claims of international trade. There is a lack of public awareness as to the inescapable limits of the planet's resources and we hardly seem to be moving towards a sustainable and equitable world. The contributors to this volume provide an up-to-date and forceful exposition of this problematique. In the aftermath of the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg, they suggest topical ways to alter the world's course. The keys to reaching a sustainable world, in which the planet is equitably shared among humans and other species, are to consider the impact of our collective actions at longer timescales and to deal head-on with the interconnected issues of population pressure, consumption volume and species loss. The volume displays a multidisciplinary and multicultural approach involving both scientific and ethical arguments. It is of interest to a wide audience of scholars and concerned citizens. With contributions by: Ernst Ulrich von Weizsaecker, Friedrich Schmidt-Bleek, Johan van Klinken, Anne Ehrlich, Sergey Kapitza, Roefie Hueting, Jan van Hooff, Lucas Reijnders, Arthur Petersen, Bob van der Zwaan, Vandana Shiva, Radha Holla, Koo van der Wal, Bas de Gaay Fortman, Atiq Rahman and Jane Goodall.

North and South of world (world socio-economics)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michelini, M.

1991-01-01

Whereas the 4.2 billion inhabitants of third word countries are now struggling with a per capita income of roughly $1,030 and an energy consumption of about 0.48 tpe per year, the 1.27 billion people living in industrialized nations earn an average of $15,000 and consume 4.70 tpe of energy per person. The author investigates the underlying reasons for this disparity by making reference to numerous tabled statistical world production and energy supply and demand data, e.g., petroleum trade, production, consumption and price figures; per capita production expressed in dollars; distribution and duration of fossil fuel reserves; etc. Emphasis is placed on an examination of the role that will be played by fossil fuels in determining the future outcome for developed and developing countries in the coming century. Based on current trends, forecasts are prepared for energy consumption, resource depletion and pollution levels. Noting that the continued pursuit of current policies is leading towards disastrous word socio-economic imbalances, the author suggests international policies of rational energy use, reforestation on a global scale, and the increased use of coal with pollution abating gasification systems for greater energy price stability, and thus, political stability. He concurs with the United Nations recommendations for curbs on population dynamics and the opting for tenable growth strategies

Statistical characteristics and stability index (si) of large-sized landslide dams around the world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iqbal, J.; Dai, F.; Raja, I.A.

2014-01-01

In the last few decades, landslide dams have received greater attention of researchers, as they have caused loss to property and human lives. Over 261 large-sized landslide dams from different countries of the world with volume greater than 1 x 105 m have been reviewed for this study. The data collected for this study shows that 58% of the catastrophic landslides were triggered by earthquakes and 21 % by rainfall, revealing that earthquake and rainfall are the two major triggers, accounting for 75% of large-sized landslide dams. These land-slides were most frequent during last two decades (1990-2010) throughout the world. The mean landslide dam volume of the studied cases was 53.39 x 10 m with mean dam height of 71.98 m, while the mean lake volume was found to be 156.62 x 10 m. Failure of these large landslide dams pose a severe threat to the property and people living downstream, hence immediate attention is required to deal with this problem. A stability index (SI) has been derived on the basis on 59 large-sized landslide dams (out of the 261 dams) with complete parametric information. (author)

Standards of care issues with anticoagulation in real-world populations.

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

Current guidelines recommend anticoagulants for reducing the risk of stroke in appropriate patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) and for the acute treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and the prevention of recurrent VTE. Warfarin is the standard of care for both NVAF and VTE, yet International Normalized Ratio (INR) control remains suboptimal, even in the clinical trial setting. Maintaining INR within the recommended therapeutic range is associated with better outcomes in these distinct populations. In VTE, high rates of recurrence have been reported during the first few weeks of treatment, emphasizing the importance of surveillance during this time and of early optimization of anticoagulation therapy. The NVAF population tends to have more comorbidities and requires longer-term therapy. It is important to keep in mind that real-world patient populations are more complex than those in controlled studies. Patients with multiple comorbidities are particularly challenging, and physicians may focus on clinically urgent issues rather than anticoagulation optimization. Despite the many complexities associated with the use of warfarin, it remains a mainstay of anticoagulation therapy. Aligning financial incentives and improving care coordination are important factors in moving toward better outcomes for patients who need anticoagulation therapy. The increased focus on value-based care and evolving approaches to patient treatment could lead more physicians and payers to consider alternatives to warfarin, including the use of novel oral anticoagulants.

Population control II: The population establishment today.

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Eligibility of sacubitril-valsartan in a real-world heart failure population: a community-based single-centre study.

Science.gov (United States)

Norberg, Helena; Bergdahl, Ellinor; Lindmark, Krister

2018-04-01

This study aims to investigate the eligibility of the Prospective Comparison of Angiotensin Receptor-Neprilysin Inhibitor (ARNI) with ACE inhibitor to Determine Impact on Global Mortality and Morbidity in Heart Failure (PARADIGM-HF) study to a real-world heart failure population. Medical records of all heart failure patients living within the catchment area of Umeå University Hospital were reviewed. This district consists of around 150 000 people. Out of 2029 patients with a diagnosis of heart failure, 1924 (95%) had at least one echocardiography performed, and 401 patients had an ejection fraction of ≤35% at their latest examination. The major PARADIGM-HF criteria were applied, and 95 patients fulfilled all enrolment criteria and thus were eligible for sacubitril-valsartan. This corresponds to 5% of the overall heart failure population and 24% of the population with ejection fraction ≤ 35%. The eligible patients were significantly older (73.2 ± 10.3 vs. 63.8 ± 11.5 years), had higher blood pressure (128 ± 17 vs. 122 ± 15 mmHg), had higher heart rate (77 ± 17 vs. 72 ± 12 b.p.m.), and had more atrial fibrillation (51.6% vs. 36.2%) than did the PARADIGM-HF population. Only 24% of our real-world heart failure and reduced ejection fraction population was eligible for sacubitril-valsartan, and the real-world heart failure and reduced ejection fraction patients were significantly older than the PARADIGM-HF population. The lack of data on a majority of the patients that we see in clinical practice is a real problem, and we are limited to extrapolation of results on a slightly different population. This is difficult to address, but perhaps registry-based randomized clinical trials will help to solve this issue. © 2018 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology.

Stability analysis model of Bacillus antracis using SEIQR population compartment with quarantine in Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Saptaningtyas, F. Y.; Prihantini

2018-03-01

In Indonesia there are many breeders of cattle that are actually used as a livelihood so that Indonesia is prone to the spread of anthrax disease. This disease can be transmitted through indirect contacts such as deep impurities, saliva and the like. Anthrax disease is a type of disease caused by bacteria and there is a link between livestock and humans as the host. Anthrax disease with quarantine special factors can be modelled with SEIQR where existed from susceptible, exposed, symptomatic infected, quarantine and recovered compartment with research method used that is quantitative method, so different with disease models caused by bacteria in general.In this study we will determine the qualitative analysis of the anthrax disease distribution model with goal of research are to obtain model transmission Anthrax, to find equilibrium point of model and to find the basic reproduction number R 0, where R0 aims to determine the spread of disease or the absence of disease spread through endemic equilibrium stability analysis. The goal from this research is compare stability analysis between model with quarantine and model without quarantine use Routh-Hurwitz criteria to prove that E 1 and E 2 are asymptotic stability equilibrium so from this research conclude that quarantine population can speed up recovered population to be free disease condition from Anthrax.

The Role of Population, Affluence, Technological Development and Diet in a Below 2 °C World

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nørgaard, Jørgen; Bermudez, Juan Gea; Balyk, Olexandr

2018-01-01

The rise in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and the resultant temperature anomaly in the global climate can be simplified to a function of (1) the global population, (2) economic activity and (3) technological development for thought experiments. Diet, given the embodied process emissions ...... about population, consumption, development and diet shifting should be high on the agenda for reducing energy demands and for increasing the feasibility of maintaining a well below 2 °C world.......The rise in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and the resultant temperature anomaly in the global climate can be simplified to a function of (1) the global population, (2) economic activity and (3) technological development for thought experiments. Diet, given the embodied process emissions...... different model frameworks are combined namely IPAT, Ecological Footprint and Integrated Assessment Modelling, to illustrate the challenges to finding pathways to maintain a well below 2 °C world. The model setup developed for this chapter estimates the global mean temperature increase to 2100...

Temporal genetic stability in natural populations of the waterflea Daphnia magna in response to strong selection pressure.

Science.gov (United States)

Orsini, Luisa; Marshall, Hollie; Cuenca Cambronero, Maria; Chaturvedi, Anurag; Thomas, Kelley W; Pfrender, Michael E; Spanier, Katina I; De Meester, Luc

2016-12-01

Studies monitoring changes in genetic diversity and composition through time allow a unique understanding of evolutionary dynamics and persistence of natural populations. However, such studies are often limited to species with short generation times that can be propagated in the laboratory or few exceptional cases in the wild. Species that produce dormant stages provide powerful models for the reconstruction of evolutionary dynamics in the natural environment. A remaining open question is to what extent dormant egg banks are an unbiased representation of populations and hence of the species' evolutionary potential, especially in the presence of strong environmental selection. We address this key question using the water flea Daphnia magna, which produces dormant stages that accumulate in biological archives over time. We assess temporal genetic stability in three biological archives, previously used in resurrection ecology studies showing adaptive evolutionary responses to rapid environmental change. We show that neutral genetic diversity does not decline with the age of the population and it is maintained in the presence of strong selection. In addition, by comparing temporal genetic stability in hatched and unhatched populations from the same biological archive, we show that dormant egg banks can be consulted to obtain a reliable measure of genetic diversity over time, at least in the multidecadal time frame studied here. The stability of neutral genetic diversity through time is likely mediated by the buffering effect of the resting egg bank. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The world's most isolated and distinct whale population? Humpback whales of the Arabian Sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Pomilla, Cristina; Amaral, Ana R; Collins, Tim; Minton, Gianna; Findlay, Ken; Leslie, Matthew S; Ponnampalam, Louisa; Baldwin, Robert; Rosenbaum, Howard

2014-01-01

A clear understanding of population structure is essential for assessing conservation status and implementing management strategies. A small, non-migratory population of humpback whales in the Arabian Sea is classified as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, an assessment constrained by a lack of data, including limited understanding of its relationship to other populations. We analysed 11 microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA sequences extracted from 67 Arabian Sea humpback whale tissue samples and compared them to equivalent datasets from the Southern Hemisphere and North Pacific. Results show that the Arabian Sea population is highly distinct; estimates of gene flow and divergence times suggest a Southern Indian Ocean origin but indicate that it has been isolated for approximately 70,000 years, remarkable for a species that is typically highly migratory. Genetic diversity values are significantly lower than those obtained for Southern Hemisphere populations and signatures of ancient and recent genetic bottlenecks were identified. Our findings suggest this is the world's most isolated humpback whale population, which, when combined with low population abundance estimates and anthropogenic threats, raises concern for its survival. We recommend an amendment of the status of the population to "Critically Endangered" on the IUCN Red List.

The world's most isolated and distinct whale population? Humpback whales of the Arabian Sea.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Pomilla

Full Text Available A clear understanding of population structure is essential for assessing conservation status and implementing management strategies. A small, non-migratory population of humpback whales in the Arabian Sea is classified as "Endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, an assessment constrained by a lack of data, including limited understanding of its relationship to other populations. We analysed 11 microsatellite markers and mitochondrial DNA sequences extracted from 67 Arabian Sea humpback whale tissue samples and compared them to equivalent datasets from the Southern Hemisphere and North Pacific. Results show that the Arabian Sea population is highly distinct; estimates of gene flow and divergence times suggest a Southern Indian Ocean origin but indicate that it has been isolated for approximately 70,000 years, remarkable for a species that is typically highly migratory. Genetic diversity values are significantly lower than those obtained for Southern Hemisphere populations and signatures of ancient and recent genetic bottlenecks were identified. Our findings suggest this is the world's most isolated humpback whale population, which, when combined with low population abundance estimates and anthropogenic threats, raises concern for its survival. We recommend an amendment of the status of the population to "Critically Endangered" on the IUCN Red List.

Family welfare programme and population stabilization strategies in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Zodgekar, A V

1996-03-01

India is currently the second most populous country in the world. Population is likely to reach 1 billion by the turn of the century at the present rate of growth. This article provides an overview of the present and past demographic context, population program strategies, family welfare program achievements and deficits, program approaches, and fertility determinants. The author suggests that it is time for the family welfare program to shift directions. The emphasis of family welfare programs should focus on improving the quality of people's lives rather than on demographic targets or on birth control in a very narrow sense. Quality of life improvements would entail increased literacy, a higher status for women, reduced infant mortality, and reduced poverty. The responsibility for family planning must be placed on individual families and not government effort. In order to achieve almost replacement level fertility by 2010, contraceptive prevalence must increase from the present 44% to at least 70%. Increased contraceptive prevalence will not occur without the adoption of the small family norm and improvement in socioeconomic conditions. Family planning programs and services must be accessible at the village level. Sustained fertility decline is achieved by sustained effort and not short-term drastic actions. This article reviews the basic philosophy of the family welfare program, evaluates the effectiveness of the program in achieving fertility decline, and assesses the role of development and other fertility determinants, such as women's status, in reducing fertility.

Colombian forensic genetics as a form of public science: The role of race, nation and common sense in the stabilization of DNA populations

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz-Marín, Ernesto; Wade, Peter; Cruz-Santiago, Arely; Cárdenas, Roosbelinda

2015-01-01

This article examines the role that vernacular notions of racialized-regional difference play in the constitution and stabilization of DNA populations in Colombian forensic science, in what we frame as a process of public science. In public science, the imaginations of the scientific world and common-sense public knowledge are integral to the production and circulation of science itself. We explore the origins and circulation of a scientific object – ‘La Tabla’, published in Paredes et al. and used in genetic forensic identification procedures – among genetic research institutes, forensic genetics laboratories and courtrooms in Bogotá. We unveil the double life of this central object of forensic genetics. On the one hand, La Tabla enjoys an indisputable public place in the processing of forensic genetic evidence in Colombia (paternity cases, identification of bodies, etc.). On the other hand, the relations it establishes between ‘race’, geography and genetics are questioned among population geneticists in Colombia. Although forensic technicians are aware of the disputes among population geneticists, they use and endorse the relations established between genetics, ‘race’ and geography because these fit with common-sense notions of visible bodily difference and the regionalization of race in the Colombian nation. PMID:27480000

Urbanization and Third World stability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bienen, H

1984-07-01

This essay reviews images of urbanization that have been held by academics and activists, including revolutionary leaders. It examines the methodology and findings of case studies in Nigeria, Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Kenya, Turkey, Malaysia and other countries with the aim of determining how well suited are the data and theories for assessing the relationship between urbanization and political stability. The review examines the following topics: migration; political participaton and the urban poor; radical parties and urban violence; the over-urbanization thesis; class and ethnicity. It especially evaluates the role of so-called urban marginals in urban political life and concludes that the evidence is overwhelming that there is no widespread culture of poverty or culture of apathy among the urban poor in developing countries. 119 references.

IODES, Calculating the Estimation of Dose to the World Population from Releases of Iodine-129 to the Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

1 - Description of program or function: IODES is a dynamic linear compartment model of the global iodine cycle which estimates long-term doses and dose commitments to the world population from releases of 129 I to the environment. The global environment is divided into different compartments comprising the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and terrestrial biosphere. The global transport of iodine is described by means of time-invariant fractional transfer rates between the environmental compartments. The fractional transfer rates for 129 I are determined primarily from available data on compartment inventories and fluxes for naturally occurring stable iodine and from data on the global hydrologic cycle. The dose to the world population is estimated from the calculated compartment inventories of 129 I, the known compartment inventories of stable iodine, a pathway analysis of the intake of iodine by a reference individual, dose conversion factors for inhalation and ingestion, and an estimate of the world population. For an assumed constant population of 12.21 billion beyond the year 2075, the estimated population dose commitment is 2 x 105 man-rem/Ci. 2 - Methods: IODES calculates 129 I inventories in the different environmental compartments and individual and population doses as a function of time after a release to the environment by solving a set of simultaneous first-order linear differential equations using numerical methods. 3 - Restrictions on the complexity of the problem: - The subroutine LSODE for solving the differential equations is provided online at the ORNL computer center and, thus, is not included in the IODES code package. If the LSODE routine is not available to the user, then an appropriate differential equation routine must be supplied by the user, and the initialization of parameters and the call statement for LSODE in the main program must be changed accordingly

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

Science.gov (United States)

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; Alves, João Marcelo P; Ferreira, Marcelo U

2017-07-01

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. 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). 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

Population issues surface at human settlements conference.

Science.gov (United States)

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.

How did Japanese rural dwellers become rapidly healthier in the two decades following World War II?: Examining the diverse policy interventions that improved the population's health.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuasa, Motoyuki

2017-01-01

Objective　During the two decades following Japan's World War II surrender in 1945, tremendous improvement in the population's health was observed, particularly in infant mortality and life expectancy. How did Japanese rural dwellers achieve such remarkable health improvement during this relatively short time span while its economy remained heavily damaged following the war? While the efforts from government-driven public health strategies and programs are well known, relatively little is known about the contributions of policies in non-health sectors. Therefore, the main aim is to verify, using literature based sources, whether non-health sectors contributed to the betterment of the population's health in addition to the public health sector policies.Hypotheses　Synergistic efforts of diverse interventions from different policies and programs likely catalyzed the drastic health improvement observed in the Japanese population in the two decades after World War II. The Ministry of Health and Welfare, for example, implemented programs to provide health care services. These are thought to have contributed directly to reducing maternal and child mortality, as well as tuberculosis-related mortality. Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry carried out a nationwide livelihood improvement program to enhance individual and family lifestyles, improve indoor and outdoor environments, and strengthen social solidarity. The ministry also attempted to generate income stability for farmers through an agricultural improvement program to ensure allocation of household income to family health. The Ministry of Education also had an initiative to disseminate the concepts of democracy and rational thought to the Japanese population through a social education program. Through these efforts, superstition and pre-modern customs were reduced, and subsequently health awareness increased, leading to an improvement in the population's health.Conclusion　The public health

The effects of stabilizing and directional selection on phenotypic and genotypic variation in a population of RNA enzymes.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayden, Eric J; Bratulic, Sinisa; Koenig, Iwo; Ferrada, Evandro; Wagner, Andreas

2014-02-01

The distribution of variation in a quantitative trait and its underlying distribution of genotypic diversity can both be shaped by stabilizing and directional selection. Understanding either distribution is important, because it determines a population's response to natural selection. Unfortunately, existing theory makes conflicting predictions about how selection shapes these distributions, and very little pertinent experimental evidence exists. Here we study a simple genetic system, an evolving RNA enzyme (ribozyme) in which a combination of high throughput genotyping and measurement of a biochemical phenotype allow us to address this question. We show that directional selection, compared to stabilizing selection, increases the genotypic diversity of an evolving ribozyme population. In contrast, it leaves the variance in the phenotypic trait unchanged.

Population turnover and churn: enhancing understanding of internal migration in Britain through measures of stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Dennett, Adam; Stillwell, John

2008-01-01

Net migration measures take account of the direction of migration flows, but our understanding of migration can be extended using population turnover and churn as measures of population stability. Turnover is a measure of the intensity of migration into and out of a district, whereas churn incorporates these flows and also includes the flows that take place within each district. Using districts of Britain and their type-based groupings, the highest levels of turnover and churn are found in London and some of the more dynamic urban areas, whereas the lowest levels are found in rural and previously industrial areas. Age has a significant effect on these measures with the population in their late teens and early twenties being the least stable and older populations being more stable.

Genetic Diversity in Natural Populations of New World Leishmania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cupolillo Elisa

1998-01-01

Full Text Available Our results have shown the wide diversity of parasites within New World Leishmania. Biochemical and molecular characterization of species within the genus has revealed that much of the population heterogeneity has a genetic basis. The source of genetic diversity among Leishmania appears to arise from predominantly asexual, clonal reproduction, although occasional bouts of sexual reproduction can not be ruled out. Genetic variation is extensive with some clones widely distributed and others seemingly unique and localized to a particular endemic focus. Epidemiological studies of leishmaniasis has been directed to the ecology and dynamics of transmission of Leishmania species/variants, particularly in localized areas. Future research using molecular techniques should aim to identify and follow Leishmania types in nature and correlate genetic typing with important clinical characteristics such as virulence, pathogenicity, drug resistance and antigenic variation. The epidemiological significance of such variation not only has important implications for the control of the leishmaniases, but would also help to elucidate the evolutionary biology of the causative agents.

Constructing Threats and a Need for Control: Textbook Descriptions of a Growing, Moving World Population

Science.gov (United States)

Mikander, Pia; Holm, Gunilla

2014-01-01

The population of the world is growing and moving. The overwhelming majority of people are on the move inside their own country and mostly towards cities while a minority moves from non-Western areas to the West. In Finnish geography, history and social science school textbooks, this mobility tends to be depicted differently depending on whether…

World Cup's impact on mental health and lifestyle behaviors in the general population: comparing results of 2 serial population-based surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Joseph Tai Fai; Tsui, Hi Yi; Mo, Phoenix Kit Han; Mak, Winnie Wing Sze; Griffiths, Sian

2015-03-01

This study compares the prevalence of health-related behaviors and mental health well-being in the Hong Kong general male population before and after the 2006 World Cup finals. Two anonymous, serial, comparable cross-sectional surveys. A total of 500 and 530 adult Chinese men, respectively, were interviewed in 2 telephone surveys before and after the finals. Those interviewed after the World Cup were more likely to eat snacks more than 3 d/wk, to be binge drinkers, or to spend more than 2 h/d communicating with family members. They were less likely to have higher General Health Questionnaire or lower Short Form-36 Health Survey Vitality scores (odds ratio [OR] = 0.684 and 0.765), to perceive family-related or work-related stress (OR = 0.327 and 0.345), or to self-report being sick or have visited a doctor (OR = 0.645 and 0.722). All variables between watchers versus nonwatchers of World Cup games were significant or marginally significant. Public health education should be incorporated into global sport events. © 2013 APJPH.

Life-history diversity and its importance to population stability and persistence of a migratory fish: steelhead in two large North American watersheds.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Jonathan W; Yeakel, Justin D; Peard, Dean; Lough, Jeff; Beere, Mark

2014-09-01

Life-history strategies can buffer individuals and populations from environmental variability. For instance, it is possible that asynchronous dynamics among different life histories can stabilize populations through portfolio effects. Here, we examine life-history diversity and its importance to stability for an iconic migratory fish species. In particular, we examined steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss), an anadromous and iteroparous salmonid, in two large, relatively pristine, watersheds, the Skeena and Nass, in north-western British Columbia, Canada. We synthesized life-history information derived from scales collected from adult steelhead (N = 7227) in these watersheds across a decade. These migratory fishes expressed 36 different manifestations of the anadromous life-history strategy, with 16 different combinations of freshwater and marine ages, 7·6% of fish performing multiple spawning migrations, and up to a maximum of four spawning migrations per lifetime. Furthermore, in the Nass watershed, various life histories were differently prevalent through time - three different life histories were the most prevalent in a given year, and no life history ever represented more than 45% of the population. These asynchronous dynamics among life histories decreased the variability of numerical abundance and biomass of the aggregated population so that it was > 20% more stable than the stability of the weighted average of specific life histories: evidence of a substantial portfolio effect. Year of ocean entry was a key driver of dynamics; the median correlation coefficient of abundance of life histories that entered the ocean the same year was 2·5 times higher than the median pairwise coefficient of life histories that entered the ocean at different times. Simulations illustrated how different elements of life-history diversity contribute to stability and persistence of populations. This study provides evidence that life-history diversity can dampen fluctuations in

Importance of preservation by refrigeration for the nutrition of the world population

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kunis, J

1987-01-01

There is starvation and malnutrition in most developing countries although food production worldwide considerably exceeds the demand. Since 90 per cent of the increase in population by the year 2000 are expected to fall to the developing countries, the situation will become more and more critical. Placing more emphasis on preservation by refrigeration could cut the present heavy foodstuff losses and guarantee a better supply in terms of both quantity and nutrition physiology. Basic prerequisites to this end would be the use of energysaving refrigeration plants in the developing countries and the installation of a world wide refrigeration chain.

Will human populations be limited by food?

Science.gov (United States)

Warren, S. G.

2016-12-01

Historical examples of demographic change, in China, Italy, Nigeria, Utah, the Philippines, and elsewhere, together with simple mathematics and biological principles, show that stabilizing world population before it is limited by food supply will be more difficult than is generally appreciated. United Nations population projections are based on a logical fallacy in that they assume, in spite of the absence of necessary negative feedbacks, that all nations will converge rapidly to replacement-level fertility and thereafter remain at that level. The benign projections that have resulted from this assumption may have hindered efforts to make availability of birth-control a priority in development-aid. Education of women and provision of contraceptives have caused dramatic reductions in fertility, but many groups, including some that are well-educated, maintain high fertility. Small groups with persistent high fertility can grow to supplant low-fertility groups, resulting in continued growth of the total population. The global average fertility rate could rise even if each country's fertility rate is falling. In some low-fertility European countries where deaths exceed births, the population continues to grow because of immigration. Producing more than two offspring is normal for all animal species with stable populations, because their populations are limited by resources or predation rather than birth control. It may therefore be appropriate to view the growth of human population as the result not of excess fertility but rather of excess food. Even if the fertility rate is maintained far in excess of 2, the population cannot grow if food is limiting. Without the agricultural advances of the 20thcentury, world population could not have grown as it did from 1.7 billion in 1900 to 6 billion in 2000. The food supply may be enhanced in the future by genetic engineering and other innovations, but it may be limited by water shortage, climate change, pollution, and energy

Magnetohydrodynamic stability of tokamaks

CERN Document Server

Zohm, Hartmut

2014-01-01

This book bridges the gap between general plasma physics lectures and the real world problems in MHD stability. In order to support the understanding of concepts and their implication, it refers to real world problems such as toroidal mode coupling or nonlinear evolution in a conceptual and phenomenological approach. Detailed mathematical treatment will involve classical linear stability analysis and an outline of more recent concepts such as the ballooning formalism. The book is based on lectures that the author has given to Master and PhD students in Fusion Plasma Physics. Due its strong lin

System and method for determining stability of a neural system

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis, Steven A. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-readable media for determining stability of a neural system. The method includes tracking a function world line of an N element neural system within at least one behavioral space, determining whether the tracking function world line is approaching a psychological stability surface, and implementing a quantitative solution that corrects instability if the tracked function world line is approaching the psychological stability surface.

The prevalence of neck pain in the world population: a systematic critical review of the literature

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fejer, René; Kyvik, Kirsten Ohm; Hartvigsen, Jan

2006-01-01

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of neck pain (NP) in the world population and to identify areas of methodological variation between studies. A systematic search was conducted in five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, OSH-ROM, and PsycINFO), followed by a screening...... prevalence, Scandinavian countries reported more NP than the rest of Europe and Asia. Prevalence estimates were not affected by age, quality score, sample size, response rate, and different anatomical definitions of NP. NP is a common symptom in the population. As expected, the prevalence increases...

Mammary tumor associated Hspb1 mutation and screening of eight cat populations of the world.

Science.gov (United States)

Saif, R; Awan, A R; Lyons, L; Gandolfi, B; Tayyab, M; Ellahi Babar, M; Wasim, M

2016-01-01

Current research highlights the Hspb1 based screening of eight cat populations of the world to investigate the association of newly found locus within cat mammary tumors. Total 180 cats were screened on the basis of Hspb1 4 bp deletion locus (1514-1517del4) which was observed in six mammary tumor cases in Siamese cat breed. Case-control association study revealed the non-significance with P=0.201 and an overall mutant allele frequency of 0.30 ranging from 0.20-0.40 was observed in other cat populations. Similarly, HWE was also obeyed in combined population samples with P=0.860 and found non-significant with range of 0.429-0.708 in other non-Pakistani cat populations as well. These results might be helpful to understand the association of this novel locus in a better way with large sample size of cases and may also serve as a potential marker for mammary tumor diagnosis, particularly in cats and generally in all other animal populations in comparative genetics and genomics context.

Some Thoughts on Mexican Poverty Viewed from the Perspective of the World Population Plan of Action.

Science.gov (United States)

Serron, Luis A.

The paper summarizes findings of a study of Mexican poverty (SO 010 522), and relates these findings to guidelines of the World Population Plan of Action. The study indicated that poverty in Mexico is based upon national and international economic, political, and social factors. Included among these factors are exploitation of labor, rapid…

Visual attention and stability

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mathot, Sebastiaan; Theeuwes, Jan

2011-01-01

In the present review, we address the relationship between attention and visual stability. Even though with each eye, head and body movement the retinal image changes dramatically, we perceive the world as stable and are able to perform visually guided actions. However, visual stability is not as

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thais C de Oliveira

2017-07-01

Full Text Available 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.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.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

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

The population threat.

Science.gov (United States)

Teitelbaum, M S

1992-01-01

Commentary is provided on the challenges faced by the new Clinton administration in formulating US key foreign policy initiatives. There is an urgent need to provide balanced and effective foreign aid for reducing high fertility rates in the developing world. There is also a need to effectively monitor the large migrations of populations. Over the past 10 years, the US has not been actively practicing world leadership on population issues. 3 changes in 1993 give impetus to redirect foreign policy: 1) the waning influence of fringe groups who controlled population issues; 2) the campaign promises to restore UN population stabilization programs; and 3) the evidence from the Persian Gulf and Yugoslavia that demographic issues require planning and assessment. Global population growth has been concentrated in the past 40 years, in part due to mortality declines and sustained high fertility. Of significance is the rapidness and momentum of growth. A high percentage are and will be children. Urban population is also growing rapidly in high fertility countries. Countries with high fertility and significant rural-to-urban migration also have large international migrations. The evolution of policy since the 1950s, which for the most part ignored population issues, is discussed. The American debates have been charged with emotionalism: about human sexuality, legitimacy of voluntary fertility control, the role and status of women and men, abortion, intergenerational transfer of obligations, ethnic solidarity and the sovereignty of national borders, and the proper roles of the state versus the marketplace. There have been over 200 years of ideological argument over population issues. The Malthusian argument was that large population size did not increase prosperity, and growth should be limited. The Marxist-Leninist position was that contraception was Malthusian, abortion was a woman's right, and population growth was neutral. By late 1970 the Chinese Maoists adopted the moral

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Population and development.

Science.gov (United States)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

Fishes in a changing world: learning from the past to promote sustainability of fish populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Gordon, T A C; Harding, H R; Clever, F K; Davidson, I K; Davison, W; Montgomery, D W; Weatherhead, R C; Windsor, F M; Armstrong, J D; Bardonnet, A; Bergman, E; Britton, J R; Côté, I M; D'agostino, D; Greenberg, L A; Harborne, A R; Kahilainen, K K; Metcalfe, N B; Mills, S C; Milner, N J; Mittermayer, F H; Montorio, L; Nedelec, S L; Prokkola, J M; Rutterford, L A; Salvanes, A G V; Simpson, S D; Vainikka, A; Pinnegar, J K; Santos, E M

2018-03-01

Populations of fishes provide valuable services for billions of people, but face diverse and interacting threats that jeopardize their sustainability. Human population growth and intensifying resource use for food, water, energy and goods are compromising fish populations through a variety of mechanisms, including overfishing, habitat degradation and declines in water quality. The important challenges raised by these issues have been recognized and have led to considerable advances over past decades in managing and mitigating threats to fishes worldwide. In this review, we identify the major threats faced by fish populations alongside recent advances that are helping to address these issues. There are very significant efforts worldwide directed towards ensuring a sustainable future for the world's fishes and fisheries and those who rely on them. Although considerable challenges remain, by drawing attention to successful mitigation of threats to fish and fisheries we hope to provide the encouragement and direction that will allow these challenges to be overcome in the future. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Fish Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Dispersal and metapopulation stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaopeng Wang

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Metapopulation dynamics are jointly regulated by local and spatial factors. These factors may affect the dynamics of local populations and of the entire metapopulation differently. Previous studies have shown that dispersal can stabilize local populations; however, as dispersal also tends to increase spatial synchrony, its net effect on metapopulation stability has been controversial. Here we present a simple metapopulation model to study how dispersal, in interaction with other spatial and local processes, affects the temporal variability of metapopulations in a stochastic environment. Our results show that in homogeneous metapopulations, the local stabilizing and spatial synchronizing effects of dispersal cancel each other out, such that dispersal has no effect on metapopulation variability. This result is robust to moderate heterogeneities in local and spatial parameters. When local and spatial dynamics exhibit high heterogeneities, however, dispersal can either stabilize or destabilize metapopulation dynamics through various mechanisms. Our findings have important theoretical and practical implications. We show that dispersal functions as a form of spatial intraspecific mutualism in metapopulation dynamics and that its effect on metapopulation stability is opposite to that of interspecific competition on local community stability. Our results also suggest that conservation corridors should be designed with appreciation of spatial heterogeneities in population dynamics in order to maximize metapopulation stability.

Compositional stability of a salivary bacterial population against supragingival microbiota shift following periodontal therapy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wataru Yamanaka

Full Text Available Supragingival plaque is permanently in contact with saliva. However, the extent to which the microbiota contributes to the salivary bacterial population remains unclear. We compared the compositional shift in the salivary bacterial population with that in supragingival plaque following periodontal therapy. Samples were collected from 19 patients with periodontitis before and after periodontal therapy (mean sample collection interval, 25.8 ± 2.6 months, and their bacterial composition was investigated using barcoded pyrosequencing analysis of the 16S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic community analysis using the UniFrac distance metric revealed that the overall bacterial community composition of saliva is distinct from that of supragingival plaque, both pre- and post-therapy. Temporal variation following therapy in the salivary bacterial population was significantly smaller than in the plaque microbiota, and the post-therapy saliva sample was significantly more similar to that pre-therapy from the same individual than to those from other subjects. Following periodontal therapy, microbial richness and biodiversity were significantly decreased in the plaque microbiota, but not in the salivary bacterial population. The operational taxonomic units whose relative abundances changed significantly after therapy were not common to the two microbiotae. These results reveal the compositional stability of salivary bacterial populations against shifts in the supragingival microbiota, suggesting that the effect of the supragingival plaque microbiota on salivary bacterial population composition is limited.

World-System Mobility and Economic Growth, 1980-2000

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Rob

2010-01-01

World-system scholars have traditionally emphasized the stability of the core/periphery hierarchy. However, prior network studies employing both categorical and continuous measures of world-system position reveal substantial mobility across time, whereby a number of developing states have become more integrated in the world economy over the past…

Population and economics.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, W

1995-06-01

The first world consists of the developed industrial countries, the second consists of rapidly developing countries, and the third of less developed, largely pre-industrial countries. The economies of most developed countries in recent years have been relatively stagnant. Most people in the developed world therefore assume that the bottom of the business cycle has arrived and that an upturn will soon be forthcoming. With the exception of the USA and Chile, which have been moderately prosperous in the last few years, the bottom has persisted for a very long time. Indeed, the developed world is not caught in a conventional business cycle, but in something quite new and different. The first world is struggling to stay at the top of countries worldwide both economically and politically, but the second world is rapidly catching up. Populations in these latter countries are both better educated and willing to work harder per unit of capital compared to people in the first world. Marketplace forces and the communication highway are increasingly bring about a scenario in which the first and second worlds will be economic peers. Faced with increased competition from the second world and a larger number of countries capable of providing foreign aid to the third world, it should be clear that the first world will turn inward and reduce its annual aid contributions to less developed countries. It is, however, in the first world's interest to promote family planning toward the goal of reduced population growth. Developed countries should insist that a substantial fraction of whatever foreign aid is provided goes toward reducing the rate of population growth. The first priority should be to make contraceptives available and promote their use worldwide. Efforts should then be taken to empower women through educational and other programs. This approach will slow population growth and improve the economic productivity of both men and women. The Third World should also seriously

Strengthening Strategic Stability with Russia

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

political stabil - ity. From the current Russian perspective, both of these compo- nents were thrown out of balance in the 1990s, creating instability ...part of the United States in the early 2000s, stra- tegic stability was replaced with instability and military- political defeats for Russia.27...overall strategic balance of the world political system.8 (As discussed later, the official Russian definition of strategic stability is broadening in

Dynamic model of the global iodine cycle for the estimation of dose to the world population from releases of iodine-129 to the environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocher, D.C.

1979-11-01

A dynamic linear compartment model of the global iodine cycle has been developed for the purpose of estimating long-term doses and dose commitments to the world population from releases of 129 I to the environment. The environmental compartments assumed in the model comprise the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and terrestrial biosphere. The global transport of iodine is described by means of time-invariant fractional transfer rates between the environmental compartments. The fractional transfer rates for 129 I are determined primarily from available data on compartment inventories and fluxes for naturally occurring stable iodine and from data on the global hydrologic cycle. The dose to the world population is estimated from the calculated compartment inventories of 129 I, the known compartment inventories of stable iodine, a pathway analysis of the intake of iodine by a reference individual, dose conversion factors for inhalation and ingestion, and an estimate of the world population. For an assumed constant population of 12.21 billion beyond the year 2075, the estimated population dose commitment is 2 x 10 5 man-rem/Ci. The sensitivity of the calculated doses to variations in some of the parameters in the model for the global iodine cycle is investigated. A computer code written to calculate global compartment inventories and dose rates and population doses is described and documented

Contemporary paternal genetic landscape of Polish and German populations: from early medieval Slavic expansion to post-World War II resettlements

OpenAIRE

Rębała, Krzysztof; Martínez-Cruz, Begoña; Tönjes, Anke; Kovacs, Peter; Stumvoll, Michael; Lindner, Iris; Büttner, Andreas; Wichmann, H-Erich; Siváková, Daniela; Soták, Miroslav; Quintana-Murci, Lluís; Szczerkowska, Zofia; Comas, David

2012-01-01

Homogeneous Proto-Slavic genetic substrate and/or extensive mixing after World War II were suggested to explain homogeneity of contemporary Polish paternal lineages. Alternatively, Polish local populations might have displayed pre-war genetic heterogeneity owing to genetic drift and/or gene flow with neighbouring populations. Although sharp genetic discontinuity along the political border between Poland and Germany indisputably results from war-mediated resettlements and homogenisation, it re...

The CO2 emissions bond to the energy combustion in the world during 2003-2004

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-11-01

This analysis shows a stabilization of the CO 2 emissions in France (+0,3%), the continuous increase of the CO 2 emissions in the world (+5%), a chinese economic growth which generates many CO 2 and a gap of 1 to 20 of the emissions per inhabitant from the Africa to the United States. Data of CO 2 emissions are detailed for the countries and are given in function of the population and the gross domestic product. (A.L.B.)

Doubling of world population unlikely

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lutz, W; Sanderson, W; Scherbov, S

1997-01-01

Most national and international agencies producing population projections avoid addressing explicitly the issue of uncertainty. Typically, they provide either a single projection or a set of low, medium and high variants(1,2), and only very rarely do they give these projections a probabilistic

Why Population in 1974?

Science.gov (United States)

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)

Towards Role Detection in Virtual Worlds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C. Eickhoff (Carsten); V.P. Lavrenko

2012-01-01

htmlabstractVirtual worlds are a topic of steadily growing relevance. Some of the providers report user numbers that exceed the population of entire nations in the real world. Virtual worlds typically provide a high degree of complexity, which in some areas approaches the real world's richness of

Stability of Hyperthermophilic Proteins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stiefler-Jensen, Daniel

stability by randomly generate mutants and lengthy screening processes to identify the best new mutants. However, with the increase in available genomic sequences of thermophilic or hyperthermophilic organisms a world of enzymes with intrinsic high stability are now available. As these organisms are adapted...... to life at high temperatures so are their enzymes, as a result the high stability is accompanied by low activity at moderate temperatures. Thus, much effort had been put into decoding the mechanisms behind the high stability of the thermophilic enzymes. The hope is to enable scientist to design enzymes...... in the high stability of hyperthermophilic enzymes. The thesis starts with an introduction to the field of protein and enzyme stability with special focus on the thermophilic and hyperthermophilic enzymes and proteins. After the introduction three original research manuscripts present the experimental data...

Population growth and its implications

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Badii, M. H.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Human populations have grown at an unprecedented rate over the past three centuries. By 2001, the world population stood at 6.2 billion people. If the current trend of 1.4 % per year persists, the population will double in 51years. Most of that growth will occur in the less developed countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. There is a serious concern that the number of humans in the world and our impact on the environment will overload the life support systems of the earth. The crude birth rate is the number of births in a year divided by the average population. A more accurate measure of growth is the general fertility rate, which takes into account the age structure and fecundity of the population. The crude birth rate minus the crude death rate gives the rate of natural increase. When this rate reaches a level at which people are just replacing themselves, zero population growth is achieved. In the more highly developed countries of the world, growth has slowed are even reversed in recent years so that without immigration from other areas, population would be declining. The change from high birth and death rates that accompanies in industrialization is called a demographic transition. Many developing nations have already begun this transition. Death rates have fallen, but birth rates remain high. Some demographers believe that as infant mortality drops and economic development progresses so that people in these countries can be sure of secure future, they will complete the transition to a stable population or a high standard living. While larger populations bring many problems, they also may be a valuable resource of energy, intelligence, and enterprise that will make it possible to overcome resource limitation problems. A social just view argues that a more equitable distribution of wealth might reduce both excess population growth and environmental degradation. We have many more options now for controlling fertility than were available

Different stability of social-communication problems and negative demanding behaviour from infancy to toddlerhood in a large Dutch population sample

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Moricke, E.; Lappenschaar, G.M.; Swinkels, S.H.N.; Rommelse, N.N.J.; Buitelaar, J.K.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the stability of behavioural and developmental problems as children develop from infants to toddlers in the general population. Therefore, we investigated behavioural profiles at two time points and determined whether behaviours are stable during early development.

Multiobjective Bak-Sneppen model on a small-world network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elettreby, M.F.

2005-01-01

Small-world networks (SWN) are relevant to biological systems. We study the dynamics of the Bak-Sneppen (BS) model on small-world network, including the concepts of extremal dynamics, multiobjective optimization and coherent noise. We find that the small-world structure stabilizes the system. Also, it is more realistic to augment the Bak-Sneppen model by these concepts

Multiobjective Bak-Sneppen model on a small-world network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elettreby, M.

2004-09-01

Small-world networks (SWN) are relevant to biological systems. We study the dynamics of the Bak-Sneppen (BS) model on small-world network, including the concepts of extremal dynamics, multiobjective optimization and coherent noise. We find that the small-world structure stabilizes the system. Also, it is more realistic to augment the Bak-Sneppen model by these concepts. (author)

Regeneration and vegetative propagation of Sphagnum palustre as factor of population stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dygna Sobotka

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The stability of the Sphagnum palustre populations on the meadows of the Kampinos National Park situated north-west of Warsaw was investigated in the period 1971-1974. Laboratory cultures were also started to establish the regenerative ability of various gametophyte parts of Sphagnum: the main stem, branches, leaves and spore germination. The green stems and apical branches of the plants showed the highest regeneration ability. Brown stems and white branches developed less intensively. Leaves showed no tendency to develop into new plants. Gametophores were found to form quicker and more effectively by way of regeneration than from spores. In natural conditions more intensive growth of branchings (new shoots from the apical and green parts of Sphagnum was also observed, whereas the brown parts did not exhibit this ability.

Hegemony and Stability of the International Economy

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Gheorghe Gruia

2006-07-01

Full Text Available This paper evaluates the relationship between hegemony and the stability of the world economy in a time in history when the hegemony of the United States is more and more questioned. The theory of hegemonic stability - firstly launched by Charles Kindleberger and further developed by Robert Gilpin, Stephen Krasner and Robert Keohane, states that for an international system of trade and finance to function smoothly there must be a hegemon. According to Keohane, a hegemon is a state that possesses the following characteristics: the ability to create, enforce and maintain international norms; the will to do it; and the decisive domination in the economic, technological and military fields. During the last two centuries the world experienced the hegemony of two powers: Great Britain and the United States, with their good and bad features. These two hegemonies – when exercised, demonstrated the relationship between hegemony and the stability of the world economy. Now, at the beginning of a new century, the hegemony of the United States seems to be questioned and a future posthegemonic world system is still under theoretical debate. In this situation is it wise for the world politicians to hurry the dethroning of the hegemon? This paper argues for the strengthening of the cooperation - mainly between the United States and the European Union, and for the responsible action of all the states in order to make a smooth and orderly transition to a new world system. The lack of cooperation could lead to disorders, to the revival of the protectionist attitude of the United States, and finally to a worsening of the world economy.

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

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. Liu

2018-03-01

Full Text Available 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

Parliamentarians play key role in linking population and social development.

Science.gov (United States)

1995-01-01

Mr. Hirofunti Ando, Deputy Executive Director of the UNFPA, delivered the statement of Dr. Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the UNFPA at the International Meeting of Parliamentarians on Population and Social Development. The International Conference of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (ICPPD) in Cairo in September 1994 made a significant impact on the attitudes and support of parliamentarians regarding population issues. The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) brought together a group of parliamentarians from all over the world to discuss population issues and social development. The World Summit included in its deliberations the accumulated experiences of earlier international conferences dealing with social economic issues. The ICPD Program of Action addressed concerns relevant to the agenda of the Social Summit: the crucial contribution that early population stabilization will make towards the attainment of sustainable development; the significant role of integrated policies on population and development in creating employment; the importance of population policies and programs in alleviating poverty; the contributions of reproductive health policies, including high-quality family planning services, to the enhancement of the status of women and to the achievement of gender equality; the synergy between education, family planning, and the general improvement of the human condition; and the relationship between population pressures, poverty, and environmental degradation. The ICPD Program of Action also identified critically important population and development objectives, such as ensuring access to education, especially of girls; reducing infant, child, and maternal mortality; and providing universal access to reproductive health and family planning services. Now the challenge is to mobilize the necessary resources for the Social Summit.

Fukushima radionuclides in the NW Pacific, and assessment of doses for Japanese and world population from ingestion of seafood.

Science.gov (United States)

Povinec, Pavel P; Hirose, Katsumi

2015-03-12

Variations of Fukushima-derived radionuclides ((90)Sr, (134)Cs and (137)Cs) in seawater and biota offshore Fukushima and in the NW Pacific Ocean were investigated and radiation doses to the Japanese and world population from ingestion of seafood contaminated by Fukushima radionuclides were estimated and compared with those from other sources of anthropogenic and natural radionuclides. The total effective dose commitment from ingestion of radionuclides in fish, shellfish and seaweed caught in coastal waters off Fukushima was estimated to be 0.6 ± 0.4 mSv/y. The individual effective dose commitment from consumption of radioactive-contaminated fish caught in the open Pacific Ocean was estimated to be 0.07 ± 0.05 mSv/y. These doses are comparable or much lower than doses delivered from the consumption of natural (210)Po in fish and in shellfish (0.7 mSv/y). The estimated individual doses have been below the levels when any health damage of the Japanese and world population could be expected.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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 pre-existing population of 5S rRNA effects p53 stabilization during ribosome biogenesis inhibition.

Science.gov (United States)

Onofrillo, Carmine; Galbiati, Alice; Montanaro, Lorenzo; Derenzini, Massimo

2017-01-17

Pre-ribosomal complex RPL5/RPL11/5S rRNA (5S RNP) is considered the central MDM2 inhibitory complex that control p53 stabilization during ribosome biogenesis inhibition. Despite its role is well defined, the dynamic of 5S RNP assembly still requires further characterization. In the present work, we report that MDM2 inhibition is dependent by a pre-existing population of 5S rRNA.

Tropical cyclones in a stabilized 1.5 and 2 degree warmer world.

Science.gov (United States)

Wehner, M. F.; Stone, D. A.; Loring, B.; Krishnan, H.

2017-12-01

We present an ensemble of very high resolution global climate model simulations of a stabilized 1.5oC and 2oC warmer climate as envisioned by the Paris COP21 agreement. The resolution of this global climate model (25km) permits simulated tropical cyclones up to Category Five on the Saffir-Simpson scale Projected changes in tropical cyclones are significant. Tropical cyclones in the two stabilization scenarios are less frequent but more intense than in simulations of the present. Output data from these simulations is freely available to all interested parties and should prove a useful resource to those interested in studying the impacts of stabilized global warming.

Effectiveness of structured, hospital-based, nurse-led atrial fibrillation clinics: a comparison between a real-world population and a clinical trial population.

Science.gov (United States)

Qvist, Ina; Hendriks, Jeroen M L; Møller, Dorthe S; Albertsen, Andi E; Mogensen, Helle M; Oddershede, Gitte D; Odgaard, Annette; Mortensen, Leif Spange; Johnsen, Søren Paaske; Frost, Lars

2016-01-01

A previous randomised trial showed that structured, nurse-led atrial fibrillation (AF) care is superior to conventional AF care, although further research is needed to determine the outcomes of such care in a real-world setting. We compared the outcomes of patients in real-world, nurse-led, structured hospital AF clinics with the outcomes of a randomised trial of the efficacy of a nurse-led AF clinic, with respect to a composite outcome of cardiovascular-related hospitalisation and death. All patients were referred to the AF nurse specialist by cardiologists. The AF nurse specialist provided patient education, risk-factor control and stimulated empowerment and compliance. During follow-up, treatment was adjusted according to clinical guidelines. Patient education was repeated, and compliance with medical treatment was controlled. The study size was powered as a non-inferiority study. Outcome measures were adjudicated by the same principles in both cohorts. A total of 596 patients from the real world and 356 patients from a clinical trial were included in this study. No significant difference between groups with respect to age, type of AF or CHA2DS2VASc score was found. The composite primary end point occurred with an incidence rate of 8.0 (95% CI 6.1 to 10.4) per 100 person-years in the real-world population and 8.3 (95% CI 6.3 to 10.9) per 100 person-years in the clinical trial, with a crude HR of 0.83 (95% CI 0.56 to 1.23). Structured, nurse-led, hospital-based AF care appears to be effective, and patient outcomes in an actual, hospital-based, structured AF care are as least as good as those in trial settings.

The Conditions of the Environment as Factors Affecting the Social and Political Stability of Populations

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Fausto Pedrazzini

2010-10-01

Full Text Available In this review article, the different conditions of the environment which could affect the well-being of the populations living on it are taken into consideration and analysed. A specific attention is paid to the phenomenon of water reduction, land degradation and consequent desertification. Such a phenomenon is particularly worrying in selected regions of the world (the Mediterranean Region and Central Asia in which a combination of several factors including climate variations, pressure of populations and increased competition for the available resources have a direct consequence on the economical, social and political conditions of the population. In addition, migrations could also take place, increasing the instability of entire regions. A proper management of water resources and the preservation of land and soil resources are essential requisites to counteract the mentioned adverse effects. Such a management is frequently a transboundary concern since it might involve different regions and countries; this is an additional reason for debating the environment degradation issues at the international level and for increasing the awareness of the civil society, the policy makers and governments.

Population. Headline Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Oppenheimer, Valerie K.

Useful as background reading or secondary classroom material, this pamphlet reviews several dimensions of world population growth and control. The first of seven chapters, World Population Growth: Past, Present and Future, discusses some of the reasons for the greatly accelerated growth since 1950, and points out that even significantly rapid…

Cultural Adaptations: Conceptual, Ethical, Contextual, and Methodological Issues for Working with Ethnocultural and Majority-World Populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernal, Guillermo; Adames, Cristina

2017-08-01

Mayor advancements have been achieved in research on the cultural adaptation of prevention and treatment interventions that are conducted with diverse ethnocultural groups. This commentary addresses conceptual, ethical, contextual, and methodological issues related to cultural adaptations. The articles in this special issue represent a major contribution to the study of cultural adaptations in prevention science. We frame our analysis of fidelity to core intervention components using a conceptual approach that examines (a) the propositional model (theory of change), (b) the procedural model (theory of action, methods), and (c) the philosophical assumptions that undergird these models. Regarding ethics, we caution against imposing the norms, values, and world views of the Western dominant society onto vulnerable populations such as ethnocultural groups. Given that the assumption of universality in behavioral science has been questioned, and as randomized clinical trials (RCTs) seldom examine the ecological validity of evidence-based interventions and treatments (EBI/T), imposing such interventions onto ethnocultural groups is problematic since these interventions contain values, norms, beliefs, and worldviews that may be contrary to those held by many ethnocultural groups. Regarding methods, several innovative designs are discussed that serve as alternatives to the RCT and represent an important contribution to prevention science. Also, we discuss guidelines for conducting cultural adaptations. Finally, the articles in this special issue make a major contribution to the growing field of cultural adaptation of preventive interventions with ethnocultural groups and majority-world populations.

Right and left ventricular cardiac function in a developed world population with human immunodeficiency virus studied with radionuclide ventriculography

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lebech, Anne-Mette; Gerstoft, Jan; Hesse, Birger

2004-01-01

. No correlations were found between reduced cardiac function and levels of the 3 peptides measured. CONCLUSIONS: No major dysfunction of the left ventricle is present in a developed world HIV population. However, a small but significant part of this population has modestly reduced right-sided systolic function.......-associated morbidity and mortality rates. Accordingly, the prevalence of HIV-associated cardiac dysfunction may also have changed. The aim of the study was to establish the prevalence of right- and left-sided cardiac dysfunction in a Danish HIV population, most of whom were undergoing HAART, with radionuclide...... ventricular ejection fraction and 6 (7%) had a reduced right ventricle ejection fraction (0.35-0.42) compared with reference values from the age- and sex-matched reference population. Patients with HIV and reduced cardiac function did not differ in the duration of HIV, CD4 count, CD4 nadir, or HIV RNA load...

The Nature of Stability in Replicating Systems

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Addy Pross

2011-02-01

Full Text Available We review the concept of dynamic kinetic stability, a type of stability associated specifically with replicating entities, and show how it differs from the well-known and established (static kinetic and thermodynamic stabilities associated with regular chemical systems. In the process we demonstrate how the concept can help bridge the conceptual chasm that continues to separate the physical and biological sciences by relating the nature of stability in the animate and inanimate worlds, and by providing additional insights into the physicochemical nature of abiogenesis.

Tenable world strategies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meadows, D.L. (New Hampshire Univ. (USA). Inst. for Policy and Social Science Research)

1991-10-01

The Author presents several arguments explaining and backing the mechanics of a world strategy of zero growth. First, attention is brought to Aurelio Peccei's concerns regarding the short-sightedness of the energy and economic policies of industrialized nations. In his book (entitled 'Verso l'Abisso'), written almost 25 years ago, he correctly predicted the severity and timing of current global environmental problems such as the greenhouse effect and acid rain. Urgent and concerted action by world governments is recommended to contain and and remedy damage being caused by a diverse mix of integrated factors - over-population, uncontrolled food production, pollution, over-production by industry, and the improper use of energy and other natural resources. The Author sets guidelines for the creation of a world of steady-state growth in which an equilibrium is reached between overall standards of living and population dynamics. To meet this goal of global man/environment peaceful coexistence, he strongly urges the creation and instillation of a new set of values through the placing of emphasis on the research and development of cultural, psychological, institutional and moral philosophies which, in the last century, have been almost entirely supplanted world-wide by growing materialistic ideals and the pursuit of technological perfection.

[Population pressure: a factor of political destabilization].

Science.gov (United States)

Tallon, F

1993-04-01

Political stability throughout the world appears to be greater in countries with slowly growing populations than in those with rapid growth. Population is not the only influence on political stability, however. The relationship between political stability and development is strong. The rich countries with the slowest growth are the most stable, while poor developing countries with rapid growth suffer from chronic instability. Demographic pressure and density are not the same thing and must be distinguished. A fragile environment like that of the Sahel will experience demographic pressure despite low density. Japan has a greater population density than Rwanda and little cultivable land, but the population has a high standard of living. demographic pressure is not comparable in Japan and Rwanda because Japan has slow population growth and stable democratic political institutions. The rate of growth seems to be a more important element in destabilization than density. Rapid growth creates enormous political tensions especially when profound ethnic divisions exist, and it complicates problems of government by encouraging rapid urbanization. The unbalanced age structures resulting from rapid growth hinder the satisfaction of employment, educational, and health care needs for the ever-increasing masses of young people. 49% of Rwanda's population is under 15 and 66% is under 25. Rwanda is already densely populated, with around 300 inhabitants/sq km, and its population is projected to double in 20 years. 95% of the population is dependent on agriculture, but by 1988 the average landholding per family was only 1.25 hectares and 58% of families did not grown sufficient food for household needs. Further reduction in the size of holdings or a growing landless population will have multiple consequences. Urban migration will inevitably increase, bringing with it all the problems so evident in other poor countries where the process is more advanced than in Rwanda. Chaotic

Country-specific determinants of world university rankings.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietrucha, Jacek

2018-01-01

This paper examines country-specific factors that affect the three most influential world university rankings (the Academic Ranking of World Universities, the QS World University Ranking, and the Times Higher Education World University Ranking). We run a cross sectional regression that covers 42-71 countries (depending on the ranking and data availability). We show that the position of universities from a country in the ranking is determined by the following country-specific variables: economic potential of the country, research and development expenditure, long-term political stability (freedom from war, occupation, coups and major changes in the political system), and institutional variables, including government effectiveness.

Community development NGOs and the population issue.

Science.gov (United States)

Morales H

1994-01-01

Policymakers and institutions of the more developed Northern countries make cogent arguments for a reduction in global population growth and an eventual stabilization of population size. Current global population is simply too large for the Earth's current carrying capacity and level of technology. Should world population double, insecurity and scarcity will result. The author, however, counters that population, in all of its dimensions, is neither an issue nor problem exclusive of and to the South. Population growth and related dynamics are instead a concern and responsibility for all people on Earth. The Northern call for population reduction is self-centered in its ignorance of equity, poverty, indebtedness, and structural adjustment program-induced collapse of social security systems; these latter issues are of greater concern than population growth to the developing countries of the South. Northern priority on population also directly affects resource allocation such that more funds are available for population activities than for mechanisms such as the Global Environmental Facility. True, industrial societies have kept their population sizes at manageable levels. For how long, however, can developed countries expect to maintain their annual per capita incomes of more than $20,000 and annual per capita waste emission of more than 20 tons on the backs of hundreds of millions of people in other parts of the world? Developed country lifestyles are ultimately unsustainable. Nongovernmental organizations and voluntary citizens' groups in the North need to help Southern nations and communities by focusing upon the interlocking relationship between the lifestyle in the North and the South's problems of poverty, environmental degradation, and erosion of community and social cohesion. Northern citizens' groups can complement the efforts of their Southern counterparts by advocating a new kind of structural adjustment which reverses the pattern of resource outflow from

Toward a High-Stability Coherent Population Trapping Cs Vapor-Cell Atomic Clock Using Autobalanced Ramsey Spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Abdel Hafiz, Moustafa; Coget, Grégoire; Petersen, Michael; Rocher, Cyrus; Guérandel, Stéphane; Zanon-Willette, Thomas; de Clercq, Emeric; Boudot, Rodolphe

2018-06-01

Vapor-cell atomic clocks are widely appreciated for their excellent short-term fractional frequency stability and their compactness. However, they are known to suffer on medium and long time scales from significant frequency instabilities, generally attributed to light-induced frequency-shift effects. In order to tackle this limitation, we investigate the application of the recently proposed autobalanced Ramsey (ABR) interrogation protocol onto a pulsed hot-vapor Cs vapor-cell clock based on coherent population trapping (CPT). We demonstrate that the ABR protocol, developed initially to probe the one-photon resonance of quantum optical clocks, can be successfully applied to a two-photon CPT resonance. The applied method, based on the alternation of two successive Ramsey-CPT sequences with unequal free-evolution times and the subsequent management of two interconnected phase and frequency servo loops, is found to allow a relevant reduction of the clock-frequency sensitivity to laser-power variations. This original ABR-CPT approach, combined with the implementation of advanced electronics laser-power stabilization systems, yields the demonstration of a CPT-based Cs vapor-cell clock with a short-term fractional frequency stability at the level of 3.1×10 -13τ-1 /2 , averaging down to the level of 6 ×10-15 at 2000-s integration time. These encouraging performances demonstrate that the use of the ABR interrogation protocol is a promising option towards the development of high-stability CPT-based frequency standards. Such clocks could be attractive candidates in numerous applications including next-generation satellite-based navigation systems, secure communications, instrumentation, or defense systems.

Sawteeth stabilization by energetic trapped ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samain, A.; Edery, D.; Garbet, X.; Roubin, J.P.

1991-01-01

The analysis of a possible stabilization of sawteeth by a population of energetic ions is performed by using the Lagrangian of the electromagnetic perturbation. It is shown that the trapped component of such a population has a small influence compared to that of the passing component. The stabilization threshold is calculated assuming a non linear regime in the q=1 resonant layer. The energetic population must create a stable tearing structure if the average curvature effect on thermal particles in the layer is small. However, this effect decreases the actual threshold

Population and Scenarios: Worlds to win?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hilderink HBM; LOK

2004-01-01

Demographic developments have played an important role in the structure and functioning of the Earth's system. The exponential population growth of the last century has led to high pressures on the environmental system, with the issue of hunger as representative of harmful effects. Despite the fact

Phase stability in yttria-stabilized zirconia from first principles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carbogno, Christian; Scheffler, Matthias [Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Fritz-Haber-Institut der Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, Berlin (Germany); Levi, Carlos G.; Van de Walle, Chris G. [Materials Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)

2012-07-01

Zirconia based ceramics are of pivotal importance for a variety of industrial technologies, e.g., for thermal barrier coatings in gas and airplane turbines. Naturally, the stability of such coatings at elevated temperatures plays a critical role in these applications. It is well known that an aliovalent doping of tetragonal ZrO{sub 2} with yttria, which induces oxygen vacancies due to charge conservation, increases its thermodynamic stability. However, the atomistic mechanisms that determine the phase stability of such yttria-stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) coatings are not yet fully understood. In this work, we use density functional theory calculations to assess the electronic structure of the different YSZ polymorphs at various levels of doping. With the help of population analysis schemes, we are able to unravel the intrinsic mechanisms that govern the interaction in YSZ and that can so explain the relative stabilities of the various polymorphs. We critically compare our results to experimental measurements and discuss the implications of our findings with respect to other oxides.

The end of world population growth

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lutz, W; Sanderson, W; Scherbov, S

2001-01-01

There has been enormous concern about the consequences of human population growth for the environment and for social and economic development. But this growth is likely to come to an end in the foreseeable future. Improving on earlier methods of probabilistic forecasting(1), here we show that there

Historically Hottest Summers Projected to be the Norm for more than half of the World's Population by 2035

Science.gov (United States)

Mueller, B.; Zhang, X.; Zwiers, F. W.

2015-12-01

Global mean temperatures are projected to increase by 3K and 4.9K above pre-industrial levels by 2100 in a moderate stabilization and a high-emission scenario (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 from CMIP5). However, warming rates are regionally different. In this presentation, we focus on the regions defined by the IPCC SREX report. We investigate the year in the future in which historically hottest summers are projected to become the norm, i.e. to occur at least every other year. Using results from a detection and attribution analysis, we provide probabilistic estimates based on RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 simulations constrained by observations during 1950-2012. We also estimate the fraction of attributable risk (FAR), i.e. the probability for hot summers that is attributable to past emissions of anthropogenic greenhouse gases and aerosols. We find that the FAR is larger than 0.9 in many regions. We project that under RCP4.5, more than half of the world's population will experience the historically hottest summer of the past 63 years with a probability of 50% and 90% by 2035 and 2050, respectively. Under the higher emission scenario RCP8.5, historically hottest summers are projected to be more wide-spread. The Mediterranean region, Western and Eastern Asia, Northern Eurasia and the Sahara are among the first regions for which such hot summers might become the norm. Even under RCP4.5, more than 90% of summers are projected to be hotter than the historically hottest summers by 2025 and 2035 for Sahara and the Mediterranean regions, respectively.

Population growth and economic growth.

Science.gov (United States)

Narayana, D L

1984-01-01

This discussion of the issues relating to the problem posed by population explosion in the developing countries and economic growth in the contemporary world covers the following: predictions of economic and social trends; the Malthusian theory of population; the classical or stationary theory of population; the medical triage model; ecological disaster; the Global 2000 study; the limits to growth; critiques of the Limits to Growth model; nonrenewable resources; food and agriculture; population explosion and stabilization; space and ocean colonization; and the limits perspective. The Limits to Growth model, a general equilibrium anti-growth model, is the gloomiest economic model ever constructed. None of the doomsday models, the Malthusian theory, the classical stationary state, the neo-Malthusian medical triage model, the Global 2000 study, are so far reaching in their consequences. The course of events that followed the publication of the "Limits to Growth" in 1972 in the form of 2 oil shocks, food shock, pollution shock, and price shock seemed to bear out formally the gloomy predictions of the thesis with a remarkable speed. The 12 years of economic experience and the knowledge of resource trends postulate that even if the economic pressures visualized by the model are at work they are neither far reaching nor so drastic. Appropriate action can solve them. There are several limitations to the Limits to Growth model. The central theme of the model, which is overshoot and collapse, is unlikely to be the course of events. The model is too aggregative to be realistic. It exaggerates the ecological disaster arising out of the exponential growth of population and industry. The gross underestimation of renewable resources is a basic flaw of the model. The most critical weakness of the model is its gross underestimation of the historical trend of technological progress and the technological possiblities within industry and agriculture. The model does correctly emphasize

Population policy in transition in the developing world.

Science.gov (United States)

Bongaarts, John; Sinding, Steven

2011-07-29

Population growth remains rapid in the poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, despite substantial AIDS mortality. Voluntary family-planning programs reduce unplanned pregnancies by providing access to and information about contraception and by reducing socioeconomic obstacles to use. With sufficient political will and resources, well-run voluntary programs have been shown to bring about sustained declines in fertility and population growth across much of Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, simply by permitting people to realize their individual reproductive goals. Such programs represent a cost-effective approach to relieving population pressures, stimulating economic development, improving health, and enhancing human freedom.

World and regional labour force trends and prospects.

Science.gov (United States)

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

Bridging the gap between the randomised clinical trial world and the real world by combination of population-based registry and electronic health record data: A case study in haemato-oncology.

Science.gov (United States)

Kibbelaar, R E; Oortgiesen, B E; van der Wal-Oost, A M; Boslooper, K; Coebergh, J W; Veeger, N J G M; Joosten, P; Storm, H; van Roon, E N; Hoogendoorn, M

2017-11-01

Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) are considered the basis of evidence-based medicine. It is recognised more and more that application of RCT results in daily practice of clinical decision-making is limited because the RCT world does not correspond with the clinical real world. Recent strategies aiming at substitution of RCT databases by improved population-based registries (PBRs) or by improved electronic health record (EHR) systems to provide significant data for clinical science are discussed. A novel approach exemplified by the HemoBase haemato-oncology project is presented. In this approach, a PBR is combined with an advanced EHR, providing high-quality data for observational studies and support of best practice development. This PBR + EHR approach opens a perspective on randomised registry trials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Allee effects on population dynamics with delay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Celik, C.; Merdan, H.; Duman, O.; Akin, O.

2008-01-01

In this paper, we study the stability analysis of equilibrium points of population dynamics with delay when the Allee effect occurs at low population density. Mainly, our mathematical results and numerical simulations point to the stabilizing effect of the Allee effects on population dynamics with delay

Why Population Matters, 1996.

Science.gov (United States)

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.…

Allee effects on population dynamics in continuous (overlapping) case

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Merdan, H.; Duman, O.; Akin, O.; Celik, C.

2009-01-01

This paper presents the stability analysis of equilibrium points of a continuous population dynamics with delay under the Allee effect which occurs at low population density. The mathematical results and numerical simulations show the stabilizing role of the Allee effects on the stability of the equilibrium point of this population dynamics.

Population Growth and Poverty in the Developing World.

Science.gov (United States)

Birdsall, Nancy

1980-01-01

The link between rapid population growth and the absolute poverty which currently afflicts 780 million people in developing countries (excluding China and other centrally planned economies) is examined. As a result of rapid population growth, many countries suffer slow per capita income growth, a lack of progress in reducing income inequality, and…

Cyber Deterrence and Stability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goychayev, Rustam [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Carr, Geoffrey A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Weise, Rachel A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Donnelly, David A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Clements, Samuel L. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Benz, Jacob M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Rodda, Kabrena E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Bartholomew, Rachel A. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); McKinnon, Archibald D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Andres, Richard B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2017-09-30

Throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries, deterrence and arms control have been cornerstones of strategic stability between the superpowers. However, the weaponization of the cyber realm by State actors and the multipolar nature of cyber conflict now undermines that stability. Strategic stability is the state in which nations believe that if they act aggressively to undermine U.S. national interests and the post-World War II liberal democratic order, the consequences will outweigh the benefits. The sense of lawlessness and lack of consequences in the cyber realm embolden States to be more aggressive in taking actions that undermine stability. Accordingly, this paper examines 1) the role of deterrence and arms control in securing cyber stability, and 2) the limitations and challenges associated with these traditional national security paradigms as applied to this emerging threat domain. This paper demonstrates that many 20th-century deterrence and arms control concepts are not particularly applicable in the cyber realm. However, they are not entirely irrelevant. The United States can distill lessons learned from this rich deterrence and arms control experience to develop and deploy a strategy to advance cyber stability.

Stabilizing southeastern Europe, financial legacies and European lessons from the first world war

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lampe John R.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper pays brief attention, although more than the recent flood of 1914 centenary books, to economic causes of the First World War before turning to it fateful economic consequences for Southeastern Europe. The Austrian lack of economic leverage over Serbia is cited as a reason for its resort to the military option. At the war’s end, the option of the victorious powers to provide significant economic relief to the region where the conflict had begun was not taken. After tracking the brief, limited assistance provided, the paper reviews to the massive economic problems confronting four of the five of independent states, neglecting Albania as a special case, that could now be called Southeastern Europe. First Greece and then Bulgaria faced forced inflow of refugees. Romania and the Yugoslav Kingdom faced the economic integration of large new, formerly Austro-Hungarian lands. All of them were left not only with war deaths and destruction but also with large war debts, or in Bulgaria’s case, reparations. The paper concentrates on the primary Western response to these four economies, an effort led by the Bank of England to replace immediate postwar inflation with the deflation needed to reestablish currencies with prewar convertibility to gold, now with Pound Sterling added to a gold reserve standard. Independent central banks, the major positive legacy of this initiative, were to lead the way. But the financial stability that all four economies did eventually achieve in the 1920s served only to reduce their war debts. Otherwise, maintaining the fixed and overvalued exchange rates restricted domestic credit, encouraged protective tariffs, and did not attract the foreign capital, especially new state loans, that this emphasis on a single, European financial framework had promised. A concluding section considers the lessons learned from a postwar period that promoted economic disintegration by the 1930s. Looking at the period since the end of

Human Population Problems

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Emmel, Thomas C.; Sligh, Michael M.

1970-01-01

Asserts that overpopulation is the most pressing world problem. Topics discussed include population control in primitive societies, population growth and control in modern societies, methods of motivational population control, consequences of no population control, and mass famines during the 1970's in underdeveloped countries. Cities 33…

World health, populations, sanitation and resources. Part 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Humphries, S V

1981-07-01

This paper discusses 5 crises that are confronted by mankind: 1) population pressure, 2) the environment, 3) food, 4) energy, and 5) raw materials. Developing countries are those with rapid population growth rates while developed countries have slow growth rates. Sweden, Austria, East and West Germany, and Luxemburg were the only 5 countries with zero population growth in 1980. Other developed countries such as Canada and the USA double in population every 88 and 99 years, respectively. In contrast, developing countries such as Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and South Africa double every 18, 21, 22, and 25 years respectively. Such population increases cause problems in the environment, transportation, education, crime, and riots. The level of foreign aid for food to developing countries needs to increase or else the economic gap between rich and poor nations will increase on an average from 5:1 to 8:1 in Latin America and to 20:1 in South Asia. Availability of food has increaseed in developed countries whereas in developing countries it has dropped. Use of tropical forest lands as well as the sea bed for a source of food is difficult. There ia an upper limit to the fresh water runoff from land areas of the earth and fresh water is non-renewable. There is also a scarcity of other non-renewable resources, including at least 20 minerals. Finally, the standard of living in prosperous countries must be lowered at the same time as raising it in developing countries.

Synchronisation and stability in river metapopulation networks.

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Yeakel, J D; Moore, J W; Guimarães, P R; de Aguiar, M A M

2014-03-01

Spatial structure in landscapes impacts population stability. Two linked components of stability have large consequences for persistence: first, statistical stability as the lack of temporal fluctuations; second, synchronisation as an aspect of dynamic stability, which erodes metapopulation rescue effects. Here, we determine the influence of river network structure on the stability of riverine metapopulations. We introduce an approach that converts river networks to metapopulation networks, and analytically show how fluctuation magnitude is influenced by interaction structure. We show that river metapopulation complexity (in terms of branching prevalence) has nonlinear dampening effects on population fluctuations, and can also buffer against synchronisation. We conclude by showing that river transects generally increase synchronisation, while the spatial scale of interaction has nonlinear effects on synchronised dynamics. Our results indicate that this dual stability - conferred by fluctuation and synchronisation dampening - emerges from interaction structure in rivers, and this may strongly influence the persistence of river metapopulations. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Genetic diversity and population history of a critically endangered primate, the northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus).

Science.gov (United States)

Chaves, Paulo B; Alvarenga, Clara S; Possamai, Carla de B; Dias, Luiz G; Boubli, Jean P; Strier, Karen B; Mendes, Sérgio L; Fagundes, Valéria

2011-01-01

Social, ecological, and historical processes affect the genetic structure of primate populations, and therefore have key implications for the conservation of endangered species. The northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus) is a critically endangered New World monkey and a flagship species for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest hotspot. Yet, like other neotropical primates, little is known about its population history and the genetic structure of remnant populations. We analyzed the mitochondrial DNA control region of 152 northern muriquis, or 17.6% of the 864 northern muriquis from 8 of the 12 known extant populations and found no evidence of phylogeographic partitions or past population shrinkage/expansion. Bayesian and classic analyses show that this finding may be attributed to the joint contribution of female-biased dispersal, demographic stability, and a relatively large historic population size. Past population stability is consistent with a central Atlantic Forest Pleistocene refuge. In addition, the best scenario supported by an Approximate Bayesian Computation analysis, significant fixation indices (Φ(ST) = 0.49, Φ(CT) = 0.24), and population-specific haplotypes, coupled with the extirpation of intermediate populations, are indicative of a recent geographic structuring of genetic diversity during the Holocene. Genetic diversity is higher in populations living in larger areas (>2,000 hectares), but it is remarkably low in the species overall (θ = 0.018). Three populations occurring in protected reserves and one fragmented population inhabiting private lands harbor 22 out of 23 haplotypes, most of which are population-exclusive, and therefore represent patchy repositories of the species' genetic diversity. We suggest that these populations be treated as discrete units for conservation management purposes.

Genetic diversity and population history of a critically endangered primate, the northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paulo B Chaves

Full Text Available Social, ecological, and historical processes affect the genetic structure of primate populations, and therefore have key implications for the conservation of endangered species. The northern muriqui (Brachyteles hypoxanthus is a critically endangered New World monkey and a flagship species for the conservation of the Atlantic Forest hotspot. Yet, like other neotropical primates, little is known about its population history and the genetic structure of remnant populations. We analyzed the mitochondrial DNA control region of 152 northern muriquis, or 17.6% of the 864 northern muriquis from 8 of the 12 known extant populations and found no evidence of phylogeographic partitions or past population shrinkage/expansion. Bayesian and classic analyses show that this finding may be attributed to the joint contribution of female-biased dispersal, demographic stability, and a relatively large historic population size. Past population stability is consistent with a central Atlantic Forest Pleistocene refuge. In addition, the best scenario supported by an Approximate Bayesian Computation analysis, significant fixation indices (Φ(ST = 0.49, Φ(CT = 0.24, and population-specific haplotypes, coupled with the extirpation of intermediate populations, are indicative of a recent geographic structuring of genetic diversity during the Holocene. Genetic diversity is higher in populations living in larger areas (>2,000 hectares, but it is remarkably low in the species overall (θ = 0.018. Three populations occurring in protected reserves and one fragmented population inhabiting private lands harbor 22 out of 23 haplotypes, most of which are population-exclusive, and therefore represent patchy repositories of the species' genetic diversity. We suggest that these populations be treated as discrete units for conservation management purposes.

Fukushima radionuclides in the NW Pacific, and assessment of doses for Japanese and world population from ingestion of seafood

OpenAIRE

Povinec, Pavel P.; Hirose, Katsumi

2015-01-01

Variations of Fukushima-derived radionuclides (90Sr, 134Cs and 137Cs) in seawater and biota offshore Fukushima and in the NW Pacific Ocean were investigated and radiation doses to the Japanese and world population from ingestion of seafood contaminated by Fukushima radionuclides were estimated and compared with those from other sources of anthropogenic and natural radionuclides. The total effective dose commitment from ingestion of radionuclides in fish, shellfish and seaweed caught in coasta...

Thermo-Mechanical Methodology for Stabilizing Shape Memory Alloy Response

Science.gov (United States)

Padula, Santo

2013-01-01

This innovation is capable of significantly reducing the amount of time required to stabilize the strain-temperature response of a shape memory alloy (SMA). Unlike traditional stabilization processes that take days to weeks to achieve stabilized response, this innovation accomplishes stabilization in a matter of minutes, thus making it highly useful for the successful and practical implementation of SMA-based technologies in real-world applications. The innovation can also be applied to complex geometry components, not just simple geometries like wires or rods.

Population Research.

Science.gov (United States)

National Inst. of Child Health and Human Development (NIH), Bethesda, MD.

The scope of population research as carried on by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is set forth in this booklet. Population problems of the world, United States, and the individual are considered along with international population policies based on voluntary family planning programs. NICHD goals for biological…

Global earthquake fatalities and population

Science.gov (United States)

Holzer, Thomas L.; Savage, James C.

2013-01-01

Modern global earthquake fatalities can be separated into two components: (1) fatalities from an approximately constant annual background rate that is independent of world population growth and (2) fatalities caused by earthquakes with large human death tolls, the frequency of which is dependent on world population. Earthquakes with death tolls greater than 100,000 (and 50,000) have increased with world population and obey a nonstationary Poisson distribution with rate proportional to population. We predict that the number of earthquakes with death tolls greater than 100,000 (50,000) will increase in the 21st century to 8.7±3.3 (20.5±4.3) from 4 (7) observed in the 20th century if world population reaches 10.1 billion in 2100. Combining fatalities caused by the background rate with fatalities caused by catastrophic earthquakes (>100,000 fatalities) indicates global fatalities in the 21st century will be 2.57±0.64 million if the average post-1900 death toll for catastrophic earthquakes (193,000) is assumed.

A mathematical model of interaction among humans, vampires and werewolves populations

Science.gov (United States)

Sumarti, Novriana; Nurrizky, Insan; Nuraini, Nuning

2018-03-01

In every country there are many fictional creatures depicting evil. In the western world, fictional creatures who often appear in horror stories are vampires and werewolves. Many released movies expose the conflict between humans with one or both creatures. In this paper, the interaction among humans, vampires and werewolves is modeled using a system of differential equations. We consider the stability of equilibrium points of the system that represent four situations; only humans remain or a disease-free condition, either vampires or werewolves are going to extinction, and no population goes extinct. The derived model is implemented for depicting some scenarios in the movie series of Underworld. The model can describe the fluctuation of vampires and werewolves population from the beginning to their extinction at 1500 years since the story started.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Europe in the energy transition: the case for a smaller population.

Science.gov (United States)

Grant, L

1988-07-01

Europe has not yet reached a sustainable society, that is, like the rest of the world, its people cannot live comfortably within its resources, but, it has achieved stabilizing population growth, a control on a potentially dangerous dependency on imported food, an adjustment to the transition from the colonial era, and a position conducive to deal with the energy transition. Europe is the most densely population region of the world, except for Japan. Concern about depopulation in western Europe is misplaced because European populations are on a plateau not a decline, and a lower population is a benefit when confronting resource and environmental constraints. World oil production is expected to peak and then to decline depending on demand, prices, and technology. European oil production will decline, and the United Kingdom will become a net importer in the mid-1990s. The environmental transition is described as more complex than finding a substitute for oil, in part because Europe, unlike the US, has limited fossil fuel resources which are also less accessible. Biomass as the alternative to fossil fuels must be produced on lands currently in food or forestry production. Also corn and bagasse production is not suited to for growing the European climate. Nuclear energy, with its safety and disposal problems, is only an interim solution. Hydropower development is expensive, and solar power is unsuitable because of the continual cloud cover. Wind power is possible but expensive at low wind levels, and the whole of western Europe is relatively unsuitable. Capital creates wealth, and unemployment is Europe's present problem. Large populations in the current technological revolution do not create greater wealth or military security. Europe and Japan have arrived at the population/energy/environment problem first, and many questions remain as to how to manage the age structure, how to maintain innovation and creativity, and how to maintain a prosperous steady state economy.

Declining world fertility: trends, causes, implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsui, A O; Bogue, D J

1978-10-01

This Bulletin examines the evidence that the world's fertility has declined in recent years, the factors that appear to have accounted for the decline, and the implications for fertility and population growth rates to the end of the century. On the basis of a compilation of estimates available for all nations of the world, the authors derive estimates which indicate that the world's total fertility rate dropped from 4.6 to 4.1 births per woman between 1968 and 1975, thanks largely to an earlier and more rapid and universal decline in the fertility of less developed countries (LDCs) than had been anticipated. Statistical analysis of available data suggests that the socioeconomic progress made by LDCs in this period was not great enough to account for more than a proportion of the fertility decline and that organized family planning programs were a major contributing factor. The authors' projections, which are compared to similar projections from the World Bank, the United Nations, and the U.S. Bureau of the Census, indicate that, by the year 2000, less than 1/5 of the world's population will be in the "red danger" circle of explosive population growth (2.1% or more annually); most LDCs will be in a phase of fertility decline; and many of them -- along with most now developed countries -- will be at or near replacement level of fertility. The authors warn that "our optimistic prediction is premised upon a big IF -- if (organized) family planning (in LDCs) continues. It remains imperative that all of the developed nations of the world continue their contribution to this program undiminished."

The world food problem

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Olson, R A

1974-07-01

Argument continues in the world press as to the urgency of the food problem. Some economists in equating world food production statistics with population figures have convinced themselves there is more than enough food per capita and, accordingly, no problem. Looking in greater depth than these gross averages, however, we find that there is indeed a prospective problem, and of such a nature and magnitude as to tax all of mankind's talents and resources in its resolution. It is true that certain of the developed countries of the world in the last generation acquired agricultural production capabilities that notably exceeded the resident population's capacity to consume. 'Surplus' in these areas became an ugly word during this period of a generally favorable weather cycle, and restrictions on the amount of and that could be devoted to graincrops were imposed to curb this tremendous capacity. A fickle Mother Nature, however, has turned things around during the early 1970's by one or another of her many vacillations in the form of local drought, excess moisture, shortened growing season, or other means, in some of the major producing areas. Inconsequence, the food grain surpluses are now gone and the world is looking at a three to four week reserve at any given moment. The cost of food products available from exporting countries has doubled and trebled in price during the past two years. The potential for famine exceeds in magnitude anything the world has ever known. It is against this background that the World Food Conference will be held in Rome during November of this year. (author)

The world food problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, R.A.

1974-01-01

Argument continues in the world press as to the urgency of the food problem. Some economists in equating world food production statistics with population figures have convinced themselves there is more than enough food per capita and, accordingly, no problem. Looking in greater depth than these gross averages, however, we find that there is indeed a prospective problem, and of such a nature and magnitude as to tax all of mankind's talents and resources in its resolution. It is true that certain of the developed countries of the world in the last generation acquired agricultural production capabilities that notably exceeded the resident population's capacity to consume. 'Surplus' in these areas became an ugly word during this period of a generally favorable weather cycle, and restrictions on the amount of and that could be devoted to graincrops were imposed to curb this tremendous capacity. A fickle Mother Nature, however, has turned things around during the early 1970's by one or another of her many vacillations in the form of local drought, excess moisture, shortened growing season, or other means, in some of the major producing areas. Inconsequence, the food grain surpluses are now gone and the world is looking at a three to four week reserve at any given moment. The cost of food products available from exporting countries has doubled and trebled in price during the past two years. The potential for famine exceeds in magnitude anything the world has ever known. It is against this background that the World Food Conference will be held in Rome during November of this year. (author)

Population Growth and National Population Policy of India

Science.gov (United States)

Thukral, A. K.; Singh, B. P.

2008-01-01

The population growth in India may overtake China by the year 2030. The National Population Policy of India targets population stabilization in India by the year 2045. The present paper carries out objective analysis of the population growth in India in terms of change in specific growth. At the present rate of specific growth rate decline, the population by the end of the century will be 2.49 billion. For the population to achieve zero growth by the year 2045, a decline in specific growth rate will have to be achieved at the rate of 0.000428 per year.

Population pressures in Latin America. [Updated reprint].

Science.gov (United States)

Merrick, T W

1991-04-01

This publication examines the main demographic changes in Latin America since World War II, and considers their social and economic impact on the region. The paper looks at the following demographic trends: population growth, fertility, death rate, internal migration, international migration, and age structure. It also examines other factors such as marriage and family structure, and employment and education. Furthermore, the publication provides a discussion of the relationship between population growth and economic development from both a neo-Malthusian and Structuralist view. Finally, the paper considers the region's current population policies and future population prospects. From 1950-65, annual population growth averaged 2.8%, which decreased moderately to 2.4% from 1965-85. The report identified 3 population growth patterns in the region: 1) countries which experienced early and gradual declines in birth and death rates and generally lower population growth rates (the group includes Argentina, Cuba, Uruguay, with Chile and Panama also closely fitting the description); 2) countries which underwent rapid declines in birth rate during the 1950s and which began experiencing declines in the birth rate after 1960 (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Paraguay, and Venezuela, with Ecuador and Peru as borderline cases); and 3) countries which didn't begin to experience declines in mortality rates until relatively late and which lag behind in fertility declines (Bolivia, Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua). Although population growth has slowed and will continue to fall, UN projections do not expect the population to stabilize until late in the 21st Century.

Contemporary paternal genetic landscape of Polish and German populations: from early medieval Slavic expansion to post-World War II resettlements.

Science.gov (United States)

Rębała, Krzysztof; Martínez-Cruz, Begoña; Tönjes, Anke; Kovacs, Peter; Stumvoll, Michael; Lindner, Iris; Büttner, Andreas; Wichmann, H-Erich; Siváková, Daniela; Soták, Miroslav; Quintana-Murci, Lluís; Szczerkowska, Zofia; Comas, David

2013-04-01

Homogeneous Proto-Slavic genetic substrate and/or extensive mixing after World War II were suggested to explain homogeneity of contemporary Polish paternal lineages. Alternatively, Polish local populations might have displayed pre-war genetic heterogeneity owing to genetic drift and/or gene flow with neighbouring populations. Although sharp genetic discontinuity along the political border between Poland and Germany indisputably results from war-mediated resettlements and homogenisation, it remained unknown whether Y-chromosomal diversity in ethnically/linguistically defined populations was clinal or discontinuous before the war. In order to answer these questions and elucidate early Slavic migrations, 1156 individuals from several Slavic and German populations were analysed, including Polish pre-war regional populations and an autochthonous Slavic population from Germany. Y chromosomes were assigned to 39 haplogroups and genotyped for 19 STRs. Genetic distances revealed similar degree of differentiation of Slavic-speaking pre-war populations from German populations irrespective of duration and intensity of contacts with German speakers. Admixture estimates showed minor Slavic paternal ancestry (~20%) in modern eastern Germans and hardly detectable German paternal ancestry in Slavs neighbouring German populations for centuries. BATWING analysis of isolated Slavic populations revealed that their divergence was preceded by rapid demographic growth, undermining theory that Slavic expansion was primarily linguistic rather than population spread. Polish pre-war regional populations showed within-group heterogeneity and lower STR variation within R-M17 subclades compared with modern populations, which might have been homogenised by war resettlements. Our results suggest that genetic studies on early human history in the Vistula and Oder basins should rely on reconstructed pre-war rather than modern populations.

Processing speed and executive functions predict real-world everyday living skills in adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Puig, O; Penadés, R; Baeza, I; Sánchez-Gistau, V; De la Serna, E; Fonrodona, L; Andrés-Perpiñá, S; Bernardo, M; Castro-Fornieles, J

2012-06-01

Cognition and clinical variables are known to be among the most predictive factors of real-world social functioning and daily living skills in adult-onset schizophrenia. Fewer studies have focused on their impact in adolescents with early-onset schizophrenia (EOS). The aim of this study is to examine the relationships and the predictive value of cognition and clinical variables on real-world daily living skills in a sample of adolescents with EOS. Cognitive, clinical and real-world everyday living skills measures were administered to 45 clinically and pharmacologically stabilized adolescent outpatients with EOS and 45 healthy control subjects matched by age and sex. Multi-variant analyses to compare cognitive and real-world functioning profiles between patients and controls and regression analysis to identify predictors of real-world functioning scores in patients were used. Adolescents with EOS showed a generalized cognitive and real-world daily living skills dysfunction. Several cognitive and clinical variables significantly correlated with real-world daily living skills functioning but only the processing speed and executive functions emerged as independent predictors of everyday living skills scores, explaining 25.1% of the variance. Slowness in processing information and executive dysfunction showed a significant impact on real-world daily living skills in EOS, independently from clinical symptoms and other cognitive variables. Nevertheless, much of the variance in the daily living skills measure remained unaccounted for, suggesting that other factors were involved as well in this young population.

Global fertility and population trends.

Science.gov (United States)

Bongaarts, John

2015-01-01

Over the past several decades, the world and most countries have undergone unprecedented demographic change. The most obvious example of this change is the rise in human numbers, and there are also important trends in fertility, family structure, mortality, migration, urbanization, and population aging. This paper summarizes past trends and projections in fertility and population. After reaching 2.5 billion in 1950, the world population grew rapidly to 7.2 billion in 2013 and the projections expect this total to be 10.9 billion by 2100. World regions differ widely in their demographic trends, with rapid population growth and high fertility continuing in the poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, while population decline, population aging, and very low fertility are now a key concern in many developed countries. These trends have important implications for human welfare and are of interest to policy makers. The conclusion comments briefly on policy options to address these adverse trends. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Phase Transitions in Sexual Populations Subject to Stabilizing Selection

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, A.

2003-04-01

We show that a simple model of an evolving sexual population, which dates back to some of the earliest work in theoretical population genetics, exhibits an unexpected and previously unobserved phase transition between ordered and disordered states. This behavior is not present in populations evolving asexually without recombination and is thus important in any comparison of sexual and asexual populations. In order to calculate the details of the phase transition, we use techniques from statistical physics. We introduce the correlation of the population as the order parameter of the system and use maximum entropy inference to find the state of the population at any time.

Modeling real-world fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions with high resolution for light-duty passenger vehicles in a traffic populated city

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Shaojun; Wu, Ye; Un, Puikei; Fu, Lixin; Hao, Jiming

2016-01-01

Modeling fuel consumption of light-duty passenger vehicles has created substantial concerns due to the uncertainty from real-world operating conditions. Macao is world-renowned for its tourism industry and high population density. An empirical model is developed to estimate real-world fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions for gasoline-powered light-duty passenger vehicles in Macao by considering local fleet configuration and operating conditions. Thanks to increasingly stringent fuel consumption limits in vehicle manufacturing countries, estimated type-approval fuel consumption for light-duty passenger vehicles in Macao by model year was reduced from 7.4 L/100 km in 1995 to 5.9 L/100 km in 2012, although a significant upsizing trend has considerably offset potential energy-saving benefit. However, lower driving speed and the air-conditioning usage tend to raise fleet-average fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emission factors, which are estimated to be 10.1 L/100 km and 240 g/km in 2010. Fleet-total fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions are modeled through registered vehicle population-based and link-level traffic demand approaches and the results satisfactorily coincide with the historical record of fuel sales in Macao. Temporal and spatial variations in fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions from light-duty passenger vehicles further highlight the importance of effective traffic management in congested areas of Macao. - Highlights: • A fuel consumption model is developed for Macao's light-duty passenger cars. • Increased vehicle size partially offset energy benefit from tightened fuel consumption standard. • Lower speed and use of air-conditioning greatly increase fuel use of Macao light-duty passenger cars. • A high resolution inventory of fuel use and carbon dioxide emissions is built with link-level traffic data. • Policy suggestions are provided to mitigate fuel use in a traffic populated city.

Reliability and Validity of the World Health Organization Quality of Life: Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) in a Homeless Substance Dependent Veteran Population

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Rea, Elizabeth A.; LePage, James P.

2010-01-01

With the high number of homeless, there is a critical need for rapid and accurate assessment of quality of life to assess program outcomes. The World Health Organization's WHOQOL-100 has demonstrated promise in accurately assessing quality-of-life in this population. However, its length may make large scale use impractical for working with a…

Impact of adding Saccharomyces strains on fermentation, aerobic stability, nutritive value, and select lactobacilli populations in corn silage.

Science.gov (United States)

Duniere, L; Jin, L; Smiley, B; Qi, M; Rutherford, W; Wang, Y; McAllister, T

2015-05-01

Bacterial inoculants can improve the conservation and nutritional quality of silages. Inclusion of the yeast Saccharomyces in the diet of dairy cattle has also been reported to be beneficial. The present study assessed the ability of silage to be used as a means of delivering Saccharomyces strains to ruminants. Two strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (strain 1 and 3)and 1 strain of Saccharomyces paradoxus (strain 2) were inoculated (10(3) cfu/g) individually onto corn forage that was ensiled in mini silos for 90 d. Fermentation characteristics, aerobic stability, and nutritive value of silages were determined and real-time quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to quantify S. cerevisiae, S.paradoxus, total Saccharomyces, fungal, and bacterial populations. Fermentation characteristics of silage inoculated with S1 were similar to control silage. Although strain 3 inoculation increased ash and decreased OM contents of silage (P = 0.017), no differences were observed in nutrient composition or fermentation profiles after 90 d of ensiling. Inoculation with Saccharomyces had no detrimental effect on the aerobic stability of silage. In vitro DM disappearance, gas production, and microbial protein synthesis were not affected by yeast inoculation.Saccharomyces strain 1 was quantified throughout ensiling, whereas strain 2 was detected only immediately after inoculation. Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain 3 was quantified until d 7 and detectable 90 d after ensiling. All inoculants were detected and quantified during aerobic exposure. Inoculation with Saccharomyces did not alter lactobacilli populations. Saccharomycetales were detected by RT-qPCR throughout ensiling in all silages. Both S. cerevisiae and S. paradoxus populations increased during aerobic exposure, demonstrating that the density of these yeast strains would increase between the time that silage was removed from storage and the time it was fed.

The emerging multi-polar world and China's grand game

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gupta, Rajan [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2011-01-19

This talk outlines a scenario describing an emerging multipolar world that is aligned with geographical regions. The stability and security of this multipolar world is examined with respect to demographics, trade (economics), resource constraints, and development. In particular I focus on Asia which has two large countries, China and India, competing for resources and markets and examine the emerging regional relations, opportunities and threats. These relationships must overcome many hurdles - the Subcontinent is in a weak position politically and strategically and faces many threats, and China's growing power could help stabilize it or create new threats. Since the fate of 1.5 billion (2.4 billion by 2050) people depends on how the Subcontinent evolves, this talk is meant to initiates a discussion of what China and India can do to help the region develop and stabilize.

Emotional stability components of human performance problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wexler, R.H.

1987-01-01

Over half of all significant events that occur in nuclear plants involve human performance problems. There is increasing worldwide recognition that human performance problems have a significant impact on the safety, cost, and efficiency of nuclear plant operations. Emotional stability components have an important direct and indirect impact on human performance problems. This paper examines emotional stability components that are currently incorporated into human performance evaluation systems (HPES) in nuclear plants. It describes HPES programs being developed around the world, the emotional stability components that are currently referred to in these programs, and suggestions for improving HPES programs through a greater understanding of emotion stability components. A review of emotional stability components that may hinder or promote a plant environment that encourages the voluntary reporting and correction of human error is also presented

ELECTORAL POPULISM VERSUS ECONOMIC STABILITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilie Mihai

2017-03-01

Full Text Available It is well known that in election years, political parties compete in measures and promises that are more or less extravagant, designed to attract votes from voters. The situation is understandable to a certain extent, this practice being common in other countries as well, important being not to "jump the horse" as unfortunately happens in Romania, where in four years the politicians, in their desire to obtain a mandate in local or parliamentary elections, replete with all kinds of promises, without regard to the impact that their application might have on the stability of the overall economy. As the electoral legislation has become more stringent, attracting voters by giving them attentions and gifts (buckets, packages of food with sugar, oil, etc., or gourmet was forbidden and election promises have climbed the first rung of the strategy of attracting voters. On the other hand, the old local and central political structures at the end of their mandate try, for the last hundred meters, to adopt populist, hoping both to renew mandates and to solve personal interests relating to special pensions bonuses and all sorts of pecuniary advantages, according to the principle "after us the deluge".

World uranium markets: an update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connor, M.J.

1983-01-01

The current state of the world's uranium market and its effect on US nuclear-fueled utilities is discussed. Major uranium-related issues that will confront US utility nuclear fuel managers in the coming years are presented, emphasizing the perspectives of supply, demand, world market adjustment, and US market restrictions on imports. It is stated that the US market is essential by non-US producers to help equilibrate an otherwise excessive supply which would cause chaos in the market. To avoid another ten-year boom/bust cycle, the US is urged to reexamine its position on long-term contracts - which permit greater price stability in contrast to the spot market and its price fluctuations. 13 figures, 6 tables

World Hunger Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Czarra, Fred R.; Long, Cathryn J., Eds.

1983-01-01

Activities help high school students become aware of the extent of world hunger and the place of population control in the fight against hunger. The materials offer the student background information and a variety of viewpoints. The aim of each activity is to increase the student's own informed decision making. (CS)

Our population predicament: a new look.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Der Tak, J; Haub, C; Murphy, E

1979-12-01

Issued to mark the Population Reference Bureau's 50th anniversary, this issue updates the story of world population presented in its popular predecessor of 1971, "Man's Population Predicament." Estimated at 1/2 billion in 1650, world population reached about 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 the 3/4 of the world's peoples living in less developed countries where the post-World War II gap between high birth rates and falling death rates has only recently begun to narrow. This growth, coupled with high consumption in developing countries, is putting tremendous pressures on the Earth's resources, environment, and social fabric. New evidence on Europe's population transition and from China, Indonesia, and Thailand in the 1970s suggests that well-designed family planning programs can speed fertility decline but rapid worldwide attainment of replacement level fertility will also require special development efforts and measures that go beyond family planning. Current projections of the world's ultimate peak population range from 8 billion in the mid 21st century to 11 billion in about 2125, depending on when replacement-level fertility is reached. China's drive for a drastic birth rate reduction and the oil crisis might change fertility behavior more rapidly than most demographers have heretofore thought likely.

World commitment to reduce carbon dioxide emissions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burge, R.

1991-01-01

A meeting of energy experts in Toronto, sponsored by the Canadian World Energy Council (CANWEC), to examine the implications of sustainable development for the energy industry, is reported. Canada, according to the World Resources Institute, ranks second only to the Arab oil producers as the world's worst energy hog. Although it contributes only 2% of total world greenhouse gases, its per capita emissions rank higher than even the United States, and this despite the fact that over 75% of its electrical energy is produced by hydro and nuclear power. Its intentions to stabilize CO 2 emissions by 2000 have already been signalled. Although arguments on the supply side strategies of clean coal and nuclear power were presented at the CANWEC meeting, the accent was firmly on demand side management, through energy conservation and efficiency, to meet the challenge of global warming. (author)

World Food Prospects for the 1990s.

Science.gov (United States)

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.…

Population and prehistory I: Food-dependent population growth in constant environments.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Charlotte T; Tuljapurkar, Shripad

2008-06-01

We present a demographic model that describes the feedbacks between food supply, human mortality and fertility rates, and labor availability in expanding populations, where arable land area is not limiting. This model provides a quantitative framework to describe how environment, technology, and culture interact to influence the fates of preindustrial agricultural populations. We present equilibrium conditions and derive approximations for the equilibrium population growth rate, food availability, and other food-dependent measures of population well-being. We examine how the approximations respond to environmental changes and to human choices, and find that the impact of environmental quality depends upon whether it manifests through agricultural yield or maximum (food-independent) survival rates. Human choices can complement or offset environmental effects: greater labor investments increase both population growth and well-being, and therefore can counteract lower agricultural yield, while fertility control decreases the growth rate but can increase or decrease well-being. Finally we establish equilibrium stability criteria, and argue that the potential for loss of local stability at low population growth rates could have important consequences for populations that suffer significant environmental or demographic shocks.

Effectiveness of an annular closure device in a "real-world" population: stratification of registry data using screening criteria from a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuršumović, Adisa; Rath, Stefan A

2018-01-01

Increased focus has been put on the use of "'real-world" data to support randomized clinical trial (RCT) evidence for clinical decision-making. The objective of this study was to assess the performance of an annular closure device (ACD) after stratifying a consecutive series of "real-world" patients by the screening criteria of an ongoing RCT. This was a single-center registry analysis of 164 subjects who underwent limited discectomy combined with ACD for symptomatic lumbar disc herniation. Patients were stratified into two groups using the selection criteria of a pivotal RCT on the same device: Trial (met inclusion; n=44) or non-Trial (did not meet inclusion; n=120). Patient-reported outcomes, including Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and visual analog scale (VAS) for leg and back pain, and adverse events were collected from baseline to last follow-up (mean: Trial - 15.6 months; non-Trial - 14.6 months). Statistical analyses were performed with significance set at p population. Stratification of this "real-world" series on the basis of RCT screening criteria did not result in significant between-group differences. These findings suggest that the efficacy of the ACD extends beyond the strictly defined patient population being studied in the RCT of this device. Furthermore, reducing the reherniation rate following lumbar discectomy has positive clinical and economic implications.

2007 Stability, Security, Transition and Reconstruction Operations Conference

Science.gov (United States)

2007-11-28

narcotics Foster sustainable economy U.S.PRT tasks Jalalabad June 2007 Who can respond to which challeges ? 2. Battlespace or Humanitarian Space...Education Integrated Interagency Stabilization and Reconstruction Training Plug and Play System Lessons Learned from the Field USAID NGOs World Bank ...World Bank , IMF? Expanding the Focus… At the US and NATO Strategic/Operational Level Enhanced/new structures and procedures to improve: Interaction

A hypothetical study of populations under constant mortality and fertility.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, R B

1976-03-01

28 countries with different characteristics have been selected in order to observe the amount of time it takes for these different countries to reach stable age distributions. The individual populations by sex and age were projected for 150 years in 5-year intervals with the present constant mortality and fertility schedules by component method. Observations have been made by considering the following characteristics of population when it has acquired stability: age distribution; the rate of growth, birthrate, and mortality rate; the population change; the intrinsic rate of growth, birthrate and mortality rate; and approximate time taken to stabilize the population. The initial age distribution has a significant part in the amount of time it takes for a population to acquire stability, and its intrinsic rate of growth is mostly dependent upon the existing age distribution of that population. The time taken for a country's population to become stable depends upon the age distribution, fertility and mortality schedules at the beginning. It has been observed that countries having a higher intrinsic rate of growth take comparatively less time in acquiring stability than the countries having a lower intrinsic rate of growth. The mortality and fertility schedules of a country is another important phenomenon. The populations of the different countries at the point of stability were growing according to their rates of growth. No specific trend of population growth could be found among the groups of countries. Time taken for stabilizing the population is completely based upon age distributions, fertility and mortality schedules a particular country was having at the beginning. The range of time taken for different countries to acquire stability generally ranged from 100 to 135 years. Among the different countries the relationship for the time it takes to acquire stability has not been established. This is a hypothetical approach in order to obtain some idea as to how a

Population growth and United States politics in the 1970s.

Science.gov (United States)

Nash, A E

1973-01-01

The 2 themes of this century, increasing environmental fragility and increasing human demands on government, are underlined by the failure of government to effectively govern, and the complex technology and modern communication systems which further divide the developing nations from the developed ones. Population stabilization may help relieve the tension between increasing expectation from government and the fiscal bind in 3 ways: 1)a higher per capita income would increase per capita government revenue which would have a better chance of meeting citizen expectations, 2)a moderately redistributive effect on personal income might occur by decreasing unwanted fertility through the dynamics of economics and increasing the role of government in elevating living standards, and 3)with reduction of government expenditure per capita, the cost of providing any given level of service would decrease. The nuclear age has altered the concept of what constitutes national security. Rapid population growth in the developing countries is also significant, and the United States economy depends on overseas investment. A constructive foreign policy, as opposed to neoimperialism or isolationism, is recommended to help influence world population growth.

World population in transition : An integrated regional modelling framework

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hilderink, Henricus Bernardus Maria

2000-01-01

The world’s population reached the milestone of 6 billion in 1999 and increases by around 150 persons each minute. In the last few decades, population growth seen in the light of limited natural and economic resources has become of growing concern. Now, at the beginning of a new millennium,

Genome-Wide Analysis of Grain Yield Stability and Environmental Interactions in a Multiparental Soybean Population

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alencar Xavier

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Genetic improvement toward optimized and stable agronomic performance of soybean genotypes is desirable for food security. Understanding how genotypes perform in different environmental conditions helps breeders develop sustainable cultivars adapted to target regions. Complex traits of importance are known to be controlled by a large number of genomic regions with small effects whose magnitude and direction are modulated by environmental factors. Knowledge of the constraints and undesirable effects resulting from genotype by environmental interactions is a key objective in improving selection procedures in soybean breeding programs. In this study, the genetic basis of soybean grain yield responsiveness to environmental factors was examined in a large soybean nested association population. For this, a genome-wide association to performance stability estimates generated from a Finlay-Wilkinson analysis and the inclusion of the interaction between marker genotypes and environmental factors was implemented. Genomic footprints were investigated by analysis and meta-analysis using a recently published multiparent model. Results indicated that specific soybean genomic regions were associated with stability, and that multiplicative interactions were present between environments and genetic background. Seven genomic regions in six chromosomes were identified as being associated with genotype-by-environment interactions. This study provides insight into genomic assisted breeding aimed at achieving a more stable agronomic performance of soybean, and documented opportunities to exploit genomic regions that were specifically associated with interactions involving environments and subpopulations.

A world without hunger : organic or GM crops?

OpenAIRE

Taheri, Fatemeh; Azadi, Hossein; D'Haese, Marijke

2017-01-01

It has been estimated that the world population will increase to 9.2 billion by 2050; supplying the growing population with food will require a significant increase in agricultural production. A number of agricultural and ecological scientists believe that a large-scale shift to organic farming (OF) would not only increase the world's food supply, but might be the only way to eradicate hunger sustainably. Nevertheless, OF has recently come under new scrutiny, not just from critics who fear th...

Soil science, population growth and food production: some historical developments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hartemink, A.E.

2007-01-01

The world¿s population has doubled since 1960. Currently, the developing world accounts for about 95% of the population growth with Africa as the world¿s fastest growing continent. The growing population has many implications but most of all it requires an increase in agricultural production to meet

Moduli stabilization in non-geometric backgrounds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, Katrin; Becker, Melanie; Vafa, Cumrun; Walcher, Johannes

2007-01-01

Type II orientifolds based on Landau-Ginzburg models are used to describe moduli stabilization for flux compactifications of type II theories from the world-sheet CFT point of view. We show that for certain types of type IIB orientifolds which have no Kaehler moduli and are therefore intrinsically non-geometric, all moduli can be explicitly stabilized in terms of fluxes. The resulting four-dimensional theories can describe Minkowski as well as anti-de Sitter vacua. This construction provides the first string vacuum with all moduli frozen and leading to a 4D Minkowski background

World beyond Pluto

CERN Document Server

Marlowe, Stephen

2014-01-01

What happens when a hardened criminal on the run for his life gets mixed up with an all-girl symphony traveling between lesser-populated planets in a futile attempt to bring culture to their rowdy inhabitants? Well, to put it mildly, hijinks ensue. Read Stephen Marlowe's thoroughly entertaining World Beyond Pluto to find out the rest.

Model to estimate radiation dose commitments to the world population from the atmospheric release of radionuclides (LWBR development program)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rider, J.L.; Beal, S.K.

1978-02-01

The equations developed for use in the LWBR environmental statement to estimate the dose commitment over a given time interval to a given organ of the population in the entire region affected by the atmospheric releases of a radionuclide are presented and may be used for any assessment of dose commitments in these regions. These equations define the dose commitments to the world resulting from a released radionuclide and each of its daughters and the sum of these dose commitments provides the total dose commitment accrued from the release of a given radionuclide. If more than one radionuclide is released from a facility, then the sum of the dose commitments from each released nuclide and from each daughter of each released nuclide is the total dose commitment to the world from that facility. Furthermore, if more than one facility is considered as part of an industry, then the sum of the dose commitments from the individual facilities represents the total world dose commitment associated with that industry. The actual solutions to these equations are carried out by the AIRWAY computer program. The writing of this computer program entailed defining in detail the specific representations of the various parameters such as scavenging coefficients, resuspension factors, deposition velocities, dose commitment conversion factors, and food uptake factors, in addition to providing specific numerical values for these types of parameters. The program permits the examination of more than one released nuclide at a time and performs the necessary summing to obtain the total dose commitment to the world accrued from the specified releases

Temporal pattern of africanization in a feral honeybee population from Texas inferred from mitochondrial DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Pinto, M Alice; Rubink, William L; Coulson, Robert N; Patton, John C; Johnston, J Spencer

2004-05-01

The invasion of Africanized honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) in the Americas provides a window of opportunity to study the dynamics of secondary contact of subspecies of bees that evolved in allopatry in ecologically distinctive habitats of the Old World. We report here the results of an 11-year mitochondrial DNA survey of a feral honeybee population from southern United States (Texas). The mitochondrial haplotype (mitotype) frequencies changed radically during the 11-year study period. Prior to immigration of Africanized honeybees, the resident population was essentially of eastern and western European maternal ancestry. Three years after detection of the first Africanized swarm there was a mitotype turnover in the population from predominantly eastern European to predominantly A. m. scutellata (ancestor of Africanized honeybees). This remarkable change in the mitotype composition coincided with arrival of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor, which was likely responsible for severe losses experienced by colonies of European ancestry. From 1997 onward the population stabilized with most colonies of A. m. scutellata maternal origin.

Study of Streptococcus thermophilus population on a world-wide and historical collection by a new MLST scheme.

Science.gov (United States)

Delorme, Christine; Legravet, Nicolas; Jamet, Emmanuel; Hoarau, Caroline; Alexandre, Bolotin; El-Sharoud, Walid M; Darwish, Mohamed S; Renault, Pierre

2017-02-02

We analyzed 178 Streptococcus thermophilus strains isolated from diverse products, from around the world, over a 60-year period with a new multilocus sequence typing (MLST) scheme. This collection included isolates from two traditional cheese-making sites with different starter-use practices, in sampling campaigns carried out over a three years period. The nucleotide diversity of the S. thermophilus population was limited, but 116 sequence types (ST) were identified. Phylogenetic analysis of the concatenated sequences of the six housekeeping genes revealed the existence of groups confirmed by eBURST analysis. Deeper analyses performed on 25 strains by CRISPR and whole-genome analysis showed that phylogenies obtained by MLST and whole-genome analysis were in agreement but differed from that inferred by CRISPR analysis. Strains isolated from traditional products could cluster in specific groups indicating their origin, but also be mixed in groups containing industrial starter strains. In the traditional cheese-making sites, we found that S. thermophilus persisted on dairy equipment, but that occasionally added starter strains may become dominant. It underlined the impact of starter use that may reshape S. thermophilus populations including in traditional products. This new MLST scheme thus provides a framework for analyses of S. thermophilus populations and the management of its biodiversity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nuclear Power Plants in the World

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2000-01-01

The Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF) used every year to summarize a trend survey on the private nuclear power plants in the world in a shape of the 'Developmental trends on nuclear power plants in the world'. In this report, some data at the end of 1999 was made up on bases of answers on questionnaires from 72 electric companies in 31 nations and regions in the world by JAIF. This report is comprised of 19 items, and contains generating capacity of the plants; current status of Japan; trends of generating capacity of operating the plants, the plant orders and generating capacity of the plants; world nuclear capacity by reactor type; location of the plants; the plants in the world; and so forth. And, it also has some survey results on the 'Liberalization of electric power markets and nuclear power generation' such as some 70% of respondents in nuclear power for future option, gas-thermal power seen as power source with most to gain from liberalization, merits on nuclear power generation (environmental considerations and supply stability), most commonly voiced concern about new plant orders in poor economy, and so forth. (G.K.)

Family planning program: world review 1974. Introduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, W B; Lapham, R J

1975-08-01

The 1974 Population Conference at Bucharest was marked with controversy between developed and developing countries, with the latter strongly critical of aid for population control but less for social and economic development. The Plan of Action which was finally approved emphasized the importance of social and economic factors in relation to population growth while recommending that couples in all nations should have access to family planning information. Different regions of the world, however, have widely divergent population policies and goals. The Asia-Pacific region of the developing world, which has 3/4 of the population of the developing world, has articulated a strong stance in favor of reducing birth rates at Post-Bucharest Consultation. Government-supported family planning programs are seen as a high priority item to reduce rapid population growth. Rapid population growth is not seen as a high-priority problem in most African, Arab, and Latin American countries. Population problems will be solved with economic and social advancement. There is more concern in Latin America for family planning as a "human right" issue than to promote demographic goals. Latin America was also concerned with migration/urbanization issues. All of the Regional Consultations after Bucharest favored a greater emphasis on population in development planning, concern for the problems caused by migration and urbanization, improvement in the status of women, and support for the reduction of mortality levels. Some 74 countries containing 93% of the population of the developing world, supported family planning, with only 4 populous countries -- Burma, Ethiopia, Peru, and North Korea not in support. More than 98% of the population of Asia lives in countries which support family planning; the figures are 94% for Latin America, 90% for the Middle East and North Africa and 64% for Sub-Saharan Africa. The governments of 39 countries with a combined population of 2.3 billion have stated that

Population vs. the environment.

Science.gov (United States)

1992-03-01

In anticipation of UN Conference on Environment and Development scheduled for June in Brazil, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK) recently televised a hard-hitting documentary focusing on the impact of rapid population growth on resources and the environment. Entitled "Population Explosion and the Looming Crisis: Can Humankind Determine a Better Future?" the documentary aired on January 5, featuring interviews with experts from the population field such as Dr. Nafis Sadik of the UNFPA and Dr. Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University. The program, made with the cooperation of UNFPA and JOICFP, compared the current global demograhic and environmental situation with the one expected to exist in 2025, when the world population is expected to reach 10 billion. The documentary depicted a future fraught with food shortages, depleted energe resources, refugees, and a devastated environment. In order to illustrate the effect of population growth in developing countries, the documentary featured reports from countries in Asia and Africa. And to show the heavy burden that industrialized countries place on the global environment, the documentary examined Japan's own pattern of consumption and waste. As the UNFPA's Sadik pointed out, the luxurious lifestyle of developed countries comes at the expense of the developing world. Stressing that everyone in the world should be able to enjoy a reasonable standard of living. Sadik called for "sustainable patterns of development," which can be achieved through the following: improved technology, reduced consumption patterns, and changed lifestyles. A critical element in changing lifestyles includes reducing global fertility to 3.2 children/woman by the year 2000. Otherwise, a world population will not double but triple by the year 2025.

Healthy development: the World Bank strategy for health, nutrition, and population results

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2007-01-01

... the views of the Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgement on th...

Binocular vision in a virtual world: visual deficits following the wearing of a head-mounted display.

Science.gov (United States)

Mon-Williams, M; Wann, J P; Rushton, S

1993-10-01

The short-term effects on binocular stability of wearing a conventional head-mounted display (HMD) to explore a virtual reality environment were examined. Twenty adult subjects (aged 19-29 years) wore a commercially available HMD for 10 min while cycling around a computer generated 3-D world. The twin screen presentations were set to suit the average interpupillary distance of our subject population, to mimic the conditions of public access virtual reality systems. Subjects were examined before and after exposure to the HMD and there were clear signs of induced binocular stress for a number of the subjects. The implications of introducing such HMDs into the workplace and entertainment environments are discussed.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

Improvement in the physiological function and standing stability based on kinect multimedia for older people.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Chih-Chen

2016-04-01

[Purpose] The increase in the Taiwanese older population is associated with age-related inconveniences. Finding adequate and simple physical activities to help the older people maintaining their physiological function and preventing them from falls has become an urgent social issue. [Subjects and Methods] This study aimed to design a virtual exercise training game suitable for Taiwanese older people. This system will allow for the maintenance of the physiological function and standing stability through physical exercise, while using a virtual reality game. The participants can easily exercise in a carefree, interactive environment. This study will use Kinect for Windows for physical movement detection and Unity software for virtual world development. [Results] Group A and B subjects were involved in the exercise training method of Kinect interactive multimedia for 12 weeks. The results showed that the functional reach test and the unipedal stance test improved significantly. [Conclusion] The physiological function and standing stability of the group A subjects were examined at six weeks post training. The results showed that these parameters remained constant. This proved that the proposed system provide substantial support toward the preservation of the Taiwanese older people' physiological function and standing stability.

Demographic transitions in Europe and the world

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Willekens, F.J.; Matthijs, K.; Neels, K.; Timmerman, C.; Haers, J.; Mels, S.

2016-01-01

Willekens, F. (2015) Demographic transitions in Europe and the world. In: K. Matthijs, K. Neels, C. Timmerman. J. Haers and S. Mels eds. Population change at work in Europe, the Middle-East and North Africa. Beyond the demographic divide. Ashgate (International Population Studies Series) pp. 13-44.

Nuclear desalination in the Arab world. Part I: Relevant data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mekhemar, S.; Karameldin, A.

2003-01-01

Middle Eastern and North African countries suffer from a shortage of fresh water resources. Statistical analysis shows that fresh water resources in these countries constitute less than 13% of the average world resources per capita. In the Arab world, the rapid increase in population and an increase in living standards led to a greater demand for fresh water and electricity. Accordingly, the Arab world has assumed (a leading role in the) desalination industry, contributing about 60% of total world production. Desalination processes are highly power intensive. Thus, different types of energies are used to bridge the gap between these processes and the general increased demand in production. Projections for water and electricity demand in the Arab world, up to 2030, are made according to population and its growth rates. The present study (according to these projections) indicates that population in the Arab world will double by the year 2030. At that time, domestic and industrial water demand will be 360 million m 3 d -1 ; meanwhile, electrical power consumption will be 4.5 trillion kWh d -1 . Accordingly, the Advanced Inherent Safe Nuclear Power Plants adapted for water-electricity co-generation could meet the demand, as a clean energy source. (author)

[Dental loss in a rural population and the goals established for the World Health Organization].

Science.gov (United States)

Saliba, Nemre Adas; Moimaz, Suzely Adas Saliba; Saliba, Orlando; Tiano, Ana Valéria Pagliari

2010-06-01

This study aimed to report the dental loss in a rural population, evaluating the contribution of socioeconomic and behavioral variables and comparing the results with the goals of the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2000 and 2010. A total of 473 residents had been examined using the methodology, codes and criteria according to WHO guidelines. The results were processed using the Epibuco program and the chi-square test (ppopulation, the dental loss advanced considerably with the age, being the situation much distant of the goals established by WHO for 2010. Chi-square test revealed statistically significant differences among the number of teeth lost by the interviewed with 35 years-old or more in relation to education level, housing and self-perception of the speak quality. The development of oral health attention programs becomes necessary, in order to reduce the actual damages and to prevent the continuity of this trend of mutilation.

A complex system approach to address world challenges in food and agriculture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mil, van H.G.J.; Foegeding, E.A.; Windhab, E.J.; Perrot, N.; Linden, van der E.

2014-01-01

The quality and amount of the world food supply is crucial to the well-being of every human on the planet in the basic sense that we need food to live. It also has a profound impact on world economy, international trade, and global political stability. The choice of land used for agriculture, and

Conference assesses world oil supply scene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

This paper reports that the Offshore Northern Seas conference heard a number of long term outlooks in Stavanger, Norway, last week, all with the same conclusion: the oil and gas industry needs massive investment if it is to match future demand. Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Bruntland built her scenario on a doubling of world population every 40 years. Mrs. Bruntland emphasized the growing dependence of the world economy on Middle East developments. Two thirds of the world's oil reserves are in the Persian Gulf region, she said, but only 28% of production comes from there. As the rest of the world depletes its reserves, dependence on Persian Gulf oil will grow

"A Woman's World": The University of California, Berkeley, during the Second World War

Science.gov (United States)

Dorn, Charles

2008-01-01

During World War II, female students at the University of California, Berkeley--then the most populous undergraduate campus in American higher education--made significant advances in collegiate life. In growing numbers, women enrolled in male-dominated academic programs, including mathematics, chemistry, and engineering, as they prepared for…

Sources of population and family planning assistance.

Science.gov (United States)

1983-01-01

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.

Species Interactions Drive Fish Biodiversity Loss in a High-CO2 World.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagelkerken, Ivan; Goldenberg, Silvan U; Ferreira, Camilo M; Russell, Bayden D; Connell, Sean D

2017-07-24

Accelerating climate change is eroding the functioning and stability of ecosystems by weakening the interactions among species that stabilize biological communities against change [1]. A key challenge to forecasting the future of ecosystems centers on how to extrapolate results from short-term, single-species studies to community-level responses that are mediated by key mechanisms such as competition, resource availability (bottom-up control), and predation (top-down control) [2]. We used CO 2 vents as potential analogs of ocean acidification combined with in situ experiments to test current predictions of fish biodiversity loss and community change due to elevated CO 2 [3] and to elucidate the potential mechanisms that drive such change. We show that high risk-taking behavior and competitive strength, combined with resource enrichment and collapse of predator populations, fostered already common species, enabling them to double their populations under acidified conditions. However, the release of these competitive dominants from predator control led to suppression of less common and subordinate competitors that did not benefit from resource enrichment and reduced predation. As a result, local biodiversity was lost and novel fish community compositions were created under elevated CO 2 . Our study identifies the species interactions most affected by ocean acidification, revealing potential sources of natural selection. We also reveal how diminished predator abundances can have cascading effects on local species diversity, mediated by complex species interactions. Reduced overfishing of predators could therefore act as a key action to stall diversity loss and ecosystem change in a high-CO 2 world. VIDEO ABSTRACT. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimal control and stability analysis of an epidemic model with population dispersal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jana, Soovoojeet; Haldar, Palash; Kar, T.K.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • SEIR type epidemic model with population dispersal is considered here. • Vaccination is taken as a control parameter. • Optimal control problem is formulated and then solved. • Simulation shows that different diseases can be analyzed through this model. - Abstract: In the present paper we consider an SEIR type epidemic model with transport related infection between two cities. It is observed that transportation among regions has a strong impact on the dynamic evolution of a disease which can be eradicated in the absence of transportation. Transportation can lead to the incorporation of a positive risk probability. The epidemiological threshold, commonly known as the basic reproduction number, is derived and it is observed that when the basic reproduction number is less than unity the disease dies out, where as if it exceeds unity the disease may persist in the system. A thorough dynamical behavior of the constructed model is studied. We formulate and solve an optimal control problem using vaccination as a control tool. Extensive numerical simulations are carried out based on our analytical results. Finally we try to relate our work with a real world problem.

The Main Characteristics of Mass Perception of Political Stability in the Modern Russia: Whether Stability Can Become the National Idea?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

А О Ярославцева

2012-03-01

Full Text Available The article is dedicated to analysis of perception of political stability by the population of the modern Russia. The foundations of the research are the results of recent mass public opinion polls. The author tries to find out if perception of political stability by masses is relevant and the concept of stability can become the new national idea in the mass consciousness.

Stabilization of global temperature at 1.5°C and 2.0°C: implications for coastal areas.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholls, Robert J; Brown, Sally; Goodwin, Philip; Wahl, Thomas; Lowe, Jason; Solan, Martin; Godbold, Jasmin A; Haigh, Ivan D; Lincke, Daniel; Hinkel, Jochen; Wolff, Claudia; Merkens, Jan-Ludolf

2018-05-13

The effectiveness of stringent climate stabilization scenarios for coastal areas in terms of reduction of impacts/adaptation needs and wider policy implications has received little attention. Here we use the Warming Acidification and Sea Level Projector Earth systems model to calculate large ensembles of global sea-level rise (SLR) and ocean pH projections to 2300 for 1.5°C and 2.0°C stabilization scenarios, and a reference unmitigated RCP8.5 scenario. The potential consequences of these projections are then considered for global coastal flooding, small islands, deltas, coastal cities and coastal ecology. Under both stabilization scenarios, global mean ocean pH (and temperature) stabilize within a century. This implies significant ecosystem impacts are avoided, but detailed quantification is lacking, reflecting scientific uncertainty. By contrast, SLR is only slowed and continues to 2300 (and beyond). Hence, while coastal impacts due to SLR are reduced significantly by climate stabilization, especially after 2100, potential impacts continue to grow for centuries. SLR in 2300 under both stabilization scenarios exceeds unmitigated SLR in 2100. Therefore, adaptation remains essential in densely populated and economically important coastal areas under climate stabilization. Given the multiple adaptation steps that this will require, an adaptation pathways approach has merits for coastal areas.This article is part of the theme issue 'The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'. © 2018 The Authors.

Stabilization of global temperature at 1.5°C and 2.0°C: implications for coastal areas

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholls, Robert J.; Brown, Sally; Goodwin, Philip; Wahl, Thomas; Lowe, Jason; Solan, Martin; Godbold, Jasmin A.; Haigh, Ivan D.; Lincke, Daniel; Hinkel, Jochen; Wolff, Claudia; Merkens, Jan-Ludolf

2018-05-01

The effectiveness of stringent climate stabilization scenarios for coastal areas in terms of reduction of impacts/adaptation needs and wider policy implications has received little attention. Here we use the Warming Acidification and Sea Level Projector Earth systems model to calculate large ensembles of global sea-level rise (SLR) and ocean pH projections to 2300 for 1.5°C and 2.0°C stabilization scenarios, and a reference unmitigated RCP8.5 scenario. The potential consequences of these projections are then considered for global coastal flooding, small islands, deltas, coastal cities and coastal ecology. Under both stabilization scenarios, global mean ocean pH (and temperature) stabilize within a century. This implies significant ecosystem impacts are avoided, but detailed quantification is lacking, reflecting scientific uncertainty. By contrast, SLR is only slowed and continues to 2300 (and beyond). Hence, while coastal impacts due to SLR are reduced significantly by climate stabilization, especially after 2100, potential impacts continue to grow for centuries. SLR in 2300 under both stabilization scenarios exceeds unmitigated SLR in 2100. Therefore, adaptation remains essential in densely populated and economically important coastal areas under climate stabilization. Given the multiple adaptation steps that this will require, an adaptation pathways approach has merits for coastal areas. This article is part of the theme issue `The Paris Agreement: understanding the physical and social challenges for a warming world of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels'.

Evaluation of the thermal stability of a novel strain of live-attenuated mumps vaccine (RS-12 strain) lyophilized in different stabilizers.

Science.gov (United States)

Jamil, Razieh Kamali; Taqavian, Mohammad; Sadigh, Zohreh-Azita; Shahkarami, Mohammad-Kazem; Esna-Ashari, Fatemeh; Hamkar, Rasool; Hosseini, Seyedeh-Marzieh; Hatami, Alireza

2014-04-01

The stability of live-attenuated viral vaccines is important for immunization efficacy. Here, the thermostabilities of lyophilized live-attenuated mumps vaccine formulations in two different stabilizers, a trehalose dihydrate-based stabilizer and a stabilizer containing sucrose, human serum albumin and sorbitol were investigated using accelerated stability tests at 4°C, 25°C and 37°C at time points between 4h (every 4h for the first 24h) and 1 week. Even under the harshest storage conditions of 37°C for 1 week, the 50% cell culture infective dose (CCID50) determined from titrations in Vero cells dropped by less than 10-fold using each stabilizer formulation and thus complied with the World Health Organization's requirements for the potency of live-attenuated mumps vaccines. However, as the half-life of the RS-12 strain mumps virus infectivity was lengthened substantially at elevated temperatures using the trehalose dihydrate (TD)-based stabilizer, this stabilizer is recommended for vaccine use. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Managing the world's forests.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, N; Rowe, R

1992-06-01

Forests play a vital role in balancing natural systems: the stabilization of global climate and the management of water and land. 30% of the earth's total land area is forested. 66% of the tropical moist forests are in Latin America and the remainder in Africa and Asia. 75% of tropical dry forests are in Africa. Temperate forests are primarily in developed countries. Deforestation and misuse of forests occurs primarily in developing countries at significant social, economic, and environmental costs. Losses have occurred in fuelwood, fodder, timber, forest products, biological diversity, habitats, genetic materials for food and medicine. The World Bank's evolving role in forestry is briefly described. Agreement has not been reached among people or nations about the most appropriate means to balance conservation and development goals. The challenge is to stabilize existing forests and increase forest planting. The causes of forest degradation must be understood. Direct causes include agricultural encroachment, cattle ranching, fuelwood gathering, commercial logging, and infrastructure development. These direct causes are driven by economic, social, and political forces: market and policy failures, population growth, and poverty. The market failures include: 1) the lack of clearly defined property rights on forest resources for now and the future, 2) the conflict between individual and societal needs, 3) the difficulty in placing a value on nonmarket environmental services and joint products, and 4) the separation between private and social costs. The solution is action at the local, national, and global levels. Countries must establish forest policy. The existing government incentives which promote deforestation must be changed. For example, concession policy and royalty systems must be corrected; explicit and implicit export subsidies on timber and forest products must be stopped. Private incentives must be established to promote planting of trees, practicing

New frontiers for tomorrow's world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kassler, P.

1994-01-01

The conference paper deals with new frontiers and barricades in the global economic development and their influence on fuel consumption and energy source development. Topics discussed are incremental energy supply - new frontiers, world car population - new frontiers, OPEC crude production capacity vs call on OPEC, incremental world oil demand by region 1992-2000, oil resource cost curve, progress in seismic 1983-1991, Troll picture, cost reduction in renewables, sustained growth scenario, nuclear electricity capacity - France, OECD road transport fuels - barricades, and energy taxation. 18 figs

Population success.

Science.gov (United States)

1982-01-01

"The commitment to population programs is now widespread," says Rafael Salas, Executive Director of the UNFPA, in its report "State of World Population." About 80% of the total population of the developing world live in countries which consider their fertility levels too high and would like them reduced. An important impetus came from the World Conference of 1974. The Plan of Action from the conference projected population growth rates in developing countries of 2.0% by 1985. Today it looks as though this projection will be realized. While in 1969, for example, only 26 developing countries had programs aimed at lowering or maintaining fertility levels, by 1980 there were 59. The International Population Conference, recently announced by the UN for 1984, will, it is hoped, help sustain that momentum. Cuba is the country which has shown the greatest decline in birth rate so far. The birth rate fell 47% between 1965-1970 and 1975-1980. Next came China with a 34% decline in the same period. After these came a group of countries--each with populations of over 10 million--with declines of between 15 and 25%: Chile, Colombia, India, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Thailand. Though birth rates have been dropping significantly the decline in mortality rates over recent years has been less than was hoped for. The 1974 conference set 74 years as the target for the world's average expectation of life, to be reached by the year 2000. But the UN now predicts that the developing countries will have only reached 63 or 64 years by then. High infant and child mortality rates, particularly in Africa, are among the major causes. The report identifies the status of women as an important determinant of family size. Evidence from the UNFPA-sponsored World Fertility Survey shows that in general the fertility of women decreases as their income increases. It also indicates that women who have been educated and who work outside the home are likely to have smaller families

Controlling Population with Pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Browne, Joseph

2010-01-01

Population models are often discussed in algebra, calculus, and differential equations courses. In this article we will use the human population of the world as our application. After quick looks at two common models we'll investigate more deeply a model which incorporates the negative effect that accumulated pollution may have on population.

Safety of Tofacitinib in the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Latin America Compared With the Rest of the World Population.

Science.gov (United States)

Castañeda, Oswaldo M; Romero, Felix J; Salinas, Ariel; Citera, Gustavo; Mysler, Eduardo; Rillo, Oscar; Radominski, Sebastiao C; Cardiel, Mario H; Jaller, Juan J; Alvarez-Moreno, Carlos; Ponce de Leon, Dario; Castelli, Graciela; García, Erika G; Kwok, Kenneth; Rojo, Ricardo

2017-06-01

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, autoimmune disease characterized by joint destruction. Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor for the treatment of RA. This post hoc analysis assessed the safety of tofacitinib in Latin American (LA) patients with RA versus the Rest of World (RoW) population. Data were pooled from 14 clinical studies of tofacitinib: six Phase 2, six Phase 3 and two long-term extension studies. Incidence rates (IRs; patients with events/100 patient-years of treatment exposure) were calculated for safety events of special interest combined across tofacitinib doses. 95% confidence intervals (CI) for IRs were calculated using the maximum likelihood method. Descriptive comparisons were made between LA and RoW (excluding LA) populations. This analysis included data from 984 LA patients and 4687 RoW patients. IRs for safety events of special interest were generally similar between LA and RoW populations, with overlapping 95% CIs. IRs for discontinuation due to adverse events, serious infections, tuberculosis, all herpes zoster (HZ), serious HZ, malignancies (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) and major adverse cardiovascular events were numerically lower for LA versus RoW patients; IR for mortality was numerically higher. No lymphoma was reported in the LA population versus eight cases in the RoW population. Exposure (extent and length) was lower in the LA population (2148.33 patient-years [mean = 2.18 years]) versus RoW (10515.68 patient-years [mean = 2.24 years]). This analysis of pooled data from clinical studies of tofacitinib in patients with RA demonstrates that tofacitinib has a consistent safety profile across LA and RoW patient populations.

The Soviet Union and population: theory, problems, and population policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Maio, A J

1980-04-01

Until the important public dialog on 3rd World population issues began in the Soviet Uuion in 1965, ideological limitations and bureaucratic interests prevented policy makers from recognizing the existence of a world of national "population problem." Since then, freer discussions of the Soviet Union's surprising decline in birthrate and labor shortages have led to serious policy questions. Conflicting policy goals, however, have resulted in only modest pronatalist policies. The Soviet population problem is a result of interregional disparities in population growth rates between the highly urbanized Soviet European populations with low birth rates and the least urbanized Central Asians with dramatically higher birth rates. As a result, these essentially Muslim people will provide the only major increases in labor resources and an increasing percentage of Soviet armed forces recruits. Policy planners are thus faced with difficult options. Current policies stressing technological transfers from the west and greater labor productivity, however, are unlikely to solve further labor shortages and regional imbalances. Ultimately, nonEuropana regions will be in an improved bargaining position for more favorable nationwide economic policies and for a greater role in policy planning.

Benefits to world agriculture through remote sensing

Science.gov (United States)

Buffalano, A. C.; Kochanowski, P.

1976-01-01

Remote sensing of agricultural land permits crop classification and mensuration which can lead to improved forecasts of production. This technique is particularly important for nations which do not already have an accurate agricultural reporting system. Better forecasts have important economic effects. International grain traders can make better decisions about when to store, buy, and sell. Farmers can make better planting decisions by taking advantage of production estimates for areas out of phase with their own agricultural calendar. World economic benefits will accrue to both buyers and sellers because of increased food supply and price stabilization. This paper reviews the econometric models used to establish this scenario and estimates the dollar value of benefits for world wheat as 200 million dollars annually for the United States and 300 to 400 million dollars annually for the rest of the world.

The new world disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Checa, Nicolas; Maguire, John; Barney, Jonathan

2003-08-01

On January 1, 1995, representatives from 76 countries signed the World Trade Organization charter, which for years had been part of a temporary trade agreement. The WTO's emergence as a fully empowered supranational body seemed to reflect the triumph of what the first President Bush had described as the "new world order." That order was based on two assumptions: that a healthy economy and a sound financial system make for political stability, and that countries in business together do not fight each other. The number one priority of U.S. foreign policy was thus to encourage the former Communist countries of Europe and the developing nations in Latin America, Asia, and Africa to adopt business-friendly policies. Private capital would flow from the developed world into these countries, creating economic growth. It sounded too good to be true, and so it proved. The new world order of Bush père and his successor, Bill Clinton, has been replaced by the new world disorder of Bush fils. Under the second Bush's administration, the economic and political rationale-behind the Washington consensus of the 1990s has unraveled, forcing a radical change in our perceptions of which countries are safe for business. Negotiating this new environment will require companies to more rigorously evaluate political events and more carefully assess the links between political, economic, and financial risk factors. They'll need to be more selective about which markets to enter, and they'll need to think differently about how to position themselves in those markets. The geopolitical events of the past year, the Bush administration's global war on terror, as well as ongoing convulsions in traditional political and economic relationships must be understood and managed by corporate leaders worldwide. With careful analysis, business leaders can increase their companies' visibility and better respond to the uncertainties of the new world disorder.

ENSURING STRATEGIC STABILITY OF INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES IN RUSSIA BASED ON PRODUCTION EFFICIENCY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. V. Lyasnikov

2010-01-01

Full Text Available World economic crisis conditions demand that strategic stability of real sector industry enterprises be provided for. Basic approaches to determination of economic essence of such concepts as stability and competitiveness are discussed. On the basis of the author’s approach, the above economic categories are treated as two equivalent concepts active for short time periods, the approach testifying that stability of an enterprise is the time-spread competitiveness.

Higgs-radion phenomenology in stabilized RS models

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boos Eduard

2016-01-01

Full Text Available An important general prediction of stabilized brane world models is the existence of a bulk scalar radion field, whose lowest Kaluza-Klein (KK mode is the scalar particle called the radion. This field comes from the fluctuations of the metric in the extra dimension and the radion mass can be smaller than that of all the massive KK modes of the other particles propagating in the multidimensional bulk. Due to its origin, the radion and its KK tower couple to the trace of the energy-momentum tensor of the Standard Model. These fields have the same quantum numbers as the neutral Higgs field and can mix with the latter, if they are coupled. We present a short review of some aspects of Higgs-radion phenomenology in stabilized brane-world models. In particular, we discuss the possibility of explaining the 750 GeV excess by the production of a radion-dominated state.

Oral Anticoagulants Initiation in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation: Real-World Data from a Population-Based Cohort

Science.gov (United States)

Rodríguez-Bernal, Clara L.; Hurtado, Isabel; García-Sempere, Aníbal; Peiró, Salvador; Sanfélix-Gimeno, Gabriel

2017-01-01

Objective: Little is known about initial prescription of currently used oral anticoagulants (OAC), and correlated characteristics in real-world practice. We aimed to assess patterns of initiation of Vitamin K antagonists (VKA) and non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOAC) in naive patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation and the factors associated with starting treatment with NOAC. Methods: Population-based retrospective cohort study of all patients with NVAF who had a first prescription of OAC from November 2011 to February 2014 in the Valencia region, Spain (n = 21,881). Temporal trends of OAC initiation are described for the whole population and by type of OAC and therapeutic agent. Factors associated with starting treatment with NOAC (vs. VKA) were identified using logistic multivariate regression models. Results: Among the patients initiating OAC, 25% started with NOAC 2 years after market release. Regarding temporal trends, prescription of NOAC doubled during the study period. VKA prescription also increased (by around 13%), resulting in a 30% rise in total treatment initiation with OAC during 2011–2014. NOAC initiation (vs. VKA) was associated with a lower baseline risk of thromboembolism and higher income. Conclusions: In this Spanish population-based cohort, initiation of OAC therapy saw a rapid increase, mainly but not exclusively, due to a two-fold rise in the use of NOAC. Initiation with NOAC was associated with a lower baseline risk of thromboembolism and higher income, which opposes the indications of NOAC use and reflects disparities in care. Inadequate prescription patterns might threaten the effectiveness and safety of these therapies, thus monitoring OAC prescription is necessary and should be setting-specific. PMID:28261098

World energy projections to 2030

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Criqui, P.; Kouvaritakis, N.

2000-01-01

This paper provides a description of the international energy projections elaborated with the POLES energy model for the purpose of analysing, in other papers of this issue, the impacts of technological change at world level and to 2030. Section 2 describes the key exogenous hypotheses on population and economic growth used for this projection, as well as the main resulting changes for the world energy system and in terms of CO 2 emissions. In Section 3 the dynamics of the energy systems are further analysed for four main world regions, while Section 4 is dedicated to the identification of the key uncertainties and of their possible impacts on future energy development. Finally, the last section presents the key messages of this outlook, which shows a rapidly growing world economy and energy consumption with increasing oil and gas prices, although this last feature remains subject to uncertainties on resource endowment estimates. (orig.)

Extensive analysis of native and non-native Centaurea solstitialis L. populations across the world shows no traces of polyploidization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramona-Elena Irimia

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Centaurea solstitialis L. (yellow starthistle, Asteraceae is a Eurasian native plant introduced as an exotic into North and South America, and Australia, where it is regarded as a noxious invasive. Changes in ploidy level have been found to be responsible for numerous plant biological invasions, as they are involved in trait shifts critical to invasive success, like increased growth rate and biomass, longer life-span, or polycarpy. C. solstitialis had been reported to be diploid (2n = 2x = 16 chromosomes, however, actual data are scarce and sometimes contradictory. We determined for the first time the absolute nuclear DNA content by flow cytometry and estimated ploidy level in 52 natural populations of C. solstitialis across its native and non-native ranges, around the world. All the C. solstitialis populations screened were found to be homogeneously diploid (average 2C value of 1.72 pg, SD = ±0.06 pg, with no significant variation in DNA content between invasive and non-invasive genotypes. We did not find any meaningful difference among the extensive number of native and non-native C. solstitialis populations sampled around the globe, indicating that the species invasive success is not due to changes in genome size or ploidy level.

Extensive analysis of native and non-native Centaurea solstitialis L. populations across the world shows no traces of polyploidization.

Science.gov (United States)

Irimia, Ramona-Elena; Montesinos, Daniel; Eren, Özkan; Lortie, Christopher J; French, Kristine; Cavieres, Lohengrin A; Sotes, Gastón J; Hierro, José L; Jorge, Andreia; Loureiro, João

2017-01-01

Centaurea solstitialis L. (yellow starthistle, Asteraceae) is a Eurasian native plant introduced as an exotic into North and South America, and Australia, where it is regarded as a noxious invasive. Changes in ploidy level have been found to be responsible for numerous plant biological invasions, as they are involved in trait shifts critical to invasive success, like increased growth rate and biomass, longer life-span, or polycarpy. C . solstitialis had been reported to be diploid (2 n  = 2 x  = 16 chromosomes), however, actual data are scarce and sometimes contradictory. We determined for the first time the absolute nuclear DNA content by flow cytometry and estimated ploidy level in 52 natural populations of C . solstitialis across its native and non-native ranges, around the world. All the C. solstitialis populations screened were found to be homogeneously diploid (average 2C value of 1.72 pg, SD = ±0.06 pg), with no significant variation in DNA content between invasive and non-invasive genotypes. We did not find any meaningful difference among the extensive number of native and non-native C . solstitialis populations sampled around the globe, indicating that the species invasive success is not due to changes in genome size or ploidy level.

Population and Development: Perspective on a Teaching Challenge.

Science.gov (United States)

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)

Discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for solving population density functions of cortical pyramidal and thalamic neuronal populations.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Chih-Hsu; Lin, Chou-Ching K; Ju, Ming-Shaung

2015-02-01

Compared with the Monte Carlo method, the population density method is efficient for modeling collective dynamics of neuronal populations in human brain. In this method, a population density function describes the probabilistic distribution of states of all neurons in the population and it is governed by a hyperbolic partial differential equation. In the past, the problem was mainly solved by using the finite difference method. In a previous study, a continuous Galerkin finite element method was found better than the finite difference method for solving the hyperbolic partial differential equation; however, the population density function often has discontinuity and both methods suffer from a numerical stability problem. The goal of this study is to improve the numerical stability of the solution using discontinuous Galerkin finite element method. To test the performance of the new approach, interaction of a population of cortical pyramidal neurons and a population of thalamic neurons was simulated. The numerical results showed good agreement between results of discontinuous Galerkin finite element and Monte Carlo methods. The convergence and accuracy of the solutions are excellent. The numerical stability problem could be resolved using the discontinuous Galerkin finite element method which has total-variation-diminishing property. The efficient approach will be employed to simulate the electroencephalogram or dynamics of thalamocortical network which involves three populations, namely, thalamic reticular neurons, thalamocortical neurons and cortical pyramidal neurons. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Agents in Virtual Worlds : a Middleware Design Approach

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Oijen, Joost

2014-01-01

In the past decade, significant advances have been made in the technologies for creating virtual worlds. These advances are accompanied with the need for intelligent, human-like characters to populate these virtual worlds. Such characters are also known as intelligent virtual agents (IVAs). IVAs are

The emergence of vitamins as bio-political objects during World War I.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Robyn

2009-09-01

Biochemists investigating the problem of the vitamins in the early years of the twentieth century were working without an object, as such. Although they had developed a fairly elaborate idea of the character of the 'vitamine' and its role in metabolism, vitamins were not yet biochemical objects, but rather 'functional ascriptions' and 'explanatory devices'. I suggest that an early instance of the changing status of the object of the 'vitamins' can be found in their stabilization, through the course of World War I, as bio-political objects for the British and Allied war effort. Vitamins emerged as players, active agents, in Britain's wartime bio-political problems of food distribution and population health and because of this they became increasingly real as bio-political objects, even prior to their isolation as bio-chemical molecules. I suggest that the materiality of our biology has agency in the development of political regimes and schemes.

Adiabatic stabilization: observation of the surviving population

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Druten, N.J.; Constantinescu, R.C.; Schins, J.M.; Nieuwenhuize, H.; Muller, H.G.

1997-01-01

Photoionization of the circular 5g Rydberg state in neon by an intense subpicosecond light pulse is studied. Both the photoionization yield and the remaining population are measured. We find that the photoionization yield does not increase when the pulse peak intensity is increased above 60 TW/cm2,

A single-longitudinal-mode Brillouin fiber laser passively stabilized at the pump resonance frequency with a dynamic population inversion grating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spirin, V V; López-Mercado, C A; Kinet, D; Mégret, P; Fotiadi, A A; Zolotovskiy, I O

2013-01-01

We demonstrate a single-longitudinal-mode Brillouin ring fiber laser passively stabilized at the resonance frequency with a 1.7 m section that is an unpumped polarization-maintaining erbium-doped fiber. The two coupled all-fiber Fabry–Perot interferometers that comprise the cavity, in combination with the dynamical population inversion gratings self-induced in the active fiber, provide adaptive pump-mode selection and Stokes wave generation at the same time. The laser is shown to emit a single-frequency Stokes wave with a linewidth narrower than 100 Hz. (letter)

Energy for the world economy of tomorrow. Energie fuer die Weltwirtschaft von morgen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennewitz, J

1984-01-01

Will the world's energy resources suffice to secure the world economy's supply in the face of the continuing growth of the world population. This question is answered. The development of the world population shows patterns which make possible an estimation of the future populations of industrial and developing countries. The rise of the primary energy carriers is described. An analysis of the reserves and resources concludes that, if energy policies remain unchanged, reserves will be exhausted by the middle of the next century. In this connection, the introduction of atomic energy according to present plans and the possibilities of energy sources which may be re-generated are considered. The availability of liquid energy carriers based on petroleum will probably become a decisive bottleneck for the world's energy supply before the end of this century. The danger of coming to an energy disaster in our life-time can be averted. Possibilities for securing the energy supply in the future are proposed. In this connection, the positive effects on unemployment are spelled out. The idea of 'World Energy Management' is discussed.

Incentives and stability of international climate coalitions: An integrated assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosetti, Valentina; Carraro, Carlo; De Cian, Enrica; Massetti, Emanuele; Tavoni, Massimo

2013-01-01

This paper analyses the incentives to participate in an international climate agreement and the stability of the resulting climate coalition using the integrated assessment model WITCH. Coalition stability is assessed under alternative assumptions concerning the pure rate of time preference, the aggregation of social welfare, and the severity of climate damages. The profitability, stability, and strong potential internal stability of a number of coalitions, those potentially effective in reducing GHG emissions, is explored in the paper. The main conclusion is that only the grand coalition, i.e. a coalition where all world regions cooperate to reduce emissions, can maintain GHG concentration below 550 ppm CO 2 -eq. However, this coalition is not internally stable, even when allowing for monetary transfers across world regions. Nonetheless, the paper also shows that strongly potentially internally stable coalitions exist, though of smaller size, which can mitigate global warming and limit GHG concentrations to 600 ppm CO 2 -eq. - Highlights: ► We analyse climate coalitions with an integrated assessment model. ► Coalitions’ profitability and stability is analysed under alternative assumptions. ► Effective coalitions should include larger emitters (such as India and China). ► A coalition that achieves 550 ppm CO 2 -eq is not internally stable. ► A stable coalition can achieve around 518 ppme in 2050 and 600 ppme in 2100

The Diverse World of Early Childhood. Global Status Report.

Science.gov (United States)

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.…

SusClime. A simulation game on population and development in a resource- and climate-constrained two-country world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Vries, B.

1995-10-01

In this report we introduce simulation-gaming as a tool to explore long-term futures. The model world of SusClime is a simple world with two capital stocks, one producing goods ('goods producing capital') and one providing services including consumption ('population capital') for the people. The necessary energy is delivered by two capital stocks, one based on oil ('carbon-energy') and one on renewable energy ('alternative'). Investments in energy efficiency bring down the required energy. The important decisions in the game are about investments, that is, the allocation of the goods produced among these five capital stocks. Moreover, the two countries can trade oil and make loans. The major challenge is to go through the demographic transition by increasing the welfare per person and to make the transition from oil to renewable energy. The latter is needed to avoid negative impacts on the economy due to rising CO 2 -concentrations. After the description of the game, some suggestions for systematic experiments are made as a way to gain a better understanding about how cultural bias affects people's perception of and behaviour with regard to aspects of the quest for sustainable development. 10 figs., 2 tabs., 36 refs., 6 appendices

Energy security in a competitive world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stevenson, M.G.

1989-01-01

The world is shrinking and becoming increasingly interconnected. Events in one part of the world quickly impact other parts of the world. Rising standards of living in developed countries, along with rapid communications and growing, mobile populations, go hand in hand with greater worldwide interconnectedness but at the same time are leading to a greater rate of resource depletion. Adequate and economical energy resources are one of the crucial factors in maintaining and increasing standards of living around the world, yet nonrenewable energy resources are being depleted. The international marketplace is also becoming more tightly interconnected and competitive. Increasing trade competition among nations may lead to greater economic efficiency and, on the whole, to improved living standards in successful countries, but competition also contributes to barriers against cooperation. International trade competition may be leading to a tendency for competing nations to become more parochial in technology research and development. The impact of growing populations and rising living standards on the world's environment is also increasing and becoming more pervasive. Solid waste disposal is an increasingly aggravating problem, and hazardous waste and toxic wastes are even more difficult to deal with. Acid rain, global climate change, ozone-layer depletion, stream and harbor pollution, and the resulting pollution of the oceans are all evidence of a highly interconnected world. It is easy to argue that solutions must be political, economic, and social. In large part this must be the case; but as technologists, we want to do all we can to give political, economic, and social forces the best opportunity to succeed. Technology will be part of the solution and not just part of the problem of securing adequate energy supplies with acceptable environmental impact. 2 refs

Water research for the world

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Van Halem, D.

2013-01-01

Let’s start with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Report 2012. Remember the target? Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Thanks to China and India the world has met the drinking water target in 2010,

Fertility and Population Policy

OpenAIRE

Ouedraogo, Abdoulaye; Tosun, Mehmet S.; Yang, Jingjing

2018-01-01

There have been significant changes in both the fertility rates and fertility perception since 1970s. In this paper, we examine the relationship between government policies towards fertility and the fertility trends. Total fertility rate, defined as the number of children per woman, is used as the main fertility trend variable. We use panel data from the United Nations World Population Policies database, and the World Bank World Development Indicators for the period 1976 through 2013. We find...

Prevalence and causes of visual impairment according to World Health Organization and United States criteria in an aged, urban Scandinavian population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buch, Helena; Vinding, T; Nielsen, N V

2001-01-01

PURPOSE: To evaluate the prevalence and causes of visual impairment in an epidemiologic study of aged, urban individuals in Denmark. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: The study population consisted of 1000 randomly selected residents aged 60 to 80 years in Copenhagen, Denmark. Of 976...... eligible persons, 946 (96.9%) could be examined. Information about best-corrected visual acuity (VA) was obtained from 944 cooperative persons (96.7%). METHODS: Data from the Copenhagen City Eye Study were used to assess the cause-specific prevalence of visual impairment as defined by the World Health...

Searching for the New World Monetary Standard

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ishkhanov Aleksandr Vladimirovich

2014-11-01

Full Text Available In the article the influence of the existing world currency system on the international financial relations is considered, the retrospective analysis of the existing four currency systems is carried out. The change of a world currency order is justified. The concept of the new international currency standard based on division of functions of money between separate financial instruments of one currency is offered. The functional communications between financial instruments are revealed. The comparison of function of money and independent tools of new world currency is carried out, it is supposed that tools are actually completely capable to carry out all functions of money. Therefore, the new international currency standard is based on division of these functions between separate tools and can be defined as polytool. The general function chart of the polytool world currency standard including their functional connections between reserve tool, reverse tool and credit as well as their characteristics which should determine the activity of world reserve system. Prerequisites of replacement of the Jamaican currency system by the alternative are proved; the most perspective way of transition to the polytool standard is revealed; the additional functions of the polytool standard are designated – stimulation of issuers of the leading world currencies to refuse harmful policy of competitive devaluation, stimulation of integration of the countries and creation of collective currencies (currency zones and associations that will significantly increase financial stability of world economy.

Population genomics reveals that an anthropophilic population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in West Africa recently gave rise to American and Asian populations of this major disease vector

KAUST Repository

Crawford, Jacob E.; Alves, Joel M.; Palmer, William J.; Day, Jonathan P.; Sylla, Massamba; Ramasamy, Ranjan; Surendran, Sinnathamby N.; Black, William C., IV; Pain, Arnab; Jiggins, Francis M.

2017-01-01

this transition, we have sequenced the exomes of mosquitoes collected from five populations from around the world. We found that Ae. aegypti specimens from an urban population in Senegal in West Africa were more closely related to populations in Mexico and Sri

Oilseeds and vegetable oils in asia: a world of diversity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mittaine Jean-François

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Out of the two dozen countries that constitute what is generally called “Asia”, some are the largest in the world while others are islands with smaller populations. When looking at oilseeds and vegetable oils in the region, one is faced with the same huge diversity which makes it complex to analyze, all the more that statistics are not easily available for many countries. Aside from the large differences in size, the region covers a wide spectrum of diversified climate environments. Asia is also mainly characterized by its huge population which has become largely urban, a key factor leading to the impressive growth of vegetable oil demand in the past 30 years. At an verage of 23.2 kg/year, Asian per capita consumption of oils and fats still remains slightly below the world average of 28.3 kg/capita/year. Therefore, although 53% of the world population is located in Asia, only 45% of world oils and fats is consumed in the region. As detailed in the paper, the world of Asian oilseeds and vegetable oils is highly concentrated on soybeans and palm oil. In spite of a large domestic production in China (12.3 MnT, soybeans are imported in huge quantities, mostly by China (78 MnT, 84% of the region’s imports where more than 28% of world soybeans production is being crushed. Palm oil, the second large commodity consumed in the region, is mainly produced within the region, mostly in Indonesia and Malaysia. So where is the “world of diversity”? Hidden behind those two dominant commodities, practically all of the ten oilseeds constituting the core of the world production are grown in significant quantities in the region while, for vegetable oils, all those of significant importance are produced within the region with the exception of olive oil. The main question that should be kept in mind when reviewing this large regional demand is under what condition will future vegetable oil production be able to meet the expected rise of per capita oils and

Modeling Methodologies for Representing Urban Cultural Geographies in Stability Operations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ferris, Todd P

2008-01-01

... 2.0.0, in an effort to provide modeling methodologies for a single simulation tool capable of exploring the complex world of urban cultural geographies undergoing Stability Operations in an irregular warfare (IW) environment...

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

Science.gov (United States)

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,…

Small-world networks exhibit pronounced intermittent synchronization

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhary, Anshul; Mitra, Chiranjit; Kohar, Vivek; Sinha, Sudeshna; Kurths, Jürgen

2017-11-01

We report the phenomenon of temporally intermittently synchronized and desynchronized dynamics in Watts-Strogatz networks of chaotic Rössler oscillators. We consider topologies for which the master stability function (MSF) predicts stable synchronized behaviour, as the rewiring probability (p) is tuned from 0 to 1. MSF essentially utilizes the largest non-zero Lyapunov exponent transversal to the synchronization manifold in making stability considerations, thereby ignoring the other Lyapunov exponents. However, for an N-node networked dynamical system, we observe that the difference in its Lyapunov spectra (corresponding to the N - 1 directions transversal to the synchronization manifold) is crucial and serves as an indicator of the presence of intermittently synchronized behaviour. In addition to the linear stability-based (MSF) analysis, we further provide global stability estimate in terms of the fraction of state-space volume shared by the intermittently synchronized state, as p is varied from 0 to 1. This fraction becomes appreciably large in the small-world regime, which is surprising, since this limit has been otherwise considered optimal for synchronized dynamics. Finally, we characterize the nature of the observed intermittency and its dominance in state-space as network rewiring probability (p) is varied.

Quantifying Stability in Complex Networks: From Linear to Basin Stability

Science.gov (United States)

Kurths, Jürgen

The human brain, power grids, arrays of coupled lasers and the Amazon rainforest are all characterized by multistability. The likelihood that these systems will remain in the most desirable of their many stable states depends on their stability against significant perturbations, particularly in a state space populated by undesirable states. Here we claim that the traditional linearization-based approach to stability is in several cases too local to adequately assess how stable a state is. Instead, we quantify it in terms of basin stability, a new measure related to the volume of the basin of attraction. Basin stability is non-local, nonlinear and easily applicable, even to high-dimensional systems. It provides a long-sought-after explanation for the surprisingly regular topologies of neural networks and power grids, which have eluded theoretical description based solely on linear stability. Specifically, we employ a component-wise version of basin stability, a nonlinear inspection scheme, to investigate how a grid's degree of stability is influenced by certain patterns in the wiring topology. Various statistics from our ensemble simulations all support one main finding: The widespread and cheapest of all connection schemes, namely dead ends and dead trees, strongly diminish stability. For the Northern European power system we demonstrate that the inverse is also true: `Healing' dead ends by addition of transmission lines substantially enhances stability. This indicates a crucial smart-design principle for tomorrow's sustainable power grids: add just a few more lines to avoid dead ends. Further, we analyse the particular function of certain network motifs to promote the stability of the system. Here we uncover the impact of so-called detour motifs on the appearance of nodes with a poor stability score and discuss the implications for power grid design. Moreover, it will be shown that basin stability enables uncovering the mechanism for explosive synchronization and

New frontiers for tomorrow`s world

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kassler, P [Shell International Petroleum Co. Ltd., London (United Kingdom)

1994-12-31

The conference paper deals with new frontiers and barricades in the global economic development and their influence on fuel consumption and energy source development. Topics discussed are incremental energy supply - new frontiers, world car population - new frontiers, OPEC crude production capacity vs call on OPEC, incremental world oil demand by region 1992-2000, oil resource cost curve, progress in seismic 1983-1991, Troll picture, cost reduction in renewables, sustained growth scenario, nuclear electricity capacity - France, OECD road transport fuels - barricades, and energy taxation. 18 figs.

U.S. Navy Marine Climatic Atlas of the World. Volume IX. World-Wide Means and Standard Deviations

Science.gov (United States)

1981-10-01

TITLE (..d SobtII,) S. TYPE OF REPORT & PERIOD COVERED U. S. Navy Marine Climatic Atlas of the World Volume IX World-wide Means and Standard Reference...Ives the best estimate of the population standard deviations. The means, , are com~nuted from: EX IIN I 90 80 70 60" 50’ 40, 30 20 10 0 1070 T- VErr ...or 10%, whichever is greater Since the mean ice limit approximates the minus two de l temperature isopleth, this analyzed lower limit was Wave Heights

Stability of the World Trade Web over Time - An Extinction Analysis

OpenAIRE

N. Foti; S. Pauls; Daniel N. Rockmore

2011-01-01

The World Trade Web (WTW) is a weighted network whose nodes correspond to countries with edge weights reflecting the value of imports and/or exports between countries. In this paper we introduce to this macroeconomic system the notion of extinction analysis, a technique often used in the analysis of ecosystems, for the purposes of investigating the robustness of this network. In particular, we subject the WTW to a principled set of in silico "knockout experiments," akin to those carried out i...

The population genomics of begomoviruses: global scale population structure and gene flow

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prasanna HC

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The rapidly growing availability of diverse full genome sequences from across the world is increasing the feasibility of studying the large-scale population processes that underly observable pattern of virus diversity. In particular, characterizing the genetic structure of virus populations could potentially reveal much about how factors such as geographical distributions, host ranges and gene flow between populations combine to produce the discontinuous patterns of genetic diversity that we perceive as distinct virus species. Among the richest and most diverse full genome datasets that are available is that for the dicotyledonous plant infecting genus, Begomovirus, in the Family Geminiviridae. The begomoviruses all share the same whitefly vector, are highly recombinogenic and are distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions where they seriously threaten the food security of the world's poorest people. Results We focus here on using a model-based population genetic approach to identify the genetically distinct sub-populations within the global begomovirus meta-population. We demonstrate the existence of at least seven major sub-populations that can further be sub-divided into as many as thirty four significantly differentiated and genetically cohesive minor sub-populations. Using the population structure framework revealed in the present study, we further explored the extent of gene flow and recombination between genetic populations. Conclusions Although geographical barriers are apparently the most significant underlying cause of the seven major population sub-divisions, within the framework of these sub-divisions, we explore patterns of gene flow to reveal that both host range differences and genetic barriers to recombination have probably been major contributors to the minor population sub-divisions that we have identified. We believe that the global Begomovirus population structure revealed here could

Stability of the graviton Bose–Einstein condensate in the brane-world

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Casadio, Roberto, E-mail: casadio@bo.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna, via Irnerio 46, 40126 Bologna (Italy); INFN, Sezione di Bologna, viale B. Pichat 6, 40127 Bologna (Italy); Rocha, Roldão da, E-mail: roldao.rocha@ufabc.edu.br [CMCC, Universidade Federal do ABC, 09210-580, Santo André, SP (Brazil)

2016-12-10

We consider a solution of the effective four-dimensional Einstein equations, obtained from the general relativistic Schwarzschild metric through the principle of Minimal Geometric Deformation (MGD). Since the brane tension can, in general, introduce new singularities on a relativistic Eötvös brane model in the MGD framework, we require the absence of observed singularities, in order to constrain the brane tension. We then study the corresponding Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) gravitational system and determine the critical stability region of BEC MGD stellar configurations. Finally, the critical stellar densities are shown to be related with critical points of the information entropy.

Proceedings of the 14. forum: Croatian Energy Day: Energy: Its reality and outlook - World - Europe - Croatia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Granic, G.; Jelavic, B.

2005-01-01

This year the Croatian Energy Society is organizing its 14. Forum. For this occasion we chose the topic Energy perspectives today and tomorrow, World-Europe-Croatia, which in recent years is increasingly in the focus of interest not only of energy experts but of broad public as well. Namely, the end of the 20. and beginning of the 21st century saw the changes that, in many ways, influenced the energy market development. Views on the future and energy supply stability as they were in the era of divisions (free and communist world, developed and undeveloped world) must be substantially and urgently changed, because the geopolitical landscape of the world has been changing as well as development dynamics of countries and parts of continents. For Europe (Croatia included), which has deficit of primary energy sources and depends on energy import, reliability, availability security and economy of imported energy are key assumptions of sustainable economic and ecological development. The Forum shall discuss the following issues, which strongly influence or will influence the energy perspectives in the next 50 years: Reserves and potentials (size, geo-allocation of resources, transport possibilities, renewable sources); Technologies (exploitation, production, transport, distribution, consumption: appliances, consumers, and processes); Economic development and energy demand (development levels, richness and poverty, price of energy and social influence, energy efficiency); Environmental protection (Kyoto Protocol, legislation, economic capacities, nuclear energy); Energy trade liberalization (market development, restructuring, common legislation, privatization); Security of supply (local, European and global level); Population growth; Political changes and conflicts, military conflicts, terrorism. World Energy Council (WEC) initiated work on global study on energy development: Energy Scenario to 2050. The energy community around the world is equally interested in this study

Urban population genetics of slum-dwelling rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Salvador, Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Kajdacsi, Brittney; Costa, Federico; Hyseni, Chaz; Porter, Fleur; Brown, Julia; Rodrigues, Gorete; Farias, Helena; Reis, Mitermeyer G.; Childs, James E.; Ko, Albert I.; Caccone, Adalgisa

2013-01-01

Throughout the developing world, urban centers with sprawling slum settlements are rapidly expanding and invading previously forested ecosystems. Slum communities are characterized by untended refuse, open sewers, and overgrown vegetation, which promote rodent infestation. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), are reservoirs for epidemic transmission of many zoonotic pathogens of public health importance. Understanding the population ecology of R. norvegicus is essential to formulate effective rodent control strategies, as this knowledge aids estimation of the temporal stability and spatial connectivity of populations. We screened for genetic variation, characterized the population genetic structure, and evaluated the extent and patterns of gene flow in the urban landscape using 17 microsatellite loci in 146 rats from 9 sites in the city of Salvador, Brazil. These sites were divided between three neighborhoods within the city spaced an average of 2.7 km apart. Surprisingly, we detected very little relatedness among animals trapped at the same site and found high levels of genetic diversity, as well as structuring across small geographic distances. Most FST comparisons among sites were statistically significant, including sites Salvador, linked to the heterogeneous urban landscape. Future rodent control measures need to take into account the spatial and temporal linkage of rat populations in Salvador, as revealed by genetic data, to develop informed eradication strategies. PMID:24118116

On the World and Regional Currencies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rohach Fedir I.

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The problem of pegging currencies of developing countries to the US dollar is that its dynamics determines the economic instability of most of such countries and the world economy as a whole. In this regard there is a need to find alternative variants of the global monetary anchor to ensure the global financial stability. It is proposed to choose an anchor based on the basket of floating national currencies, which will be balanced by counter fluctuations of the basket currencies and be stable with respect to the national currency, as one of the variants. Such basket anchor can potentially perform the function of money and be used as the world and regional currency. The article presents the example of calculating the quotation of national currencies against the baskets based on the data on G-20 and EAEU countries.

Evolving Four Part Harmony Using a Multiple Worlds Model

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Scirea, Marco; Brown, Joseph Alexander

2015-01-01

This application of the Multiple Worlds Model examines a collaborative fitness model for generating four part harmonies. In this model we have multiple populations and the fitness of the individuals is based on the ability of a member from each population to work with the members of other...

Sampling populations of humans across the world: ELSI issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Knoppers, Bartha Maria; Zawati, Ma'n H; Kirby, Emily S

2012-01-01

There are an increasing number of population studies collecting data and samples to illuminate gene-environment contributions to disease risk and health. The rising affordability of innovative technologies capable of generating large amounts of data helps achieve statistical power and has paved the way for new international research collaborations. Most data and sample collections can be grouped into longitudinal, disease-specific, or residual tissue biobanks, with accompanying ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI). Issues pertaining to consent, confidentiality, and oversight cannot be examined using a one-size-fits-all approach-the particularities of each biobank must be taken into account. It remains to be seen whether current governance approaches will be adequate to handle the impact of next-generation sequencing technologies on communication with participants in population biobanking studies.

Governance and health in the Arab world.

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Hydrogen energy strategies and global stability and unrest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Midilli, A.; Dincer, I.; Rosen, M.A.

2004-01-01

This paper focuses on hydrogen energy strategies and global stability and unrest. In order to investigate the strategic relationship between these concepts, two empirical relations that describe the effects of fossil fuels on global stability and global unrest are developed. These relations incorporate predicted utilization ratios for hydrogen energy from non-fossil fuels, and are used to investigate whether hydrogen utilization can reduce the negative global effects related to fossil fuel use, eliminate or reduce the possibilities of global energy conflicts, and contribute to achieving world stability. It is determined that, if utilization of hydrogen from non-fossil fuels increases, for a fixed usage of petroleum, coal and natural gas, the level of global unrest decreases. However, if the utilization ratio of hydrogen energy from non-fossil fuels is lower than 100%, the level of global stability decreases as the symptoms of global unrest increase. It is suggested that, to reduce the causes of global unrest and increase the likelihood of global stability in the future, hydrogen energy should be widely and efficiently used, as one component of plans for sustainable development. (author)

Nuclear energy - stabilising factor in the world economy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Legassov, V.; Feoktistov, L.; Kouzmine, I.

1986-01-01

One of the most important factors for international stability is the development of the economy, reducing the risk of local armed conflicts which could escalate into world-wide nuclear war. Economic progress which plays such a vital part is in turn heavily dependent on energy supplies. The article takes a brief look at the role of nuclear power in this context. (B.M.S.)

Stability of the nonequilibrium states of a superconductor with a finite difference between the populations of the electron- and hole-like spectral branches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gal'perin, Y.M.; Kozub, V.I.; Spivak, B.Z.

1981-01-01

The stability of the nonequilibrium states of a superconductor with a finite difference between the populations of the electron- and hole-like spectral branches is investigated. It is shown that an instability similar to the Cooper instability of a normal metal arises at a sufficiently large value of the imbalance. This eliminates the imbalance within quantum-mechanical (nonkinetic) time periods. The consistency of the allowance for the imbalance in the nonequilibrium Ginzburg-Landau equations is discussed

Safety, Security, and Stability: The Role of Nuclear Control Regimes in a Proliferated World

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Collins, James

1995-01-01

... with developing and deploying nuclear weapons. The US, in the past, has refused to provide technical assistance to enhance the safety, security, and stability of proliferating countries' nuclear arsenals-we believe this policy...

Effect of the small-world structure on encoding performance in the primary visual cortex: an electrophysiological and modeling analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Li; Niu, Xiaoke; Wan, Hong

2015-05-01

The biological networks have been widely reported to present small-world properties. However, the effects of small-world network structure on population's encoding performance remain poorly understood. To address this issue, we applied a small world-based framework to quantify and analyze the response dynamics of cell assemblies recorded from rat primary visual cortex, and further established a population encoding model based on small world-based generalized linear model (SW-GLM). The electrophysiological experimental results show that the small world-based population responses to different topological shapes present significant variation (t test, p 0.8), while no significant variation was found for control networks without considering their spatial connectivity (t test, p > 0.05; effect size: Hedge's g < 0.5). Furthermore, the numerical experimental results show that the predicted response under SW-GLM is more accurate and reliable compared to the control model without small-world structure, and the decoding performance is also improved about 10 % by taking the small-world structure into account. The above results suggest the important role of the small-world neural structure in encoding visual information for the neural population by providing electrophysiological and theoretical evidence, respectively. The study helps greatly to well understand the population encoding mechanisms of visual cortex.

Urban agriculture in the developing world: a review

OpenAIRE

Orsini , Francesco; Kahane , Remi; Nono-Womdim , Remi; Gianquinto , Giorgio

2013-01-01

International audience; The year 2007 marked a critical event in the world history. For the first time, more than half of the world population now lives in cities. In many developing countries, the urbanization process goes along with increasing urban poverty and polluted environment, growing food insecurity and malnutrition, especially for children, pregnant and lactating women; and increasing unemployment. Urban agriculture represents an opportunity for improving food supply, health conditi...

NIDI scenario. Strong population decline in China

OpenAIRE

de Beer, J.A.A.

2016-01-01

United Nations projections assume that by the end of this century one third of the world population will live in India, China or Nigeria. While population growth in India will slow down and the population size of China will decline, population growth in Nigeria will accelerate. A new NIDI scenario projects less population growth in Nigeria and sharp population decline in China.

Ecological stability in response to warming

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fussmann, Katarina E.; Schwarzmueller, Florian; Brose, Ulrich; Jousset, Alexandre|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/370632656; Rall, Bjoern C.

That species' biological rates including metabolism, growth and feeding scale with temperature is well established from warming experiments(1). The interactive influence of these changes on population dynamics, however, remains uncertain. As a result, uncertainty about ecological stability in

[On the principle of substance stability and thermodynamic feedback in hierarchic systems of the bio-world].

Science.gov (United States)

Gladyshev, G P

2002-01-01

The creation of structural hierarchies in open natural biosystems within the framework of quasi-closed systems is investigated by the methods of hierarchic thermodynamics (thermostatics). During the evolution of natural open systems, every higher hierarchic level j appears as a consequence of thermodynamic self-organization (self-assembly) of the structures of the lower (j-1)-th level. Such a self-assembly proceeds as a result of stabilization of the j-th level. This is related to the Gibbs' (Helmholtz') specific function of formation of the structure of the j-th level tending to a minimum. As a result of action of the principle of substance (matter) stability, the structures of the j-th level are enriched with less stable structures of the (j-1)-th level in the course of evolution. This provides a thermodynamic feedback between the structures of the higher j-th level and lower (j-1)-th level, thus preventing full structural stabilization of the j-th level and causing "thermodynamic rejuvenation" of biosystems. The latter enhances "thermodynamic" deceleration of evolution and practically unlimited maintenance of life. Examples of quantitative correlations are provided that call for further application of the substance stability principle to living and nonliving hierarchic structures.

Population, 54 Activities: An Experimental Unit, First Draft.

Science.gov (United States)

Denver Univ., CO. Center for Teaching International Relations.

Supplementary teaching activities at the junior- and senior-high school level on issues and topics involving population factors are provided. Topics include population growth, demography, graphing, population distribution, and population control. Community and national census factors as well as world population are studied. Students are helped to…

Assessing control of postural stability in community-living older adults using performance-based limits of stability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jbabdi, Myriam; Boissy, Patrice; Hamel, Mathieu

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: Balance disability measurements routinely used to identify fall risks in frail populations have limited value in the early detection of postural stability deficits in community-living older adults. The objectives of the study were to 1) measure performance-based limits of stability (LOS......-session performance variability during multiple trials using the performance-based LOS paradigm. METHODS: Twenty-four healthy community-living older adults (10 men, 14 women) aged between 62 to 85 (mean age +/- sd, 71.5 +/- 6 yrs) participated in the study. Subjects' performance-based LOS were established by asking...

NIDI scenario. Strong population decline in China

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Beer, J.A.A.

2016-01-01

United Nations projections assume that by the end of this century one third of the world population will live in India, China or Nigeria. While population growth in India will slow down and the population size of China will decline, population growth in Nigeria will accelerate. A new NIDI scenario

Themes on circulation in the third world.

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, M; Prothero, R M

1983-01-01

"This article focuses upon circulation, or reciprocal flows of people, with specific reference to Third World societies." Aspects considered include attempts to standardize terminology and to formulate typologies of population movement; the development of explanatory models of circulation and modernization, social networks, family welfare, and capitalism; and "the transfer of methods and concepts to societies and populations different from those from which they initially evolved and in which they were first tested." excerpt

World energy outlook

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960, and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed: - to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; -to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development; and - to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations. The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The following countries became Members subsequently through accession at the dates indicated hereafter: Japan (28th April 1964), Finland (28th January 1969), Australia (7th June 1971), New Zealand (29th May 1973), Mexico (18th May 1994) and the Czech Republic (21st December 1995). The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD (Article 13 of the OECD Convention). (author)

Epigenetic differentiation persists after male gametogenesis in natural populations of the perennial herb Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Herrera, Carlos M; Medrano, Mónica; Bazaga, Pilar

2013-01-01

Despite the importance of assessing the stability of epigenetic variation in non-model organisms living in real-world scenarios, no studies have been conducted on the transgenerational persistence of epigenetic structure in wild plant populations. This gap in knowledge is hindering progress in the interpretation of natural epigenetic variation. By applying the methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism (MSAP) technique to paired plant-pollen (i.e., sporophyte-male gametophyte) DNA samples, and then comparing methylation patterns and epigenetic population differentiation in sporophytes and their descendant gametophytes, we investigated transgenerational constancy of epigenetic structure in three populations of the perennial herb Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae). Single-locus and multilocus analyses revealed extensive epigenetic differentiation between sporophyte populations. Locus-by-locus comparisons of methylation status in individual sporophytes and descendant gametophytes showed that ~75% of epigenetic markers persisted unchanged through gametogenesis. In spite of some epigenetic reorganization taking place during gametogenesis, multilocus epigenetic differentiation between sporophyte populations was preserved in the subsequent gametophyte stage. In addition to illustrating the efficacy of applying the MSAP technique to paired plant-pollen DNA samples to investigate epigenetic gametic inheritance in wild plants, this paper suggests that epigenetic differentiation between adult plant populations of H. foetidus is likely to persist across generations.

Epigenetic differentiation persists after male gametogenesis in natural populations of the perennial herb Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos M Herrera

Full Text Available Despite the importance of assessing the stability of epigenetic variation in non-model organisms living in real-world scenarios, no studies have been conducted on the transgenerational persistence of epigenetic structure in wild plant populations. This gap in knowledge is hindering progress in the interpretation of natural epigenetic variation. By applying the methylation-sensitive amplified fragment length polymorphism (MSAP technique to paired plant-pollen (i.e., sporophyte-male gametophyte DNA samples, and then comparing methylation patterns and epigenetic population differentiation in sporophytes and their descendant gametophytes, we investigated transgenerational constancy of epigenetic structure in three populations of the perennial herb Helleborus foetidus (Ranunculaceae. Single-locus and multilocus analyses revealed extensive epigenetic differentiation between sporophyte populations. Locus-by-locus comparisons of methylation status in individual sporophytes and descendant gametophytes showed that ~75% of epigenetic markers persisted unchanged through gametogenesis. In spite of some epigenetic reorganization taking place during gametogenesis, multilocus epigenetic differentiation between sporophyte populations was preserved in the subsequent gametophyte stage. In addition to illustrating the efficacy of applying the MSAP technique to paired plant-pollen DNA samples to investigate epigenetic gametic inheritance in wild plants, this paper suggests that epigenetic differentiation between adult plant populations of H. foetidus is likely to persist across generations.

The radiation protection programme activities of the World Health Organization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Komarov, E.; Suess, M.J.

1980-01-01

The radiation protection activities of the World Health Organization are reviewed. They include studies of radiation protection standards and guidelines, and public health aspects of nuclear power. WHO also provides member states with world data on radioactivity in air, water and food, and assessments of population exposure and health effects. (H.K.)

The beauty of simple adaptive control and new developments in nonlinear systems stability analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barkana, Itzhak, E-mail: ibarkana@gmail.com [BARKANA Consulting, Ramat Hasharon (Israel)

2014-12-10

Although various adaptive control techniques have been around for a long time and in spite of successful proofs of stability and even successful demonstrations of performance, the eventual use of adaptive control methodologies in practical real world systems has met a rather strong resistance from practitioners and has remained limited. Apparently, it is difficult to guarantee or even understand the conditions that can guarantee stable operations of adaptive control systems under realistic operational environments. Besides, it is difficult to measure the robustness of adaptive control system stability and allow it to be compared with the common and widely used measure of phase margin and gain margin that is utilized by present, mainly LTI, controllers. Furthermore, customary stability analysis methods seem to imply that the mere stability of adaptive systems may be adversely affected by any tiny deviation from the pretty idealistic and assumably required stability conditions. This paper first revisits the fundamental qualities of customary direct adaptive control methodologies, in particular the classical Model Reference Adaptive Control, and shows that some of their basic drawbacks have been addressed and eliminated within the so-called Simple Adaptive Control methodology. Moreover, recent developments in the stability analysis methods of nonlinear systems show that prior conditions that were customarily assumed to be needed for stability are only apparent and can be eliminated. As a result, sufficient conditions that guarantee stability are clearly stated and lead to similarly clear proofs of stability. As many real-world applications show, once robust stability of the adaptive systems can be guaranteed, the added value of using Add-On Adaptive Control along with classical Control design techniques is pushing the desired performance beyond any previous limits.

Atmospheric Chemistry in a Changing World

Science.gov (United States)

Brune, William H.

The world is changing,and the atmosphere's composition is changing with it. Human activity is responsible for much of this. Global population growth and migration to urban centers, extensive biomass burning, the spread of fertilizer-intensive agribusiness, globalization of business and industry, rising standards of living in the developing world, and increased energy use fuels atmospheric change. If current practices continue, atmospheric increases are likely for the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide; and for the chemically active gases nitric oxide, sulfur dioxide,and ammonia. Increases in global tropospheric ozone and aerosols are a distinct possibility.

Sustaining a world in balance.

Science.gov (United States)

1992-04-01

The world balance of population and resources is the internationally accepted goal for the 20th century. There is agreement that the requirements are elimination of absolute poverty, the legitimate satisfaction of the majority population, reduction in the environmental cost of development, fairer distribution of the benefits of development, slower population growth, and more balanced distribution within and between countries. A profile is given for 15 development and population measures for the Philippines. In the Philippines over 50% of the population lives in poverty, and the numbers are increasing. Unemployment is high at 10.6% in 1991, and underemployment is estimated to be 31.6%. Limited employment opportunities are push factors for international labor migration, which has swelled to over 600,000 workers. The Philippines is losing forest at the rate of about 119,000 hectares per year, which would result in a total loss of forests in 12 years. The loss of biodiversity is apparent. Marine resources are being depleted, and average farm size per rural person is 0.38 hectares. The average family of 6 persons must produce food on only 2.28 hectares. The annual population growth rate is 2.3%, and the rate of food production is only 1%. Metro Manila is now the 18th largest urban area in the world. Air pollution is very high, and the water supply is polluted with salt. 14% of children under 6 years old are severely underweight. Iron deficiency anemia affects 60% of children 1-6 years old and 40% of children 7-12 years old. 3.5 million children are working, and 20,000 are child prostitutes. 85,000 street children live in 17 cities. Maternal mortality is estimated at 1600 women each year, and 24% of deaths in 78 hospitals were due to induced abortion. About 2.7 million women have unmet need for family planning, and 1.8 million desire family planning but are not using any method.

APPLYING THIESSEN POLYGON CATCHMENT AREAS AND GRIDDED POPULATION WEIGHTS TO ESTIMATE CONFLICT-DRIVEN POPULATION CHANGES IN SOUTH SUDAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Jordan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available 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.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Population diversity in Pacific herring of the Puget Sound, USA.

Science.gov (United States)

Siple, Margaret C; Francis, Tessa B

2016-01-01

Demographic, functional, or habitat diversity can confer stability on populations via portfolio effects (PEs) that integrate across multiple ecological responses and buffer against environmental impacts. The prevalence of these PEs in aquatic organisms is as yet unknown, and can be difficult to quantify; however, understanding mechanisms that stabilize populations in the face of environmental change is a key concern in ecology. Here, we examine PEs in Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) in Puget Sound (USA) using a 40-year time series of biomass data for 19 distinct spawning population units collected using two survey types. Multivariate auto-regressive state-space models show independent dynamics among spawning subpopulations, suggesting that variation in herring production is partially driven by local effects at spawning grounds or during the earliest life history stages. This independence at the subpopulation level confers a stabilizing effect on the overall Puget Sound spawning stock, with herring being as much as three times more stable in the face of environmental perturbation than a single population unit of the same size. Herring populations within Puget Sound are highly asynchronous but share a common negative growth rate and may be influenced by the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. The biocomplexity in the herring stock shown here demonstrates that preserving spatial and demographic diversity can increase the stability of this herring population and its availability as a resource for consumers.

Patients With and Without Diabetes Without Significant Angiographic Coronary Artery Disease Have the Same Risk of Myocardial Infarction in a Real-World Population Receiving Appropriate Prophylactic Treatment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Kevin K W; Madsen, Morten; Egholm, Gro

2017-01-01

without CAD were more often treated with statins (75.3% vs. 46.0 and aspirin (65.7% vs. 52.7 than patients without diabetes and CAD. CONCLUSIONS In a real-world population, patients with diabetes with high rates of statin and aspirin treatment had the same risk of cardiovascular events as patientswithout...... events in patients with and without diabetes with and without coronary artery disease (CAD) after coronary angiography (CAG). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A population-based cohort of patients registered in the Western Denmark Heart Registry who underwent CAG between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2012...

World Wide Webs: Crossing the Digital Divide through Promotion of Public Access

Science.gov (United States)

Coetzee, Liezl

“As Bill Gates and Steve Case proclaim the global omnipresence of the Internet, the majority of non-Western nations and 97 per cent of the world's population remain unconnected to the net for lack of money, access, or knowledge. This exclusion of so vast a share of the global population from the Internet sharply contradicts the claims of those who posit the World Wide Web as a ‘universal' medium of egalitarian communication.” (Trend 2001:2)

[The development of population policies in Africa].

Science.gov (United States)

Sala-diakanda, D M

1991-12-01

Influencing demographic dynamics in order to improve the welfare of the population is the fundamental objective of a population policy. The efficacy of a population policy cannot be satisfactorily evaluated without referring to the objectives of the overall development strategy, of which the population policy is only one component. At the time of the 1974 World Population Conference in Bucharest, the positions of the developed and developing countries were polarized. The developing countries were accused of impeding their own socioeconomic development by their high fertility rates and rapid population growth, while the industrialized world was blamed for environmental degradation and exhaustion of nonrenewable resources due to overconsumption by households and industry. Despite the near total disagreement about what constituted the problem, a "World Population Plan of Action" was adopted almost unanimously, indicating agreement at least on the existence of a problem even if ther was no consensus on its content. The Plan affirmed that each nation has a sovereign right to formulate and implement its own population policies, that international cooperation is needed in population matters, and that population policies are components of social and economic development policies and not substitutes for them. Interest in African population dates back to the beginning of the colonial era, when the imperial powers wished to control population movements, estimate the taxable population, and control depopulation due to pathological infertility. Colonial population legislation was somewhat more liberal in English-speaking countries than in those under the sway of France because of the influence of Malthusianism in Great Britain and the movement for birth control that developed there. By the 1984 World Population Conference in Mexico, the governments of African countries had adopted the "Program of Action of Kilimanjaro Concerning the African Population and Autonomous Development

Roman Catholic perspectives on population ethics.

Science.gov (United States)

Mccormack, A

1983-08-01

The overwhelming majority of Catholics recognize the problem of rapidly increasing population and urge responsible parenthood. Current Catholic doctrine sanctions only natural family planning methods, those that rely on a woman's menstrual cycle rather than on contraceptives, but the fact is that only some 2-4% of the people of the world use noncontraceptive methods. In 1980 the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that such methods are of very limited usefulness in developing countries and much more research is required if they are to become generally effective. The Church has not been very helpful in promoting population concern in the international forum. The Vatican nearly succeeded in having any reference to population completely excluded from the Third UN Development Plan. The US and European Catholic Bishops have issued strong statements condemning nuclear war, but how many voices are raised in the Catholic Church to warn about the population explosion. In the slums of the 3rd world, there have been numerous warnings against "immoral" birth control methods, but little attention has been given to the problem of rapid population growth or to realistic efforts to deal with it. The question that arises is, is it consistent to be so concerned about humankind's possible future while almost totally ignoring the population explosion. It is true that the population factor is only 1 part of the problem of world poverty; the other elements also call for a solution. The present Pope has gone further than Paul 6 in stressing human rights, but human rights can never be realized as long as hundreds of millions of poverty stricken people lack basic necessities. Is there no way, under the circumstances, to reconcile the teachings of the Papal document banning contraception, the "Humanae Vitae," with the needs of those couples who are not able to care for another child but who cannot effectively practice family planning. In a recent message sent through Cardinal Casaroli

Bipolar disorders in the Arab world: a critical review.

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Photosynthesis and the world food problem

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jerzy Poskuta

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Studies in the field of photosynthesis are particularly predisposed to play an important role in the solving of the main problem of today food for the world's growing population. The article presents data on the rate of population increase, the size of food production and yields of the most important crop plants. The relationship between the photosynthetic productivity of C3 and C4 plants and their yields is discussed. The problem of the rising atmospheric CO2 concentration and its influence on photosynthesis, photorespiration and accumulation of plant biomass is presented.

Breast cancer screening disparities among immigrant women by world region of origin: a population-based study in Ontario, Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Vahabi, Mandana; Lofters, Aisha; Kumar, Matthew; Glazier, Richard H

2016-07-01

Rates of mammography screening for breast cancer are disproportionately low in certain subgroups including low-income and immigrant women. The purpose of the study was to examine differences in rates of appropriate breast cancer screening (i.e., screening mammography every 2 years) among Ontario immigrant women by world region of origin and explore the association between appropriate breast cancer screening among these women groups and individual and structural factors. A cohort of 183,332 screening-eligible immigrant women living in Ontario between 2010 and 2012 was created from linked databases and classified into eight world regions of origin. Appropriate screening rates were calculated for each region by age group and selected sociodemographic, immigration, and healthcare-related characteristics. The association between appropriate screening across the eight regions of origin and selected sociodemographic, immigration, and health-related characteristics was explored using multivariate Poisson regression. Screening varied by region of origin, with South Asian women (48.5%) having the lowest and Caribbean and Latin American women (63.7%) the highest cancer screening rates. Factors significantly associated with lower screening across the world regions of origin included living in the lowest income neighborhoods, having a refugee status, being a new immigrant, not having a regular physical examination, not being enrolled in a primary care patient enrollment model, having a male physician, and having an internationally trained physician. Multiple interventions entailing cross-sector collaboration, promotion of patient enrollment models, community engagement, comprehensive and intensive outreach to women, and knowledge translation and transfer to physicians should be considered to address screening disparities among immigrant population. Consideration should be given to design and delivery of culturally appropriate and easily accessible cancer screening programs

THE WORLD VIEW, IDENTITY AND SOCIOCULTUR HOMEOSTASIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marina Yur’evna Neronova

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the relationship between the phenomenon of world view and sociocultural identity both individuals and the community as a whole. The research is being carried out in the context of current crisis of world view accepted in so-called art Nouveau era. This paper also presents the identity crisis typical for modern civilized societies. A new notion of sociocultural homeostasis is introduced in connection with analyzable phenomena and their mutual relations.Purpose. Study of the relationship between the phenomenon of the world view and sociocultural identity as a structural and functional mechanism.Methodology. Phenomenological and systematic methods with the elements of historical method were employed. Cultural analysis is based on using both axiological and phenomenological approach, and also the elements of semiotic approach.Results. The dependence of identity on the world view is revealed (or is being revealed?, the phenomenon of sociocultural homeostasis is singled out (or is being singled out in the capacity of the mechanism setting up the correspondence in the contradictory unity between the world view as a subjective image and concrete reality as an objective part of this contradictory. The analysis of sociocultural homeostasis is carried out (or is being carried out and the conclusion is being drown that instability of the latter leads to serious problems in the identification of both individuals and communities as a whole. Besides, (moreover the relationship between the legitimacy level of the world view and stability of sociocultural homeostasis is established. (is being established.Practical implications: the system of education.

Terrorism as a slap in the face of the civilized world

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I Šubrt

2016-12-01

Full Text Available The article summarizes the key scientific approaches to the study of terror in the contemporary world focusing on the concepts of (demodernization, (decivilization, and the revival of religious movements with rational economic aims under the slogans of “just war” or “cosmic war” with the forces of evil. The author starts from Norbert Elias’ work on the civilization process and the formation of the modern state as a pacified society to underline that the problem of violence lies outside Elias’ scope, and demonstrate the existing approaches to supplementing his theory with (a the definition of decivilization trends and the criteria for the identification of decivilization processes; (b the description of the role and place of brutal violence in modern society; (c a comprehensive but also heterogeneous picture of terrorism, especially suicide terrorism, i.e. its causes, manifestations and consequences. The author agrees with S.P. Huntington, that we live in a world with an increased risk of conflicts between civilizations and cultural strains rooting in the religious tradition (the re-politicization of religion and religious nationalism are considered attempts to fuse traditional religion with modern politics. Thus, the author concludes that the contemporary terrorism and especially its suicidal form is not only a specific form of (political struggle, but also - metaphorically speaking - a “slap in the face” of the civilized Western world, an effort to challenge, shake and undermine the stability and the patterns of life in modern society. However, terrorism wants to influence not only the power system of society, but also the collective psyche of large groups and parts of the population to create a sort of theatre of horror with the rationally designed, staged and performed means of violence.

The Effect of Political Stability on Public Education Quality

Science.gov (United States)

Nir, Adam E.; Kafle, Bhojraj Sharma

2013-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a preliminary analysis to evaluate the implications of political stability for educational quality, evident in the survival rate measure. Design/methodology/approach: Secondary analyses were conducted for data drawn from the Political Risk Service Report, the World Bank Report, the United Nations…

Building up of an energy world in 2050

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouneau, S.; David, S.; Meplan, O.

2009-01-01

The present work is the result of a reflection regarding the 2050 energy landscape at the world scale. It is not a prospective work but the construction of a 2050 energy mix, based on global data and hypotheses which are fully explained (energy consumption, world allocation, CO 2 emissions). The results allow us to bring out pertinent trends and quantitative information on energy needs and energy sources situated in the different large economic regions of the world in 2050. The goal of the present study is to build a representation of the world energy demand taking into account in a simple but realistic way all the relevant parameters on which it depends: population, total energy consumption, climate constraint, potential of available energy sources, appropriateness of these sources to the needs. The aim of this study is not to predict the evolution of theses parameters from today to 2050, but to choose or define their values in 2050 and then to be able to describe the resulting energy world. The initial assumptions for 2050 are a human population of 9 billions, a total energy consumption limited to 20- Gtoe/y, and a cut by a factor 2 of the CO 2 emissions which requires a fossil fuel consumption with CO 2 emissions limited to 4.2 Gtoe/y. The proposed method to describe the world energy demand in 2050 is based on simple hypotheses, which are detailed and argued. This method leads to a quantitative view on a world energy mix constrained by a total energy production of 20 Gtoe/y and the reduction by half of CO 2 emissions. This work shows that a '20 Gtoe/y' scenario requires a reduction of the energy consumption of the rich populations, without insuring a significant increase of the energy consumption of the poorest. The construction of the energy mix in 2050 demonstrates that it is necessary to deploy all new energy sources at their maximum level of potential: renewable energies, CO 2 mitigation and nuclear power. These results can provide an order of magnitude of

Kin Selection in the RNA World.

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, Samuel R; West, Stuart A

2017-12-05

Various steps in the RNA world required cooperation. Why did life's first inhabitants, from polymerases to synthetases, cooperate? We develop kin selection models of the RNA world to answer these questions. We develop a very simple model of RNA cooperation and then elaborate it to model three relevant issues in RNA biology: (1) whether cooperative RNAs receive the benefits of cooperation; (2) the scale of competition in RNA populations; and (3) explicit replicator diffusion and survival. We show: (1) that RNAs are likely to express partial cooperation; (2) that RNAs will need mechanisms for overcoming local competition; and (3) in a specific example of RNA cooperation, persistence after replication and offspring diffusion allow for cooperation to overcome competition. More generally, we show how kin selection can unify previously disparate answers to the question of RNA world cooperation.

Nuclear danger in the modern world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulejmenov, O.O.

2000-01-01

It is noted, that nowadays a nuclear danger proceeds from nuclear depositions of countries having own nuclear weapons. Since Kazakhstan is one of the first country in the world which fulfilled regulations of Lisbon Protocol and liquidated own nuclear potential, author regards that Kazakhstan have moral right for initiating process of attachment to Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty by countries having nuclear weapon. Now for Kazakhstan there are urgent problems: financing of post-conversion processes; re-cultivation of territory contaminated by residuals from nuclear weapons test; rehabilitation of population health, damaged from test of mass destruction weapon. Scientists of Kazakhstan estimated damage from nuclear test on Kazakstan territory in 10 billion dollars. It is necessary international efforts of all public organizations of the world for all world sites. One of the financing source could be means from reduction of nuclear arms production

Ethnicity and Population Structure in Personal Naming Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Mateos, Pablo; Longley, Paul A.; O'Sullivan, David

2011-01-01

Personal naming practices exist in all human groups and are far from random. Rather, they continue to reflect social norms and ethno-cultural customs that have developed over generations. As a consequence, contemporary name frequency distributions retain distinct geographic, social and ethno-cultural patterning that can be exploited to understand population structure in human biology, public health and social science. Previous attempts to detect and delineate such structure in large populations have entailed extensive empirical analysis of naming conventions in different parts of the world without seeking any general or automated methods of population classification by ethno-cultural origin. Here we show how ‘naming networks’, constructed from forename-surname pairs of a large sample of the contemporary human population in 17 countries, provide a valuable representation of cultural, ethnic and linguistic population structure around the world. This innovative approach enriches and adds value to automated population classification through conventional national data sources such as telephone directories and electoral registers. The method identifies clear social and ethno-cultural clusters in such naming networks that extend far beyond the geographic areas in which particular names originated, and that are preserved even after international migration. Moreover, one of the most striking findings of this approach is that these clusters simply ‘emerge’ from the aggregation of millions of individual decisions on parental naming practices for their children, without any prior knowledge introduced by the researcher. Our probabilistic approach to community assignment, both at city level as well as at a global scale, helps to reveal the degree of isolation, integration or overlap between human populations in our rapidly globalising world. As such, this work has important implications for research in population genetics, public health, and social science adding new

International Comparison of Methane-Stabilized He-Ne Lasers

Science.gov (United States)

Koshelyaevskii, N. B.; Oboukhov, A.; Tatarenkov, V. M.; Titov, A. N.; Chartier, J.-M.; Felder, R.

1981-01-01

Two portable methane-stabilized lasers designed at BIPM have been compared with a type a stationary Soviet device developed in VNIIFTRI1. This comparison is one of a series aimed at establishing the coherence of laser wavelength and frequency measurements throughout the world and took place in June 1979. The VNIIFTRI and BIPM lasers using different methods of stabilization, have different optical and mechanical designs and laser tubes. The results of previous measurements, made in VNIIFTRI, of the most important frequency shifts for Soviet lasers together with a method of reproducing their frequency which leads to a precision of 1.10-12 are also presented.

Unexorcized ghost in DGP brane world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Izum, Keisuke; Tanaka, Takahiro; Koyama, Kazuya

2007-01-01

The brane world model proposed by Dvali-Gabadadze-Porrati realizes self-acceleration of the universe. However, it is known that this cosmological solution contains a spin-2 ghost. We study the possibility of avoiding the appearance of the ghost by slightly modifying the model via the introduction of a second brane. First, we consider a simple model without stabilization of the brane separation. By changing the separation between the branes, we find that we can erase the spin-2 ghost. However, this can be done only at the expense of the appearance of a spin-0 ghost instead. We discuss why these two different types of ghosts are correlated. Then, we examine a model with stabilization of the brane separation. Even in this case, we find that the correlation between spin-0 and spin-2 ghosts remains. As a result we find that we cannot avoid the appearance of a ghost by introducing a second brane in the model

Seeing Like the World Bank on Poverty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vetterlein, Antje

2012-01-01

This article investigates the way in which the World Bank constructs knowledge on poverty by identifying analytic institutions inside the organisation where ideas are developed, ‘anti-poverty advocates’ that populate these institutions and the strategies they employ to foster their agenda. By doing...... the discursive level with developments on the policy and operational level reveals that the poverty or social agenda has grown incrementally from the late 1960s even in times when neoliberalism dominated world politics and economy. The article goes beyond such an organisational analysis in critically assessing...

Is Demography Destiny? Urban Population Change and Economic Vitality of Future Cities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacques Poot

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The growth of cities has attracted considerable scholarly attention during the last decade as it is becoming clear that powerful agglomeration forces are reinforcing the role of cities as the engines of economic growth. Close to 4 billion people live in cities, about 55 per cent of the world's population. While population growth rates are declining and the world's population is likely to level off from the middle of the 21st century, probably ending up around 10 billion, further urbanization is expected to continue. Another 3 billion people will become urban citizens this century. At the same time no corner of the world will be sheltered from sweeping demographic changes due to population ageing and increasing migration. Such changes will be amplified in cities. In this paper we combine UN population projections and migration data with our own assumptions to derive projections of age composition and birthplace composition of urban populations by continent. We also briefly address the consequences of these demographic trends for future urban economic vitality. Particular attention is paid to the impacts of demographic changes on urban creativity and innovation. We conclude that, with the right policies in place, such demographic changes enhance rather than impede the future prosperity of the urban world. KEYWORDS: World population projections, urbanization, ageing, migration, ethnic diversity

Radion cosmology and stabilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chakraborty, Sumanta; SenGupta, Soumitra

2014-01-01

We solve the Einstein equation in five-dimensional space-time for Randall-Sundrum Brane world model with time dependent radion field to study the variation of brane scale factor with time. We have shown that as the radion field decreases with time compactifying the extra dimension, the scale factor increases exponentially with time leading to an inflationary scenario. We have also proposed a time dependent generalization of the Goldberger-Wise moduli stabilization mechanism to explain the time evolution of the radion field to reach a stable value, after which the scale factor on the brane exits from inflationary expansion. (orig.)

Stabilization and reconstruction operations: the role of the US Army Veterinary Corps.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, John C

2007-01-01

Stabilization and reconstruction operations in failed or failing states are vital to US security interests. These operations require a bottom-up approach, focusing on the population as the strategic center of gravity. This bottom-up approach must address the population's basic needs, as defined by Dr Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and provide a long-term means of self-sufficiency, rather than creating an "aid dependent economy." Focusing operations on agricultural projects provides relief from donor dependency, stimulates economic growth, and thwarts the power of spoilers. US Army Veterinary Corps personnel provide essential services ensuring the procurement of safe and wholesome subsistence and provision of medical care to government-owned animals. Veterinary Corps officers are also uniquely qualified to design and implement agricultural stabilization and reconstruction programs in conjunction with host-state ministries and agencies across the full range of military operations. Early, sustained engagement by veterinarians stimulates agricultural productivity, improves animal and human health, directly supports the population's hierarchy of needs on all levels, and accelerates stabilization operations by reducing the population's susceptibility to spoilers.

Miss World going deshi

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wildermuth, Norbert

  In November 1996 the South Indian metropolis Bangalore hosted the annual Miss World show. The live event and its televisualisation became a prominent symbol for the India's economic liberalisation and for the immanent globalizing dimensions of this development. As such, the highly prestigious......, the pageant's contestation, which gave rise to a series of vehement protests and a broad public debate about the country's cultural alienation, marked a crucial point in time and trend towards the (re)localisation of the Indian television landscape. In consequence, the 1996 Miss World show and its...... their vision and politics of gender, nation and modernity on the larger Indian public, over the last two decades. Engaging the Indian population increasingly by way of the new electronic, c&s distributed media, competing discourses of gender and sexuality were projected, basically as a necessary, effective...

The Quality of Life for the World's Population: A Unit on Bioethics

Science.gov (United States)

Bloom, Arthur; Constan, Phyllis

1976-01-01

A bioethics unit aimed at taking biology out of the laboratory and classroom and into the world. An experience in which students not only begin to understand reasons for making decisions, but also understand how values change. (Author/EB)

Understanding the Value of Real-World Evidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Camm, A John; Coleman, Craig I; Larsen, Torben Bjerregaard

2018-01-01

importance, there may be challenges in understanding the relevance of the differing study designs, endpoints and populations. Here, we summarize the value of real-world evidence and considerations pertinent to their use in clinical research. Owing to the variety of analyses being conducted using real...

The population of Croatia.

Science.gov (United States)

Sterc, S; Crkvencic, I

1996-04-01

The authors examine historical and current population dynamics in Croatia. "The demographic structure of Croatia indicates a series of specificities which were primarily conditioned by the historical development of Croatia and which is particularly expressed in constant emigration since the end of the nineteenth century, the relatively large direct and indirect losses to the population during and immediately after the First and Second World Wars, emigration as a type of population movement in all inter-census periods after 1945, the appearance of a natural decline and the aging of the population on almost one half of the state territory." excerpt

Towards a food-allergy-free world

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Houben, G.; Bilsen, J. van; Blom, M.; Kruizinga, A.; Verhoeckx, K.

2016-01-01

Food allergy is one of the most common health disorders in the western world. It affects about three per cent of the total population. Food allergy is potentially lethal, and its health impact is higher than that posed by all known chemicals and microbes in food. It is also higher than that of many

Synthesis of the expert group meetings convened as part of the substantive preparations for the International Conference on Population and Development.

Science.gov (United States)

1993-01-01

As part of the preparation for the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development to be sponsored by the UN in Cairo, 6 expert groups were convened to consider 1) population growth; 2) population policies and programs; 3) population, development, and the environment; 4) migration; 5) the status of women; and 6) family planning programs, health, and family well-being. Each group included 15 experts representing a full range of relevant scientific disciplines and geographic regions. Each meeting lasted 5 days and included a substantive background paper prepared by the Population Division as well as technical papers. Each meeting concluded with the drafting of between 18 and 37 recommendations (a total of 162). The meeting on population, the environment, and development focused on the implications of current trends in population and the environment for sustained economic growth and sustainable development. The meeting on population policies and programs observed that, since 1984, there has been a growing convergence of views about population growth among the nations of the world and that the stabilization of world population as soon as possible is now an internationally recognized goal. The group on population and women identified practical steps that agencies could take to empower women in order to achieve beneficial effects on health, population trends, and development. The meeting on FP, health, and family well-being reviewed policy-oriented issues emerging from the experience of FP programs. The meeting on population growth and development reviewed trends and prospects of population growth and age structure and their consequences for global sustainability. The population distribution and migration experts appraised current trends and their interrelationship with development. In nearly all of the group meetings, common issues emerged. Concern was universally voiced for sustainable development and sustained economic growth, relevance of past experience

Energy the enabler, in our changing world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koomanoff, F.A.

1992-01-01

Historical industrial and social development made possible by energy technologies throughout the world serves as a paradigm for looking into the future. Energy usage is directly responsible for productivity. World population is increasing rapidly necessitating still more energy. The number of college students (a measure of new ideas and demands) has also increased rapidly. The U.S. has led in energy usage and the resultant growth in transportation and communication but changes are occurring. Urbanization - another effect of energy - shows the majority of high density populations now are in developing countries. Societies are changing from single nation states to interdependent loosely-knit larger socio-economic-environmental areas - Economic Communities. Successful technology must now engage producers, users, governments, as well as communities of interest. Political management systems must recognize these changes to permit the continued development of energy technologies. Looking toward the 21st Century and our continued development in a changing world necessitates recognition of the need for a systems orientation, interdisciplinary approach to find multi-answers to problems. All must participate in the decision making process - looking for solutions (rather than identification of problems) learning together and from each other - and most importantly, managing conflict before it manages us. (orig.)

Population crises and population cycles.

Science.gov (United States)

Russell, C; Russell, W M

2000-01-01

To prevent a population irretrievably depleting its resources, mammals have evolved a behavioural and physiological response to population crisis. When a mammalian population becomes dangerously dense, there is a reversal of behaviour. Co-operation and parental behaviour are replaced by competition, dominance and aggressive violence, leading to high mortality, especially of females and young, and a reduced population. The stress of overpopulation and the resulting violence impairs both the immune and the reproductive systems. Hence epidemics complete the crash of the population, and reproduction is slowed for three or four generations, giving the resources ample time to recover. In some mammal species, crisis and crisis response recur regularly, leading to cycles of population growth and relapse, oscillating about a fixed mean. Population crisis response and population cycles have been equally prominent in the history of human societies. But in man successive advances in food production have made possible growing populations, though with every such advance population soon outgrew resources again. Hence human cycles have been superimposed on a rising curve, producing a saw-tooth graph. Because advances in food production amounted to sudden disturbances in the relations between human populations and their environments, the crisis response in man has failed to avert famine and resource damage. In the large human societies evolved since the coming of settled agriculture and cities, the basic effects of violence, epidemics, famine and resource damage have been mediated by such specifically human disasters as inflation, unemployment, and political tyranny. An account of past crises, periods of relative relief from population pressure, and resulting cycles, is given for a number of regions: China, North Africa and Western Asia, the northern Mediterranean, and north-western Europe. The paper ends with an account of the present world-wide population crisis, and the solution

Challenges to a climate stabilizing energy future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, C.; Dilmaghani, M.; Baksi, S.

2007-01-01

The paper surveys the major challenges to stabilizing the atmospheric CO 2 concentration. Climate change, and policies to deal with it, is viewed as an energy problem. The energy problem stems from the fact that no combination of carbon-free energies is currently capable of displacing fossil fuels as the main sources of the world's base load energy requirements. The paper provides rough estimates of the amount of carbon-free energy required to stabilize climate, the potential contribution of 'conventional' carbon-free energies, the contribution of renewable energies, and the size of an 'advanced energy technology gap'. The findings indicate that stabilizing CO 2 concentration will require a long-term commitment to research, develop, and eventually deploy new energy sources and technologies including hydrogen. The paper suggests that the role of technology is what makes stabilizing CO 2 concentration economically feasible. In this respect energy technology and economics are complementary, with advances in the former requiring something more than a reliance on market-based instruments, such as carbon taxes and emission permits. The analysis has implications for the credibility of commitments to target climate change-related factors such as CO 2 emissions.(author)

Challenges to a climate stabilizing energy future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Green, Chris; Baksi, Soham; Dilmaghani, Maryam

2007-01-01

The paper surveys the major challenges to stabilizing the atmospheric CO 2 concentration. Climate change, and policies to deal with it, is viewed as an energy problem. The energy problem stems from the fact that no combination of carbon-free energies is currently capable of displacing fossil fuels as the main sources of the world's base load energy requirements. The paper provides rough estimates of the amount of carbon-free energy required to stabilize climate, the potential contribution of 'conventional' carbon-free energies, the contribution of renewable energies, and the size of an 'advanced energy technology gap'. The findings indicate that stabilizing CO 2 concentration will require a long-term commitment to research, develop, and eventually deploy new energy sources and technologies including hydrogen. The paper suggests that the role of technology is what makes stabilizing CO 2 concentration economically feasible. In this respect energy technology and economics are complementary, with advances in the former requiring something more than a reliance on market-based instruments, such as carbon taxes and emission permits. The analysis has implications for the credibility of commitments to target climate change-related factors such as CO 2 emissions

Africa's Expanding Population: Old Problems, New Policies.

Science.gov (United States)

Goliber, Thomas J.

1989-01-01

Sub-Saharan Africa faces a historic challenge: to achieve economic and social progress while experiencing extraordinary population growth. With an estimated 1989 population of 512 million, the 42 countries of sub-Saharan Africa have the highest birth and death rates of any major world region. Throughout the region, population has outstripped…

Folates in foods: reactivity, stability during processing, and nutritional implications.

Science.gov (United States)

Hawkes, J G; Villota, R

1989-01-01

Nutritional deficiencies are eminent at all socioeconomic levels of the world population and have created a critical need for a reevaluation of the nutritional quality of the food supply. A particular group of vitamers, collectively referred to as folates, has received a great deal of attention due to their significance in human metabolism, their prevalent deficiency worldwide, as well as their complexity of analysis. Severe folate deficiency may result in megaloblastic anemia and is generally attributed to low dietary intake, although it may also result from malabsorption. Such concerns have instigated increased interest in food-fortification programs. In order to ensure appropriate levels of nutrient fortification and optimization of food processes for maximum folate retention, it is of great importance to have a basic understanding of the kinetic behavior of individual vitamers with respect to processing parameters and various environmental conditions. This article reviews kinetic stability of folates as affected by processing conditions, discusses problems associated with current methodology for folate analyses, and integrates this information with the nutritional aspects of folates.

The World Health Organization World Mental Health Survey Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Kessler, Ronald C; Haro, Josep Maria; Heeringa, Steven G; Pennell, Beth-Ellen; Ustün, T Bedirhan

2006-01-01

To present an overview of the World Health Organization World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative. The discussion draws on knowledge gleaned from the authors' participation as principals in WMH. WMH has carried out community epidemiological surveys in more than two dozen countries with more than 200,000 completed interviews. Additional surveys are in progress. Clinical reappraisal studies embedded in WMH surveys have been used to develop imputation rules to adjust prevalence estimates for within- and between-country variation in accuracy. WMH interviews include detailed information about sub-threshold manifestations to address the problem of rigid categorical diagnoses not applying equally to all countries. Investigations are now underway of targeted substantive issues. Despite inevitable limitations imposed by existing diagnostic systems and variable expertise in participating countries, WMH has produced an unprecedented amount of high-quality data on the general population cross-national epidemiology of mental disorders. WMH collaborators are in thoughtful and subtle investigations of cross-national variation in validity of diagnostic assessments and a wide range of important substantive topics. Recognizing that WMH is not definitive, finally, insights from this round of surveys are being used to carry out methodological studies aimed at improving the quality of future investigations.

Urban Ecology: Patterns of Population Growth and Ecological Effects

Science.gov (United States)

Wayne C. Zipperer; Steward T.A. Pickett

2012-01-01

Currently, over 50% of the world’s population lives in urban areas. By 2050, this estimate is expected to be 70%. This urban growth, however, is not uniformly distributed around the world. The majority of it will occur in developing nations and create megacities whose populations exceed at least 10 million people. Not all urban areas, however, are growing. Some are...

Financial Stability In The Eurozone

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zielińska Klaudia

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Financial stability inside the European Monetary Union (EMU is a trendy topic in most developed countries around the world. From the moment the EMU was brought to life, there was much speculation about its imperfections, inadequate management, and vulnerability. Some of them have turned out to be true, while others have been proved invalid. Nevertheless, the debt crisis has demonstrated inadequacies in the EMU’s structure and proved that a higher degree of integration is necessary in order to guarantee the robustness of the common currency and fully utilize its potential.

Conservation genetics of threatened Hippocampus guttulatus in vulnerable habitats in NW Spain: temporal and spatial stability of wild populations with flexible polygamous mating system in captivity.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Almudena López

Full Text Available This study was focused on conservation genetics of threatened Hippocampus guttulatus on the Atlantic coast of NW Iberian Peninsula. Information about spatial structure and temporal stability of wild populations was obtained based on microsatellite markers, and used for monitoring a captive breeding program firstly initiated in this zone at the facilities of the Institute of Marine Research (Vigo, Spain. No significant major genetic structure was observed regarding the biogeographical barrier of Cape Finisterre. However, two management units under continuous gene flow are proposed based on the allelic differentiation between South-Atlantic and Cantabrian subpopulations, with small to moderate contemporary effective size based on single-sample methods. Temporal stability was observed in South-Atlantic population samples of H. guttulatus for the six-year period studied, suggesting large enough effective population size to buffer the effects of genetic drift within the time frame of three generations. Genetic analysis of wild breeders and offspring in captivity since 2009 allowed us to monitor the breeding program founded in 2006 in NW Spain for this species. Similar genetic diversity in the renewed and founder broodstock, regarding the wild population of origin, supports suitable renewal and rearing processes to maintain genetic variation in captivity. Genetic parentage proved single-brood monogamy in the wild and in captivity, but flexible short- and long-term mating system under captive conditions, from strict monogamy to polygamy within and/or among breeding seasons. Family analysis showed high reproductive success in captivity under genetic management assisted by molecular relatedness estimates to avoid inbreeding. This study provides genetic information about H. guttulatus in the wild and captivity within an uncovered geographical range for this data deficient species, to be taken into account for management and conservation purposes.

Population growth and economic development: two new U.S. perspectives.

Science.gov (United States)

Wulf, D; Klitsch, M

1986-01-01

This report compares the research paths of economic development reports by the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the American Assembly of Columbia University. The NAS group, made up principally of economists and demographers, refrained from recommending population reduction targets, in contrast to the stronger terms of its 1971 report. A 1965 report by the Assembly spoke of population as a serious negative influence for economic development, political stability, and world peace, while the new report speaks of negative socioeconomic effects, and of the limiting of a person's right to control family size. The NAS agenda was established before the US delegation to the UN population conference in Mexico City retreated from declaring population growth to be a necessarily negative influencer of socioeconomic progress. The Assembly took the position that possible benefits of population growth would be far outweighed by factors such as resource depletion and women's health. The NAS maintained that growth might provide incentives for institutional adjustments (market development, investment in education) and control of growth should not be considered a substitute for such interventions. Both reports agree that control of fertility is a human right, but the NAS report examined the question of the acceptable degree of compulsion to be used to encourage couples. The Assembly objected to limiting access to family planning by defunding abortion programs oversease. Differences exist between the 2 reports in questins such as the negative impact of 1950's population growth, the synergistic effect of growth on many areas of human activity, the extent to which welfare of future generations is considered relevant today, and the adequacy of pure economic analysis in assessing need. Much study of population/development linkages is still required.

Capital requirement, bank competition and stability in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacob Oduor

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Monetary authorities around the world are implementing enhanced banking capital adequacy requirements under Basel III meant to improve financial stability. Critics however argue that increased capital requirements concentrate the banking industry reducing competition while not guaranteeing financial sector stability. Using data from 167 banks in 37 African countries, we find that increased capital beef-up significantly increases financial instability in Africa (except in big banks implying that higher capital requirements did not make African banks safer. We also find that increased regulatory capital improves competitive pricing for foreign banks while it makes domestic banks less competitive mainly attributed to the high cost of sourcing and holding extra capital for domestic banks compared to foreign banks who can source cheaper capital from parent companies. The results put to question the effectiveness of enhanced regulatory capital on stability and competitiveness of the African financial system.

International Stability. The Responsibility of the Scientist and Technologist

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broda, E.

1983-01-01

Scientists and technologists ('technical experts') bear heavy responsibility for the explosive world situation where the further existence of civilization is threatened. Without their initiatives and their efforts the weapons of mass annihilation would not have been invented and developed. The essential features of nuclear warfare are explained. 25-40% of the world force of technical experts may be on war work now. Whatever justification for their work they see, they are tied to it, as quitting would mean loss of income, possibilities for professional career, status and prestige. On the other hand, many scientists, including Bohr, Joliot, Pauling, Einstein and Russell, have done invaluable work in informing, warning, educating and mobilizing the public against the danger of a nuclear war. In the present desperate situation the support of the largest possible number of technical experts for such activities ought to be enlisted. In this respect engineers and technologists could follow the example of medical doctors. Moreover, owing to their familiarity with criteria for stability in material systems engineers could make constructive proposals for the improvement of stability in international relations. (author)

Exploring the temporal stability of global road safety statistics.

Science.gov (United States)

Dimitriou, Loukas; Nikolaou, Paraskevas; Antoniou, Constantinos

2018-02-08

Given the importance of rigorous quantitative reasoning in supporting national, regional or global road safety policies, data quality, reliability, and stability are of the upmost importance. This study focuses on macroscopic properties of road safety statistics and the temporal stability of these statistics at a global level. A thorough investigation of two years of measurements was conducted to identify any unexpected gaps that could highlight the existence of inconsistent measurements. The database used in this research includes 121 member countries of the United Nation (UN-121) with a population of at least one million (smaller country data shows higher instability) and includes road safety and socioeconomic variables collected from a number of international databases (e.g. WHO and World Bank) for the years 2010 and 2013. For the fulfillment of the earlier stated goal, a number of data visualization and exploratory analyses (Hierarchical Clustering and Principal Component Analysis) were conducted. Furthermore, in order to provide a richer analysis of the data, we developed and compared the specification of a number of Structural Equation Models for the years 2010 and 2013. Different scenarios have been developed, with different endogenous variables (indicators of mortality rate and fatality risk) and structural forms. The findings of the current research indicate inconsistency phenomena in global statistics of different instances/years. Finally, the results of this research provide evidence on the importance of careful and systematic data collection for developing advanced statistical and econometric techniques and furthermore for developing road safety policies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anthropometric parameters as indicators of metabolic derangements in schizophrenia patients stabilized on olanzapine in an Indian rural population

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Jayanta Kumar Rout

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Context: For any given body mass, Asian Indians have higher central obesity than Europeans. A periodic measurement of body mass index (BMI and waist hip ratio (WHR is practically more feasible than other parameters of metabolic syndrome by repeated blood collection. However, few studies are available on the relative importance of BMI and WHR as markers of dyslipidemia and insulin resistance in schizophrenia patients stabilized on second generation antipsychotics in Indian population. Aim: We conducted the present study on such patients to examine whether BMI or WHR can better predict dyslipidemia and insulin resistance in these patients in a rural area. Settings and Design: The study was a hospital based case control study under rural settings on 38 schizophrenia patients stabilized on olanzapine and 30 matched controls. Materials and Methods: Fasting concentrations of blood glucose, lipid parameters and serum insulin were assessed. Data for Homeostatic model for assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR, BMI, and WHR were obtained to assess the insulin resistance, overall body fat distribution and abdominal fat dispensation respectively. Statistical analysis used: ′t′ test was performed to assay any difference in corresponding mean values between cases and controls. Dependence of HOMA-IR on key parameters was assessed by analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA study. Results: Cases exhibited significantly higher values for HOMA-IR, serum triglyceride and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDLc with a significantly lower high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLc level. ANCOVA study reflected that irrespective of age and sex, HOMA-IR was dependent on serum triglyceride level and WHR (F=8.3 and 5.7 respectively, P<0.05, but not on BMI (F<0.001, P=0.997. Conclusions: Central obesity could be more closely associated with the pathogenesis of prediabetic state in our case group. So, WHR is a better anthropometric parameter than BMI for an early

Human population and carbon dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaffer, W.M.

2008-01-01

A recently proposed model of human population and carbon utilization is reviewed. Depending on parameter values, one of three possible long-term outcomes is obtained. (1) Atmospheric carbon, (CO 2 ) atm , and human populations equilibrate at positive values. (2) The human population stabilizes, while (CO 2 ) atm increases without bound. (3) The human population goes extinct and atmospheric carbon declines to 0. The final possibility is qualitatively compatible with both 'consensus' views of climate change and the opinions of those who are more impressed with the manifestly adverse consequences of carbon-mitigation to human reproduction and survival

Peru : Country Program Evaluation for the World Bank Group, 2003-09

OpenAIRE

Independent Evaluation Group

2011-01-01

Since 2003, Peru has emerged as an open, rapidly growing economy. Over the review period of 2003-09, successive governments adopted policy platforms aimed at maintaining macroeconomic stability, furthering the private sector supply response, broadening participation in growth, improving social service delivery, and strengthening public institutions. The World Bank Group (WBG) supported each of ...

Conferinţa Mondială a Populaţiei, Bucureşti 1974. Semnificaţii politice (World Population Conference, Bucharest 1974. Political Meanings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cezar STANCIU

2014-09-01

Full Text Available n 1974, the United Nations organized the first inter-governmental conference dedicated especially to problems of population and demography. Apart from technical issue involved, the conference represented yet another manifestation of disagreements between the industrialized countries, on one hand, and the underdeveloped or developing countries. The first group argued that overpopulation was a major risk as the Earth did not have sufficient resources to feed the ever-growing population and birth control measures were required. The latter group disagreed with this perspective and claimed that population issues could be solved only by the development of the poor countries. Development, argued this group of countries, had to be insured by a restructuring of the international economy and more financial assistance from the developed countries. This paper examines Romania’s position in this context, analyzing how the regime in Bucharest tried to balance between foreign constraints such as its obligation as host country to remain neutral, its effort to build bridges to the underdeveloped or developing countries thus trying to tacitly evade it international status of Warsaw Pact member and gain acceptance in the Group of 77. The World Population Conference in 1974 is a conclusive case study for Romania’s foreign policy after the Soviet-American détente of 1972.

Bucharest: poverty or population?

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Stability and Bifurcation of a Fishery Model with Crowley-Martin Functional Response

Science.gov (United States)

Maiti, Atasi Patra; Dubey, B.

To understand the dynamics of a fishery system, a nonlinear mathematical model is proposed and analyzed. In an aquatic environment, we considered two populations: one is prey and another is predator. Here both the fish populations grow logistically and interaction between them is of Crowley-Martin type functional response. It is assumed that both the populations are harvested and the harvesting effort is assumed to be dynamical variable and tax is considered as a control variable. The existence of equilibrium points and their local stability are examined. The existence of Hopf-bifurcation, stability and direction of Hopf-bifurcation are also analyzed with the help of Center Manifold theorem and normal form theory. The global stability behavior of the positive equilibrium point is also discussed. In order to find the value of optimal tax, the optimal harvesting policy is used. To verify our analytical findings, an extensive numerical simulation is carried out for this model system.

[Food and population: study of three countries].

Science.gov (United States)

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

The demographic transition: an attempt to reformulate a population theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Hofsten, E

1981-01-01

In this effort to reformulate the demographic transition theory, attention is directed to the following: Malthus and Karl Marx's criticism of his principle of population; the 1st stage of transition, i.e., high mortality, high fertility, and slow population growth; the 2nd stage of declining mortality; the 3rd stage of declining fertility; the 4th stage when mortality and fertility are both low; the growth potential; and the demographic transition in the 3rd world countries. The demographic transition theory has become popular among demographers, economists, historians, and others interested in studying the development of population over time since the end of World War 2. This interest has most likely been created by the anxiety over the population explosion in the 3rd world countries. Transition has made demographers believe that the period of rapid population growth will be automatically succeeded by a period of more or less constant population size. The question that arises is whether it is as simple as that. Demographic transition has to a great extent taken the place of Malthus' principle of population as a general theory of population. Demographic transition appears to describe in a satisfactory way the development of population which all currently industrialized countires have passed through, when going from the preindustrial to the present industrialized stage. The objectives to demographic transition as a general theory are considered. Some of the factors which have accounted for the decline in fertility in Europe may also apply to the 3rd world countries. 1 such factor is the effect of reduced infant and child mortality on the individual level. The fertility decline, caused by reduced infant and child mortality may, however, be of limited size. The great amount of unemployment in the 3rd world may affect fertility in a downward direction. The fertility decline in Europe occurred simultaneously with an industrialization process, which gradually covered the

Testing the Waters: From Moringa Seeds to Fruit Peels, Researchers Are Seeking Out New Ways to Clean Up the World?s Drinking Water.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Wudan

2017-01-01

Water on Earth-in our oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands-might seem plentiful, but water that is clean and safe enough to drink actually isn't so abundant. Nearly one in ten people still lacks access to safe water worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. In some of the world's most remote and impoverished communities, people live with no taps, showers, flushing toilets, or nearby springs, making it difficult to keep water supplies safe from bacteria, chemicals, and particulates. Moreover, access to clean drinking water isn't just a problem in the developing world; groundwater in developed countries is typically used far more quickly than it is being replenished. As the world population rises, growing numbers of thirsty people could exacerbate already-scant resources.

Oil price stability and free markets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamani, A.Z.

1992-01-01

The oil industry, like any capital-intensive industry with long supply lead times, is prone to price instability. Free markets in oil reflect this inherent instability, for prices are efficient signallers of imbalances between supply and demand. Free markets are desirable in principle, but entirely free oil markets are unstable. Volatile oil prices are undesirable. This article advocates trading some market freedom for more price stability, since such a trade off will be beneficial to the world as a whole. (author)

Evolution favors protein mutational robustness in sufficiently large populations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Venturelli Ophelia S

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background An important question is whether evolution favors properties such as mutational robustness or evolvability that do not directly benefit any individual, but can influence the course of future evolution. Functionally similar proteins can differ substantially in their robustness to mutations and capacity to evolve new functions, but it has remained unclear whether any of these differences might be due to evolutionary selection for these properties. Results Here we use laboratory experiments to demonstrate that evolution favors protein mutational robustness if the evolving population is sufficiently large. We neutrally evolve cytochrome P450 proteins under identical selection pressures and mutation rates in populations of different sizes, and show that proteins from the larger and thus more polymorphic population tend towards higher mutational robustness. Proteins from the larger population also evolve greater stability, a biophysical property that is known to enhance both mutational robustness and evolvability. The excess mutational robustness and stability is well described by mathematical theory, and can be quantitatively related to the way that the proteins occupy their neutral network. Conclusion Our work is the first experimental demonstration of the general tendency of evolution to favor mutational robustness and protein stability in highly polymorphic populations. We suggest that this phenomenon could contribute to the mutational robustness and evolvability of viruses and bacteria that exist in large populations.

Sawtooth stabilization by energetic trapped particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

White, R.B.; Rutherford, P.H.; Colestock, P.; Bussac, M.N.

1988-03-01

Recent experiments involving high power radio-frequency heating of a tokamak plasma show strong suppression of the sawtooth oscillation. A high energy trapped particle population is shown to have a strong stabilizing effect on the internal resistive kink mode. Numerical calculations are in reasonable agreement with experiment. 13 refs., 2 figs

Alternative Views of Moral Priorities in Population Policy

Science.gov (United States)

Dyck, Arthur J.

1977-01-01

Describes three major sources of agreement and disagreement about population policy, i.e., the crisis environmentalists, the family planners, and the developmental distributivists. Discusses moral considerations relating to population policy. Lists types of policies suggested in the World Plan of Action at Bucharest (Population Council, 1974). (CS)

AIDS and population "control".

Science.gov (United States)

Piel, G

1994-02-01

Many people believe that the AIDS pandemic will end the population explosion, especially in Africa, where population growth is very high and poverty reigns. Africans make up 10 million of all 15 million HIV- infected persons worldwide. Yet, the proposition that AIDS will sole population explosion does not stand up to reason. About 200 million people in Africa will be HIV infected by 2010, but the loss of 200 million people would not slow population growth. The 14th century's Black Death killed more than 50% of the European population, but by 1750 Europe had reached the population size it would have reached without the Black Death. The 200 million people who died violent deaths between the start and end of the two World Wars did not stop world population growth from peaking in 1970 at about 2%. When Malthus made his prediction that human population would crash, the industrial revolution had already helped production outrun population growth. Today all industrial countries are either at or near zero population growth and have completed the demographic transition (from near zero growth in 1600 with high births and death rates and a 25-year life expectancy, to near zero growth in 1990s at low death and birth rates with a 75-year life expectancy). Mass education, sanitation, primary medicine, and the green revolution have already reduced death rates and increased life expectancy in developing countries. Thus, they have entered the first phase of the demographic transition. Some developing countries are in the second phase; birth rate decline For example, in India and China, fertility has fallen from 6 to 4 in India and is at 2.3 in China. The AIDS pandemic is a diversion of physical and human resources from helping developing countries pass through the demographic transition more quickly to achieve sustainable development. This delay is likely to effect a larger maximum population. The industrial revolution has shifted the key to stopping population growth the people

Policy options for developing Asian countries in the Post-Kyoto world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqi, Toufiq A.

2003-01-01

The developing countries of Asia are amongst the largest contributors to the anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases as well as being amongst those most likely to be impacted by global climate change. There are at present no legal requirements for the Asian developing countries to reduce their emissions, however, the medium and long-term impact of global climate change is likely to be proportionately larger for the developing countries than for the industrialized countries, since the latter have the resources to reduce the adverse impacts. Therefore, it is of great interest of the developing countries, as well as the rest of the world, to have longer-term goals for stabilizing their greenhouse gas emissions, and taking actions during the medium term to achieve these goals. Asia is home to about 50% of the world's population, and there is great variation in the levels of industrialization and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. A differentiated strategy for addressing concerns related to global climate change may be appropriate for the Asian developing countries at this time. Some elements of this strategy are discussed in this paper. Development in energy technology present several attractive options for the developing countries. However, their introduction and successful use depends at least as much on the existence of the necessary infrastructure as on the attractiveness of the technologies themselves. It is suggested that international and bilateral development agencies, as well as the countries themselves, consider the accelerated development of such infrastructure as a major way to contribute to the efforts to address global climate change. (BA)

A machine learns to predict the stability of circumbinary planets

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Christopher; Kipping, David

2018-01-01

Long-period circumbinary planets appear to be as common as those orbiting single stars and have been found to frequently have orbital radii just beyond the critical distance for dynamical stability. Assessing the stability is typically done either through N-body simulations or using the classic Holman-Wiegert stability criterion: a second-order polynomial calibrated to broadly match numerical simulations. However, the polynomial is unable to capture islands of instability introduced by mean motion resonances, causing the accuracy of the criterion to approach that of a random coin-toss when close to the boundary. We show how a deep neural network (DNN) trained on N-body simulations generated with REBOUND is able to significantly improve stability predictions for circumbinary planets on initially coplanar, circular orbits. Specifically, we find that the accuracy of our DNN never drops below 86%, even when tightly surrounding the boundary of instability, and is fast enough to be practical for on-the-fly calls during likelihood evaluations typical of modern Bayesian inference. Our binary classifier DNN is made publicly available at https://github.com/CoolWorlds/orbital-stability.

Postural stability in patients with knee osteoarthritis: comparison with controls and evaluation of relationships between postural stability scores and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health components.

Science.gov (United States)

Hsieh, Ru-Lan; Lee, Wen-Chung; Lo, Min-Tzu; Liao, Wei-Cheng

2013-02-01

To assess the differences in postural stability between patients with knee osteoarthritis and controls without knee osteoarthritis, and to evaluate possible relations between postural stability scores and International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) components. An age-matched, case-controlled trial with a cross-sectional design. A teaching hospital. Patients with knee osteoarthritis (n=73) and age-matched controls (n=60). Data on patients' postural stability and additional health-related variables were collected using various instruments. These included the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version, the physical function test (chair-rising time), the Chinese version of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, the Chinese version of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, and the Biodex Stability System. A comparison of postural stability in patients with knee osteoarthritis versus that of controls was performed. The relation between postural stability scores for patients with knee osteoarthritis and ICF components was evaluated. Pearson correlation tests were used to determine the variables that correlated with postural stability among these patients. Patients with knee osteoarthritis displayed lower overall postural stability than controls (scores of 0.7 vs. 0.5, P=.006) and scored lower on the environmental domain of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (62.2 vs 66.8, P=.014). For patients with knee osteoarthritis, postural stability was weakly associated with the ICF components of body functions and structures, including pain (r=.33-.34, P=.004), physical fatigue (r=.28, P=.016), and reduced motivation (r=.30, P=.011). Weak to moderate associations between postural stability and the ICF components of activities and participation were found; the relevant ICF variables included

Overall socio-economic perspective of the world economy to the year 2000

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

The document contains the following 10 chapters: Introduction, Long-term trends in world economic development, Quantitative scenarios for the world economy to the year 2000, Structural changes in world production and trade, Long-term sectoral issues, New technologies, Environmental issues, Population and human settlements, Human resource development and social policy, Concluding observations. The chapter devoted to long-term sectoral issues includes an analysis of the trends in the field of energy consumption and production in the overall socio-economic perspective of the world economy to the year 2000. Figs and tabs

The World Health Organization-United Nations Population Fund Strategic Partnership Programme's implementation of family planning guidelines and tools in Asia-Pacific countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Mody, Sheila K; Ba-Thike, Katherine; Gaffield, Mary E

2013-04-01

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the Strategic Partnership Programme, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and the United Nations Population Fund to improve evidence-based guidance for country programs through the introduction of selected practice guidelines to improve sexual and reproductive health. Information for this report is from questionnaires sent to Ministries of Health in 2004 (baseline assessment) and in 2007 (assessment of outcome), annual country reports and personal communication with focal points from Ministries of Health and World Health Organization regional and country offices. Following the Strategic Partnership Programme, family planning guidance was used extensively to: formulate and update reproductive health policy; update standards and guidelines; improve training curricula; conduct training activities; develop advocacy and communication materials; and promote change in service. The Strategic Partnership Programme was successful in promoting the introduction of evidence-based guidelines for reproductive health in several Asian countries. The countries that adapted the family planning guidance observed an increase in demand for contraceptives commodities. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2012 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Cancer among circumpolar populations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Young, T Kue; Kelly, Janet J; Friborg, Jeppe

2016-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To determine and compare the incidence of cancer among the 8 Arctic States and their northern regions, with special focus on 3 cross-national indigenous groups--Inuit, Athabaskan Indians and Sami. METHODS: Data were extracted from national and regional statistical agencies and cancer...... registries, with direct age-standardization of rates to the world standard population. For comparison, the "world average" rates as reported in the GLOBOCAN database were used. FINDINGS: Age-standardized incidence rates by cancer sites were computed for the 8 Arctic States and 20 of their northern regions......, averaged over the decade 2000-2009. Cancer of the lung and colon/rectum in both sexes are the commonest in most populations. We combined the Inuit from Alaska, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Greenland into a "Circumpolar Inuit" group and tracked cancer trends over four 5-year periods from 1989 to 2008...

The Africana world

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

It is 127 years since the Scramble for Africa divided up the continent, imposing borders that have led to conflict rather than peace and stability. It is 100 years since the African National Congress (ANC) was founded as the first African liberation movement with pan-African roots. It is nearly 50...... engagements with Africa's rich cultural heritage, its lingering contemporary challenges, its multifaceted systems of knowledge and its future in the exciting context of the twenty-first century. Africana World: From Fragmentation to Unity and Renaissance is put together in order to help develop the study...... and knowledge of African liberation across the continent and the diaspora. This first volume launches a new book series, following the Scramble for Africa conferences held every May to commemorate the founding of the OAU, which will be published annually to support the scholarly study of African unity...

Comparison of real-world and certification emission rates for light duty gasoline vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Tanzila; Frey, H Christopher

2018-05-01

U.S. light duty vehicles are subject to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emission standards. Emission compliance is determined by certification testing of selected emissions from representative vehicles on standard driving cycles using chassis dynamometers. Test results are also used in many emission inventories. The dynamometer based emission rates are adjusted to provide the certification levels (CL), which must be lower than the standards for compliance. Although standard driving cycles are based on specific observations of real-world driving, they are not necessarily real-world representative. A systematic comparison of the real-world emission rates of U.S. light duty gasoline vehicles (LDGVs) versus CL, and emission standards has not been previously reported. The purpose of this work is to compare regulatory limits (both CLs and emission standards) and the real-world emissions of LDGVs. The sensitivity of the comparisons to cold start emission was assessed. Portable Emission Measurement Systems (PEMS) were used to measure hot stabilized exhaust emissions of 122 LDGVs on a specified 110 mile test route. Cold start emissions were measured with PEMS for a selected vehicle sample of 32 vehicles. Emissions were measured for carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NO x ). For each vehicle, a Vehicle Specific Power (VSP) modal emission rate model was developed. The VSP modal rates were weighted by the standard driving cycles and real-world driving cycles to estimate the respective cycle average emission rates (CAERs). Measured vehicles were matched with certification test vehicles for comparison. For systematic trends in comparison, vehicles were classified into four groups based on the Tier 1 and Tier 2 emission regulation, and the vehicle type such as passenger car and passenger truck. Depending on the cycle-pollutant and the vehicle groups, hot stabilized CAERs are on average either statistically

"Price-quakes" shaking the world's stock exchanges.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jørgen Vitting Andersen

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Systemic risk has received much more awareness after the excessive risk taking by major financial instituations pushed the world's financial system into what many considered a state of near systemic failure in 2008. The IMF for example in its yearly 2009 Global Financial Stability Report acknowledged the lack of proper tools and research on the topic. Understanding how disruptions can propagate across financial markets is therefore of utmost importance. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we use empirical data to show that the world's markets have a non-linear threshold response to events, consistent with the hypothesis that traders exhibit change blindness. Change blindness is the tendency of humans to ignore small changes and to react disproportionately to large events. As we show, this may be responsible for generating cascading events--pricequakes--in the world's markets. We propose a network model of the world's stock exchanges that predicts how an individual stock exchange should be priced in terms of the performance of the global market of exchanges, but with change blindness included in the pricing. The model has a direct correspondence to models of earth tectonic plate movements developed in physics to describe the slip-stick movement of blocks linked via spring forces. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We have shown how the price dynamics of the world's stock exchanges follows a dynamics of build-up and release of stress, similar to earthquakes. The nonlinear response allows us to classify price movements of a given stock index as either being generated internally, due to specific economic news for the country in question, or externally, by the ensemble of the world's stock exchanges reacting together like a complex system. The model may provide new insight into the origins and thereby also prevent systemic risks in the global financial network.

"Price-quakes" shaking the world's stock exchanges.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Jørgen Vitting; Nowak, Andrzej; Rotundo, Giulia; Parrott, Lael; Martinez, Sebastian

2011-01-01

Systemic risk has received much more awareness after the excessive risk taking by major financial instituations pushed the world's financial system into what many considered a state of near systemic failure in 2008. The IMF for example in its yearly 2009 Global Financial Stability Report acknowledged the lack of proper tools and research on the topic. Understanding how disruptions can propagate across financial markets is therefore of utmost importance. Here, we use empirical data to show that the world's markets have a non-linear threshold response to events, consistent with the hypothesis that traders exhibit change blindness. Change blindness is the tendency of humans to ignore small changes and to react disproportionately to large events. As we show, this may be responsible for generating cascading events--pricequakes--in the world's markets. We propose a network model of the world's stock exchanges that predicts how an individual stock exchange should be priced in terms of the performance of the global market of exchanges, but with change blindness included in the pricing. The model has a direct correspondence to models of earth tectonic plate movements developed in physics to describe the slip-stick movement of blocks linked via spring forces. We have shown how the price dynamics of the world's stock exchanges follows a dynamics of build-up and release of stress, similar to earthquakes. The nonlinear response allows us to classify price movements of a given stock index as either being generated internally, due to specific economic news for the country in question, or externally, by the ensemble of the world's stock exchanges reacting together like a complex system. The model may provide new insight into the origins and thereby also prevent systemic risks in the global financial network.

Food and population.

Science.gov (United States)

1985-04-06

Agricultural producttivity is currently characterized by the paradox of an abundace of food in the developed world and hunger in much of the developing world. In China, India, and many other countries of Asia, the general food supply has kept pace with population growth and should continue to if family planning programs gain momentum. In Africa, on the other hand, the food supply has been falling behind the growth of the population in the majority of countries for the past decade. The situation is especially serious in the Sahel, where the production wf crops for export has been prioritized over local needs. The Food and Agriculture Organization's global information and early warning system is a promising development and can provide alerts when weather or other conditions threaten a harvest. Donor countries can then send in cereals and other foods before there is an actual famine. About 20 disasters in the Sahel are etimated to have been averted by this system, in operation since 1975. In developed countries, the farming industry needs to be restructured in relation to changes in markets and technologies. Solution of the food-population problem depends upon agricultural policies that balance the economic interests of farmers and consumers and also takes into account the need to preserve the countryside.

[To educate and to inform the population about population].

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, M L

1993-03-01

Each society has multiple institutions that inform members about themselves and their world. The quality of the information received depends on the balance between the political, religious, intellectual, educational, and media institutions that supply information. Population questions are almost always absent from public education programs, because they deal with themes traditionally reserved for family and religious education. But the contemporary world has changed so much that families and the clerical world are no longer necessarily the best sources of instruction. The ignorance and passivity of many families leave a void that is difficult to fill. The difficulty arises because the need is to assist families in filling their role, and not to substitute for them. Educators, development technicians, psychologists, physicians, and sociologists should not be allowed to monopolize the task of educating children in areas related to population, and morality any more than priests should. The central discipline for questions of population is demography. The use of figures and quantitative categories such as age cohorts gives a "scientific" air to demographic discourse which masks the arbitrariness of many terms. At what age, for example, does one became single, or when does one cease to be an orphan? Explaining the European term "household" to Africans, or the African term "concession" to Europeans, illustrates the semantic problems impeding, understanding and communication. The diffusion of demographic information, like that of all numeric information, assumes that the complexity of data gathering and the conventions of calculation are understood. The risk of error and misunderstanding is greater in population than, for example, for the economy, because of the simple and universal nature of demographic subjects: birth, death, illness. Good understanding of demographic information should lead to a deeper understanding of apparently evident notions such as age, duration

Gaze-Stabilizing Central Vestibular Neurons Project Asymmetrically to Extraocular Motoneuron Pools.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoppik, David; Bianco, Isaac H; Prober, David A; Douglass, Adam D; Robson, Drew N; Li, Jennifer M B; Greenwood, Joel S F; Soucy, Edward; Engert, Florian; Schier, Alexander F

2017-11-22

Within reflex circuits, specific anatomical projections allow central neurons to relay sensations to effectors that generate movements. A major challenge is to relate anatomical features of central neural populations, such as asymmetric connectivity, to the computations the populations perform. To address this problem, we mapped the anatomy, modeled the function, and discovered a new behavioral role for a genetically defined population of central vestibular neurons in rhombomeres 5-7 of larval zebrafish. First, we found that neurons within this central population project preferentially to motoneurons that move the eyes downward. Concordantly, when the entire population of asymmetrically projecting neurons was stimulated collectively, only downward eye rotations were observed, demonstrating a functional correlate of the anatomical bias. When these neurons are ablated, fish failed to rotate their eyes following either nose-up or nose-down body tilts. This asymmetrically projecting central population thus participates in both upward and downward gaze stabilization. In addition to projecting to motoneurons, central vestibular neurons also receive direct sensory input from peripheral afferents. To infer whether asymmetric projections can facilitate sensory encoding or motor output, we modeled differentially projecting sets of central vestibular neurons. Whereas motor command strength was independent of projection allocation, asymmetric projections enabled more accurate representation of nose-up stimuli. The model shows how asymmetric connectivity could enhance the representation of imbalance during nose-up postures while preserving gaze stabilization performance. Finally, we found that central vestibular neurons were necessary for a vital behavior requiring maintenance of a nose-up posture: swim bladder inflation. These observations suggest that asymmetric connectivity in the vestibular system facilitates representation of ethologically relevant stimuli without

Stability and vibration control in synchrotron light source buildings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Godel, J.B.

1991-12-31

Synchrotron light sources have undergone three generations of development in the last two decades. The National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) at Brookhaven National Laboratory has two ``second generation`` storage rings that currently provide the world`s most intense sources of photons in the VUV and X-ray spectral ranges. There are almost 90 beam lines serving a community of 2600 scientists from 370 institutions. They are engaged in basic and applied research in physics, chemistry, biology, medicine, materials science and various technologies. When design of the NSLS began in 1977, emphasis was given to the stability of the concrete slab on which the storage rings and experimental beam lines were placed. Stability is the result of controlling: vibration from sources internal and external to the building, thermal effects of air and water temperature variations, foundation settlement and contact between the slab and underlying subsoil. With the advent of new research where highly focused beams of x-rays must be placed on increasingly smaller targets located 35 meters or more from the source, and the development of x-ray lithography with resolutions approaching 0.1 micron at chip exposure stations, even greater attention to stability is required in building designs. This paper will review the results of the successful NSLS experience and give an integrated design approach that includes elements which contribute to instabilities, and the means available to reduce them to acceptable levels.

Updated Hubbert curves analyze world oil supply

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ivanhoe, L.F.

1996-01-01

The question is not whether, but when, world crude oil production will start to decline, ushering in the permanent oil shock era. While global information for predicting this event is not so straightforward as the data M. King Hubbert used in creating his famous Hubbert Curve that predicted the US (Lower 48 states, or US/48) 1970 oil production peak, there are strong indications that most of the world's large exploration targets have now been found. Meanwhile, the earth's population is exploding along with the oil needs of Asia's developing nations. This article reviews Hubbert's original analyses on oil discovery and production curves for the US/48 and projects his proven methodology onto global oil discoveries and production as of 1992. The world's oil discovery curve peaked in 1962, and thence declined, as a Hubbert Curve predicts. However, global production was restricted after the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Otherwise, world production would have peaked in the mid-1990s. Two graphs show alternate versions of future global oil production

Making It Better: Activities for Children Living in a Stressful World, Second Edition

Science.gov (United States)

Oehlberg, Barbara

2014-01-01

Children living with uncertainty and insecurity often have difficulty focusing on learning. They might demonstrate disrespectful or defiant behaviors, act out, or act with aggression. As an educator, you may provide the only stability in their otherwise turbulent world. "Making It Better" explains trauma-­informed education, an approach…

Population Aging and the Generational Economy: A Global ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-10-31

Oct 31, 2011 ... ... of Global Health and Population, Harvard School of Public Health, USA. ... Over coming decades, changes in population age structure will have ... at international agencies such as the World Bank, the IMF, and the UN.

Ecological stability and biodiversity of disturbed land

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tewary, B.K.; Singh, R.S.; Dhar, B.B.

1996-01-01

Ecosystems destruction by mining is an inevitable part of industrialisation. Disposal of debris and low grade ore and minerals reduces the vegetation cover and population of wild animals. Further it causes an unprecedented increase in the rate of accumulation of waste dumps, depleted topsoil, increase in sedimentation load and ultimately prevention of natural succession of native vegetation of the area. Revegetation of overburden dumps through systematic means increase slope stability, enhances the infiltration rate of rain water, increase in soil fertility and natural succession of the native plant species which maintain the long term stability of the ecosystems. Rapid growing population followed with extensive land clearing by the mineral and other industries have caused rapid increase in the extinction of biological diversity. In this paper an attempt is made to portray the natural succession process to preserve the biodiversity of the area. A case study for a coal mining area in India is given. 9 refs., 4 tabs

A database of major breakwaters around the world

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Allsop, N.W.H.; Cork, R.S.; Verhagen, H.J.

2009-01-01

This paper introduces a co-operative project between HR Wallingford UK (HRW) and Delft University of Technology, Netherlands, (TUD) to develop, populate, and then to apply a database on all major breakwaters around the world. It builds on, and revives, similar initiatives that originate in the late

Stability of termite mound populations in a variable environment ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Of all the climatic variables in the environment of termites in southern Kenya, only rainfall shows marked seasonality and unpredictability. But despite the great variability in rainfall patterns, the populations of termite mounds of various species in three well-separated study areas remained remarkably constant over a period ...

The emergence of DNA in the RNA world: an in silico simulation study of genetic takeover.

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Wentao; Yu, Chunwu; Zhang, Wentao; Wu, Sanmao; Feng, Yu

2015-12-07

It is now popularly accepted that there was an "RNA world" in early evolution of life. This idea has a direct consequence that later on there should have been a takeover of genetic material - RNA by DNA. However, since genetic material carries genetic information, the "source code" of all living activities, it is actually reasonable to question the plausibility of such a "revolutionary" transition. Due to our inability to model relevant "primitive living systems" in reality, it is as yet impossible to explore the plausibility and mechanisms of the "genetic takeover" by experiments. Here we investigated this issue by computer simulation using a Monte-Carlo method. It shows that an RNA-by-DNA genetic takeover may be triggered by the emergence of a nucleotide reductase ribozyme with a moderate activity in a pure RNA system. The transition is unstable and limited in scale (i.e., cannot spread in the population), but can get strengthened and globalized if certain parameters are changed against RNA (i.e., in favor of DNA). In relation to the subsequent evolution, an advanced system with a larger genome, which uses DNA as genetic material and RNA as functional material, is modeled - the system cannot sustain if the nucleotide reductase ribozyme is "turned off" (thus, DNA cannot be synthesized). Moreover, the advanced system cannot sustain if only DNA's stability, template suitability or replication fidelity (any of the three) is turned down to the level of RNA's. Genetic takeover should be plausible. In the RNA world, such a takeover may have been triggered by the emergence of some ribozyme favoring the formation of deoxynucleotides. The transition may initially have been "weak", but could have been reinforced by environmental changes unfavorable to RNA (such as temperature or pH rise), and would have ultimately become irreversible accompanying the genome's enlargement. Several virtues of DNA (versus RNA) - higher stability against hydrolysis, greater suitability as

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

The genetic prehistory of the New World Arctic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Raghavan, Maanasa; DeGiorgio, Michael; Albrechtsen, Anders

2014-01-01

The New World Arctic, the last region of the Americas to be populated by humans, has a relatively well-researched archaeology, but an understanding of its genetic history is lacking. We present genome-wide sequence data from ancient and present-day humans from Greenland, Arctic Canada, Alaska, Al...

Nonmetric tooth crown traits in a Sri Lankan aboriginal Vedda population.

Science.gov (United States)

Peiris, H R D; Arambawatta, A K S; Hewapathirana, T N; Nanayakkara, C D; Chandrasekara, M; Wickramanayake, E

2011-12-01

This study was conducted to determine the frequencies of non-metric tooth crown traits of Vedda of Sri Lanka and to investigate the affinities of these morphological variations with those of other world populations. Fifty dental plaster casts were observed. The Arizona State University dental anthropology system was adopted for classification of the 16 traits observed. We used 13 traits to compare the Vedda and other world populations. Using the frequencies of 13 traits, Smith Mean Measure of Divergence was calculated to determine inter-population distances. Affinities among the Vedda and other world populations were expressed in two dimensions of the principal coordinate analysis. Cusp number in mandibular second molar and hypocone absence in maxillary second molar had the highest frequency at 95.9% and 93.8%, respectively. Shovelling, double shovelling in the maxillary central incisor and deflecting wrinkle in the mandibular first molar had the lowest frequency at 0%. The principal coordinate analysis showed that Sino American and Western Eurasian populations were separated in negative and positive directions in the first principal coordinate axis. Vedda located with the Western Eurasian population groups. Sahul and Sunda Pacific populations located in the intermediate position between Sino American and Western Eurasian populations. The dental phenotype of Vedda has close affinities with those of early south Asian populations. They are far different from Sino American and Sunda pacific populations. Vedda shows closer affinities to Sahul Pacific and South African (Bantu) populations. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Hunger and Population. Facts for Action #7.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, James

The relationship between world hunger and world population is explored in this document for high school global education classes. Reasons for the high birth rates in developing nations are suggested, e.g., a poor family has many children because children are an inexpensive work force, provide extra income, and care for parents in old age. The…

General considerations on the population ageing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alina Nuta

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This article presents one of the most important issues of the current context, the ageing of the population, with major consequences on the financial stability of the nation. This restructure of the population (that change the shape of the population pyramid , as a result, on the one hand, of the reducing in the fertility rate, on the other hand, increasing in life expectancy and last but not least, due to migration, unbalance national budgets, generating negative effects in economic, financial and social terms.

Quantifying the contribution of the root system of alpine vegetation in the soil aggregate stability of moraine

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Csilla Hudek

2017-03-01

Full Text Available One fifth of the world's population is living in mountains or in their surrounding areas. This anthropogenic pressure continues to grow with the increasing number of settlements, especially in areas connected to touristic activities, such as the Italian Alps. The process of soil formation on high mountains is particularly slow and these soils are particularly vulnerable to soil degradation. In alpine regions, extreme meteorological events are increasingly frequent due to climate change, speeding up the process of soil degradation and increasing the number of severe erosion processes, shallow landslides and debris flows. Vegetation cover plays a crucial role in the stabilization of mountain soils thereby reducing the risk of natural hazards effecting downslope areas. Soil aggregate stability is one of the main soil properties that can be linked to soil loss processes. Soils developed on moraines in recently deglaciated areas typically have low levels of soil aggregation, and a limited or discontinuous vegetation cover making them more susceptible to degradation. However, soil structure can be influenced by the root system of the vegetation. Roots are actively involved in the formation of water-stable soil aggregation, increasing the stability of the soil and its nutrient content. In the present study, we aim to quantify the effect of the root system of alpine vegetation on the soil aggregate stability of the forefield of the Lys glacier, in the Aosta Valley (NW-Italy. This proglacial area provides the opportunity to study how the root system of ten pioneer alpine species from different successional stages can contribute to soil development and soil stabilization. To quantify the aggregate stability of root permeated soils, a modified wet sieving method was employed. The root length per soil volume of the different species was also determined and later correlated with the aggregate stability results. The results showed that soil aggregate

Population genetic data of the NGM SElect STR loci in Chinese Han population from Zhejiang region, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Anju; Wu, Weiwei; Liu, Qiuling; Wu, Yeda; Lu, Dejian

2013-03-01

Genetic variations of the 17 NGM SElect STR loci in Chinese Han samples from the Zhejiang region were analyzed. The results show that the NGM SElect is a highly genetic informative system in Zhejiang Han, and this population shows quite different genetic data from other major populations in the world with the exception of the Fujian Han.

Population growth and development in the Third World: the neocolonial context.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, J G; Shrestha, N R

1988-01-01

Less developed countries (LDCs) that were colonies of other nations continued operating under the same social and political structures set up by the former ruling nations. The small minority of elites in the LDCs held on to the power acquired during colonial times. In order to preserve their political and financial status after independence, they maintained their close linkages to the capitalist nations and their multinational corporations (MNCs). The elites did not generally have popular support, however. These capitalist nations and their commercial interests continue to dictate most LDCs development process which supports the financial interests of the MNCs and the local elites and not those of the majority, the poor. The poor realize that they are trapped and unable to break away from the economic and political structures, therefore, to assure some form of security, they have many children which exacerbates their poverty. Yet population control policies based on Malthusian theory and those that rely on such undimensional, technical approaches as family planning alone cannot cure the multidimensional social problems of high population growth and poverty. Neither the Malthusian nor Marxist theories totally explain the situation in the LDCs or even provide workable solutions. Research on population and development in LDCs needs to address both the Malthusian concern for the problems posed by high growth rates and the Marxist critique of class struggle in development trends. To eliminate the trap of poverty and dependent economies, each country must design its own remedies based on its history, culture, and geography and alter the prevailing social, economic, and political power structures in favor of the poor. 6 propositions that must be modified to each nation's particular problems and needs are presented to guide LDCs in formulating or reformulating policies to alleviate the problems of population and poverty.

A machine learns to predict the stability of circumbinary planets

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Christopher; Kipping, David

2018-06-01

Long-period circumbinary planets appear to be as common as those orbiting single stars and have been found to frequently have orbital radii just beyond the critical distance for dynamical stability. Assessing the stability is typically done either through N-body simulations or using the classic stability criterion first considered by Dvorak and later developed by Holman and Wiegert: a second-order polynomial calibrated to broadly match numerical simulations. However, the polynomial is unable to capture islands of instability introduced by mean motion resonances, causing the accuracy of the criterion to approach that of a random coin-toss when close to the boundary. We show how a deep neural network (DNN) trained on N-body simulations generated with REBOUND is able to significantly improve stability predictions for circumbinary planets on initially coplanar, circular orbits. Specifically, we find that the accuracy of our DNN never drops below 86 per cent, even when tightly surrounding the boundary of instability, and is fast enough to be practical for on-the-fly calls during likelihood evaluations typical of modern Bayesian inference. Our binary classifier DNN is made publicly available at https://github.com/CoolWorlds/orbital-stability.

Food for Thought: A Population Simulation Kit. Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

Fletcher, Carol C.

Designed to foster an understanding of some of the relationships among population growth and distribution of people, food, and land area, this simulation kit deals with the following concepts: (1) the finite nature of land and resources, (2) the size and rate of growth of population, (3) the unequal distribution of population throughout the world,…

Global Trends 2025: A Transformed World

Science.gov (United States)

2008-11-01

believe ideological conflicts akin to the Cold War are unlikely to take root in a world in which most states will be preoccupied with the pragmatic...publics of the benefits of deeper economic, political, and social integration and to grasp the nettle of a shrinking and aging population by enacting...result in significant economic gains. Poor economic policies— rooted in patrimonial interests and incomplete economic reform—will likely exacerbate

Dispersal and population structure of a New World predator, the army ant Eciton burchellii

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berghoff, S M; Kronauer, D J C; Edwards, K J

2008-01-01

barriers, which might have severe impacts on population structure and lead to population decline. Using nuclear microsatellite markers and mitochondrial sequences, we investigated genetic differentiation in a fragmented population in the Panama Canal area. While nuclear markers showed little...

Understanding the GOLD 2011 Strategy as applied to a real-world COPD population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vestbo, J.; Vogelmeier, C.; Small, M.

2014-01-01

Study objectives: The aim of this analysis was to understand the implications of the GOLD 2011 multidimensional system for the assessment and management of COPD, using data from a real-world observational study. Methods: Data were drawn from the Adelphi Respiratory Disease Specific Programme...

Geographic origins and population genetics of bats killed at wind-energy facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Pylant, Cortney L; Nelson, David M; Fitzpatrick, Matthew C; Gates, J Edward; Keller, Stephen R

2016-07-01

An unanticipated impact of wind-energy development has been large-scale mortality of insectivorous bats. In eastern North America, where mortality rates are among the highest in the world, the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) and the eastern red bat (L. borealis) comprise the majority of turbine-associated bat mortality. Both species are migratory tree bats with widespread distributions; however, little is known regarding the geographic origins of bats killed at wind-energy facilities or the diversity and population structure of affected species. We addressed these unknowns by measuring stable hydrogen isotope ratios (δ 2 H) and conducting population genetic analyses of bats killed at wind-energy facilities in the central Appalachian Mountains (USA) to determine the summering origins, effective size, structure, and temporal stability of populations. Our results indicate that ~1% of hoary bat mortalities and ~57% of red bat mortalities derive from non-local sources, with no relationship between the proportion of non-local bats and sex, location of mortality, or month of mortality. Additionally, our data indicate that hoary bats in our sample consist of an unstructured population with a small effective size (N e ) and either a stable or declining history. Red bats also showed no evidence of population genetic structure, but in contrast to hoary bats, the diversity contained in our red bat samples is consistent with a much larger N e that reflects a demographic expansion after a bottleneck. These results suggest that the impacts of mortality associated with intensive wind-energy development may affect bat species dissimilarly, with red bats potentially better able to absorb sustained mortality than hoary bats because of their larger N e . Our results provide important baseline data and also illustrate the utility of stable isotopes and population genetics for monitoring bat populations affected by wind-energy development. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Allee effect: the story behind the stabilization or extinction of microbial ecosystem.

Science.gov (United States)

Goswami, Madhurankhi; Bhattacharyya, Purnita; Tribedi, Prosun

2017-03-01

A population exhibiting Allee effect shows a positive correlation between population fitness and population size or density. Allee effect decides the extinction or conservation of a microbial population and thus appears to be an important criterion in population ecology. The underlying factor of Allee effect that decides the stabilization and extinction of a particular population density is the threshold or the critical density of their abundance. According to Allee, microbial populations exhibit a definite, critical or threshold density, beyond which the population fitness of a particular population increases with the rise in population density and below it, the population fitness goes down with the decrease in population density. In particular, microbial population displays advantageous traits such as biofilm formation, expression of virulence genes, spore formation and many more only at a high population density. It has also been observed that microorganisms exhibiting a lower population density undergo complete extinction from the residual microbial ecosystem. In reference to Allee effect, decrease in population density or size introduces deleterious mutations among the population density through genetic drift. Mutations are carried forward to successive generations resulting in its accumulation among the population density thus reducing its microbial fitness and thereby increasing the risk of extinction of a particular microbial population. However, when the microbial load is high, the chance of genetic drift is less, and through the process of biofilm formation, the cooperation existing among the microbial population increases that increases the microbial fitness. Thus, the high microbial population through the formation of microbial biofilm stabilizes the ecosystem by increasing fitness. Taken together, microbial fitness shows positive correlation with the ecosystem conservation and negative correlation with ecosystem extinction.

THE ROLE OF THE WORLD INSURANCE MARKET INFRASTRUCTURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Antonina Sholoiko

2017-09-01

(associations of insurance experts that serve providing of insurance services – International Association of Insurance Professionals, International Actuarial Association, International Association of Average Adjusters. Value. This study has shown that all groups of elements of world insurance market infrastructure play a significant role in the development of the insurance industry because they set such tasks as: facilitate to the global stability, safety, efficiency through the collaboration with national governments and providing members of associations with information, education, consultation and other services. More research is required to consider an activity of elements of European, American, and Asian insurance market infrastructure as leading in the world.

Development of a self-report questionnaire designed for population-based surveillance of gingivitis in adolescents: assessment of content validity and reliability

Science.gov (United States)

QUIROZ, Viviana; REINERO, Daniela; HERNÁNDEZ, Patricia; CONTRERAS, Johanna; VERNAL, Rolando; CARVAJAL, Paola

2017-01-01

Abstract The major infectious diseases in Chile encompass the periodontal diseases, with a combined prevalence that rises up to 90% of the population. Thus, the population-based surveillance of periodontal diseases plays a central role for assessing their prevalence and for planning, implementing, and evaluating preventive and control programs. Self-report questionnaires have been proposed for the surveillance of periodontal diseases in adult populations world-wide. Objective This study aimed to develop and assess the content validity and reliability of a cognitively adapted self-report questionnaire designed for surveillance of gingivitis in adolescents. Material and Methods Ten predetermined self-report questions evaluating early signs and symptoms of gingivitis were preliminary assessed by a panel of clinical experts. Eight questions were selected and cognitively tested in 20 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years from Santiago de Chile. The questionnaire was then conducted and answered by 178 Chilean adolescents. Internal consistency was measured using the Cronbach’s alpha and temporal stability was calculated using the Kappa-index. Results A reliable final self-report questionnaire consisting of 5 questions was obtained, with a total Cronbach’s alpha of 0.73 and a Kappa-index ranging from 0.41 to 0.77 between the different questions. Conclusions The proposed questionnaire is reliable, with an acceptable internal consistency and a temporal stability from moderate to substantial, and it is promising for estimating the prevalence of gingivitis in adolescents. PMID:28877279

Development of a self-report questionnaire designed for population-based surveillance of gingivitis in adolescents: assessment of content validity and reliability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viviana QUIROZ

Full Text Available Abstract The major infectious diseases in Chile encompass the periodontal diseases, with a combined prevalence that rises up to 90% of the population. Thus, the population-based surveillance of periodontal diseases plays a central role for assessing their prevalence and for planning, implementing, and evaluating preventive and control programs. Self-report questionnaires have been proposed for the surveillance of periodontal diseases in adult populations world-wide. Objective This study aimed to develop and assess the content validity and reliability of a cognitively adapted self-report questionnaire designed for surveillance of gingivitis in adolescents. Material and Methods Ten predetermined self-report questions evaluating early signs and symptoms of gingivitis were preliminary assessed by a panel of clinical experts. Eight questions were selected and cognitively tested in 20 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years from Santiago de Chile. The questionnaire was then conducted and answered by 178 Chilean adolescents. Internal consistency was measured using the Cronbach’s alpha and temporal stability was calculated using the Kappa-index. Results A reliable final self-report questionnaire consisting of 5 questions was obtained, with a total Cronbach’s alpha of 0.73 and a Kappa-index ranging from 0.41 to 0.77 between the different questions. Conclusions The proposed questionnaire is reliable, with an acceptable internal consistency and a temporal stability from moderate to substantial, and it is promising for estimating the prevalence of gingivitis in adolescents.

Sliding Mode Controller and Lyapunov Redesign Controller to Improve Microgrid Stability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hossain, Eklas; Perez, Ron; Padmanaban, Sanjeevikumar

2017-01-01

technique is used to enhance stability of microgrids. Besides adopting this technique here, Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) and Lyapunov Redesign Controller (LRC), two of the most prominent nonlinear control techniques, are individually implemented to control microgrid system stability with desired robustness....... CPL power is then varied to compare robustness of these two control techniques. This investigation revealed the better performance of the LRC system compared to SMC to retain stability in microgrid with dense CPL load. All the necessary results are simulated in Matlab/Simulink platform for authentic......To mitigate the microgrid instability despite the presence of dense Constant Power Load (CPL) loads in the system, a number of compensation techniques have already been gone through extensive research, proposed, and implemented around the world. In this paper, a storage based load side compensation...

Complete and phase synchronization in a heterogeneous small-world neuronal network

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Han; Qi-Shao, Lu; Quan-Bao, Ji; Marian, Wiercigroch

2009-01-01

Synchronous firing of neurons is thought to be important for information communication in neuronal networks. This paper investigates the complete and phase synchronization in a heterogeneous small-world chaotic Hindmarsh–Rose neuronal network. The effects of various network parameters on synchronization behaviour are discussed with some biological explanations. Complete synchronization of small-world neuronal networks is studied theoretically by the master stability function method. It is shown that the coupling strength necessary for complete or phase synchronization decreases with the neuron number, the node degree and the connection density are increased. The effect of heterogeneity of neuronal networks is also considered and it is found that the network heterogeneity has an adverse effect on synchrony. (general)

Gravity mediation in 6d brane-world supergravity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, H.M.

2005-09-01

We consider the gravity-mediated SUSY breaking within the effective theory of six-dimensional brane-world supergravity. We construct the supersymmetric bulk-brane action by Noether method and find the nontrivial moduli coupling of the brane F- and D-terms. We find that the low energy Kaehler potential is not of sequestered form, so gravity mediation may occur at tree level. In moduli stabilization with anomaly effects included, the scalar soft mass squared can be positive at tree level and it can be comparable to the anomaly mediation. (orig.)

The International Migration of Population in the Current Phase: Tendencies and Challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Iurchenko Svitlana O.

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The article considers the characteristics of contemporary international migration of population. It has been shown that international migration encompasses all countries over the world and is an important constituent of the globalization of the world-wide economy. Tendencies in the international migration have been described by regions of the world and by type of country. It has been shown that a concentration of international migrants is present in a relatively small number of world countries, while the developed world is more attractive to migrants than the developing countries. The structure of migrants by sex and age has been considered and the most attractive regions for the migration of women and men have been identified. The problems and tendencies of the forced migration of population have been identified. It has been determined that, in many developed countries, the migration inflow of population will increase in importance in the demographic situation. The need to develop a migration policy in the regions of different hierarchical levels and to implement it in practice has been indicated.

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

Science.gov (United States)

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

Advanced light water reactors: an economically viable part of the world's future energy mix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bruschi, H.J.

1996-01-01

In addition to safety and reliability, a common mission for the international nuclear industry in the 21. century will be ensure affordable electricity. At the Westinghouse Electric Corporation believe our advanced light water reactor (ALWR) design gives us the opportunity to provide the safest, most reliable, lowest cost, most competitive generation method possible for use by nations and utilities worldwide. While the safety and reliability aspects of the ALWR can be proven tangibly and are well-documented, questions have been raised about the technology's ability to work within the world's selling price range for electricity generation. For our industry's financial stability, and especially for the stability of the world's future power needs, Westinghouse has done extensive work on this issue and we are convinced we can meet the competitive challenge. We believe the ALWR can be an economically viable part of the world's future energy mix. This paper will define the competitive challenge that is being addressed by the industry and then analyze three specific areas: capital costs, operating costs, and financing costs. The hidden advantage of nuclear power in responding to these challenges will be explored, and a strong case will be made asserting that the advanced light water reactor will be able to compete in international markets with viable production costs. (authors)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

Posttraumatic stress disorder in the World Mental Health Surveys.

Science.gov (United States)

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.

An Analysis of the Norwegian Resistance During the Second World War

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Johnson, Kim

1997-01-01

The Norwegian Resistance during the Second World War (April 1940-June 1945) was basically a peaceful set of events conducted by the civilian population as well as underground military organizations...

The World's Women: Fighting a Battle, Losing the War.

Science.gov (United States)

Abernethy, Virginia

1993-01-01

Promulgates the position that the overpopulation issue is being coopted for women's health and social status. Questions whether or not raising women's status in itself will have any significant impact on lowering fertility rates. Suggests that the attempt to stabilize populations through empowerment of women is a dangerous mistake in societies…

Thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke with alteplase in an Asian population: results of the multicenter, multinational Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Non-European Union World (SITS-NEW).

Science.gov (United States)

Rha, Joung-Ho; Shrivastava, Vasantha Padma; Wang, Yongjun; Lee, Kim En; Ahmed, Niaz; Bluhmki, Erich; Hermansson, Karin; Wahlgren, Nils

2014-10-01

Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Non-European Union World was a multinational, prospective, open, monitored, observational study of intravenous alteplase as thrombolytic therapy in clinical practice. Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Non-European Union World was required to assess the safety of alteplase in an Asian population by comparison with results from the European Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study and pooled results from randomized controlled trials. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous alteplase (0·9 mg/kg) as thrombolytic therapy within three-hours of onset of acute ischaemic stroke in an Asian population. The 591 patients included were treated at 48 centers in four countries (South Korea, China, India, and Singapore) between 2006 and 2008. Primary outcomes were symptomatic (deterioration in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≥4 or death within the first 24 h) intracerebral haemorrhage type 2 22-36 h after the thrombolysis and mortality at three-month follow-up. The secondary outcome was functional independence (modified Rankin Scale score 0-2) at three-months. Results were compared with those from Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study (n = 6483) and pooled results of patients (n = 415) who received intravenous alteplase (0·9 mg/kg) zero- to three-hours from onset of stroke symptoms in four randomized controlled trials (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke A and B, Altephase Thrombolysis for Acute Noninterventional Therapy in Ischaemic Stroke, and European Cooperative Acute Stroke Study II). Results are presented as Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Non-European Union World vs. Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study vs. pooled randomized controlled trials. Median age was 64 vs. 68 vs. 70 years, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score at baseline was 12 vs. 12 vs. 13

Population genomics reveals that an anthropophilic population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in West Africa recently gave rise to American and Asian populations of this major disease vector

KAUST Repository

Crawford, Jacob E.

2017-02-20

BackgroundThe mosquito Aedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever viruses. This major disease vector is thought to have arisen when the African subspecies Ae. aegypti formosus evolved from being zoophilic and living in forest habitats into a form that specialises on humans and resides near human population centres. The resulting domestic subspecies, Ae. aegypti aegypti, is found throughout the tropics and largely blood-feeds on humans.ResultsTo understand this transition, we have sequenced the exomes of mosquitoes collected from five populations from around the world. We found that Ae. aegypti specimens from an urban population in Senegal in West Africa were more closely related to populations in Mexico and Sri Lanka than they were to a nearby forest population. We estimate that the populations in Senegal and Mexico split just a few hundred years ago, and we found no evidence of Ae. aegypti aegypti mosquitoes migrating back to Africa from elsewhere in the tropics. The out-of-Africa migration was accompanied by a dramatic reduction in effective population size, resulting in a loss of genetic diversity and rare genetic variants.ConclusionsWe conclude that a domestic population of Ae. aegypti in Senegal and domestic populations on other continents are more closely related to each other than to other African populations. This suggests that an ancestral population of Ae. aegypti evolved to become a human specialist in Africa, giving rise to the subspecies Ae. aegypti aegypti. The descendants of this population are still found in West Africa today, and the rest of the world was colonised when mosquitoes from this population migrated out of Africa. This is the first report of an African population of Ae. aegypti aegypti mosquitoes that is closely related to Asian and American populations. As the two subspecies differ in their ability to vector disease, their existence side by side in West Africa may have important implications for

Population genomics reveals that an anthropophilic population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in West Africa recently gave rise to American and Asian populations of this major disease vector.

Science.gov (United States)

Crawford, Jacob E; Alves, Joel M; Palmer, William J; Day, Jonathan P; Sylla, Massamba; Ramasamy, Ranjan; Surendran, Sinnathamby N; Black, William C; Pain, Arnab; Jiggins, Francis M

2017-02-28

The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever viruses. This major disease vector is thought to have arisen when the African subspecies Ae. aegypti formosus evolved from being zoophilic and living in forest habitats into a form that specialises on humans and resides near human population centres. The resulting domestic subspecies, Ae. aegypti aegypti, is found throughout the tropics and largely blood-feeds on humans. To understand this transition, we have sequenced the exomes of mosquitoes collected from five populations from around the world. We found that Ae. aegypti specimens from an urban population in Senegal in West Africa were more closely related to populations in Mexico and Sri Lanka than they were to a nearby forest population. We estimate that the populations in Senegal and Mexico split just a few hundred years ago, and we found no evidence of Ae. aegypti aegypti mosquitoes migrating back to Africa from elsewhere in the tropics. The out-of-Africa migration was accompanied by a dramatic reduction in effective population size, resulting in a loss of genetic diversity and rare genetic variants. We conclude that a domestic population of Ae. aegypti in Senegal and domestic populations on other continents are more closely related to each other than to other African populations. This suggests that an ancestral population of Ae. aegypti evolved to become a human specialist in Africa, giving rise to the subspecies Ae. aegypti aegypti. The descendants of this population are still found in West Africa today, and the rest of the world was colonised when mosquitoes from this population migrated out of Africa. This is the first report of an African population of Ae. aegypti aegypti mosquitoes that is closely related to Asian and American populations. As the two subspecies differ in their ability to vector disease, their existence side by side in West Africa may have important implications for disease transmission.

Stability of magnetic modes in tokamaks; Stabilite des modes magnetiques dans les tokamaks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zabiego, M

1994-06-01

A theoretical study is carried out concerning two experimental topics: stabilization, by a suprathermal population, of the mode ``m=1, n=1`` which induces the sawtooth effect (modelling the role of suprathermal particles in the stabilization); stability, in the non linear regime, of the magnetic islands involved in magnetic turbulence problems (micro-tearing) and in disruption phenomena (tearing), and the effects of diamagnetism, excitation threshold and saturation levels. 45 figs., 97 refs.

Functional complexity and ecosystem stability: an experimental approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Voris, P.; O' Neill, R.V.; Shugart, H.H.; Emanuel, W.R.

1978-01-01

The complexity-stability hypothesis was experimentally tested using intact terrestrial microcosms. Functional complexity was defined as the number and significance of component interactions (i.e., population interactions, physical-chemical reactions, biological turnover rates) influenced by nonlinearities, feedbacks, and time delays. It was postulated that functional complexity could be nondestructively measured through analysis of a signal generated from the system. Power spectral analysis of hourly CO/sub 2/ efflux, from eleven old-field microcosms, was analyzed for the number of low frequency peaks and used to rank the functional complexity of each system. Ranking of ecosystem stability was based on the capacity of the system to retain essential nutrients and was measured by net loss of Ca after the system was stressed. Rank correlation supported the hypothesis that increasing ecosystem functional complexity leads to increasing ecosystem stability. The results indicated that complex functional dynamics can serve to stabilize the system. The results also demonstrated that microcosms are useful tools for system-level investigations.

Global Dental Research Productivity and Its Association With Human Development, Gross National Income, and Political Stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Allareddy, Veerasathpurush; Allareddy, Veeratrishul; Rampa, Sankeerth; Nalliah, Romesh P; Elangovan, Satheesh

2015-09-01

The objective of this study is to examine the associations between country level factors (such as human development, economic productivity, and political stability) and their dental research productivity. This study is a cross-sectional analysis of bibliometric data from Scopus search engine. Human Development Index (HDI), Gross National Income per capita (GNI), and Failed State Index measures were the independent variables. Outcomes were "Total number of publications (articles or articles in press) in the field of dentistry" and "Total number of publications in the field of dentistry per million population." Non-parametric tests were used to examine the association between the independent and outcome variables. During the year 2013, a total of 11,952 dental research articles were published across the world. The top 5 publishing countries were United States, Brazil, India, Japan, and United Kingdom. "Very High" HDI countries had significantly higher number of total dental research articles and dental research articles per million population when compared to the "High HDI," "Medium HDI," and "Low HDI" countries (p < 0.0001). There was a significant linear relationship between the GNI quartile income levels and outcome metrics (p ≤ 0.007). Countries which were highly politically stable were associated with significantly higher dental research productivity (p < 0.0001). There appears to be a regional concentration of articles with just five countries contributing to over 50% of all articles. The human development and economic development of a country are linearly correlated with dental research productivity. Dental research productivity also increases with increasing political stability of a country. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Human population in the biodiversity hotspots.

Science.gov (United States)

Cincotta, R P; Wisnewski, J; Engelman, R

2000-04-27

Biologists have identified 25 areas, called biodiversity hotspots, that are especially rich in endemic species and particularly threatened by human activities. The human population dynamics of these areas, however, are not well quantified. Here we report estimates of key demographic variables for each hotspot, and for three extensive tropical forest areas that are less immediately threatened. We estimate that in 1995 more than 1.1 billion people, nearly 20% of world population, were living within the hotspots, an area covering about 12% of Earth's terrestrial surface. We estimate that the population growth rate in the hotspots (1995-2000) is 1.8% yr(-1), substantially higher than the population growth rate of the world as a whole (1.3% yr(-1)) and above that of the developing countries (1.6% yr(-1)). These results suggest that substantial human-induced environmental changes are likely to continue in the hotspots and that demographic change remains an important factor in global biodiversity conservation. The results also underline the potential conservation significance of the continuing worldwide declines in human fertility and of policies and programs that influence human migration.

Our World Their World

Science.gov (United States)

Brisco, Nicole

2011-01-01

Build, create, make, blog, develop, organize, structure, perform. These are just a few verbs that illustrate the visual world. These words create images that allow students to respond to their environment. Visual culture studies recognize the predominance of visual forms of media, communication, and information in the postmodern world. This…

The Global Incidence of Appendicitis: A Systematic Review of Population-based Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferris, Mollie; Quan, Samuel; Kaplan, Belle S; Molodecky, Natalie; Ball, Chad G; Chernoff, Greg W; Bhala, Nij; Ghosh, Subrata; Dixon, Elijah; Ng, Siew; Kaplan, Gilaad G

2017-08-01

We compared the incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy across the world and evaluated temporal trends. Population-based studies reported the incidence of appendicitis. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for population-based studies reporting the incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy. Time trends were explored using Poisson regression and reported as annual percent change (APC) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). APC were stratified by time periods and pooled using random effects models. Incidence since 2000 was pooled for regions in the Western world. The search retrieved 10,247 citations with 120 studies reporting on the incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy. During the 21st century the pooled incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy (in per 100,000 person-years) was 100 (95% CI: 91, 110) in Northern America, and the estimated number of cases in 2015 was 378,614. The pooled incidence ranged from 105 in Eastern Europe to 151 in Western Europe. In Western countries, the incidence of appendectomy steadily decreased since 1990 (APC after 1989=-1.54; 95% CI: -2.22, -0.86), whereas the incidence of appendicitis stabilized (APC=-0.36; 95% CI: -0.97, 0.26) for both perforated (APC=0.95; 95% CI: -0.25, 2.17) and nonperforated appendicitis (APC=0.44; 95% CI: -0.84, 1.73). In the 21st century, the incidence of appendicitis or appendectomy is high in newly industrialized countries in Asia (South Korea pooled: 206), the Middle East (Turkey pooled: 160), and Southern America (Chile: 202). Appendicitis is a global disease. The incidence of appendicitis is stable in most Western countries. Data from newly industrialized countries is sparse, but suggests that appendicitis is rising rapidly.

Development of world coal reserves, their registration and their utilization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bachmann, H

1979-10-01

This paper examines statistics on world coal production and world coal reserves with figures from 1860 to 1974 provided in tables and graphs. Eighty percent of the total world coal reserves (92% of world brown coal reserves) lie in the USA and USSR. The recent increase in total coal reserve estimates is due to exploration in western USA and in the USSR east of the Urals. Depth and thickness of the world's coal seams are shown in graphs and variations in coal quality are discussed. Problems associated with the anticipated substantial increase in coal production up to the year 2000 are considered. Encouraging higher coal production is the successful development of highly mechanized underground mining techniques and highly productive heavy surface mining equipment which allows excavation at increased depths. Surface mining is expected to make up 50% of total world mining operations in the near future. More complete deposit exploitation also contributes to higher coal production. Low international ship freight rates would facilitate future world coal trade. Obstacles are seen as: high, long term investments due to the fact that coal reserves lie far from populated and industrialized areas; opening new mines; transportation costs and infrastructure development.

The U.N. Population Fund: Background and the U.S. Funding Debate

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Blanchfield, Luisa

2008-01-01

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), established in 1969, is the world's largest source of population and reproductive health programs and the principal unit within the United Nations for global population issues...

The U.N. Population Fund: Background and the U.S. Funding Debate

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Blanchfield, Luisa

2007-01-01

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), established in 1969, is the world's largest source of population and reproductive health programs and the principal unit within the United Nations for global population issues...

Movement: How the Brain Communicates with the World.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Andrew B

2016-03-10

Voluntary movement is a result of signals transmitted through a communication channel that links the internal world in our minds to the physical world around us. Intention can be considered the desire to effect change on our environment, and this is contained in the signals from the brain, passed through the nervous system to converge on muscles that generate displacements and forces on our surroundings. The resulting changes in the world act to generate sensations that feed back to the nervous system, closing the control loop. This Perspective discusses the experimental and theoretical underpinnings of current models of movement generation and the way they are modulated by external information. Movement systems embody intentionality and prediction, two factors that are propelling a revolution in engineering. Development of movement models that include the complexities of the external world may allow a better understanding of the neuronal populations regulating these processes, as well as the development of solutions for autonomous vehicles and robots, and neural prostheses for those who are motor impaired. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of stabilization exercise on pain and quality of life of patients ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

They were put through core stabilization exercises twice weekly for 4 consecutive weeks and assessed with the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHO QoL) questionnaire and Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) at baseline and at four weeks post-treatment intervention. Ethical approval was sought and obtained from the ...

The treat of global climate change has important implications throughout the world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hejazi, R.

2008-01-01

Energy in general is essential for economic and social development, prosperity, health and security of citizens. of the other hand, world population over the last 10 years has increased by more than 12%, and now it is exactly about 6.4 billion people and it means more demand for energy. Meanwhile, global primary energy consumption has seen an increase of 20%. Energy supply has some sources and unfortunately most of them have impact on life cycle in biosphere. However, the developed countries, that are only 16% in the population in 2000, consume the energy of 80%. This article deals with the threat of global climate change and its implications throughout the world

Trapped particle stability for the kinetic stabilizer

Science.gov (United States)

Berk, H. L.; Pratt, J.

2011-08-01

A kinetically stabilized axially symmetric tandem mirror (KSTM) uses the momentum flux of low-energy, unconfined particles that sample only the outer end-regions of the mirror plugs, where large favourable field-line curvature exists. The window of operation is determined for achieving magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) stability with tolerable energy drain from the kinetic stabilizer. Then MHD stable systems are analysed for stability of the trapped particle mode. This mode is characterized by the detachment of the central-cell plasma from the kinetic-stabilizer region without inducing field-line bending. Stability of the trapped particle mode is sensitive to the electron connection between the stabilizer and the end plug. It is found that the stability condition for the trapped particle mode is more constraining than the stability condition for the MHD mode, and it is challenging to satisfy the required power constraint. Furthermore, a severe power drain may arise from the necessary connection of low-energy electrons in the kinetic stabilizer to the central region.

Structure, elastic properties and phase stability of Cr1-xAlxN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayrhofer, P.H.; Music, D.; Reeswinkel, Th.; Fuss, H.-G.; Schneider, J.M.

2008-01-01

The effect of composition and metal sublattice population on the phase stability, structure and elastic properties of cubic (c), hexagonal (h) and orthorhombic spin-polarized Cr 1-x Al x N was studied using ab initio calculations. Excellent correlation between ab initio and experimentally obtained lattice parameters and elastic constants was obtained. The energy of formation suggests that the cubic phase can be stabilized for x in the range 0.48-0.75, depending on the metal sublattice population. The broad range of x, which is also observed in experiments, can be understood by considering the Al distribution induced changes in the configurational contribution to the total energy

Population Neuroscience: Dementia Epidemiology Serving Precision Medicine and Population Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Ganguli, Mary; Albanese, Emiliano; Seshadri, Sudha; Bennett, David A; Lyketsos, Constantine; Kukull, Walter A; Skoog, Ingmar; Hendrie, Hugh C

2018-01-01

Over recent decades, epidemiology has made significant contributions to our understanding of dementia, translating scientific discoveries into population health. Here, we propose reframing dementia epidemiology as "population neuroscience," blending techniques and models from contemporary neuroscience with those of epidemiology and biostatistics. On the basis of emerging evidence and newer paradigms and methods, population neuroscience will minimize the bias typical of traditional clinical research, identify the relatively homogenous subgroups that comprise the general population, and investigate broader and denser phenotypes of dementia and cognitive impairment. Long-term follow-up of sufficiently large study cohorts will allow the identification of cohort effects and critical windows of exposure. Molecular epidemiology and omics will allow us to unravel the key distinctions within and among subgroups and better understand individuals' risk profiles. Interventional epidemiology will allow us to identify the different subgroups that respond to different treatment/prevention strategies. These strategies will inform precision medicine. In addition, insights into interactions between disease biology, personal and environmental factors, and social determinants of health will allow us to measure and track disease in communities and improve population health. By placing neuroscience within a real-world context, population neuroscience can fulfill its potential to serve both precision medicine and population health.

Castosyringophilus meropis sp. n. (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) - a new quill mite species parasitising the world population of Merops apiaster Linnaeus (Coraciiformes: Meropidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Skoracki, Maciej; Hromada, Martin; Sikora, Bozena

2017-07-26

A new species, Castosyringophilus meropis sp. n., found in quills of feathers of the European bee-eater Merops apiaster Linnaeus (Coraciiformes: Meropidae) is described. This new species is close to C. claravis Skoracki et Glowska, 2008 and differs, in females, by the presence apunctate coxal fields (vs sparsely punctate in C. claravis) and by the lengths of setae d1 145-180 µm, f2 170-185 µm and ag3 190-215 µm (vs d1 200-220 µm, f2 230-250 µm and ag3 150-170 µm). We present a vast mite material collected from bee-eaters originated from different localities in Europe, Asia and Africa, both breeding and wintering grounds of this bird. It indicates that the whole world population of the European bee-eater is parasitised by this quill mite species.

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