scholarly journals The Water Scarcity Footprint of the US Diet

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 145-145
Author(s):  
Diego Rose ◽  
Martin Heller ◽  
Amelia Willits-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Vegetable Protein ◽  
National Level ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Carbon Footprints ◽  
Global Database ◽  
Dietary Recall ◽  
Irrigation Water Demand ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives Agriculture accounts for 80% of global freshwater consumption, so addressing the water demands of current diets is crucial. Unlike carbon footprints, the impacts of water use are local and dependent on relative water scarcity. New metrics have been developed to assess the amount of water used to produce a product, conditional on its scarcity at the source of production. But little is known about the implications for water scarcity of individual diet choices in the US. Here, we apply this water scarcity metric to individual US diets and assess key contributors to the footprint. Methods Our analysis was based on a global database of watershed-level, geo-spatially explicit irrigation water demand for 160 crops. We used the Available Water Remaining (AWARE) method, applied at the same geo-spatial resolution to establish local water scarcity footprints (WSF) of each crop. These WSFs were aggregated to the national level and adjusted for commodity imports using WSFs from source countries. WSFs of animal-based foods relied on generic U.S. feed rations. Crops were assigned to foods in the Food Commodities Intake Database (FCID), and recipes from FCID enabled linkage to as-consumed foods in the 1-day dietary recall data from individuals (N = 16,800) in the 2005–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Results Animal protein foods account for 33% of the WSF of the average US diet, whereas vegetable protein foods account for 12%, most of that coming from nuts (11%). The contribution of beef (14%) was about 3 times that of chicken (5%). Within vegetable protein foods, almonds (5%), walnuts (3%), and cashews (2%) contributed much more to the WSF than dry beans (1%). Fruit (16%), dairy (9%), and vegetables (9%) were also large contributors to the average WSF. Diets ranked in the top quintile of WSFs account for 43% of the overall footprint, 5.4 times that from the lowest quintile. Conclusions Progress toward sustainable diets should consider the impact of dietary choices on scarcity-characterized water footprints. Major contributors to the WSF of the US diet include meat, fruit, nuts, dairy, and vegetables. Substantial variation of the WSF intensity of individual commodities within these food groups suggests that dietary changes could be made to reduce the impact of agriculture on the use of scarce water. Funding Sources Wellcome Trust #106,854/Z/15/Z.

scholarly journals Medical costs of keeping the US economy open during COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangzhuo Chen ◽  
Anil Vullikanti ◽  
Stefan Hoops ◽  
Henning Mortveit ◽  
Bryan Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Medical Costs ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Health States ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Hospital Referral Region ◽  
Hospital Referral ◽  
The Us ◽  
Hospital Beds ◽  
The Impact

Abstract We use an individual based model and national level epidemic simulations to estimate the medical costs of keeping the US economy open during COVID-19 pandemic under different counterfactual scenarios. We model an unmitigated scenario and 12 mitigation scenarios which differ in compliance behavior to social distancing strategies and in the duration of the stay-home order. Under each scenario we estimate the number of people who are likely to get infected and require medical attention, hospitalization, and ventilators. Given the per capita medical cost for each of these health states, we compute the total medical costs for each scenario and show the tradeoffs between deaths, costs, infections, compliance and the duration of stay-home order. We also consider the hospital bed capacity of each Hospital Referral Region (HRR) in the US to estimate the deficit in beds each HRR will likely encounter given the demand for hospital beds. We consider a case where HRRs share hospital beds among the neighboring HRRs during a surge in demand beyond the available beds and the impact it has in controlling additional deaths.

scholarly journals Which Diet Has the Least Environmental Impact on Our Planet? A Systematic Review of Vegan, Vegetarian and Omnivorous Diets

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (15) ◽  
pp. 4110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingli Clark Chai ◽  
Johannes Reidar van der Voort ◽  
Kristina Grofelnik ◽  
Helga Gudny Eliasdottir ◽  
Ines Klöss ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Ghg Emissions ◽  
Vegan Diet ◽  
Bibliographic Databases ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Exclusion Criteria ◽  
Dairy Food ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Impact

The food that we consume has a large impact on our environment. The impact varies significantly between different diets. The aim of this systematic review is to address the question: Which diet has the least environmental impact on our planet? A comparison of a vegan, vegetarian and omnivorous diets. This systematic review is based on 16 studies and 18 reviews. The included studies were selected by focusing directly on environmental impacts of human diets. Four electronic bibliographic databases, PubMed, Medline, Scopus and Web of Science were used to conduct a systematic literature search based on fixed inclusion and exclusion criteria. The durations of the studies ranged from 7 days to 27 years. Most were carried out in the US or Europe. Results from our review suggest that the vegan diet is the optimal diet for the environment because, out of all the compared diets, its production results in the lowest level of GHG emissions. Additionally, the reviewed studies indicate the possibility of achieving the same environmental impact as that of the vegan diet, without excluding the meat and dairy food groups, but rather, by reducing them substantially.

scholarly journals Field Interviewer– Administered Dietary Recalls in Participants’ Homes: A Feasibility Study Using the US Department of Agriculture’s Automated Multiple-Pass Method

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura DiGrande ◽  
Sue Pedrazzani ◽  
Elizabeth Kinyara ◽  
Melanie Hymes ◽  
Shawn Karns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Data Entry ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Dietary Recall ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Multiple Pass ◽  
The Us ◽  
English Speaking ◽  
Food Model

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of administering the Automated Multiple-Pass Method (AMPM), a widely used tool for collecting 24-hour dietary recalls, in participants’ homes by field interviewers. Design: The design included computer-assisted personal interviews led by either a nutritionist (standard) or field interviewer. Portion estimators tested were a set of three-dimensional food models (standard), a two-dimensional food model booklet, or a tablet with digital images rendered via augmented reality. Setting: Residences in central North Carolina. Participants: English-speaking adults. Pregnant women and individuals who were fasting were excluded. Results: Among 133 interviews, most took place in living rooms (52%) or kitchens (22%). Mean interview time was 40 minutes (range 13–90), with no difference by interviewer type or portion estimator, although timing for nutritionist-led interviews declined significantly over the study period. Forty-five percent of participants referenced items from their homes to facilitate recall and portion estimation. Data entry and post-interview coding was evaluated and determined to be consistent with requirements for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Values for the number of food items consumed, food groups, energy intake (average of 3,011 kcal for men and 2,105 kcal for women), and key nutrients were determined to be plausible and within reasonably expected ranges regardless of interviewer type or portion estimator used. Conclusions: AMPM dietary recall interviews conducted in the home are feasible and may be preferable to clinical administration because of comfort and the opportunity for participants to access home items for recall. AMPMs administered by field interviewers using the food model booklet produced credible nutrition data that was comparable to AMPMs administered by nutritionists. Training field interviewers in dietary recall and conducting home interviews may be sensible choices for nutrition studies when response rates and cost are concerns.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on the US and Texas Economy: A General Equilibrium Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 697-713
Author(s):  
Lirong Liu ◽  
◽  
Steven Shwiff ◽  
Stephanie Shwiff ◽  
Maryfrances Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
General Equilibrium ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium ◽  
National Level ◽  
Computable General Equilibrium Model ◽  
Food Services ◽  
The Us ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Current Impact ◽  
Quantitative Economics ◽  
The Impact

This paper examines the impact of COVID-19 on the US and Texas economy using a computable general equilibrium model, REMI PI+. We consider three scenarios based on economic forecasts from various sources, including the University of Michigan’s RSQE (Research Seminar in Quantitative Economics), IMF, and the Wi orld Bank. We report a GDP loss of $106 million (a 6% decline) with 1.2 million jobs lost (6.6%) in Texas in 2020. At the national level, GDP loss is $996 billion (a 5% decline) with 11.5 million jobs lost (5.5%) in the same year. By 2026, the aggregate total GDP loss in Texas ranges from $378 to $629 million. The estimated unemployment rate in Texas in 2021 ranges from 5% to 7.7%, depending on modeling assumptions. The granularity of the CGE results allow examination of the most and least impacted industries. Health Care and Social Assistance, Construction, and Accommodation and Food Services incur the most job loss while State and Local Government and Farm will likely see an increase in jobs for 2020. These insights separate our work from most current impact studies.

scholarly journals Medical Costs of Keeping the US Economy Open During COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangzhuo Chen ◽  
Anil Vullikanti ◽  
Stefan Hoops ◽  
Henning Mortveit ◽  
Bryan Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Medical Costs ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Health States ◽  
Us Economy ◽  
Hospital Referral Region ◽  
Hospital Referral ◽  
The Us ◽  
Hospital Beds ◽  
The Impact

We use an individual based model and national level epidemic simulations to estimate the medical costs of keeping the US economy open during COVID-19 pandemic under different counterfactual scenarios. We model an unmitigated scenario and 12 mitigation scenarios which differ in compliance behavior to social distancing strategies and to the duration of the stay-home order. Under each scenario we estimate the number of people who are likely to get infected and require medical attention, hospitalization, and ventilators. Given the per capita medical cost for each of these health states, we compute the total medical costs for each scenario and show the tradeoffs between deaths, costs, infections, compliance and the duration of stay-home order. We also consider the hospital bed capacity of each Hospital Referral Region (HRR) in the US to estimate the deficit in beds each HRR will likely encounter given the demand for hospital beds. We consider a case where HRRs share hospital beds among the neighboring HRRs during a surge in demand beyond the available beds and the impact it has in controlling additional deaths.

From Micro-level Weather Shocks to Macroeconomic Impacts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Harding
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
National Level ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Weather Shocks ◽  
Heterogeneous Effects ◽  
The Us ◽  
Micro Level ◽  
Agricultural Yields ◽  
The Impact

<p>Weather matters at the <em>local</em> level. Microeconomic climate econometric analyses find evidence that weather has localized effects on labor supply, agricultural yields, mortality rates, and other socio-economic measures. However, macroeconomic analyses at the national level find no evidence that weather affects macroeconomic aggregates, such as GDP or aggregate productivity in the US and other developed economies. These results present a seeming contradiction. In this paper, I develop a general equilibrium theoretical model of an economy with localized weather shocks to bridge the gap between microeconomic and macroeconomic studies. The theoretical model provides a simple, modular framework for aggregating weather shock impacts. I apply the findings to an empirical setting in the US, a prime example of the contradictory findings. I first estimate the microeconomic impacts of weather on labor productivity growth across county-industry pairs in the US from 2002 to 2017. I then apply these to construct annual estimates of the impact of weather shocks across the economy on US GDP according to the theoretical framework. I construct confidence intervals using the estimated microeconomic impact uncertainty. Across the sample years, I find no evidence that the annual impacts are distinct from $0. I then deconstruct the aggregate impacts, again following the theoretical framework, to examine what generates this no-effect result. I find consistent evidence of statistically significant but heterogeneous effects across a majority of counties and industries. For example, within a given year, over two-thirds of counties are consistently and significantly impacted by their local weather. This effect is positive for some counties and negative for others. I show that it is the aggregation of these heterogeneous impacts across the spatial distribution and industrial composition of the economy that masks the impact of weather. This finding highlights the importance of understanding micro-level economic impacts and changes in the composition of economic activity for projections of future macroeconomic climate change impacts.</p>

Trends in Dietary Intake of Vitamins A, C, and E in German Children and Adolescents – Results of the DONALD Study

2003 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 335-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexy ◽  
Kersting ◽  
Sichert-Hellert
Keyword(s):  
Vitamin E ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Time Trends ◽  
Nutrient Intake ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Food Groups ◽  
Fortified Food ◽  
Vitamin Intake ◽  
Dietary Records ◽  
The Impact

Intake of vitamins A, C, and E was evaluated and age and time trends were assessed on the basis of 3-day weighed dietary records (n = 5121) of 2- to 18-year old boys (n = 417) and girls (n = 425) enrolled in the DONALD Study (Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study) 1986–2001. Intake of vitamin A remains stable over time, intake of vitamin C increases linearly, and intake of vitamin E follows a nonlinear trend. Age trends of vitamins A and C (per MJ) were nonlinear with a minimum at the beginning adolescence, while intake of vitamin E (per MJ) increased linearly. Girls had higher nutrient densities but lower intakes expressed as percent of reference values. Fortified food in total had a higher impact on time trends of nutrient intake than other single food groups defined here. Our results point to the impact of the food industry on long-term nutrient intake, but also underline the necessity of nutrition education even in young age groups to improve vitamin intake.

Pengaruh Budaya Terhadap Akuntansi, Auditing Dan Praktik Akuntansi Internasional

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-95
Author(s):  
Priyastiwi Priyastiwi
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
National Level ◽  
Deep Understanding ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Financial Disclosure ◽  
Cross Cultural Differences ◽  
The Future ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this article is to provide the basic model of Hofstede and Grays’ cultural values that relates the Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and Gray‘s accounting value. This article reviews some studies that prove the model and develop the research in the future. There are some evidences that link the Hofstede’s cultural values studies with the auditor’s judgment and decisions by developing a framework that categorizes the auditor’s judgments and decisions are most likely influenced by cross-cultural differences. The categories include risk assessment, risk decisions and ethical judgments. Understanding the impact of cultural factors on the practice of accounting and financial disclosure is important to achieve the harmonization of international accounting. Deep understanding about how the local values may affect the accounting practices and their impacts on the financial disclosure are important to ensure the international comparability of financial reporting. Gray’s framework (1988) expects how the culture may affect accounting practices at the national level. One area of the future studies will examine the impact of cultural dimensions to the values of accounting, auditing and decision making. Key word : Motivation, leadership style, job satisfaction, performance

HOME VISITS DURING THE FIRST MONTH OF DELIVERY FOR RECENTLY DELIVERED WOMEN IN UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (5) ◽  
pp. 1183-1189
Author(s):  
Dr. Tridibesh Tripathy ◽  
Dr. Umakant Prusty ◽  
Dr. Chintamani Nayak ◽  
Dr. Rakesh Dwivedi ◽  
Dr. Mohini Gautam
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
National Level ◽  
Uttar Pradesh ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
The Other ◽  
Registration System ◽  
Action Group ◽  
Current Article ◽  
The Impact

The current article of Uttar Pradesh (UP) is about the ASHAs who are the daughters-in-law of a family that resides in the same community that they serve as the grassroots health worker since 2005 when the NRHM was introduced in the Empowered Action Group (EAG) states. UP is one such Empowered Action Group (EAG) state. The current study explores the actual responses of Recently Delivered Women (RDW) on their visits during the first month of their recent delivery. From the catchment area of each of the 250 ASHAs, two RDWs were selected who had a child in the age group of 3 to 6 months during the survey. The response profiles of the RDWs on the post- delivery first month visits are dwelled upon to evolve a picture representing the entire state of UP. The relevance of the study assumes significance as detailed data on the modalities of postnatal visits are available but not exclusively for the first month period of their recent delivery. The details of the post-delivery first month period related visits are not available even in large scale surveys like National Family Health Survey 4 done in 2015-16. The current study gives an insight in to these visits with a five-point approach i.e. type of personnel doing the visit, frequency of the visits, visits done in a particular week from among those four weeks separately for the three visits separately. The current study is basically regarding the summary of this Penta approach for the post- delivery one-month period.     The first month period after each delivery deals with 70% of the time of the postnatal period & the entire neonatal period. Therefore, it does impact the Maternal Mortality Rate & Ratio (MMR) & the Neonatal Mortality Rates (NMR) in India and especially in UP through the unsafe Maternal & Neonatal practices in the first month period after delivery. The current MM Rate of UP is 20.1 & MM Ratio is 216 whereas the MM ratio is 122 in India (SRS, 2019). The Sample Registration System (SRS) report also mentions that the Life Time Risk (LTR) of a woman in pregnancy is 0.7% which is the highest in the nation (SRS, 2019). This means it is very risky to give birth in UP in comparison to other regions in the country (SRS, 2019). This risk is at the peak in the first month period after each delivery. Similarly, the current NMR in India is 23 per 1000 livebirths (UNIGME,2018). As NMR data is not available separately for states, the national level data also hold good for the states and that’s how for the state of UP as well. These mortalities are the impact indicators and such indicators can be reduced through long drawn processes that includes effective and timely visits to RDWs especially in the first month period after delivery. This would help in making their post-natal & neonatal stage safe. This is the area of post-delivery first month visit profile detailing that the current article helps in popping out in relation to the recent delivery of the respondents.   A total of four districts of Uttar Pradesh were selected purposively for the study and the data collection was conducted in the villages of the respective districts with the help of a pre-tested structured interview schedule with both close-ended and open-ended questions.  The current article deals with five close ended questions with options, two for the type of personnel & frequency while the other three are for each of the three visits in the first month after the recent delivery of respondents. In addition, in-depth interviews were also conducted amongst the RDWs and a total 500 respondents had participated in the study.   Among the districts related to this article, the results showed that ASHA was the type of personnel who did the majority of visits in all the four districts. On the other hand, 25-40% of RDWs in all the 4 districts replied that they did not receive any visit within the first month of their recent delivery. Regarding frequency, most of the RDWs in all the 4 districts received 1-2 times visits by ASHAs.   Regarding the first visit, it was found that the ASHAs of Barabanki and Gonda visited less percentage of RDWs in the first week after delivery. Similarly, the second visit revealed that about 1.2% RDWs in Banda district could not recall about the visit. Further on the second visit, the RDWs responded that most of them in 3 districts except Gonda district did receive the second postnatal visit in 7-15 days after their recent delivery. Less than half of RDWs in Barabanki district & just more than half of RDWs in Gonda district received the third visit in 15-21 days period after delivery. For the same period, the majority of RDWs in the rest two districts responded that they had been entertained through a home visit.

Modernisation of Higher Education – Willful Action or Wishful Thinking? The Case of Bulgaria

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-17
Author(s):  
Elena Blagoeva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
National Level ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Eu

The impact of the last global economic crisis (2008) on the European economy put a strain on higher education (HE), yet it also pushed the sector towards intensive reforms and improvements. This paper focuses on the “Strategy for the Development of Higher Education in the Republic of Bulgaria 2014-2020”. With a case study methodology, we explore the strategic endeavours of the Bulgarian government to comply with the European directions and to secure sustainable growth for the HE sector. Our research question is ‘How capable is the Bulgarian HE Strategy to overcome the economic and systemic restraints of Bulgarian higher education?’. Because the development of strategies for HE within the EU is highly contextual, a single qualitative case study was chosen as the research approach. HE institutions are not ivory towers, but subjects to a variety of external and internal forces. Within the EU, this is obviated by the fact that Universities obtain their funds from institutions such as governments, students and their families, donors, as well as EU-level programmes. Therefore, to explore how these pressures interact to affect strategic action on national level, the case method is well suited as it enabled us to study the phenomena thoroughly and deeply. The paper suggests the actions proposed within the Strategy have the potential to overcome the delay, the regional isolation and the negative impact of the economic crisis on the country. Nevertheless, the key elements on which the success or failure of this Strategy hinges are the control mechanisms and the approach to implementation. Shortcomings in these two aspects of strategic actions in HE seem to mark the difference between gaining long-term benefits and merely saving face in front of international institutions.

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