scholarly journals Dietary fat choices in Finland. Long-term trends and short-term changes, 1978–2014

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 73-77
Author(s):  
Piia Jallinoja ◽  
Nina Kahma ◽  
Satu Helakorpi ◽  
Mari Niva ◽  
Mikko Jauho
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Fat ◽  
Dietary Fats ◽  
Success Story ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Policy Success ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Conflicting Interests

Dietary fat has long been a target of several Finnish policy sectors with conflicting interests. Changes in fat use from animal to vegetable fats have often been characterized as “a public policy success story”, in which policy interventions have led to healthier diets. The aim of this paper is to elaborate the picture of the developments in the consumption of different fat products, and to explore whether and what kind of other developments there may have been besides the general change from animal to vegetable fats. Based on population statistics between 1978 and 2014, the study shows that instead of a uniform transformation from animal to vegetable fats, there have been multiple developments simultaneously, and not all of them unambiguously agree with the "success story" discourse. The changes were related to novel fat products, health policy interventions, cultural trends, public debates on dietary fats, and fad diets.

scholarly journals Hyperbole and emotionalisation: Escalation of pragmatic effects of proverb and metaphor in the “Brexit” debate

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-644
Author(s):  
Andreas Musolff
Keyword(s):  
Political Discourse ◽  
Emotional Reactions ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Long Term Effect ◽  
Public Debates ◽  
Historical Investigation ◽  
Figurative Speech ◽  
Figurative Interpretation ◽  
The Eu

(How) Can the use of hyperbole in metaphorical idioms and scenarios contribute to an increase in emotionalisation of public debates? Using a research corpus of quotations from British politicians speeches and interviews and of press texts 2016-2020, this paper investigates hyperbolic formulations in Brexit-related applications of the proverb You cannot have your cake and eat it and related scenarios of national liberation, which appear to have strongly boosted emotionalised public debates. For instance, Brexit proponents reversal of the cake proverb into the assertion, We can have our cake and eat it, and their figurative interpretation of Brexit as a war of liberation (against the EU) triggered highly emotional reactions: triumphant affirmation among followers, fear and resentment among opponents. The paper argues that the combination of figurative speech (proverb, metaphor) with hyperbole heightened the emotional and polemical impact of the pro-Brexit argument. Whilst this effect may be deemed to have been rhetorically successful in the short term (e.g. in referendum and election campaigns), its long-term effect on political discourse is more ambivalent, for it leads to a polarisation and radicalisation of political discourse in Britain (as evidenced, for instance, in the massive use of hyperbole in COVID-19 debates). The study of hyperbole as a means of emotionalisation thus seems most promising as part of a discourse-historical investigation of socio-pragmatic effects of figurative (mainly, metaphorical) language use, rather than as an isolated, one-off rhetorical phenomenon.

scholarly journals COASTAL CHANGES AT BETHANY BEACH, DELAWARE

1984 ◽  
Vol 1 (19) ◽  
pp. 112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Dick ◽  
Robert A. Dalrymple
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Erosion ◽  
Coastal Processes ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Winter Storms ◽  
Barrier Beach ◽  
Commercial Activities ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Coastal Changes ◽  
Summer Homes

The coastal processes affecting Bethany Beach, Delaware were studied and the short-term and long-term trends in coastal changes were determined in order to develop recommendations for protecting Bethany against coastal erosion (Dick and Dalrymple, 1983). Bethany Beach is located on the Delaware Atlantic coastline which is a wide sandy baymouth barrier beach distinguished by highlands at Rehoboth Beach and Bethany Beach. The shoreline is straight, with only minor bulges and indentations (see Figure 1). Bethany Beach is a residential and resort community. Privatelyowned properties front the publicly-owned beach. Construction of new motels and summer homes is anticipated along with the continued growth of commercial activities to accommodate the increased number of visitors. Bethany is protected by a series of nine groins built between 1934 and 1945. Many of these groins have deteriorated, and are flanked at the landward end. Winter storms severely erode the beach and damage shorefront property. The beach is generally narrow (approximately 45 m wide), especially along the southern portion, and is backed by low dunes (about 15-45 m above NGVD). A timber bulkhead extends along most of the backshore.

scholarly journals Capital Structure and The Profitability of Listed Retail Firms

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1(J)) ◽  
pp. 171-181
Author(s):  
Jason Stephen Kasozi
Keyword(s):  
Capital Structure ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Order Theory ◽  
Debt Financing ◽  
Retail Sector ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Return On Assets ◽  
Pecking Order Theory ◽  
Policy Interventions

The South African retail sector continues to experience a decline in sales and returns amidst growing external competition and a drop in consumer confidence stemming from the recent credit downgrades in the country. Yet, firms in this sector appear to maintain high debt to equity levels. This study investigated whether the capital structure practices of these firms influence their profitability. A Panel data methodology, using three regression estimators, is applied to a balanced sample of 16 retail firms listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE) during the period 2008-2016. The analysis estimates functions relating capital structure composition with the return on assets (ROA). Results reveal a statistically significant but negative relationship between all measures of debt (short-term, long-term, total debt) with profitability, suggesting a possible inclination towards the pecking order theory of financing behaviour, for listed retail firms. Additionally, retail firms are highly leveraged yet over 75% of this debt is short-term in nature. Policy interventions need to investigate the current restrictions on long-term debt financing which offers longerterm and affordable financing, to boost returns. While this study’s methodology differs slightly from earlier studies, it incorporates vital aspects from these studies, and simultaneously specifies a possible model fit.  This helps to capture unique but salient characteristics like the transitional effects of debt financing on firm profitability.  It therefore delivers some unique findings on the financing behaviour of retail firms that both in form policy change, while stimulating further research on the phenomenon. 

15. Democracies, Democratization, and Authoritarian Regimes

2020 ◽  
pp. 336-362
Author(s):  
Peter Ferdinand
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Authoritarian Regimes ◽  
Short Term ◽  
National Crisis ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Types Of Democracy ◽  
The Face ◽  
Long Term Trends

This chapter focuses on democracies, democratization, and authoritarian regimes. It first considers the two main approaches to analysing the global rise of democracy over the last thirty years: first, long-term trends of modernization, and more specifically economic development, that create preconditions for democracy and opportunities for democratic entrepreneurs; and second, the sequences of more short-term events and actions of key actors at moments of national crisis that have precipitated a democratic transition — also known as ‘transitology’. The chapter proceeds by discussing the different types of democracy and the strategies used to measure democracy. It also reviews the more recent literature on authoritarian systems and why they persist. Finally, it examines the challenges that confront democracy in the face of authoritarian revival.

scholarly journals Assessing the Opportunities and Challenges of Green Finance in Italy: An Analysis of the Biomass Production Sector

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pasquale Falcone ◽  
Edgardo Sica
Keyword(s):  
Government Policies ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Production Sector ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Investment Projects ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Green Finance ◽  
Effective Policy ◽  
Financial Issues

The present paper provides empirical evidence of the opportunities and challenges surrounding green finance (GF), looking at the financial issues that might prevent the investment decisions of green companies. To this end, we explore the case of Italian biomass producers by means of a discourse analysis supported by a survey administered to a pool of experts. Although our findings suggest that GF provides an opportunity for achieving environmentally sustainable innovation pathways, experts recognize that it does not actually prevent biomass producers from facing institutional and financial criticalities in funding their investment projects. Such criticalities include: uncertainty about government policies, the minimal involvement of financial suppliers in the biomass sector, the short-term orientation of financial instruments and the limited knowledge of financing options and technical expertise within companies. The results indicate that effective policy interventions should ensure that objectives are orientated towards the long term with the aim of reducing the risks perceived by financial institutions in funding biomass producers.

scholarly journals Effects of meteorology and emissions on urban air quality: a quantitative statistical approach to long-term records (1999–2016) in Seoul, South Korea

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 16121-16137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihoon Seo ◽  
Doo-Sun R. Park ◽  
Jin Young Kim ◽  
Daeok Youn ◽  
Yong Bin Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
South Korea ◽  
Meteorological Conditions ◽  
Meteorological Variables ◽  
Urban Air ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Local Emissions

Abstract. Together with emissions of air pollutants and precursors, meteorological conditions play important roles in local air quality through accumulation or ventilation, regional transport, and atmospheric chemistry. In this study, we extensively investigated multi-timescale meteorological effects on the urban air pollution using the long-term measurements data of PM10, SO2, NO2, CO, and O3 and meteorological variables over the period of 1999–2016 in Seoul, South Korea. The long-term air quality data were decomposed into trend-free short-term components and long-term trends by the Kolmogorov–Zurbenko filter, and the effects of meteorology and emissions were quantitatively isolated using a multiple linear regression with meteorological variables. In terms of short-term variability, intercorrelations among the pollutants and meteorological variables and composite analysis of synoptic meteorological fields exhibited that the warm and stagnant conditions in the migratory high-pressure system are related to the high PM10 and primary pollutant, while the strong irradiance and low NO2 by high winds at the rear of a cyclone are related to the high O3. In terms of long-term trends, decrease in PM10 (−1.75 µg m−3 yr−1) and increase in O3 (+0.88 ppb yr−1) in Seoul were largely contributed by the meteorology-related trends (−0.94 µg m−3 yr−1 for PM10 and +0.47 ppb yr−1 for O3), which were attributable to the subregional-scale wind speed increase. Comparisons with estimated local emissions and socioeconomic indices like gross domestic product (GDP) growth and fuel consumptions indicate probable influences of the 2008 global economic recession as well as the enforced regulations from the mid-2000s on the emission-related trends of PM10 and other primary pollutants. Change rates of local emissions and the transport term of long-term components calculated by the tracer continuity equation revealed a decrease in contributions of local emissions to the primary pollutants including PM10 and an increase in contributions of local secondary productions to O3. The present results not only reveal an important role of synoptic meteorological conditions on the episodic air pollution events but also give insights into the practical effects of environmental policies and regulations on the long-term air pollution trends. As a complementary approach to the chemical transport modeling, this study will provide a scientific background for developing and improving effective air quality management strategy in Seoul and its metropolitan area.

scholarly journals Did the introduction and increased prescribing of antidepressants lead to changes in long-term trends of suicide rates?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Amendola ◽  
Martin Plöderl ◽  
Michael P Hengartner
Keyword(s):  
General Pattern ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Joinpoint Regression ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Suicide Rates ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Prescription Rates ◽  
Long Term Trends

Abstract Background Ecological studies have explored associations between suicide rates and antidepressant prescriptions in the population, but most of them are limited as they analyzed short-term correlations that may be spurious. The aim of this long-term study was to examine whether trends in suicide rates changed in three European countries when the first antidepressants were introduced in 1960 and when prescription rates increased steeply after 1990 with the introduction of the serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Methods Data were extracted from the WHO Mortality Database. Suicide rates were calculated for people aged 10–89 years from 1951–2015 for Italy, 1955–2016 for Austria and 1951–2013 for Switzerland. Trends in suicide rates stratified by gender were analyzed using joinpoint regression models. Results There was a general pattern of long-term trends that was broadly consistent across all three countries. Suicide rates were stable or decreasing during the 1950s and 1960s, they rose during the 1970s, peaked in the early 1980s and thereafter they declined. There were a few notable exceptions to these general trends. In Italian men, suicide rates increased until 1997, then fell sharply until 2006 and increased again from 2006 to 2015. In women from all three countries, there was an extended period during the 2000s when suicide rates were stable. No trend changes occurred around 1960 or 1990. Conclusions The introduction of antidepressants around 1960 and the sharp increase in prescriptions after 1990 with the introduction of the SSRIs did not coincide with trend changes in suicide rates in Italy, Austria or Switzerland.

scholarly journals Temporal and spatial analysis of ozone concentrations in Europe based on time scale decomposition and a multi-clustering approach

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eirini Boleti ◽  
Christoph Hueglin ◽  
Stuart K. Grange ◽  
André S. H. Prévôt ◽  
Satoshi Takahama
Keyword(s):  
Time Scale ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Clustering Algorithm ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Ozone Concentrations ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Term Variation ◽  
Long Term Trends ◽  
Time Scale Decomposition

Abstract. Air quality measures that were implemented in Europe in the 1990s resulted in reductions of ozone precursors concentrations. In this study, the effect of these reductions on ozone is investigated by analyzing surface measurements of ozone for the time period between 2000 and 2015. Using a non-parametric time scale decomposition methodology, the long-term, seasonal and short-term variation of ozone observations were extracted. A clustering algorithm was applied to the different time scale variations, leading to a classification of sites across Europe based on the temporal characteristics of ozone. The clustering based on the long-term variation resulted in a site type classification, while a regional classification was obtained based on the seasonal and short-term variations. Long-term trends of de-seasonalized mean and meteo-adjusted peak ozone concentrations were calculated across large parts of Europe for the time period 2000–2015. A multi-dimensional scheme was used for a detailed trend analysis, based on the identified clusters, which reflect precursor emissions and meteorological influence either on the inter-annual or the short-term time scale. Decreasing mean ozone concentrations at rural sites and increasing or stabilizing at urban sites were observed. At the same time downward trends for peak ozone concentrations were detected for all site types. The effect of hemispheric transport of ozone can be seen either in regions affected by synoptic patterns in the northern Atlantic or at sites located at remote high altitude locations. In addition, a reduction of the amplitude in the seasonal cycle of ozone was observed, and a shift in the occurrence of the seasonal maximum towards earlier time of the year. Finally, a reduced sensitivity of ozone to temperature was identified. It was concluded that long-term trends of mean and peak ozone concentrations are mostly controlled by precursors emissions changes, while seasonal cycle trends and changes in the sensitivity of ozone to temperature are driven by regional climatic conditions.

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