Development Status Of Countries Research Articles

Abstract 2212: Global cancers attributable to modifiable risk factors: Dietary factors of animal origin

Abstract Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Modifiable risk factors including diet have been linked to a wide range of malignancies. We estimated the global cancer population-attributable fraction (PAF) to established and suspected dietary cancer risk factors according to the Human Development Index (HDI).Diet-cancer associations were selected from WCRF, GBD and IARC report. Dietary factors of animal origin include red meat, processed meat, fish and dairy products; cancers include nasopharynx, esophageal, stomach, colorectal, pancreatic, lung, prostate, breast cancer. Gender-specific PAF were calculated based on 1) the total and gender-specific 2022 country-specific population from World Bank; 2) the country-specific average daily dietary factors intake (g/day) for 2000-2005 from the Global Dietary Database; 3) relative risks from the meta-analyses and WCRF reports; 4) country-specific 2020 cancer incidence from WHO. Estimates were also stratified by Human Development Index (HDI).Table 1 provides the results. The PAF for red meat and processed meat was higher in high HDI countries, while that for low dairy product intake was higher in low HDI countries. According to results, changes in selected dietary factors can prevent cancer-related incidence, particularly depending on where development status of countries and access to the source of their intake. Table1: Population attributable fractions for incidence of cancer in 2020 by gender. Dietary factors and Related Cancers Relative risk (g/day) AF (N. global) – Both gender AF (N. global)- Female AF (N. global)- Male Red meat Nasopharynx(L) 1.35(100) 0.103(13750.2) 0.102(3734.9) 0.104(10015.3) Colorectal (S) 1.12(100) 0.040(78714.5) 0.040(33981.2) 0.041(44733.2) Pancreatic (L) 1.11(100) 0.037(27420.3) 0.036(8479.8) 0.037(18940.4) Lung (L) 1.22(100) 0.070(155986.9) 0.069(52442.6) 0.070(103544.4) Prostate(L) 1.04(100) 0.014(20665.6) - 0.014(20665.6) Effect on total cancers * 0.016(296537.5) 0.011(98638.5) 0.021 (197898.9) Processed meat Nasopharynx(L) 1.46(30) 0.164(22194.6) 0.154(5637.4) 0.173(16557.1) Esophagus(L) 1.3(100) 0.036(22654.9) 0.034(6345.8) 0.038(16309.2) Stomach(L) 1.21(50) 0.052(60325.8) 0.049(18161.7) 0.055(42164) Colorectal (S) 1.18(100) 0.023(45460.9) 0.021(18522.8) 0.024(26938.1) Pancreatic(L) 1.17(50) 0.043(21900.2) 0.040(9414.4) 0.046(12485.8) Lung (L) 1.14(50) 0.036(82762.9) 0.034(26023.9) 0.038(56739) Effect on total cancers * 0.014(255299.3) 0.010(84106) 0.018(171193.2) Dairy products Colorectal(S) 0.87(400) 0.092(180063.4) 0.091(77598.8) 0.093(102464.6) Breast (L) 0.95(200) 0.068(151960.9) 0.068(151960.9) - Prostate (L) 1.07(400) 0.016(24224.3) - 0.016(24224.3) Effect on total cancers * 0.019(356248.6) 0.026(229559.7) 0.013(126688.9) Fish Colorectal (L) 0.89(100) 0.022(44882.9) 0.022(18705.9) 0.024(26177) Effect on total cancers * 0.002(44882.9) 0.002(18705.9 0.003(26177) Mean (g/day) of global intake Processed meat (B=14.2/M=15.1/F=13.3), red meat (B=36.5/M=36.9/F=36), fish(B=23/M=22.1/F=23.8), dairy products(B=77/M=74.9/F=79)S=strong evidenceL=limited evidence*All cancers excl. non-melanoma skin cancer (B= 18094716/F=8751759/M=9342957) 1 Citation Format: Monireh Sadat Seyyedsalehi, Edward Giovannucci, Paolo Boffetta. Global cancers attributable to modifiable risk factors: Dietary factors of animal origin [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2212.

Temporal patterns of cancer burden in Asia, 1990–2019: a systematic examination for the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study

Cancers represent a challenging public health threat in Asia. This study examines the temporal patterns of incidence, mortality, disability and risk factors of 29 cancers in Asia in the last three decades. The age, sex and year-wise estimates of incidence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) of 29 cancers for 49 Asian countries from 1990 through 2019 were generated as a part of the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries and Risk Factors 2019 study. Besides incidence, mortality and DALYs, we also examined the cancer burden measured in terms of DALYs and deaths attributable to risk factors, which had evidence of causation with different cancers. The development status of countries was measured using the socio-demographic index. Decomposition analysis was performed to gauge the change in cancer incidence between 1990 and 2019 due to population growth, aging and age-specific incidence rates. All cancers combined claimed an estimated 5.6 million [95% uncertainty interval, 5.1-6.0 million] lives in Asia with 9.4 million [8.6-10.2 million] incident cases and 144.7 million [132.7-156.5 million] DALYs in 2019. The age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of all cancers combined in Asia was 197.6/100,000 [181.0-214.4] in 2019, varying from 99.2/100,000 [76.1-126.0] in Bangladesh to 330.5/100,000 [298.5-365.8] in Cyprus. The age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) was 120.6/100,000 [110.1-130.7] in 2019, varying 4-folds across countries from 71.0/100,000 [59.9-83.5] in Kuwait to 284.2/100,000 [229.2-352.3] in Mongolia. The age-standardized DALYs rate was 2970.5/100,000 [2722.6-3206.5] in 2019, varying from 1578.0/100,000 [1341.2-1847.0] in Kuwait to 6574.4/100,000 [5141.7-8333.0] in Mongolia. Between 1990 and 2019, deaths due to 17 of the 29 cancers either doubled or more, and 20 of the 29 cancers underwent an increase of 150% or more in terms of new cases. Tracheal, bronchus, and lung cancer (both sexes), breast cancer (among females), colon and rectum cancer (both sexes), stomach cancer (both sexes) and prostate cancer (among males) were among top-5 cancers in most Asian countries in terms of ASIR and ASMR in 2019 and cancers of liver, stomach, hodgkin lymphoma and esophageal cancer posted the most significant decreases in age-standardized rates between 1990 and 2019. Among the modifiable risk factors, smoking, alcohol use, ambient particulate matter (PM) pollution and unsafe sex remained the dominant risk factors between 1990 and 2019. Cancer DALYs due to ambient PM pollution, high body mass index and fasting plasma glucose has increased most notably between 1990 and2019. With growing incidence, cancer has become more significant public health threat in Asia, demanding urgent policy attention and guidance. Its heightened risk calls for increased cancer awareness, preventive measures, affordable early-stage detection, and cost-effective therapeutics in Asia. The current study can serve as a useful resource for policymakers and researchers in Asia for devising interventions for cancer management and control. The GBD study is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Incidence of Recurrent Uterine Rupture: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

We aimed to quantify the incidence of recurrent uterine rupture in pregnant women. A literature search of PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and ClinicalTrials.gov for observational studies was performed from 2000 to 2023. Of the 7,440 articles screened, 13 studies were included in the final review. We included studies of previous uterine ruptures that were complete uterine ruptures , defined as destruction of all uterine layers, including the serosa. The primary outcome was the pooled incidence of recurrent uterine rupture. Between-study heterogeneity was assessed with the I2 value. Subgroup analyses were conducted in terms of the country development status, year of publication, and study size (single center vs national study). The secondary outcomes comprised the following: 1) mean gestational age at which recurrent rupture occurred, 2) mean gestational age at which delivery occurred without recurrent rupture, and 3) perinatal complications (blood loss, transfusion, maternal mortality, and neonatal mortality). A random-effects model was used to pool the incidence or mean value and the corresponding 95% CI with R software. The pooled incidence of recurrent uterine rupture was 10% (95% CI 6-17%). Developed countries had a significantly lower uterine rupture recurrence rate than less developed countries (6% vs 15%, P =.04). Year of publication and study size were not significantly associated with recurrent uterine rupture. The mean number of gestational weeks at the time of recurrent uterine rupture was 32.49 (95% CI 29.90-35.08). The mean number of gestational weeks at the time of delivery without recurrent uterine rupture was 35.77 (95% CI 34.95-36.60). The maternal mortality rate was 5% (95% CI 2-11%), and the neonatal mortality rate was 5% (95% CI 3-10%). Morbidity from hemorrhage, such as bleeding and transfusion, was not reported in any study and could not be evaluated. This systematic review estimated a 10% incidence of recurrent uterine rupture. This finding will enable appropriate risk counseling in patients with prior uterine rupture. PROSPERO, CRD42023395010.

The phenomenon of urbanisation from a public health perspective. Urban spaces as a possible source of epidemics and pandemics caused by an infectious disease

Introduction
 Urbanisation is a global process leading to development of urban infrastructure and thus an increase in the population of urban areas. Health threats, including epidemics of infectious diseases that may break out in growing urban areas, can spread quickly and their effects could spread outside of the local territory. 
 Purpose
 To outline the relationship between globalising, post-modern urbanisation processes, in particular the specific form of extended urbanisation, and the risks posed by infectious diseases that could give rise to new epidemics or pandemics.
 State of knowledge
 Health risks occurring at the local level of an urban area react to, and simultaneously affect, health situation occurring at an indefinite distance from the original site of the event. An important impact on the situation are the expanding or newly emerging urban areas, which cause negative changes in social conditions, and the increase in spatial mobility of the global population, which facilitates the spread of infectious diseases.
 Summary
 Understanding 21st century urban trends is the key to improving collective health. Adopting a "public health perspective" regarding values and attitudes towards social phenomena and reality, as well as the necessary methods of conduct, seems to be one of the main challenges of the current era in which people around the world, regardless of the country's development status and level of resources, currently live in within one “ecosystem of infectious diseases”. Planned and controlled urbanization, taking into account the achievements of modern epidemiology, including molecular epidemiology, will help will help along the remediation of the cities of the future.

Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM): Spatial-temporal Patterns of Incidence, Mortality and Attributable Risk Factors from 1990 to 2019 among 21 World Regions.

Type-2 diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. This study examines temporal patterns of the global, regional, and national burden of T2DM in the last three decades. The estimates of age, sex and location-wise incident cases, deaths, prevalent cases, and disability-adjusted-life-years (DALYs) and risk factors for 21 regions and 204 countries are retrieved from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study from 1990 to 2019. Socio-demographic index (SDI) is used as the indicator of the development status of countries, and quadratic regression is employed to examine the relationship between country-level age-standardized rates and SDI. Globally, incident cases of T2DM more than doubled from 8.4 million[95% uncertainty interval, 7.8-9.1 million] in 1990 to 21.7 million[20.0-23.5 million] in 2019, and deaths more than doubled from 606,407[573,069-637,508] to 1.5 million[1.4-1.6 million] between 1990 and 2019. Global T2DM prevalence increased from 148.4 million[135.5-162.6 million] in 1990 to 437.9 million[402.0-477.0 million] in 2019. In 2019, global age-standardized prevalence rate stood at 5282.8/100,000[4853.6-5752.1], varying from 2174.5/100,000[1924.3-2470.5] in Mongolia to 19876.8/100,000[18211.1-21795.3] in American Samoa. SDI exhibited inverted-U shaped relationship with country-level age-standardised rates. Globally, high body-mass-index (51.9%), ambient particulate matter pollution (13.6%), smoking (9.9%) and secondhand smoke (8.7%) were the major contributing risk factors towards T2DM DALYs in 2019. With ubiquitously rising prevalent cases globally, particularly in low and middle-income countries and regions, T2DM requires immediate attention and targeted policy response worldwide centered on lifestyle interventions (e.g., physical activity, smoking, diet, and obesity), air pollution control and cost-effective timely treatment.

Global, regional, and national disease burden estimates of acute lower respiratory infections due to respiratory syncytial virus in children younger than 5 years in 2019: a systematic analysis

SummaryBackgroundRespiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the most common cause of acute lower respiratory infection in young children. We previously estimated that in 2015, 33·1 million episodes of RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection occurred in children aged 0–60 months, resulting in a total of 118 200 deaths worldwide. Since then, several community surveillance studies have been done to obtain a more precise estimation of RSV associated community deaths. We aimed to update RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection morbidity and mortality at global, regional, and national levels in children aged 0–60 months for 2019, with focus on overall mortality and narrower infant age groups that are targeted by RSV prophylactics in development.MethodsIn this systematic analysis, we expanded our global RSV disease burden dataset by obtaining new data from an updated search for papers published between Jan 1, 2017, and Dec 31, 2020, from MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, OpenGrey, CNKI, Wanfang, and ChongqingVIP. We also included unpublished data from RSV GEN collaborators. Eligible studies reported data for children aged 0–60 months with RSV as primary infection with acute lower respiratory infection in community settings, or acute lower respiratory infection necessitating hospital admission; reported data for at least 12 consecutive months, except for in-hospital case fatality ratio (CFR) or for where RSV seasonality is well-defined; and reported incidence rate, hospital admission rate, RSV positive proportion in acute lower respiratory infection hospital admission, or in-hospital CFR. Studies were excluded if case definition was not clearly defined or not consistently applied, RSV infection was not laboratory confirmed or based on serology alone, or if the report included fewer than 50 cases of acute lower respiratory infection. We applied a generalised linear mixed-effects model (GLMM) to estimate RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection incidence, hospital admission, and in-hospital mortality both globally and regionally (by country development status and by World Bank Income Classification) in 2019. We estimated country-level RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection incidence through a risk-factor based model. We developed new models (through GLMM) that incorporated the latest RSV community mortality data for estimating overall RSV mortality. This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021252400).FindingsIn addition to 317 studies included in our previous review, we identified and included 113 new eligible studies and unpublished data from 51 studies, for a total of 481 studies. We estimated that globally in 2019, there were 33·0 million RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection episodes (uncertainty range [UR] 25·4–44·6 million), 3·6 million RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection hospital admissions (2·9–4·6 million), 26 300 RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection in-hospital deaths (15 100–49 100), and 101 400 RSV-attributable overall deaths (84 500–125 200) in children aged 0–60 months. In infants aged 0–6 months, we estimated that there were 6·6 million RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection episodes (4·6–9·7 million), 1·4 million RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection hospital admissions (1·0–2·0 million), 13 300 RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection inhospital deaths (6800–28 100), and 45700 RSV-attributable overall deaths (38 400–55 900). 2·0% of deaths in children aged 0–60 months (UR 1·6–2·4) and 3·6% of deaths in children aged 28 days to 6 months (3·0–4·4) were attributable to RSV. More than 95% of RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection episodes and more than 97% of RSV-attributable deaths across all age bands were in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs).InterpretationRSV contributes substantially to morbidity and mortality burden globally in children aged 0–60 months, especially during the first 6 months of life and in LMICs. We highlight the striking overall mortality burden of RSV disease worldwide, with one in every 50 deaths in children aged 0–60 months and one in every 28 deaths in children aged 28 days to 6 months attributable to RSV. For every RSV-associated acute lower respiratory infection in-hospital death, we estimate approximately three more deaths attributable to RSV in the community. RSV passive immunisation programmes targeting protection during the first 6 months of life could have a substantial effect on reducing RSV disease burden, although more data are needed to understand the implications of the potential age-shifts in peak RSV burden to older age when these are implemented.FundingEU Innovative Medicines Initiative Respiratory Syncytial Virus Consortium in Europe (RESCEU).

A CURRENT OVERVIEW OF PLANT BIOTECHNOLOGY

Hunger is defined as “the inability to reach the sufficient amount of food necessary for people to survive”, and the need for food is increasing day by day. Food that forms the basis of human nutrition, and agriculture, from the past to the present, threaten food security and agricultural practices with many problems such as excessive population growth released as a result of activities in today and negatively changing climate, environmental conditions and other compelling factors. The continuation of the current situation makes us think that the emerging/starting to emerge threat will increase and cause much bigger problems in the future. Considering today's developments, it is an undeniable fact that biotechnological methods, especially molecular techniques, provide advantages in increasing agricultural production. From this point of view, agricultural and plant biotechnology are a multidisciplinary field that can accelerate the developments in agriculture in line with the developments in the world and solve the problems in a short time by growing different perspectives by making use of different disciplinary areas. The aim of current biotechnological developments in this framework is to increase the yield of product by removing the restrictions of products (abiotic - biotic stress, diseases, economic factors, etc.). Also, an interdisciplinary process operates in this field, where the notion of sustainability gains importance. Sustainable agriculture is based on agricultural production practices and the efficient use of natural resources for the foodstuffs produced. In agricultural terms, it is of great importance that this notion is compatible with plant biotechnology. For this purpose, it is known that various technologies, starting from classical biotechnology under the name of biotechnology to modern biotechnological methods and increasing in complexity as time passes, are used in agriculture in different ways depending on the development status of countries in science and technology. In addition to all these, although biotechnological approaches have enormous potential to contribute to the world's food security, they have also brought several concerns that genetically modified crops pose a threat. Within the scope of this review, approaches have been made about biotechnology for plants, historical perspective from old to new, modern techniques of biotechnology, gene technologies, new food production technologies and food safety

Contributions of Agricultural Subsidies to Increase Producer Income in Cotton and Milk Productions: A Case Study of Hatay Province-Turkey

Agricultural production is subsidized at different levels depending on the country's development status. The budget that was allocated for agricultural subsidies in Turkey in 2020 was around 22 billion TL (Turkish Lira) which was equal to 3.14 billion USD. In this study, the contribution of agricultural subsidies to product income and gross profit value was examined specifically on cotton as crop production and dairy cattle as animal production. According to the research results, agricultural subsidies increased production value by 30.70% in cotton and 4% in milk income. Those increased rates also significantly increased the gross profit values of the products. The results also indicate that enterprises sustain their existence with the income from subsidies, and that the income from production barely covers operating costs. It is necessary to allocate a sufficient budget for agricultural subsidies in order to secure Turkey’s agricultural sustainability, improve producers’ income, and provide affordable food supplies for consumers by decreasing the production costs.

Global consumption of antimicrobials: impact of the WHO Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance and 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).

Little is known about the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on antimicrobial consumption worldwide. To describe the impact of the WHO Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (GAP-AMR) on antimicrobial consumption pre-pandemic and to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antimicrobial consumption worldwide. A cross-sectional time-series analysis using a dataset of monthly purchases of antimicrobials (antibiotics, antivirals and antifungals) from August 2014 to August 2020. Antimicrobial consumption per 1000 population was assessed pre-pandemic by economic development status using linear regression models. Interventional autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models tested for significant changes with pandemic declaration (March 2020) and during its first stage from April to August 2020, worldwide and by country development status. Prior to the pandemic, antimicrobial consumption decreased worldwide, with a greater apparent decrease in developed versus developing countries (-8.4%, P = 0.020 versus -1.2%, P = 0.660). Relative to 2019, antimicrobial consumption increased by 11.2%, P < 0.001 in March 2020. The greatest increase was for antivirals in both developed and developing countries (48.2%, P < 0.001; 110.0%, P < 0.001) followed by antibiotics (6.9%, P < 0.001; 5.9%, P = 0.003). From April to August 2020, antimicrobial consumption decreased worldwide by 18.7% (P < 0.001) compared with the previous year. Specifically, antibiotic consumption significantly decreased in both developed and developing countries (-28.0%, P < 0.001; -16.8%, P < 0.001). The global decrease in antimicrobial consumption pre-pandemic suggests a positive impact of the WHO GAP-AMR. During the pandemic, an initial increase in antimicrobial consumption was followed by a decrease worldwide. AMR plans should specify measures to ensure full implementation of AMR efforts during health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

An evaluation of bioenergy industry sustainability impacts on forest degradation: evidence from European Union economies

The bioenergy industry is a proven option to replace fossil fuels in the heat supply and partly in the transport sector and generation of electricity. The study aims to investigate the empirical model of whether bioenergy use and institutional quality increase forest destruction in the European Union 28 countries covering the period 1990–2018, using the pooled ordinary least squares (pooled OLS), fixed effect, random effect, and least square dummy variable corrected. The findings indicate that bioenergy use within an institutional framework significantly contributes to a reduction in forest degradation regardless of the development status of countries in the region. This shows that efficient institutions and governments can significantly contribute to reducing forest degradation in the region especially in developed countries. Thus, policy-makers should stimulate the sustainability criteria of bioenergy application end-uses, intensify the quality of institutions, and ensure bioenergy use under effective governance.

The macroeconomic effects of electricity-sector privatization

We examine the macroeconomic effects of privatizing the ownership structure of the electricity market, using a novel indicator of privatization which covers 90 advanced, emerging market, and developing economies, since 1974. Privatization reforms, on average, improve outcomes in the provision of electricity and have positive macroeconomic effects: output and employment increase in the years following electricity-sector privatization reforms. Reforms are also associated also with an increase in income inequality, but the effects are small, on average. These impacts vary according to the business cycle, quality of institutions, and a country's development status, with macroeconomic and distributional outcomes generally positive when reforms are pursued during economic expansions and in countries with strong political and economic institutions. Macroeconomic outcomes also tend to be stronger in advanced economies.

Road traffic injury mortality and morbidity by country development status, 2011-2017

PurposeThis research examined road traffic injury mortality and morbidity disparities across of country development status, and discussed the possibility of reducing country disparities by various actions to accelerate the pace of achieving Sustainable Development Goals target 3.6 – to halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents by 2020. MethodsData for road traffic mortality, morbidity, and socio-demographic index (SDI) were extracted by country from the estimates of the Global Burden of Disease study, and the implementation of the three types of national actions (legislation, prioritized vehicle safety standards, and trauma-related post-crash care service) were extracted from the Global Status Report on Road Safety by World Health Organization. We fitted joinpoint regression analysis to identify and quantify the significant rate changes from 2011 to 2017. ResultsAge-adjusted road traffic mortality decreased substantially for all the five SDI categories from 2011 to 2017 (by 7.52%–16.08%). Age-adjusted road traffic mortality decreased significantly as SDI increased in the study time period, while age-adjusted morbidity generally increased as SDI increased. Subgroup analysis by road user yielded similar results, but with two major differences during the study period of 2011 to 2017: (1) pedestrians in the high SDI countries experienced the lowest mortality (1.68–1.90 per 100,000 population) and morbidity (110.45–112.72 per 100,000 population for incidence and 487.48–491.24 per 100,000 population for prevalence), and (2) motor vehicle occupants in the high SDI countries had the lowest mortality (4.07–4.50 per 100,000 population) but the highest morbidity (428.74–467.78 per 100,000 population for incidence and 1025.70–1116.60 per 100,000 population for prevalence). Implementation of the three types of national actions remained nearly unchanged in all five SDI categories from 2011 to 2017 and was consistently stronger in the higher SDI countries than in the lower SDI countries. Lower income nations comprise the heaviest burden of global road traffic injuries and deaths. ConclusionGlobal road traffic deaths would decrease substantially if the large mortality disparities across country development status were reduced through full implementation of proven national actions including legislation and law enforcement, prioritized vehicle safety standards and trauma-related post-crash care services.

International Students' Acculturation and Adjustment to College: Suggestions for Turkey

The international student population is increasing gradually around the world as a result, international students require more attention in terms of their adjustment needs and acculturation experiences. Developed and developing countries' approaches to addressing international student adjustment needs can be different, yet regardless of the country's development status, colleges accept international students. Therefore, a greater understanding of acculturation and adjustment to college issues of international students is needed to provide optimal support for these students. To address this need, the first purpose of this article is determined as providing an overview of the concept of acculturation and its relation to international student college adjustment issues. Second, studies conducted with international students in Turkey reviewed and some conflicted findings were discussed. Third, considering the adjustment needs of international students in Turkey, practical suggestions presented for university policymakers, academics, advisors, as well as college employees working with international students such as counselors from university counseling centers.

Dynamic Thermal Study of a Building Insulated with Local Biosource Materials and Analysis of Consumption

The quality of infrastructure, including buildings, is an indicator of a country's development status. However, it must be noted that these buildings entail high energy costs and also contribute to the global greenhouse effect. The building sector is therefore a crucial issue in terms of adapting to climate change because it is at the heart of a dual energy and environmental problem. To address this challenge, energy efficiency policies are increasingly being adopted worldwide, with the aim of improving the energy performance of buildings. In the present work, the thermo-physical properties of four types of materials, namely: "cement and roast fibre" composite, "cement and rice husk" composite, "agglomerate" and "cement and bar soil" composite, were exploited to implement thermal simulations under TRNSYS environment. The aim was to determine the thermal contributions of the walls built with these materials and those allowing a better comfort in the building by estimating and comparing the energy needs of the proposed variants with those of the reference building. The study showed that the walls made of "cement and rice husks" composite and "cement and roast tree fibres" composite allow to reduce respectively by 20% and 11%, the cooling needs linked to air conditioning for the living room, and respectively by 32% and 27% for the bedroom, compared to the reference building made of agglomerate (with a thickness e= 0.15 m). For the walls made of "cement and earth bar", the cooling requirement increased by 31% for the living room and decreased by 5% for the bedroom, compared to the "chipboard" reference building. Furthermore, the TEWI evaluation showed that the "cement and rice husk" and "cement and roast fibre" composites have a lower environmental impact.

The extent and distribution of joint conservation-development funding in the tropics

Despite ongoing debates about the viability of sustaining economic growth while maintaining environmental integrity, international sustainability agendas increasingly propose reconciling socio-economic development and global environmental goals. Achieving these goals is impeded by limited funding and a lack of information on where financial flows to integrate environment and development are targeted. We analyze World Bank and Global Environment Facility data to investigate the extent and distribution of such funding across the tropics. We find a misalignment between funding flows and need with highly biodiverse, low development (HBLD) countries receiving no more funding than non-HBLD countries. Countries with low biodiversity receive more funding than highly biodiverse countries and there was no statistical association between a country's development status and funds received. Rather than environment-development need, funding appears to be driven by governance and political-economic factors. Future research should investigate how such factors and funding flows are associated with conservation and development outcomes. This study analyzes 381 projects of the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) concluded between 1995 and 2013 to show how much money is spent on joint conservation and development in the tropics, where the money is directed, whether it is directed to areas of greatest environmental and development need, and finally what factors drive funding allocation decisions. The total extent of funding was US$16.5 billion across 75 countries, representing approximately US$870 million per year. Countries with high biodiversity and low human development receive no more funding for integrated conservation and development than other countries. Notably, countries with a low biodiversity status receive relatively more funding than highly biodiverse countries and there was no association between development need and funds received. Therefore, we find that neither biodiversity nor human development status explain funding allocation, but rather that governance and political-economic factors are most likely more influential. This study analyzes the extent and distribution of World Bank and GEF funding for joint conservation and development in the tropics, whether it is directed to areas of greatest environmental and development need, and finally what factors drive funding allocation decisions. Total spending was US$16.5 billion across 75 countries. We find that neither biodiversity nor HDI status are driving funding allocation, but rather that governance and political-economic factors are most likely more influential. © 2020 The Authors

Reconciling sustainability, economic efficiency and equity in marine fisheries: Has there been progress in the last 20 years?

AbstractThis paper reviews the progress made over the last 20 years in achieving sustainable, economically efficient and socially just marine fisheries, referred to here as reconciled fisheries. It examines the substantial changes that have occurred in policies, practices and the challenges to fisheries. These include greater awareness of the impacts of climate change, implementation of ecosystem approaches, recognition of the needs and role of small‐scale fisheries, greater demands for fish and seafood and greater pressure from other sectors. Progress has been made in some countries and fisheries in improving sustainability and economic efficiency but much less in many others. Globally, substantial problems remain in the status of stocks, threats to biodiversity, incidence of undesirable ecological impacts, economic inefficiencies, and poverty, food insecurity and marginalization of fishers and other dependents on fisheries, particularly small‐scale fishers. Effectiveness of management and governance is linked to the development status of countries, so the challenges are most marked in developing countries but developed countries are also failing, particularly in achievement of socially equitable fisheries, while also transferring some of their problems to developing countries. The paper argues that reconciled fisheries will only be attainable in conjunction with meeting human development needs as a whole, which are reflected in the 17 United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). This requires that the global commitment to address the SDGs as being “integrated and indivisible” and in “a spirit of global solidarity” needs to be taken much more seriously than it currently appears to be.

The Impact of ISO22000 Standard Diffusion on Agricultural Exports

AbstractThe WTO SPS Agreement sets a framework of rules that encourages harmonization through international standards. However, there is a lack of empirical research at the macro-level on how such international standards affect trade flows. This study conducts a general impact analysis on one of the most widely used food-related international standards in the world, the ISO22000, accounting for the different product types and country groups. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, one of three sister organizations of the SPS Agreement, notably participated in developing this standard that is based on its Food Code, harmonizing the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP). This study employs recent developments in using the gravity model, along with uniquely employed additional specifications to enhance further the reliability of the estimates. Results show that ISO22000 diffusion negatively affects the exports of processed products that are the major export goods of developed countries. Primary and semi-processed products that compose the majority of developing country exports are not significantly affected, providing evidence against the concerns for the compliance burdens of developing countries when being certified to the standard. The burdens may depend more on the degree of processing of the exported goods rather than on a country's development status.

A Comparison of the Relationship Between Electricity Consumption and Gross Domestic Product According to Development Status of Countries

Electricity is a necessary requirement for the economic, social and cultural progress for all developed, developing and under-developed countries. This paper examines the relationships between electricity consumption and gross domestic product in 30 countries, using data for the period 1995–2014. These countries are classified according to their developmental status. Widely used tests for the panel unit root, heterogeneous panel cointegration, and panel-based error correction models were employed. The empirical results indicate that electricity consumption and economic growth appear to be cointegrated. The long-run and short-run relationship are estimated using suitable estimations. The results show that the developmental levels of countries differ in their impact on the relationship between electricity consumption and GDP.

Knowledge and behavioural interventions to reduce human health risk from private groundwater systems: A global review and pooled analysis based on development status.

Groundwater contamination constitutes a significant health risk for private well users residing in rural areas. As the responsibility to safeguard rural private domestic groundwater typically rests with non-expert homeowners, interventions promoting risk mitigation and awareness represent the most viable means of preventing supply contamination. However, no global review or pooled analyses of these interventions has been undertaken to date. The current study sought to identify and quantify the performance of private well interventions from 1990 to 2018 via a global systematised review and pooled analysis. The PICO (Population-Intervention-Comparison-Outcome) approach was employed for literature identification. Relevant studies were statistically analysed across two quantitative outcome (performance) types, namely knowledge and behaviour, controlling for intervention characteristics and country development status. Mean behavioural and knowledge attainment across interventions was 53% and 48%, respectively, with interventions in economically developed regions exhibiting higher behavioural outcomes (56% vs. 45%) than those in developing regions. Geographically, interventions were located in southern or southeast Asia (n = 23), North America (n = 15), Central America (n = 1) and Africa (n = 1), with none identified in Australia/Oceania, Europe, or South America. Behavioural outcomes were significantly associated with presence of educational/research coordinator (p = 0.023), with these interventions attaining higher levels of efficacy (+74%) than those implemented by other coordinator types. Findings indicate that instructor-led, practical interventions allied with both large- and local-scale awareness-raising campaigns represent an optimum approach for future private well risk interventions. Subsequent adoption of such interventions may lead to increased levels of private well maintenance and provide a point of reference for myriad water and health communication contexts.

The worth of wildlife: A meta-analysis of global non-market values of threatened species

Clustered robust meta-regression analysis is applied to 109 willingness to pay (WTP) estimates for threatened species from 47 stated-preference studies in 19 countries. Our study updates previous meta-analyses on the topic and tests the effect of important variables not previously considered—species' threat status, use of coloured photographs of species in a survey, and a country's development status, on WTP. We also compared model results obtained from weighting observations by the inverse standard error of WTP and inverse sample size values. Inverse-standard error-weighted model results were more aligned with published research and economic theory and had a better fit than inverse-sample size-weighted model results. Average total present value of WTP was $414/household,11In 2016 US dollars. but variation in reported values was large owing to the survey context. WTP was significantly higher for charismatic and threatened species. Using coloured photographs, or a country's development status did not significantly affect WTP. Average absolute within-sample and out-of-sample transfer errors were estimated to be 17% and 48%, respectively. One-fourth out-of-sample transfers had an error of 10% or less. We discuss limitations and issues in current literature and propose recommendations that will allow future studies to be used in meta-analyses and benefit transfer.