Suchergebnisse

Over the last few decades, the United Nations (UN) has been approached by Security Council and Member States on international boundary issues. The United Nations regards the adequate delimitation and demarcation of international boundaries as a very important element for the maintenance of peace and security in fragile post-conflict situations, establishment of friendly relationships and cross-border cooperation between States. This paper will present the main principles and framework the United Nations applies to support the process of international boundary delimitation and demarcation activities. The United Nations is involved in international boundary issues following the principle of impartiality and neutrality and its role as mediator. Since international boundary issues are multi-faceted, a range of expertise is required and the United Nations Secretariat is in a good position to provide diverse expertise within the multiple departments. Expertise in different departments ranging from legal, political, technical, administrative and logistical are mobilised in different ways to provide support to Member States depending on their specific needs. This presentation aims to highlight some of the international boundary projects that the United Nations Cartographic Section has been involved in order to provide the technical support to different boundary requirements as each international boundary issue requires specific focus and attention whether it be in preparation, delimitation, demarcation or management. Increasingly, the United Nations is leveraging geospatial technology to facilitate boundary delimitation and demarcation process between Member States. Through the presentation of the various case studies ranging from Iraq – Kuwait, Israel – Lebanon (Blue Line), Eritrea – Ethiopia, Cyprus (Green Line), Cameroon – Nigeria, Sudan – South Sudan, it will illustrate how geospatial technology is increasingly used to carry out the support. In having applied a range of geospatial solutions, some of the good practices that have been applied in preceding projects, but there have been challenges and limitations faced. However, these challenges need to be seen as an opportunity to improve the geospatial technology solutions in future international boundary projects. This presentation will also share the aspirations that the United Nations Cartographic Section has in becoming a facilitator in geospatial technical aspects related to international boundary issues as we increasingly develop our geospatial institutional knowledge base and expertise. The presentation will conclude by emphasizing the need for more collaboration between different actors dealing with geospatial technology on borderland issues in order to meet the main goal of the United Nations – to live and work together as "We the Peoples of the United Nations".

Over the last few decades, the United Nations (UN) has been approached by Security Council and Member States on international boundary issues. The United Nations regards the adequate delimitation and demarcation of international boundaries as a very important element for the maintenance of peace and security in fragile post-conflict situations, establishment of friendly relationships and cross-border cooperation between States. This paper will present the main principles and framework the United Nations applies to support the process of international boundary delimitation and demarcation activities. The United Nations is involved in international boundary issues following the principle of impartiality and neutrality and its role as mediator. Since international boundary issues are multi-faceted, a range of expertise is required and the United Nations Secretariat is in a good position to provide diverse expertise within the multiple departments. Expertise in different departments ranging from legal, political, technical, administrative and logistical are mobilised in different ways to provide support to Member States depending on their specific needs. This presentation aims to highlight some of the international boundary projects that the United Nations Cartographic Section has been involved in order to provide the technical support to different boundary requirements as each international boundary issue requires specific focus and attention whether it be in preparation, delimitation, demarcation or management. Increasingly, the United Nations is leveraging geospatial technology to facilitate boundary delimitation and demarcation process between Member States. Through the presentation of the various case studies ranging from Iraq – Kuwait, Israel – Lebanon (Blue Line), Eritrea – Ethiopia, Cyprus (Green Line), Cameroon – Nigeria, Sudan – South Sudan, it will illustrate how geospatial technology is increasingly used to carry out the support. In having applied a range of geospatial solutions, some of the good practices that have been applied in preceding projects, but there have been challenges and limitations faced. However, these challenges need to be seen as an opportunity to improve the geospatial technology solutions in future international boundary projects. This presentation will also share the aspirations that the United Nations Cartographic Section has in becoming a facilitator in geospatial technical aspects related to international boundary issues as we increasingly develop our geospatial institutional knowledge base and expertise. The presentation will conclude by emphasizing the need for more collaboration between different actors dealing with geospatial technology on borderland issues in order to meet the main goal of the United Nations – to live and work together as "We the Peoples of the United Nations".

The U.S. and Japan are both democratic industrialized societies, but the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths per million people in the U.S. (including Japanese Americans) are 12.1-times and 17.4-times higher, respectively, than those in Japan. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of diet on preventing COVID-19 infection. An analysis of dietary intake and the prevalence of obesity in the populations of both countries was performed, and their effects on COVID-19 infection were examined. Approximately 1.5-times more saturated fat and less eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid are consumed in the U.S. than in Japan. Compared with food intakes in Japan (100%), those in the U.S. were as follows: beef 396%, sugar and sweeteners 235%, fish 44.3%, rice 11.5%, soybeans 0.5%, and tea 54.7%. The last four of these foods contain functional substances that prevent COVID-19. The prevalence of obesity is 7.4- and 10-times greater in the U.S. than in Japan for males and females, respectively. Mendelian randomization established a causal relationship between obesity and COVID-19 infection. Large differences in nutrient intakes and the prevalence of obesity, but not racial differences, may be partly responsible for differences in the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 between the U.S. and Japan.

The U.S. and Japan are both democratic industrialized societies, but the numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths per million people in the U.S. (including Japanese Americans) are 12.1-times and 17.4-times higher, respectively, than those in Japan. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of diet on preventing COVID-19 infection. An analysis of dietary intake and the prevalence of obesity in the populations of both countries was performed, and their effects on COVID-19 infection were examined. Approximately 1.5-times more saturated fat and less eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid are consumed in the U.S. than in Japan. Compared with food intakes in Japan (100%), those in the U.S. were as follows: beef 396%, sugar and sweeteners 235%, fish 44.3%, rice 11.5%, soybeans 0.5%, and tea 54.7%. The last four of these foods contain functional substances that prevent COVID-19. The prevalence of obesity is 7.4- and 10-times greater in the U.S. than in Japan for males and females, respectively. Mendelian randomization established a causal relationship between obesity and COVID-19 infection. Large differences in nutrient intakes and the prevalence of obesity, but not racial differences, may be partly responsible for differences in the incidence and mortality of COVID-19 between the U.S. and Japan.

PurposeAn online questionnaire survey was conducted to explore University of Plymouth students' perceptions and understandings of, and attitudes towards, sustainable development and related concepts and issues. In general, student perceptions of sustainable development have been under‐researched. This research sought to go some way towards filling the gap by providing insights for those working in the field of education for sustainable development (ESD) in higher education.Design/methodology/approachThe survey was administrated in autumn 2005 by the Centre for Sustainable Futures at the University of Plymouth. The closed‐category statements were analyzed in terms of frequencies and percentages. A comprehensive set of cross tabulations and χ2 tests were also conducted using SPSS. Responses to open‐ended questions were coded and categorized according to emerging themes.FindingsKey findings include, first, that a majority of student respondents think sustainability is "a good thing" their positive response not particularly correlating with their degree of familiarity with either of the concepts of sustainable development or sustainability. Second, students strongly associate the concepts of sustainable development and sustainability with their environmental as against economic and social aspects. Third, in terms of personal change for a sustainable lifestyle, "light green" actions addressing responsibility as consumers such as changing purchasing habits, recycling, and saving energy and/or water were most frequently articulated. Fourth, respondents harbour mixed feelings regarding the future of society in the face of sustainability‐oriented challenges.Originality/valueThe paper highlights the importance of ESD curriculum development that more explicitly addresses the interconnectedness of different aspects of sustainable development and which also employs pedagogies that help students to take action towards realizing their preferred futures. It also suggests future study directed towards identifying various means of facilitating students' pro‐sustainability behaviours.

Following the rapid economic growth after World War II, diseases associated with environmental pollution frequently occurred due to delayed implementation of countermeasures against environmental pollution. These diseases are exemplified by Minamata disease, Itai-itai disease, chronic arsenic poisoning, and Yokkaichi asthma. After multiple episodes of these pollution-related diseases were experienced, the government and the private sector made joint efforts to reduce environmental pollution. As a result of these efforts and because of changes in the industrial structure, pollution-related diseases have declined. Instead, however, air pollution from automobile exhaust and the health effects of automobile exhaust on people living along roads with heavy traffic began to attract the public's attention after an increase in the use of automobiles. The epidemiological surveys carried out by the Environmental Agency and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government also have suggested unfavorable effects of automobile-caused air pollution on people living in large cities or along major roads. To solve this problem, it seems imperative to promote the reasonable use of automobiles and to work toward more efficient transportation of goods based on analyses of city structure, the life-styles of city dwellers, and the socioeconomic composition of cities. In addition, the discharge of pollutants from automobiles could be controlled.