Realities of Nutrition

What Is Nutrition Reality? Is it in the advertising claims that a food is natural or supplies instant energy? Is it in the myriad of dietary supplements? Is it in the diet plans for instant weight loss and glowing health? The only way to find out is to learn the basic principles of nutrition science, so you can be your own nutrition expert. Here is the true introduction to nutrition that you will read with pleasure and real understanding. It will free you from dependence on popular sources of information - often misinformation - so you can distinguish illusion from the realities of nutrition.https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/oer/1003/thumbnail.jp

Science, Physiology, and Nutrition For the Nonscientist

A wonderful blend of physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, genetics, biology, evolution, chemistry--what we all need to know as informed citizens. A basic knowledge of the life sciences and how our bodies work--to promote our own good health, especially as we\u27re bombarded with misleading advertisements, soundbites, and the like. DNA fingerprinting, calorie requirements, dietary advice, genetic engineering (including gene editing with CRISPR cas9)--all in an easy-to understand book.https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/oer/1002/thumbnail.jp

NUV/Blue spectral observations of sprites in the 320-460 nm region: N2{\mathrm N_2} (2PG) Emissions

A near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectrograph (320-460 nm) was flown on the EXL98 aircraft sprite observation campaign during July 1998. In this wavelength range video rate (60 fields/sec) spectrographic observations found the NUV/blue emissions to be predominantly N2 (2PG). The negligible level of N2+ (1NG) present in the spectrum is confirmed by observations of a co-aligned, narrowly filtered 427.8 nm imager and is in agreement with previous ground-based filtered photometer observations. The synthetic spectral fit to the observations indicates a characteristic energy of ~1.8 eV, in agreement with our other NUV observations.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, JGR Space Physics "Effects of Thunderstorms and Lightning in the Upper Atmosphere" Special Sectio

Population pressure in the West Indies, its causes, effects, and possible solutions

A 1947 National Geographic map titled "Countries of the Caribbean Including Mexico, Central America and the West Indies" was included as an enclosure in this thesis. BU Libraries made the decision not to scan this map. Thesis (M.A.)--Boston UniversityThe West Indies are a chain of islands extending all the all the way from Florida to the coast of South America---a distance of some 2,200 miles. The larger islands---Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico---are called the "Greater Antilles"; the rest are known as the "Lesser Antilles." Not including small islets and cays, which number in the thousands, there are approximately 60 important islands. The West Indies have a complex political pattern with three independent republics, two territories of the United States, six colonies of Great Britain, two departments of France, and a possession of the Netherlands. The islands are, in most cases, the tops of several mountain chains protruding above the surface of the sea. Some of them are made entirely of volcanic debris. The climate is strictly tropical with warm even temperatures. Local rainfall will vary depending on the elevation and exposure to the moisture-laden trade winds. Droughts sometimes cause crop failures, and hurricanes occasionally ruin fields of sugar and bananas. Much of the original forest land has either been cleared for agriculture or cut away by peasants for firewood. The remaining forests that now exist are largely on inaccessible mountain slopes. The islands were originally inhabited by Indians who have all but disappeared on account of diseases and massacres by the early colonists. Soon after the first voyage of Columbus, the Spaniards colonized Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Trinidad. The British took Jamaica from them in 1655 and Trinidad in 1797. Cuba became a republic after the Spanish-American War, while Puerto Rico became an American Territory. The western part of Hispaniola (Haiti) was ceded to France by Spain in 1697, and later, after several revolutions by the Negro slaves, finally achieved independence in 1804. The Negroes then invaded the eastern (Spanish held) part of the island, holding it until 1843 when they were driven out. This half of Hispaniol became the Dominican Republic in 1844. The Lesser Antilles were settled by England, France, Holland, and Denmark with the first settlement being made by the English on St. Kitts in 1624. The United States purchased the Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917. The West Indies have been of great strategic value from the time that the first attacks began on the Spanish monopoly in the early part of the 16th century right up to the present time. The Spaniards established bases to shelter their treasure-laden fleets, and the buccaneers used the islands as hide-outs and as bases for operation. Later, West Indian ports were to ships as centers for taking on food, fresh water, transient cargo, and coal. The United States has established military bases in the islands as a defense for the Panama Canal and shipping. Agriculture is the most important economic activity, with sugar being the most important crop on most islands. Cuba is the largest producer and exporter of sugar in the world with Puerto Rico being a poor second to Cuba in regard to Caribbean production. The rest of the territories combined produce less than Puerto Rico. Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica are important producers of tobacco. Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic are high in bananas, with Trinidad and the Windward Islands important in their own right. Other fruits---avocados, citrus, pineapples, coconuts---are grown mainly for local consumption, but in some cases are important export crops. A variety of vegetable crops are grown for local consumption as well, a few being for export during the winter months. Coffee assumes greatest importance in Haiti and Jamaica, although it is grown in most islands. Cacao is an outstanding export crop in Trinidad and the Dominican Republic. Spices and vanilla are grown throughout on a small scale. Cotton is grown in the Leeward Islands ] and sisal in Cuba and Haiti. Only in Cuba and the Dominican Republic is cattle raising outstanding. The mineral wealth is not great. Trinidad is a significant producer of petroleum, and Cuba mines small quantities of iron ore, manganese, chromite, and other metals. Bauxite is mined in Jamaica, salt is evaporated in the Bahamas for export. Manufacturing is closely concerned with agricultural products such those used in sugar grinding and refining, rum, tobaccc manufacturing, coffee and cacao processing, etc. Curacao and Aruba have huge oil refineries, refining petroleum from Venezuela and Colombia. Other industries in the West Indies are service industries for local consumption. In early colonial times these islands were very valuable to the mother countries as producers of sugar and other products. Consequently, thousands of Negro slaves were imported to work the large estates. Later, about 1840, the islands decreased in importance and finally in a few years, became a liability. This was due to the conditions that followed emancipation of the slaves, and the increased production of beet sugar in Europe. The colonies never recovered from that slump, and today the many descendants of the former slaves are living in crowded quarters with little or no employment. Many Caribbean islands have much greater densities of population than most countries of the world. This means that many people must be supported by each acre of arable land---too many more than the acre can effectively support. On those islands where almost the entire economy is based on the growing of export crops such as sugar, population pressure is quite high. Export crops not only lower local food production, but prohibit the peasant from cultivating his own food supply, as he is forced off the best agricultural land. Export crops are naturally grown in preference to domestic food crops because they are so much more valuable and bring in greater returns to the land owner. In the West Indies the population has grown above the limit of what the cultivatable land can support. This causes widespread unemployment which is becoming more and more serious. Employment is seasonal and over-abundant, a situation that forces the workers work for a very low wage. The masses just do not earn enough cash to purchase the necessary imported foodstuffs. Most islands are unfortunate in having much of their areas in steep mountain slope which, in reality, increases the density of population in regards to arable land. Low wages plus limited agricultural land result in poor diets, crude housing, and, in general, a low standard of living. A low standard of living leads to poor social conditions and high disease rates. Something must be done to ellmiinate, or at least reduce, this predicament. Agricultural expansion would be economically difficult and in most cases physically impossible. Land resettlement would result in the expropriation of private lands (a difficult and unpleasant thing to do), and it would cut down on the general income of the territory. It would also cut the productivity of the land by lack of efficiency. Economic overpopulation might be remedied in these four ways: emigration, birth control, the creation of industrial jobs, and the expansion of the tourist trade. These four solutions should be considered only as theories rather than actual remedies. Even if programs in all of them should reach a satisfactory impetus, the population problem would only be helped to a moderate extent, not entirely remedied. The population problem will probably never be completely solved. Nevertheless, these solutions (except birth control) have helped the situation in the past and will continue to do so in the future, even more so if properly developed. Emigration would cut the population density and pressure if it could be instituted on a large organized scale. However, the West Indian Negroes are reluctant to leave their island homes, and most of the areas capable of absorbing them have immigration laws restricting those of African ancestry. The only places in the Western Hemisphere to which emigration could effectively take place are British Honduras and the three Guianas. These places have no racial discriminatory immigration laws and have plenty of unused land and undeveloped resources. But it would take a goodly sum of money and an energetic ambitious people to make for satisfactory settlement in these colonies. Birth control would be a good way to modify the future increase in population, but this measure is difficult to introduce and would be quite unpopular among the people if instituted. Industrialization holds more promise. The establishment of industries, other than those connected with agriculture, would reduce unemployment and increase the cash incomes of many workers. Several islands, Puerto Rico especially, are making efforts to attract mainland capital by offering tax exemptions, low-cost land, and buildings, etc. Questions concerning just how advantageous it would be to invest industrial capital in the West Indies is what is retarding rapid industrialization there. Tourism creates jobs directly and indirectly, and at the same time brings in millions of valuable dollar crefits. All Caribbean governments have been making a bid for visitors and have been sponsoring extensive advertizing programs to attract tourists from the mainland

Global gaps in trait data for terrestrial vertebrates

AIM: Trait data are increasingly being used in studies investigating the impacts of global changes on the structure and functioning of ecological communities. Despite a growing number of trait data collations for terrestrial vertebrates, there is to date no global assessment of the gaps and biases the data present. Here, we assess whether terrestrial vertebrate trait data are taxonomically, spatially and phylogenetically biased. LOCATION: Global. TIME PERIOD: Present. MAJOR TAXA STUDIED: Terrestrial vertebrates. METHODS: We compile seven ecological traits and quantify coverage as the proportion of species for which an estimate is available. For a species, we define completeness as the proportion of non‐missing values across traits. We assess whether coverage and completeness differ across classes and examine phylogenetic biases in trait data. To investigate spatial biases, we test whether wider‐ranging species have more complete trait data than narrow‐ranging species. Additionally, we test whether species‐rich regions, which are of most concern for conservation, are less well sampled than species‐poor regions. RESULTS: Mammals and birds are well sampled even in species‐rich regions. For reptiles and amphibians (herptiles), only body size presents a high coverage (>80%), in addition to habitat‐related variables (amphibians). Herptiles are poorly sampled for other traits. The shortfalls are particularly acute in some species‐rich regions and for certain clades. Across all classes, geographically rarer species have less complete trait information. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Trait information is less available on average in some of the most diverse areas and in geographically rarer species, both of which crucial for biodiversity conservation. Gaps in trait data might impede our ability to conduct large‐scale analyses, whereas biases can impact the validity of extrapolations. A short‐term solution to the problem is to estimate missing trait data using imputation techniques, whereas a longer‐term and more robust filling of existing gaps requires continued data‐collection efforts

Improving Workers’ Financial Literacy: A Symposium Summary

Financial literacy and a basic understanding of employer and national retirement programs are essential as older workers transition from full time work into retirement. The retirement process requires individuals to make a series of decisions that will influence their retirement income and economic well-being throughout the rest of their life. However, considerable evidence indicates that workers of the verge of retirement have a rather low level of financial literacy. Many employers have developed pre-retirement financial education and retirement planning programs for their retirement eligible workers. A recent symposium examined the use of employer programs, their effectiveness in enhancing worker knowledge, and the impact of improved financial literacy on retirement plans. This working paper presents a summary of the discussion and highlights the important findings of the symposium

The Funding Status of Retiree Health Plans in the Public Sector

While no longer common in the private sector, most public sector employers offer retiree health insurance (RHI) as a retirement benefit to their employees. While these plans are thought to be an important tool for employers to attract, retain, motivate, and ultimately retire workers, they represent a large and growing cost. This paper reviews what is currently known about RHI in the public sector, while highlighting many important unanswered research questions. The analysis is informed by detailed data from states on their liabilities associated with RHI, which were produced in accordance with the 2004 Government Accounting Standards Board Rule 45 (GASB 45). We consider the extent of the unfunded liabilities states face and explore what factors may explain the variation in liabilities across states. The importance and sustainability of RHI plans in the public sector ultimately depends on how workers view and value this post-retirement benefit, yet little is known about how RHI directly impacts the public sector labor market. We conclude with a discussion of the future of RHI plans in the public sector.

UV solar irradiance in observations and the NRLSSI and SATIRE-S models

Total solar irradiance and UV spectral solar irradiance have been monitored since 1978 through a succession of space missions. This is accompanied by the development of models aimed at replicating solar irradiance by relating the variability to solar magnetic activity. The NRLSSI and SATIRE-S models provide the most comprehensive reconstructions of total and spectral solar irradiance over the period of satellite observation currently available. There is persistent controversy between the various measurements and models in terms of the wavelength dependence of the variation over the solar cycle, with repercussions on our understanding of the influence of UV solar irradiance variability on the stratosphere. We review the measurement and modelling of UV solar irradiance variability over the period of satellite observation. The SATIRE-S reconstruction is consistent with spectral solar irradiance observations where they are reliable. It is also supported by an independent, empirical reconstruction of UV spectral solar irradiance based on UARS/SUSIM measurements from an earlier study. The weaker solar cycle variability produced by NRLSSI between 300 and 400 nm is not evident in any available record. We show that although the method employed to construct NRLSSI is principally sound, reconstructed solar cycle variability is detrimentally affected by the uncertainty in the SSI observations it draws upon in the derivation. Based on our findings, we recommend, when choosing between the two models, the use of SATIRE-S for climate studies

Bracket induction for Lambek calculus with bracket modalities

Relativisation involves dependencies which, although unbounded, are constrained with respect to certain island domains. The Lambek calculus L can provide a very rudimentary account of relativisation limited to unbounded peripheral extraction; the Lambek calculus with bracket modalities Lb can further condition this account according to island domains. However in naïve parsing/theorem-proving by backward chaining sequent proof search for Lb the bracketed island domains, which can be indefinitely nested, have to be specified in the linguistic input. In realistic parsing word order is given but such hierarchical bracketing structure cannot be assumed to be given. In this paper we show how parsing can be realised which induces the bracketing structure in backward chaining sequent proof search with Lb