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Aims and objectives: To examine the effectiveness of cognitive interventions after general anaesthesia to improve cognitive functioning. Background: The number of surgical procedures performed worldwide is large and growing. Postoperative cognitive dysfunction is a common complication associated with poor postoperative outcomes. A variety of cognitive interventions have been developed to maintain or improve cognitive function in one or more cognitive domains. Cognitive interventions have shown to be effective in healthy older populations, those with mild cognitive impairment, and those with heart failure. The impact of cognitive interventions in surgical patients after general anaesthesia is a relatively new focus of research and is therefore less well established. Methods: Seven bibliographic databases were searched in relation to 'surgery' and 'cognitive interventions'; no date or language limits were imposed. Studies including adult patients who were scheduled for, or who had undergone surgery under general anaesthesia, had a baseline cognitive assessment using a validated measurement, and had engaged with any cognition‐based intervention were included. Full‐text review for inclusion, quality assessment and data extraction were undertaken independently by two authors. This study is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta‐Analyses guidelines. Results: A total of 550 papers were identified for possible inclusion, of which nine met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The majority were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) (n = 6 [66.7%]). Four studies used computerised cognitive interventions, while five used traditional cognitive interventions. Most of the studies used multi‐domain cognitive training focusing on two or more domains (n = 7 [77.8%]) while two studies used single‐domain cognitive training. Memory (n = 7 [77.8%]) and attention (n = 5 [55.6%]) were the cognitive domains most often targeted during the intervention. Conclusions: The use of cognitive interventions demonstrated some efficacy in improving cognitive function after general anaesthesia, particularly those targeting memory. Relevance for clinical practice The findings of this review suggest that cognitive interventions show promise at improving cognitive performance in patients with POCD and could be usefully implemented in clinical practice to improve patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ginseng is a very commonly used natural product in the world, and its two main species are Asian ginseng and American ginseng. Ginseng is an adaptogenic botanical that reportedly protects the body against stress, stabilizes physiological processes, and restores homeostasis. Previously, different animal models and contemporary research methodologies have been used to reveal ginseng's biomedical activities in different body systems and the linked mechanisms of actions. However, human clinical observation data on ginseng effects have attracted more attention from the general public and medical community. In this paper, after an introduction of the phytochemistry of ginseng species, we review positive ginseng clinical studies, mainly conducted in developed countries, performed over the past 20 years. The reported effects of ginseng are presented in several sections, and conditions impacted by ginseng include diabetes; cardiovascular disorders; cognition, memory, and mood; the common cold and flu; cancer fatigue and well-being; quality of life and social functioning, etc. Administration of ginseng demonstrated a good safety record in humans. Although encouraging beneficial effects obtained from clinical data, using the study treatment regimen, the reported ginseng effects in general only ranged from mild to moderate. Nonetheless, these beneficial effects of ginseng could be a valuable add-on therapy for patients receiving standard drug treatments. Additionally, as a dietary supplement, ginseng possesses an important role in maintaining and promoting human health. We believe that the quality of future ginseng trials should be improved, particularly by providing detailed herbal phytochemistry and quality control information. With solid effectiveness data obtained from a well-designed, carefully executed ginseng clinical trial, this meritoriously herbal medicine will be widely used by consumers and patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of international and collaborative publication trends in prominent behavior‐analytic journals has been a topic of interest for behavioral researchers. This paper focuses on publication trends from 1997 through 2020 in three prominent journals: Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior (JEAB), Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis (JABA), and Perspectives on Behavior Science (PBS). The variable of interest was the percentage of articles published per geographical category—Australasia/East Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, North America, and Africa. The results showed that 79, 96, and 87% of the published articles in JEAB, JABA, and PBS, respectively, were conducted by researchers with a North American affiliation. Furthermore, 12, 4, and 4% of the articles in JEAB, JABA, and PBS, respectively, were coauthored by at least two researchers from different geographical categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accomplishments in stem cell science and tissue engineering have resulted in a remarkable revolution in the context of future medicine. However, a general insight over the progress of stem cell research in Iran is still lacking. A better understanding of current needs in this field is required to design a better national roadmap. Methods: In this study, we defined the geographical regions based on the significance of their contribution to stem cell research; then, using the Scopus database, we retrieved reports from Iran and other countries concerning stem cell science and regenerative medicine published from 1994 until the end of 2016. Results: A significant number of citations belong to North America (6 554 029 citations equal to 49% of the total citations) and Europe (4 425 465 citations equal to 33% of the total citations) and the rest of citations were related to Asia (2 423 352 citations equal to 18% of the total citations). East Asian (2 168 472 citations equal to 76% of the total citations related to Asia) documents were cited more than those from the Middle East (ME) (494 141 citations equal to 17% of the total citations related to Asia) and North and Central Asia (196 382 citations equal to 7% of the total citations related to Asia). Iran as a country in the ME attracted 17% of the total citations related to the Asian countries winning the second position in this regard. The overview of total number of citations showed a sharp increase and upward trend in citation numbers for all the Iranian institutes from 2007 that resulted in the expansion of stem cell science in all major cities of Iran such as Shiraz (8%), Mashhad (5%), Isfahan (5%) and Ahvaz (5%). H-index of Tehran University of Medical Science, which has the highest total citations and document numbers, is the highest among all Iranian research institutes. Citation per paper of Royan Institute (RI) is the highest among the top 10 Iranian institutes, by 13 citations per paper. Conclusion: Stem cell research in Iran is rapidly developing. Since 2007, the number of published documents in major research institutes increased; thus, there is necessity for analysis of the status of publications in this field and choosing a better direction based on needs. Furthermore, it is necessary to expand and organize international collaborations to enrich our research and benefit from different team experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Syndromic surveillance provides public health intelligence to aid in early warning and monitoring of public health impacts (e.g. seasonal influenza), or reassurance when an impact has not occurred. Using information collected during routine patient care, syndromic surveillance can be based on signs/symptoms/preliminary diagnoses. This approach makes syndromic surveillance much timelier than surveillance requiring laboratory confirmed diagnoses. The provision of healthcare services and patient access to them varies globally. However, emergency departments (EDs) exist worldwide, providing unscheduled urgent care to people in acute need. This provision of care makes ED syndromic surveillance (EDSyS) a potentially valuable tool for public health surveillance internationally. The objective of this study was to identify and describe the key characteristics of EDSyS systems that have been established and used globally.Methods: We systematically reviewed studies published in peer review journals and presented at International Society of Infectious Disease Surveillance conferences (up to and including 2017) to identify EDSyS systems which have been created and used for public health purposes. Search criteria developed to identify "emergency department" and "syndromic surveillance" were applied to NICE healthcare, Global Health and Scopus databases.Results: In total, 559 studies were identified as eligible for inclusion in the review, comprising 136 journal articles and 423 conference abstracts/papers. From these studies we identified 115 EDSyS systems in 15 different countries/territories across North America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. Systems ranged from local surveillance based on a single ED, to comprehensive national systems. National EDSyS systems were identified in 8 countries/territories: 2 reported inclusion of ≥85% of ED visits nationally (France and Taiwan).Conclusions: EDSyS provides a valuable tool for the identification and monitoring of trends in severe illness. Technological advances, particularly in the emergency care patient record, have enabled the evolution of EDSyS over time. EDSyS reporting has become closer to 'real-time', with automated, secure electronic extraction and analysis possible on a daily, or more frequent basis. The dissemination of methods employed and evidence of successful application to public health practice should be encouraged to support learning from best practice, enabling future improvement, harmonisation and collaboration between systems in future.Prospero Number: CRD42017069150 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzes the main regulatory experiments for Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) in North America and Asia, comparing requirements for implementation and outcomes. It also underlines the need to make these spaces representative of the social and environmental complexity of a public place, presenting the original proposal to include in the exchange conditions regulations that guarantee ecosystem services equivalent to the loss for the community due to the bonus granted. The reflection leads to three main aspects for the edition of updated regulations: the construction of integrated networks of spaces, the consideration of the urban ecosystem and the meta-design of thematic cultural guidelines [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular data have been increasingly used to study the phylogenetic relationships among many taxa, including scrophs. Sometimes they have provided phylogenetic reconstructions that are in conflict with morphological data leading to a re-evaluation of long-standing evolutionary hypotheses. In this paper, we review reports of the recent knowledge of the phylogenetic relationships within Scrophularieae (2011–2017). The results of these analyses led to the following conclusions. (1) Species of Scrophularia have undergone one or more Miocene migration events occurred from eastern Asia to the North America with subsequent long dispersal and diversification in three main directions. (2) Allopolyploid and aneuploid hybrid speciation between Scrophularia species can occur, so hybridization and polyploidy have an important role for history of diversification. (3) The ancestral staminode type for the genus Scrophularia seems to be a large staminode. (4) Monophyly of the genus Verbascum with respect to the genus Scrophularia is strongly supported. (5) Oreosolen, is not monophyletic, because all accessions of Oreosolen were nested within Scrophularia. We discuss methods of data collection and analysis, and we describe the areas of conflict and agreement between molecular phylogenies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-consensual sterilisation is not only a historic abuse. Cases of unethical treatment of women around the time of a pregnancy continue in the Twenty-First Century in five continents. Sterilisation is being carried out by some healthcare professionals at the time of delivery, or soon afterwards, without valid consent. A range of contemporary examples of such practices is given. Respecting women's autonomy should be the touchstone of the consent process. Avoidance of force, duress, deception and manipulation should go without saying. Ethnic minority communities and women living with HIV, in particular, are being targeted for this kind of abuse. Attempts have been made in various countries and by international professional organisations to introduce clinical guidelines to steer health professionals away from this malpractice. Survivors have sought justice in domestic and international courts. This paper critically assesses the evidence on the practical, ethical and legal issues around the handling of consent for these procedures. Suggestions are made about possible regulatory responses that address abuse, whilst maintaining access for those individuals who freely elect to undergo these procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of the shared prosperity goal by the World Bank in 2013 and Sustainable Development Goal 10, on inequality, by the United Nations in 2015 should strengthen the focus of development interventions and cooperation on the income growth of the bottom 40 percent of the income distribution. This paper contributes to the incipient literature on within-country allocations of development institutions and assesses the geographic targeting of World Bank projects to the bottom 40 percent. Bivariate correlations between the allocation of project funding approved over 2005–14 and the geographical distribution of the bottom 40 as measured by survey income or consumption data are complemented by regressions with population and other potential factors affecting the within-country allocations as controls. The correlation analysis shows that, of the 58 countries in the sample, 41 exhibit a positive correlation between the shares of the bottom 40 and World Bank funding, and, in almost half of these, the correlation is above 0.5. Slightly more than a quarter of the countries, mostly in Sub-Saharan Africa, exhibit a negative correlation. The regression analysis shows that, once one controls for population, the correlation between the bottom 40 and World Bank funding switches sign and becomes significant and negative on average. This is entirely driven by Sub-Saharan Africa and not observed in the other regions. Hence, the significant and positive correlation in the estimations without controlling for population suggests that World Bank project funding is concentrated in administrative areas in which more people live (including the bottom 40) rather than in poorer administrative areas. Furthermore, capital cities receive disproportionally high shares of World Bank funding on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we attempt to address the challenging problem of counting built-structures in the satellite imagery. Building density is a more accurate estimate of the population density, urban area expansion and its impact on the environment, than the built-up area segmentation. However, building shape variances, overlapping boundaries, and variant densities make this a complex task. To tackle this difficult problem, we propose a deep learning based regression technique for counting built-structures in satellite imagery. Our proposed framework intelligently combines features from different regions of satellite image using attention based re-weighting techniques. Multiple parallel convolutional networks are designed to capture information at different granulates. These features are combined into the FusionNet which is trained to weigh features from different granularity differently, allowing us to predict a precise building count. To train and evaluate the proposed method, we put forward a new large-scale and challenging built-structure-count dataset. Our dataset is constructed by collecting satellite imagery from diverse geographical areas (planes, urban centers, deserts, etc.,) across the globe (Asia, Europe, North America, and Africa) and captures the wide density of built structures. Detailed experimental results and analysis validate the proposed technique. FusionNet has Mean Absolute Error of 3.65 and R-squared measure of 88% over the testing data. Finally, we perform the test on the 274.3 × 10 3 m 2 of the unseen region, with the error of 19 buildings off the 656 buildings in that area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric oxygen (O2) is one of the predominant features that enable Earth as a habitable planet for active and diverse biology. However, observations since the late 1980s indicate that O2 content in the atmosphere is falling steadily at part-per-million level. Although a scientific consensus has emerged that the current decline is generally attributed to the combustion of fossil fuel, a quantitative assessment of the anthropogenic impact on the O2 cycle on both global and regional scale is currently lacking. This paper quantifies the anthropogenic and biological O2 flux over land and provides a quantitative and dynamic description of land O2 budget under impacts of human activities on grid scale. It is found that total anthropogenic O2 flux over land has risen from 35.6 Gt/yr in 2000 to 46.0 Gt/yr in 2013, while the compensation from land (11.5 Gt/yr averaged from 2000 to 2013) displays a faint increase during the same period. High anthropogenic fluxes mainly occur in Eastern Asia, India, North America and Europe caused by fossil fuel combustion and in Central Africa caused by wildfire. Due to strong heterotrophic soil respiration under higher temperature conditions, the positive O2 flux in the tropics is not significant. Instead, boreal forest and Tibetan plateau become the most important sources of atmospheric O2 in the Anthropocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper updates the results obtained earlier with the climate model developed at the A.M. Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IAP RAS CM) and describing the impact of atmospheric sulfur dioxide on the terrestrial carbon cycle. Since no global data are available for the near-surface SO2 concentration, a statistical model was used to reconstruct its concentration from appropriate data on surface sulfate concentrations; the coefficients of this model were tuned by using the output of the RAMS-CMAQ atmospheric chemistry and transport model. The results obtained in this study are generally consistent with data reported earlier. Specifically, the most significant SO2 impact on the terrestrial carbon cycle was found to be for southeastern North America and for Europe. However, this impact for southeastern Asia obtained in this study is considerably weaker than the value obtained earlier, which can be explained by the excessive moisture content in the atmosphere used in the IAP RAS CM for this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Early puberty is a common worldwide problem. Different parameters as genetics, metabolic diseases, obesity, as well as environmental factors may affect the age of puberty. This systematic review aims to survey the related literature on the effects of environmental pollutants and especially organohalogens and phthalates on early puberty. Materials and Methods: A systematic review of papers published in the English language was completed in January 2014. Studies on the associations of organohalogens and phthalates with the puberty time were included. A literature search was conducted in EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus, ISI Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from 1995 to January 2014; moreover manual search through references of relevant manuscripts was considered. The literature search identified 212 papers, of which 13 papers fulfilled the inclusion criteria of the current study. Two reviewers independently identified relevant papers for potential inclusion and assessed the methodological quality. Results: This review included 6572 participants in nine countries from three continents (Europe, North America, and Asia). Different studies determined the effects of pollutants on maturation signs and pubertal stages and confirmed the association of organohalogens and phthalates with early puberty. Conclusion: Based on the studied literature, environmental pollutants surround and accumulate in human societies and their adverse health effects are well documented. It can be concluded that organohalogens and phthalates are disturbing the normal process of puberty timing; especially their influence on early maturation in girls should be underscored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims Prohibitions on producing, distributing and selling cannabis are loosening in various jurisdictions around the world. This paper describes the diversification of cannabis supply laws and discusses the challenges to and opportunities for learning from these changes. Methods We document changes in cannabis supply laws that de jure legalized cannabis production for medical and/or non-medical purposes (excluding industrial hemp) in Australasia, Europe, North America and South America. We also highlight challenges to evaluating these legal changes based on our experiences studying cannabis laws and policies in the United States. Findings As of August 2016, two countries have passed laws to legalize large-scale cannabis production for non-medical purposes at the national (Uruguay) or subnational level (four US states). At least nine other countries legally allow (or will soon allow) cannabis to be supplied for medicinal purposes. Most of the changes in cannabis supply laws have occurred since 2010. The data available in most countries are inadequate for rigorously evaluating the changes in cannabis supply laws. Conclusion The evidence base for assessing changes in cannabis supply laws remains weak. Efforts should focus upon collecting information about quantities consumed and market transactions as well as validating self-report surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical developments up-to-date and operational challenges of membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) were reviewed. A database of international, peer-reviewed journal articles regarding MBfR research from 1984 to 2008 was established and analyzed with a total of 107 papers. MBfR studies began to evolve in the early 1980s, since then the number of published papers increased steadily. After 2000, geographic locations where the research was conducted widened beyond North America and Europe to Asia. Research studies were divided into 4 categories and reviewed according to their main research focuses. In spite of the short history of MBfRs, studies have shown promising potential, possibly extending their application beyond nitrogen removal and organics removal. The MBfR research branched out to new fields including autotrophic denitrification. There are some important aspects of MBfRs that pose significant challenges to the application of this technology on a commercial scale in the near-future. The main challenge revolves around biofilm thickness and activity control. Further laboratory and demonstration scale studies on some of the proposed strategies for biofilm control are needed. Ultimately, more field studies with real wastewater should be performed to evaluate the resilience of the process in the face of flow and strength fluctuations, establishing optimum operational strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in liquefied natural gas trade has accelerated the integration of previously segmented markets in North America, Europe, and Asia. This paper provides evidence on the integration of the transatlantic natural gas market; it thus complements other papers in the EMF 23 study that focus on prices and international natural gas trade. We test the theoretical proposition that in integrating markets commodity prices should move closer than before. Using 2,059 pairs of daily spot prices for natural gas in North America and Europe we investigate price dynamics covering the period from 1999 until 2008. We apply the Kalman Filter technique which measures convergence by allowing for dynamic structural change to gain detailed information on trends inherent in prices over time. Results suggest an increasing convergence of spot prices on either side of the Atlantic Basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will analyse factors which, since the end of last century, have made interregional relations very important to understand the world geopolitical and economic order. Interregional relations are defined as those which pertain to relations between regions or between a given state and a given region, or within a megaregion. This evolution results from: the growing demand in the emerging economies and the interaction among them, a new framework of interregional economic relations, and the development of new commercial channels. Finally, this paper will introduce the different articled included in this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The quality of life during the first 4 months after fracture was estimated in 2,808 fractured patients from 11 countries. Analysis showed that there were significant differences in the quality of life (QoL) loss between countries. Other factors such as QoL prior fracture and hospitalisation also had a significant impact on the QoL loss. Introduction: The International Costs and Utilities Related to Osteoporotic Fractures Study (ICUROS) was initiated in 2007 with the objective of estimating costs and quality of life related to fractures in several countries worldwide. The ICUROS is ongoing and enrols patients in 11 countries (Australia, Austria, Estonia, France, Italy, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia, Spain, UK and the USA). The objective of this paper is to outline the study design of ICUROS and present results regarding the QoL (measured using the EQ-5D) during the first 4 months after fracture based on the patients that have been thus far enrolled ICUROS. Methods: ICUROS uses a prospective study design where data (costs and quality of life) are collected in four phases over 18 months after fracture. All countries use the same core case report forms. Quality of life was collected using the EQ-5D instrument and a time trade-off questionnaire. Results: The total sample for the analysis was 2,808 patients (1,273 hip, 987 distal forearm and 548 vertebral fracture). For all fracture types and countries, the QoL was reduced significantly after fracture compared to pre-fracture QoL. A regression analysis showed that there were significant differences in the QoL loss between countries. Also, a higher level of QoL prior to the fracture significantly increased the QoL loss and patients who were hospitalised for their fracture also had a significantly higher loss compared to those who were not. Conclusions: The findings in this study indicate that there appear to be important variations in the QoL decrements related to fracture between countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the collapse of the Soviet regime, post-communist states have rapidly learned the modern face of slavery. Slavic women have been trafficked to the sex markets of Western Europe, Asia, and North America. The surge in human trafficking is the result of numerous factors, including the dramatic fall of the economic system and complete deterioration of the social safety net. This paper explores the causes and conditions of the growth of the trade in persons in the region, the profile and typical behavior of the victims, and the public perception of the trafficking problem. It identifies the inefficiencies behind the national and international responses to trafficking and the complications for policymaking associated with the stigma attached to sex workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Please cite this paper as: Hall et al. (2011). Experimental challenge and pathology of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 in dunlin ( Calidris alpina), an intercontinental migrant shorebird species. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 5(5), 365-372. Background Shorebirds (Charadriiformes) are considered one of the primary reservoirs of avian influenza. Because these species are highly migratory, there is concern that infected shorebirds may be a mechanism by which highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) H5N1 could be introduced into North America from Asia. Large numbers of dunlin ( Calidris alpina) migrate from wintering areas in central and eastern Asia, where HPAIV H5N1 is endemic, across the Bering Sea to breeding areas in Alaska. Low pathogenic avian influenza virus has been previously detected in dunlin, and thus, dunlin represent a potential risk to transport HPAIV to North America. To date no experimental challenge studies have been performed in shorebirds. Methods Wild dunlin were inoculated intranasally and intrachoanally various doses of HPAIV H5N1. The birds were monitored daily for virus excretion, disease signs, morbidity, and mortality. Results The infectious dose of HPAIV H5N1 in dunlin was determined to be 101.7 EID50/100 μl and that the lethal dose was 101.83 EID50/100 μl. Clinical signs were consistent with neurotropic disease, and histochemical analyses revealed that infection was systemic with viral antigen and RNA most consistently found in brain tissues. Infected birds excreted relatively large amounts of virus orally (104 EID50) and smaller amounts cloacally. Conclusions Dunlin are highly susceptible to infection with HPAIV H5N1. They become infected after exposure to relatively small doses of the virus and if they become infected, they are most likely to suffer mortality within 3-5 days. These results have important implications regarding the risks of transport and transmission of HPAIV H5N1 to North America by this species and raises questions for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symplocarpus L. (Araceae) is a disjunct genus including S. foetidus (L.) Nutt. var. latissimus (Makino) S. Hara, S. nipponicus Makino, and S. nabekuraensis Otsuka & K. Inoue in temperate eastern Asia; S. egorovii N. S. Pavlova & V. A. Nechaev in the Russian far east; and S. foetidus (L.) Nutt. in temperate northeastern North America. For the first time, pollen morphology of Symplocarpus was investigated by light and scanning electron microscopes. Symplocarpus foetidus var. latissimus and S. foetidus had reticulate surfaces and rounded (obtuse), long, equatorial axis tips, whereas S. nipponicus had microreticulate surfaces and acute tips. Symplocarpus foetidus in North America had larger pollen grains than S. foetidus var. latissimus in eastern Asia. Thus, based on pollen characteristics, S. foetidus var. latissimus is more closely related to S. foetidus than to S. nipponicus. Other lines of evidence, such as molecular phylogenetic studies and phenology, support the phylogenetic relationships among these species proposed in this study. The slightly modified acetolysis procedure conducted in this paper is a promising application to study weak exine or exineless pollen grains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter (ALMA) Array Front End (FE) system is the first element in a complex chain of signal receiving, conversion, processing and recording. 70 Front Ends will be required for the project. The Front End is designed to receive signals in ten different frequency bands. In the initial phase of operations, the antennas will be fully equipped with six bands. These are Band 3 (84-116 GHz), Band 4 (125-163 GHz), Band 6 (211-275 GHz), Band 7 (275-373 GHz), Band 8 (385-500 GHz) and Band 9 (602-720 GHz). It is planned to equip the antennas with the missing bands at a later stage of ALMA operations, with a few Band 5 (163-211 GHz) and Band 10 (787-950 GHz) receivers in use before the end of the construction project. The ALMA Front End is far superior to any existing receiver systems; spin-offs of the ALMA prototypes are leading to improved sensitivities in existing millimeter and submillimeter observatories. The Front End units are comprised of numerous elements, produced at different locations in Europe, North America and East Asia and are integrated at several Front End integration centers (FEIC) to insure timely delivery of all the units to Chile. The North American FEIC (NA FEIC) is at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory facility in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. This paper describes the design and performance of the test set used at the NA FEIC to check the performance of the Front Ends, following integration and prior to shipment to Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For over a century, white pine blister rust ( Cronartium ribicola) has linked white pines ( Strobus) with currants and gooseberries ( Ribes) in a complex and serious disease epidemic in Asia, Europe, and North America. Because of ongoing changes in climate, societal demands for forests and their amenities, and scientific advances in genetics and proteomics, our current understanding and management of the white pine blister rust pathosystem has become outdated. Here, we present a review and synthesis of international scope on the biology and management of blister rust, white pines, Ribes, and other hosts. In this article, we provide a geographical and historical background, describe the taxonomy and life cycle of the rust, discuss pathology and ecology, and introduce a series of invited papers. These review articles summarize the literature on white pines, Ribes, and blister rust with respect to their status, threats, and management through genetics and silviculture. Although the principal focus is on North America, the different epidemics in Europe and Asia are also described. In the final article, we discuss several of the key observations and conclusions from the preceding review articles and identify prudent actions for research and management of white pine blister rust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper addresses the design of container liner shipping networks taking into consideration container management issues including empty container repositioning. We examine two typical service networks with different ship sizes: multi-port calling by conventional ship size and hub-and-spoke by mega-ship. The entire solution process is performed in two phases: the service network design and container distribution. A wide variety of numerical experiments are conducted for the Asia–Europe and Asia–North America trade lanes. In most scenarios the multi-port calling is superior in terms of total cost, while the hub-and-spoke is more advantageous in the European trade for a costly shipping company. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper evaluates the impact of protected areas on land-cover clearing, using a metadata analysis of information on 49 locations from 22 countries. Protected areas had significantly lower rates of clearing in comparison to their surroundings. In addition, protected areas had also significantly lowered rates of clearing within their boundary following initiation of protection. Thus, protected areas do appear to be effective at limiting overall land-cover clearing. There was some variation in the rates of clearing across regions, where most protected areas from North America and Europe showed positive rates of land-cover change, while protected areas from Asia had the highest rates of land-cover clearing. While most protected areas from North America and Europe involved a relatively smaller number of actors, a greater number of actors and drivers of clearing was implicated in protected areas from Asia, Africa, and Latin America, indicating the increased difficulties faced by park management in these regions. In contrast, country income levels and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources category of protection did not appear to impact the likelihood of land-cover clearing in protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines long-term eddy covariance data from 18 European and 17 North American and Asian forest, wetland, tundra, grassland, and cropland sites under non-water-stressed conditions with an empirical rectangular hyperbolic light response model and a single layer two light-class carboxylase-based model. Relationships according to ecosystem functional type are demonstrated between empirical and physiological parameters, suggesting linkages between easily estimated parameters and those with greater potential for process interpretation. Relatively sparse documentation of leaf area index dynamics at flux tower sites is found to be a major difficulty in model inversion and flux interpretation. Therefore, a simplification of the physiological model is carried out for a subset of European network sites with extensive ancillary data. The results from these selected sites are used to derive a new parameter and means for comparing empirical and physiologically based methods across all sites, regardless of ancillary data. The results from the European analysis are then compared with results from the other Northern Hemisphere sites and similar relationships for the simplified process-based parameter were found to hold for European, North American, and Asian temperate and boreal climate zones. This parameter is useful for bridging between flux network observations and continental scale spatial simulations of vegetation/atmosphere carbon dioxide exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the climate change processes requires application of special methodologies for revealing a ground surface temperature history (GSTH). It was proved by different authors that the GSTH may be determined on the basis of analysis of the temperature field observed in short boreholes. In this paper, the authors analyze four mathematical models describing the GSTH: (1) sudden change, (2) linear increase, (3) square root of time increase and (4) exponential increase. Fifteen borehole temperature profiles from Europe, Asia and North America were selected in three groups based on their geographical proximity. After careful analysis of temperature-depth profiles in these boreholes it was found out that two models (linear increase and square root of time increase) provide the best fit with field data. The calculated warming rates in the 20th century were compared with those obtained by a few parameters estimation (FPE) technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) remain a major challenge in the 21st century. High-income countries (HICs) populations are ethnically and culturally diverse due to international migration. Evidence suggests that NCDs rates differ between migrants and the host populations in HICs. This paper presents a review of NCDs burden among migrant groups in HICs in Europe, North America and Australia with a major focus on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), cancer and diabetes.Methods: We performed a narrative review consisting of scholarly papers published between 1960 until 2018.Results: CVD risk differs by country of origin, country of destination and duration of residence. For example, stroke is more common in sub-Sahara African and South-Asian migrants, but lower in North African and Chinese migrants. Chinese migrants, however, have a higher risk of haemorrhagic stroke despite the lower rate of overall stroke. Coronary heart disease (CHD) is more common in South-Asian migrants, but less common in sub-Saharan and north African migrants although the lower risk of CHD in these population is waning. Diabetes risk is higher in all migrants and migrants seem to develop diabetes at an earlier age than the host populations. Migrants in general have lower rates of overall cancer morbidity and mortality than the host populations in Europe. However, migrants have a higher infectious disease-related cancers than the host populations in Europe. In North America, the picture is more complex. Data from cross-national comparisons indicate that migration-related lifestyle changes associated with the lifestyle of the host population in the country of settlement may influence NCDs risk among migrants in a very significant way.Conclusion: With exception of diabetes, which is consistently higher in all migrant groups than in the host populations, the burden of NCDs among migrants seems to depend on the migrant group, country of settlement and NCD type. This suggests that more work is needed to disentangle the key migration-related lifestyle changes and contextual factors that may be driving the differential risk of NCDs among migrants in order to assist prevention and clinical management of NCDs in these populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With global improvements in life expectancy, one important concern is to understand whether there is reduction in inequalities or greater cross-country convergence in expected length of life at various age thresholds. Insights on convergence patterns can help governments and other stakeholders decide upon health investments across age groups. This paper applies a novel econometric approach to test convergence and identify convergent clubs in life expectancy at various age groups for 201 countries/areas between 1950 and 2015. Life expectancy estimates for 201 countries/areas (1950 and 2015) from United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) World Population Prospects (2015 Revision) are used for the analysis. We find global convergence in life expectancy at birth, but do not observe grand convergence for any other age groups. In the case of life expectancy at younger ages, most countries are moving in the same direction, but significant cross-country variations and convergence clubs are noted for older adults and elderly. Most of the better performing countries/areas are from Western Europe, Northern Europe and North America, the average performers are from South America, Eastern Europe, Southern Europe, South Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Africa, Central Africa, and the Caribbean Islands whereas the poor-performing ones are mainly Western Africa, Southern African and Oceania. In addition, we observe increasing between-country variance in life expectancy for older adults and elderly. The analysis reveals increasing global heterogeneity in the survival experience of older adults and the elderly population which has remained a neglected aspect in the discussions on global life expectancy improvements. Data, research and policy focus on life-expectancy at older ages is therefore critical to accelerate survival gains among older adults and elderly, particularly from the developing world. • Country explains 34% of the variability in life expectancy improvement. • At older ages, there are three life expectancy trajectories a country can be in. • Studying variability is a better metric for capturing life expectancy inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that the 2006 IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory will be held at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Seattle, Washington from Sunday July 9 through Friday July 14, 2006. Seattle is conveniently located on the west coast, making it easily accessible from everywhere in North America and from Asia. Papers will be reviewed on the basis of an extended abstract of sufficient detail to permit reasonable evaluation.