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In this paper, a low-profile, dual-band, unidirectional, tag antenna is proposed for ultrahigh frequency band (UHF) radio frequency identification (RFID) applications. The antenna consists of a compact printed dipole, a metasurface of 4 × 4 periodic metallic plates, and a metallic reflector. The dipole antenna is fed by a modified T-matching network for a conjugate impedance matching with the UCODE G2XM chip. The metasurface is designed to work as an artificial magnetic conductor surface, which allows low-profile configuration and unidirectional radiation. More interestingly, the finite-sized metasurface generates extra resonance for the antenna system, which is combined with dipole resonance for the dual-band operation. For an easy realization and low cost, the dipole and metasurface are built on the top and bottom sides of a thin FR-4 substrate, respectively. The final design with overall size of 190mm×190mm ×15.8mm (0.532 ×0.532 ×0.044 at 840 MHz) yields a simulated |S11| < -10 dB bandwidth of 840-855 MHz and 916-932 MHz and a unidirectional radiation with a directivity of 7.0 dB and 5.8 dB at 925MHz and 845 MHz, respectively. The antenna has been fabricated and tested. The measured readable range agrees rather closely with the predicted values. The measurements result in the maximum readable range of 6-m and 4.4-m at standard frequency bands of FCC (902-928 MHz) for North America and IN (840-845 MHz) for India, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose — The purpose of this paper is the comparison of Local Agenda 21 — sustainability plan implementation and research activity between Europe, North America and India. Design/methodology/approach — Intensive literature and web search for European, North American and Indian Local Agenda 21 sustainability planning and implementation status. Findings — Close to 6,000 sustainability plans have been prepared for European communities versus about 100 for North American communities. A total of 20 Indian cities have started sustainability planning efforts. There is an extensive support network for European communities and much less so or North American and Indian communities. Most sustainability/biodiversity/urban ecosystems research is ongoing in Europe and North America and there is a beginning surge of activity in India. Practical implications — Knowledge of Local Agenda 21 implementation status between these three regions can hopefully spur more activity in North America and India. Comparisons of applicable planning innovations and approaches could be useful. Originality/value — There has not been a comparison of Local Agenda 21 implementation that compares Europe, North America and India. There have been some reviews respective to each region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the Monsoon Mission Coupled Forecast System version 2.0 (MMCFSv2) model, which substantially upgrades the present operational MMCFSv1 (version 1) at the India Meteorology Department. The latest 25 years (1998–2022) of retrospective seasonal coupled hindcast simulations of the Indian summer monsoon with April initial conditions from Coupled Forecast System Reanalysis are discussed. MMCFSv2 simulates the tropical wind, rainfall, and temperature structure reasonably well. MMCFSv2 captures surface winds well and reduces precipitation biases over land, except over India and North America. The dry bias over these regions remained like in MMCFSv1. MMCFSv2 captures significant features of the Indian monsoon, including the intensity and location of the maximum precipitation centers and the large-scale monsoon circulation. MMCFSv2 improves the phase skill (anomaly correlation coefficient) of the interannual variation of Indian summer monsoon rainfall (ISMR) by 17 % and enhances the amplitude skill (normalized root mean square error) by 20 %. MMCFSv2 shows improved teleconnections of ISMR with the equatorial Indian and Pacific oceans. This 25-year hindcast dataset will serve as the baseline for future sensitivity studies of MMCFSv2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks into the key aspects of the shift in the instruction of logistics as a discipline from traditional to environmentally responsible practices. The authors examine the experience of the development of scientific-educational systems in the world's more advanced societies (the European Union and North America), as well as in the BRICS countries. The paper proposes specific ways to reform the model for professional and career-broadening education by reference to the amassed global experience. The authors draw the following major conclusions: (1) both today's scientific and business communities are oriented toward the shift to environmentally responsible development, which presupposes gradually renouncing the use of hydrocarbon energy resources, embracing the use of renewable technology and recycling, and ensuring social stability; (2) we are witnessing a change in the tenor of not only the strategic concept of the development of particular scientific and business areas but of the functional one as well. Thus, for instance, the domain of logistics services is currently being enriched with the concept of "green logistics", which implies a need for relevant human resources specializing in the field. Many leading nations have already started transforming their education models, as a whole, and their methods for the instruction of logistics as a discipline, in particular, in specific alignment with the principles of environmental responsibility; (3) the education systems of certain world powers, including the Russian model for education, have not yet been fully adapted for shifting to "green logistics", one of today's latest scientific paradigms. Among the major reasons behind this delay is the failure to properly reform the scientific-educational sector, as well as the state's excessive, and rarely effective, participation in the development of this area. To help remediate this situation, the authors propose a set of recommendations aimed at helping to put together a new model for professional and career-broadening training in keeping with the latest scientific concepts and the needs of the labor market.

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]

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Activist research that conducts social investigation and analysis can be the key first step in organising at the grassroots and movement building. This paper critically analyses two research reports titled 'The Foreign Exchange of Hate' (Sabrang/Coalition against Genocide 2002) and 'In Bad Faith' (Awaaz South Asia Watch 2004) produced by progressive activists situated in progressive mobilisations in the North American and British South Asian diasporas. This research was amongst the earliest to systematically investigate and expose the transnational networks and activities of Hindu nationalism. Drawing on the scholarship of Aziz Choudry, I discuss key influences, goals, impacts and costs of these activist research projects. The analysis offer situated insights into the relationship between activist research and movement-building in the context of collective resistance to Hindu nationalism in Eurocentric, liberal multicultural societies.

Major demographic changes around the world. Disproportionate sovereign debt. A shift from North America, Western Europe, and Japan to emerging economies as centers of growth. Unprecedented levels of market risk and volatility. The structure of the global economy is undergoing significant changes. Michael Oyster, managing principal of Fund Evaluation Group, explored this topic with Sam DeRosa-Farag, principal of the investment team at Morgan Creek Capital Management, and Stephen Wood, chief market strategist at Russell Investments.

Abstract: Forecasting of wave heights is essential for planning and operation of maritime activities. Traditionally, wave heights have been predicted using physics-based models, which rely primarily on the energy balance equation. More recently, soft computing techniques such as Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Genetic Programming (GP) have been used to generate forecasts with leads times from a few hours to several days. However, the forecast accuracy of both methods could be improved, particularly at peak wave heights, and at higher lead times. This paper forecasts the wave heights with lead times of 12h and 24h using GP. The data are obtained from two locations, along the North American and Indian coastlines. Wind information is used as an input. The modeling procedure relies heavily on the parameter kurtosis, or fourth moment. The forecasts are satisfactory, especially for the peak wave heights formed by the extreme events like hurricanes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this second of two companion papers, we quantify for the first time the global impact on premature mortality of the inter-continental transport of fine aerosols (including sulfate, black carbon, organic carbon, and mineral dust) using the global modeling results of (Liu et al., 2009). Our objective is to estimate the number of premature mortalities in each of ten selected continental regions resulting from fine aerosols transported from foreign regions in approximately year 2000. Our simulated annual mean population-weighted (P-W) concentrations of total PM2.5 (aerosols with diameter less than 2.5 μm) are highest in East Asia (EA, 30 μg m−3) and lowest in Australia (3.6 μg m−3). Dust is the dominant component of PM2.5 transported between continents. We estimate global annual premature mortalities (for adults age 30 and up) due to inter-continental transport of PM2.5 to be nearly 380 thousand (K) in 2000. Approximately half of these deaths occur in the Indian subcontinent (IN), mostly due to aerosols transported from Africa and the Middle East (ME). Approximately 90K deaths globally are associated with exposure to foreign (i.e., originating outside a receptor region) non-dust PM2.5. More than half of the premature mortalities associated with foreign non-dust aerosols are due to aerosols originating from Europe (20K), ME (18K) and EA (15K); and nearly 60% of the 90K deaths occur in EA (21K), IN (19K) and Southeast Asia (16K). The lower and higher bounds of our estimated 95% confidence interval (considering uncertainties from the concentration–response relationship and simulated aerosol concentrations) are 18% and 240% of the estimated deaths, respectively, and could be larger if additional uncertainties were quantified. We find that in 2000 nearly 6.6K premature deaths in North America (NA) were associated with foreign PM2.5 exposure (5.5K from dust PM2.5). NA is least impacted by foreign PM2.5 compared to receptors on the Eurasian continent. However, the number of premature mortalities associated with foreign aerosols in NA (mostly occurring in the U.S.) is comparable to the reduction in premature mortalities expected to result from tightening the U.S. 8-h O3 standard from 0.08 ppmv to 0.075 ppmv. International efforts to reduce inter-continental transport of fine aerosol pollution would substantially benefit public health on the Eurasian continent and would also benefit public health in the United States. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In modern warfare at and from the sea, logistics are crucially important to the implementation of strategy and conduct of operational campaigns. Between August 1943 and March 1944, a British joint service mission led by Major-General John Lethbridge travelled to North America, the Pacific, and India to study the organisation, equipment, and methods necessary for coming offensive operations against Japan. The British obtained valuable information from the Americans and connected with those countries of the British Empire most directly involved. The Lethbridge Mission's progress and findings informed evolving Admiralty planning for supporting naval forces to be sent to the Indian and Pacific Oceans in pursuance of British wartime strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tragopogon kashmirianus (Asteraceae: Lactuceae) (2 n = 24) was described based on collections from Kashmir. The tetraploid is morphologically similar to allotetraploid T. mirus from North America that has formed in western North America from the introduced T. dubius (2 n = 12) and T. porrifolius (salsify; 2 n = 12). Singh and Kachroo (1976 ) suggested that T. kashmirianus might have formed from the same diploid parental combination as T. mirus. To determine this, we investigated internal and external transcribed spacers (ITS, ETS) and five plastid regions of T. kashmirianus and species reported from Kashmir, northern India and neighbouring countries ( T. badachschanicus, T. longirostris, T. porrifolius, T. pratensis, T. orientalis, T. subalpinus, T. trachycarpus, T. gracilis and T. dubius). Molecular data indicate that the parents of T. kashmirianus are not the European T. porrifolius and T. dubius. The exact parentage of T. kashmirianus is still unclear, but if it is an allotetraploid, at least one parent is a species native to Kashmir/India. Alternatively, it may represent an autopolyploid, again with the diploid parent native to Kashmir/India. We also found that ‘ T. dubius’ from Kashmir is phylogenetically and morphologically distinct from collections of T. dubius from Europe and probably represents a previously unrecognized species. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2008, 158, 391–398. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors comment on the study "Derivation of an Angiographically Based Classification System in Takayasu's Arteritis." Topics include the difficulty of categorizing an individual patient with renal arterial involvement in the clinic to either of the three clusters, factor that would pose problems in clinical application of the results of the presented cluster analysis, and importance of the heterogeneity of disease assessment and angiographic techniques used to detect angiographic changes.

This study investigated the places of origin of international students and their distribution in the United States higher education. The data concerning the population of international students were obtained from the official website of International Institution of Education (IIE), and transferred into three maps using geographic information systems (GIS) software so that a more direct view of the data was available. The results of the study showed that (1) A larger proportion of international students come from Asian countries; (2) California, New York, and Texas are the top three states hosting international students; (3) most of the universities enrolling international students are located in the eastern part of the country; and (4) the states with already large international student populations experienced a faster growth in the population of international students over the past five years. Some implications for policy planning are discussed at the end of this paper.

This paper attempts to show the unique dynamics of the Lingayat family and community in the context of societal change. Population growth, urbanization, education, occupational mobility and migration seems to be the key factors in the process of change. The analysis is based on intergenerational, historical, ethnographic, participant and non-participant observation, and interview data. The issue of continuity in the process of change is addressed. The specific focus is the relationship between the Lingayat religious ideology, family and community values. The characteristics and trends of continuity and change of the Lingayat family and community in India and in North America are examined. In the light of empirical research, the theories of modernization and change are reviewed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A negative relationship between stock market returns and inflationary trends has been widely documented for developed economies in Europe and North America. This study provides similar evidence for India. This relationship is investigated in light of Fama's explanation that centres around linkages between inflation and real activity, and between stock returns and real activity. Specifically, the study tests whether the negative stock return-inflation relationship is explained by a negative relationship between inflation and real economic activity, and a positive relationship between real activity and stock returns. The results from the heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation corrected models provide only partial support for Fama's hypothesis. The relationship between real activity and inflation does not account for the negative relationship between real stock returns and the unexpected component of inflation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines trends and issues in digital education programmes globally, drawing examples of developmental growth of Library Information Science (LIS), schools and digital education courses in North America, Britain, and Southern Asia, the slow growth of LIS schools and digital education in Nigeria and some countries in Africa and India. The literature so far visited dictated problems of inadequacy in digital education globally to dearth of faculty, training facilities, no collaboration among LIS schools in developing countries, encouraging collaborations in developed countries and not many students attracted to the course. Recommended solutions are suggested for attracting students into the programme and what to do to make it competitive like other programmes in the universities.

In this work we couple the HTAP_v2.2 global air pollutant emission inventory with the global source receptor model TM5-FASST to evaluate the relative contributions of the major anthropogenic emission sources (power generation, industry, ground transport, residential, agriculture and international shipping) to air quality and human health in 2010. We focus on particulate matter (PM) concentrations because of the relative importance of PM 2.5 emissions in populated areas and the well-documented cumulative negative effects on human health. We estimate that in 2010, depending on the region, annual averaged anthropogenic PM 2.5 concentrations varied between ca. 1 and 40 µ g m -3 , with the highest concentrations observed in China and India, and lower concentrations in Europe and North America. The relative contribution of anthropogenic emission sources to PM 2.5 concentrations varies between the regions. European PM pollution is mainly influenced by the agricultural and residential sectors, while the major contributing sectors to PM pollution in Asia and the emerging economies are the power generation, industrial and residential sectors. We also evaluate the emission sectors and emission regions in which pollution reduction measures would lead to the largest improvement on the overall air quality. We show that air quality improvements would require regional policies, in addition to local- and urban-scale measures, due to the transboundary features of PM pollution. We investigate emission inventory uncertainties and their propagation to PM 2.5 concentrations, in order to identify the most effective strategies to be implemented at sector and regional level to improve emission inventories, knowledge and air quality modelling. We show that the uncertainty of PM concentrations depends not only on the uncertainty of local emission inventories, but also on that of the surrounding regions. Countries with high emission uncertainties are often impacted by the uncertainty of pollution coming from surrounding regions, highlighting the need for effective efforts in improving emissions not only within a region but also from extra-regional sources. Finally, we propagate emission inventory uncertainty to PM concentrations and health impacts. We estimate 2.1 million premature deaths per year with an uncertainty of more than 1 million premature deaths per year due to the uncertainty associated only with the emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods of macroevolutionary systematics as recently modified are explained and applied to the genus Anoectangium Schwagr. (Pottiaceae) in hyperoceanic areas of coastal northwestern North America. It was revealed that this area harbored species like those reported for the Himalayan region of northern India. Keys are provided for North American and Himalayan species of the genus. A macroevolutionary analysis, detailed in the Methods section, distinguishes and gives relationships between the species. There is strong Bayesian support for progenitor-descendant pairs and lineages. Anoectangium thomsonii Mitt. is considered a synonym of A. aestivum (Hedw.) Mitt. Anoectangium crassinervium Mitt. is transferred to Molendoa Lindb., under a nomen novum with A. handelii Schiffn. as a synonym. Anoectangium incrassatum Broth., related to the Asian A. clarum Mitt., is reported as a well-characterized species from the West Indies. Anoectangium stracheyanum Mitt. is re-lectotypified. Distinctions between A. aestivum and A. euchloron (Schwagr.) Spruce in the New World are clarified. Causal explanations in systematics are equated with entropy maximization in Shannon information analysis in the context of serial descent. A Pleistocene species pump hypothesis is advanced to explain the stenomorphic populations of species of the genus in eastern North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of early morning sputum samples (EMS) to diagnose tuberculosis (TB) can result in treatment delay given the need for the patient to return to the clinic with the EMS, increasing the chance of patients being lost during their diagnostic workup. However, there is little evidence to support the superiority of EMS over spot sputum samples. In this new analysis of the REMoxTB study, we compare the diagnostic accuracy of EMS with spot samples for identifying Mycobacterium tuberculosis pre- and post-treatment.Methods: Patients who were smear positive at screening were enrolled into the study. Paired sputum samples (one EMS and one spot) were collected at each trial visit pre- and post-treatment. Microscopy and culture on solid LJ and liquid MGIT media were performed on all samples; those missing corresponding paired results were excluded from the analyses.Results: Data from 1115 pre- and 2995 post-treatment paired samples from 1931 patients enrolled in the REMoxTB study were analysed. Patients were recruited from South Africa (47%), East Africa (21%), India (20%), Asia (11%), and North America (1%); 70% were male, median age 31 years (IQR 24-41), 139 (7%) co-infected with HIV with a median CD4 cell count of 399 cells/μL (IQR 318-535). Pre-treatment spot samples had a higher yield of positive Ziehl-Neelsen smears (98% vs. 97%, P = 0.02) and LJ cultures (87% vs. 82%, P = 0.006) than EMS, but there was no difference for positivity by MGIT (93% vs. 95%, P = 0.18). Contaminated and false-positive MGIT were found more often with EMS rather than spot samples. Surprisingly, pre-treatment EMS had a higher smear grading and shorter time-to-positivity, by 1 day, than spot samples in MGIT culture (4.5 vs. 5.5 days, P < 0.001). There were no differences in time to positivity in pre-treatment LJ culture, or in post-treatment MGIT or LJ cultures. Comparing EMS and spot samples in those with unfavourable outcomes, there were no differences in smear or culture results, and positive results were not detected earlier in Kaplan-Meier analyses in either EMS or spot samples.Conclusions: Our data do not support the hypothesis that EMS samples are superior to spot sputum samples in a clinical trial of patients with smear positive pulmonary TB. Observed small differences in mycobacterial burden are of uncertain significance and EMS samples do not detect post-treatment positives any sooner than spot samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the structure of Indian teacher education, current criticisms of it, and the themes of research and innovation. Identifies many parallels between North American and Indian practices and asserts that, like the American system, the structure of Indian teacher education lacks mechanisms to promote experimentation and research. (KH)

Background: We implemented a novel method for providing contextual adverse event rates for a randomised controlled trial (RCT) programme through coordinated analyses of five RA registries, focusing here on cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality.Methods: Each participating registry (Consortium of Rheumatology Researchers of North America (CORRONA) (USA), Swedish Rheumatology Quality of Care Register (SRR) (Sweden), Norfolk Arthritis Register (NOAR) (UK), CORRONA International (East Europe, Latin America, India) and Institute of Rheumatology, Rheumatoid Arthritis (IORRA) (Japan)) defined a main cohort from January 2000 onwards. To address comparability and potential bias, we harmonised event definitions and defined several subcohorts for sensitivity analyses based on disease activity, treatment, calendar time, duration of follow-up and RCT exclusions. Rates were standardised for age, sex and, in one sensitivity analysis, also HAQ.Results: The combined registry cohorts included 57 251 patients with RA (234 089 person-years)-24.5% men, mean (SD) baseline age 58.2 (13.8) and RA duration 8.2 (11.7) years. Standardised registry mortality rates (per 100 person-years) varied from 0.42 (CORRONA) to 0.80 (NOAR), with 0.60 for RCT patients. Myocardial infarction and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) rates ranged from 0.09 and 0.31 (IORRA) to 0.39 and 0.77 (SRR), with RCT rates intermediate (0.18 and 0.42), respectively. Additional subcohort analyses showed small and mostly consistent changes across registries, retaining reasonable consistency in rates across the Western registries. Additional standardisation for HAQ returned higher mortality and MACE registry rates.Conclusions: This coordinated approach to contextualising RA RCT safety data demonstrated reasonable differences and consistency in rates for mortality and CVD across registries, and comparable RCT rates, and may serve as a model method to supplement clinical trial analyses for drug development programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A critical study of 311 published WR chemical analyses, isotopic and mineral chemistry of anorthosites and associated rocks from eight Proterozoic massif anorthosite complexes of India, North America and Norway indicates marked similarities in mineralogy and chemistry among similar rock types. The anorthosite and mafic-leucomafic rocks (e.g., leuconorite, leucogabbro, leucotroctolite, anorthositic gabbro, gabbroic anorthosite, etc.) constituting the major part of the massifs are characterized by higher NaO + KO, AlO, SiO, Mg# and Sr contents, low in plagioclase incompatible elements and REE with positive Eu anomalies. Their δO‰ (5.7-7.5), initial Sr/Sr (0.7034-0.7066) and ɛ values (+1.14 to +5.5) suggest a depleted mantle origin. The Fe-rich dioritic rocks occurring at the margin of massifs have isotopic, chemical and mineral composition more close to anorthosite-mafic-leucomafic rocks. However, there is a gradual decrease in plagioclase content, An content of plagioclase and X of orthopyroxene, and an increase in mafic silicates, oxide minerals content, plagioclase incompatible elements and REE from anorthosite-mafic-leucomafic rocks to Fe-rich dioritic rocks. The Fe-rich dioritic rocks are interpreted as residual melt from mantle derived high-Al gabbro melt, which produced the anorthosite and mafic-leucomafic rocks. Mineralogically and chemically, the K-rich felsic rocks are distinct from anorthosite-mafic-leucomafic-Fe-rich dioritic suite. They have higher δO values (6.8-10.8‰) and initial Sr/Sr (0.7067-0.7104). By contrast, the K-rich felsic suites are products of melting of crustal precursors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2002 and 2007, travel related cases of Shigella sonnei and S. flexneri in Alberta, Canada were acquired from Central America, the Indian subcontinent and North America. Of this group, resistance to ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid was identified in isolates from patients who had travelled to the Indian subcontinent. This study provides a Canadian perspective to a growing body of literature linking ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid resistance to travel to the Indian subcontinent.Shigella is a common cause of diarrheal illness in North America with a rate of 2.0 per 100,000 in Canada 1 and a rate of 3.2 per 100,000 in the United States 23. Imported cases of Shigella infections have been reported in developed countries following travel to a foreign or developing country 45 and may be impacted by factors including socio-economic factors 6, food distribution networks 5 and microbiologic factors 7. Across multiple geographic regions, high rates of antimicrobial resistance to multiple agents (e.g. sulfonamides, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) have limited the choices for empiric antimicrobial therapy required to manage Shigella infections and reduce fecal excretion of the bacteria 8910 with descriptions of shifting species dominance and changes in antimicrobial susceptibility 1011. Generally, Shigella flexneri and Shigella sonnei are the dominant species and are heavily impacted by changes in antimicrobial susceptibility 1213.This study identifies the global regions associated with travel-related cases of S. flexneri and S. sonnei in Alberta, Canada and compares antibiotic resistance patterns of these isolates for 2002 to 2007 inclusive.Specimens collected 2002-2007 (inclusive) from S. flexneri and S. sonnei infections in Alberta, Canada were included for study. Data collected at time of specimen submission included: date of specimen collection, outbreak association if present, travel history and antibiogram (data source-ProvLab Information Systems; Communicable Disease Report at Alberta Health and Wellness). Outbreaks were defined by public health officials as ≥ 2 epidemiologically related cases. Each outbreak was assigned a unique incident number. Repeat isolates received within six months of original case infections were excluded. Only one representative case for each outbreak was included, unless the isolates had different antibiotic susceptibility patterns. Based on travel history the origin of an isolate was grouped into corresponding regions and continents. Regions included in the study represented major travel destinations for individuals living in Canada. Domestic exposures were defined as "travel within North America." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simulations of regional monsoon regimes, including the Indian, Australian, West African, South American, and North American monsoons, are described for the T85 version of the Community Climate System Model version 3 (CCSM3) and compared to observations and Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP)-type SST-forced simulations with the Community Atmospheric Model version 3 (CAM3) at T42 and T85. There are notable improvements in the regional aspects of the precipitation simulations in going to the higher-resolution T85 compared to T42 where topography is important (e.g., Ethiopian Highlands, South American Andes, and Tibetan Plateau). For the T85 coupled version of CCSM3, systematic SST errors are associated with regional precipitation errors in the monsoon regimes of South America and West Africa, though some aspects of the monsoon simulations, particularly in Asia, improve in the coupled model compared to the SST-forced simulations. There is very little realistic intraseasonal monsoon variability in the CCSM3 consistent with earlier versions of the model. Teleconnections to the tropical Pacific are well simulated for the South Asian monsoon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lockdown measures led to air pollution decrease in several countries around the world such as China and India, whereas other regions experimented an increase in pollutant concentrations. Northern South America (NSA) was one of those areas where pollution changed during lockdown due to high fire activity. This study aims to analyze, for the first time in NSA, the behavior of selected criteria air pollutants during the implementation of the SARS-CoV-2 lockdown in two high populated cities of the region: Bogotá and Medellín in Colombia. A set of tools including surface measurements, as well as satellite and modeled data were used. 24-hour average concentrations of PM 10 , PM 2.5 , and NO 2 were collected from air quality stations for the lockdown period ranging from February 21 to June 30, 2020. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) was used to analyze the fire flux OC as a biomass burning (BB) indicator, and tropospheric NO 2 concentrations were retrieved from TROPOMI. The HYSPLIT model was used to analyze back trajectories and fire data were obtained from MODIS sensor measurements. Our analysis shows short-term background NO 2 , PM 10 , and PM 2.5 concentration reductions of 60%, 44%, and 40%, respectively, for the strict lockdown; and 62%, 58%, and 69% for the relaxed lockdown. Corresponding long-term reductions were of 50%, 32%, and 9% for the strict lockdown; and 37%, 29%, and 19% for the relaxed lockdown. Regional BB increased PM 2.5 concentrations by 20 μg/m 3 during the strict lockdown, and the Saharan dust event increased PM 10 concentrations up to 168 μg/m 3 in Bogotá, and 104 μg/m 3 in Medellín, bringing an additional risk of morbidity and mortality for population. Regional BB has several causes that need to be properly managed to benefit local air quality improvement plans. Future cleaner transport policies equivalent to reduced lockdown mobility could bring pollution close to WHO guidelines., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Vespa velutina nigrithorax is an invasive alien organism that has raised concerns in all beekeeping communities of invaded countries including the Republic of Korea, European countries and Japan. Known also as the yellow-legged hornet (or the 'Asian hornet'), it is native to northern India, eastern Nepal, Bhutan and the People's Republic of China. Given its climatic and biological characteristics and the effects of climate change, some coastal areas of North America, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand are also susceptible to invasion. Vespa velutina nigrithorax notably affects managed honey-bee colonies by predation on foragers and causing a reduction in the collection of food resources. Being a generalist predator, the yellow-legged hornet also preys on other managed and wild pollinators, and therefore its impacts are not limited to the beekeeping sector but also represent a biodiversity concern. The purpose of this paper is to provide an assessment of V. v. nigrithorax against the four criteria established in Chapter 1.2. of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Terrestrial Animal Health Code for the inclusion of a disease, infection or infestation in the OIE list. The work was requested by the OIE Scientific Commission for Animal Diseases and presented to this Commission and to the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Commission in September 2017. Owing to the lack of effective measures to prevent its spread, the fact that its legal situation in some countries is under the mandate of environmental authorities rather than Veterinary Services, and because it is not considered a disease or parasite, V. v. nigrithorax is not currently being proposed for inclusion in the OIE list. At the end of the text, the statements from the two commissions are included and discussed.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is one of the best known fungi in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Many efforts have been devoted to locating the production areas of this species resulting in various reports; however, its geographic distribution remains incompletely understood. Distribution of O. sinensis at the county level is clarified in this work based on both a literature search and fieldwork. More than 3600 publications related to O. sinensis were investigated, including scientific papers, books, and online information. Herbarium specimens of O. sinensis and field collections made by this research group during the years 2000-2010 were examined to verify the distribution sites. A total of 203 localities for O. sinensis have been found, of which 106 are considered as confirmed distribution sites, 65 as possible distribution sites, 29 as excluded distribution sites and three as suspicious distribution sites. The results show that O. sinensis is confined to the Tibetan Plateau and its surrounding regions, including Tibet, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan, and Yunnan provinces in China and in certain areas of the southern flank of the Himalayas, in the countries of Bhutan, India and Nepal, with 3,000 m as the lowest altitude for the distribution. The fungus is distributed from the southernmost site in Yulong Naxi Autonomous County in northwestern Yunnan Province to the northernmost site in the Qilian Mountains in Qilian County, Qinghai Province, and from the east edge of the Tibetan Plateau in Wudu County, Gansu Province to the westernmost site in Uttarakhand, India. The clarification of the geographic distribution of O. sinensis will lay the foundation for conservation and sustainable use of the species.

"The post-mid-1970's picture of international migration from India...gives the impression that its 'brain drain' to the developed countries of the West, particularly the U.S.A. declined.... The impression was also consolidated by changes in the American Immigration Law wherein the emphasis had seemingly shifted from the 'occupational usefulness' of the immigrants in the American labour market to their 'family reunification.'.... The paper argues that human capital transfers through migration from India [have] not abated simply because of immigration under the 'occupational preference' categories. Rather what happened is that the brain drain has continued through alternative channels...." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA), (excerpt)