North American Contributions Research Articles

Inter-regional differences of authorship in secondary analyses of solid malignancies.

e13661 Background: With the increasing number of clinical trials and data availability in recent years, the number of secondary analyses had subsequently increased at a global level. However, the results of such analyses must be interpreted carefully. Our study aimed to study the differences of secondary analyses based on the country of residence of the first author. Methods: We searched OVID database for articles subgroup analyses from the year 2000 until Feb 15, 2022. post-hoc, subgroup, secondary, cancer, tumor, breast, colorectal were some of the terms used in the search. Original trials, observational and secondary analyses of cohort studies were excluded. The country of the first author was used for categorizing the articles. Results: 1491 articles were included in final analysis. The first authors of 646 articles were from North America (43.9%), 476 articles from Europe (32.4%), 258 articles from East Asia (17.6%), and 86 articles from the rest of the globe (5.9%). There was a significant increase in the number of secondary analyses from East Asia especially in the last 4 years (<.001). In addition, East Asian secondary analyses were more likely to have had medical writing assistance compared to other regions (<.001). North American contribution to secondary analyses has been decreasing over the years (<.001). European analyses and analyses from the rest of the world didn’t have a significant increase over the years. Although European publication were less likely to be funded, those that were funded had a higher chance of being funded by pharmaceutical companies in comparison to the different regions (<.001). International trials that included US and non-US participants were more likely to be funded by pharmaceutical companies, had medical writing assistance, and had a higher percentage of authors with conflicts of interest than trials that only included US participants or non-US participants (<.001). Conclusions: The results show that there was an increase in secondary analyses especially from the East Asian region and those secondary analyses of international trials are highly funded and supported by pharmaceutical companies. [Table: see text]

Freshwater routing in eddy-permitting simulations of the last deglacial: the impact of realistic freshwater discharge

Abstract. Freshwater, in the form of glacial runoff, is hypothesized to play a critical role in centennial- to millennial-scale climate variability, such as the Younger Dryas and Dansgaard–Oeschger events, but this relationship is not straightforward. Large-scale glacial runoff events, such as Meltwater Pulse 1a (MWP1a), are not always temporally proximal to subsequent large-scale cooling. Moreover, the typical design of hosing experiments that support this relationship tends to artificially amplify the climate response. This study explores the impact that limitations in the representation of runoff in conventional “hosing” simulations has on our understanding of this relationship by examining where coastally released freshwater is transported when it reaches the ocean. We particularly focus on the impact of (1) the injection of freshwater directly over sites of deep-water formation (DWF) rather than at runoff locations (i.e. hosing), (2) excessive freshwater injection volumes (often by a factor of 5), and (3) the use of present-day (rather than palaeo) ocean gateways. We track the routing of glaciologically constrained freshwater volumes from four different inferred injection locations in a suite of eddy-permitting glacial ocean simulations using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model (MITgcm) under both open and closed Bering Strait conditions. Restricting freshwater forcing values to realistic ranges results in less spreading of freshwater across the North Atlantic and indicates that the freshwater anomalies over DWF sites depend strongly on the geographical location of meltwater input. In particular, freshwater released into the Gulf of Mexico generates a very weak freshwater signal over DWF regions as a result of entrainment by the turbulent Gulf Stream. In contrast, freshwater released into the Arctic with an open Bering Strait or from the Eurasian ice sheet is found to generate the largest salinity anomalies over DWF regions in the North Atlantic and GIN (Greenland–Iceland–Norwegian) seas region respectively. Experiments show that when the Bering Strait is open, the Mackenzie River source exhibits more than twice as much freshening of the North Atlantic deep-water formation regions as when the Bering Strait is closed. Our results illustrate that applying freshwater hosing directly into the North Atlantic with even “realistic” freshwater amounts still overestimates the amount of terrestrial runoff reaching DWF regions. Given the simulated salinity anomaly distributions and the lack of reconstructed impact on deep-water formation during the Bølling–Allerød, our results support that the majority of the North American contribution to MWP1a was not routed through the Mackenzie River.

Long-term variations in wintertime Arctic frontal positions and their mercury anthropogenic emission impacts

Wintertime Arctic frontal positions can be particularly important in determining the inclusion of mercury emissions from anthropogenic sources in the Arctic. Using the streamline confluence method, we constructed a climatology of wintertime (November–March) Arctic frontal positions during 1988–2017, examined their long-term variations, and assessed the impact of such variations on Arctic anthropogenic mercury emissions. The 30-year average positions of wintertime Arctic fronts exhibited similar spatial variability with a latitudinal range of 39°N-67°N over North America and Eurasia. Great interannual variations were found in wintertime Arctic frontal positions with year-to-year shifts spanning up to ~10° latitudes over western North America and East Asia. Statistically insignificant trends were found in Arctic frontal positions over North America and Eurasia. The long-term variations in Arctic frontal positions have partly superseded the impact of a steady decreasing trend in North American anthropogenic mercury emissions over the past decades leading to no significantly detectable trend in North American contribution within the Arctic Dome. A maximum increase of >50% was found in emissions from North American anthropogenic sources within the Arctic Dome corresponding to a ~3° southward shift in Arctic frontal position compared to the 30-year average. In Asia and Europe, the northward shifts in Arctic frontal positions in some winters have counteracted the impacts of increasing and decreasing, respectively, trends in anthropogenic emissions in the past decades, which offset the impact of total Eurasian anthropogenic emissions by 5.3% from 1988 to 2012. This is the first study to examine and quantify the impact of long-term variations in Arctic frontal positions on Arctic anthropogenic emissions of mercury; it provides insight into one most direct, immediate impact of climate change on anthropogenic emissions in the Arctic.

Scientometric analysis of global trypanosomiasis research: 1988–2017

Background and objectivesThis study provides a longitudinal scientometric analysis of global trypanosomiasis research between 1988 and 2017 as indexed in Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science (WoS). Contributions by researchers from different countries and continents are outlined based on publication productivity, international collaborations, citation analysis, and keyword analysis. MethodsBibliographic records of research publications indexed by WoS were downloaded based on a broad search of related terms. The authors compared the growth of literature by continent using 5-year increments, conducted a citation and co-authorship analysis by country, and a keyword analysis by publication using the scientometric visualization software VOSviewer. ResultsThe trypanosomiasis research literature has seen more than a fourfold annual increase in production over the study period. Contributions by authors affiliated with European and South American countries proportionately account for the most research literature. The United States and Brazil, however, occupy central roles for citations and as national contributors to the literature. The terms ‘trypanosomiasis cruzi’ and ‘chagas disease’ have become more prominent, reflecting the regional growth of research from South America. Interpretation and conclusionRelative contributions from regions where the disease is prevalent show mixed developments. Contributions by African authors have declined proportionately to other areas of the world. However, South American contributions have increased during the study period. The contributing countries to the literature do not necessarily represent regions in which the diseases are prevalent. The same is true of the citation relationships, where European and North American contributions are more frequently cited.

Climatic Effect of Antarctic Meltwater Overwhelmed by Concurrent Northern Hemispheric Melt

AbstractRecords indicate that 14,500 years ago, sea level rose by 12–22 m in under 340 years. However, the source of the sea level rise remains contentious, partly due to the competing climatic impact of different hemispheric contributions. Antarctic meltwater could indirectly strengthen the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), causing northern warming, whereas Northern Hemisphere ice sheet meltwater has the opposite effect. This story has recently become more intriguing, due to increasing evidence for sea level contributions from both hemispheres. Using a coupled climate model with freshwater forcing, we demonstrate that the climatic influence of southern‐sourced meltwater is overridden by northern sources even when the Antarctic flux is double the North American contribution. This is because the Southern Ocean is quickly resalinized by Antarctic Circumpolar water. These results imply that the pattern of surface climate changes caused by ice sheet melting cannot be used to fingerprint the hemispheric source of the meltwater.

Book Review: North American Contributions to the Study of Christian Apocrypha: Tony Burke (ed.), Forbidden Texts on the Western Frontier: The Christian Apocrypha in North American Perspective

Book Review: North American Contributions to the Study of Christian Apocrypha: Tony Burke (ed.), <i>Forbidden Texts on the Western Frontier: The Christian Apocrypha in North American Perspective</i>

Genetic mixed-stock analysis disentangles spatial and temporal variation in composition of the West Greenland Atlantic Salmon fishery

Abstract The West Greenland Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) fishery represents the largest remaining mixed-stock fishery for Atlantic Salmon in the Northwest Atlantic and targets multi-sea-winter (MSW) salmon from throughout North America and Europe. We evaluated stock composition of salmon harvested in the waters off West Greenland (n = 5684 individuals) using genetic mixture analysis and individual assignment to inform conservation of North American populations, many of which are failing to meet management targets. Regional contributions to this fishery were estimated using 2169 individuals sampled throughout the fishery between 2011 and 2014. Of these, 22% were identified as European in origin. Major North American contributions were detected from Labrador (∼20%), the Southern Gulf/Cape Breton (29%), and the Gaspe Peninsula (29%). Minor contributions (∼5%) were detected from Newfoundland, Ungava, and Quebec regions. Region-specific catches were extrapolated using estimates of composition and fishery catch logs and harvests ranged from 300 to 600 and 2000 to 3000 individuals for minor and major constituents, respectively. To evaluate the temporal stability of the observed fishery composition, we extended the temporal coverage through the inclusion of previously published data (1995–2006, n = 3095) and data from archived scales (1968–1998, n = 420). Examination of the complete time-series (47 years) suggests relative stability in stock proportions since the late 1980s. Genetic estimates of stock composition were significantly associated with model-based estimates of returning MSW salmon (individual years r = 0.69, and overall mean r = 0.96). This work demonstrates that the analysis of both contemporary and archived samples in a mixed-stock context can disentangle levels of regional exploitation and directly inform assessment and conservation of Atlantic Salmon in the West Greenland interceptory Atlantic Salmon fishery.

Editorial

Editorial

The North American contribution to our knowledge of childhood tuberculosis and its epidemiology.

Although it comprises a substantial proportion of the tuberculosis (TB) burden, particularly in developing communities, childhood TB was until recently largely neglected. North American researchers and clinicians have made substantial contributions to our knowledge of TB in children; their findings, gathered mostly before the availability of chemotherapy, remain an irreplaceable source of learning for modern practice, decision making and TB control, and pose questions regarding TB pathophysiology that remain unanswered. By the time chemotherapy was introduced, it was known that very young children were extremely susceptible to serious disease and that adolescence was a period when there was a transition in the underlying natural response to infection to one characterised by necrotising lung lesions associated with sputum microscopy smear positivity. Researchers such as Miriam Brailey, Edith Lincoln and Jay Arthur Myers carried out studies, over three decades in some cases, documenting likely consequences of tuberculous infection in childhood at different ages and under different circumstances. Infected children aged <3 years remain candidates for the urgent institution of chemoprophylaxis and the search for close household contacts. In high-income communities with low TB incidence, a tuberculin-positive child remains an important index for the presence of infectious adults. Wade Hampton Frost drew attention to the age-related epidemiology of TB, identifying it as a most important feature of our understanding of TB pathophysiology; more than 70 years after his death, we still do not understand why there is a change in the nature of TB during adolescence that makes expectoration of infectious sputum possible.

Low-intensity democracy and political crisis in Haiti: the North American contribution

This article makes the case that Canada and the United States have contributed to blocking Haiti's path towards democratic development over the last decade by perpetuating neoliberal economic policies and promoting a form of low-intensity democracy based on the political leadership of elite sectors. This approach has placed North American actors at loggerheads with popular civil society in Haiti, contributed to Haiti's permanent crisis, and exacerbated both the country's status as a “failed state” and the necessity of ongoing international stabilisation efforts. If Haiti is to escape its permanent political crisis, a paradigm shift is required in the thinking of foreign policymakers.Résumé Cet article soutient que le Canada et les États-Unis ont contribué à entraver du développement démocratique d'Haïti durant la dernière décennie en perpétuant des politiques économiques néolibérales qui ont un faible niveau d'appui et en promouvant une forme de démocratie très limitée fondée sur le leadership politique d'une élite. Cette approche oppose les acteurs nord-américains à la société civile haïtienne, contribue à l’état de crise permanente qui prévaut dans le pays et exacerbe son statut d’état en déliquescence et le besoin continu d'interventions internationales de stabilisation. Pour qu'Haïti échappe à cet état de crise politique permanente, il est nécessaire que s'accomplisse un changement de paradigme chez les décideurs responsables de la politique étrangère.

L’inconscient au paradis: Comment les catholiques ont reçu la psychoanalyse (1920–1965) (review)

L'inconscient au paradis: Comment les catholiques ont recu la psychoanalyse (1920-1965). By Agnes Desmazieres. (Paris: Editions Payot & Rivages. 2011. Pp. 270. euro21,50 paperback. ISBN 978-2-228-90666-1.) In this significant work Agnes Desmazieres traces the ways in which some of the leading mid-twentieth century Catholic European intellectuals and professionals struggled to find a place in Catholic thought for the emerging psychological constructs about the unconscious. Written in the style of a European monograph, the author guides the reader through a terrain of cultural clashes as Catholic scholars encountered theories of the unconscious, most notably expressed by Sigmund Freud's psychoanalysis and Carl Jung's depth psychology. Desmaizieres's frequent use of subheadings proves invaluable as she presents a series of controversies that illuminate the seeking of Catholics proponents for a foothold for the unconscious. The book's historical overview offers a who's who of mid-twentieth-century Catholic European intellectuals. Desmazieres, for example, mentions the contributions by such clerical leaders as Louis Beirnaert (French Jesuit psychoanalyst), Bruno de Jesus Marie (French Carmelite psychoanalyst/theologian), Agostino Gemelli (Italian Franciscan psychologist), Andre Godin (Belgian Jesuit psychoanalyst), Gregoire Lemercier (Benedictine abbot), Marc Oraison (priest/physician/theologian), Albert Pie (French Dominican psychologist/theologian), and Victor White (British Dominican theologian). Desmazieres also mentions the influence of lay Catholic thinkers such as Rudolf Allers (Austrian philosopher), Marcy Choisy (French novelist and psychoanalyst), Roland Dalbiez (French philosopher), Joseph Nuttin (Belgian psychologist), and Anna A.A.Terruwe (Dutch psychiatrist). In addition, important North American contributions to the discussion by Leo Bartemeier (American psychoanalyst), Noel Mailloux (French Canadian Dominican, psychoanalyst), and Gregory Zilboorg (Russian American psychoanalyst) are referenced. For the purposes of revealing the Church's ambivalence toward psychoanalysis, Desmazieres discusses the influence of Gemelli in various parts of her text. The founder of Sacred Heart University in Milan, Gemelli wielded considerable influence with Popes Pius XI and Pius XII. His Thomistic training made him suspicions of both the scientism of Italian medical materialism and the reductionism of Freud's theories. …

Treatment of Georeferencing in Knowledge Organization Systems: North American Contributions to Integrated Georeferencing

Recent research projects in North America that have advanced the integration of formal mathematical georeferencing and informal placename georeferencing in knowledge organization systems are described and related to visualization applications.

A data-calibrated distribution of deglacial chronologies for the North American ice complex from glaciological modeling

Past deglacial ice sheet reconstructions have generally relied upon discipline-specific constraints with no attention given to the determination of objective confidence intervals. Reconstructions based on geophysical inversion of relative sea level (RSL) data have the advantage of large sets of proxy data but lack ice-mechanical constraints. Conversely, reconstructions based on dynamical ice sheet models are glaciologically self-consistent, but depend on poorly constrained climate forcings and sub-glacial processes.As an example of a much better constrained methodology that computes explicit error bars, we present a distribution of high-resolution glaciologically-self-consistent deglacial histories for the North American ice complex calibrated against a large set of RSL, marine limit, and geodetic data. The history is derived from ensemble-based analyses using the 3D MUN glacial systems model and a high-resolution ice-margin chronology derived from geological and geomorphological observations. Isostatic response is computed with the VM5a viscosity structure. Bayesian calibration of the model is carried out using Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods in combination with artificial neural networks trained to the model results. The calibration provides a posterior distribution for model parameters (and thereby modeled glacial histories) given the observational data sets that takes data uncertainty into account. Final ensemble results also account for fits between computed and observed strandlines and marine limits.Given the model (including choice of calibration parameters), input and constraint data sets, and VM5a earth rheology, we find the North American contribution to mwp1a was likely between 9.4 and 13.2m eustatic over a 500year interval. This is more than half of the total 16 to 26m meltwater pulse over 500 to 700years (with lower values being more probable) indicated by the Barbados coral record (Fairbanks, 1989; Peltier and Fairbanks, 2006) if one assumes a 5meter living range for the Acropora Palmata coral. 20ka ice volume for North America was likely 70.1±2.0m eustatic, or about 60% of the total contribution to eustatic sea level change. We suspect that the potentially most critical unquantified uncertainties in our analyses are those related to model structure (especially climate forcing), deglacial ice margin chronology, and earth rheology.

Contributions of regional and intercontinental transport to surface ozone in the Tokyo area

Abstract. Japan lies downwind of the Asian continent and for much of the year air quality is directly influenced by emissions of ozone precursors over these heavily-populated and rapidly-industrializing regions. This study examines the extent to which oxidant transport from regional and distant anthropogenic sources influences air quality in Japan in springtime, when these contributions are largest. We find that European and North American contributions to surface ozone over Japan in spring are persistent, averaging 3.5±1.1 ppb and 2.8±0.5 ppb respectively, and are greatest in cold continental outflow conditions following the passage of cold fronts. Contributions from China are larger, 4.0±2.8 ppb, and more variable, as expected for a closer source region, and are generally highest near cold fronts preceding the influence of more distant sources. The stratosphere provides a varying but ever-present background of ozone of about 11.2±2.5 ppb during spring. Local sources over Japan and Korea have a relatively small impact on mean ozone, 2.4±7.6 ppb, but this masks a strong diurnal signal, and local sources clearly dominate during episodes of high daytime ozone. By examining the meteorological mechanisms that favour transport from different source regions, we demonstrate that while maximum foreign influence generally does not occur at the same time as the greatest buildup of oxidants from local sources, it retains a significant influence under these conditions. It is thus clear that while meteorological boundaries provide some protection from foreign influence during oxidant outbreaks in Tokyo, these distant sources still make a substantial contribution to exceedance of the Japanese ozone air quality standard in springtime.

Relative contributions of anthropogenic emissions to black carbon aerosol in the Arctic

Using a global air quality model with online aerosol algorithm GEM‐AQ, this work first validates the performance of the model against available observations and then estimates the regional contributions to the Arctic black carbon (BC) aerosol from anthropogenic sources. The comparisons against the surface measurements at Alert and Zeppelin suggest that the Arctic BC aerosol can be predicted by the model within 15% on annual average, and the seasonality of Arctic BC is predicted by 90% and 66% at these sites, respectively. Comparisons against surface measurements in North America, Europe, and South Asia confirm that surface BC concentrations are reproduced by the model within a factor of 2 at most (104 out of 115) sites investigated. Using GEM‐AQ, sensitivity experiments are conducted by reducing the anthropogenic emissions from selected regions by 20%. Based on area‐weighted results for the Arctic region, model simulations suggest that Europe contributes more (up to 57%) to the lowest 5 km of the Arctic troposphere than any other region. The contribution of Asian Russia is significant near the surface (about 30% at 100 m above the surface) and decreases rapidly to less than 10% at the altitude of about 5 km in the Arctic troposphere. The contributions from South and East Asia increase with increasing altitude, and become more significant than others in the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere, with their peak contributions of about 35% and 40%, respectively. North American contribution to the Arctic troposphere (about 10–20%) has the least variations in the vertical direction among the potential source regions affecting the Arctic.

Geographic characteristics of the growth of informetrics literature 1987–2008

Recent studies have concluded that American contributions to science literature have been in relative decline, whereas contributions from other parts of the world such as the European Union and Asia have increased. Is the same true for the areas of bibliometrics, informetrics and scientometrics? This study investigates the growth and geographic distribution of metrics research for the period 1987–2008. Similar to studies of other disciplines or science in general, the findings reveal that the United States continues to dominate, but there has been a recent relative decline in North American contributions overall. European and Asian contributions have grown substantially. National and institutional collaborations that contribute to this growth do not necessarily follow close geographic proximity, although European nations have been more active with international collaborations overall, both within Europe and elsewhere.

A trajectory analysis of atmospheric transport of black carbon aerosols to Canadian high Arctic in winter and spring (1990–2005)

Abstract. Black carbon (BC) particles accumulated in the Arctic troposphere and deposited on snow have been calculated to have significant effects on radiative forcing of the Arctic regional climate. Applying cluster analysis technique on 10-day backward trajectories, seven distinct transport pathways (or clusters) affecting Alert (82.5° N, 62.5° W), Nunavut in Canada are identified in this work. Transport frequency associated with each pathway is obtained as the fraction of trajectories in that cluster. Based on atmospheric transport frequency and BC surface flux from surrounding regions (i.e. North America, Europe, and former USSR), a linear regression model is constructed to investigate the inter-annual variations of BC observed at Alert in January and April, representative of winter and spring respectively, between 1990 and 2005. Strong correlations are found between BC concentrations predicted with the regression model and measurements at Alert for both seasons (R2 equals 0.77 and 0.81 for winter and spring, respectively). Results imply that atmospheric transport and BC emission are the major contributors to the inter-annual variations in BC concentrations observed at Alert in the cold seasons for the 16-year period. Other factors, such as deposition, could also contribute to the variability in BC concentrations but were not considered in this analysis. Based on the regression model the relative contributions of regional BC emissions affecting Alert are attributed to the Eurasian sector, composed of the European Union and the former USSR, and the North American sector. Considering both seasons, the model suggests that former USSR is the major contributor to the near-surface BC levels at the Canadian high Arctic site with an average contribution of about 67% during the 16-year period, followed by European Union (18%) and North America (15%). In winter, the atmospheric transport of BC aerosols from Eurasia is found to be even more predominant with a multi-year average of 94%. The model estimates smaller contribution from the Eurasian sector in spring (70%) than that in winter. It is also found that the inter-annual variation in Eurasian contributions depends mainly on the reduction of emissions, while the changes in both emission and atmospheric transport contributed to the inter-annual variation of North American contributions.

What does ‘patient-centred’ mean in relation to the consultation?

The phrase 'patient-centred' is frequently used in medical education, and yet has been identified as a 'fuzzy concept'. Focusing on the consultation, this article assists teachers by examining the evolution of the phrase, and then presenting and clarifying a definition. Starting with what is regarded as the first use of the phrase, by Enid Balint in 1969, the evolution of the term is considered with English and North American contributions. Links are made with the development of communication as an important part of the consultation. The information in this article is distilled from a literature review undertaken as part of a qualitative research PhD examining the teaching and learning of patient-centredness. Two defining strands are identified and explored in an informed and referenced discourse. The first strand involves the 'discovery of the patient's perspective', where a patient is a person whose disease is experienced individually as an illness, upon which they have thoughts, feelings and expectations of their doctors. The second concerns 'shared control' of the consultation, where a more sharing, participative and equal approach with the patient is adopted. The models of Stewart et al. and Pendleton et al. are compared, and it is shown that although there is common ground, there are different emphases. Teachers need to be explicit with both meanings of 'patient-centred' to assist learners' understanding and future practice. It is also important to explore the process, content and attitudinal aspects of patient-centredness.

Treatment of Georeferencing in Knowledge Organization Systems: North American Contributions to Integrated Georeferencing

Treatment of Georeferencing in Knowledge Organization Systems: North American Contributions to Integrated Georeferencing

Word about Recent Book: I. Recommended Reading on Archaeology and the Bible: Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan

Word about Recent Book: I. Recommended Reading on Archaeology and the Bible: Crossing Jordan: North American Contributions to the Archaeology of Jordan