State Of Origin Research Articles

Differential Virulence Among Geosmithia morbida Isolates Collected Across the United States Occurrence Range of Thousand Cankers Disease

Thousand cankers disease (TCD), first documented in the western United States in the early 2000s, has spread into nine western and seven eastern states in the United States and northern Italy. TCD incidence and severity differ between eastern and western United States outbreak localities. Black walnut (Juglans nigra) trees, introduced into both urban and plantation settings in the western United States, have been severely impacted as evident by the documented high disease incidence and mortality. However, in eastern United States localities, where J. nigra is native, host-pathogen-vector interactions resulted in two different outcomes: trees either die or partly recover followed by infection. Recent genetic studies on the TCD causal agent, Geosmithia morbida, indicate the spatial genetic structure and high levels of genetic diversity among United States populations. Using detached branch inoculation assays, we reported differential virulence among 25 G. morbida isolates collected across the current distribution range of the disease. As a proxy for virulence, the canker area was measured to 7 days after inoculation. Varying degrees of virulence were observed among tested G. morbida isolates, which was partly explained by their genetic provenance (genetic clusters). Isolates that grouped within genetic cluster 2 (n = 7 from the eastern United States and n = 6 from the western United States; mean = 210.34 mm2) induced significantly larger cankers than isolates that grouped within genetic cluster 1 (n = 12; all western United States isolates; mean = 153.76 mm2). Canker sizes varied among isolates within each genetic cluster and were not correlated with a geographic region (eastern vs. western United States) but rather to the isolated state of origin. Mean canker size also differed in response to isolates that originated from different tree host species. G. morbida isolates collected from Juglans major induced statistically smaller cankers when compared to isolates recovered from undetermined Juglans species but not from J. nigra. In sum, the increased mortality reported for western United States walnut tree populations cannot be explained by a higher virulence of local G. morbida. Plausible explanations for the observed disparity include environmental conditions, such as prolonged drought, greater population densities of walnut twig beetle causing a higher number of inoculation events to individual trees, and multiple introductions of G. morbida originating from multiple locations. Future experimental evaluation should be undertaken to quantify the influence of these factors on the local epidemics.

Government Policies and Its Constitutional Implications for National Unity in Nigeria

The research work focuses on government policies and its constitutional implications for national unity in Nigeria. A survey research design was adopted for the study. The population consists of one thousand politicians in Anambra State. Purposive sampling technique was used to sample three hundred (300) respondents. The questionnaire was the major instrument for data collection and it was validated by two experts in public administration and political science. The mean statistics was used to analyzed the data collected. The findings of the study showed that government discriminatory policies on appointment into government positions, discriminatory policies on state of origin for employment and admission into tertiary institutions among others are policies that impede the achievement of national unity in Nigeria. The paper also discovered that the negative implications of government policies are ethnic bitterness and rancour, formation of ethnic militia, disharmonious co-existence and increased in poverty. The paper concluded that most of the government policies at the state and federal level are detrimental to the welfare and rights of the Nigerian citizens. The implications are rivalry, distrust, opposition, disharmonious co-existence which has Nigerian and made the constitution a mockery and a lame duck. Relevant recommendations were made.

Ex situ population of the Harpy Eagle and its potential for integrated conservation.

A main priority in conservation is the protection of species in their natural habitat. However, ex situ management of threatened species is a recognised strategy of conservation. Harpy Eagles (Harpiaharpyja) are removed from the wild due to illegal capture, nest tree destruction, or other conflict sources. This study presents a review of the current ex situ Harpy Eagle populations in Brazil and worldwide, including information on the origin, sex, and year of entrance or year of birth under human care. Worldwide, until 2020 there were 205 Harpy Eagles in 77 different facilities in 16 countries, with 40 institutions in Brazil and 37 in other countries. The largest ex situ Harpy Eagle population is maintained in Brazil, with 139 individuals (75 females and 64 males) in 40 institutions. Of these institutions, there were 24 zoos, seven conservation breeding centres, six commercial breeders, two wildlife shelters, and one wildlife sorting centre. In Brazil, 62% (n = 86) of the individuals were hatched in the wild and 38% (n = 53) were bred in captivity under human care; for the wild individuals, only 73% (n = 64) have a known state of origin, with the majority from Pará state. This investigation provided relevant information to establish an ex situ demographic database. These individuals may potentially constitute a genetically and demographically viable safety population for future conservation strategies, as well as a source for research and education applied to Harpy Eagle integrated conservation.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis and treatment of ocular cancer.

To evaluate the impact of social isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic on the number of new cases and therapeutic approaches at the Ocular Oncology division from the Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). A retrospective study was conducted by medical records review of new patients treated before the pandemic from March 2019 to September 2019 (pre-pandemic group) and during the pandemic from March 2020 to September 2020 (pandemic group). Data regarding age, sex, ethnicity, place of origin, clinical diagnosis, time since referral, and proposed therapy were analyzed. We analyzed 186 new cases, 122 from the pre-pandemic group and 64 from the pandemic group, representing a decrease of 47.54% in new cases. There was no statistically significant change in sex, race, state of origin, history of cancer, age, or time with suspected cancer (p>0.05). A higher frequency of malignancies was observed in the pandemic group (68%) when compared to the pre-pandemic group (48.48%). Benign tumors were the most common diagnosis in the pre-pandemic group (41.80%), while conjunctival squamous cell carcinoma was the modal diagnosis in the pandemic group (31.25%). There was a decreasing trend (p=0.097) in the number of surgeries (-7.63%) and an increase in topical treatment (+10.68%). There was also a tendency to perform fewer surgeries in benign tumors and decreased follow-up visits. Our findings showed a significant decrease in the number of new cases referred to the Ocular Oncology service. Moreover, the pandemic led to a switch in the therapeutic approach with preference to non-invasive treatments that would demand operating rooms. A drastic increase of cases perhaps in advanced stages might be expected because of the decrease observed in the first six months of quarantine.

Categories of foreign investments and foreign investor in the national legislation and international treaties of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union

This article discusses the notion of categories of foreign investments and foreign investor in the law of the EAEU member states through the prism of three levels of legal regulation: national legislation, bilateral and multilateral international treaties. The national legislation of the EAEU member states that regulates foreign investments, although is based on commonly used legal structures and instruments, within the framework of the conceptual apparatus can differ significantly in the recipient state of the foreign investments and in the state of origin of the foreign investor, which requires close attention and detailed study of the regulatory legal acts of each EAEU member state. Along with the rules governing foreign investments and the status of a foreign investor under Eurasian law, the EAEU member states apply the rules of bilateral agreements on the promotion and protection of investments that are in force not only between them, but also with the third states. In addition, there is also a multilateral international treaty for the four EAEU member states, namely the Moscow Convention of the CIS. This circumstance is due to the participation of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan simultaneously in three integration processes – within the framework of the EAEU, the CIS and the SCO.

DUAL CITIZENSHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF OPPORTUNITIES AND PROSPECTS OF UKRAINIAN MIGRANTS

The phenomenon of dual (multiple) citizenship is considered from the point of view of interests of citizens, first of Ukrainian migrants, and the state - the state of origin and the state of residence of migrants. Possible risks from the citizenʼs point of view and potential threats to the state are summarized. It is stated that despite of the many threats, multiple citizenship is becoming a reality in the context of increasing migration flows and the birth of the phenomenon of transmigration, which is characterized by building and maintaining various relationships that connect societies of origin with migrants. To exercise their rights, migrants seek naturalization, but the inconvenience and psychological problems associated with renouncing citizenship of the country of origin stop them from taking this step. It has been proven that the personal preferences of foreign citizens over dual citizenship exceed the interest of states, but to control migration processes and exercise the rights and freedoms of migrants, more and more modern states are legalizing multiple citizenship. The specifics of regulation of citizenship issues in the European Convention on Citizenship, Ukrainian legislation, and Ukrainian legislative initiatives to legalize multiple citizenship are considered. The example of Germany has shown that if they are accepted, not all Ukrainians abroad will be able to enjoy the benefits of dual citizenship, as the possibility of obtaining it is also determined by the legislation of the host country. It has been shown that the possibility of obtaining dual citizenship is open only to Ukrainians born and raised in Germany. It is emphasized that it is expedient to strengthen the position of foreign Ukrainians in other ways as well.

White College Students' Racial Prejudice and Perceptions of Racial Hate Crime.

This study investigated how racial prejudice influences White college students' perceptions of hate crime. We also examined the moderating effects of the race of the victim of hate crimes and the absence of hate crime laws. Our sample included 581 White students in a predominantly White university located in a state that does not have a hate crime law. The study was set up in a 2 (race of the victim and the perpetrator) × 3 (level of assault) factorial design. Participants rated their perceptions of three scenarios (i.e., non-racially biased simple assault, racially biased simple assault, and racially biased aggravated assault). The dependent variables were perceptions of hate crime and willingness to report. The key independent variable was participants' level of racial prejudice. The moderators included race of the victim in each scenario and whether participants' state of origin has a hate crime law. Results suggest that higher levels of modern racism were associated with lower perceptions of hate crime and lower willingness to report racially biased simple and aggravated hate crime. When the victim was White, participants with higher levels of racial prejudice were more likely to perceive a hate crime and more willing to report it. The opposite was true when the victim was Black. The absence of state hate crime laws and race of victim were significant moderators. Our study suggests that racial prejudice is associated with lower perceptions of hate crime and willingness to report. Furthermore, the moderating effect of the race of victims provides insights on how racial prejudice can lead to a differential perception of hate crime, depending on whether one's racial in-group is targeted. Our findings also highlight the importance of having state-level hate crime laws to mitigate the linkage between modern racism and perceptions of hate crime.

State duty to cooperate on the Fukushima nuclear contaminated water release

While the impacts of the proposed Fukushima nuclear contaminated water release on human health and marine environment remain incalculable and unforeseeable, the UNCLOS, nuclear safety conventions and customary international law have provided for a comprehensive legal framework that requires the State of origin to take all necessary measures to prevent the potentially harmful consequences and cooperate with the States likely to be affected. This article sheds light on the central role of cooperation in dealing with the release, and suggests that cooperation should be the preferred policy for all States concerned at this stage, directly or through competent international organizations, to utterly avoid the release together or prevent its potential transboundary harm and rebuild trust with the public. Furthermore, it elucidates that the inter-State cooperation shall not be diluted or even overridden by Japan’s current cooperation with the IAEA, as the two types of cooperation are related but functionally different with respect to State responsibilities for the release.

Profile of the companies participating in the Mexican national exports award

Objective: To identify the profile of the companies participating in the Mexican National Exportation Award (NEA) in the Large Agricultural Exporting Companies category (LAEC), by an information-gathering tool to determine the commercial lines of those businesses, their state of origin, and the exports destination. Methodology: a total of 17 questionnaires (n = 17), applied by the NEA to the LAEC category participants during the 2010-2018 period, were analyzed to determine the commercial business lines, their state of origin, and the destination of the exports. A problem tree was created to find opportunity areas to design solution proposals. The collected information was processed in the NetDraw 2.097 software to show the networks, their dominant actors (countries to which they export), and the products that the companies exported the most. Results: pork and vegetables business lines were identified. The latter revealed a sub-network of tomatoes and strawberries. A network was generated with an open structure comprising 17 nodes and 46 links where three export destination countries stood out: the USA with 15 links, Canada with six, and Japan with five. The highest exported product was the tomato in its different varieties, mainly to the U.S. and Canada. Limitations: Scarce information about the award on the internet. Access restrictions. Most of the exporting companies did not respond to the survey. Conclusions: the perishability of exported products determines the number of destination countries. The precariousness of Mexican agricultural exports was identified because companies trade only one product or a reduced number of them to only one country.

70 Occurrence of Mycotoxins in 2020 US Corn Silage and Dairy Total Mixed Rations

Abstract Mycotoxins are fungal metabolites which have been identified in many feed ingredients and ruminants have an increased risk of exposure due to the complex nature of their diets. Despite varying degrees of natural detoxification in the rumen, cattle health, productivity, and reproduction can be compromised by mycotoxins. This study investigated mycotoxin occurrence and contamination levels in 2020 U.S. corn silage and dairy total mixed ration (TMR) samples. Samples were screened via LC-MS/MS for six major mycotoxin groups including: aflatoxins, type A trichothecenes (A-Trich), type B trichothecenes (B-Trich), fumonisins (FUM), zearalenone (ZEN), and ochratoxin A. Information was collected with each submission including state of origin and whether or not clinical health or performance concerns were present. Contamination levels were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure (SAS 9.4, Cary, NC) to investigate the interaction of clinical concern (yes/no) and harvest year. No interaction was statistically significant for each of the toxin groups, so main effects of harvest year are presented in Table 1. Type B trichothecenes have been identified most frequently in 2020 corn silage. Although not often detected, A-Trich occurrence has increased ten percentage points from 2019 crop year. Among 236 TMR samples analyzed, B-Trich have been detected in a high percentage of samples. Mean contamination levels (parts per billion, ppb) are presented on a dry matter basis and within each data set were similar in 2020 compared to 2019 for respective toxin groups. Preliminary survey results indicate B-Trich occur frequently in both U.S. corn silage and TMR samples. Despite less frequent detection, other mycotoxin groups do occur including ZEN, FUM, and A-Trich, so the potential risk from toxin interactions due to co-contamination should be considered.

Hope beyond the Sea. Perceptions of the Return to Spain among Immigrants Seeking Assisted Repatriation from Mexico (1910-1930)

This text aims to contribute to strengthening the link between emigration and maritime history by examining the processes of return. The form of return addressed here is repatriation – or return subsidised by the state of origin – and the community studied is that of Spanish immigrants who settled in Mexico in the first third of the 20th century. Political and economic crises forced many to write the Spanish Consulate in Mexico City requesting a free ticket to return to Spain, as they could not afford the transatlantic journey on their own. The text first introduces some considerations on the relationship between Spanish migration studies and maritime history, next discussing the process of repatriation as legally established in this period and put into practice in the mentioned case. Thirdly, it analyses the discursive elements of identity in the applications for tickets, as well as the consideration of the maritime space in the immigrants’ imaginary.

The consumption of the White-lipped Frog (Leptodactylus macrosternum Leptodactylidae: Anura) in the state of Rondônia in the Brazilian Amazon

The consumption of anurans by subsistence hunters in the Brazilian Amazon is unrecorded. Given this scenario, the objective of this study is to present the first record of White-lipped Frog consumption by subsistence hunters in the Amazon region of Rondônia. The data were collected through interviews with two migrant hunters from the state of Espírito Santo, currently residing in the municipality of Itapuã do Oeste in Rondônia. The hunters used to consume white-lipped frog (possibly Leptodactylus latrans) in their state of origin, and after locating a similar species (Leptodactylus macrosternum) and confirming the possibility of consumption with the mother through WhatsApp, they started consuming the frog. This record demonstrates how certain habits related to the consumption of wild animals can be maintained in new locations and how instant messaging tools can collaborate with information exchange about game species.

Effects of B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 on COVID-19 Dynamics: A Campus Reopening Study

The timing and sequence of safe campus reopening has remained the most controversial topic in higher education since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. By the end of March 2020, almost all colleges and universities in the United States had transitioned to an all online education and many institutions have not yet fully reopened to date. For a residential campus like Stanford University, the major challenge of reopening is to estimate the number of incoming infectious students at the first day of class. Here we learn the number of incoming infectious students using Bayesian inference and perform a series of retrospective and projective simulations to quantify the risk of campus reopening. We create a physics-based probabilistic model to infer the local reproduction dynamics for each state and adopt a network SEIR model to simulate the return of all undergraduates, broken down by their year of enrollment and state of origin. From these returning student populations, we predict the outbreak dynamics throughout the spring, summer, fall, and winter quarters using the inferred reproduction dynamics of Santa Clara County. We compare three different scenarios: the true outbreak dynamics under the wild-type SARS-CoV-2, and the hypothetical outbreak dynamics under the new COVID-19 variants B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 with 56% and 50% increased transmissibility. Our study reveals that even small changes in transmissibility can have an enormous impact on the overall case numbers. With no additional countermeasures, during the most affected quarter, the fall of 2020, there would have been 203 cases under baseline reproduction, compared to 4727 and 4256 cases for the B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants. Our results suggest that population mixing presents an increased risk for local outbreaks, especially with new and more infectious variants emerging across the globe. Tight outbreak control through mandatory quarantine and test-trace-isolate strategies will be critical in successfully managing these local outbreak dynamics.

BRIEF CONSIDERATIONS ON THE EXTENT IN WHICH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UNION IDENTITY ELECTRONIC CARD GUARANTEES RESPECT FOR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS

Considering the increased mobility within the EU, on the one hand, but also the intensification of the fight against terrorism by strengthening external borders, on the other hand, the European Commission has launched the "2016 Action Plan" with the sole purpose of combating identity fraud. In order to facilitate freedom of movement within the Union, Member States, acting in accordance with their own legislation, must issue and renew identity cards or passports to Union nationals attesting their nationality.In support of the above-mentioned plan, the Union co-legislator adopted Regulation (EU) 2019/11571,, according to which the renewal of identity cards or residence permits results from the need to harmonize the security levels that these documents confer on Union citizens or on their family members, considering the risk of forgery or fraud, criminal activities that endanger the freedom of movement. The provisions of this legislative instrument fully respect the fundamental rights of Union citizens as enshrined in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union2. Moreover, the application of the union norm respects the right ofcitizens regarding the confidentiality of personal data.At the level of 2021, the electronic identity card is considered to be "a key to authenticate the citizen in digital platforms that mediate the relationship of the Union national with the institutions of the state of origin or the host state, online".

Applicability of State Responsibility for Health Emergencies and the Unique Situation of China amid SARS-COV-2

This article aims to understand the limitations in enforcing state responsibility on a state of Origin for Trans boundary harm caused by a health emergency by analyzing the factors of force majeure, multiparty involvement, and inability to provide reparations, and the unclear source of the virus as the chief hindrances in prosecuting such states. The authors further explore the various conditions that triggered other PHEICs in history and the consequences and actions taken due to the trans-boundary harm caused. Furthermore, the article also studies the conditions that gave rise to the wet markets and traces the shortcomings in law that hurt the Origin of the virus. After that, the article studies how countries have failed to invoke the state responsibility of trans-boundary harm caused by a PHEIC. Lastly, the article further delves into how Chinese authorities blame both pre and post-outbreak and examine how the global community can negotiate with China for adequate compensation.

Case report: first symptomatic Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis infection in Slovenia

BackgroundCandidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis (CNM) is an emerging tick-born pathogen and usually causes symptomatic infection only in immunocompromised patients. Apart from one described case found in the literature where cultivation was successful, all cases so far were diagnosed by using broad-range 16S rDNA PCR.Case presentationOur patient presented with a prolonged febrile state of unknown origin. Clinical presentation, extensive medical workup and classic microbiologic testing were non-conclusive. Several infectious agents and other causes for the febrile state were excluded. In the end, a broad-range 16S rDNA PCR was to be performed to confirm the diagnosis of CNM infection. Treatment was successful with doxycycline.ConclusionsDue to the obscurity of the pathogen, diagnostic workup in CNM is prolonged and challenging. More awareness is need about this emerging infectious disease in countries with high prevalence of tick-borne diseases as standard microbiological methods are not successful in confirming the diagnosis.

Regarding the possibility of endowing artificial intelligence with the status of a subject of cross-border copyright relations

The article is devoted to the evaluation of the place of artificial intelligence (hereinafter — AI) in intellectual property law. Due to the recent developments, AI has ceased to be just an assistant and a tool for creativity in the world of human authors. Rather it itself has become capable of creating works. The article considers the rules of copyright applied in various States and enshrining the concept of an “author” and the possibility of recognizing AI as a subject of copyright creating a copyrightable work. The article also considers the rulesapplied to determine and regulate the process of creating a creative work. A conflict-of-laws issue is raised regarding the possibility of granting protection to works created by AI within the framework of cross-border relations, when, under the law of the state of origin (lex loci originis), the work is not subject to protection, but is protected under the law of the state where protection is sought (lex loci protectionis). Thus, crossborder copyright relations related to AI are mainly implemented on the Internet, where the most effective mechanism for protecting author’s rights is implemented by means of Creative Commons licenses. However, the lack of the human author’s participation and the original creativity element makes it impossible forthe AI to be recognized as a subject of law and, as a result, prevents copyright protection of the works created by the AI. Therefore, the author proposes to allocate the works created by AI to the public domain.

The prevalence of ‘jurisdiction’ in the recognition and enforcement of foreign civil and commercial judgments in India and South Africa: a comparative analysis

ABSTRACT The determination of the ‘international jurisdiction’ of the court of origin remains the backbone of the law on the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in civil and commercial matters in India and South Africa. Thus, a foreign judgment is ineffective in these jurisdictions unless the court of origin was competent according to the principles of private international law. The grounds to determine the ‘international jurisdiction’ of the foreign court are narrow and primarily rest on the ‘allegiance’ of the judgment-debtor towards the State of origin. This paper demonstrates how the rules to ascertain the competency of the foreign forum in these BRICS jurisdictions impede the free movement of judgments and prevent access to justice. The paper accordingly suggests plausible new approaches to overcome these shortcomings.

Common pathways and functional profiles reveal underlying patterns in Breast, Kidney and Lung cancers

BackgroundCancer is a major health problem which presents a high heterogeneity. In this work we explore omics data from Breast, Kidney and Lung cancers at different levels as signalling pathways, functions and miRNAs, as part of the CAMDA 2019 Hi-Res Cancer Data Integration Challenge. Our goal is to find common functional patterns which give rise to the generic microenvironment in these cancers and contribute to a better understanding of cancer pathogenesis and a possible clinical translation down further studies.ResultsAfter a tumor versus normal tissue comparison of the signaling pathways and cell functions, we found 828 subpathways, 912 Gene Ontology terms and 91 Uniprot keywords commonly significant to the three studied tumors. Such features interestingly show the power to classify tumor samples into subgroups with different survival times, and predict tumor state and tissue of origin through machine learning techniques. We also found cancer-specific alternative activation subpathways, such as the ones activating STAT5A in ErbB signaling pathway. miRNAs evaluation show the role of miRNAs, such as mir-184 and mir-206, as regulators of many cancer pathways and their value in prognoses.ConclusionsThe study of the common functional and pathway activities of different cancers is an interesting approach to understand molecular mechanisms of the tumoral process regardless of their tissue of origin. The existence of platforms as the CAMDA challenges provide the opportunity to share knowledge and improve future scientific research and clinical practice.

INEFFECTIVE REFUGEE STATUS DETERMINATION PROCESS: HINDRANCE TO DURABLE SOLUTION FOR REFUGEES RIGHTS AND PROTECTION

In any State of Asylum, the process of Refugee Status Determination (RSD) conducted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is critical in facilitating asylumseekers to seek necessary protections. UNHCR ensures that asylum-seekers will not be returned involuntarily to the State of Origin where they could face persecution. As a long-term solution, UNHCR helps refugees to find appropriate and permanent solutions to their plights, either by repatriating them voluntarily to their homeland or assisting them to integrate into the States of Asylum or helping them to resettle in third States. In the absence of domestic legal protection in dealing with the refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia, a variety of operations are executed by UNHCR, including the admission, registration, documentation, and status determination of asylum seekers and refugees. To prevent the deportation of individuals qualified for international protection, UNHCR should reassess its RSD process in Malaysia, and consider alternative means that would be less burdensome and less risky for people who are fleeing violence and human rights violations. Primarily aimed at reassessing the RSD process in Malaysia using a doctrinal and comparative approach, the analysis is presented in four parts in this article. The first part provides for the definition and current statistics of refugee and asylum-seekers in Malaysia; the second part examines the mechanism of RSD conducted by UNHCR under international law; the third part focuses on how RSD operates in Malaysia; the last part reviews the mechanism of RSD in Indonesia and Brazil.