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At least 271 records · Page 15Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of food aid grain delivery.

Grain food aid averages 13 million tons per year. Donors have a duty to deliver food aid grain in an adequate and acceptable condition at least cost. This paper reviews commodity procurement, packaging, inspection, shipping and storage with regard to overall quality assurance and cost-effectiveness. Experience at ports of loading and discharge and in food aid delivery programmes indicates that sufficient attention is rarely paid to quality assurance and loss minimisation. Grain procurement specifications that are normally appropriate for safe handling and storage in temperate climates, particularly moisture content, are commonly inappropriate for tropical climates. The technology for safe delivery of food aid grain is well established but not always implemented. Procurement of food aid grain in developing countries has increased recently, creating a need to improve operational and management aspects of tendering and quality assurance procedures. Such purchases entail potential cost savings but are associated with lengthening delivery lead times for non-urgent consignments. Although woven polypropylene sacks are cheaper to buy than jute ones, the losses associated with handling and storage problems indicate that jute sacks are preferable for food aid delivery.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed2006

Solar modulation of Little Ice Age climate in the tropical Andes.

The underlying causes of late-Holocene climate variability in the tropics are incompletely understood. Here we report a 1,500-year reconstruction of climate history and glaciation in the Venezuelan Andes using lake sediments. Four glacial advances occurred between anno Domini (A.D.) 1250 and 1810, coincident with solar-activity minima. Temperature declines of -3.2 +/- 1.4 degrees C and precipitation increases of approximately 20% are required to produce the observed glacial responses. These results highlight the sensitivity of high-altitude tropical regions to relatively small changes in radiative forcing, implying even greater probable responses to future anthropogenic forcing.

Climate↗
PubMed1993

Season, climate and suicide in Singapore.

In Singapore, an island city state in the tropics, climatic variables like sunlight, windspeed, temperature, rainfall and humidity are significantly correlated with subgroups of suicidal subjects such as Malays, young adults and youths. In the young age group (0-19 years) the relationship between meteorological factors and suicide appear to be greater than in the other two groups.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Biological observations on Tupiperla (Plecoptera: Gripopterygidae).

Tupiperla illiesi fly along the year in the coastal mountains of southeastern Brazil, with larger numbers during the warmer rainy season. In the seasonal tropical climate of Central Brazil and Serra do Cipó, MG, T oliveirai and T. gracilis, respectively, fly along the year but the pattern is still not known. In the higher elevation (ca. 1600 m a.s.l.) of Campos do Jordao, SP, species of Tupiperla may not fly during the colder months. Seasonal size variation, a phenomenon still little understood, occurred both in tropical and subtropical climates of the states of Goiás and São Paulo.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

An update on respiratory syncytial virus epidemiology: a developed country perspective.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children worldwide, and an important cause of morbidity, hospitalization, and mortality. The infections caused by RSV are seasonal, peaking predictably in the winter months in temperate climates, and in the hottest months and the rainy season in tropical climates. The involvement of the lower respiratory tract, manifest clinically as bronchiolitis or pneumonia, is the hallmark of severe RSV disease. Other indicators of severe disease include requirement for, and duration of, hospitalization, supplemental oxygen, management in an intensive care setting, and mechanical ventilation. Host-related risk factors for severe RSV disease include preterm birth, infection before 6 months of age, chronic lung disease, and congenital heart disease. Environmental risk factors for severe RSV infection include poverty, crowding, exposure to tobacco smoke, and malnutrition. Factors that increase frequency of the infection include young age, multiple gestation, family history of atopy, lack of parental education, household crowding, older school-age siblings, lack of breast feeding, day-care attendance, passive smoke exposure, and discharge from a neonatal intensive care unit between September and December. Recent studies in Europe, North America and Japan have evaluated the number of children affected as well as the medical resources necessary to care for these children. Continuing surveillance is the key to tracking the seasonality, risk factors, morbidity and mortality associated with RSV infection. Epidemiological studies are also the basis for development of appropriate local prevention strategies.

Canada↗
PubMed1990

Rotavirus.

Since their discovery in the 1970s, the human rotaviruses have been recognized as the most important cause of acute infectious gastroenteritis among infants and children worldwide. Rotavirus has been found to infect almost all mammalian and avian species tested, and is primarily a disease of the young. In humans, rotavirus is the most frequent gastrointestinal pathogen in infants and children less than 2 years of age. In developing countries, the attack rate peaks at 6 months of age, whereas in developed areas of the world the virus is most commonly found among children 6-12 months of age. Rotavirus displays a marked seasonality in temperate climates, with the number of cases peaking in the colder winter months. In tropical climates, this seasonality is not as apparent, and infection may occur year round. Symptoms of rotavirus infection are non-specific and include vomiting and diarrhoea, occasionally accompanied by a low grade fever. Dehydration is more common with rotavirus infection than with most bacterial pathogens, and is the most common cause of death related to rotavirus infection. Treatment is non-specific and includes the use of oral rehydration therapy, especially in developing countries where malnutrition is common. Strategies for the prevention of rotavirus infection are dependent on advances in the understanding of the molecular biology of the rotavirus. The genetic structure of the virus has been extensively studied, and a number of the structural proteins have been identified. The neutralization antigens, located on VP4 and VP7, may be important in conferring immunity to rotavirus in vivo. Two animal-derived and several reassortant rotavirus vaccines are currently being evaluated in field studies, and a number of other candidate vaccines are being tested in vitro and in animal studies.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1976

The effects of climatic patterns and agricultural practices on the population dynamics of Culex tritaeniorhynchus in Asia.

Annual population curves for C. tritaeniorhynchus are presented for representative localities distributed from Pakistan, east through Southeast Asia and the Philippines and north to Japan and Korea. In the dry temperature (Pakistan) and colder maritime climates (Japan and Korea). C. tritaeniorhynchus populations apparently overwintered as hibernating adults, while in the warmer maritime climates (Okinawa and Taiwan), gonotrophic activity and larval development continued throughout the winter months. In these climatic types, the population curves closely paralleled the annual temperature curves. In the tropical climates, however, temporal population patterns were closely related to available moisture either in the form of annual precipitation and/or rice irrigation. The extremely variable environmental conditions tolerated C. tritaeniorhynchus throughout its distribution attests to the physiological and ecological plasticity of this species and suggests that further ecological and genetic studies may reveal marked clinical variances among selected biological parameters.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2003

Relationship between air pollution and daily mortality in a tropical city: Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

Air pollution has been associated with daily mortality in numerous studies over the past decade. However, most of these studies were conducted in the United States and Europe, with relatively few done in Asia. In this study, the association between ambient air pollution and daily mortality in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, a large industrial city with a tropical climate, was investigated for the period 1994-2000 using a case-crossover analysis. This design is an alternative to Poisson time-series regression for studying the short-term adverse health effects of air pollution. The air pollutants examined included particulate matter (PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and carbon monoxide (CO). No significant effects were found between PM10 and SO2 exposure levels and respiratory-related mortality. The well-established link between air pollution levels and daily mortality may not be as strong in cities in tropical areas, although other factors such as differences in pollutant mixtures or underlying health of the population may explain the lack of a strong association in this study. Further studies of this type in cities with varying climates and cultures are needed.

Air Pollution↗
PubMed1996

Pyomyositis: an unusual infection due to staphylococcus aureus.

Pyomyositis is a primary pyogenic infection of skeletal muscle, leading to the formation of intramuscular abscesses. Although common in tropical climates, it is infrequent in temperate zones. We report a patient who developed the condition without travelling to tropical areas.

Climate↗
PubMed1988

Cutaneous larva migrans in northern climates.

Cutaneous larva migrans is a distinctive dermatitis caused by the filariform larvae of certain nematode parasites. Most often associated with tropical climates, it has increasingly been noted in nontropical settings. To familiarize northern clinicians with this condition, a case report is presented and its pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment are reviewed.

Administration, Topical↗