Chronic Hepatitis B in Indian Americans: Lack of Screening and Poor Linkage to Care

Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) is a major cause of liver-related morbidity and mortality in the United States (US) and globally. CHB disproportionately affects Asian Americans and many other immigrant minority populations, primarily owing to the high prevalence of CHB in their countries of origin. India is a country with a medium-to-high prevalence of hepatitis B (HB) (>2%) and has over 40 million people infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV), with more than 115,000 deaths annually from HBV-related complications. Indian Americans are one of the largest immigrant populations in the US but remain underdiagnosed and poorly linked to clinical care. We, therefore, assessed the HBV prevalence and evaluated the linkage-to-care (LTC) among Indian Americans to develop strategic plans to reduce the impact of HBV in the US. Methods: Between April 2022 and January 2024, serologic screening and surveys were provided to 328 Indian American adults (age 20 - 80) in New York City. All participants were tested for a triple panel consisting of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs), and hepatitis B core IgG antibody (anti-HBc). A survey was conducted on the subjects chronically infected with HBV regarding their histories of infection. Self-administered questionnaires were employed to evaluate demographic and epidemiologic characteristics. Results: Of 328 screened and evaluated (246 males and 82 females), 10 (3.0%) were HBV-infected, 222 (67.7%) were susceptible to HBV, and 96 (29.3%) were immune. The prevalence of chronic HBV varied between the age groups: 4.6% (age 20 - 40), 3.4% (age 41 - 60), and 1.7% (age 61 - 80). Of 10 chronically infected, only two subjects had been previously diagnosed but were not engaged in care. Conclusion: HBV disproportionately affects Asian Americans, primarily owing to immigration from parts of the world where the disease is endemic. Indian Americans belong to an intermediate-risk group, with an HBV prevalence of >2%, but remain underdiagnosed and poorly linked to care. Our pilot study on Indian American populations, the first of its kind, demonstrates a 3% prevalence of CHB, none of whom are linked to care. In addition, this population has a high percentage of unimmune subjects, creating a large reservoir for future infection. With the growing population of Indian Americans, our findings can be used to develop community-based strategies for HBV screenings and LTC that target high-risk groups.

Accuracy assessment of global vertical displacement loading tide models for the equatorial and Indian Ocean

The three-dimensional displacements caused by ocean loading effects are significant enough to impact spatial geodetic measurements on sub-daily or longer timescales,particularly in the vertical direction.Currently,most tide models incorporate the distribution of vertical displacement loading tides;however,their accuracy has not been assessed for the equatorial and Indian Ocean regions.Global Positioning System(GPS)observations provide high-precision data on sea-level changes,enabling the assessment of the accuracy and reliability of vertical displacement tide models.However,because the tidal period of the K_(2) constituent is almost identical to the orbital period of GPS constellations,the estimation of the K_(2) tidal constituent from GPS observations is not satisfactory.In this study,the principle of smoothness is employed to correct the systematic error in K_(2) estimates in GPS observations through quadratic fitting.Using the adjusted harmonic constants from 31 GPS stations for the equatorial and Indian Ocean,the accuracy of eight major constituents from five global vertical displacement tide models(FES2014,EOT11a,GOT4.10c,GOT4.8,and NAO.99b)is evaluated for the equatorial and Indian Ocean.The results indicate that the EOT11a and FES2014 models exhibit higher accuracy in the vertical displacement tide models for the equatorial and Indian Ocean,with root sum squares errors of 2.29 mm and 2.34 mm,res-pectively.Furthermore,a brief analysis of the vertical displacement tide distribution characteristics of the eight major constituents for the equatorial and Indian Ocean was conducted using the EOT11a model.

Driving factors of CO_(2)emissions in South American countries:An application of Seemingly Unrelated Regression model

Carbon emissions have become a critical concern in the global effort to combat climate change,with each country or region contributing differently based on its economic structures,energy sources,and industrial activities.The factors influencing carbon emissions vary across countries and sectors.This study examined the factors influencing CO_(2)emissions in the 7 South American countries including Argentina,Brazil,Chile,Colombia,Ecuador,Peru,and Venezuela.We used the Seemingly Unrelated Regression(SUR)model to analyse the relationship of CO_(2)emissions with gross domestic product(GDP),renewable energy use,urbanization,industrialization,international tourism,agricultural productivity,and forest area based on data from 2000 to 2022.According to the SUR model,we found that GDP and industrialization had a moderate positive effect on CO_(2)emissions,whereas renewable energy use had a moderate negative effect on CO_(2)emissions.International tourism generally had a positive impact on CO_(2)emissions,while forest area tended to decrease CO_(2)emissions.Different variables had different effects on CO_(2)emissions in the 7 South American countries.In Argentina and Venezuela,GDP,international tourism,and agricultural productivity significantly affected CO_(2)emissions.In Colombia,GDP and international tourism had a negative impact on CO_(2)emissions.In Brazil,CO_(2)emissions were primarily driven by GDP,while in Chile,Ecuador,and Peru,international tourism had a negative effect on CO_(2)emissions.Overall,this study highlights the importance of country-specific strategies for reducing CO_(2)emissions and emphasizes the varying roles of these driving factors in shaping environmental quality in the 7 South American countries.

Voyage of the Indian subcontinent since Pangea breakup and driving force of supercontinent cycles: Insights on dynamics from numerical modeling

Recent advances in three-dimensional numerical simulations of mantle convection have aided in approximately reproducing continental movement since the Pangea breakup at 200 Ma. These have also led to a better understanding of the thermal and mechanical coupling between mantle convection and surface plate motion and predictions of the configuration of the next supercontinent. The simulations of mantle convection from 200 Ma to the present reveals that the development of large-scale cold mantle downwellings in the North Tethys Ocean at the earlier stage of the Pangea breakup triggered the northward movement of the Indian subcontinent. The model of high temperature anomaly region beneath Pangea resulting from the thermal insulation effect support the breakup of Pangea in the real Earth time scale, as also suggested in previous geological and geodynamic models. However, considering the low radioactive heat generation rate of the depleted upper mantle, the high temperature anomaly region might have been generated by upwelling plumes with contribution of deep subducted TTG(tonalite-trondhjemite-granite) materials enriched in radiogenic elements. Integrating the numerical results of mantle convection from 200 Ma to the present, and from the present to the future, it is considered that the mantle drag force acting on the base of continents may be comparable to the slab pull force, which implies that convection in the shallower part of the mantle is strongly coupled with surface plate motion.

Crustal structure of the western Indian shield: Model based on regional gravity and magnetic data

Regional surface gravity data and global satellite magnetic data have been utilized to generate a preliminary model of the crustal structure along a southwest-northeast profile （Gadra-Fatehpur） through western Rajasthan.The study area represents the western part of the Indian continental landmass which has undergone several major episodes of repeated subduction/collision,plume traces and rifting from Archaean to recent times.The temporal and spatial relationship between the various geotectonic provinces is quite complex,thereby limiting the emergence of a suitable crustal structure model for this region.Exposures of the Malani Igneous Suite （MIS）,a product of bimodal volcanism （～780 Ma）,and considered to be the third largest felsic magmatic province of the world,is evident along the profile and also to the southwest of the study area.The easternmost part of the profile is close to the DAFB （Delhi Aravalli Fold Belt）,a Proterozoic orogenic belt.This study probes the geometry of the different crustal units in terms of density and susceptibility variations in order to decipher the imprints of the major tectonic processes the region has undergone.In order to decipher the crustal geometry of the Gadra-Fatehpur profile,two NW-SE gravity and magnetic profile vertical sections （A-A＇ in the south and B-B＇ in the north） are modelled on the basis of the constraints provided from previous seismic models.The crustal model of the Gadra-Fatehpur profile is composed of alluvium,Tertiary sediments,MIS,Marwar Supergroup,low-density layers （LDLs） and the middle-lower crustal layers,with a distinct change in configuration from the southwest to northeast.The Moho dips from SW to NE,the MIS in the SW gives way to the thick pile of the Marwar Supergroup to the NE.The evolution of MIS has been suggested to have occurred as a consequence of delamination of the upper mantle.LDLs are incorporated in Gadra-Fatehpur model.In the SW,LDL （2550 kg/m3） lies below the MIS in the NE,another LDL （2604 kg/m3） is depicted below the mid-crustal layer.

Health beliefs toward lung cancer screening among Chinese American high-risk smokers:Interviews based on Health Belief Model

Objective This study aims to explore health beliefs toward lung cancer screening with low dose computed tomography among Chinese American high-risk smokers.Methods Guided by the Health Belief Model,semi-structured individual interviews were conducted with Chinese American high-risk smokers via phone.Additional questionnaires on demographic information,history of smoking and lung cancer screening were collected via email or phone before the interview,depending on participants’preference.Content analysis was used to extract meaningful and significant themes in the dataset.Constant comparison analysis and process coding were used to categorize and code data.Results Data saturation was reached after interviewing 12 participants.Chinese American high-risk smokers perceived a low susceptibility to lung cancer,since they believed various protective factors of lung cancer(e.g.,doing exercise,healthy diet,etc.)reduced their risk of getting lung cancer.All the participants perceived a high severity of lung cancer.They acknowledged lung cancer would have a huge impact on their life.Perceived benefits of lung cancer screening were accurate in most aspects although minor confusions were still noticed among this population.Perceived barriers varied on participants’,physicians’,and institutional levels.High-risk Chinese American smokers had little confidence to screening for lung cancer.Cues to action for them to screening for lung cancer included recommendations from health care providers,support from family members and friends,and information shared on Chinese-based social media.Conclusions Misconceptions and barriers to screening for lung cancer existed widely among Chinese American high-risk smokers.Intervention programs and targeted health education should be implemented to promote lung cancer screening among this population.

Relationships of Interannual Variability Between the Equatorial Pacific and Tropical Indian Ocean in 17 CMIP5 Models

Seventeen coupled general circulation models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 （CMIP5） are employed to assess the relationships of interannual variations of sea surface temperature （SST） between the tropical Pacific （TP） and tropical Indian Ocean （TIO）. The eastern/central equatorial Pacific features the strongest SST interannual variability in the models except for the model CSIRO-Mk3-6-0, and the simulated maximum and minimum are produced by models GFDL-ESM2M and GISS-E2-H respectively. However, It remains a challenge for these models to simulate the correct climate mean SST with the warm pool-cold tongue structure in the equatorial Pacific. Almost all models reproduce E1 Nifio-Southem Oscillation （ENSO）, Indian Ocean Dipole mode （IOD） and Indian Ocean Basin-wide mode （lOB） together with their seasonal phase lock features being simulated; but the relationship between the ENSO and IOD is different for different models. Consistent with the observation, an Indian Ocean basin-wide warming （cooling） takes place over the tropical Indian Ocean in the spring following an E1 Nifio （La Nifia） in almost all the models. In some models （e.g., GFDL-ESM2G and MIROC5）, positive ENSO and IOB events are stronger than the negative events as shown in the observation. However, this asymmetry is reversed in some other models （e.g., HadGEM2-CC and HadGEM2-ES）.

Modelling of Indian Monsoon Rainfall Series by Univariate Box-Jenkins Type of Models

The time domain approach, i.e. Autoregressive (AR) processes, of time series analysis is applied to the monsoon rainfall series of India and its two major regions, viz. North-West India and Central India. Since the original time series shows no modelable structure due to the presence of high interannual variability, a 3-point running filter is applied before exploring and fitting appropriate stochastic models. Out of several parsimonious models fitted, AR(3) is found to be most suitable. The usefulness of this fitted model is validted on an independent datum of 18 years and some skill has been noted. These models therefore can be used for low skill higher lead time forecasts of monsoon. Further the forecasts produced through such models can be combined with other forecasts to increase the skill of monsoon forecasts.

Prevention of type 2 diabetes in urban American Indian/Alaskan Native communities: The Life in BALANCE pilot study

Objective: The Life in BALANCE (LIB) study is a pilot translational study modeling the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) intensive lifestyle coaching intervention among an underserved, high-risk population: American Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) living in a large urban setting (Las Vegas, Nevada). Research Design and Methods: A total of 22 overweight/obese AI/ANs (age, 39.6 ± 10.4 years;BMI, 34.1 ± 6.3 kg/m2) at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes (HbA1c > 5.4 (36 mmol/mol) Results: Only 12 of the 22 participants remained?in the LIB program at the final post-program follow-up. Participants demonstrated significant decreased waist circumference and elevated HDL cholesterol. Triglycerides manifested the highest percentage change without statistical significance. No significant change was observed in blood pressure or fasting blood glucose. Conclusions: LIB participants’ improvements in BMI, waist circumference, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides suggests type 2 diabetes prevention programs aimed at urban AI/ANs show significant potential for reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among this underserved and high risk community. Qualitative data suggest the main challenge for type 2 diabetes prevention specific to this population is a need for improved community outreach strategies.

American historic influences on North American Indians

Indians have lived in America for 15,000 or 20,000 years and created their unique civilization.However,since Europeans came,their life was interrupted.The two different cultures conflicted fiercely and influenced each other.After several hundred years of mutual influence,Indians'life had been changed drastically in the terms of population,daily life,arts.And urbanization came up.Therefore,is civilization a good process or bad one? Maybe it can't be judged with only"right"or"wrong".Changes did happen.

An ETD Method for American Options under the Heston Model

A numerical method for American options pricing on assets under the Heston stochastic volatility model is developed.A preliminary transformation is applied to remove the mixed derivative term avoiding known numerical drawbacks and reducing computational costs.Free boundary is treated by the penalty method.Transformed nonlinear partial differential equation is solved numerically by using the method of lines.For full discretization the exponential time differencing method is used.Numerical analysis establishes the stability and positivity of the proposed method.The numerical convergence behaviour and effectiveness are investigated in extensive numerical experiments.

Influence of the North American Dipole on ENSO onset as simulated by a coupled ocean-Atmosphere model

The North American Dipole(NAD)is a north-south seesaw pattern of sea level pressure anomalies over the western tropical North Atlantic and northeastern North America.Previous observational studies have demonstrated that the NAD can affect the outbreak of El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO)events.The present study analyzed the NAD-ENSO relationship as simulated by a coupled ocean-atmosphere model-namely,the Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System model,gridpoint version 2(FGOALS-g2).Results indicated that the model can replicate a distinct dipole comprised of a low over northeastern North America and a high over the western tropical North Atlantic,which is the signature feature of the NAD.Further analysis verified that the winter NAD can initiate the central equatorial Pacific warming in the subsequent winter by effectively forcing an anticyclonic flow and sea surface temperature(SST)warming over the northeastern subtropical Pacific(NESP)during late winter or early spring.In addition,the probability of an El Niño event was increased by a factor of 1.8 in the assimilation experiment with the NAD.By comparison,the winter Northern Atlantic Oscillation had no significant impact on the occurrence of ENSO a year later owing to its failure to induce the SST and surface wind anomalies over the NESP.

Does Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol and Cigarette Smoking Increase Risk of Hospitalization for American Indian Infants

Background: Prenatal exposure to alcohol and tobacco are both associated with increased risk for adverse outcomes. American Indians experience disproportionate rates of adverse birth outcomes. The Indian people living in the Great Plains Area of the Indian Health Services have increased exposure to alcohol and smoking during pregnancy. This study aims to assess the relationship between prenatal alcohol and tobacco exposure and early hospitalization in a rural Tribal Nation. Methods: We used data from the prospective Safe Passage Study on pregnancies and hospitalizations within the first year of life. The relationship between time to hospitalization and prenatal tobacco/alcohol exposure, maternal demographics, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression were evaluated. The analysis utilized Chi-square tests. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to estimate the likelihood of hospitalization during the first year of life by substance use category. Results: From a sample of 432 infants, we identified 260 (60.2%) who had a hospitalization. We found no significant effect from that if mother drank, amount drank, amount smoked or if mother smoked, on the risk of hospitalization. We did identify an effect for exposure to alcohol or smoking and age to hospitalization. Exposure was associated with younger age at hospitalization. However, after controlling for mother’s age, this effect was not significant. Mother’s age was significant in all models of hospitalization risk from parental exposure. Discussion: Reducing prenatal exposure to tobacco and alcohol may decrease hospitalization rates for infants from this Tribal Nation, especially among young mothers.

Contributions of shortwave radiation to the formation of temperature inversions in the Bay of Bengal and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean:A modeling approach

Variations in incoming shortwave radiation influence the net surface heat flux,contributing to the formation of a temperature inversion.The effects of shortwave radiation on the temperature inversions in the Bay of Bengal and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean have never been investigated.Thus,a high-resolution(horizontal resolution of 0.07°×0.07° with 50 vertical layers) Regional Ocean Modeling System(ROMS) model is utilized to quantify the contributions of shortwave radiation to the temperature inversions in the study domain.Analyses of the mixed layer heat and salt budgets are performed,and different model simulations are compared.The model results suggest that a 30% change in shortwave radiation can change approximately 3% of the temperature inversion area in the Bay of Bengal.Low shortwave radiation reduces the net surface heat flux and cools the mixed layer substantially;it also reduces the evaporation rate,causing less evaporative water vapor losses from the ocean than the typical situation,and ultimately enhances haline stratification.Thus,the rudimentary outcome of this research is that a decrease in shortwave radiation produces more temperature inversion in the study region,which is primarily driven by the net surface cooling and supported by the intensive haline stratification.Moreover,low shortwave radiation eventually intensifies the temperature inversion layer by thickening the barrier layer.This study could be an important reference for predicting how the Indian Ocean climate will respond to future changes in shortwave radiation.

Early exercise premium method for pricing American options under the J-model

Background:This study develops a new model called J-am for pricing American options and for determining the related early exercise boundary(EEB).This model is based on a closed-form solution J-formula for pricing European options,defined in the study by Jerbi(Quantitative Finance,15:2041-2052,2015).The J-am pricing formula is a solution of the Black&Scholes(BS)PDE with an additional function called f as a second member and with limit conditions adapted to the American option context.The aforesaid function f represents the cash flows resulting from an early exercise of the option.Methods:This study develops the theoretical formulas of the early exercise premium value related to three American option pricing models called J-am,BS-am,and Heston-am models.These three models are based on the J-formula by Jerbi(Quantitative Finance,15:2041-2052,2015),BS model,and Heston(Rev Financ Stud,6:327-343,1993)model,respectively.This study performs a general algorithm leading to the EEB and to the American option price for the three models.Results:After implementing the algorithms,we compare the three aforesaid models in terms of pricing and the EEB curve.In particular,we examine the equivalence between J-am and Heston-am as an extension of the equivalence studied by Jerbi(Quantitative Finance,15:2041-2052,2015).This equivalence is interesting since it can reduce a bi-dimensional model to an equivalent uni-dimensional model.Conclusions:We deduce that our model J-am exactly fits the Heston-am one for certain parameters values to be optimized and that all the theoretical results conform with the empirical studies.The required CPU time to compute the solution is significantly less in the case of the J-am model compared with to the Heston-am model.

Remote forcing of Indian Ocean warming on Northwest Pacific during El Nio decaying years:a FOAM model approach

This paper attempts to analyze in detail the remote influence of the Indian Ocean Basin warming on the Northwest Pacific （NWP） during the year of decaying E1 Nifio. Observation data and the Fast Ocean- Atmosphere coupled Model 1.5 were used to investigate the triggering conditions under which the remote influence is formed between the positive sea surface temperature （SST） anomaly in the North Indian Ocean and the Anomalous Northwest Pacific anticyclone （ANWPA）. Our research show that it is only when there is a contributory background wind field over the Indian Ocean, i,e., when the Indian Summer Monsoon （ISM） reaches its peak, that the warmer SST anomaly in the North Indian Ocean incites significant easterly wind anomalies in the lower atmosphere of the Indo-West tropical Pacific. This then produces the remote influence on the ANWPA. Therefore, the SST anomaly in the North Indian Ocean might interfere with the prediction of the East Asia Summer Monsoon in the year of decaying E1 Nifio. Both the sustaining effect of local negative SST anomalies in the NWP, and the remote effect of positive SST anomalies in the North Indian Ocean on the ANWPA, should be considered in further research.

Analysis-Prediction Experiments over Indian Region Using Primitive Equation Barotropic Model

The impact of initial guess and grid resolutions on the analysis and prediction has been investigated over the Indian region. For this purpose, an univariate objective analysis scheme and a primitive equation barotropic model have been used. The impact of initial guess and the resolutions on analysis and prediction is discussed.

The Search for the Lost American Indian Identity in Louis Owens’s Wolfsong

The problem of identity is a hot issue frequently talked about in many literary works.Especially,the identity problem or the search for identity can be seen as one of the major themes in the literary works written by ethnic writers.Louis Owens is a distinguished American Indian writer who has Choctaw,Cherokee,and Irish descent.In his debut work Wolfsong which was published in 1995,Louis Owens depicts the story about the protagonist Tom Joseph’s search for his lost American Indian identity.With deep knowledge and notion about American Indian culture and tradition,Owens reveals his worry about their own identity and precious culture and tradition which are disappearing gradually.This paper tries to analyze Tom Joseph’s search for his identity,and discusses how the American Indian tradition and culture influence his endeavor to find the lost American Indian identity.

The Influence of Indian Culture on American English

Language and culture are inseparable. A language carries cultural message of a nation, which reflects the historical and cultural background of this nation, as well as people＇s thinking, social behavior and lifestyle. Culture records the social development and changes while social development and changes in a variety of things and phenomena will get accumulated and reflected in the language. In the collision of Indian culture and American English, Indian culture has left a deep imprint on American English. American English absorbs a large number of Indian vocabulary, including the names of animals, plants, and many other aspects of social life along with compound words. This paper mainly focuses on the influence of Indian culture on American English, and analyses semantic variants from Indian language in American English, including sound, spelling, semantic and syntactical change. With the tolerance of other languages and many borrowed Indian words, American English makes the 17th century become its starting point of continuous development and evolution.