Gastric Cancer Disparities in the United States: Overcoming the Barriers

In this narrative review, we highlight the disparities in the incidence and mortality of gastric cancer across various racial and ethnic populations in the United States (US). Despite the low and decreasing trend in the incidence of gastric cancer in the US, the incidence remains significantly high among Asian and Hispanic Americans, showing a striking racial and ethnic disparity. The low survival rate of gastric cancer further accentuates the magnitude of this disparity. In addition, there is a marked funding disparity among different cancers in the US, reflecting the significantly lower level of support for cancers, such as gastric cancer, which are more prevalent in minority populations, compared to the cancers more prevalent among non-Hispanic Whites (NHW). Moreover, the economic burden from health disparities remains high. Although studies from the US and Asia suggest that screening for stomach cancer may be cost-effective, there is no currently available guideline for scree-ning high-risk populations in the US. A multidimensional framework involving the community, physicians, and policymakers is proposed to tackle these gastric cancer disparities and to develop population-based screening and surveillance programs to reduce the burden of gastric cancer.

Modelling Foot and Mouth Disease in the Context of Active Immigrants

This study employs mathematical modeling to analyze the impact of active immigrants on Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) transmission dynamics. We calculate the reproduction number (R0) using the next-generation matrix approach. Applying the Routh-Hurwitz Criterion, we establish that the Disease-Free Equilibrium (DFE) point achieves local asymptotic stability when R0 α1 and α2) are closely associated with reduced susceptibility in animal populations, underscoring the link between immigrants and susceptibility. Furthermore, our findings emphasize the interplay of disease introduction with population response and adaptation, particularly involving incoming infectious immigrants. Swift interventions are vital due to the limited potential for disease establishment and rapid susceptibility decline. This study offers crucial insights into the complexities of FMD transmission with active immigrants, informing effective disease management strategies.

The Commitment to Promoting a Culture of Equity in Quebec Secondary Schools: Insights from School Stakeholders - A Secondary Publication

This paper presents the results of a research project on the intercultural climate in schools and the academic success of immigrant students in Quebec.The intercultural climate in eight secondary public schools is documented from the standpoint of various school and community stakeholders,students,and parents.More specifically,the paper focuses on the commitment to promoting cultural equity,which is identified through interviews with the targeted stakeholders on exclusionary practices and processes and the practices implemented to counter them.The results identify five areas of vulnerability among certain minoritized groups of students:the transition from welcoming to regular classes for those students learning French,evaluation and support for those experiencing learning or behavioral difficulties,the referral of these students to adult education programs or work-oriented training programs,their participation in extracurricular activities,and their access to special school projects.Nonetheless,some schools do report the introduction of many equity practices in response to the exclusionary ones.However,these initiatives are mostly occasional and voluntary and pertain to interactions between individuals.These findings call for a discussion on the importance of systemic and concerted initiatives towards achieving equity.

Ableism and (Neo)Racism in School Placement Processes in Quebec: School Personnel Interpretations of Immigrant Student Difficulties - A Secondary Publication

The school placement processes of students from immigrant backgrounds considered to be in“difficulty”is an international concern at the intersection of works relating to special education and those concerning the school experiences of students from immigrant backgrounds or racialized groups.The research problem of this article concerns the identification of these students as disabled or as having adjustment or learning difficulties.From a perspective anchored in Disability Critical Race Studies,this ethnographic study documents different interpretations of perceived difficulties made by school actors with regard to seven primary school students from immigrant backgrounds.Five interpretation types are presented:(1)medicalization by dismissal of cultural markers,(2)medicalization by professional constraint,(3)medicalization by cultural deficit,(4)precautionary wait,and(5)cultural differentialism.Our results help to shed light on the special education overrepresentation phenomenon regarding these students and to understand how ableism and(neo)racism contribute to it.

Relations Between School and Immigrant Families in Albertan Francophone School: Perspectives of Settlement Workers in Schools - A Secondary Publication

In recent years,Francophone schools in Alberta,a province in western Canada,have seen significant ethnocultural diversification of their school population,thus reflecting recent migratory changes in Canada.The population of a Francophone school board located in an agglomeration of Alberta reflects these new migratory trends.A partial ethnodemographic portrait carried out in 2003 in six of its schools indicates that 50%of the pupils come from an immigrant background and come from 23 different countries;mostly from sub-Saharan African countries.This demographic reality,confirmed more than a decade later,represents a major structural change for Francophone schools.In Alberta,as in other Canadian provinces,inclusion is at the heart of discourse and educational practices.With a transformative aim,it intends to promote ethnocultural diversity in the classroom and equal opportunities through school equity practices.This article focuses on the settlement workers in schools responsible for bridging family,community,and school cultures.The analysis of the interviews of the four workers sheds light on and questions both the institutional practices and the personal strategies put in place to face the challenges encountered in this tripartite collaboration.

Origin of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Cuba in the 19th Century from Its Main Exponents and Some Notable Medical Descendants in the 20th Century

The Cuban people are made up of three major migratory currents, the Chinese are one of them. They brought their culture, the methods, and procedures of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) in the 19th century. Few were able to return and so they created families in Cuba;some of their descendants dedicated themselves to medicine. In order to investigate the practices that were predecessors of TCM in Cuba in the 19th century, a qualitative phenomenological research was carried out, reviewing what was published by various sources, applying documentary analysis, logical historical analysis, abstraction, synthesis, and systematization of the results on the regularities of the work and human behavior of Chinese doctors in the Cuban 19th and 20th centuries. This made it possible to identify six Chinese doctors in the 19th century in Cuba who gave rise to the beginning of some practices of TCM in Cuba, and five from the 20th century, descendants of coolies who dedicated themselves to other specialties of medicine. It was found that despite their geographical and time disperse, they were all notorious for their outstanding professional and human behavior, with a trail of accumulated successes in achieving “almost the impossible” with the patient. They have left their mark on Cuban culture.

Inflammatory bowel disease among first generation immigrants in Israel:A nationwide epi-Israeli Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Nucleus study

BACKGROUND Israel has a high rate of Jewish immigration and a high prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).AIM To compare IBD prevalence in first-generation immigrants vs Israel-born Jews.METHODS Patients with a diagnosis of IBD as of June 2020 were included from the validated epi-IIRN(Israeli IBD Research Nucleus)cohort that includes 98%of the Israeli population.We stratified the immigration cohort by IBD risk according to country of origin,time period of immigration,and age group as of June 2020.RESULTS A total of 33544 patients were ascertained,of whom 18524(55%)had Crohn’s disease(CD)and 15020(45%)had ulcerative colitis(UC);28394(85%)were Israel-born and 5150(15%)were immigrants.UC was more prevalent in immigrants(2717;53%)than in non-immigrants(12303,43%,P<0.001),especially in the<1990 immigration period.After adjusting for age,longer duration in Israel was associated with a higher point prevalence rate in June 2020(high-risk origin:Immigration<1990:645.9/100000,≥1990:613.2/100000,P=0.043;intermediate/low-risk origin:<1990:540.5/100000,≥1990:192.0/100000,P<0.001).The prevalence was higher in patients immigrating from countries with high risk for IBD(561.4/100000)than those originating from intermediate-/low-risk countries(514.3/100000;P<0.001);non-immigrant prevalence was 528.9/100000.CONCLUSION Lending support to the environmental effect on IBD etiology,we found that among immigrants to Israel,the prevalence of IBD increased with longer time since immigration,and was related to the risk of IBD in the country of origin.The UC rate was higher than that of CD only in those immigrating in earlier time periods.

Acculturation Gap Between Two Generation Immigrants:An Analysis of Fresh Off the Boat

Globalization facilitates the transnational and trans-regional flow of population.As new comers,immigrants need to adapt to new culture and conventions.The way of acculturation varies from individuals even within an immigrant family,with a problematic asymmetry that children acculturate faster than their last generations,as the acculturation gap-distress model demonstrates.However,empirical studies indicate that acculturation gap does not always associate with family and youth maladjustment,and parent’s attitude towards the host and origin culture rarely influences children.This paper analyses Fresh Off the Boat,a teleplay adapted from a Chinese American writer Eddie Huang’s memoir,to revile how different generation immigrants adapt to their new life.This paper finds that parents’orientations to Chinese and American culture affect their children,which is different from the previous study.Findings suggest that maintaining heritage culture is important for young immigrants’adjustment,while accepting host culture is crucial for their parents.Therefore,adopting a strategy of integration may be the ideal way of acculturation.

On Canadian's Multiculturalism in the Late 20th Century

In 1971 the government of Canada adopted the policy of multiculturalism. Since then Canada has become the first western country to announce and implement an official policy of multiculturalism. While it is not easy to achieve this policy. The policies seem just to strengthen the racial consciousness in some extent, and the immigrant groups have to tackle the problem of how to fuse into the Canadian culture. Multiculturalism will have a bright future only if it would experience constant adjustment and improvement.

A Hybrid Immigrants Scheme for Genetic Algorithms in Dynamic Environments

Dynamic optimization problems are a kind of optimization problems that involve changes over time. They pose a serious challenge to traditional optimization methods as well as conventional genetic algorithms since the goal is no longer to search for the optimal solution（s） of a fixed problem but to track the moving optimum over time. Dynamic optimization problems have attracted a growing interest from the genetic algorithm community in recent years. Several approaches have been developed to enhance the performance of genetic algorithms in dynamic environments. One approach is to maintain the diversity of the population via random immigrants. This paper proposes a hybrid immigrants scheme that combines the concepts of elitism, dualism and random immigrants for genetic algorithms to address dynamic optimization problems. In this hybrid scheme, the best individual, i.e., the elite, from the previous generation and its dual individual are retrieved as the bases to create immigrants via traditional mutation scheme. These elitism-based and dualism-based immigrants together with some random immigrants are substituted into the current population, replacing the worst individuals in the population. These three kinds of immigrants aim to address environmental changes of slight, medium and significant degrees respectively and hence efficiently adapt genetic algorithms to dynamic environments that are subject to different severities of changes. Based on a series of systematically constructed dynamic test problems, experiments are carried out to investigate the performance of genetic algorithms with the hybrid immigrants scheme and traditional random immigrants scheme. Experimental results validate the efficiency of the proposed hybrid immigrants scheme for improving the performance of genetic algorithms in dynamic environments.

Hepatitis B virus infection in immigrant populations

Hepatitis B virus(HBV) is the most common cause of hepatitis worldwide, with nearly 350 million people chronically infected and 600000 deaths per year due to acute liver failure occurring during acute hepatitis or, more frequently, in HBV-related liver cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma. Ongoing immigration from countries with a high HBV endemicity to those with a low HBV endemicity warrants particular attention to prevent the spread of HBV infection to the native population. This review article analyzes the epidemiology and virological and clinical characteristics of HBV infection in immigrant populations and in their host countries, and suggests prophylactic measures to prevent the spread of this infection. Among the immigrants from different geographical areas, those from South East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa show the highest prevalences of hepatitis B surface antigen(HBs Ag) carriers, in accordance with the high endemicity of the countries of origin. The molecular characteristics of HBV infection in immigrants reflect those of the geographical areas of origin: HBV genotype A and D predominate in immigrants from Eastern Europe, B and C in those from Asia and genotype E in those from Africa. The literature data on the clinical course and treatment of HBs Agpositive immigrants are scanty. The management of HBV infection in immigrant populations is difficult and requires expert personnel and dedicated structures for their assistance. The social services, voluntary operators and cultural mediators are essential to achieve optimized psychological and clinical intervention.

MOMENTS AND LARGE DEVIATIONS FOR SUPERCRITICAL BRANCHING PROCESSES WITH IMMIGRATION IN RANDOM ENVIRONMENTS

Let(Z_(n))be a branching process with immigration in a random environmentξ,whereξis an independent and identically distributed sequence of random variables.We show asymptotic properties for all the moments of Z_(n) and describe the decay rates of the n-step transition probabilities.As applications,a large deviation principle for the sequence log Z_(n) is established,and related large deviations are also studied.

Seasonal Dynamics of Male and Female Reproductive Systems in the Siberian Salamander, Salamandrella keyserlingii (Caudata, Hynobiidae)

It is not well known how low temperatures, like a subarctic steppe–tundra climate, influence reproductive traits of ectothermic vertebrates. To begin answering this question, we studied male and female reproductive systems of Salamandrella keyserlingii inhabiting a Tomsk population（southeast of Western Siberia）, Russia, in ecological and physiological terms. In males, before spermiation, the testicular size and weight in late April–early May were greatest of all. Spermiation occurred during breeding immigration in spring when mean air temperature was above 10°С, and at the same time rain fell. After spermiation, the testicular size and weight decreased sharply, and the diameter of the vasa deferentia increased. ＂Spawning＂（i.e., simultaneous extrusion of sperm and oviposition） occurred from late April to late May, and this duration fluctuated in temperature and humidity. The testicular size and weight increased in summer. Sperm mass was detected in the testes by the smear method in April–September, except in June when single fragmented unrealized sperm was detected and in July when spermatids were detected. In females, ovarian weight was greatest in spring before ovulation. From late June, vitellogenesis began in ovarian follicles, in which mint green yolks accumulated. Melanin deposited in the surface of the ovary from July when oviducts were hypertrophying. In contrast, some large-sized females did not show any sexual maturity shortly before hibernation（although these females may be subadults）. These results suggest that low temperatures in Siberia induce early timing of gamete maturation in females, but the females＇ reproductive cycle might also be biennial. A reproductive cycle in males was annual with the completion of the gamete maturation process in August.

CENTRAL LIMIT THEOREM AND CONVERGENCE RATES FOR A SUPERCRITICAL BRANCHING PROCESS WITH IMMIGRATION IN A RANDOM ENVIRONMENT

We are interested in the convergence rates of the submartingale Wn=Z_(n)/Π_(n)to its limit W,where(Π_(n))is the usually used norming sequence and(Z_(n))is a supercritical branching process with immigration(Y_(n))in a stationary and ergodic environmentξ.Under suitable conditions,we establish the following central limit theorems and results about the rates of convergence in probability or in law:(i)W-W_(n) with suitable normalization converges to the normal law N(0,1),and similar results also hold for W_(n+k)-W_(n) for each fixed k∈N^(*);(ii)for a branching process with immigration in a finite state random environment,if W_(1) has a finite exponential moment,then so does W,and the decay rate of P(|W-W_(n)|>ε)is supergeometric;(iii)there are normalizing constants an(ξ)(that we calculate explicitly)such that a_(n)(ξ)(W-W_(n))converges in law to a mixture of the Gaussian law.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ON THE INFLUENCE OF THE LANDFALLING STRONG TROPICAL CYCLONES IN THE CATASTROPHIC MIGRATIONS OF NILAPARVATA LUGENS(STL) IN CHINA

In order to clarify the statistical pattern by which landfalling strong tropical cyclones(LSTCs)influenced the catastrophic migrations of rice brown planthopper(BPH),Nilaparvata lugens(stl)in China,the data of the LSTCs in China and the lighting catches of BPH that covered the main Chinese rice-growing regions from 1979 to 2008 were collected and analyzed in this work with the assistance of ArcGIS9.3,a software of geographic information system.The results were as follows:(1)In China,there were 220 strong tropical cyclones that passed the main rice-growing regions and 466 great events of BPH’s immigration in the 30 years from 1979 to 2008.73 of them resulted in the occurrence of BPH’s catastrphic migration(CM)events directly and 147 of them produced indirect effect on the migrations.(2)The number of the LSTCs was variable in different years during 1979 to 2008 and their influence was not the same in the BPH’s northward and southward migrations in the years.In the 30 years,the LSTCs brought more obvious influence on the migrations in 1980,1981,2005,2006 and 2007.The influence was the most obvious in2007 and all of the 7 LSTCs produced remarkable impact on the CMs of BPH’s populations.The effect of the LSTCs on the northward immigration of BPH’s populations was the most serious in 2006 and the influence on the southward immigration was the most remarkable in 2005.(3)In these years,the most of LSTCs occurred in July,August and September and great events of BPH's immigration occurred most frequently in the same months.The LSTCs played a more important role on the CM of BPH’s populations in the three months than in other months.(4)The analysis on the spatial distribution of the LSTCs and BPH’s immigration events for the different provinces showed that the BPH’s migrations in the main rice-growing regions of the Southeastern China were influenced by the LSTCs and the impact was different with the change of their spatial probability distribution during their passages.The most serious influence of the LSTCs on the BPH’s migrations occurred in Guangdong and Fujian provinces.(5)The statistical results indicated that a suitable insect source is an indispensable condition of the CMs of BPH when a LSTC influenced a rice-growing region.

IMMIGRATION, GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION AND SOCIAL ECONOMIC STATUS OF AMERICAN CHINESE

In 1994, the total Chinese population in the United States were 2,017,799 which were 0.8 percent of the total US population. The Chinese population were highly concentrated by regions and among the total population. By states, 42 percent of total Chinese population were found in California, 17 percent in New York. More than 80 percent total Chinese population were concentrated in 9 states. By metropolitan areas, 14.73 percent of total Chinese population were found in Los Angeles and New York respectively. Compared with the total US population, 60 percent Chinese population were found in less than 20 percent total US population and 80 percent in 50 percent. By studying the Chinese population distribution and the reason behind it, we hope to find some interesting relationships among the characteristics of this distribution and the historical, cultural, social and economic factors influencing it.

High prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis B and C in Minnesota Somalis contributes to rising hepatocellular carcinoma incidence

BACKGROUND Chronic hepatitis B virus(HBV)and hepatitis C virus(HCV)infections are known risk factors for liver disease,cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).There is substantial global variation in HBV and HCV prevalence resulting in variations in cirrhosis and HCC.We previously reported high prevalence of HBV and HCV infections in Somali immigrants seen at an academic medical center in Minnesota.AIM To determine the prevalence of chronic viral hepatitis in Somali immigrants in Minnesota through a community-based screening program.METHODS We conducted a prospective community-based participatory research study in the Somali community in Minnesota in partnership with community advisory boards,community clinics and local mosques between November 2010 and December 2015(data was analyzed in 2020).Serum was tested for hepatitis B surface antigen,hepatitis B core antibody,hepatitis B surface antibody and anti-HCV antibody.RESULTS Of 779 participants,15.4%tested positive for chronic HBV infection,50.2%for prior exposure to HBV and 7.6%for chronic HCV infection.Calculated age-adjusted frequencies in males and females for chronic HBV were 12.5%and 11.6%;for prior exposure to HBV were 44.8%and 41.3%;and for chronic HCV were 6.7%and 5.7%,respectively.Seven participants developed incident HCC during follow up.CONCLUSION Chronic HBV and HCV are major risk factors for liver disease and HCC among Somali immigrants,with prevalence of both infections substantially higher than in the general United States population.Community-based screening is essential for identifying and providing health education and linkage to care for diagnosed patients.

THE ASYMPTOTIC PROPERTIES OF SUPERCRITICAL BISEXUAL GALTON-WATSON BRANCHING PROCESSES WITH IMMIGRATION OF MATING UNITS

In this article the supercritical bisexual Galton-Watson branching processes with the immigration of mating units is considered. A necessary condition for the almost sure convergence, and a sufficient condition for the L^1 convergence are given for the process with the suitably normed condition.

美国WASP主流文化存亡探析——移民之融合与威胁

美国核心文化—WASP文化面临诸多挑战和威胁,其中以移民影响最为突出。欧洲移民比例的下降,拉美裔、亚裔移民比例的增加引起美国社会结构发生巨大变化、美国社会"变色"—拉美化。本文从移民的同化、融合、多元共存角度出发,总结出"同化"论终究要被"多元文化论"代替。因此在全球化背景下,双语主义的流行,美国将成为多种文化共存的多元文化的移民国家。

Diabetes in French Guiana,adapting national standards of therapeutic education and care to the amazonian challenge

French Guiana is a territory located more than 7000 km from France.It is also the largest French territory,with almost 84000 km2 and 90%of it is covered by forest.Some municipalities are isolated due to the scarcity of transportation and the poor road infrastructure.The population is extremely diverse ethnically and culturally,and includes more than thirty ethnic groups.Immigration is high because it is one of the richest countries in the area bordering northern Brazil,Suriname,Guyana,and as a result of socio-economic crises in some other countries such as Haiti,and it has permeable natural borders.Diabetes and obesity,are emerging issues,with double the prevalence of Mainland France,whereas infectious diseases,such as HIV,take second place.Therapeutic and educational management are challenging because they require the adaptation of tools and treatments to the multiculturalism and precariousness often encountered in these populations.The French and European recommendations are unsuited to the needs of the territory and must take into account the epidemiological,sociological and cultural parameters of these populations in order to provide appropriate and graded management of diabetes in the French Amazon.