The Granger causality test is used to examine the effects of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on global dry/wet conditions. The results show robust relationships between dry/wet conditions and the ocean states, as assessed through a multi-index (standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index and standar...

Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Abstract Introduction Conclusions References Tables Figures Back Close Abstract During the Northern hemisphere winter season, biomass burning is widespread in West Africa, yet the total tropospheric column ozone values (<30 DU) over much of the Tropical Atlantic Ocean (15 • N–5 • S) are relatively low. At the same time, the tro-posph...

The extant snake fauna has its roots in faunal upheaval occurring across the Paleogene-Neogene transition. On northern continents, this turnover is well established by the late early Miocene. However, this transition is poorly documented on southern landmasses, particularly on continental Africa, where no late Paleogene terrestrial snake assemblages are documented south of the equator. Here we ...

Molecular analysis encouraged discovery of genetic diversity and relationships of cultivated melon (Cucumis melo L.). We sequenced nine inter- and intra-genic regions of the chloroplast genome, about 5500 bp, using 60 melon accessions and six reference accessions of wild species of Cucumis to show intra-specific variation of the chloroplast genome. Sequence polymorphisms were detected among mel...

With the objective of clarifying some aspects of the biogeography, phylogeny, and taxonomy of the genus Androcymbium, we sequenced three chloroplastic DNA noncoding regions (trnL intron, trnLtrnF IGS, and trnY-trnD IGS). These data were analyzed with maximum parsimony and the ancestral areas methods following Bremer. Results show that Androcymbium is not monophyletic and that the origin of its ...

the endocarp of celtis australis l. with hyrcanian forests of northern iran and arid mountains of northern africa ecotypes were studied considering macro and micro morphologic characteristics, using binocular and scanning electron microscope. the aim of this research was to evaluate the endocarp diversity in different ecological conditions. the results showed that celtis australis l. is bigger,...

We thank O. S. Ogah for his interest in our article “Cardiac Disease Patterns in Northern Malawi: Epidemiologic Transition Perspective”1. In his letter,2 Ogah agrees with us that the current epidemiologic transition in Northern Malawi is characterized by new patterns of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Ogah, however, believes that we might have been incorrect when we stated that there was no simi...

European travelers in Africa in the mid-19th century encountered environments quite unlike those of their native lands. These provided many new and unanticipated health challenges. The ophthalmological consequences of exposure to such climates, as recorded incidentally in travelogues, are of potential interest. In this article, the almost contemporaneous narratives of 3 travelers with considera...

Although many studies have documented the effect of glaciation on the evolutionary history of Northern Hemisphere flora and fauna, this study is the first to investigate how the indirect aridification of Africa caused by global cooling in response to glacial cycles at higher latitudes has influenced the evolutionary history of an African montane bird. Mitochondrial DNA sequences from the NADH 3...

Concentrations of atmospheric noble gases (neon, argon, krypton, and xenon) dissolved in groundwaters from northern Oman indicate that the average ground temperature during the Late Pleistocene (15,000 to 24,000 years before present) was 6.5 degrees +/- 0.6 degrees C lower than that of today. Stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic groundwater data show that the origin of atmospheric water vapor ch...