The Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama is a key pest of citrus as the vector of the bacterium causing the "huanglongbing" disease (HLB). To assess the global mtDNA population genetic structure, and possible dispersal history of the pest, we investigated genetic variation at the COI gene collating newly collected samples with all previously published data. Our dataset consists of 356...

Composite analyses, based on weekly snow-cover charts, temperature, sea level pressure, cyclone tracks and a rotated PCA of daily filtered 700 hPa geopotential height are used to examine relationships between the dominant modes of low-frequency atmospheric variability and mid-winter snow extent over the Eurasian continent. Two of the circulation modes examined have been identified previously an...

A comprehensive, time-averaged inventory of subaerial emissions of mercury from volcanoes that were active between 1980 and 2000 is derived based on the Hg/SO(2) ratios of the exhalations. Worldwide flux of mercury from volcanic eruptions is estimated to be 57 t/year while the flux from degassing activities is 37.6 t/year. After correcting for 'unmeasured' SO(2) emissions, the total global flux...

It has been argued recently that the initial dispersal of anatomically modern humans from Africa to southern Asia occurred before the volcanic "supereruption" of the Mount Toba volcano (Sumatra) at ∼74,000 y before present (B.P.)-possibly as early as 120,000 y B.P. We show here that this "pre-Toba" dispersal model is in serious conflict with both the most recent genetic evidence from both Afric...

The aim of this study was to evaluate the structure and measurement invariance religious identity, practice, beliefs across cultures in six world regions (Asia, non-Western Europe, North America, Oceania, South Western Europe) Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic (WEIRD) non-WEIRD regions. Confirmatory factory analysis examined whether hypothesized model fits data; several multi-...

seistan was one of the important ancient urban centres in south eastern persia. the ruins of the city show the prosperity and fertility of this city to the extent that a british civil officer considered it as the ancient london of asia. this article attempts to describe the enormous latent wealth of this ancient city which made it important for strategic, political and commercial reasons. due t...

Politicians fashionably argue in favour of financial development to promote economic growth following the seminal study of King and Levine (1993a and 1993b). Financial development, however, could come through alternative channels that are sometimes not compatible in small, open economics. A relatively popular channel promotes privatization of domestic financial intermediaries but with restricti...

What are the problems?  Current food systems in the South-East Asian region are unsustainable in the context of both supply and demand of food.  The ‘double burden of disease’, where undernutrition and obesity coexist side-by-side, is a severe challenge in South-East Asia.  The proportion of underweight children in South-East Asia is 19 per cent, the third largest share after South Asia and ...