In Memoriam, Academician Prof. Dr. Osor Shagdarsuren (1929-2010)

Academician, Professor Osor Shagdarsuren passed away due to apoplexy on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at the age of 81. He was one of the most respected Mongolian ornithologists, biologists, and educators. The Mongolian scientific community has lost one of its greatest members, the premier Mongolian ornithologist

Brutareale und Brutbiologie der Greifvogelarten der Mongolei = Grid Mapping and Breeding Ecology of Raptors in Mongolia

This work summarizes the longtime ecological research of the German-Mongolian scientific cooperation regarding biodiversity studies in Central Asia, focusing on native raptor species (Aves: Falconiformes). There is included a short overview on the history of raptor research in Mongolia. One of the primary goals was the creation of distribution maps of breeding records based on definitive time and space coordinates. Additional data on the breeding biology amend the distribution data. Currently 43 raptor species are recorded for Mongolia. Whenever possible were also incorporated data from adjacent regions of Mongolia (China, Tuva, Burjatia, Pribaikalia), in order to embed the avifauna of Mongolia into this wider geographical setting. First data on migration based on ringing and marking are available for the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus), Black Kite (Milvus migrans), and the Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)

Effect of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine six years post-introduction on pneumococcal carriage in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Limited data from Asia are available on long-term effects of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine introduction on pneumococcal carriage. Here we assess the impact of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) introduction on nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage prevalence, density and antimicrobial resistance. Cross-sectional carriage surveys were conducted pre-PCV13 (2015) and post-PCV13 introduction (2017 and 2022). Pneumococci were detected and quantified by real-time PCR from nasopharyngeal swabs. DNA microarray was used for molecular serotyping and to infer genetic lineage (Global Pneumococcal Sequence Cluster). The study included 1461 infants (5-8 weeks old) and 1489 toddlers (12-23 months old) enrolled from family health clinics. We show a reduction in PCV13 serotype carriage (with non-PCV13 serotype replacement) and a reduction in the proportion of samples containing resistance genes in toddlers six years post-PCV13 introduction. We observed an increase in pneumococcal nasopharyngeal density. Serotype 15 A, the most prevalent non-vaccine-serotype in 2022, was comprised predominantly of GPSC904;9. Reductions in PCV13 serotype carriage will likely result in pneumococcal disease reduction. It is important for ongoing surveillance to monitor serotype changes to potentially inform new vaccine development

Multicenter study of device-associated infection rates in hospitals of Mongolia: Findings of the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC)

Methods: A device-associated health care-associated infection prospective surveillance study in 3 adult intensive care units (ICUs) from 3 hospitals using the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) definitions and INICC methods. Results: We documented 467 ICU patients for 2,133 bed days. The central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) rate was 19.7 per 1,000 central line days, the ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) rate was 43.7 per 1,000 mechanical ventilator days, and the catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rate was 15.7 per 1,000 urinary catheter days; all of the rates are higher than the INICC rates (CLABSI: 4.9; VAP: 16.5; and CAUTI: 5.3) and CDC-NHSN rates (CLABSI: 0.8; VAP: 1.1; and CAUTI: 1.3). Device use ratios were also higher than the CDC-NHSN and INICC ratios, except for the mechanical ventilator device use ratio, which was lower than the INICC ratio. Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus to oxacillin was 100%. Extra length of stay was 15.1 days for patients with CLABSI, 7.8 days for patients with VAP, and 8.2 days for patients with CAUTI. Extra crude mortality in the ICUs was 18.6% for CLABSI, 17.1% for VAP, and 5.1% for CAUTI. Conclusion: Device-associated health care-associated infection rates and most device use ratios in our Mongolian hospitals' ICUs are higher than the CDC-NSHN and INICC rates

Discrimination and daycare choice: evidence from a randomized survey

We use a randomized survey to study the relation between parenting styles and attitudes towards ethnic minorities in a daycare setting. Parents choose between two daycare centers: a free-play facility that reflects a “relaxed” parenting approach and a structured facility that reflects a “strict” parenting approach. We find biases against ethnic minorities among parents who prefer the structured daycare but not among parents who prefer the free-play one. Using data from the European Value Survey, we further document an association between discriminatory attitudes towards peer ethnicity and parenting style

Pratiques funéraires et sacrifices d'animaux en Mongolie à la période Proto-Historique. Du perçu au signifié à propos d'une sépulture Xiongnu de la vallée d'Egying Gol (région péri-Baïkal).

International audienceEtude d'un kourgane du II siècle de notre ère, situé au nord de la Mongolie. Au fond de la fosse, une chambre funéraire en bois contient un cercueil, qui a livré les restes d'un homme jeune, s'intégrant parfaitement dans la variabilité mongoloïde, auquel étaient associés sept pointes de flèches et les restes d'un arc. A côté de la chambre funéraire, les restes d'un autre coffre, contenant deux baguettes en os, ont été mis au jour. Au fond de la fosse, à l'extérieur des coffres, une niche avait été creusée en sape. Elle contient principalement les restes de l'extrémité céphalique et des extrémités distales des pattes, d'un cheval, de 3 bovinés et de 8 caprinés. L'étude de la saison d'abattage des animaux par l'intermédiaire de l'analyse, par lames minces, des dépôts de cément, jointe aux comparaisons avec des données archéologiques et historiques provenant de la même région du monde, permettent de s'interroger sur la signification de ces restes