bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rural Ties of Urban Migrants in Thailand
Authors: Tirasawat Penporn , Goldstein Alice , Goldstein Sidney 
Published: June 2008

AbstractIn Thailand, as in other less developed countries, migration is assuming an increasingly important role in the dynamics of population growth and distribution. Concurrent with the recognition of migration's importance has been a growing awareness of the complexity of the process. A host of factors, including characteristics pertaining to the individual as well as to the places of origin and destination, determine who moves, when the move occurs, and to where. For example, research on Thailand (S. Goldstein, Prachuabmoh, and A. Goldstein, 1974) has shown that there are important occupational and educational differentials between the migrants on the one hand and the non-migrants at both origin and destination on the other. In general, migrants tend to be more educated than the rural population they leave behind; yet those moving to Bangkok are on the average less educated than the capital's natives. At the same time, migrants are disproportionally concentrated in service work, especially in Bangkok, where they are also particularly underrepresented among white collar workers. Moreover, migration is seldom a simple, one-step process; a substantial proportion of persons move several times. For some, these multiple moves involve a stepping-stone process from small to larger places; for others, the moves may be circular in character, involving return moves to place of origin.
Legislating a Solution to Animal Shelter Euthanasia: A Case Study of California's Controversial SB 1785
Authors: Balcom Sarah A. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractOn September 22, 1998, California Governor Pete Wilson signed Senate Bill 1785 into law, dramatically affecting the entire Califomia animal sheltering community. Dubbed the "Hayden law" by the animal protection community after the bill's sponsor, it represents the state of Califomia's attempt to legislate a solution to both the companion animal overpopulation problem and the friction between the agencies trying to end it.The persistence of the bill's primary supporters, a Los Angeles veterinarian and a UCLA law school professor and the overall lack of opposition to it helped SB 1785 sail through the California legislature. Because of the scope of the bill and the immense cost of implementation, its passage shocked many in the sheltering community.This case study highlights the consequences of legislation that was crafted based on worse case scenarios and over which there was little collaborative effort. It concludes with suggestions that might be useful to other states contemplating similar such legislation.
Beyond Anecdotes: An Empirical Study of "Anthropomorphism"
Authors: Fidler Margaret , Costall Alan , Morris Paul 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe status of "anthropomorphic" descriptions of animals in terms of intentions and emotions has been generally regarded as a prescriptive methodological concern. In contrast, in the study of human social psychology the nature of psychological descriptions of other people has been approached as a substantive empirical issue. Following this lead, the present study investigated the nature of people's descriptions of short videotaped episodes of animal behavior. The descriptions obtained were predominantly anthropomorphic and structured according to a limited set of "event units" whose psychological meaning was highly consistent across the observers. In common with many social psychologists we conclude that consistency of anthropomorphic description suggests that meaning is specified within the structure of behavior.
Religion in the Making? Animality, Savagery, and Civilization in the Work of A. N. Whitehead
Authors: Palmerl Clare 
Published: June 2008

AbstractConstructions of the animal and animality are often pivotal to religious discourses. Such constructions create the possibility of identifying and valuing what is "human" as opposed to the "animal" and also of distinguishing human beliefs and behaviors that can be characterized (and often disparaged) as being animal from those that are "truly human." Some discourses also employ the concept of savagery as a bridge between the human and the animal, where the form of humanity but not its ideal beliefs and practices can be displayed. This paper explores the work of the influential scientist, philosopher, and theologian A. N. Whitehead in this context. His ideas of what constitutes "the animal." the "primitive" and the "civilized" are laid out explicitly in his now little-used history of religions text, Religion in the Making.This paper explores these ideas in this history and then considers how the same ideas permeate his currently more popular philosophical and theological writing Process and Reolity. Drawing on some work in post-colonial theory the paper offers a critique of this understanding of animality, savagery, and civilization and suggests that using Whitehead to underpin modern theological work requires considerable caution.
The Role of Irrigation Expansion in Past and Future Temperature Trends
Authors: Lobell David B. , Bonfils Céline , Faurès Jean-Marc 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
Expansion of irrigated land can cause local cooling of daytime temperatures by up to several degrees Celsius. Here the authors compare the expected cooling associated with rates of irrigation expansion in developing countries for historical (1961–2000) and future (2000–30) periods with climate model predictions of temperature changes from other forcings, most notably increased atmospheric greenhouse gas levels, over the same periods. Indirect effects of irrigation on climate, via methane production in paddy rice systems, were not considered. In regions of rapid irrigation growth over the past 40 yr, such as northwestern India and northeastern China, irrigation’s expected cooling effects have been similar in magnitude to climate model predictions of warming from greenhouse gases. A masking effect of irrigation can therefore explain the lack of significant increases in observed growing season maximum temperatures in these regions and the apparent discrepancy between observations and climate model simulations. Projections of irrigation for 2000–30 indicate a slowing of expansion rates, and therefore cooling from irrigation expansion over this time period will very likely be smaller than in recent decades. At the same time, warming from greenhouse gases will likely accelerate, and irrigation will play a relatively smaller role in agricultural climate trends. In many irrigated regions, therefore, temperature projections from climate models, which generally ignore irrigation, may be more accurate in predicting future temperature trends than their performance in reproducing past observed trends in irrigated regions would suggest.
Economic Value of Seasonal Climate Forecasts for Agriculture: Review of Ex-Ante Assessments and Recommendations for Future Research
Authors: Meza Francisco J. , Hansen James W. , Osgood Daniel 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
Advanced information in the form of seasonal climate forecasts has the potential to improve farmers’ decision making, leading to increases in farm profits. Interdisciplinary initiatives seeking to understand and exploit the potential benefits of seasonal forecasts for agriculture have produced a number of quantitative ex-ante assessments of the economic value of seasonal climate forecasts. The realism, robustness, and credibility of such assessments become increasingly important as efforts shift from basic research toward applied research and implementation. This paper surveys published evidence about the economic value of seasonal climate forecasts for agriculture, characterizing the agricultural systems, approaches followed, and scales of analysis. The climate forecast valuation literature has contributed insights into the influence of forecast characteristics, risk attitudes, insurance, policy, and the scale of adoption on the value of forecasts. Key innovations in the more recent literature include explicit treatment of the uncertainty of forecast value estimates, incorporation of elicited management responses into bioeconomic modeling, and treatment of environmental impacts, in addition to financial outcomes of forecast response. It is argued that the picture of the value of seasonal forecasts for agriculture is still incomplete and often biased, in part because of significant gaps in published valuation research. Key gaps include sampling of a narrow range of farming systems and locations, incorporation of an overly restricted set of potential management responses, failure to consider forecast responses that could lead to “regime shifts,” and failure to incorporate state-of-the-art developments in seasonal forecasting. This paper concludes with six recommendations to enhance the realism, robustness, and credibility of ex-ante valuation of seasonal climate forecasts.
Short-Period Modulations in Aerosol Optical Depths over the Central Himalayas: Role of Mesoscale Processes
Authors: Dumka U. C. , Moorthy K. Krishna , Satheesh S. K. , Sagar Ram , Pant P. 
Published: June 2008

AbstractMultiyear measurements of spectral aerosol optical depths (AODs) were made at Manora Peak in the central Himalaya Range (29°22′N, 79°27′E, ∼1950 m above mean sea level), using a 10-channel multiwavelength solar radiometer for 605 days during January 2002–December 2004. The AODs at 0.5 μm were very low (≤0.1) in winter and increased steeply to reach high values (∼0.5) in summer. It was observed that monthly mean AODs vary significantly (by more than a factor of 6) from January to June. Strong short-period fluctuations (within a daytime) were observed in the AODs. Further investigations of this aspect have revealed that boundary layer dynamics plays a key role in transporting aerosols from the polluted valley region to higher altitudes, causing large contrast in AODs between forenoon and afternoon. The seasonal variations in AODs, while examined in conjunction with synoptic-scale wind fields, have revealed that the transport of dust aerosols from arid regions to the valley regions adjacent to the observational site and their subsequent transport upward by boundary layer dynamics are responsible for the summer increases.
Basis for a Rainfall Estimation Technique Using IR–VIS Cloud Classification and Parameters over the Life Cycle of Mesoscale Convective Systems
Authors: Delgado G. , Machado Luiz A. T. , Angelis Carlos F. , Bottino Marcus J. , Redaño Á. , Lorente J. , Gimeno L. , Nieto R. 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
This paper discusses the basis for a new rainfall estimation method using geostationary infrared and visible data. The precipitation radar on board the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite is used to train the algorithm presented (which is the basis of the estimation method) and the further intercomparison. The algorithm uses daily Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite infrared–visible (IR–VIS) cloud classifications together with radiative and evolution properties of clouds over the life cycle of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in different brightness temperature (Tb) ranges. Despite recognition of the importance of the relationship between the life cycle of MCSs and the rainfall rate they produce, this relationship has not previously been quantified precisely. An empirical relationship is found between the characteristics that describe the MCSs’ life cycle and the magnitude of rainfall rate they produce. Numerous earlier studies focus on this subject using cloud-patch or pixel-based techniques; this work combines the two techniques. The algorithm performs reasonably well in the case of convective systems and also for stratiform clouds, although it tends to overestimate rainfall rates. Despite only using satellite information to initialize the algorithm, satisfactory results were obtained relative to the hydroestimator technique, which in addition to the IR information uses extra satellite data such as moisture and orographic corrections. This shows that the use of IR–VIS cloud classification and MCS properties provides a robust basis for creating a future estimation method incorporating humidity Eta field outputs for a moisture correction, digital elevation models combined with low-level moisture advection for an orographic correction, and a nighttime cloud classification.
Comparison of Synthetic Aperture Radar–Derived Wind Speeds with Buoy Wind Speeds along the Mountainous Alaskan Coast
Authors: Fisher C. M. , Young G. S. , Winstead N. S. , Haqq-Misra J. D. 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
Satellite-borne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) offers the potential for remotely sensing surface wind speed both over the open sea and in close proximity to the coast. The resolution improvement of SAR over scatterometers is of particular advantage near coasts. Thus, there is a need to verify the performance of SAR wind speed retrieval in coastal environments adjacent to very complex terrain and subject to strong synoptic forcing. Mountainous coasts present a challenge because the wind direction values required for SAR wind speed retrieval algorithms cannot be obtained from global model analyses with as much accuracy there as over the open ocean or adjacent to gentle coasts where most previous SAR accuracy studies have been conducted. The performance of SAR wind speed retrieval in this challenging environment is tested using a 7-yr dataset from the mountainous coast of the Gulf of Alaska. SAR-derived wind speeds are compared with direct measurements from three U.S. Navy Oceanographic Meteorological Automatic Device (NOMAD) buoys. Both of the commonly used SAR wind speed retrieval models, CMOD4 and CMOD5, were tested, as was the impact of correcting the buoy-derived wind speed profile for surface-layer stability. Both SAR wind speed retrieval models performed well although there was some wind speed–dependent bias. This may be either a SAR wind speed retrieval issue or a buoy issue because buoys can underestimate winds as wind speed and thus sea state increase. The full set of tests is performed twice, once using wind directions from the U.S. Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) model analyses and once using wind direction observations from the buoys themselves. It is concluded that useful wind speeds can be derived from SAR backscatter and global model wind directions even in proximity to mountainous coastlines.
Rainy-Season Duration Estimated from OLR versus Rain Gauge Data and the 2001 Drought in Southeast Brazil
Authors: Franchito Sergio H. , Rao V. Brahmananda , Barbieri Paulo R. B. , Santo Clovis M. E. 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
Large precipitation deficits observed during the 2001 austral summer over the southeast region of Brazil contributed to the worsening of the energy crisis that was occurring in the country, with unprecedented social and economic consequences. Reliable information on the beginning of the rainy season was essential for the Brazilian government to manage the energy crisis. The purpose of this study is to determine the rainy season in this region and to point out the risk of using outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data to estimate the beginning of it. The results show that when OLR data are used the beginning and the end dates of the rainy season are wrongly anticipated and delayed, respectively. The present study aims to provide useful information for the management of the impact of adverse climate conditions such as the one in 2001 by basing the analysis on rainfall data instead of on OLR.
Effects of Atmospheric Turbulence on Ballistic Testing
Authors: Frehlich Rod , Sharman Robert , Clough Charles , Padovani Michael , Fling Kelly , Boughers Ward , Walton W. Scott 
Published: June 2008

AbstractThe effects of atmospheric turbulence on munition target scatter are determined from numerical simulations of ballistic trajectories through many realizations of realistic simulated turbulent wind fields. A technique is evaluated for correcting for the effects of turbulence on ballistic testing procedures by using a line of sonic anemometer measurements taken along the trajectory path. The metric used to evaluate the correction is the difference between the target impact scatter produced with and without the use of the anemometers in the trajectory calculations. The improvement in the testing procedure as measured by this metric is determined as a function of the number of sonic anemometers in the line and the sonic averaging time interval. The performance of the simulations is also compared with data from a field test for a standard small-caliber munition, and the predicted and observed target scatter are in good qualitative agreement, supporting the feasibility of the approach.
Catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome mimicking a malignant pancreatic tumour – a case report
Authors: van Wissen S , Bastiaansen BAJ , Stroobants AK , van den Dool EJ , Idu MM , Levi M , Stroes ESG 
Published: June 2008

Abstract The catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome is characterised by rapid onset thromboses, often resistant to conventional anticoagulant treatment, and resulting in life threatening multiple organ dysfunction. The diagnosis of catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome may be difficult, predominantly due to its frequently atypical presentation. We report a case of a 35-year-old female who presented with a pancreatic tumour and extensive thromboses. Following a storm of ischemic events due to thrombotic occlusions in spite of therapeutic heparin dose, the suspicion of catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome emerged. The patient was successfully treated with anticoagulants, immunuglobulins, plasmapheresis and rituximab. The present report shows that the use of the diluted Russell’s viper venom time can be helpful in providing additional information on the lupus anticoagulans antibody status, allowing careful monitoring of lupus anticoagulans conversion and hence response to therapy.
Exploring allosteric coupling in the α-subunit of Heterotrimeric G proteins using evolutionary and ensemble-based approaches
Authors: Sayar Kemal , Uğur Özlem , Liu Tong , Hilser Vincent J , Onaran Ongun 
Published: June 2008

Abstract

Background
Allosteric coupling, which can be defined as propagation of a perturbation at one region of the protein molecule (such as ligand binding) to distant sites in the same molecule, constitutes the most general mechanism of regulation of protein function. However, unlike molecular details of ligand binding, structural elements involved in allosteric effects are difficult to diagnose. Here, we identified allosteric linkages in the α-subunits of heterotrimeric G proteins, which were evolved to transmit membrane receptor signals by allosteric mechanisms, by using two different approaches that utilize fundamentally different and independent information.

Results
We analyzed: 1) correlated mutations in the family of G protein α-subunits, and 2) cooperativity of the native state ensemble of the Gαi1 or transducin. The combination of these approaches not only recovered already-known details such as the switch regions that change conformation upon nucleotide exchange, and those regions that are involved in receptor, effector or Gβγ interactions (indicating that the predictions of the analyses can be viewed with a measure of confidence), but also predicted new sites that are potentially involved in allosteric communication in the Gα protein. A summary of the new sites found in the present analysis, which were not apparent in crystallographic data, is given along with known functional and structural information. Implications of the results are discussed.

Conclusion
A set of residues and/or structural elements that are potentially involved in allosteric communication in Gα is presented. This information can be used as a guide to structural, spectroscopic, mutational, and theoretical studies on the allosteric network in Gα proteins, which will provide a better understanding of G protein-mediated signal transduction.
Involvement of GTA protein NC2β in Neuroblastoma pathogenesis suggests that it physiologically participates in the regulation of cell proliferation
Authors: Di Pietro Cinzia , Ragusa Marco , Barbagallo Davide , Duro Laura R , Guglielmino Maria R , Majorana Alessandra , Giunta Veronica , Rapisarda Antonella , Tricarichi Elisa , Miceli Marco , Angelica Rosario , Grillo Agata , Banelli Barbara , Defferari Isabella , Forte Stefano , Laganà Alessandro , Bosco Camillo , Giugno Rosalba , Pulvirenti Alfredo , Ferro Alfredo , Grzeschik Karl H , Di Cataldo Andrea , Tonini Gian P , Romani Massimo , Purrello Michele 
Published: June 2008

Abstract

Background
The General Transcription Apparatus (GTA) comprises more than one hundred proteins, including RNA Polymerases, GTFs, TAFs, Mediator, and cofactors such as heterodimeric NC2. This complexity contrasts with the simple mechanical role that these proteins are believed to perform and suggests a still uncharacterized participation to important biological functions, such as the control of cell proliferation.

Results
To verify our hypothesis, we analyzed the involvement in Neuroblastoma (NB) pathogenesis of GTA genes localized at 1p, one of NB critical regions: through RT-PCR of fifty eight NB biopsies, we demonstrated the statistically significant reduction of the mRNA for NC2β (localized at 1p22.1) in 74% of samples (p = 0.0039). Transcripts from TAF13 and TAF12 (mapping at 1p13.3 and 1p35.3, respectively) were also reduced, whereas we didn't detect any quantitative alteration of the mRNAs from GTF2B and NC2α (localized at 1p22-p21 and 11q13.3, respectively). We confirmed these data by comparing tumour and constitutional DNA: most NB samples with diminished levels of NC2β mRNA had also genomic deletions at the corresponding locus.

Conclusion
Our data show that NC2β is specifically involved in NB pathogenesis and may be considered a new NB biomarker: accordingly, we suggest that NC2β, and possibly other GTA members, are physiologically involved in the control of cell proliferation. Finally, our studies unearth complex selective mechanisms within NB cells.
A novel adenovirus vector for easy cloning in the E3 region downstream of the CMV promoter
Authors: Mailly Laurent , Boulade-Ladame Charlotte , Orfanoudakis Georges , Deryckere François 
Published: June 2008

Abstract
The construction of expression vectors derived from the human adenovirus type 5 (Ad5), usually based on homologous recombination, is time consuming as a shuttle plasmid has to be selected before recombination with the viral genome. Here, we describe a method allowing direct cloning of a transgene in the E3 region of the Ad5 genome already containing the immediate early CMV promoter upstream of three unique restriction sites. This allowed the construction of recombinant adenoviral genomes in just one step, reducing considerably the time of selection and, of course, production of the corresponding vectors. Using this vector, we produced recombinant adenoviruses, each giving high-level expression of the transgene in the transduced cells.