Copyright (c) 2008 The Berkeley Electronic Press All rights reserved. http://digitalcommons.bepress.com Recent documents in Digital Commons en-us Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:29:53 PDT 3600 http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/morris_articles/4 http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/morris_articles/4 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:25:22 PDT This essay is a brief history of American underground/independent music from 1980 to 2000. The authors examine twenty-one of what they believe are the best and most influential bands of the period and provide an annotated list of representative recordings. These artists provide the inspiration and sonic blueprint for much of today's cutting edge music. Even so, their recordings are often absent from library collections and many librarians and patrons are unfamiliar with them. The groups discussed are Bad Brains, Beat Happening, Big Black, Bikini Kill, Black Flag, Camper Van Beethoven, Dead Kennedys, Fugazi, Galaxie 500, Hüsker Dü, Melvins, Minor Threat, Minutemen, Mission Of Burma, Pixies, R.E.M., the Replacements, Sleater-Kinney, Sonic Youth, Throwing Muses, and Uncle Tupelo. Cassie Wagner http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/morris_articles/3 http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/morris_articles/3 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:16:31 PDT Objectives: The research provides an overview of the health care management literature and the indexing coverage of core journal literature.Method: Citations from five source journals for the years 2002 through 2004 were studied using the protocols of the Mapping the Literature of Allied Health Project and Mapping the Literature of Nursing Project. The productivity of cited journals was analyzed by applying Bradford's Law of Scattering.Results: Journals were the most frequently cited format, followed by books. Only 3.2% of the cited journal titles from all 5 source journals generated two-thirds of the cited titles. When only the health care management practitioner-oriented source journals were considered, two-thirds of the output of cited journal titles came from 10.8% of the titles. Science Citation Index and PubMed provided the best overall coverage of the titles cited by all 5 source journals, while the cited titles from the 2 practitioner-oriented journals were covered most completely by Social Sciences Citation Index and Business Source Complete.Conclusions: Health care management is a multidisciplinary field. Librarians must consider the needs of their users and assist them by providing the necessary materials and combination of indexes to access this field adequately Mary Taylor http://repositories.cdlib.org/jmie/roadeco/Burns2007a http://repositories.cdlib.org/jmie/roadeco/Burns2007a Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:14:17 PDT The application of ecological assessments can facilitate transportation project planning and delivery that can avoid or minimize impacts to the environment and minimize disruptions of critical ecological processes. This presentation considers the value of ecological assessments designed to integrate regional conservation planning with environmental regulatory compliance that support ecologically appropriate transportation planning and project delivery. Recent transportation legislation (SAFETEA-LU) requires transportation agencies to consider environmental considerations in their regional and state-wide transportation plans, Earlier transportation required Federal agencies to coordinate environmental reviews to address multiple regulatory compliance simultaneously rather sequentially whenever possible. This requirement has been retained in the in SAFETEA-LU. Ecological assessments have been developed to address a variety of objectives. This presentation will review a subset of assessments and discuss components of those assessments which may offer the greatest value to transportation planners. This presentation will offer a template for developing a rapid assessment that offer a menu of assessment components that state and local transportation planners may consider to facilitate compliance with the new planning regulations that result in streamlined planning and project delivery. After the passage of SAFETEA-LU, the national Academy of Sciences hosted a workshop to discuss the information needs necessary to support the new provisions such as these new environmental within the recent legislation. The presentation will offer a list of date needs that facilitate the coordination and integration of multiple agency considerations and regulatory requirements. Follow-up work could include and analysis of the rapid assessment process and how it can be continually improved. Joseph Burns http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/102 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/102 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:04:43 PDT With increased understanding of El Niño and La Niña events and growing awareness of the wide range of potential impacts, as well as the increased reliability of seasonal climate forecasts for some regions of the world, there is growing interest in the use of climate information to help reduce risk for some weather-sensitive industries, especially agriculture. The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) is currently involved in a project sponsored by the UNDP Office to Combat Desertification and Drought (UNSO) and the World Meteorological Organization, with additional support from NOAA and USAID. The next phase of this project will be a workshop, Coping with Drought in Sub-Saharan Africa: Best Use of Climate Information, that will be held near Harare, Zimbabwe, October 4-6, 1999. This workshop will bring together local, regional, and international experts to discuss the use of both contemporary and indigenous climate information by farmers in Africa. The objectives of the workshop are to (1) define elements of a program that will address gaps that exist between climate information products provided by meteorological, agricultural, and hydrological services and the ability of farmers to access and use this information in support of decision making; (2) demonstrate how climate information can be incorporated in farm-level decisions to reduce the impacts of drought and other climatic extremes on agriculture and maximize productivity during more favorable growing conditions; and (3) develop a strategy to implement pilot studies in selected countries in sub-Saharan Africa that will demonstrate the value of climate information in decision making at the farm level and enhance the drought knowledge of farmers. Farmer surveys on the use and sources of climate information have been conducted in six sub-Saharan African countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Mali, Senegal, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. The workshop will serve as a forum to bring together potential partners for the next phase of the project. I will try to include a summary of this workshop and its findings in the next issue of this newsletter. If you would like to obtain more information on the project, contact the National Drought Mitigation Center or the UNDP/UNSO web site (http://www.undp.org/seed/unso/tables.htm). Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/101 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/101 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:00:57 PDT Many of the readers of Drought Network News are familiar with the "hydro-illogical cycle" cartoon that I use frequently in presentations and publications. This illustration has been translated into many languages and serves as a constant reminder of the crisis management mentality often displayed in responding to drought emergencies and the proverbial "window of opportunity" following a drought when planning for the next event is of high priority. I hear comments routinely from government officials that recognize the need to plan, but they express hesitancy in moving forward now if water supply conditions are normal or above. The concern is that actions to plan for drought might be viewed by political opponents or the public as misdirected. Politicians certainly do not want to be viewed as placing emphasis and expending resources on what may appear to be an issue that lacks urgency when other crises exist. As drought planners, perhaps we should pray for dry conditions so that proper attention will be given to this important component of water resources planning. After experiencing droughts in 1996 and 1998, the Southwest and southern Great Plains states are bracing for another dry year in 1999. The long-lead forecasts of NOAA's Climate Prediction Center place considerable confidence in a very dry 3-month period from March through May in this region. Much concern exists in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona about the potential threat of another year of drought. Texas and New Mexico have made considerable progress in drought planning since 1996, and these plans are likely to be tested severely if drought recurs this year. Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/100 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/100 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:00:54 PDT In the October issue of Drought Network News, I briefly discussed two policy initiatives that developed in response to the severe and widespread drought that affected the Southwest and southern Great Plains states in the United States during 1996. The first of these activities, a multistate workshop (and its subsequent report), was coordinated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This report was submitted to President Clinton in late August; it contained a series of recommendations that focused on short- and long-term issues. The second initiative, under the leadership of the Western Governors' Association (WGA), was not available in final form as we went to press with the last issue of the newsletter. This report is now available and is summarized below. In June 1996, the WGA adopted a resolution, sponsored by Governor Johnson of New Mexico: "The western governors believe that a comprehensive, integrated response to drought emergencies is critical . . .[and that] it is important to work together and cooperatively with other affected entities to plan for and implement measures that will provide relief from the current drought and prepare for future drought emergencies." From this resolution, a WGA drought task force was created and charged with (1) coordinating the drought response needs of the states by immediately identifying barriers to effective response at the federal level; (2) working with existing state, federal, and private entities to develop criteria for assessing various stages of drought and corresponding emergency response measures and mutual assistance; and (3) sharing solutions and relief measures that can be implemented within the states and localities in the West. Beginning with a meeting of the Drought Task Force in September, four working groups (drought management, agriculture, water resources, and wildfire and forest health) began working on a report that was to be presented at the November 1996 meeting of the 19 western governors. Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/99 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/99 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:56:51 PDT The NDMC hosted the first annual "Drought Monitor Forum" in November. Most of the readers of Drought Network News are probably aware of the Drought Monitor web site (http://enso.unl.edu/ monitor/index.html) and the products that are provided to users. (Mark Svoboda of the NDMC provided an overview of the Drought Monitor product in the Winter/Spring 2000 issue of Drought Network News.) This weekly product, jointly produced by the NDMC, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and NOAA's Climate Prediction Center, has been widely accepted in the United States, and other countries are considering the adoption of a similar technique for mapping drought occurrence and classifying severity levels. The web site receives about 30,000 hits a week and is published widely in newspapers across the country. It has also been adopted by The Weather Channel. A diverse set of users and technical specialists came together to review the product's successes and failures during its first year. We also discussed some of the more technical aspects of product development such as nomenclature and the use or modification of climate indices for incorporation in a blended index. Expect to see changes in the product, some subtle and some more dramatic, in the months ahead. We also expect NOAA's National Climatic Data Center to join us as a new partner in this activity in the spring of 2001. The Drought Monitor was highlighted in the report of the National Drought Policy Commission (NDPC) to Congress and the President in May 2000, and the NDPC recommended continued and expanded support for this partnership effort. (The NDPC report can be found at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/drought/finalreport/accesstoreports.htm.) Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/98 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/98 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:56:49 PDT I recently participated in an advanced course, "Management Strategies to Mitigate Drought in the Mediterranean: Monitoring, Risk Analysis, and Contingency Planning", in Rabat, Morocco (May 21- 26). The course was organized by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (CIHEAM- IAMZ) and the Institut Agronomique et Veterinaire Hassan II in Rabat, Morocco, with contribution from the European Commission. The National Drought Mitigation Center's Mark Svoboda also participated. Other lecturers included M. Wassif (Desert Research Center, Cairo); Eddy dePauw (ICARDA); Ana Iglesias (Universidad Politecnica, Madrid, and Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University); Karl Monnik (Institute for Soil, Climate and Water/ARC, South Africa); Manuel Menendez (CEDEX, Madrid, Spain); José Guerrero Ginel (Universidad de Córdoba, Córboda, Spain); and Tayeb Ameziane, Omar Kerkat, and Mohammed Doukkali from IAVII, Rabat, Morocco. About 30 persons from 11 countries within the region participated in the course. The goal of the course was to provide participants with methodologies and technical tools to develop and implement comprehensive drought preparedness plans. The format for the course was a series of lectures and a series of practicals focused on climatic indices and GIS techniques. The specific objectives of the course were included in the Fall 2000 issue (Volume 12, No. 3) of Drought Network News. I hope to include a more detailed summary of the course in a subsequent issue of this newsletter. Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/97 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/97 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:52:36 PDT On July 16, 1998, President Clinton signed the National Drought Policy Act into law. This law creates the National Drought Policy Commission (NDPC), which will examine current laws and programs and make recommendations to the president and Congress on the needs for a national drought policy. The Farm Service Agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture will serve as the chair for the Commission, which will comprise 16 members. In addition to the Secretary of Agriculture, other members of the Commission will include the Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Army, Secretary of Commerce, Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Administrator of the Small Business Administration, two governors nominated by the National Governors' Association, and two persons nominated by the National Association of Counties and the United States Conference of Mayors. The Commission will also include six persons (nominated by the Secretary of Agriculture, in coordination with the Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of the Army) representing groups acutely affected by drought emergencies, such as the agricultural production community, the credit community, rural and urban water associations, Native Americans, and fishing and environmental interests. Numerous groups are currently requesting representation on the Commission. Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/96 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/96 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:52:35 PDT The 1997-98 El Niño event has certainly raised the public's level of awareness of the impact of climate on society. Although the concern in the United States has focused more on mitigating the potential effects of floods, not all regions of the country are dealing with water surplus situations. An emerging drought in Montana and parts of some surrounding states has caught the attention of scientists and policy makers in recent months. Worldwide, droughts in Central America, Mexico, Brazil, Hawaii, some Pacific island nations, Indonesia, Australia, southern Africa, and elsewhere have attracted the attention of scientists, policy makers, and the media. Now, as El Niño has lessened in intensity, the threat of La Niña is upon us. Concerns are increasing that the drought in Mexico and parts of the southern United States may intensify and spread into surrounding states in the Southwest. The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) is currently working with the U.S./Mexico International Boundary Water Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to organize an August training workshop on drought contingency planning to address shortand long-term issues of drought in the border states region. This workshop will be similar to regional workshops the NDMC organized in 1997-98. Since the last issue of Drought Network News, the NDMC has conducted workshops in South Carolina for the Southeast region and in Kentucky for the Midwest and Northeast regions. In additional to the usual mix of participants from local, state, and federal agencies attending these workshops, we have also had representatives from Taiwan, Mexico, Hungary, Korea, and Australia as participants. Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/95 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/95 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:48:37 PDT If it seems like considerable time has elapsed since you received the last issue of Drought Network News, it is not just your imagination. After much discussion, we decided not to publish the newsletter in October 1997. First, we had a limited number of submissions to include. Second, the task of editing the manuscript for a new drought book was an overwhelming task that was involving much of my time and that of my publications specialist, Deborah Wood. She is also responsible for Drought Network News. With more submissions and the near completion of the drought book, I am pleased to be publishing this issue of the newsletter. The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) organized and conducted two training workshops on drought contingency planning in 1997. These workshops were very successful, with more than 200 participants representing a diverse background of tribal, local, state, federal, and regional organizations and agencies. Three more workshops are planned for this spring. An article about the workshops is included in this issue (p. 3). The National Drought Policy Act continues to be discussed in the U.S. Congress. The Senate version of the bill (S222) passed last November. An identical version of the bill was introduced in the House of Representatives (HR3035) in November. I testified in support of the bill at a hearing in late January. Although some minor modifications may be made in the bill, it is expected to pass the House. This bill would establish a commission to review existing drought programs at the federal, state, and local level and make recommendations to the Congress and the president on the elements of a national drought policy. The commission would have 18 months to complete its task. The NDMC will work closely with the commission. Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/94 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/94 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:48:36 PDT Drought policy continues to be a topic of much discussion in the United States. On June 12, the Western Drought Coordination Council (WDCC) met for the first time and adopted a work plan for 1997-98. The WDCC is committed to improving drought management in the western states through mitigation and preparedness. It is hoped that this Council, representing a partnership between federal, state, local, and tribal government, will serve as a model for other drought-prone regions of the United States. Four working groups (preparedness and mitigation; monitoring, assessment, and prediction; response; and communications) established by the Council will meet in late July to assign priority to action items identified by the Council as important to the WDCC's mission. The administrative leadership for the WDCC is housed at the National Drought Mitigation Center. Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/93 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/93 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:43:56 PDT Drought is a creeping, slow-onset natural hazard that is a normal part of climate for virtually all regions of the world; it results in serious economic, social, and environmental impacts. Its onset and end are often difficult to determine, as is its severity. Drought affects more people than any other natural hazard. Lessons from developed and developing countries demonstrate that drought results in significant impacts, regardless of level of development, although the character of these impacts will differ profoundly. At the Meeting on Opportunities for Sustainable Investment in Rainfed Areas of West Asia and North Africa (WANA), held in June 2001 in Rabat, Morocco, participants (including ministerial delegations of 13 countries of the WANA region) concluded that the primary keys to development of drylands in the region were reducing rural poverty, arresting natural resource degradation, accelerating economic growth, diversifying economic opportunities, and enhancing food security. The recurrence of persistent drought was identified as one of the obstacles to achieving these aims. The economic, social, and environmental challenges of drought in developed countries are also significant. Recent droughts in the United States, Canada, and Australia, for example, have resulted in serious impacts in the agriculture, transportation, and energy sectors and also serious water use conflicts and environmental impacts. The impacts of drought, like those of other natural hazards, can be reduced through mitigation and preparedness. Drought preparedness should be an integral part of water resources management. Drought risk is a product of a region's or community's exposure to the natural hazard and its vulnerability to extended periods of water shortage. If nations, regions, and communities are to make progress in reducing the serious consequences of drought, they must improve their understanding of the hazard and the factors that influence vulnerability. The hazard or natural event is best characterized by the frequency of meteorological drought at different levels of intensity and duration, and this frequency is projected to increase for some regions in the future as a result of increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. It critical for drought-prone regions to better understand the drought climatology of their region and establish comprehensive and integrated early warning systems that incorporate climate, soil, and water supply factors such as precipitation, temperature, soil moisture, snow pack, reservoir and lake levels, groundwater levels, and stream flow. An integrated early warning system can provide timely and reliable information to decision makers from farm to national level to aid in reducing the impacts of drought. Donald A. Wilhite http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/92 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/92 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:40:46 PDT Australia is an arid continent with a high variability in its annual rainfall. Given the frequency and severity of droughts and the consequent high financial and social costs to the nation and to individuals, and the associated potential for further degradation of the land, a national policy on drought was clearly needed. Australia's National Drought Policy (NDP) was ratified by the state and Commonwealth (federal) governments in 1992 (White, 1993; White et al., 1993; White and O'Meagher, 1995). Its aims are to: encourage primary producers and other sections of rural Australia to adopt self-reliant approaches to managing for climatic variability; maintain and protect Australia's agricultural and environmental resource base during periods of extreme climate stress; and ensure early recovery of agricultural and rural industries, consistent with long-term sustainable levels. Further detail on policy evolution in both Australia and South Africa is described by O'Meagher, et al. (1998b). David H. White http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/91 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/91 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:40:44 PDT The objectives of Australia's National Drought Policy (NDP), agreed to by Commonwealth (national), state, and territory ministers in 1992, are to: encourage primary producers and other sections of rural Australia to adopt self-reliant approaches to managing the risks stemming from climatic variability; maintain and protect Australia's agricultural and environmental resource base during periods of extreme climate stress; and ensure early recovery of agricultural and rural industries consistent with long-term sustainable levels. Under the NDP, Australian farmers are expected to assume greater responsibility for managing the risks arising from climatic variability. This requires integrating financial and business management with production and resource management to ensure that the financial and physical resources of farm businesses are used efficiently. Details of the NDP and its implementation are described in previous issues of Drought Network News (White, 1992 and 1993; White et al., 1993a). Since the signing of the National Drought Policy Statement in 1992, the states and territories have moved to implement the range of measures spelled out in the NDP (White, 1993) by: implementing the National Property Management Planning Campaign, with emphasis on education in effective risk management, sustainable agriculture, and drought preparedness; phasing out transaction-based subsidies, particularly freight subsidies for the transport of fodder, water, and livestock provided by state and territory governments; providing financial assistance through the Rural Adjustment Scheme (RAS) to farmers exposed to exceptional drought circumstances; and undertaking drought-related research and development, with emphasis on drought prediction, monitoring, and management. David H. White http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/90 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/90 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:35:25 PDT In dryland areas of India, rainfall is the main source of water for raising crops. For these areas, the greatest problem is not water shortage per se, but rather the tremendous variability in rainfall from year to year and season to season. In planning for the coming season, we currently have little or no ability to predict the date of the onset of rains or their amount, distribution, or duration. However, uncertainty about rainfall is lessened when information is available concerning the possible variability and frequencies of historical occurrences of rainfall. This information can be obtained by coupling water use to water production functions that enable estimates of associated crop yields and economic returns (Stewart and Hagan, 1973; and Doorenbos and Kassam, 1979). Therefore, in the present study, a simple water balance model developed by Frere and Popov (1979) was used to estimate crop water use; when coupled with water production functions, it explains yield behavior of the following crops (with respect to different dates of commencement of the rainy season): sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench), pearl millet (Pinnisatum americanum L. Leek), sunflower (Helianthus annus L.), castor (Ricinus communis L.), and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L. Millisp.) These crops are grown in Hyderabad under high management and rainfed conditions. U. S. Victor http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/89 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/89 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:32:18 PDT India is primarily an agricultural country, despite making rapid strides in industrialization in recent decades. The Indian economy is therefore highly dependent on the behavior of the summer monsoon, also known as the southwest monsoon, which occurs during four months (June-September). This accounts for 75% of the annual rainfall over most parts of the country and also generates great demand for rainfall forecasts in different time scales. For nearly a century, Indian meteorologists have been attempting to develop suitable techniques that could be used for preparing long-range forecasts of monsoon rains over India. Walker (1923) has done pioneering work in this field and has introduced the concept of correlation as a measure of interrelationship between preceding events anywhere in the world and subsequent monsoon rainfall over India. Since then, considerable efforts have been made to predict the behavior of monsoons by employing teleconnection signals depicted by the various features of general circulation. During the last seven years, the India Meteorological Department has been issuing forecasts on an all-India basis, accurately using a power regression model based on 16 regional and global parameters, including El Niño (Gowariker et al., 1991). However, these forecasts have seldom been used for precise agricultural planning in any one specific region of the country. The obvious drawback is the uncertainty about the reliability of an all-India forecast for a given meteorological subdivision. Ramana Rao et al. (1994) examined the validity of forecasts for the country as a whole in agricultural planning and management over different meteorological subdivisions. They have also examined the validity of long-range forecasts at the district level in the state of Andhra Pradesh, in southeast India. In this study, we have attempted to examine the behavior of monsoon rainfall in space and time in relation to the El Niño event at the district level in Andhra Pradesh during the years with long-range forecasts of both deficit and normal rainfall on an all-India basis. U. S. Victor http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/88 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/88 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:28:51 PDT During recent years, severe and extreme droughts in Mexico and their consequent water deficits have become more recurrent and persistent, according to historic records and the experiences of those who have lived through these events. In Mexico, agriculture consumes more than 85% of the available water. When the available water is insufficient to satisfy agricultural requirements, impacts can be acute. In extreme cases, lack of water has caused severe economic, social, and environmental crises, and recovery from these crises has taken much time and money. The regions that are most affected by drought have some common characteristics: they are the most vulnerable regions, they are more productive than other regions, and they have a greater demand for water than other regions do. The north, northwest, and northeast regions, in which are located the most important irrigation zones and most of the industrial plants, constitute 70% of the country, but these regions receive less than 40% of the country's total rainfall. The southeast region, constituting 30% of the country, receives 60% or more of the total rain; in this part of the country, the rivers are larger with regular flows, and there are wide humid zones where irrigation is unnecessary. (Figure 1 shows the main hydrogeographic regions of Mexico.) The few remaining nonirrigated areas, which benefit from summer rains, have also been drastically affected by drought, because they do not have alternate sources of viable water or fast response capabilities. Israel Velasco http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/87 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/87 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:25:51 PDT In Raipur district, the onset of the monsoon occurred in the 25th standard meteorological week (June 18-24). But after the onset of monsoonal rains, there was a lull in the monsoon for about 2 consecutive weeks. In the 28th week (July 9-15), the district received 77.6 mm of rainfall. This was equal to the normal value for that week. In the following (29th) week, the district received 96.8 mm rainfall, 38.9% more than the normal rainfall for that week. Thus, the rice, soybean, and other crops sown with the onset of the monsoon in the 25th week suffered from acute water shortage during the 26th and 27th weeks (June 25-July 8), and the germination of these crops was affected. Those farmers who had resown their crop received good rainfall during the 28th and 29th weeks (July 9-22). In the 32nd week, there was a total rainfall of 258.4 mm at Labhandi, Raipur, compared to the weekly normal of 77.1 mm. However, out of this, 222.0 mm of rainfall was received in only one day--July 31/August 1, 1996. Because the rice seedlings were very small at that stage, most farmers drained the water out of their fields. J. S. Urkurkar http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/86 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/86 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:25:49 PDT Climatic uncertainty posed by the looming possibility of unprecedented climatic change is presenting society with new challenges the world over. In recent years, demand for long-range seasonal to interannual climate forecasts has been on the rise as society grapples with climatic risk management in southern Africa. Although more investment is still required to bring weather services in the region to a level advanced enough to handle the emerging complex and economically justified user needs for climatic services and products, some commendable progress has already been made, particularly in providing seasonal forecasts in addition to the other traditional core services and products provided by weather centers. The regional Drought Monitoring Centre for southern Africa based in Harare has put in place operational regional seasonal rainfall forecasting schemes that are largely driven by the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon, the Indian and Atlantic SST, and the regional pressure and wind anomaly fields at various levels. Matarira and Unganai (1994) produced an operational regional ENSO signal interpretation scheme that has been quite successful at predicting the 1994-95 drought and the nature of the 1995-96 rainy season in southern Africa. This empirical seasonal forecasting scheme uses an analogue approach and univariate linear regression models and is complemented by subjective interpretation of other regional scale factors such as the general tendency in pressure and wind anomaly fields. Figures 1a and 1b show the analogue scheme, which relies mainly on the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), as applied to the 1994-95 and 1995- 96 rainy season forecasts, respectively. Recent advances in seasonal forecasting work include the identification of a strong teleconnection between southern African and Ethiopian rainfall at a time lag of up to 4 months. The influence of the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO) on the region's rainfall has been remodeled, with early results showing that areas in the region that respond significantly to the QBO phase shift are localized. Northern Zambia, northern Malawi, and Tanzania rainfall showed the strongest response to the QBO. This latest research was carried out at DMC-Harare by L. Unganai (DMC-Harare), S. Nyambe (Zambia Met. Services) and J. L. Nkhokwe (Malawi Met. Services) while Nyambe and Nkhokwe were visiting scientists at the Centre from October 1995 to May 1996. Leonard S. Uganai http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/85 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/85 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:21:10 PDT Drought is a normal part of southern Africa's climate and one of the most important natural disasters in southern Africa. In fact, it is becoming increasingly unusual for drought not to occur somewhere in southern Africa each year. The dependence of most southern African economies on rainfed agriculture emphasizes the importance of drought early warning products for short- and long-term decision making in various sectors of the national economies of the region. Following the 1991-92 drought, which ravaged more than 80% of southern Africa, many in southern Africa now realize the value of meteorological information in weather-sensitive decisions. Requests for advanced drought information have come to the drought monitoring center from a wide spectrum of users, including farmer groups, donor agencies, finance houses, politicians, economists, the media, and hydrologists. Information has been requested for precipitation predictions for periods ranging from ten days, to seasons (in the case of farmer organizations), to as long as four to five years (in the case of agricultural financing institutions). The creation of a regional drought monitoring center (DMC) in Harare, Zimbabwe, in 1989 (the DMC opened in 1991) was long overdue, according to some farmers' representatives, nongovernmental organizations, universities, government departments, and other regional and international organizations. Many of these organizations have called for the enhancement of the DMC, including increases in manpower, more computer hardware and software, and applications-oriented research to enable the center to develop into a regional center of excellence in applied meteorology and to act as a regional climatological data archive and backup facility. Will all this awareness and support that the DMC has enjoyed live through nondrought years? Laing (1994) cautions about the possibility of apathy after a few years of good rains. Wilhite (1992) has also given similar warnings; these warnings need to be taken seriously by all those who have supported drought monitoring institutions in the past. Leonard S. Uganai http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/84 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/84 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:21:04 PDT The climate of Turkey, which is mainly characterized by the Mediterranean macro climate, results from the seasonal alternation of frontal depressions with polar air masses and subtropical high pressures with subsiding maritime tropical and continental tropical air masses. Continental tropical airstreams from the northern African and Arabian deserts particularly dominate throughout the summer, by causing long-lasting warm (hot) and dry conditions over Turkey (except the Black Sea region and northeastern Anatolia). Turkey has an area of 779,452 km2 and an average elevation of 1,132 m. This study outlines some spatial and temporal characteristics of Turkey's rainfall, particularly in terms of drought and rainfall variability for the period 1930-93. Mean characteristics of the rainfall data were investigated for 99 stations, and then variations of Turkey's 91-station normalized rainfall series and spatial distribution of the normalized rainfall index were analyzed. Average record length of these stations is about 60 years. Approximately 67% of the countrywide annual rainfall occurs during the cold winter (40%) and cool spring (26.6%), when the eastern Mediterranean basin, Balkans, and Turkey are influenced by the frontal mid-latitude and Mediterranean depressions. Contributions of autumn and summer rainfall are about 23% and 10%, respectively, of the annual total. In area-averaged series for the Mediterranean region, winter rainfall reaches its maximum value at about 53% of the annual total, and summer rainfall declines to about 4% of the annual total. The number of stations in each rainfall regime region is given in Table 1, and the location of 99 stations is shown in Figure 1. Murat Türkes http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/83 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/83 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:17:04 PDT Farmers who are losing their livelihoods to the drought shouldn't be surprised to feel depressed or angry, and neither should people around them. After all, these farmers are suffering a very real loss and they are grieving. Farmers who lose a crop in many ways will react as have people who have lost loved ones, said John DeFrain, family and community development specialist at the University of Nebraska here. That is, they go into shock, denial and anger, and not necessarily in that order. The loss of a crop means a loss of time, expenses, identity and, in some cases, a family tradition, DeFrain said. The worst nine-month drought in the state's history meant spring crops were planted in soils six to eight inches short of moisture. While there was sufficient moisture to get most of those crops up, without additional moisture by mid-June, dryland crops likely will burn up. Eastern and central and southwest Nebraska are affected the most, with the southeast being hardest hit. The drought is expected to continue for the rest of the year. Cheryl Alberts http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/82 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/82 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:14:17 PDT Drought affected China's agricultural production in spring, summer, and fall 1994. The summer drought was very severe in the middle part of China, especially in Anhui and Jiansu provinces. Huajie Tai http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/81 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/81 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:11:32 PDT Drought is part of the environment. It occurs in every part of the globe and adversely affects the lives of a large number of people, causing considerable damage to economies, the environment, and property. It also affects countries differently, having a greater impact on countries with poor economic conditions. Recurrent drought in Africa in the last 30 years has had a disastrous effect on an economic and social situation that already had serious problems. Today, in the aftermath of these devastating droughts, planning and preparedness have become more important. Most disasters, including droughts, are no accident. They are made by misgovernment. However, competent governments, given foresight and funds, can build defenses against these natural disasters. The enormous physical consequences of drought and the huge financial cost of relief efforts (compared to prevention) have led Africa to improve its drought management and preparedness scheme regularly. Tsegaye Tadesse http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/80 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/80 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:08:36 PDT The idea of better monitoring and assessing drought has been a quest of NDMC director Don Wilhite for more than two decades. He has been an advocate of better climate monitoring, particularly drought monitoring, because drought is a normal, recurring hazard in virtually all of the United States. The challenge is to recognize drought, a slow-onset or "creeping" natural disaster, before a region is in the middle of one. The most recent surge in interest in drought arose during the 1995-96 drought in the Southwest and southern Great Plains states. At the NDMC we discussed how we could do a better job of tracking and assessing the severity of droughts. One question we often hear is "How does this drought compare, or rank, to other droughts or the drought of record for this region or state?" Or "Just how strong or severe is this drought?" These are complicated questions to tackle. We have to take into account spatial extent, intensity, duration, and impacts on people and the affected environment. That discussion is for another time. Mark Svoboda http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/79 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/79 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:06:01 PDT In the Chhattisgarh plains in the agroclimatic region of central India (Figure 1), farms may be characterized by one of the following: unbunded lathyritic soils, bunded rice fields (rainfed), bunded rice fields (irrigated), unbunded black soils, or rice bunds. Under these five farming situations, different crop sequences have been in vogue. New crops and crop sequences are recommended by the Agricultural University from time to time based on experimental results. In the unbunded black soils, farmers usually plant small millets and pigeon pea. However, based on experimental results, the University has recommended soybean followed by chickpea crop sequence under rainfed conditions during monsoon and post-monsoon (winter) seasons, respectively. In the two to three years since that recommendation, the area under soybeans has increased from 3,000 ha to more than 70,000 ha. Experimental results have shown that the evapotranspiration (ET) rate of the soybean crop during peak vegetative and reproductive stages is very high, ranging between 5 mm and 6 mm per day. In view of this, soybeans have been recommended only for heavy soils. Even in black soils with high retention capacity, water stress conditions do occur during dry spells in the monsoon season. After the withdrawal of monsoon rains in September, soybeans sometimes face acute water shortage during the end of reproductive and maturity stages. Ajay K. Srivastava http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/78 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/78 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:02:02 PDT The drought of 1992 persisted through the winter of 1993 (see Drought Network News, Vol. 5, No. 2 [June 1993]:12-15). Figure 1 shows the monthly values of national rainfall in 1993 and their normal averages. National rainfall was 28% and 63%, respectively, of the mean during January and February 1993. During March, rainfall was about normal, but drought conditions persisted because of the rainfall deficit from the summer of 1992. Water supplies increased until 20 April 1993, but after this date, drought conditions returned. At the end of April, the soil moisture in the 0-20 cm layer was 10- 25 mm, which is insufficient for normal emergence and growth of spring crops. The development of winter crops was also delayed. In some areas of the country, the available soil moisture in the top 1 mm was only 60-71% of the available capacity in April. Nikola Slavov http://helindigitalcommons.org/archive/499 http://helindigitalcommons.org/archive/499 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 13:00:10 PDT Minutes of the Reference Committee of the HELIN Consortium for August 2008 HELIN Consortium. Reference Committee http://repositories.cdlib.org/sio/cmbc/MAS_Capstone_2008 http://repositories.cdlib.org/sio/cmbc/MAS_Capstone_2008 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:54:15 PDT Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is becoming a very important and useful tool in conservation planning and is applied here to examine the relationship between marine turtles and their environment in the Hawaiian Islands. This project spatially analyzed the locations of marine turtle strandings reported in Hawaii over a six-year period (2002 - 2007). The data include location, assigned cause of stranding, and other related characteristics relevant to the strandings such as presence of Fibropapillomatosis (FP, a tumor-forming disease) and evidence of fishing gear interaction. The use of spatial analysis for both coastal fishing gear interactions and hawksbill turtle strandings was useful for a visual representation of these events; however, no significant patterns were discovered. The spatial analysis of the stranding data in combination with environmental parameters proved most interesting. Overall, there is a strong correlation between FP-related strandings and areas of limited water quality and human population, respectively, and a moderate correlation between FP-related strandings and agricultural lands. A high prevalence of FP has been shown in previous studies to correspond to coastal waters characterized by habitat degradation and pollution, suggesting that one or more of these factors could serve as an environmental cofactor in the development of FP. A clear target for mitigation strategies that would benefit not only marine turtles afflicted with this disease, but all other organisms that share the same ecosystem, is water quality improvement in coastal areas of the Hawaiian Islands. Cody B. Hooven http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/77 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/77 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:54:05 PDT Peninsular India is located in the tropics; its climate ranges from arid conditions in the rain shadow region (under the influence of Eastern Ghats along the east coast and Western Ghats along the west coast) to humid conditions in regions adjoining the west coast. The average annual rainfall in the region varies from about 500 mm in the interior parts to more than 3000 mm on the crest of Western Ghats. The rainy season commences during the month of June because of the onset of the southwest monsoon near the tip of peninsular India. The southwest monsoon ends during September. The rainy season continues up to the end of November because of the northeast monsoon in the southeastern parts of peninsular India. Crop production under rainfed conditions in the arid and semiarid regions is often affected by droughts during the monsoon season because of prolonged dry spells associated with break monsoon conditions. Sometimes, heavy rainfall occurs even in the drier regions because of severe cyclonic activity in the Bay of Bengal. Rainwater management is crucial for improving productivity, particularly during the years of drought. Therefore the daily rainfall data of two typical locations representing both arid and semiarid climates were analyzed to evolve the basis for rainwater management to improve crop production in drylands. J. B. Singh http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/76 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/76 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:49:48 PDT Southwest monsoon rainfall (received during June-September) determines the fate of millions of dryland farmers as well as the status of national food security in India almost every year. The need for information about southwest monsoon rainfall is great in these areas. An accurate long-range forecast can help farmers increase agricultural productivity in good rainfall years and negate the sudden downturns in agricultural production during anticipated drought years by giving farmers sufficient time to adopt drought-resistant crop varieties and appropriate crop, soil, and water management practices. The India Meteorological Department is now able to make all-India long-range forecasts of southwest monsoon rainfall accurately using a power regression model based on 16 regional and global parameters from 1988 on. However, these forecasts have seldom been used for strategic planning and management of agricultural production in any of the regions of the country, because the degree to which the all-India forecast is likely to hold true at microlevel is not known. The reliability of the forecast needs to be established at microlevel in order to make effective use of the long-range predictions for agricultural planning and management in rainfed areas. Therefore, an attempt has been made to examine the validity of the long-range forecast issued for the country as a whole for agricultural planning and management at the Jhansi and West Uttar Pradesh Plains meteorological subdivisions. The present investigation is based on seasonal (June to September) rainfall data for the years 1958-92 at the West Uttar Pradesh Plains meteorological subdivision (subdivision no. 11). The seasonal rainfall data for the same period for Jhansi have also been considered to examine the extent to which the long-range forecast was relevant at microlevel. J. B. Singh http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/75 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/75 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:45:51 PDT Following the severe drought event that occurred in Italy in 1988-90, the Italian Department of Civil Protection published a report, Drought in Italy 1988-90 (in Italian; edited by G. Rossi and G. Margaritora), containing a comprehensive description of the drought event, its impacts, and the mitigation measures adopted in the most affected regions. Since the beginning of the drought, the Department promoted and coordinated a number of initiatives, aiming mainly to mitigate domestic and agricultural water shortages. The Department also formed a drought committee, which included representatives of various government agencies (in charge of hydrometeorological data collection and water supply system management), with the aim of acquiring timely information on the evolution of the drought in different parts of the country and suggesting adequate actions. The book presents the results of the activities coordinated by the Committee--namely, the description of the meteorological and hydrological characteristics of the 1988-90 drought, the main impacts of the drought on municipal and irrigation systems, and the assessment of measures implemented at the national and local levels. The following summary of the book provides a picture of the most severe drought experienced in Italy in the last fifty years and some information on recent initiatives and laws at the national level to reduce the risk of water shortage during future drought events. A study of the meteorological trends in the 1988-90 period, prepared by the Italian Air Force Meteorological Service, shows that the position of the 500 hPa isobaric surface over the Mediterranean basin during the drought period was significantly higher than the reference average values. The presence of persistent anticyclones during the entire decade (1980-90) became especially critical between September 1988 and March 1989 and between September 1989 and March 1990, leading to precipitation lower than long-term average values for all of Italy. Giuseppe Rossi http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/74 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/74 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:41:43 PDT The National Drought Mitigation Center is conducting a series of regional workshops, "Planning for the Next Drought," around the country in 1997 and 1998. The first workshop was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, July 28-30. Plans are underway to conduct similar workshops in other regions. A second workshop will probably be held in Salt Lake City in late 1997, followed by workshops in the Southeast and Midwest in 1998. Because the workshops are sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, there is no registration fee. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/73 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/73 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:38:42 PDT Western Rajasthan constitutes 62% of the 0.32 million km2 that make up the hot Indian arid region (Figure 1). The average annual rainfall of the area varies from less than 100 mm (coefficient of variation [CV] = 70%) in the western parts to just above 500 mm (CV = 40%) in the eastern parts of arid Rajasthan. During July and August, the eastern parts of the arid region have an assured crop growing period of 12-15 weeks, whereas the western parts mostly depend on the vagaries of the southwest monsoon. The annual potential evapotranspiration rates are 3-8 times higher than the annual rainfall, resulting in extreme water deficits and aridity conditions in the region (Figure 2). Pearl millet, which is a principal cereal crop of the arid region, needs about 90 days for its maturity, and any weather aberrations after sowing result in considerable reduction in crop yields. Agricultural droughts have been found to occur in the region in 25%-48% of the years during 1901 to 1995, with a frequency and intensity varying from one location to another, severely affecting food and fodder production. A. S. Rao http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/72 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/72 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:34:20 PDT The Karnataka state, confined roughly within 11.5° N and 18.5° N latitude and 74° E and 78.5° E longitude, is situated on a table land at the point where the western and eastern Ghat range enclose the Nilgiri hill complex. It is enclosed by chains of mountains to its west, east, and south. The state consists mainly of plateau, with a higher elevation of 600 to 900 m amsl in small portions of the extreme north and northwest Karnataka and the whole of the southern half, an elevation of 300 to 600 m amsl in the north, and an elevation of less than 300 m amsl in the narrow coastal belt of the state (see map above). Using Koppen's climatic classification, the state is classified into three main parts, coastal Karnataka (CK), north interior Karnataka (NIK), and south interior Karnataka (SIK). M. B. Rajegowda http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/71 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/71 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:30:53 PDT Precipitation is one of the climatic elements most affected by the presence of La Niña in Chile. An important precipitation deficit begins during La Niña events, from latitude 45°S to the north. This deficit prevails most of the year, with winter (April-September) being most vulnerable to these anomalies. The central region of Chile (30°S to 40°S) has negative anomalies, with precipitation values 35% to 100% below the climatologic annual average. These rain deficiencies in Chile are determined by the persistence of anomalies of anticyclonal circulation of middle and subtropical latititudes and an area of anomalies of cyclonic circulation in the sub-polar latitudes, from a north-south dipole of positive and negative anomalies of geopotential height in the mid troposphere. In Chile, La Niña usually produces air temperatures lower than normal, with deviations ranging from 0°C to -1°C. The social and economic impacts of La Niña events in Chile are serious. Agriculture, cattle and timber industries, energy, and industrial sectors are the most affected. Juan Quintana http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/70 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/70 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:28:32 PDT A new quarterly report, Western Climate and Water Status, provides decision makers in the western United States with a comprehensive assessment of water supply indicators that can give early warning of emerging droughts. A product of the Western Drought Coordination Council, the report is an important new connection between scientists and policy makers. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/69 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/69 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:26:14 PDT The drought that gripped the Southwest and southern Great Plains states in 1996 was the most recent reminder of the nation's continuing and apparently increasing vulnerability to drought. Although drought is a common feature in the West, it is a normal part of the climate of each region of the United States: drought struck the Southeast in 1986; most of the country, especially the Midwest and Plains states, in 1988-89; the West from 1987 to 1992; and the Northeast in 1995. Experiences from each of these droughts reinforce the need for advance planning. Even though drought is a slow-onset disaster, it is difficult to respond quickly and effectively to reduce the effects of drought unless a contingency plan is already in place. Citizens and stakeholders benefit from the coordinated efforts of local, state, federal, and tribal governments and agencies. The National Drought Mitigation Center is organizing a series of workshops, each in a different region of the country, on how to prepare for drought. Workshops in Albuquerque and Salt Lake City were held in July and November 1997, respectively, and additional workshops are now planned for the Southeast, Midwest and Northeast, and Great Plains regions. Workshop participants will learn how to develop a drought plan. Participants will also have the opportunity to discuss their specific planning needs with experts and learn how others coped with recent droughts. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/68 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/68 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:20:37 PDT Interannual climate variability poses the greatest risk that farmers face. Until recently, seasonal climate forecasts have been weak and therefore rarely observed by farmers in making management decisions. Farm management is generally based on long-term mean expectations of climate and crop responses to local edaphic conditions. Currently, significant progress is being made in the skill level of predictions of seasonal to interannual climate, primarily because of new understanding of the teleconnections between ocean circulation and atmospheric processes. The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) refers to fluctuations in both sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) in the eastern equatorial Pacific and in sea-level pressures in the southern Pacific at a time scale of roughly 3 to 7 years. Using ocean circulation models, we are now able to forecast the SST anomaly up to a year in advance with an 80% level of accuracy (Latif et al., 1994). Thus, associated climate phenomena may be predicted with a high degree of skill using this tool. Given the strong relationship between crop growth and climate, this predictability carries significant implications for improved efficiency of agricultural production (Adams et al., 1995; Sonka et al., 1986). In some regions, the teleconnection between climate and ENSO has been well established. In others, however, the relationship is only now being elucidated. Thus, the spatial extent of the potential for use of ENSO forecasts is not well defined. We are developing a methodology that uses analysis of historical climate and crop data as well as models of crop growth and farm management to explore the extent of ENSO impacts and implications for using forecasts in agricultural management. Based on the few studies that have been done, there is indication of a significant link between ENSO and climate in the midwestern United States. Using reconstruction from white oak tree rings in Iowa going back to 1640, Cleveland and Duvick (1992) showed a strong correlation with the Southern Oscillation Index, one indicator of the ENSO phase. Handler (1984) used yield data from the major Corn Belt states going back to 1868 and a classification scheme ranking event intensity. He found a strong relationship, with El Niño years associated with positive maize yield anomalies and La Niña with negative anomalies. Our current work extends the analysis of the U.S. Corn Belt, with the objective of testing the potential for using long-range ENSO/climate forecasts to increase profit margins and decrease risk for maize farmers in the United States. Jennifer G. Phillips http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/67 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/67 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:16:21 PDT The summer monsoon (June through September), or southwest seasonal rains, contribute 78% of India's annual rainfall. It is the greatest climatic water resource of India. The country's agriculture and food production depend on these rains. Rainfed farming areas in India account for about 70% of the total arable land in the country, with nearly 100 million ha depending on the monsoon rains. The rains also contribute to power generation and industrial production. B. Parathasarathy http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/66 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/66 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:13:03 PDT All of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) member countries of western Africa were represented at a seminar conducted in Banjul, The Gambia, 4-9 September 1995. The Training Seminar on Drought Preparedness and Management for Western Africa was conducted to improve awareness of drought and appropriate mitigation and preparedness technologies to reduce impacts. The seminar was organized by WMO and sponsored by WMO and the UN Sudano-Sahelian Office. http://ecommons.txstate.edu/libswwc/15 http://ecommons.txstate.edu/libswwc/15 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:11:50 PDT Recorded interviews with David Koresh and family members during the Branch Davidian standoff. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/65 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/65 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:10:49 PDT Recent extreme rainfall events and the frequent occurrence of worldwide droughts and their associated natural disasters (i.e., devastating bushfires in Australia, Indonesia, and Italy during 1997; the current severe drought in Iran) have increased the scientific community's interest in the broad characteristics of rainfall variation and the potential for rainfall prediction. On the basis of the Koppen climate classification (Ahrens, 1998), the Islamic Republic of Iran (Figure 1) is categorized as generally having arid (BW) and semiarid (BS) climates. This signifies that the annual precipitation is less than the potential annual loss of water through evapotranspiration. The occurrence of rainfall is unreliable and deviations from the mean are generally more than 40%. The average annual precipitation over the country is estimated to be about 250 mm (about one-third of global annual precipitation). Iran, with an area of 1,648,000 km2, lies predominantly within a portion of the Alpine-Himalayan chains, including the major mountain systems of the Alborz and Zagros ranges (Figure 2). As indicated in this figure, the central part of Iran, which is surrounded by these ranges, comprises two uninhabited deserts, Dasht-e Lut and Dasht-e Kavir. In spite of severe dry conditions over these regions, the Zagros and Alborz highlands, like the coastal strip of the Caspian Sea, are classified as having a Mediterranean climate (Csb) and usually receive moderate precipitation. M. J. Nazemosadat http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/64 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/64 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:04:48 PDT As a result of the occurrence of overwhelming severe drought over most parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran, an educational/professional workshop on drought issues was held at the College of Agriculture, Shiraz University in Iran, October 18-19, 2000. The workshop was sponsored by the College of Agriculture, the office of Fars Provincial Government, the Agricultural Bank, and Shiraz Abfa Company. The workshop was mainly focused on the assessment of drought impacts and severity in Fars province, in the southern part of Iran. The inauguration ceremony was attended by some of the parliament members (from Fars province), the Chancellor of Shiraz University and his deputies, the construction deputy of Fars Government, the director of the National Disaster Office (NDO), the NDO staff in Fars Province, general managers from various departments of the province, postgraduate students, and about 400 professional staff from various disciplines. All sessions, including the closing session, were well attended by the participants. M. J. Nazemosadat http://lsr.nellco.org/upenn/wps/papers/243 http://lsr.nellco.org/upenn/wps/papers/243 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:56:36 PDT In this Article, Professor Christopher Yoo directly engages claims that mandating network neutrality is essential to protect consumers and to promote innovation on the Internet. It begins by analyzing the forces that are placing pressure on the basic network architecture to evolve, such as the emergence of Internet video and peer-to-peer architectures and the increasing heterogeneity in business relationships and transmission technologies. It then draws on the insights of demand-side price discrimination (such as Ramsey pricing) and the two-sided markets, as well as the economics of product differentiation and congestion, to show how deviating from network neutrality can benefit consumers, a conclusion bolstered by the empirical literature showing that vertical restraints tend to increase rather than reduce consumer welfare. In fact, limiting network providers' ability to vary the prices charged to content and applications providers may actually force consumers to bear a greater proportion of the costs to upgrade the network. Restricting network providers' ability to experiment with different protocols may also reduce innovation by foreclosing applications and content that depend on a different network architecture and by dampening the price signals needed to stimulate investment in new applications and content. In the process, Professor Yoo draws on the distinction between generalizing and exemplifying theory to address some of the arguments advanced by his critics. While the exemplifying theories on which these critics rely are useful for rebutting calls for broad, categorical, ex ante rules, their restrictive nature leaves them ill suited to serve as the foundation for broad, categorical ex ante mandates pointing in the other direction. Thus, in the absence of some empirical showing that the factual preconditions of any particular exemplifying theory have been satisfied, the existence of exemplifying theories pointing in both directions actually supports an ex post, case-by-case approach that allows network providers to experiment with different pricing regimes unless and until a concrete harm to competition can be shown. Christopher S. Yoo Communications Law Law and Economics Law and Technology Public Law and Legal Theory http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/63 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/63 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:55:32 PDT The Islamic Republic of Iran (Figure 1) has an area of 1,648,000 km2 and a population of 65 million people (1995 estimate). The country has arid and semiarid climates and the occurrence of rainfall is unreliable, with a coefficient of variation as high as 70%. The average annual precipitation over the country is around 250 mm. Two mountain ridges, the Alborz and Zagros (Figure 1), which run east and southeast from the northwest corner of the country, play an influential role in determining the amount and spatial distribution of rainfall. The peaks of Alborz and Zagros are about 5,700 m and 4,000 m, respectively. Rainfall generally occurs from October to March (winter), with extreme events during January and February. Annual rainfall over the northern sides of the Alborz range may reach 1,800 mm, but for the central and eastern deserts, the yearly total is around 50 mm. Droughts and floods are common, and the severity and hardships of these natural disasters frequently hit both rural and urban societies. Drought limits dryland farming and affects the productivity of irrigated lands. Moreover, due to massive overgrazing, large-scale soil erosion occurs during dry spells. Atmospheric and climatic incidents (i.e., floods, droughts, and lightning) account for about 97% of all natural disaster costs. Concern about water resources is currently realized as one of the most important issues for most of the Iranian scientific and management communities. Most parts of the Islamic Republic of Iran recently experienced an exceptional drought that lasted more than 2 years (1998-2000). In some areas, drought has also extended into winter 2001. The 1998-2000 drought inflicted $3.5 billion in damages, killing 800,000 head of livestock and drying up major reservoirs and internal lakes (Pagano et al., 2001). Nazemosadat and Cordery (2000a) and Nazemosadat (1999) have recently revealed that the autumn rainfall in Iran is negatively correlated with the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI). The relationships were found to be strong and consistent over the southern foothills of the Alborz Mountains, northwestern districts, and central areas. Since winter rainfall contributes a major portion of Iranian water resources, the shortage of rainfall during this season is the most important cause of drought in Iran. Nazemosadat and Cordery (2000b) have therefore focused on the impact of ENSO on winter precipitation in Iran. The present study outlines some key results of the aforementioned studies. M. J. Nazemosadat http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/62 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/62 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:52:29 PDT Tamil Nadu experiences recurrent droughts. Tamil literature also indicates that famine-like conditions prevailed during the Pandiyan Kingdom for nearly 12 years. The state normally benefits from northeast monsoon rainfall from October to December, unlike other regions of India, which are dominated by southwest monsoon rainfall. In general, four major parameters determine the nature and extent of drought conditions in Tamil Nadu: (1) rainfall, (2) ground water, (3) reservoir levels, and (4) crop conditions. It is estimated that nearly 50% of the districts in the state are drought-prone. The state receives nearly 80% of its annual rainfall during the northeast monsoon, whereas it experienced below-normal rainfall in the southwest monsoon for 30% of the years in the last 25 years. During the southwest monsoon period, water demand always exceeds rainfall, but the water deficit is quite low in the northeast monsoon period. Hence, due to severe water deficit, drought recurs during the southwest monsoon and also in summer months in Tamil Nadu. K. K. Nathan http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/61 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/61 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:47:19 PDT Kerala state in India, which is the first area of the country to experience the southwest monsoon, has a moist and wet climate. Kerala is in the extreme southwestern part of the Indian subcontinent; it borders Karnataka state in the north, Tamil Nadu in the east, and the Arabian Sea in the west (Figure 1). The entire state is one of the 35 meteorological subdivisions in India. Kerala's climate is tropical monsoon and tropical savanna, according to Koppen's climatic classification (Figure 1). The state normally experiences excessive seasonal rainfall, with hot summers (except in the extreme southern districts like Trivandrum, where dry season and hot summer climate prevails). The three main seasons of the state are the hot season (March-May), southwest monsoon season (May- September), and northeast monsoon season (October- February). K. K. Nathan http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/60 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/60 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:44:15 PDT In India, about 70% of the cultivable land is rainfed. This includes areas where crops are rarely affected by drought and areas where crops experience moisture stress and often fail. The regions with the latter characteristics are often called dryland areas and the agriculture so practiced there is known as dryland agriculture. About 35% of the total cultivable land belongs in this category. To determine the magnitude of water deficiency in these regions, the moisture deficit index (MDI) has been evaluated for dryland stations in India. The MDI is usually determined on the basis of annual precipitation and annual potential evapotranspiration, as adapted by Thornthwaite and Mather in 1955. This does not reflect the true nature of MDI for the purpose of crop production, although it does give information regarding the degree of aridity. Since this index sometimes is used as a criterion for crop planning, it would appear more appropriate for it to be based on precipitation and PET during the crop growth period. In this article, the monthly MDI for dryland stations in India based on normal data has been worked out. We have also discussed its implications for crop production in relation to other meteorological factors. K. K. Nathan http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/59 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/59 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:37:20 PDT The Delhi region, the national capital region of India, is locked in by adjoining states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. Delhi has a characteristic continental type of climate, with extreme dryness, intensely hot summers, and dry cold winters. According to climatologists, this region is classified as semiarid tropical steppe. The monsoon rainfall is very erratic during June-September, which is the kharif crop-growing season. The monsoon breaks over the Delhi region between the first and second week of July and withdraws by the last week of September. The average annual rainfall is about 712.5 mm, of which 80% is contributed by the monsoon during kharif season. With ever-increasing population in the Delhi region every year, there is a scarcity of drinking water, ground water levels are rapidly receding, usable land area is rapidly decreasing, and little agricultural activity is possible. Frequent droughts add to the misery. The frequency of droughts in the region is approximately 20-25%, with chronic drought experienced during 1918-19 and 1938-39. K. K. Nathan http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/58 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/58 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:34:11 PDT Inadequate water resources pose a big threat to the economy, human activities, and livelihood in the Gujarat/Saurashtra regions of India. Scanty rainfall with wide aberrations in its distribution has made the situation worse, leading to chronic drought in the state in 2001. With the exception of the Narmada and Tapi rivers, there are hardly any water resources to sustain agricultural production in the region. The gradual disappearance of forest cover in the state has further aggravated the drought situation. This has led to large-scale erosion of the topsoil, particularly near the riverside. There is apprehension that the region will soon become an "environmental refugee" zone. In addition, groundwater resources are overexploited in the state, with the water table going down nearly 4 m per year, particularly in the premonsoon season. The state was once a lush green carpet of groundnut and cotton crops, but mismanagement of water resources at all levels has led to the current drought problem in the Gujarat, Saurashtra, and Kutch regions. Figure 1 depicts the current drought-affected regions of the state. India has a record of 12 successive good monsoons, with the 13th in the offing this year. But the drought in the Gujarat and Saurashtra regions may be due to the poor monsoon and winter rainfall last year. The crisis was aggravated by overexploitation and reckless use of groundwater. Out of 100 million people affected by drought in India, 25 million are from this region, spread over 17 districts of the state, and 7 million cattle are also affected. There is a 30% deficit of food grains in this region. K. K. Nathan http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/57 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/57 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:31:09 PDT Tamil Nadu, a coastal state in south India, is prone to droughts. The climate of the state ranges from dry subhumid to semiarid. The state has three distinct rainfall climates: (1) advancing monsoon period (from June to September), with strong southwest winds; (2) northeast monsoon (from October to December), with dominant northeast winds; and (3) dry season (from January to May). The normal annual rainfall of the state is about 945 mm. Tamil Nadu is classified into seven agroclimatic zones: northeast, northwest, west, southern, high rainfall, high altitude hilly, and Cauvery Delta (the most fertile agricultural zone). The Cauvery Delta zone, located in the humid tropics, has a mean annual rainfall of 1,273 mm, with more than 60% of that coming from the northeast monsoon. An analysis of summer monsoon rainfall (June-September) for 1871-1991 shows that the state experienced below-normal rainfall in 30% of these years. During the summer, the average rainfall is 266 mm, but water demand is 663 mm. Hence it is a deficit season. The northeast monsoon brings an average of 529 mm rainfall and demand is relatively low--361 mm. K. K. Nathan http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/56 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/56 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:28:09 PDT Haryana state is considered the breadbasket of India, along with the Punjab state. The effects of drought (and mitigation of those effects) are therefore of considerable importance for the state. This article considers the state's drought "profile" through a study of six drought years in Haryana. Haryana has a semiarid climate in the southwest and a Gangetic plain environment in the rest of the state. About 50% of the state has a moisture deficit. One of the reasons for adverse crop production in the state during June-September is the early withdrawal or late onset of monsoon rains, which contribute nearly 80% of the state's annual rainfall. The monsoon rain during June-September ranges from 284 mm to 521 mm in the drier western and southern plains and from 333 mm to 721 mm in the eastern districts of the state. The normal value during the period is 601 mm. Figure 1 shows the rainfall pattern during the kharif crop growing season (June-September) for the period 1977 to 1989. Out of 15 years, about 6 drought years have been identified: 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987, and 1989. The minimum deficit was 193 mm (1982) and the maximum rainfall deficit was 437 mm (1987) from the normal seasonal rainfall. Dependable precipitation at 75% level of probability is also depicted in Figure 1. Out of 12 districts in the state, 4 are drought-prone. The main problems with agricultural drought in this region are erratic rainfall; poor soil fertility; and limited, poor-quality irrigation water. Table 1 shows rainfall amounts and crops cultivated in the drought-prone districts of Haryana. Invariably, bajra, jowar, and maize crops are grown in the drought-prone districts in the monsoon season, whereas wheat, barley, mustard, and gram are grown with irrigation during the winter season. These winter-season crops are called rabi crops. K. Kailasa Nathan http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/55 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/55 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:21:01 PDT The Persian Gulf and Oman Sea, situated over the northwestern extremity of the tropical Indian Ocean, make up the southern border of Iran (Figure 1). During hot seasons, the sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of these water bodies are high, and a huge thermal trough system is usually dominant over the region (Bitan and Sa'aroni, 1992). The summer SSTs of the Persian Gulf are reported to be the highest in the world (Gabler, 1977). About 30% of the total rain-bearing air masses coming to the country originate in north Africa, the Red Sea, and western Saudi Arabia (Khalili, 1992). These air masses are known as the Sudan Current; they are categorized as tropical maritime. They produce a significant portion of the total annual rainfall over the southern parts of Iran. Figure 2 shows that the general trajectory of the Sudan Current passes over Saudi Arabia and enters Iran through the Persian Gulf. The occurrence of some heavy winter rainfalls in Shiraz, Fasa, Bushehr, and Bandar Lengeh (Figure 1) is attributed to the movement of the Sudan Current toward Iran (Khalili, 1992). M. Jafar Nasemosadat http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/fac_pubs/595 http://digitalcommons.law.umaryland.edu/fac_pubs/595 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:16:57 PDT Current remedies for prosecutorial misconduct, such as reversal of conviction or dismissal of charges, are rarely granted by courts and thus do not deter prosecutors effectively. Further, such all-or-nothing remedial schemes are often problematic from corrective and expressive perspectives, especially when misconduct has not affected the trial verdict. When granted, such remedies produce windfalls to guilty defendants and provoke public re-sentment, undermining their expressive value in condemning misconduct. To avoid such windfalls, courts must refuse to grant any remedy at all, either re-fusing to recognize violations or deeming them harmless. This often leaves significant non-conviction-related harms unremedied and egregious prosecu-torial misconduct uncondemned.This Article accordingly proposes adding sentence reduction to current all-or-nothing remedial schemes, arguing that this would provide courts with an intermediate remedy that they would be more willing to grant. It argues that several prosecutorial incentives combine to make sentence reduction an effective deterrent. Moreover, because sentence reduction could be tailored to the magnitude of the violation, it could resolve the windfall dilemma and serve as an effective corrective and expressive remedy. Sonja Starr http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/54 http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/droughtnetnews/54 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:16:04 PDT The Workshop on Drought and Desertification was held in Israel from 26 to 30 May 1997. Forty-four participants from Africa, Asia, and Europe took part in the Workshop, which was sponsored by WMO. Three foreign experts provided in-depth analysis on drought and drought preparedness--Dr. O. Brunini (Campinas, Brazil), Prof. S. Mei (CAAS, Beijing, China), and Dr. D. Wilhite (University of Nebraska, USA), in addition to the Israeli lecturers. Presentations by lecturers and discussions were conducted under the following four main headings: 1. Drought and Desertification Definitions. 2. Drought Causes and Management Response. 3. Drought Monitoring and Mitigation. 4. Assessing Drought Impact and the Development of a Rational Policy. J. Lomas http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/306 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/306 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:56 PDT Antibodies to the ligand for CD40 (CD154) have been shown to exert profound effects on the development of cell-mediated immune responses in mice. The present study shows that an antibody to human CD154 (hCD40L) inhibits in vivo Tetanus toxoid (TT) specific secondary antibody responses in hu-PBL-scid mice, as well as the expansion of xenoreactive human T cells in the scid mice. A possible cause for the reduced expansion of xenoreactive, human T cells, was the decreased expression of murine B7.1 and B7.2 caused by the administration of anti-hCD40L. Therefore, it may be that defective maturation of murine antigen-presenting cells impeded the priming and expansion of human xenoreactive T cells. Teresa M. Foy Adult Animals Antibodies, Monoclonal Antigens, CD Antigens, CD40 Antigens, CD80 Antigens, CD86 B-Lymphocytes CD40 Ligand Cell Differentiation Cell Transplantation Graft Survival Humans Ligands Lymphocyte Activation Membrane Glycoproteins Mice Mice, SCID T-Lymphocytes Tetanus Toxoid Transplantation, Heterologous http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/305 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/305 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:51 PDT Avian leukosis virus (ALV)-induced osteopetrosis is characterized by the presence of unintegrated viral DNA is diseased bone. To learn more about this phenomenon, ALVs with high (Br21) and low (RAV-1) osteopetrotic potential have been compared for the ability to establish superinfection resistance in cultures of calvarial-derived osteoblasts. Both viruses could establish interference in osteoblast cultures that were maintained as growing cells. This interference was maintained when cultures were induced to differentiate. These results suggest that the unintegrated viral DNA in osteopetrotic bone is not due to the inability of osteopetrosis-inducing viruses to establish superinfection resistance in osteoblasts. Rosalinda Gram Foster Animals Avian leukosis virus Cells, Cultured Chick Embryo Osteoblasts Osteopetrosis *Viral Interference http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/304 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/304 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:45 PDT Avian leukosis virus (ALV)-induced osteopetrosis is caused by the abnormal growth and differentiation of osteoblasts. To evaluate the role of infection in osteopetrosis induction, the replication of an osteopetrosis-inducing virus (Br21) has been compared in osteopetrotic bone, calvarial-derived osteoblasts, and chick embryo fibroblasts. Much higher levels of infection occurred in diseased bone than in the cultures. Severe cases of osteopetrosis contained 10 times more viral DNA, 30 times more mature capsid protein, 5 to 10 times more Gag precursor protein, and 2 to 3 times more Env protein than the infected cultures. Virus replication in the cultured osteoblasts was similar to that in fibroblasts except for a distinctive asymmetric localization of Gag proteins. In osteopetrotic chickens, bones became atypically enlarged and sera contained elevated levels of osteoblast differentiation markers (alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin). In cultures, infections did not affect the growth or differentiation of osteoblasts. Thus, the infected cultures lacked aspects of the bone environment that support both the high levels of infection and the aberrant function of osteoblasts characteristic of ALV-induced osteopetrosis. Rosalinda Gram Foster Animals Avian Leukosis Avian leukosis virus Bone and Bones Cells, Cultured Chick Embryo Chickens Fibroblasts Osteoblasts Osteopetrosis Viral Proteins *Virus Replication http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/303 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/303 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:41 PDT To investigate the mechanisms of HIV-1 cytopathogenicity, functional biological HIV-1 clones were isolated from two infected children with high viral loads in vivo. Clone HC4 was isolated from a symptomatic child and clone GC6 8-4 was isolated from an asymptomatic child. These clones were characterized for their ability to induce syncytia, and to replicate and induce single-cell death in peripheral blood-derived normal CD4 T cell cultures containing anti-CD4 antibody. Despite similar viral loads as determined by p24 antigen production or viral RNA expression, GC6 8-4 was noncytopathogenic and HC4 was cytopathogenic. Since we had demonstrated that mitochondrial dysfunction correlated with HIV-1-induced cell death, we determined whether the cytopathogenic HC4 clone decreased mitochondrial viability using a mitochondrial-specific dye, rhodamine-123. Following infection, mitochondrial viability decreased in cells infected with HC4 by day 4 and continued to decline through day 7 when compared to uninfected cells. By day 7 postinfection, greater than 80% of the cells in culture were dead. Similar analyses on CD4 T cells infected with the noncytopathogenic GC6 8-4 demonstrated that mitochondria remained functionally viable and > 90% of the cells excluded trypan blue. These studies describe a cell culture system to study single-cell death in the absence of syncytia and secondary infection. Results with two patient-derived HIV-1 biological clones suggest that loss of mitochondrial viability may play a role in HIV-1-induced cytopathogenicity. Serene Elizabeth Forte CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes Cell Line Cells, Cultured Child, Preschool Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral Giant Cells HIV Seropositivity HIV-1 Humans Leukocytes, Mononuclear Mitochondria Phenotype http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/302 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/302 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:37 PDT We analyzed the env genes of cytopathic and noncytopathic biological clones derived from two HIV-1-infected children with discordant clinical courses. Chimeric viruses were constructed by switching env regions from V2 through V3 of the biological clones with the corresponding region from the molecular clone NL4-3. These HIV-1 chimeric viruses exhibited similar replication kinetics as well as syncytium-inducing abilities. The chimeric virus containing the env region of noncytopathic biological clone, GC6 8-4, was noncytopathic in an in vitro cell-killing assay, while the chimeric virus containing the env region of cytopathic biological clone, HC4, was cytopathic in the in vitro cell-killing assay. These studies suggest the presence of a cytopathicity determinant that maps to the envelope sequences contained within the downstream region of V2 and within the V3 region (nucleotide position 6822 to nucleotide position 7250, based on NL4-3 sequence). Serene Elizabeth Forte Amino Acid Sequence CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes Child Child, Preschool Cloning, Molecular Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral HIV-1 Humans Jurkat Cells Kinetics Molecular Sequence Data Phenotype Polymerase Chain Reaction Receptors, CCR5 Sequence Alignment Viral Envelope Proteins Virus Replication http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/301 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/301 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:32 PDT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) isolates from six infected individuals less then 4 years of age were phenotyped for their syncytium-inducing (SI) ability in MT-2 cells. Three viral isolates that induced syncytia were detected. One SI isolate was from an individual who was in disease stage P2A,B,C and two SI isolates were recovered sequentially from another individual who switched from disease stage P1B to P2F. Non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) isolates were detected in two individuals who were in stage P1B of disease, and in a third individual who was in stage P2A of disease. Three sequential isolates obtained over a 2-year period from a fourth individual who progressed from disease stage P1B to P2A,B,C and subsequently died of AIDS-related disease were also found to have the NSI phenotype. To test whether NSI isolates can replicate in the absence of syncytium formation, we analyzed NSI-infected MT-2 cells for production of viral p24 antigen and expression of viral RNA by in situ hybridization. By day 12 postinfection, 6 of 7 NSI viral isolates produced 7- to 36-fold increases in p24 antigen compared to day 6, and expressed viral RNA in 13-20% of cells. A single NSI isolate that did not replicate in MT-2 cells was obtained from an individual who was asymptomatic (stage P1B). The individual rapidly progressed to symptomatic stage P2F and two sequential SI viruses were isolated. These SI isolates replicated in MT-2 cells and induced cytopathic effects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS) Serene Elizabeth Forte Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome CD4 Lymphocyte Count Child, Preschool Genes, gag Giant Cells HIV Core Protein p24 HIV-1 Humans Infant Phenotype RNA, Viral T-Lymphocytes Tumor Cells, Cultured *Virus Replication http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/300 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/300 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:27 PDT microRNAs (miRNAs) are single-stranded, 21- to 23-nucleotide cellular RNAs that control the expression of cognate target genes. Primary miRNA (pri-miRNA) transcripts are transformed to mature miRNA by the successive actions of two RNase III endonucleases. Drosha converts pri-miRNA transcripts to precursor miRNA (pre-miRNA); Dicer, in turn, converts pre-miRNA to mature miRNA. Here, we show that normal processing of Drosophila pre-miRNAs by Dicer-1 requires the double-stranded RNA-binding domain (dsRBD) protein Loquacious (Loqs), a homolog of human TRBP, a protein first identified as binding the HIV trans-activator RNA (TAR). Efficient miRNA-directed silencing of a reporter transgene, complete repression of white by a dsRNA trigger, and silencing of the endogenous Stellate locus by Suppressor of Stellate, all require Loqs. In loqs(f00791) mutant ovaries, germ-line stem cells are not appropriately maintained. Loqs associates with Dcr-1, the Drosophila RNase III enzyme that processes pre-miRNA into mature miRNA. Thus, every known Drosophila RNase-III endonuclease is paired with a dsRBD protein that facilitates its function in small RNA biogenesis. Klaus Forstemann Alternative Splicing Amino Acid Sequence Animals Animals, Genetically Modified Base Sequence Drosophila Proteins Drosophila melanogaster Female Germ Cells Male MicroRNAs Molecular Sequence Data RNA Helicases RNA Interference RNA-Binding Proteins Ribonuclease III Stem Cells http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/299 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/299 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:22 PDT Tolerance-based stem cell transplantation using sublethal conditioning is being considered for the treatment of human disease, but safety and efficacy remain to be established. We have shown that mouse bone marrow recipients treated with sublethal irradiation plus transient blockade of the CD40-CD154 costimulatory pathway develop permanent hematopoietic chimerism across allogeneic barriers. We now report that infection with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus at the time of transplantation prevented engraftment of allogeneic, but not syngeneic, bone marrow in similarly treated mice. Infected allograft recipients also failed to clear the virus and died. Postmortem study revealed hypoplastic bone marrow and spleens. The cause of death was virus-induced IFN-alphabeta. The rejection of allogeneic bone marrow was mediated by a radioresistant CD8(+)TCR-alphabeta(+)NK1.1(-) T cell population. We conclude that a noncytopathic viral infection at the time of transplantation can prevent engraftment of allogeneic bone marrow and result in the death of sublethally irradiated mice treated with costimulation blockade. Clinical application of stem cell transplantation protocols based on costimulation blockade and tolerance induction may require patient isolation to facilitate the procedure and to protect recipients. Daron Forman Animals Antibodies, Blocking Antibodies, Monoclonal Antigens Antigens, CD8 Antigens, Surface Bone Marrow Bone Marrow Transplantation CD40 Ligand Cell Lineage Female Graft Rejection Graft Survival Hematopoiesis Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Injections, Intraperitoneal Kinetics Lectins, C-Type Lymphocyte Depletion Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Lymphoid Tissue Mice Mice, Inbred BALB C Mice, Inbred C57BL Mice, Inbred CBA Mice, Knockout Protein Biosynthesis *Proteins Radiation Chimera Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta Skin Transplantation T-Lymphocyte Subsets Time Factors Transplantation Tolerance Viral Load http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/298 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/298 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:17 PDT The human Rad51 protein requires ATP for the catalysis of DNA strand exchange, as do all Rad51 and RecA-like recombinases. However, understanding the specific mechanistic requirements for ATP binding and hydrolysis has been complicated by the fact that ATP appears to have distinctly different effects on the functional properties of human Rad51 versus yeast Rad51 and bacterial RecA. Here we use RNAi methods to test the function of two ATP binding site mutants, K133R and K133A, in human cells. Unexpectedly, we find that the K133A mutant is functional for repair of DNA double-strand breaks when endogenous Rad51 is depleted. We also find that the K133A protein maintains wild-type-like DNA binding activity and interactions with Brca2 and Xrcc3, properties that undoubtedly promote its DNA repair capability in the cell-based assay used here. Although a Lys to Ala substitution in the Walker A motif is commonly assumed to prevent ATP binding, we show that the K133A protein binds ATP, but with an affinity approximately 100-fold lower than that of wild-type Rad51. Our data suggest that ATP binding and release without hydrolysis by the K133A protein act as a mechanistic surrogate in a catalytic process that applies to all RecA-like recombinases. ATP binding promotes assembly and stabilization of a catalytically active nucleoprotein filament, while ATP hydrolysis promotes filament disassembly and release from DNA. Anthony L. Forget Adenosine Triphosphate Amino Acid Substitution Cell Line DNA Repair Humans RNA Interference Rad51 Recombinase http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/297 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/297 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:13 PDT Rad51-mediated homologous recombination (HR) is essential for maintenance of genome integrity. The Xrcc3 protein functions in HR DNA repair, and studies suggest it has multiple roles at different stages in this pathway. Defects in vertebrate XRCC3 result in elevated levels of spontaneous and DNA damage-induced chromosomal abnormalities, as well as increased sensitivity to DNA damaging agents. Formation of DNA damaged-induced nuclear Rad51 foci requires Xrcc3 and the other Rad51 paralog proteins (Rad51B, Rad51C, Rad51D, Xrcc2), thus supporting a model in which an early function of Xrcc3 involves promoting assembly of active Rad51 repair complexes. However, it is not known whether Xrcc3 or other Rad51 paralog proteins accumulate at DNA breaks, and if they do whether their stable association with breaks requires Rad51. Here we report for the first time that Xrcc3 forms distinct foci in human cells and that nuclear Xrcc3 begins to localize at sites of DNA damage within 10 min after radiation treatment. RNAi-mediated knock down of Rad51 has no effect on the DNA damage-induced localization of Xrcc3 to DNA breaks. Our data are consistent with a model in which Xrcc3 associates directly with DNA breaks independent of Rad51, and subsequently facilitates formation of the Rad51 nucleoprotein filament. Anthony L. Forget Animals CHO Cells Cells, Cultured Cricetinae Cricetulus DNA Damage DNA Repair DNA-Binding Proteins Gamma Rays Humans RNA, Small Interfering Rad51 Recombinase *Recombination, Genetic http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/296 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/296 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:08 PDT In Wolfram syndrome, a rare form of juvenile diabetes, pancreatic beta-cell death is not accompanied by an autoimmune response. Although it has been reported that mutations in the WFS1 gene are responsible for the development of this syndrome, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying beta-cell death caused by the WFS1 mutations remain unknown. Here we report that WFS1 is a novel component of the unfolded protein response and has an important function in maintaining homeostasis of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in pancreatic beta-cells. WFS1 encodes a transmembrane glyco-protein in the ER. WFS1 mRNA and protein are induced by ER stress. The expression of WFS1 is regulated by inositol requiring 1 and PKR-like ER kinase, central regulators of the unfolded protein response. WFS1 is normally up-regulated during insulin secretion, whereas inactivation of WFS1 in beta-cells causes ER stress and beta-cell dysfunction. These results indicate that the pathogenesis of Wolfram syndrome involves chronic ER stress in pancreatic beta-cells caused by the loss of function of WFS1. Sonya G. Fonseca Animals COS Cells Cell Line Cercopithecus aethiops Endoplasmic Reticulum Endoribonucleases Homeostasis Humans Insulin-Secreting Cells Membrane Proteins Mice Models, Biological Mutation Protein Folding Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases RNA, Messenger Rats Signal Transduction Wolfram Syndrome http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/295 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/295 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:04 PDT Splicing of mRNA precursors (pre-mRNAs) comprises a series of ATP-dependent steps, the first of which is the stable binding of U2 snRNP at the pre-mRNA branchpoint. The basis of ATP use for the interaction between U2 snRNP and the branchpoint is unclear, and, in particular, none of the known mammalian factors required for this step have the sequence characteristics of proteins that hydrolyze ATP. Entry of U2 snRNP into the spliceosome is initiated by interaction of the essential splicing factor U2AF65 with the pre-mRNA polypyrimidine tract. In this report we identify a new region of U2AF65 required for function, and use this information to clone a human 56-kD U2AF65 associated protein (UAP56). We show that UAP56 is an essential splicing factor, which is recruited to the pre-mRNA dependent on U2AF65, and is required for the U2 snRNP-branchpoint interaction. The sequence of UAP56 indicates it is a member of the DEAD box family of RNA-dependent ATPases, which mediate ATP hydrolysis during several steps of yeast pre-mRNA splicing. Our results reveal a new function of U2AF65: to position a DEAD box protein required for U2 snRNP binding at the pre-mRNA branchpoint region. Jan Fleckner Adenosine Triphosphatases Amino Acid Sequence Hela Cells Humans Molecular Sequence Data *Nuclear Proteins Protein Binding *RNA Splicing RNA, Messenger Ribonucleoprotein, U2 Small Nuclear Ribonucleoproteins Sequence Homology, Amino Acid Spliceosomes http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/294 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/294 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:13:59 PDT In summary, a multitude of regulatory systems are employed to cause the selective activation of target cytokine genes in Th1 and Th2 effector cells. These mechanisms involve both positive and negative regulation and employ at least three kinds of mechanisms. In the first, selective expression of transcription factors such as GATA3 in Th2 cells and the homeobox gene HLX in Th1 cells occurs, and appears in both cases to play a causal role. Another example of this would be c-maf, discovered by the Glimcher laboratory. A second mechanism is by the selective accumulation of protein through posttranscriptional mechanisms. Thus, junB accumulates in Th2 cells despite the fact that the junB mRNA levels are not different between Th1 and Th2 cells. Finally, the selective use of signaling pathways, in the case studied here MAP kinase pathways, leads to the selective activation of target genes. We believe that transcriptional up-regulation of rac2 leads to the coupling of both the p38 and JNK MAP kinase pathways to the T-cell receptor and/or costimulatory receptors, thereby providing a lineage-specific signal. Richard A. Flavell Cell Differentiation JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases Signal Transduction T-Lymphocytes Th1 Cells Th2 Cells Transcription Factors p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/293 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/293 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:13:54 PDT Bacterial lipopolysaccharides are recognized in mammals by a receptor complex composed of CD14, Toll-like receptor (TLR)-4 and MD-2. Transduction of signaling is achieved following the recruitment of a combination of four Toll-interleukin-1 resistance (TIR)-domain-containing adapter molecules, which provide a structural platform enabling the recruitment and activation of downstream effectors essential for pathway-specific transcription factor activation and inflammatory gene expression. Katherine A. Fitzgerald Animals Antigens, Surface Carrier Proteins Endotoxins Lipopolysaccharides Lymphocyte Antigen 96 Membrane Glycoproteins Receptors, Cell Surface Signal Transduction Toll-Like Receptor 4 Toll-Like Receptors http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/292 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/292 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:13:50 PDT Toll-IL-1-resistance (TIR) domain-containing adaptor-inducing IFN-beta (TRIF)-related adaptor molecule (TRAM) is the fourth TIR domain-containing adaptor protein to be described that participates in Toll receptor signaling. Like TRIF, TRAM activates interferon regulatory factor (IRF)-3, IRF-7, and NF-kappaB-dependent signaling pathways. Toll-like receptor (TLR)3 and 4 activate these pathways to induce IFN-alpha/beta, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and gamma interferon-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) expression independently of the adaptor protein myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88). Dominant negative and siRNA studies performed here demonstrate that TRIF functions downstream of both the TLR3 (dsRNA) and TLR4 (LPS) signaling pathways, whereas the function of TRAM is restricted to the TLR4 pathway. TRAM interacts with TRIF, MyD88 adaptor-like protein (Mal)/TIRAP, and TLR4 but not with TLR3. These studies suggest that TRIF and TRAM both function in LPS-TLR4 signaling to regulate the MyD88-independent pathway during the innate immune response to LPS. Katherine A. Fitzgerald Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport Amino Acid Sequence Animals Cell Line Chemokine CCL5 DNA-Binding Proteins Humans Interferon Regulatory Factor-3 Interferon Regulatory Factor-7 Lipopolysaccharides Membrane Glycoproteins Mice Mice, Inbred C57BL Molecular Sequence Data NF-kappa B RNA, Double-Stranded RNA, Small Interfering Receptors, Cell Surface Signal Transduction Toll-Like Receptor 3 Toll-Like Receptor 4 Toll-Like Receptors Transcription Factors http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/291 http://escholarship.umassmed.edu/gsbs_sp/291 Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:13:45 PDT The transcription factors interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) and NF-kappaB are required for the expression of many genes involved in the innate immune response. Viral infection, or the binding of double-stranded RNA to Toll-like receptor 3, results in the coordinate activation of IRF3 and NF-kappaB. Activation of IRF3 requires signal-dependent phosphorylation, but little is known about the signaling pathway or kinases involved. Here we report that the noncanonical IkappaB kinase homologs, IkappaB kinase-epsilon (IKKepsilon) and TANK-binding kinase-1 (TBK1), which were previously implicated in NF-kappaB activation, are also essential components of the IRF3 signaling pathway. Thus, IKKepsilon and TBK1 have a pivotal role in coordinating the activation of IRF3 and NF-kappaB in the innate immune response. Katherine A. Fitzgerald Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport Chemokine CCL5 DNA-Binding Proteins *Drosophila Proteins Gene Expression Regulation Humans I-kappa B Kinase Immunity, Natural Interferon Regulatory Factor-3 Interferon-beta Membrane Glycoproteins NF-kappa B Prot