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There is currently a lack of research on the association between demographic dynamics and household use of natural resources in rural Africa. Such work is important because in rural Africa natural resources buffer households against shocks, offering both sustenance and income-generating potential. Aims: The article focuses on adult mortality as a household shock, examining use of local environmental resources as related to household dietary needs. Methods: The authors analyze two sources of data collected during May-December 2004 in the MRC/Wits Rural Public Health and Health Transitions Research Unit (Agincourt) in rural South Africa. Quantitative analyses use survey data from 240 households, stratified by adult mortality experience. Qualitative data are based on 31 interviews with members of households having recently experienced adult mortality. Results: The interviews provide insight into a variety of household-level mortality impacts and also suggest the importance of proximate resources in the maintenance of food security following the loss of an adult household member. Quantitatively, there are significant differences, both in patterns of usage of the natural environment and in levels of food security, between households that have lost an adult and those that have not. The association between mortality and household use of local environmental resources is further shaped by the gender of the deceased and the time elapsed since the death. Conclusions: Adult mortality, particularly the death of a male wage-earner, affects household food security. Time allocation is affected as resource collection responsibilities shift, and wild foods may substitute for previously purchased goods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The goal of this study was to prospectively examine the long-term predictive value of brachial-artery endothelial dysfunction for future cardiovascular events.Background: Brachial-artery endothelial function is impaired in individuals with atherosclerosis and coronary risk factors. The prospective relation between endothelial function determined by brachial-artery ultrasound and long-term cardiovascular risk is unknown.Methods: We examined brachial-artery endothelial function using ultrasound in 199 patients with peripheral arterial disease before elective vascular surgery. Patients were prospectively followed with an average follow-up of 1.2 years after surgery.Results: Thirty-five patients had an event during follow-up, including cardiac death (5 patients), myocardial infarction (17 patients), unstable angina (10 patients), or stroke (3 patients). Preoperative endothelium-dependent flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was significantly lower in patients with an event (4.4 +/- 2.8%) compared with those without an event (7.0 +/- 4.9%, p < 0.001), whereas endothelium-independent vasodilation to nitroglycerin was similar in both groups. In a Cox proportional-hazards model, independent predictors of events included age (p = 0.003), more invasive surgery (surgery other than carotid endarterectomy, p = 0.02), and impaired brachial-artery endothelial function (p = 0.002). Risk was approximately nine-fold higher in patients with FMD <8.1% (lower two tertiles) compared with those in the upper tertile (odds ratio 9.5; 95% confidence interval 2.3 to 40).Conclusions: Impaired brachial-artery endothelial function independently predicts long-term cardiovascular events in patients with peripheral arterial disease. The findings suggest that noninvasive assessment of endothelial function using brachial-artery FMD may serve as a surrogate end point for cardiovascular risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerobic exercise training improves endothelial vasomotor function in the coronary circulation of patients with coronary artery disease (CAD), an effect that has been attributed to local repetitive increases in shear stress on the endothelium. To study the effects of exercise on endothelial function in the peripheral circulation, we used vascular ultrasound to examine flow-mediated dilation and nitroglycerin-mediated dilation in the brachial and posterior tibial arteries of 58 subjects with CAD. Studies were performed at baseline and after 10 weeks in 40 subjects (aged 59 +/- 10 years) who participated in a supervised cardiac rehabilitation program that predominantly involved moderate intensity leg exercise (three 30-minute sessions/week), and 18 matched patients who did not exercise and maintained a sedentary lifestyle. Exercise was associated with a 29% increase in functional capacity (7.3 +/- 2.2 vs 9.4 +/- 2.7 METs, p <0.001), and significant improvement in endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated dilation in a conduit artery of the leg, but not the arm. Nitroglycerin-mediated dilation in the upper arm and lower extremity was unaffected. These findings suggest that exercise improves endothelial function in peripheral conduit arteries of patients with CAD and that the beneficial effect may be more marked in the vascular beds of the exercised limbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an important human pathogen that regulates host immunity and hijacks host compartments, including lysosomes, to assemble virions. We combined a quantitative proteomic analysis of HCMV infection with a database of proteins involved in vacuolar acidification, revealing Dmx-like protein-1 (DMXL1) as the only protein that acidifies vacuoles yet is degraded by HCMV. Systematic comparison of viral deletion mutants reveals the uncharacterized 7 kDa US33A protein as necessary and sufficient for DMXL1 degradation, which occurs via recruitment of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Kip1 ubiquitination-promoting complex (KPC). US33A-mediated DMXL1 degradation inhibits lysosome acidification and autophagic cargo degradation. Formation of the virion assembly compartment, which requires lysosomes, occurs significantly later with US33A-expressing virus infection, with reduced viral replication. These data thus identify a viral strategy for cellular remodeling, with the potential to employ US33A in therapies for viral infection or rheumatic conditions, in which inhibition of lysosome acidification can attenuate disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests D.C.R. is a consultant for Aladdin Healthcare Technologies Ltd., Mindrank AI, Nido Biosciences, Drishti Discoveries, Retro Biosciences and PAQ Therapeutics., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) pUS2 glycoprotein exploits the host's endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated degradation (ERAD) pathway to degrade major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I) and prevent antigen presentation. Beyond MHC-I, pUS2 has been shown to target a range of cellular proteins for degradation, preventing their cell surface expression. Here we have identified a novel pUS2 target, ER-resident protein lectin mannose binding 2 like (LMAN2L). pUS2 expression was both necessary and sufficient for the downregulation of LMAN2L, which was dependent on the cellular E3 ligase TRC8. Given the hypothesized role of LMAN2L in the trafficking of glycoproteins, we employed proteomic plasma membrane profiling to measure LMAN2L-dependent changes at the cell surface. A known pUS2 target, integrin alpha-6 (ITGA6), was downregulated from the surface of LMAN2L-deficient cells, but not other integrins. Overall, these results suggest a novel strategy of pUS2-mediated protein degradation whereby pUS2 targets LMAN2L to impair trafficking of ITGA6. Given that pUS2 can directly target other integrins, we propose that this single viral protein may exhibit both direct and indirect mechanisms to downregulate key cell surface molecules.

Competing Interests: Declarations of interest: None.

As with all social processes, human migration is a dynamic process that requires regular theoretical reflection; this article offers such reflection as related to the role of the natural environment in contemporary migration research and theory. A growing body of evidence suggests that environmental contexts are increasingly shifting social and ecological realities in ways that are consequential to migration theory. We review some of this evidence, providing examples applicable to core migration theories, including neoclassical economic and migration systems perspectives, the "push-pull" framework, and the new economics of labor migration. We suggest that neglecting consideration of the natural environment may yield misspecified migration models that attribute migration too heavily to social and economic factors particularly in the context of contemporary climate change,. On the other hand, failure to consider migration theory in climate scenarios may lead to simplistic projections and understandings, as in the case of "climate refugees". We conclude that migration researchers have an obligation to accurately reflect the complexity of migration's drivers, including the environment, within migration scholarship especially in the context of global climate change.

Twenty-four phenolic furanochromene hydrazone derivatives were designed and synthesized in order to evaluate structure-activity relationships in a series of antioxidant-related assays. The derivatives have varying substitution patterns on the phenol ring, with some compounds having one, two or three hydroxy groups, and others containing one hydroxy group in combination with methoxy, methyl, bromo, iodo and/or nitro groups. Antioxidant activity was determined using the DPPH free radical scavenging and CUPRAC assays. Compounds containing ortho-dihydroxy and para-dihydroxy patterns had the highest free radical scavenging activity, with IC 50 values ranging from 5.0 to 28 μM. Similarly, derivatives with ortho-dihydroxy and para-dihydroxy patterns, together with a 4-hydroxy-3,5‑dimethoxy pattern, displayed strong copper (II) ion reducing capacity, using Trolox as a standard. Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) coefficients for these derivatives ranged from 1.75 to 3.97. As further evidence of antioxidant potential, greater than half of the derivatives reversed erastin-induced ferroptosis in HaCaT cells. In addition, twenty-three of the derivatives were effective at cleaving supercoiled plasmid DNA in the presence of copper (II) ions at 1 mM, with the 3,4‑dihydroxy derivative showing cleavage to both the linear and open circular forms at 3.9 uM. The interaction of the phenolic furanochromene derivatives with DNA was confirmed by molecular docking studies, which revealed that all the derivatives bind favorably in the minor groove of DNA., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, we propose a guiding operational definition and corresponding set of empirical steps to identify and study trapped populations. Trapped populations consist of actors who are highly vulnerable to climate and environmental stressors given limited resources (economic, social, etc.), which limit their ability to adapt to these stressors in-situ or by choosing to migrate. Informed by both insights and omissions from prior theoretical and empirical research, we propose a guiding operational definition of trapped populations that appreciates and incorporates actors' limited resources and their migration intentions against the backdrop of climate and environmental stressors. As it should, our operational definition points to a specific set of operations, or steps, which can be followed to empirically identify and study trapped populations. Using data from the Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS), we detail the steps permitting both retrospective and prospective identification of trapped populations. We conclude by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of our operational definition and empirical approach, as well as possible extensions., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is an important human pathogen and a paradigm of viral immune evasion, targeting intrinsic, innate, and adaptive immunity. We have employed two orthogonal multiplexed tandem mass tag-based proteomic screens to identify host proteins down-regulated by viral factors expressed during the latest phases of viral infection. This approach revealed that the HIV-1 restriction factor Schlafen-11 (SLFN11) was degraded by the poorly characterized, late-expressed HCMV protein RL1, via recruitment of the Cullin4-RING E3 Ubiquitin Ligase (CRL4) complex. SLFN11 potently restricted HCMV infection, inhibiting the formation and spread of viral plaques. Overall, we show that a restriction factor previously thought only to inhibit RNA viruses additionally restricts HCMV. We define the mechanism of viral antagonism and also describe an important resource for revealing additional molecules of importance in antiviral innate immunity and viral immune evasion., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest., (Copyright © 2022 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

This paper contributes to research on health disparities among rural and urban residents by considering differences in the magnitude of genetic associations for physical health, mental health, and health behaviors across the two settings. Previous research has shown reduced genetic associations in rural compared to urban settings but none have utilized current genome-wide polygenic scores and none have focused on older adults. Using a sample of 14,994 adults from the 1992 to 2016 waves of the Health and Retirement Study our results suggest genetic associations for BMI (p<.018) and heart conditions (p < .023) are significantly reduced in rural compared to urban settings and we find weak evidence in support of this association for depression (p. < .065) and no evidence for smoking (p < 461). In sum, the weaker genetic associations in rural areas highlights the centrality of the social, economic, and built environment as a determinant of disparities.

The cellular response to interferon (IFN) is essential for antiviral immunity, IFN-based therapy and IFN-related disease. The plasma membrane (PM) provides a critical interface between the cell and its environment, and is the initial portal of entry for viruses. Nonetheless, the effect of IFN on PM proteins is surprisingly poorly understood, and has not been systematically investigated in primary immune cells. Here, we use multiplexed proteomics to quantify IFNα2a-stimulated PM protein changes in primary human CD14+ monocytes and CD4+ T cells from five donors, quantifying 606 and 482 PM proteins respectively. Comparison of cell surface proteomes revealed a remarkable invariance between donors in the overall composition of the cell surface from each cell type, but a marked donor-to-donor variability in the effects of IFNα2a. Furthermore, whereas only 2.7% of quantified proteins were consistently upregulated by IFNα2a at the surface of CD4+ T cells, 6.8% of proteins were consistently upregulated in primary monocytes, suggesting that the magnitude of the IFNα2a response varies according to cell type. Among these differentially regulated proteins, we found the viral target Endothelin-converting enzyme 1 (ECE1) to be an IFNα2a-stimulated protein exclusively upregulated at the surface of CD4+ T cells. We therefore provide a comprehensive map of the cell surface of IFNα2a-stimulated primary human immune cells, including previously uncharacterized interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) and candidate antiviral factors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Soday, Potts, Hunter, Ravenhill, Houghton, Williamson, Antrobus, Wills, Matheson and Weekes.)

Herpesviruses are ubiquitous in the human population and they extensively remodel the cellular environment during infection. Multiplexed quantitative proteomic analysis over the time course of herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infection was used to characterize changes in the host-cell proteome and the kinetics of viral protein production. Several host-cell proteins are targeted for rapid degradation by HSV-1, including the cellular trafficking factor Golgi-associated PDZ and coiled-coil motif-containing protein (GOPC). We show that the poorly characterized HSV-1 pUL56 directly binds GOPC, stimulating its ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Plasma membrane profiling reveals that pUL56 mediates specific changes to the cell-surface proteome of infected cells, including loss of interleukin-18 (IL18) receptor and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2), and that cell-surface expression of TLR2 is GOPC dependent. Our study provides significant resources for future investigation of HSV-host interactions and highlights an efficient mechanism whereby a single virus protein targets a cellular trafficking factor to modify the surface of infected cells., Competing Interests: Declaration of Interests The authors declare no competing interests., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The unique health and aging challenges of rural populations often go unnoticed. In fact, the rural United States is home to disproportionate shares of older and sicker people, there are large and growing rural-urban and within-rural mortality disparities, many rural communities are in population decline, and rural racial/ethnic diversity is increasing.Yet rural communities are not monolithic, and although some rural places are characterized by declining health, others have seen large improvements in population health. We draw on these realities to call for new research in five areas.First, research is needed to better describe health disparities between rural and urban areas and, because rural places are not monolithic, across rural America. Second, research is needed on how trends in rural population health and aging are affecting rural communities. Third, research is needed on the ways in which economic well-being and livelihood strategies interact with rural health and aging. Fourth, we need to better understand the health implications of the physical and social isolation characterizing many rural communities. Finally, we argue for new research on the implications of local natural environments and climate change for rural population health and aging.

When working with clients in another language, having culturally relevant and properly translated clinic materials is vital to effective clinical practice. Not having them presents a barrier for bilingual therapists and their clients. This paper reviews common translation methods and introduces a multi-level, community-based approach for translating clinic materials for non-English speaking clients. Informed by decolonizing practices, this five-tier method includes members from the target community as cultural brokers to verify the accuracy and nuances of language for their cultural group, as well as a constant comparative method to ensure methodological rigor in the process of inclusion. We present community member's feedback and recommendations, as well as discuss advantages and challenges of using this collaborative culturally responsive translation method., (© 2018 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.)

Bochdalek hernia is a congenital diaphragmatic hernia that presents rarely in adulthood. Because of the paucity of cases, no standard repair technique has been identified. Here we present two cases of robotic, thoracoscopic repair of this rare hernia defect. Two separate adult patients with right-sided abdominal pain presented to the emergency department for evaluation. Both patients were diagnosed with right-sided Bochdalek hernia and repair was undertaken with a robotic, transthoracic approach. Repair technique is described in detail, including port placement, dissection technique, and repair strategy. Advantages of the robotic, transthoracic approach are discussed in detail. A transthoracic minimally invasive approach using a robotic platform is noted to be both feasible and practical in the treatment of adult Bochdalek hernia.

Migration provides a strategy for rural Mexican households to cope with, or adapt to, weather events and climatic variability. Yet prior studies on "environmental migration" in this context have not examined the differences between choices of internal (domestic) or international movement. In addition, much of the prior work relied on very coarse spatial scales to operationalize the environmental variables such as rainfall patterns. To overcome these limitations, we use fine-grain rainfall estimates derived from NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The rainfall estimates are combined with Population and Agricultural Census information to examine associations between environmental changes and municipal rates of internal and international migration 2005-2010. Our findings suggest that municipal-level rainfall deficits relative to historical levels are an important predictor of both international and internal migration, especially in areas dependent on seasonal rainfall for crop productivity. Although our findings do not contradict results of prior studies using coarse spatial resolution, they offer clearer results and a more spatially nuanced examination of migration as related to social and environmental vulnerability and thus higher degrees of confidence.

Evidence is increasing that climate change and variability may influence human migration patterns. However, there is less agreement regarding the type of migration streams most strongly impacted. This study tests whether climate change more strongly impacted international compared to domestic migration from rural Mexico during 1986-99. We employ eight temperature and precipitation-based climate change indices linked to detailed migration histories obtained from the Mexican Migration Project. Results from multilevel discrete-time event-history models challenge the assumption that climate-related migration will be predominantly short distance and domestic, but instead show that climate change more strongly impacted international moves from rural Mexico. The stronger climate impact on international migration may be explained by the self-insurance function of international migration, the presence of strong migrant networks, and climate-related changes in wage difference. While a warming in temperature increased international outmigration, higher levels of precipitation declined the odds of an international move., Competing Interests: Compliance with Ethical Standards: Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Grant support listed above was provided independent of research topic, methods, and findings.

Many tumors are dependent on de novo fatty acid synthesis to maintain cell growth. Fatty acid synthase (FASN) catalyzes the final synthetic step of this pathway, and its upregulation is correlated with tumor aggressiveness. The consequences and adaptive responses of acute or chronic inhibition of essential enzymes such as FASN are not fully understood. Herein we identify Fasnall, a thiophenopyrimidine selectively targeting FASN through its co-factor binding sites. Global lipidomics studies with Fasnall showed profound changes in cellular lipid profiles, sharply increasing ceramides, diacylglycerols, and unsaturated fatty acids as well as increasing exogenous palmitate uptake that is deviated more into neutral lipid formation rather than phospholipids. We also showed that the increase in ceramide levels contributes to some extent in the mediation of apoptosis. Consistent with this mechanism of action, Fasnall showed potent anti-tumor activity in the MMTV-Neu model of HER2(+) breast cancer, particularly when combined with carboplatin., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

While the last two decades have seen important theoretical, empirical, and policy advancements in environmental justice generally, much remains to be done regarding Native Americans. Unique political and cultural dynamics shape the study and pursuit of environmental justice (EJ) in Native American communities. This review summarizes Native American EJ issues based on a cross-disciplinary search of over 60 publications. In so doing, we discuss the unique nature of Native American EJ in terms of conducting research and working toward reducing the continuation of historical trauma associated with environmental ills, the types of strategies used in Native American EJ research, and issues of Native American climate justice. We conclude with discussion of remaining knowledge gaps and future research needs.

Men and women's vulnerability to disasters is different and often related, in part, to cultural norms that influence gendered behaviors and abilities. In this study we focus on gender differences in swimming abilities, which, in the case of tsunamis have resulted in far greater female mortality rates. We present results on swimming ability by gender for 940 residents of coastal rural communities in the northern and central Philippines. We also examine cross-generational transmission of swimming abilities to shed light on future vulnerability. Results reveal men are far more likely than women to swim and, importantly, parents who can swim are more likely to have children who can swim. In this way, differences in swimming ability among today's adults may perpetuate vulnerabilities within future generations.

Increasing rates of climate migration may be of economic and national concern to sending and destination countries. It has been argued that social networks - the ties connecting an origin and destination - may operate as "migration corridors" with the potential to strongly facilitate climate change-related migration. This study investigates whether social networks at the household and community levels amplify or suppress the impact of climate change on international migration from rural Mexico. A novel set of 15 climate change indices was generated based on daily temperature and precipitation data for 214 weather stations across Mexico. Employing geostatistical interpolation techniques, the climate change values were linked to 68 rural municipalities for which sociodemographic data and detailed migration histories were available from the Mexican Migration Project. Multi-level discrete-time event-history models were used to investigate the effect of climate change on international migration between 1986 and 1999. At the household level, the effect of social networks was approximated by comparing the first to the last move, assuming that through the first move a household establishes internal social capital. At the community level, the impact of social capital was explored through interactions with a measure of the proportion of adults with migration experience. The results show that rather than amplifying , social capital may suppress the sensitivity of migration to climate triggers, suggesting that social networks could facilitate climate change adaptation in place.

Studies investigating migration as a response to climate variability have largely focused on rural locations to the exclusion of urban areas. This lack of urban focus is unfortunate given the sheer numbers of urban residents and continuing high levels of urbanization. To begin filling this empirical gap, this study investigates climate change impacts on U.S.-bound migration from rural and urban Mexico, 1986-1999. We employ geostatistical interpolation methods to construct two climate change indices, capturing warm and wet spell duration, based on daily temperature and precipitation readings for 214 weather stations across Mexico. In combination with detailed migration histories obtained from the Mexican Migration Project, we model the influence of climate change on household-level migration from 68 rural and 49 urban municipalities. Results from multilevel event-history models reveal that a temperature warming and excessive precipitation significantly increased international migration during the study period. However, climate change impacts on international migration is only observed for rural areas. Interactions reveal a causal pathway in which temperature (but not precipitation) influences migration patterns through employment in the agricultural sector. As such, climate-related international migration may decline with continued urbanization and the resulting reductions in direct dependence of households on rural agriculture.

Research on the environmental dimensions of human migration has made important strides in recent years. However, findings have been spread across multiple disciplines with wide ranging methodologies and limited theoretical development. This article reviews key findings of the field and identifies future directions for sociological research. We contend that the field has moved beyond linear environmental "push" theories towards a greater integration of context, including micro-, meso-, and macro-level interactions. We highlight findings that migration is often a household strategy to diversify risk (NELM), interacting with household composition, individual characteristics, social networks, and historical, political and economic contexts. We highlight promising developments in the field, including the recognition that migration is a long-standing form of environmental adaptation and yet only one among many forms of adaptation. Finally, we argue that sociologists could contribute significantly to migration-environment inquiry through attention to issues of inequality, perceptions, and agency vis-à-vis structure.

In the face of climate change induced economic uncertainty, households may employ migration as an adaptation strategy to diversify their livelihood portfolio through remittances. However, it is unclear whether such climate migration will be documented or undocumented. In this study we combine detailed migration histories with daily temperature and precipitation information for 214 weather stations to investigate whether climate change more strongly impacts undocumented or documented migration from 68 rural Mexican municipalities to the U.S. during the years 1986-1999. We employ two measures of climate change, the warm spell duration index ( WSDI ) and the precipitation during extremely wet days ( R99PTOT ). Results from multi-level event-history models demonstrate that climate-related international migration from rural Mexico was predominantly undocumented. We conclude that programs to facilitate climate change adaptation in rural Mexico may be more effective in reducing undocumented border crossings than increased border fortification.

Inducible Hsp70 (Hsp70i) is overexpressed in a wide spectrum of human tumors, and its expression correlates with metastasis, poor outcomes, and resistance to chemotherapy in patients. Identification of small-molecule inhibitors selective for Hsp70i could provide new therapeutic tools for cancer treatment. In this work, we used fluorescence-linked enzyme chemoproteomic strategy (FLECS) to identify HS-72, an allosteric inhibitor selective for Hsp70i. HS-72 displays the hallmarks of Hsp70 inhibition in cells, promoting substrate protein degradation and growth inhibition. Importantly, HS-72 is selective for Hsp70i over the closely related constitutively active Hsc70. Studies with purified protein show HS-72 acts as an allosteric inhibitor, reducing ATP affinity. In vivo HS-72 is well-tolerated, showing bioavailability and efficacy, inhibiting tumor growth and promoting survival in a HER2+ model of breast cancer. The HS-72 scaffold is amenable to resynthesis and iteration, suggesting an ideal starting point for a new generation of anticancer therapeutics targeting Hsp70i., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

In recent years, the empirical literature linking environmental factors and human migration has grown rapidly and gained increasing visibility among scholars and the policy community. Still, this body of research uses a wide range of methodological approaches for assessing environment-migration relationships. Without comparable data and measures across a range of contexts, it is impossible to make generalizations that would facilitate the development of future migration scenarios. Demographic researchers have a large methodological toolkit for measuring migration as well as modeling its drivers. This toolkit includes population censuses, household surveys, survival analysis and multi-level modeling. This paper's purpose is to introduce climate change researchers to demographic data and methods and to review exemplary studies of the environmental dimensions of human migration. Our intention is to foster interdisciplinary understanding and scholarship, and to promote high quality research on environment and migration that will lead toward broader knowledge of this association.

Recurring food crises endanger the livelihoods of millions of households in developing countries around the globe. Owing to the importance of this issue, we explore recent changes in food security between the years 2004 and 2010 in a rural district in Northeastern South Africa. Our study window spans the time of the 2008 global food crises and allows the investigation of its impacts on rural South African populations. Grounded in the sustainable livelihood framework, we examine differences in food security trajectories among vulnerable sub populations. A unique panel data set of 8,147 households, provided by the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System (Agincourt HDSS), allows us to employ a longitudinal multilevel modeling approach to estimate adjusted growth curves for the differential change in food security across time. We observe an overall improvement in food security that leveled off after 2008, most likely resulting from the global food crisis. In addition, we discover significant differences in food security trajectories for various sub populations. For example, female-headed households and those living in areas with better access to natural resources differentially improved their food security situation, compared to male-headed households and those households with lower levels of natural resource access. However, former Mozambican refugees witnessed a decline in food security. Therefore, poverty alleviation programs for the Agincourt region should work to improve the food security of vulnerable households, such as former Mozambican refugees.

The number of people living in wildfire prone wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities is on the rise. Yet, no prior study has investigated wildfire-induced residential relocation from WUI areas after a major fire event. To provide insight into the association between socio-demographic and socio-psychological characteristics and wildfire related intention to move, we use data from a survey of WUI residents in Boulder and Larimer Counties, Colorado. The data were collected two months after the devastating Fourmile Canyon fire destroyed 169 homes and burned over 6,000 acres of public and private land. Although working with a small migrant sample, logistic regression models demonstrate that survey respondents intending to move in relation to wildfire incidence do not differ socio-demographically from their non-migrant counterparts. They do, however, show significantly higher levels of risk perception. Investigating destination choices shows a preference for short distance moves.

Demographers have much to contribute to climate change science. This paper describes a new framework being developed by the climate research community that holds potential as an organizing tool for population-climate scholarship, as well as being useful for identifying demographic research gaps within the climate change field. The shared socio-economic pathways (SSPs) represent plausible alternative trends in the evolution of social and natural systems over the twenty-first century at the scale of the world and large regions. The SSPs can help identify population-environment research gaps by illuminating areas of intersection that will shape climate futures but require deeper scientific understanding-the association between urbanization and energy consumption is an example. Also, to vastly enhance the policy relevance of local case studies, the parameters outlined within the SSPs can offer a basic level of harmonization to facilitate generalization. In this way, the SSP framework can increase the relevance and accessibility of population research and, therefore, offer a mechanism through which demographic science can truly offer policy impact.

In many rural regions of developing countries, natural resource dependency means changes in climate patterns hold tremendous potential to impact livelihoods. When environmentally-based livelihood options are constrained, migration can become an important adaptive strategy. Using data from the Mexican Migration Project, we model U.S. emigration from rural communities as related to community, household and climate factors. The results suggest that households subjected to recent drought conditions are far more likely to send a U.S. migrant, but only in communities with strong migration histories. In regions lacking such social networks, rainfall deficits actually reduce migration propensities, perhaps reflecting constraints in the ability to engage in migration as a coping strategy. Policy implications emphasize diversification of rural Mexican livelihoods in the face of contemporary climate change.

Accurate measurement of household food security is essential to generate adequate information on the proportion of households experiencing food insecurity, especially in areas or regions vulnerable to food shortages and famine. This manuscript offers a methodological examination of three commonly used indicators of household food security - experience of hunger, dietary diversity, and coping strategies. Making use of data from the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in rural South Africa, we examine the association between the indicators themselves to improve understanding of the different insight offered by each food security "lens." We also examine how the choice of indicator shapes the profile of vulnerable households, with results suggesting that dietary diversity scores may not adequately capture broader food insecurity. Concluding discussion explores programmatic and policy implications as related to methodological choices.

Environmental and climatic changes have shaped human mobility for thousands of years and research on the migration-environment connection has proliferated in the past several years. Even so, little work has focused on Latin America or on international movement. Given rural Mexico's dependency on primary sector activities involving various natural resources, and the existence of well-established transnational migrant networks, we investigate the association between rainfall patterns and U.S.-bound migration from rural locales, a topic of increasing policy relevance. The New Economics of Labor Migration (NELM) theory provides background, positing that migration represents a household-level risk management strategy. We use data from the year 2000 Mexican census for rural localities and socioeconomic and state-level precipitation data provided by the Mexican National Institute for Statistics and Geography. Multilevel models assess the impact of rainfall change on household-level international out-migration while controlling for relevant sociodemographic and economic factors. A decrease in precipitation is significantly associated with U.S.-bound migration, but only for dry Mexican states. This finding suggests that programs and policies aimed at reducing Mexico-U.S. migration should seek to diminish the climate/weather vulnerability of rural Mexican households, for example by supporting sustainable irrigation systems and subsidizing drought-resistant crops.

Introduction: Outreach teaching is delivered as part of the undergraduate curricula of many dental schools. Evaluations of outreach in primary care settings have found learning opportunities beyond those available in the dental school setting, but less is known about secondary care placements. The aim of this evaluation was to assess dental students' experiences of an undergraduate outreach placement in secondary care., Materials and Methods: Questionnaire survey based on a single cohort of final-year undergraduate dental students at Cardiff University who had completed a 1-week outreach secondment to a District General Hospital., Results: Fifty-five of the 57 eligible students completed the questionnaire. Outreach placements in secondary care were experienced to provide positive additional educational benefit and were considered to be worthwhile by many (but not all) students. Clinical opportunities and staff teaching varied by site., Discussion: In the current programme, the variability of student experience during secondments to secondary care means that some students report more benefit than others. However, even apparently negative experiences, such as cancelled operating lists, can contribute to the overall outcome in that they accurately reflect the reality of hospital practice., Conclusion: Careful management of secondary care undergraduate secondments is needed to ensure worthwhile learning experiences., (© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.)

The long-standing and sometimes heated debates over the direction and size of the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) on environmental concern contrast post-materialist and affluence arguments, suggesting a positive relationship in high-income nations, with counter arguments for a negative or near zero relationship. A diffusion-of-innovations approach adapts parts of both arguments by predicting that high SES groups first adopt pro-environmental views, which produces a positive relationship. Like other innovations, however, environmentalism diffuses over time to other SES groups, which subsequently weakens the association. We test this argument using the General Social Survey from 1973 to 2008 to compare support for environmental spending across 83 cohorts born from around 1900 to 1982. In developing attitudes before, during, and after the emergence of environmentalism, varying cohorts provide the contrast needed to identify long-term changes in environmental concern. Multilevel age, period, and cohort models support diffusion arguments by demonstrating the effects, across cohorts, of three common indicators of SES - education, income and occupational prestige - first strengthen and then weaken. This finding suggests that diffusion of environmental concern first produces positive relationships consistent with postmaterialism arguments and later produces null or negative relationships consistent with global environmentalism arguments.

Background: Although natural resources play a central role in rural livelihoods across the globe, little research has explored the relationship between migration and natural capital use, particularly in combination with other livelihood capitals (i.e., human, social, financial and physical)., Objective: Grounded in the rural livelihood framework, this paper explores the association between the livelihood capital availability, especially natural capital, for migrants and non-migrants in rural Madagascar., Methods: Data from the 2008/2009 Demographic and Health Survey are used in combination with satellite imagery of vegetation coverage (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) to proxy natural resources. Hierarchical multilevel models allow for inclusion of cross-level interactions between migrant status and proximate natural resources as determinants of the status of livelihood assets., Results: Three key findings emerge. First, higher levels of proximate natural resources are associated with greater financial, human, and social capital for both migrants and non-migrants. Second, migrants have, on average, greater financial, physical, human, and social capital than non-migrants, and urban-to-rural migrants do exceptionally well on all capital asset categories. Third, migrants residing in areas with higher levels of natural capital tend to have significantly higher levels of human capital (education)., Conclusion: Although we cannot examine livelihood strategies per se, the results suggest variation in livelihood potential among migrants and non-migrants in rural Madagascar, with migrants tending to have greater capital assets. In addition, access to natural resources is a central livelihood strategy.

Migration-environment models tend to be aspatial within chosen study regions, although associations between temporary outmigration and environmental explanatory variables likely vary across the study space. This research extends current approaches by developing migration models considering spatial non-stationarity and temporal variation - through examination of the migration-environment association at nested geographic scales (i.e. whole-population, village, and subvillage) within a specific study site. Demographic survey data from rural South Africa, combined with indicators of natural resource availability from satellite imagery, are employed in a nested modeling approach that brings out distinct patterns of spatial variation in model associations derived at finer geographic scales. Given recent heightened public and policy concern with the human migratory implications of climate change, we argue that consideration of spatial variability adds important nuance to scientific understanding of the migration-environment association.

Local natural resources are central to rural livelihoods across much of the developing world. Such "natural capital" represents one of several types of assets available to households as they craft livelihood strategies. In order to explore the potential for environmental scarcity and change to contribute to perpetuation of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, we examine the association between declining natural capital and engaging in risky sexual behaviors, as potentially another livelihood strategy. Such association has been demonstrated in Kenya and Tanzania, through the fish-for-sex trade. To explore the possibility of this connection within rural Haitian livelihoods we use Demographic and Health Survey data, with a focus on rural women, combined with vegetation measures generated from satellite imagery. We find that lack of condom use in recent sexual encounters is associated with local environmental scarcity - controlling for respondent age, education, religion and knowledge of AIDS preventive measures. The results suggest that explicit consideration of the environmental dimensions of HIV/AIDS may be of relevance in scholarship examining factors shaping the pandemic.

HIV/AIDS has been described as a household shock distinct from others faced by rural households. This study examines this characterisation by analysing the impact of an adult HIV/AIDS-related death on household food security, compared with households experiencing either no mortality or a sudden non-HIV/AIDS adult death. The research is based in the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in rural South Africa, and focuses on a sample of 290 households stratified by experience of a recent prime-age adult death. HIV/AIDS-related mortality was associated with reduced household food security. However, much of this negative association also characterised households experiencing a non-HIV/AIDS mortality. In addition, other household characteristics, especially socioeconomic status, were strong determinants of food security regardless of mortality experience. We therefore recommend that development policy and interventions aimed at enhancing food security target vulnerable households broadly, rather than solely targeting those directly affected by HIV/AIDS mortality.

There is little empirical evidence on the association between household experience with HIV/AIDS and shifts in the use of natural resources in developing countries, where residents of rural regions remain highly dependent on often-declining local supplies of natural resources. This study examines household strategies with regard to fuelwood and water among impoverished rural South African households having experienced a recent adult mortality and those without such mortality experience. Quantitative survey data reveal higher levels of natural resource dependence among mortality-affected households, as well as differences in collection strategies. Qualitative interview data provide insight into subtle and complex adjustments at the household level, revealing that impacts vary by the role of the deceased within the household economy. Resource management and public health implications are explored.

The state of the local environment shapes the well-being of millions of rural residents in developing nations. Still, we know little of these individuals' environmental perceptions. This study analyzes survey data collected in an impoverished, rural region in northeast South Africa, to understand the factors that shape concern with local environmental issues. We use the "post-materialist thesis" to explore the different explanations for environmental concern in less developed regions of the world, with results revealing the importance of both cultural and physical context. In particular, gendered interaction with natural resources shapes perceptions, as does the local setting. Both theoretical and policy implications are discussed.

Migration is one of the variety of ways by which human populations adapt to environmental changes. The study of migration in the context of anthropogenic climate change is often approached using the concept of vulnerability and its key functional elements: exposure, system sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. This article explores the interaction of climate change and vulnerability through review of case studies of dry-season migration in the West African Sahel, hurricane-related population displacements in the Caribbean basin, winter migration of 'snowbirds' to the US Sun-belt, and 1930s drought migration on the North American Great Plains. These examples are then used as analogues for identifying general causal, temporal, and spatial dimensions of climate migration, along with potential considerations for policy-making and future research needs.