bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long‐term spatial dynamics of Succisa pratensis in a changing rural landscape: linking dynamical modelling with historical maps
Authors: HERBEN TOMÁŠ , MÜNZBERGOVÁ ZUZANA , MILDÉN MIKAEL , EHRLÉN JOHAN , COUSINS SARA A.O. , ERIKSSON OVE
Published: October 2005

We attempt to explain the current distribution of a long‐lived perennial plant, Succisa pratensis, in a rural landscape in southern Sweden by linking its population biology with documented changes in the landscape, using a dynamical, spatially explicit model incorporating population dynamics and spatial spreading of the plant. Changes in the landscape were inferred from historical maps (1850 and 1900) and aerial photographs (1945 and 2001).

We tested whether predictions for the current species distribution are affected by assumptions about its early 19th century distribution, to determine whether recent history and current processes are dominant, and how past landscape changes determine current distributions.

Initial conditions influence predictions of current distribution, suggesting that the current distribution still partly reflects the distribution of the species in the early 19th century. A period of 150 years is too short for Succisa to have spread extensively if dispersal parameters are given realistic values.

Simulations in which present‐day land‐use patterns were imposed at earlier dates showed that changes in landscape structure over the past 175 years also had a strong effect on the present‐day habitat occupancy and population sizes of Succisa.

The dominant process for Succisa now is extinction from marginal habitats. It is therefore likely that the (relatively) high present‐day occupation patterns are still due to much larger areas having been available in the past rather than to successful dispersal. Although the species has responded to landscape changes, there is little evidence of population sizes reaching equilibrium.

Our approach shows that the wealth of landscape information available from historical maps can be linked with data on population biology by means of dynamical models that can make predictions about species dynamics.
Habitat fragmentation reduces grassland connectivity for both short‐distance and long‐distance wind‐dispersed forbs
Authors: SOONS M. B. , MESSELINK J. H. , JONGEJANS E. , HEIL G. W.
Published: October 2005

Although habitat loss and fragmentation are assumed to threaten the regional survival of plant species, their effects on regional species dynamics via seed dispersal and colonization have rarely been quantified.

We assessed the impact of habitat loss and fragmentation on the connectivity, and hence regional survival, of wind‐dispersed plant species of nutrient‐poor semi‐natural grasslands. We did this using a new approach to relate quantified habitat loss and fragmentation to quantified colonization capacity.

We quantified loss and fragmentation during the 20th century of moist, nutrient‐poor semi‐natural grasslands in study areas in the Netherlands, as well as their current distribution. After testing how well the habitat distribution matches species distributions of two wind‐dispersed grassland forbs (Cirsium dissectum, representative of species with long‐distance wind dispersal, and Succisa pratensis, representative of species with short‐distance wind dispersal), we combined the habitat distribution data with simulated seed dispersal kernels in order to quantify the impact on connectivity.

Habitat loss and fragmentation has dramatically reduced both the area (by 99.8%) and the connectivity of the grasslands. The remaining grasslands are practically isolated for seeds dispersed by wind, even for species with high wind dispersal ability (for which, interestingly, connectivity by wind dispersal decreased most). Linear landscape elements hardly contribute to connectivity by wind dispersal. Regional survival of the studied species has become completely dependent on the survival of a few large populations in nature reserves. Other remaining populations are decreasing in number and size and have low colonization capacity.

Habitat loss and fragmentation have drastically changed the regional species dynamics of wind‐dispersed plant species, indicating that it is of utmost importance to preserve remaining populations in nature reserves and that the probability of colonization of new or restored sites is very low, unless the sites are adjacent to occupied sites or dispersal is artificially assisted.
Pilot study of interferon‐α–ribavirin–interleukin‐2 for treatment of nonresponder patients with severe liver disease infected by hepatitis C virus genotype 1
Authors: Alric L. , Thebault S. , Peron J.‐M. , Balard P. , Metivier S. , Pipy B. , Izopet J. , Vinel J.‐P.
Published: October 2005

Summary.  The aim of this randomized prospective study was to assess the efficacy and safety of a triple therapy with interferon‐α (IFN‐α)‐ribavirin‐interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) for the treatment of patients with genotype 1 infection and high viral load nonresponsive to primary IFN‐ribavirin therapy. Twenty hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 patients with high viral load and Metavir fibrosis score ≥2 without HIV co‐infection who were previously nonviral responders to standard treatment with IFN plus ribavirin were intensively re‐treated with IFN‐α2a (3 millions (M) IU every 2 days) combined with ribavirin (1000–1200 mg/day) for a 24‐week period. Patients were randomized to receive four cycles of subcutaneous injection of IL‐2 (3 MIU/day, 5 days a week every 3 weeks) during either the first 12 weeks (group 1, n = 10) or the last 12 weeks (group 2, n = 10) of combination therapy. At the end of triple therapy, six patients (30%) achieved a biochemical response and 4 (20%) a viral response followed by a relapse after triple therapy withdrawal. After 12 weeks of therapy, no difference in viral oad was observed between the groups. The decrease in viral load in group 2 was not raised after the addition of IL‐2 to IFN plus ribavirin combination therapy. No serious adverse effects were observed. In conclusion, in patients with poor predictive factors of response, the addition of IL‐2 to IFN ribavirin combination therapy does not exert a favourable impact on HCV treatment.
Genetic inherence of the response to human kairomones by two allopatric members of the Lutzomyia longipalpis complex
Authors: Rebollar‐Téllez E. A. , Hamilton J. G. C. , Ward R. D.
Published: October 2005

Abstract.  The sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva) is the main vector of Leishmania infantum in the New World. Several studies show that Lu. longipalpis is a species complex of at least three members. The feeding habits among the members of the complex vary from one geographical location to another. These differences in feeding habits may be related to differences between different members of the complex. The present study investigates differences in the response to human kairomones by two members of the complex, as well as the possibility that differences in the response have a genetic basis. One of the members used in this study is from Jacobina Bahia State, Brazil. Males from this population are known to produce a sex pheromone characterized by a C16 molecule identified as 3‐methyl‐α‐himachelene. The other member is from a population originating in Marajó Island, Pará State, Brazil. Males from this location secrete a sex pheromone characterized by a C20 molecule whose structure remains to be elucidated, but is known to be a diterpene type. Our findings indicate that Jacobina females are significantly more responsive to human odours than Marajo females. When Jacobina and Marajó populations of Lu. longipalpis complex are cross‐mated, the response of F1 females to the human odours is found to be genetically controlled.
Reduction in egg hatch after a sublethal dose of chlorfluazuron to larvae of the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura
Authors: Perveen Farzana
Published: October 2005

Abstract.  The effects of a sublethal dose of chlorfluazuron on egg hatching in Spodoptera litura are examined under laboratory conditions. When LD10 of chlorfluazuron is topically applied to newly moulted fifth‐instar larvae of either sex, a significant reduction in both the number of eggs laid and subsequent hatching is observed after mating but no significant differences in daily of oviposition are observed when compared with the controls. In addition, examination of the unhatched eggs reveals that the number of unfertilized eggs is greater than those that were fertilized but there are significantly more unfertilized eggs laid by treated insects. Interference by chlorfluazuron, transferred by copulation through sperm fluids or ova, appears improbable. All the fertilized unhatched eggs in the treated crosses die at an earlier stage than those of the controls. In the female‐treated crosses, the egg size is significantly reduced compared with the control or male‐treated crosses. During mating, the treated‐males transferred significantly lower‐weight spermatophores into the females. The weight of spermatophores transferred by untreated males is the same to both treated and untreated females. The duration of mating is not affected by chlorfluazuron treatment.
Acyl‐homoserine lactones modulate the settlement rate of zoospores of the marine alga Ulva intestinalis via a novel chemokinetic mechanism
Authors: WHEELER GLEN L. , TAIT KAREN , TAYLOR ALISON , BROWNLEE COLIN , JOINT IAN
Published: October 2005

Bacteria utilize quorum sensing to regulate the expression of cell density‐dependant phenotypes such as biofilm formation and virulence. Zoospores of the marine alga Ulva intestinalis exploit the acyl‐homoserine lactone (AHL) quorum sensing system to identify bacterial biofilms for preferential settlement. Here, we demonstrate that AHLs act as strong chemoattractants for Ulva zoospores. Chemoattraction does not involve a chemotactic orientation towards the AHL source. Instead, it occurs through a chemokinesis in which zoospore swimming speed is rapidly decreased in the presence of AHLs. The chemoresponse to AHLs was dependant on the nature of the acyl side chain, with N‐(3‐oxododecanoyl)‐homoserine lactone (3O‐C12‐HSL) being the most effective signal molecule. Mean zoospore swimming speed decreased more rapidly over wild‐type biofilms of the marine bacteria Vibrio anguillarum relative to biofilms of the vanM mutant, in which AHL synthesis is disrupted. These data implicate a role for AHL‐mediated chemokinesis in the location and preferential settlement of Ulva zoospores on marine bacterial assemblages. Exposure to AHLs did not inhibit the negative phototaxis of Ulva zoospores, indicating that chemoattraction to bacterial biofilms does not preclude the response to a light stimulus in substrate location.
Subglacial imprints of early Gondwana break‐up as identified from high resolution aerogeophysical data over western Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica
Authors: Ferraccioli F. , Jones P.C. , Curtis M.L. , Leat P.T.
Published: October 2005

Determining the location and geometry of possible subglacial rifts in western Dronning Maud Land is a key element to address processes leading to early Gondwana break‐up. However, previous geophysical investigations did not lead to unambiguous delineation of rift structures over this region. We interpret high‐resolution airborne radar and aerogravity data to image subglacial rift structures. Subglacial topography, free‐air and Bouguer gravity maps, coupled with 3D inverse gravity models, image a rift–rift–rift triple junction at the intersection of the Jutulstraumen ice stream and the Pencksökket glacier. These continental rifts were associated with alkaline and tholeiitic intrusions, minor dyke swarms and flood basalts of Jurassic age, but not with huge volumes of Karoo magmatism, such as that which characterizes the southern Africa conjugate margin. The western Dronning Maud Land triple junction may be linked to the Karoo mantle plume and represents an early stage of magmatism and rifting during Gondwana break‐up.
Pathogenesis of Aleutian Mink Disease Parvovirus and Similarities to B19 Infection
Authors: Best S. M. , Bloom M. E.
Published: October 2005

Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV) is an unusual member of the autonomous parvoviruses in both its replication and pathogenesis. Infection of newborn mink kits results in an acute disease typified by virus replication in type II pneumocytes in the lung. This replication is permissive and cytopathic, characterized by the production of high levels of viral replicative intermediates and infectious progeny. However, infection of adult Aleutian mink leads to a chronic form of the disease termed Aleutian disease (AD). In this case, virus replication occurs predominantly in lymph node macrophages and is restricted, with viral DNA replication, RNA transcription, protein expression and production of infectious progeny occurring at low levels. B19 is the only autonomous parvovirus known to infect humans. The primary site of virus replication in both children and adults is in erythrocyte precursors in the blood and bone marrow, although viral genomes have been detected in various other tissues. B19 infection often causes a self‐limiting disease although persistent infection of B19 can occur in both immuno‐compromised and ‐competent people. Perhaps the most striking similarity between infection with ADV or with B19 is the important role the humoral immune response to infection has in pathogenesis. It can be both protective and pathogenic. Due to of the central role of antibody in the disease caused by either virus, understanding the specific roles of antibody production in protection, antibody‐mediated enhancement of infection, the establishment of persistent infection and immune‐mediated pathology will provide insight into the pathogenesis of these infections. A second similarity between the two viruses is the ability to establish persistent infection. Persistence of ADV is associated with restricted replication. Although many cellular factors may contribute to restricted virus replication, the interactions between the major non‐structural protein, NS1, and the cells are likely to be critical. Parallels exist between the expression and post‐translational modification of ADV and B19 NS1 proteins that may contribute to restriction of virus replication. Thus, a study of the regulation of NS1 expression and its interactions with cell signalling pathways may lead to increased understanding of the restricted replication of these two viruses, and perhaps of persistent infection.
Human Parvovirus B19: A New Emerging Pathogen of Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Bock C.‐T. , Klingel K. , Aberle S. , Duechting A. , Lupescu A. , Lang F. , Kandolf R.
Published: October 2005

The human parvovirus B19 (PVB19), an erythrovirus causing diverse clinical manifestations ranging from asymptomatic or mild to more severe outcomes such as hydrops fetalis, is the only known human pathogenic parvovirus so far. Although enteroviruses have long been considered the most common cause of inflammatory cardiomyopathy, PVB19 is emerging as a important candidate. Recent studies have indicated an association of PVB19 with paediatric and adult inflammatory cardiac disease. However, whether or not PVB19 has an impact on inflammatory cardiomyopathy in adult patients is still unclear. The first hints for a possible aetiopathogenetic role of the PVB19‐infection and the development of cardiac dysfunction were demonstrated by molecular biology utilizing in situ hybridization (ISH) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). According to available evidence, PVB19‐associated inflammatory cardiomyopathy is characterized by infection of endothelial cells of small intracardiac arterioles and venules, which may be associated with endothelial dysfunction, impairment of myocardial microcirculation, and penetration of inflammatory cells into the myocardium.
Pathophysiology and Aetiological Diagnosis of Inflammatory Myocardial Diseases with a Special Focus on Parvovirus B19
Authors: Pankuweit S. , Ruppert V. , Eckhardt H. , Strache D. , Maisch B.
Published: October 2005

Inflammatory processes induced by viral or bacterial infections are believed to be one of the major pathogenetic mechanisms in myocardial diseases. Although the reason for progression to myocardial failure is not fully understood, postulated mechanisms include persistent viral infection alone or in combination with autoimmune processes. A variety of cardiotropic viruses have been identified to elicit myocarditis, with enteroviruses and adenoviruses as the most frequent causative agents in children and adolescents. However, parvovirus B19 (PVB19) has recently emerged as another potential pathogen in adult patients associated with inflammatory heart disease. Many dimensions of inflammatory heart disease coexist while different phases of the disease progress simultaneously: phase 1 is dominated by viral infection, phase 2 by the onset of (probably) multiple autoimmune reactions, and phase 3 by the progression to cardiac dilatation without the role of an infectious agent and cardiac inflammation. Taking these mechanisms into account, screening for viral and bacterial genome by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and detection of inflammatory infiltrates by immunohistochemistry are considered crucial for establishing an aetiological diagnosis, thereby allowing initiation of specific therapeutic strategies. In a large cohort of 3345 consecutive patients with left ventricular dysfunction evaluated over a period of 10 years, prevalence of PVB19, coxsackievirus (CVB), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), influenza A virus and adenovirus (ADV) genome was assessed by PCR. Inflammatory infiltrates within the myocardium were detected by immunohistochemistry according to the WHF criteria and by histopathology according to the Dallas criteria of myocarditis. For control, endomyocardial samples of patients with arterial hypertension were studied. Parvovirus B19 was the most often detected virus in all patient subgroups, with positivity ranging from 17% to 33%. Except for PVB19, CVB RNA (3%), ADV (2%) and CMV (3.9%) were the most frequently detected viral genomes. Interestingly, detection of PVB19 genome was significantly correlated with inflammatory heart disease and reduced ejection fraction. Importantly, an aetiological diagnosis requires the immunohistochemical and molecular biological investigation of endomyocardial biopsies. Such an approach may change the management of these diseases in the future. One of the aims of the study was to reveal the underlying dominant pathophysiological mechanisms in a for deciding on the most approriate therapy.
Surveillance Activity for Canine Parvovirus in Italy
Authors: Martella V. , Decaro N. , Elia G. , Buonavoglia C.
Published: October 2005

Recent identification of unusual canine parvovirus (CPV) mutants in cats and dogs suggests that CPV type 2 (CPV‐2), which emerged suddenly in the late 1970s, is undergoing continual genetic and antigenic variations. A peculiarity of parvoviruses is that single‐nucleotide substitutions may determine drastic phenotypic changes. The effects of either natural or artificial mutations on CPV phenotypic properties have been largely investigated, and this sets up CPV as an interesting model to study virus evolution. By monitoring the evolution of CPV‐2 in Italy, we observed the onset and quick spread of a Glu‐426 mutant, antigenically different from the pre‐existing variants that were partially displaced within a few years of the initial identification of the new mutant. The identification of CPV‐2 variants raises several questions concerning their impact on the efficacy of the current CPV‐2 vaccines, based on the original CPV‐2 strain that no longer exists in the field.
Origin of replication in circular prokaryotic chromosomes
Authors: Worning Peder , Jensen Lars J. , Hallin Peter F. , Stærfeldt Hans‐Henrik , Ussery David W.
Published: October 2005

To predict origins of replication in prokaryotic chromosomes, we analyse the leading and lagging strands of 200 chromosomes for differences in oligomer composition and show that these correlate strongly with taxonomic grouping, lifestyle and molecular details of the replication process. While all bacteria have a preference for Gs over Cs on the leading strand, we discover that the direction of the A/T skew is determined by the polymerase‐α subunit that replicates the leading strand. The strength of the strand bias varies greatly between both phyla and environments and appears to correlate with growth rate. Finally we observe much greater diversity of skew among archaea than among bacteria. We have developed a program that accurately locates the origins of replication by measuring the differences between leading and lagging strand of all oligonucleotides up to 8 bp in length. The program and results for all publicly available genomes are available from http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/GenomeAtlas/suppl/origin.
Psychological functioning in families that blame: from blaming events to theory integration
Authors: Bowen Ceri , Stratton Peter , Madill Anna
Published: October 2005

Blaming events in therapy were used as a focus for discussions with family therapists in order to examine their construal of the therapeutic process when working with families who blame. Interview transcripts were used as data which were analysed using a qualitative methodology, with a view to building a theoretical model. We present an exploratory model that allows therapists to position their therapy within a broader framework of psychological approaches. When prompted by a video‐clip of blaming from the therapy setting, therapists tended to categorize current difficulties in terms of fear and control issues from past relationships and consequent underlying beliefs, and they also described the resultant negative outlook as a direct challenge to therapist idealism. Interestingly, the two themes that emerged from the interview data with the most categories and quotes were ‘unhealthy allocation of responsibility for problems’, which is arguably the main source of overt blaming, and ‘family identity and cohesion’, so often a point of contention during therapy.
Top Executive Remuneration: A View from Europe*
Authors: Bruce Alistair , Buck Trevor , Main Brian G. M.
Published: October 2005

abstract  We argue that the dominance of principal‐agent theory as an approach to investigating executive pay has led to an overly narrow focus which may be unhelpful when considering cross‐country differences and probably also hinders within‐country analysis. The paper discusses the interlinked nature of three available theoretical lenses, namely principal‐agent, executive power, and stewardship/stakeholder theories. It argues that institutional theory can provide a useful overarching framework within which appropriate variants of these approaches can be deployed to better comprehend developments in executive pay. We illustrate our approach with a discussion of executive pay in the UK and in Germany.
‘Baddies’ in the classroom: media education and narrative writing
Authors: Willett Rebekah
Published: October 2005

When teachers allow students to write stories that include elements of popular media, we must ask what to do with these media elements once they have entered the classroom. This article relates findings from a classroom study focusing on children's media‐based story writing. The study looks at children as producers of new media texts and describes their activities as a form of ‘media education’. The data show that through their production of media‐based stories, the children are reflecting on their consumption of media. Furthermore, the children's media‐based stories make explicit some of their implicit knowledge of new media forms. Lastly, the children's stories provide ample opportunities for teachers to engage in important discussions about media within the framework of existing writing programmes.
Maternal Emotional Styles and Child Social Adjustment: Assessment, Correlates, Outcomes and Goodness of Fit in Early Childhood
Authors: Lagacé‐Séguin Daniel G. , Coplan Robert J.
Published: October 2005

The goals of the present research were to develop a modified version of an existing self‐assessment questionnaire designed to measure parents’ emotional style and to examine how the aspects of child regulation may moderate the relation between the emotional styles and social outcomes in childhood. Participants in Study 1 were 140 mothers and children (73 males, 67 females, Mage=56.0 months). The mothers completed the Maternal Emotional Styles Questionnaire (MESQ) to assess maternal emotional styles, and the Child Behavior Vignettes to assess parental goals across two scenarios. Participants in Study 2 were 50 mothers who were interviewed regarding their emotional styles using the Meta‐emotion Interview, and who also completed the MESQ. In Study 3, 100 mothers and children (41 males, 59 females, M=58.0 months) participated. The mothers completed the MESQ and the Child Behavior Questionnaire to assess the children's emotion and behavior regulation. Teachers completed the Child Behavior Scale to measure the indices of preschool adjustment. Results from Studies 1 and 2 indicated a two‐factor scale for the MESQ, with good psychometric properties (including stability, convergent validity, and construct validity). Results from Study 3 indicated different patterns of associations between maternal emotional styles, and child adjustment for well‐regulated versus dysregulated children.
Managerial Efficiency in German Top League Soccer: An Econometric Analysis of Club Performances On and Off the Pitch
Authors: Kern Markus , Süssmuth Bernd
Published: October 2005

This study applies stochastic frontier analytic techniques in the estimation of sporting production functions. As ex-ante input factors, we use preseasonal estimates of wage bills of players and coaches that are transformed during the production process of a season into ex-post pecuniary revenues and sporting success. In the case of athletic output we find a robust pattern of technical efficiency over subsequent seasons. Estimates based on economic output, however, do not support an efficiency model. A significant inter-seasonal change in overall technical productivity rather highlights the economic instability of the German soccer industry.
Reforming Liability for Psychiatric Injury in Scotland: A Recipe for Uncertainty?
Authors: Nolan Donal
Published: October 2005

It is widely acknowledged that the common law rules governing liability for psychiatric injury in the United Kingdom are in an unsatisfactory state. The Scottish Law Commission has now published a report, Damages for Psychiatric Injury (Scot Law Com No 196, 2004), which recommends wholesale statutory reform of this area of the law. In this paper, the report is summarised, and its recommendations subjected to detailed critical analysis. It is concluded that, while the proposed statutory scheme is both coherent and imaginative, the Commission's consistent preference for flexible, fact‐oriented rules means that implementation of the report's recommendations could give rise to an unacceptable degree of uncertainty.
Bilateral blepharochalasis
Authors: Dózsa A , Károlyi ZS , Degrell P
Published: October 2005

Blepharochalasis is a rare disorder characterized by recurrent painless periorbital oedema, which leads to atrophy of the periorbital skin. Pathomechanism of the disease is probably immunological with a nearly complete loss of elastic fibres. The authors describe a 17‐year‐old woman, who was followed for 7 years. IgA deposits were found in the periorbital tissues, which confirm the immunological background of the condition. Electron microscopy results show that not only elastic but also collagen fibres were affected.
Ross syndrome, an entity included within the spectrum of partial disautonomic syndromes
Authors: Ballestero‐Díez M , García‐Río I , Daudén E , Corrales‐Arroyo MJ , García‐Díez A
Published: October 2005

Ross syndrome is a degenerative peripheral nervous system disorder defined by the following triad: unilateral or bilateral segmental anhidrosis, hyporeflexia of deep tendon reflexes and Adie's tonic pupils. The most disturbing symptom is segmental compensatory hyperhidrosis. It has only occasionally been reported in the dermatological literature. We present a 35‐year‐old woman with chronic hepatitis C who developed the characteristic triad of Ross syndrome within 1 month. The patient was otherwise healthy except for an aneurysm of the left medium brain artery not responsible for the syndrome.
Women dermatologists and the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (SADV)
Authors: Guerra A , Rodríguez‐Cerdeira M del Carmen , González‐Guerra E
Published: October 2005

Basis  The Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (SADV) consists of a large majority of Spanish dermatologists. Their track record and history can be considered as parallel to that of female dermatologists. The aim of this study is to determine the role of women in the SADV throughout its history, both in terms of their involvement and their positions of responsibility.

Materials and methods  To obtain data, we consulted the SADV archives from the year of its foundation until 2001. We also consulted other Spanish medical societies, receiving responses from three of them.

Results  Until 1964, no woman had ever become a member of the SADV. Since then, the percentage began to increase slowly (5.5% in 1975). Over the last decade, their involvement has increased rapidly, reaching 41.34% in 2001. During this time, only 11 women have held positions on the Board of Directors, and in all cases in nonpresidential positions. The percentage of women in paediatrics, ophthalmology and pathologic anatomy is similar.

Conclusions  During this time, the number of female dermatologists in the SADV has gradually increased. This increase is, nonetheless, not uniform, with the greatest growth being seen during the last decade. Women in positions of responsibility have been scarce and, to date, there has been no female national president. These results coincide with statistics revealed in other areas of the medical society.
Melanoma associated with subacute primitive fibrinolysis
Authors: Blaise S , Rumeau‐Trividic M , Le Brun V , Bedane C , Bonnetblanc JM
Published: October 2005

Background  Surgery is the first treatment of a pigmented skin lesion when a melanoma is suspected. This excision is most of the time realized by the dermatologist as well as the second time surgery. Bleeding at the surgical site may have numerous aetiologies. Fibrinolysis is a rare but dramatic event.

Case report  We report a case with delayed bleeding after excision of a melanoma. The patient was re‐operated and a major haemorrhage followed so that a transfusion of blood and fresh frozen plasma was necessary. The biological investigations concluded to a subacute primitive fibrinolysis associated with the melanoma. The patient was first considered to have completely recovered when a blood‐borne liver metastasis diffusion rapidly occurred. The patient deceased within a few months from a hepatic encephalopathy with hepatic metastases.

Discussion  We find only a few published cases of melanoma with fibrinolysis. Its association with other abnormalities, like a partial factor XIII deficiency, made these abnormalities even more difficult to identify. The relation between the subacute fibrinolysis, the melanoma and the liver infiltrative metastasis is difficult to establish.
Frontal fibrosing alopecia: a survey in 16 patients
Authors: Moreno‐Ramírez D , Camacho Martínez F
Published: October 2005

Background  Postmenopausal frontal fibrosing alopecia (PFFA) was described by Kossard et al. as a progressive recession of the frontal hairline affecting particularly postmenopausal women. Further cases of PFFA have been reported to date, all of them considering it as a variant of lichen planopilaris on the basis of its clinical, histological and immunohistochemical features.

Objective  To describe clinical features, and response to treatment of 16 cases of frontal fibrosing alopecia diagnosed at our department in the last 6 years.

Methods  In addition to clinical data, biopsies and laboratory tests (antinuclear antibodies, sex hormones, thyroid hormones) were performed in order to rule out other causes of scarring alopecia. Patients were treated with intralesional corticosteroids, finasteride, and minoxidil, depending on the stage of the disease and association to androgenetic alopecia.

Results  All patients presented progressive alopecia localized to the frontal and temporal hairlines. Eight patients (50%) had loss of eyebrows, and six patients (37.5%) had axillar alopecia. Ages ranged from 45 to 79. Three of these women were premenopausal. Androgenetic alopecia was evident in seven patients (43.8%). All patients biopsied showed perifollicular lymphocitic infiltrate with lamelar fibrosis limited to the upper portions of the follicle. The progression of the condition stopped in most patients after a variable period on treatment. When treatment was abandoned the alopecia progressed to ‘clown alopecia’ appearance.

Discussion  Cases of Kossard's type scarring alopecia affecting premenopausal women made us consider that this condition is not exclusive of postmenopausal women. Differential diagnosis should take into account conditions like female androgenetic alopecia, fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution, alopecia areata, and chronic lupus erythematosus. Except for the pattern of alopecia, lichen planopilaris and frontal fibrosing alopecia are indistinguishable, thus the latter is included as a variant of lichen planopilaris. Although the disease tends to spontaneous stabilization, intralesional and topical corticosteroids, and anti‐androgens may stop the progression of the disease and improve the female androgenetic alopecia that usually is associated to FFA.
Giant cutaneous rhinosporidiosis
Authors: Ghorpade A
Published: October 2005

A young male with a single, huge subcutaneous lesion of rhinosporidiosis is reported. The diagnosis was suggested by the presence of nasal rhinosporidiosis and confirmed by fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) from the skin lesion. This is the second report of giant skin lesions in rhinosporidiosis, from our department.
Naevus comedonicus of the scalp
Authors: Ghaninezhad H , Ehsani AH , Mansoori P , Taheri A
Published: October 2005

We report the case of a 3‐year‐old boy with naevus comedonicus, characterized by confluent clusters of dilated follicular orifices plugged with keratinous material that resemble open comedones, located on the scalp.
The Meaning and Value of Home‐Based Craft
Authors: Mason Rachel
Published: October 2005

My interest in craft‐based activity in the home was aroused by research I carried out for the Crafts Council in the mid 1990s, which found that craft education in secondary schools was in serious decline. Paradoxically interest in amateur crafts was increasing and many teenagers claimed to be ‘making things’ at home. At the present time, culture and life‐long learning are priorities on the British government's agenda and craft‐based projects are being used in community, family and health education schemes targeted, for example, at quality of life enhancement, improving participation in schools and neighbourhood regeneration. However the majority of such schemes operate with a narrow conception of the nature and scope of craft and ignore how it is learned and practised in everyday life. This article reports the findings of a review of literature about social and emotional benefits of participation in home‐based crafts and argues this is a neglected area of art and design education theory and practice meriting increased attention and research.
School Art — What's in it?
Authors: Downing Dick
Published: October 2005

In 2003/4 NFER undertook a study of the content of the art curriculum in secondary schools in England on behalf of the Arts Council England (ACE) and Tate Galleries [1]. In 18 schools, eight of which were identified as engaged with contemporary art practice (referred to throughout the article as the CAP schools), 54 art teachers were asked to describe the content of their most recently completed art module. ‘Content’ was taken as: the media and materials in which pupils worked; the artistic and cultural references used to support the teaching; the skills taught; and the thinking processes used. They were also questioned about the factors that influenced their choice of curriculum content and the aims that guided their choice of content. Most of the teachers (excluding the heads of department) were asked which of a set of six art images they would include in their teaching, and the reasons for their decisions. Teachers in the CAP schools were also asked to explain why they chose to include contemporary art. The findings revealed substantial differences between the two cohorts of schools, not all of which were related to the inclusion of contemporary art practice. A preoccupation with the teaching of skills was more apparent in the randomly selected schools, which also drew very heavily on the early twentieth century for their artistic references. Unsurprisingly, the CAP schools drew heavily on contemporary references, but included many from other periods, cited twice as many references overall, and had a generally more eclectic view of the purposes of teaching art.
Developing Multicultural Awareness through Designs Based on Family Cultural Heritage: Application, Impact and Implications
Authors: Clemons Stephanie
Published: October 2005

The United States has grown increasingly diverse in its social and cultural composition. Higher education institutions in the USA have actively encouraged multicultural infusion both in curriculum development and campus activities. This article discusses a higher education multicultural design project that was based on students' research and documentation of four generations of personal family history. By understanding aspects of personal heritage, self‐awareness of bias and prejudice can be more easily understood thereby offering opportunity for maturity through appreciation and acceptance of others. The impact of the personal history design project on students will be described as well as application of the project in the K—12 environment. Implications for K—12 teachers will also be discussed.
Thinking about Art: Could Elementary Textbooks Serve as Models of Practice to Help New Teachers and Non‐Specialists Support Reasoning in Art?
Authors: Newton Lynn D. , Newton Douglas P.
Published: October 2005

Some primary school teachers may neglect reasoning about art. Models of practice can exemplify classroom teaching and, to some extent, a textbook for children can be seen as a model of practice. Can those in art serve as models of practice and help teachers foster reasoning? This study examined 19 art textbooks intended for use by Key Stage 2 children (7–11 years old) to see to what extent they might direct a teacher's attention to reasoning in art. Some gave no attention to reasoning but some were found to have the potential to do that, at least in connection with evaluating the art of others. In this respect, they might serve as models of practice. Nevertheless, the teachers most likely to benefit from such models may not recognise a good one, be proficient in using it productively, be able to develop thinking about the art of others further or extrapolate thinking to the child's own art. Consequently, knowing what counts in art education and using models of practice to good effect could be an important part of training courses.
Access and Support in the Development of a Visual Language: arts education and disabled students
Authors: Taylor Margaret
Published: October 2005

Overall, little is known about the ways in which disabled children and young people produce artwork or how they are enabled to access the visual arts curriculum particularly when they have high level and complex support requirements. This article focuses on the Information Communication Technology (ICT) and practical assistance that enables disabled students to create art and design work. The article is based on my recent doctoral research which has analysed the arts education of a group of disabled young people post 16 and investigated the ways in which the arts curriculum can be made accessible [1]. ICT, in conjunction with effective practical assistance, can be refined and merged to create seamless access to the visual arts for disabled students and can play a key role not only in equipping them with the skills and competencies to gain qualifications and potential employment, but also as a ‘voice’ with which they can express their particular experiences of the human condition.
Gender difference and caregivers’ burden in early‐onset Alzheimer's disease
Authors: TAKANO Maki , ARAI Heii
Published: October 2005

Background:  Caregiver burden is the stress experienced as a result of caregiving. Despite the increasing number of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients who are cared for at home, little has been published about the caregiver burden pertaining to caregivers of early‐onset AD patients. The objective of this study was to examine the difference between the genders with respect to the careburden of early‐onset AD caregivers.

Methods:  Twenty‐four patients with early‐onset AD and their caregivers participated in this study. Dementia severity, caregiver's burden, depressive mood and behavioral disturbance were measured and examined.

Results:  There was no significant difference between female and male caregivers in terms of careburden or depressive mood. However, when correlations were considered, female caregivers showed significant associations between careburden and the patient's age. Associations between the subscales of careburden were also shown for female caregivers. However. there was no significant correlation between the subscales of careburden and dementia severity and the number of behavioral problems for either female or male caregivers. Depression scores showed only correlations with the subscales of careburden for female caregivers.

Conclusion:  The present study examined the difference between the genders with respect to the care burden experienced by caregivers of early‐onset AD patients. The results reinforce those of previous studies in that female caregivers are more likely to experience careburden than male caregivers. The present study indicates the importance of mental health support for female caregivers.
Is pharmacotherapy feasible for mild cognitive impairment?
Authors: SHIGETA Masahiro
Published: October 2005

The feasibility of pharmacotherapy with cholinesterase inhibitors, which have been approved as the treatment agent for Alzheimer's disease (AD), for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is discussed together with the results of previous studies. The clinical trials of cholinesterase inhibitors in patients with early or mild AD are reviewed first, because some cases of MCI may be regarded as cases of very early‐stage AD or very mild AD. Clinical trials for MCI treatment are then analyzed, although only preliminary results of data analysis have been reported. In addition, the methodological issues in the clinical trials for MCI treatment are discussed. The author points out that there should be focus on the observation period of trials, patient inclusion and exclusion criteria and subtypes of MCI, and that the suitability of cognitive measurements need to be further discussed.
Perspectives on phantom boarder symptom
Authors: KASAHARA Hiroo , TSUMURA Maki , KADA Hirohide , HASHIDUME Toshihiko , ITO Tatsuhiko , OCHIAI Yusuke , HIRUMA Yohei , FURUKAWA Haruko , NAKANISHI Tatsuro
Published: October 2005

Phantom boarder symptom (PBS) is a hallucinatory and delusional syndrome that tends to occur in the elderly, in which the patient imagines that someone uninvited is living in their home. This article provides an overview of the historical background that has led to the current focus on PBS as a single symptom, from its classification as late paraphrenia to its being recognized as a type of misidentification, and discusses classification problems and PBS subclassifications. In addition, the results of our own investigation of PBS, which focused on PBS in senile dementia, support the findings of previous studies, such as the absence of a relationship between dementia severity and the occurrence of delusion. The discussion therefore focuses on the psychosocial factors that serve as the mechanism of PBS onset, and directions and possibilities for therapy are suggested.
Equilibration and disequilibration between monazite and garnet: indication from phase‐composition and quantitative texture analysis
Authors: BERGER A. , SCHERRER N. C. , BUSSY F.
Published: October 2005

The integration of information which can be gained from accessory [i.e. age (t)] and rock‐forming minerals [i.e. temperature (T) and pressure (P)] requires a more profound understanding of the equilibration kinetics during metamorphic processes. This paper presents an approach comparing conventional P–T estimate from equilibrated assemblages of rock‐forming minerals with temperature data derived from yttrium‐garnet‐monazite (YGM) and yttrium‐garnet‐xenotime (YGX) geothermometry. Such a comparison provides an initial indication on differences between equilibration of major and trace elements. Regarding this purpose, two migmatites, two polycyclic and one monocyclic gneiss from the Central Alps (Switzerland, northern Italy) were investigated. While the polycyclic samples exhibit trace‐element equilibration between monazite and garnet grains assigned to the same metamorphic event, there are relics of monazite and garnet obviously surviving independent of their textural position. These observations suggest that surface processes dominate transport processes during equilibration of those samples. The monocyclic gneiss, on the contrary, displays rare isolated monazite with equilibration of all elements, despite comparably large transport distances. With a nearly linear crystal‐size distribution of the garnet grain population, growth kinetics, related to the major elements, were likely surface‐controlled in this sample. In contrast to these completely equilibrated examples, the migmatites indicate disequilibrium between garnet and monazite with a change in REE patterns on garnet transects. The cause for this disequilibrium may be related to a potential disequilibrium initiated by a changing bulk chemistry during melt segregation. While migmatite environments are expected to support high transport rates (i.e. high temperatures and melt presence), the evolution of equilibration in migmatites is additionaly related to change in chemistry. As a key finding, surface‐controlled equilibration kinetics seem to dominate transport‐controlled processes in the investigated samples. This may be decisive information towards the understanding of age data derived from monazite.
Statistical Methods for the Analysis of Genetic Association Studies
Authors: Zou G. Y.
Published: October 2005

This paper applies a retrospective logistic regression model (Prentice, 1976) using a sandwich variance estimator (White, 1982;Zegeret al.1985) to genetic association studies in which alleles are treated as dependent variables. The validity of switching the positions of allele and trait variables in the regression model is ensured by the invariance property of the odds ratio. The approach is shown to be able to accommodate many commonly seen designs, matched or unmatched alike, having either binary or quantitative traits. The resultant score statistic has potentially higher power than those that have previously appeared in the genetics literature. As a regression model in general, this approach may also be applied to incorporate covariates. Numerical examples implemented with standard software are presented.