bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Extra‐Curricular Activity and the Transition from Higher Education to Work: A Survey of Graduates in the United Kingdom
Authors: Tchibozo Guy 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThis paper focuses on the effects of extra‐curricular activity on graduates' transition from higher education to the labour market. The study is based on a survey of 119 graduates conducted in 2004 in the UK. The data gathered cover a large range of social and leisure activities that the graduates carried on while students at their universities. Several aspects of their transitional process from student to worker are also covered. Data were analysed by means of linear and logistic regression models. Results show that extra‐curricular activity has a significant influence on the transition process. First, extra‐curricular experience gives access to better occupational status but lengthens the period of unemployment preceding the first job. Second, as compared with the most frequently observed extra‐curricular behaviour, two profiles could be distinguished: the one better performing than average, and the other worse performing. Results suggest extra‐curricular strategies to better enable graduates' effective transition to work.
Hard Lessons for Lifelong Learners? Age and Experience in the Graduate Labour Market
Authors: Purcell Kate , Wilton Nick , Elias Peter 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe expansion of the higher education system and widening access to undergraduate study has led to growing diversity within the graduate labour supply, including increasing numbers who studied for their degrees as mature students. Analysis of graduates entering the labour market prior to the major expansion in the early 1990s indicated that those over the age of 30 had considerably more difficulty than younger graduates in accessing the career opportunities for which their education had equipped them. Is this still the case for more recent graduates? Drawing on a major qualitative and quantitative study of a class of graduates who completed their undergraduate degree courses in 1995, this paper explores early career development and employment outcomes according to age at graduation. Although we find considerable diversity among all age groups, mature graduates were more likely than their younger peers to experience difficulty in accessing appropriate employment, had a lower rate of earnings growth and expressed higher levels of dissatisfaction with their jobs.
A novel missense mutation L468Q of keratin 6a in pachyonychia congenita type 1
Authors: Zhou H‐L , Yang S , Gao M , Zhao X‐Y , Zhu Y‐G , Li W , Ren Y‐Q , Liang Y‐H , Du W‐H , Zhang X‐J 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  Pachyonychia congenita is an autosomal dominant disorder that usually develops in early infancy. The major features of the syndrome are hypertrophic nail dystrophy, palmoplantar keratoderma and oral leucokeratosis, accompanied by other ectodermal defects, according to subtype.Objective  To analyse the K6a gene mutation in a sporadic Chinese patient with pachyonychia congenita type 1 (PC‐1) and to explore the relationship between the genotype and phenotype of PC‐1.Methods  Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of the patient with PC‐1 and 100 unrelated controls. The whole coding region of K6a gene was amplified using long‐range polymerase chain reaction (PCR); nested PCR was then used to amplify the mutation ‘hot‐spot’ of the K6a gene. The PCR products were directly sequenced to detect the mutation.Results  A novel missense mutation L468Q in the helix 2B domain of the K6a polypeptide was identified in the patient but not in the healthy individuals from the family and 100 unrelated control individuals.Conclusions  We describe this mutation for the first time, and provide further evidence that the helix boundary motif sequences of K6a are a mutation ‘hot‐spot’.
Skin problems in lower limb amputees: an overview by case reports
Authors: Meulenbelt HEJ , Geertzen JHB , Dijkstra PU , Jonkman MF 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe stump in lower limb amputees is prone to skin problems because it is exposed to several unnatural conditions (shear and stress forces and increased humidity) when a prosthesis is used. This study reviews the literature on case reports of lower limb amputees with skin problems on the stump. In total, 56 reports comprising 76 cases were identified in the literature. The main disorders are acroangiodermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis, bullous diseases, epidermal hyperplasia, hyperhidrosis, infections, malignancies and ulcerations.
Effect of piroxicam gel for pain control and inflammation in Nd:YAG 1064‐nm laser hair removal
Authors: Akinturk S , Eroglu A 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  Laser‐assisted hair removal is a variably uncomfortable and painful procedure.Objective  The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of piroxicam gel on pain control and subsequent inflammation in Nd:YAG 1064 nm laser hair removal in women volunteers.Methods  Fifty women volunteers were enrolled in this prospective, randomised, placebo‐controlled study over a 6‐month period. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive piroxicam gel as Group P or saline as a control group. Topical analgesic and saline were applied to the treatment sites for 45 minutes. The pain scores (VAS) and side effects were recorded before the hair removal, during the hair removal, at the end of the hair removal, and after 1 hour, 2 hours and 24 hours after the hair removal.Results  Subject characteristics and treatment settings in Nd:YAG 1064 nm laser were similar in both groups. The pain scores (VAS) were significantly lower in the Group P than those of the control group during the hair removal (p < 0.001). Inflammatory side effects such as erythema, edema, and folliculitis, were more frequent in the control group than those of Group P during the procedure (p < 0.001).Conclusion  This study showed that piroxicam gel provided adequate pain relief after Nd:YAG 1064 nm laser hair removal in women volunteers. Piroxicam gel was associated with lesser inflammatory side effects when compared to placebo because of its anti‐inflammatory effect after the procedure.
A long‐term time course of colorimetric assessment of the effects of imatinib mesylate on skin pigmentation: a study of five patients
Authors: Brazzelli V , Prestinari F , Barbagallo T , Rona C , Orlandi E , Passamonti F , Locatelli F , Zecca M , Villani S , Borroni G 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBackground  Imatinib mesylate (IM), the first‐line treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor that targets those proteins involved in BCR‐ABL signal transduction in CML, c‐kit (KIT) and platelet‐derived growth‐factor (PDGFR) receptor. The use of IM has been associated with cutaneous reactions. In the last 2 years numerous studies have focused the attention on hypopigmentations, depigmentations and photosensitivity developing after the initiation of IM therapy.Objective  The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of IM therapy on the skin pigmentation of five patients affected by CML.Methods  Skin pigmentation measurements were performed with a Minolta CR‐200 Chromameter.Results  All the studied patients show the gradual lightening of the skin on unexposed areas over the treatment with IM. In particular, this explorative colorimetric study indicates the association between IM and skin depigmentation with a significant increase of luminance value (L*) (P = 0.001) and a significant decrease of the pigmentation value (b*) (P = 0.028).Conclusion  Even if we do not know the clinical significance of the skin depigmentation caused by IM, the regulatory role of KIT and its ligand stem cell factor in melanocyte development and survival seems to suggest an objective mechanism of action for IM in the pathogenesis of this cutaneous depigmentation.
Impact of Extended Education/Training in Positive Behaviour Support on Staff Knowledge, Causal Attributions and Emotional Responses
Authors: McGill Peter , Bradshaw Jill , Hughes Andrea 
Published: December 2006

Background  This study sought to gather information about the impact of extended training in positive behaviour support on staff knowledge, causal attributions and emotional responses.Methods  Students completed questionnaires at the beginning, middle and end of a University Diploma course to measure changes in their knowledge of challenging behaviour, their causal attributions and their emotional responses.Results  Students’ knowledge significantly increased across the three data points. Students became less likely to attribute challenging behaviour to emotional causes. Changes in respect of making more behavioural attributions varied across different measures. Negative emotional responses reduced especially those related to depression/anger.Conclusions  The training course presented here was associated with changes in student knowledge, attributions and emotional responses that are likely to be associated with better staff performance and better outcomes for people with intellectual disabilities.
Can Brief Workshop Interventions Change Care Staff Understanding of Challenging Behaviours?
Authors: Dowey Alan , Toogood Sandy , Hastings Richard P. , Nash Susie 
Published: December 2006

Background  The working culture surrounding challenging behaviour may have a strong effect on staff behaviour. As a first step to influencing staff talk about challenging behaviour, the aim of the present study was to explore whether a 1‐day training workshop could have an effect on staff causal explanations.Methods  Fifty‐four front line staff, in six separate groups, completed an adapted version of the Self‐Injury Behavioural Understanding Questionnaire (SIBUQ; Oliver et al. 1996) both before and after a 1‐day training workshop. The workshops were based on principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis. The SIBUQ comprised questions about causes of challenging behaviours presented in 11 short scenarios. The four possible response options for each scenario reflected behaviourally correct, behaviourally incorrect, internal emotional, and internal organic causal explanations.Results  The number of correct behavioural causal hypotheses increased significantly from pre‐ to post‐training. The proportion of incorrect causal explanations that were behavioural in orientation also increased significantly from pre‐ to post‐training.Conclusions  Staff causal explanations for challenging behaviour can be changed using a relatively brief intervention. Further research is needed to establish whether such changes can be used to influence working culture in challenging behaviour services.
Modeling density dependence and climatic disturbances in caribou: a case study from the Bathurst Island complex, Canadian High Arctic
Authors: Tews J. , Ferguson M. A. D. , Fahrig L. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractPeary caribouRangifer tarandus pearyiis the northernmost subspecies ofRangiferin North America and endemic to the Canadian High Arctic. Because of severe population declines following years of unfavorable winter weather with ice coating on the ground or thicker snow cover, it is believed that density‐independent disturbance events are the primary driver for Peary caribou population dynamics. However, it is unclear to what extent density dependence may affect population dynamics of this species. Here, we test for different levels of density dependence in a stochastic, single‐stage population model, based on available empirical information for the Bathurst Island complex (BIC) population in the Canadian High Arctic. We compare predicted densities with observed densities during 1961–2001 under various assumptions of the strength of density dependence. On the basis of our model, we found that scenarios with no or very low density dependence led to population densities far above observed densities. For average observed disturbance regimes, a carrying capacity of 0.1 caribou km−2generated an average caribou density similar to that estimated for the BIC population over the past four decades. With our model we also tested the potential effects of climate change‐related increases in the probability and severity of disturbance years, that is unusually poor winter conditions. On the basis of our simulation results, we found that, in particular, potential increases in disturbance severity (as opposed to disturbance frequency) may pose a considerable threat to the persistence of this species.
Immune tolerance and control of CNS autoimmunity: from animal models to MS patients
Authors: Cassan Cécile , Liblau Roland S. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractMultiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease resulting in demyelination and axonal loss within the CNS. An autoimmune reaction directed against myelin antigens contributes to the disease process. As the CNS has long been considered an immune privileged site, how such an immune response can develop locally has remained enigmatic. Recent data, mostly based on the study of animal models for MS, have shown that the CNS is in fact more permissive to the development of immune responses than previously thought. This observation is counterbalanced by the fact that immune tolerance to myelin antigens can be induced outside the CNS. This review focuses on the mechanisms preventing CNS autoimmunity, which act in three separate tissues. In the thymus, expression of CNS autoantigens promotes partial protection, notably through elimination of autoreactive T cells. In the secondary lymphoid organs, the remaining autoreactive T cells are kept under control by the naturally occurring regulatory T cells of the CD4+Foxp3+ phenotype. In the CNS, multiple mechanisms including the local activation of regulatory T cells further limit autoimmunity. A better understanding of the induction of regulatory T cells, of their mechanisms of action, and of approaches to manipulate them in vivo may offer new therapeutic opportunities for MS patients.
Characterization of eight polymorphic microsatellite DNA markers for the greenside darter,Etheostoma blennioides(Percidae)
Authors: BENETEAU COURTNEY L. , MANDRAK NICHOLAS E. , HEATH DANIEL D. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractThe greenside darter,Etheostoma blennioidesis a small benthic fish found in fast‐flowing streams in eastern North America. In Canada, this species is native to three, and introduced into one, Great Lakes tributaries in southwestern Ontario. It is currently listed as a species of Special Concern. To characterize population genetic structure and diversity in the Canadian populations of greenside darter, eight polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for the species. The polymerase chain reaction primers were tested between 32 and 60 individuals from the Sydenham River and yielded a high number of alleles (four to 42 per locus), and observed heterozygosities ranging from 0.14 to 0.82.
Eleven polymorphic microsatellite markers for paternity analysis in the pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos
Authors: CARTER K. L. , KEMPENAERS B. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractEleven polymorphic microsatellite markers were isolated for the pectoral sandpiper, Calidris melanotos. The number of alleles observed in a sample of 149 presumably unrelated adults ranged from nine to 23 with an observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.79 to 0.92. The set of markers described here will prove useful for accurately determining paternity and therefore elucidate the hitherto unknown mating system of this species. We also report on cross‐species amplification of these markers in the semipalmated sandpiper, Calidris pusilla.
The effects of edge, fragment size and degree of isolation on avian species richness in highly fragmented forest in West Africa
Authors: MANU S. , PEACH W. , CRESSWELL W. 
Published: December 2006

Almost nothing is known of the effects of forest fragmentation on bird diversity within the heavily degraded and fragmented forest remnants in West Africa. We examined the effects of edge, fragment size and isolation on bird species richness in southwestern Nigeria where forest fragmentation is pronounced. In total, 122 km of line transects were used to survey birds and vegetation within 45 forest patches between January 2000 and March 2002: 197 species were recorded. Avian species number and total counts in forest patches were unrelated to fragment area (within the observed range of 14–445 ha), but were negatively influenced by degree of isolation and increasing distance from the edge. As the total area of forested land within 15 km of a patch fell from 4 to 0%, so 21% of species were lost. In total, six and zero species (of 154 recorded more than once) were consistently recorded in the larger and smaller forest fragments, respectively, and four and two bird species were consistently recorded in unisolated and isolated forest fragments, respectively, suggesting that the addition of ‘edge’ species did not compensate for loss of species sensitive to fragmentation. Diversity index was not affected by either fragment area or degree of isolation, but decreased with distance from the edge. When individual species counts were considered, 68% of species (n = 62) showed no significant effect of distance to edge. Of those 20 species which showed an effect, 12 were less common close to the edge. Most species (65%) did not respond significantly to increasing isolation but of those 22 species that did, 20 were less common in more isolated fragments. Ninety‐seven per cent of species showed no significant response to area. As avian diversity and species composition, but not species number, were apparently insensitive to forest fragmentation, our findings suggest that fragmentation reduces the probability of occurrence of a wide range of West African bird species, rather than a subset of fragmentation‐sensitive species. The greater apparent sensitivity of present‐day West African forest bird communities to fragmentation rather than patch size might reflect previous extinctions of area‐sensitive species. Minimizing further forest fragmentation might be the most effective means of conserving avian diversity in current West African landscapes where most remaining forest patches are small (i.e. < 500 ha).
Persistence of high‐replicative capacity in cultured fibroblasts from nonagenarians
Authors: Maier Andrea B. , Le Cessie Saskia , De Koning‐Treurniet Corine , Blom Johanna , Westendorp Rudi G. J. , Van Heemst Diana 
Published: December 2006

SummaryEarlier studies on human fibroblast cultures have demonstrated an inverse relationship between the total number of population doublings (PDs) and donor age. As more recent studies were unable to replicate these findings, we set out to analyze growth characteristics of fibroblast cultures from nonagenarians who represent the extreme of human lifespan. Therefore, we obtained skin biopsies from 68 participants of the Leiden 85‐plus Study, all aged 90 years. None of the 68 strains failed to proliferate and all were easily cultured under highly standardized conditions. Within a time window of 30 months, all strains displayed a high and reproducible replicative capacity that was maintained for at least 50 PDs. A decline in mitotic activity was observed between 26 and 81 PDs. Out of the 68 cell strains, 58 strains reached the post‐mitotic phase with an onset between 51 and 108 PDs. The growth pattern of each senescent strain was fitted by a piecewise linear model, which allowed calculation of the transition towards the phase of decreased growth speed, as well as by a nonlinear continuous model; goodness‐of‐fit was high and not different between the models (both > 0.99). Growth characteristics were not associated with morbidity or mortality of the donors. We conclude that fibroblasts from nonagenarians maintain a high‐replicative capacity despite a huge variability in the onset of senescence. These results cast further doubt on the association between in vitro growth characteristics of fibroblast cultures and the length of human lifespan.
Age‐related accumulation of autosomal mutations in solid tissues of the mouse is gender and cell type specific
Authors: Turker Mitchell S. , Lasarev Michael , Connolly Lanelle , Kasameyer Elizabeth , Roessler Deborah 
Published: December 2006

SummaryMost cancers in solid tissues increase with age and invariably contain causal mutations eliminating expression of one or more autosomal tumor suppressor genes. However, very little is known about the effect of age on autosomal mutations, often large in size, in cells of solid tissues. In this study, the frequency and spectrum of autosomal mutations were examined as a function of age for kidney epithelial cells and ear mesenchymal cells in B6D2F1 mice heterozygous for the selectable Aprt locus. Aprt mutant frequencies were found to increase with age in the kidneys of both male and female mice, but at all ages the mutant frequencies were approximately twice as high in the females, which in this strain have shorter lifespans than the males. An age‐related increase in Aprt mutant frequencies was also observed for ear cells from female mice, but no significant increases in mutant frequencies were observed for the ear cells of male mice. A molecular analysis showed that the kidney and ear mutational spectra were distinct and that the age‐related increases in mutant frequencies did not involve significant shifts in the mutational spectra. In total, the results demonstrate both gender and cell‐type‐specific patterns of autosomal mutational accumulation as a function of age in two solid tissues of the mouse.
Male facial masculinity influences attributions of personality and reproductive strategy
Authors: KRUGER DANIEL J. 
Published: December 2006

AbstractFacial masculinity may be used as a cue in female mate choice, as it reflects the success of the male genotype in its developmental environment. Women may maximize reproductive success by using a conditional strategy favoring highly masculine facial features for short‐term relationships and feminized facial features in men for long‐term relationships. Three studies examine reactions to masculinized and feminized male facial composites. Properties of the original composite image affect ratings of critical attributes and the magnitude of the differences in ratings between versions undergoing identical processes of geometric manipulation (Study 1). Both men and women attribute personality, behavior, and mating strategies consistent with predictions derived from the good genes and mating trade‐off hypotheses (Study 2). Participants accurately grouped behavioral tendencies related to high mating effort/risky strategies and high parenting effort/risk adverse strategies and associated mating effort more so with masculinized faces and parenting effort more so with feminized faces (Study 3). These results indicate that male facial masculinity serves as a visual cue for inferring personality and reproductive strategy.
Seasonal prevalence of blowflies and flesh flies in Osaka City
Authors: TACHIBANA Shin‐Ichiro , NUMATA Hideharu 
Published: December 2006

AbstractBlowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) and flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) were collected using a bait trap in Osaka City between April 1998 and June 1999. Seven species from four Calliphoridae genera and three species from one Sarcophagidae genus were captured. Seasonal fluctuations of captured adults for most blowflies showed a bimodal pattern, having peaks in spring and autumn, whereas all flesh flies were captured between spring and autumn. The sex ratios of captured flies were mostly biased toward females.