bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Polish wage inequality explosion1
Authors: Newell Andrew , Socha Mieczyslaw W. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThis paper presents and analyses the sharp increase in hourly wage inequality after 1998 in Poland. The increase was similar in magnitude to the much‐studied increase in British wage inequality during the 1980s. Using data from the Polish Labour Force Survey, we find this increase to be associated with rising wage differentials and within‐group variances at both the upper and lower ends of the wage distribution. These increases are associated with differences in wage‐setting patterns between the public and private sector as well as with the rapid increase in demand for educated labour. One important difference between the sectors is the lack of an impact of local labour market conditions, or wage curve, clearly evident in private sector wages, on public sector wages.
Patrilocality and human capital accumulation Evidence from Central Asia1
Authors: Grogan Louise 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAnthropologists estimate that 70 percent of human societies are patrilocal, meaning that adult sons reside with their parents, and that wives go to live with their husbands’ families upon marriage. Yet very little is known about how this widespread social norm influences intrahousehold resource allocation and, through this, economic development. This paper examines the effects of patrilocality on schooling and household educational expenditures in Tajikistan. To identify the causal effect of living in a three versus two generation household on these outcomes, exogenous variation in housing availability across communities is exploited. It is shown that the impacts of living in a three generation household are important for both school enrolment and for educational spending. The results suggest that one reason why patrilocal societies remain poorer than those with nuclear household norms is that three generation households make relatively few human capital investments in the youngest generation. Patrilocality, which probably evolved to solve coordination problems in agrarian societies, may thus be a cause rather than simply a correlate of low educational attainment in developing countries.
Employment fluctuations and dynamics of the aggregate average wage in Poland, 1996–20031
Authors: Myck Michał , Morawski Leszek , Mycielski Jerzy 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThe aggregate average wage is often used as an indicator of economic performance and welfare, and as such often serves as a benchmark for changes in the generosity of public transfers and for wage negotiations. Yet if economies experience a high degree of (non‐random) fluctuation in employment, the composition of the employed population will have a considerable effect on the computed average. In this paper we demonstrate the extent of this problem using data for Poland for the period 1996–2003. During these years the employment rate in Poland fell from 51.2 percent to 44.2 percent and most of this fall occurred between the end of 1998 and the end of 2002. We show that about a quarter of the growth in the average wage during this period could be attributed purely to changes in employment.
Does distance matter in spillover?1
Authors: Halpern László , Muraközy Balázs 
Published: September 2007

AbstractOur aim in this paper is twofold: to find whether FDI causes horizontal or vertical productivity spillovers to domestically‐owned Hungarian manufacturing firms, and to see if distance matters in spillovers. For this exercise we use a large panel of Hungarian firms and different panel models. Consistently with previous research, at the country level, we find positive vertical spillovers but no evidence of positive horizontal spillovers. By taking distance into consideration, however, we find positive horizontal spillovers for domestic firms close to foreign‐owned firms. By constructing spillover measures weighted by distance, we find similar patterns. Our results underline the importance of labour market rigidity and the local nature of knowledge in the case of horizontal spillovers.
Does transition make you happy?1
Authors: Sanfey Peter , Teksoz Utku 
Published: September 2007

AbstractThis paper analyses life satisfaction in transition countries using evidence from theWorld Values Survey. The paper demonstrates that individuals in transition economies on average record lower values of self‐reported satisfaction with life compared with those in non‐transition countries. A comparison across time for a smaller sample of countries shows that life satisfaction levels have returned close to pre‐transition levels in most cases, after a dip in the mid‐1990s. The socio‐economic groups that exhibit relatively higher levels of happiness include students, people with higher levels of education and those on higher incomes. Happiness declines with age until the early‐50s and is slow to recover afterwards. Self‐employed people in transition countries show a level of satisfaction as high as, or higher than, full‐time employees, in contrast to evidence from non‐transition countries. In addition, satisfaction levels are highest in those countries where standards of economic governance are most advanced and where inequality is lower.
Does political disintegration lead to trade disintegration? Evidence from transition countries1
Authors: De Sousa José , Lamotte Olivier 
Published: September 2007

AbstractRecent studies have found that political disintegration is a cause of severe and rapid trade disintegration in former Eastern European countries. This finding somewhat conflicts with another strand of the literature highlighting the fact that trade patterns change relatively slowly. This article aims at reconciling the apparent inconsistency between these two results. Using a theoretically grounded gravity equation, we evaluate the intensity of trade between successor states of three former countries (Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia) in the period 1993–2001. We find no clear evidence that political disintegration leads to systematic and severe trade disintegration. This result is consistent with the patterns displayed by using simple descriptive statistics, is robust to sensitivity checks, and supports the idea of hysteresis in trade.
Nanostructure of the stratum corneum extracellular lipid matrix as observed by cryo‐electron microscopy of vitreous skin sections
Authors: Norlén L. 
Published: September 2007

SynopsisIn recent years, high‐resolution cryo‐electron microscopy of vitreous skin sections has been used to visualize the formation and structure of the human stratum corneum extracellular lipid matrix. The aim of the present work was to summarize these findings. It is proposed that skin barrier formation does not take place as a ‘lamellar body’ fusion process, but as a lamellar ‘unfolding’ of a small lattice parameter lipid ‘phase’ with cubic‐like symmetry with subsequent ‘crystallization’ and concomitant lamellar re‐organization of the extracellular lipid matrix.
Psychological and physiological evaluation of emotional effects of a perfume in menopausal women
Authors: Abriat A. , Barkat S. , Bensafi M. , Rouby C. , Fanchon C. 
Published: September 2007

SynopsisIn the present study, we familiarized menopausal women with a pleasant smell in the skin care products, they used for 1 week and assessed whether their mood and emotions improved using behavioural and physiological tools. Eventually, we studied the effects of inhaling the familiar fragrance on physiological response of the subjects. An anhedonia questionnaire was used to distinguish the effects of the test products according to low vs. high score of anhedonia. Familiarization with the fragrance induced a modification of some physiological parameters, reflecting a relaxing effect, and these unconscious effects paralleled the conscious positive effects on mood recorded during the familiarization phase; it appeared that the effects were more prominent in subjects with higher scores of anhedonia.These results suggest that the pleasant smell of a skin care product contributes to the quality of life in a population of menopausal women with low easiness to experience pleasure.
Pregabalin effectiveness and tolerability in the prophylactic treatment of chronic migraine
Authors: Calandre Elena P. , Garcia-Leiva Juan M. , Rodriguez-Lopez Carmen M. , Rico-Villademoros Fernando 
Published: September 2007

Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of pregabalin in the prophylaxis of chronic migraine. Methods 17 patients (11 women, 6 men), 25 to 69 years, diagnosed of chronic migraine according to IHS criteria, and most of them (88%) refractory to previous prophylactic drug therapies, received pregabalin during 12 weeks in a starting dose of 75 mg/day subsequently adjusted according to patients' clinical response. The main outcome measure was the decrease in attacks' frequency. Secondary outcome measures included changes in attacks' severity and in the Headache Impact Test (HIT-6) score. Emergent adverse reactions to drug were recorded. Results Pregabalin final dose ranged from 150 to 450 mg/day (303 ± 118). Monthly attacks = frequency decreased from 22.5 ± 5.8 to 18.5 ± 9.9 (P < 0.0001; Effect Size [ES]:0.69). The frequency of attacks of severe intensity decreased from 7.8 ± 6.3 to 4.6 ± 6.0 (P = 0.0042; ES:0.51) without relevant changes in the frequency of moderate and mild intensity attacks. HIT-6 scores decreased from 64.4 ± 5.8 to 55.5 ± 11.7 (P = 0.0002; ES:1,53). Eight cases of pregabalin-associated adverse reactions were reported: four cases of dizziness and four of sedation. Two patients withdraw the study due to side effects. Conclusions Pregabalin was effective and well tolerated in this sample of predominantly refractory chronic migraine, reducing markedly both the frequency and severity of attacks, and decreasing significantly the impact of their disease on daily activities. Controlled studies evaluating the efficacy of this drug in migraine prophylaxis seem warranted.
Food on Film: Pilot Test of an Innovative Method for Recording Food Intake of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Living in the Community
Authors: Humphries Kathleen , Traci Meg Ann , Seekins Tom 
Published: September 2007

Background Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities need dietary monitoring but are not likely to be able to provide accurate dietary intake data via traditional methods. Pilot study efforts to meet their support needs with a novel and practical approach to dietary intake data collection are described in this brief report.Materials and Method Still photography kits were used by nine adult volunteer participants with intellectual disabilities who lived in group homes or in semi‐independent living arrangements to capture images of the food they consumed over 24 h.Results Use of photographs during dietary intake interviews improved the reliability of the participants’ responses. Mean reliability ratings improved from ‘Indiscernible/Poor’ (mean range 1.0–1.7) to ‘Good/Excellent’ (mean range 3.6–5.0).Conclusions Our preliminary data imply thatFood on Filmis an effective and appropriate tool for use in community settings and warrants further testing.
Care Standards in Homes for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Authors: Beadle‐Brown Julie , Hutchinson Aislinn , Mansell Jim 
Published: September 2007

Background  National minimum standards for residential care homes were introduced following the Care Standards Act 2000 in response to concern about the lack of consistency and poor quality services. These standards are intended to reflect outcomes for service users and to be comprehensive in scope.Method  This study compared ratings made by care standards inspectors with research measures for 52 homes for people with intellectual disabilities serving 299 people. The research measures focused on the lived experience of residential care, including engagement in meaningful activity, choice and participation in activities of daily living. They also included measures of related care practices and organizational arrangements.Results  The research measures were in general significantly correlated with each other. Most of the care standards ratings were also correlated with each other. However, only two of 108 correlations between care standards and research measures were significant. Possible reasons for this are discussed.Conclusions  This study confirms that the review of national minimum standards and modernization of inspection methods recently announced by the Department of Health and the Commission for Social Care Inspection are timely and appropriate.
The rare Lutheran blood group phenotype Lu(a–b–): a genetic study
Authors: SHAW M. A. , LEAK M. R. , DANIELS G. L. , TIPPETT P. 
Published: September 2007

SummaryThe rare blood group phenotype lacking Lutheran antigens, Lu(a–b–), is known to have two genetic backgrounds. Tests on 250000 blood donors show the frequency of Lu(a–b–) to be approximately 1 in 3000. The families of 41 propositi show the dominant inhibitor of Lutheran antigens, In(Lu), to be the usual cause of the phenotype in South East England; there was no proven case of the recessive background, LuLu. Lod scores for In(Lu) and other blood group loci are presented; the only hint of linkage is between In(Lu) and Rh. The suppressing effect of In(Lu) on the expression of antigens of unrelated blood group systems, P1, Aua and i, is confirmed.
The anuran Bauplan: a review of the adaptive, developmental, and genetic underpinnings of frog and tadpole morphology
Authors: Handrigan Gregory R. , Wassersug Richard J. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractAnurans (frogs, toads, and their larvae) are among the most morphologically derived of vertebrates. While tightly conserved across the order, the anuran Bauplan (body plan) diverges widely from that of other vertebrates, particularly with respect to the skeleton. Here we address the adaptive, ontogenetic, and genetic bases of three such hallmark anuran features: (1) the absence of discrete caudal vertebrae, (2) a truncated axial skeleton, and (3) elongate hind limbs. We review the functional significance of each as it relates to the ans uran lifestyle, which includes locomotor adaptations to both aquatic and terrestrial environments. We then shift our focus to the proximal origins of each feature, namely, ontogeny and its molecular regulation. Drawing on relatively limited data, we detail the development of each character and then, by extrapolating from comparative vertebrate data, propose molecular bases for these processes. Cast in this light, the divergent morphology of anurans emerges as a product of evolutionary modulation of the generalised vertebrate developmental machinery. Specifically, we hypothesise that: (1) the formation of caudal vertebrae is precluded due to a failure of sclerotomes to form cartilaginous condensations, perhaps resulting from altered expression of a suite of genes, including Pax1, Pax9, Msx1, Uncx‐4.1, Sonic hedgehog, and noggin; (2) anteriorised Hox gene expression in the paraxial mesoderm has led to a rostral shift of morphological boundaries of the vertebral column; and, (3) spatial and temporal shifts in Hox expression may underlie the expanded tarsal elements of the anuran hind limb. Technology is currently in place to investigate each of these scenarios in the African clawed frog Xenopus. Experimental corroboration will further our understanding of the molecular regulation of the anuran Bauplan and provide insight into the origin of vertebrate morphological diversity as well as the role of development in evolution.
Spider sex pheromones: emission, reception, structures, and functions
Authors: Gaskett A. C. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractSpiders and their mating systems are useful study subjects with which to investigate questions of widespread interest about sexual selection, pre‐ and post‐copulatory mate choice, sperm competition, mating strategies, and sexual conflict. Conclusions drawn from such studies are broadly applicable to a range of taxa, but rely on accurate understanding of spider sexual interactions. Extensive behavioural experimentation demonstrates the presence of sex pheromones in many spider species, and recent major advances in the identification of spider sex pheromones merit review. Synthesised here are the emission, transmission, structures, and functions of spider sex pheromones, with emphasis on the crucial and dynamic role of sex pheromones in female and male mating strategies generally. Techniques for behavioural, chemical and electrophysiological study are summarised, and I aim to provide guidelines for incorporating sex pheromones into future studies of spider mating.In the spiders, pheromones are generally emitted by females and received by males, but this pattern is not universal. Female spiders emit cuticular and/or silk‐based sex pheromones, which can be airborne or receivedviacontact with chemoreceptors on male pedipalps. Airborne pheromones primarily attract males or elicit male searching behaviour. Contact pheromones stimulate male courtship behaviour and provide specific information about the emitter’s identity. Male spiders are generally choosy and are often most attracted to adult virgin females and juvenile females prior to their final moult. This suggests the first male to mate with a female has significant advantages, perhaps due to sperm priority patterns, or mated female disinterest. Both sexes may attempt to control female pheromone emission, and thus dictate the frequency and timing of female mating, reflecting the potentially different costs of female signalling and/or polyandry to both sexes. Spider sex pheromones are likely to be lipids or lipid soluble, may be closely related to primary metabolites, and are not necessarily species specific, although they can still assist with species recognition. Newer electrophysiological techniques coupled with chemical analyses assist with the identification of sex pheromone compounds. This provides opportunities for more targeted behavioural experimentation, perhaps with synthetic pheromones, and for theorising about the biosynthesis and evolution of chemical signals generally. Given the intriguing biology of spiders, and the critical role of chemical signals for spiders and many other animal taxa, a deeper understanding of spider sex pheromones should prove productive.
Amphibian teeth: current knowledge, unanswered questions, and some directions for future research
Authors: Davit‐Béal Tiphaine , Chisaka Hideki , Delgado Sidney , Sire Jean‐Yves 
Published: September 2007

AbstractElucidation of the mechanisms controlling early development and organogenesis is currently progressing in several model species and a new field of research, evolutionary developmental biology, which integrates developmental and comparative approaches, has emerged. Although the expression pattern of many genes during tooth development in mammals is known, data on other lineages are virtually non‐existent. Comparison of tooth development, and particularly of gene expression (and function) during tooth morphogenesis and differentiation, in representative species of various vertebrate lineages is a prerequisite to understand what makes one tooth different from another. Amphibians appear to be good candidates for such research for several reasons: tooth structure is similar to that in mammals, teeth are renewed continuously during life ( = polyphyodonty), some species are easy to breed in the laboratory, and a large amount of morphological data are already available on diverse aspects of tooth biology in various species. The aim of this review is to evaluate current knowledge on amphibian teeth, principally concerning tooth development and replacement (including resorption), and changes in morphology and structure during ontogeny and metamorphosis. Throughout this review we highlight important questions which remain to be answered and that could be addressed using comparative morphological studies and molecular techniques. We illustrate several aspects of amphibian tooth biology using data obtained for the caudate Pleurodeles waltl. This salamander has been used extensively in experimental embryology research during the past century and appears to be one of the most favourable amphibian species to use as a model in studies of tooth development.
Coloured nectar: distribution, ecology, and evolution of an enigmatic floral trait
Authors: Hansen Dennis M. , Olesen Jens M. , Mione Thomas , Johnson Steven D. , Müller Christine B. 
Published: September 2007

AbstractWhile coloured nectar has been known to science at least since 1785, it has only recently received focused scientific attention. However, information about this rare floral trait is scattered and hard to find. Here, we document coloured nectar in 67 taxa worldwide, with a wide taxonomical and geographical distribution. We summarise what is currently known about coloured nectar in each of the lineages where it occurs. The most common nectar colours are in the spectrum from yellow to red, but also brown, black, green, and blue colours are found. Colour intensity of the nectar varies, sometimes even within one taxa, as does the level of contrast between flower petals and nectar. Coloured nectar has evolved independently throughout the angiosperms at least 15 times at the level of family, and is in many cases correlated with one or more of three parameters: (1) vertebrate pollination, known or hypothesised, (2) insularity – many species are from islands or insular mainland habitats, and (3) altitude – many species are found at relatively high altitudes. We discuss the evolution and speculate on possible ecological functions of coloured nectar. Apart from being a non‐functional, perhaps pleiotropic, trait, we present several hypotheses on possible ecological functions of coloured nectar. Firstly, for some plant species it can be interpreted as an honest signal, leading to high pollination efficiency. Secondly, it can function as a deterrent against nectar‐thieves or inefficient pollinators, thus acting as a floral filter. Thirdly, nectar colour‐pigments can have anti‐microbial qualities that may protect the nectar in long‐lived flowers. Neither of these possibilities are mutually exclusive. Recent studies have provided experimental evidence for the first two hypotheses, and we suggest promising avenues for future research into this little‐known floral trait.