[Chances and successes of vocational training of disabled youth in occupational and vocational school--findings of the BAR-pilot study "Regional Networks for Vocational Rehabilitation of (Learning-) Disabled Juvenile (REGINE)"]. / Chancen und Erfolge der Ausbildung von behinderten Jugendlichen in Betrieb und Berufsschule -- Ergebnisse des BAR-Modellprojekts "REGIonale NEtzwerke zur beruflichen Rehabilitation (lern-)behinderter Jugendlicher (REGINE)"

The pilot study "REGINE" was realized on initiative of the Federal Rehabilitation Council (BAR) to test the opportunities of vocational training of learning-disabled youth under "normal" conditions: That means the young people are trained in firms and regular vocational schools, and -- while doing so -- are supported by educational institutions. The project was finished successfully. The results of the evaluation, realized by the Institute for Empirical Sociology at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg were already published in December 2003. They encourage making use of the opportunities of in-firm vocational training of disabled youth more frequently. More than half of the participants of the first REGINE-cohort successfully finished their vocational training. Nearly 40 % were taken over by the firm that provided vocationally trained, and 12.8 % found a job in another company. The second cohort showed even better results: the corresponding rates are 47.1 and 32.4 %. This success speaks in favour of this place of vocational training, particularly considering the difficult job situation. It seems to be possible, that disabled youth are successfully and cost-effectively trained vocationally, if an individual support of both youth and firms can be provided. Prerequisite for this is a conscientious preparation of the vocational training, which may already begin in the last classes of school. "Achilles heel" of the new place of vocational training for disabled youth is the theoretical training in regular vocational schools which usually can not meet the needs of the learning-disabled. These shortcomings had to be compensated by special educational institutions which are not financed by educational administration but by employment agencies (which actually have no jurisdiction over this kind of duties).

[Women in occupational rehabilitation--findings of a Federal Rehabilitation Council conference]. / Frauen in der beruflichen Rehabilitation--Ergebnisse einer Arbeitstagung der BAR.

The working programme of the Federal Rehabilitation Council includes the subject of reducing participation disincentives for women in the field of vocational rehabilitation. A working conference in 1990 had already dealt with this topic, and its findings were further scrutinized and substantiated in a second conference in 1993, in order to develop concepts more appropriate than hitherto to meeting the specific requirements present in women-oriented vocational rehabilitation measures. In-depth counselling and the possibility of pre-vocational orientation services were considered particularly important. Both concerning their range of occupational options and their timing as well as organizational specifics, the vocational rehabilitation programmes should to a greater extent be geared to the life situation and life planning of women. Consequently, the issue of community-based, and hence family-friendly, provision of vocational rehabilitation services is an increasing focus of discussion. Model projects have already been drafted or started relative to certain aspects in this field of women-focussed further development of vocational rehabilitation, but an overall concept capable of uniting the various approaches and requirements continues to be out of sight. A project group to help remedy this situation has hence been established by the Federal Rehabilitation Council.

Effects of community characteristics on young physicians' decisions regarding rural practice.

The supply of physicians has increased rapidly during the past decade. To examine the impact of this expanding supply on the geographic distribution of physicians in rural areas, we examined the location patterns of 1974-78 medical school graduates practicing in 1983 in rural areas. Of 2,112 rural counties, 58 percent gained at least one 1974-78 graduate; 31 percent of the least populous rural counties gained physicians; and 92 percent of most populous counties gained physicians. When Health Manpower Shortage Areas were examined separately, it was found that only 45 percent of the HMSAs that consisted of an entire county gained a young physician compared with 61 percent of non-HMSA counties. Characteristics of counties that gained a young physician were compared with characteristics of counties that did not attract a young physician. Results of the multivariate analysis indicated that the probability that a county would attract a young physician is positively related to population, the supply of physicians, the proportion of white collar employment, and the presence of a college. Higher levels of farm population are associated with a lower probability that a county would attract a young physician. These findings suggest that diffusion of young physicians into rural areas is occurring as the supply of physicians increases. However, young physicians are attracted to communities with particular characteristics. Those counties with fewer attractive characteristics may continue to have difficulty gaining physicians to serve their communities.

Transferrin receptors in developing murine erythroid cells.

Techniques of cell separation were used to isolate murine erythroid cells at different stages of maturation. The number of transferrin receptors in these cell populations was assayed by measuring binding of 125I-labelled transferrin. Nearly 23 times as many receptors were found in the least mature cells, chiefly pronormoblasts, as in reticulocytes. Iron transport, determined by measurement of the rate of 59Fe uptake from 59Fe-labelled transferrin, was proportional to the number of receptors at all stages of differentiation. Electron microscope radioautographic studies of the interaction of 125I-labelled transferrin with erythroid precursor cells demonstrated that 15-33% of cell associated transferrin was intracellular in erythroid precursors.

Structure and assembly of the capsid of bacteriophage P22.

Identification of the genes and proteins involved in phage P22 formation has permitted a detailed analysis of particle assembly, revealing some unexpected aspects. The polymerization of the major coat protein (gene 5 product) into an organized capsid is directed by a scaffolding protein (gene 8 product) which is absent from mature phage. The resulting capsid structure (prohead) is the precursor for DNA encapsidation. All of the scaffolding protein exits from the prohead in association with DNA packaging. These molecules then recycle, directing further rounds of prohead assembly. The structure of the prohead has been studied by electron microscopy of thin sections of phage infected cells, and by low angle X-ray scattering of concentrated particles. The results show that the prohead is a double shell structure, or a ball within a shell. The inner ball or shell is composed of the scaffolding protein while the outer shell is composed of coat protein. The conversion from prohead to mature capsid is associated with an expansion of the coat protein shell. It is possible that the scaffolding protein molecules exit through the capsid lattice. When DNA encapsidation within infected cells is blocked by mutation, scaffolding protein is trapped in proheads and cannot recycle. Under these conditions, the rate of synthesis of gp8 increases, so that normal proheads continue to form. These results suggest that free scaffolding protein negatively regulates its own further synthesis, providing a coupling between protein synthesis and protein assembly.