bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effects of a brief intervention on social support and psychiatric morbidity in breast cancer patients
Authors: Simpson J. Steven A. , Carlson Linda E. , Beck Cynthia A. , Patten Scott
Published: October 2002

(1) To cross‐sectionally and longitudinally investigate relationships between the availability and adequacy of both close personal attachment and interactional support, and psychiatric morbidity in a sample of early stage breast cancer patients participating in a 6‐week psychoeducational intervention. (2) To address the question of directionality in these longitudinal relationships. (3) To investigate the effects of the intervention on levels of social support.

Eighty‐nine women were enrolled in the study, and randomly assigned to either the treatment or control condition. They were evaluated with the Interview Schedule for Social Interaction (ISSI), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Global Severity Index (GSI) of the Symptom Checklist (SCL) –90‐R, and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐III‐R (SCID) at three time periods: baseline (pre‐intervention), 1 year post‐intervention and 2 years post‐intervention. Relationships between social support and the psychiatric measures were evaluated both cross‐sectionally and longitudinally.

Cross‐sectionally, there were strong associations at each time period between being diagnosed with a DSM‐III‐R Axis I disorder and having less adequate perceived social support from both close relationships and more distant social ties. Initial levels of psychiatric symptoms on the BDI and GSI were better predictors of later social support than initial social support variables were of later psychiatric symptoms. Participation in the group intervention did not result in changes in social support at 1 or 2 years post‐intervention.

Cross‐sectionally, there was a strong relationship between social support and psychiatric morbidity in these patients with early‐stage breast cancer. Longitudinally, it appeared that although social support influenced psychiatric symptomatology somewhat, the influence of psychiatric symptoms on social support was greater. This illustrates the importance of both working to bolster social support and dealing with psychiatric symptomatology in this population. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Patient initiated follow up of breast cancer
Authors: Brown Louise , Payne Sheila , Royle Gavin
Published: October 2002

This paper reports on a randomised controlled trial assessing two types of outpatient follow up for women previously treated for stage 1 breast cancer now in remission. These were standard clinic follow up (n=31, age range: 48–83 years) and patient initiated follow up (n=30, age range 53–87 years). The latter method involved giving the women written information on the signs and symptoms of recurrence and instructing them to telephone the Breast Care Nurse if they encountered any problems. The groups were compared in terms of cancer and breast cancer‐specific quality of life, and psychological morbidity at recruitment, 6 months and 1 year. Satisfaction with follow up was assessed at 6 months and 1 year. Details regarding contact with healthcare professionals were collected at 1 year. There were no major differences in quality of life and psychological morbidity between the groups although more women in the standard clinic group reported reassurance and being checked as advantages whereas more women in the patient initiated follow up group reported convenience as an advantage. Patient initiated follow up is a potential alternative to standard clinic follow up for this group of women and appears to have no adverse effects. This could enable a cost saving to be made. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Idiopathic interstitial pneumonitis in children: A national survey in the United Kingdom and Ireland
Authors: Dinwiddie R. , Sharief N. , Crawford O.
Published: October 2002

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) of unknown etiology in immunocompetent patients is rare in children. A national survey was carried out in the United Kingdom and Ireland over a 3‐year period in order to identify prevalence, age distribution, histopathology, natural history of the illness, and response to current treatment.

Forty‐six cases were identified, including 29 males and 17 females. Seventy‐six percent presented in the first year of life. Nine (16%) occurred within four families. Conventional treatment with pulsed methylprednisolone, prednisolone, or hydroxychloroquine, singly or in combination, resulted in an excellent response in 65% of cases. Seven children died (15%). The recurrence risk for further children within the same family to develop ILD is estimated to be approximately 10%. The prevalence rate of this condition in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the period of study for children aged 0–16 years is estimated to be 3.6 cases/million. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002; 34:23–29. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Detecting early structural lung damage in cystic fibrosis
Authors: Tiddens Harm A.W.M.
Published: October 2002

In cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, both severe lung inflammation and severe lung damage occur early and persist throughout life. High‐resolution computed tomography (HRCT), a more sensitive method of detecting structural abnormalities than chest X‐ray, shows that airways undergo substantial thickening in early CF lung disease. Lung function tests, which are an indirect measure of structural integrity, are insensitive to localized or early damage. Thickening of the peripheral airways causes a reduction in maximal expiratory flow at 25% of forced vital capacity (MEF25) or other measurements of peripheral air flow. Reduced peripheral flows, even in the presence of normal forced expired volume in 1 sec (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC), should be considered an early sign of substantial lung damage and should stimulate aggressive treatment to prevent further deterioration. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002; 34:228–231. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Early infection and progression of cystic fibrosis lung disease
Authors: Koch Christian
Published: October 2002

Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection is the major limitation in overall survival of patients with cystic fibrosis, and elective bronchoscopy shows that infection with this organism starts at a very early age. Early infection with nonmucoid P. aeruginosa gradually develops into chronic infection, characterized by the presence of microcolonies of alginate‐producing (mucoid) P. aeruginosa in the bronchial tree. Chronic infection cannot be cured, but aggressive antimicrobial treatment will prolong life expectancy and decrease morbidity. It has, however, over the last decade become evident that early antimicrobial treatment of the initial infection with nonmucoid strains can prevent or at least postpone transition into chronic (mucoid) infection. This treatment strategy is likely to dramatically improve the prognosis of patients with cystic fibrosis in the immediate future. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2002; 34:232–236. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Expression of somatostatin receptor subtypes 2 and 4 in human benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatic cancer
Authors: Hansson Jens , Bjartell Anders , Gadaleanu Virgil , Dizeyi Nishtman , Abrahamsson Per‐Anders
Published: October 2002

BACKGROUND

The presence of receptor subtypes for the inhibitory peptide somatostatin in prostatic tissue has been a controversial issue with conflicting reports. To elucidate whether prostatic epithelial cells express mRNA for somatostatin receptor (SSTR) subtype 2 and 4, we have investigated the localization of SSTR2 and SSTR4 transcripts in prostatic tissues by in situ hybridization.

METHODS

Nonradioactive in situ hybridization was performed with specific fluorescein‐labeled SSTR2 and SSTR4 riboprobes on consecutive sections of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer tissues.

RESULTS

We report, for the first time, tissue localization of SSTR2 and SSTR4 mRNA in BPH and malignant cells of human prostate. Hybridization signals for SSTR4 mRNA transcripts were confined to the prostatic epithelium (12 of 16 BPH cases, and in 12 of 13 carcinoma cases), whereas SSTR2 transcripts were predominantly localized in the stromal compartment but also were detectable in epithelial cells in a significant number of specimens (11 of 17 BPH cases, and in 12 of 14 carcinoma cases). Furthermore, the staining intensity for SSTR2 and SSTR4 transcripts is stronger in malignant cells compared with adjacent BPH epithelium.

CONCLUSION

The data presented suggest that the expression of SSTR2 and SSTR4 transcripts is up‐regulated in malignant cells and that not only SSTR2 agonists, but also compounds targeting the SSTR4 subtype may have a potential role in the treatment of prostate cancer. Prostate 53: 50–59, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Anti‐idiotypic protein domains selected from protein A‐based affibody libraries
Authors: Eklund Malin , Axelsson Lars , Uhlén Mathias , Nygren Per‐Åke
Published: October 2002

Three pairs of small protein domains showing binding behavior in analogy with anti‐idiotypic antibodies have been selected using phage display technology. From an affibody protein library constructed by combinatorial variegation of the Fc binding surface of the 58 residue staphylococcal protein A (SPA)‐derived domain Z, affibody variants have been selected to the parental SPA scaffold and to two earlier identified SPA‐derived affibodies. One selected affibody (ZSPA‐1) was shown to recognize each of the five domains of wild‐type SPA with dissociation constants (KD) in the micromolar range. The binding of the ZSPA‐1 affibody to its parental structure was shown to involve the Fc binding site of SPA, while the Fab‐binding site was not involved. Similarly, affibodies showing anti‐idiotypic binding characteristics were also obtained when affibodies previously selected for binding to Taq DNA polymerase and human IgA, respectively, were used as targets for selections. The potential applications for these types of affinity pairs were exemplified by one‐step protein recovery using affinity chromatography employing the specific interactions between the respective protein pair members. These experiments included the purification of the ZSPA‐1 affibody from a total Escherichia coli cell lysate using protein A‐Sepharose, suggesting that this protein A/antiprotein A affinity pair could provide a basis for novel affinity gene fusion systems. The use of this type of small, robust, and easily expressed anti‐idiotypic affibody pair for affinity technology applications, including self‐assembled protein networks, is discussed. Proteins 2002;48:454–462. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Empirical relationships between protein structure and carboxyl pKa values in proteins
Authors: Forsyth William R. , Antosiewicz Jan M. , Robertson Andrew D.
Published: October 2002

Relationships between protein structure and ionization of carboxyl groups were investigated in 24 proteins of known structure and for which 115 aspartate and 97 glutamate pKa values are known. Mean pKa values for aspartates and glutamates are ≤ 3.4 (±1.0) and 4.1 (±0.8), respectively. For aspartates, mean pKa values are 3.9 (±1.0) and 3.1 (±0.9) in acidic (pI < 5) and basic (pI > 8) proteins, respectively, while mean pKa values for glutamates are approximately 4.2 for acidic and basic proteins. Burial of carboxyl groups leads to dispersion in pKa values: pKa values for solvent‐exposed groups show narrow distributions while values for buried groups range from < 2 to 6.7. Calculated electrostatic potentials at the carboxyl groups show modest correlations with experimental pKa values and these correlations are not improved by including simple surface‐area‐based terms to account for the effects of desolvation. Mean aspartate pKa values decrease with increasing numbers of hydrogen bonds but this is not observed at glutamates. Only 10 pKa values are > 5.5 and most are found in active sites or ligand‐binding sites. These carboxyl groups are buried and usually accept no more than one hydrogen bond. Aspartates and glutamates at the N‐termini of helices have mean pKa values of 2.8 (±0.5) and 3.4 (±0.6), respectively, about 0.6 units less than the overall mean values. Proteins 2002;48:388–403. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of a helix substitution on the folding mechanism of bovine α‐lactalbumin
Authors: Mizuguchi Mineyuki , Kobashigawa Yoshihiro , Kumaki Yasuhiro , Demura Makoto , Kawano Keiichi , Nitta Katsutoshi
Published: October 2002

The structure, stability, and unfolding‐refolding kinetics of a chimeric protein, in which the amino acid sequence of the flexible loop region (residues 105–110) comes from equine lysozyme and the remainder of the sequence comes from bovine α‐lactalbumin were studied by circular dichroism spectroscopy and stopped‐flow measurements, and the results were compared with those of bovine α‐lactalbumin. The substitution of the flexible loop in bovine α‐lactalbumin with the helix D of equine lysozyme destabilizes the molten globule state, although the native state is significantly stabilized by substitution of the flexible loop region. The kinetic refolding and unfolding experiments showed that the chimeric protein refolds significantly faster and unfolds substantially slower than bovine α‐lactalbumin. To characterize the transition state between the molten globule and the native states, we investigated the guanidine hydrochloride concentration dependence of the rate constants of refolding and unfolding. Despite the significant differences in the stabilities of both the molten globule and native states between the chimeric protein and bovine α‐lactalbumin, the free energy level of the transition state is not affected by the amino acid substitution in the flexible loop region. Our results suggest that the destabilization in the molten globule state of the chimeric protein is caused by the disruption of the non‐native interaction in the flexible loop region and that the disruption of the non‐native interaction reduces the free energy barrier of refolding. We conclude that the non‐native interaction in the molten globule state may act as a kinetic trap for the folding of α‐lactalbumin. Proteins 2002;49:95–103. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Higher‐tier laboratory methods for assessing the aquatic toxicity of pesticides
Authors: Boxall Alistair B A , Brown Colin D , Barrett Katie L
Published: October 2002

Registration schemes for plant‐protection products require applicants to assess the potential ecological risk of their products using a tiered approach. Standard aquatic ecotoxicity tests are used at lower tiers and clearly defined methodologies are available for assessing the potential environmental risks. Safety factors are incorporated into the assessment process to account for the uncertainties associated with the use of lower‐tier single‐species ecotoxicity studies. If lower‐tier assessments indicate that a substance may pose a risk to the environment, impacts can be assessed using more environmentally realistic conditions through the use of either pond mesocosms, artificial streams or field monitoring studies. Whilst these approaches provide more realistic assessments, the results are difficult to interpret and extrapolation to other systems is problematic. Recently it has been recognised that laboratory approaches that are intermediate between standard aquatic toxicity tests and field/mesocosm studies may provide useful data and help reduce the uncertainties associated with standard single‐species tests. However, limited guidance is available on what tests are available and how they can be incorporated into the risk‐assessment process. This paper reviews a number of these higher‐tier laboratory techniques, including modified exposure studies, species sensitivity studies, population studies and tests with sensitive life stages. Recommendations are provided on how the approaches can be incorporated into the risk‐assessment process.

© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry
Biological activities of Lavender essential oil
Authors: Cavanagh H. M. A. , Wilkinson J. M.
Published: October 2002

Essential oils distilled from members of the genus Lavandula have been used both cosmetically and therapeutically for centuries with the most commonly used species being L. angustifolia, L. latifolia, L. stoechas and L. x intermedia. Although there is considerable anecdotal information about the biological activity of these oils much of this has not been substantiated by scientific or clinical evidence. Among the claims made for lavender oil are that is it antibacterial, antifungal, carminative (smooth muscle relaxing), sedative, antidepressive and effective for burns and insect bites. In this review we detail the current state of knowledge about the effect of lavender oils on psychological and physiological parameters and its use as an antimicrobial agent. Although the data are still inconclusive and often controversial, there does seem to be both scientific and clinical data that support the traditional uses of lavender. However, methodological and oil identification problems have severely hampered the evaluation of the therapeutic significance of much of the research on Lavandula spp. These issues need to be resolved before we have a true picture of the biological activities of lavender essential oil. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Toward a BSSE‐free description of strongly interacting systems
Authors: Halász G.J. , Vibók Á. , Suhai S. , Mayer I.
Published: October 2002

The so‐called “chemical Hamiltonian approach” (CHA) gives perfect a priori BSSE‐free description of weak intermolecular interactions, but has been found inappropriate for describing strong interactions taking place within a molecule. Here, we propose a simple modification of the CHA/F BSSE‐free SCF method, which retains all the good properties of the CHA/F method for the intermolecular case but can be used also to describe covalent and ionic interactions. This is vital for calculating whole potential surfaces of chemical reactions in a consistent manner, which was found impossible by using the a posteriori counterpoise correction method. Model calculations are presented for covalent and ionic chemical bonds and for a rare gas–proton system. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2002
Link between the kinetic‐ and exchange‐energy functionals in the generalized gradient approximation
Authors: Tran Fabien , Wesołowski Tomasz A.
Published: October 2002

An approximate kinetic‐energy functional of the generalized gradient approximation form was derived following the “conjointness conjecture” of Lee, Lee, and Parr. The functional shares the analytical form of its gradient dependency with the exchange‐energy functionals of Becke and Perdew, Burke, and Ernzerhof. The two free parameters of this functional were determined using the exact values of the kinetic energy of He and Xe atoms. A set of 12 closed‐shell atoms was used to test the accuracy of the proposed functional and more than 30 others taken from the literature. It is shown that the conjointness conjecture leads to a very good class of kinetic‐energy functionals. Moreover, the functional developed in this work is shown to be one of the most accurate despite its simple analytical form. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2002
A simple algorithm improves mass accuracy to 50–100 ppm for delayed extraction linear matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry
Authors: Hack Christopher A. , Benner W. Henry
Published: October 2002

A simple mathematical technique for improving mass calibration accuracy of linear delayed extraction matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (DE MALDI‐TOFMS) spectra is presented. The method involves fitting a parabola to a plot of Δm vs. mass data where Δm is the difference between the theoretical mass of calibrants and the mass obtained from a linear relationship between the square root of m/z and ion time of flight. The quadratic equation that describes the parabola is then used to correct the mass of unknowns by subtracting the deviation predicted by the quadratic equation from measured data. By subtracting the value of the parabola at each mass from the calibrated data, the accuracy of mass data points can be improved by factors of 10 or more. This method produces highly similar results whether or not initial ion velocity is accounted for in the calibration equation; consequently, there is no need to depend on that uncertain parameter when using the quadratic correction. This method can be used to correct the internally calibrated masses of protein digest peaks. The effect of nitrocellulose as a matrix additive is also briefly discussed, and it is shown that using nitrocellulose as an additive to the α‐cyano‐4‐hydroxycinnamic acid (αCHCA) matrix does not significantly change initial ion velocity but does change the average position of ions relative to the sample electrode at the instant the extraction voltage is applied. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ultrafast liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry bioanalysis of polar analytes using packed silica columns
Authors: Shou Wilson Z. , Chen Yu‐Luan , Eerkes Angela , Tang Yong Q. , Magis Lisa , Jiang Xiangyu , Naidong Weng
Published: October 2002

Ultrafast liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) bioanalysis was demonstrated with the use of packed silica columns operated under elevated flow rates. A special effort has been made to achieve ultrafast analysis without sacrificing chromatographic resolution. Two multiple analyte/metabolites assays, (1) morphine/morphine‐6‐glucuronide(M6G)/morphine‐3‐glucuronide(M3G) and (2) midazolam/1′‐hydroxymidazolam/4‐hydroxymidazolam, were used to demonstrate the speed, sensitivity, peak shape and separation of the ultrafast methods utilizing silica columns. In both methods adequate chromatographic separation was a necessity because quantitation results would be otherwise compromised due to cross interference between different selected reaction monitoring (SRM) transitions. Baseline resolutions between morphine, M6G and M3G in human plasma extracts were achieved within 30 s on a 50 × 3 mm Betasil silica column operated at 4 mL/min of isocratic acetonitrile/water mobile phase. The total injection‐to‐injection cycle time was 48 s with a simple, single‐autosampler/single‐column setup, when a Shimadzu SIL‐HT autosampler was used. Baseline resolution between 1′‐hydroxymidazolam and 4‐hydroxymidalolam in monkey plasma extracts was achieved within 33 s using similar conditions. Due to the absence of carry‐over in this case, no rinsing of the injection needle was necessary, resulting in a cycle time of only 39 s/sample. These ultrafast methods were successfully used to analyze extracted biological samples and proved to be reproducible, reliable and generated equivalent pharmaco‐kinetic (PK) results to those obtained by regular flow LC/MS/MS analysis to support discovery PK studies. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Gravity compensation of spatial two‐DOF serial manipulators
Authors: Wongratanaphisan T. , Chew M.
Published: October 2002

This article presents the analysis of gravity compensation of a two‐DOF serial manipulator operating in three‐dimensional space by means of linear spring suspension. The physical configuration of the serial manipulator is assumed general. The analysis begins with gravity compensation of a one‐DOF manipulator in order to form the basis which is then extended to a two‐DOF manipulator. The approach taken in the analysis is that of conservation of potential energy. The goal is to seek the location and the stiffness of springs that provide complete compensation of gravity in the manipulator system. It has been found that complete compensation of gravity in a two‐DOF serial manipulator system is possible. Unlike many previous works on spring suspension of a rigid body, which assume that one end of the suspending spring is attached to ground, it is proven in this study that, for complete compensation in a two‐DOF manipulator, the spring that suspends the distal link cannot be connected to ground. Instead, it must be in certain motion relative to the proximal link. The discussion on how to provide such a motion for the spring is given. It is also explained how the problem of gravity compensation of a robot manipulator can be shifted to that of changing gravity environment within a manipulator system. The concept can be applied to simulation and testing of robot manipulators that will be sent to operate in a different gravity environment, such as space. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effects of drying and re‐flooding on nutrient availability in ephemeral deflation basin lakes in western New South Wales, Australia
Authors: Scholz Oliver , Gawne Ben , Ebner Brendan , Ellis Iain
Published: October 2002

We examined the response of nutrient concentrations to the drying and re‐flooding of ephemeral deflation basin lakes (EDBL) in western New South Wales, Australia. As lakes dried total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) concentrations increased. TN concentrations increased more quickly and TP concentrations increased more slowly than could be attributed to evaporation alone. This suggested that additional nitrogen was being sequestered from the atmosphere or sediments and that some phosphorus loss to the sediments was occurring. Concentrations of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and filterable reactive phosphorus (FRP), however, declined as lakes dried, suggesting a tighter coupling of nutrient release and uptake mechanisms. Inorganic nutrient concentrations rose sharply in response to re‐flooding in all lakes. Evidence is provided to suggest that post‐flood nutrient pulses are the net result of both riverine inputs and sediment releases and that the relative significance of either may be influenced by regulation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ecological perspectives on regulation and water allocation for the Ord River, Western Australia
Authors: Doupé R. G. , Pettit N. E.
Published: October 2002

Water management agencies throughout Australia are attempting to find a balance between the water requirements of ecological and socio‐economic environments as part of a holistic approach to managing flow‐dependent river ecosystems. Environmental water provisions are under consideration for the Ord River in far northern Western Australia. This river has been regulated for irrigation and there are plans for substantial expansion. Like other semi‐arid and tropical rivers, however, the hydrology of the Ord River is highly variable and unpredictable, and therefore, proportionate water release strategies for the environment that are based on average monthly flows are unsuitable. Regulation continues to produce pronounced ecological changes throughout the river system as the impacts of flow regime are negated. There is a dichotomy in optimal flow regimes for the contrasting management aspirations of ecological restoration based on low seasonal flows, and the dilution flows required for the drainage of agricultural effluent. Whilst current agricultural land and water management practices continue, the two cannot coincide, and consequently, a decision should be made regarding which environmental water allocation holds the primary value. Such a decision would guide the appropriate dry season flow regime on the lower Ord River. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A curriculum framework based on archetypal phenomena and technologies
Authors: Zubrowski Bernie
Published: October 2002

The current crop of published curriculum materials for elementary and middle school makes various claims about their relevancy to the student and their alignment with national standards. Although it may appear that they show improvement in their pedagogical practices and use of recent research, it is argued that they still are founded on questionable assumptions about student learning. The general approach of these curriculum programs is examined in relationship to issues such as the context of learning, the relationship between domain general and domain specific knowledge, and the essential role that aesthetics and personal frameworks play in conceptual change. An alternative paradigm of curriculum development is presented based on the theory of situated cognition. This approach starts with context rather than concept, gives greater weight to students' interpretative frameworks, and provides for a more holistic development. A grade 1–8 framework is presented having archetypal phenomena and technologies as the focus of investigations. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Sci Ed86:481–501, 2002; Published online in Wiley Interscience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/sce.10026
Estimation of the vanishing point for automatic driving system using a cross ratio
Authors: Kazui Masato , Haseyama Miki , Kitajima Hideo
Published: October 2002

This paper proposes a new method to estimate the vanishing point used as the vehicle heading, which is essential in automatic driving systems. The proposed method uses a cross ratio comprised of a ratio of lengths from four collinear points for extracting the edges that shape the vanishing point. Then, lines that intersect at one point are fitted to the edges in a Hough space. Consequently, the vanishing point is estimated robustly even when the lane markings are occluded by other vehicles. In the presence of lane markings, the road boundaries are also estimated at the same time. Experimental results from images of a real road scene show the effectiveness of the proposed method. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Comp Jpn, 33(9): 31–40, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/scj.10090
Nitrogen plasma pressure influence on the composition of TiNxOy sputtered films
Authors: Guillot J. , Jouaiti A. , Imhoff L. , Domenichini B. , Heintz O. , Zerkout S. , Mosser A. , Bourgeois S.
Published: October 2002

Thin films of TiNxOy were deposited by d.c. magnetron sputtering on glass substrates using an (Ar+,N2) plasma and Ti target. The N2 partial pressure was changed from 2.3 × 10−4 mbar to 4.6 × 10−3 mbar in order to obtain films with increasing nitrogen contents. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the as‐deposited composition. The presence of oxygen, which is probably due to contamination from the residual atmosphere in the vacuum chamber, is always detected, both in the surface layers and in the bulk of the films, confirming the formation of TiNxOy. When the nitrogen partial pressure was increased, a maximum for the nitrogen content in the films was reached, corresponding to a TiN0.8O0.4 film composition. The nitrogen content of the films did not increase further for higher N2 partial pressures. X‐ray diffraction showed that each deposited layer had a rock salt structure, isomorphic to that for TiN, in which some nitrogen atoms would seem to be substituted by oxygen atoms in the anionic sub‐lattice. Moreover, this crystalline TiNxOy phase is super‐stoichiometric with this deposition method. To the best of our knowledge such results have already been observed on TiN films but it is the first time that they have been presented for TiNxOy thin layers. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Adventitious carbon growth on aluminium and gold–aluminium alloy surfaces
Authors: Piao H. , McIntyre N. S.
Published: October 2002

The accumulation of adventitious carbon on Al and Au–Al alloy surfaces has been studied using XPS across a wide range of water vapour and air exposures. Carbon growth undergoes several discrete changes with the increase of exposure dose. X‐ray irradiation effects on carbon growth were also investigated. Under x‐ray irradiation Au–Al surfaces show a faster carbon growth than pure Al and Au metal surfaces. A fivefold increase of carbon contamination rate on an Au‐rich Au–Al alloy (Au/Al = 5.0) surface has been observed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On the nature of the chromate conversion coating formed on intermetallic constituents of AA2024‐T3
Authors: Jaime Vasquez M. , Halada G. P. , Clayton C. R. , Longtin J. P.
Published: October 2002

The objective of the research reported in this paper was to refine an existing model for chromate conversion coatings (CCC) formed on the surface of AA2024‐T3, an Al–Cu aircraft alloy, by considering the composition and structure of the CCC formed on constituent intermetallic compounds (IMCs). To achieve this aim it was necessary to develop large‐area samples composed of compositionally homogeneous thin films of the various IMCs found on the AA2024‐T3 surface, which were galvanically attached to thin films of Al–4.2wt.%Cu (representative of the AA2024‐T3 matrix). This was performed in a two‐step process: disks of IMC compositions were formed by reactive arc melting (RAM), followed by femtosecond laser ablation of the RAM IMCs, resulting in the formation of homogeneous thin films. These thin films were used to analyze the formation of CCC on IMCs, the AA2024‐T3 matrix analog and matrix–IMC galvanic couples. Secondary ion mass spectrometry depth profiling revealed significant variations in CCC film thickness and composition related to the underlying IMCs. The SIMS results indicated that the CCC formed on the matrix analog had the same average thickness as the average CCC formed on AA2024‐T3, whereas those formed on individual θ and S phases were only 9% and 12% as thick, respectively, when uncoupled to the matrix and 11% and 14% as thick when coupled to the matrix. The CCC thickness on the Al20Cu2(MnFe)3 was found to be variable, having an islanded structure. Topographical maps indicate that the IMC/matrix boundaries are covered with CCC of a thickness approaching that of the matrix. Inhibition of CCC growth is related to the high copper content (and therefore insufficient aluminum) present in the IMCs compared to the matrix, which provides a more accurate model of CCC formation on AA2024‐T3. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Bayesian fixed effects analysis of the Mantel–Haenszel model applied to meta‐analysis
Authors: Leonard Thomas , Duffy John C.
Published: October 2002

When performing a meta analysis, it is often necessary to combine results from several 2 × 2 contingency tables. The Mantel–Haenszel model assumes a common measure of association between the treatment and outcome variables across the tables. A Bayesian method is described for drawing inferences regarding the measure of association, for checking the plausibility of the Mantel–Haenszel model, and for drawing inferences regarding the success rates for the individual studies. While the methodology is readily extendable to random effects models, a fixed effects approach avoids the complex statistical modelling of a mixture distribution which is required for the good application of random effects models. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Assessing rater agreement using marginal association models
Authors: Perkins Susan M. , Becker Mark P.
Published: October 2002

New models that are useful in the assessment of rater agreement, particularly when the rating scale is ordered or partially ordered, are presented. The models are parameterized to address two important aspects of rater agreement: (i) agreement in terms of the overall frequency in which raters assign categories; and (ii) the extent to which raters agree on the category assigned to individual subjects or items. We present methodology for the simultaneous modelling of univariate marginal responses and bivariate marginal associations in the K‐way contingency table representing the joint distribution of K rater responses. The univariate marginal responses provide information for evaluating agreement in terms of the overall frequency of responses, and the bivariate marginal associations provide information on category‐wise agreement among pairs of raters. In addition, estimated scores within a generalized log non‐linear model for bivariate associations facilitate the assessment of category distinguishability. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluating serial observations of precancerous lesions for further study as a trigger for early intervention
Authors: Baker Stuart G. , Tockman Melvyn S.
Published: October 2002

Many long‐term studies of the early detection of cancer involve serial observations of precancerous lesions and information as to whether or not the subject was diagnosed with cancer during the study period. Often the purpose of these studies is to decide whether or not the precancerous lesion should be studied in a future trial as a trigger for early intervention. A general approach to the analysis of cancer biomarkers is to estimate false and true positive rates to determine if they fall in the target region of those false and true positives that indicate promise for further study. The challenge with analysing serial data on precancerous lesions is estimating false and true positive rates when the number of observations varies among subjects. To solve this problem, we propose a Markov chain model in reverse time. The methodology is illustrated using serial observations of precancerous lesions found on sputum cytology. Published in 2002 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Potential of feature selection methods in heart rate variability analysis for the classification of different cardiovascular diseases
Authors: Schumann Agnes , Wessel Niels , Schirdewan Alexander , Osterziel Karl Josef , Voss Andreas
Published: October 2002

In this study heart rate variability (HRV) analysis was applied to characterize patients suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD), dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and patients who had survived an acute myocardial infarction (MI). On the basis of several HRV parameters, an optimal discrimination between the different kinds of cardiovascular diseases and between the diseases and healthy controls (HC) was derived by feature selection and linear classification. For each task a small favourable subset of a set of 33 potentially interesting HRV measures was selected with the intention of improving the diagnostic value and facilitating the physiological interpretation of HRV analysis. Time‐ and frequency‐domain parameters as well as parameters from non‐linear dynamics were included in the analysis. With the expectation that different diseases are characterized by different phenomena, feature selection was applied for each task separately. Using the features optimal for one task to another task can reveal a loss in performance, but it turned out that one specific parameter set (set1: normalized low frequency LF/P and a non‐linear variability measure WPSUM13) was applicable for all tasks, where diseased and healthy subjects have to be distinguished, without significant reduction in performance. This set seems to be a general marker for pathologic changes in HRV and might be used for early detection of heart diseases. The classification between different heart diseases requires another parameter set (set2: meanNN and sdaNN, reflecting the steady state behaviour of the heart rate and long and short term SEAR describing the spectral composition). However, the use of set1 for the separation of different kinds of diseases, where set2 is appropriate, led to significant reduction in performance and vice versa. This observation may be important for future developments of HRV measures especially suitable for the assessment of disease severity. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Concordance of disease form in kindreds ascertained through affected individuals
Authors: Winawer Melodie , Ottman Ruth , Rabinowitz Daniel
Published: October 2002

When designing or conducting genetic epidemiological studies of a disease with several distinct forms, it is useful to know whether susceptibilities to the different forms are conferred by different genes or whether there are genes that confer susceptibility to multiple forms. A natural approach to exploring these issues is to examine how the disease forms cluster in kindreds. When inclusion in the study is based on the affection status of multiple relatives, however, distorted patterns of familial clustering of disease form can be evident. The purpose here is to present statistical methods for adjusting for this distortion. In particular, approaches to testing two null hypotheses are presented: a null hypothesis that corresponds to all genes acting in the same way on the relative risk of the different disease forms, and a null hypothesis that corresponds to each gene conferring susceptibility to distinct disease forms. The approaches are illustrated through an application to the generalized and localization‐related forms of epilepsy. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
D'Agents: Applications and performance of a mobile‐agent system
Authors: Gray Robert S. , Cybenko George , Kotz David , Peterson Ronald A. , Rus Daniela
Published: October 2002

D'Agents is a general‐purpose mobile‐agent system that has been used in several information‐retrieval applications. In this paper, we first examine one such application, operational support for military field personnel, where D'Agents greatly simplifies the task of providing efficient, application‐specific access to remote information resources. After describing the application, we discuss the key differences between D'Agents and most other mobile‐agent systems, notably its support for strong mobility and multiple agent languages. Finally, we derive a small, simple application that is representative of many information‐retrieval tasks, including those in the example application, and use this application to compare the scalability of mobile agents and traditional client/server approaches. The results confirm and quantify the usefulness of mobile code, and perhaps more importantly, confirm that intuition about when to use mobile code is usually correct. Although significant additional experiments are required to fully characterize the complex mobile‐agent performance space, the results presented here help to answer the basic question of when mobile agents should be considered at all, particularly for information‐retrieval applications. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Component support in PLT scheme
Authors: Steckler Paul A.
Published: October 2002

PLT Scheme (DrScheme and MzScheme) supports the Component Object Model (COM) standard with two pieces of software. The first piece is MzCOM, a COM class that makes a Scheme evaluator available to COM clients. With MzCOM, programmers can embed Scheme code in programs written in mainstream languages such as C++ or Visual BASIC. Some applications can also be used as MzCOM clients. The other piece of component‐support software is MysterX, which makes COM classes available to PLT Scheme programs. When needed, MysterX uses a programmable Web browser to display COM objects. We describe the technical issues encountered in building these two systems and sketch some applications. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cocaine increases serotonergic activity in the hippocampus and nucleus accumbens in vivo: 5‐HT1a‐receptor antagonism blocks behavioral but potentiates serotonergic activation
Authors: Müller Christian P. , Carey Robert J. , De Souza Silva Maria A. , Jocham Gerhard , Huston Joseph P.
Published: October 2002

The hippocampus is an important mediator of learning and reinforcement, but its role in cocaine effects has received little attention. Neuronal activity in the hippocampus and the nucleus accumbens (Nac) depend on serotonergic (5‐HT) transmission. Here we describe for the first time a cocaine‐induced increase in 5‐HT concentration in the hippocampus and the Nac parallel to behavioral activation. In addition, pretreatment with the 5‐HT1A‐receptor antagonist WAY 100635 blocked the behavioral activation after cocaine while potentiating the 5‐HT increase in the hippocampus and the Nac. In vivo microdialysis was used in behaving rats to measure extracellular concentration of 5‐HT in the hippocampus and the Nac. Four groups of animals received one of the following drug combinations: WAY 100635 (0.4 mg/kg) and cocaine (10 mg/kg), saline and cocaine (10 mg/kg), WAY 100635 (0.4 mg/kg) and saline, or saline and saline. The injections were administered i.p. and spaced 30 min apart. It was found that 1.) cocaine, at a dose that activates behavior, increases 5‐HT levels in the hippocampus and in the Nac, and 2.) 5‐HT1A‐receptor antagonism can cause a dissociation of the hippocampal and Nac 5‐HT activity from behavioral activation after cocaine. These results are discussed within the framework of the hippocampal‐accumbens projection and its contribution to behavioral activity. They suggest that the hippocampus may have a role in mediating the behavioral and neurochemical effects of cocaine. Synapse 45:67–77, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparative effects of methamphetamine and nicotine on the striatal [11C]raclopride binding in unanesthetized monkeys
Authors: Tsukada Hideo , Miyasato Katsumasa , Kakiuchi Takeharu , Nishiyama Shingo , Harada Norihiro , Domino Edward F.
Published: October 2002

Although a very large literature exists on the in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo effects of nicotine on dopamine release in rodents, similar data in primates are scant. This study was initiated to compare methamphetamine to nicotine given i.v. to normal unanesthetized monkeys using positron emission tomography (PET) techniques. Release of dopamine in the striatum using [11C]raclopride was determined indirectly in four nicotine‐naïve adult Macaca mulatta monkeys under conscious and isoflurane‐anesthetized conditions using high‐resolution PET. [11C]Raclopride was given i.v. as a bolus injection followed by continuous infusion with steady state over 30–45 min. Nicotine bitartrate was then given as a bolus plus infusion for 30 min in doses of 32 μg/kg + 0.8 μg/kg/min or 100 μg/kg + 2.53 μg/kg/min as base. The larger doses of nicotine caused significant cardiovascular effects; these doses did not displace [11C]raclopride binding in either dorsal or ventral striatum under the anesthetized conscious condition. In contrast, isoflurane‐anesthesia induced a slight but significant dose‐dependent reduction of [11C]raclopride binding by nicotine even at the same doses used in the anesthetized condition. Methamphetamine in bolus doses of 0.1, 0.3, and 1.0 mg/kg i.v. under conscious condition caused a significant displacement of [11C]raclopride and isoflurane‐anesthesia facilitated the displacement induced by nicotine. These results indicate that nicotine, in high tobacco‐smoking‐related doses, does not release sufficient brain dopamine to displace [11C]raclopride in the striatum in the awake and fully conscious state, in contrast to small doses of methamphetamine. Synapse 45:207–212, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Monitoring urban air particulate matter (fractions PM 2.5 and PM 10) genotoxicity by plant systems and human cells in vitro: A comparative analysis
Authors: Poma Anna , Arrizza Lorenzo , Picozzi Pietro , Spanò Laura
Published: October 2002

Increased incidence of mortality and sickness due to cardiopulmonary complications has been associated with elevated levels of urban air particles (UAP), with an aerodynamic diameter of 10 μm (PM 10) and 2.5 μm (PM 2.5). In the present report alternative plant systems and human cells in vitro are associated with human hazard and genotoxic risk assessment of UAP. The genotoxic activities associated with the coarse (PM 10) and the fine fraction (PM 2.5) of airborne particulates have been analyzed by evaluating micronuclei induction and/or sister‐chromatid exchange (SCE) using in vitro models of Daucus carota and HS 27 human fibroblast cell suspensions and Zea mays root meristems. Results show variability in the response of the test systems and indicate that the mutagenicity trend in both plant and human cell cultures was directly correlated to the concentration of carbon‐rich particles in the fraction of the PM 2.5 airborne particulates. Moreover, in plant tissues, the frequency of micronuclei and SCE was related to an enhancement of the specific activity of the stress‐related enzyme peroxidase. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.