bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sleep Disturbances in Patients With Psychiatric Illnesses
Authors: Singh Angela , Ghazvini Patty , Robertson Natalie , Massey Angela J. , Kirksey Otis , Honeywell Marlon S.
Published: June 2007

Sleep is essential not only for our physical well-being but also for our mental well-being. Researchers, however, have determined that specific alterations in sleep patterns do exist among patients with psychiatric illnesses. The causes of these abnormalities include both direct and indirect mechanisms. These abnormalities lead to declines in both cognitive function and quality of life. Management should include both nonpharmacological and pharmacological methods. This article will review the types of sleep abnormalities associated with schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders and will additionally review treatment options available for each illness.
A Review of the STAR*D Trial
Authors: Ehret Megan J. , Chavez Benjamin
Published: June 2007

Major depressive disorder is a common disorder that affects 5% to 13% of medical outpatients. The treatment of depression can be challenging, with many first-line options and even more second-line or next-step options. The STAR*D trial was the first of its kind developed to evaluate clinical strategies to improve outcomes for patients with treatment-resistant depression and determining the best next-step treatment option for patients who did not respond adequately to earlier treatment attempts. The trial included a widely representative group of outpatients so as to be applicable to the current practice in the treatment of depression. The trial consisted of 4 different treatment strategies with both switching and augmentation options. Patients were permitted to select treatment options at each of the levels that they themselves selected, creating a “realworld” setting in the trial. Patients were recommended to continue through each level until remission was reached. The study, though limited in size at each level, has provided much-needed information for the continued treatment of major depressive disorder.
Utilizing a Crossover Reverse Sural Artery Flap for Soft Tissue Reconstruction of the Plantar Forefoot After a Severe Degloving Injury
Authors: Zgonis Thomas , Cromack Douglas T. , Stapleton John J.
Published: June 2007

Extensive soft tissue defects involving the weight-bearing areas of the plantar aspect of the foot often require coverage with flaps. The options often include free flaps, free muscle flaps with split-thickness skin grafting, or local flaps. When presented with high-energy-induced soft tissue injuries of the foot, choices become narrow, secondary to the associated zone of injury. Free flaps require a viable recipient vessel suitable for microvascular anastomosis. Split-thickness skin grafts applied to the plantar aspect of the foot are prone to persistent breakdown. Local flaps if available are useful for coverage of plantar soft tissue defects. However, when local flaps of the affected limb are compromised or extension is not sufficient for coverage, crossover leg and foot flaps become invaluable. The reported cases of crossover sural artery flaps are sparse. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the few reported cases of crossover leg and sural artery flaps were described to provide soft tissue coverage over the heel and leg. The authors report a case of a crossover reverse sural artery flap for soft tissue coverage to the plantar aspect of the forefoot after a high-energy-induced degloving injury.
Improvement of Idiopathic Pyoderma Gangrenosum During Treatment With Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Alfa Monoclonal Antibody
Authors: Dini Valentina , Romanelli Marco , Bertone MariaStefania , Talarico Sara , Bombardieri Stefano , Barachini Paolo
Published: June 2007

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is an inflammatory ulcerative condition of unknown etiology. An autoimmune mechanism including immune complex—mediated neutrophilic vascular reactions has been suggested. The role of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in PG remains unclear. Evidence supports the idea that TNF plays a role in chronic inflammation and migration of neutrophils to these lesions. PG is frequently associated with various diseases, but up to 50% of cases are idiopathic. There are several reports describing the successful use of infliximab™ (Remicade ® , Centocor, Inc, Horsham, Pa), a chimeric antitumor necrosis factor α monoclonal antibody, in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease— associated PG, but there have been few reported cases of infliximab in the treatment of idiopathic PG. The authors present a dramatic improvement in 4 cases of idiopathic PG of the lower leg treated with infliximab.
Arthrodesis With External Fixation in the Unstable or Misaligned Charcot Ankle in Patients With Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Fabrin Jesper , Larsen Kirsten , Holstein Per E.
Published: June 2007

The unstable or misaligned Charcot ankle with or without chronic foot ulceration is a major clinical challenge. When it cannot be accommodated with an ankle foot orthosis, surgical treatment is indicated in order to avoid leg amputation. This requires extensive soft tissue release and bony resection to realign the foot and arthrodesis with internal or external fixation. The guidance in the literature favors internal fixation. This article reports results with external fixation in 11 patients (12 feet) over a period of 12 years. External fixation was chosen as the surgical option because of the presence of foot ulcers with the attendent risk of infection. There were 7 tibio-talar and 5 tibio-calcaneal fusions. Compression was applied for 6 weeks with an external frame according to Charnley, followed by 6 weeks with total-contact cast. Weight bearing with a rigid leather brace was allowed after 12 weeks. In one case, transtibial amputation was required due to loosening of the distal pins from osteopenic disintegrating bone. In 11 cases (92%), the foot was successfully realigned and independent walking with a brace retained during the follow-up of median 48 months (10-102 months). Bony union took place in 5 out of 7 cases with tibio-talar fusion and in 1 out of 5 with tibio-calcaneal fusion. The functional result in cases with fibrous union was, however, satisfactory. Although meaningful comparisons of series are difficult to conduct and interpret from, the limb salvage rate was similar to results with internal fixation. The authors consider the results to be encouraging and to be used to develop a higher level of evidence.
Assessing Technical Skill in Surgery and Endoscopy: A Set of Metrics and an Algorithm (C-PASS) to Assess Skills in Surgical and Endoscopic Procedures
Authors: Stylopoulos Nicholas , Vosburgh Kirby G.
Published: June 2007

Historically, the performance of surgeons has been assessed subjectively by senior surgical staff in both training and operating environments. In this work, the position and motion of surgical instruments are analyzed through an objective process, denoted C-PASS, to measure surgeon performance of laparoscopic, endoscopic, and image-guided procedures. To develop C-PASS, clinically relevant performance characteristics were identified. Then measurement techniques for parameters that represented each characteristic were derived, and analytic techniques were implemented to transform these parameters into explicit, robust metrics. The metrics comprise the C-PASS performance assessment method, which has been validated over the last 3 years in studies of laparoscopy and endoscopy. These studies show that C-PASS is straightforward, reproducible, and accurate. It is sufficiently powerful to assess the efficiency of these complex processes. It is likely that C-PASS and similar approaches will improve skills acquisition and learning and also enable the objective comparison of systems and techniques.
Minimally Invasive Management of Intrathoracic Leaks After Esophagogastrectomy
Authors: Nguyen Ninh T. , Hinojosa Marcelo W. , Fayad Christine , Wilson Samuel E.
Published: June 2007

Enthusiasm for minimally invasive esophagectomy is increasing. When feasible, the laparoscopic and thoracoscopic Ivor Lewis esophagogastrectomy with construction of an intrathoracic anastomosis is favored. A potential catastrophic consequence of an intrathoracic anastomosis is a postoperative leak. In this review, the authors summarize the current understanding of the pathophysiology and the management of intrathoracic leak using minimally invasive surgical techniques.
CD34 facilitates the development of allergic asthma
Authors: Blanchet Marie-Renée , Maltby Steven , Haddon D. James , Merkens Helen , Zbytnuik Lori , McNagny Kelly M.
Published: June 2007

Asthma is a pulmonary inflammatory disease dependent on eosinophil and mast cell infiltration into the lung. CD34 is a sialomucin expressed by both of these cell types, and we have used CD34−/− mice and a standard mouse model of asthma to evaluate the importance of CD34 expression on disease development. In comparison with wild-type (wt) mice, CD34−/− mice exhibited a dramatic reduction in all hallmarks of allergic asthma, including lowered airway inflammatory cell infiltration, airway hyperresponsiveness, and mast-cell recruitment. Bone marrow transplantation experiments confirmed that these defects are due to CD34 expression by bone marrow–derived cells. This was not, however, due to an inability to respond to antigen as, on a per cell basis, wt and CD34−/− inflammatory cells exhibit identical responses in cytokine production. We found a striking reduction in mobility of CD34−/− eosinophils in vitro, the major component of inflammatory infiltrates, which was consistent with proposed models for CD34 as an inhibitor of cell-cell adhesion. In summary, our data suggest that CD34 enhances mast-cell and eosinophil invasiveness and that its expression by these cells is a prerequisite for development of allergic asthma.
Generation and analysis of ESTs from the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica Gmelin and identification of microsatellite and SNP markers
Authors: Quilang Jonas , Wang Shaolin , Li Ping , Abernathy Jason , Peatman Eric , Wang Yongping , Wang Lingling , Shi Yaohua , Wallace Richard , Guo Ximing , Liu Zhanjiang
Published: June 2007

Background

The eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin 1791), is an economically important species cultured in many areas in North America. It is also ecologically important because of the impact of its filter feeding behaviour on water quality. Populations of C. virginica have been threatened by overfishing, habitat degradation, and diseases. Through genome research, strategies are being developed to reverse its population decline. However, large-scale expressed sequence tag (EST) resources have been lacking for this species. Efficient generation of EST resources from this species has been hindered by a high redundancy of transcripts. The objectives of this study were to construct a normalized cDNA library for efficient EST analysis, to generate thousands of ESTs, and to analyze the ESTs for microsatellites and potential single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

Results

A normalized and subtracted C. virginica cDNA library was constructed from pooled RNA isolated from hemocytes, mantle, gill, gonad and digestive tract, muscle, and a whole juvenile oyster. A total of 6,528 clones were sequenced from this library generating 5,542 high-quality EST sequences. Cluster analysis indicated the presence of 635 contigs and 4,053 singletons, generating a total of 4,688 unique sequences. About 46% (2,174) of the unique ESTs had significant hits (E-value ≤ 1e-05) to the non-redundant protein database; 1,104 of which were annotated using Gene Ontology (GO) terms. A total of 35 microsatellites were identified from the ESTs, with 18 having sufficient flanking sequences for primer design. A total of 6,533 putative SNPs were also identified using all existing and the newly generated EST resources of the eastern oysters.

Conclusion

A high quality normalized cDNA library was constructed. A total of 5,542 ESTs were generated representing 4,688 unique sequences. Putative microsatellite and SNP markers were identified. These genome resources provide the material basis for future microarray development, marker validation, and genetic linkage and QTL analysis.
PET/CT Staging Followed by Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) Improves Treatment Outcome of Locally Advanced Pharyngeal Carcinoma: a matched-pair comparison
Authors: Rothschild Sacha , Studer Gabriela , Seifert Burkhardt , Huguenin Pia , Glanzmann Christoph , Davis J Bernard , Lütolf Urs M , Hany Thomas F , Ciernik I Frank
Published: June 2007

Background

Impact of non-pharmacological innovations on cancer cure rates is difficult to assess. It remains unclear, whether outcome improves with 2- [18-F]-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography and integrated computer tomography (PET/CT) and intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for curative treatment of advanced pharyngeal carcinoma.

Patients and methods

Forty five patients with stage IVA oro- or hypopharyngeal carcinoma were staged with an integrated PET/CT and treated with definitive chemoradiation with IMRT from 2002 until 2005. To estimate the impact of PET/CT with IMRT on outcome, a case-control analysis on all patients with PET/CT and IMRT was done after matching with eighty six patients treated between 1991 and 2001 without PET/CT and 3D-conformal radiotherapy with respect to gender, age, stage, grade, and tumor location with a ratio of 1:2. Median follow-up was eighteen months (range, 6–49 months) for the PET/CT-IMRT group and twenty eight months (range, 1–168 months) for the controls.

Results

PET/CT and treatment with IMRT improved cure rates compared to patients without PET/CT and IMRT. Overall survival of patients with PET/CT and IMRT was 97% and 91% at 1 and 2 years respectively, compared to 74% and 54% for patients without PET/CT or IMRT (p = 0.002). The event-free survival rate of PET/CT-IMRT group was 90% and 80% at 1 and 2 years respectively, compared to 72% and 56% in the control group (p = 0.005).

Conclusion

PET/CT in combination with IMRT and chemotherapy for pharyngeal carcinoma improve oncological therapy of pharyngeal carcinomas. Long-term follow-up is needed to confirm these findings.
Greater Survival After Breast Cancer in Physically Active Women With High Vegetable-Fruit Intake Regardless of Obesity
Authors: Pierce John P. , Stefanick Marcia L. , Flatt Shirley W. , Natarajan Loki , Sternfeld Barbara , Madlensky Lisa , Al-Delaimy Wael K. , Thomson Cynthia A. , Kealey Sheila , Hajek Richard , Parker Barbara A. , Newman Vicky A. , Caan Bette , Rock Cheryl L.
Published: June 2007

Purpose

Single-variable analyses have associated physical activity, diet, and obesity with survival after breast cancer. This report investigates interactions among these variables.

Patients and Methods

A prospective study was performed of 1,490 women diagnosed and treated for early-stage breast cancer between 1991 and 2000. Enrollment was an average of 2 years postdiagnosis. Only seven women were lost to follow-up through December 2005.

Results

In univariate analysis, reduced mortality was weakly associated with higher vegetable-fruit consumption, increased physical activity, and a body mass index that was neither low weight nor obese. In a multivariate Cox model, only the combination of consuming five or more daily servings of vegetables-fruits, and accumulating 540+ metabolic equivalent tasks-min/wk (equivalent to walking 30 minutes 6 d/wk), was associated with a significant survival advantage (hazard ratio, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.31 to 0.98). The approximate 50% reduction in risk associated with these healthy lifestyle behaviors was observed in both obese and nonobese women, although fewer obese women were physically active with a healthy dietary pattern (16% v 30%). Among those who adhered to this healthy lifestyle, there was no apparent effect of obesity on survival. The effect was stronger in women who had hormone receptor–positive cancers.

Conclusion

A minority of breast cancer survivors follow a healthy lifestyle that includes both recommended intakes of vegetables-fruits and moderate levels of physical activity. The strong protective effect observed suggests a need for additional investigation of the effect of the combined influence of diet and physical activity on breast cancer survival.
Influence of Androgen Suppression Therapy for Prostate Cancer on the Frequency and Timing of Fatal Myocardial Infarctions
Authors: D'Amico Anthony V. , Denham James W. , Crook Juanita , Chen Ming-Hui , Goldhaber Samuel Z. , Lamb David S. , Joseph David , Tai Keen-Hun , Malone Shawn , Ludgate Charles , Steigler Allison , Kantoff Philip W.
Published: June 2007

Purpose

We evaluated whether the timing of fatal myocardial infarction (MI) was influenced by the administration of androgen suppression therapy (AST).

Patients and Methods

The study cohort comprised 1,372 men who were enrolled onto three randomized trials between February 1995 and June 2001. In the three trials, the men were randomly assigned to receive radiation therapy with 0 versus 3 versus 6, 3 versus 8, or 0 versus 6 months of AST. Fine and Gray's regression was used to determine the clinical factors associated with the time to fatal MI, and estimates of time to fatal MI were calculated using a cumulative incidence method. When comparing the cumulative incidence estimates using Gray's k-sample P values, increased weight was ascribed to the earlier data because recovery of testosterone is expected for most men within 2 years after short-course AST.

Results

Men age 65 years or older who received 6 months of AST experienced shorter times to fatal MIs compared with men in this age group who did not receive AST (P = .017) and men younger than 65 years (P = .016). No significant difference (P = .97) was observed in the time to fatal MIs in men age 65 years or older who received 6 to 8 months of AST compared with 3 months of AST.

Conclusion

The use of AST is associated with earlier onset of fatal MIs in men age 65 years or older who are treated for 6 months compared with men who are not treated with AST.
Phase II Study of Erlotinib in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Southwest Oncology Group Study
Authors: Garland Linda L. , Rankin Cathryn , Gandara David R. , Rivkin Saul E. , Scott Katherine M. , Nagle Raymond B. , Klein-Szanto Andres J.P. , Testa Joseph R. , Altomare Deborah A. , Borden Ernest C.
Published: June 2007

Purpose

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) expresses high levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and preclinical studies have identified antitumor activity of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in MPM. We conducted a phase II trial of the EGFR TKI erlotinib in previously untreated patients with MPM.

Patients and Methods

Patients with measurable and nonmeasurable disease were treated with erlotinib 150 mg/d on days 1 through 28 of each 28-day dosing cycle. Archived patient tumors were analyzed for immunohistochemical expression of EGFR, phospho-EGFR, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), phospho–extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) and phosphorylation of members of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway.

Results

Sixty-three patients were treated on the study. EGFR was highly expressed in 75% of patient tumors, as was phospho-ERK (82%), phospho-Akt (84%), phospho–mammalian target of rapamycin (74%), and phospho-forkhead (74%). HER2 was rarely expressed, and loss of PTEN was rare. For 33 patients with measurable disease, there were no objective responses; 14 patients (42%) had stable disease, 15 patients (45%) had disease progression, and four patients had inadequate assessments to determine response. Toxicities were mainly constitutional (51%), dermatologic (82%), and GI (52%); there was one death on trial, which was related to dyspnea. Median overall survival time was 10 months; 1-year survival rate was 43%; and median progression-free survival time was 2 months.

Conclusion

Single-agent erlotinib was not effective in MPM, despite high expression of EGFR. Activation of the ERK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt downstream pathways are possible resistance mechanisms to EGFR TKI. The activated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway is a potential therapeutic target for MPM.
Theory and method in the study of poverty in east Africa
Authors: Campbell John R.
Published: June 2007

This article explores the relation between theory and method in three methodologically innovative studies of rural poverty. The issue is pertinent because the nature of research on poverty has shifted from small-scale qualitative studies to large surveys, and to national-scale studies that combine qualitative and quantitative methods in an effort to inform policy makers on appropriate poverty reduction strategies. The interest in combined methods holds considerable promise for poverty research because it links a search for 'objective' economic concerns to the analysis of 'subjective' and context-specific issues. It is instructive to examine recent studies of poverty that have pursued different theoretical and methodological choices with a view to understand how 'theory' influenced methodological choices, and whether and how such choices influenced their understanding of poverty.
Inclusion without recognition
Authors: Però Davide
Published: June 2007

Diverting from the prevailing trend that considers Italy in terms of international migrations, this article examines one aspect of its internal mass migrations, namely, how the mainstream Left of the 1960s and 1970s constructed southern immigrants in northern cities, taking the 'red city' of Bologna as a privileged context for analysis. The article argues that this construction—despite a number of significant limitations—was on the whole inclusionary, as it incorporated the immigrants into the working class and into the socialist project of societal transformation. By analytically describing the framing of immigrants by the 'socialist' Left, this article also highlights the historically specific nature in which migrants are constructed, lays the basis for a future comparison with the contemporary 'postsocialist' construction of immigrants, and provides material for a more general anthropological reflection on the trajectories followed by discourses of inclusion/exclusion in recent decades.
Development research
Authors: Campbell John R. , Holland Jeremy
Published: June 2007

Is it possible or indeed desirable to combine qualitative, participatory and quantitative research methods and approaches to better understand poverty? This special section of Focaal seeks to explore a number of contentious, inter-related issues that arise from multimethod research that is driven by growing international policy concerns to reduce global poverty. We seek to initiate an interdisciplinary dialog about the limits of methodological integration by examining existing research practice to better understand the strengths and limitations of combining methods which derive from different epistemological premises. We ask how methods might be combined to better address issues of causality, and whether the concept of triangulation offers a possible way forward. In examining existing research we find little in the way of shared understanding about poverty and, due to the dominance of econometrics and its insistence on using household surveys, very little middle ground where other disciplines might collaborate to rethink key conceptual and methodological issues.
Assumptions matter
Authors: Shaffer Paul
Published: June 2007

In contradistinction to Ravi Kanbur's (2003) summarization of a recent conference on qualitative and quantitative poverty analysis in which he proposed a typology of differences between 'qual and quant' approaches, I argue that key elements in this typology are derivative of more basic distinctions in the philosophy of social science between three research programs: empiricism/positivism, hermeneutics, and critical theory/critical hermeneutics. The point is not simply of academic interest but has practical implications for aspects of poverty analysis, including numeric transformation of data, assessment of the validity of empirical findings, and inferring policy implications from research results.
Integrales Waldbauprojekt Kanton Glarus 1998–2002 – ein Sonderfall? | Integrated silvicultural project in the canton of Glarus 1998–2002 – a special case?
Authors: Walcher Jürg
Published: June 2007

Based on comprehensive cantonal data (site-type maps, game damage limitation concept, forest function plans etc.) a wideranging silvicultural project was implemeted in the canton of Glarus between 1998 and 2002, which comprises the three project components silviculture A, B and C. Each applied silvicultural measure calls for a detailed procedure with consequent action plan and tending goals. This means that a sound basis already exists with which to monitor implementation and attainment of goals. Reckoning by the means of detailed lump sums provides incentives for creative solutions, punishes economic blunders and leads, in addition, to an improvement of the managerial concept (fund raising, annual planning).
Umsetzung des Waldreservatskonzepts im Kanton Glarus | Implementation of the forest reservation concept in the canton of Glarus
Authors: Kägi Bruno
Published: June 2007

The federal law of 4th October 1991 on the forest makes it possible to renounce forestry management in certain cases. A cantonal forest reservation concept has existed in the canton of Glarus since 1996, and it foresees, amongst other things, the creation of 65 forest reservation areas. An efficient method has been developed in order to collect the required basic data. Documents exist for about half of the objects studied, while 7 objects are already contractually assured.
Zehn Jahre Waldgesetzgebung des Bundes: Eine Zwischenbilanz aus kantonaler Sicht | Ten years of Federal Forest Law: an interim report from a cantonal point of view
Authors: Abt Thomas
Published: June 2007

In a formal way the new Federal Forest Law, in force since 1993,has rendered good service at the cantonal level in establishing Cantonal Forest Law thanks to its clear and systematic approach. Cantonal implementation, based on the Federal Law and the complementing cantonal regulations, has posed no problems in the majority of cases and any appeals have usually been confirmed by the cantonal legislative institutions. Difficulties with implementation arise, however, in the area of clearing rights (creation of added value among other things), buildings and installations in the forest, as well as spaces between the forest and building projects. A definition of uncertain legal terms at federal level would have been of help here.
Non‐linear principal component analysis of maximum expiratory flow‐volume curves
Authors: Van Pelt Wilfrid , Van Rijckevorsel Jan
Published: June 2007

The ability to classify maximum expiratory flow‐volume (MEFV) curves has been explored for several types of principal component analysis (PCA). The PCAs differed in their methods of transformation of the data. These included discrete non‐linear transformation with or without additional restrictions, or continuous linear (classical PCA) and piecewise linear transformation using first degree B‐splines.

Two hundred and fifty curves of males between 21 and 30 years of age were involved in these analyses. Although no real pathology occurs among these males, still a clearly differentiated classification of curve types was found. The results were passively gauged with respect to smoking habits and respiratory symptoms. The analysis using piecewise linear transformations differentiated best between people with and without respiratory symptoms, and between smokers and non‐smokers.

In general pathology is rare and to be found at the lower tail of a lung function measurement. As the piecewise linear transformations resulted in a more pronounced negative skewness of the relevant variables, the gain of this transformation with respect to the discrete analyses is to be found in the ability to use the information content within a category and with respect to the continuous linear analysis the ability to pronounce this information.
Multidimensional empirical quantiles: An application to the study of the weather in Brazil
Authors: De Hoyos A.
Published: June 2007

This paper is the result of the practical need to specify local weather conditions that could help to design locally adapted telecommunication systems in Brazil. Several practical alternatives for defining multidimensional empirical quantiles are considered, as well as their possible applications, and the statistical problems involved.
Bayesian estimation of mixed weibull exponential in life testing
Authors: Ashour S. K.
Published: June 2007

This paper deals with estimating the parameters of a mixed Weibull exponential model using a Bayesian method for type I censored samples. A numerical comparison between maximum likelihood and Bayes results has been carried out, using a numerical example and computer facilities for different prior information. Bayesian results in the cases of mixed exponential (complete and censored), single exponential and single Weibull may be consider as special cases of the results of this paper. The problem can be extended to the case of more than two causes of failure.
A top‐down hierarchical classification method
Authors: Hillion Hervé , Proth Jean‐Marie
Published: June 2007

In this paper we present an original top‐down hierarchical classification algorithm. In our approach we associate to each decomposition a ‘degree of separability’ which is used to evaluate the efficiency of the decomposition. In particular, it shows whether or not the classes are well separated and also whether or not they are homogeneous. This algorithm can be applied to items defined by real and bounded numbers.
Weighted decision trees where the cost of a test depends on its outcome
Authors: Bennett Matthew J.
Published: June 2007

The problem of choosing strategies which minimize the cost of decision tree testing is considered in the case where the cost of each test depends on its outcome. The classical entropy bound on the cost is derived and we propose an algorithm for decision tree design based on an extension of Huffman's construction. By comparing the mean costs for a large sample of randomly chosen situations, we show that this algorithm performs well compared with a number of previously published algorithms. The algorithms are also compared with optimal performance for a range of simple cases.
A non‐parametric method for fitting ROC curves for evaluation of industrial inspection performance
Authors: Jaraiedi Majid , Herrin Gary D.
Published: June 2007

The use of signal detection theory (SDT) in evaluation of the performance of an inspector on certain tasks requires the identification of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the inspector. In this paper a functional form, Y = f(X), for the ROC equation is proposed, and two alternative approaches are developed for estimation of its parameters. This method does not require prior assumptions on the statistical distribution of the noise and signal‐plus‐noise. The application of the method is illustrated by the use of an example data set.
Necessary conditions for stochastic dominance: A general approach
Authors: Jean William H. , Helms Billy P.
Published: June 2007

In this paper a general method for developing necessary conditions for all degrees of stochastic dominance is derived. The method, a minimization of the expected value of certain functions of the random variable, is used to rederive known necessary conditions for dominance and is then used to derive new necessary conditions. Some of the old and new conditions are then compared empirically using a data set of security returns.
A comparison of various methods for obtaining confidence intervals for the design lowflow values of streams and rivers
Authors: Reeves Jaxk H. , McCormick William P.
Published: June 2007

This paper describes an intriguing use of two relatively new statistical procedures, the bootstrap and non‐stationary Markov modelling, to obtain confidence intervals for the design low‐flow parameter, of great interest to hydrologists. The procedure described is applied to the stream‐flow data gathered over more than 50 years from six gauging sites in Georgia, and is found to yield confidence intervals which are typically shorter than those given by traditional methods.
Prognostic of glial tumours: Presentation of the problem with solution
Authors: Commenges D. , Dartigues J.‐F.
Published: June 2007

A study of glial tumours involving 192 cases is presented. Different issues are addressed: (i) the interrelationships between the histological variables, (ii) the problem of the prediction of the survival time, (iii) the causal role of the variables in the progress of the disease.

We propose a three‐level grade which can be defined alternatively with perivascular lymphocites or with the signs necrosis and neovascularization.

We constructed a predictive model based on the Cox model in which the variables were chosen according to Akaike's criterion.

In the explanatory analysis we dropped the variables which could be considered as consequences rather than causes of the disease and we first tested groups of variables (factors): we found that age, the topology and the histology of the tumour were explanatory.
A markov process model for software reliability analysis
Authors: Xie M.
Published: June 2007

Software reliability is a rapidly developing discipline. In this paper we model the fault‐detecting processes by Markov processes with decreasing jump intensity. The intensity function is suggested to be a power function of the number of the remaining faults in the software. The models generalize the software reliability model suggested by Jelinski and Moranda (‘Software reliability research’, in W. Freiberger (ed.), Statistical Computer Performance Evaluation, Academic Press, New York, 1972. pp. 465–497). The main advantage of our models is that we do not use the assumption that all software faults correspond to the same failure rate. Preliminary studies suggest that a second‐order power function is quite a good approximation. Statistical tests also indicate that this may be the case. Numerical results show that the estimation of the expected time to next failure is both reasonable and decreases relatively stably when the number of removed faults is increased.
Particle systems on flows
Authors: Cinlar Erhan , Kao John S.
Published: June 2007

We start with a stochastic flow of diffeomorphisms of the space. Particles enter the space at random times and places. Each particle is carried by the flow for some random amount of time. We examine the point process formed by the particles at a fixed time, on the evolution of that point process as time varies, and on the equilibrium law of the point process.
Recent developments in the statistical processing of textual data
Authors: Lebart Ludovic , Salem André , Berry Lisette
Published: June 2007

Statisticians are accustomed to processing numerical, ordinal or nominal data. In many circumstances, such as socio‐economic, epidemiologic sample surveys and documentary data bases, this data is juxtaposed with textual data (for example, responses to open questions in surveys). This article presents a series of language‐independent procedures based upon applying multivariate techniques (such as correspondence analysis and clustering) to sets of generalized lexical profiles. The generalized lexical profile of a text is a vector whose components are the frequencies of each word (graphical form) or ‘repeated segment’ (sequence of words appearing with a significant frequency in the text). The processing of such large (and often sparse) vectors and matrices requires special algorithms. The main outputs are the following: (1) printouts of the characteristic words and characteristic responses for each category of respondent (these categories are generally derived from available nominal variables); (2) graphical displays of the proximities between words or segments and categories of respondents; (3) when analysing a combination of several texts: graphical displays of proximities between words or segments and each text, or between words or segments and groupings of texts. The systematic use of ‘repeated segments’ provides a valuable help in interpreting the results from a semantic point of view.
Extended skolem sequences
Authors: Baker C. A.
Published: June 2007

A k‐extended Skolem sequence of order n is an integer sequence (s1, s2,…, s2n+1) in which sk = 0 and for each j ϵ {1,…,n}, there exists a unique i ϵ {1,…, 2n} such that si = si+j = j. We show that such a sequence exists if and only if either 1) k is odd and n ≡ 0 or 1 (mod 4) or (2) k is even and n ≡ 2 or 3 (mod 4). The same conditions are also shown to be necessary and sufficient for the existence of excess Skolem sequences. Finally, we use extended Skolem sequences to construct maximal cyclic partial triple systems. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
All v(3, t)'s exist for 3t + 1 a prime
Authors: Van Rees G. H. J.
Published: June 2007

The existence of a V(3,t), for any prime 3t+1 is proved constructively. A V(m,t) is equivalent to m idempotent pairwise orthogonal Latin squares of order (m+1)t + 1 with one hole of order t. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Construction of new symmetric designs with parameters (66,26,10)
Authors: Matulić‐Bedenić I. , Horvatić‐Baldasar K. , Kramer E.
Published: June 2007

It is known that there exists only one (Tran van Trung's) design for (66,26,10) up to now. In this article we consider designs for (66,26,10) with the Frobenius group F39 and we prove that there exist (up to isomorphism) exactly 18 such designs. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

We characterize the proper t‐wise balanced designs t−(v,K,1) for t ⩾ 3, λ = 1 and v ⩽ 16 with at least two block sizes. While we do not examine extensions of S(3,4,16)'s, we do determine all other possible extensions of S(3,K,v)'s for v ⩽ 16. One very interesting extension is an S(4, {5,6}, 17) design. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Some results on (v,{5,w*})‐pbds
Authors: Bennett F. E. , Yin J.
Published: June 2007

In this article, we construct pairwise balanced designs (PBDs) on v points having blocks of size five, except for one block of size w ϵ {17,21,25,29,33}. A necessary condition for the existence of such a PBD is v ⩾ 4w + 1 and (1) v ≡ 1 or 5 (mod 20) for w = 21, 25; (2) v ≡ 9 or 17 (mod 20) for w = 17,29; (3) v ≡ 13 (mod 20) for w = 33. We show that these necessary conditions are sufficient with at most 25 possible exceptions of (v,w). We also show that a BIBD B(5, 1; w) can be embedded in some B(5, 1; v) whenever v ≡ w ≡ 1 or 5 (mod 20) and v ⩾ 5w − 4, except possibly for (v, w) = (425, 65). © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A theorem on paths in planar graphs
Authors: Chiba Norishige , Nishizeki Takao
Published: June 2007

C. Thomassen extended Tutte's theorem on cycles in planar graphs in the paper “A Theorem on Paths in Planar Graphs”. This note corrects a flaw in his proof.
Largest bipartite subgraphs in triangle‐free graphs with maximum degree three
Authors: Bondy J. A. , Locke S. C.
Published: June 2007

Let G be a triangle‐free, loopless graph with maximum degree three. We display a polynomial algorithm which returns a bipartite subgraph of G containing at least ⅘ of the edges of G. Furthermore, we characterize the dodecahedron and the Petersen graph as the only 3‐regular, triangle‐free, loopless, connected graphs for which no bipartite subgraph has more than this proportion.
Some results on linear arboricity
Authors: Guldan Filip
Published: June 2007

The linear arboricity of the graph G is the minimum number of linear forests whose union is G. In the paper exact values and bounds of linear arboricity for some additional classes of graphs are determined.
Absolutely 3‐chromatic graphs
Authors: Evans Anthony B.
Published: June 2007

A fold is a sequence of simple folds (elementary homomorphisms in which the identified vertices are both adjacent to a common vertex). It was shown in (C. R. Cook and A. B. Evans, Graph folding. Proceedings of the South Eastern Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Computing, Boca Raton, 1979, pp. 305–314) that all connected n‐chromatic graphs can be folded onto Kn. A connected n‐chromatic graph is called absolutely n‐chromatic if it can only be folded onto Km when m = n. Some classes of absolutely n‐chromatic graphs were given in Cook and Evans. In this paper, we classify the absolutely 3‐chromatic graphs.
A Mengerian theorem for paths of length at least three
Authors: Hager Michael
Published: June 2007

Let be x, y two vertices of a graph G, such that t openly disjoint xy‐paths of length ≥3 exist. In this article we show that then there exists a set S of cardinality less than or equal to 3t – 2, resp. 2t for t ∈ {1, 2, 3}, which destroys all xy‐paths of length ≥3. Also a lower bound for the cardinality of S is given by constructing special graphs.
Two sufficient conditions for a 2‐factor in a bipartite graph
Authors: Katerinis P.
Published: June 2007

In this paper we prove that every 1‐tough bipartite graph which is not isomorphic to K1,1 has a 2‐factor. We also obtain a sufficient condition for the existence of a 2‐factor in a bipartite graph, in the spirit of Hall's theorem.
Toppling kings in a tournament by introducing new kings
Authors: Jing Huang , Weixuan Li
Published: June 2007

A king of a tournament is a vertex which can reach any other vertex within two steps. Let K be the king set of a tournament T. A subset M of K is c‐topplable if there exists a supertournament T* of T such that there is a set N of c vertices in T * – T and (K – M) U N is exactly the king set of T*. A characterization of c‐topplable sets of kings is given in this paper.
A note concerning the chromatic index of multigraphs
Authors: Hilton A. J. W. , Jackson Bill
Published: June 2007

We improve an upper bound for the chromatic index of a multigraph due to Andersen and Gol'dberg. As a corollary we deduce that if no two edges of multiplicity at least two in G are adjacent, then χ′(G) ⩽ Δ(G) + 1. In addition we generalize results concerning the structure of critical graphs due to Vizing and to Chetwynd and Hilton.
Vertex‐disjoint paths and edge‐disjoint branchings in directed graphs
Authors: Whitty R. W.
Published: June 2007

A theorem of J. Edmonds states that a directed graph has k edge‐disjoint branchings rooted at a vertex r if and only if every vertex has k edge‐disjoint paths to r. We conjecture an extension of this theorem to vertex‐disjoint paths and give a constructive proof of the conjecture in the case k = 2.
The virtual k‐factorability of graphs
Authors: Negami Seiya
Published: June 2007

It is shown that if a connected graph G admits a finite covering that has a k‐factor, then there is a 1‐ or 2‐fold covering of G that has a k‐factor and that such a covering can be given as a canonical bipartite graph associated with G.
3‐Connected line graphs of triangular graphs are panconnected and 1‐hamiltonian
Authors: Broersma H. J. , Veldman H. J.
Published: June 2007

A graph is k‐triangular if each edge is in at least k triangles. Triangular is a synonym for 1‐triangular. It is shown that the line graph of a triangular graph of order at least 4 is panconnected if and only if it is 3‐connected. Furthermore, the line graph of a k‐triangular graph is k‐hamiltonian if and only if it is (k + 2)‐connected (k ⩾ 1). These results generalize work of Clark and Wormald and of Lesniak‐Foster. Related results are due to Oberly and Sumner and to Kanetkar and Rao.
Four classes of perfectly orderable graphs
Authors: Chvátal V. , Hoàng C. T. , Mahadev N. V. R. , De Werra D.
Published: June 2007

A graph is called “perfectly orderable” if its vertices can be ordered in such a way that, for each induced subgraph F, a certain “greedy” coloring heuristic delivers an optimal coloring of F. No polynomial‐time algorithm to recognize these graphs is known. We present four classes of perfectly orderable graphs: Welsh–Powell perfect graphs, Matula perfect graphs, graphs of Dilworth number at most three, and unions of two threshold graphs. Graphs in each of the first three classes are recognizable in a polynomial time. In every graph that belongs to one of the first two classes, we can find a largest clique and an optimal coloring in a linear time.
Cyclic coloration of 3‐polytopes
Authors: Plummer Michael D. , Toft Bjarne
Published: June 2007

A cyclic coloration of a planar graph G is an assignment of colors to the points of G such that for any face bounding cycle the points of F have different colors. We observe that the upper bound 2ρ*(G), due to O. Ore and M. D. Plummer, can be improved to ρ*(G) + 9 when G is 3‐connected (ρ* denotes the size of a maximum face). The proof uses two principal tools: the theory of Euler contributions and recent results on contractible lines in 3‐connected graphs by K. Ando, H. Enomoto and A. Saito.
Longest cycles and their chords
Authors: Zhang Cun‐Quan
Published: June 2007

Thomassen conjectured that any longest cycle of a 3‐connected graph has a chord. In this paper, we will show that the conjecture is true for a planar graph if it is cubic or δ ⩾ 4.
On matroid separations of graphs
Authors: Truemper Klaus
Published: June 2007

Let K be a connected and undirected graph, and M be the polygon matroid of K. Assume that, for some k ⩾ 1, the matroid M is k‐separable and k‐connected according to the matroid separability and connectivity definitions of W. T. Tutte. In this paper we classify the matroid k‐separations of M in terms of subgraphs of K.
On regular self‐complementary graphs
Authors: Hartsfield Nora
Published: June 2007

A regular self‐complementary graph is presented which has no complementing permutation consisting solely of cycles of length four. This answers one of Kotzig's questions.
Graphs with unavoidable subgraphs with large degrees
Authors: Caccetta L. , Erdös P. , Vijayan K.
Published: June 2007

Let 𝒢(n, m) denote the class of simple graphs on n vertices and m edges and let G ∈ 𝒢 (n, m). There are many results in graph theory giving conditions under which G contains certain types of subgraphs, such as cycles of given lengths, complete graphs, etc. For example, Turan's theorem gives a sufficient condition for G to contain a Kk + 1 in terms of the number of edges in G. In this paper we prove that, for m = αn2, α > (k ‐ 1)/2k, G contains a Kk + 1, each vertex of which has degree at least f(α)n and determine the best possible f(α). For m = ⌊n2/4⌋ + 1 we establish that G contains cycles whose vertices have certain minimum degrees. Further, for m = αn2, α > 0 we establish that G contains a subgraph H with δ(H) ≥ f(α, n) and determine the best possible value of f(α, n).
A reduction method to find spanning Eulerian subgraphs
Authors: Catlin Paul A.
Published: June 2007

We ask, When does a graph G have a subgraph Γ such that the vertices of odd degree in Γ form a specified set S ⊆ V(G), such that G ‐ E(Γ) is connected? If such a subgraph can be found for a suitable choice of S, then this can be applied to problems such as finding a spanning eulerian subgraph of G. We provide a general method, with applications.
Searching for an edge in a graph
Authors: Aigner M. , Triesch E.
Published: June 2007

Consider the problem of determining the endpoints of an unknown edge x in a given graph G by asking questions of the form “Is vertex v an endpoint of edge e in G?”. Sharp upper and lower bounds are derived, and it is shown that determining the minimum number of questions in NP‐complete.
Generalized hamiltonian circuits in the cartesian product of two‐directed cycles
Authors: Jungreis Douglas S.
Published: June 2007

We find necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a closed walk that traverses r vertices twice and the rest once in the Cayley digraph of Zm ⊕ Zn. This is a generalization of the results known for r = 0 or 1.