bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Oregon's Quality Education Model: Linking Adequacy and Outcomes
Authors: Conley David T. , Picus Lawrence O.
Published: October 2003

This article describes the Oregon Quality Education model (OQEM), an adequacy funding model that attempts to connect the resources provided to schools with the student-learning outcomes that should result. The OQEM employs “prototype schools” to delineate the elements and costs of a quality education. Local school districts retain the ability to develop their own instructional programs but must be as effective as the prototype schools. The OQEM specifies quality indicators that ascertain how effectively the prototype schools are assumed to be functioning. Outcome measures set by the OQEM use performance on state assessments to establish the learning that results from the prototype schools. The OQEM connects several key components of state education policy: funding, school improvement, system performance, and accountability. The model illustrates how state and local control can be balanced within a framework that defines state responsibility to fund education adequately and local responsibility to deliver quality programs accordingly.
Asking Neutral Versus Leading Questions
Authors: Freedman Vicki A. , Aykan Hakan , Kleban Morton H.
Published: October 2003

Objectives: National surveys of older Americans routinely have included functional limitation items using either a leading approach (“how much difficulty do you have...”) or a neutral approach (“do you have any difficulty...”). This article evaluates the performance of scales based on these two approaches. Methods: Using responses from 595 randomly selected participants to the 1994 Health and Retirement Study, the authors compared prevalences and evaluated scales based on each approach with respect to the extent of missing data, face validity, reliability, predictive validity, convergent validity, and robustness of odds ratios in predictive models. Results: The authors found that leading questions provided higher estimates of functional limitations than neutral questions, but both approaches yielded scales with similar validity and reliability. However, for both approaches, scales incorporating degree of difficulty had better validity and reliability than those based on counts of tasks. All four approaches yielded substantially similar coefficients in a model predicting disability onset. Discussion: The authors conclude that, because they minimize survey time without compromising validity and reliability, items that explicitly capture degree of difficulty by asking “How much difficulty do you have...” may be the optimal approach for survey designers.
Prosecution of Child Abuse
Authors: Cross Theodore P. , Walsh Wendy A. , Simone Monique , Jones Lisa M.
Published: October 2003

This study meta-analyzed rates of criminal justice decisions in 21 studies of prosecution of child abuse. Rates of referral to prosecution, filing charges, and incarceration varied considerably. Rates of carrying cases forward without dismissal were consistently 72% or greater. For cases carried forward, plea rates averaged 82% and conviction rates 94%. Compared to national data, child abuse was less likely to lead to filing charges and incarceration than most other felonies but more likely to be carried forward without dismissal. Diversion, guilty plea, and trial and conviction rates were about the same for child abuse and all violent crimes. Thus, prosecuting child abuse is generally neither feckless nor reckless. Rates can be misleading and cannot be the sole measure of prosecution success.
Do Women taking Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) have a Higher Incidence of Breast Cancer than Women who do not?
Authors: Fleming R M
Published: October 2003

An estimated one third of all American and United Kingdom women take hormone therapy. In sharp contrast to these numbers, as many as one half of women diagnosed with breast cancer have taken hormones. Little additional information is available regarding the risk of breast cancer and even less is known about the association between hormone therapy and fibrocystic (FCD) disease or atypia of the breast. Three hundred women between 30 and 50 years of age were enrolled in this study, including 120 taking hormone replacement (HRT) therapy and 180 women who had never taken hormone therapy. These women were divided into four categories including those with normal breast tissue, those with FCD disease, those with cellular atypia, and those with breast cancer. Another group of women were also identified who had breast implants. Using breast enhanced scintigraphy (BEST) imaging, changes in breast tissue were determined and compared according to the use of HRT. Forty percent (122 of 300) had “normal” breasts, of whom 68.8% (84 of 122) did not take HRT. This accounted for 46.7% (84 of 180) of the women not taking hormone therapy, while only 31.7% (38 of 120) of the women taking HRT had normal breasts. This difference was statistically (p.001) significant. There was a greater incidence of breast abnormality in women taking HRT and a lower incidence in pathology among women not taking HRT when cumulatively analyzed for FCD, cellular atypia, and breast cancer. This difference was statistically significant (p.001) for women with breast cancer where 62.5% (10 of 16) were women taking HRT. Although the study was relatively small, it is the first such study to compare a continuum of changes in breast tissue according to the use of HRT. The study suggests that the initial empirical observations regarding higher incidence of HRT among women with breast cancer, may have a relationship to underlying changes in breast tissue that are associated with differences in mitochondrial content and activity. Further investigation is needed.
Association Between Telomerase Activity and Outcome in Patients With Nonmetastatic Ewing Family of Tumors
Authors: Ohali A. , Avigad S. , Cohen I.J. , Meller I. , Kollender Y. , Issakov J. , Gelernter I. , Goshen Y. , Yaniv I. , Zaizov R.
Published: October 2003

Purpose: Telomerase is considered a molecular marker for malignancy. The aim of this study was to determine telomerase activity (TA) as a prognostic factor at diagnosis and as a marker for minimal residual disease during therapy and follow-up in nonmetastatic Ewing family of tumors (EFT).

Patients and Methods: Primary tumor specimens and 97 peripheral blood (PBL) samples from 31 EFT patients were analyzed for TA by the Telomeric Repeat Amplification Protocol (TRAP assay). The telomerase catalytic subunit (human telomerase reverse transcriptase [hTERT]) gene expression was evaluated by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and telomere length was determined by Southern blotting. The presence of the EFT chimeric transcripts was analyzed by RT-PCR. Correlations with progression-free survival were evaluated.

Results: At diagnosis, TA in primary tumors did not correlate with outcome. During therapy and follow-up, highly significant correlation was observed between high TA in PBL samples and adverse prognosis (P < .0001). None of the patients harboring low TA progressed, with a long follow-up (median, 60 months) and a progression-free survival (PFS) of 100%. In nine patients, high TA actually could predict relapse, long before overt clinical relapse. The group of patients with high TA and positive RT-PCR had the most adverse outcome; PFS of 20% (P = .0025). TA was found to be a better prognostic factor than RT-PCR and histopathologic response at surgery.

Conclusion: The results suggest that TA is a significant prognostic variable, superior to the established clinical prognostic parameters during therapy and tumor surveillance. It could be used in combination with RT-PCR for a new risk classification.
Prognostic Significance of p53 Mutation and p53 Overexpression in Advanced Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: A Gynecologic Oncology Group Study
Authors: Havrilesky Laura , Darcy Kathleen M. , Hamdan Hasnah , Priore Roger L. , Leon Jorge , Bell Jeffrey , Berchuck Andrew
Published: October 2003

Purpose: The prognostic significance of p53 mutations and overexpression in advanced epithelial ovarian cancers was examined in primary tumors from 125 patients participating in a Gynecologic Oncology Group randomized phase III treatment protocol.

Patients and Methods: Mutational analysis of p53 was performed in RNA or genomic DNA extracted from frozen tumor. An immunohistochemistry assay was used to detect p53 overexpression in fixed tumor.

Results: There were 81 patients (74%) with a single mutation, three patients (3%) with two mutations, and 25 patients (23%) lacking a mutation in exons 2 to 11 of p53. Although most mutations occurred within exons 5 to 8, mutations outside this region were observed in 11% of patients. A mutation in exons 2 to 11 of p53 was associated with a short-term improvement in overall survival and progression-free survival. Adjusted Cox modeling demonstrated a 70% reduction in risk of death (P = .014) and a 60% reduction in risk of disease progression (P = .014) for women with such mutations. However, these striking risk reductions increased over time (P < .02) and eventually disappeared with longer follow-up. Overexpression of p53 was observed in 55 patients (100%) with only missense mutation(s), seven patients (32%) with truncation mutations, and eight patients (40%) lacking a mutation in exons 2 to 11. Overexpression of p53 was associated with tumor grade but not with patient outcome.

Conclusion: Alterations in p53 are a common event in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. A mutation in p53, but not overexpression of p53, is associated with a short-term survival benefit. Additional studies are required to define the roles that p53 plays in regulating therapeutic responsiveness and patient outcome.
Photobehavior of stony corals: responses to light spectra and intensity
Authors: Levy O. , Dubinsky Z. , Achituv Y.
Published: October 2003

Tentacle expansion and contraction were investigated in four zooxanthellate coral species and one azooxanthellate coral (Cladopsammia gracilis). Favia favus, Plerogyra sinuosa and Cladopsammia gracilisexpand their tentacles at night, while tentacles in Goniopora lobataand Stylophora pistillata are expanded continuously. Light at wavelengths in the range 400-520 nm was most effective in eliciting full tentacle contraction in F. favus and in P. sinuosa. Higher light intensities in the range 660-700 nm also caused tentacle contractions in F. favus. Tentacles in C. gracilis did not respond to light. Zooxanthellar densities in tentacles were significantly higher in G. lobata, which has continuously expanded tentacles, than in F. favus and P. sinousa, where tentacles are expanded at night. Photosynthetic efficiency in F. favus and P. sinuosa was lower in specimens with contracted tentacles. However, in the dark, no differences were found in the maximum quantum yield of photochemistry in PSII(Fv/Fm) of the expanded versus the contracted tentacles of any of the four species. This work suggests that species whose tentacles remain continuously expanded have either dense algal populations in their tentacles,as in G. lobata, or minute tentacles, like S. pistillata. Dense algal populations in tentacles allow harvesting of light while small tentacles do not scatter light or shade zooxanthellae in the underlying body of the polyp.
Gait parameters in vertical climbing of captive, rehabilitant and wild Sumatran orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii)
Authors: Isler Karin , Thorpe Susannah K. S.
Published: October 2003

Vertical climbing is central to the locomotor and foraging strategies of the great apes and, indeed, to theories about the evolution of locomotor specialisations of hominoid primates. Nevertheless, its kinematics have yet to be fully evaluated. Here, we present spatio-temporal parameters of 80 climbing sequences containing 560 limb cycles obtained from video recordings of captive, rehabilitant and wild Sumatran orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus abelii). Gait parameters such as cycle duration, duty factor, laterality of footfalls, relative stride length and normalised speed were analysed to identify the influence of body size (through an intraspecific comparison of age/sex classes), the influence of the environment (through an intraspecific comparison of animals living in different habitats) and the influence of morphology (through an interspecific comparison with the climbing characteristics of other primates) on climbing ability in orang-utans. Results show that there are only few differences between the climbing of wild,rehabilitant and captive individuals. Cycle duration is longer and speed is lower for the wild individuals than for other groups due to the complexity of their environment and lack of familiarity with each substrate, which results in a more cautious gait. Sex/age-related differences in climbing were found to be small, although juveniles generally exhibited a shorter cycle duration and lower duty factor than other groups. The spatio-temporal gait parameters of adult females carrying infants were not found to differ significantly from those for females without an infant, which suggests that climbing kinematics are not affected by the presence of a clinging infant. Extended-elbow vertical climbing is primarily characterised by a higher duty factor than flexed-elbow climbing, indicating that the former is an energetically more demanding form of locomotion. In comparison with other primates, orangutans exhibit a longer cycle duration, longer strides but lower climbing speed, reflecting a compromise between the demands of a large body mass and extreme joint mobility.
Learning from failures: Design improvements using a multiple criteria decision-making process
Authors: Davidson G G , Labib A W
Published: October 2003

This paper proposes a new concept of decision analysis based on a multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) process. This is achieved through the provision of a systematic and generic methodology for the implementation of design improvements based on experience of past failures. This is illustrated in the form of a case study identifying the changes made to Concorde after the 2000 accident.

The proposed model uses the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) mathematical model as a backbone and integrates elements of a modified failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). The AHP has proven to be an invaluable tool for decision support since it allows a fully documented and transparent decision to be made with full accountability. In addition, it facilitates the task of justifying improvement decisions.

The paper is divided as follows: the first section presents an outline of the background to the Concorde accident and its history of related (non-catastrophic) malfunctions. The AHP methodology and its mathematical representation are then presented with the integrated FMEA applied to the Concorde accident. The case study arrives at the same conclusion as engineers working on Concorde after the accident: that the aircraft may fly again if the lining of the fuel tanks are modified.
Policy on the hoof: the handling of the foot and mouth disease outbreak in the UK 2001
Authors: Taylor Ian
Published: October 2003

English

The foot and mouth disease (FMD) epidemic of 2001 was a disaster for sections of the agricultural industry, a number of businesses and for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), which met its demise as a government department during the crisis, being replaced by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). There were some 2,030 confirmed cases and over four million animals slaughtered. It caused the postponement of local elections and of a general election. From a public policy perspective it raised questions about contingency planning, the adjustment of policy to take account of change and how to manage a crisis. This article focuses on the background to the crisis and how it was handled.
Transforming the probation service: ‘what works’, organisational change and professional identity
Authors: Newman Janet , Nutley Sandra
Published: October 2003

English

This article considers the rise of the ‘what works’ policy agenda in the probation service. It presents case study data on a decade of change in one probation service area. The findings are that ‘what works’ has produced a change in the knowledge pool upon which professional practice is based. It has also had a significant impact on the social relationships of probation work. Such shifts in professional knowledge and social relationships have shaken pre-existing professional and organisational identities. However, ‘what works’ appears to have shifted rather than eroded professional boundaries, creating new divisions on which the profession might reconstruct itself.
Tacrolimus and Lopinavir/Ritonavir Interaction in Liver Transplantation
Authors: Schonder Kristine S , Shullo Michael A , Okusanya Olanrewaju
Published: October 2003

OBJECTIVE:

To report an interaction between tacrolimus and the protease inhibitor combination lopinavir/ritonavir in a liver transplant patient.

CASE SUMMARY:

A 48-year-old white male liver transplant recipient receiving tacrolimus 5 mg twice daily for immunosuppression started highly active antiretroviral therapy for his HIV-positive status. Three days after initiation of lopinavir/ritonavir, the tacrolimus concentration rose sharply to toxic levels. Subsequent tacrolimus doses were withheld until tacrolimus concentrations normalized over 15 days. The tacrolimus dose was reestablished at a much lower dose, 0.5 mg once weekly. An objective causality assessment revealed that the adverse event was highly probable.

DISCUSSION:

Tacrolimus is metabolized in the liver via CYP3A4. Protease inhibitors are known to inhibit CYP3A4 and have been documented to increase tacrolimus concentrations, putting the patient at risk of developing nephrotoxic and/or neurotoxic symptoms. In this case, concomitant use of lopinavir/ritonavir caused tacrolimus concentrations to rise more dramatically than had been previously reported in the literature for other protease inhibitors.

CONCLUSIONS:

Extreme caution must be used when administering tacrolimus concomitantly with lopinavir/ritonavir. Therapeutic concentrations of tacrolimus can be maintained with tacrolimus doses that are far below standard dosages.
Possible Valacyclovir-Related Neurotoxicity and Aseptic Meningitis
Authors: Olin Jacqueline L , Gugliotta Joseph L
Published: October 2003

OBJECTIVE:

To report a case of neurotoxicity and aseptic meningitis in a patient receiving valacyclovir.

CASE SUMMARY:

An 86-year-old white man had started valacyclovir 1 g 3 times a day for a herpetic rash along the left side of his face. He subsequently presented with balance difficulties, constant frontal headaches, and a seizure 1 day prior to admission. Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) analysis revealed 162 white cells/mm 3 , 1 red blood cell/mm 3 , glucose 56 mg/dL, and protein 144 mg/dL, with a negative Gram stain. Further laboratory examination failed to demonstrate other causes for the patient's clinical picture. After discontinuation of valacyclovir and supportive care, the patient symptomatically improved.

DISCUSSION:

As of the third week of September 2003, only 1 other case of valacyclovir-related aseptic meningitis was published describing a patient with characteristics similar to those of our patient. Our patient's neurologic symptoms may have been due to acyclovir toxicity, but acyclovir-toxic patients present with normal CSF findings. Several drug classes, including nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, antibiotics, and intravenous immunoglobulins, can induce aseptic meningitis. Other reasons for the patient's symptoms or causes of meningitis were excluded, although viral meningitis remains a possibility. Valacyclovir-induced aseptic meningitis was considered to be possible according to the Naranjo probability scale.

CONCLUSIONS:

Healthcare providers should be aware of valacyclovir as a possible cause of drug-induced aseptic meningitis.
Induced Calcite Precipitation by Cyanobacterium Synechococcus
Authors: Dittrich Maria , Müller Beat , Mavrocordatos Denis , Wehrli Bernhard
Published: October 2003

This study investigated the role of the solution composition on calcite precipitation induced by cyanobacteria. The precipitation of calcium carbonate was induced by addition of cyanobacterium cells Synechococcus strain PCC 7942 in two artificial solutions with a different composition at similar saturation states in respect to calcite. Ion‐selective electrodes for pH, Ca2+, and CO monitored the experiments, and the morphology of precipitated crystals was analysed by scanning electron microscopy.

The calcite precipitation was observed in all experiments after the addition of the cells. The composition of solution (the ratio of dissolved inorganic carbon to dissolved calcium) strongly influenced the calcite precipitation. Based on laboratory experiment results, a possible mechanism for precipitation induced by Synechococcus is proposed linking precipitation with the conditions near to cell walls rather than with the saturation conditions in the bulk solution.
Reactive hemophagocytic syndrome in adult systemic disease: Report of twenty‐six cases and literature review
Authors: Dhote Robin , Simon Jeanne , Papo Thomas , Detournay Bruno , Sailler Laurent , Andre Marie‐Helene , Dupond Jean‐Louis , Larroche Claire , Piette Anne‐Marie , Mechenstock Didier , Ziza Jean‐Marc , Arlaud Jean , Labussiere Anne‐Sophie , Desvaux Agnes , Baty Vincent , Blanche Philippe , Schaeffer Annette , Piette Jean‐Charles , Guillevin Loïc , Boissonnas Alain , Christoforov Boyan
Published: October 2003

Objective

To analyze specific clinical findings, underlying disorders, treatments, outcomes, and prognostic factors for reactive hemophagocytic syndrome (RHS) in systemic disease.

Methods

Data were collected using standardized forms as part of a French national survey. Adult cases without an underlying malignancy, diagnosed on bone marrow or lymph node biopsy, were included.

Results

Twenty‐six cases (7 men, 19 women, mean age 47.4 ± 17.7 years) were studied. Systemic diseases included systemic lupus erythematosus (n = 14), rheumatoid arthritis (n = 2), adult onset systemic Still's disease (n = 4), polyarteritis nodosa (n = 2), mixed connective tissue disease (n = 1), pulmonary sarcoidosis (n = 1), systemic sclerosis (n = 1), and Sjögren's syndrome (n = 1). RHS occurred in 2 distinct clinical settings in the course of systemic disease. RHS was associated with an active infection in 15 patients (bacterial infections, 10 cases; viral, 3 cases; tuberculosis, 1 case; and aspergillosis, 1 case) and with the onset of a systemic disease alone in 9 cases. Isolated RHS occurred in 2 cases. The overall mortality rate was 38.5%. Two factors were associated with mortality: corticosteroid treatment at the time of RHS diagnosis, and thrombocytopenia (odds ratio = 28, 95% confidence interval = 13.3−238.9).

Conclusions

When RHS occurs in the course of an active systemic disease (situation only reported in cases of systemic lupus or adult Still's disease), immunosuppressive therapy should be used. In contrast, when RHS is present concomitantly with an active infection, immunosuppressive therapy needs to be lowered and antibiotic therapy should be instituted.
Concordance of four methods of disability assessment using performance in the home as the criterion method
Authors: Rogers Joan C. , Holm Margo B. , Beach Scott , Schulz Richard , Cipriani Joseph , Fox Andrea , Starz Terence W.
Published: October 2003

Objective

To determine the concordance of 4 methods of disability assessment with the criterion method. Performance testing in the home was selected as the criterion.

Methods

The task performance of 57 community‐dwelling older women (≥70 years) with knee osteoarthritis was examined through self report, proxy report, clinical judgment based on impairment measures, performance testing in an occupational therapy clinic, and performance testing in participants' homes. The 26 tasks represented 4 domains of daily living activities: 5 functional mobility, 3 personal care, 14 cognitively oriented instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and 4 physically oriented IADL.

Results

In general, self reports and proxy reports had the highest concordance with in‐home performance test results. Nonetheless, even for these methods, depending on task domain, the rate of discordance ranged from 31% to 54%, being least in personal care and greatest in the physically oriented IADL.

Conclusion

Disability estimates based on self reports, proxy reports, clinical judgments, and hospital performance‐based assessments are not interchangeable with in‐home task performance.
Leadership Context for the Twenty‐First Century
Authors: Boggs George R.
Published: October 2003

In this chapter, the author discusses the coming transition in the leadership of America's community colleges, the opportunities and challenges of leadership turnover, the rewards of leadership, and the problems faced by community college leaders. He identifies the skills expected to be necessary for leadership in the twenty‐first century and addresses policy implications for leadership preparation.
Penetration of intense charged particle beams in the outer layers of precompressed thermonuclear fuels
Authors: Deutsch Claude
Published: October 2003

Very recent experimental results seem to confirm the relativistic electron beams (REB) penetration in dense and hot plasmas with parameters compatible with those of possible outer layers surrounding a super dense DT core [see Fig. 1] [1]
IFE research at GIFI, Polytechnic University of Madrid
Authors: Honrubia J.J. , Ibanẽz L.F. , Ramirez J. , Ramis R. , Sanz J.
Published: October 2003

The research activities of the GIFI group in last years are summarised. Contributions to theory of ablative Rayleigh‐Taylor instability (RTI), inertial fusion energy (IFE) target design and fast ignition physics are presented. (© 2003 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Maternal experience influences the establishment of visual/auditory, but not olfactory recognition of the newborn lamb by ewes at parturition
Authors: Keller Matthieu , Meurisse Maryse , Poindron Pascal , Nowak Raymond , Ferreira Guillaume , Shayit Michal , Lévy Frédéric
Published: October 2003

Maternal behavior in sheep is characterized by the rapid establishment of individual recognition of the lamb through the use of different sensory modalities. Olfactory recognition mediates acceptance at suckling whereas visual/auditory cues are involved in recognition from a distance. This study investigates (a) the timing of both types of recognition and (b) whether they can be influenced by maternal experience. Olfactory recognition was assessed at lambing, 30 min, 1, 2, or 4 hr postpartum by presenting successively an alien and the familiar lamb. Recognition at a distance was assessed at 6, 8, and 12 hr postpartum by using a two‐choice test between the familiar and an alien lamb. A majority (33/51) of ewes showed selectivity at suckling as early as 30 min after parturition, and no differences due to maternal experience were observed. By contrast, in the two‐choice recognition test, multiparous ewes showed a preference for their familiar lamb at 6 hr whereas primiparous mothers did so only after 24 hr of mother–young contact: The performance of biparous mothers was intermediate. Thus, both types of recognition can be rapidly established after parturition, and maternal experience has a differential effect on the dynamics of these learning processes. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 43: 167–176, 2003.
Sudden short circuiting of synchronous machines by EMTP
Authors: Haginomori Eiichi , Ohtsuka Shinya
Published: October 2003

Applying ATP‐EMTP for the purpose of better understanding of rotating machine transients, several kinds of model synchronous machines with typical features were analyzed in the time domain with respect to sudden short circuiting, and the calculated currents and flux linkages during transient time interval were plotted on the d–q domain planes. Many interesting current/flux vector traces, representing rotating machine transients during short circuiting, were obtained. These may be helpful for understanding transients in rotating machines. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(1): 78–88, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.10228
Application of a dispersed autonomous voltage control system to a real high‐voltage distribution network
Authors: Kabemura Katsuki , Yonekura Kazuhiko , Tsukamoto Takanori , Hashimoto Keiichirou , Hara Masanori
Published: October 2003

This paper focuses on the application results of the dispersed autonomous voltage control system, which the authors have proposed, to a real distribution network. This system is effective for regulating the supply voltage of an entire HV line within an optimum range. In the system configuration, an SCC is installed together with an SC and/or ShR on the line. Individual SCCs autonomously control the operation of SCs and/or ShRs based on the voltage measured where the SCs and/or ShRs are located on the line. A field test on a real high‐voltage distribution network found that the proposed system could sustain a high fault tolerance ability and also be cost‐effective in regulating line voltage. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 146(1): 27–36, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.10252
Genotype‐based association test for general pedigrees: The genotype‐PDT
Authors: Martin E.R. , Bass M.P. , Gilbert J.R. , Pericak‐Vance M.A. , Hauser E.R.
Published: October 2003

Many family‐based tests of linkage disequilibrium (LD) are based on counts of alleles rather than genotypes. However, allele‐based tests may not detect interactions among alleles at a single locus that are apparent when examining associations with genotypes. Family‐based tests of LD based on genotypes have been developed, but they are typically valid as tests of association only in families with a single affected individual. To take advantage of families with multiple affected individuals, we propose the genotype‐pedigree disequilibrium test (geno‐PDT) to test for LD between marker locus genotypes and disease. Unlike previous tests for genotypic association, the geno‐PDT is valid in general pedigrees. Simulations to compare the power of the allele‐based PDT and geno‐PDT reveal that under an additive model, the allele‐based PDT is more powerful, but that the geno‐PDT can have greater power when the genetic model is recessive or dominant. Perhaps the most important property of the geno‐PDT is the ability to test for association with particular genotypes, which can reveal underlying patterns of association at the genotypic level. These genotype‐specific tests can be used to suggest possible underlying genetic models that are consistent with the pattern of genotypic association. This is illustrated through an application to a candidate gene analysis of the MLLT3 gene in families with Alzheimer disease. The geno‐PDT approach for testing genotypes in general family data provides a useful tool for identifying genes in complex disease, and partitioning individual genotype contributions will help to dissect the influence of genotype on risk. Genet Epidemiol 25:203–213, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Microsurgical training course for clinicians and scientists at a German University hospital: A 10‐year experience
Authors: Klein Ingo , Steger Ulrich , Timmermann Wolfgang , Thiede Arnulf , Gassel Heinz‐Jochen
Published: October 2003

Microsurgical techniques are being increasingly applied in almost all surgical disciplines. However, the opportunities to learn these skills in a structured course are rare. We have conducted a 5‐day microsurgical training course on a yearly basis since 1991. The course follows step‐by‐step training, starting with nonvital models for vascular and nerval microanastomoses. As the participants improve, exercises on laboratory animals are offered to close the gap between nonliving models and the clinical situation. Lectures provide theoretical and clinical background information. Clinical and experimental applications can be witnessed and practiced in a second part of the course. With this step‐by‐step curriculum, we conduct a successful training program, e.g., each participant is able to perform microvascular and nerval anastomoses on a reproducible basis. The organization, program, and execution of the training course are presented, together with an evaluation of the course concept by the participants concerning expectations, learning success, and level of satisfaction. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. MICROSURGERY 23:461–465 2003
Nonpolar second‐order nonlinear and electrooptic materials: Axially ordered chiral polymers and liquid crystals
Authors: Singer Kenneth D. , Petschek Rolfe G. , Ostroverkhov Victor , Twieg Robert J. , Sukhomlinova Ludmilla
Published: October 2003

This article reviews our work on the development and optimization of chiral, nonpolar media with large second‐order nonlinear optical responses. We show how molecular engineering, theory, and measurements can be used to optimize this promising class of nonlinear optical materials. We describe how supramolecular alignment into easily processable materials takes advantage of the relevant molecular hyperpolarizabilities. A wide variety of techniques can be used to fabricate bulk materials belonging to the chiral nonpolar symmetry groups, D∞ and D2. The microscopic chromophore alignment schemes that optimize the nonlinear optical response in such materials are deduced from general symmetry considerations for both molecules and bulk. We also speculate on the possible applications of such materials as image‐plane modulators. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2744–2754, 2003
Exploring the Tensions of Problem‐Based Learning: Insights From Research
Authors: Hung Woei , Harpole Bailey Jessica , Jonassen David H.
Published: October 2003

Professors who wish to implement problem‐based learning (PBL) must reconcile numerous tensions regarding its efficacy. The authors address some of these tensions by considering empirical literature about PBL.
Integrating Computers into the Problem‐Solving Process
Authors: Lowther Deborah L. , Morrison Gary R.
Published: October 2003

Professors who want to integrate computers into problem‐based learning lessons can use the design model presented in this article. The model is based on a theory of students using computers as problem‐solving tools.
Perceptual variation and access to colors
Authors: Averill Edward Wilson
Published: October 2003

To identify the set of reflectances that constitute redness, the authors must first determine which surfaces are red. They do this by relying on widespread agreement among us. However, arguments based on the possible ways in which humans would perceive colors show that mere widespread agreement among us is not a satisfactory way to determine which surfaces are red.
“Color realism” shows a subjectivist' mode of thinking
Authors: Brill Michael H.
Published: October 2003

Byrne & Hilbert (B&H) assert that reflectances embody the reality of color, but metamerism smears the authors' “real” color categories into uselessness. B&H ignore this problem, possibly because they implicitly adopt a sort of subjectivism, whereby an object is defined by the percepts (or more generally by the measurements) it engenders. Subjectivism is unwieldy, and hence prone to such troubles.
A wide-spectrum coordination model of schizophrenia
Authors: Barendregt Hendrik Pieter
Published: October 2003

The target article presents a model for schizophrenia extending four levels of abstraction: molecules, cells, cognition, and syndrome. An important notion in the model is that of coordination, applicable to both the level of cells and of cognition. The molecular level provides an “implementation” of the coordination at the cellular level, which in turn underlies the coordination at the cognitive level, giving rise to the clinical symptoms.
Byrne and Hilbert's chromatic ether
Authors: Hardin C. L.
Published: October 2003

Because our only access to color qualities is through their appearance, Byrne & Hilbert's insistence on a strict distinction between apparent colors and real colors leaves them without a principled way of determining when, if ever, we see colors as they really are.
In favor of an ecological account of color
Authors: Huettel Scott , Polger Thomas , Riley Michael
Published: October 2003

Byrne & Hilbert understate the difficulties facing their version of color realism. We doubt that they can fix reflectance types and magnitudes in a way that does not invoke relations to perceivers. B&H's account, therefore, resembles the dispositional or ecological accounts that they dismiss. This is a good thing, for a dispositional account is promising if understood in an ecological framework.
Color nominalism, pluralistic realism, and color science
Authors: Matthen Mohan
Published: October 2003

Byrne & Hilbert are right that it might be an objective fact that a particular tomato is unique red, but wrong that it cannot simultaneously be yellowish-red (not only objectively, but from somebody else's point of view). Sensory categorization varies among organisms, slightly among conspecifics, and sharply across taxa. There is no question of truth or falsity concerning choice of categories, only of utility and disutility. The appropriate framework for color categories is Nominalism and Pluralistic Realism.
An account of color without a subject?
Authors: Myin Erik
Published: October 2003

While color realism is endorsed, Byrne & Hilbert's (B&H's) case for it stretches the notion of “physical property” beyond acceptable bounds. It is argued that a satisfactory account of color should do much more to respond to antirealist intuitions that flow from the specificity of color experience, and a pointer to an approach that does so is provided.
Surreptitious substitution
Authors: Saunders Barbara
Published: October 2003

In this commentary I argue that Byrne & Hilbert commit a number of philosophical solecisms: They beg the question of “realism,” they take the phenomenon and the theoretical model to be the same thing, and they surreptitiously substitute data sets for the life-world.
Color: A vision scientist's perspective
Authors: Teller Davida Y.
Published: October 2003

Vision scientists are interested in three diverse entities: physical stimuli, neural states, and consciously perceived colors, and in the mapping rules among the three. In this worldview, the three kinds of entities have coequal status, and views that attribute color exclusively to one or another of them, such as color realism, have no appeal.
Color realism redux
Authors: Byrne Alex , Hilbert David R.
Published: October 2003

Our reply is in three parts. The first part concerns some foundational issues in the debate about color realism. The second part addresses the many objections to the version of physicalism about color (“productance physicalism”) defended in the target article. The third part discusses the leading alternative approaches and theories endorsed by the commentators.
Residual circulation and tidal stress in the Gulf of California
Authors: Salas‐de‐León David Alberto , Carbajal‐Pérez Noel , Monreal‐Gómez Maria Adela , Barrientos‐MacGregor Gerardo
Published: October 2003

Results of a three‐dimensional nonlinear barotropic shelf model are used to study the effect of the M2 tidal stress on the residual current in the Gulf of California. The tidal stress summarizes the nonlinear interactions and forces the residual circulation. It is calculated following the method developed by Nihoul and Ronday [1975]. The vertical structure of the tidal stress reveals clearly the zones where the interaction between tidal currents and the basin geometry is strong. The highest values of tidal stress were found over the Salsipuedes sill and in the Ballenas Channel in the central archipelago and in the Colorado River Delta. Relatively high values of tidal stress were also found in deeper layers in the southern part. The high tidal stress values coincide well with the anomalous cold‐water patches observed in the archipelago area, attributed to tidal mixing. The calculated residual currents show a maximum of about 15 cm s−1 in the upper layers in the archipelago area. At subsurface layers an anticyclonic circulation is observed. Divergence patterns in the upper layers suggest that M2 tide residuals contribute, to significant upward movements of water, on the west side of Tiburón island. This barotropic process may contribute to the generation of the observed cold patches.
Application of support vector machines for T-cell epitopes prediction
Authors: Zhao Yingdong , Pinilla Clemencia , Valmori Danila , Martin Roland , Simon Richard
Published: October 2003

Motivation: The T-cell receptor, a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule, and a bound antigenic peptide, play major roles in the process of antigen-specific T-cell activation. T-cell recognition was long considered exquisitely specific. Recent data also indicate that it is highly flexible, and one receptor may recognize thousands of different peptides. Deciphering the patterns of peptides that elicit a MHC restricted T-cell response is critical for vaccine development.

Results: For the first time we develop a support vector machine (SVM) for T-cell epitope prediction with an MHC type I restricted T-cell clone. Using cross-validation, we demonstrate that SVMs can be trained on relatively small data sets to provide prediction more accurate than those based on previously published methods or on MHC binding.

Supplementary information: Data for 203 synthesized peptides is available at http://linus.nci.nih.gov/Data/LAU203_Peptide.pdf
Recognizing translation initiation sites of eukaryotic genes based on the cooperatively scanning model
Authors: Wang Yonghong , Liu Jinwei , Zhao Tongju , Ji Qing
Published: October 2003

Motivation: Translation initiation sites (TISs) of genes are the key points of protein synthesis. Exact recognition of TISs in eukaryotic genes is one of the most important tasks in gene-finding algorithms. However, the task has not been satisfactorily fulfilled up to the present. Here, we propose a cooperatively scanning model for recognizing TISs and the first exons of eukaryotic genes on the basis of the structural characteristics of multi-exon genes.

Results: The model was employed to cooperatively scan the TISs and 3′ splicing sites in eukaryotic genes, and the TISs and the first exons of 132 mammalian gene sequences are identified to evaluate the model. Accuracy of exactly recognizing the TISs and the first exons has been found to amount respectively to 64.4 and 51.5%. We believe that the model will be a useful tool for genome annotation and that it can be easily incorporated into other algorithms to achieve higher accuracy in recognizing TISs and the first exons.

Availability: The program is available upon request.
Analysing gene expressions with GRANK
Authors: de Boer W.P.H. , Oudejans J.J. , Meijer C.J.L.M. , Lankelma J.
Published: October 2003

Summary: Unravelling overlapping clusters of functionally linked genes is a major challenge to current clustering programs. Algorithm GRANK permits systematic study of overlap between clusters of genes of a similar expression profile and large variation across a series of microarrays.

Availability: GRANK is freely available from http://www.bio.vu.nl/microb/research/tumor.html provided one adheres to the end-user license agreement in the associated manual.

Supplementary information: Above website also supplies the in- and output files used in the example run.
A comprehensive set of protein complexes in yeast: mining large scale protein–protein interaction screens
Authors: Krause Roland , von Mering Christian , Bork Peer
Published: October 2003

Motivation: The analysis of protein–protein interactions allows for detailed exploration of the cellular machinery. The biochemical purification of protein complexes followed by identification of components by mass spectrometry is currently the method, which delivers the most reliable information—albeit that the data sets are still difficult to interpret.

Consolidating individual experiments into protein complexes, especially for high-throughput screens, is complicated by many contaminants, the occurrence of proteins in otherwise dissimilar purifications due to functional re-use and technical limitations in the detection. A non-redundant collection of protein complexes from experimental data would be useful for biological interpretation, but manual assembly is tedious and often inconsistent.

Results: Here, we introduce a measure to define similarity within collections of purifications and generate a set of minimally redundant, comprehensive complexes using unsupervised clustering.

Availability: Programs and results are freely available from http://www.bork.embl-heidelberg.de/Docu/purclust/
Simulation of Recent Southern Hemisphere Climate Change
Authors: Gillett Nathan P. , Thompson David W. J.
Published: October 2003

Recent observations indicate that climate change over the high latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere is dominated by a strengthening of the circumpolar westerly flow that extends from the surface to the stratosphere. Here we demonstrate that the seasonality, structure, and amplitude of the observed climate trends are simulated in a state-of-the-art atmospheric model run with high vertical resolution that is forced solely by prescribed stratospheric ozone depletion. The results provide evidence that anthropogenic emissions of ozonedepleting gases have had a distinct impact on climate not only at stratospheric levels but at Earth's surface as well.
Control of Crystal Size and Lattice Formation by Starmaker in Otolith Biomineralization
Authors: Söllner Christian , Burghammer Manfred , Busch-Nentwich Elisabeth , Berger Jürgen , Schwarz Heinz , Riekel Christian , Nicolson Teresa
Published: October 2003

The stone-like otoliths from the ears of teleost fishes are involved in balance and hearing and consist of calcium carbonate crystallites embedded in a protein framework. We report that a previously unknown gene,
starmaker
, is required in zebrafish for otolith morphogenesis. Reduction of
starmaker
activity by injection of modified antisense oligonucleotides causes a change in the crystal lattice structure and thus a change in otolith morphology. The expression pattern of
starmaker
, along with the presence of the protein on the growing otolith, suggest that the expression levels of
starmaker
control the shape of the otoliths.
Local Exact Boundary Controllability for Nonlinear Vibrating String Equations
Authors: Li Ta-Tsien , Xu Yu-Lan
Published: October 2003

Based on the theory of semiglobal C1 solutions to a class of nonlocal mixed initial-boundary value problems for quasilinear hyperbolic systems, we establish the local exact boundary controllability for a class of nonlinear vibrating string problems with boundary condition of the third type on one end.
Estimation of Chaotic Signals Based on Symbolic Distance and Its Application
Authors: Jin Wenguang , Zeng Yicheng
Published: October 2003

An efficient method for chaotic signal estimation is described based on the connection between the symbolic sequence and the initial condition of a chaotic system. A distance between the orbits has been defined. The method can be used in weak signal measuring. Circuit experiment results show that the precision is more than 0.05/100.
Rich Localized Coherent Structures of the (2+1)-Dimensional BKK Equation
Authors: Li H. M. , Lou S. Y.
Published: October 2003

Using a Bäcklund transformation and the variable separation approach, we find there exist rich localized structures for the (2+1)-dimensional Broer-Kaup-Kupershmidt (BKK) system. The abundance of the localized structures for the model is introduced by the entrance of an arbitrary function of the seed solution. For some special selections of the arbitrary function, it is shown that the localized structure of the BKK equation may be dromions, lumps, ring solitons and peakons etc.