Showing papers by "University of New South Wales published in 1995"
TL;DR: The factor structure of the combined BDI and BAI items was virtually identical to that reported by Beck for a sample of diagnosed depressed and anxious patients, supporting the view that these clinical states are more severe expressions of the same states that may be discerned in normals.
9,443 citations
TL;DR: A new integrative theory, the affect infusion model (AIM), is proposed as a comprehensive explanation of these effects of affective states in social judgments, and predicts that judgments requiring heuristic or substantive processing are more likely to be infused by affect than are direct access or motivated judgments.
Abstract: Evidence for the role of affective states in social judgments is reviewed, and a new integrative theory, the affect infusion model (AIM), is proposed as a comprehensive explanation of these effects. The AIM, based on a multiprocess approach to social judgments, identifies 4 alternative judgmental strategies: (a) direct access, (b) motivated, (c) heuristic, and (d) substantive processing. The model predicts that the degree of affect infusion into judgments varies along a processing continuum, such that judgments requiring heuristic or substantive processing are more likely to be infused by affect than are direct access or motivated judgments. The role of target, judge, and situational variables in recruiting high- or low-infusion judgmental strategies is considered, and empirical support for the model is reviewed. The relationship between the AIM and other affect-cognition theories is discussed, and implications for future research are outlined.
3,162 citations
TL;DR: An updated tabulation of the optical properties of intrinsic silicon relevant to solar cell calculations is presented in this article, where the absorption coeficient, refractive index and extinction co-efficient at 300 K are tabulated over the 0.25-1.45 μm wavelength range at 0.01 μm intervals.
Abstract: An updated tabulation is presented of the optical properties of intrinsic silicon relevant to solar cell calculations. the absorption coeficient, refractive index and extinction coeficient at 300 K are tabulated over the 0.25-1.45 μm wavelength range at 0.01 μm intervals.
1,245 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the use of a partly auditory and partly visual mode of presentation for geometry worked examples was investigated and the split-attention effect and the effect of presentation modality on working memory was found.
Abstract: This article reports findings on the use of a partly auditory and partly visual mode of presentation for geometry worked examples. The logic was based on the split-attention effect and the effect of presentation modality on working memory. The split-attention effect occurs when students must split their attention between multiple sources of information, which results in a heavy cognitive load. Presentation-modality effects suggest that working memory has partially independent processors for handling visual and auditory material. Effective working memory may be increased by presenting material in a mixed rather than a unitary mode. If so, the negative consequences of split attention in geometry might be ameliorated by presenting geometry statements in auditory, rather than visual, form. The results of 6 experiments supported this hypothesis.
984 citations
TL;DR: A protein map of the smallest known self‐replicating organism, Mycoplasma genitalium, revealed a high proportion of acidic proteins, which allowed proteins to be identified prior to detection of their respective genes via the M. genitalium sequencing initiative.
Abstract: A protein map of the smallest known self-replicating organism, Mycoplasma genitalium (Class: Mollicutes), revealed a high proportion of acidic proteins. Amino acid composition was used to putatively identify, or provide unique parameters, for 50 gene products separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. A further 19 proteins were subjected to peptide-mass fingerprinting using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry and 4 were subjected to N-terminal Edman degradation. The majority of M. genitalium proteins remain uncharacterised. However, the combined approach of amino acid analysis and peptide-mass fingerprinting allowed gene products to be linked to homologous genes in a variety of organisms. This has allowed proteins to be identified prior to detection of their respective genes via the M. genitalium sequencing initiative. The principle of ‘hierarchical’ analysis for the mass screening of proteins and the analysis of microbial genomes via their protein complement or ‘proteome’ is detailed. Here, characterisation of gene products depends upon the quickest and most economical technologies being employed initially, so as to determine if a large number of proteins are already present in both homologous and heterologous species databases. Initial screening, which lends itself to automation and robotics, can then be followed by more time and cost intensive procedures, when necessary.
955 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply the idea of plug-in bandwidth selection to develop strategies for choosing the smoothing parameter of local linear squares kernel estimators, which is applicable to odd-degree local polynomial fits and can be extended to other settings, such as derivative estimation and multiple nonparametric regression.
Abstract: Local least squares kernel regression provides an appealing solution to the nonparametric regression, or “scatterplot smoothing,” problem, as demonstrated by Fan, for example. The practical implementation of any scatterplot smoother is greatly enhanced by the availability of a reliable rule for automatic selection of the smoothing parameter. In this article we apply the ideas of plug-in bandwidth selection to develop strategies for choosing the smoothing parameter of local linear squares kernel estimators. Our results are applicable to odd-degree local polynomial fits and can be extended to other settings, such as derivative estimation and multiple nonparametric regression. An implementation in the important case of local linear fits with univariate predictors is shown to perform well in practice. A by-product of our work is the development of a class of nonparametric variance estimators, based on local least squares ideas, and plug-in rules for their implementation.
850 citations
TL;DR: It was found that pain scores increase with ambient temperature and that rat strains may differ in formalin pain sensitivity, and that no single behavioural measure was a strong predictor of formalin, morphine and amphetamine dose.
Abstract: The formalin test is increasingly used as a model of injury-produced pain but there is no generally accepted method of pain rating. To examine the properties of various pain rating methods we established dose-response relations for formalin injected in the plantar surface of one hind paw, and the analgesic effects of morphine and amphetamine using the most frequently reported behavioural measures of pain (favouring, lifting, licking and flinching/shaking of the injured paw) and combinations of these. Licking, elevation and favouring of the injected paw showed a biphasic response at all formalin doses. Flinching varied in form across the time course of formalin, and the biphasic nature of the behaviour was not as apparent. In untreated rats all these behaviours were infrequent. Flinching and favouring were increased after injection of local anaesthetic into the paw but remained negligible relative to the effect of formalin. Grooming other than that directed paw was elevated in a dose-dependent manner by formalin. Intercorrelations between the behaviours were different for the initial response and the second phase. Correlational analysis indicated that no single behavioural measure was a strong predictor of formalin, morphine and amphetamine dose. A simple sum of time spent licking plus elevating the paw, or the weighted pain score of Dubuisson and Dennis (1977), were superior to any single measure (r ranging from 0.75 to 0.86). Addition of flinching and favouring to the combined pain score using multiple regression did not increase variance explained. Depending on the measure used, a sedative dose of pentobarbital produced apparent analgesia, hyperalgesia or no effect. The interphase depression of pain, as well as the analgesic effects of morphine and amphetamine, were all associated with increased motor activation. Power analysis indicated that using a moderate dose of formalin and a combined pain score gave the greatest power to detect differences in pain. It was also found that pain scores increase with ambient temperature and that rat strains may differ in formalin pain sensitivity.
589 citations
TL;DR: It is reported that rapsyn is essential for the formation of AChR clusters, but that synapse-specific transcription of A ChR subunit genes can proceed in its absence.
Abstract: OF numerous synaptic components that have been identified, perhaps the best-studied are the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (AChRs) of the vertebrate neuromuscular junction1. AChRs are diffusely distributed on embryonic myotubes, but become highly concentrated (~ 10,000 µm-2) in the postsynaptic membrane as development proceeds. At least two distinct processes contribute to this accumulation. One is local synthesis: subsynaptic muscle nuclei transcribe AChR subunit genes at higher rates than extra-synaptic nuclei, so AChR messenger RNA is concentrated near synaptic sites2,3. Second, once AChRs have been inserted in the membrane, they form high-density clusters by tethering to a sub-synaptic cytoskeletal complex. A key component of this complex is rapsyn, a peripheral membrane protein of relative molecular mass 43K (refs 4, 5), which is precisely colocalized with AChRs at synaptic sites from the earliest stages of neuromuscular synaptogenesis6. In heterologous systems, expression of recombi-nant rapsyn leads to clustering of diffusely distributed AChRs, suggesting that rapsyn may control formation of clusters7,8. To assess the role of rapsyn in vivo, we generated and characterized mutant mice with a targeted disruption of the Rapsn gene. We report that rapsyn is essential for the formation of AChR clusters, but that synapse-specific transcription of AChR subunit genes can proceed in its absence.
541 citations
Texas Tech University1, University of Sussex2, University of the Western Cape3, University of the Basque Country4, University of New South Wales5, University of Queensland6, Korea Military Academy7, ISCTE – University Institute of Lisbon8, University of Poitiers9, University of Mannheim10, VU University Amsterdam11, The Chinese University of Hong Kong12, Nanyang Technological University13, Makerere University14, University of Indonesia15, Magadh University16, University of the Witwatersrand17
TL;DR: The extent of role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload reported by middle managers from 21 nations was related to national scores on power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, an....
Abstract: The extent of role conflict, role ambiguity, and role overload reported by middle managers from 21 nations was related to national scores on power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance, an...
462 citations
TL;DR: It is shown that s-laminin regulates formation of motor nerve terminals through its role in homologue of the Bl (β1) chain of the widely distributed BL glycoprotein, laminin30.
Abstract: SYNAPSE formation requires a complex interchange of information between the pre- and postsynaptic partners. At the skeletal neuro-muscular junction, some of this information is contained in the basal lamina (BL), which runs through the synaptic cleft between the motor nerve terminal and the muscle fibre. During regeneration following injury, components of synaptic BL can trigger several features of postsynaptic differentiation in the absence of the nerve terminal, and of presynaptic differentiation in the absence of the muscle fibre1–3. One nerve-derived component of synaptic BL, agrin, is known to affect postsynaptic differentiation3, but no muscle-derived components have yet been shown to influence motor nerve terminals. A candidate for such a role is s-laminin (also called laminin β2), a homologue of the Bl (β1) chain of the widely distributed BL glycoprotein, laminin30. s-laminin is synthesized by muscle cells5 and concentrated in synaptic BL4. In vitro, recombinant s-laminin fragments are selectively adhesive for motor neuron-like cells, inhibit neurite outgrowth promoted by other matrix molecules, and act as a 'stop signal' for growing neurites6,7. By generating and characterizing mice with a targeted mutation of the S-laminin gene, we show here that s-laminin regulates formation of motor nerve terminals.
460 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an ethnography of three Australian hospitals seeks to understand how and why new accounting systems are "experimented" with in organizations, and Latour's sociology of translation is adapted to argue that accounting change emerged not because there was certain knowledge of positive economic outcomes but because an uncertain faith, fostered by expert-generated inscriptions and rhetorical strategies, was able to tie together shifting interests in an actor network.
Abstract: This ethnography of three Australian hospitals seeks to understand how and why new accounting systems are “experimented” with in organizations. Latour's sociology of translation is adapted to argue that accounting change emerged not because there was certain knowledge of positive economic outcomes but because an uncertain faith, fostered by expert-generated inscriptions and rhetorical strategies, was able to tie together shifting interests in an actor network. The paper also highlights how accounting may ironically be both real and a simulation.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate the extension of the nonparametric regression technique of local polynomial fitting with a kernel weight to generalized linear models and quasi-likelihood contexts.
Abstract: We investigate the extension of the nonparametric regression technique of local polynomial fitting with a kernel weight to generalized linear models and quasi-likelihood contexts. In the ordinary regression case, local polynomial fitting has been seen to have several appealing features in terms of intuitive and mathematical simplicity. One noteworthy feature is the better performance near the boundaries compared to the traditional kernel regression estimators. These properties are shown to carry over to generalized linear model and quasi-likelihood settings. We also derive the asymptotic distributions of the proposed class of estimators that allow for straightforward interpretation and extensions of state-of-the-art bandwidth selection methods.
TL;DR: The results support the idea that laminin β chains are functionally distinct although they assemble to form similar structures.
Abstract: S–laminin/laminin β2, a homologue of the widely distributed laminin B1/β1 chain, is a major component of adult renal glomerular basement membrane (GBM). Immature GBM bears p1, which is replaced by β2 as development proceeds. In mutant mice that lack β2, the GBM remains rich in β1, suggesting that a feedback mechanism normally regulates GBM maturation. The β2–deficient GBM is structurally intact and contains normal complements of several collagenous and noncollagenous glycoproteins. However, mutant mice develop massive proteinuria due to failure of the glomerular filtration barrier. These results support the idea that laminin β chains are functionally distinct although they assemble to form similar structures. Laminin β2–deficient mice may provide a model for human congenital or idiopathic nephrotic syndromes.
TL;DR: Preliminary evidence supporting the clinical and prognostic significance of extensive white matter hyperintensities in patients with severe depression is provided.
TL;DR: The Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC) as mentioned in this paper is a standardized instrument completed by lay informants to assess behavioral and emotional disturbance in children and adolescents with mental retardation (MR).
Abstract: Describes the development and validation of the Developmental Behavior Checklist (DBC), a standardized instrument completed by lay informants to assess behavioral and emotional disturbance in children and adolescents with mental retardation (MR). Items describing common behavioral and emotional problems in this population were generated by extracting descriptions from 664 case files of children and adolescents with behavior disorders seen at a specialist developmental assessment service over 12 years. These items were reduced to a set of 96 items administered to a sample of 1,093 children and adolescents with mental retardation and then submitted to a principal components analysis. Six interpretable and partly validated subscales were obtained which explained 36% of the total variance and had satisfactory internal consistency. Interrater and test-retest agreement were satisfactory for both total scale score and for scores on each of the subscales. Good evidence of concurrent validity was provided by substantial positive correlations between total scores on the DBC completed by lay informants and the ratings of experienced psychiatrists based upon interviews and scores on two standardized instruments that must be completed by health professionals. The discriminative validity of the total score as assessed by area under the ROC curve was excellent (92%). Standardized norms for the DBC are derived from an epidemiological study of behavior problems in children and adolescents with mental retardation undertaken in two Australian States. Norms are available for the mild, moderate, severe, and profound MR groups and for the MR population as a whole.
TL;DR: Those recent advances in mechanical science that are as important and as far-reaching as those in chemical and molecular science but that have not yet been widely applied to assessment of cardiovascular function and disease are considered.
Abstract: Arterial disease and degeneration are the major causes of cardiovascular death and disability, including myocardial and cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, and hypertensive left ventricular failure. Recent research has concentrated on chemical and molecular mechanisms: on thrombogenesis and thrombolysis, vasoactive chemicals produced by endothelial cells, and the chemical control of cardiac and vascular remodeling. There has been far less concern with details of physical factors and their relevance to atherogenesis, plaque rupture, aortic medial degeneration, and altered left ventricular hydraulic load. This is a serious anomaly, since the functions of the heart and arteries are mechanical rather than chemical: those of the heart is to contract and to generate flow; those of the arteries is to transmit blood and to cushion pulsations. Their diseases and resultant complications are mechanical as well, comprising arterial obstruction, arterial rupture, and failure of the heart as a mechanical pump. A logical approach to therapy requires consideration of mechanics and physical principles in sufficient detail to explain observed phenomena. Such an approach to arterial disease is not the role of the surgeon alone but should be taken by contemporary internists, cardiologists, and specialists in hypertensive disease. Practicing physicians need to look beyond simplistic mechanical notions and beyond simple instruments such as the cuff sphygmomanometer, which still dominates clinical practice as it has for the past 100 years. It is appropriate that they consider those recent advances in mechanical science that are as important and as far-reaching as those in chemical and molecular science but that have not yet been widely applied to assessment of cardiovascular function and disease. This symposium deals with some of these advances.
The title of this symposium, the “Second Workshop on Structure and Function of Large Arteries,” is similar to another arranged by the American Heart Association on “Functional and Structural Aspects …
TL;DR: The authors argues that neither institutional structure is the panacea its supporters claim, and that both firms and networks, of which there are several kinds, can be successful, growth-promoting adaptations to the competitive environment.
TL;DR: Palladium-based catalysts have been found to be the most efficient catalysts for the catalytic oxidation of methane to carbon dioxide and water as discussed by the authors, and the reaction rate is dependent on methane concentration, generally to the first order or less.
TL;DR: The abnormal auditory sensory memory processing indicated by low mismatch negativity amplitude in the schizophrenic patients cannot be accounted for by neuroleptic medication status, and this findings implicate the auditory cortex in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
Abstract: Objective: The multiple disorders of selective attention found in schizophrenia could be secondary to disturbances in sensory processing. The authors investigated this possibility by using an event-related potential index of auditory sensory memory, called ''mismatch negativity.'' Method: Medicated (N=11) and neuroleptic-free (N=11) patients with schizophrenia and patients with bipolar affective disorder (N=11) were compared with age- and sex-matched healthy comparison subjects. Auditory stimuli were presented while the subjects were distracted with an attention-demanding visual task. Event-related potentials were elicited by infrequently occurring auditory stimuli (deviants) and by regularly presented auditory stimuli (standards), which differed slightly in duration. The difference in amplitude between the event-related potentials elicited by the deviant and standard stimuli was the mismatch negativity. Results: The amplitude of the mismatch negativity was significantly lower in both groups of schizophrenic patients than in the healthy comparison subjects. Mismatch negativity amplitude was significantly correlated with ratings of negative schizophrenic symptoms but not with positive symptoms. Compared with the matched comparison subjects, the bipolar affective disorder patients did not show lower amplitude of mismatch negativity. There was a significant negative correlation between age and mismatch negativity amplitude. Conclusions: The abnormal auditory sensory memory processing indicated by low mismatch negativity amplitude in the schizophrenic patients cannot be accounted for by neuroleptic medication status. Because this abnormality was significantly related to measures of negative symptoms only, it may be a chronicity marker or reflect a predisposition to the development to schizophrenia. These findings implicate the auditory cortex in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
TL;DR: This paper found that groups that interact by computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies are less prone to domination by high-status members than are face-to-face groups and reported that such groups are less likely to be dominated by high status members.
Abstract: Many studies have found that groups that interact by computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies are less prone to domination by high-status members than are face-to-face groups We report h
TL;DR: Using computer-aided content analysis, the authors assessed the strength of nine values (authority, performance, reward, normative, commitment, participation, leadership, teamwork, and affiliation) in 88 large-scale news articles.
Abstract: Using computer-aided content analysis, we assessed the strength of nine values—authority, performance, reward, normative, commitment, participation, leadership, teamwork, and affiliation—in 88 larg...
TL;DR: Phenetic and cladistic analyses of the data were used to infer the genetic relatedness and evolution of toxic and bloom-forming cyanobacteria.
Abstract: Cyanobacteria are a highly diverse group in relation to form, function, and habitat. Current cyanobacterial systematics relies on the observation of minor and plastic morphological characters. Accurate and reliable delineation of toxic and bloom-forming strains of cyanobacteria has not been possible by traditional methods. We have designed general primers to the phycocyanin operon (cpc gene) and developed a PCR which allows the amplification of a region of this gene, including a variable intergenic spacer sequence. Because of the specificity of this PCR for cyanobacterial isolates, the assay is appropriate for the rapid and reliable identification of strains in freshwater samples. Successive restriction endonuclease digestion of this amplification product, with a total of nine enzymes, yielded many identifying DNA profiles specific to the various taxonomic levels of cyanobacteria. The restriction enzyme profiles for MspI, RsaI, and TaqI were conserved for strains within each of the eight genera (40 strains) studied and clearly discriminated among these genera. Intrageneric delineation of strains was revealed by the enzymes AluI, CfoI, and HaeIII for members of the genus Microcystis, while strains of genus Anabaena were differentiated by the digestion patterns provided by AluI, CfoI, and ScrFI. Phenetic and cladistic analyses of the data were used to infer the genetic relatedness and evolution of toxic and bloom-forming cyanobacteria.
TL;DR: This investigation has found that reagent hypochlorous acid reacts with tyrosyl residues in small peptides and converts them to chlorotyrosine, the only enzymes capable of chlorinating an aromatic ring.
TL;DR: Mechanisms underlying temperature-strength interrelations for dense (> 95% dense, pores closed) hydroxyapatite (HAp) were investigated by comparative assessment of temperature effects on tensile strength, Weibull modulus, apparent density, decomposition, dehydroxylation and microstructure.
TL;DR: Antiretroviral therapy administered during primary HIV infection may improve the subsequent clinical course and increase the CD4 cell count.
Abstract: Background It is possible that antiretroviral treatment given early during primary infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may reduce acute symptoms, help preserve immune function, and improve the long-term prognosis. Methods To assess the effect of early antiviral treatment, we conducted a multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in which 77 patients with primary HIV infection were randomly assigned to receive either zidovudine (250 mg twice daily; n = 39) or placebo (n = 38) for six months. Results The mean time from the onset of symptoms until enrollment in the study was 25.1 days. Among the 43 patients who were still symptomatic at the time of enrollment, there was no appreciable difference in the mean (±SE) duration of the retroviral syndrome between the zidovudine group (15.0±4.1 days) and the placebo group (15.8±3.6 days). During a mean follow-up period of 15 months, minor opportunistic infections developed in eight patients: oral candidiasis in four, herpes zoster in two, ...
TL;DR: Activity of the D. pulchra metabolites was comparable to that of the heavy metals and biocides currently used in antifouling paints, however, no single compound was most active in all tests and some meta...
Abstract: In this study the antifouling activity was investigated of a series of chemically related, halogenated furanones isolated from Delisea pulchra (Greville) Montagne, a red alga which is rarely fouled in the field. The metabolites were tested in laboratory assays against representatives of the three major groups of fouling organisms, the barnacle Balanus amphitrite amphitirite Darwin, the macroalga Ulva lactuca Linnaeus and a marine bacterium (strain SW 8). Settlement of barnacle cyprid larvae was strongly inhibited, with an EC50 of < 25 ng.ml‐1 (25 ppb) for some compounds. The settlement and growth of algal gametes was also strongly inhibited, in some cases at concentrations as low as 25 ngcm‐2. Growth of the marine bacterium SW8 was inhibited more strongly than by the common antibiotic gentamicin. Overall, activity of the D. pulchra metabolites was comparable to that of the heavy metals and biocides currently used in antifouling paints. However, no single compound was most active in all tests and some meta...
TL;DR: In low-seroprevalence areas, it appears possible to severely limit transmission of HIV among populations of IDUs, despite continuing risk behavior among a substantial proportion of the population.
Abstract: Objectives. —To describe prevention activities and risk behavior in cities where human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was introduced into the local population of injecting drug users (IDUs), but where seroprevalence has nevertheless remained low ( Design and Setting. —A literature search identified five such cities: Glasgow, Scotland; Lund, Sweden; Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; Tacoma, Wash; and Toronto, Ontario. Case histories were prepared for each city, including data on prevention activities and current levels of risk behavior among IDUs. Participants. —Injecting drug users recruited from both drug treatment and non-treatment settings in each city. Interventions. —A variety of HIV prevention activities for IDUs had been implemented in each of the five cities. Results. —There were three common prevention components present in all five cities: (1) implementation of prevention activities when HIV seroprevalence was still low, (2) provision of sterile injection equipment, and (3) community outreach to IDUs. Moderate levels of risk behavior continued with one third or more of the IDUs reporting recent unsafe injections. Conclusions. —In low-seroprevalence areas, it appears possible to severely limit transmission of HIV among populations of IDUs, despite continuing risk behavior among a substantial proportion of the population. Pending further studies, the common prevention components (beginning early, community outreach, and access to sterile injection equipment) should be implemented wherever populations of IDUs are at risk for rapid spread of HIV. (JAMA. 1995;274:1226-1231)
TL;DR: Predictors of post-traumatic intrusive symptomatology were studied in 56 motor vehicle accident (MVA) survivors 12 months after their MVA and an avoidant coping style and compensation accounted for 41% of variance of IES-Intrusion scores.
TL;DR: The principles of time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) are described with a view to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of this method of mass analysis in the context of current applications.
Abstract: The principles of time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TOFMS) are described with a view to understanding the strengths and weaknesses of this method of mass analysis in the context of current applications of mass spectrometry and the more familiar scanning instruments. Fundamental and instrumental factors affecting resolving power, sensitivity and speed are examined. Methods of gating ion populations and the special requirements in the detection and digitisation of the signals in the TOFMS experiment are discussed.
01 Nov 1995
TL;DR: A methodology for the modeling of large data sets is described which results in rule sets having minimal inter-rule interactions, and being simply maintained.
Abstract: A methodology forthe modeling of large data sets is described which results in rule sets having minimal inter-rule interactions, and being simply maintained. An algorithm for developing such rule sets automatically is described and its efficacy shown with standard test data sets. Comparative studies of manual and automatic modeling of a data set of some nine thousand five hundred cases are reported. A study is reported in which ten years of patient data have been modeled on a month by month basis to determine how well a diagnostic system developed by automated induction would have performed had it been in use throughout the project.