Partial Disagreement Research Articles

Reliability of panel-based guidelines for colonoscopy: an international comparison

Background: This study examined the reliability of explicit guidelines developed using the RAND-UCLA appropriateness method. Methods: The appropriateness of over 400 indications for colonoscopy was rated by two multispecialty expert panels (United States and Switzerland). A nine-point scale was used, which was consolidated into three categories of appropriateness: appropriate, uncertain, inappropriate. The distribution of appropriateness ratings between the two panels and the intrapanel and interpanel agreement for categories of appropriateness were calculated for all possible indications. Similar statistics were calculated for a series of 577 primary care patients referred for colonoscopy in Switzerland. Results: Over 80% of all indications (348) could be directly compared. The proportions of indications classified as appropriate, uncertain, or inappropriate were 28.4%, 24.7%, 46.6% and 33.0%, 23.0%, 44.0% for the U.S. and the Swiss panels, respectively. Interpanel agreement was excellent for all the possible indications (kappa value: 0.75) and lower for actual cases (kappa value: 0.51) because of lower agreement for the most frequently encountered indications. Conclusions: Good agreement between the two sets of criteria was found, pointing to the reliability of the method. Partial disagreement occurred essentially for a few, albeit frequently encountered, indications for use of colonoscopy in cases of uncomplicated lower abdominal pain or constipation. (Gastrointest Endosc 1998;47:162-6.)

Experiment vs Force Fields: DNA Conformation from Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Molecular dynamics simulations of the DNA duplex d(CCCCCTTTTT)2 in ionic solution with AMBER and CHARMM force fields are compared. CHARMM parameters result in an A-DNA conformation with a heterogeneous backbone structure, but in the AMBER force field the DNA is found in a B-like helix with a homogeneous B-DNA backbone during the first 3.5 ns before moving close to the CHARMM structure in the A family at around 4 ns. Both structures are in partial disagreement with experiment, which reports the C/G part in A and the A/T part in B form.

Reproduction of the rare monocarpic species Saxifraga mutata L.

The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of reproduction and genetic variation on the persistence of populations of the prealpine, monocarpicSaxifraga mutataL. The species grows on erosion slopes or rocks, and its local populations are often small and isolated. Crossing experiments resulted in better seed-set than selfing, but both yielded viable seeds. Agamospermy did not occur. In an early-successional species likeS. mutata, successful selfing is important in the colonization of new habitats. Flowers ofS. mutatawere visited by Syrphidae and unspecialized Hymenoptera. A germination rate of 40% was reached in cultivation after 20 weeks but germination continued until the end of the experiment after 92 weeks. Seeds stored dry for 30 months at room temperature mostly lost their germinability. In natural habitats, seedlings were found almost throughout the year with a peak in spring. Suitable safe sites were small patches of open soil, bare marl on erosion slopes, and rock crevices. All individuals investigated were diploid with2n = 26. Allozyme electrophoresis showed a lack of segregation within the populations. Intra- and interpopulation genetic variation was low. These results were in partial disagreement with theoretical expectations in a mixed mating species. It is concluded that demographic rather than genetic processes are the main cause of extinction of populations ofS. mutata, at least in the short-term.

Clinical evaluation of VEPs to interleaved checkerboard reversal stimulation of central, hemi- and peripheral fields

The VEPs of 195 patients referred for supportive evidence of multiple sclerosis or optic neuritis were studied by a new method of interleaved checkerboard reversal stimulation of different areas of the visual field. In the first group of 95 patients checks of 40′ subtense reversed in the whole field (28° × 20°), alternately in the left and right hemifields and alternately in the central (5° radius) and peripheral fields. In the second group of 100 patients checks reversed in the whole field and in interleaved mode in 3 visual field areas, comprising the central (4° radius) and left and right hemisurround fields. In the first group abnormal responses were recorded from 52 eyes and there was partial disagreement among the stimulus conditions in 10 of the 52. Abnormalities were seen uniquely to central field stimulation in 3 eyes but never to whole field stimulation alone. In the second group abnormal responses were recorded in 58 eyes, again never uniquely to whole field stimulation, while abnormalities confined to one or two areas of the visual field were seen in 24, providing evidence of peripheral field involvement alone in 8 eyes. In the first group, waveforms created from the sum of the left and right hemifield and central and peripheral field responses showed quite close conformity to the whole field VEP, although amplitudes were significantly lower and latencies significantly shorter. In 7 eyes responses would have been differently classified (normal or abnormal) using the sum as compared with the whole fields. The sum of the 3 interleaved stimuli was less reliable, its morphology often not closely approximating whole field responses. It is suggested that interleaved stimulation of two or more areas of the visual field is a sensitive and reliable method which reduces the time necessary to perform the test and helps control the patients' concentration, fixation and alertness. Whole field stimulation is probably necessary only in patients with severely degraded responses.

BDNF Protein Measured by a Novel Enzyme Immunoassay in Normal Brain and after Seizure: Partial Disagreement with mRNA Levels

Messenger RNA for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is distributed in many brain regions and regulated by excitatory neuronal activity. Despite numerous studies of BDNF mRNA, the distribution and regulation of BDNF protein are poorly understood because of the difficulty of its quantitative measurement. We have established a two-site enzyme immunoassay that detects trace amounts of BDNF protein (> 1 pg/assay) but not other neurotrophins or growth factors. The highest levels of BDNF in adult rat brain were found in the hippocampus, followed by the hypothalamus, neocortex, cerebellum, thalamus and striatum. This pattern is similar, but not identical, to the distribution of BDNF mRNA. A similar disparity between BDNF protein and mRNA levels was observed in their changes after hilus lesion-induced limbic seizures. In limbic structures, BDNF concentrations remained elevated 4 days after seizure onset, whereas BDNF mRNA has been reported previously to return to basal levels within 46 h. The temporal and spatial differences between the dynamics of protein and mRNA levels suggest the importance of post-translational and/or subcellular processes for BDNF production. The persistence of the increases in BDNF content was also reflected in its biological activity, e.g. peptidergic differentiation activity. After limbic seizures, neuropeptide Y content was most markedly and persistently elevated in the entorhinal/amygdaloid region, where the most sustained up-regulation of BDNF protein was observed. These results suggest that the sustained increase of BDNF protein in these limbic structures is involved in prolonged post-seizure phenomena, including peptidergic alterations.

Mutation of Lys-120 and Lys-134 drastically reduces the catalytic rate of Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase

Lys-120 and Lys-134, located at the edge of the active site channel in most Cu,Zn superoxide dismutases, have been suggested to play a major role in steering the anionic substrate towards the catalytic copper ion. In this study, mutants of Xenopus laevis Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase have been engineered, with Lys-120 and Lys-134 changed into leucine and threonine, respectively, and their catalytic properties have been investigated by pulse radiolysis. Results obtained demonstrate that both residues decrease the catalytic rate by about 40%, in partial disagreement with previous brownian dynamics calculations, carried out on bovine Cu,Zn superoxide dismutase.

Selection of the ground state in type-I fcc antiferromagnets in an external magnetic field.

Selection of the ground-state spin structure through quantum fluctuations is investigated in type-I fcc antiferromagnets. Second-order real-space perturbation theory is used to account for the quantum effects in the most strongly coupled spin-spin pairs. We find that the ground state for isotropic Heisenberg spin-spin interactions is a single-k state in fields below B=0.407${\mathit{B}}_{\mathit{c}}$, where a discontinuous transition takes place to a triple-k structure, stable up to the transition at B=${\mathit{B}}_{\mathit{c}}$ to the fully polarized state. The triple-k structure assumes a particularly simple, up-up-up-down configuration at B=0.5${\mathit{B}}_{\mathit{c}}$. We also study type-I fcc antiferromagnets with easy-plane anisotropy. The results are relevant for understanding the nuclear magnetic ordering in copper and silver at nanokelvin temperatures. Our work and the earlier spin-wave analysis are in accord with the observed type-I order in copper when the external magnetic field is aligned along the [001] and [110] crystalline directions, but in partial disagreement with the previous perturbation analyses. We investigate also an up-up-down spin configuration, which is consistent with the antiferromagnetic (2/3 2) / 3 0) Bragg reflection observed in copper. It has been proposed that the (2/3 2) / 3 0) order is stabilized by quantum fluctuations as theoretically calculated spin-spin interactions favor type-I modulation in the mean-field theory. We find, however, that quantum fluctuations favor type-I order rather than the (2/3 2) / 3 0) modulation. This result urges refined calculations of indirect nuclear-spin interactions in copper.

Water vapour, CO 2 and insolation over the last glacial-interglacial cycles

A two-dimensional model which links the atmosphere, the mixed layer of the ocean, the sea ice, the continents, the ice sheets and their underlying bedrock has been used to test the Milankovitch theory over the last two glacial-interglacial cycles. A series of sensitivity analyses have allowed us to understand better the internal mechanisms which drive the simulated climate system and in particular the feedbacks related to surface albedo and water vapour. It was found that orbital variations alone can induce, in such a system, feedbacks sufficient to generate the low frequency p art of the climatic variations over the last 122 ka. These simulated variations at the astronomical timescale are broadly in agreement with reconstructions of ice-sheet volume and of sea level independently obtained from geological data. Imperfections in the stimulated climate were the insufficient southward extent of the ice sheets and the too small hemispheric cooling at the last glacial maximum . These deficiencies were partly remedied in a further experiment by using the time-dependent atmospheric CO2 concentration given by the Vostok ice core in addition to the astronomical forcing. In this transient simulation, 70% of the Northern Hemisphere ice volume is related to the astronomical forcing and the related changes in the albedo, the rem aining 30% being due to the CO 2 changes. Analysis of the processes involved shows that variations of ablation are more important for the ice-sheet response than are variations of snow precipitation. A key mechanism in the deglaciation after the last glacial maxim um appears to be the ‘ageing’ of snow which significantly decreases its albedo. The other factors which play an important role are ice-sheet altitude, insolation, taiga cover, ice-albedo feedback, ice-sheet configuration (‘continentality’ and ‘desert’ effect), isostatic rebound, CO 2 changes and tem perature-water vapour feedback. Numerical experiments have also been carried out with a one-dimensional radiative-convective model in order to quantify the influence of the CO 2 changes and of the water vapour feedback on the climate evolution of the Northern Hemisphere over the last 122 ka. Results of these experiments indicate that 67% of the simulated cooling at the last glacial maximum can be attributed to the astronomical forcing and the subsequent surface albedo increase, the remaining 33% being associated with the reduced CO 2 concentration. Moreover, the water vapour feedback explains 40% of the simulated cooling in all the experiments done. The transient response of the clim ate system to both the astronomical and CO 2 forcing was also simulated by the LLN (Louvain-la-Neuve) 2.5-dimensional model over the two last glacial-interglacial cycles. It is particularly significant that spectral analysis of the simulated Northern Hemisphere global ice volume variations reproduces correctly the relative intensity of the peaks at the orbital frequencies. Except for variations with timescales shorter than 5 ka, the simulated long-term variations of total ice volume are comparable to that reconstructed from deep sea cores. For example, the model simulates glacial maxima of similar amplitudes at 134 ka BP and 15 ka BP, followed by abrupt deglaciations. The complete deglaciation of the three main Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, which is simulated around 122 ka BP, is in partial disagreement with reconstructions indicating that the Greenland ice sheet survived during the Eemian interglacial. The continental ice volume variations during the last 122 ka of the 200 ka simulation are, however, not significantly affected by this shortcoming.

Artificial band discontinuities at GaAs homojunctions.

Valence- and conduction-band offsets can be induced at GaAs(100) polar homojunctions by means of ultrathin Si intralayers. The microscopic interface dipole responsible for the creation of such offsets can be varied by changing the Si intralayer thickness; the consequently variable band discontinuities represent a tunable parameter with potential applications in band-gap engineering. Even though the existence and the direction of these discontinuities are in agreement with theoretical predictions, the existing models overestimate the amount of the offset and cannot explain its dependence on the intralayer thickness. The presence of Si outdiffusion can be a possible explanation for this partial disagreement.

Determination of DNA-binding parameters for the Bacillus subtilis histone-like HBsu protein through introduction of fluorophores by site-directed mutagenesis of a synthetic gene.

A synthetic gene encoding the histone-like DNA-binding protein HBsu from Bacillus subtilis has been expressed in Escherichia coli. Yields of the purified protein are at least 20 mg/l culture medium. The recombinant HBsu protein is chromatographically, immunologically and functionally identical with the authentic wild-type protein. N-terminal sequencing of the purified protein confirms the fidelity of expression of the synthetic gene in E. coli. Site-directed mutagenesis of the synthetic gene was employed to replace several amino acid residues of HBsu protein with tryptophan to facilitate the determination of DNA-binding parameters by fluorescence spectroscopy. According to gel-retardation experiments, the mutant protein [Phe47----Trp]HBsu shows identical DNA binding to wild-type HBsu protein. Analysis of fluorescence binding data reveals that [Phe47----Trp]HBsu binds double-stranded DNA with a dissociation constant in the micromolar range. Computer-assisted fit of binding models to the experimental data renders positive cooperativity of binding unlikely. A dimer of [Phe47----Trp]HBsu appears to contact three or four base pairs of DNA. These results are in partial disagreement with earlier measurements on closely homologous proteins which tended to show cooperative binding and a longer DNA contact region.

NGC 2217, a case of apparent counterrotation

We present spectroscopic and photometric observations of the almost face-on SB0 NGC 2217, a galaxy showing the recently discovered phenomenon of counter rotation. In the inner regions of the galaxy, the emission lines indicate line-of-sight velocities opposite in direction from those of the stars. The gas in these regions circulates around the bar major axis, in a disklike structure with faint spiral arms, as visible from Hα images. By contrast, in the outer regions gas and stars show similar velocities, with orbits that are probably coplanar. On the basis of a simple model of a warped and twisted gas disk, we deduce that the counterrotation observed in the inner parts is probably caused by a projection effect. Surface photometry in the V band indicates a complex luminosity distribution, with the superposition of different components. A synthetic image of the bar has been obtained by subtracting from the original frame a model for the spheroidal component. We estimate the integrated bar luminosity to be between 5% and 10% of the total galaxy luminosity. From the particular configuration and kinematics of our gas model we try to estimate a range of values for the tumbling velocity of the bar. A comparison with models of bars from the literature shows a partial disagreement with our estimated value. This discrepancy could indicate, as for the other galaxies presenting counterrotation, that the gas configuration is not in equilibrium, but results from a recent acquisition from outside.

Sequence Comparison of Five Polymerases (L proteins) of Unsegmented Negative-strand RNA Viruses: Theoretical Assignment of Functional Domains

The large (L) protein subunit of unsegmented negative-strand RNA virus polymerases is thought to be responsible for the majority of enzymic activities involved in viral transcription and replication. In order to gain insight into this multifunctional role we compared the deduced amino acid sequences of five L proteins of rhabdoviruses (vesicular stomatitis virus and rabies virus) or paramyxoviruses (Sendai virus, Newcastle disease virus and measles virus). Statistical analysis showed that they share an atypical amino acid usage, outlining the uniqueness of the negative-strand virus life style. Similarity studies between L proteins traced evolutionary relationships in partial disagreement with the present taxonomic arrangement of this group of viruses. The five L proteins exhibit a high degree of homology along most of their length, with strongly invariant amino acids embedded in conserved blocks separated by variable regions, suggesting a structure of concatenated functional domains. The most highly conserved central block contains the probable active site for RNA synthesis. We tentatively identified some other functional sites, distributed around this central core, that would naturally work together to assure the polymerase activity. This provides detailed guidelines for the future study of L proteins by site-directed mutagenesis.

A general program for the calculation of the kappa coefficient

The kappa coefficient (x) was developed by Cohen (1960) for the purpose of assessing chance-eorrected interrater agreement on nominal data. In its simplest form, )( is defined as follows: )( = (Po-Pc)/(1-pc), where Po is the observed proportion of agreement and P« is the chance or expected proportion of agreement. Over the past three decades, )( has been extended to allow assessment among K > 2 raters (e.g., Conger, 1980; Uebersax, 1982), to allow missing observations (e.g., Conger, 1980; Fleiss, 1971; Uebersax, 1982), to allow nonmutually exclusive response categories (i.e., subjects can be classified into more than one category; e.g., Fleiss, Spitzer, Endicott, & Cohen, 1972; Kraemer, 1980), and to allow for partial disagreement (Cohen, 1968). The sampling distribution of )( has also been identified, allowing variance estimates to be calculated and significance tests to be conducted (Fleiss, Cohen, & Everitt, 1969). Not surprisingly, several computer programs have been offered as efficient means of providing one or more of these )( features (e.g., Bloor, 1983; Burns & Cavallaro, 1982; Chan, 1987; Powers, 1985; Watkins & Larimer, 1980). The present program provides a more comprehensive package by including features found in these earlier programs, while including additional features as well. The program provides for the calculation of )( and weighted )( for any number of raters (subject to the memory constraints of the machine being used). When the number of raters is greater than 2, all pairwise x are also provided. Missing data in the matrix of observations are handled in the calculation of multiple-rater )( by using Uebersax's (1982) generalized approach. This approach is based on the calculation of weighted averages of pairwise estimates for observed agreement (Po) and chance agreement (Pc), each weighted by the number of subjects each pair of judges has in common. For weighted x, the user. suppli~s a weight matrix that indicates the degree of partial credit to be given for different types of disagreement. The careful construction of the weight matrix also allows the calculation of )( when subjects can be classified into more than one category. This arises, for example, in the case of medical or psychiatric diagnosis where more than one condition may be present in the same subject. Relative ordering of these multiple diagnoses is also allowed. Thus, when the order of primary and secondary diagnoses is critical (A-B * B-A), different orders must be considered separate categories with a weight assigned to reflect their partial disagreement.

Experimental study of the mechanics of fracture in WC-Co alloys

Tungsten-carbide cobalt alloys in the range of technically relevant compositions an microstructures were fractured under controlled conditions. Stable and unstable crack propagation are shown to be equivalent with respect to crack geometry and energy release rates. Based on microscopic observations and on measurements using SEM micrographs, the nature of the process zone, the maximum extension of plastic deformation, the types of crack paths, and the area fractions of these crack paths are determined. The results, which are in partial disagreement with earlier work, provide the basis for the qualitative understanding and the quantitative description of fracture processes in composites combining a ductile phase embedded in a brittle matrix.

Edge-cracking and profile of hot-rolled aluminium slabs

An account is given of an investigation into the effects of rolling geometry and metallurgical factors on edge-cracking of hot-rolled Al-Mg alloys: in susceptible grades of the latter, edge cracking may result in substantial scrap losses. Edge profile is secondary to metallurgical structure in causing cracking. Three types of crack, designated “segregation”, “major edge” and “massive” edge-cracks, were recognised. Initiation of cracks was usually associated with grain-boundary precipitate particles. Major- and massive-cracking were identified with sodium and hydrogen in association with lack of homogenisation of the ingot. A strongly fish-tailed edge profile may promote edge-cracking through the occurrence of tensile edge stresses. Although lack of thermal similarity restricted the agreement to a qualitative one, the profiles of slabs rolled in multi-pass schedules under geometrically similar laboratory and industrial conditions were adequately described by a fourth-order polynomial as proposed by other workers. The controlling influence of the parameter √ Rδ/ h 1 on the form of the profile was verified. In partial disagreement with other workers, it was concluded that concavity of the profile decreased with rolling temperature and slightly with reduction per pass, while lay-on temperature in the range 450°C to 550°C had no effect. From a study of the temperature dependence of the properties of a typical alloy, it is believed that the reported material independence of profile can be explained by temperature independence of deformation in the range of typical rolling temperatures rather than by independence of flow strength.

Large‐scale sea surface temperature variability from satellite and shipboard measurements

A series of satellite sea surface temperature (SST) intercomparison workshops were conducted under NASA sponsorship at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Three different satellite data sets were compared with each other, with routinely collected ship data, and with climatology for the months of November 1979, December 1981, March 1982, and July 1982. The three satellite data sets were (1) AVHRR—SST estimates produced operationally by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from the advanced very high resolution radiometer aboard the NOAA polar‐orbiting weather satellites; (2) HIRS/MSU—SST estimates produced by a research group at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from the 20‐channel high resolution infrared sounder and the 4‐channel microwave sounding unit, also aboard the same NOAA satellites; and (3) SMMR—SST estimates produced by another group at Goddard from the scanning multifrequency microwave radiometer on the NASA research satellite Nimbus 7. The satellite and ship data were differenced against an accepted climatology to produce anomalies, which in turn were spatially and temporally averaged into 2° latitude‐longitude, 1‐month bins. Monthly statistics on the satellite and ship bin average SST yielded rms differences ranging from 0.58° to 1.37°C and mean differences ranging from −0.48° to 0.72°C, varying substantially from month to month and sensor to sensor. The SMMR generally had the largest rms differences and time‐dependent biases, while the AVHRR and HIRS/MSU had smaller more comparable values. The monthly bins were further smoothed spatially to correspond to 600‐km averages to further suppress the noise of individual observations, particularly for the ship data. When this was done the monthly ship data standard deviations about climatology varied between 0.35° and 0.63°C. Taking these values as true SST signal standard deviation levels, and the satellite‐ship rms differences as noise levels, results in signal‐to‐noise variance ratios of about 0.25 for SMMR and 1.0 for AVHRR and HIRS/MSU. Maps of SST anomaly reveal a complex pattern of partial agreement and disagreement between ship and satellite data. Maps of satellite minus ship and satellite minus satellite SST differences were often dominated by coherent large‐scale patterns of obvious geophysical origin related to distributions of surface wind speed, atmospheric water vapor, cloudiness, and stratospheric aerosols. Unfortunately, the spatial scales of these patterns are often quite similar to those associated with actual SST anomalies. Caution must therefore be exercised when dealing with the satellite data so that errors are not misinterpreted as true SST anomalies.

Domus - a program for the analysis of two-dimensional spectra

A renewed interest in experimental research on Accelerator-Driven Systems (ADS) has been initiated by the global attempt to produce energy from thorium as a safe(r), clean(er) and (more) proliferation-resistant alternative to the uranium-fuelled thermal nuclear reactors. The ADS research has been actively pursued at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), Dubna, since decades. Most recently, the emission of fast neutrons was experimentally investigated at the massive (m = 512 kg) natural uranium spallation target QUINTA. The target has been irradiated with the relativistic deuteron beams of energy from 0.5 AGeV up to 4 AGeV at the JINR Nuclotron accelerator in numerous experiments since 2011. Neutron production inside the target was studied through the gamma-ray spectrometry measurement of natural uranium activation detectors. Experimental reaction rates for (n,γ), (n,f) and (n,2n) reactions in uranium have provided valuable information about the neutron distribution over a wide range of energies up to some GeV. The experimental data were compared to the predictions of Monte Carlo simulations using the MCNPX 2.7.0 code. The results are presented and potential sources of partial disagreement are discussed later in this work.

Crossed-beam determination of energy dependence of fine-structure transitions in K(4P)-He collisions

The energy dependence of the cross section for the process K(4P12/)+He to K(4P32/)+He has been measured in a crossed-beam experiment over the energy range 0.07-0.4 eV. Partial disagreement with previous results of Anderson et al., (1976), is observed. The variation of the cross section with energy is similar to that predicted by recent theoretical work. In particular the cross section has a nearly constant value for energies above 0.18 eV.

The Rule of Law and Legal Efficacy: Private Values Versus General Standards

LTHOUGH citizens do not always comply with laws they approve, a primary factor which affects the ability of a law to produce deliberate social change Xis the degree of public support for it.1 A growing literature examines and speculates on a wide range of variables which shape individual attitudes toward certain laws, and thus influence the degree of compliance,2 e.g., perceptions of the legitimacy of the law, compatibility of the law with cultural or regional norms, and attitudes toward the source of the law. The same literature examines a number of variables which might influence an individual to obey a law despite his partial or serious disagreement with it (e.g., sanctions or partiotism). While prior research rightly focuses on the role of individual attitudes as determinants of compliance, in this paper we examine a largely ignored but potentially important factor in the compliance equation -public commitment to rule of law. In Western societies particularly, there is a tendency to assume public acceptance of socially prescribed rules which members of society not only obey, but accept as general standards that should be applied equitably to all members of society. A general standard stipulates how a law is to be applied prior to and independent of the consequences of a specific application. A general standard implies that unless there are relevant differences between individuals (e.g., adults vs. minors), a law is to be applied uniformly. Non-relevant differences, such as race, however, would not be a justifiable basis for variable applications of a law.3

Nuclidic mass relationships and mass equations

Generalized nuclidic mass relationships represent a link between mass equations and mass relationships. They are partial difference equations which can be used recursively. The quality of mass predictions, particularly for very neutron-rich or proton-rich nuclei, depends essentially on our knowledge of the effective neutron-proton interaction ${I}_{\mathrm{np}}$. The transverse and longitudinal mass relationships of Garvey and Kelson which are special cases contain small systematic errors due to the assumed independence of ${I}_{\mathrm{np}}$ on the neutron excess or the nucleon number. Information about the dependence of ${I}_{\mathrm{np}}$ on $T$ and $A$ has been extracted from the experimental masses by a variety of ${\ensuremath{\chi}}^{2}$ tests and was found in partial disagreement with macroscopic and microscopic theories. Several procedure have been devised to test theoretical expressions for ${I}_{\mathrm{np}}$ for their compatibility and consistency with the experimental masses.[NUCLEAR STRUCTURE Derived generalized nuclidic mass relationships with solutions; consistency tests.]