Work-oriented development of knowledge-based systems: a case for multiple perspectives

System development is strongly influenced by the perspectives used by system developers. Current development methods for knowledge-based systems are based on an information processing perspectives of experts and users which has been criticized by a number of researchers. The paper argues that work-oriented development of knowledge-based systems requires the parallel use of multiple perspectives (including the information processing perspective), and that the use of any single perspective is potentially dangerous. As an example of the importance of using multiple perspectives, thepaper presents the situated action perspective, and shows how it complements the information processing perspective.     

Amifostine (WR-2721) shortens the engraftment period of 4-hydroperoxycyclophosphamide-purged bone marrow in breast cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy with autologous bone marrow support

4-Hydroperoxycyclophosphamide (4-HC), a commonly used marrow-purging agent, is active against many tumors, but is also toxic to normal marrow progenitors. Amifostine (WR-2721) is a sulfhydryl compound with chemoprotectant activity. Preclinical studies using suspensions of bone marrow and breast cancer cells demonstrated that ex vivo treatment with amifostine followed by 4-HC resulted in protection of marrow progenitors, with no compromise in the antitumor effect of 4-HC. This fact stimulated the development of a clinical trial. Bone marrow was harvested from 15 poor-prognosis breast cancer patients and randomly assigned to ex vivo treatment with amifostine followed by 4-HC (amifostine + 4-HC), or treatment with 4-HC alone. High-dose chemotherapy was then administered followed by infusion of the purged autologous bone marrow support (ABMS). Leukocyte engraftment, defined as a white blood cell count > or = 1 x 10(9)/L, was achieved in an average of 26 days for patients whose marrow was purged with amifostine + 4-HC versus 36 days for patients whose marrow was purged with 4-HC alone (P = .032). The average number of platelet transfusions (12 v 29; P = .017) and days of antibiotic therapy (28 v 40; P = .012) were significantly less for patients whose marrow was exposed to amifostine + 4-HC, compared with 4-HC alone. Unpurged backup marrow fractions were infused into three patients whose marrow was purged with 4-HC alone, because of inadequate marrow recovery. None of the patients who received amifostine + 4-HC-purged marrow required a backup marrow fraction. Complete remissions were achieved in 83% of patients with measurable disease, with no difference between the two cohorts. Forty-three percent of patients remained alive and progression-free at a mean of 13 months posttransplant. There was no significant difference in the rate or pattern of relapse for patients whose marrow was purged with amifostine + 4-HC compared with those whose marrow was purged with 4-HC alone. Ex vivo treatment of marrow with amifostine significantly shortens the time to marrow recovery, thereby reducing the risk of myelosuppressive complications in breast cancer patients receiving high-dose chemotherapy and 4-HC-purged ABMS. Since supportive care requirements are also significantly decreased, amifostine may reduce the cost of such therapy.     

Effect of internal heating during hot compression on the stress-strain behavior of alloy 304L

The temperature change due to the conversion of mechanical deformation to internal heat and its effect on the as-measured stress-strain behavior of alloy 304L was investigated by means of initially isothermal (compression specimen, dies, and environment at same temperature at initiation of test), constant strain rate, uniaxial compression of laboratory-sized cylindrical specimens. Strain rate was varied in the range 0.01 to 1 s⁻¹, where the thermal state of the test specimen varied from nearly isothermal to nearly adiabatic, respectively. Specimens were deformed in the temperature range of 750 °C to 1150 °C to a strain of 1. The change in specimen temperature with applied strain was calculatedvia finite-element analysis (FEA) from the asmeasured stress-strain data. Selected predictions were confirmed with embedded thermocouples to verify the model employed. Temperature was found to increase monotonically with strain at a strain rate of 1 s^-1, consistent with what is theoretically expected for the adiabatic case. At the 0.1 and 0.01 s^-1 rates, the sample temperature initially increased, peaked, and then decreased as the sample thinned and the contact area between the sample and the cooler dies increased. As-measured stress was corrected for softening associated with deformational heating by interpolation between the various instantaneous stress-temperature behaviors. The resulting isothermal flow data are compared to those predicted by a conventional method that employs an empirical estimate of the heat retention efficiency of the test specimen, assumed dependent on strain rate but independent of strain, to reduce the increase in temperature calculated for the adiabatic case. Differences between the calculated isothermal stress-strain data from the two methods are discussed. Values for the apparent activation energy of deformation and the strain to the peak in the flow curve, which is associated with the onset of dynamic recrystallization, determined from isothermal stress-strain data differed significantly from those obtained from the as-measured compression test data. Formerly Senior Systems Engineer with EG&G Rocky Flats, Inc., is retired.     

The American Indian Holocaust: healing historical unresolved grief

American Indians experienced massive losses of lives, land, and culture from European contact and colonization resulting in a long legacy of chronic trauma and unresolved grief across generations. This phenomenon, labeled historical unresolved grief, contributes to the current social pathology of high rates of suicide, homicide, domestic violence, child abuse, alcoholism and other social problems among American Indians. The present paper describes the concept of historical unresolved grief and historical trauma among American Indians, outlining the historical as well as present social and political forces which exacerbate it. The abundant literature on Jewish Holocaust survivors and their children is used to delineate the intergenerational transmission of trauma, grief, and the survivor's child complex. Interventions based on traditional American Indian ceremonies and modern western treatment modalities for grieving and healing of those losses are described.     

Calibration and testing facility for resistance welding currentmonitors

The lack of uniform and traceable measurement of pulsed high currents (1-200 kA) utilized in the resistance welding process has long been a problem in the welding community. A testing facility utilizing equipment and knowledge gained in the Department of Energy programs is being made available to the American welding industry to solve these problems. Problems in making these measurements traceable to national standards and proposed solutions are presented. Test equipment and methods are described that will be used to evaluate current-sensing coils and weld-current monitors. Comparison of positional errors for various current-sensing coils is presented, including a recently developed, machinable Rogowski coil     

Structure and formation energy of steps on the GaAs(001)-2 × 4 surface

The energies of various steps on the As-terminated GaAs(001)-2 × 4 surface are evaluated using a novel, approximate method of “linear combination of structural motifs”. It is based on the observation that previous total energy minimizations of semiconductor surfaces produced invariably equilibrium structures made of the same recurring local structural motifs, e.g. tetrahedral fourfold Ga, pyramidal threefold As, etc. Furthermore, such surface structures were found to obey consistently the octet rules as applied to the local motifs. We thus express the total energy of a given semiconductor surface as a sum of (i) the energies _M of the local structural motifs appearing in the surface under consideration and (ii) an electrostatic term representing the Madelung energy of point charges resulting from application of the octet rule. The motif energies are derived from a set of pseudopotential total energy calculations for flat GaAs(001) surfaces and for point defects in bulk GaAs. This set of parameters suffices to reproduce the energies of other (001) surfaces, calculated using the same pseudopotential total energy approach. Application to GaAs(001)-2 × 4 surfaces with steps reveals the following. (i) “Primitive steps”, defined solely according to their geometries (i.e. step heights, widths and orientations) are often unstable. (ii) Additional, non-geometric factors beyond step geometries such as addition of surface adatoms, creation of vacancies and atomic rebonding at step edges are important to lower step energies. So is step-step interaction. (iii) The formation of steps is generally endothermic. (iv) The formation of steps with edges parallel to the direction of surface As dimers (A steps) is energetically favored over the formation of steps whose edges are perpendicular to the As dimers (B steps).     

Cohesive stresses and size effect in quasi-brittle materials

A novel approach to the derivation of Bažant’s size effect law is presented. Contrarily to the original Lagrangian derivation which hinged on energetic consideration, a Newtonian approach based on local stress intensity factors is presented. Through this approach, it is shown that Bažant’s size effect law is the first (and dominant) term in a series expansion for the nominal stress. Furthermore, analytical expressions forB are derived for selected specimen geometries.     

The effect of multipath on the detection of symbol-rate spectrallines by delay and multiply receivers

The effect of a secondary path signal on the detectability of the symbol rate spectral line of a binary phase-shift keyed (BPSK) signal by a delay and multiply receiver is investigated. The measure of detectability used is the rate line signal-to-noise ratio. The parameters that define the secondary path signal are initially modeled as deterministic quantities; the phase of the secondary path signal is then taken to be a random variable independent and uniform on (0, 2π). It is found that, with deterministic path parameters, the presence of a secondary path can seriously affect the detectability of BPSK rate lines. When the phase is taken to be uniform on (0, 2π) over the receiver observation time, then the delay and multiply receiver performs as if no multipath is present. In this case, a noncoherent power addition of the primary and secondary path signals occurs     

Correlations between calving ease and calf survival

Multitrait restricted maximum likelihood methods were used for estimation of heritabilities and genetic and phenotypic correlations between calving ease and calf survival. These analyses examined both direct and maternal effects. Genetic correlation for direct effects between calving ease and calf survival was approximately -.8 in both heifers and cows, indicating favorable associations, whereas phenotypic correlations were -.32 and -.22.     

Wind flow patterns about buildings

A knowledge of building wake characteristics is useful in a variety of applications including dispersion of pollutants downwind of conventional or nuclear power plants, airport runway interference effect, take-off/landing limitations at heliports, pedestrian wind comfort, and wind loads on structures. Recent investigations have advanced both understanding of physical flow processes occurring in the near and far wake regions and theoretical predictive capability for flow and diffusion in the far wake region. These studies have shown, for example, that separation cavities immediately downwind are not enclosed by free streamlines as in two-dimensional separation/reattachment, that organized vortices can play an important role in wake development, and that theoretical solutions for some wake regions are possible.