The OECD software tool for screening chemicals for persistence and long-range transport potential

We present the software implementation of The OECD P_OV & LRTP Screening Tool (The Tool) that is used to assess the environmental hazard of organic chemicals using metrics of overall persistence (P_OV) and long-range transport potential (LRTP). The Tool is designed to support decision making for chemical management and includes features that are recommended by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expert group on multimedia modeling. The Tool is useful for screening the environmental hazard potential of non-ionizing organic chemicals whose environmental partitioning can be described by absorptive capacities of environmental media estimated from partitioning between air, water and octanol in the laboratory. The software includes data storage functionality, and a user interface that is designed to facilitate simple data input and straightforward interpretation of the model results. The effect of uncertainties in input properties describing chemicals can be assessed with a Monte Carlo analysis. The software is evaluated and illustrated by comparing results from The Tool with those from other models and by evaluating four substances that are candidates for regulation or ban under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants.     

Five-year survival rates of melanoma patients treated by diet therapy after the manner of Gerson: a retrospective review

OBJECTIVE: Compare 5-year melanoma survival rates to rates in medical literature. DESIGN: Retrospective. SETTING: Hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. PATIENTS: White adult patients (N = 153) with superficial spreading and nodular melanoma, aged 25-72 years. INTERVENTION: Gerson's diet therapy: lactovegetarian; low sodium, fat and (temporarily) protein; high potassium, fluid, and nutrients (hourly raw vegetable/fruit juices). Metabolism increased by thyroid; calorie supply limited to 2600-3200 calories per day. Coffee enemas as needed for pain and appetite. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: 5-year survival rates by stage at admission. RESULTS: Of 14 patients with stages I and II (localized) melanoma, 100% survived for 5 years, compared with 79% of 15,798 reported by Balch. Of 17 with stage IIIA (regionally metastasized) melanoma, 82% were alive at 5 years, in contrast to 39% of 103 from Fachklinik Hornheide. Of 33 with combined stages IIIA + IIIB (regionally metastasized) melanoma, 70% lived 5 years, compared with 41% of 134 from Fachklinik Hornheide. We propose a new stage division: IVA (distant lymph, skin, and subcutaneous tissue metastases), and IVB (visceral metastases). Of 18 with stage IVA melanoma, 39% were alive at 5 years, compared with only 6% of 194 from the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. Survival impact was not assessed for stage IVB. Male and female survival rates were identical for stages I-IIIB, but stage IVA women had a strong survival advantage. CONCLUSIONS: The 5-year survival rates reported here are considerably higher than those reported elsewhere. Stage IIIA/B males had exceptionally high survival rates compared with those reported by other centers.     

The Semiconductor Research Corporation: Cooperative research

The SRC (Semiconductor Research Corporation) was formed in 1982 to conduct generic, cooperative university research in the field of integrated circuits. An overview is provided of the methodologies used by the SRC for the identification of pacing integrated-circuit technologies, for research program planning and management, and for the transfer of research results to members. Several case studies are developed that illustrate the SRC approach to the conduct of research and that give a perspective on the broad spectrum of research results being produced. The SRC has found that the process of defining generic research goals, followed by the development and implementation of research plans to achieve the stated goals, provides effective focus and metrics for measuring research progress. It is the SRC's experience that focused university research can provide substantial contributions to the advancement of semiconductor technology as well as an additional work force to enhance the industry, university, and government technical infrastructure of the United States     

A sampling technique and its CMOS implementation with 1 Gb/sbandwidth and 25 ps resolution

This paper presents a technique and circuitry for high-resolution sampling of a digital waveform. Very fine sampling resolution is achieved by simultaneously propagating both data and clock signals through delay elements in such a way that resolution is controlled by the difference in the delay of clock and data signals. Delay units were designed using biased CMOS and differential CMOS inverters. A sampler circuit with 64 stages has been fabricated in 1.2 μm CMOS technology, and test results show a bandwidth of up to 1 Gb/s for the input data and a sampling resolution externally adjustable between 25 and 250 ps. The fabricated circuit has shown sampling stability, monotonicity in sampling, and uniformity in sampling resolution     

A SURVEY OF MICROBIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CIDER MAKING

Among the lactic microflora of ciders it was found that the species Leuconostoc oenos was predominant at the end of the alcoholic fermentation as well as at the end of the malo-lactic conversion. Among yeasts, the genera Saccharomyces was predominant at the end of fermentation. However, in the case of one juice characterised by a low initial level of bacteria, a high amount of phenolic compounds and a small quantity of total nitrogen, the whole lactic flora was no longer detected after a fortnight.     

Regulator design with modal insensitivity

This pager considers the problem of Finding a state feedback control law which simultaneously assigns desired eigenvalues and achieves modal insensitivity. Modal insensitivity means that the response mode shapes are insensitive to small variations in plant parameters. For the case of distinct eigenvalues, mode shapes that can be made insensitive are completely characterized. A design procedure that does not require coordinate transformations is presented.     

Model following using partial state feedback

This short paper considers the problem of designing a compensating control scheme for an observable linear multivariable plant using partial state feedback so that the impulse response matrix of the resulting system exactly corresponds to the impulse response matrix of a prespecified linear model. A procedure is given for the synthesis of the compensator that does not require a separate realization for the plant observer. A sufficient condition is given for the internal stability of the model following system.