Trending Articles
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Proc Hum Factors Ergon Soc Annu Meet · Nov 2009
A Method for the Formal Verification of Human-interactive Systems.
Predicting failures in complex, human-interactive systems is difficult as they may occur under rare operational conditions and may be influenced by many factors including the system mission, the human operator's behavior, device automation, human-device interfaces, and the operational environment. This paper presents a method that integrates task analytic models of human behavior with formal models and model checking in order to formally verify properties of human-interactive systems. This method is illustrated with a case study: the programming of a patient controlled analgesia pump. Two specifications, one of which produces a counterexample, illustrate the analysis and visualization capabilities of the method.
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Human rights quarterly · May 2006
Reproductive choice: screening policy and access to the means of reproduction.
The practice of screening potential users of reproductive services is of profound social and political significance. Access screening lacks a defensible rationale, is inconsistent with the principles of equality and self-determination, and violates individual and group human rights. ⋯ Because reproductive choice is controversial, regulation by law my be required in most jurisdictions to provide effective protection for reproductive rights. In Canada, for example, equal access can, and should be, guaranteed by federal regulations imposing strict conditions on the licenses of fertility clinics.
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Expert Rev Anticancer Ther · Nov 2008
ReviewIntraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy: an evolving paradigm for the treatment of peritoneal surface malignancies.
Unfortunately, advanced colorectal cancer is often present at the time the disease is diagnosed. Many intra-abdominal malignancies spread throughout the peritoneal cavity, which is known as carcinomatosis. Peritoneal carcinomatosis is uniformly a terminal disease with a median survival of 6 months. ⋯ Although the first clinical series of peritoneal perfusion were small, Japanese trials, which utilized IPHC for prophylaxis in patients with gastric adenocarcinoma, Fujimoto was the first to report an improvement in survival for established gastric cracinomatosis. This early work provided the proof-of-principle for what has evolved into current management with aggressive cytoreduction and IPHC. The present review will outline the rationale, current practice and future directions of IPHC in the management of peritoneal surface malignancies.
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About 14% of US adults aged 40 to 79 years have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and it is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Persons with severe COPD are often unable to participate in normal physical activity due to deterioration of lung function. ⋯ The USPSTF recommends against screening for COPD in asymptomatic adults. (D recommendation).