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Appreciable Variations (appreciable + variation)
Selected AbstractsEffect of inflammatory attacks in the classical type hyper-IgD syndrome on immunoglobulin D, cholesterol and parameters of the acute phase responseJOURNAL OF INTERNAL MEDICINE, Issue 3 2004A. Simon Abstract. Background., Classical type hyper-immunoglobulin D (IgD) syndrome (HIDS) is an hereditary auto-inflammatory disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of fever, lymphadenopathy, abdominal distress and a high serum concentration of IgD. It is caused by mevalonate kinase deficiency. Objective., To further characterize the acute phase response during fever attacks in HIDS in order to improve diagnosis. Subjects., Twenty-two mevalonate kinase-deficient HIDS patients. Methods., Blood samples were drawn during and in between febrile attacks, and concentrations ofC-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, procalcitonin, pentraxin 3, IgD and cholesterol in several lipoprotein fractions were determined. Results., The marked acute phase response at the time of a fever attack in classical type HIDS is reflected by a rise in CRP accompanied by a moderate but statistically significant rise in procalcitonin and pentraxin 3. In only two of 22 patients, procalcitonin concentration rose above 2 ng mL,1 during fever attack, compatible with the noninfectious nature of these attacks. Ferritin does not reach the high concentrations found in adult-onset Still's disease. Despite the defect in mevalonate kinase, a component of cholesterol metabolism, serum cholesterol did not change during attacks. IgD concentration is elevated regardless of disease activity, although there is appreciable variation during life. Its role in HIDS remains unclear. Conclusion., The combination of high CRP concentration plus procalcitonin concentration <2 ng mL,1 in a symptomatic HIDS patient might indicate a febrile attack without (bacterial) infection; this observation warrants further investigation for its usefulness as a marker in clinical practice. [source] Students' clinical experience on outreach placementsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DENTAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2010M. Smith Abstract Primary care outreach placements increasingly feature in UK undergraduate dental curricula. The profile of clinical work undertaken on placement may differ from traditional hospital-based programmes and between outreach settings. An appreciation of any differences could inform curriculum development. Objective:, To compare the profiles of clinical work experienced on a traditional hospital-based programme and outreach placements in different settings. Setting:, One dental hospital and eight existing primary care block placements in England. Subjects and methods:, Subjects were four cohorts of senior dental students in one UK dental school. Departmental records provided data on students' clinical experience in different settings and their achievement of placement learning objectives. Descriptive statistics for groups were compared. Main outcome measures:, (1) Counts of patients encountered and of clinical procedures completed in the following categories: simple plastic restorations, endodontics, cast restorations, dentures, extractions and children's dentistry. (2) Student perceptions of placement learning reported via Likert scales. Results:, Outreach students encountered twice as many patients and typically completed about three times as much clinical work as students in the hospital, e.g. 44 cf 16 simple plastic restorations, seven cf two endodontic procedures. There were variations in profiles by setting. For example, amalgam being more likely to be used on outreach especially in the General Dental Service; more children's dentistry in community services and more extractions in Dental Access Centres. Students reported learning outcomes generally being achieved (average 94%) although with some variation by setting. Conclusion:, Dental outreach training greatly increases the quantity of students' clinical experience in everyday dentistry compared to a hospital-based programme. Placements also increase awareness of service delivery and develop clinical skills. There are appreciable variations between outreach settings possibly reflecting their purposes. Multiple contrasting outreach placements for each student might increase the uniformity of learning experiences. [source] High-Temperature Instability of Li- and Ta-Modified (K,Na)NbO3 PiezoceramicsJOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CERAMIC SOCIETY, Issue 6 2008Yongli Wang This paper addresses the high-temperature instability of Li- and Ta-modified (K,Na)NbO3 piezoceramics. The grains with abnormal size evolve out of the fine matrix grains during high-temperature annealing. They are found to be precipitates with a tetragonal tungsten bronze structure, which result from the volatilization and segregation of the alkali metal elements. With the growth of the abnormal grains the composition of the perovskite matrix phase also changes remarkably, as has been suggested by EDX analysis (for Na) and electric measurements (for Li). These variations lead to a large increase in the tetragonal/orthorhombic phase transition temperature and appreciable variations in the dielectric, ferroelectric, and piezoelectric properties of the ceramic samples. Control of the volatilization of the alkali metal elements can efficiently depress the abnormal grain growth and the compositional segregation. [source] A new focus on the Walther equation for lubricant viscosity determinationLUBRICATION SCIENCE, Issue 2 2006M. Sánchez-Rubio Abstract Lubricants are widely used in industrial machinery in order to separate solid tribological surfaces and support high loads under severe conditions. In tribological contacts, viscosity plays an important role in the film-forming abilities of the lubricant, but this property is strongly dependent on temperature. Consequently, small variations in temperature cause appreciable variations in the viscosity of lubricating oils. For this reason it is of practical value to be able to predict viscosity changes with temperature. This paper presents a new focus on the Walther equation to determine the viscosity of commercial lubricants at different temperatures. This new approach provides very good correlation with experimental measurements. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] | ||||||||||