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Smaller Variation (smaller + variation)
Selected AbstractsOptimization of treatment parameters for Foscan®-PDT of basal cell carcinomasLASERS IN SURGERY AND MEDICINE, Issue 5 2008Christian S. Betz MD Abstract Background and Objective Basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) are the most common form of skin cancers with high and increasing incidence rates. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with mTHPC (Foscan®) has shown to be a promising treatment alternative with good cosmetic results. The current study was aimed to determine optimal treatment parameters for this indication. Study Design/Materials and Methods mTHPC-PDT was performed in 117 patients with a total of 460 BCCs with diagnosis confirmed by scratch cytology. Treatment parameters were altered as follows: Foscan® dose 0.03,0.15 mg/kg, drug-light interval (DLI) 1,96 hours, total energy density 20,120 J/cm2. Outcomes were assessed 8 weeks post-PDT following WHO guidelines. Results The overall rate of complete remissions (CR) was 96.7% and the cosmetic outcome was very good. In the largest subgroup (n,=,80) where low-dose Foscan® was applied (0.05 mg/kg mTHPC; 48 hours DLI; 50 J/cm2 total energy density), a CR rate of 100% with a high and narrow 95% Confidence Interval of 0.955,1.000 was achieved. Smaller variations of the treatment parameters (i.e., reducing the photosensitizer dose to 0.04 mg/kg or shortening the DLI to 24 hours) yielded similarly good results. Side effects were encountered in 52 out of 133 PDT sessions. They were more common in patients who had received high drug doses (0.06,0.15 mg/kg) and comprised mostly pain and phototoxic reactions. Three patients developed severe sunburns with subsequent scarring at the injection site following bright sunlight exposure 15,19 days after photosensitizer administration. Conclusions The presented data suggest that mTHPC-PDT with the treatment parameters mentioned above seems to be an effective treatment option for BCCs. If sensibly applied, it is well tolerated and provides mostly excellent cosmetic results. Long-term results are yet to be evaluated. Lesers Surg. Med. 40:300,311, 2008. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] A case study of serial-flow car disassembly: Ergonomics, productivity and potential system performanceHUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS IN MANUFACTURING & SERVICE INDUSTRIES, Issue 4 2007Karolina Kazmierczak A recent European Union (EU) directive increases demands on car recycling. Thus, present craft-type disassembly systems need reconfiguration in order to be more efficient. A line-based system tested in the Netherlands was investigated regarding system performance and ergonomics. The system had reduced performance compared to the design specifications due to such factors as system losses, operator inexperience, and teamwork deficiencies. Operators' peak low back loads were lower than in Swedish craft-type systems. Direct, value-adding work comprised 30% of the workday, compared to about 70% in the Swedish manufacturing industry. Alternative system configurations were simulated and discussed using a novel combination of flow and human simulations. For example, a smaller variation in cycle time implied higher output in number of cars per week and larger operator cumulative loading on the low back. In all models the cumulative load was high compared to the loads previously recorded in assembly work. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 17: 331,351, 2007. [source] Temporal Variations of Nutrients, Chlorophyll a and Particulate Matter in Three Coastal Lagoons of Amvrakikos Gulf (Ionian Sea, Greece)MARINE ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Konstantinos A. Kormas Abstract. The temporal variations of nutrients, chlorophyll a (chl a), suspended particulate matter (SPM) and particulate organic carbon (POC) were measured over 12 months in three shallow coastal brackish water lagoons of the Amvrakikos Gulf, Ionian Sea. Two of the lagoons, Tsoukalio and Rodia, are interconnected but separated from Logarou by a narrow strip of land. Logarou has a better water exchange with the sea as indicated by the higher salinity and dissolved oxygen concentrations and the smaller variation of the above-mentioned parameters. Nitrate concentrations were largely the same in the three lagoons and higher than in the Amvrakikos Gulf. Phosphate concentrations in Logarou exceeded by far those of Tsoukalio/Rodia; the increased phosphate levels recorded in January caused an extended phytoplankton bloom with chl a concentrations higher than in the other two lagoons. Chl a in Tsoukalio was positively correlated with nitrate whereas in the most shallow lagoon, Logarou, it showed a positive correlation with light winds (force 4 and lower), probably caused by resuspension from the sediment. Increased phytoplankton biomass in Logarou coupled with the better water exchange may be related to the higher fish production in this lagoon. [source] RFID tag antenna using two-shorted microstrip patches mountable on metallic objectsMICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS, Issue 2 2007Byunggil Yu Abstract A novel UHF band RFID tag antenna, which can be effectively mounted on metallic objects, is presented. Using the inductively coupled feeding technique, the proposed antenna consists of two symmetric shorted radiating elements and feeding loop. The feeding loop is excited so that the currents on the radiating elements are out of phase with the equal amplitude. The proposed tag antenna gives smaller variation of the antenna performance than that of conventional tag antennas when the tag is mounted on the various sizes of the metallic objects. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 49: 414,416, 2007; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.22159 [source] Human skeletal muscle size and architecture: Variability and interdependenceAMERICAN JOURNAL OF HUMAN BIOLOGY, Issue 6 2006Y. Kawakami Seven hundred and eleven women and men (aged 3,94 years, including normal individuals and highly trained bodybuilders) were tested for the thickness and pennation angles of their triceps brachii (TB), vastus lateralis (VL), and gastrocnemius medialis (GM) muscles. The variations of muscle thickness and pennation angles were largest in TB (6,66 mm and 5,55°), followed by VL (8,45 mm and 7,33°) and GM (11,36mm and 12,33°), and women showed smaller variations than men. These results suggest the existence of muscle- and gender-specificity in the variability of muscle dimensions. Significant positive correlations were observed between muscle thickness and pennation angles (r = 0.81, 0.61, and 0.56, for TB, VL, and GM, respectively), indicating that the size-dependence of the pennation angle is a general feature of pennate muscles. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 18:845,848, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Variations in sleep hygiene practices of women with and without insomnia,RESEARCH IN NURSING & HEALTH, Issue 4 2004Rita E. Cheek Abstract Sleep hygiene education is a basic component of behavioral treatment for chronic insomnia, yet the actual sleep hygiene practices of people with insomnia have not been well documented. In this descriptive secondary analysis, midlife women ages 41,55 years with either chronic insomnia (n,=,92) or good sleep (n,=,29) kept diaries of sleep perceptions and sleep hygiene practices during 6 nights of somnographic monitoring at home. In both groups few reported smoking cigarettes (<10%), most drank caffeine (>80%), and many averaged 30 min of exercise per day (,50%). Very few in either group (<10%) had regular (<30 min variation) bedtimes or getting-up times. Compared to women with good sleep, those with insomnia reported drinking less caffeine per day, being more abstinent from alcohol, and having smaller variations in day-to-day alcohol intake and bedtimes. Although some women with insomnia limit or refrain from caffeine and alcohol intake, many have not optimized behaviors believed to help prevent or modulate insomnia. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 27:225,236, 2004 [source] | ||||||||||||||||