Six Sigma Beyond Quality: A Concept of Management

Six Sigma was developed by Motorola in the mid-1980s. The essence of Six Sigma is to stop variations in quality at the earliest possible point by attacking variation during design of products and processes and to create a culture that demands perfection. The concept of Six Sigma is as a much-needed management program that has the highest impact on the bottom-line financials. The key focus of all Six Sigma programs is to optimize overall results at the business, operations, and process level within a company. The Six Sigma Breakthrough Strategy provides the tools to achieve the goal - 3.4 defects per million opportunities, through a highly focused system of problem solving. Six Sigma has a dis ciplined approach covering five phases: define, measure, analyze, improve, and control. The work of Six Sigma is led by the right people selected and trained in the Six Sigma methodology and establishes infrastructure - Master Black Belts, Black Belts, and Green Belts. The object of these training efforts is to have every employee make improvements in their work processes. What distinguishes Six Sigma from TQM is that each Six Sigma’s work team with solving a specific problem has a clear goal tied a financial incentive. When companies embark on Six Sigma quality programs, the object of technical viewpoint is to reduce the process variance and the objective of managerial or customer viewpoint being cost-effective is to adjust the process to the target value such as employee training in statistical problem-solving methods and techniques. That is why the Six Sigma long-term process is allowed to be off centering with 1.5 sigma shift to minimize the number of setups or tool changeovers

Anti-tumor effect of polysaccharides from rhizome of Curculigo orchioides Gaertn on cervical cancer

Purpose: To investigate the anti-tumor effects of polysaccharides from Curculigo orchioides (PDC) on cervical cancer and the possible mechanisms involved.Methods: A Box–Behnken design (BBD) was employed to optimize extraction conditions for PDC. The anti-tumor effect of PDC on cervical cancer was investigated in vivo in mice injected with Hela cells. The parameters measured were tumor volume and weight. In vitro anti-tumor effects of PDC were assessed by measuring expressions of caspase-3, caspase-9 and P53 proteins in Hela cells via ELISA assay. Thymus and spleen indices were calculated for assessment of PDC effect on immune function.Results: The optimum extraction conditions predicted by the response surface methodology (RSM) were: extraction time = 1.58 h, ratio-of-water-to-sample = 30.05 mL/g and extraction number = 1.95. PDC showed significant anti-tumor effect on cervical cancer in mice. It significantly increased thymus and spleen indices in mice; and significantly up-regulated expressions of caspase-3, caspase-9 and P53 proteins in HeLa cells.Conclusion: PDC has significant anti-tumor effect on cervical cancer in vivo and in vitro, most probably through mechanisms involving enhancement on immune function and induction of apoptosis.Keyword: Curculigo orchioides, Polysaccharides, Cervical cancer, HeLa cells, Apoptosi

Unsaturated Ligands Seed an Order to Disorder Transition in Mixed Ligand Shells of CdSe/CdS Quantum Dots.

A phase transition within the ligand shell of core/shell quantum dots is studied in the prototypical system of colloidal CdSe/CdS quantum dots with a ligand shell composed of bound oleate (OA) and octadecylphosphonate (ODPA). The ligand shell composition is tuned using a ligand exchange procedure and quantified through proton NMR spectroscopy. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectroscopy reveals a signature of a phase transition within the organic ligand shell. Surprisingly, the ligand order to disorder phase transition triggers an abrupt increase in the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) with increasing temperature. The temperature and width of the phase transition show a clear dependence on ligand shell composition, such that QDs with higher ODPA fractions have sharper phase transitions that occur at higher temperatures. In order to gain a molecular understanding of the changes in ligand ordering, Fourier transform infrared and vibrational sum frequency generation spectroscopies are performed. These measurements confirm that an order/disorder transition in the ligand shell tracks with the photoluminescence changes that accompany the ligand phase transition. The phase transition is simulated through a lattice model that suggests that the ligand shell is well-mixed and does not have completely segregated domains of OA and ODPA. Furthermore, we show that the unsaturated chains of OA seed disorder within the ligand shell

Development and application of the Chinese version of the adult strabismus quality of life questionnaire (AS-20): a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Patients with strabismus experience visual dysfunction, self-image disorders, low self-esteem, and social and emotional barriers, which adversely influence their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Currently no strabismus-specific questionnaire is available in China to identify patients’ quality of life and to evaluate the effectiveness of strabismus treatment. The aims of the present study were to validate the Chinese-language version of the Adult Strabismus Quality of Life Questionnaire (AS-20) and to evaluate the impacts of strabismus on the quality of life among Chinese strabismus patients. Methods Two hundred and fifty-five Chinese adults with strabismus, one hundred visually normal adults and one hundred patients with other eye diseases completed the Chinese version of AS-20. Psychometric properties of the Chinese AS-20 were examined by Cronbach’s α coefficient, test-retest and split-half reliability, and construct and criterion-related validity. Independent-samples t test and one-way ANOVA analyses were conducted to explore the impact of demographic factors and clinical characteristics on HRQoL in Chinese strabismic adults. Results The final AS-20 in Chinese (AS-C) included 18 items and two subscales: psychosocial (12 items) and function (6 items). The Cronbach’s α was 0.908 for overall scale, with 0.913 and 0.808 for \u27psychosocial’ and \u27function’ subscales respectively, indicating high internal consistency reliability. The mean of the overall AS-C score among strabismus patients was 62.80 ± 18.94, significantly lower than that in visually normal adults (t = -18.693, P \u3c 0.001), and in patients with other eye diseases (t = -5.512, P \u3c 0.001). Conclusions The AS-C is a culturally appropriate tool to evaluate the HRQoL in Chinese strabismus adults. The psychosocial health well-being and overall quality of life in strabismic patients should receive greater emphasis

Safety and efficacy of etomidate and propofol anesthesia in elderly patients undergoing gastroscopy: A double-blind randomized clinical study

The aim of the present study is to compare the safety, efficacy and cost effectiveness of anesthetic regimens by compound, using etomidate and propofol in elderly patients undergoing gastroscopy. A total of 200 volunteers (65–79 years of age) scheduled for gastroscopy under anesthesia were randomly divided into the following groups: P, propofol (1.5–2.0 mg/kg); E, etomidate (0.15-0.2 mg/kg); P+E, propofol (0.75–1 mg/kg) followed by etomidate (0.075-0.1 mg/kg); and E+P, etomidate (0.075-0.01 mg/kg) followed by propofol (0.75–1 mg/kg). Vital signs and bispectral index were monitored at different time points. Complications, induction and examination time, anesthesia duration, and recovery and discharge time were recorded. At the end of the procedure, the satisfaction of patients, endoscopists and the anesthetist were evaluated. The recovery (6.1±1.2 h) and discharge times (24.8±2.8 h) in group E were significantly longer compared with groups P, P+E and E+P (P<0.05). The occurrence of injection pain in group P+E was significantly higher compared with the other three groups (P<0.05). In addition, the incidence of myoclonus and post-operative nausea and vomiting were significantly higher in group P+E compared with the other three groups (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference among the four groups with regards to the patients' immediate, post-procedure satisfaction (P>0.05). Furthermore, there was no difference in the satisfaction of anesthesia, as evaluated by the anesthetist and endoscopist, among the four groups (P>0.05). The present study demonstrates that anesthesia for gastroscopy in elderly patients can be safely and effectively accomplished using a drug regimen that combines propofol with etomidate. The combined use of propofol and etomidate has unique characteristics which improve hemodynamic stability, cause minimal respiratory depression and less side effects, provide rapid return to full activity and result in high levels of satisfaction