Portable electronic devices operate at varying power demand levels. This variability of power demand must be considered explicitly in the design of man‐portable power generation systems for acceptable performance and portability. In this regard, a mathematical programming based design method is proposed. The method transcribes optimal operation of the system at a given power demand into a mathematical program. The power demand specific programs are incorporated into another upper level mathematical program encoding design requirements to form a final two‐stage formulation. The design and operational parameters of the power generation system comprise a solution of the formulation. Unlike designs, based on a nominal power demand, the design guarantees that each power demand and all operational requirements can be satisfied. A detailed study of a microfabricated fuel‐cell based system is performed. The proposed method produces smaller designs with significantly better performances than nominal power demand based approaches. © 2008 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2008

Despite referral, treatment, and data collection biases inherent within each center, the TNM system remained to be the most applicable and consistent staging system for PTC in 2 centers managing the same population group.

Prognosis of DTC in young patients was good. Patients with LR relapse and distant metastasis had a high rate of remission after treatment. RAI treatment can reduce the rate of LR relapse in patients with no distant metastasis and result in complete remission in half of those with distant metastasis. No patient experienced a second malignancy.

To identify indications for external radiotherapy (EXT) and radioactive iodine (RAI) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), we conducted a retrospective study of local and regional control in 1297 patients diagnosed with PTC in a tertiary referral center. Managed by surgery alone, patients with bilateral thyroidectomy had a lower rate of local relapse compared with lobectomy (PZ0.02). EXT improved locoregional (LR) failure-free survival (FFS) (P!0.001) and survival (PZ0.01) in patients with gross postoperative LR residual disease. EXT also improved local FFS in patients with pathologically confirmed positive resection margins (P!0.001) and reduced local failures in patients with T4 disease (PZ0.002). In patients with lymph nodes (LN) metastasis, more extensive surgery by functional or radical neck dissection resulted in less LN relapse compared with excision alone (P!0.001). EXT improved 10-year LN FFS in patients with N1b disease (PZ0.005) and patients with LN metastasis of size O2 cm (PZ0.02). RAI was effective in improving local control in patients with T2 to T4 diseases and LN control in patients with N0, N1a, and N1b categories. Local or LN relapses were associated with worse survival (P!0.001 and P!0.0001). The survival of patients with PTC could be improved by reducing local or LN relapses. RAI is indicated in patients with T2 to T4 disease. EXT is indicated in patients with gross postoperative disease, positive resection margins or T4 disease, N1b, or a LN size of O2 cm. LN relapse can be reduced by RAI in N0, N1a, and N1b disease.