Standardized Procedures Important for Improving Low-Temperature Ceramic Fuel Cell Technology: From Transient to Steady State Assessment.

As the stress-strain curve of standardized metal samples provides the basic details about mechanical properties of structural materials, the polarization curve or current-voltage characteristics of fuel cells are vitally important to explore the scientific mechanism of various solid oxide cells aiming at low operational temperatures (below 600 °C), ranging from protonic conductor ceramic cells (PCFC) to emerging Semiconductor ionic fuel cell (SIFC)/Semiconductor membrane fuel cells (SMFC). Thus far, worldwide efforts to achieve higher nominal peak power density (PPD) at a low operational temperature of over 0.1 s/cm ionic conductivity of electrolyte and super catalyst electrode is the key challenge for SIFCs. Thus, we illustrate an alternative approach to the present PPD concept and current-voltage characteristic. Case studies reveal that the holy grail of 1 W/cm2 from journal publications is expected to be reconsidered and normalized, since partial cells may still remain in a transient state (TS) to some extent, which means that they are unable to fulfill the prerequisite of a steady state (SS) characteristic of polarization curve measurement. Depending on the testing parameters, the reported PPD value can arbitrarily exist between higher transient power density (TPD) and lower stable power density (SPD). Herein, a standardized procedure has been proposed by modifying a quasi-steady state (QSS) characterization based on stabilized cell and time-prolonged measurements of common I-V plots. The present study indicates, when compared with steady state value, that QSS power density itself still provides a better approximation for the real performance of fuel cells, and concurrently recalls a novel paradigm transformation from a transient to steady state perspective in the oxide solid fuel cell community.

A Method for Parasagittal Sectioning for Neuroanatomical Quantification of Brain Structures in the Adult Mouse.

In this article, we present a standardized protocol for fast and robust neuroanatomical phenotyping of the adult mouse brain, which complements a previously published article (doi: 10.1002/cpmo.12) in Current Protocols in Mouse Biology. It is aimed at providing an experimental pipeline within an academic research setting from experimental work to data analysis. Our analysis focuses on one single parasagittal plane, covering the majority of brain regions involved in higher order cognitions such as the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum, for a total of 166 parameters of area, length, and cell-level measurements in contrast to 78 parameters in our previously published coronal screen. Benefits of using parasagittal analysis for large-scale neuroanatomic screens are discussed. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Use of a Standardized Procedure to Improve Behavioral Health Patients' Care: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

PROBLEM: Meeting the complex needs of behavioral health (BH) patients in the emergency department is an ongoing challenge. Delays in care can have adverse consequences for patient and staff safety and delay transfer to specialized care. METHODS: A quality improvement, nurse-driven initiative using a standardized procedure (STP) was developed and implemented in our busy Southern California Emergency Department, which focused on improving time to first medication and reduction of restraints. The project used a multidisciplinary team to develop the STP scoring tool and corresponding medications. Improvement was seen in all quality metrics. Time to first medication decreased from 43 minutes to less than 5 minutes. Adopting the STP resulted in a 50% decrease in use of restraints and time in restraints. Staff injuries remained low, with less than 3.6% of staff sustaining physical injuries. DISCUSSION: The STP is an effective method to initiate immediate treatment of patients with signs of anxiety and aggression and thus reduce risk of violence. Additional benefits are reduced time to disposition and earlier initiation of specialized BH care. This process can be replicated in other emergency departments with similar clinical environments through the use of STPs or protocols based on state regulations. Contribution to Emergency Nursing Practice.

Laparoscopic right hemihepatectomy following a standardized technique / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective To determine the clinical value of laparoscopic right hepatectomy (LRH) carried out following a standardized technique.Methods The medical records of 15 patients who underwent LRH at the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively reviewed.The perioperative indicators which included the operation duration,blood loss,tumor diameter,hospitalization duration and postoperative complications were analyzed.Results There was no conversion to open surgery.The operation duration was (251.1 ± 73.3) min.The resected tumor diameter was (8.5 ± 4.2) cm,the blood loss was (550.8 ± 343.6) ml,and the hospitalization duration was (10.2 ± 3.7) days.There was one patient who developed postoperative bile leakage.There was no other complication and there was no perioperative death.Conclusions The standardized technique of LRH was easy and effective.This technique shortened the operation duration and improved patient safety.