Suggestions to the article: medical professionalism research characteristics and hotspots

Scientometrics - The article published on 5 July 2021 is well-written and of interest. However, some improvements could be made, such as ten Tables/Figures can be shortened to highlight the focused...     

Structural Aspects of P2-Type Na0.67Mn0.6Ni0.2Li0.2O2 (MNL) Stabilization by Lithium Defects as a Cathode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries

A known strategy for improving the properties of layered oxide electrodes in sodium-ion batteries is the partial substitution of transition metals by Li. Herein, the role of Li as a defect and its impact on sodium storage in P2-Na_0.67Mn_0.6Ni_0.2Li_0.2O₂ is discussed. In tandem with electrochemical studies, the electronic and atomic structure are studied using solid-state NMR, operando XRD, and density functional theory (DFT). For the as-synthesized material, Li is located in comparable amounts within the sodium and the transition metal oxide (TMO) layers. Desodiation leads to a redistribution of Li ions within the crystal lattice. During charging, Li ions from the Na layer first migrate to the TMO layer before reversing their course at low Na contents. There is little change in the lattice parameters during charging/discharging, indicating stabilization of the P2 structure. This leads to a solid-solution type storage mechanism (sloping voltage profile) and hence excellent cycle life with a capacity of 110 mAh g^-1 after 100 cycles. In contrast, the Li-free compositions Na_0.67Mn_0.6Ni_0.4O₂ and Na_0.67Mn_0.8Ni_0.2O₂ show phase transitions and a stair-case voltage profile. The capacity is found to originate from mainly Ni³⁺/Ni⁴⁺ and O^2-/O^2-δ redox processes by DFT, although a small contribution from Mn⁴⁺/Mn⁵⁺ to the capacity cannot be excluded.     

Optimization of vacuum casting process parameters to enhance tensile strength of components using design of experiments approach

Vacuum casting is one of the widely used methods for small-volume production of plastic parts. The main challenge of this method is to choose the optimal w     

A power-driven multiplication instruction-set design method for ASIPs

This paper presents a novel power-driven multiplication instruction-set design method for application-specific instruction-set processors (ASIPs). Based on a dual-and-configurable-multiplier structure, our proposed method devises a multiplication instruction set for low-power ASIPs. Our method exploits the execution sequences of multiplication instructions and effective bit widths of variables to reduce power consumed by redundant multiplication bits while minimizing the multiplication execution time. Experimental results on a set of DSP programs demonstrate that our proposed method achieves significant power reduction (up to 18.53%) and execution time improvement (up to 10.43%) with 18% area overhead.     

Microstrip stepped impedance resonator bandpass filter with an extended optimal rejection bandwidth

Bandpass filters with an optimal rejection bandwidth are designed using parallel-coupled stepped impedance resonators (SIRs). The fundamental (f/sub o/) and higher order resonant harmonics of an SIR are analyzed against the length ratio of the high-Z and low-Z segments. It is found that an optimal length ratio can be obtained for each high-Z to low-Z impedance ratio to maximize the upper rejection bandwidth. A tapped-line input/output structure is exploited to create two extra transmission zeros in the stopband. The singly loaded Q(Q/sub si/) of a tapped SIR is derived. With the aid of Q/sub si/, the two zeros can be independently tuned over a wide frequency range. When the positions of the two zeros are purposely located at the two leading higher order harmonics, the upper rejection band can be greatly extended. Chebyshev bandpass filters with spurious resonances up to 4.4f/sub o/, 6.5f/sub o/, and 8.2f/sub o/ are fabricated and measured to demonstrate the idea.     

Non-equilibrium particle motion in the vicinity of a single blade

The motion of sand particles close to a single moving blade was investigated using Positron Emission Particle Tracking (PEPT) during the period in which the free bed surface profile was evolving to an equilibrium shape. The area affected by the blade was divided into active and inactive regions and these were analysed separately. The characteristic heart-shape of the active region in the plan view was determined. An approximately 10-particle-diameter wide velocity transition zone is found between the two regions. While the tracer particle is in the inactive region moving away from the blade, the time dependence of the axial displacement is well described by a logarithmic relationship. The probability of particle movement towards the centre of the blade was quantified using a “central tendency” index. The calculated central tendency shows maxima at each side of the blade. The separation of the two maxima, which indicates the width of the active region, increases with fill level but is independent of rotational speed.     

Length of maternity leave and quality of mother-infant interactions

The aim of this study was to assess the association between the length of maternity leave and the quality of mother-infant interactions; 198 employed mothers of 4-month-old infants were interviewed and videotaped in their homes during a feeding time. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated a direct association between shorter length of leave and more negative affect and behavior in maternal interactions with their infants. Infant and mother stressor/protective variables added significantly in predicting the quality of the mother-infant relationship. There were also significant interaction effects between the length of leave and these variables. Mothers who either reported more depressive symptoms or who perceived their infant as having a more difficult temperament and who had shorter leaves, compared with mothers who had longer leaves, were observed to express less positive affect, sensitivity, and responsiveness in interactions with their infants. The public policy implications of the relation between length of maternity leave, maternal and infant individual differences, and the quality of mother-infant interactions are discussed.     

Cadaver lungs for transplantation. Effect of ventilation with alveolar gas

In an effort to increase the donor pool for lung transplantation (LTX), we have demonstrated the feasibility of LTX from circulation-arrested cadavers in a canine LTX model. We hypothesized that ventilation of the cadaver lung with alveolar gas (20% O2, 5% CO2, balance N2) (AG) would be superior to ventilation with 100% oxygen (O2) after circulatory arrest of the donor. Twelve mongrel dogs were intubated, heparinized and euthanized by pentothal injection and ventilated with AG (n=6) or O2 (n=6). Four hours later, donor animals underwent sternotomy, and the lungs were flushed with cold modified Euro-Collins solution, harvested, and stored inflated in ice slush. Left lung allotransplantation was performed, and recipients were made dependent o n the transplanted lung by occlusion of the contralateral bronchus and pulmonary artery. Recipient animals were ventilated with an FiO2 of 0.4 and followed for 8 hr. Total ischemic time was 7.9 hr for both groups. Pulmonary edema developed in all recipients of AG lungs; one recipient survived the 8-hr observation period with poor oxygenation. In contrast, three of six recipients of O2-ventilated lungs survived for 8-hr with excellent gas exchange. Specimens of donor lungs before and after transplant were evaluated histologically utilizing trypan blue exclusion as an indicator of cell viability. At the time of organ retrieval 4 hr after death, 6% of cells were nonviable in the O2-ventilated cadaver lungs. Circulation-arrested cadaver lungs ventilated with 100% O2 prior to organ retrieval have superior pulmonary function after transplant compared with lungs ventilated with AG. Ventilation of cadaver lungs with AG induces pulmonary injury in this model. retrieval of donor lungs from circulation-arrested cadavers has potential for increasing the pulmonary donor pool.