bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interaction of Atomic Oxygen Species Generated Using Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) Plasma with Thermal Protecting System (TPS) Material
Authors: Bansode A.S. , More S.E. , Bhoraskar Sudha V. , Ajit M.R. , Mathe Vikas L.
Published: September 2015

Thermal Protecting System (TPS) material, consisted of silica reinforced fibres and coated with transtion metal complex was exposed to atomic oxygen produced in Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) plasma reactor. The choice of atomic oxygen is based on the necessity of investigating its inteaction with transition metal complex during the re-entry of the space vehicle. The experiments were carried out at different temperature in the range of 30-500°C. The surface morphology of the tile material was investigated with and without exposure to oxygen plasma as a function of temperature using scanning electron microscopy technique, whereas structural analysis of the same samples was carried out using x-ray diffraction technique. Prior to this, ECR plasma reactor was charectorised for electron energy and plasma density using Langmuir probe so as to know the plasma parameter during the interaction.
Micropatterning of Polystyrene-Alumina Nanocomposite Film by Non-Solvent Induced Phase Separation
Authors: Lakshmi V. , Raju Annu , Rajan T.P.D. , Pavithran C. , Pai B.C.
Published: September 2015

The objective of the present study is to fabricate micropatterned polystyrene-alumina nanocomposite (PAN) film by immersing the casted PAN/toluene solution into the bath of a non-solvent of the polymer. Immediate precipitation occurs and creates concavities on the surface of PAN cast after drying due to phase separation induced by solvent non-solvent exchange mechanism assisted by amphiphilic modified alumina particle. PAN film with relatively uniform micropatterns is formed which have the maximum dispersion limit of particles. The effect of particle loading and dispersion on the morphology of pattern is investigated, and a possible mechanism is discussed.
Preparation and Characterization of Hierarchical Porous Carbon by a Hard-Template
Authors: Varma Harish , Avinesh  , Narasimman Rajaram , Prabhakaran Kuttan
Published: September 2015

Carbon based adsorbent materials are prepared from sucrose using copper as hard pore template. The adsorbent materials were obtained by heating mixtures of sucrose and copper sulphate at temperatures in the range of 200 to 1000 °C for polymerization and carbonization followed by removal of copper template by leaching with dilute nitric acid. The copper templates were produced by the carbothermal reduction of copper oxide obtained by the decomposition of copper sulphate. The surface area and porosity measurements showed the presence of micropores in the carbon samples. The micropores are generated both by an in situ activation and carbothermal reduction of the copper oxide. The microporous carbon showed good CO2 adsorption characteristics.
Synthesis and Characterization of Manganese Substituted Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles by Microwave Refluxing Method
Authors: Alla Santhosh Kumar , Yeddu Vishal , Prasad Rao Eswara Vara , Mandal Rajiv Kumar , Prasad Nand Kishore
Published: September 2015

Nanocrystalline MnxCe1-xO2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) powders have been synthesized by microwave refluxing method. XRD, Raman spectroscopy and TEM analysis confirm the substitution of Mn in cerium oxide to a large extent. With increased Mn content, the crystallite size and lattice parameter found to be decreased. In addition, shifting of Raman main band towards lower frequency side was also observed with increased Mn. This could be attributed to the distortion of lattice of CeO2 due to the lattice strain induced by substitution of Mn.
Facile Approach for the Development of Burly Starch- Silver Hydrogel Nanocomposites for Antimicrobial Applications
Authors: Raveendran Reshma Lali , Sudha J.D. , Kuttiplavil Narayanan Rohini
Published: September 2015

This paper presents the development of silver nanoparticles entrapped starch-polyacrylic acid hydrogel by a one step facile strategy. Formation of silver nanoparticles was confirmed by TEM and SPRE. Hydrogen bond interaction present in the hydrogel network was manifested from the FTIR spectroscopy. Silver nanoparticles in the face centred cubic lattice were confirmed by XRD. Visco-elastic properties studied by rheological analysis showed storage modulus of ~1500 Pa and exhibited a high storage modulus than loss modulus revealing the formation of strong gels. Phase transition temperature was confirmed by DSC. Antimicrobial screening studies of these hybrid gel exhibited antimicrobial activity to E.coli and S.aureus suggesting its applications for gram + ve and gram - ve bacteria.
Synthesis and Properties of Lead Free Ferroelectric Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 Ceramic at Different Sintering Temperature
Authors: Parmar Kusum , Sharma Hakikat , Sharma Sarita , Negi N.S.
Published: September 2015

Lead Free Ferroelectric Na0.5Bi0.5TiO3 (NBT) Ceramic has been synthesized using sol gel method. The prepared NBT samples have been sintered at different temperatures 850°C, 950°C, 1050°C and 1150°C to achieve best sintering temperature. Structural analyses have been carried out using XRD and FTIR measurements. XRD patterns confirm perovskite structure having rhombohedral symmetry for all samples which is also supported by characteristic absorption band at ~627cm-1 in FTIR spectra. Dielectric properties of NBT samples with frequency and temperature have been studied. NBT sample sintered at 1050°C exhibit comparatively high value of dielectric constant (ε’) and phase transition temperature (Tm). Ferroelectric properties of NBT samples have been studied at room temperature. Comparatively, better ferroelectric properties are observed for NBT sample having remnant polarization (Pr)~ 14.7 μC/cm2and coercive field (Ec)~ 26.8 kV/cm sintered at 1050°C.
Effect of Equal Channel Angular Pressing on Densification Behavior of Al 5083 Alloy Powder
Authors: Gudimetla Kondaiah , Jampana Ganesh Varma , Kumar S. Ramesh , Ravisankar Balasubramanian , Kumaran S.
Published: September 2015

In this present study Al-5083 alloy powders were prepared from elemental powders using high energy ball milling under optimized milling parameters. Various properties such as crystalline size, particle size and morphology have been studied using X-Ray diffraction analysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy. It was found that Al-5083 alloy was formed and nanocrystalline size particles were achieved. These nanocrystalline Al-5083 alloy powders were consolidated using equal channel angular pressing with and without application of back pressure. Physical and mechanical properties such as density and hardness are studied.
Effect of Coating Parameters on Coating Rate of Carbon Fibers by Electroless Nickel Plating
Authors: Deshpande Madhuri , Waikar Rahul , Gondil Ramesh , Narayanmurty S.V.S.
Published: September 2015

The coating quality of nickel is important factor in improvement of wettability of carbon fibers to be used as reinforcing material in the production of carbon fiber reinforced metal matrix composites. In this research work, Polyacrylonitile (PAN) based carbon fibers have been Ni coated in Sodium hypophosphite reduced acidic bath by electroless plating method. These carbon fibers are coated using 4, 4.5, 5 and 5.5 pH values for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30minutes. Coating thickness is found to increase with time linearly. Nickel deposition rate per unit time increases with pH, however it reaches a maxima and then declines. The surface condition of fibers reveals that coating becomes more and more rough due to non uniform coating, as coating time and pH goes on increasing.
EIS Study and Role of Chloride Ions Concentration and Temperature on Passivity of AZ91D Mg Alloy
Authors: Arya S.B. , Kanaujia Ankit
Published: September 2015

Mg alloy shows higher specific strength and ductility relative to aluminum and also lower machining and casting costs over to steels. However, it also shows limitation to use in many industrial applications due to the relatively poor corrosion resistance in many aqueous solutions.Corrosion and passivation study of magnesium alloy (AZ91D) in various Cl ̄ ions concentrations and temperatures were carried out using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in NaCl solutions of 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 & 1.0 molar (M) concentrations. The passivation behavior was also observed at temperature of 45°C, 55°C and 65 °C in 3.5 wt% NaCl solutions. The total polarization resistance was observed about 5530, 4030, 2465 and 2000 Ohms.cm2 in solutions of 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 & 1.0 M NaCl respectively indicate reduction of film stability at higher chlorides concentration. A similar trend was found on increasing temperatures of 3.5 wt% NaCl solutions at 45°C, 55°C and 65 °C and noticed about 970, 600 and 300 Ohms.cm2 respectively showed significant decline of passivity and more pitting tendency.
Electrodeposition and Electrocatalytic Study of Ni-W Alloy Coating
Authors: Elias Liju , Hegde Ampar Chitharanjan
Published: September 2015

Electrocatalytically active Ni-W alloy coatings have been developed through compositionally versatile electrodeposition method on copper substrate from tri-sodium citrate bath, using glycerol as the additive. The deposition conditions have been optimized for peak performance of their electrocatalytic behavior, like hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1M KOH. Corrosion behaviors of the coatings have also been tested under study conditions of electrocatalysis. Electrocatalytic behaviors were tested by cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronopotentiometry techniques. Experimental results demonstrated that Ni-W alloy coatings, deposited at low and high current densities (c. d.) were showing superior performance for OER and HER, respectively. Better electrocatalytic activity for HER with increase of deposition c. d. was attributed by the unique phase structure, surface morphology and chemical composition of the coatings, confirmed by XRD, SEM and EDX analysis. The dependency of coating thickness and hardness on HER and OER were analyzed, and results are discussed.
Hot Corrosion Stability of Double Perovskite and Pyrochlore in Suphate Solution of Vanadates or Chlorides at 900 °C
Authors: Baskaran T. , Sreedhar Gosipathala , Arya S.B.
Published: September 2015

Double perovskites, pyrochlores are having matching thermal expansion co-efficient with bond coat and may act as candidate materials for an intermediate layer between bond coat and top coat in Thermal Barrier Coatings. Hot corrosion stability of double perovskites and pyrochlores is also important for enhanced thermal cycle life. Based on these issues, systematic studies were conducted to find the hot corrosion stability of double perovskites and pyrochlores. The results revealed that, double perovskites and pyrochlores were undergone destabilization in the Na2SO4+50 wt.% V2O5 and Na2SO4+10 wt.% NaCl environments at 900 oC. The implications of these findings addresses the key issues related hot corrosion mechanisms and give a pathway to developing newer materials. This study clearly indicates the destabilization of both double perovskites and pyrochlores in vanadium and chloride environments at 900 oC.
Failure Analysis of AISI 302 Steel Compression Spring Used in Flush and Purge Valve of Liquid Engine
Authors: Manwatkar Sushant , Narayana Murty S.V.S. , Ramesh Narayanan P.
Published: September 2015

AISI 302 stainless steel is used for making compression springs for launch vehicle programmes. One such AISI 302 stainless steel compression spring used in flush and purge valve of liquid engine of a satellite launch vehicle failed during testing. The failure was at the second round of spring and it failed in a slanted type fracture. Detailed metallurgical analysis indicated that the failure was due to fatigue.
The Influence of Microwave Sintering on the Tribological Performance of Powder Metallurgy Based Aluminum Cenospheres Composites
Authors: Ananda Kumar M.G. , Seetharamu S. , Sampath Kumaran P. , Nayak Jagannath
Published: September 2015

The Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) especially Aluminum based systems have unique advantages of having superior mechanical, chemical and electrical properties, in addition to light weight and high stiffness. In this work, composites comprising of Aluminum with varied concentrations of Cenospheres as reinforcement was produced by Powder Metallurgy (PM) route. The densification of the composites was effected both by conventional and Microwave (MW) sintering techniques. The microstructures of the sintered samples were observed through scanning electron microscope (SEM) and phases by x ray diffraction technique (XRD), followed by evaluation of tribological parameter namely slide wear behavior and solid particle erosion resistance. The densities and the Brinell hardness values for the samples were also evaluated. The results showed that microwave sintered samples exhibited higher hardness, lower erosion and slide wear loss.
Stress Corrosion Cracking of High Strength 18Ni-8Co-5Mo Maraging Steel Fasteners
Authors: Manwatkar Sushant K. , Narayana Murty S.V.S. , Ramesh Narayanan P.
Published: September 2015

Maraging steels have attractive combination of strength and toughness making them ideal choice for a number of structural applications. In one such application, this steel was used to fabricate shear bolts in an interstage of a satellite launch vehicle. Four numbers of these shear bolts were found to fail exactly at the head-shank interface under assembly condition. The failure has occurred when the structure was assembled with bolts to the specified torque of 43N-m. Detailed investigations revealed that the fasteners were under assembly loads and exposed to marine environment. The cracks initiated at the corrosion pits located at the head-shank interface propagated inwards in a transgranular mode. Fractography revealed brittle transgranular features with cleavage facets and corrosion products on the fracture surface. The EDS analysis at the corrosion pits near the fracture edge indicated the presence of chlorine. Based on detailed metallurgical analysis, it was concluded that the shear bolts failed due to the “Stress Corrosion Cracking”.
Assessment of Theories of Failure for Multi-Directional Composites Laminates: A Fuzzy - AHP Approach
Authors: Mishra Ashutosh , Pradhan Mohan Kumar
Published: September 2015

In this research, the analysis has been made amongst the different 'theories of failure' for composite materials. All theories which include bi-axial strength envelopes and stress–strain curves for a range of multi-directional laminates, loaded under uni-axial or bi-axial conditions.The predictions and experimental data have been analyzed, to identify the strengths and weakness, together with a ranking of the overall effectiveness of each theory, which has been made by the AHP-MCDM tool to facilitate the reader to select the best theory for given design situation.
Effect of hBN Solid Lubricant Concentration on Machinability of Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) Alloy
Authors: Santosh S. , Rajkumar K. , Gnanavelbabu A.
Published: September 2015

The prime rationale for designers to choose titanium in their designs for aerospace applications is its relative low weight for a given strength level and its relative resistance to high temperature. Excellent biocompatibility makes titanium as ideal material for many biomedical applications. Even though the titanium products are either sintered or cast into required shape, there is a need for machining in order to produce intricate shapes. However machining of titanium alloys poses many serious problems owing to the reactivity of titanium at high cutting temperatures and rapid tool wear. An alternative method to overcome this is by reducing the cutting zone temperature. This can be achieved by the addition of solid lubricants to regular cutting liquids and using it as minimum quantity lubrication (MQL) strategy. In this study, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) powder with different concentrations (5, 10, 15 wt %) was mixed with water and used as a lubricant. Turning experiments were performed with TiAlN coated Tungsten carbide insert for a constant speed and variable feed rates. For comparison purpose, machining was carried out under dry conditions. Results indicate that the cutting zone temperature reduced drastically on addition of solid lubricant hBN with water. MQL conditions showed that cutting zone temperature decreased by several folds when compared to dry machining. However there was no significant decrease in temperature between 10 and 15 wt% hBN additions which indicates that 10% hBN addition proves to be optimal. This type of machining thereby paves way for sustainable manufacturing.
Clinical Outcomes with First-line Endocrine Therapy or Chemotherapy in Postmenopausal HR+/HER2-Metastatic Breast Cancer
Authors: Song Yan , Hao Yanni , Macalalad Alexander R. , Lin Peggy L. , Signorovitch James E. , Wu Eric Q.
Published: September 2015

Objective

To describe patient profiles and clinical outcomes associated with first-line endocrine monotherapy (ET) and chemotherapy (CT) for postmenopausal HR+/HER2– metastatic breast cancer (mBC) patients.

Methods

This is a retrospective chart review of 139 postmenopausal HR+/HER2– mBC patients initiating first-line ET monotherapy or CT. Overall survival (OS) was described using Kaplan–Meier curves. Exploratory comparative proportional hazards regression was conducted.

Results

Patients on first-line CT had significantly more frequent liver metastases than patients on first-line ET monotherapy at baseline. The median OS was 35.5 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 22.7–41.2 months] for patients on first-line ET monotherapy and 22.2 months (95% CI, 13.6–25.9 months) for those on first-line CT ( P = 0.021). Adjusting for baseline characteristics, the OS between first-line ET monotherapy and CT was not significantly different.

Conclusions

Patients who were prescribed CT as first-line treatment had evidence of more advanced disease at baseline and shorter OS than those who received ET monotherapy as first-line treatment, suggesting a need for additional safe and effective treatment options for these patients.
Application of the Public-Private Partnership Organizational Structure in the Improvement of Business Operations of Public Sector Enterprises in Serbia
Authors: Benkovic Sladjana , Krivokapić Jovan , Milosavljević Miloš
Published: September 2015

Many countries have made an approach to harmonization and design of the organizational and legal framework that encourages private sector participation in the co-ownership of public sector enterprises. This is why the aim of the paper was to draw attention to the potentials that are available to the public sector in Serbia in the improvement of business operations, taking into account the current Law on public-private partnerships and concessions which has been present in practice for less than two years. The paper’s contribution is reflected in the presented model of the organizational, financial and developmental benefits of a public enterprise, through the application of the public-private partnership concept while bearing in mind the circumstances that are specific to the Serbian market.
Fiscal Decentralisation and Ethnic Politics in Macedonia
Authors: Maksimovska Aleksandra , Stojkov Aleksandar , Schmidt Patrick
Published: September 2015

Competing ethno-centered strategies over the local fiscal resources can seriously undermine political and economic stability of ethnically diverse societies. This study investigates the causal link between ethnic diversity and local government finances by focusing on the case of Macedonia. In particular: whether fiscal decentralization is used as a part of broader strategy for prevention and mitigation of inter-ethnic conflicts. The main argument is that low level of political culture and inter-ethnic tensions are frustrating the development of the government policy along a course of decentralization. The study confronts two emerging scenarios regarding decentralization and inter-ethnic relations. The first scenario puts the economic development at the forefront for country’s stability and treats decentralisation as a driving force to achieve this goal. Ethnic problems are expected to be solved along this path as rising economic stability reduces the inter-ethnic tensions. In the second scenario, the inter-ethnic stability is the main pillar of the country’s stability, which is expected to be accomplished through decentralisation. The paper analyses and synthesizes pros and cons of two scenarios from administrative, legal, political and economic perspectives.
Canons of Interpretation as Substitutes of Causation in the Public Administration’s Rulemaking
Authors: Pečarič Mirko
Published: September 2015

In science the usual research and thinking are based on the cause-effect relations while in the law this approach is mainly used in adjudication and not in rule making. Within the latter causality cannot reach a scientific level, so there are substitutes of causation at work that are a base also for the canons of interpretation. Draft rules are in the majority of cases prepared by the public administration, but surprisingly there is a little emphasis of the public administration’s role at interpretation of the (draft and enacted) rules. The paper deals with reasons for the absence of causation in rule making, states the non-scientific substitutes of causation in rule making and points at the modus operandi of rule making in the absence of causality for which administrative deference is of crucial importance. The paper gives reasons for the absence of canons of interpretation in Europe and gives the most important canons of interpretation for the rulemaking in the public administration. This work can be more complex than judicial, because the element of institution’s impact is more present in the first.
“Yes, we camp!”: Democracy in the Age Occupy
Authors: Vodovnik Ziga , Grubacic Andrej
Published: September 2015

This article explores the global mass assembly movement, focusing on its redefinitions of democracy and political membership, where one of the most interesting and promising aspects is reaffirmation of spatiality. In a way, the so-called Occupy Movement imagined new concepts of democracy and political membership worked out on a more manageable scale, that is to say, within local communities. We build on the recent scholarly attention given to the notion of nonstate spaces, which we chose to call exilic spaces because they are populated by communities that voluntarily or involuntarily attempt escape from both state regulation and capitalist accumulation.
Fiscal Decentralisation and Provision of Local Public Services in Selected EU Countries
Authors: Halásková Martina , Halaskova Renata
Published: September 2015

Fiscal decentralisation aims to provide own financial resources or transfers from the central government for an efficient use of the original competences by local governments. This paper deals with the role of fiscal decentralisation and its impact on local public services. Rational indicators of revenue and expenditure fiscal decentralisation and selected local government expenditure are compared by public services, including the extent of decentralisation in selected EU countries. Modelling and comparison of selected EU countries is carried out through the method of multidimensional scaling according to the similarity of local government expenditure on services of social protection, healthcare, education, and recreation and culture (as % GDP) in years 2006, 2009 and 2012.
Direct Mayoral Elections in Slovenia and England: Traditions and Trends Compared
Authors: Kukovič Simona , Copus Colin , Haček Miro , Blair Alasdair
Published: September 2015

Direct mayoral elections have in recent decades become an important and popular feature of many local governments across Europe. The direct election of the mayor enhances the accountability and transparency of local political leadership and gives voters the opportunity to gain important influence on local politics. This contrasts with councillors who choose the mayor in single-party private settings. This article provides a case study analysis of two directly elected mayors in contrasting political settings, namely England and Slovenia. Whereas England is regarded as the mother of all Parliaments, Slovenia’s democratic traditions are more recent. Yet nonetheless Slovenia displays all the features of a strong local democracy where an independent mayoral system operates within a nonpartisan political setting. By contrast, whereas England provides the longest-standing case of local democracy in Europe, directly elected mayors have only recently been introduced into the political system, the outcome of which has been mixed in terms of successfulness and acceptance by national political parties within municipalities.
The Constitutional Basis of Local Democracy
Authors: Grad Franc , Kaučič Igor
Published: September 2015

The Constitution of Slovenia guarantees local government, nevertheless it does not regulate forms of local democracy. Thus, the legislation envisages numerous different ways of citizens' participation, both direct and indirect, in decision-making in local communities. Still the local elections remain the most important way of citizens’ influencing decision making in local communities. The right of the people living in local communities to vote local authorities and to be elected for local offices is certainly the core of modern understanding of local democracy. In Slovenia, both members of municipal council and mayor are directly elected. Right to vote and to be elected have also EU citizens while other foreigners have only right to vote. Among forms of direct participation, the most important ones are the town meeting, referendum, popular initiative and right to petition. They enable the citizens to participate in the processes of deliberation, proposing and formulating decisions, stating preliminary positions with regard to decisions to be made as well as decision-making itself or confirming the solutions adopted.
In-Home Occupational Performance Evaluation for Providing Assistance (I–HOPE Assist): An Assessment for Informal Caregivers
Authors: Keglovits Marian , Somerville Emily , Stark Susan
Published: September 2015

Home modification interventions have the potential to provide support to informal caregivers; however, the impact of these interventions on caregivers is understudied, and adequate assessments are lacking. This study describes the development and preliminary psychometric properties of a performance-based assessment that identifies environmental barriers to performance of daily caregiving activities. An existing assessment of person–environment fit was modified using key informant interviews and was administered to 31 informal caregivers. The In–Home Occupational Performance Evaluation for Providing Assistance demonstrated reliability across raters, good internal consistency for all subscales, and convergent validity with existing measures. This assessment has the potential to guide home modification interventions and measure the impact on informal caregiving in the home.
Autonomy and Housing Accessibility Among Powered Mobility Device Users
Authors: Pettersson Cecilia , Brandt Åse , Lexell Eva Månsson , Iwarsson Susanne
Published: September 2015

OBJECTIVE. To describe environmental barriers, accessibility problems, and powered mobility device (PMD) users’ autonomy indoors and outdoors; to determine the home environmental barriers that generated the most housing accessibility problems indoors, at entrances, and in the close exterior surroundings; and to examine personal factors and environmental components and their association with indoor and outdoor autonomy.

METHOD. This cross-sectional study was based on data collected from a sample of 48 PMD users with a spinal cord injury (SCI) using the Impact of Participation and Autonomy and the Housing Enabler instruments. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were used.

RESULTS. More years living with SCI predicted less restriction in autonomy indoors, whereas more functional limitations and accessibility problems related to entrance doors predicted more restriction in autonomy outdoors.

CONCLUSION. To enable optimized PMD use, practitioners must pay attention to the relationship between client autonomy and housing accessibility problems.
Activity Pacing Self-Management in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Kos Daphne , van Eupen Inge , Meirte Jill , Van Cauwenbergh Deborah , Moorkens Greta , Meeus Mira , Nijs Jo
Published: September 2015

OBJECTIVE. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an activity pacing self-management (APSM) intervention in improving performance of daily life activities in women with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

METHOD. A total of 33 women with CFS (age 41.1 ± 11.2 yr) were randomly allocated to APSM (experimental group; n = 16) or relaxation (control group; n = 17). Main outcome measures included the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM; primary) and Checklist Individual Strength (CIS).

RESULTS. COPM scores changed significantly over time in both groups (p = .03). The change in Satisfaction scores showed a significant difference in favor only of APSM (effect size = 0.74 [0.11, 1.4]). CIS scores decreased significantly in the experimental group only (p < .01).

CONCLUSION. APSM was found to be feasible and effective in optimizing participation in desired daily life activities in women with CFS. Replication in a larger sample with long-term follow-up is required.
Effectiveness of Interventions to Improve Social Participation, Play, Leisure, and Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in People With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review
Authors: Tanner Kelly , Hand Brittany N. , O’Toole Gjyn , Lane Alison E.
Published: September 2015

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly experience difficulties with social participation, play, and leisure along with restricted and repetitive behaviors that can interfere with occupational performance. The objective of this systematic review was to evaluate current evidence for interventions within the occupational therapy scope of practice that address these difficulties. Strong evidence was found that social skills groups, the Picture Exchange Communication System, joint attention interventions, and parent-mediated strategies can improve social participation. The findings were less conclusive for interventions to improve play and leisure performance and to decrease restricted and repetitive behaviors, but several strategies showed promise with moderately strong supporting evidence. Occupational therapists should be guided by evidence when considering interventions to improve social participation, play, leisure, and restricted and repetitive behaviors in people with ASD. Additional research using more robust scientific methods is needed for many of the currently available strategies.
Occupational Therapy Interventions for Adults With Stroke
Authors: Nilsen Dawn , Gillen Glen , Arbesman Marian , Lieberman Deborah
Published: September 2015

Evidence Connection articles provide a clinical application of systematic reviews developed in conjunction with the American Occupational Therapy Association's (AOTA's) Evidence-Based Practice project. The clinical condition discussed in this inaugural Evidence Connection article is adults with stroke. Findings from the systematic reviews on this topic were published in the January/February 2015 issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and in AOTA’s Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Adults With Stroke (Wolf & Nilsen, 2015). Each article in this series will summarize the evidence from the published reviews on a given topic and presents an application of the evidence to a related clinical case. Evidence Connection articles illustrate how the research evidence from the reviews can be used to inform and guide clinical decision making.
Political Risk Guarantees and Capital Flows: The Role of Bilateral Investment Treaties
Authors: Mina Wasseem
Published: September 2015

In this paper the author empirically examines whether the influence of bilateral investment treaties’ political risk guarantees extends to other types of capital flows – FDI, private debt, public debt and portfolio equity. The paper uses panel data on middle and low income countries during the period 1984–2011 and adopts LSDV estimation methodology to account for heterogeneity arising from unobserved country, region, and time effects. The paper finds that ratified BITs with OECD countries increase FDI flows and reduce private debt flows. They also tilt the composition of capital flows in favor of FDI. The novelty of the paper stems from its extension of the examination BITs influence beyond FDI and the distinction between private and public debt flows. The paper contributes to the FDI and capital flows literatures.
An Investigation of the Reading Text ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ (Long Live Pakistan): Critical Discourse Analysis Perspective
Authors: Ali Sheeraz , Kazemian Bahram , Bughio Faraz Ali
Published: September 2015

This paper is a critical study in Critical Discourse Analysis paradigm of a Textbook prescribed for intermediate students (Second Language Learners) in Government Colleges affiliated to the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan. The textbook contains selected texts to improve students reading skills integrated with writing activities. Each of the texts contains questions at the end to be answered. It is observed that the reading tasks are badly designed and there is no mental activity to involve students in the text discourse. The study focuses on critical discourse of the underlying text to inspect whether the text reading involves students in the critical discourse or not; it also attempts to analyze the Reading Text ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ to identify problems showing the gap and unawareness on the part of teachers and students regarding the critical discourse of the text in classroom reading context. It is also suggested that teachers need to bring about a change in their traditional teaching methods in order to tackle the issue. The awareness of critical discourse analysis is recommended on the part of the teachers in order to analyze and understand the real meaning of the text. In result, it may develop the critical approach which is very essential for a reader.
Large-scale determination of previously unsolved protein structures using evolutionary information
Authors: Ovchinnikov Sergey , Kinch Lisa , Park Hahnbeom , Liao Yuxing , Pei Jimin , Kim David E , Kamisetty Hetunandan , Grishin Nick V , Baker David
Published: September 2015

The prediction of the structures of proteins without detectable sequence similarity to any protein of known structure remains an outstanding scientific challenge. Here we report significant progress in this area. We first describe de novo blind structure predictions of unprecendented accuracy we made for two proteins in large families in the recent CASP11 blind test of protein structure prediction methods by incorporating residue–residue co-evolution information in the Rosetta structure prediction program. We then describe the use of this method to generate structure models for 58 of the 121 large protein families in prokaryotes for which three-dimensional structures are not available. These models, which are posted online for public access, provide structural information for the over 400,000 proteins belonging to the 58 families and suggest hypotheses about mechanism for the subset for which the function is known, and hypotheses about function for the remainder.
Shear in the zonal drifts of 3 m irregularities inside spread F plumes observed over Sanya
Authors: Li Guozhu , Ning Baiqi , Liu Libo , Abdu M. A. , Wan Weixing , Hu Lianhuan
Published: September 2015

Incoherent scatter radars near magnetic equator regularly measured a vertical shear in zonal drifts of the evening background plasma, with westward drifts below the equatorial F region peak and eastward drifts above. We report here observations of a clear shear structure in the zonal drifts of 3 m irregularities inside spread F (SF) backscatter plumes measured with a 47.5 MHz coherent scatter radar operated at a low‐latitude site Sanya (18.4°N, 109.6°E; dip latitude 12.8°N). The radar interferometry analysis on the zonal drifts of the 3 m irregularities yields results consistent with that estimated from the irregularity echo Doppler velocity measurements with multiple beams. It is shown that the SF 3 m irregularities move westward at the lowest altitudes, while at higher altitudes in the same SF plume structure, the 3 m irregularities drift eastward. One interesting point is that the vertical shear of zonal drifts was centered at ~300 km altitude over Sanya, which maps to an apex altitude of ~650 km at magnetic equator and is thus apparently higher than the apex altitudes 250–450 km where the zonal velocity shear has usually been observed. Analysis of the observations suggests that while the possibility of local generation of the shear flow of the irregularities can exist, the possibility of a plasma vortex appearing at relative high altitudes causing the zonal drift shear of F region 3 m irregularities measured over Sanya cannot be totally ruled out.
Arctic Freshwater Synthesis: Summary of key emerging issues
Authors: Prowse T. , Bring A. , Mård J. , Carmack E. , Holland M. , Instanes A. , Vihma T. , Wrona F. J.
Published: September 2015

In response to a joint request from the World Climate Research Program's Climate and Cryosphere Project, the International Arctic Science Committee, and the Arctic Council's Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program an updated scientific assessment has been conducted of the Arctic Freshwater System, entitled the Arctic Freshwater Synthesis (AFS). The major reason behind the joint request was an increasing concern that changes to the Arctic Freshwater System have produced, and could produce even greater, changes to biogeophysical and socioeconomic systems of special importance to northern residents and also produce extra‐Arctic climatic effects that will have global consequences. The AFS was structured around six key thematic areas: atmosphere, oceans, terrestrial hydrology, terrestrial ecology, resources, and modeling, the review of each coauthored by an international group of scientists and published as separate articles in this special section of Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. This AFS summary article reviews key issues that emerged during the conduct of the synthesis, especially those that are cross‐thematic in nature, and identifies future research required to address such issues.
Synergic Effects of Randomly Aligned SWCNT Mesh and Self‐Assembled Molecule Layer for High‐Performance, Low‐Bandgap, Polymer Solar Cells with Fast Charge Extraction
Authors: Liu Jian , Li Xinchen , Zhang Shaoqing , Ren Xingang , Cheng Jiaqi , Zhu Lu , Zhang Di , Huo Lijun , Hou Jianhui , Choy Wallace C. H.
Published: September 2015

Currently, most of the promising organic solar cells (OSCs) are based on low bandgap polymer donors with deep‐lying highest occupied molecular orbit (HOMO) levels, which impose the challenges for device architecture design. In terms of fast charge extraction and suppression of bimolecular recombination, elaborate interface design in low bandgap OSCs is of significance to further boost their ultimate efficiency. In this work, a facile solution‐processed functionalized single wall carbon nanotube (f‐SWCNT) mesh/self‐assembled molecule (SAM) hybrid structure is reported as hole transport layer (HTL) in low bandgap OSCs. The effectiveness of such hybrid HTL originates from two aspects: (i) SAM layer can effectively realize Ohmic contact between f‐SWCNT and low bandgap polymer donors with deep‐lying HOMO levels due to the reduction of interface energy barrier; (ii) f‐SWCNT mesh can provide fast hole extraction pathways to quickly sweep out photogenerated charges. As a consequence of synergic effects of such hybrid HTL, both photocurrent and fill factor are greatly enhanced due to the reduced bimolecular recombination. Together with careful light management by using ZnO optical spacer, a high efficiency of 10.5% has been achieved. This work offers an excellent choice for large‐scale processable and effective HTL toward the application in low bandgap OSCs with deep‐lying energy levels.
Continuous synthesis of palladium nanorods in oxidative segmented flow
Authors: Sebastian Victor , Basak Soubir , Jensen Klavs F.
Published: September 2015

Laminar and segmented flow methods are presented for producing Pd rod‐shaped nanostructures from Na2PdCl4 in mixtures of water, ethylene glycol, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, and KBr. Synthesis in laminar flow produced an evolution from Pd nanoparticles to short nanorods with residence time. Use of air as the segmentation gas tuned the oxidative environment promoting anisotropic growth of Pd. Moreover, the elevated temperatures (160°C and 190°C) and pressure (0.8 MPa) reduced the synthesis time from hours for most batch systems to 2 min. The ratio of polyol and Pd precursor metal flow streams controlled the anisotropic growth, obtaining nanorods with a diameter approximately 4 nm and an aspect ratio up to 6. Nanorods were single crystal with the {100} lattice spacing of fcc structure, and without any dislocation, stacking fault, or twin defects. The resulting Pd nanorods had high activity at moderate temperature (40ºC) and pressure (0.2 MPa) in the catalytic hydrogenation of styrene. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 373–380, 2016
Simultaneous model selection and parameter estimation for lithium‐ion batteries: A sequential MINLP solution approach
Authors: Shen Jia‐Ni , He Yi‐Jun , Ma Zi‐Feng
Published: September 2015

Equivalent circuit model (ECM) is a practical and commonly used tool not only in state of charge (SOC) estimation but also in state of health (SOH) monitoring for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). The functional forms of circuit parameters with respect to SOC in ECM are usually empirical determined, which cannot guarantee to obtain a compact and simple model. A systematical solution framework for simultaneous functional form selection and parameter estimation is proposed. A bi‐objective mixed‐integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model is first constructed. Two solution approaches, namely the explicit and implicit methods, are then developed to balance model accuracy and model complexity. The former explicitly treats the model complexity as a constraint and the latter implicitly embeds the model complexity into the objective as a penalty. Both approaches require sequential solution of the transformed MINLP model and an ideal and nadir ideal solutions‐based criterion is utilized to terminate the solution procedure for determining the optimal functional forms, in which ideal solution and nadir ideal solution represent the best and worst of each objective, respectively. Both explicit and implicit approaches are thoroughly evaluated and compared through experimental pulse current discharge test and hybrid pulse power characterization test of a commercial LIB. The fitting and prediction results illustrate that the proposed methods can effectively construct an optimal ECM with minimum complexity and prescribed precision requirement. It is thus indicated that the proposed MINLP‐based solution framework, which could automatically guide the optimal ECM construction procedure, can be greatly helpful to both SOC estimation and SOH monitoring for LIBs. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 78–89, 2016
Defect engineering in semiconducting oxides: Control of ZnO surface potential via temperature and oxygen pressure
Authors: Li Ming , Seebauer Edmund G.
Published: September 2015

The technological usefulness of a semiconductor often depends on the types, concentrations, charges, spatial distributions, and mobilities of the atomic‐scale defects it contains. For semiconducting metal oxides, defect engineering is relatively new and involves complex transport and reaction networks. Surface‐based methods hold special promise in nanostructures where surface‐to‐volume ratios are high. This work uses photoreflectance augmented by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy to show that the surface potential VS for Zn‐terminated ZnO(0001) can be manipulated over a significant range 54.97–79.08 kJ/mol (0.57–0.82 eV) via temperature and the partial pressure of O2. A defect transport model implies this variation in VS should affect the injection rate of oxygen interstitials by a factor of three. Such injection plays an important role in controlling the concentrations of oxygen vacancies deep in the bulk, which often prove troublesome as trapping centers in photocatalysis and photovoltaics and as parasitic emitters in light‐emitting devices. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 62: 500–507, 2016
Identification of disrupted AUTS2 and EPHA6 genes by array painting in a patient carrying a de novo balanced translocation t(3;7) with intellectual disability and neurodevelopment disorder
Authors: Schneider Anouck , Puechberty Jacques , Ng Bee Ling , Coubes Christine , Gatinois Vincent , Tournaire Magali , Girard Manon , Dumont Bruno , Bouret Pauline , Magnetto Julia , Baghdadli Amaria , Pellestor Franck , Geneviève David
Published: September 2015

Intellectual disability (ID) is a frequent feature but is highly clinically and genetically heterogeneous. The establishment of the precise diagnosis in patients with ID is challenging due to this heterogeneity but crucial for genetic counseling and appropriate care for the patients. Among the etiologies of patients with ID, apparently balanced de novo rearrangements represent 0.6%. Several mechanisms explain the ID in patients with apparently balanced de novo rearrangement. Among them, disruption of a disease gene at the breakpoint, is frequently evoked. In this context, technologies recently developed are used to characterize precisely such chromosomal rearrangements. Here, we report the case of a boy with ID, facial features and autistic behavior who is carrying a de novo balanced reciprocal translocation t(3;7)(q11.2;q11.22)dn. Using microarray analysis, array painting (AP) technology combined with molecular study, we have identified the interruption of the autism susceptibility candidate 2 gene (AUTS2) and EPH receptor A6 gene (EPHA6). We consider that the disruption of AUTS2 explains the phenotype of the patient; the exact role of EPHA6 in human pathology is not well defined. Based on the observation of recurrent germinal and somatic translocations involving AUTS2 and the molecular environment content, we put forward the hypothesis that the likely chromosomal mechanism responsible for the translocation could be due either to replicative stress or to recombination‐based mechanisms. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Asthma Patient Education: Partnership in Care
Authors: Brown Randall
Published: September 2015

Background

Asthma education is a necessary and critical component of asthma management.

Methods

A review of the most‐to‐date global and national (US) guidelines and standards provides the basis for this concise asthma education primer.

Results

Effective asthma education that yields enhanced long‐term health outcomes is accomplished by the proper patient‐specific knowledge and behavior change tools. Communication technique (quality) as well as asthma education content (quantity) should receive recurrent assessment by all healthcare team members.

Conclusion

Asthma education delivery can be easily planned for and routinely delivered, keeping the shared goals of patient and healthcare team in mind.