Common and specific process factors in cardiac rehabilitation: Independent and interactive effects of the working alliance and self-efficacy.

Objective: Therapeutic processes in cardiac rehabilitation programs are virtually unexamined. Models were tested by which changes in the working alliance between patient and staff (agreement on goals/tasks; emotional bond) may affect outcomes in conjunction with changes in patient self-efficacy to change their diets and increase exercise. Design: Cardiac patients (n = 79) participated in a 12-week program, and completed assessments at early, mid, and late treatment. Main Outcome Measures: Changes in cardiac depression, physical health, perceived exertion during exercise, rate/pressure product at submaximal exercise tolerance, weight loss, return to work, total fat intake. Results: Early-treatment changes in agreement on goals/tasks were related to changes in psychosocial factors and perceived exertion during exercise independent of effects of changes in self-efficacy. Early-treatment changes in goals/tasks and self-efficacy interacted to predict changes in cardiorespiratory fitness, weight loss, and return to work such that patients high on both goals/tasks and self-efficacy showed the most gains. Conclusion: Sound therapeutic relationships between patients and staff may play an important role in facilitating the achievement of a wide-range of salutary outcomes during cardiac rehabilitation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Direct-drive induction motors: using an induction motor as an alternative to a motor with reducer

This article presents the performance and size comparisons of direct-drive induction motors with gearbox-driven systems. Three different low-speed applications with output speeds to the driven equipment ranging from 300-600 r/min is reviewed. In addition, permanent-magnet (PM) motor advantages and disadvantages are also discussed.     

Motor primer. II

In recent years, much has been written about applying motors with variable-speed drives, high-speed rigid-shaft motors, the impact of API Standard 541 on motors, motor diagnostics and much more. Most of these papers and articles assume that the reader has significant knowledge of motor theory and operation. However, this assumption is overly optimistic, considering that few, if any, colleges teach motor theory today and that application experience at motor user locations has been significantly reduced in recent years. This paper is the second of a series of papers on motor basics. The authors present motor theory and application information with an extensive reference list that will help engineers understand such questions as: why do motors make pulsating noises? This paper will also serve as a valuable reference for those who use or purchase motors.     

Extruded versus solvent cast blends of poly(vinyl alcohol‐co‐ethylene) and biopolymers isolated from municipal biowaste

Water‐soluble biopolymers (SBO) were isolated from the alkaline hydrolysate of two materials sampled from an urban waste treatment plant; that is, an anaerobic fermentation digestate and a compost. The digestate biopolymers contained more lipophilic and aliphatic C, and less acidic functional groups than the compost biopolymers. The SBO were blended with poly (vinyl alcohol‐co‐ethylene), hereinafter EVOH. The blends were extruded and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography (SEC)– multi angle static light scattering (MALS) analysis, and for their thermal, rheological, and mechanical properties. The blends behavior depended on the type of SBO and its relative content. Evidence was obtained for a condensation reaction occurring between the EVOH and SBO. The best results were obtained with the blends containing up to 10% SBO isolated from the biowaste anaerobic digestate. Compared with the neat EVOH, these blends exhibited lower melt viscosity and no significant or great difference in mechanical properties. The results on the extrudates, compared with those previously obtained on the same blends obtained by solvent casting, indicate that the blends properties depend strongly also on the processing technology. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2016 , 133, 43009.     

Process and Outcome in Cardiac Rehabilitation: An Examination of Cross-Lagged Effects.

Cardiac rehabilitation patients improve cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life, yet therapeutic processes that produce these changes remain unknown. A cross-lagged panel design was used to determine whether early-treatment enhancement of self-efficacy regarding abilities to change diet and exercise habits and the quality of the patient-staff working alliance predicted late-treatment changes in a wide range of outcomes, but not vice versa. Eighty cardiac patients participating in a 12-week program completed measures at early, mid- and late treatment. Early-treatment changes in exercise self-efficacy predicted late-treatment changes in activity level, depression, and working alliance, but not vice versa. Diet self-efficacy changes correlated with concurrent changes in fat intake and body weight. Early-treatment changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and activity level predicted late-treatment changes in working alliance, but not vice versa. Findings suggest that increased exercise self-efficacy represents an important therapeutic mechanism by which rehabilitation gains are realized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Production of fiberboards from shives collected after continuous fiber mechanical extraction from oleaginous flax

In this study, fiberboards were produced from shives collected after continuous fiber mechanical extraction from oleaginous flax straw. Fiberboards were produced through thermo-pressing, and their mechanical and thermomechanical properties were studied, as well as their water resistance. The influence of two pretreatments for shives and lignin addition was investigated on the different properties. Boards obtained were all cohesive hardboards. The optimal board was obtained from fibers extruded from the shives and without addition of any supplementary lignin amount. Looking at its characteristics and standard NF EN 312, the latter perfectly complied with the requirements for type P1 boards, i.e., boards for general uses in dry conditions.     

Induction versus permanent magnet motors

It is clear that a premium will continue to be placed on energy efficiency in motors. The circumstances around global warming and the availability of future oil supplies only increase the focus on electric motors as key elements in the efficient utilization of energy resources. PMs offer an important tool in the quest for cost-effective ways to further increase motor efficiencies. The characteristics of PM motors are sufficiently distinct from that of induction motors that users need to understand their operation to ensure successful applications. The nonsalient PM rotor construction provides high efficiency and high-torque density, whereas the salient pole construction offers some distinct advantages, especially with regard to system issues. Full flexibility to use other than 50 or 60 Hz base frequencies to further optimize performance obviously requires application with an inverter. Once the decision is made to use an inverter, the variable-frequency degree of freedom, with regard to pole selection, works in favor of the PM motor design. The improving performance to cost relationship of PM materials is getting to the point where the increased power density of the PM motor can be large enough to offset the cost of the magnets. While the authors would not suggest that PM motors are going to replace the widespread usage of induction motors, the PM motors provide an interesting alternative, especially in the case where an inverter is to be used in the application. It is for those inverter-fed applications that the first usage is expected in the pulp and paper industry.     

Efficient Near‐Infrared Light‐Emitting Diodes based on In(Zn)As–In(Zn)P–GaP–ZnS Quantum Dots

Near‐infrared (NIR) lighting plays an increasingly important role in new facial recognition technologies and eye‐tracking devices, where covert and nonvisible illumination is needed. In particular, mobile or wearable gadgets that employ these technologies require electronic lighting components with ultrathin and flexible form factors that are currently unfulfilled by conventional GaAs‐based diodes. Colloidal quantum dots (QDs) and emerging perovskite light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) may fill this gap, but generally employ restricted heavy metals such as cadmium or lead. Here, a new NIR‐emitting diode based on heavy‐metal‐free In(Zn)As–In(Zn)P–GaP–ZnS quantum dots is reported. The quantum dots are prepared with a giant shell structure, enabled by a continuous injection synthesis approach, and display intense photoluminescence at 850 nm with a high quantum efficiency of 75%. A postsynthetic ligand exchange to a shorter‐chain 1‐mercapto‐6‐hexanol (MCH) affords the QDs with processability in polar solvents as well as an enhanced charge‐transport performance in electronic devices. Using solution‐processing methods, an ITO/ZnO/PEIE/QD/Poly‐TPD/MoO₃/Al electroluminescent device is fabricated and a high external quantum efficiency of 4.6% and a maximum radiance of 8.2 W sr^?1 m^?2 are achieved. This represents a significant leap in performance for NIR devices employing a colloidal III–V semiconductor QD system, and may find significant applications in emerging consumer electronic products.     

Extraction of Coriander Oil Using Twin‐Screw Extrusion: Feasibility Study and Potential Press Cake Applications

This study presents an assessment of the vegetable oil extraction from coriander fruits through mechanical pressing, more specifically twin‐screw extrusion. This comprises an evaluation of the oil recovery obtained and its respective quality, as well as the specific mechanical energy, representing an economical point of view. With regard to the extrusion optimization, the screw configuration, the device's filling coefficient and the pressing temperature were varied. The screw configuration was shown to exhibit a key influence on the extraction efficiency and oil recoveries of at least 40 % were reached when the pressing zone was positioned immediately after the filter and consisted of 50 mm long, reverse screws with a ‐33 mm pitch. Furthermore, with a device's filling coefficient of 39.4 g/h rpm and a pressing temperature of 120 °C, an oil recovery of 47 %, the highest of this study, was reached with concurrent low energy consumption. Next to this, operating parameters of 47.1 g/h rpm and 80 °C resulted in the production of a press cake with the lowest residual oil content (15 %) in this study, although this also involved a significant increase in the filtrate's foot content. All the produced oils were of acceptable quality (<1.5 % acidity), showed high petroselinic acid content (73 %), and were pleasantly scented.