Development of the Motivational Interviewing Supervision and Training Scale

The movement to use empirically supported treatments has increased the need for researchers and supervisors to evaluate therapists’ adherence to and the quality with which they implement those interventions. Few empirically supported approaches exist for providing these types of evaluations. This is also true for motivational interviewing, an empirically supported intervention important in the addictions field. This study describes the development and psychometric evaluation of the Motivational Interviewing Supervision and Training Scale (MISTS), a measure intended for use in training and supervising therapists implementing motivational interviewing. Satisfactory interrater reliability was found (generalizability coefficient p2 = .79), and evidence was found supporting the convergent and discriminant validity of the MISTS. Recommendations for refinement of the measure and future research are discussed

Strawberry-Flavored Baits for Pharmaceutical Delivery to Feral Swine

More effective methods to control feral swine (Sus scrofa) damage are needed. We evaluated 8 oral delivery systems designed to deliver pharmaceuticals to feral swine on 2 properties in southern Texas, USA. We used modified PIGOUT feral pig bait (Animal Control Technologies Australia P/L, Somerton, Victoria, Australia) throughout our trials to compare species-specific visitation and removal rates. Given our consistent finding of high non-target removal of baits intended for feral swine, we question whether a swine-specific oral delivery system exists for this region

The Impact Of Merit Pay On Teaching And Research Outcomes Of Accounting Programs

Basing the compensation of accounting professors on merit pay in order to encourage better teaching, research and service is controversial. This study uses data from a survey of the 852 accounting programs in the United States to empirically examine the influence of merit-based salary plans. Findings indicate a strong positive association between the presence of a merit plan at a school and the quality of the school’s research outcomes. However, no association was found between the presence of a merit program at a school and the school’s teaching outcomes

Efficacy Of The Boar-Operated-System To Deliver Baits To Feral Swine.

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) pose a significant disease threat to livestock and humans. Emerging technologies to reduce feral swine disease transmission risks include fertility control, vaccination, and toxicants. However, for these technologies to be appropriate for field application, a feral swine-specific oral delivery system is needed. We used two field trials to generate information related to appropriate field application of the Boar-Operated-System (BOSTM), an oral delivery system designed to provide bait access only to feral swine. Our objectives were to determine whether pre-baiting BOSTM units increased bait removal and to evaluate the proportion of feral swine and non-target animals that ingest baits designed to deliver pharmaceuticals through the BOSTM. During both trials we used baits housed within 10 BOSTM units.Wemonitored wildlife visitation, bait removal, and ingestion using motion sensing digital photography and baits containing the bait marker tetracycline hydrochloride (TH). During trial 1 we found three of five pre-baited BOSTM units were used by feral swine only. Additionally, we found the five BOSTM units that were not pre-baited were not used by feral swine or non-target wildlife. During trial 2 we determined bait removal from the BOSTM to be reduced by only 10% for feral swine when activated, whereas bait removal from the BOSTM by all other wildlife was reduced by 100% when activated. We captured 81 feral swine and 23 raccoons and found 90% and 13% to have TH-marked teeth, respectively. With minor modifications, the BOSTM should be considered a valuable tool to be used in feral swine disease management in conjunction with existing technologies

Experimental Investigation of the NASA Common Research Model with a Natural Laminar Flow Wing in the NASA Langley National Transonic Facility

A test of the new NASA Common Research Model with a Natural Laminar Flow (CRMNLF) semispan wing in the NASA Langley National Transonic Facility (NTF) was completed in October 2018. The main focus of this test was the evaluation of the extent of laminar flow on the CRM-NLF wing at various Reynolds numbers and test conditions. During this test, data were acquired at chord Reynolds numbers from 10 to 30 million and at Mach numbers ranging from 0.84 to 0.86. This investigation provided valuable insight into the necessary procedures for laminar flow testing in the NTF. It also significantly advanced the new carbonbased heating layer technique to improve the quality of transition visualization data from temperature sensitive paint (TSP) in a cryogenic wind tunnel

Cohesin cleavage by separase is enhanced by a substrate motif distinct from the cleavage site.

Chromosome segregation begins when the cysteine protease, separase, cleaves the Scc1 subunit of cohesin at the metaphase-to-anaphase transition. Separase is inhibited prior to metaphase by the tightly bound securin protein, which contains a pseudosubstrate motif that blocks the separase active site. To investigate separase substrate specificity and regulation, here we develop a system for producing recombinant, securin-free human separase. Using this enzyme, we identify an LPE motif on the Scc1 substrate that is distinct from the cleavage site and is required for rapid and specific substrate cleavage. Securin also contains a conserved LPE motif, and we provide evidence that this sequence blocks separase engagement of the Scc1 LPE motif. Our results suggest that rapid cohesin cleavage by separase requires a substrate docking interaction outside the active site. This interaction is blocked by securin, providing a second mechanism by which securin inhibits cohesin cleavage

Predicting Retail Company Bankruptcies in the Era of COVID

Trade journals and the popular press have suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a second “retail apocalypse.” The current study tests whether pre-pandemic data can be used to predict COVID-19 retail firm bankruptcies using a chaos-based model. This study successfully uses a chaos statistic calculated from stock market time-series returns for pair-match retail firms prior to the pandemic to predict bankruptcies occurring shortly afterwards

Predicting COVID-19 Related Corporate Bankruptcies Prior to the Pandemic

In a previous study, it was shown that firms approaching bankruptcy exhibited less chaos than pair match firms based on their SIC (standard industry classification) code that did not enter bankruptcy. Chaos can be used to compare systems as quantified by calculating the Lyapunov exponent. In this study, the exponent was calculated using time series of daily stock market returns. Given that unhealthy systems display less chaos than healthy systems, bankruptcy is considered in this study as an expression of an unhealthy system. The sudden emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic placed firms under stress. This study successfully uses the Lyapunov exponents calculated for pair match firms based on the newer NAICS (North American Industry Classification System) code prior to the emergence of the pandemic to predict bankruptcies occurring shortly afterwards