cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discrete element modeling of shock compression of hexagonal boron nitride powder with and without copper addition

Abstract A multi-physics, discrete element computer code called DM2 was used to model shock compression of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) powder at the particle level. Included in this analysis are an anisotropic property of powder grains and heat conduction between hBN and copper particles. Results confirm the earlier observations that the effects of copper are to increase shock pressure and to act as a heat sink to cool BN grains. But, the simulation also reveals that the shock processing at the particle level is far more complex than those suggested in the literature and that the interpretation of process parameters based on macroscopic conditions requires caution.
Metal Industry Supply Chain Buyback Contract Coordination and Income Distribution Based on Trade Credit

This paper considers a metal industry supply chain consisting of one supplier and one retailer. When the supplier offers the trade credit to the retailer, their target profit and the supply chains profit will change. We develop the metal industry supply chains trade credit-based buyback contract model and analyze the buyback based on trade credits mechanism for improving the entire metal industry supply chain operational performance and for distributing the profit. We also derive the optimal contract parameters for the metal industry supply chain coordination and the conditions for profits rational allocation. Finally, a numerical example illustrates the conclusions.
Vaginal ultrasonographic assessment of cervical length changes during normal pregnancy

Summary We measured the cervical length of 166 normal, gravid patients between 8 and 37 weeks' gestation by vaginal ultrasonography. Patients were assigned to one of five groups according to gestational age at the time of the measurements. Cervical length was longest (48 mm) in group 3 (20 to 25 weeks) and significantly longer than that of groups 1 (8 to 13 weeks), 2 (14 to 19 weeks), and 5 (32 to 37 weeks). The use of vaginal ultrasonography to assess cervical length eliminates some technical problems encountered with abdominal ultrasonography. Nomogram of cervical length throughout pregnancy was established. This may aid in early diagnosis and management of preterm labor and cervical incompetence. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1990;162:991-3.)
The Virtuous Influence of Ethical Leadership Behavior: Evidence from the Field

This study examines a moderated/mediated model of ethical leadership on follower job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment. We proposed that managers have the potential to be agents of virtue or vice within organizations. Specifically, through ethical leadership behavior we argued that managers can virtuously influence perceptions of ethical climate, which in turn will positively impact organizational members’ flourishing as measured by job satisfaction and affective commitment to the organization. We also hypothesized that perceptions of interactional justice would moderate the ethical leadership-to-climate relationship. Our results indicate that ethical leadership has both a direct and indirect influence on follower job satisfaction and affective commitment. The indirect effect of ethical leadership involves shaping perceptions of ethical climate, which in turn, engender greater job satisfaction and affective organizational commitment. Furthermore, when interactional justice is perceived to be high, this strengthens the ethical leadership-to-climate relationship.
Increasing destructiveness of tropical cyclones over the past 30 years

Theory and modelling predict that hurricane intensity should increase with increasing global mean temperatures, but work on the detection of trends in hurricane activity has focused mostly on their frequency and shows no trend. Here I define an index of the potential destructiveness of hurricanes based on the total dissipation of power, integrated over the lifetime of the cyclone, and show that this index has increased markedly since the mid-1970s. This trend is due to both longer storm lifetimes and greater storm intensities. I find that the record of net hurricane power dissipation is highly correlated with tropical sea surface temperature, reflecting well-documented climate signals, including multi-decadal oscillations in the North Atlantic and North Pacific, and global warming. My results suggest that future warming may lead to an upward trend in tropical cyclone destructive potential, and--taking into account an increasing coastal population--a substantial increase in hurricane-related losses in the twenty-first century.
Microbial decomposition of ferulic acid in soil

The suppression of plant growth by different phenolic acids is well known. This work was designed to determine if ferulic acid, a known phenolic inhibitor of plant growth, accumulates in the soil and if soil microorganisms could be isolated that metabolize it. Over 99% of the extractable ferulic acid was lost from decaying hackberry leaves in 300 days. During this time the amount in the top 15 cm of soil remained fairly constant at about 30 ppm, except for the March sample which was significantly higher than the rest. Addition of ferulic acid to soil caused an increase in CO2 evolution and in numbers of a select group of microorganisms.Rhodotorula rubra andCepnalosporium curtipes, which actively metabolize ferulic acid, were isolated, but the metabolic pathways employed appear to be different from the reported one. The reported pathway for ferulic acid breakdown is ferulic acid to vanillic acid to protocatechuic acid to β-keto-adipic acid.Rhodotorula Rubra was found to convert ferulic acid to vanillic acid, but no evidence was found for utilization of the rest of the pathway.Cephalosporium curtipes appears to use a different pathway or to metabolize intermediate compounds rapidly without accumulating them, because no phenolic compounds were found during the breakdown of ferulic acid. The presence in the soil of microorganisms that metabolize ferulic acid and other phenolic acids is ecologically significant because such organisms prevent long-term accumulations of these substances, which are toxic to many other microorganisms and higher plants.
Marxism and religion

A brief overview of Marx's account of religion is followed by a consideration of a conception of liberation—a notion shared by marxists and adherents of religious traditions alike—that is substanti...
Ab initio analysis of silyl precursor physisorption and hydrogen abstraction during low temperature silicon deposition

Abstract The energetics of silyl (SiH 3 ) precursor surface adsorption and hydrogen abstraction on a monohydride terminated silicon surface are described. The abstraction of surface hydrogen by H radicals is more exothermic, and proceeds with a smaller kinetic barrier than H abstraction by silyl. Surface adsorption and abstraction were analyzed using both multi-parent configuration interaction (CI) and several density functional approaches using the Si 4 H 10 cluster representing a monohydride terminated silicon (1 1 1) surfaces, and results from the two techniques are critically compared and evaluated. Hydrogen abstraction by H is found to proceed through a kinetic barrier that is between 0 kcal/mol predicted by DFT and 7.2 kcal/mol determined from CI, consistent with experimental values of ∼2 kcal/mol. The barrier height for H abstraction by silyl (without zero point and H tunneling corrections) is determined to be between 4.1 kcal/mol calculated using DFT, and 14.2 kcal/mol determined from the multi-parent CI. These calculations indicate that during typical low temperature silicon deposition processes, H abstraction by impinging hydrogen atoms dominates H abstraction by SiH 3 and plays an important role in creation of surface dangling bonds. None of the Si–H/silyl potential energy surfaces obtained from CI and DFT methods show evidence for stable physisorbed three-center Si–H–(SiH 3 ) p bond, which is commonly presumed in several models of silicon thin film deposition. We discuss these results in relation to experimental analysis of surface diffusion kinetics in film deposition, and suggest alternate growth models, including H-mediated Si–Si bond breaking and/or direct silyl insertion, to describe activated low temperature silicon-based film deposition.
Photocatalytic degradation of phthalic acid on TiO2 nanoparticles

Abstract The photocatalytic oxidation of phthalic acid was studied in aerated sols of TiO 2 nanoparticles under monochromatic irradiation at pH=4.25. We report initial quantum efficiencies for phthalate degradation, Φ PHT 0 , as a function of phthalate concentration and quantitative yields of the primary products. Formation rates of the hydroxyl radical adduct (DMPO-OH) from the spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline- N -oxide (DMPO) were determined at various initial concentrations of phthalate. Kinetic analysis of the spin-trapping experiments indicates that phthalate is oxidized by a dual hole-radical mechanism. The effect of added phosphate on phthalate photocatalytic degradation is examined in detail. Dark-adsorption of phthalate on TiO 2 particles is significantly inhibited by the presence of phosphate, however, Φ PHT 0 is almost independent of phosphate concentration.
Multisite Exploration of Clinical Decision Making for Antibiotic Use by Emergency Medicine Providers Using Quantitative and Qualitative Methods

Objectives. To explore current practices and decision making regarding antimicrobial prescribing among emergency department (ED) clinical providers. Methods We conducted a survey of ED providers recruited from 8 sites in 3 cities. Using purposeful sampling, we then recruited 21 providers for in-depth interviews. Additionally, we observed 10 patient-provider interactions at one of the ED sites. SAS 9.3 was used for descriptive and predictive statistics. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic, constructivist approach with consensus coding using NVivo 10.0. Field and interview notes collected during the observational study were aligned with themes identified through individual interviews. Results Of 150 survey respondents, 76% agreed or strongly agreed that antibiotics are overused in the ED, while half believed they personally did not overprescribe. Eighty-nine percent used a smartphone or tablet in the ED for antibiotic prescribing decisions. Several significant differences were found between attending and resident physicians. Interview analysis identified 42 codes aggregated into the following themes: (1) resource and environmental factors that affect care; (2) access to and quality of care received outside of the ED consult; (3) patient-provider relationships; (4) clinical inertia; and (5) local knowledge generation. The observational study revealed limited patient understanding of antibiotic use. Providers relied heavily upon diagnostics and provided limited education to patients. Most patients denied a priori expectations of being prescribed antibiotics. Conclusions Patient, provider, and healthcare system factors should be considered when designing interventions to improve antimicrobial stewardship in the ED setting. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2014;35(9):1114-1125
Can the combination of calcium and parathormone levels above k/doqi guidelines be used as a marker of adynamic bone disease in African Americans?

Background Patients of African American descent are at risk for the development of adynamic bone disease at parathyroid hormone levels 50% above the K/DOQI guidelines. Since a low bone formation rate is associated with hypercalcemia, attempts to reach one K/DOQI guideline may result in serum calcium levels above another K/DOQI guideline. Calcium levels above K/DOQI guidelines therefore may signal a need to stop parathyroid suppression.
Authenticating Feedback in Multicast Applications Using a Novel Multisignature Scheme Based on Cubic LFSR Sequences

The problem of authenticating feedback in overlay multicast applications has only recently been highlighted by the network security research community. The multicast source needs to verify all individual signatures on the acknowledgements (Acks) that it receives from the intended receivers - the funnelling of traffic causes, what we call the signed-Ack implosion problem. In this paper, we propose an efficient and scalable technique to solve this problem. First, we present a novel third-order linear feedback shift register (LFSR) sequence-based, 2-party signature scheme CLFSR-S following a well-known variant of the generalized ElGamal signature scheme. Second, we construct an efficient, single round, tree-based multisignature scheme CLFSR-MS (also the first multisignature based on LFSR sequences) using CLFSR-S. The CLFSR-MS scheme has been engineered to be the most efficient and scalable, tree- based multisignature scheme (owing to the unique construction/signature format of CLFSR-S) designed to solve the signed-Ack implosion problem in reliable, large-scale, performance sensitive multicast applications. We perform a theoretical analysis including correctness and security of CLFSR-MS and also present a performance (computation and communication costs, storage overhead) comparison of the proposed scheme with existing schemes.
Development of a Coupled Regional Model and Its Application to the Study of Interactions between the West African Monsoon and the Eastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean

Abstract A regional ocean–atmosphere coupled model is developed for climate variability and change studies. The model allows dynamic and thermodynamic interactions between the atmospheric boundary layer and an ocean mixed layer with spatially and seasonally varying depth prescribed from observations. The model reproduces the West African monsoon circulation as well as aspects of observed seasonal SST variations in the tropical Atlantic. The model is used to identify various mechanisms that couple the West African monsoon circulation with eastern Atlantic SSTs. By reducing wind speeds and suppressing evaporation, the northward migration of the ITCZ off the west coast of Africa contributes to the modeled spring SST increases. During this period, the westerly monsoon flow is expanded farther westward and moisture transport on to the continent is enhanced. Near the end of the summer, upwelling associated with this enhanced westerly flow as well as the solar cycle lead to the seasonal cooling of the SSTs. Over...
Regulation of muscarinic receptors in hippocampus following cholinergic denervation and reinnervation by septal and striatal transplants

The regulation of hippocampal muscarinic M1 and M2 receptors was studied by autoradiographic methods following cholinergic denervation and reinnervation from embryonic septal transplant. In young adult male rats the density of M1 sites, labeled either with 3H-pirenzepine (PZ) or 3H-N-methylscopolamine (NMS, in the presence of excess carbachol), exceeded by 4- to 5-fold the density of M2 sites, labeled with 3H-NMS in the presence of excess PZ. Both receptors appeared to be densest in hippocampal regions lowest in acetylcholinesterase or 3H-hemicholinium-3 binding. The distribution of M1 receptors did differ from the distribution of M2 receptors within subregions of the hippocampus. Along the mediolateral axis from the subiculum to the lateral CA 1, the density of M1 receptors is uniform, but the density of M2 receptors decreases. Also apparent is the relatively small difference in density between the CA1 and dentate gyrus for M1 receptors but a significantly greater difference for M2 receptors. However, the response of M1 and M2 receptors to long-term cholinergic denervation following fimbriafornix transection of the septal cholinergic input and to cholinergic innervation by embryonic septal transplants was similar. Long-term denervation (40-60 d) resulted in a 30-60% increase in both M1 and M2 receptors within regions of the hippocampal formation. Receptor levels were reduced to normal in regions innervated by septal transplants. For both receptors, the changes in the density of sites were due to alterations in the Bmax and not the Kd for the radioligands. The specificity of this regulation is supported by the evidence that (1) the degree and topography of the normalization of muscarinic receptor density was entirely dependent on the degree and pattern of cholinergic reinnervation by the fibers of the septal transplant, (2) cholinergic fiber reinnervation by embryonic striatal grafts also down-regulated the density of M1 and M2 receptors, and (3) successfully surviving transplants (e.g., cerebellar and striatal) that did not provide innervation to the hippocampus did not induce down-regulation of muscarinic receptors. Changes in the density of sites were not related to changes in the width of the hippocampus following denervation and reinnervation. The data support the view that the majority of M1 and M2 receptors are located postsynaptically on neurons within the hippocampus and not presynaptically on cholinergic fibers.
The impact of internal phosphorus loading on the restoration of Trout lake

The accelerated eutrophication of many lakes by society is a problem of increasing concern. The increase in photosynthetic productivity may decrease water clarity, alter dissolved oxygen profiles, and decrease the aesthetic value of a lake. For those lakes which possess high levels of water quality, the need for lake management arises. The first step in developing management techniques for any lake is to collect baseline data—primarily measurements of temperature, dissolved oxygen, transparency, and calculation of a lake's morphometric parameters. Beaulac, Reckhow, and Simpson (1980) [1] indicate that the analysis of lake water nutrient concentration (phosphorus/nitrogen) and calculation of annual nutrient budgets are important additions to baseline data. By studying a lake and its watershed, relationships fundamental to the development of lake prediction models may be determined which operate as a function of nutrient–related parameters such as the areal phosphorus and water loading to a lake. Quantitative changes in phosphorus loading can be interpreted to provide changes in lake water phosphorus concentration and subsequently trophic status. Predictions made through the use of such models serve as a basis for management decisions.
An Organizational Perspective of Distributed Leadership: A Portrait of a Middle School.

Interest in the concept of distributed leadership has increased as evidenced in the recent literature. While there has been much discussion, there has been scant empirical evidence of distributed l...
Isotopic insights into microbial sulfur cycling in oil reservoirs

Microbial sulfate reduction in oil reservoirs (biosouring) is often associated with secondary oil production where seawater containing high sulfate concentrations (~28 mM) is injected into a reservoir to maintain pressure and displace oil. The sulfide generated from biosouring can cause corrosion of infrastructure, health exposure risks, and higher production costs. Isotope monitoring is a promising approach for understanding microbial sulfur cycling in reservoirs, enabling early detection of biosouring, and understanding the impact of souring. Microbial sulfate reduction is known to result in large shifts in the sulfur and oxygen isotope compositions of the residual sulfate, which can be distinguished from other processes that may be occurring in oil reservoirs, such as precipitation of sulfate and sulfide minerals. Key to the success of this method is using the appropriate isotopic fractionation factors for the conditions and processes being monitored. For a set of batch incubation experiments using a mixed microbial culture with crude oil as the electron donor, we measured a sulfur fractionation factor for sulfate reduction of −30‰. We have incorporated this result into a simplified 1D reservoir reactive transport model to highlight how isotopes can help discriminate between biotic and abiotic processes affecting sulfate and sulfide concentrations. Modeling results suggest that monitoring sulfate isotopes can provide an early indication of souring for reservoirs with reactive iron minerals that can remove the produced sulfide, especially when sulfate reduction occurs in the mixing zone between formation waters (FW) containing elevated concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and injection water (IW) containing elevated sulfate. In addition, we examine the role of reservoir thermal, geochemical, hydrological, operational and microbiological conditions in determining microbial souring dynamics and hence the anticipated isotopic signatures.
Thematic analysis of hip-hop music: Can hip-hop in therapy facilitate empathic connections when working with clients in urban settings?

Abstract The purpose of this article is to offer readers and clinicians a general understanding of the relevance of hip-hop in social work and empowerment practice with many clients of ethnic and cultural backgrounds who are from urban settings. The type of analysis proposed here is interpretative and the particular segments of songs explored in this paper were chosen based on both authors’ experiences working with clients who relate to rap music, are mainly of ethnic and cultural minorities and are from low-income neighborhoods. We propose using rap lyrics as the impetus for the therapeutic dialogue and the facilitation of empathic connections between clients and therapists. In practice, it is not the subjective perception of the lyrics that is important, but the client's personal response to these lyrics. Using this type of analysis with clients in treatment could aid in “breaking the ice,” encouraging the client to engage in projective narration and helping the therapist establish relevant, client-centered treatment goals. In this way, analysis of rap lyrics in therapy could be used to deconstruct racial barriers and diffuse power dynamics between the therapist and the client, leading to a more client-centered focus and expediting the formation of the therapeutic alliance. Several examples of rap lyrics and their interpretative value to treatment are presented and future directions in research and practice are discussed.
Balanced stream assignment for service facility

Shared data centers and clouds are gaining popularity because of their ability to reduce costs by increasing the utilization of server farms. In a shared server environment, a careful assignment of workload streams (all work-requests from a customer may constitute a stream) to servers is necessary to ensure good “end user” performance. In this work, we investigate the assignment of streams to servers in order to minimize an objective function, while ensuring that load is balanced across all the servers. The objective functions we optimize in this work include the overall expected waiting-time, overall probability of the wait exceeding a given value, and weighted versions of these measures. We obtain the optimal algorithm for a farm with 2 servers, if sharing of streams among servers is allowed. Based on the insights obtained, we design an efficient algorithm for the multiserver case. By rounding off this solution, we obtain a solution to the case where sharing of streams is not allowed. Our trace-driven evaluation study shows that our algorithms significantly outperform baseline methods. Our work enables high performance for web hosting services as well as emerging Application as a Service (AaaS) clouds. We also show that solutions in areas such as task-level scheduling and file assignment fall within our framework.
A surface acoustic wave (SAW) probe for the thermomechanical characterization of selected polymers

Specially designed surface acoustic wave devices may be used to examine the physical characteristics of the surfaces of thin polymer samples. Both cast films and thin film samples may be employed. The devices uniquely offer an opportunity to study: (1) very thin films, (2) surface-segregated materials, (3) the effect of diffusion of vapor into the surface region, and (4) simultaneous measurements of exterior surfaces of laminates. No special sample preparation is required. The Tg, Tm, T(alpha-c), and beta transitions observed agree with values taken with more complex, time-consuming apparatus.
A Qualitative Investigation of African Americans' Decision to Pursue Computing Science Degrees: Implications for Cultivating Career Choice and Aspiration

According to Pearson (2002), minority groups are not well represented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) occupations. Among these underrepresented groups are African Americans. To ensure the economic vitality of the STEM workforce in the United States, it is imperative to broaden participation in STEM-related fields and computing sciences in particular (J. F. L. Jackson, Charleston, George, & Gilbert, in press; Moore, 2006; Pearson, 2002). Using the method of grounded theory, the author illuminates the experiences of African American computing aspirants at various levels of academic status (bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD levels). In doing so, this study identifies the key factors that contribute to study participants’ successful pursuit of computing science degrees, thereby pointing toward implications for cultivating occupational choice and career aspirations. Study results include a heuristic model for broadening computing participation.
The Diabetes Assertiveness Test: A Measure of Social Coping Skills in Pre-Adolescent Diabetics

A number of investigators have suggested that preadolescent insulin-dependent diabetics have a higher level of psychological adjustment problems than their non-diabetic peers. In this paper:1. Social coping skill deficits are presented as a possible explanation for this phenomenon.2. The development of a social coping skill tool, the Diabetes Assertiveness Test, is discussed.3. Preliminary data suggesting social coping skills training as an adjunct to medical treatment is presented.4. Lastly, the implications that social skills training raise in the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes are discussed.
Molecular and Functional Characterization of Two Novel Human C-C Chemokines as Inhibitors of Two Distinct Classes of Myeloid Progenitors

Two novel human β-chemokines, Ckβ-8 or myeloid progenitor inhibitory factor 1 (MPIF-1), and Ckβ-6 or MPIF-2, were discovered as part of a large scale cDNA sequencing effort. The MPIF-1 and MPIF-2 cDNAs were isolated from aortic endothelium and activated monocyte libraries, respectively. Both of the cDNAs were cloned into a baculovirus vector and expressed in insect cells. The mature recombinant MPIF-1 protein consists of 99 amino acids and is most homologous to macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, showing 51% identity. It displays chemotactic activity on resting T lymphocytes and monocytes, a minimal but significant activity on neutrophils, and is negative on activated T lymphocytes. MPIF-1 is also a potent suppressor of bone marrow low proliferative potential colony-forming cells, a committed progenitor that gives rise to granulocyte and monocyte lineages. The mature recombinant MPIF-2 has 93 amino acid residues and shows 39 and 42% identity with monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-3 and MIP-1α, respectively. It displays chemotactic activity on resting T lymphocytes, a minimal activity on neutrophils, and is negative on monocytes and activated T lymphocytes. On eosinophils, MPIF-2 produces a transient rise of cytosolic Ca2+ and uses the receptor for eotaxin and MCP-4. In hematopoietic assays, MPIF-2 strongly suppressed the colony formation by the high proliferative potential colony-forming cell (HPP-CFC), which represents a multipotential hematopoietic progenitor.
CURRENT CONTROVERSIES IN FEMINIST THEORY

▪ Abstract Over the past two decades, academic feminism has differentiated and fragmented substantially in light of a wide range of new approaches in theory. This overview and assessment of the wide, diverse, and changing field of feminist theory gives particular attention to contestations surrounding the political theorizing of gender, identity, and subjectivity. Three divergent and oppositional perspectives—difference feminism, diversity feminism, and deconstruction feminism—frame current discussions regarding the “construction” of the female subject; the nature of sexual difference; the relation between sex and gender; the intersection of gender, race, class, sexuality, etc.; and the significance of “women” as a political category in feminism. The problem of epistemic identification (locating or dislocating the female subject, analyzing gender difference, politicizing identity) is also a central element in the theorizing of feminist politics, multicultural citizenship, justice, power, and the democrati...
Testing the PHQ-9 Interview and Observational Versions (PHQ-9 OV) for MDS 3.0

Abstract Objectives To test the feasibility and validity of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item interview (PHQ-9) and the newly developed Patient Health Questionnaire Observational Version (PHQ-9 OV) for screening for mood disorder in nursing home populations. Methods The PHQ-9 was tested as part of the national Minimum Data Set 3.0 (MDS 3.0) evaluation study among 3822 residents scheduled for MDS 2.0 assessments. Residents from 71 community nursing homes (NHs) in eight states were randomly included in a feasibility sample (n = 3258) and a validation sample (n = 418). Each resident's ability to communicate determined whether the PHQ-9 interview or the PHQ-9 OV was initially attempted. In the validation sample, trained research nurses administered the instruments. For residents in the validation sample without severe cognitive impairment (3 MS ≥30) agreement between PHQ-9 and the modified Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (m-SADS) was measured with weighted kappas (κ). For residents with severe cognitive impairment (3MS Results The PHQ-9 was completed in 86% of the 3258 residents in the feasibility sample. In the validation sample, the agreement between PHQ-9 and m-SADS was very good (weighted κ = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.61–0.76), whereas agreement between MDS 2.0 and m-SADS was poor (weighted κ = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.06–0.25). Likewise, in residents with severe cognitive impairment, PHQ correlations with the criterion standard Cornell Scale were superior to the MDS 2.0 for both the PHQ-9 (0.63 vs 0.34) and the PHQ-9 OV (0.84 vs 0.28). Eighty-six percent of survey respondents reported that the PHQ-9 provided new insight into residents' mood. The average time for completing the PHQ-9 interview was 4 minutes. Discussion Compared with the MDS 2.0 observational items, the PHQ-9 interview had greater agreement with criterion standard diagnostic assessments. For residents who could not complete the interview, the PHQ-9 OV also had greater agreement with a criterion measure for depression than did the MDS 2.0 observational items. Moreover, the majority of NH residents were able to complete the PHQ-9, and most surveyed staff reported improved assessments with the new approach.
Collaborative system for signal processing education

In this paper we present a collaborative system designed to develop problem solving skills in learners through problem-centric exercises. This system is part of a data collection study consisting of hundreds of students which has been incorporated into the curriculum of a signal processing course. The purpose of this study is to examine a large population of students learning about DSP as they work through concept-specific problems. By tracking student problem-solving sessions, we aim to data mine the results to model student comprehension and characterize learning preferences.
Electrochemical Current Noise on Aluminum Microelectrodes

Irregular electrochemical current fluctuations on metals with protective oxide films, such as iron, aluminum, and stainless steel, can occur due to stochastic events associated with initiation, growth, or passivation of corrosion pits. In recent years, this electrochemical noise has been extensively studied on a number of metal and alloy systems. On stainless steel, transient bursts of current in chloride solutions have been shown to be caused by the growth and passivation of very small metastable pits at sulfide inclusions. 1,2 In addition, current bursts in chloride-free solutions have been related to the dissolution of sulfide inclusions. 3 The frequency of metastable pitting events is believed to be influenced by the passive current density 1 or surface oxide film thickness, 2 suggesting a possible relationship between pit initiation and film characteristics. Similar current fluctuations as those on steel can also be found on pure metals, but in the absence of heterogeneities such as inclusions, it has been difficult to ascribe them to features of the film or metal surface. Heusler and co-workers employed spectral analysis to study current noise on iron, both in the presence and absence of chloride ions. 4-6 The addition of chloride ions to the solution produced current fluctuations of magnitude 10-100 pA during the induction period prior to pit formation. With no chloride ions, they showed that the electrochemical noise spectrum was well described by a voltage noise source in series with the oxide film impedance, whose spectral density had a 1/f 2 dependence on frequency below about 10 Hz. The series relationship of the noise source and film impedance implied that the noise was associated with processes at the metal/film or film/ solution interface. Current bursts on pure aluminum have been found in chloride solutions at potentials within a range 100-200 mV cathodic of the pitting potential. 7-9 Typical current bursts were tens of nanoamperes in magnitude and 0.1-1 s duration. Pride et al., 9 through microscopic ob
Research Report-Modeling vs. Forecasting: The Case of Information Systems Spending

Collopy, Adya and Armstrong 1994 CAA advocate the use of atheoretical "black box" extrapolation techniques to forecast information systems spending. In this paper, we contrast this approach with the positive modeling approach of Gurbaxani and Mendelson 1990, where the primary focus is on explanation based on economics and innovation diffusion theory. We argue that the objectives and premises of extrapolation techniques are so fundamentally different from those of positive modeling that the evaluation of positive models using the criteria of "black box" forecasting approaches is inadequate. We further show that even if one were to accept CAA's premises, their results are still inferior. Our results refute CAA's claim that linear trend extrapolations are appropriate for forecasting future IS spending and demonstrate the risks of ignoring the guidance of theory.
Diagnostic imaging in malignant otitis externa.

Comprehensive diagnostic imaging, including plain roentgenograms, pluridirectional tomography, computed axial tomography, and radionuclide scanning with technetium and gallium, is helpful in the di...
Masculinities Among African American Men: An Intersectional Perspective

This is a report of a qualitative field research study on African American men’s concepts of masculinity using an intersectional perspective. Participants (N 17) from a Midwestern public research university and a nearby barbershop participated in individual and dyadic interviews using a structured questionnaire and filled out a demographic questionnaire. The questions were of 2 types: the first set concerned masculinity-in-general (e.g., What does it mean to be a man?), whereas the second set concerned the intersection of masculinity with race (e.g., What does it mean to be an African American man?). A streamlined codes-to-theory approach was used to analyze the data. Results indicated, first, that African American men view their masculinity as a reflection of traditional masculine norms hindered by the systemic barriers resulting from racism. As a result they adopt specific strategies and techniques to deal with the obstacles, in the course of which they construct a culturally unique version of masculinity. Second, results indicated that the African American participants’ views of masculinity consisted of 6 themes, each of which had a number of subthemes: leadership, structural oppression, African American values, traditional masculinity, familial relationships, and self-definition. Results are discussed in terms of connections to prior research, limitations, and future research.
Collateral Source and Tort's Soul

Tort reformers have had a modicum of success in their efforts to eliminate or restrict the Common law's Collateral Source Rule. Interestingly, this rule has been largely neglected by tort theorists. The authors present a coherent and complete theory of collateral source, and develop twenty-three original thought experiments to operationalize this theory. They argue that, though other areas may merit tort reform, the collateral source rule is not among them. Modification of the collateral source rule endangers "Tort's soul", that is, imperils the integrity of tort law.
Gastroesophageal Variceal Filling and Drainage Pathways: An Angiographic Description of Afferent and Efferent Venous Anatomic Patterns

Varices commonly occur in liver cirrhosis patients and are classified as esophageal (EV), gastroesophageal (GEV), or isolated gastric (IGV) varices. These vessels may be supplied and drained by several different afferent and efferent pathways. A working knowledge of variceal anatomy is imperative for Interventional Radiologists performing transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt and embolization/obliteration procedures. This pictorial essay characterizes the angiographic anatomy of varices in terms of type and frequency of venous filling and drainage, showing that different varices have distinct vascular anatomy. EVs typically show left gastric vein filling and “uphill” drainage, and GEVs and IGVs exhibit additional posterior/short gastric vein contribution and “downhill” outflow. An understanding of these variceal filling and drainage pathways can facilitate successful portal decompression and embolization/obliteration procedures.
Pharmacy benefit management companies

The principal services offered by pharmacy benefit management companies (PBMs) are described. A PBM contracts with employers, insurers, and others to provide accessible and cost-effective benefits to those groups' members. PBMs vary in their organization and services because they originate from different types of businesses. Many PBMs have been formed by publicly traded companies that have combined traditional ways of controlling cost and use, such as formularies, with new elements to form organizations whose primary function is managing the pharmacy benefit. Often, the PBM is paid a fixed amount for which it must provide all contracted services. PBMs may provide pharmacy services themselves (e.g., mail order prescription service is offered by Medco, one of the largest PBMs); more often, they subcontract with others to provide certain services. Full-service PBMs have the following functions: establishing networks of pharmacies for use by plan members; processing claims electronically at the time a prescription is filled and thus maintaining a database on drug use and cost; using these data to generate various reports; encouraging the use of generic products; managing existing formularies, helping to establish customized formularies, or providing a national formulary; providing information to support formulary guidelines (counter-detailing); offering programs in which prescriptions for maintenance medications are filled less frequently with larger amounts, often by mail order; negotiating volume-based rebates from manufacturers; performing drug-use review; developing disease management programs based on clinical practice guidelines and measurements of patient outcome; and evaluating outcomes by combining data on drug therapy with information about other parts of the patient's care.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Selective Judicial Activism: Defending Carolene Products

This Essay, written for a symposium asking “Is the Rational Basis Test Unconstitutional?,” defends the bifurcated-scrutiny approach of Carolene Products and its famous footnote four. A growing cadre of conservative and libertarian scholars has called for increased scrutiny of legislation affecting economic rights. The Essay marshals four types of arguments to suggest that regulation of market activities should not be subject to the same, heightened, level of scrutiny as legislation affecting personal rights: moral arguments, constitutive arguments, consequentialist arguments, and arguments resting on the likelihood of illicit legislative motives.
Curvature-Controlled Defect Localization in Elastic Surface Crystals

We investigate the influence of curvature and topology on crystalline dimpled patterns on the surface of generic elastic bilayers. Our numerical analysis predicts that the total number of defects created by adiabatic compression exhibits universal quadratic scaling for spherical, ellipsoidal, and toroidal surfaces over a wide range of system sizes. However, both the localization of individual defects and the orientation of defect chains depend strongly on the local Gaussian curvature and its gradients across a surface. Our results imply that curvature and topology can be utilized to pattern defects in elastic materials, thus promising improved control over hierarchical bending, buckling, or folding processes. Generally, this study suggests that bilayer systems provide an inexpensive yet valuable experimental test bed for exploring the effects of geometrically induced forces on assemblies of topological charges.
Preliminary Design and Prototyping of a Low-Cost Spacecraft Attitude Determination and Control Setup

In current literature, various ground-based spacecraft attitude determination and control setups are employed to test control strategies and algorithms. However, they typically require relatively large amounts of clearance for rotation and are prohibitively expensive for academic/research use. In this paper, we outline the development of a 1-D prototype that aims to serve as a low-cost alternative. The goal is to develop an open-source, low-cost platform at minimal cost. The prototype consists of an aluminum wheel driven by a brushless DC motor mounted to a plate that is allowed to pivot about a hinge. The prototype has the ability to transfer angular momentum between the wheel and the body as well as balance using reaction torques. PID and LQR controllers for the prototype have been designed to achieve minimal control effort. Preliminary results demonstrate that the LQR is able to achieve energy savings of ∼8% over the baseline PID controller with acceptable tradeoffs. Experimental results show that a LQR augmented with integral action is able to reject disturbances and successfully balance. The 1-D prototype remains low-cost at $480.
Filters and Spectrum Analyzers, and Their Applications in Classical and Quantum Telecommunications

We present examples of using silicon photonic components to perform multi-wavelength optical spectral measurements and multi-channel add/drop functionality in data-center networks, and for manipulating the quantum spectrum of photons generated by spontaneous four-wave mixing.
Decision-Specific Conflict in Organizational Buyer Behavior:

In a departure from the traditional examination of stress as a function of organizational and individual variables, conflict was hypothesized to vary across a number of decisions involving various ...
Non-Faradaic Energy Storage by Room Temperature Ionic Liquids in Nanoporous Electrodes

The enhancement of non-Faradaic charge and energy density stored by ionic electrolytes in nanostructured electrodes is an intriguing issue of great practical importance for energy storage in electric double layer capacitors. On the basis of extensive molecular dynamics simulations of various carbon-based nanoporous electrodes and room temperature ionic liquid (RTIL) electrolytes, we identify atomistic mechanisms and correlations between electrode/electrolyte structures that lead to capacitance enhancement. In the symmetric electrode setup with nanopores having atomically smooth walls, most RTILs showed up to 50% capacitance increase compared to infinitely wide pore. Extensive simulations using asymmetric electrodes and pores with atomically rough surfaces demonstrated that tuning of electrode nanostructure could lead to further substantial capacitance enhancement. Therefore, the capacitance in nanoporous electrodes can be increased due to a combination of two effects: (i) the screening of ionic interactio...
Spin transfer torque memories for on-chip caches: Prospects and perspectives

Non-volatile memories based on electron spin have potential to be the future universal memory technology, owing to zero leakage, high density, almost unlimited endurance and acceptable dynamic power consumption. In this article, we present device, circuit and architectural solutions to mitigate some of the challenges associated with spin-transfer-torque magnetic random access memories (STT-MRAMs), for example, the statistical nature of switching, high write energy consumption and susceptibility to parametric process variations. The proposed design methods at various levels of abstraction improves the overall robustness, energy consumption as well as density of STT-MRAMs for on chip memory applications.
Surgical Complications Following Early Genitourinary Reconstructive Surgery for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia-Interim Analysis at 6 Years.

Objective To review the intermediate- to long-term surgical complications following feminizing reconstructive surgery for patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) at a single tertiary center. Genitourinary reconstructive surgery is pivotal to favorable cosmetic and functional outcomes for patients with CAH. Materials and Methods We conducted a retrospective review identifying 26 patients from April 2003 to April 2015 who underwent genitourinary reconstructive surgeries. Demographic data and surgical postoperative complications (per Unplanned Postoperative Morbidity in Children [UPMC] and Clavien-Dindo classification) were evaluated. Results The average age at the time primary surgery was done at our institute was 17 ± 20 (5-87) months; the average length of follow-up was 72.56 ± 36.95 (4.5-142) months. The average length of the common urogenital sinus was 4.5 ± 1.9 (2.5-6.4) cm, and 15 out of 22 (68%) patients had high confluence. A total of 7 complications were observed in 7 (27%) patients, 3 patients had Clavien grade I and UPMC 0 (dysuria, stitch dehiscence, wound separation), and 2 had Clavien grade II and UPMC 1 (urinary tract infection). Two (7.6%) patients required revision surgery, and both of them had Clavien grade IIIB. One patient had UPMC score 5 (suprapubic tube insertion for urinary retention secondary to cicatrization of the surgical site). Conclusion Genitourinary reconstructive surgery for CAH patients is well tolerated and is successful in toddlers, with low (7.6%) complication rate. Revision surgery has successful outcome both functionally and cosmetically. In toilet-trained girls, urinary continence can be achieved in all patients following feminizing genitoplasty.
A Critical Caring Theory of Protection for Migrants and Seasonal Farmworkers

Pesticide exposures represent inequities among a vulnerable population of migrant and seasonal farmworkers. A social justice theory synthesized from an environmental health research framework, a middle range theory of critical caring, and literature on pesticide exposure is presented as a situation-specific public health practice theory. Concepts from the physiological, epistemological, vulnerability, and health protection domains are related to concepts of critical caring revealing protective strategies for vulnerable populations exposed to pesticides. The key concepts are risk exposure, community assessment, transpersonal health promotion, community competence, and controllability. Protection from exposure involves raising awareness, critically assessing communities, educating for empowerment, building capacity, and advocating to ensure social justice. Critical caring protection is provided in a mutually respectful relationship that promotes responsibility at the individual and population levels.