Digital Commons Network^™

Characterization Of The Recombination Activities Of The Entamoeba Histolytica Rad51 Recombinase, Andrew A. Kelso, Steven D. Goodson, Suchitra Chavan, Amanda F. Say, Audrey Turchick, Deepti Sharma, Leanna L. Ledford, Erin Ratterman, Kristin Leskoske, Ada V. King, Christopher C. Attaway, Yura Bandera, Stephen H. Foulger, Alexander V. Mazin, Lesly A. Temesvari, Michael G. Sehorn

Publications

The protozoan parasite responsible for human amoebiasis is Entamoeba histolytica. An important facet of the life cycle of E. histolytica involves the conversion of the mature trophozoite to a cyst. This transition is thought to involve homologous recombination (HR), which is dependent upon the Rad51 recombinase. Here, a biochemical characterization of highly purified ehRad51 protein is presented. The ehRad51 protein preferentially binds ssDNA, forms a presynaptic filament and possesses ATP hydrolysis activity that is stimulated by the presence of DNA. Evidence is provided that ehRad51 catalyzes robust DNA strand exchange over at least 5.4 kilobase …

Big Data, Technical Communication, And The Smart City, Jordan Frith

Publications

Big data is one of the most hyped buzzwords in both academia and industry. This article makes an early contribution to research on big data by situating data theoretically as a historical object and arguing that much of the discourse about the supposed transparency and objectivity of big data ignores the crucial roles of interpretation and communication. To set forth that analysis, this article engages with recent discussion of big data and “smart” cities to show the communicative practices operating behind the scenes of large data projects and relate those practices to the profession of technical communication.

A Formative Experiment To Align Middle-School History Instruction With Literacy Goals, Jamie Colwell, David Reinking

Publications

Background/Context

Recent curricular trends based on new standards emphasize the centrality of reading and studying texts in history instruction. That trend suggests a closer alignment between middle-school history instruction and goals for developing literacy. Yet potential obstacles identified in the literature, particularly a teacher's stance toward teaching history, imply challenges to instantiating that alignment. Relatively little research has addressed how relevant conceptual positions such as disciplinary literacy might be realized in authentic practice.

Purpose/Objective

The objective was to investigate how middle-school history instruction could be transformed to align with the literacy goals addressed in new curricular standards and to better …

Power System Distributed Dynamic State Prediction, Md Ashfaqur Rahman, Ganesh Kumar Venayagamoorthy

Publications

The security of the power system can be enhanced with the prediction of the dynamic state variables. To increase the security, a distributed predictor is developed based on the Elman Recurrent Neural Network (ERNN) in this study. To develop a scalable distributed predictor, the whole network is divided in a number of ERNNs. They take the current and the previous actual states from its own and its neighbors to predict the near future values of the states. The concept is inspired from the Cellular Computational Network (CCN) framework. Each ERNN is a cell in the CCN framework. Through simulation, the …

The Economic Situation, 2016 December 1, Bruce Yandle

Publications

Quarterly report on the economic situation of the United States and South Carolina.

Perceptions Of And Preferences For A Mobile Health Clinic For Underserved Populations, Melinda Gillispie, Catherine Mobley, Lynette M. Gibson, Arelis Moore De Peralta

Publications

Background: Research has established that members of particular demographic groups are inordinately burdened by differential healthcare access. Mobile health clinics (MHCs) are emerging across health systems to improve access to care of marginalized populations. This study explored the perceptions and concerns of community residents living in underserved neighborhoods toward MHC services.

Methods: This study used a qualitative descriptive design with 5 focus group meetings. Purposive sampling was used to recruit ethnically diverse, English- and Spanish-speaking men and women ages 20–67 residing in 5 underserved neighborhoods in Greenville County, SC.

Results: Participants (N = 35) felt positive about obtaining personalized health …

Prediction Of Defect Propensity For The Manual Assembly Of Automotive Electrical Connectors, Matthew Krugh, Kavit Antani, Laine Mears, Jörg Schulte

Publications

Assembly for automotive production represents a significant proportion of total manufacturing cost, manufacturing time, and overall product cost. Humans remain a cost effective solution to adapt to the requirements of increasing product complexity and variety present in today's flexible manufacturing systems. The human element present in the manufacturing system necessitates a better understanding of the human role in manufacturing complexity. Presented herein is a framework for enumerating assembly variables correlated with the potential for quality defect, presented in the design, process, and human factors domain. A case study is offered that illustrates on a manual assembly process the effect that …

Cutting Force Investigation Of Trochoidal Milling In Nickel-Based Superalloy, Abram Pleta, Laine Mears

Publications

The gas turbine, aerospace and nuclear industries are dependent upon nickel-based superalloys to enable these industries to continue to innovate. Without these materials the industries would fail to achieve new heights of efficiency as the strength and operating temperature requirements continue to climb. Nickel-based superalloys thrive in these elevated temperature applications, where their great resistance to creep and corrosion is coupled with remarkably high strength values. These same characteristics that are invaluable to the final operating environment severely degrade their machinability with high cutting forces and aggressive rate of tool wear.

Cutting Force Investigation Of Trochoidal Milling In Nickel-Based Superalloy, Abram Pleta, Laine Mears

Publications

The gas turbine, aerospace and nuclear industries are dependent upon nickel-based superalloys to enable these industries to continue to innovate. Without these materials the industries would fail to achieve new heights of efficiency as the strength and operating temperature requirements continue to climb. Nickel-based superalloys thrive in these elevated temperature applications, where their great resistance to creep and corrosion is coupled with remarkably high strength values. These same characteristics that are invaluable to the final operating environment severely degrade their machinability with high cutting forces and aggressive rate of tool wear.

Although the field of machining research is very well …

Implications Of Social Support As A Self-Control Resource, June J. Pilcher, Stewart A. Bryant

Publications

Self-control is an intricate component of decision making and effectively managing day-to-day life. Failing to maintain adequate self-control can have negative effects on many desired goals and social experiences. As such, understanding how different facets of the human experience may affect self-control is an important undertaking. One area that is yet unclear is the possible relationships between social support and self-control. Research suggests that social support can be an effective resource in reducing stress and promoting health and well-being. Research has also indicated that stress can be a limiting factor on self-control. In contrast, few studies have focused on social …

Characterizing Teaching Assistants’ Knowledge And Beliefs Following Professional Development Activities Within An Inquiry-Based General Chemistry Context, Lindsay B. Wheeler, Jennifer L. Maeng, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

The purpose of this investigation was to explore changes in undergraduate and graduate teaching assistants’ (TAs’) content knowledge and beliefs about teaching within the context of an inquiry-based laboratory course. TAs received professional development (PD), which was informed by the TA training literature base and was designed for TAs implementing a guided inquiry approach to general chemistry laboratory instruction. TAs engaged in ∼20 h of presemester PD and ∼30 h of weekly follow-up PD during the semester. The study utilized a multiple-methods approach within a social constructivist framework to assess changes in the TAs. Participants included eight graduate TAs and …

Synchrony In A Boolean Network Of The L-Arabinose Operon In Escherichia Coli, Andy Jenkins, Matthew Macauley

Publications

The lactose operon in Escherichia coli was the first known gene regulatory network, and it is frequently used as a prototype for new modeling paradigms. Historically, many of these modeling frameworks use differential equations. More recently, Stigler and Veliz-Cuba proposed a Boolean network model that captures the bistability of the system and all of the biological steady states. In this paper, we model the well-known arabinose operon in E. coli with a Boolean network. This has several complex features not found in the lac operon, such as a protein that is both an activator and repressor, a DNA looping mechanism …

Approximate Time To Steady-State Resting Energy Expenditure Using Indirect Calorimetry In Young, Healthy Adults, Collin J. Popp, Jocelyn J. Tisch, Kenan E. Sakarcan, William C. Bridges, Elliot D. Jesch

Publications

Indirect calorimetry (IC) measurements to estimate resting energy expenditure (REE) necessitate a stable measurement period or steady state (SS). There is limited evidence when assessing the time to reach SS in young, healthy adults. The aims of this prospective study are to determine the approximate time to necessary reach SS using open-circuit IC and to establish the appropriate duration of SS needed to estimate REE. One hundred young, healthy participants (54 males and 46 females; age = 20.6 ± 2.1 years; body weight = 73.6 ± 16.3 kg; height 172.5 ± 9.3 cm; BMI = 24.5 ± 3.8 kg/m^{2 …}

The Digital “Lure”: Small Businesses And Pokémon Go, Jordan Frith

Publications

Most of the discussion about Pokémon Go has focused on the end-user and the playful nature of the game. Experts have mentioned the game’s commercialism, but they have done so mostly by talking about the data collection practices of the app developers. This commentary piece takes a different approach by examining how businesses have used Pokémon Go’s “lures” to attract foot traffic. The main goal of the article is to show how the ludic, digital wayfaring of location-based games can be used by individual places to attract players. While the focus is on business owners, I will also address …

Public Speaking Versus Hybrid Introductory Communication Courses: Exploring Four Outcomes, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Andrew S. Pyle

Publications

The purpose of this study was to compare student growth in public speaking and hybrid introductory communication skills courses on four outcomes: public speaking anxiety, self-perceived communication competence, intercultural effectiveness, and connected classroom climate. This study also sought to find out whether there were differences in the achievement of outcomes and growth in each outcome by sex and ethnicity. Data from 908 participants utilized a within-subjects and between-subjects repeat measures design. Results showed that public speaking and hybrid communication courses reduced public speaking anxiety and increased self-perceived communication competence and connected classroom climate a similar amount, but did not significantly …

Impact Of Economic Trends And Disparities On South Carolina Children’S Health And Well-Being: An Analysis Of The 2016 Kids Count Profile, Arelis Moore De Peralta, Bonnie Holaday

Publications

There are many approaches to conceptualizing and measuring the well-being of children. These indices vary considerably depending on the goal of the scale. However, all of these indices share similar characteristics in that they are multi-dimensional and take into account the complexity of children’s lives. One of the best known of these measures is the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s national KIDS COUNT Data Book (http://www.aecf.org/resources/the-2016-kids-countdata-book/). Each year since 1990 the Casey Foundation has released the KIDS COUNT Data Book. This data provides key information about dimensions of child well-being in the following areas: health, education, economic well-being and family and …

Obstacle Filtering Alogrithm For Control Of An Autonomous Road Vehicle In Public Highway Traffic, Qian Wang, Beshah Ayalew

Publications

This paper presents an obstacle filtering algorithm that mimics human driver-like grouping of objects within a model predictive control scheme for an autonomous road vehicle. In the algorithm, a time to collision criteria is first used as risk assessment indicator to filter the potentially dangerous obstacle object vehicles in the proximity of the autonomously controlled vehicle. Then, the filtered object vehicles with overlapping elliptical collision areas put into groups. A hyper elliptical boundary is regenerated to define an extended collision area for the group. To minimize conservatism, the parameters for the tightest hyper ellipse are determined by solving an optimization …

The Β-Isoform Of Bccip Promotes Adp Release From The Rad51 Presynaptic Filament And Enhances Homologous Dna Pairing, Andrew A. Kelso, Steven D. Goodson, Leah E. Watts, Leanna L. Ledford, Sarah M. Waldvogel, J. Nathaniel Diehl, Shivani B. Shah, Amanda F. Say, Julie D. White, Michael G. Sehorn

Publications

Homologous recombination (HR) is a template-driven repair pathway that mends DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs), and thus helps to maintain genome stability. The RAD51 recombinase facilitates DNA joint formation during HR, but to accomplish this task, RAD51 must be loaded onto the single-stranded DNA. DSS1, a candidate gene for split hand/split foot syndrome, provides the ability to recognize RPA-coated ssDNA to the tumor suppressor BRCA2, which is complexed with RAD51. Together BRCA2-DSS1 displace RPA and load RAD51 onto the ssDNA. In addition, the BRCA2 interacting protein BCCIP normally colocalizes with chromatin bound BRCA2, and upon DSB induction, RAD51 colocalizes with BRCA2-BCCIP …

The Last Harvest, Maggie Mason Smith

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Economic Situation, 2016 September 1, Bruce Yandle

Publications

Quarterly report on the economic situation of the United States and South Carolina.

Situating Computer Simulation Professional Development: Does It Promote Inquiry-Based Simulation Use?, Amanda L. Gonczi, Jennifer L. Maeng, Randy L. Bell, Brooke A. Whitworth

Publications

This mixed-methods study sought to identify professional development implementation variables that may influence participant (a) adoption of simulations, and (b) use for inquiry-based science instruction. Two groups (Cohort 1, N = 52; Cohort 2, N = 104) received different professional development. Cohort 1 was focused on Web site use mechanics. Cohort 2 was situated in nature and provided three additional elements: (a) modeling simulation use within inquiry-based instruction; (b) collaboration; and (c) provision of content-relevant lesson planning time. There was no difference in the extent of simulation use between cohorts, χ2(1) = 0.878, p = .349, φ = −0.075. Results …

Noncrossing Partitions, Toggles, And Homomesies, David Einstein, Miriam Farber, Emily Gunawan, Michael Joseph, Matthew Macauley, James Propp, Simon Rubinstein-Salzedo

Publications

We introduce n(n−1)/2 natural involutions (“toggles”) on the set S of noncrossing partitions π of size n, along with certain composite operations obtained by composing these involutions. We show that for many operations T of this kind, a surprisingly large family of functions f on S (including the function that sends π to the number of blocks of π) exhibits the homomesy phenomenon: the average of f over the elements of a T -orbit is the same for all T -orbits. We can apply our method of proof more broadly to toggle operations back on the collection of independent sets …

Ectopic Expression Of A Cyanobacterial Flavodoxin In Creeping Bentgrass Impacts Plant Development And Confers Broad Abiotic Stress Tolerance, Zhigang Li, Shuangrong Yuan, Haiyan Jia, Fangyuan Gao, Qian Hu, Dongfa Sun, Hong Luo

Publications

Flavodoxin (Fld) plays a pivotal role in photosynthetic microorganisms as an alternative electron carrier flavoprotein under adverse environmental conditions. Cyanobacterial Fld has been demonstrated to be able to substitute ferredoxin (Fd) of higher plants in most electron transfer processes under stressful conditions. We have explored the potential of Fld for use in improving plant stress response in creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.). Overexpression of Fld altered plant growth and development. Most significantly, transgenic (TG) plants exhibited drastically enhanced performance under oxidative, drought and heat stress as well as nitrogen (N) starvation, which was associated with higher water retention and …

Cytoplasmic Dynein Binding, Run Length, And Velocity Are Guided By Long-Range Electrostatic Interactions, Lin Li, Joshua Alper, Emil Alexov

Publications

Dyneins are important molecular motors involved in many essential biological processes, including cargo transport along microtubules, mitosis, and in cilia. Dynein motility involves the coupling of microtubule binding and unbinding to a change in the configuration of the linker domain induced by ATP hydrolysis, which occur some 25 nm apart. This leaves the accuracy of dynein stepping relatively inaccurate and susceptible to thermal noise. Using multi-scale modeling with a computational focusing technique, we demonstrate that the microtubule forms an electrostatic funnel that guides the dynein’s microtubule binding domain (MTBD) as it finally docks to the precise, keyed binding location on …

Active Parental Care, Reproductive Performance, And A Novel Egg Predator Affecting Reproductive Investment In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, J. Antonio Baeza, Lunden Simpson, Louis J. Ambrosio, Nathalia Mora, Rodrigo Guéron, Michael J. Childress

Publications

Background

We used the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus, one of the largest brooding invertebrates in the Western Atlantic, to test for the presence/absence of active parental care and to explore reproductive performance in large brooding marine organisms. Given [i] the compact and large embryo masses produced by P. argus, [ii] the expected disproportional increase in brooding costs with increasing embryo mass size, and [iii] the theoretical allometry of egg production with increasing body size, we predicted that parental females in this large species will engage in active brood care. We also predicted that larger broods from larger …

Energy Consumption Modeling And Analyses In Automotive Manufacturing Plant, Lujia Feng, Laine Mears

Publications

Manufacturing plants energy consumption accounts for a large share in world energy usage. Energy consumption modeling and analyses are widely studied to understand how and where the energy is used inside of the plants. However, a systematic energy modeling approach is seldom studied to describe the holistic energy in the plants. Especially using layers of models to share information and guide the next step modeling is rarely studied. In this paper, a manufacturing system temporal and organizational framework was used to guide the systematic energy modeling approach. Various levels of models were established and tested in an automotive manufacturing plant …

Snp-Based High Density Genetic Map And Mapping Of Btwd1 Dwarfing Gene In Barley, Xifeng Ren, Jibin Wang, Lipan Liu, Genlou Sun, Chengdao Li, Hong Luo, Dongfa Sun

Publications

A high-density linkage map is a valuable tool for functional genomics and breeding. A newly developed sequence-based marker technology, restriction site associated DNA (RAD) sequencing, has been proven to be powerful for the rapid discovery and genotyping of genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and for the high-density genetic map construction. The objective of this research was to construct a high-density genetic map of barley using RAD sequencing. 1894 high-quality SNP markers were developed and mapped onto all seven chromosomes together with 68 SSR markers. These 1962 markers constituted a total genetic length of 1375.8 cM and an average of …

Engineering Xylose Utilization In Yarrowia Lipolytica By Understanding Its Cryptic Xylose Pathway, Gabriel M. Rodriguez, Murtaza Shabbir Hussain, Lauren Gambill, Difeng Gao, Allison Yaguchi, Mark Blenner

Publications

Background

The oleaginous yeast, Yarrowia lipolytica, has been utilized as an industrial host for about 60 years for various applications. Recently, the metabolic engineering of this host has become increasingly popular due to its ability to accumulate lipids as well as improvements made toward developing new genetic tools. Y. lipolytica can robustly metabolize glucose, glycerol, and even different lipid classes. However, little is known about its xylose metabolizing capability. Given the desirability of having a robust xylose utilizing strain of Y. lipolytica, we performed a comprehensive investigation and elucidation of the existing components of its xylose metabolic pathway. …

Royal Jelly Promotes Daf-16-Mediated Proteostasis To Tolerate Β-Amyloid Toxicity In C. Elegans Model Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Xiaoxia Wang, Min Cao, Yuqing Dong

Publications

Numerous studies have demonstrated that dietary intervention may promote health and help prevent Alzheimer's disease (AD). We recently reported that bee products of royal jelly (RJ) and enzyme-treated royal jelly (eRJ) were potent to promote healthy aging in C. elegans. Here, we examined whether RJ/eRJ consumption may benefit to mitigate the AD symptom in the disease model of C. elegans. Our results showed that RJ/eRJ supplementation significantly delayed the body paralysis in AD worms, suggesting the β-amyloid (Aβ) toxicity attenuation effects of RJ/eRJ. Genetic analyses suggested that RJ/eRJ-mediated alleviation of Aβ toxicity in AD worms required DAF-16, rather …

Phoenix, Maggie Mason Smith

Publications

No abstract provided.