The Culture of Distracted Driving: Evidence from a Public Opinion Survey in Iowa

Traffic safety culture does not merely focus on risky behaviors and their consequences, but also on creating better social norms, values, and beliefs. Past research has recommended establishing a comprehensive program to shape the culture from different aspects of society as the most effective method to create a comprehensive traffic safety culture in the United States (U.S.). In 2011, a cell phone and landline questionnaire survey regarding Iowa traffic safety culture was conducted across the State. The survey gauged opinions from 1088 participants on traffic safety and driving experience in Iowa, which covered a wide range of traffic safety topics including traffic enforcement, driver education program, various driving behaviors, and attitudes toward traffic safety policies, activities and enforcement techniques. A descriptive analysis of the responses revealed a need for in-depth study of the current culture related to distracted driving in Iowa. A Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was estimated to define the relationship among individual characteristics (participants\u27 socioeconomic and demographic status), experience and attitudes towards distracted driving. The preliminary model results indicated that the socioeconomic and demographic statuses were explained significantly by age, gender, education, and household income. Four other latent variables: distractibility (DB), self-reported distracted driving behavior (SDDB), personal acceptability for distracted driving (PADD) and prediction of possible accidents (PPA) caused by distraction were formed based on the participant\u27s responses on selected distracted driving-related questions. The SEM estimation results suggested that participants\u27 distracted driving attitudes, experiences and behaviors were highly correlated, and also that participants\u27 characteristics were strongly influenced their attitudes, experiences and behaviors on distracted driving. The results of this study can be useful for developing interventions designed for target groups of drivers (with different individual characteristics) in a bid to transform distracted driving safety culture

Precalculus (Albany State University)

This Grants Collection for Precalculus was created under a Round Two ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process. Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials: Linked Syllabus Initial Proposal Final Reporthttps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/mathematics-collections/1002/thumbnail.jp

Negotiating TESOL Discourses and EFL Teaching Contexts in China: Identities and Practices of International Graduates of a TESOL Program

This article reports on a study of the material effects of the discourses circulating in a TESOL program housed in a Canadian university on the professional identities and practices that international graduates of the program negotiate and develop in their local professional contexts in China. The principal researcher and two of the study participants discuss pedagogical values salient among program graduates and explore complexities accompanying professional identity negotiation. The article offers recommendations for TESOL programs in affording EFL teachers the possibility to construct hybrid professional identities and dwell comfortably in a “third space” as educational practitioners in a globalized world

Effects of Ce concentrations on ignition temperature and surface tension of Mg-9wt.%Al alloy

Magnesium alloys are well known for their excellent properties, but the potential issues with oxidation and burning during melting and casting largely limit its industrial applications. The addition of Ce in magnesium alloys can significantly raise ignition-proof performance and change the structure of the oxide film on the surface of the molten metal as well as the surface tension values. Surface tension is an important physical parameter of the metal melts, and it plays an important role in the formation of surface oxide film. In this present work, the ignition temperature and the surface tension of Mg-9wt.%Al alloy with different Ce concentrations were studied. Surface tensions was measured using the maximum bubble pressure method (MBPM). Ignition temperature was measured using NiCr-NiSi type thermocouples and was monitored and recorded via a WXT-604 desk recording device. The results show that the ignition point of Mg-9wt.%Al alloy can be effectively elevated by adding Ce. The ignition temperature reaches its highest point of 720 ℃ when the addition of Ce is 1wt.%. The surface tension of the molten Mg-9wt.%Al alloy decreases exponentially with the increase of Ce addition at the same temperature. Similarly, the experiment also shows that the surface tension of Mg-9wt.%Al alloy decreases exponentially with the increase of temperature

Endogenous TGF-β activation by reactive oxygen species is key to Foxp3 induction in TCR-stimulated and HIV-1-infected human CD4+CD25- T cells

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>CD4⁺CD25⁺T regulatory cells (Tregs) play an important role in regulating immune responses, and in influencing human immune diseases such as HIV infection. It has been shown that human CD4⁺CD25⁺Tregs can be induced in vitro by TCR stimulation of CD4⁺CD25^-T cells. However, the mechanism remains elusive, and intriguingly, similar treatment of murine CD4⁺CD25^-cells did not induce CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺Tregs unless exogenous TGF-β was added during stimulation. Thus, we investigated the possible role of TGF-β in the induction of human Tregs by TCR engagement. We also explored the effects of TGF-β on HIV-1 infection mediated induction of human Tregs since recent evidence has suggested that HIV-1 infection may also impact the generation of Tregs in infected patients.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We show here that endogenous TGF-β is key to TCR induction of Foxp3 in human CD4⁺CD25^-T cells. These events involve, first, the production of TGF-β by TCR and CD28 stimulation and the activation of latent TGF-β by reactive oxygen species generated from the activated T cells. Biologically active TGF-β then engages in the induction of Foxp3. Neutralization of active TGF-β with anti-TGF-β antibody or elimination of ROS with MnTBAP abrogated Foxp3 expression. HIV-1 infection enhanced Foxp3 expression in activated CD4⁺CD25^-T cells; which was also abrogated by blockade of endogenous TGF-β.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Several conclusions can be drawn from this work: (1) TCR and CD28-induced Foxp3 expression is a late event following TCR stimulation; (2) TGF-β serves as a link in Foxp3 induction in human CD4⁺CD25^-T cells following TCR stimulation, which induces not only latent, but also active TGF-β; (3) the activation of TGF-β requires reactive oxygen species; (4) HIV infection results in an increase in Foxp3 expression in TCR-activated CD25^-T cells, which is also associated with TGF-β. Taken together, our findings reinforce a definitive role of TGF-β not only in the generation of Tregs with respect to normal immune responses, but also is critical in immune diseases such as HIV-1 infection.</p

Temporal and spatial patterns in a diffusive ratio-dependent predator-prey system with linear stocking rate of prey species

The ratio-dependent predator–prey model exhibits rich interesting dynamics due to the singularity of the origin. It is one of prototypical pattern formation models. Stocking in ratio-dependent predator–prey models is relatively an important research subject from both ecological and mathematical points of view. In this paper, we study the temporal, spatial patterns of a ratio-dependent predator–prey diffusive model with linear stocking rate of prey species. For the spatially homogeneous model, we derive conditions for determining the direction of Hopf bifurcation and the stability of the bifurcating periodic solution by the center manifold and the normal form theory. For the reaction-diffusion model, firstly it is shown that Turing (diffusion-driven) instability occurs, which induces spatial inhomogeneous patterns. Then it is demonstrated that the model exhibits Hopf bifurcation which produces temporal inhomogeneous patterns. Finally, the non-existence and existence of positive non-constant steady-state solutions are established. We can see spatial inhomogeneous patterns via Turing instability, temporal periodic patterns via Hopf bifurcation and spatial patterns via the existence of positive non-constant steady state. Moreover, numerical simulations are performed to visualize the complex dynamic behavior

Anomalous Nernst effect in compensated ferrimagnetic CoxGd1-x films

The anomalous Nernst effect (ANE) is one of the most intriguing thermoelectric phenomena which has attracted growing interest both for its underlying physics and potential applications. Typically, a large ANE response is observed in magnets with pronounced magnetizations or nontrivial Berry curvature. Here, we report a significant ANE signal in compensated ferrimagnetic CoxGd1-x alloy films, which exhibit vanishingly small magnetization. In particular, we found that the polarity of ANE signal is dominated by the magnetization orientation of the transition metal Co sublattices, rather than the net magnetization of CoxGd1-x films. This observation is not expected from the conventional understanding of ANE but is analogous to the anomalous Hall effect in compensated ferrimagnets. We attribute the origin of ANE and its Co-dominant property to the Co-dominant Berry curvature. Our work could trigger a more comprehensive understanding of ANE and may be useful for building energy-harvesting devices by employing ANE in compensated ferrimagnets