4,154 research outputs found
GILP: An Interactive Tool for Visualizing the Simplex Algorithm
The Simplex algorithm for solving linear programs-one of Computing in Science
& Engineering's top 10 most influential algorithms of the 20th century-is an
important topic in many algorithms courses. While the Simplex algorithm relies
on intuitive geometric ideas, the computationally-involved mechanics of the
algorithm can obfuscate a geometric understanding. In this paper, we present
gilp, an easy-to-use Simplex algorithm visualization tool designed to
explicitly connect the mechanical steps of the algorithm with their geometric
interpretation. We provide an extensive library with example visualizations,
and our tool allows an instructor to quickly produce custom interactive HTML
files for students to experiment with the algorithm (without requiring students
to install anything!). The tool can also be used for interactive assignments in
Jupyter notebooks, and has been incorporated into a forthcoming Data Science
and Decision Making interactive textbook. In this paper, we first describe how
the tool fits into the existing literature on algorithm visualizations: how it
was designed to facilitate student engagement and instructor adoption, and how
it substantially extends existing algorithm visualization tools for Simplex. We
then describe the development and usage of the tool, and report feedback from
its use in a course with roughly 100 students. Student feedback was
overwhelmingly positive, with students finding the tool easy to use: it
effectively helped them link the algebraic and geometrical views of the Simplex
algorithm and understand its nuances. Finally, gilp is open-source, includes an
extension to visualizing linear programming-based branch and bound, and is
readily amenable to further extensions.Comment: ACM SIGCSE 2023 Manuscript, 13 pages, 5 figure
Phospho-Ablated Id2 Is Growth Suppressive and Pro-Apoptotic in Proliferating Myoblasts
Inhibitor of differentiation protein-2 (Id2) is a dominant negative helix-loop-helix (HLH) protein, and a positive regulator of proliferation, in various cells. The N-terminal region of Id2 contains a consensus cdk2 phosphorylation sequence SPVR, which may be involved with the induction of apoptosis, at least in myeloid 32d.3 cells. However, the role of Id2 phosphorylation at serine 5 in skeletal muscle cells is unknown. The objective of this study was to determine if the phosphorylation of Id2 at serine 5 alters its cellular localization and its role in apoptosis in C2C12 myoblasts. Overexpression of wild type Id2 decreased MyoD protein expression, which corresponded to the increased binding of Id2 to basic HLH proteins E47 and E12. Bromodeoxyuridine incorporation was significantly decreased by the overexpression of phospho-ablated Id2 (S5A); conversely, overexpression of wild type Id2 increased cellular proliferation. The subcellular localization of Id2 and phospho-mimicking Id2 (S5D) were predominantly nuclear compared to S5A. The decreased nuclear localization of S5A corresponded to a decrease in cellular proliferation, and an increase in apoptosis. These data suggest that unphosphorylated Id2 is primarily localized in the cytosol, where it is growth suppressive and potentially pro-apoptotic. These results imply that reducing unphosphorylated Id2 may improve the pool of myoblasts available for differentiation by increasing proliferation and inhibiting apoptosis
Dataâenabled cognitive modeling: Validating student engineersâ fuzzy designâbased decisionâmaking in a virtual design problem
The ability of future engineering professionals to solve complex realâworld problems depends on their design education and training. Because engineers engage with openâended problems in which there are unknown parameters and multiple competing objectives, they engage in fuzzy decisionâmaking, a method of making decisions that takes into account inherent imprecisions and uncertainties in the real world. In the designâbased decisionâmaking field, few studies have applied fuzzy decisionâmaking models to actual decisionâmaking process data. Thus, in this study, we use datasets on student decisionâmaking processes to validate approximate fuzzy models of student decisionâmaking, which we call dataâenabled cognitive modeling. The results of this study (1) show that simulated design problems provide rich datasets that enable analysis of student design decisionâmaking and (2) validate models of student design cognition that can inform future design curricula and help educators understand how students think about design problems
Stable dietary isotopes and mtDNA from Woodland period southern Ontario people: results from a tooth sampling protocol
AbstractBioarchaeological research must balance scholarly commitment to the generation of new knowledge, descendants' interests in their collective past, and the now common practice of rapid re-interment of excavated human remains. This paper documents the first results of a negotiated protocol built on the retention of one tooth per archaeologically derived skeleton, teeth that can then be used for destructive testing associated with ancient DNA and stable isotope investigations. Seven archaeological sites dating from the 13th to 16th centuries provided 53 teeth, 10 of which were subdivided between DNA and isotope labs. All tooth roots yielded haplogroup results, and five provided more detailed sequence results. Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen document heavy reliance on maize among all individuals, as well as reliance on a diverse range of fish. This work establishes baseline mtDNA information for Northern Iroquoians, and confirms the value of using dental tissues for dietary reconstruction. Particularly when human remains are fragmentary or co-mingled, this approach holds promise for ongoing incorporation of bioarchaeology into reconstructions of past peoples' lives
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