University of New Mexico

About: University of New Mexico is a education organization based out in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 28870 authors who have published 64767 publications receiving 2578371 citations. The organization is also known as: UNM & Universitatis Novus Mexico.

Social Presence Theory and Implications for Interaction and Collaborative Learning in Computer Conferences

Abstract: This paper examines research on social presence theory and the implications for analyzing interaction, communication, collaborative learning, and the social context of computermediated communication (CMC). Two studies that examined whether social presence is largely an attribute of the communication medium or users’ perception of the medium are discussed. It can be concluded from the results that even though CMC is considered to be a medium that is low in social context cues, it can be perceived as interactive, active, interesting, and stimulating by conference participants. However, it is the kind of interactions that take place between the participants, and the sense of community that is created during the conference, that will impact participants’ perceptions of CMC as a “social” medium. Therefore, the impetus falls upon the moderators of computer conferences to create a sense of online community in order to promote interaction and collaborative learning.

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

Abstract: In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field.

Improved Amplification of Genital Human Papillomaviruses

Abstract: Genital human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are commonly detected from clinical samples by consensus PCR methods. Two commonly used primer systems, the MY09-MY11 (MY09/11) primers and the GP5+-GP6+ (GP5+/6+) primers, amplify a broad spectrum of HPV genotypes, but with various levels of sensitivity among the HPV types. Analysis of the primer-target sequence homology for the MY09/11 primers showed an association between inefficient amplification of HPV types and the number and position of mismatches, despite accommodation of sequence variation by inclusion of degenerate base sites. The MY09/11 primers were redesigned to increase the sensitivity of amplification across the type spectrum by using the same primer binding regions in the L1 open reading frame. Sequence heterogeneity was accommodated by designing multiple primer sequences that were combined into an upstream pool of 5 oligonucleotides (PGMY11) and a downstream pool of 13 oligonucleotides (PGMY09), thereby avoiding use of degenerate bases that yield irreproducible primer syntheses. The performance of the PGMY09-PGMY11 (PGMY09/11) primer system relative to that of the standard MY09/11 system was evaluated with a set of 262 cervicovaginal lavage specimens. There was a 91.5% overall agreement between the two systems (kappa = 0.83; P < 0.001). The PGMY09/11 system appeared to be significantly more sensitive than the MY09/11 system, detecting an additional 20 HPV-positive specimens, for a prevalence of 62.8% versus a prevalence of 55.1% with the MY09/11 system (McNemar's chi(2) = 17.2; P < 0.001). The proportion of multiple infections detected increased with the PGMY09/11 system (40. 0 versus 33.8% of positive infections). HPV types 26, 35, 42, 45, 52, 54, 55, 59, 66, 73, and MM7 were detected at least 25% more often with the PGMY09/11 system. The PGMY09/11 primer system affords an increase in type-specific amplification sensitivity over that of the standard MY09/11 primer system. This new primer system will be useful in assessing the natural history of HPV infections, particularly when the analysis requires HPV typing.

SymPy: Symbolic Computing in Python

Abstract: SymPy is an open source computer algebra system written in pure Python. It is built with a focus on extensibility and ease of use, through both interactive and programmatic applications. These characteristics have led SymPy to become a popular symbolic library for the scientific Python ecosystem. This paper presents the architecture of SymPy, a description of its features, and a discussion of select submodules. The supplementary material provide additional examples and further outline details of the architecture and features of SymPy.