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Unraveling Year-Round Extreme Heat in the Southern Great Plains: Definition Development, Weather Regime Analysis, and the December 2021 Warm Spell Case Study
No full textExtreme heat events have detrimental impacts across various socio-economic sectors.More specifically, summer extreme heat (i.e., heat waves) has greater impacts on human health. In contrast, winter extreme heat (i.e., winter warm spells) affects agriculture more significantly, due to increased pest populations during certain crop’s growing season. However, few studies have investigated winter warm spells, and none have specifically examined their impact on the central United States, a key agricultural region. Therefore, exploring aspects of year-round extreme heat events in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) is crucial. Previously established extreme heat definitions have lacked foundational support forparameters selected to compose the definition, particularly for one that can be utilized year-round. Thus, a statistical analysis of daily maximum and minimum temperatures in the SGP is conducted to identify key definition parameters supporting a singular year- round extreme heat definition. Based on the shape and spread of daily maximum and minimum temperature distributions in the SGP, a relative threshold is proposed as the most supported threshold type for the definition. Furthermore, sensitivity testing using various percentile thresholds and temperature variables revealed that the 90th percentile and daily maximum temperatures were the key parameters, supporting previous studies on changes in the frequency of heat wave events in the central United States. These findings led to the development of a year-round extreme heat definition supported by statistical analyses of all aspects of the definition. A climatology of year-round extreme heat events was developed using the establishedyear-round extreme heat definition, with further investigation into the atmospheric and sur- face characteristics associated with winter warm spell events in the SGP. One methodology for examining atmospheric patterns associated with extreme heat events across the SGP is analyzing weather regimes. Weather regimes characterize recurrent and persistent upper- level atmospheric patterns. Additionally, investigating the transitions between one weather regime to one that is commonly associated with extreme heat events in the SGP provides insights into how well these regimes could serve as potential predictors. The Aleutian High and East Pacific Ridge summer weather regimes are most strongly associated with heat wave events with different summer weather regimes transitioning into the leading regimes characterized by SGP heat wave events on varying timescales. Whereas, the Arctic Low, Pacific Trough, and Alaskan Ridge winter weather regimes are most frequently characterized with winter warm spells. Most commonly, all three of these winter weather regimes transitioned from a West Coast Ridge winter weather regime. However, this study demonstrates that these dominant weather regimes do not solely occur during extreme heat events in the SGP. Therefore, the December 2021 winter warm spell case study indicates that warm air advection plays a role in initiating the events, while strong surface heat feedbacks (e.g., surface sensible heat flux) further sustain and promote extreme surface temperatures during these winter warm spell events. These results represent initial steps in understanding extreme heat events year-round in the SGP; however, further investigation is needed to better diagnose these impactful extreme heat events, particularly winter warm spell events
INVESTIGATING PHYSICAL PROCESSES IMPACTING ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY
No full textAs the demand for energy continues to rise, it becomes increasingly crucial to identify effective methods for recovering oil resources that remain after initial production. This underscores the significance of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) research. EOR techniques play a vital role in optimizing hydrocarbon extraction from aging reservoirs; however, the efficacy of these techniques is frequently compromised by inconsistencies arising from laboratory studies. Such inconsistencies can be attributed to various factors, including rock preparation methods, temperature, pressure, and experimental protocols and reliance on the capillary number. In this investigation, the effect of pressure, viscosity, and interfacial tension (IFT) was investigated, and an experimental analysis to compare two commonly employed injection methods—constant rate injection and constant pressure injection—to assess their respective effects on recovery results was conducted. Our results reveal significant differences in recovery efficiency between these two approaches, highlighting the need for optimization of EOR protocols tailored to specific reservoir conditions. This research emphasizes the necessity of standardized rock preparation techniques and the judicious selection of injection methods to enhance the precision and efficacy of EOR applications
DIVERSIFYING HIGH SCHOOL EXPERIENCES: A QUALITATIVE INQUIRY OF HOW STUDENTS CHOOSE AN EDUCATIONAL PATHWAY
No full textTo modernize high school education, some scholars have proposed reshaping traditional high school curriculum to create new options that are tailored to students' distinct needs. Some research suggests that offering high school students different curricular pathways can increase motivation and lead to enhanced student outcomes, but others argue that high school students can face substantial barriers to making informed decisions when choosing a pathway. Few empirical studies examine how high school students decide on a pathway in schools that offer such options. The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine how high school graduates (n = 22) described choosing educational pathways in high school. Interviews were conducted with recent graduates who completed one of the three following non-traditional educational pathways: Concurrent Enrollment, Career and Technical Education, or Early College High School programs. From the analysis of these interviews, major influences related to pathway selection were resources for students to obtain information about pathways, finances influencing one's choice, choices based on personal preferences, the effect of peers on one's educational pathway, and the role of family in decision-making processes. This qualitative work advances the literature by offering a deeper understanding of how students decide on their educational pathways in an era of growing curricular choice at the high school level
Indicator of Success in Engineering
No full textThis study investigates the relationship between spatial skills, mathematics skills, and academic performance in sophomore-level engineering statics courses. A total of 102 students enrolled in a Sophomore-level statics course participated in an IRB-approved research study at the University of Oklahoma, with spatial and math skills assessed through pre-tests and post-tests. Analysis of the results revealed no significant correlation between spatial skills and course grades, indicating that spatial abilities may not be a major predictor of success in a statics course. However, a significant improvement in spatial skills was observed from pre-test to post-test, suggesting that the instructional methods of the course effectively enhanced spatial reasoning abilities. Gender differences were noted, with male students outperforming female students in spatial skills, highlighting the need for targeted interventions. Familiarity with CAD courses prior to college also correlated with higher spatial skills, underscoring the importance of early exposure to spatially oriented learning. While a moderate correlation was found between spatial and mathematics skills, neither skill set was shown to be a strong predictor of academic performance. These findings call for a nuanced understanding of the factors influencing student success in engineering, other factors beyond spatial reasoning and mathematical skills may play a role in student success in a sophomore-level engineering course
FEEDBACK MODELS AND BURSTY STAR FORMATION HISTORIES IN DWARF GALAXIES
No full textTo address tensions between DM-only simulations and observations on smaller scales, simulations implementing baryonic feedback have successfully produced galaxies with ``cored'' DM density profiles that are observed in nature and in conflict with the ``cuspy'' profiles predicted by for low-mass galaxies. The goal of this thesis is to address this cusp-core problem for CDM simulations by introducing a robust comparison of the relationship between bursty star formation, or burstiness, and DM cores using two distinct SN feedback models with different sub-grid physics. This work analyzes two runs of the Storm simulation from the MARVEL suite of dwarf galaxies (one with blastwave feedback and one with superbubble feedback) by calculating various forms of burstiness for the Storm dwarf galaxies and comparing them to the DM density profile of the corresponding DM halo. This is achieved by comparing burstiness and DM core slopes, or the variation of the density profile for a chosen radial distance from the center of the galaxy, over the entire cosmic timescale and the time period of active star formation for each halo to determine that DM core formation and sustainment is correlated to higher values of burstiness. This work finds that there is a general trend between burstiness and the DM density profile, and that DM cores are efficiently sustained in the higher dwarf galaxy mass regime where star formation is burstier while the majority of ultra-faint and classical dwarf galaxies retain cuspy central DM density profiles regardless of feedback model. In addition, this work quantifies how strongly burstiness and DM core slopes depend on the stellar mass fraction, MM, and finds that core formation may be better predicted by MM than burstiness as peak core formation occurs at different values of the stellar mass fraction for a given feedback model. Testing the robustness of the burstiness and core slope relation in this work improves our understanding of the cusp-core problem under the CDM paradigm by constraining cored DM profiles to the higher dwarf galaxy mass regime and provides observational predictions on the SFHs and density profiles of classical dwarfs and UFDs that are expected to increase in discovery with upcoming surveys from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Vera Rubin Observatory (VRO), and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope (Roman)
COGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN RELATION TO SYSTEMIC AND BRAIN IRON AT PERIMENOPAUSE
No full textFor females from infancy through the reproductive years, low levels of systemic iron have been linked to deficits in cognitive performance. However, this relationship has not been widely assessed in women before and after the menopausal transition, and the two studies that do exist have drawn contradictory conclusions. This transition is important as, with the cessation of menses, women no longer lose blood and thus iron monthly, resulting in an increased potential for iron to accumulate in tissue, including brain tissue. It is known that iron accumulates in the brain across the lifespan and that accumulation has negative consequences for brain structure, brain function, and cognitive performance. However, the studies that have demonstrated these relationships provide no data on the relationship between systemic iron levels and brain iron levels. And the two studies mentioned above provided no data on brain iron deposits. Thus, there are no data to link systemic iron, brain iron, and cognitive performance in perimenopausal women. The present work sought to address two questions. First, does cognitive performance in women at the menopausal transition vary with systemic iron levels? Second, do variations in systemic levels correlate with variations in brain iron levels? The present study used a cross-sectional design to provide an exploratory assessment of these relationships. Women at the earliest and latest stages of menopause were assessed in three ways. Blood iron levels were measured using standard clinical laboratory assays. Brain iron levels were measured using structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Cognitive performance was assessed using a set of measures targeting learning and memory, including working memory. Results indicated a positive relationship with the iron measures and cognition, although age was not a good indicator of cognitive performance. No evidence of a relationship was detected between systemic iron and brain iron, indicating the need for further research on this topic
Facilitating Transformative Experiences with Flow in Early Childhood Educators
Get PDFEarly childhood educators play an integral role in establishing a solid foundation for learning in young children. Teachers today are questioning their expectations of adhering to the developmentally inappropriate high-stakes accountability, which includes a multiplicity of externally controlled standards and regulations that dictate what must be implemented in the early childhood classroom setting. These well-trained professionals face a professional identity crisis, often going against their pedagogical beliefs. This crisis has engendered a complex range of emotions experienced by educators today.
The ramifications of this systemic pressure have radically impacted how early childhood educators conduct themselves in the classroom. The intense emotions experienced by teachers have devastatingly impacted the education realm, as teachers experience extreme stress and burnout, resulting in many electing to exit the profession. The core of establishing a solid foundation for learning in young children is the mental health and well-being of the educator.
This mixed-methods study proved that a shift in perspective regarding daily encounters in life poses excellent potential to impact teachers’ outlooks on positively and negatively viewed exchanges with their environments. Facilitating transformative experiences with the motivational concept of flow, the focus of this study, showed great promise to enable teachers to view life exchanges differently than they ever had before, potentially counteracting negative emotions.
During this study, participants attended a 45-minute intervention meeting where they were introduced to the concept of flow, transformative experience, and TE with flow. They were then challenged to notice flow and journal the experiences. Analysis was completed on a one-group pre-and-post-test administration of the transformative experience measurement, along with analysis of NCV journal entries collected over the course of five weeks. As a result of rigorous data analysis, themes from experience conveyed throughout the journals emerged to explain the impact of transformative experiences with flow on early childhood educators’ lives. Findings suggest that within the three characteristics of transformative experience, there is an assortment of positive outcomes for early childhood educators. This study is significant in that it reports research-based outcomes that have the potential to impact how early childhood educators encounter life, both personally and professionally
Equus caballus semen used as a carrier to increase human DNA from simulated sexual assault swabs for forensic science applications
Get PDFCurrently, there are approximately 200,000 untested sexual assault examination kits in the United States. One reason there are so many untested kits is due to the misconceptions associated with DNA analysis. Since its creation, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative has reported that 97,000 kits have been tested to completion. While grants are helpful for decreasing the backlog, there are instances where funding has run out or been cut, allowing for a resurgence in the backlog. Therefore, research and development are necessary to reduce the sexual assault examination kit backlog. Conventional differential extraction remains the primary method for separating sperm and epithelial cells despite causing a 94%-98% loss of sperm cells. Despite nearly forty years of innovations, there are no methodologies that improve the yield of male DNA without sperm cell loss. Recent advancements in technology involving carrier RNA have been used to dramatically increase the male DNA recovery without sacrificing sperm cell yield. Therefore, this research investigated the use of a non-human semen sample (horse) as a carrier method to determine if a non-human carrier DNA could be used in place of RNA. It was hypothesized that the carrier DNA should act as a protective barrier during the washing steps of differential extractions reducing sperm cell loss. The thesis studied simulated sexual assault samples in triplicate. The samples were extracted using differential and organic extractions. Finally, the DNA was quantified using Quantifiler™ HP kit to determine the overall human DNA yield. Despite the addition of non-human semen, the DNA concentrations of the experimental group were lower than the control. Therefore, the hypothesis was refuted due to decreased human DNA with the samples containing horse semen. Future research should focus on creating a more tightly packed sperm cell pellet during the centrifugation process
Minutes of a Regular Meeting, The University of Oklahoma Board of Regents, June 20-21, 2024
No full textForging Successful Relationships with Faculty: Supporting Critical Information Literacy
No full textOBJECTIVE: The objective of this presentation is to probe into best strategies for forging open, collaborative relationships with faculty and librarians built on mutual respect, trust, and expertise. Presenters will open the session with a description of successful partnerships at their institutions and identify challenges and opportunities they faced when forging these relationships. The presentation will include opportunities for active engagement from the audience, such as reflective ideas.
METHODS: To present on forging relationships with faculty, informed by the available literature and anecdotal experience of librarians on their strategies, successes, and challenges in collaborating with faculty members at their institutions. Presenters will have three themes with associated questions to help guide the reflective/active engagement portion: Trust: What strategies do you currently use to build rapport amongst faculty? Collaboration: What strategies or practices could we employ for more effective and open communication with faculty? Development: What types of professional development could be mutually beneficial for both librarians and faculty for supporting critical information literacy, especially considering the implications of evidence-based practice?
GOALS: Present successful strategies for building open, collaborative relationships between librarians and faculty; and create an open dialogue for future insights into the topic and creation of a collaboration toolkit for librarians