Open Research Oklahoma (Oklahoma State Univ.)
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Student mental health crisis: Perceptions of collegiate flight students
No full textStudent mental health is worsening. On top of the mental health stressors that come with being a college student, collegiate flight students are introduced to an entirely different set of situations that can trigger mental health disorders. Because of these added stressors, poor mental health and suicide rates among flight students are becoming a more prominent issue today. The fear of being grounded by the FAA or having a medical certificate revoked contributes to the withholding of mental health symptoms of pilots. Therefore, many pilots feel as though they are unable to report their anxiety or depression and seek help without consequences that will ultimately threaten their career. Not only does this create a concern for suicide and self-harm, but it creates a safety concern regarding a pilot’s decision-making skills, putting themselves and others at risk. This study highlights collegiate flight students’ perceptions associated with mental health. Results of this survey are examined in the context of three research questions, which guided the researcher’s conclusions regarding collegiate flight student mental health. These conclusions focus on whether mental health is a prominent issue among flight students, which added stressors of flight training are a main source of poor mental health in collegiate flight students, and whether collegiate flight students find underreporting of mental health concerns to be more beneficial to their career than seeking treatment
Adherence to reporting guidelines and clinical trial registration in psychiatry and mental health journals: Preliminary results of a cross-sectional analysis
No full textBackground: To reduce bias and advance research methods, reporting guidelines and trial registration regulations have been adopted by various journal submission instructions. For example, it has been demonstrated that the quality and reproducibility of data reporting in randomized control trials (RCTs) are improved when journals abide by guidelines such as the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT). Therefore, it is imperative for journals to specify reporting guidelines that authors should follow in order to publish their study. It is unclear how well reporting guidelines and clinical trial registration policies are adhered to by psychiatry and mental health journals. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to investigate psychiatry and mental health journals' practices regarding reporting guideline adoption and trial registration.Methods: We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the top 100 psychiatry medical journals according to the 2021 Scopus CiteScore tool. In a masked, duplicate fashion, the “instructions to authors” webpage of each journal was assessed to identify whether journals required, recommended, or mentioned reporting guidelines outlined by the EQUATOR network. We also extracted data on whether journals recommended or required systematic review or clinical trial registration. To reduce the risk of bias, the article types accepted by each journal were confirmed via contacting the editorial team.Results: Only 37 out of the 100 journals mentioned the EQUATOR Network (37/100, 37%). The most referenced guidelines were CONSORT at 56% (53/95), followed by PRISMA at 48% (48/99). There is statistical significance between journals that mention both EQUATOR and CONSORT (p < .001), as well as between journals that mention both EQUATOR and PRISMA (p < .001). The MOOSE and QUOROM guidelines were the least mentioned as both were recommended/required in less than 10% of the psychiatry journals. Regarding study registration, 62 of the 100 journals (62%) either recommend or require clinical trial registration.Conclusions: Our results indicate the majority of psychiatry journals do not mention reporting guidelines or the EQUATOR network. CONSORT was the only guideline that was mentioned in over half of the evaluated journals. We recommend that the editors of psychiatry and mental health journals better adhere to the recommendation of reporting guidelines and clinical trial registration by prospective authors
Investigation of rock-fluid interactions using geomaterial microfluidics
No full textIllite and Illite-Smectite clays are reportedly the Caney Shale's most prevalent clay minerals. The swelling and fines migration of clays may occur when water-based fluids contact the clay minerals. This may result in the reduction of pore space and permeability, and wettability alteration. Therefore, we quantified the swelling potentials, fines migration and wettability alteration of Illite and Illite-Smectite clays upon exposure to model brines and a produced water, and a model oil and a crude oil. We measured density, viscosity, pH, TDS, and interfacial tension as they are important in multiphase flow and displacement characteristics.
Geomaterial microfluidics is recently being used to study physicochemical interactions of solid-fluid systems. It facilitates visualizing the surface behavior upon exposure to various fluids. This study includes preparation and characterization of Illite-Smectite clay-coated glass capillary tubes. Illite and Illite-Smectite clay-coated geomaterial microfluidic surfaces were prepared to investigate the effects of first contact fluid, brine salinity, and aging on wettability. In this work, advancing and receding contact angles of model brine-air, model oil-air, produced water-air, crude oil-air, model brine-model oil systems, and produced water-crude oil systems have been measured in the untreated, and clay-coated microfluidic channels of 1000 µm width and 50 µm depth. The aging effect was studied by retaining the non-aqueous and aqueous solutions in the corresponding microfluidic channels for approximately 24 h in the case of channels first contacted by aqueous and non-aqueous solutions, respectively. The advancing and receding contact angles of Caney shale-crude oil-produced water systems were also measured.
The experimental findings indicate the swelling potential, fines migration, and wettability alteration of Illite and Illite-Smectite clays. The results signify the influence of first contact fluid, brine salinity, and aging on wettability of the untreated and clay-coated microfluidic surfaces. The experiments also demonstrate the wetting nature of the Caney shale samples from reservoir and non-reservoir zones
Acute inflammatory effects of weight stigma in women with excess weight
No full textWeight stigma is pervasive, associated with physiological stress, and could partially explain the negative association of overweight/obesity with cardiometabolic health. This pilot study explored the extent to which experimentally-manipulated weight stigma impacted biomarkers of acute immune and stress reactivity. Women (N=44, 68% white) with overweight/obesity (M=33.2±6.7 kg/m²) were randomized to either weight stigma (n=22) or control (n=22) stress reactivity tasks (i.e., evaluative-speech task over weight stigma or neutral topic). Markers of immune (i.e., interleukin [IL]-6, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interferon [IFN]-γ) and stress (i.e., cortisol) reactivity were measured at baseline and 30-, 60-, and 90-min post-task. The absolute change (baseline to peak) and area under the curve were calculated for all variables. When analyzing both experimental stressors together, IL-6 (p=.047) and TNF-α (p=.070, ns) increased from baseline to peak post-task concentrations as consistent with small effect sizes (Cohen’s d=.30 and .28, respectively). No change or effect was observed for IFN-γ after the speech tasks (p=.413). Cortisol significantly decreased from baseline to 90-min post-task with a large effect size (p<.001; Cohen’s d=-1.07). When comparing weight stigma versus control post-task area under the curve, no differences were observed for IL-6 or TNF-α reactivity (p=.791 and .837, respectively). A small effect consistent with increased IFN-γ area under the curve reactivity was observed in weight stigma versus control (Cohen’s d=-.27), but was not statistically significant (p=.502). Although not significant, cortisol in the weight stigma condition decreased to a lesser degree than control and reached a small effect size (p=.132; d=-.46). Based on the small effect sizes observed in this pilot study, the impact of weight stigma on acute immune and stress reactions (especially cortisol and IFN-γ) warrant further investigation in larger samples
Ethical decision-making during the FAA medical certification process by pilots and AMEs amid the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic
No full textThis dissertation examined the impact the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic had on the ethical behaviors of pilots and Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs) during the medical certification process. Pilot behavior was examined to see whether professional pilots disclosed or withheld a COVID-19 infection from their AME and to elucidate if a pilot’s confidence in disclosing private health information to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was hindered. AME behavior was also examined to determine if their role in the medical certification process has been negatively affected by unethical behaviors. The aviation industry has little margin of error concerning safety, making it imperative that pilots and AMEs adhere to the FAA's medical standards. This was a qualitative study that consisted of two questionnaires distributed via Qualtrics. The data generated by this study were analyzed using descriptive statistics. This study concluded that the coronavirus pandemic has not impacted pilot and AME ethical behavior. This research yielded results contrary to current research on the ethical behavior of pilots in medical certification. The researcher concluded that pilots and AMEs act ethically in the medical certification process, though some pilots engage in unethical behavior pre-pandemic. The unethical behavior exhibited by pilots in this study is not shared with AMEs and should be studied in further research
Navigating through no man’s land: Why dynamic small companies stop growing as they approach entry into the middle market
No full textIn 1959, Edith Penrose wrote her foundational text, The Theory of the Growth of the Firm, which helped shape theoretical understandings of why firms grow and, importantly, why they stop growing. Penrose (1959) proposed that firm size is not determined by structural boundaries. Instead, she argued that managerial capacity—the ability of a firm’s leadership to manage growth—is the central constraint upon the ability of a firm to continue to expand.
Since 1959, scholars and practicing business leaders have broadened Penrose’s (1959) original theory to supplement our understanding of why firms are unable to grow. They have proposed theories of absorptive capacity, dynamic capability, and resource-based views of the firm in the attempt to understand why firms are unable to expand past certain size barriers. Simultaneously, strategists and consultants have monetized their understanding through a lucrative practice advising leaders of dynamic, fast growing small companies what they should or must do to sustain growth. Widely-accepted quantitative exploration of these theories and the accompanying strategies populate academic journals and the popular business press.
Still, less than 0.003% of companies are able to progress from early-stage start-up into the middle market. Clearly, we are missing important indicators of why companies are unable or unwilling to expand past certain size barriers.
In this study, I built on Penrose’s (1959) theory of firm growth and additional theories to craft a qualitative exploration of why previously dynamic small firms stop growing. I conducted 30 in-depth interviews with founders/owners, chief executives, and financial (private equity) sponsors to add nuance to our understanding of the actions and thoughts of these leaders as their firms approached the middle market. The cross-sectional interview subjects included 16 leaders of firms that were able to navigate through the middle-market barrier, 10 that did not, and seven leaders of private equity firms that had direct, current experience with the actions leaders take when they approach the middle-market segment. The goal of this qualitative study was to expand and deepen our understanding of the barriers that emerging small companies must navigate as they attempt to transition from the small to the middle market, and to offer evidenced-based, pragmatic suggestions to inform practice on how to lead companies into the middle market
How the fear of negative evaluation affects one’s stress experience when socially excluded
No full textAnxieties surrounding negative judgements being made about oneself may be a significant reason as to why people feel stressed when being faced with social exclusion. In this study, we explore how the fear of negative judgment relates to feelings of stress when an individual is socially excluded. We predict that individuals with a more intense fear of negative judgment will experience higher stress levels when socially excluded. We tested this by socially excluding 27 female participants, individually, from a short conversation with two confederates. Following a self-report survey, the data was analyzed. Using a Pearson's R correlation, we were unable to locate a correlation between individuals who have a high fear of negative evaluation and their experience of stress during social exclusion. It is possible that this lack of significance is due to the small sample size of this research. In addition, participants may have not wanted to reveal how stressed they truly were during the interaction. Future research ought to aim for a high sample size of this research. In addition, future studies may want to examine possible gender differences in this research.Psycholog
In-situ process monitoring and defect detection for additive manufacturing systems using machine learning and artificial intelligence
No full textAlthough additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing is well known for prototype development and cost efficiency, printing defects and issues are usually unavoidable and difficult to resolve. Additionally, the introduction of smart manufacturing has impacted the growth of additive manufacturing by introducing IoT devices, automation, wireless control, and data analytics. Implementing these strategies is vital to reducing the amount of part rejections that occur throughout the 3D printing process. A multi-process additive manufacturing monitoring system developed by Vora and Sanyal set the foundation for the work completed in this thesis. The implementation of a real-time in-situ defect monitoring system has been advantageous in reducing defects, filament waste, and labor time. Artificial intelligence is key to equipping these systems to predict the occurrence of a defective print. This thesis focuses on the development of a functional, real-time defect monitoring system for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing by implementing an image classification machine learning algorithm. This defect monitoring system was constructed using an Ender V Pro 3D printer, an overhead optical camera, a laptop computer, and a raspberry pi module. Additionally, material and energy cost evaluations were performed to determine the effectiveness of machine learning systems on additive manufacturing processes. The combination of these techniques and digital processing is expected to produce a functional, real-time defect monitoring system for additive manufacturing machines
Negative regulation of seed germination by maternal AFB1 and AFB5 in Arabidopsis
No full textThe plant hormone auxin suppresses seed germination, but how auxin does it remains poorly understood. While studying the functions of the AUXIN SIGNALING F-BOX (AFB) auxin co-receptors in Arabidopsis, we consistently isolated AFB1 and AFB5 in reproduc- tive tissues in co-immunoprecipitation experiments using their interacting protein ASK1 as the bait. However, T₂ seeds of the AFB1 or AFB5 transgenic lines generated for the co-immunoprecipitation experiments frequently failed to germinate, which led to the stud- ies of seed germination in these plants and afb1 and afb5 mutants, and AFB1 and AFB5 expression in nearly mature fruit and imbibed seeds using AFB1:GUS and AFB5:GUS lines. We found that AFB1 and AFB5 acted in maternal tissues to suppress seed germination and their effects were positively correlated with the plants’ sensitivity to indole acetic acid. Conversely, afb1 and afb5 single mutants exhibited faster seed germination than the wild type and the seeds of the afb1-5afb5-5 double mutant germinated even faster than those of the afb1-5 and afb5-5 single mutants. Seed germination of the afb1-5afb5-5 double mutant also exhibited higher sensitivity to gibberellic acid than that of the wild-type and the afb1-3, afb1-5 and afb5-5 single mutants. Both AFB1 and AFB5 were expressed in the funiculus during seed maturation, and AFB1 was also transiently expressed in a small chalazal region surrounding the hilum in the seed coat during seed imbibition. Therefore, AFB1 and AFB5 likely suppress seed germination in the funiculus and AFB1 also briefly suppresses seed germination in the chalaza during seed imbibition.Plant Biology, Ecology and Evolutio
Exploration into the epigenetic mechanisms related to prenatal famine & later-life health
No full textEpigenetics is a fascinating field and one that researchers are continuously studying to learn more about and its effects over time. One group of individuals, in particular, has caught the eye of many, and it is those affected by what is commonly called today the Dutch hunger winter. This was a time when people in the Netherlands experienced extreme famine around the end of World War II. Those conceived during that time have grown up to have an increased rate of metabolic diseases, making this an interesting area of research for the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis. Many researchers have found associations between in-utero exposures and variations in this cohort's epigenetic profile and mice studies. These include known epigenetically regulated loci such as IGF2 in humans and Aᵛʸ in mice. However, the molecular mechanisms are not completely understood yet for there to be distinct causality. Here I examine the history of the Dutch hunger winter, known epigenetic mechanisms, an in-depth look at what research has discovered, the logic behind the developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis, and ideas for future research