A Log and Core Analysis of the Marmaton Group, Granite Wash Fan Delta in the Anadarko Basin, Washita County, Oklahoma

The Pennsylvanian Marmaton Group Granite Wash located in the southern Anadarko Basin is a fan delta system that consists of stacked arkosic sandstones, conglomerates, and shale, and within Washita County, Oklahoma, are known to be a prolific hydrocarbon producer. The Marmaton Group in Washita County, though, has a variable and largely unestablished stratigraphic framework and sudden changes in lithology throughout the region, both horizontally and laterally. This combined with a lack of core or outcrop data has created confusion in the subsurface, and the Marmaton Group has remained largely unstudied in southern Washita County, OK. This study examined two sets of core, correlated over 90 wells logs, and examined thin sections to determine the characteristics of the Marmaton Group in Washita County, Oklahoma. Tops were determined for each of the Marmaton Group intervals (A-F), along with the Skinner Shale. These data were used to create thickness and structure maps of the formations. The two sets of core show a series of interbedded conglomerates, and coarse- through fine-grained sands, topped with shales, indicating rising and falling sea level affecting the delta fan, and creating the unique and striking sediment packages typically observed in fan delta systems. These sediments consist of high amounts of arkosic material sourced just south of the study area from the Amarillo-Wichita Uplift, as confirmed by the thin sections. These arkosic materials give an atypical well log reading due to the potassium and lithic fragment content of the conglomerates and sandstones, creating a higher-than-normal gamma ray reading. This in turned complicates the boundaries between shale, sandstones, and conglomerate zones in the gamma ray well logs. Density porosity logs, Neutron Porosity logs, and Caliper logs were relied upon to accurately determine the interval boundaries

P110 and P140 Cytadherence-Related Proteins Are Negative Effectors of Terminal Organelle Duplication in Mycoplasma genitalium

BACKGROUND:The terminal organelle is a complex structure involved in many aspects of the biology of mycoplasmas such as cell adherence, motility or cell division. Mycoplasma genitalium cells display a single terminal organelle and duplicate this structure prior to cytokinesis in a coordinated manner with the cell division process. Despite the significance of the terminal organelle in mycoplasma virulence, little is known about the mechanisms governing its duplication. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:In this study we describe the isolation of a mutant, named T192, with a transposon insertion close to the 3' end of the mg192 gene encoding for P110 adhesin. This mutant shows a truncated P110, low levels of P140 and P110 adhesins, a large number of non-motile cells and a high frequency of new terminal organelle formation. Further analyses revealed that the high rates of new terminal organelle formation in T192 cells are a direct consequence of the reduced levels of P110 and P140 rather than to the expression of a truncated P110. Consistently, the phenotype of the T192 mutant was successfully complemented by the reintroduction of the mg192 WT allele which restored the levels of P110 and P140 to those of the WT strain. Quantification of DAPI-stained DNA also showed that the increase in the number of terminal organelles in T192 cells is not accompanied by a higher DNA content, indicating that terminal organelle duplication does not trigger DNA replication in mycoplasmas. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:Our results demonstrate the existence of a mechanism regulating terminal organelle duplication in M. genitalium and strongly suggest the implication of P110 and P140 adhesins in this mechanism

Understanding Intersectionality and Resiliency among Transgender Adolescents: Exploring Pathways among Peer Victimization, School Belonging, and Drug Use

Transgender youth experience elevated levels of victimization and may therefore report greater drug use than their cisgender peers, yet little is known about protective factors like school belonging that may mediate this relationship. Further, scant research has explored the experiences of youth at the intersection of transgender identity and youth of color status or low socioeconomic status, especially with respect to these multiple minority statuses’ associations with peer victimization, drug use, and school belonging. Using data from the California Healthy Kids Survey, the current study employs structural equation modeling to explore the relationships among school belonging, peer victimization, and drug use for transgender youth. Findings indicate that school belonging does mediate the pathway between peer victimization and drug use for transgender youth and that although youth of color experience greater victimization, they do not engage in greater drug use than their white transgender peers. Based on these results, those concerned with the healthy futures of transgender youth should advocate for more open and affirming school climates that engender a sense of belonging and treat transgender youth with dignity and fairness

Transfer of Responsibility for Auto-Injectable Epinephrine Devices from Parents to Children and Adolescents with Food Allergies

Epinephrine auto-injectors are routinely prescribed for patients at risk of anaphylaxis, including children and adolescents with food allergies. This study sought to identify factors that impact the age at which parents transfer responsibility for carrying auto-injectable epinephrine devices to their children. In addition, this study sought to determine whether various stages of shared responsibility for carrying auto-injectable epinephrine devices are associated with adverse outcomes like anaphylaxis, emergency room visits, parental anxiety, and patient anxiety. Data was collected using a 32-question Qualtrics survey and participants were recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk. Demographic variables like income, stock epinephrine availability, and a self-reported diagnosis of a developmental delay, anxiety disorder, or depressive disorder were found to correlate with the expected ages at which children would assume greater levels of responsibility. The lowest reported rates of anaphylaxis and ER visits due to allergic reactions occurred among children who shared responsibility with their parents

Trust-building characteristics of superintendents and their impact on principals

The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate superintendents' trust-building characteristics and behaviors as perceived by principals and to determine the relationship between these perceptions and principals' job satisfaction and willingness to take risks. To this end, the researcher developed and piloted a 38-item questionnaire to assess levels of trust, using the facets of benevolence, competence, honesty, openness, and reliability. The questionnaire, which was determined to be a valid and reliable means of measuring trust, was distributed to over 400 principals in a Southern California county, of whom 222 responded, resulting in a 54% response rate. Four conclusions, based on the findings, were determined. First, principals held positive perceptions of their superintendents' trust-building characteristics and behaviors. Second, principals' perceptions of superintendents' benevolence and openness were relatively less positive than were their perceptions of competence, honesty, and reliability. Third, principals' level of trust in their superintendents was predictive of principals' job satisfaction, and, fourth, their willingness to take risks. This study presented several implications for practitioners and researchers. This study confirms previous research connecting trust to job satisfaction and risk taking. Higher levels of risk taking are important to nurturing innovation, reform, and positive changes that may ultimately have an impact on student achievement. Further, the study indicated that specific observable characteristics and behaviors within the facets of benevolence, competence, honesty, openness, and reliability are positively connected to building trust. Awareness of these characteristics and behaviors can assist leaders as they endeavor to build trust within their own relationships. This dissertation was one of only a few studies that has examined trust in the highest levels of educational leadership. Broadening this research to focus on the reciprocal nature of trust between principals and superintendents as well as to examine trust relationships of school boards and superintendents, parents and superintendents, and parents and school boards also may be helpful in developing our understanding of trust in educational leadership

Understanding Intersectionality and Resiliency among Transgender Adolescents: Exploring Pathways among Peer Victimization, School Belonging, and Drug Use

Transgender youth experience elevated levels of victimization and may therefore report greater drug use than their cisgender peers, yet little is known about protective factors like school belonging that may mediate this relationship. Further, scant research has explored the experiences of youth at the intersection of transgender identity and youth of color status or low socioeconomic status, especially with respect to these multiple minority statuses’ associations with peer victimization, drug use, and school belonging. Using data from the California Healthy Kids Survey, the current study employs structural equation modeling to explore the relationships among school belonging, peer victimization, and drug use for transgender youth. Findings indicate that school belonging does mediate the pathway between peer victimization and drug use for transgender youth and that although youth of color experience greater victimization, they do not engage in greater drug use than their white transgender peers. Based on these results, those concerned with the healthy futures of transgender youth should advocate for more open and affirming school climates that engender a sense of belonging and treat transgender youth with dignity and fairness

Personality and Cognitive Factors Related to Completing Extra Credit Assignments

We explored the differences in course level, personality, and cognitive factors among students who did and did not do extra credit. A total of 276 undergraduate students enrolled in introductory or upper-level psychology and biology courses were surveyed following their final exams to determine levels of academic self-efficacy, metacognitive ability, and a variety of other demographic factors. We conducted a 2 (Extra Credit: Completed or Not Completed) x 2 (Course Level: Introductory or Upper-level) x 4 (Final Course Grade: “A”, “B”, “C”, or “D/F”) between-subjects MANOVA with academic self-efficacy and measures of metacognitive ability as dependent variables. Our results indicated that Academic self-efficacy and Regulation of Cognition metacognition scores differed based on these factors. The implications for how course-specific feedback and improved awareness of metacognition can improve student achievement related to our findings and future research directions are discussed