University of Oklahoma

About: University of Oklahoma is a education organization based out in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Radar. The organization has 25269 authors who have published 52609 publications receiving 1821706 citations. The organization is also known as: OU & Oklahoma University.

Scaffolding Students' Problem-Solving Processes in an Ill-Structured Task Using Question Prompts and Peer Interactions

Abstract: This study examined the effects of question prompts and peer interactions in scaffolding undergraduate students’ problem-solving processes in an ill-structured task in problem representation, developing solutions, making justifications, and monitoring and evaluating. A quasi-experimental study, supplemented by multiple-case studies, was conducted to investigate both the outcomes and the processes of student problem-solving performance. The quantitative outcomes revealed that question prompts had significantly positive effects on student problem-solving performance but peer interactions did not show significant effects. The qualitative findings, however, did indicate some positive effects of peer interactions in facilitating cognitive thinking and metacognitive skills. The study suggests that the peer interaction process itself must be guided and monitored with various strategies, including question prompts, in order to maximize its benefits.

A Phase I/II trial of MYO-029 in Adult Subjects with Muscular Dystrophy

Abstract: Objective: Myostatin is an endogenous negative regulator of muscle growth and a novel target for muscle diseases. We conducted a safety trial of a neutralizing antibody to myostatin, MYO-029, in adult muscular dystrophies (Becker muscular dystrophy, facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy). Methods: This double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational, randomized study included 116 subjects divided into sequential dose-escalation cohorts, each receiving MYO-029 or placebo (Cohort 1 at 1mg/kg; Cohort 2 at 3mg/kg; Cohort 3 at 10mg/kg; Cohort 4 at 30mg/kg). Safety and adverse events were assessed by reported signs and symptoms, as well as by physical examinations, laboratory results, echocardiograms, electrocardiograms, and in subjects with facioscapulohumeral dystrophy, funduscopic and audiometry examinations. Biological activity of MYO-029 was assessed through manual muscle testing, quantitative muscle testing, timed function tests, subject-reported outcomes, magnetic resonance imaging studies, dual-energy radiographic absorptiometry studies, and muscle biopsy. Results: MYO-029 had good safety and tolerability with the exception of cutaneous hypersensitivity at the 10 and 30mg/kg doses. There were no improvements noted in exploratory end points of muscle strength or function, but the study was not powered to look for efficacy. Importantly, bioactivity of MYO-029 was supported by a trend in a limited number of subjects toward increased muscle size using dual-energy radiographic absorptiometry and muscle histology. Interpretation: This trial supports the hypothesis that systemic administration of myostatin inhibitors provides an adequate safety margin for clinical studies. Further evaluation of more potent myostatin inhibitors for stimulating muscle growth in muscular dystrophy should be considered. Ann Neurol 2008;63:561–571

Examining the Effects of Classroom Discussion on Students' Comprehension of Text: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract: The role of classroom discussions in comprehension and learning has been the focus of investigations since the early 1960s. Despite this long history, no syntheses have quantitatively reviewed the vast body of literature on classroom discussions for their effects on students’ comprehension and learning. This comprehensive meta-analysis of empirical studies was conducted to examine evidence of the effects of classroom discussion on measures of teacher and student talk and on individual student comprehension and critical-thinking and reasoning outcomes. Results revealed that several discussion approaches produced strong increases in the amount of student talk and concomitant reductions in teacher talk, as well as substantial improvements in text comprehension. Few approaches to discussion were effective at increasing students’ literal or inferential comprehension and critical thinking and reasoning. Effects were moderated by study design, the nature of the outcome measure, and student academic ability. While the range of ages of participants in the reviewed studies was large, a majority of studies were conducted with students in 4th through 6th grades. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

New Pore-scale Considerations for Shale Gas in Place Calculations

Abstract: Using FIB/SEM imaging technology, a series of 2-D and 3-D submicro-scale investigations are performed on the types of porous constituents inherent to gas shale. A finely-dispersed porous organic (kerogen) material is observed imbedded within an inorganic matrix. The latter may contain larger-size pores of varying geometries although it is the organic material that makes up the majority of gas pore volume, with pores and capillaries having characteristic lengths typically less than 100 nanometers. A significant portion of total gas in-place appears to be associated with inter-connected large nano-pores within the organic material. This observation has several implications on reservoir engineering of gas shales. Primarily, thermodynamics (phase behavior) of fluids in these pores are known to be quite different. Most importantly, gas residing in a small pore or capillary is rarefied under the influence of organic pore walls and shows a density profile across the pore with damped-oscillations. This raises the following serious questions related to gas-in-place calculations: under reservoir conditions, what fraction of the pore volume of the organic material can be considered available for the free gas phase and what fraction is taken up by the adsorbed phase? If a significant fraction of the organic pore volume is taken up by the adsorbed phase, how accurately is the shale gas storage capacity estimated using the conventional volumetric methods? And, finally, do average densities exist for the free and the adsorbed phases and how large would a typical density contrast be in an organic pore for an accurate gas reserve calculation? In order to answer these questions we combine the Langmuir equilibrium adsorption isotherm with the volumetrics for free gas and formulate a new gas-in-place equation accounting for the organic pore space taken up by the sorbed phase. The method yields a total gas-in-place prediction based on a corrected free gas pore volume that is obtained using an average adsorbed gas density. Next, we address the fundamental-level questions related to phase transition in organic matter using equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations involving methane in small carbon slit-pores of varying size and temperature. We predict methane density profiles across the pores and show that (i) an average total thickness for an adsorbed methane layer is typically 0.7 nm, which is roughly equivalent to 4% of a 100 nm diameter pore volume, and (ii) the adsorbed phase density is 1.8-2.0 times larger than that of the bulk methane, i.e., in the absence of pore wall effects. These findings suggest that a significant level of adjustment is necessary in volume calculations, especially for gas shales high in total organic content. Finally, using typical values for the parameters, we perform a series of calculations using the new volumetric method and show a 10-25% decrease in total gas storage capacity compared to that using the conventional approach. This additionally could have a larger impact in shales where the sorbed gas phase is a more significant portion of the total gas-inplace. The new methodology is recommended for estimating shale gas-in-place and the approach could be extended to other unconventional gas-in-place calculations where both sorbed and free gas phases are present.