5917 research outputs found
Sort by
The Interconnected Landscape
No full textMy work is an exploration of abstract landscapes of the Oklahoma and West Texas Panhandle regions, the land I call home. It serves as a metaphorical mapping for both nature and humanity as fluid realms, while utilizing concepts of home, comfort, and wellbeing drawn from my own personal experiences. My artworks contemplate meanings of entropy and transformation, informed by the evolution of geological landscapes and by changes in the human body and psyche over time. I use the material of bedsheets as both a medium and a tool to conceptualize these ideas. My work aims to inspire my audience to contemplate the interconnectedness between these fluid realms and to appreciate the shared patterns that my artworks display
Comparing Automobile Accident Rates in Counties from the Texan Panhandle
Get PDFThe accident fatalities in the Texas Panhandle has been shown to increase. Batzlaff (2023) reported 90 accident deaths in 2021 and 101 in 2022. Factors that contribute to accidents in Texas include speed, alcohol and drugs, poor weather, and distracted driving (i.e., texting, eating) (Shiner, 2023). In March 2023, the Texas Department of Transportation demonstrated that Amarillo had a total of 16 fatal crashes and 19 fatalities and Canyon had 2 fatal crashes and 2 fatalities. As such, there is a need to investigate the accident rates in Randall and Potter counties of the Texas Panhandle in order to prevent future accidents and reduce collision fatalities (Texas Department of Insurance, 2023). In this study, we will address a gap in the literature by examining the accident rates of the Texan Panhandle. The purpose of this project is to examine automobile accidents in counties of the Texan Panhandle. In this study, we conducted a comparison data analysis using Tableu. Our research questions include the following: RQ1: What factors explain automobile accidents in Amarillo, TX? RQ2: How do Potter and Randall counties compare in automobile accidents? RQ3: How do Texan counties differ by fatalities? Our findings identify the top factors that contributed to these accidents included: failing to control speed, unsafe speed, failing to drive in the single lane, driver inattention, and under the influence of alcohol. We also identify high automobile accidents in Amarillo, TX. In particular, Potter County exhibited more accidents in comparison to Randall County. Most accidents happen on Fridays during rush hour (5PM) and in the month of October. In examining Texan fatalities across counties, Amarillo had 262 total fatalities in comparison to Lubbock, which had 299. Our findings have implications for the safety of Texan Panhandle automobile drivers. References Batzlaff, S. (2023). TxDOT Amarillo District reports rise in fatality crashes in 2022. https://www.newschannel10.com/2023/01/06/txdot-amarillo-district-reports-rise-fatality-crashes-2022/ Shiner, D. (2023). Common causes of car accidents. https://shinerlawgroup.com/common-causes-of-car-accidents/ Texas Department of Insurance. (2023). Accident investigation safety training program. www.txsafetyatwork.com Texas Department of Transportation. (2023). Crashes and injuries cities and towns. Texas Peace Officer's Crash Reports, 1-46.
Data collection methodology is comparison methods using secondary public data.The purpose of this study was to investigate the accident rates of counties in the Texan Panhandle. Given the high percentage rates of fatalities and crashes reported, it is important to examine accident rates in order to prevent future fatalities. A comparison analysis was conducted using Tableu using Texan Panhandle data. Results provide the factors that contributed to vehicle accidents. Additionally, Potter County had more accidents in comparison to Randall County. Findings have implications for the safety of Texan Panhandle automobile drivers
The Impact of Financial Literacy and Estate Planning on American Households
Get PDFEstate planning has been an emerging research area in financial planning, as it recognizes the importance of distributing assets and minimizing estate settlement costs at the time of a person's death. Individuals and families use estate planning as a financial tool to transfer wealth and provide for loved ones after a death in the family, which often prompts a loss of financial resources for those left behind. Financial planners and advisors who create estate plans for individuals and families should address the difficulties that often occur when an estate is settled. Dancy and Loe (2021) reported that the most vital estate planning documents for financial professionals to draft for a client are revocable trusts, powers of attorney, and wills. A will, in particular, can be absolutely critical, because it outlines an individual's wishes for the way that their estate should be managed after their death. The awareness about wills may have increased in the minds of many during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the urgent need for estate planning. However, although research has highlighted the importance of wills, Kim and Stebbins (2021) noted that 63 percent of adults do not have a will. Given the heightened awareness of wills, this research seeks to understand the role that financial literacy plays in an individual's decision to establish a will and thus be prepared better for uncertain times.
This poster provides an overview of how financial literacy and financial knowledge, and the application of both, contribute to individuals' estate planning practices, as seen in the 2021 National Financial Capability Study (NFCS) dataset. Our study has 2,806 participants.Estate planning has been an emerging research area in financial planning, as it recognizes the importance of distributing assets and minimizing estate settlement costs at the time of a person's death. Individuals and families use estate planning as a financial tool to transfer wealth and provide for loved ones after a death in the family, which often prompts a loss of financial resources for those left behind. Financial planners and advisors who create estate plans for individuals and families should address the difficulties that often occur when an estate is settled. Dancy and Loe (2021) reported that the most vital estate planning documents for financial professionals to draft for a client are revocable trusts, powers of attorney, and wills. A will, in particular, can be absolutely critical, because it outlines an individual's wishes for the way that their estate should be managed after their death. The awareness about wills may have increased in the minds of many during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring the urgent need for estate planning. However, although research has highlighted the importance of wills, Kim and Stebbins (2021) noted that 63 percent of adults do not have a will. Given the heightened awareness of wills, this research seeks to understand the role that financial literacy plays in an individual's decision to establish a will and thus be prepared better for uncertain times. This poster provides an overview of how financial literacy and financial knowledge, and the application of both, contribute to individuals' estate planning practices, as seen in the 2021 National Financial Capability Study (NFCS) dataset. Further, the poster highlights the link between a person's level of financial literacy and whether or not they have established a will. As such, the poster offers important findings for financial services professionals who engage in estate planning with their clients
Development and Deployment Internet of Things (IoT) in Aquaponics Experiments
No full textThe need for profitability in aquaponics. Aquaponics, the co-production of fish and plants in a common recirculating water supply, as a technical concept has been in place in a public form since the 1970s. In one way or another, a series of papers over the last 10 years has been attempting to answer the question, When will aquaponics become viable as a commercial venture where it is needed in the world? Technical challenges for aquaponics are frequently issues of nutrient management and efficient use, the operation and choice of system type, management of water supply and use, and the match between aquatic organism and crop. Regarding nutrient use, macronutrients, which can be shared between fish and plants, are phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N). These two nutrients are the biggest driver for the linking of aquaculture systems into coupled or decoupled loops. When a coupled (single recirculating loop) system is used, the rate of nutrients supplied to crops and the general water quality that crops experience, will be very similar to what fish-rearing tanks and biofilters experience. The potential advantage of a decoupled system is that pH and temperature can be adjusted differentially in plant beds and fish rearing tanks. Additionally, greater control over fish to plant nutrient loads can be altered directly according to how much water is allowed to pass between fish and plant loops. Challenges in aquaponics adoption are a mixture of economic and social concerns. These include, questionable profitability; whether the inclusion of fish with crops (as opposed to hydroponic only production) is justified; the perceptions of consumers about the safety, quality, and value of aquaponics grown food; the energy costs of an aquaponics operation; the high capital investment; and the amount of specialized knowledge required to operate an aquaponics facility. Use of IoT sensors in aquaponics. There have been several papers that discuss the need or potential for IoT, but few have done much more than employ them in a basic demonstration. We want to use this project to combine IoT in aquaponics to improve performance and economic viability. We hypothesize that there is a beneficial cooperation that could be had between aquaponics operators who have a business interest in success and a system-based understanding of aquaponics and IoT sensors. Specific research objectives we attempted in our work are: (1) Design circuits that employ water quality sensors which we can deploy in several experimental (300 L each) aquaponics systems. (2) Analyze the temporal data on water quality over a single six-week production cycle to ascertain the value of the additional high time resolution sensing of water quality conditions.
These are experiments of engineering design and testing. We therefore tested several water quality sensors and their ability to continuously monitor water quality conditions during actual aquaponics experiments. We made adjustments to what sensors we used and how we calibrated them according to what we see in the data and in comparison to traditional wet chemistry and manual measurement sensors.In this project, our aim was to create a physical Internet of Things (IoT) water quality sensing toolset that we could put into a lab aquaponics system. Aquaponics is the combination of hydroponics and aquaculture to grow fish and crops together. Water quality is very important to the overall efficiency of resources used in the process. We purchased some off-the-shelf sensors for water temperature, water salinity, and pH and connected them into an inexpensive microcontroller. The microcontroller guides the data collection from the sensors in an aquaponics growth experiment which includes recording the data at regular intervals and then sending it to an app so that we could watch it remotely. We did not get as far as long we would like. We wanted to get where we had three individual sensor sets working and well calibrated to be just as accurate as hand measurements that we take from a manual digital probe. However, we are getting close to this state, automated data logging and monitoring. We will continue to work on these sensors to get these working and therefore make IoT monitoring of aquaponics experiments at WT a regular tool in our work. Over time, if we can find a way to create inexpensive sensor arrays for aquaponics, the ability to optimize, control, and better understand aquaponics production both for research and for general practice should to increase
Engineering of a Microfluidic Platform for Investigation of Immersion Freezing in the Atmosphere
Get PDFThe West Texas A&M University Microfluidic Static Droplet Array (WT-MFSDA) platform was developed for studying atmospheric ice nucleation, specifically immersion freezing. It combines a microfluidic device with interconnected droplet parking traps and a unique hand pipetting method to create an array of nanoliter-sized droplets containing ice-nucleating particles (INPs). A commercialized cooling unit facilitates the visualization and characterization of freezing events in individual droplets. Each droplet is carefully isolated and covered with a thin mineral oil film, enhancing measurement reliability by eliminating artifacts due to surface contact, mass transfer, and evaporation. The WT-MFSDA platform allows simulation and investigation of immersion freezing in water and INP-involved suspensions at temperatures below -35 °C, with cooling rates relevant to atmospheric cloud updraft velocities. Temperature uncertainty is controlled within ± 0.3 °C. Platform performance is verified using well-known bulk powder INP surrogates, such as illite NX, Snomax, and microcrystalline cellulose. The results from nanoliter freezing assays in WT-MFSDA are compared and validated against other freezing assays and published data. A calorimetry analysis of single droplet freezing is conducted to understand thermodynamics, kinetics, and exothermic energy release during the liquid-to-solid phase transition. Future plans include testing freezing properties of high-latitude soil dust samples from the North Slope of Alaska region using WT-MFSDA and integrating research and teaching activities by training students, and expanding laboratory exercises to classrooms. The advanced ice nucleation capabilities of WT-MFSDA enable enhanced science teaching in atmospheric ice nucleation research.The West Texas A&M University Microfluidic Static Droplet Array (WT-MFSDA) platform was developed for studying atmospheric ice nucleation, specifically immersion freezing. It combines a microfluidic device with interconnected droplet parking traps and a unique hand pipetting method to create an array of nanoliter-sized droplets containing ice-nucleating particles (INPs). A commercialized cooling unit facilitates the visualization and characterization of freezing events in individual droplets. Each droplet is carefully isolated and covered with a thin mineral oil film, enhancing measurement reliability by eliminating artifacts due to surface contact, mass transfer, and evaporation. The WT-MFSDA platform allows simulation and investigation of immersion freezing in water and INP-involved suspensions at temperatures below -35 °C, with cooling rates relevant to atmospheric cloud updraft velocities. Temperature uncertainty is controlled within ± 0.3 °C. Platform performance is verified using well-known bulk powder INP surrogates, such as illite NX, Snomax, and microcrystalline cellulose. The results from nanoliter freezing assays in WT-MFSDA are compared and validated against other freezing assays and published data. A calorimetry analysis of single droplet freezing is conducted to understand thermodynamics, kinetics, and exothermic energy release during the liquid-to-solid phase transition. Future plans include testing freezing properties of high-latitude soil dust samples from the North Slope of Alaska region using WT-MFSDA and integrating research and teaching activities by training students, and expanding laboratory exercises to classrooms. The advanced ice nucleation capabilities of WT-MFSDA enable enhanced science teaching in atmospheric ice nucleation research
Flexible Foams and Elastomers from Castor Oil
No full textNatural oils are excellent substitutes for various feedstocks used to synthesize polyol in the preparation of polyurethanes. Synthesis of polyols for polyurethanes directly from oils is possible by various methods such as thiol-ene addition of mercapto alcohols, hydroformylation/hydrogenation, metathesis, transesterification (glycolysis and glycerolysis), epoxidation and ring opening with alcohols, acids, hydrogen or inorganic acids, and ozonolysis/hydrogenation. Most of these methods yielded low molar mass polyols of around 1000, similar to the oils they are derived from. Typically, polyols with molar mass range 3000-6000 are required for flexible foams and elastomers which can be obtained by alkoxylation (propoxylation/ ethoxylation); however, this process lowers the bio-based content of the resulting polyols. We hereby focused on synthesis and structure elucidation of self-condensed polyols from castor oil containing ~ 2.7 hydroxyl groups per triglyceride. Our objective also involves obtaining a series of castor oil-based polyols that provide varying degrees of hydroxyl functionalization with suitable viscosity for flexible foam and elastomer formulation. Experimental techniques include wet chemistry (titration), viscosity measurements, size-exclusion chromatography combined with light scattering (SEC/LS), and spectroscopic techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization coupled to time of flight (MALDI-TOF). The current study also involves the preparation and analysis of flexible polyurethane foams and elastomers.
Data collection methodology is experimental analysis using various instruments such as FTIR, NMR, Maldi-Toff/MS etc...Self-transesterification of castor oil was employed to prepare higher molar mass polyols possessing interesting properties. Detailed structures of the polyols were studied using various standard techniques along with spectrometric analysis such as MALDI-TOF/MS. Polyurethane elastomers prepared from these polyols provided soft material with low Shore A hardness. These polyols were also tested in molded polyurethane foams and their polyurethane properties were compared with that of the commercial bio-polyols
Estimation of Final Carcass Composition Using Ultrasound, Warner-Bratzler Shear Force and Ether Extract Testing on Beefmaster Steers.
Get PDFThe objective of this study was to determine if ultrasound estimates of carcass quality traits could predict the final quality factors that influence consumers’ purchases. Beefmaster steers (n = 86) from two experiments representing two different sires were ultrasounded 48d and 73d before harvest using an Aloka 500 ultrasound unit, equipped with a 17.2 cm probe to collect 12th rib fat thickness (FTU), 12th rib longissimus muscle area (REAU), intramuscular fat (IMFU) and rump fat (RFU). International Livestock Image Analysis (I.L.I.A) software (Harrison, Arkansas) was used to process images to determine FTU, REAU, IMFU and RFU using chute side captured ultrasound images on all steers. An Ultrasound Guidelines Council (UGC) field and lab certified technician captured all ultrasound images. Carcass data collection included 12th rib fat thickness (FTC), 12th rib longissimus muscle area (REAC) and marbling score (MARBNum). Additionally, Warner Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and Ether extract (EE) were determined on 12-13th longissimus muscle samples. All carcass data was collected by the Beef Carcass Research Center (BCRC) at West Texas A&M University. Data were
analyzed using SAS version 9.4. Overall simple descriptive statistics were 1.03 ± 0.26 cm, 88.79 ± 8.61 cm2, 5.02 ± 0.93 %, 1.26 ± 0.36 cm for FTU, REAU, IMFU, and RFU, respectively. Simple descriptive statistics were 1.72 ± 0.41 cm, 90.06 ± 7.24 cm2, 50.5 ± 6.88, 6.08 ± 1.92, and 3.34 ± 0.79 kg for FTC, REAC and MARBNum, EE and WBSF, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficients for experiment 1 were 0.73 (P < 0.01) between FTU and FTC, 0.52 (P < 0.01) between REAU and REAC, 0.45 (P < 0.01) between IMFU and MARBNum, and 0.44 (P < 0.01) between EE and IMFU. Pearson correlation coefficients for experiment 2 were 0.73 (P < 0.01) between FTU and FTC, 0.32 (P < 0.01) between REAU and REAC, 0.31 (P < 0.01) between IMFU and MARBNum, and 0.33 (P < 0.01) between EE and IMFU. These results suggest that ultrasound measures of final body composition should be taken closer to the final harvest date to better estimate endpoints of fat thickness, longissimus muscle area and intramuscular fat in harvest ready beef cattle
Evaluating Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Maturity Patterns in the Northern Texas High Plains
Get PDFThe Texas High Plains Region contributes to the majority of Texas cotton production, the leading state in United States production. Over the last two decades, cotton has migrated north of the well-known cotton region of the Southern High Plains, providing a unique opportunity for farmers to produce a drought tolerant crop as irrigation capacities from the Ogallala Aquifer dwindle. Compared to the Southern High Plains, the Texas Northern High Plains (NHP) is regarded as a more stressful production area in terms of reduced thermal units.
Advancements over the last century such as boll weevil eradication, development of transgenic Bt traits, herbicide tolerance, and early maturing cotton varieties have made production in the area possible. The industry standard for monitoring cotton growth to maturity was developed in the early 1990’s in traditional cotton production regions prior to these advancements. Developmental target values for the timing of the appearance of the first square, the first flower, and physiological cutout were presented in the COTMAN manual developed by the University of Arkansas (Oosterhuis & Kerby, 2008). While these benchmarks have remained the standard for many years, the accuracy of such target values for current production systems in the Texas Panhandle is questionable.
This study monitored modern, commercially available cotton cultivars commonly grown in the Texas Panhandle and presents cultivar specific developmental stage benchmarks that are representative of the region. The primary objectives of this study were to investigate (1) early season vegetative growth from planting to first square, (2)
vertical flowering interval, (3) timing of physiological cutout and (4) yield contribution of the last effective boll population. Production has been proven to be successful in the area (Gowda et al., 2007 & Leng et al., 2018), certifying the need to investigate whether developmental target values differ from the industry standard, and if so, to present optimized values.
Results from two trial in 2022 and 2023 growing seasons indicated a stark contrast in development when compared to the industry standard Target Development Curve (TDC). Specific developmental curves were generated by segmented regression for each trial from main-stem nodal development measurements and corresponding nodes above white flower (NAWF) values recovered from tagged white flowers. Main-stem node lint contributions were analyzed from lint weights captured after box picking and ginning. Nonlinear regression was used to recover parameters for the estimated maximum yield, mid-node where accumulation changed slope, and rate of accumulation. These parameters were then used to calculate accumulated lint yields by main-stem node which were then used to determine the percentage of the total yield to identify the effective fruiting zone (Kerby & Hake, 1996). Compared to the industry standard TDC, data from both trials illustrate decreased vegetative growth from emergence to first flower, as well as a delay in timing to first square, first flower, and physiological cutout. The trial at Bushland, Texas in 2023 was the exception to observed developmental delays, presumably due to a late planting date. Heat unit accumulations were inconsistent with published values. However, it should be noted that the appropriate heat unit targets are not well defined in the literature. The data suggests current methods of assessing cotton maturity are not optimized for production in the Texas Panhandle
Reaching Adult Learners Located in Rural and Remote Areas through Community College Branch Campuses in Texas
No full textDue to the need for more qualified and credentialed employees, Texas introduced a new funding model that encourages community colleges to seek new ways to provide the local workforce with credentials of value (McGee, 2022, McGee, 2023). Community colleges are being asked to expand their educational focus to include all working-age adults, often called nontraditional students or adult learners. Through a strategic plan, community colleges may use their branch campuses in rural and remote areas to meet the challenge of educating adult learners proposed in the new funding model. This qualitative research used narrative inquiry described by Connelly and Clandinin (2006) and thematic analysis methodologies and approaches recommended by Braun and Clarke (2023) to identify ways community college branch campuses might recruit, educate, and provide credentials of value to adult learners in rural and remote areas, to meet the growing needs of the expanding Texas workforce outlined in the 2023 higher education funding model. This study identified barriers and aligned various ways by which branch campuses might effectively serve adult and nontraditional students in rural areas