Open Research Oklahoma (Oklahoma State Univ.)
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Response of macroinvertebrates to the presence of fish in Oklahoma ponds
No full textFishless ponds are increasingly being recognized as important for promoting aquatic insect diversity. Insects provide many ecosystem services, but recent observations indicate that insect diversity and abundance are decreasing. Constructed ponds, the dominant lentic ecosystem of Oklahoma, are commonly stocked with bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) for recreation. My results support previous work suggesting the effects of fish predation on invertebrates vary widely and likely exert a weak influence. Other measured environmental variables had a weak effect that did not significantly explain community composition. There was a 31.1% reduction in abundance in ponds stocked with fish. Communities in fishless ponds were more similar in composition than those in ponds with fish by the end of the study period. Interestingly, I observed that odonate taxa were more abundant in fish-containing ponds, contrasting previous literature. Most invertebrate taxa are likely well-adapted to coexist with fish and fish are unlikely to be causing significant population or diversity reductions. To provide the Osage Nation with baseline knowledge of aquatic insect diversity and fish presence at the 19,000-hectare Osage Nation Ranch (ONR), I sampled twenty-four ponds and six creek sites at the ONR over the summer season. Baseline data is important for incorporating invertebrates into wildlife management practices. A total of 5,394 individual macroinvertebrates representing 11 orders, 46 families, and 83 genera were collected from ponds and creek sites. Ponds held a total of 2,412 individuals representing 56 genera collected in ponds without fish (50.3%) and 2,381 representing 61 genera collected in ponds with fish (49.7%). The communities in fishless ponds were more variable in their composition than ponds with fish, although there were no significant differences in diversity and abundance metrics. In the experimental ponds, overall invertebrate abundance was reduced by fish. In natural ponds, communities were similar. Seasonal fish-free ponds may be important for maintaining invertebrate diversity
Investigating the point efficiency of a distillation column under non-total reflux conditions
No full textDistillation is considered one of the most fundamental separation processes in the chemical industry. Over the years many empirical and semi-empirical models to predict efficiency have been developed. However, these models have predominantly relied on data gathered under total reflux conditions, which may not accurately reflect real-world applications. This dissertation addresses this disparity by presenting a comprehensive study conducted on an Oldershaw column, capable of operating under both total and non-total reflux conditions. Oldershaw columns are proven effective in representing commercial column's point efficiency. An Oldershaw column was designed, installed, and commissioned that can operate under atmospheric and vacuum conditions.
The research explores the point efficiency of distillation trays, crucial for optimal column design and performance, under non-total reflux conditions using various test systems, such as cyclohexane/n-heptane, tert-amyl-alcohol/isobutanol and cyclopentanol/cyclohexanol. We conducted a systematic study over a range of values for several variables including stripping factor, reflux ratios, and feed compositions. Results reveal a decrease in point efficiency with increasing stripping factor and decreasing concentration of the light component in the feed. Additionally, the impact of reflux ratios, liquid-to-vapor ratios (L/V), and the slope of equilibrium curves on efficiency was investigated. Comparisons drawn between point efficiency data obtained for different test systems indicated the major impact of the stripping factor on point efficiency.
Efficiency models, such as the O’Connell and Duss & Taylor correlations, were evaluated against the newly gathered non-total reflux data, revealing underpredictions. A modified Duss & Taylor correlation was proposed, incorporating both non-total and total reflux data to enhance accuracy. Case studies further refined this modified correlation, showing significantly less errors in efficiency predictions than the Duss and Taylor correlation. Thus, this work demonstrated the feasibility of efficiency study under non-total reflux conditions by compiling a database of the hydrocarbons and alcohol test systems covering a wide range of physical properties. Additionally, an improved correlation was presented that will help design distillation columns cost-effectively
Methods of producing high quality alfalfa and prairie hay
No full textThe Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311
Influence of school-based agricultural education on positive youth development: A mixed methods approach
No full textTrauma is not a novel phenomenon within the world or society. Kilpatrick et al. (2013) postulated that most individuals will experience at least one traumatic event in their life. Possibly the more disturbing truth about trauma is it can occur throughout all stages of a person’s life, sometimes even before the person is born (Narayan et al., 2019). These adverse childhood experiences (ACEs; Felitti et al., 1998) are generated by exposure to trauma while younger than the age of eighteen and can have life-long effects to a person’s mental and physical health. Protective and compensatory experiences (PACEs) serve as the antidote for ACEs (Hays-Grudo & Morris, 2020). Additionally, positive youth development (PYD) seeks to build the internal assets of caring, character, competency, confidence, connection, and contribution in youth (Lerner et al., 2005). The purpose of this convergent parallel mixed methods study aimed to examine the influence of school-based agricultural education (SBAE) on Ferguson College of Agriculture students’ (FCoA) PYD, PACEs scores, and time spent in an SBAE program. Five research objectives guided the study. The population for this study was all students, graduate and undergraduate, enrolled within the FCoA at OSU during the 2023-2024 academic calendar year (N = 3,313). Two preexisting instruments (i.e., the Positive Youth Development Inventory and the Protective and Compensatory Experiences Inventory) were used for the quantitative data collection process. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were also conducted using an interview protocol generated based on the 6Cs of the PYD theory. It was concluded that SBAE programs served as a positive, nurturing environment for the development of all 6Cs of PYD in FCoA students, and support networks enhanced resilience of students in SBAE programs. Recommendations for practice and future research were made based on the conclusion drawn from the study and guided by a new conceptual model introduced in the study: A protective pedagogical model for school-based agricultural education
Corn herbicide rotation restrictions to wheat in Oklahoma
No full textThe Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311
Simple canning budget for a family of five or six
No full textThe Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311
Current state of the meetings and events industry in Oklahoma: Challenges, opportunities, and solutions to help the industry and its workforce thrive in a post-COVID world
No full textThe following study researched and analyzed the current state of the events and meetings industry in Oklahoma and its workforce. Industry professionals including hoteliers, event planners from planning and production companies, corporate event planners, and sales and services teams from convention and visitors bureaus were interviewed. The interviews were about twenty to thirty minutes long and had three different sections to guide conversation regarding the events and meetings industry, changes they have seen since the pandemic, and the state of the workforce. Main topics included the booming industry that has recovered since the pandemic and is now back in full swing, and the changes the pandemic had on the workforce. The workforce is much more resilient, but it has become more demanding when it comes to work life balance. Companies must become more flexible when it comes to work-life balance accommodations in order to battle turnover
Trust-Aware Sybil Event Recognition: A decentralized approach to Sybil attack prevention in VANETs
No full textConnected autonomous vehicles, or Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs), hold significant potential, yet concerns persist regarding safety, privacy, and security, especially with Sybil attacks where malicious entities falsify neighboring traffic information. These attacks involve adversaries creating multiple fake identities to manipulate network behavior, leading to security threats like misinformation dissemination, traffic congestion, and collisions. However, many detection techniques suffer from significant processing delays before identifying Sybil events, posing a substantial risk in mitigating attack damages. Additionally, many approaches rely on architecture not always present at attack locations. To address these issues, our research proposes the Trust Aware Sybil Event Recognition (TASER) Framework for assessing vehicle data integrity in VANETs. This framework evaluates information exchanged within local vehicle clusters, maintaining a cumulative trust score for each vehicle based on reported data integrity. Suspicious entities failing to meet trust score thresholds are statistically evaluated, and their legitimacy is challenged using directional antennas to verify reported GPS locations.We evaluate our framework using the OMNeT++ discrete event simulator, SUMO traffic simulator, and VEINS interface with TraCI API. Our approach significantly reduces attack detection times in urban scenarios without relying on traffic control architecture. Simulation results demonstrate high accuracy and low latency in detecting malicious entities, even in networks with 30% or more malicious nodes. Notably, our approach achieves these results without the need for traffic control architecture, reducing communication overhead in VANETs and enhancing security and trustworthiness in autonomous vehicular networks
Running water in the farm home
No full textThe Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service periodically issues revisions to its publications. The most current edition is made available. For access to an earlier edition, if available for this title, please contact the Oklahoma State University Library Archives by email at [email protected] or by phone at 405-744-6311
Enhancing chemistry relevance in General Chemistry-I lecture course: Impact on students’ cognitive and affective outcomes
No full textContextualized chemistry curriculum has been shown to positively impact academic outcomes, especially in middle and secondary school levels. However, limited investigations on the impact of this form of curriculum on students’ learning outcomes in chemistry lecture courses in postsecondary education have been reported. This quasi-experimental design study investigated the effect of contextualized chemistry curriculum on General Chemistry I students’ achievement scores and perceived relevance of chemistry content, as well as the correlation between students’ perceived content relevance and the achievement scores in the course. A treatment group was exposed to chemistry content enriched with real-world contexts, contextualized quizzes, and application cards activities, whereas a comparison group was taught through the conventional approach. Data included scores from a final chemistry test and a 5-point Likert scale chemistry relevance survey scores. The survey generated three constructs, namely personal relevance, chemistry utility, and societal relevance. Results from the quantitative analysis indicated significant differences between the two groups on perceived relevance and performance scores, and significant correlations between the relevance constructs and performance in the final exam, all favoring especially the treatment group. For the qualitative part, data included responses from the written application cards activities and an end-of-semester open-ended questionnaire. The application cards prompt, asking students to write three points on how content from specific chapter units during the second part of the semester related to their daily experiences or career aspirations, were also completed as part of the online quizzes. Findings showed reported positive benefits of the contextualized learning materials on the assessed components. Detailed findings and implications for practice will be presented