Open Research Oklahoma (Oklahoma State Univ.)
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Bone, muscle, tendon, and nerve’s synergistic adaptation to sport and physical training
No full textObjectives: Sport and physical training elicit external forces, induce internal mechanical loads, and provoke adaptations to bones, muscles, tendons, and nerves. However, different athletic and tactical disciplines require various loading demands, which may potentially lead to unique synergistic adaptations to the musculoskeletal, tendinous, and neuromuscular systems. Thus, the purpose of these studies was to investigate bone, muscle, tendon, and neuromuscular characteristics and adaptations within multiple sport disciplines and among pre-service military personnel to identify potential adaptive tissue interplay. Methods: Three projects assessed musculoskeletal, tendinous, and neuromuscular characteristics and adaptations among collegiate track and field and cross-country (TF-XC), softball athletes, and Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) cadets. Project 1 compared musculoskeletal health and density, musculotendinous morphology, and neuromuscular performance characteristics between TF-XC (n=30) and controls (n=30), and in cross-country (XC) athletes across a competitive season (n=20). Project 2 compared musculoskeletal health, density, and asymmetries, and muscle strength and power imbalances in softball athletes (n=25) and controls (n=25). Project 3 compared body composition and musculotendinous structure, quality, and mechanics between ROTC cadets (n=34) and controls (n=34), and in cadets pre-to-post 12-week training block (n=31). Results: In project 1, TF-XC reported 3-fold greater injury rates than controls, despite greater bone health, and muscle mass and quality (all p≤0.008). However, XC athletes’ muscle quality and force production, and Achilles tendon quality decreased from pre- to post-season (all p≤0.001). In project 2, softball athletes demonstrated better bone health and body composition, and larger arm bone density asymmetries, favoring their dominant arm, than controls (all p≤0.037); However, though athletes produced greater muscle power (p≤0.003), they presented hamstrings-to-quadriceps muscles torque ratios indicative of elevated knee injury risk. In project 3, ROTC presented lower muscle volume and force production (all p≤0.039), coinciding with a smaller, stiffer, and poorer quality Achilles tendon (all p≤0.017) than controls. Additionally, cadets demonstrated a longitudinal reduction in muscle volume and force production, and tendon mechanical properties (all p≤0.011). Conclusions: Overall, sport participation, regardless of discipline, presented better musculoskeletal health and density to non-athletes. However, individuals undergoing chronic repetitive sport and occupational training demonstrated suboptimal musculotendinous and neuromuscular characteristics and potentially unfavorable synergistic adaptations
Quantifying freshwater mussel composition and abundance in two prairie rivers
No full textFreshwater mussels are vital components of healthy aquatic systems, providing water filtration, nutrient cycling, structure for macroinvertebrates, and food for wildlife. Across North America, freshwater mussel populations have experienced severe declines, prompting renewed efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of different survey techniques. Additionally, quantifying environmental relationships for freshwater mussels is crucial for conservation, yet studies addressing freshwater mussel habitat associations in the Great Plains are lacking. During this study, we conducted three distinct surveys (i.e., dead shell, qualitative [snorkeling], and quantitative [quadrat] at each of 10 reaches on the Verdigris River and 16 reaches on the Caney River during the summers of 2023 and 2024 to compare freshwater mussel richness and abundance across different survey methods. Shell surveys on the Verdigris and Caney rivers consistently captured fewer species at the site level compared to snorkel and quadrat surveys. Although snorkeling is faster and comparable to more intensive quadrat surveys regarding species richness, these approaches yielded different results with respect to community composition. For both rivers, excavating ~10 quadrats would achieve the same estimates of richness and relative abundance as the site-level snorkel surveys. Quantitative sampling was also used to determine mussel density and species richness among different mesohabitat types (upper recirculation zone, lower recirculation zone, pool, riffle, run, outerbend, pointbar, shoal). On the Verdigris River, upper recirculation zones, pools, and riffles contained the greatest densities and richness of freshwater mussels; on the Caney River, run mesohabitats harbored the highest mussel densities and richness. We also used a single-season single-species occupancy modeling framework to identify factors influencing detection and occupancy for all mussels, juvenile mussels, and Monkeyface Theliderma metanevra. The most-supported models indicated that detection of all mussels and juvenile mussels was negatively associated with mean flow (m/s) while Monkeyface detection was negatively associated with proportion of gravel. Occupancy of all mussels and juvenile mussels was positively associated with proportion of gravel and cobble, while occupancy of Monkeyface was positively associated with proportion of gravel. Comparing survey methods and understanding habitat associations will help inform conservation efforts and future mussel monitoring
How TikTok’s visual politics shaped Indonesia’s 2024 election
No full textThe 2024 Indonesian presidential election marked a watershed moment in the evolution of electoral campaigns. TikTok, a platform that had gained popularity for its entertaining short-form videos, emerged as one of the most influential arenas for political messaging, particularly among youth voters. This development was not merely technological; it also reflected deeper shifts in how Indonesians, especially the digitally-savvy generation, engage with political content.
While traditional platforms such as television, WhatsApp, and in-person conversations continue to play key roles in shaping voter perceptions, especially among older demographics, TikTok’s role in this election was anything but marginal. Nationally representative surveys[1] confirm that although no single platform dominated across all age groups, TikTok stood out for its cultural resonance and algorithmic reach among voters aged 15 to 24, a demographic that makes up a substantial portion of Indonesia’s electorate. Plus, its highly visual and participatory nature sets it apart from other platforms such as Facebook or YouTube, even when user rates appear similar.
Indonesia, with over 66.5% of its population connected to the Internet, became TikTok’s second-largest user base in the world by February 2025, reaching 107.7 million users and surpassing the country’s user numbers on both Facebook and Instagram. TikTok’s appeal was especially strong among younger demographics, with over 50% of its users being between the ages of 18 and 40.[4] This demographic composition mirrored the electorate, where voters under 40 accounted for more than half of the 205 million eligible voters. This convergence of demographics, digital culture, and platform design made TikTok an especially powerful force in shaping the tone, imagery, and emotion of the 2024 presidential race.
Its algorithm, optimised to amplify emotionally engaging and visually rich content, created unprecedented opportunities for political actors to generate virality at scale. For Prabowo Subianto, a long-standing political figure with a controversial past, TikTok offered a chance to fundamentally reshape his public image. Through choreographed videos, meme-able content, AI-generated visuals (including animations), and viral trends, his campaign leveraged the full suite of TikTok’s features to connect with younger voters in ways unmatched by any other medium.
This paper focuses on TikTok not because it is the only platform of influence, but because it played an outsized and uniquely transformative role in the 2024 Indonesian election. We examine how Prabowo’s campaign used visual politics and algorithmic culture to engineer a narrative shift, and what this tells us about the future of political communication in Indonesia. In doing so, we aim to provide a deeper understanding of TikTok’s place in the evolving media landscape and its implications for democracy.Peer reviewedMedia and Strategic Communication
Policy, pollution, and power dynamics: Modeling organizational change adoption in agri-environmental value chains using an integrated stakeholder mapping and systems thinking approach
No full textAs agri-environmental ecosystems grow increasingly complex and interconnected, addressing challenges within these systems demands innovative, integrated, and transdisciplinary approaches that account for both structural and inter-relational dynamics. This study develops a methodological framework that combines system dynamics modeling (SDM) with stakeholder mapping to explore how social relationships, peer influence, and cross-stakeholder interactions shape the adoption of change within agri-environmental contexts. The research centers on two interconnected components. The first is the development of a system dynamics model that allows for the quantification, prediction, and visualization of how stakeholders transition from resistance to adoption based upon factors such as peer effects, economic incentives, and external influences. The second is the application of participatory stakeholder mapping to visualize system actors, power structures, and system flows (governance, finance, product flows, etc.), and its integration with the earlier SD model to create both an analytical tool and a foundation for more robust stakeholder engagement. Together, these approaches offer a novel lens for understanding how change diffuses within complex systems and highlight the importance of relational networks in driving or constraining adoption. The findings underscore the critical role of integrating social dimensions into change management and suggest pathways for applying these methods to both policy design and applied research both within agri-environmental contexts and across sectors
Why and when managerial coaching improves well-being: Examining the mediating role of managerial coaching and moderating role of narcissism
No full textOver the past two decades, managerial coaching has gained significant traction. Organizations increasingly adopt this practice to enhance employee productivity while addressing challenges such as absenteeism, turnover, and lack of engagement. Despite its growing use, limited empirical research has investigated the impact of managerial coaching on employee well-being. This study provides a comprehensive overview of coaching, differentiating managerial coaching from other coaching approaches. Additionally, it explores whether the relationship between managerial coaching and employee well-being is influenced by narcissistic traits, and examines the role of employee self-efficacy in moderating this relationship
“You gotta do what you gotta do”: Extending the theory of access to explain complexities in veteran food accessibility
No full textThe Veteran Health Administration reports that the military-connected community is facing a food insecurity crisis. For many veterans, challenges in accessing food and food assistance resources are one contributing factor to the rise in veteran food insecurity rates. Due to this rise, there has been an increase in the number of studies and policies addressing food insecurity among US veteran populations due to potential significant social, cultural, and political implications. Building on prior conceptualization of access from the Theory of Access by Ribot and Peluso, I identify various mechanisms of access that veterans utilize to access food and food assistance programs and frame these mechanisms within complex bundles of power operating in webs of power. I then employ Bourdieu’s concepts of capital, field, doxa, habitus, and hysteresis to further investigate why some veterans are able to access food and food assistance resources better than others. In interviews with 26 Oklahoma veterans, with service eras spanning from Vietnam to Post-Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom campaigns, I find that veteran food access is not simply a matter of eligibility or ability to access food, but is profoundly shaped by a veteran’s sense of dignity, identity, and transition back to civilian life. Not only does this research expand Ribot and Peluso’s TOA to understand veteran food access, but it also integrates Bourdieu’s concepts to allow for a more dynamic understanding of how veterans’ dispositions and discord experienced by the military-to-civilian transition influence their ability or inability to engage with food assistance programs. Findings from this research underscore the importance of veteran identity, demonstrate that access is a process, and call for more responsive policies and culturally attuned approaches to veteran food access
Cultivating leadership and life skills: The impact of youth livestock exhibition on youth development
No full textThe purpose of this study was to determine the leadership and life skills gained by youth livestock exhibitors as perceived by adults present at the 2024 Arkansas Youth Exposition (AYE). The study sought to compare the perceptions of adults in attendance at the 2024 AYE based on key demographic characteristics. Grounded in Kolb’s experiential learning theory, the study highlighted the benefits associated with participation in youth livestock shows as experiential learning opportunities. The sample audience was adults in attendance at the 2024 AYE (n = 379); based on the Krejcie and Morgan (1970) scale, the sample size allows the results to be generalized to the population. The study collected quantitative data using survey methodology. Respondents answered eight demographic questions and 13 Likert-type items about positive leadership and life skills associated with youth livestock exposition as well as two Likert-type questions asked about negative life skills commonly associated with youth livestock exhibition. The questionnaire was hosted on Qualtrics, and responses were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics, a grand mean, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to analyze the data. Respondents perceived youth livestock exhibitors develop positive leadership and life skills through the exhibition of their livestock projects: become knowledgeable about the livestock industry, gain self-confidence, develop problem-solving skills, gain a sense of self-discipline, learn time management skills, learn about healthy competition and sportsmanship, gain a sense of self-motivation, develop meaningful relationships, learn to be responsible for another living creature, gain a deeper understanding of fairness, gain an understanding of ethical agricultural practices, gain a better understanding of finances, and learn to accept constructive criticism. Respondents did not perceive youth livestock exhibitors learn to cheat or to value winning over everything else. Groups based on the individuals’ relationships to youth livestock exhibitors perceived development of the leadership and life skills differently for four skills; the ways in which the groups differed is not identifiable. Prior involvement in 4-H or FFA and previous experience showing livestock affected respondents’ perceptions of youth livestock exhibitors’ development of three leadership and life skills. Based on the results, 4-H and FFA should continue to use livestock shows to promote positive leadership and life skill development of youth. Additional research should be done to determine why the demographic groups perceive youth livestock exhibitors’ leadership and life skill development differently
When is aid not a helping hand? Local corruption and foreign aid effectiveness in Sub-Saharan Africa
No full textIn many African countries, poor governance and corruption are cited as reasons foreign aid fails to produce growth. However, previous cross-national research on this topic has only compared national corruption measures, which overlooks that citizen exposure to corruption, foreign aid, and economic growth may vary widely within a country. This research uses local-level data on corruption, development, and foreign aid in four African countries from 1999 to 2014 to better capture how aid influxes interact with reported corruption levels to impact regional development patterns. Using the theoretical framework of foreign aid as a capital investment requiring fertile conditions to meet economic and development goals, it is theorized that local areas with higher levels of corruption receiving more foreign aid will have lower levels of economic development. Although no statistically significant findings have been obtained, the findings of this research provide a base for future research on the interaction of local-level corruption and foreign aid, which may provide policymakers with important insights on when and where foreign aid can be successful
Temporal dynamics of deposit quality in aerosol jet printing using time-varying effects models
No full textAerosol Jet Printing (AJP) offers significant potential for additive manufacturing of miniaturized electronic devices, but challenges in quality monitoring during short-term print cycles hinder its reliability. Unpredictable line deposition characteristics lead to inconsistent line morphology, limiting further miniaturization. Current limitations include the absence of high-fidelity cameras to observe line formation in real-time and overly complex predictive models unsuitable for practical manufacturing environments. This study addresses these gaps by proposing an interpretable proxy for process stability, collected in real-time, and employing graphically understandable modeling methods to analyze important line morphology features.
This research uses normalized system back pressure as a proxy for process stability. It considers this as a predictor variable and average line width, overspray area percentage, and their ratio as response metrics for process stability. Descriptive statistics revealed significant variability in back pressure (mean: 44.86%, SD: +/-37.56%), while average line width exhibited low variability (mean: 62.35 µm, SD: +/-1.68 µm), indicating a stable process. Overspray area percentage showed bimodal distribution (mean: 1.75%, SD: +/-0.66%), suggesting occasional deviations. Linear regression demonstrated a statistically significant but minor negative effect of back pressure on line width (coefficient: -0.0232, p < 0.05), while no significant relationship was found for overspray or its ratio to line width. Time-Varying Effect Models (TVEM) further revealed temporal trends. Type II TVEM outperformed linear regression for overspray area and its ratio with average line width (lower AIC values: 1123.36 and 3647.99, respectively), highlighting the importance of time-varying effects for these metrics.
The findings underscore the need for tailored modeling approaches. Linear regression suffices for line width, while TVEM Type II better captures the temporal dynamics of overspray and its ratio with average line width. This study provides a framework for real-time monitoring for the quality of features printed with AJP, offering practical insights for improving process stability and advancing miniaturization in printed electronics
Production potential of cover crops in the semi arid Southern Great Plains
No full textSustainable agriculture in the United States is increasingly integrating regenerative principles to address the challenges of soil degradation, declining organic matter, and climate variability. Cover crops have emerged as a potential strategy to address these challenges along with an optional economic source as forage. However, their performance in semi-arid regions such as the Southern Great Plains remains inconsistent due to limited moisture availability, and several adoption barriers. This thesis investigates the potential of integrating summer cover crops into dryland cropping systems and winter cover crops in cotton cropping systems in the Oklahoma Panhandle.
The first objective of this research explores the role of cover crops in fallow periods within a dryland wheat–sorghum–fallow rotation. A two-year field study (2023–2024) evaluated Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and Sorghum-Sudangrass (Sorghum × drummondii) for their forage yield, nutritive value and soil moisture consumption. Our results showed that longer growing periods significantly improved biomass yield and crude protein content, with Pearl Millet outperforming Sorghum-Sudangrass in both quality and yield during both years of study. Environmental conditions, harvest timing, and fertilization were critical factors influencing forage performance. The dedicated cover crops extracted similar amounts of soil moisture as by weeds in check plots, which was recharged by seasonal rainfalls following natural termination of covers. These findings suggest that cover crops can be used for fallow replacement, although long-term impact on grazing and moisture dynamics require further investigation.
The second objective addressed the establishment of winter cover crops in irrigated cotton systems. The cotton harvest offers a narrow window for cover establishments in the region. The inter-seeding/broadcasting of covers in standing crops and the impact of harvest aids on covers has not been addressed yet. Therefore, a controlled-environment pot study tested impact of two cotton harvest aids (DFT-6 EC and Aim EC) on six winter cover crops. Green cover declined by at least 50% in all species within two weeks post-spray, with winter pea suffering complete loss. These findings suggest that inter-seeding cover crops in standing cotton is viable only if adequate time is provided (≥6 weeks) to achieve sufficient growth prior to defoliant application