A Study of aeration effects on direct acting hydraulic valve train systems

The amount of research in the area of mass transfer of air as a bubble in hydraulic fluid or lubricant is very limited. There are only a few studies on the interaction of oils with air, especially knowledge of air solubility of the oil and diffusivity of dissolved air in oil, namely aeration. This paper will study the effect of aeration on a direct acting hydraulic valve lifter system in an internal combustion engine. Aeration is, primarily, influenced by hydrodynamic factors such as, design features of the oil system and the physicochemical characteristics of the oil. The direct acting hydraulic valve lifter (DAHVL) was introduced to the automotive industry because of some definite advantages, such as acoustic improvement and friction reduction. Although, the aforementioned, advantages of DAHVL are significant, the aeration effect due to hydraulics creates a challenge. Aeration stems from compressibility of air in oil. It is a fact that the incompressibility of the oil hydraulically maintains all components of the valve train in contact. Therefore, aeration tends to create separation between the valve train components. This separation creates certain effects on the dynamic performance. This paper has concentrated on 3 major specifics: how oil aeration affects engine operation (via a linear math model compared to experimental data), a brief discussion on what variables inherent in the design could significantly improve the system\u27s robustness to aeration effects (experimental only) and on what causes aeration (theory)

America Reads-Mississippi Future Teacher Corps: A Study of Program Completers\u27 Perception of Factors Influencing the Decision to Become and Remain Classroom Teachers

Despite the number of programs in Mississippi that focus on developing and training teachers, the State continues to face a critical teacher shortage. This non-experimental, ex-post facto, quantitative study investigated the America Reads- Mississippi (ARM) Future Teacher Corps (FTC) program, an AmeriCorps program in Mississippi with a mission to improve the reading skills of students, encourage public awareness, support literacy, and help increase the number of certified teachers in Mississippi. FTC, a sub-corps of ARM, was created in 2007 to address teacher shortages through structured community education and teacher-specific training, with the goal of increasing the number of certified teachers in Mississippi. The purpose of this study was to assess the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors influencing the decision of FTC completers to become licensed teachers in the state of Mississippi. In addition, intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors, job satisfaction factors and social networks that influenced retention as perceived by FTC completers who worked for a minimum of one year were assessed while determining if a relationship existed between these factors. FTC participants who completed the program in 2009 and 2010 were the targeted population for this study. Ninety-two FTC completers were identified and contacted to participate in the study with 39 responding. Fifty-six percent, over half, (n=22) of FTC completers indicated they plan to make teaching a career and teach for longer than 15 years. Three out of four respondents (n=29; 74.3%) plan to remain in teaching more than five years. Ninety-one percent of FTC completers have remained in the classroom for at least one year. Of the 13 completers who have taught for at least two years, 12 (92%) have remained in the classroom which indicates a higher retention rate than the rates for Mississippi teachers in general. The top three reasons for becoming a teacher and remaining in the classroom for at least one year were identified as the desire to work with young people, interest in the subject matter, and the value or significance of education in society. A positive relationship was found between retention and the motivational factor never really considered anything else (r=.692, p=.001). A positive relationship also exists between retention and the motivational factor one of the few professions open to me (r=.672, p=.002). Finally the relationship between participation in Future Teacher Corps (r =.608, p=.007) was positive. Thus among FTC completers who have worked a minimum of one year, higher scores on motivation factors and social network are related to a higher number of years to continue to teach. No significant correlations were found between job satisfaction factors and retention

Spatial and seasonal relationships between Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) and their prey, at multiple scales

Knowing where pinnipeds forage is vital to managing and protecting their populations, and for assessing potential interactions with fisheries. We assessed the spatial relationship between the seasonal distribution of Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) outfitted with satellite transmitters and the seasonal distributions of potential harbor seal prey species in San Francisco Bay, California. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated between the number of harbor seal locations in an area of the San Francisco Bay and the abundance of specific prey species in the same area. The influence of scale on the analyses was assessed by varying the scale of analysis from 1 to 10 km. There was consistency in the prey species targeted by harbor seals year-round, although there were seasonal differences between the most important prey species. The highest correlations between harbor seals and their prey were found for seasonally abundant benthic species, located within about 10 km of the primary haul-out site. Probable foraging habitat for harbor seals was identified, based on areas with high abundances of prey species that were strongly correlated with harbor seal distribution. With comparable local data inputs, this approach has potential application to pinniped management in other areas, and to decisions about the location of marine reserves designed to protect these species

Joining a Conversation Research Project

Description: This unit is a culminating (end-of-semester) project designed to have students bring together the knowledge they have developed throughout the semester in the service of purposefully joining a real-world conversation, addressing a specific audience (or related set of audiences) who are part of that conversation. This unit has a small number of texts that the whole class reads and/or analyzes together. Instead, a lot of the work happening in this unit is project-driven and process-oriented. Time Frame: This unit was designed/paced as the last unit of the course (and it followed an earlier unit focused on rhetorical analysis of a multimodal artifact). Thus, students had some prior experience with thinking about and analyzing rhetorical situations, and with analyzing how different modes of a text work together rhetorically. In this unit, we focus on helping students identify serious issues and ongoing conversations occurring in their social spheres and local communities. Students are asked to do some research on these issues/conversations and ultimately to assess the credibility and relevance of particular sources for their rhetorical purposes. Originally, the unit was designed to take about 7 weeks but when we moved classes on line in Spring 2020, a week of class was cancelled and the unit was adapted to fit the remaining weeks. ACE 1/English 151 Aim & Scopes: This unit is built around ACE 1 and the Aims and Scopes for Engl 151 related to “gain[ing] practice at primary and secondary research as a means of developing and clarifying their stance toward their topic and/or acquiring a richer understanding of the context...of their argument” (Goal 5). Engl 150 has a similar outcome focused more specifically on inquiry and this project can be adapted to Engl 150 as well

Theatre Appreciation

This Grants Collection uses the grant-supported open course Theatre Appreciation from Darton State College: http://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-ancillary/1/ This Grants Collection for Theatre Appreciation was created under a Round Three ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process. Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials: Linked Syllabus Initial Proposal Final Reporthttps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/arts-collections/1000/thumbnail.jp

Theatre Appreciation (Online Course)

Authors\u27 Description: While open resource theatre survey textbooks are available, [our] team has not identified one that is strong enough to meet the objectives of the course as it has been developed. The proposed transformation involves identifying and organizing a broad array of resources to broaden the learning experience of the students. With its free and ready access, the adoption of a variety of expert source material will increase engagement with quality information that will more effectively complete the experience of both applied and academic study. In addition to content-specific student learning outcomes, THEA 1100 is designed to increase the students’ information literacy (Darton State’s QEP) through the course discussion board. The students are required to post researched information for all to discuss according to guidelines that foster critical thinking. The transformation to OER material that is selected from GALILEO and additional reputable sources will increase student facility with academic source material and allow learners to more readily select topics and information of interest to them, enabling a more rigorous and learner-centered approach

Psychiatric characterization of children with genetic causes of hyperandrogenism

Objective: Very little is known about the mental health status in children with genetic causes of hyperandrogenism. This study sought to characterize psychiatric morbidity in this group. Design/methods: Children (8-18 years) with the diagnosis of classic congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) or familial male precocious puberty (FMPP) underwent a semi-structured psychiatric interview, the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version. According to sex and the literature, incidence of identified psychopathology was compared between the two endocrinological groups. We evaluated 72 patients: 54 CAH (21 females) and 18 FMPP. Results: Twenty-four (44.4%) CAH patients and 10 (55.6%) FMPP patients met the criteria for at least one lifetime psychiatric diagnosis. Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was present in 18.2% of CAH males, 44.4% of FMPP males, and one case (4.8%) in CAH females. A high rate of anxiety disorders was also found in all the three groups (17-21%). Relative to females with CAH, the FMPP patients exhibited higher rates of ADHD. Age at diagnosis and the treatment modalities were not associated with psychopathology. Rates of psychiatric disorder, specifically ADHD and anxiety disorders, were higher than in the general population. Conclusion: Although anxiety disorders may occur at an increased rate in children with chronic illness, androgens may contribute to higher risk for psychopathology in pediatric patients with genetic cause of excess androgen. Early diagnosis and treatment of childhood hyperandrogenism is essential for optimal development. The results suggest that assessment for psychiatric disorders should be part of the routine evaluation of these patients

Investigating memory concerns and checking strategies in the older population.

Within an aging population the prevalence of dementia, a neurodegenerative condition affecting memory, has been increasing worldwide. This, in addition to, memory performance found to naturally decline with age, has led to increased awareness of the disease amongst the general population. Consequently, it is theorised that this may have generated a fear of developing dementia or ‘dementia worry’. A systematic review was conducted to investigate the prevalence of dementia worry within the general population. Fifteen articles were included for review and a combined estimate from a subset of articles found 53.3% of the population reported ‘dementia worry’. Furthermore, dementia worry was more prevalent in females, those closer in proximity to dementia, and with concerns about a perceived deterioration in memory. Those with concerns about memory performance may be more likely to utilise strategies to support memory difficulties, such as checking. Previous research, conducted with younger participants and individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, have consistently found that repeated checking can lead to increased memory doubt. However, this effect had not been fully explored within older populations. An empirical study found, following a repeated checking task, older participants reported significant deterioration in memory accuracy and memory confidence, with some deterioration in other aspects of meta-memory. These deficits were also indicated in a small sample of older adults with a diagnosis of dementia. Thus, repeated checking paradoxically causes increased memory errors and memory doubt for older participants both with and without cognitive impairments. Together, these papers indicate a possible relationship between dementia worry, memory doubt, and strategy use that may be exacerbating or maintaining these concerns. Clinicians should be aware of these factors and ensure the most beneficial strategies are recommended. Further research is required to deepen our understanding of the consequences of dementia worry and further investigate the implications of memory strategies