THE SHORTAGE OF LICENSED SECONDARY AGRICULTURE INSTRUCTORS IN ILLINOIS: AN EXAMINATION OF THE IMPACT ON SECONDARY AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION PROGRAM QUALITY

This dissertation employed a 5-year longitudinal repeated measures research design that examined whether the shortage of licensed high school agriculture teachers in Illinois impacted the quality of Illinois programs. Due to the shortage of licensed agriculture teachers, the hiring of provisional instructors doubled over the five-year study. Every high school agriculture program in Illinois, from fiscal year 2014 to fiscal year 2018, was included in this study. Each school’s Incentive Funding Grant application was explored using data mining to collect the overall X-scores, and all the quality indicators the individual schools achieved. Results indicated that schools with licensed instructors had X-scores 18.3 percent higher than schools with provisional instructors. Specific quality indicators were also evaluated, which related to SAE, FFA, and classroom instruction. Achievement of those activities illustrated wide gaps between schools with provisional and schools with fully licensed instructors. Significant differences were found in the quality of programs based on areas other than license such as: gender of instructors, length of teacher’s contract, retention of instructors, participation in career development events, and geographic region. Results of this study suggested the Illinois State Board of Education and the universities develop a path for provisional instructors to receive full licensure without leaving their teaching positions

Social Networks and the Aggregation on Individual Decisions

This paper analyzes individual decisions to participate in an activity and the aggregation of those decisions when individuals gather information about the outcomes and choices of (a few) others in their social network. In this environment, aggregate participation rates are generally inefficient. Increasing the size of social networks does not necessarily increase efficiency and can lead to less efficient long-run outcomes. Both subsidies for participation and penalties for non-participation can increase participation rates, though not necessarily by the same amount. Punishing non-participation has much greater effects on participation rates than rewarding participation when current rates are very low. A program that provides youth with mentors who have participated themselves can increase participation rates, especially when those rates are low. Finally, communities plagued by the flight of successful participants will experience lower short- and long-run participation rates.

Theoretical evaluation of engine auxiliary inlet design for supersonic V/STOL aircraft

A higher order panel method is used to evaluate the potential flow of a 2-D supersonic V/STOL inlet. A nonsymmetric analytical inlet model is developed to closely match a wind tunnel model tested at NASA-Lewis. The analytical inlet used is analyzed for flow characteristics around the lower cowl lip and auxiliary inlets. The results for this analysis are obtained for the output of a computer program produced by the McDonnell Douglas Corp. This program is based on the Hess Panel Method which determines source strengths of panel distributed over a 3-D body. The analytical model was designed for the implementation of a drooped/translated cowl lip and auxiliary inlets as flow improvement concepts. A 40 or 70 deg droop lip can be incorporated on the inlet to determine if these geometry changes result in flow improvements which may reduce the propensity for flow separation on the interior portion of the lip. Auxiliary inlets are used to decrease the mass flow over the inlet lip; thus, the peak flow velocity is reduced at the lip which also lessens the likelihood of flow separation on the interior portion of the lip. A 2, 4, and 6 in. translated lip can be used to also decrease mass flow over the inlet lower lip in the same manner

Inverse problem and multi-compartment lung model for the estimation of lung airway resistance throughout the bronchial tree, An

Includes bibliographical references.2022 Fall.Mechanical ventilation is a vital treatment for patients with respiratory failure, but mechanically ventilated patients are also at risk of ventilator-induced lung injury. Optimal ventilator settings to prevent such injury could be guided by knowledge of the airway resistance throughout the lung. While the ventilator provides a single value estimating the total airway resistance of the patient, in reality the airway resistance varies along the bronchial tree. Multiple literature sources reveal a wide range of clinically used values for airway resistance along the bronchial tree, motivating an investigation to estimate the values of airway resistance in the alveolar tree and the relationship to disease state. In this work, we introduce a multi-compartment asymmetric lung model based on resistor-capacitor circuits by using an analogy between electric circuits and the human lungs. A method for solving the inverse problem of computing the vector of airway resistance values in the alveolar tree is presented. The method uses a linear least squares optimization approach with several constraints. First, a symmetric lung model that makes use of parameters supplied by the mechanical ventilator of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is used. We then generalize the model to an asymmetric lung model. The asymmetric model takes regional information data from electrical impedance tomography, a medical imaging technique, and converts them to time dependent lung airway volumes. The linear least squares optimization inverse problem is embedded in an iterative method to update unknown parameters of the forward problem for the asymmetric case

randUTV: A blocked randomized algorithm for computing a rank-revealing UTV factorization

This manuscript describes the randomized algorithm randUTV for computing a so called UTV factorization efficiently. Given a matrix $A$, the algorithm computes a factorization $A = UTV^{*}$, where $U$ and $V$ have orthonormal columns, and $T$ is triangular (either upper or lower, whichever is preferred). The algorithm randUTV is developed primarily to be a fast and easily parallelized alternative to algorithms for computing the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD). randUTV provides accuracy very close to that of the SVD for problems such as low-rank approximation, solving ill-conditioned linear systems, determining bases for various subspaces associated with the matrix, etc. Moreover, randUTV produces highly accurate approximations to the singular values of $A$. Unlike the SVD, the randomized algorithm proposed builds a UTV factorization in an incremental, single-stage, and non-iterative way, making it possible to halt the factorization process once a specified tolerance has been met. Numerical experiments comparing the accuracy and speed of randUTV to the SVD are presented. These experiments demonstrate that in comparison to column pivoted QR, which is another factorization that is often used as a relatively economic alternative to the SVD, randUTV compares favorably in terms of speed while providing far higher accuracy

The Impact of Media Algorithms on The Habermassian Public Sphere and Discourse

Media algorithms are increasing in use among popular social networking sites (Geiger, 2009).Algorithms are used to sort a users’ social media feed based on relevance and interest rather than content publish time (Geiger, 2009). Widely accepted and recognized as influential in the media sector, algorithms create a highly personalized experience for the individual viewer. However, some scholars argue the specified curation of media based on a user’s personal preferences leads to a “filter bubble,” an online-based self-fulfilling prophecy in which users’ pre-existing opinions are continually reaffirmed. Because of this, this thesis will examine the intersection of algorithms and media theory. A survey will explore if media algorithms play a role in diminishing public discourse within public sphere theory as outlined by Jürgen Habermas. Under the Habermassian ideal, the public sphere works as a place for open and unrestricted discourse of all individuals. However, connecting like-minded users and creating highly specified social media feeds through algorithms “…amplify and systematically move…talking points into the mainstream political discourse” (Daniels, 2018). These talking points are then discussed among social media users who likely view the same content based on their similar interests and algorithms. Other media theorists such as Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann (1974) argue that individuals feel a “spiral of silence” when they express a minority opinion. This silence is placed in an interesting position as individuals rarely face a minority opinion in the hands of algorithm technology. Though sophisticated algorithms, public discourse is limited to a select few topics for like-minded users, which I argue leads to a lack of diversity in political discourse

Optimization of the heat pumping capacity of a thermoelectric heat pump

A steady state model of a thermoelectric heat pump fitted with pin fin heat exchange surfaces is developed from the equations governing the operation of a thermoelectric device and pressure drop/ heat transfer correlations for staggered tube banks in cross flow. The model computes current draw, heat pumped at the cold side, heat rejected at the hot side, hot and cold side exhaust temperatures, and hot and cold side pin base temperatures when given the following parameters: ambient temperature, thermoelectric geometry factor, number of thermocouple junctions, input voltage, pin diameter, pin height, transverse pin stagger, longitudinal pin stagger, contact resistance between the thermoelectric modules and the heat ex change surfaces, and fan performance curves for the hot and cold sides. Results of a FIDAP numerical model of a 4 row heated pin system are presented and compared to the heat transfer and pressure drop correlations chosen for use in the model. Nine tests were run with a working thermoelectric heat pump unit under various air flow and voltage input to collect data for the purpose of comparison with the model. Using empirically determined contact resistance values, the model predicted Qc (heat pumped from the cold side) values that agreed with experiment within about 10%, Qh (heat rejected from the hot side) values that agreed with experiment within about 5%, and current draw values that agreed with experiment with in about 5%. Further examination of the contact resistance values suggested the presence of an undesirable air gap at the heat sink/thermoelectric module interface. The presence of this air gap was confirmed by examining the contact patterns left on pressure sensitive films that were placed between the thermoelectric modules and the heat sinks. An optimization exercise was performed with the model in an effort to maximize Qc. Pin geometry was varied to achieve minimum values of heat sink thermal resistance for both the hot and cold side heat exchange surfaces. Using these minimized thermal resistance values, input voltage, thermo electric geometry factor, and number of thermocouple junctions were varied to achieve maximum Qc. Using the empirically determined thermal contact resistance values, a 29% increase in Qc was achieved over the stock case. The model predicted a 79% improvement over the stock case when utilizing thermal contact resistance values corresponding to the elimination of the air gaps at the thermoelectric module/heat sink interfaces

Troubled Trinity: Love, Religion and Patriotism in Liam O\u27Flaherty\u27s First Novel, \u3cem\u3eThy neighbour\u27s wife\u3c/em\u3e.

The focus of this research is a detailed analysis of Liam O\u27Flaherty\u27s first published novel, Thy Neighbour\u27s Wife, as an underlying autobiographical portrait depicted in the main character, Fr. Hugh McMahon. Although never touted as an autobiography, this study shows O\u27Flaherty drew upon his early cultural, historical, religious, and political influences in creating his main character. Primary and secondary sources, an ethnographic trip to Ireland, and a content analysis of the novel determined the findings. The fictional McMahon faced difficult personal choices, subsequently coming to terms with past decisions. McMahon\u27s foibles reflect O\u27Flaherty\u27s early years. O\u27Flaherty wrote two acclaimed autobiographies, Shame the Devil and Two Years, during his later literary career. This analysis establishes that O\u27Flaherty used his main character in his first novel, Thy Neighbour\u27s Wife, as a means of conveying in fictional form his own personal struggles, thus establishing this novel as a de facto autobiography