Qualitative Analysis of the Experience of Minnesota Somali Parents with Students with Disabilities in Distance Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This qualitative analysis study uses phenomenology methodology to explore the experiences of Somali parents with K-12 students with special needs in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has shown that all K-12 students faced challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic distance learning (Pozas et al., 2021, p. 35). However, these challenges’ impact on specific communities and how they dealt with them was unknown. The use of interview data from parents with special needs children makes a case for addressing the issues within online learning. Access and inclusion for students with special needs in K-12 education have an implicit bias, specifically in marginalized communities during times of crisis. This phenomenological study details the strength and sacrifices parents with children with special needs endured and how they navigated the difficulties of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this study explores the personal stories of Somali parents with K-12 children and how they navigated and made meaning of their new roles and responsibilities during COVID-19 distance learning. Finally, by using disability and stigma theories to unpack challenges and negative experiences, this study recommends that parents, practitioners, and policymakers acknowledge that online learning is a mutual responsibility between home and school. Online learning calls for a greater collaborative approach and understanding of what is needed to make distance learning effective for students with special needs and all students

Computational Fluid Mechanics

A one-equation turbulence model based on the turbulent kinetic energy equation is presented. The model is motivated by the success of the Johnson-King model and incorporates a number of features uncovered by Simpson's experiments on separated flows. Based on the results obtained, the model duplicates the success of algebraic models in attached flow regions and outperforms the two-equation models in detached flow regions

Failure analysis of the lithium battery: A study of the header deposit on the cell top and diffusion within the electrode glass seal using nuclear microanalysis and FFTIR spectroscopy

The Solid Rocket Booster Range Safety System (SRBRSS) uses a lithium/poly-carbon monofluoride primary battery as a source of electrical power. After cell fabrication and activation, some battery cells have shown self discharge. One possible source of this cell discharge has been suggested to be the formation and growth of a conducting crystallized chemical compound across the glass bead insulator, electrically shorting the glass bead to the casing. This laboratory has begun an analysis of this compound, the glass seal holding the cathode into place, and the cell electrolyte, using Fast Fourier Transform Infrared (FFTIR) Analysis, Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS), and Nuclear Reaction Microanalysis. Preliminary measurements have confirmed the existence of lithium, nitrogen, fluorine, and oxygen on a reddish-brown deposit covering parts of the glass seal holding the positive electrode in place. Cells using Li metal electrodes, have many advantages over conventional primary batteries. One principal disadvantage of using Li batteries on a commercial basis would be the environmental impact of the fluorocarbon material. Another would be the relatively high expense of (CF)n

Physics on aircraft wakes

The roll-up of a vortex sheet is analyzed by two approaches. The first is based on exact compressible Euler equations while the second is based on the exact incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The inviscid calculations for the two-dimensional problem do not indicate any roll-up of the sheet. On the other hand, the viscous calculations capture the dynamics of the roll-up rather well. This suggests that the generally held views regarding the roll-up process of aircraft wakes, namely, that it be treated as an inviscid process, may not be completely accurate