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Research on the application of artificial intelligence in personalized learning of college English
No full textA seminar paper presented to the graduate faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science – English EducationIn the wave of modern educational reform, personalized learning has become increasingly important, but its application in the field of college English education is difficult. Traditional college English education has problems such as single teaching materials and traditional learning modes, which make it difficult to meet the diverse needs of students. With the maturity of artificial intelligence technology, natural language processing, machine learning, and big data analysis have brought new ideas to solve these problems. This article focuses on the application of artificial intelligence in personalized learning of college English. Through a combination of theory and practice, it summarizes the current situation and core technologies of artificial intelligence in English teaching, analyzes the difficulties of personalized learning under traditional teaching modes and the response mechanisms of artificial intelligence, proposes artificial intelligence assisted teaching strategies from the perspective of teachers and students, and explores its technical limitations and optimization directions. Aiming to explore the effective integration of artificial intelligence into college English education, improve students' learning efficiency, promote the modernization and intelligent transformation of education, and provide reference for education policy makers, educational institutions, and technology developers
LONG RANGE RADIATIVE HEAT TRANSFER IN MULTILAYERED MEDIA
No full textThermal energy transport is vital to the performance and reliability of engineered systems. In applications like electronic cooling, energy conversion, and material processing, managing heat transfer is key to maintaining efficiency and stability. Heat transfer occurs when there is a difference in temperature. It happens mainly through two mechanisms: radiation and conduction. Radiation is a transfer of heat via electromagnetic waves. All matter above absolute zero emits thermal radiation, driven by electronic, molecular, and lattice oscillations within the material. Thermal conduction refers to the diffusion of heat within a material or across materials in contact, driven by molecular collisions that transfer kinetic energy from high to low temperature regions until equilibrium is reached. Convection is a form of thermal conduction in which heat transfer occurs through the bulk motion of a fluid. [1], [2
Driving toward sustainability: the future of electronic, hydrogen, and alternative energy semi-trucks in the logistics industry
No full textAn Educational Project presented to the graduate faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science - Integrated Supply Chain ManagementThis paper will explore the transformative role of alternative energy semi-trucks,
including electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles, in advancing sustainable practices within the
logistics industry. With logistics contributing significantly to global emissions, the shift to
alternative energy technologies presents a strategic approach to reducing the sector’s
environmental footprint. While the potential benefits seem substantial at first glance, this shift in
technology presents a set of unique challenges, such as infrastructure limitations, cost
implications, and energy storage requirements. This paper examines the cost-effectiveness,
infrastructure challenges, and environmental impact of electric and hydrogen-powered semitrucks to determine their feasibility for large-scale adoption in logistics. By analyzing advancements in battery storage, energy efficiency, and hydrogen production, this paper evaluates the economic viability and environmental benefits of alternative energy semi-trucks
The influence of native and non-native English language teachers: University student perceptions
No full textA seminar paper presented to the graduate faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.
In partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of science in education - English educationThe English language teachers worldwide include both native English-speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English-speaking teachers (NNESTs). The differences between NESTs and NNESTs have been widely investigated by researchers. This paper focuses on the studies that concern language teachers’ pedagogical influence on learners including speaking, reading, writing, listening, grammar and culture. The potential strengths and weaknesses of both groups as well as their influences on learners from the perspectives of university students in EFL context are discussed through the literature-based methodology. Overall, the findings indicate that learners are positive about both NESTs and NNESTs. They perceive that authentic pronunciation, idiomatic language, and outstanding communicative skill are native speakers’ advantageous points. Even though learners can be influenced by those good models by imitating and then they can speak and write like a native speaker, they still have problems in speaking and lack of confidence in language abilities. As role models of the language learners, students believe the target language learning experience is a strength for NNESTs that has facilitated non-native educators in their teaching, which encourages learners to reach the same level of language proficiency as nonnative teachers. Furthermore, learners are easy to follow non-native instructors particularly in the explanation of grammar rules with the help of their mother tongue. Learners have different attitudes towards culture output. Therefore, it is better that NESTs and NNESTs take advantage of all the strong points and work together to make learners more successful in the English language learning
THE CHURCH IS FLAT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF POWER AND POWERLESSNESS AMONG ENGLISH-SPEAKING CLERGY IN THE UPPER MIDWEST BASED ON ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
No full textBackground: Prior research among Protestant Christians in North America reveals that both laity and clergy experience dissatisfaction with the bureaucratic structures within congregational life, which hinder their ability to engage meaningfully in spiritual practices. Rather than leaving for theological or ethical reasons, laity often stop participating in their congregations due to frustrations with the organization’s prioritization of committee meetings and administrative tasks over spiritual activities and community service. Similarly, clergy across the U.S. and Canada have expressed feeling constrained in their pastoral roles, which restrict expressions of their spiritual calling and turn their personal faith into a commodity. These findings point to broader structural and cultural issues within Protestantism’s “de facto congregational” behaviors, shaped by social Darwinism, capitalism, and secularization, which leave both laity and clergy questioning their roles within these institutions. Although these congregations tend to promote the egalitarian values of other flattened organizations, a lack of clearly defined leadership responsibilities can also lead to role ambiguity and organizational anxiety. As volunteers and donors of these congregations, laity can more easily choose to leave the organization, whereas clergy report feeling “stuck.” The central concern of this dissertation is therefore to investigate the power dynamics within church leadership, revealing where clergy feel a sense of either power or powerlessness in their roles as organizational leaders. Design & Methods: This study uses a transformative framework to investigate the perceived powerlessness experienced by mainline Protestant clergy in their roles as organizational leaders, while highlighting changes some clergy have made to address these organizational deficiencies. A comparative qualitative study was conducted using in-depth interviews of English-speaking clergy (n=42) who served as a lead pastor in the Upper Midwestern United States within the past decade and who were affiliated with at least one of four denominations—two hierarchical (i.e., the Episcopal Church and the United Methodist Church) and two non-hierarchical (i.e., the American Baptist Churches USA and the United Church of Christ). Participants were recruited via denominational rosters and snowball sampling. The interviews covered topics such as ordination and onboarding processes, leadership training and skills, group decision-making practices, and aspirations for future ministry. After two rounds of coding, prominent themes highlighted behaviors related to receiving, protecting, and sharing authority in their relationships with lay leaders. Innovative attempts to counteract their experiences of powerless were also identified. Results: This study observed how clergy experience challenges as organizational leaders due to both formal and informal organizational practices. These challenges were particularly evident when congregational norms position laity with more organizational influence than clergy, setting the stage for role ambiguity. This role ambiguity, especially when combined with role conflict, exacerbates clergy’s sense of powerlessness, as they struggle to balance increasing job demands (i.e., disjointed lay expectations) with diminishing job resources (i.e. poorly delineated organizational authority). This study also observed how clergy’s sense of calling affects their experience of powerlessness, highlighting how a lack of organizational porousness limits clergy’s access to job alternatives by restricting their ability to move between congregations. An inverted supervisory structure with clergy at the bottom further constrains clergy to their subordinate master status. Despite these challenges, this study identifies strategies for mitigating experiences of powerlessness among clergy. By clarifying the roles and responsibilities of clergy and laity, congregations can reduce ambiguity and conflict. Additionally, encouraging clergy to engage in "job crafting"—adjusting their job descriptions (i.e., job demands) to align with their strengths and passions (i.e., job resources)—can enhance their sense of agency. Furthermore, fostering a culture of psychological safety within congregations enables clergy to take risks, innovate, and grow without fear of punishment from laity or judicatory leaders. When these structural changes are implemented, clergy are more likely to feel empowered to lead effectively, collaborating with lay leaders to address the societal challenges of declining resources and shifting cultural dynamics. These modifications support a healthier, more adaptive working relationship between clergy and laity, promoting a shared sense of power and responsibility for the future of their congregation. Significance: This research has broad implications for both the study of organizational behavior and the future of professions. In the field of organizational behavior, particularly among small nonprofit organizations with "working boards," role ambiguity between board members and executive staff can lead to role conflict, resembling the dynamics clergy face with lay boards. This study offers insights into executive relations with dual-role stakeholders and the complexities leaders experience when balancing authority and responsibility within their organizations. Additionally, the research contributes to the study of professions by highlighting clergy’s vulnerability due to limited organizational porousness in comparison to laity. The study also explores the impact of innovation on professional fields, suggesting that reimagined organizational structures can democratize the application of specialized knowledge, enhancing collaboration between clergy and laity. This has the potential to preserve the profession of clergy while empowering lay participation. This study also calls for further research in several areas: examining clergy powerlessness in evangelical and Catholic traditions, exploring clergy roles in minority religions, and expanding the geographic scope to regions like the southern United States. Future organizational research would also benefit from investigating whether executive directors in other nonprofits experience similar powerlessness as clergy. Finally, the study suggests that comparing clergy experiences to leaders in for-profit companies with intentionally flattened organizational structures could shed additional light on the effects of role ambiguity and organizational adaptability in producing role conflict and employee powerlessness.2027-05-2
ETHICAL DISCORDANCE AND STRATEGIES OF RECONCILIATION: HOW CRITICS OF CAPITALISM RATIONALIZE THEIR FINANCIALIZATION
No full textHow do individuals justify self-interested behaviors within systems they openly critique as unequal? To answer this question, I investigate how members of the Financial Independence, Retire Early (FIRE) movement, who express concerns about economic inequality and corporate exploitation, justify their investment strategies. Data from in-depth interviews with 47 FIRE adherents, 36 of whom were capitalism-critical, show that individuals often experience ethical discordance, or the cognitive strain that arises when actions contradict moral commitments yet reinforce advantage. To counter ethical discordance, participants employ five primary reconciliation strategies: 1) self-protective complicity, 2) ethical offsetting, 3) symbolic activism,
4) subversive co-optation, and 5) responsibility minimization. These strategies allowed participants to construct boundaries between their ethics and their investments and to perceive traditional investment strategies as justified, even when other more “ethical” investments were available. While prior scholarship has explored financialization’s impact on labor and class reproduction, less attention has been paid to how individuals internalize and rationalize financialization in ways that sustain economic structures. By demonstrating how respondents reconcile ethical discordance, this study highlights micro-level mechanisms that sustain economic inequality, raising broader questions about the conditions necessary for meaningful structural change
APPLICATIONS OF EMBEDDED SENSING FOR FORAGE CROP PRODUCTION
No full textThe work presented in this thesis investigates three novel applications of embedded sensing technologies to support precision forage crop management: (1) predicting crop moisture and composition using embedded near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), (2) sensor fusion to predict nutrient removal rates through yield monitoring and crop composition estimation, and (3) modeling fermentation responses to silage inoculant through NIRS on wilted forage. Across all studies, the emphasis is on practical, real-time data collection and the use of embedded sensing systems to inform forage management decisions.
In the first study, the accuracy of a commercial on-harvester NIR sensor was evaluated to predict moisture, crude protein, crude fat, acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and ash content in alfalfa. Predictive accuracy was compared across different operations: mowing, forage harvesting, and baling.
While moisture prediction was reasonably strong across all platforms (RMSE = 10, R² = 0.89), on- harvester prediction of other crop nutritive values was poor (R² < 0.5).
The second study utilized sensor fusion to estimate nutrient removal at mowing. A yield monitoring system relied on hydraulic pressure data from a self-propelled windrower, and an embedded NIR spectrometer was used to measure Crude Protein as an indirect measurement of plant Nitrogen concentration. Hydraulic pressure drop across a cutter head drive motor was an excellent predictor of dry matter yield (RMSE = 336 kg DM /ha, R² = 0.93). However, embedded NIR was not a suitable estimator of plant Nitrogen, so improved calibrations or different sensors would be necessary to facilitate accurate estimations of nitrogen removal.
In the third study, near-infrared (NIR) spectra of wilted alfalfa were used to model the effects of silage inoculant application on fermentation outcomes. The objective was to evaluate the feasibility of
using NIRS on a forage harvester to predict the impact of inoculant treatments under varying harvest conditions. Alfalfa was harvested under controlled factorial conditions, scanned with NIRS, and ensiled in paired mini-silos with and without microbial inoculant. Moisture level at ensiling was the most consistent and influential factor affecting fermentation, significantly impacting pH (p < 0.0001), acetate (p < 0.0001), lactate (p < 0.0001). Inoculant effects varied by year but consistently reduced ethanol concentrations (p = 0.0037 in 2023; p = 0.0135 in 2024) and increased lactate under high-moisture conditions (p < 0.0001 in 2024). A significant moisture × inoculant interaction on pH was observed in 2023 (p = 0.012). NIR spectral models successfully predicted inoculant-driven changes in fermentation, particularly for lactate (R² = 0.83) and pH (R² = 0.71). These findings demonstrate the potential to model silage fermentation responses using NIRS and support future development of real-time, variable-rate inoculant application in forage harvesters
“Milwaukee’s Citizens of Polish Descent are Worthy of the Priceless Privilege of American Citizenship:” Milwaukee’s Polonia and the Pursuit of Americanization in the 20th Century
No full textCardinal Virtues in Practice: A Mixed-Method Study Grounded in Virtue Ethics and Montessori’s Theory of Normalization
No full textMontessori EdDThis mixed-method study explores how the cardinal virtues—prudence, justice, fortitude, and
temperance—are expressed, perceived, and interpreted within Montessori elementary classrooms
( ages 6–12). The Montessori method emphasizes independence, self-directed activity, and
learning through carefully prepared environments. The cardinal virtues are classical moral
qualities central to virtue ethics and foundational to human flourishing. A convergent parallel
mixed-methods design integrated classroom observations, student surveys, and teacher
interviews to address three research questions concerning student behaviors, student perceptions,
and teacher interpretations of the virtues. Observations identified demonstrated behaviors,
narratives, and artifacts that suggest prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Survey findings
indicated students perceived themselves as possessing moderate to high levels of the virtues,
particularly justice. Interviews revealed how Montessori guides interpret and support students’
virtue development within the Prepared Environment. The findings suggest that two primary
elements of the Montessori pedagogy, the roles of the Prepared Environment and that of the
Montessori guide (teacher) together serve as a promising model for supporting moral
development and point to the continued relevance of classical virtue theory in contemporary
educational contexts
APPLICATION OF EXPLAINABLE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANTS
No full textWastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play a crucial role in protecting public health and the environment by removing contaminants before releasing them back into the environment. However, efficient management of these plants can be challenging because of the complex nature of wastewater treatment processes. Machine learning (ML), a subfield of artificial intelligence (AI), can predict WWTP variables by extracting correlations between variables from historical data. Accurate effluent variable prediction through ML can facilitate efficient adjustment of operational variables, thus minimizing operation cost while effectively meeting effluent quality standards. However, relying solely on ML models without understanding the contexts of the predictions is not ideal, especially in WWTPs where operators need to understand the reasons behind model predictions to increase their confidence in real-world applications. While recent studies have focused on predicting variables in WWTP using ML, research on implementing explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) is still developing. XAI is a promising approach for enhancing the transparency and interpretability of ML models in complex environmental systems, such as WWTPs. This study investigated the performance of widely used ML algorithms in predicting the key effluent quality variables across four WWTPs in Wisconsin, USA. Data was collected from both small- and large-scale WWTPs to evaluate the scalability and generalizability of the models. Feature selection (FS) techniques were used to identify the most relevant features for each target variable in the dataset. XAI tools, including SHapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) and Local Interpretable Model-agnostic Explanations (LIME), were used to interpret the influence of input variables on the model outputs. This study highlights how ML can accurately predict water quality outcomes, thereby allowing plant operators to better manage their facilities. The study also demonstrates how XAI can clarify the reason behind specific ML models' predictions, enhancing operator confidence in decision-making. These XAI methods identify which factors, i.e., nutrient levels, flow rates, and organic material loads, most significantly impact effluent quality. Using these transparent predictive tools, wastewater facilities can optimize operations, meet regulatory standards, reduce operating costs, and ultimately support healthier communities and ecosystems