Specifying Hybrid Models of Teachers’ Work During COVID-19

The term “hybrid” emerged as a common descriptor of pandemic-modified schooling configurations. Yet this umbrella term insufficiently captures the variations among hybrid models, particularly as it pertains to the structure of teacher workdays and related workload demands. Drawing on qualitative research documenting K–12 U.S. teachers’ experience teaching during COVID-19, this brief introduces and explicates three terms specifying structural hybrid models—parallel, alternating, and blended—and their implications for teachers’ work. Differentiating among the models facilitates future analysis of the implications of hybrid schooling for teacher and student experience. Initial analysis indicates teachers experienced one model, blended hybrid, as more challenging than others. This teacher perception highlights the need to discern among the three hybrid models more closely when analyzing schools’ responses to the pandemic. Differentiating among hybrid models may prompt future analysis of hybrid schooling for teacher workload and student learning.

Air Entrainment in Drop Shafts: A Novel Approach Based on Machine Learning Algorithms and Hybrid Models

Air entrainment phenomena have a strong influence on the hydraulic operation of a plunging drop shaft. An insufficient air intake from the outside can lead to poor operating conditions, with the onset of negative pressures inside the drop shaft, and the choking or backwater effects of the downstream and upstream flows, respectively. Air entrainment phenomena are very complex; moreover, it is impossible to define simple functional relationships between the airflow and the hydrodynamic and geometric variables on which it depends. However, this problem can be correctly addressed using prediction models based on machine learning (ML) algorithms, which can provide reliable tools to tackle highly nonlinear problems concerning experimental hydrodynamics. Furthermore, hybrid models can be developed by combining different machine learning algorithms. Hybridization may lead to an improvement in prediction accuracy. Two different models were built to predict the overall entrained airflow using data obtained during an extensive experimental campaign. The models were based on different combinations of predictors. For each model, four different hybrid variants were developed, starting from the three individual algorithms: KStar, random forest, and support vector regression. The best predictions were obtained with the model based on the largest number of predictors. Moreover, across all variants, the one based on all three algorithms proved to be the most accurate.

Establishing Coupled Models for Estimating Daily Dew Point Temperature Using Nature-Inspired Optimization Algorithms

Potential of a classic adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) was evaluated in the current study for estimating the daily dew point temperature (Tdew). The study area consists of two stations located in Iran, namely the Rasht and Urmia. The daily Tdew time series of the studied stations were modeled through the other effective variables comprising minimum air temperature (Tmin), extraterrestrial radiation (Ra), vapor pressure deficit (VPD), sunshine duration (n), and relative humidity (RH). The correlation coefficients between the input and output parameters were utilized to determine the most effective inputs. Furthermore, novel hybrid models were proposed in this study in order to increase the estimation accuracy of Tdew. For this purpose, two optimization algorithms named bee colony optimization (BCO) and dragonfly algorithm (DFA) were coupled on the classic ANFIS. It was concluded that the hybrid models (i.e., ANFIS-BCO and ANFIS-DFA) demonstrated better performances compared to the classic ANFIS. The full-input pattern of the coupled models, specifically the ANFIS-DFA, was found to present the most accurate results for both the selected stations. Therefore, the developed hybrid models can be proposed as alternatives to the classic ANFIS to accurately estimate the daily Tdew.