Challenges Faced by FAA CFR Part 147 Aviation Maintenance Instructors

There is frequent discussion on the shortage of aviation maintenance technicians, but less frequent is the discussion on the instructors who will train these technicians. Most aviation maintenance technicians are trained at FAA-certified Part 147 Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools (AMTS) at the college or university level. What is less understood are the challenges faced by aviation technician instructors. What are some of the factors that make teaching difficult? How did those challenges change the instructor’s approach to their career? The purpose of this study is to identify challenges faced by current aviation maintenance instructors and identify how those challenges affected the instructors’ approach to their careers. This study surveyed instructors from FAA Part 147 AMTS on their background, the challenges they face, and their effect on the approach to their careers. The survey was sent to 172 programs with n = 44 respondents. Participants identified COVID, instructor shortage, incoming experience and knowledge of students, and lack of qualified instructors as common issues

Deletion of the Zinc Transporter Lipoprotein AdcAII Causes Hyperencapsulation of Streptococcus pneumoniae Associated with Distinct Alleles of the Type I Restriction-Modification System.

The capsule is the dominant Streptococcus pneumoniae virulence factor, yet how variation in capsule thickness is regulated is poorly understood. Here, we describe an unexpected relationship between mutation of adcAII, which encodes a zinc uptake lipoprotein, and capsule thickness. Partial deletion of adcAII in three of five capsular serotypes frequently resulted in a mucoid phenotype that biochemical analysis and electron microscopy of the D39 adcAII mutants confirmed was caused by markedly increased capsule thickness. Compared to D39, the hyperencapsulated ΔadcAII mutant strain was more resistant to complement-mediated neutrophil killing and was hypervirulent in mouse models of invasive infection. Transcriptome analysis of D39 and the ΔadcAII mutant identified major differences in transcription of the Sp_0505-0508 locus, which encodes an SpnD39III (ST5556II) type I restriction-modification system and allelic variation of which correlates with capsule thickness. A PCR assay demonstrated close linkage of the SpnD39IIIC and F alleles with the hyperencapsulated ΔadcAII strains. However, transformation of ΔadcAII with fixed SpnD39III alleles associated with normal capsule thickness did not revert the hyperencapsulated phenotype. Half of hyperencapsulated ΔadcAII strains contained the same single nucleotide polymorphism in the capsule locus gene cps2E, which is required for the initiation of capsule synthesis. These results provide further evidence for the importance of the SpnD39III (ST5556II) type I restriction-modification system for modulating capsule thickness and identified an unexpected linkage between capsule thickness and mutation of ΔadcAII Further investigation will be needed to characterize how mutation of adcAII affects SpnD39III (ST5556II) allele dominance and results in the hyperencapsulated phenotype.IMPORTANCE The Streptococcus pneumoniae capsule affects multiple interactions with the host including contributing to colonization and immune evasion. During infection, the capsule thickness varies, but the mechanisms regulating this are poorly understood. We have identified an unsuspected relationship between mutation of adcAII, a gene that encodes a zinc uptake lipoprotein, and capsule thickness. Mutation of adcAII resulted in a striking hyperencapsulated phenotype, increased resistance to complement-mediated neutrophil killing, and increased S. pneumoniae virulence in mouse models of infection. Transcriptome and PCR analysis linked the hyperencapsulated phenotype of the ΔadcAII strain to specific alleles of the SpnD39III (ST5556II) type I restriction-modification system, a system which has previously been shown to affect capsule thickness. Our data provide further evidence for the importance of the SpnD39III (ST5556II) type I restriction-modification system for modulating capsule thickness and identify an unexpected link between capsule thickness and ΔadcAII, further investigation of which could further characterize mechanisms of capsule regulation

Bayesian Network Training Method to Produce a Condition-Based Maintenance Strategy in Aviation Maintenance Programs

With an understanding of the current industry and organization orientation, the aviation maintenance industry is preparing a new paradigm shift toward a CBM (Condition-Based Maintenance) strategy. However, one challenge the aviation maintenance industry faces is the lack of CBM training support in the current education setting. This study aims to fill the gap in the CBM strategy training in current aviation maintenance programs. The authors propose Condition-Based Maintenance Bayesian Network (CBM-BN) training materials. The BN has a different principal approach than other frequentist principles, which can generate a prediction model concerning all heterogeneous information. In this paper, the authors describe a framework to develop CBM-BN training material that can be performed in aviation maintenance education. The proposed CBM-BN framework has probability concepts and ten steps; each step has three sections, including materials, activities, and examples for instructors and students. The case study demonstrates that the developed CBM-BN framework and training materials could facilitate CBM strategy training in aviation maintenance programs. A mechanic who can do CBM analysis will be more beneficial and demandable in the job market and contribute to full CBM implementation. Moreover, other CBM educational materials would be needed to compensate for the limitations of BN and increase the maturity level of CBM

A pneumococcal MerR-like regulator and S-nitrosoglutathione reductase are required for systemic virulence

Copyright © 2007 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.A transcriptional regulator, NmlR(sp), has been identified in Streptococcus pneumoniae that is required for defense against nitric oxide (NO) stress. The nmlR(sp) gene is cotranscribed with adhC, which encodes an alcohol dehydrogenase that is able to reduce S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) with NADH as reductant. nmlR(sp) and adhC mutants exhibited a reduced level of NADH-GSNO oxidoreductase activity and were more susceptible to killing by NO than were wild-type cells. Comparison of the virulence of wild-type and mutant strains by use of a mouse model system showed that NmlR(sp) and AdhC do not play a key role in the adherence of pneumococci to the nasopharynx in vivo. An intraperitoneal challenge experiment revealed that both NmlR(sp) and AdhC were required for survival in blood. These data identify novel components of a NO defense system in pneumococci that are required for systemic infection.Uwe H. Stroeher, Robert S. Kidd, Sian L. Stafford, Michael P. Jennings, James C. Paton and Alastair G. McEwa

Exploration of Natural Language Processing (NLP) Applications in Aviation

As a result of the tremendous boost in computational power, the current prevalence of large bodies of data, and the growing power of data-driven algorithms, natural language processing (NLP) has recently experienced rapid progressions in multitudinous domains, one of which is aviation. In this study, we explore the current standing of NLP in aviation from the perspective of both research and industry. We identify safety reports analyses, aviation maintenance, and air traffic control as the three main focus areas of NLP research in aviation. We also list currently available NLP software and how they have been used in the aviation industry. Finally, we shed a spotlight on some of the existing challenges posed by the aviation domain on standard NLP techniques, discuss the current corresponding research efforts, and put forward our recommended research direction

Low-Resource Automatic Speech Recognition Domain Adaptation – A Case-Study in Aviation Maintenance

With timeliness and efficiency being critical in the aviation maintenance industry, the need has been growing for smart technological solutions that optimize and streamline the different underlying tasks (Bergkvist & Sabbagh, 2021). One such task is the technical documentation of the performed maintenance operations (Chandola et al., 2022). Instead of manual documentation, voice tools that transcribe spoken logbook entries allow technicians to document their work right away in a hands-free and time efficient manner. However, an accurate automatic speech recognition (ASR) model requires large training corpora (Siyaev & Jo, 2021a), which are lacking in the domain of aviation maintenance. In addition, ASR models which are trained on huge corpora in standard English perform poorly in such a technical domain with non-standard terminology (Siyaev & Jo, 2021a, 2021b). Hence, this study investigates the extent to which fine-tuning an ASR model, pre-trained on standard English corpora, on limited in-domain data improves its recognition performance in the technical domain of aviation maintenance. We present a case study on one such pre-trained ASR model, wav2vec 2.0 (Baevski et al., 2020). Results showed that fine-tuning the model on a limited anonymized dataset of maintenance logbook entries significantly reduced its error rates when tested on not only an anonymized in-domain dataset, but also a non-anonymized one. This suggests that any available aviation maintenance logbooks, even if anonymized for privacy, can be used to fine-tune general-purpose ASR models and enhance their in-domain performance. Lastly, an analysis on the influence of voice characteristics on model performance stressed the need for balanced datasets representative of the population of aviation maintenance technicians

The impact of specialized treatment on the empathy levels of urban, low-income, third and fourth grade elementary school students

This study examined the impact of specialized treatment on the empathy levels of urban, low-income, middle-aged elementary school students who attend a local neighborhood school. The data set consisted of the pre and posttest scores of 99 students who attend a single, small, urban, district school in a system of approximately 21,032 other elementary school students. The first of three research questions asked whether self-reported levels of empathy can be altered across the various experimental treatments (new clothes and empathy training) imposed during the study. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey post hoc comparisons for the pre and posttests demonstrated significant differences between the scores of students who received empathy training and students who did not receive empathy training. Effect sizes were quite large thus indicating a difference not only exceeding chance, but also of practical value in application. The second research question asked if teachers would report noticeable differences in the empathetic behavior of students who received the experimental treatments designed to increase empathy in the study. To answer this question a focus group interview was conducted with teachers of the students who participated in the study. According to the teachers, a difference was observed in the empathy levels of some study participants. The third research question asked if program facilitators would report differences in the empathetic behavior of students who received the experimental treatments designed to increase empathy in the study. To answer this question, a second focus group interview was conducted with the adults who facilitated the empathy training at the school. The facilitators also reported differences in the empathetic behaviors of the some of the study participants. Results indicate at least the temporary mutability of self-perceived empathy in response to training in students at risk to develop appropriate levels of empathy. Study findings are discussed in terms of implications of the results, possible flaws in the study, and projections for future research and program implementation

Expectations of Fundamental Knowledge in a Commercial Space Education Program by Space Industry Professionals and Aeronautical Engineering Technology Students

Career opportunities in the space industry are growing due to a combination of both the growth of the industry projected by the department of U.S. Labor Statistics and the age of existing employees. A new source of skilled workers is needed during this growth to ensure that companies can continue to develop quality designs, manufacturing, and production of the next generation spacecraft. One source to meet this need is the evolution of existing aerospace focused programs, such as Aeronautical Engineering Technology (AET). However, the transformation of any program must include an understanding of the new requisite and fundamental skills and unique requirements. This research includes a survey of space industry professionals to establish baseline commercial space industry knowledge. In addition, a survey of existing AET students is included to examine the difference between student and industry expectations. The results are combined to generate a ranked list of minimal knowledge expected by industry for recent graduates of a space focused AET program. In addition, a comparison to what students expect versus professional realities is important to understand. This insight facilitates recruitment into the profession and enhances student retention and satisfaction. These concepts can and should be included in curriculum and course development to bring the meaningful relevance of information for the students as they learn. Inclusion also provides the student both context and a springboard for industry expectations

Women and BIPOC in Aerospace: Where Did They Come From and How Did They Get Here?

The low number of women and black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) compared to their population, is well-documented in engineering, engineering technology, and other STEM fields. Through this and ancillary documentation there is agreement that increasing the numbers of women and other minorities in these areas will enhance productivity and the breadth of new innovation. Many efforts have been made to increase the number of women and BIPOC in STEM fields. The result of those efforts has been disappointing as they have resulted in minimal growth in engineering and virtual stagnation in other areas of STEM. The aviation and aerospace industries are facing significant difficulties in filling technical positions for people with STEM credentials. One may argue that current conditions create a slowdown in the demand for people in these positions; however, the current slowdown in aerospace provides time to further develop the pipeline to be ready for the expected resurgence of need in this area. To meet this demand, targeted efforts need to be designed and implemented to attract, educate, employ, and retain these highly skilled women and the BIPOC demographic. Since these groups are historically underrepresented in STEM, an added opportunity to bridge the population gap in fields such as those identified in the aerospace industry. This study aims to review the existing research on why women and BIPOC enter technical fields, the challenges they find, what makes them stay or leave, and what are some of the alternative pathways to increase the population of women and BIPOC in the aerospace industry