The Use of Social Networks to Train the Intercultural Dimension of Foreign Languages at Higher Educational Institutions

The paper aims to identify how social networks contribute to training the intercultural dimension of foreign languages at higher educational institutions. We attempted to answer the questions of what effect the use of social networks has on foreign language training, fostering intercultural and occupational skills, and how both students and teachers perceive the intervention. To achieve research goals, we used quantitative tools, such as (1) checklists, (2) assessment records on English for Specific Purposes, (3) the cultural intelligence scale, (4) the multidimensional emotional empathy scale, and (5) the questionnaire for reflective thinking. Qualitative data were drawn from the observations and interviews. The research findings confirmed that the use of social networks provided students with a true-to-life (authentic) environment and context to gain cultural experience and train a foreign language. This strategy boosts English for Specific Purposes learning and teaching experiences using a distance-learning component. A longitudinal research design enhances transformations in students in terms of emotional empathy and reflective thinking

The activity approach as a part of a socializing process in adaptive sports activities

The study and development of the socialization process is a topical problem for science and practice nowadays. The authors present in the article the analysis results of the activity approach as a part of the socializing process in adaptive sports activities. The material is addressed to the factors of social upbringing and the implementation of the goals and objectives of socialization in adaptive sports activities. The paper also contains the study results of socialization of schoolchildren with limited abilities in adaptive sports activities. In addition, the possibilities of sports and the negative impact of sports models on the socialization of children with limited abilities have been analysed in this paper. An integrated model of adaptive-sports extracurricular activities for students with limited abilities, its organization technology has been presented. As a result of the study, it has been proved that adaptive sports activities as an area of self-expression, manifestation and formation of certain abilities, gifts and talent, is an important part of socialization of the student which helps prepare students with limited abilities for life

Near Real Time Tools for ISS Plasma Science and Engineering Applications

The International Space Station (ISS) program utilizes a plasma environment forecast for estimating electrical charging hazards for crews during extravehicular activity (EVA). The process uses ionospheric electron density (Ne) and temperature (Te) measurements from the ISS Floating Potential Measurement Unit (FPMU) instrument suite with the assumption that the plasma conditions will remain constant for one to fourteen days with a low probability for a space weather event which would significantly change the environment before an EVA. FPMU data is typically not available during EVA's, therefore, the most recent FPMU data available for characterizing the state of the ionosphere during EVA is typically a day or two before the start of an EVA or after the EVA has been completed. Three near real time space weather tools under development for ISS applications are described here including: (a) Ne from ground based ionosonde measurements of foF2 (b) Ne from near real time satellite radio occultation measurements of electron density profiles (c) Ne, Te from a physics based ionosphere model These applications are used to characterize the ISS space plasma environment during EVA periods when FPMU data is not available, monitor for large changes in ionosphere density that could render the ionosphere forecast and plasma hazard assessment invalid, and validate the "persistence of conditions" forecast assumption. In addition, the tools are useful for providing space environment input to science payloads on ISS and anomaly investigations during periods the FPMU is not operating

ISEP: A Joint SRAG/CCMC Collaboration to Improve Mitigation of Space Weather Effects on Crew Health in the Exo-LEO Era

The Space Radiation Analysis Group (SRAG) at Johnson Space Center (JSC) is tasked with monitoring changes to space weather and mitigating any resultant impacts to crew health and safety. As human spaceflight goals extend from Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) missions like the International Space Station (ISS) to the moon, Mars and beyond, SRAG will need to update their current approach for crew monitoring of and protection from radiation exposure due to energetic Solar Particle Events (ESPEs). Challenges faced in planning exo-LEO missions include the lack of protection from the Earths geomagnetic field employed by the ISS in addition to limited communication capability between the crew and the ground. In the event of an ESPE, the current ISS trajectory ensures that the vehicle is only traveling through fields of higher radiation exposure for a brief period of time; the Earths geomagnetic field prevents the penetration of the high-energy particles of concern throughout the majority of the orbit. Exo-LEO missions, on the other hand, require that the vehicle travel through free space, exposing vehicle and crew to the full impact of the ESPE. NASA has combined multiple approaches to resolve this radiation exposure issue. New vehicles are designed to take advantage of advances in particle transport modeling capabilities and shielding technology, allowing redistribution of mass throughout the vehicle to areas of thinner shielding when the energetic particle flux has increased to levels of concern. Although vehicle shielding is an important aspect of radiation exposure protection, there is a continued requirement to monitor and predict the space weather environment. To this end, SRAG maintains a console position in Mission Control with 24/7 mission support capability. In the event of increased solar activity, SRAG collaborates with the Flight Control Team (FCT) to determine if crew action (i.e., shelter) is required. During any increase in solar activity, the FCT needs three pieces of information to effectively decide the crew response in light of other required mission tasks: if an event (ESPE) will occur, how intense an observed event will be, and how long will an observed event will last. An ideal alert system limits false alarms, therefore causing the crew to take action unnecessarily, without ignoring events that pose a hazard to the crew. SRAGs current operational concept for ISS missions focuses on short-term forecasts, best described as now-casting. Console operators are in daily communication with the Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) for situational awareness purposes. When conditions exist that may lead to increased solar activity, operators receive notifications from SWPC. In the case of a well-connected ESPE, the console operator may only have on the order of minutes to several hours to notify the FCT of the event and provide a recommendation for crew action. As NASA shifts to exo-LEO missions, the increased time in free space as well as the reduced ability to communicate with the crew will force a transition in crew protection strategy that emphasizes improvments to both the accuracy and the lead time in forecasting capabilities

Recrystallization of CaCO3 submicron magnetic particles in biological media

Background and Objectives: The development of magnetic theranostics is associated with the determination of the behavior of magnetic carriers in biosimilar media. In this work, we analyze the formation of different crystalline phases from magnetic mineral submicron calcium carbonate particles during incubation under conditions of cell cultivation in vitro for 3 days. The study of mineralmagneticsubmicron particles recrystallization was analyzed by XRD and electron scanning microscopy. The shape of calcium carbonate particles begins to change from elliptical to spherical under cell culture cultivations. As the amount of magnetite nanoparticle particles in calcium carbonate increases, the recrystallization process is faster with fallout of calcite, vaterite and magnetite phases. Materials and Methods: Scanning electron microscopy, processing of results using a self-written Python code, XRDwere utilized in this study. Results: The study of the process of recrystallization of magnetic mineral particles shows has shown that increasing the content of magnetic carriers leads to accelerated recrystallization of particles with simultaneous precipitation of calcite, vaterite and magnetite phases. Conclusion: Magnetic mineral submicron calcium carbonate particles are promising targets for theranostics with the self-destruction property in biological environments

CalcDeltaB: An efficient postprocessing tool to calculate ground‐level magnetic perturbations from global magnetosphere simulations

Ground magnetic field variations can induce electric currents on long conductor systems such as high‐voltage power transmission systems. The extra electric currents can interfere with normal operation of these conductor systems; and thus, there is a great need for better specification and prediction of the field perturbations. In this publication we present CalcDeltaB, an efficient postprocessing tool to calculate magnetic perturbations Δ B at any position on the ground from snapshots of the current systems that are being produced by first‐principle models of the global magnetosphere‐ionosphere system. This tool was developed during the recent “d B /d t ” modeling challenge at the Community Coordinated Modeling Center that compared magnetic perturbations and their derivative with observational results. The calculation tool is separate from each of the magnetosphere models and ensures that the Δ B computation method is uniformly applied, and that validation studies using Δ B compare the performance of the models rather than the combination of each model and a built‐in Δ B computation tool that may exist. Using the tool, magnetic perturbations on the ground are calculated from currents in the magnetosphere, from field‐aligned currents between magnetosphere and ionosphere, and the Hall and Pedersen currents in the ionosphere. The results of the new postprocessing tool are compared with Δ B calculations within the Space Weather Modeling Framework model and are in excellent agreement. We find that a radial resolution of 1/30 R E is fine enough to represent the contribution to Δ B from the region of field‐aligned currents. Key Points Developed tool to compute magnetic perturbations on the ground Too validated using existing SWMF implementation Model validation independent from Delta‐B calculation within each modelPeer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/1/Contributions_E4_highlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/2/AuxiliaryMaterial_README_v2.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/3/Contributions_E1_highlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/4/Contributions_E2_highlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/5/Contributions_E3_midlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/6/Contributions_E2_midlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/7/Contributions_E1_midlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/8/Contributions_E3_highlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/9/Contributions_E5_midlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/10/Contributions_E4_midlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/11/Contributions_E6_midlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/12/swe20180.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/13/Contributions_E6_highlat.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/109314/14/Contributions_E5_highlat.pd

Simulation of the 23 July 2012 Extreme Space Weather Event: What if This Extremely Rare CME Was Earth Directed?

Extreme space weather events are known to cause adverse impacts on critical modern day technological infrastructure such as high-voltage electric power transmission grids. On 23 July 2012, NASA's Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-Ahead (STEREO-A) spacecraft observed in situ an extremely fast coronal mass ejection (CME) that traveled 0.96 astronomical units (approx. 1 AU) in about 19 h. Here we use the SpaceWeather Modeling Framework (SWMF) to perform a simulation of this rare CME.We consider STEREO-A in situ observations to represent the upstream L1 solar wind boundary conditions. The goal of this study is to examine what would have happened if this Rare-type CME was Earth-bound. Global SWMF-generated ground geomagnetic field perturbations are used to compute the simulated induced geoelectric field at specific ground-based active INTERMAGNET magnetometer sites. Simulation results show that while modeled global SYM-H index, a high-resolution equivalent of the Dst index, was comparable to previously observed severe geomagnetic storms such as the Halloween 2003 storm, the 23 July CME would have produced some of the largest geomagnetically induced electric fields, making it very geoeffective. These results have important practical applications for risk management of electrical power grids

Comparative ultrafast spectroscopy and structural analysis of OCP1 and OCP2 from Tolypothrix.

The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) is a structurally and functionally modular photoactive protein involved in cyanobacterial photoprotection. Recently, based on bioinformatic analysis and phylogenetic relationships, new families of OCP have been described, OCP2 and OCPx. The first characterization of the OCP2 showed both faster photoconversion and back-conversion, and lower fluorescence quenching of phycobilisomes relative to the well-characterized OCP1. Moreover, OCP2 is not regulated by the fluorescence recovery protein (FRP). In this work, we present a comprehensive study combining ultrafast spectroscopy and structural analysis to compare the photoactivation mechanisms of OCP1 and OCP2 from Tolypothrix PCC 7601. We show that despite significant differences in their functional characteristics, the spectroscopic properties of OCP1 and OCP2 are comparable. This indicates that the OCP functionality is not directly related to the spectroscopic properties of the bound carotenoid. In addition, the structural analysis by X-ray footprinting reveals that, overall, OCP1 and OCP2 have grossly the same photoactivation mechanism. However, the OCP2 is less reactive to radiolytic labeling, suggesting that the protein is less flexible than OCP1. This observation could explain fast photoconversion of OCP2

Pedagogical management of the quality of training for a physical culture specialist in higher school: An expectation approach to the problem

The paper is devoted to the problem of pedagogical management of the quality of training for physical education specialists in higher education: the authors have determined theoretical and methodological foundations of the problem, a conceptual model and pedagogical conditions for its implementation have been presented. The authors of the paper have proved that professional expectations are a construct that anticipates actions aimed at building professional competence, but at the same time it is a product of the processes of mastering the education content. The expectation approach suggests considering the pedagogical management of the quality of training for specialists in physical education at a pedagogical university as a process of changing and shaping professional expectations of the subject of the educational process. In our study, the expectation approach is based on the conceptual ideas of the axiological, competence, and integrative constituent elements. The identified axiological, competence, and integrative constituent elements of the expectation approach determine the multilevel and hierarchical nature of the theoretical and methodological fundamentals of pedagogical management of the quality of training for physical education specialists including the general scientific, concrete scientific, methodological and technological levels of the methodology