On the Juno Radio Science Experiment: models, algorithms and sensitivity analysis

Juno is a NASA mission launched in 2011 with the goal of studying Jupiter. The probe will arrive to the planet in 2016 and will be placed for one year in a polar high-eccentric orbit to study the composition of the planet, the gravity and the magnetic field. The Italian Space Agency (ASI) provided the radio science instrument KaT (Ka-Band Translator) used for the gravity experiment, which has the goal of studying the Jupiter's deep structure by mapping the planet's gravity: such instrument takes advantage of synergies with a similar tool in development for BepiColombo, the ESA cornerstone mission to Mercury. The Celestial Mechanics Group of the University of Pisa, being part of the Juno Italian team, is developing an orbit determination and parameters estimation software for processing the real data independently from NASA software ODP. This paper has a twofold goal: first, to tell about the development of this software highlighting the models used, second, to perform a sensitivity analysis on the parameters of interest to the mission.Comment: Accepted for publication in MONTHLY NOTICES of the Royal Astronomical Society 2014 October 31. Received 2014 July 28; in original form 2013 October

Earning American College Credits in China: New Model of Transfer College Credit Programs

The concept of “Transfer College Credit Programs (TCCP)” has spread to the far corners of the Earth. There are two types of TCCPs: 1) high school students around the globe planning on attending American colleges or universities enroll in college-level courses while still in high school in their home country and earn American college credits which are later transferred to their American institutions, and 2) currently enrolled international undergraduate students taking courses offered during summer break in their home countries and transferring the credits back to their university. This study investigates the popularity of these programs in China, and illustrates a typology of TCCPs offered in China

International Graduate Students’ Academic Performance: What Are the Influencing Factors?

International graduate students have been a sizeable segment of the student body in the U.S. higher educational system. However, this student population has not completely been understood by higher education administrators and faculty and their diverse needs have not been met by existing services on campuses. This study examined factors associated with the students’ academic performance in the United States. The findings indicated that factors associated with masters and doctoral students’ academic performances were greatly different. This study suggests policies, services and programs to meet this population’s unique needs and to assist in their academic success in the United States

College Application with or without Assistance of an Education Agent: Experience of International Chinese Undergraduates in the US.

Using third-party education agents is a well-established practice in many countries. As a result, the number of international students placed by agents has grown considerably over the past years. However, in the US, the practice of using agents to increase international enrollment still carries a derogatory connotation in the educational community. Inexperience with agents coupled with incomplete knowledge about students’ experiences using agents may contribute to misunderstandings about agent recruitment practices that may lead to biased institutional decisions. Using both quantitative and qualitative data, this study provides a better understanding of the use of education agents and how they may assist students’ application to a US higher education institution. The study also reveals the potential problems for students using the services of agents

Studying Overseas: Factors Impacting Intention of Female Students in Mainland China

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that impact Chinese female students’ intention to study overseas. This study also aimed to understand how these factors impact female students’ decision making process. Using a survey questionnaire, data were collected from 96 female undergraduates who enrolled in a 4-year public university in North Central China fall 2010. Descriptive analyses, exploratory factor analyses, and structural equations modeling were utilized to answer the research questions. The results of the study indicated that students’ satisfaction with campus experience, English proficiency, and only child status had significant direct effects on their intention to study overseas. The results also identified parents’ education, Level of Institutional Support, Quality of Campus Relationship as significant indirect effects

International Graduate Students: How Do They Choose Academic Majors?

International graduate students are a sizeable segment of the student body in the U.S. higher educational system, but remain an understudied population in the educational literature. As a result, this student population is not adequately understood by higher education administrators and faculty. The current study explored 16 factors associated with international graduate students’ choice of academic majors for their American degrees and how factors affected this population’s academic choice among four academic categories. Based on the findings, this study suggests recruitment and admission policies and support services and programs to attract and retain international graduate students, in order to understand and direct this population of students during their study in the United States, and to increase international graduate students’ contributions in economy, innovation, and diversity