Recent VLBA/VERA/IVS Tests of General Relativity

We report on recent VLBA/VERA/IVS observational tests of General Relativity. First, we will summarize the results from the 2005 VLBA experiment that determined gamma with an accuracy of 0.0003 by measuring the deflection of four compact radio sources by the solar gravitational field. We discuss the limits of precision that can be obtained with VLBA experiments in the future. We describe recent experiments using the three global arrays to measure the aberration of gravity when Jupiter and Saturn passed within a few arcmin of bright radio sources. These reductions are still in progress, but the anticipated positional accuracy of the VLBA experiment may be about 0.01 mas.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, IAU261 conference proceedings. IAU 261 Symposium Proceedings, in pres

Inertial dynamics and equilibrium correlation functions of magnetization at short times

The method of moments is developed and employed to analyze the equilibrium correlation functions of the magnetization of ferromagnetic nanoparticles in the case of inertial magnetization dynamics. The method is based on the Taylor series expansion of the correlation functions and the estimation of the expansion coefficients. This method significantly reduces the complexity of analysis of equilibrium correlation functions. Analytical expressions are derived for the first three coefficients for the longitudinal and transverse correlation functions for the uniaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy of ferromagnetic nanoparticles with a longitudinal magnetic field. The limiting cases of very strong and negligibly weak external longitudinal fields are considered. The Gordon sum rule for inertial magnetization dynamics is discussed. In addition, we show that finite analytic series can be used as a simple and satisfactory approximation for the numerical calculation of correlation functions at short times

Perception of Quality of Life and its Components among Russian Students – Implications for Academic Teaching

The paper has 3 objectives: (i) identify QoL determinants of Russian Students; (ii) assess their relevance for decision-making when choosing life strategies; (iii) recognize their implications for academic teaching. The research sample were students from two Russian Universities. The study employed: literature analysis; exploratory research (direct individual in-depth interviews, survey based on a self-administered, web-based questionnaire with single-answer, limited choice qualitative & quantitative questions and gradings based on the Likert-type scale); explanatory research (informal moderated group discussions). The research findings show the relatively high significance of finance, career, stability, family, free time and other non-material QoL determinants. Research analysis reveals an inconsistency between respondents’ expectations and their work-life balance, which imposes a question about decision-making criteria at an early stage of career planning and the role of tertiary education in this process. Implications & Recommendations: (i) multicriteria decision-making processes, such as career planning, should comprise work-life balance; therefore both material and non-material QoL determinants should be incorporated into the analysis; (ii) as the role of Universities, beside educating, is also to guide and shape characters, Academia seems to be the right place for this task; (iii) therefore Universities should promote conscious lecturers as assistants to the process of identification of individual QoL determinants by their students. Contribution & Value Added: the research provides a fresh and improved perspective on quality of life and its determinants; it includes non-material QoL components and therefore brings qualitative determinants into economic research; it will provide data for future comparisons; it comes from a research network linking European and Russian tertiary education institutions and University lecturers with intercultural teaching experience

Perception of Quality of Life and its Components among Russian Students – Implications for Academic Teaching

The paper has 3 objectives: (i) identify QoL determinants of Russian Students; (ii) assess their relevance for decision-making when choosing life strategies; (iii) recognize their implications for academic teaching. The research sample were students from two Russian Universities. The study employed: literature analysis; exploratory research (direct individual in-depth interviews, survey based on a self-administered, web-based questionnaire with single-answer, limited choice qualitative & quantitative questions and gradings based on the Likert-type scale); explanatory research (informal moderated group discussions). The research findings show the relatively high significance of finance, career, stability, family, free time and other non-material QoL determinants. Research analysis reveals an inconsistency between respondents’ expectations and their work-life balance, which imposes a question about decision-making criteria at an early stage of career planning and the role of tertiary education in this process. Implications & Recommendations: (i) multicriteria decision-making processes, such as career planning, should comprise work-life balance; therefore both material and non-material QoL determinants should be incorporated into the analysis; (ii) as the role of Universities, beside educating, is also to guide and shape characters, Academia seems to be the right place for this task; (iii) therefore Universities should promote conscious lecturers as assistants to the process of identification of individual QoL determinants by their students. Contribution & Value Added: the research provides a fresh and improved perspective on quality of life and its determinants; it includes non-material QoL components and therefore brings qualitative determinants into economic research; it will provide data for future comparisons; it comes from a research network linking European and Russian tertiary education institutions and University lecturers with intercultural teaching experience

The AuScope Project and Trans-Tasman VLBI

Three 12-meter radio telescopes are being built in Australia (the AuScope project) and one in New Zealand. These facilities will be fully-equipped for undertaking S and X-band geodetic VLBI observations and correlation will take place on a software correlator (part of the AuScope project). All sites are equipped with permanent GPS receivers to provide co-location of several space geodetic techniques. The following scientific tasks of geodesy and astrometry are considered. 1. Improvement and densification of the International Celestial Reference Frame in the southern hemisphere; 2. Improvement of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame in the region; 3. Measurement of intraplate deformation of the Australian tectonic plate

Observations of radio sources near the Sun

Geodetic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) data are capable of measuring the light deflection caused by the gravitational field of the Sun and large planets with high accuracy. The parameter $\gamma$ of the parametrized Post-Newtonian (PPN) formalism estimated using observations of reference radio sources near the Sun should be equal to unity in the general relativity. We have run several VLBI experiments tracking reference radio sources from 1 to 3 degrees from the Sun. The best formal accuracy of the parameter $\gamma$ achieved in the single-session mode is less than 0.01 percent, or better than the formal accuracy obtained with a global solution included all available observations at arbitrary elongation from the Sun. We are planning more experiments starting from 2020 using better observing conditions near the minimum of the Solar activity cycle.Comment: Proceeding of the EVGA 2019 Meeting. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1806.1129