Results of various studies made with the NCAR Thermospheric General Circulation Model (TGCM) (invited review)

The NCAR thermospheric general circulation model (TGCM) has been used for a variety of thermospheric dynamic studies. It has also been used to compare model predictions with measurements made from various ground-based Fabry-Perot interferometer stations, incoherent scatter radar stations and the Dynamics Explorer satellites. The various input and output features of the model are described. These include the specification of solar EUV fluxes, and descriptions of empirical models to specify auroral particle precipitation, ion drag, and magnetospheric convection. Results are presented for solstice conditions giving the model perturbation temperature and circulation response to solar heating forcing alone and also with the inclusion of magnetospheric convections for two different dawn-dusk potential drops, 20 and 60 kV respectively. Results at two constant pressure levels Z =+1 at 300 km and Z= -4 at 120 km are presented for both the winter and summer polar cap regions. The circulation over the Northern Hemisphere polar cap in both the upper and lower thermosphere are presented along with a figure showing that the circulation is mainly a non-divergent irrotational flow responding to ion drag. The results of a study made on the Southern Hemisphere polar cap during October 1981 where Dynamics Explorer satellite measurements of winds, temperature and composition are compared to TGCM predictions are also presented. A diagnostic package that has been developed to analyze the balance of forces operating in the TGCM is presented next illustrating that in the F-region ion drag and pressure provide the main force balance and in the E-region ion drag, pressure and the coriolis forces provide the main balance. The TGCM prediction for the June 10, 1983 total solar eclipse are next presented showing a thermospheric disturbance following the path of totality. Finally, results are presented giving the global circulation, temperature and composition structure of the thermosphere for solar minimum conditions at equinox with 60 kV magnetospheric convection forcing at high latitudes

Orbital atmospheric physics and dynamics

There are two ways of modeling the upper atmosphere. One is the empirical model that makes use of experimental data on means and excursions from the mean and fits the data in a self-consistent manner. The other approach is to deal directly with the physical processes. This is difficult since what is happening is extremely complex. Data measured using an interferometer to give Doppler shifts of airglow lines showed 300 to 800 m/sec winds with a complex structure in the upper region of the thermosphere at high latitudes. Ionospheric electric fields, strongly influenced by interaction with the solar wind, drive the ionized component and large neutral winds result due to momentum transfer between the charged particles and the neutrals. Frictional heating results from movement of ions through the neutrals, which also influences the compositional structure. These are examples of the complex interactions involved. The NCAR General Circulation Model (tropospheric) was adapted for use at thermospheric altitudes: the Thermospheric General Circulation Model (TGCM). The model makes use partly of primitive equations and partly of empirical data for some quantities such as electron density, magnetic field, and ion drift

Providers’ Knowledge Assessment and Development of the H. Pylori Infection Management Protocol Tool

The prevalence of Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) infection for the Somali population has increased, and there is a significant need to expand Health Care Providers’ (HCPs’) knowledge regarding the correlation between Somali cultural practice and the transmission of H. Pylori infection. HCPs have a central role in the early detection and management of H. Pylori infection, as well as making valid diagnosis and treatment decisions that minimize the risk of complications. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was to evaluate HCPs\u27 knowledge regarding H. Pylori infection treatment management, guidelines usability, and Somali culture awareness to identify where the knowledge gap exists. Evidence-based practice was combined with cultural knowledge to present best practice for educational resources related to the treatment of H. Pylori infection to improve outcomes in the Somali immigrant population. This quality improvement (QI) project presents an algorithm to increase HCPs confidence and knowledge of best practices in H. Pylori infection treatment in the Somali population

Efl teacher's beliefs about teaching/developing speaking skills and their effect on classroom practices: a case study

The role and importance of beliefs have been studied by different authors who have pointed out the strong relationship between what the teacher thinks and what they do in the class. There is enough theoretical research to indicate that beliefs influence the pedagogical decisions made. In the case of this study, we intended to determine how the teacher’s beliefs about teaching speaking affected the teaching of this skill in a group of technician students. For that we conducted a qualitative research in a Technical Institution. Several instruments were applied in order to identify one teacher’s beliefs and compare these beliefs with his actual teaching. The methodology of a case study was selected, and a high amount of information was gathered through different kinds of instruments. To identify and analyze these beliefs, a Beliefs about language learning inventory – BALLI, observations, a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews and document analysis were used to collect and analyze the data. The main findings of the research show that teachers’ beliefs about their role as educators, the learning processes, the language learning process in this case, and what they want their students to learn have significant implications in the way they teach. Identifying and understanding these beliefs, practices and attitudes are an important contribution to the improvement of the educational processes.MaestríaMagister en la Enseñanza del Ingle

Un estudio sobre las nociones de conservación que tienen estudiantes universitarios

En educación en ciencias, la idea de conservación y los principios asociados presentan dificultades en el aprendizaje. La idea de conservación es central en ciencias, en particular en Física, porque está implicada en principios fundamentales, los cuales resultan útiles para describir y predecir fenómenos. En este trabajo, se propone estudiar, en forma exploratoria, las ideas que tienen los estudiantes universitarios de primer año de Ingeniería, sobre el concepto de conservación. Se diseñó un cuestionario con preguntas abiertas y preguntas cerradas con justificación. Los registros se analizaron a partir de categorías emergentes y categorías encontradas en investigaciones anteriores. Los resultados preliminares muestran que la idea de conservación se asocia a “algo constante”, “inicial igual a final”; también se observa el uso del tiempo como recurso explicativo

Study of the technique of stellar occultation

The results are reported of a study of the stellar occultation technique for measuring the composition of the atmosphere. The intensity of starlight was monitored during the occultation using the Wisconsin stellar ultraviolet photometers aboard the Orbiting Astronomical Observatory (OAO-A2). A schematic diagram of an occultation is shown where the change in intensity at a given wavelength is illustrated. The vertical projection of the attenuation region is typically 60 km deep for molecular oxygen and 30 km deep for ozone. Intensity profiles obtained during various occultations were analyzed by first determining the tangential columm density of the absorbing gases, and then Abel inverting the column densities to obtain the number density profile. Errors are associated with each step in the inversion scheme and have been considered as an integral part of this study

Applications of a Venus thermospheric circulation model

A variety of Pioneer Venus observations suggest a global scale, day-to-night Venus thermospheric circulation. Model studies of the dynamics and energetics of the Venus thermosphere are presented in order to address new driving, mixing and cooling mechanisms for an improved model simulation. The adopted approach was to reexamine the circulation by first using a previous two dimensional code to quantify those physical processes which can be inferred from the Pioneer Venus observations. Specifically, the model was used to perform sensitivity studies to determine the degree to which eddy cooling, eddy or wave drag, eddy diffusion and 15 micrometer radiational cooling are necessary to bring the model temperature and composition fields into agreement with observations. Three EUV heating cases were isolated for study. Global temperature and composition fields in good agreement with Pioneer data were obtained. Large scale horizontal winds 220 m/s were found to be consistent with the observed cold nightside temperatures and dayside bulges of O, CO and CO2. Observed dayside temperatures were obtained by using a 7 to 19% EUV heating efficiency profile. The enhanced 15 micrometer cooling needed for thermal balance is obtained using the best rate coefficient available for atomic O collisional excitation of CO2(0,1,0). Eddy conduction was not found to be a viable cooling mechanism due to the weakened global circulation. The strong 15 micrometer damping and low EUV efficiency imply a very weak dependence of the general circulation to solar cycle variability. The NCAR terrestrial thermospheric general circulation model was adapted for Venus inputs using the above two dimensional model parameters, to give a three dimensional benchmark for future Venus modelling work

The Legal Aspects of Health Care Joint Ventures

Increasingly, health care providers have entered into joint ventures in an attempt to maximize revenues and effectively respond to the cost containment incentives established under the Medicare and Medicaid programs. This article describes the various organizational formats that have been adopted by health care joint ventures, and explores the legal issues created by federal and state regulation of this area

STUDENTS’ PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS USING ROUGH DRAFT TALK STRATEGY IN MATHEMATICS CLASSROOM

In reality, teachers of mathematics, at times, demand students to share ideas or pattern of solution for a mathematical problem to the class. With this comes the need for students to write a draft of their ideas or answers first before they can relay them for the teacher’s affirmation and for classmates’ benefit from listening. This study explored the effectiveness Rough-Draft Talk (RDT) in strengthening students’ problem-solving skills in mathematics. A quasi-experimental research design was used in the study where two (2) intact classes were randomly assigned as the experimental group while the other was the control group. The experimental group was taught using RDT while the control group using the conventional teaching method. Findings revealed that students exposed to RDT performed better compared to those taught using the conventional method. The researcher recommends that teachers, curriculum developers and administrators are encouraged to use Rough-Draft Talk (RDT) to improve students’ problems solving skills in mathematics.  Article visualizations