Using Environmental Physiology to Teach Physiological Regulation

Environmental Physiology at Boise State University, Idaho, is a multidisciplinary course that expands students’ understanding of human regulatory physiology through acute and chronic responses to environmental extremes. Students explore the physics (pressure, fluid dynamics, gas laws, sound, and light) of the underwater environment, marine flora and fauna adaptations to this environment, and the human experience within this environment. Included is completion of the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) Open Water Scuba Certification. The course culminates in an international dive trip where course concepts are further demonstrated and explored, and conservation activities are undertaken.

APPRAISAL OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS ON FIXED CAPITAL FORMATION IN NIGERIA

There is growing interest for the use of renewable energy and carbon dioxide emission in Nigeria, and the world over.Despite the volume of consumption, and the enabling oil and gas laws to protect the environment and improve the well-being of citizens over the years, the gross fixed capital formation have not received a remarkable growth in Nigeria which motivated for this study. The gross fixed capital formation was the dependent variable against energy consumption, and carbon dioxide emission that represented the explanatory variables were sourced from the World Bank and the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin between 1985-2014. The study adopted the Augmented Dickey-Fuller and the Autoregressive Distributive Lag model for the analysis. The data were integrated at levels and first order differenced. The Johansen cointegration test indicated co-integrating equations in long run. Furthermore, the error correction found energy consumption to be positive, while carbon dioxide emission had a negative but insignificant impact on the Nigerian fixed capital formation. The study recommended the ministry of environment to enforce the existing oil and gas laws, and advocate for the use of modern energy in rural areas of Nigeria.

Gas Laws

Gas Laws summarizes the general laws that describe how the volume of a gas changes in response to changes in pressure (P), temperature (T in Kelvin) or the number of moles (n). The ideal gas law, which combines Boyle’s law, Charles’s law and Avogadro’s law, is presented, with explanations of using it to solve gas-law problems. Mathematical rearrangements of the ideal gas law to determine density and molar mass are described along with the use of Dalton’s law of partial pressures to find the pressure of each gas in a mixture. Finally the chapter presents ideal gas law and reaction stoichiometry, Graham’s law of effusion, and basic notions of real gases and their deviation from the ideal gas laws.

FABRICATING EXPERIMENTAL EQUIPMENT FOR TESTING GAS LAWS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING "IDEAL GAS" - GRADE 12 PHYSICS, NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM 2018

In this study, we fabricated the experimental equipment for testing gas laws, using eco-friendly and easy-to-find materials. The equipment was able to test, with relatively high accuracy (error less than 1%), the gas laws and demonstrate the state equation of ideal gases. The findings reveal that the equipment and similar experiments can be adopted for teachers’ modeling activities as well as students’ experiments, or teachers can guide their students to fabricate their own equipment as a STEM experience while teaching the topic “Ideal Gas” – Grade 12 Physics, the national high school program 2018.

Application of the thermoporoelasticity model in numerical modelling of underground coal gasification influence on the surrounding medium

The purpose of this paper was to present the thermoporoelasticity model adapted for application in modelling processes, where phase transition may occur, such as during underground coal gasification (UCG). The mathematical model of the medium (soil/rock with pores filled with liquid/gas) in non-isothermal conditions is based on Biot's poroelasticity model. The poroelasticity model is expanded here by the influence of temperature and adjusted to the case where both liquid and highly compressible fluid are present in pores by using the gas laws. This requires considering temperature-dependent physical quantities such as pore fluid density, heat transfer coefficient and viscosity as functions of temperature. Based on the proposed mathematical model and the finite element method, a numerical model was built for the purpose of computing processes occurring in the vicinity of the UCG generator. The result of the authors’ work is a three-dimensional (3D) model, which was not only modified, but derived straight from the laws of thermodynamics, where fields of displacement, temperature and fluid flow are coupled. The model makes it possible to determine results significant to modelling of the UCG process, the reach of the gaseous phase's presence in pores, subsidence values, temperature distribution and directions and rate of seepage, without losing the simplicity and elegance of Biot's original concept. Next, the results of simulations for a hypothetical deposit to estimate the environmental impact of UCG are presented. After applying specific geometry and parameters, the model can be useful for verifying if the chosen technology of UCG in specific conditions will be safe for the environment and infrastructure.