Some features of magnetic elements at Trivandrum and Annamalainagar, situated near the geomagnetic equator in the Indian Peninsula

The Sq diurnal variation in H at Trivandrum and Annamalainagar are found to be large compared with those at Alibag. The quiet day range in H at Trivandrum in the month of March is abnormally large. Though the Sq variations in V at Trivandrum are not abnormal they are larger than those at Annamalainagar and Alibag. The response of the H elements to disturbance at Trivandrum, Annamalainagar as well as Alibag are similar in sense. But the V element at Annamalainagar shows a difference in its response to disturbance. When the V elements at both Alibag and Trivandrum show an increase in numerical magnitude the V element at Annamalainagar shows a decrease and vice versa. When the magnitudes of disturbance are examined they are found to be almost the same in the H element at all the observatories (including Alibag) during night hours. But during the day the magnitudes of disturbance in H element at Trivandrum and Annamalainagar are always greater than that at Alibag, a station away from the geomagnetic equator. Effects of disturbance in the V element are greatest at Trivandrum both during the day as well as the night. The lines of force of an average disturbance field in a longitudinal plane over the region of the Indian Peninsula appear to be smooth curves with their concave side turned upwards, their turning points occurring between Annamalainagar and Alibag during the day and close to Alibag in the night.

Equinoctial Asymmetry in Solar Quiet Fields along the 120° E Meridian Chain

Equinoctial asymmetry of the range of the solar quiet day variation (Sq) of the horizontal geomagnetic field (H) has been found in some low latitude geomagnetic observatories. This study conducted an investigation of its latitude distribution and the relationship with the solar cycle by using the H field measurements from six observatories along the 120° E meridian chain in the years 1957–2013. Results illustrate a significant equinoctial asymmetry of the SqH range at all observatories. Three main features were identified. First, the signature of the equinoctial asymmetry of the SqH range is opposite for observatories located at the northern and southern sides of the Northern Hemisphere Sq current focus. It shows larger values around spring than autumn equinox at southern observatories, and the converse is seen at northern observatories. Second, the asymmetry increases with the distance from the Sq current focus, suggesting the stronger sensitivity of the distant observatories than observatories around the focus. The result of linear fitting presents a positive dependence of the asymmetry coefficient on geographic latitude, with a reversal of the asymmetry occurring at 28.1° N near the focus of the average Sq current. Third, there is no obvious dependence of the equinoctial asymmetry of the SqH range on solar activity, suggesting a possible cause from some regional factors related to the ionospheric dynamo process.

Joint Ionosonde Studies of F2 Layer Critical Frequency Variations in the Ionosphere Over Kharkiv and Tromsø During Fall Equinox in Quiet and Disturbed Conditions

According to the results of joint ionosonde studies of variations in the ionospheric F2 layer critical frequency over Kharkiv and Tromsø during low solar activity for fall equinox on September 22 – 24, 2020, the features of foF2 variations in middle and low latitudes were investigated for magnetically quiet and magnetically disturbed conditions. On the magnetically quiet day of September 22, 2020, the foF2 values over Kharkiv were found to exceed the foF2 values over Tromsø for the entire time interval of joint observations 02:45 - 16:45 UT. Both over Tromsø and over Kharkiv, a rapid increase in foF2 to its local maximum value was observed after the sunrise. Quasi-periodic variations in foF2 were revealed at high latitudes, which had lower amplitude compared to variations in foF2 over Kharkiv. Over both measuring sites, a pre-sunset local maximum in foF2 was observed. During magnetically disturbed conditions over Tromsø and Kharkiv, quasi-periodic fluctuations in foF2 were observed after the sunrise. Oscillations over Tromsø had lower amplitude than over Kharkiv, and were almost completely suppressed after the onset of a strong magnetic disturbance at high latitudes on September 23, 2020. The foF2 values over Tromsø exceeded its values over Kharkiv in a time interval of 10:45 – 12:15 UT. Comparison of the time variation of foF2 over Tromso on a magnetically quiet day, September 22, 2020, and on a magnetically disturbed day, September 23, 2020, showed that the foF2 value for September 23, 2020 from 10:15 to 15:00 UT exceeded the foF2 values for the same period on September 22, 2020. Comparison of the temporal variations in foF2 over Kharkiv on a magnetically quiet day, September 22, 2020, and on a magnetically disturbed day, September 24, 2020, showed that the foF2 value for September 24, 2020 exceeded its value for September 22, 2020 from 03:00 to 04:45 UT and from 07:00 to 13:00 UT. Magnetic disturbances were found to cause a rapid increase in foF2 values both over Kharkiv and Tromsø, which exceeded foF2 values under magnetically quiet conditions, and also led to a significant increase in the relative amplitudes of traveling ionospheric disturbances over Kharkiv.

MODELING CRITICAL FREQUENCY OF IONOSPHERE D-LAYER AT MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM OF THE SOLAR CYCLE 22WITH IRI-2016

One of the interests of the study of the ionosphere lies in its importance for the transmission of radio waves in telecommunications. The ionospherebehaves as an obstacle to the passage of waves. Thus, the signals of short wavelengths are reflected by the F layer or the upper part of the sublayer E, while theD-layeris the seat of the reflection of low-frequencywaves. The presentstudyinvestigates the temporal variability of the criticalfrequency of the D-layer (for) using the 2016 version of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model under quiet day conditions during at maximum and minimum phase of solar cycle 22. The workisconductedat the Ouagadougou station, located in West Africa. The methodology of the workadopted for the determination of the parameter foDisbased on the calculation of the monthlyhourlyaverages of this variable obtainedwith the help of the model during the monthsthatcharacterize the seasons. The resultsobtained for the parameter for as a function of time during the minimum and maximum of the solar cycle 22 have been presented. The seasonal and temporal variations of the criticalfrequency of the ionosphereD-layer show that the foD values are lower during a minimum of the solar cycle and present maximum values at the Zenith (1200 TL) at a minimum and maximum. Theseresultsalsorevealthatthisparameter varies with time, season, and geographical position. The results of thisstudy show a criticalfrequencybelow 1 MHz during both phases of the solar cycle.

Identification of Fractal Properties in Geomagnetic Data of Southeast Asian Region during Various Solar Activity Levels

The fractal properties of geomagnetic northward component data (H-component) in the equatorial region during various phases of solar activity over Southeast Asia were investigated and then quantified using the parameter of the Hurst exponent (H). This study began with the identification of existence of spectral peaks and scaling properties in international quiet day H-component data which were measured during three levels of solar activity: low, intermediate, and high. Then, various cases of quiet and disturbed days during different solar activity levels were analyzed using the method that performed the best in the preceding part. In all the years analyzed, multifractal scaling and spectral peaks exist, signifying that the data have fractal properties and that there are external factors driving the fluctuations of geomagnetic activity other than solar activity. The analysis of various cases of quiet and disturbed days generally showed that quiet days had anti-persistence tendencies (H < 0.5) while disturbed days had persistence tendencies (H > 0.5)—generally a higher level of Hurst exponent compared to quiet days. As for long-term quiet day H-component data, it had a Hurst exponent value that was near H ≃ 0.50, while the long-term disturbed day H-component data showed higher values than that of the quiet day.

Q fever—the superstition of avoiding the word “quiet” as a coping mechanism: randomised controlled non-inferiority trial

Objective To determine the validity of the superstition that utterance of the word “quiet” in a clinical setting increases workload. Design Prospective randomised controlled non-inferiority study. Setting Microbiology department of a large teaching hospital in Lancashire, UK. Participants Two members of the medical microbiology team carried out the duty work on any given week day and an on-call team member on any weekend day. 29 days were assigned in which staff were to say “Today will be a quiet day” and 32 days were assigned in which staff were to refrain from saying the word “quiet” in any context. Interventions Each day was randomly allocated to either saying “Today will be a quiet day” (intervention group) or refraining from saying the word “quiet” (control group) in any context. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was mean overall workload: a composite of number of clinically related telephone calls, clinically significant results, or validated results processed by the duty medical microbiology team during a 24 hour period referred to collectively as “clinical episodes.” A difference of 30 clinical episodes was considered as the margin of non-inferiority. Secondary outcomes included the individual components of the primary outcome. Results Workload was measured each day over a 61 day period (1 May to 30 June 2019). A mean 139.0 clinical episodes occurred on control days compared with 144.9 on days when the experimental intervention was uttered, a difference of 5.9 (95% confidence interval−12.9 to 24.7). The upper bound was less than the specified margin of 30, providing evidence for non-inferiority. No evidence of a difference in workload was found between interventions with any of the four components, whether considering unadjusted or adjusted analyses, or looking at the subgroups of week days or weekends. Conclusions The study findings refute the long held superstition that utterance of the word “quiet” impacts on clinical workload, and therefore it should not be avoided. In the era of considerable staff shortages and increased work related stress, doctors should look to other methods to increase resilience and protect their wellbeing and mental health. Trial registration Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s research department SE-259.

Remarque, Erich Maria (1898–1970)

Born Erich Paul Remark in Osnabrück, Germany, Erich Maria Remarque is best known for his influential anti-war novel Im Westen nichts Neues (1929, All Quiet on the Western Front). First serialized in the Vossische Zeitung in 1928, All Quiet was launched with an unprecedented advertising campaign. Hailed as ‘the great war novel’, the book spawned a world-wide readership with translations into over twenty-five languages, and a film (directed by Lewis Milestone) in 1930. Written within just a few months in 1927, All Quiet on the Western Front toys with autobiographical references. The protagonist Paul Bäumer is a nineteen-year old war veteran whose seemingly non-consequential death in October 1918, on a ‘quiet’ day on the Western front, stands for the shared fate of millions of soldiers obscured by the unprecedented violence and horror of World War I. Remarque changed his name after the war, dropping his middle name Paul, and adopting his mother’s name, Maria, while also Gallicizing the spelling of his last name, thereby blurring national boundaries.