High resolution time profile of decimetric type-III bursts

Type-III bursts are signatures of the electron beams accelerated during the solar flares, their observation and investigation provide information of the acceleration processes, the characteristics of the exciting agent and the acceleration site. The Brazilian Solar Spectroscope (BSS), in operation at INPE, Brazil, have recorded type-III radio bursts in decimetric range (2050–2250 MHz) with high time resolution of 20 ms. Decimetric reverse drift bursts are possibly generated in a dense loop by electron beams travelling towards the photosphere. Hence their time profiles should carry signatures of the density inhomogenities in the loop. Here the temporal and spectral characteristics of decimetric type-III bursts are presented.     

Influence of high concentrations of mineral salts on production process and NaCl accumulation by Salicornia europaea plants as a constituent of the LSS phototroph link.

Use of halophytes (salt-tolerant vegetation), in a particular vegetable Salicornia europaea plants which are capable of utilizing NaCl in rather high concentrations, is one of possible means of NaCl incorporation into mass exchange of bioregenerative life support systems. In preliminary experiments it was shown that S. europaea plants, basically, could grow on urine pretreated with physicochemical processing and urease-enzyme decomposing of urea with the subsequent ammonia distillation. But at the same time inhibition of the growth process of the plants was observed. The purpose of the given work was to find out the influence of excessive quantities of some mineral elements contained in products of physicochemical processing of urine on the production process and NaCl accumulation by S. europaea plants. As the content of mineral salts in the human liquid wastes (urine) changed within certain limits, two variants of experimental solutions were examined. In the first variant, the concentration of mineral salts was equivalent to the minimum salt content in the urine and was: K - 1.5 g/l, P - 0.5 g/l, S - 0.5 g/l, Mg - 0.07 g/l, Ca - 0.2 g/l. In the second experimental variant, the content of mineral salts corresponded to the maximum salt content in urine and was the following: K - 3.0 g/l, P - 0.7 g/l, S - 1.2 g/l, Mg - 0.2 g/l, Ca - 0.97 g/l. As the control, the Tokarev nutrient solution containing nitrogen in the form of a urea, and the Knop nutrient solution with nitrogen in the nitrate form were used. N quantity in all four variants made up 177 mg/l. Air temperature was 24 degrees C, illumination was continuous. Light intensity was 690 micromoles/m2s of photosynthetically active radiation. NaCl concentration in solutions was 1%. Our researches showed that the dry aboveground biomass of an average plant of the first variant practically did not differ from the control and totaled 11 g. In the second variant, S. europaea productivity decreased and the dry aboveground biomass of an average plant totaled 8 g. The increase of K quantity in the experimental solutions resulted in an elevated content of the element in the plants. The increase of K uptake in the second experimental variant was accompanied by a 30-50% decrease of Na content in comparison with the other variants. Comparative Na content in the other variants was practically identical. N, Mg and P content in the control and experimental variants was also practically identical. The increase of S quantity in the second experimental variant also increased S uptake by the plants. But Ca quantity, accumulated in aboveground plants biomass in the experimental variants was lower than in the control. NaCl uptake by plants, depending on the concentration of mineral salts in the experimental solutions, ranged from 8 g (maximum salt content) up to 15 g (minimum salt content) on a plant growth area that totaled 0.032 m2. Thus, high concentrations of mineral salts simulating the content of mineral salts contained in urine did not result in a significant decrease of S. europaea productivity. The present work also considers the influence of higher light intensity concentrations on productivity and NaCl accumulation by S. europaea plants grown on experimental solutions with high salt content.     

Shock Wave Interaction with the Magnetopause

The magnetopause is in continuous motion and shock waves and impulsive acceleration events can occur. As an example, we show that the interaction of an interplanetary shock with the bow shock can generate a shock wave that after passing through the magnetosheath can interact with the magnetopause. In fluid dynamics, when a shock wave encounters a fluid discontinuity, the interface may become unstable and form bubbles and spikes. We consider this Richtmyer-Meshkov instability in magnetohydrodynamics. At the dayside magnetopause, the instability tends to be stabilized by the magnetic field. However, the shock wave interaction can initiate magnetic field reconnection for the southward IMF, which may be important in strong interplanetary shock events. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Atmospheric dynamics in the "Laboratory Biosphere" with wheat and sweet potato crops.

Laboratory Biosphere is a 40-m3 closed life system equipped with 12,000 W of high pressure sodium lamps over planting beds with 5.37 m2 of soil. Atmospheric composition changes due to photosynthetic fixation of carbon dioxide and corresponding production of oxygen or the reverse, respiration, are observed in short timeframes, e.g., hourly. To focus on inherent characteristics of the crop as distinct from its area or the volume of the chamber, we report fixation and respiration rates in mmol h-1 m-2 of planted area. An 85-day crop of USU Apogee wheat under a 16-h lighted/8-h dark regime peaked in fixation rate at about 100 mmol h-1 m-2 approximately 24 days after planting. Light intensity was about 840 micromoles m-2 s-1. Dark respiration peaked at about 31 mmol h-1 m-2 at the same time. Thereafter, both fixation and respiration declined toward zero as harvest time approached. A residual soil respiration rate of about 1.9 mmol h-1 m-2 was observed in the dark closed chamber for 100 days after the harvest. A 126-day crop of Tuskegee TU-82-155 sweet potato behaved quite differently. Under a 680 micromoles m-2 s-1, 18-h lighted/6-h dark regime, fixation during lighted hours rose to a plateau ranging from about 27 to 48 mmol h-1 m-2 after 42 days and dark respiration settled into a range of 12-23 mmol h-1 m-2. These rates continued unabated until the harvest at 126 days, suggesting that tuber biomass production might have continued at about the same rate for some time beyond the harvest time that was exercised in this experiment. In both experiments CO2 levels were allowed to range widely from a few hundred to about 3000 ppm, which permitted observation of fixation rates both at varying CO2 concentrations and at each number of days after planting. This enables plotting the fixation rate as a function of both variables. Understanding the atmospheric dynamics of individual crops will be essential for design and atmospheric management of more complex CELSS which integrate the simultaneous growth of several crops as in a sustainable remote life support system.     

Frequency line tracking using HMM-based schemes [passive sonar]

This paper deals with fluctuating line tracking, present on the so-called lofargram (low frequency analysis and recording) encountered in any passive sonar system. Considering such a line as a random walk modeled by a first-order Markov chain, we have recourse to the hidden Markov models (HMMs) arsenal. More precisely, we propose to track a frequency line with Viterbi and forward-backward algorithms. The originality of this work comes from the fact that a "probabilistic integration of the spectral power" approach allows us to construct a signal-to-noise (SNR)-knowledge-free method. Intensive simulations reveal no loss of performance.     

Ultra triple-junction high-efficiency solar cells

Solar cells suitable for the space environment must combine high-efficiency, high energy density, and radiation hardness in a manufacturable design. As improvement in one performance parameter usually results in degradation in one or more of the remaining parameters, careful optimization is required to enhance overall performance. The ultra triple-junction cell developed builds upon the established success of the fully qualified improved triple-junction cell currently in production. In the ultra triple-junction cell configuration, improved robustness and efficiency after radiation exposure augment a cell design expected to deliver 28% beginning-of-life efficiency in production.     

A Class of TVD Type Combined Numerical Scheme for MHD Equations With a Survey About Numerical Methods in Solar Wind Simulations

It has been believed that three-dimensional, numerical, magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modelling must play a crucial role in a seamless forecasting system. This system refers to space weather originating on the sun; propagation of disturbances through the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), and thence, transmission into the magnetosphere, ionosphere, and thermosphere. This role comes as no surprise to numerical modelers that participate in the numerical modelling of atmospheric environments as well as the meteorological conditions at Earth. Space scientists have paid great attention to operational numerical space weather prediction models. To this purpose practical progress has been made in the past years. Here first is reviewed the progress of the numerical methods in solar wind modelling. Then, based on our discussion, a new numerical scheme of total variation diminishing (TVD) type for magnetohydrodynamic equations in spherical coordinates is proposed by taking into account convergence, stability and resolution. This new MHD model is established by solving the fluid equations of MHD system with a modified Lax-Friedrichs scheme and the magnetic induction equations with MacCormack II scheme for the purpose of developing a combined scheme of quick convergence as well as of TVD property. To verify the validation of the scheme, the propagation of one-dimensional MHD fast and slow shock problem is discussed with the numerical results conforming to the existing results obtained by the piece-wise parabolic method (PPM). Finally, some conclusions are made. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Adaptive image segmentation using genetic and hybrid search methods

This paper describes an adaptive approach for the important image processing problem of image segmentation that relies on learning from experience to adapt and improve the segmentation performance. The adaptive image segmentation system incorporates a feedback loop consisting of a machine learning subsystem, an image segmentation algorithm, and an evaluation component which determines segmentation quality. The machine learning component is based on genetic adaptation and uses (separately) a pure genetic algorithm (GA) and a hybrid of GA and hill climbing (HC). When the learning subsystem is based on pure genetics, the corresponding evaluation component is based on a vector of evaluation criteria. For the hybrid case, the system employs a scalar evaluation measure which is a weighted combination of the different criteria. Experimental results for pure genetic and hybrid search methods are presented using a representative database of outdoor TV imagery. The multiobjective optimization demonstrates the ability of the adaptive image segmentation system to provide high quality segmentation results in a minimal number of generations     

Overview of TeV gamma ray observations

TeV emission has been observed with high signal-to-noise from: two pulsar-driven supernova remnants, the Crab Nebula and PSR B1706-44 and a blazar class AGN, Markarian 421. Other sources, observed without the benefit of major background reduction techniques, are some of the compact object binaries. These discoveries plus the discoveries of EGRET of more than 130 sources at lower energies point to a growing number of scientific questions capable of being addressed by this field (particularly for distant sources via intergalactic absorption processes). Rapid further development will come as new instruments employing a variety of background reduction techniques come on-line.     

Electronic flight progress strip prototype for en route ATC

An electronic flight progress strip (FPS) display and a color plan view display (CPVD) as a laboratory prototype are described. The purposes of prototype development are to examine the effectiveness and problems of the electronic FPS display in comparison to the current system and to identify the controller-workstation requirements, which are necessary to decide a future planning of a production prototype development. The evaluation and additional test were conducted for a typical en route transition sector. It was found that electronic FPS was useful in the normal traffic load. Some possible improvements were identified in the heavy traffic load situations represented in the additional test