The Physical Foundation of Forecasting Disturbances in the Geospace From Solar Disk Characteristics

The five main types of antisunward propagating energetic fluxes (particles and emission) may be thought of as well established to date, the effects of which lead to a particilar character of disturbance in the near-terrestrial environment (the Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere and atmosphere). The strongest global restructuring of the magnetosphere and ionosphere is caused by fluxes of relatively dense n of 1-70 cm-3 at the Earth's orbit) Solar Wind (SW) quasi-neutral, low-energy (E ＜ 10 keV) plasma which cause magnetospheric and ionospheric storms lasting 24 hours or longer. For that reason, main attention is given to their study at the initial stage of research. The physical essence of the method of predicting disturbances in the near-terrestrial space environment, the amplitude of which can be expressed in, for example, the Kp index units, involves:(1) identifying all the most geo-effective SW streams of type, (2) determing their sources on the solar disk,and (3) quantifying the correlations between the characteristics of their solar sources with a maximum value of the Kp-index that is caused by the concerned type of SW stream. Semi-phenomenological relations have been obtained, which relate parameters of type SW stream sources to characteristics of geomagnetic storms:storm commencement, the time at which the storm intensity reaches its maximum values, the storm duration,as well as to the storm amplitude expressed in terms of geomagnetic indeces.     

Preliminary calibration results of VEGA 1 and 2 SIGMA-3 gas chromatograph

SIGMA - 3 gas chromatograph on board VEGA 1 and 2 landing probes has been operated successfully in the 60 - 50 km altitude range, providing several in - situ chemical analysis of the gas and the aerosols of Venus cloud layers. Post flight calibration required to derive atmospheric abundancies from gas chromatograms were carried out using the SIGMA - 3 spare model. A Venus atmospheric aerosol simulation chamber was used in which sulfuric acid droplets were generated. Preliminary results of these calibration experiments indicate that the concentration of sulfuric acid in the upper part of the clouds ( 60 to 55 km) is about 1 mg/m³ and suggest that an additional constituant must be present in noticeable amount in the aerosols. From these experiments the mixing ratio upper limits of SO₂ is 100 ppmV and of H₂S and COS is few 10 ppmV.     

基于磨粒分析方法的发动机磨损故障智能诊断技术

磨粒是研究磨损状态时最直接、最重要的信息元，通过对滑油中的磨粒进行监测与分析来判断机械设备的磨损情况，可以预防并监测机械设备的磨损故障。本文运用显微形态学方法建立了一套磨粒显微特征描述体系，以提取磨粒信息并进行磨损故障的模式识别；并结合摩擦学理论和人工智能方法，实现对发动机磨损故障的智能诊断和预测。     

Effect of fluid and salt supplements in preventing the development of "osteopenia" in hypokinetic rats

It has been suggested that a daily intake of fluid and salt supplements may be used to prevent bone demineralization in human subjects after prolonged exposure to hypokinesia (diminished muscular activity). Thus, the objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of fluid and salt supplementation in the prevention of development of osteoporosis in 64 Wistar rats with an initial body weight of 339-345 g, after exposure to 90 days of hypokinesia. They divided into 4 equal groups: the first group of rats placed under ordinary vivarium conditions and served as vivarium control; the second group were also placed under ordinary vivarium conditions but received daily fluid and salt supplements; the third group were subjected to pure hypokinesia, i.e. without the use of any preventive measures; and the fourth group were submitted to hypokinesia and received daily fluid and salt supplements. For the simulation of the hypokinetic effect the experimental group of rats were kept in small, individual, wooden cages. Through the experimental period the second and fourth group of rats received 8 ml/100 g body wt water and 5 ml 100 g body wt NaCl daily. By the end of the experimental period the animals were decapitated and the spongy matter of tibia and vertebrae of the rats were examined for changes referable to osteoporosis. It was found that the daily intake of fluid and salt supplements caused an increase in the volume density of primary spongiosa of bones. It was concluded that a daily intake of fluid and salt supplements may be used to prevent the development of osteoporosis in rats subjected to prolonged motor activity restriction.     

Influence of the 2:1 resonance in the orbits of GPS satellites

Due to the characteristics of their orbits the GPS satellites are submitted to the following main perturbations: terrestrial gravitational field, luni-solar gravitational attraction and solar radiation pressure (including the effects of the Earth's shadow). An additional perturbation arises due to the 2:1 commensurability of the orbital period of the satellite with the period of the Earth's rotation. An analytical theory is briefly presented to solve the equations of motion including the previously mentioned effects. The analytical solution, based on the Lie-Hori method, is compared with a numerical integration of the equations.     

Solar activity index for long-term ionospheric forecasts

Based on the comparison of solar activity indices (annual average values of the relative number of sunspots Rz₁₂ and solar radio emission flux at a wavelength of 10.7 cm F₁₂) with the ionospheric index of solar activity IG₁₂ for 1954–2013, we have found that the index F₁₂ is a more accurate (than Rz₁₂) indicator of solar activity for the long-term forecast of foF2 (the critical frequency of the F2-layer). This advantage of the F₁₂ index becomes especially significant after 2000 if the specific features of extreme ultraviolet radiation of the Sun are additionally taken into account in the minima of solar cycles, using an appropriate correction to F₁₂. Qualitative arguments are given in favor of the use of F₁₂ for the long-term forecast of both foF2 and other ionospheric parameters.     

Application of the Method of Integral Manifolds for Construction of Resonant Curves for the Problem of Spacecraft Entry into the Atmosphere

The separation of motions into slow (precession) and fast (nutation) components in the problem of the entry of a spacecraft (SC) with a small asymmetry into the atmosphere is considered. For the separation of the slow and fast motions the method of integral manifolds is used together with the asymptotic method for singularly perturbed systems. The separation of motions allows one to isolate the frequencies that are functions of the slow variables of a system, and further on, after determining the integer relations between them, to construct the resonant curves (surfaces). This method gives the possibility to analyze the conditions of the emergence of resonances for a SC at angles of attack that are not small and when aerodynamic characteristics are nonlinear. Examples of the construction of resonant curves for a SC with typical aerodynamic characteristics are considered.     

Testing the three-dimensional IRI-SIRMUP-P mapping of the ionosphere for disturbed periods

This paper describes the three-dimensional (3-D) electron density mapping of the ionosphere given as output by the assimilative IRI-SIRMUP-P (ISP) model for three different geomagnetic storms. Results of the 3-D model are shown by comparing the electron density profiles given by the model with the ones measured at two testing ionospheric stations: Roquetes (40.8°N, 0.5°E), Spain, and San Vito (40.6°N, 17.8°E), Italy. The reference ionospheric stations from which the autoscaled foF2 and M(3000)F2 data as well as the real-time vertical electron density profiles are assimilated by the ISP model are those of El Arenosillo (37.1°N, 353.3°E), Spain, Rome (41.8°N, 12.5°E), and Gibilmanna (37.9°N, 14.0°E), Italy. Overall, the representation of the ionosphere made by the ISP model is better than the climatological representation made by only the IRI-URSI and the IRI-CCIR models. However, there are few cases for which the assimilation of the autoscaled data from the reference stations causes either a strong underestimation or a strong overestimation of the real conditions of the ionosphere, which is in these cases better represented by only the IRI-URSI model. This ISP misrepresentation is mainly due to the fact that the reference ionospheric stations covering the region mapped by the model turn out to be few, especially for disturbed periods when the ionosphere is very variable both in time and in space and hence a larger number of stations would be required. The inclusion of new additional reference ionospheric stations could surely smooth out this concern.     

The detection of energetic cometary and solar particles by the EPONA instrument on the Giotto mission

EPONA is an energetic particle detector system incorporating totally depleted silicon surface barrier layer detectors. Active and passive background shielding will be employed and, by applying various techniques, particles of different species, including electrons, protons, alpha particles and pick-up ions of cometary origin may be detected over a wide spectrum of energies extending from the tens of KeV into the MeV range.

The instrument can operate in two modes namely (a) in a cruise phase or storage mode and (b) in a real time mode. During the real time mode, observations at high spatial (octosectoring) and temporal (0.5s) resolution in the cometary environment permit studies to be made of accelerated particles at the bow shock and/or in the tail of the comet. In conjunction with magnetic field measurements on board Giotto, observations of energetic electrons and their anisotropies can determine whether the magnetic field lines in the cometary tail are open or closed. Further, the absorption of low energy solar particles in the cometary atmosphere can be measured and such data would provide an integral value of the pertaining gas and dust distribution. Solar particle background measurements during encounter may also be used to correct the measurements of other spacecraft borne instruments potentially vulnerable to such radiation.

Solar particle flux measurements, obtained during the cruise phase will, when combined with simultaneous observations made by other spacecraft at different heliographic longitudes, provide information concerning solar particle propagation in the corona and in interplanetary space.