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.     

Discrete energy release in microwave emission in the preflare stage

Examples of solar microwave precursors and estimates of their energetic characteristics are discussed based on spectral investigations of the preflare activity.     

Greener batteries cooperation between industry and the EPA

Cooperation between the Eveready Battery Company and the Environmental Protection Agency has already led to significant improvements for the environment. Eveready Battery Company, Inc. and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have for many years worked successfully in partnership for the benefit of the environment. This article examines an example of successful cooperation and partnership between Eveready and the EPA. In the early 1980's, the environmental community began to focus its attention on the mercury in household batteries. Studies had been performed in the US, Japan and the United Kingdom regarding the potential environmental harm resulting from the disposal of household batteries containing mercury     

Ionization and recombination processes determining plasma density at the initial stage of artificial cloud injection

The initial reduction of the electron density after the injection explosion is shown to be associated with recombination at the adiabatic cooling under the cloud expansion. Primordial thermal ions can disappear in triple collisions almost entirely. Nevertheless, a minor amount of ions is conserved due to the freezing effect. The further rapid increase in the electron concentration may be attributed to the secondary ionization process. It is shown that the cumulative electronic ionization can account for the observed electron density elevation. The modified two-stream instability can provide a longitudinal (anomalous) resistance for the longitudinal electric field required for an avalanche. The electric field and longitudinal currents arise owing to the polarization with ions entrained by the neutral gas across the magnetic field and magnetized electrons moving along the field.     

Mechanism for assembling antenna in space

The development of large and precise space antennas is one of the most important topics in constructing space infrastructures. We evaluated an approach to assembling large and accurate space antennas which uses space robots. The assembly mechanism was launched together with the ETS-VII, the first telerobotic satellite from Japan, and its performance, including fully automatic assembling, was verified. The assembling-type antenna and the results of antenna assembly experiments are discussed     

Radiation biodosimetry: applications for spaceflight.

The multiparametric dosimetry system that we are developing for medical radiological defense applications could be adapted for spaceflight environments. The system complements the internationally accepted personnel dosimeters and cytogenetic analysis of chromosome aberrations, considered the best means of documenting radiation doses for health records. Our system consists of a portable hematology analyzer, molecular biodosimetry using nucleic acid and antigen-based diagnostic equipment, and a dose assessment management software application. A dry-capillary tube reagent-based centrifuge blood cell counter (QBC Autoread Plus, Becton [correction of Beckon] Dickinson Bioscience) measures peripheral blood lymphocytes and monocytes, which could determine radiation dose based on the kinetics of blood cell depletion. Molecular biomarkers for ionizing radiation exposure (gene expression changes, blood proteins) can be measured in real time using such diagnostic detection technologies as miniaturized nucleic acid sequences and antigen-based biosensors, but they require validation of dose-dependent targets and development of optimized protocols and analysis systems. The Biodosimetry Assessment Tool, a software application, calculates radiation dose based on a patient's physical signs and symptoms and blood cell count analysis. It also annotates location of personnel dosimeters, displays a summary of a patient's dosimetric information to healthcare professionals, and archives the data for further use. These radiation assessment diagnostic technologies can have dual-use applications supporting general medical-related care.     

Competition of the natural and manmade biotic cycles in the closed aquatic system.

This study addresses competition between the Paramecium bursaria and zoochlorella-endosymbiosis and the infusoria Paramecium caudatum in a closed aquatic system. The system is a natural model of a simple biotic cycle. P. bursaria consumes glucose and oxygen released by its zoochlorella and releases nitrogenous compounds and carbon dioxide necessary for algal photosynthesis. P. caudatum was fed on bacteria. It was shown that the infusoria P. bursaria united in one cycle with Chlorella had a higher competitive ability than P. caudatum. With any initial percentage of the infusoria in the mixed culture, the end portion of P. bursaria reached 90-99%, which was significantly higher than the end potion of the P. caudatum population. It is assumed that the sustenance expenditures of P. caudatum were greater than those of the endosymbiotic paramecium, i.e. the closing of the components into a biotic cycle leads to a decrease in sustenance expenditures.     

National paper of the Russian Federation

Despite its straightened circumstances and doubts about how much political support it receives, Russia's space programme continues — and continues to plan for new activities and applications. This edited version of the National Paper of the Russian Federation, presented at Unispace III in July 1999, details some of the country's major achievements in space in recent years and sets out the main areas it intends to pursue for the early twentieth-first century. While emphasis is placed on communications, remote sensing, navigation and space science, the commitment to manned flight remains.     

Population dynamics of transgenic microorganisms in the different microecosystem conditions.

The role of key environmental factors in adaptation of spore-forming and non-spore-forming transgenic microorganisms (TM) have been studied in model ecosystems. Model TM Escherichia coli Z905 (bearing plasmid genes of bacterial luminescence Ap (r) Lux+) has been found to have a higher adaptation potential than TM Bacillus subtilis 2335/105 (bearing genes of human alpha 2-interferon Km (r) Inf+), planned for employment as a living vaccine under varying environmental conditions. Effects of abiotic factors on migration of natural and recombinant plasmids between microorganisms under model ecosystem conditions has been estimated. The transgenic microorganisms with low copy number survived better under introduction conditions in the microcosms studied. This trend has been shown to be independent of the microcosm type and its complexity. Grant numbers: 99-04-96017, 25, 00-07-9011.     

Distributed computation for a tree network with communicationdelays

Tree networks of communicating processors are examined with the objective of solving a computational problem in a minimal amount of time. The processors in the networks may be equipped either with or without front-end processors for communicating of loading. The determination of the optimal division of processing load is discussed for the network with and the network without front-end processors. The inclusion of solution time, the time taken for sensors to report the solution back to originator, is discussed