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At least 883 records · Page 49

The equatorward extent of auroral activity during 1973-1974

The equatorward boundary of auroral activity during 1973-1974 has been derived from DMSP photographs and their associated auroral analysis records. On a time scale of days, the equatorward position of the northern auroral oval varied in phase with the average level of geomagnetic activity. In general, this variation was associated with the occurrence of solar flares and coronal holes. On a time scale of hours, the equatorward position of the oval correlated with the AE index of substorm activity and with the strength of the southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field.

Sheeley, N. R., Jr.↗

Comparative study between two different active flutter suppression systems

An activated leading-edge (LE)-tailing-edge (TE) control system is applied to a drone aircraft with the objective of enabling the drone to fly subsonically at dynamic pressures which are 44% above the open-loop flutter dynamic pressure. The control synthesis approach is based on the aerodynamic energy concept and it incorporates recent developments in this area. A comparison is made between the performance of the activated LE-TE control system and the performance of a TE control system, analyzed in a previous work. The results obtained indicate that although all the control systems achieve the flutter suppression objectives, the TE control system appears to be somewhat superior to the LE-TE control system, in this specific application. This superiority is manifested through reduced values of control surface activity over a wide range of flight conditions.

Nissim, E.↗

Flutter suppression and gust alleviation using active controls - Review of developments and applications based on the aerodynamic energy concept

The state of the art of the aerodynamic energy concept, involving the use of active controls for flutter suppression, is reviewed. Applications of the concept include the suppression of external-store flutter of three different configurations of the YF-17 flutter model using a single trailing edge control surface activated by a single fixed-gain control law. Consideration is also given to some initial results concerning the flutter suppression of the 1/20 scale low speed wind-tunnel model of the Boeing 2707-300 supersonic transport using an activated trailing edge control surface.

Nissim, E.↗

The relationship between solar activity and coronal hole evolution

The relationship between coronal hole evolution and solar active regions during the Skylab period is examined. A tendency is found for holes to grow or remain stable when the activity nearby, seen as calcium plages and bright regions in X-rays, is predominantly large, long-lived regions. It is also found that there is a significantly higher number of small, short-lived active regions, as indicated by X-ray bright points, in the vicinity of decaying holes than there is near other holes. This is interpreted to mean that holes disappear at least in part because they become filled with many small scale, magnetically closed, X-ray emitting features. This interpretation, together with the observation that the number of X-ray bright points was much larger near solar minimum than it was during the Skylab period, provides a possible explanation for the disappearance of the large, near-equatorial coronal holes at the time of solar minimum.

Nolte, J. T.↗

Hydrogen over helium enhancement in successive solar flare particle events from the same active region

An analysis of all of the identified solar-flare-associated energetic particle events in the 1972-1975 period observed with instruments aboard the IMP 7 and IMP 8 satellites has revealed at least eight occasions when more than one particle-producing flare occurred within the same McMath active plage region during its transit of the visible solar disk. A strong tendency for second flares to produce hydrogen over helium (p/alpha) enhanced energetic particle fluxes when compared with the first flare in the 1.8-10.0 MeV per nucleon range emerged in these multiflare regions. The p/alpha enhancement is apparently transient, and for flares separated by at least about 100 hours the p/alpha ratio tends toward its preflare value. It is suggested that the substrate plasma in an active region may be enriched prior to a flare in elements heavier than hydrogen and the composition may not be significantly altered during subsequent acceleration, escape, and propagation. Thus, the preflare history of the active region must be added to the list of factors influencing observed solar-particle-event composition.

Briggs, P. R.↗

Penrose pair production as a power source of quasars and active galactic nuclei

Penrose pair production in massive canonical Kerr black holes (those with a/M equal to 0.998) is proposed as a way to explain the nature of the vast fluctuating energy production associated with active galactic nuclei and quasars. It is assumed that a Kerr black hole with a mass of the order of 100 million solar masses lies at the center of an active nucleus and that an accretion disk is formed. Penrose pair production in the inner ergosphere of such a massive canonical Kerr black hole is analyzed. The results indicate that: (1) particle pairs are ejected within a 40 deg angle relative to the equator; (2) the particle energy is of the order of 1 GeV per pair; (3) the pressure of the electron-positron relativistic gas is proportional to the electron-positron number density; (4) pair production may occur in bursts; and (5) the overall lifetime of an active nucleus would depend on the time required to exhaust the disk of its matter content. A test of the theory is suggested which involves observation of the 0.5-MeV pair-annihilation gamma rays that would be generated by annihilating particle pairs.

Kafatos, M.↗

Development of a tree classifier for discrimination of surface mine activity from Landsat digital data

In a cooperative project with the Geological Survey of Alabama, the Mississippi State Remote Sensing Applications Program has developed a single purpose, decision-tree classifier using band-ratioing techniques to discriminate various stages of surface mining activity. The tree classifier has four levels and employs only two channels in classification at each level. An accurate computation of the amount of disturbed land resulting from the mining activity can be made as a product of the classification output. The utilization of Landsat data provides a cost-efficient, rapid, and accurate means of monitoring surface mining activities.

Solomon, J. L.↗

On single-degree-of-freedom flutter induced by activated controls

It is shown that activation of the trailing-edge control of an airfoil leads to single-degree-of-freedom type instabilities which span over a very wide region of reduced frequencies k, including high values of k (unlike the nonactivated system). These instabilities are shown to be sensitive to changes in pitching axis location, control deflection phase angle, and values of the reduced frequency. These sensitivities of the single-degree-of-freedom system cause the activated airfoil to be potentially sensitive to changes in flight conditions, and may be the source of the many difficulties encountered in suppressing classical multi-degree-of-freedom flutter by means of active controls. The results presented herein relate to zero Mach number and to a 20% trailing-edge control surface.

Nissim, E.↗

Activity of cholinesterases of blood and heart in rats of different sex and age during muscular loads and hypokinesia

The activity of acetylcholinesterase (Ache) and butyrilcholinesterase (Bche) in the blood and the heart of 3 and 13 month old control male rats is considerably lower than in female rats. In 25 month old rats, no sex differences in the Ache and Bche were revealed in the heart. In 3 and 13 month old male and female rats, under conditions of muscular exercises, the Ache and Bche activity is lower, and in hypokinetic male rats -- higher than that in respective control animals. In all the rats, irrespective of sex, age, and motor conditions, Ache and Bche activity tended to decrease from the sinoatrial node to the heart apex.

Rozanova, V. D.↗

Short-term solar activity forecasting

A method of forecasting the level of activity of every active region on the surface of the Sun within one to three days is proposed in order to estimate the possibility of the occurrence of ionospheric disturbances and proton events. The forecasting method is a probability process based on statistics. In many of the cases, the accuracy in predicting the short term solar activity was in the range of 70%, although there were many false alarms.

Xie-Zhen, C.↗

Forecasts of geomagnetic activity by Ottawa Magnetic Observatory: Their reliabilty and application

A 27 day forecast of geomagnetic activity based on the forecasts from two locations is presented. To evaluate the reliability of the forecasts, the predicted activity was compared with the actual geomagnetic activity at five geomagnetic observatories located in different magnetic zones: Ottawa (57.0N, 351.5E); Meanook (61.8N, 301.0E); Fort Churchill (68.8N, 322.5E); Cambridge Bay (76.7N, 294.0E); and Resolute Bay (83.1N, 287.7E). Results indicate that the percentage of correct predictions varies with the geomagnetic latitude of the observatory used for comparison. The percentage is on the average highest for lower latitude stations and lowest for the northern stations. The number of incorrect predictions ranges from 4.7% for Ottawa to 8.4% for Churchill.

Hruska, J.↗

Effect of restricted motion in high temperature on enzymatic activity of the pancreas

Effects of 30 day hypodynamia coupled with high temperature (35-36 C) on enzymatic activity of the pancreas of male adult rats were studied. The test animals were divided into four groups. Group one served as controls (freedom of movement and a temperature of 25-26 C, considered optimal). The remaining animals were divided into three additional groups: Group two freedom of movement but high temperature (35-36 C); group three hypodynamia but an optimal temperature; group four hypodynamia and 35-36 C. Considerable change in the enzymatic activity in the pancreas of the four groups is observed in three experimental groups (two, three, and four) as compared to the control (group one). The results indicate that adaption of the organism to the thermal factor and restricted movement is accompanied by a change in the enzymatic spectrum of the pancreas. With the combined effect of these two stresses under conditions of the adaption of the organism especially sharp shifts occur in the enzymatic activity.

Abdusattarov, A.↗

Active damping of modal vibrations by force apportioning

Force apportioning, a method of active structural damping based on that used in modal vibration testing of isolating modes by multiple shaker excitation, was analyzed and numerically simulated. A distribution of as few forces as possible on the structure is chosen so as to maximally affect selected vibration modes while minimally exciting all other modes. The accuracy of numerical simulations of active damping, active damping of higher-frequency modes, and studies of imperfection sensitivity are discussed. The computer programs developed are described and possible refinements of the research are examined.

Hallauer, W. L., Jr.↗

Active heat exchange system development for latent heat thermal energy storage

Five tasks to select, design, fabricate, test and evaluate candidate active heat exchanger modules for future applications to solar and conventional utility power plants were discussed. Alternative mechanizations of active heat exchange concepts were analyzed for use with heat of fusion phase change materials (PCMs) in the temperature range of 250 to 350 C. Twenty-six heat exchange concepts were reviewed, and eight were selected for detailed assessment. Two candidates were selected for small-scale experimentation: a coated tube and shell heat exchanger and a direct contact reflux boiler. A dilute eutectic mixture of sodium nitrate and sodium hydroxide was selected as the PCM from over 50 candidate inorganic salt mixtures. Based on a salt screening process, eight major component salts were selected initially for further evaluation. The most attractive major components in the temperature range of 250 to 350 C appeared to be NaNO3, NaNO2, and NaOH. Sketches of the two active heat exchange concepts selected for test are given.

Lefrois, R. T.↗

Effects of hirudin-induced activation of nonenzymatic fibrinolysis during immobilization stress

The specific inhibitor of thrombin, hirudin, was used for studying the mechanism of the activating effect of ACTH and adrenalin on nonenzymatic fibrinolytic activity (NEFA), the latter characterizing the function of the anticoagulation system (ACS). Simultaneous administration of ACTH and hirudin to animals subjected to immobilization stress did not reduce the effect of ACTH on NEFA, while simultaneous administration of adrenalin and hirudin revealed a diminished effect of the former. This suggests different mechanisms of ACTH and adrenalin effects upon NEFA: the stimulating effect of norepinephrine is realized through throminogenesis followed by activation of the ACS function and by increased NEFA and therefore inhibitable by hirudin which forms an inactive complex with thrombin. In fact the stimulating effect of ACTH upon NEFA is brought about specifically by another route than thrombinogenesis and thus occurs in the presence of hirudin. Hirudin itself has no effect upon NEFA.

Shapiro, F. B.↗

Solar-terrestrial predictions proceedings. Volume 4: Prediction of terrestrial effects of solar activity

Papers about prediction of ionospheric and radio propagation conditions based primarily on empirical or statistical relations is discussed. Predictions of sporadic E, spread F, and scintillations generally involve statistical or empirical predictions. The correlation between solar-activity and terrestrial seismic activity and the possible relation between solar activity and biological effects is discussed.

Donnelly, R. E.↗

Chromospheres of the active dwarf binaries EQ Pegasi and Xi Bootis

Ultraviolet spectroscopic measurements of the M dwarf binary EQ Peg and the G8 V star Xi Boo A have been made with the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite. High-temperature emission lines (N V, C IV, Si IV) are present with similar strengths in both stars. The surface fluxes of chromospheric and transition-region lines are enhanced relative to those of normal main-sequence stars and are comparable to those observed in solar active regions. If inhomogeneities are present, the surface fluxes may be markedly higher than the derived values. It is likely that the emission observed from EQ Peg was not the result of major flare activity; however, the quiescent radiative losses observed in the ultraviolet are comparable to the time-averaged optical flare losses. The similarity of the line emissions of active dwarfs of diverse spectral types suggests that the character of the transition region is independent of the stellar effective temperature.

Hartmann, L.↗

HEAO 1 observations of active coronae in main-sequence and subgiant stars

The HEAO 1 data has been searched for evidence of X-ray emission from 105 bright late-type stars of luminosity classes IV and V, selected on the basis of indirect optical evidence of the presence of a hot corona. Six of the target stars were detected at the 3-standard deviation level and 15 were coincident with 2-standard deviation X-ray sources. On a statistical basis no more than 5 of these 21 sources are spurious, and the probability that the identification with the class of active chromosphere stars is spurious is less than 0.00001. The sources lie near a line of X-ray/bolometric luminosity ratio = 0.0001, similar to a solar plage, and it is concluded that the most active coronae of late-type stars which are not members of close binary systems are being observed. The RS CVn systems discovered to date seem to form a distinct class of coronal X-ray sources, but the lowest X-ray luminosity members of the group, of which Capella may be the prototype, appear to overlap the domain of these single stars with active coronae. The data do not fit the coronal model of Gorenstein and Tucker (1976), but they are consistent with the coronal loop model of Rosner et al. (1978) as extended by Walter et al. (1980).

Walter, F. M.↗