TEC enhancement due to energetic electrons above Taiwan and the West Pacific

The energetic electrons of the inner radiation belt during a geomagnetic disturbance can penetrate in the forbidden range of drift shells located at the heights of the topside equatorial ionosphere (<1000 km). A good correlation was previously revealed between positive ionospheric storms and intense fluxes of quasi-trapped 30-keV electrons at ~900 km height in the forbidden zone. In the present work, we use statistics to validate an assumption that the intense electron fluxes in the topside equatorial ionosphere can be an important source of the ionization in the low-latitude ionosphere. The data on the energetic electrons were obtained from polar orbiting satellites over the periods of the 62 strong geomagnetic storms from 1999 to 2006. Ionospheric response to the selected storms was determined using global ionospheric maps of vertical total electron content (VTEC). A case-event study of a major storm on 9 November 2004 provided experimental evidence in support to the substantial ionization effect of energetic electrons during positive ionospheric storms at the low latitudes. Statistical analysis of nine magnetic storms indicated that the VTEC increases coincided with and coexisted with intense 30-keV electron fluxes irrespective of local time and phase of geomagnetic storm. We concluded that extremely intense fluxes of the 30-keV electrons in the topside low-latitude ionosphere can contribute ~ 10 - 30 TECU to the localized positive ionospheric storms.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures, 1 table accepted for publication in Terrestrial, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (TAO), Dec. 2012 A special issue on "Connection of solar and heliospheric activities with near-Earth space weather: Sun-Earth connection

Muon groups and primary composition at 10 to the 13th power to 10 to the 15th power eV

The data on muon groups observed at Baksan underground scintillation telescope is analyzed. In this analysis we compare the experimental data with calulations, based on a superposition model in order to obtain the effective atomic number of primary cosmic rays in the energy range 10 to the 13th power to 10 to the 15th power eV

International educational migration as a “soft power resource” in the globalization era

The international educational migration as a resource of «soft power» of the state has been analyzed in the article. Based on comprehensive analysis of the existing definitions of educational migration the author’s interpretation of this concept have been proposed. Based on the data of UNESCO, the Institute of international education of the United States, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation the statistics of international educational migration has been presented and analyzed. The main emphasis has been made on such categories of international educational migrants as students (bachelors, masters), postgraduate students. The reasons for the popularity of foreign students in countries such as Canada and the United States have been described. Based on the study two groups of factors have been highlighted: external and internal (motivational) factors, influencing decision-making in choosing the country of study.Based on the data of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, the advantages of education in Russia have been analyzed. The issue of adaptation of foreign students in Russian universities has been considered: first-year curatorial programs, the Institute of student fellowships. It has been concluded hat Russian universities have a wealth of experience in teaching and adaptation of foreign students.The concepts and projects to attract foreign students to the Russian Federation also have been described in detail. Special attention to two projects “5–100” and “Export of Russian education” has been paid. The Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States Affairs, Compatriots Living Abroad, and International Humanitarian Cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo) as one of the main institutions in the export of Russian education has been designated. The measures to attract foreign students to Russian universities have been proposed