Electric current in flares ribbons: observations and 3D standard model

We present for the first time the evolution of the photospheric electric currents during an eruptive X-class flare, accurately predicted by the standard 3D flare model. We analyze this evolution for the February 15, 2011 flare using HMI/SDO magnetic observations and find that localized currents in \J-shaped ribbons increase to double their pre-flare intensity. Our 3D flare model, developed with the OHM code, suggests that these current ribbons, which develop at the location of EUV brightenings seen with AIA imagery, are driven by the collapse of the flare's coronal current layer. These findings of increased currents restricted in localized ribbons are consistent with the overall free energy decrease during a flare, and the shape of these ribbons also give an indication on how much twisted the erupting flux rope is. Finally, this study further enhances the close correspondence obtained between the theoretical predictions of the standard 3D model and flare observations indicating that the main key physical elements are incorporated in the model.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Arbeidsvoorwaardenvorming in het onderwijs: een vergelijking tussen Nederland en Vlaanderen

Hervorming Sociale Regelgevin

Slipping magnetic reconnection during an X-Class solar flare observed by SDO/AIA

We present SDO/AIA observations of an eruptive X-class flare of July 12, 2012, and compare its evolution with the predictions of a 3D numerical simulation. We focus on the dynamics of flare loops that are seen to undergo slipping reconnection during the flare. In the AIA 131A observations, lower parts of 10 MK flare loops exhibit an apparent motion with velocities of several tens of km/s along the developing flare ribbons. In the early stages of the flare, flare ribbons consist of compact, localized bright transition-region emission from the footpoints of the flare loops. A DEM analysis shows that the flare loops have temperatures up to the formation of Fe XXIV. A series of very long, S-shaped loops erupt, leading to a CME observed by STEREO. The observed dynamics are compared with the evolution of magnetic structures in the "standard solar flare model in 3D". This model matches the observations well, reproducing both the apparently slipping flare loops, S-shaped erupting loops, and the evolution of flare ribbons. All of these processes are explained via 3D reconnection mechanisms resulting from the expansion of a torus-unstable flux rope. The AIA observations and the numerical model are complemented by radio observations showing a noise storm in the metric range. Dm-drifting pulsation structures occurring during the eruption indicate plasmoid ejection and enhancement of reconnection rate. The bursty nature of radio emission shows that the slipping reconnection is still intermittent, although it is observed to persist for more than an hour

The dermal skeleton of the jawless vertebrate Tremataspis mammilata (Osteostraci, stem-Gnathostomata)

Osteostracans are the closest jawless relatives of jawed vertebrates, informing the gradual assembly of the vertebrate mineralised skeleton. Conflicting interpretations of their dermal skeletal histology arise from failure to account for topological variation, obscuring their significance in elucidating vertebrate skeletal evolution. To resolve this, we characterize the cranial and trunk dermal skeleton of a single individual of Tremataspis mammilata (Osteostraci, Thyestiida) at submicron resolution using synchrotron tomography. Our results show that the architecture of the Tremataspis dermal skeleton is, for the most part, conserved over the skeleton and is broadly consistent with previous histological hypotheses based on 2-dimensional thin section study. We resolve debate over the homology of the basal layer, identifying it as osteogenic acellular isopedin rather than odontogenic elasmodine or metaplastic ossification of the stratum compactum of the dermis. We find topological variation between all dermal skeletal elements studied, and particularly between the cranial and postcranial dermal skeleton. This variation can be largely explained by reduction in differentiation due to geometric constraints imposed within smaller skeletal elements, such as scales. Our description of the dermal skeleton of Tremataspis mammilata provides a foundation for interpreting data from cursory topological samples of dermal skeletal diversity obtained in other osteostracans. This reveals general aspects of histological structure that must be primitive for osteostracans and, likely, ancestral jawed vertebrates. Finally, we draw the distinction between hypotheses and descriptions in palaeohistology

Production Locale De Médicaments Issus De La Médecine Et Pharmacopée Traditionnelles : Analyse Des Déterminants De La Survie De L’unité De Production (UPHARMA))

Introduction: L’accès durable à des médicaments de qualité et abordables par la production locale contribue au développement sanitaire et socioéconomique d’un pays. L’unité de production pharmaceutique (UPHRAMA) a été créée pour pallier à ce besoin au Burkina Faso. Cependant, elle rencontre d'énormes difficultés susceptibles d'entrainer sa fermeture. Objectif: L’objectif de cette étude est d’analyser les déterminants de la survie de l’unité de production de médicaments (UPHARMA). Méthodes: La méthodologie utilisée a combiné la recherche bibliographique et l’enquête de terrain qui a consisté en une série d’entretiens. Résultats/Discussion: Les résultats obtenus indiquent que l’unité n'a pas de personnalité juridique lui permettant de jouir d'une autonomie dans la gestion de ses activités. L'encrage institutionnel ne la permet pas de mener ses activités dans une logique d'entreprise commerciale compétitive. Les activités de l’unité se trouvent piégées par la procédure de gestion des actes administratifs et financières de la fonction publique. Au regard de ce constat, elle doit être envisagée comme étant une société à capitaux publics avec une personnalité juridique ayant une autonomie financière et de gestion. Conclusion: Au regard des analyses, il ressort que l’unité est soumise de façon caractéristique aux principes de l’administration publique marqué par la subordination, la dépendance et le contrôle qui reflètent le pouvoir de l'Etat. La création d’un nouveau statut juridique, celui d’entreprise publique autonome avec des modes de gestion et de financements adéquats favorisera la mobilisation de ressources pour booster les activités de recherche-développement de nouveaux phytomédicaments au sein de l’IRSS. Introduction: Sustainable access to quality and affordable medicines through local production contributes to health and socio-economic development of a country. The pharmaceutical production unit (UPHRARMA) was created to address this issue in Burkina Faso. However, it encounters serious difficulties which could lead to its closure. Objective: The objective of this study is to analyze the determinants of the survival of this production unit. Methods: The method combined a bibliographic review and field survey which consisted of a number of interviews. Results/Discussion: The results showed that the unit has no legal form enabling autonomy in management activities. Its institutional anchor does not allow it to perform its activities as a competitive commercial enterprise. The activities of the unit are trapped by the public procedures of administrative and financial management. In that line, the status of the unit should be revised as a public shareholding company with a legal form allowing financial and management autonomy. Conclusion: Regarding the results, U-PHARAMA is subject to the public administration’s principles such as subordination, dependence and control. The new legal status will allow an autonomy of a public company with adequate management and financing mechanisms. This will encourage funds raising in order to mobilize resources for boosting research and development of new phytomedicines within the health sciences research institute

Student perspectives on the relationship between a curve and its tangent in the transition from Euclidean Geometry to Analysis

The tangent line is a central concept in many mathematics and science courses. In this paper we describe a model of students’ thinking – concept images as well as ability in symbolic manipulation – about the tangent line of a curve as it has developed through students’ experiences in Euclidean Geometry and Analysis courses. Data was collected through a questionnaire administered to 196 Year 12 students. Through Latent Class Analysis, the participants were classified in three hierarchical groups representing the transition from a Geometrical Global perspective on the tangent line to an Analytical Local perspective. In the light of this classification, and through qualitative explanations of the students’ responses, we describe students’ thinking about tangents in terms of seven factors. We confirm the model constituted by these seven factors through Confirmatory Factor Analysis

A formal methodology for integral security design and verification of network protocols

We propose a methodology for verifying security properties of network protocols at design level. It can be separated in two main parts: context and requirements analysis and informal verification; and formal representation and procedural verification. It is an iterative process where the early steps are simpler than the last ones. Therefore, the effort required for detecting flaws is proportional to the complexity of the associated attack. Thus, we avoid wasting valuable resources for simple flaws that can be detected early in the verification process. In order to illustrate the advantages provided by our methodology, we also analyze three real protocols

Slipping magnetic reconnection, chromospheric evaporation, implosion, and precursors in the 2014 September 10 X1.6-class solar flare

© 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.. We investigate the occurrence of slipping magnetic reconnection, chromospheric evaporation, and coronal loop dynamics in the 2014 September 10 X-class flare. Slipping reconnection is found to be present throughout the flare from its early phase. Flare loops are seen to slip in opposite directions toward both ends of the ribbons. Velocities of 20-40 km s-1 are found within time windows where the slipping is well resolved. The warm coronal loops exhibit expanding and contracting motions that are interpreted as displacements due to the growing flux rope that subsequently erupts. This flux rope existed and erupted before the onset of apparent coronal implosion. This indicates that the energy release proceeds by slipping reconnection and not via coronal implosion. The slipping reconnection leads to changes in the geometry of the observed structures at the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph slit position, from flare loop top to the footpoints in the ribbons. This results in variations of the observed velocities of chromospheric evaporation in the early flare phase. Finally, it is found that the precursor signatures, including localized EUV brightenings as well as nonthermal X-ray emission, are signatures of the flare itself, progressing from the early phase toward the impulsive phase, with the tether-cutting being provided by the slipping reconnection. The dynamics of both the flare and outlying coronal loops is found to be consistent with the predictions of the standard solar flare model in three dimensions

On the Spatial Coherence of Magnetic Ejecta: Measurements of Coronal Mass Ejections by Multiple Spacecraft Longitudinally Separated by 0.01 AU

Measurements of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) by multiple spacecraft at small radial separations but larger longitudinal separations is one of the ways to learn about the three-dimensional structure of CMEs. Here, we take advantage of the orbit of the Wind spacecraft that ventured to distances of up to 0.012 astronomical units (au) from the Sun-Earth line during the years 2000 to 2002. Combined with measurements from ACE, which is in a tight halo orbit around L1, the multipoint measurements allow us to investigate how the magnetic field inside magnetic ejecta (MEs) changes on scales of 0.005 - 0.012 au. We identify 21 CMEs measured by these two spacecraft for longitudinal separations of 0.007 au or more. We find that the time-shifted correlation between 30-minute averages of the non-radial magnetic field components measured at the two spacecraft is systematically above 0.97 when the separation is 0.008 au or less, but is on average 0.89 for greater separations. Overall, these newly analyzed measurements, combined with 14 additional ones when the spacecraft separation is smaller, point towards a scale length of longitudinal magnetic coherence inside MEs of 0.25 - 0.35 au for the magnitude of the magnetic field but 0.06 - 0.12 au for the magnetic field components. This finding raises questions about the very nature of MEs. It also highlights the need for additional "mesoscale" multi-point measurements of CMEs with longitudinal separations of 0.01 - 0.2 au.Comment: Published in ApJL, 6 page

Representing addition and subtraction : learning the formal conventions

The study was designed to test the effects of a structured intervention in teaching children to represent addition and subtraction. In a post-test only control group design, 90 five-year-olds experienced the intervention entitled Bi-directional Translation whilst 90 control subjects experienced typical teaching. Post-intervention testing showed some significant differences between the two groups both in terms of being able to effect the addition and subtraction operations and in being able to determine which operation was appropriate. The results suggest that, contrary to historical practices, children's exploration of real world situations should precede practice in arithmetical symbol manipulation