Association of mid-infrared solar plages with Calcium K line emissions and magnetic structures

Solar mid-IR observations in the 8-15 micrometer band continuum with moderate angular resolution (18 arcseconds) reveal the presence of bright structures surrounding sunspots. These plage-like features present good association with calcium CaII K1v plages and active region magnetograms. We describe a new optical setup with reflecting mirrors to produce solar images on the focal plane array of uncooled bolometers of a commercial camera preceded by germanium optics. First observations of a sunspot on September 11, 2006 show a mid-IR continuum plage exhibiting spatial distribution closely associated with CaII K1v line plage and magnetogram structures. The mid-IR continuum bright plage is about 140 K hotter than the neighboring photospheric regions, consistent with hot plasma confined by the magnetic spatial structures in and above the active regionComment: 5 pages, 4 figures. Accepted by PAS

Fast Mid-IR Flashes Detected During Small Solar X-Ray Bursts

Solar observations in the mid-infrared 8-14 \mu\m band continuum were carried out with cadence of 5 frames per second, in December 2007. Rapid small heated sources, with typical duration of the order of seconds, were found on the bright plage-like areas around sunspots, in association with relatively weak GOES soft X-ray bursts. This work presents the analysis of fast mid-infrared flashes detected during a GOES B2.0-class event on 10 December 2007, beginning at about 10:40 UT. Rapid brightness temperature enhancements of 0.5 to 2.0 K were detected at the Earth by a microbolometer array, using a telescope with 10.5 cm diameter aperture producing a diffraction limited field-of-view of 25 arcsec. Minimum detectable temperature change was of 0.1 K. The corresponding fluxes are 30-130 solar flux units. At the solar surface the estimated rapid brightenings were of 50-150 KComment: 12 pages including 6 figures. Accepted by Solar Physics, April 201

Comparison of 30 THz impulsive burst time development to microwaves, H-alpha, EUV, and GOES soft X-rays

The recent discovery of impulsive solar burst emission in the 30 THz band is raising new interpretation challenges. One event associated with a GOES M2 class flare has been observed simultaneously in microwaves, H-alpha, EUV, and soft X-ray bands. Although these new observations confirm some features found in the two prior known events, they exhibit time profile structure discrepancies between 30 THz, microwaves, and hard X-rays (as inferred from the Neupert effect). These results suggest a more complex relationship between 30 THz emission and radiation produced at other wavelength ranges. The multiple frequency emissions in the impulsive phase are likely to be produced at a common flaring site lower in the chromosphere. The 30 THz burst emission may be either part of a nonthermal radiation mechanism or due to the rapid thermal response to a beam of high-energy particles bombarding the dense solar atmosphere.Comment: accepted to Astronomy and Astrophysic

A bright impulsive solar burst detected at 30 THz

Ground- and space-based observations of solar flares from radio wavelengths to gamma-rays have produced considerable insights but raised several unsolved controversies. The last unexplored wavelength frontier for solar flares is in the range of submillimeter and infrared wavelengths. Here we report the detection of an intense impulsive burst at 30 THz using a new imaging system. The 30 THz emission exhibited remarkable time coincidence with peaks observed at microwave, mm/submm, visible, EUV and hard X-ray wavelengths. The emission location coincides with a very weak white-light feature, and is consistent with heating below the temperature minimum in the atmosphere. However, there are problems in attributing the heating to accelerated electrons. The peak 30 THz flux is several times larger than the usual microwave peak near 9 GHz, attributed to non-thermal electrons in the corona. The 30 THz emission could be consistent with an optically thick spectrum increasing from low to high frequencies. It might be part of the same spectral component found at sub-THz frequencies whose nature remains mysterious. Further observations at these wavelengths will provide a new window for flare studies.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, accepted by Astrophysical Journal, March 23, 201

Macroscopic limit of a solvable dynamical model

The interaction between an ultrarelativistic particle and a linear array made up of $N$ two-level systems (^^ ^^ AgBr" molecules) is studied by making use of a modified version of the Coleman-Hepp Hamiltonian. Energy-exchange processes between the particle and the molecules are properly taken into account, and the evolution of the total system is calculated exactly both when the array is initially in the ground state and in a thermal state. In the macroscopic limit ($N \rightarrow \infty$), the system remains solvable and leads to interesting connections with the Jaynes-Cummings model, that describes the interaction of a particle with a maser. The visibility of the interference pattern produced by the two branch waves of the particle is computed, and the conditions under which the spin array in the $N \rightarrow \infty$ limit behaves as a ^^ ^^ detector" are investigated. The behavior of the visibility yields good insights into the issue of quantum measurements: It is found that, in the thermodynamical limit, a superselection-rule space appears in the description of the (macroscopic) apparatus. In general, an initial thermal state of the ^^ ^^ detector" provokes a more substantial loss of quantum coherence than an initial ground state. It is argued that a system decoheres more as the temperature of the detector increases. The problem of ^^ ^^ imperfect measurements" is also shortly discussed.Comment: 30 pages, report BA-TH/93-13

Exponential behavior of a quantum system in a macroscopic medium

An exponential behavior at all times is derived for a solvable dynamical model in the weak-coupling, macroscopic limit. Some implications for the quantum measurement problem are discussed, in particular in connection with dissipation.Comment: 8 pages, report BA-TH/94-17

Bright 30 THz Impulsive Solar Bursts

Impulsive 30 THz continuum bursts have been recently observed in solar flares, utilizing small telescopes with a unique and relatively simple optical setup concept. The most intense burst was observed together with a GOES X2 class event on October 27, 2014, also detected at two sub-THz frequencies, RHESSI X-rays and SDO/HMI and EUV. It exhibits strikingly good correlation in time and in space with white light flare emission. It is likely that this association may prove to be very common. All three 30 THz events recently observed exhibited intense fluxes in the range of 104 solar flux units, considerably larger than those measured for the same events at microwave and sub-mm wavelengths. The 30 THz burst emission might be part of the same spectral burst component found at sub-THz frequencies. The 30 THz solar bursts open a promising new window for the study of flares at their originComment: 11 pages, 4 Figures J. Geophys. Res - Space Physics, accepted, May 21, 201

Developing competency profiles of IT specialists based on semantic analysis of vacancies

The article focuses on applying Big Data processing methods and tools for creating specialists' competency profiles. It covers the approach developed to formulate the key competencies required for the IT vacancies. The first stage of the research includes carrying out a semantic analysis of the IT vacancies database. The second stage includes clustering of the results of semantic analysis and using them for building the map of the competencies of IT specialists. The modularity score reveals a significant isolation of the specialties in this area. The performed approach can be implemented in designing the professional standards and competency based education programs. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Students’ Subjectness, Self-Efficacy and Psychological Well-Being: Comparative Research of Russian and Kazakhstan Students

The relevance of the study is due to the need to resolve the contradictions between the requirements of higher education for the personality of a young person and his real capabilities, manifested in the ability or inability to be the subject of his activity and his development. The need to resolve this contradiction has determined the purpose of this study – to identify the level of expression and structure of the subjective properties of students’ personality, their relationship with self-efficacy and psychological well-being. The work used a set of theoretical and empirical research methods, in particular, questionnaires to identify the level of an individual subjectivity development (M.A. Shchukina), general and social self-efficacy (M. Sherer and J. Maddux, adaptation by A.V. Boyarintseva), psychological well-being (K. Riff, adaptation by T.D. Shevelenkova and P.P. Fesenko). Mathematical processing was carried out using the criterion ϕ* – Fisher’s angular transformation, as well as methods of correlation analysis using the linear Pearson correlation coefficient. The subjects were students of a number of universities of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan. A total of 277 students majoring pedagogy and psychology took part in the study, among them 266 (96%) women, 11 (4%) men, average age 19.5 years (SD=1.5). As a result, no fundamental differences were revealed in the structure and manifestations of subjectivity depending on the place of residence, national and cultural traditions, which indicates the existence of some general patterns in the formation of the subjectivity of a future teacher or psychologist. A high level of subjectivity was identified in 57.04% respondents, medium – in 38.98%, low – in 3.98%. It has been established that the level of subjectivity positively correlates with self-efficacy in objective activity, with social self-efficacy and with the psychological well-being of an individual. It was revealed that students with low subjectivity can also have a high level of psychological well-being, while performing a compensatory function. The results obtained can be used in the course of student training, as well as in the work of curators of student groups and in the activities of the psychological service of universities

Каталитическая активность порошковых сплавов никель–медь в процессах электрохимического выделения водорода в растворе щелочи и щелочном растворе этанола

Ni93Cu and Ni82Cu (at%) alloys were synthesized by the method of combined chemical reduction of Ni(II) and Cu(II) with hydrazine hydrate. These alloys consist of crystalline phases of nickel, solid solution of copper in nickel. Determination by the “capacitive method” of the electrochemically active surface area of working graphite electrodes with “catalytic inks” containing Ni93Cu and Ni82Cu powders showed that it is 4 and 20 % larger than for nickel powder, respectively. It was found that powder alloys Ni93Cu and Ni82Cu are applicable as catalysts for the electrochemical process of hydrogen evolution in alkaline solutions and alkaline ethanol solution. It was determined that the catalytic activity of Ni82Cu powder alloy in the process of hydrogen evolution in the alkaline ethanol solution is higher than for nickel and Ni93Cu powders. The catalytic ability of the Ni82Cu powder alloy during cycling for 25 cycles practically does not change, in contrast to Ni and Ni93Cu.  Методом совместного химического восстановления Ni(II) и Cu(II) гидратом гидразина синтезированы сплавы Ni93Cu и Ni82Cu (ат.%), состоящие из кристаллических фаз никеля, твердого раствора меди в никеле. Определение емкостным методом электрохимически активной площади поверхности рабочих графитовых электродов с «каталитическими чернилами», содержащими порошки Ni93Cu и Ni82Cu, показало, что она на 4 и 20 % больше, чем для порошка никеля. Установлено, что порошковые сплавы Ni93Cu и Ni82Cu применимы в качестве катализаторов электрохимического процесса выделения водорода в растворах щелочей и щелочном растворе этанола. Определено, что каталитическая активность порошкового сплава Ni82Cu в процессе выделения водорода в щелочном растворе этанола выше, чем для порошков никеля и Ni93Cu. Каталитическая способность порошкового сплава Ni82Cu при циклировании в течение 25 циклов практически не меняется в отличие от Ni и Ni93Cu.