[en] Using years of high resolution solar footage obtained at Big Bear Solar Observatory, flare associated filament eruptions were studied. In addition to the classical type eruption consisting of expansion and breakup, evidence was found of another type where a layer is shed from the filament and erupts while the inversion line filament below (or, what is left of it) remains in place. Both types of eruptions are presented. It is hoped that the new evidence will shed new light on the understanding of the role of filaments in flares

[en] The data from OGO-5 and OSO-7 x-ray experiments have been analyzed to study six chromospheric flares with filament disruption associated with slow thermal x-ray bursts. Filament activation accompanied by a slight x-ray enhancement precedes the first evidence of H alpha flare by a few minutes. Rapid increase of the soft x-ray flux is accompanied by a sudden brightening of the filament when viewed on-band H alpha. Thereafter the bright chromospheric strands reach their maximum brightness with maximum x-ray flux. Any plateau or slow decay phase in the x-ray flux is accompanied by a quieting in filament activity and even by filament re-appearance. The height of the disrupted prominence is proportional to the soft x-ray flux for the August 3, 1970 limb occulted event. (auth)

[en] The optical and morphological properties of impulsive flares are examined, showing that all impulsive flares occur close to sunspots and on magnetic inversion lines with steep gradients. Impulsive flares are defined and flare brightness variations and the magnetic structure of flares are discussed. The basic characteristics of impulsive flares are described and the evolution of a typical impulsive flare is outlined. 17 refs

[en] After the radioactive contaminated buildings incident occurred in Taiwan in 1993, the competent authority for radiation protection the Atomic Energy Council (AEC) started to review the structured problem of radiation protection regulatory system. Through several years' investigation and study, the AEC has improved two important tools in radiation protection regulatory system, i.e., control regulations and actual practice, and made them more rigorous and efficient. This paper will make a brief introduction of the efforts that Taiwan has made in this respect. Taiwan's radiation protection control was based on the Atomic Energy Law promulgated in 1968, but the control idea and authorization scope were not sufficient to appropriately respond to the highly developed economy and democracy in Taiwan. After several years' legislative process, the Ionizing Radiation Protection Law (IRP Law) was promulgated and entered into force on February 1, 2003. This IRP Law specifically emphasizes categorized risk management of radiation sources, establishment of personnel licenses and training system, enhancement of public safety control, and implementation of quality assurance program for medical exposure. The Legislative Yuan (Congress) fully authorized the competent authority to establish various technological control regulations according to control necessity without prior review by the Legislative Yuan in advance. As to the penalties of the violations of the IRP Law, the AEC adopts high-rated administrative fines and applies the Criminal Law to those who seriously contaminate the environment. In actual practice, the AEC has constructed a Radiation Protection Control Information System compatible with the IRP Law that fully combines the functions of computers and Internet. The information of facility operators who own radiation sources, radiation protection specialists, and operating personnel are entered into this system, starting from the submission of application of the radiation sources until the discard of the radiation sources such that the competent authority can efficiently control. In order to control the moving status of high-activity sources, the AEC requires the owners of high-activity sources shall report the conditions of variation to the competent authority through Internet every month. According to the IRP Law the records of penalties shall also enter this system for statistical analysis so as to be used for regulatory reference. (Author)

[en] Hα flare patches usually do not occur in sunspot umbrae. Presented here are cases of a type of umbral flare in which the flare patch originated in, and was confined to, the p spot umbra. All are Hα subflares. Two of the four flares were accompanied by type III radio bursts. The simplicity and similarity of the magnetic fields of these regions were striking. (Auth.)

[en] We present Hα, 10.6 GHz microwave, and greater than 100 keV X-ray observations of a single impulsive spike flare that occurred on 1980 May 28, 1947 UT. The isolated high flux spike provides an excellent opportunity to infer the time behavior of the electron acceleration that is assumed to yield the microwave and hard X-ray flux profiles. We find that, although the time profile consists of a simple, single peak, the spike is actually due to two acceleration episodes in separate sources. We point out that in general the shape of a flux profile relative to the original acceleration profikle is critically dependent on the rate of decay, and that for decay times long relative to the characteristic acceleration time the flux peak is delayed relative to the peak of the acceleration profile. We suggest that this is a natural explanation for the often observed delay of microwave peaks relative to the corresponding hard X-ray peaks, since the microwave profiles generally have longer decay time than the X-ray profiles

No abstract available

[en] The rotation rate of short-lived solar filaments is measured as a function of their latitude. The resulting rotation curve appears to be somewhat flatter than the corresponding curve for long-lived filaments. (Auth.)

[en] Rotation rate of 19 high latitude (28-44⁰)short-lived sunspots collected in 1978-1979 are compared with Newton and Nunn's (1951) recurrent spots rate. To reduce the effect of proper motion in spots of new regions, our measurements start only when the spots have matured or very nearly so. Compared with the expression ω = 14.38-2.96 sin² PHI derived form 1934-44 data by Newton and Nunn, our results show a slightly lower differential rotation in the 28-40⁰ zone. They are in better agreement with the Greenwich average results of the five solar cycles beginning 1878: ω = 14.37-2.60 sin² PHI. (orig.)

[en] A Technical Information Report, TIR 17, entitled, 'Radiation Sterilization Material Qualification', has been published by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) to provide guidance in order to increase the quality and reduce the cost and amount of time required for performing medical device material qualifications. It contains four sections that cover the fundamentals of material selection, processing, testing and accelerated aging programs. The last of these sections, entitled 'Accelerating Aging Programs', provides step-by-step guidance for simple, empirical accelerated programs of use to the medical device industry. The methods are based on van't Hoff's observation that the rate of chemical reactions increases by a factor of two for every 10 deg. C increase in temperature, the Q₁₀=2 rule. With critical patient safety concerns in the medical device industry, it is appropriate for both device manufacturers and regulators to ask if simple, empirical methods such as those outlined in TIR 17 are reasonable and responsible. One reason for confidence in the methods is their success when used in aging environments that are much more severe than those commonly used in the medical device industry. Another reason for confidence in the methods is found from the observation that the working equations of the method can be derived from theory. This paper provides an overview of the thermal accelerated aging theory that forms the basis for the working equations of the accelerated aging programs of TIR 17. Assumptions used are examined and found reasonable; the theoretical foundation is established. While this foundation provides added confidence for the application of the methods of TIR 17 to the medical device industry, it is emphasized that application of the methods within appropriate boundaries is critical. Theoretical boundaries are explained and demonstrated by means of Arrhenius plots, and practical boundaries discussed. (author)