Instrument and data analysis challenges for imaging spectropolarimetry

The next generation of solar telescopes will enable us to resolve the fundamental scales of the solar atmosphere, i.e., the pressure scale height and the photon mean free path. High-resolution observations of small-scale structures with sizes down to 50 km require complex post-focus instruments, which employ adaptive optics (AO) and benefit from advanced image restoration techniques. The GREGOR Fabry-Perot Interferometer (GFPI) will serve as an example of such an instrument to illustrate the challenges that are to be expected in instrumentation and data analysis with the next generation of solar telescopes.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, accepted for publication in Astronomische Nachrichten/AN, special issue of the 1st EAST-ATST Workshop: "Science with large solar telescopes" in Freiburg, Germany, October 14-16, 200

Uncovering Local Impacts – The Influence of Transnational Municipal Climate Networks on Urban Climate Governance

In recent years, many cities have joined transnational municipal climate networks (TMCNs), which were set up in response to climate change. Despite the fact that some of these TMCNs have been active for more than two decades, there has been no systematic investigation of the networks’ impact on local climate governance. In this article we attempt to answer if and how local climate governance has been influenced by municipalities’ memberships in TMCNs. Our assessment is based on an online survey conducted with staff from all German cities above 50,000 inhabitants with membership in TMCNs, fieldwork and interviews in seven German cities. Network membership mainly influences local climate governance through the following processes: (1) Enabling internal mobilisation (2) Formulating emission reduction goals (3) Creating political-administrative lock-in (4) Enabling direct exchange and (5) Offering project support. Our data suggests that the main influences of TMCN membership unfold in internal political processes in the member cities. External interactions, such as between cities or between network staff and cities is comparably less important. We also found that many of these benefits can be associated with laggards rather than pioneering cities. We conclude that TMCNs have considerable influence on local climate governance in Germany

Diffeomorphic Metric Mapping and Probabilistic Atlas Generation of Hybrid Diffusion Imaging based on BFOR Signal Basis

We propose a large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping algorithm to align multiple b-value diffusion weighted imaging (mDWI) data, specifically acquired via hybrid diffusion imaging (HYDI), denoted as LDDMM-HYDI. We then propose a Bayesian model for estimating the white matter atlas from HYDIs. We adopt the work given in Hosseinbor et al. (2012) and represent the q-space diffusion signal with the Bessel Fourier orientation reconstruction (BFOR) signal basis. The BFOR framework provides the representation of mDWI in the q-space and thus reduces memory requirement. In addition, since the BFOR signal basis is orthonormal, the L2 norm that quantifies the differences in the q-space signals of any two mDWI datasets can be easily computed as the sum of the squared differences in the BFOR expansion coefficients. In this work, we show that the reorientation of the $q$-space signal due to spatial transformation can be easily defined on the BFOR signal basis. We incorporate the BFOR signal basis into the LDDMM framework and derive the gradient descent algorithm for LDDMM-HYDI with explicit orientation optimization. Additionally, we extend the previous Bayesian atlas estimation framework for scalar-valued images to HYDIs and derive the expectation-maximization algorithm for solving the HYDI atlas estimation problem. Using real HYDI datasets, we show the Bayesian model generates the white matter atlas with anatomical details. Moreover, we show that it is important to consider the variation of mDWI reorientation due to a small change in diffeomorphic transformation in the LDDMM-HYDI optimization and to incorporate the full information of HYDI for aligning mDWI

Evaluation of Returns and Risks in the Forms of Garlic Market: Seed Versus in Natura

The garlic plant hortense Liliaceae, very used as spice, giving flavor to food and can be used in medicinal treatment. Its cultivation is an annual crop with all its processes since the preparation of the earth to their harvest. The context of this work was to evaluate their production, their use, their risks and seed and its consumption in natura. Their samplings were selected in Três Barras Town, Santa Catarina in 2014 harvest period. Among the seed (bulb) and in natura even with the risk of losses with fungal or bacterial their culture is considered a good harvest, because the climate is very favorable to its cultivation, detailing its costs of production and the difference between the crop seed and in natura. This study has used the Multi-index methodology to the analyzes and calculations for the comprehensive, such as: analysis of the 8.25% ROIA for garlic in natura and 7.44% in garlic seed on the initial investment. The cash flow based on monthly statements, involving expenditure on machinery, preparation of the land, among others. An initial investment of R$39.756,64 for both harvests. Getting a VPL R$63.188,55 for garlic in natura and R$54.303,99 for garlic seed, its IBC considering the values of 2.59% for garlic in natura and 2.37 for garlic seed. The information about TMA/TRI were well satisfactory for the return of the harvest, as all cultures have risks, this harvest is approximately 50% for both types being in the seed and in natura. The data was passed by the Crystal Ball for attesting and validation of calculations where is approved investment in agribusiness

Qualified Immunity: Protecting All but the Plainly Incompetent (and Maybe Some of Them, Too)

Public officials can be more certain than ever before that qualified immunity will shield them from suits for money damages even if their actions violate the constitutional rights of another. In the October 2011 Term the Supreme Court granted qualified immunity to government officials in four significant cases and denied it to none. Troublesome aspects of the Supreme Court’s current approach include (1) the failure to clarify important Constitutional questions; and (2) the blurring of the distinction between absolute and qualified immunity for all practical purposes by assuring state officials that they can be certain of the shield from liability. The article does not contend that any specific state officials are plainly incompetent, but the concern is that all governmental actors will be protected -- even in extreme cases -- so long as their behavior is “not entirely unreasonable”. For those who are concerned about the protection of individual rights, these times are tough. The direction that the Court is now taking is clear, and it favors those who do the work of the government, not the average citizen

Qualified Immunity: Protecting All but the Plainly Incompetent (and Maybe Some of Them, Too), 45 J. Marshall L. Rev. 1023 (2012)

Public officials can be more certain than ever before that qualified immunity will shield them from suits for money damages even if their actions violate the constitutional rights of another. In the October 2011 Term the Supreme Court granted qualified immunity to government officials in four significant cases and denied it to none. Troublesome aspects of the Supreme Court’s current approach include (1) the failure to clarify important Constitutional questions; and (2) the blurring of the distinction between absolute and qualified immunity for all practical purposes by assuring state officials that they can be certain of the shield from liability. The article does not contend that any specific state officials are plainly incompetent, but the concern is that all governmental actors will be protected -- even in extreme cases -- so long as their behavior is “not entirely unreasonable”. For those who are concerned about the protection of individual rights, these times are tough. The direction that the Court is now taking is clear, and it favors those who do the work of the government, not the average citizen

From the League of Nations to Pearl Harbor: Measuring Isolationism in the Interwar Period 1918-1939

The complicated and contradictory task of balancing the isolationist foreign policy backed by public-opinion and political pressures, while remaining influential and involvement in international affairs, is best exemplified in the early years of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency. In his first few months in office, Roosevelt positioned himself as an internationalist and moved to expand American influence overseas. In 1933, Roosevelt recognized the Soviet Union and pushed for arms embargos on aggressor nations. In 1934, Roosevelt passed the Reciprocal Trade Agreements Act to boost international trade. In 1935, Roosevelt pushed for the US to join the World Court to extend American reach in foreign diplomacy. In August of the same year, Roosevelt approved the first of the Neutrality Acts. His statement on neutrality read: “I have given my approval to S. J. Resolution 173—the neutrality legislation which passed the Congress last week. I have approved this Joint Resolution because it was intended as an expression of the fixed desire of the Government and the people of the United States to avoid any action which might involve us in war.” It is this desire of the American public and its politicians for non-intervention, non-involvement, and isolation that led Roosevelt to reluctantly to push neutrality legislation and suppress his internationalist urges. The interwar period was marked by the tug-of-war between internationalist and isolationist policymakers. This struggle limited American participation in foreign affairs in between the wars, and ultimately led to American foreign policy of the period commonly being misidentified as isolationist

Gender Dysphoria in the Jailhouse: A Constitutional Right to Hormone Therapy?

United States Army Private Bradley Manning made headlines in the fall of 2013 when he was convicted of espionage, fraud, and theft for divulging classified military and diplomatic information to WikiLeaks. After the twenty-five year old was sentenced to thirty-five years in military prison, he made instantly made headlines again by announcing that he wanted to live as a woman in prison. Divulging that he has Gender Identity Disorder, Manning said that he had suffered for years in the wrong body and that he would henceforth be recognized as a female, Chelsea Manning. The Army, however, has stated that it does not provide gender reassignment surgery or hormone therapy. The Army further responded that Manning would be incarcerated with males, would dress the same as all the male inmates, and would be called Bradley, not Chelsea. Manning’s attorney announced at the time that he might file suit to obtain hormone therapy treatment for his client. Manning has also petitioned President Obama for a pardon. This Article explores whether incarcerated inmates with Gender Dysphoria, such as Manning, have a constitutional right to receive medical treatment to effectuate gender transfer, and if so, whether they are likely to succeed in suing to obtain treatment if it is not provided by prison officials

Association of Amyloid Pathology With Myelin Alteration in Preclinical Alzheimer Disease

IMPORTANCE: The accumulation of aggregated β-amyloid and tau proteins into plaques and tangles is a central feature of Alzheimer disease (AD). While plaque and tangle accumulation likely contributes to neuron and synapse loss, disease-related changes to oligodendrocytes and myelin are also suspected of playing a role in development of AD dementia. Still, to our knowledge, little is known about AD-related myelin changes, and even when present, they are often regarded as secondary to concomitant arteriosclerosis or related to aging. OBJECTIVE: To assess associations between hallmark AD pathology and novel quantitative neuroimaging markers while being sensitive to white matter myelin content. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Magnetic resonance imaging was performed at an academic research neuroimaging center on a cohort of 71 cognitively asymptomatic adults enriched for AD risk. Lumbar punctures were performed and assayed for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of AD pathology, including β-amyloid 42, total tau protein, phosphorylated tau 181, and soluble amyloid precursor protein. We measured whole-brain longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates as well as the myelin water fraction from each of these individuals. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Automated brain mapping algorithms and statistical models were used to evaluate the relationships between age, CSF biomarkers of AD pathology, and quantitative magnetic resonance imaging relaxometry measures, including the longitudinal and transverse relaxation rates and the myelin water fraction. RESULTS: The mean (SD) age for the 19 male participants and 52 female participants in the study was 61.6 (6.4) years. Widespread age-related changes to myelin were observed across the brain, particularly in late myelinating brain regions such as frontal white matter and the genu of the corpus callosum. Quantitative relaxometry measures were negatively associated with levels of CSF biomarkers across brain white matter and in areas preferentially affected in AD. Furthermore, significant age-by-biomarker interactions were observed between myelin water fraction and phosphorylated tau 181/β-amyloid 42, suggesting that phosphorylated tau 181/β-amyloid 42 levels modulate age-related changes in myelin water fraction. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: These findings suggest amyloid pathologies significantly influence white matter and that these abnormalities may signify an early feature of the disease process. We expect that clarifying the nature of myelin damage in preclinical AD may be informative on the disease’s course and lead to new markers of efficacy for prevention and treatment trials