The uncombed penumbra

The uncombed penumbral model explains the structure of the sunspot penumbra in terms of thick magnetic fibrils embedded in a magnetic surrounding atmosphere. This model has been successfully applied to explain the polarization signals emerging from the sunspot penumbra. Thick penumbral fibrils face some physical problems, however. In this contribution we will offer possible solutions to these shortcomings.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. to appear in the proceedings of the Solar Polarization Workshop I

Differential regulation of innate and adaptive immune responses in viral encephalitis.

Viral encephalitis is a global health concern. The ability of a virus to modulate the immune response can have a pivotal effect on the course of disease and the fate of the infected host. In this study, we sought to understand the immunological basis for the fatal encephalitis following infection with the murine coronavirus, mouse hepatitis virus (MHV)-JHM, in contrast with the more attenuated MHV-A59. Distinct glial cell cytokine and chemokine response patterns were observed within 3 days after infection, became progressively more polarized during the course of infection and with the infiltration of leukocytes. In the brain, MHV-JHM infection induced strong accumulation of IFNbeta mRNA relative to IFNgamma mRNA. This trend was reversed in MHV-A59 infection and was accompanied by increased CD8 T cell infiltration into brain compared to MHV-JHM infection. Increased apoptosis appeared to contribute to the diminished presence of CD8 T cells in MHV-JHM-infected brain with the consequence of a lower potential for IFNgamma production and antiviral activity. MHV-JHM infection also induced sustained mRNA accumulation of the innate immune response products interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-1. Furthermore, high levels of macrophage-inflammatory protein (MIP)-1alpha, MIP-1beta, and MIP-2 mRNA were observed at the onset of MHV-JHM infection and correlated with a marked elevation in the number of macrophages in the brain on day 7 compared to MHV-A59 infection. These observations indicate that differences in the severity of viral encephalitis may reflect the differential ability of viruses to stimulate innate immune responses within the CNS and subsequently the character of infiltrating leukocyte populations

Reconsidering the Social Work Education Continuum: Social Work Education at Community Colleges in the United States

The Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) will soon revise the social work education continuum by welcoming practice doctoral programs into membership, leaving community colleges as the only excluded level of higher education in social work. The three connected products in this banded dissertation use critical pedagogy and post-positivist perspectives to explore how and why social work education evolved independently at community colleges, one of the largest, most diverse, and most affordable educational systems in the United States. Product One employs qualitative historical research to identify the forces which led community colleges and CSWE down separate paths between 1950 and 1975, despite consideration of expansion to include associate degrees in social work. Archived records indicate that differing goals, distrust, identity issues, inattentiveness, and class differences inhibited any on-going relationship between the developing two-year college system and social work’s professional organizations. Product Two examines the claims of some community colleges that they teach social work. It reveals the existence of Associate in Social Work (ASW) programs at 57 colleges in 24 states and then compares them to accepted standards for social work education to examine whether their programs’ offerings could be recognized as social work education. One-third of ASW program directors completed surveys. Their responses indicate voluntary adherence to 41% of select CSWE standards for Baccalaureate Social Work (BSW) programs. This quantitative, empirical research documents likenesses between some ASW programs and widely-accepted methods of social work education. Product Three is a presentation delivered at a national conference, the Council for the Study of Community Colleges conference in April 2018, applying ideas from social work education history to the needs of community colleges generally. This presentation suggested that pathways for upward transfer depend on advocates for professional and technical education organizing their efforts, building relationships with powerful gatekeepers, publishing research, and addressing their schools’ actual and perceived weaknesses. This banded dissertation suggests the possibilities of social work education at community colleges in the United States, belying the long-held belief in a three-level continuum of social work education. ASW programs operate in nearly half the country, and though they could have become part of CSWE, they currently operate autonomously from professional social work organizations. Stakeholders now have the opportunity to evaluate ASW programs and establish mutually beneficial relationships, if they so choose

Fossil fuels, stranded assets and COVID-19: Imagining an inclusive & transformative recovery

The 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change implicitly requires phasing out fossil fuels; such a phase out may cost hundreds of trillions of dollars and induce widespread socio-ecological ramifications. The COVID-19 ‘pancession’ (pandemic + recession) has rattled global economies, possibly accelerating the fossil fuel phase out. This raises the question: What opportunities has COVID-19 presented to phase out fossil fuels, and subsequently, how can transformative recovery efforts be designed to utilize these opportunities and promote social, ecological and relational inclusiveness? We find that: (a) the COVID-19 pancession provides a unique opportunity to accelerate climate action, as it has devalued financial assets, stunned fossil fuel production and paralyzed relevant infrastructure, thus easing the pathway towards stranding global fossil fuel resources and assets; (b) four possible post-pancession recovery scenarios may unravel, of which only one is ecologically, socially and relationally inclusive, transformative, and in line with the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030; and (c) an inclusive recovery requires that political leadership channels the gargantuan state resources for recovery into prioritizing healthcare and the environment as public/merit goods, conscious investment in non-fossil fuel energy sector recovery accompanied by stringent climate policy, and equitably managing stranded assets to ensure that the burden falls on rich and capable actors, predominantly from the North

Equitable, effective, and feasible approaches for a prospective fossil fuel transition

Most fossil fuel resources must remain unused to comply with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Scholars and policymakers debate which approaches should be undertaken to Leave Fossil Fuels Underground (LFFU). However, existing scholarship has not yet inventoried and evaluated the array of approaches to LFFU based on their effectiveness, equity, or feasibility. Hence, this review article asks: What lessons can we learn from reviewing scholarship on proposed approaches to leaving fossil fuels underground (LFFU)? We identify 28 unique LFFU approaches, of which only 12 are deemed environmentally effective (e.g., fossil fuel extraction taxes, bans and moratoria, and financial swaps); eight involve moderate‐to‐high (non‐)monetary costs, and only four are deemed entirely just and equitable. Of the 12 environmentally effective approaches: only three were deemed cost‐effective (regulating financial capital for fossil fuel projects, removing existing fossil fuel subsidies, and bans & moratoria); merely four were deemed equitable (asset write‐offs, retiring existing fossil infrastructure, pursuing court cases/litigation, and financial swaps); and all were deemed institutionally problematic in terms of their feasibility (six were challenging to implement as they threatened the vested interests of powerful stakeholder groups). Moreover, the reviewed scholarship draws heavily on empirical studies of how these LFFU approaches can be optimized in European, North American, and Chinese contexts; fewer studies have explored the effectiveness and fairness of LFFU approaches in the South and/or in a North–South context. Future research should particularly focus on North–South fossil fuel financial flows, which have received comparatively little attention. This article is categorized under: The Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Decarbonizing Energy and/or Reducing Demand

Waves as the source of apparent twisting motions in sunspot penumbrae

The motion of dark striations across bright filaments in a sunspot penumbra has become an important new diagnostic of convective gas flows in penumbral filaments. The nature of these striations has, however, remained unclear. Here we present an analysis of small scale motions in penumbral filaments in both simulations and observations. The simulations, when viewed from above, show fine structure with dark lanes running outwards from the dark core of the penumbral filaments. The dark lanes either occur preferentially on one side or alternate between both sides of the filament. We identify this fine structure with transverse (kink) oscillations of the filament, corresponding to a sideways swaying of the filament. These oscillations have periods in the range of 5-7 min and propagate outward and downward along the filament. Similar features are found in observed G-band intensity time series of penumbral filaments in a sunspot located near disk center obtained by the Broadband Filter Imager (BFI) on board {\it Hinode}. We also find that some filaments show dark striations moving to both sides of the filaments. Based on the agreement between simulations and observations we conclude that the motions of these striations are caused by transverse oscillations of the underlying bright filaments.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal on 8th April 201