Huber, Marper and Others: Throwing new light on the shadows of suspicion. INEX Policy Brief No. 8, June 2010

The proliferation of large-scale databases containing personal information, and the multiple uses to which they can be put, can be highly problematic from the perspective of fundamental rights and freedoms. This paper discusses two landmark decisions that illustrate some of the risks linked to these developments and point to a better framing of such practices: the Heinz Huber v. Germany judgement, from the European Court of Justice, and the S. and Marper v. United Kingdom ruling, from the European Court of Human Rights. The paper synthesises the lessons to be learnt from such decisions. Additionally, it questions the impact of the logic of pure prevention that is being combined with other rationales in the design and management of databases. This Policy Brief is published in the context of the INEX project, which looks at converging and conflicting ethical values in the internal/external security continuum in Europe, and is funded by the Security Programme of DG Enterprise of the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Research Programme. For more information visit: www.inexproject.e

Le développement spatial et floristique des populations clonales de peupliers baumier (Populus balsamifera L.) au Nouveau-Québec

Les paramètres de l'évolution spatiale des populations donates de peupliers baumier, notamment la superficie totale, la diversité floristique, la forme et le profil des peupleraies sont surtout le reflet du milieu colonisé. Par contre, la distribution spatiale, la croissance et la densité des individus, de même que la forme des clones sont des caractéristiques de l'espèce et dépendent de l'âge de la formation. L'un des aspects les plus constants de la structure des formations est leur développement sous forme de zones concentriques d'expansion. La différence médiane entre l'âge de ces zones correspond à l'âge optimal de maturité à la reproduction végétative. La constitution d'une nouvelle zone peut par contre être retardée, son expression pouvant être influencée par les conditions climatiques. L'expansion du peuplier, se faisant par vagues à des âges différents, conduit à l'établissement d'une zonation dans la végétation de sous-bois. Comme la diversité floristique, la zonation actuelle de la végétation est fonction de l'origine des formations. À l'exception des plages où Alnus crispa forme le stade le plus avancé, Viburnum edule est l'espèce qui domine le sous-bois des peupleraies, avant l'établissement des conifères, et Juniperus communis est Ie taxon le plus fréquent du stade intermédiaire. Les successions secondaires, ou celles qui s'établissent en sous-zone arbustive de la toundra forestière, débutent par une phase à Salix sp. L'influence du peuplier baumier (Populus balsamifera) sur le développement de l'humus est notable et semble déterminante au cours des premières décennies après son établissement. Par la suite, la présence locale d'espèces arbustives semble plus importante dans révolution future de l'humus.Spatial growth parameters of balsam poplar stands in the subarctic (total area, floristic diversity, and stand profile and shape) are highly dependent on the habitat. On the other hand, spatial distribution, density and growth of individual stems are species caracterictics, and are related to stand age. The most constant aspect of the studied stands structural physionomy was the recognition of concentric growth zones. The median age difference between contiguous zones is similar to the asexual reproduction maturity. However, adverse climatic conditions can delay zone formation. The undergrowth floral mimics the structural zonation, and is related to stand origin. With the exception of beaches, where Alnus crispa undergrowth constitutes the most evolved stage, Viburnum edule dominates balsam poplar undergrowth before the introduction of coniferous species. Juniperus communis is the most frequent species of the intermediate stage. Secondary successions and those of the shrub sub-zone of the forest tundra begin will Salix sp. The influence of the balsam poplar cover on the humus composition is of consequence, notably in the first decades after the stand establishment. Afterward, the shrubby undercover seems preponderant.Die Parameter der ràumlichen Entwicklung der Klonalen Balsampappel-Populationen, insbesondere die gesamte Flâche, die floristische Vielfalt, die Form und das Profil der Pappelwàlder, sind vor allem ein Spiegel des bewohnten Milieus. Hingegen sind die ràumliche Verteiiung, das Wachstum und die Dichte der einzelnen Stâmme ebenso wie die Form der Klone Charakteristika der Spezies und hàngen vom Alter der Formation ab. Einer der konstantesten Aspekte in der Struktur der Formationen ist ihre Entwicklung in konzentrischen Wachstumszonen. Der mittlere Altersunterschied dieser Zonen entspricht dem fur die vegetative Reproduktion optimalen Reifealter. Jedoch kann die Herstellung einer neuen Zone durch klimatische Bedingungen verzôgert werden. Die Ausdehnung der Pappel, die in Wellen zu verschiedenen Zeiten vor sich geht, fuhrt zu einer Zoneneinteilung in der Vegetation des Unterholzes. Wie die floristische Vielfalt ist auch die gegenwârtige Zoneneinteilung der Vegetation Funktion der Herkunft der Formationen. Die Strànde ausgenommen, wo Alnus crispa das am weitesten entwickelte Stadium darstellt, ist Viburnum edule die Spezies, die das Unterholz der Pappelwàlder beherrscht, vor der Niederlassung der Nadelbâume, und Juniperus communis ist die hâufigste Spezies des Zwischenstadiums. Die sekundàren Abfolgen oder diejenigen.die sich in der Busch-Unterzone der Wald-Tundra ansiedeln, beginnen mit einer Salix-Phase. Der Einflup der Balsam-Pappel (Populus balsamifera) auf die Entwicklung des Humus ist bemerkenswert und scheint entscheidend in den ersten Jahrzehnten nach ihrer Ausbreitung

Représentation pollinique actuelle et subactuelle des peuplieraies boréales au Nouveau-Québec

Par son importance à la limite des forêts et les exigences particulières de son établissement, le peuplier baumier est une espèce dont la présence dans les échantillons organiques fossiles constitue un indice important pour la reconstitution de paysages anciens. Vingt peuplieraies ont été échantillonnées au lac Guillaume-Delisle (golfe de Richmond) (56°10' N ; 76°30' 0) afin de connaître les conditions écologiques précises représentées par les spectres polliniques de leur humus. Le spectre type, i.e. celui montrant le maximum de similarité avec l'ensemble des autres spectres, est composé de 44% d'Alnus, de 18% de Picea, de 6% de Betula et de 1 % de Populus. Outre Populus, Betula et Picea sont les genres les plus diagnostiques au sein des spectres polliniques de peuplieraies. Cette differentiation des spectres est fonction de l'origine des formations, de leur sexe et de leur situation phytogéographique. La similitude de la flore pollinique actuelle des peuplieraies boréales avec les assemblages polliniques du Tardi-glaciaire permet de supposer leur présence lors de la période d'afforestation du Québec méridional. De plus, les assemblages polliniques trouvés à cette époque suggèrent des communautés ouvertes supportant une strate arbustive dense se situant en bordure des bassins hydrographiques échantillonnés.Twenty poplar groves were sampled at Lac Guillaume-Delisle (Richmond Gulf) (56"1O' N; 76°30' W) in order to establish the exact ecological conditions depicted by the pollen assemblages of the balsam poplar stands of the subarctic. A typical spectrum comprises 44% Alnus, 18% Picea, 6% Betula and 1 % Populus pollen. Spectra differentiation is determined by stand origin, sex and phytogeographical location. In addition to Populus, Betula and Picea are the most diagnostic genera within the pollen of balsam poplar groves. The similarity between the modern pollen flora of balsam poplar stands and late-glacial pollen assemblages suggests the presence of balsam poplar at the time of afforestation in southern Québec. In addition, the pollen assemblages in the late-glacial samples are interpreted as open forests with dense shrubby understories bordering the sampling sites.Wegen ihrer Bedeutung an den Waldgrenzen und den besonderen Bedingungen ihrer Ansiedlung ist die Balsam-Pappel eine Gattung, deren Vorkommen in den organischen fossilen Proben einen wichtigen Hinweis fur die Rekonstruktion alter Landschaften gibt. Zwanzig Pappelwaldern am Lac Guillaume-Delisle (56°10' N; 76°30' O) wurden Proben entnommen, urn die genauen ôkologischen Bedingungen zu bestimmen, welche sich in den Pollen-Spektren ihres Humus finden. Das typische Spektrum, d.h. dasjenige, welches mit den ubrigen Spektren die grôsste Gleichartigkeit aufweist, besteht aus 44% Alnus, 18% Picea, 6% Betula und 1 % Populus. Ausser Populus sind Betula und Picea die am meisten diagnostischen Arten der Pollen-Spektren der Pappelwâlder. Diese Differenzierung der Spektren hàngt ab von Herkunftsort, Geschlecht und phytogeographischer Lage der Vorkommen. Die Gleichartigkeit der gegenwàrtigen Pollen-Flora der nôrdlichen Pappelwâlder und der Pollen-Ansammlungen der Spàteiszeit lasst vermuten, dass die Balsam-Pappel in der Zeit der Bewaldung des südlichen Québec vorhanden war. Ausserdem lassen die Pollen-Ansammlungen, die in jener Zeit gefunden werden, auf offene Bewaldungen mit einer dichten Buschschicht schliessen, die am Rand der untersuchten Wasserbecken lagen

Deriving Motor Primitives Through Action Segmentation

The purpose of the present experiment is to further understand the effect of levels of processing (top-down vs. bottom-up) on the perception of movement kinematics and primitives for grasping actions in order to gain insight into possible primitives used by the mirror system. In the present study, we investigated the potential of identifying such primitives using an action segmentation task. Specifically, we investigated whether or not segmentation was driven primarily by the kinematics of the action, as opposed to high-level top-down information about the action and the object used in the action. Participants in the experiment were shown 12 point-light movies of object-centered hand/arm actions that were either presented in their canonical orientation together with the object in question (top-down condition) or upside down (inverted) without information about the object (bottom-up condition). The results show that (1) despite impaired high-level action recognition for the inverted actions participants were able to reliably segment the actions according to lower-level kinematic variables, (2) segmentation behavior in both groups was significantly related to the kinematic variables of change in direction, velocity, and acceleration of the wrist (thumb and finger tips) for most of the included actions. This indicates that top-down activation of an action representation leads to similar segmentation behavior for hand/arm actions compared to bottom-up, or local, visual processing when performing a fairly unconstrained segmentation task. Motor primitives as parts of more complex actions may therefore be reliably derived through visual segmentation based on movement kinematics

Human rights:A secular religion with legal crowbars. From Europe with hesitations

This contribution offers to steer a discussion on the constitutive stance of fundamental rights in Western legal systems. The story of the democratic constitutional state, a story of rule of law and human rights, is an already 250 year old utopia, which strangely persists despite long-standing patterns of slavery, war, torture, poverty, hunger, deportations, racism, and other unfavorable matters to human rights. This paper aims at questioning this perpetual paradox. After a historical assessment of human rights, we maintain that the traditional narrative emerges as the result of an interchangeable religious process: human rights as the gospel of a secular religion. Despite this, our perspectives on the rights apparatus can be adjusted by a more realistic vision of legal practices. Under certain conditions, human rights can function as legal crowbars in courts. With the crowbar metaphor, we adopt a constructive and pragmatic approach to human rights. Yet, what stands out is an expectation to move beyond the human rights axioms, rather than an endeavor to fix them. Ultimately, we suggest that other less toxic frameworks could replace traditional human rights narratives as constructs that may better realise our hopes

Kernels for Feedback Arc Set In Tournaments

A tournament T=(V,A) is a directed graph in which there is exactly one arc between every pair of distinct vertices. Given a digraph on n vertices and an integer parameter k, the Feedback Arc Set problem asks whether the given digraph has a set of k arcs whose removal results in an acyclic digraph. The Feedback Arc Set problem restricted to tournaments is known as the k-Feedback Arc Set in Tournaments (k-FAST) problem. In this paper we obtain a linear vertex kernel for k-FAST. That is, we give a polynomial time algorithm which given an input instance T to k-FAST obtains an equivalent instance T' on O(k) vertices. In fact, given any fixed e>0, the kernelized instance has at most (2+e)k vertices. Our result improves the previous known bound of O(k^2) on the kernel size for k-FAST. Our kernelization algorithm solves the problem on a subclass of tournaments in polynomial time and uses a known polynomial time approximation scheme for k-FAST

Generating Annotated Training Data for 6D Object Pose Estimation in Operational Environments with Minimal User Interaction

Recently developed deep neural networks achieved state-of-the-art results in the subject of 6D object pose estimation for robot manipulation. However, those supervised deep learning methods require expensive annotated training data. Current methods for reducing those costs frequently use synthetic data from simulations, but rely on expert knowledge and suffer from the "domain gap" when shifting to the real world. Here, we present a proof of concept for a novel approach of autonomously generating annotated training data for 6D object pose estimation. This approach is designed for learning new objects in operational environments while requiring little interaction and no expertise on the part of the user. We evaluate our autonomous data generation approach in two grasping experiments, where we archive a similar grasping success rate as related work on a non autonomously generated data set.Comment: This is a preprint and currently under peer review at IROS 202