An Antitrust Analysis of the Case for Wireless Network Neutrality

The ongoing debate about possible implementation of regulatory rules requiring “network neutrality” for wireless telecommunications services is inherently about whether to impose a prohibition on the ability of network operators to control their vertical relationships. Antitrust analysis is well suited to analyze whether a wireless network neutrality rule is socially beneficial. Implementing network neutrality rules would be akin to using a per se antitrust rule regarding vertical relationships instead of the rule of reason analysis typically applied to vertical relationships in antitrust. Per se rules are used to prevent actions that rarely, if ever, have any pro-competitive benefits, such as price-fixing agreements. Rule of reason analysis is used when there are potential efficiency gains from the actions under investigation. Some vertical practices of the wireless carriers, such as bandwidth restrictions, may appear to be anticompetitive, but may also have plausible efficiency justifications so should be judged under rule of reason analysis. Economic examination of the wireless industry shows significant competition between networks which reduces the concern about vertical relationships, but some areas that should be monitored by antitrust and regulatory authorities. We propose several regulatory changes that would likely increase wireless competition and lessen the perceived need for prophlactic network neutrality rules while at the same time allowing efficiency-enhancing vertical relationships.network neutrality, wireless internet, antitrust,

Essays in the Economics of Crime and Health

This dissertation contains three chapters on the economics of crime and health. In Chapter 1, we study how technology is integral to police departments, automating officer tasks, but inherently changing their time allocation. We investigate this by studying ShotSpotter, a technology that automates gunfire detection. Following a detection, officers are dispatched to the scene, thereby reallocating their time. We leverage this shock to officers’ time allocation using the rollout of ShotSpotter across Chicago police districts to study the effects on 911 call response. We find substantial consequences---officers are dispatched to calls slower (23%), arrive on-scene later (13%), and the probability of arrest is decreased 9%. Consequently, police departments must evaluate their resource capacities prior to implementing technologies.In Chapter 2, I exploit variation in timing from 44 temporary university-wide halts on all fraternity activity with alcohol (moratoriums) across 37 universities over 2014-2019. I construct a novel data set, merging incident-level crime logs from university police departments to provide the first causal estimates of the effect of moratoriums on reports of alcohol offenses and sexual assaults. In particular, I find robust evidence that moratoriums decrease alcohol offenses by 26%. Additionally, I find suggestive evidence that moratoriums decrease reports of sexual assault on the weekends by 29%. However, I do not find evidence of long-term changes once the moratorium is lifted.Finally, in Chapter 3, we study the prevalence of gunfire, which results in loud and potentially stress-inducing sounds that may adversely affect critical stages of in utero development. However, gunfire is largely unreported, creating a unique challenge for researchers to understand its consequences. In this paper, we mitigate this shortcoming by leveraging data from ShotSpotter—an acoustic gunshot technology which uses an array of sensors placed on city structures to detect the sound of gunfire. We combine this unique data source with the universe of births from nine California cities, each matched to a mother's residence. Using the variation in gunfire detections from ShotSpotter at the census-block level, we employ a difference-in-differences methodology and find that gunshot noise creates substantial increases in very low birth weight (< 1,500 grams) and very pre-term births (< 32 weeks). These effects are driven by times of the day when mothers are likely to be at-home, and are particularly concentrated among mothers with low levels of education. These results suggest that gunshot noise is a major factor contributing to the income inequities in pregnancy outcomes

LM193 Dual Differential Comparator Total Ionizing Dose Test Report

The purpose of this test was to characterize the flight lot of Texas Instruments' LM193 (flight part number is 5962-9452601Q2A) for total dose response. This test served as the radiation lot acceptance test (RLAT) for the lot date code (LDC) tested. Low dose rate (LDR) irradiations were performed in this test so that the device susceptibility to enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS) was determined

EPIGENETIC THERAPY TIES MYC DEPLETION TO REVERSING IMMUNE EVASION AND TREATING LUNG CANCER

Combining DNA demethylating agents (DNMTis) with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) holds promise for enhancing cancer immune therapy. Herein, pharmacologic and isoform specificity of HDACi’s are investigated to guide their addition to a DNMTi, thus devising a new, low-dose, sequential regimen which imparts a robust anti-tumor effect for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Using in vitro treated NSCLC cell lines, we elucidate an Interferon-αβ based transcriptional program with accompanying upregulation of antigen presentation machinery mediated in part through dsRNA induction. This is accompanied by suppression of MYC signaling and an increase in the T cell chemoattractant, CCL5. Use of this combination treatment schema in mouse models of NSCLC reverses tumor immune evasion and modulates T-cell exhaustion state towards memory and effector T-cell phenotypes. Key correlative science metrics emerge for an upcoming clinical trial, testing enhancement of immune checkpoint therapy for NSCLC

Noninvasive identification of carbon-based black pigments with pump-probe microscopy

Carbon-based black pigments, a widely used class of pigments, are difficult to differentiate with the noninvasive techniques currently used in cultural heritage science. We utilize pump-probe microscopy to distinguish four common carbon-based black pigments as pure pigments, as two-component black pigment mixtures, and as a mixture of a black and a colorful pigment. This work also demonstrates that even nominally homogeneous pigments present remarkable, and useful, heterogeneity in pump-probe microscopy

Failure Analysis of Heavy-Ion-Irradiated Schottky Diodes

In this work, we use high- and low-magnitude optical microscope images, infrared camera images, and scanning electron microscope images to identify and describe the failure locations in heavy-ion-irradiated Schottky diodes

Compendium of Current Total Ionizing Dose and Displacement Damage Results from NASA GSFC and NEPP

Total ionizing dose and displacement damage testing was performed to characterize and determine the suitability of candidate electronics for NASA space utilization. Devices tested include opto-electronics, digital, analog, linear bipolar devices, and hybrid devices