Internet governance capacity building in post-authoritarian contexts. Telecom reform and human rights in Myanmar

Myanmar is undergoing profound socio-political transitions, including rapid developments of its telecommunication infrastructures and related policy frameworks that involves both infrastructural and governance challenges. By focusing on the various stages of the connectivity building plan over the first 3 years since its launch in 2012, this paper explores how Myanmar is developing its internet policy capacity building, in the framework of the broader transnational internet governance debate. In particular, this paper addresses whether and how the new national telecom infrastructure and the related governance framework has been designed and implemented in respect of digital rights, notably freedom of expression and right of privacy. By process tracing the initiatives shaping the on-going connectivity building plan, the paper discusses the role of actors involved in this process, including civil society organizations, private companies, and foreign governments; whether we are witnessing any bottom up forms of internet governance practices; opportunities and eventual threats for citizens related to the implementation this connectivity plan; and finally, it tests and proposes a novel empirically driven theoretical framework aiming at expanding our understanding on the diffusion of global internet governance norms in developing connectivity in post-authoritarian contexts

Digitalizing Myanmar: Connectivity Developments in Political Transitions

In the midst of rapid socio-political transition, Myanmar is building its telecommunications infrastructure by opening its market to international mobile companies and engaging in national regulatory reform. With one of the lowest internet and mobile subscriber rates in the world, Myanmar faces multiple challenges in building connectivity from both an infrastructural and a policy perspective. Telecom developments could play a significant role in modernizing the country as it emerges from decades of political repression, and although the domestic connectivity plan is moving forward, several challenges need to be dealt with quickly in order to ensure a safe and accessible digital environment. This paper explores connectivity developments in Myanmar, paying particular attention to the opening of the mobile market to international companies, the launch of the new national telecom law, and the development of policies securing digital rights

Media Freedom and Pluralism Discussed in Relation to Human Rights and to Reinforcing Political Legitimacy of the EU

The question of whether the European Commission has the competence to act in the area of media pluralism just got even more interesting. Whilst the narrow question of legal competence continues to be disputed, the Centre for Media Pluralism and Media Freedom (CMPF) at the European University Institute demonstrates in a recent Report that the EU has a clear responsibility to act, and at the very least to clarify its competence. Alina Dobreva and Andrea Calderaro, of the CMPF/EUI and two of the authors of the report, outline their findings

Treatment of a Femur Nonunion with Microsurgical Corticoperiosteal Pedicled Flap from the Medial Femoral Condyle

Introduction.Te vascularized corticoperiosteal fap is harvested from the medial femoral condyle and it is nourished by the articular branch of the descending genicular artery and the superomedial genicular artery. Tis fap is usually harvested as a free fap for the reconstruction of bone defects at forearm, distal radius, carpus, hand, and recently at lower limb too. Case Report. A 50-year-old Caucasian man referred to our department for hypertrophic nonunion of the distal femur, refractory to the conservative treatments. Te frst surgical choice was the revision of the nail and the bone reconstruction with a corticoperiosteal pedicled fap from the medial femoral condyle. We considered union to have occurred 3.5 months afer surgery when radiographs showed bridging of at least three of the four bony cortices and clinically the patient was able to walk with full weight bearing without any pain. At the last follow-up (25 months), the patient was completely satisfed with the procedure. Discussion. Te corticoperiosteal fap allows a faster healing of fractures with a minimal morbidity at the donor site. We suggest that the corticoperiosteal pedicled fap graf is a reliable and efective treatment for distal femur nonunion

Cyber accountability building

Publication date: July 2024The transnational nature of connectivity infrastructure and the borderless routing of data increasingly highlight the critical role that international cooperation plays in strengthening the safety and stability of the cyber domain. Beyond initiatives aimed at enhancing national capacities to protect critical information infrastructure from cyber threats, states increasingly engage transnationally in the governance of cybersecurity. Fostering trust in this global approach involves establishing accountable platforms and mechanisms. This can only be achieved if participants have both the capacity to negotiate accountability frameworks and the ability to adhere to them. In this context, cyber capacity building is crucial for enabling actors to play an active role in these key processes

Cyber accountability building

The transnational nature of connectivity and data routing emphasizes the critical need for international cooperation in cybersecurity governance. This paper explores how Cyber Capacity Building (CCB) initiatives contribute to enhancing accountability in this global context. Effective accountability frameworks require inclusive platforms where both state and non-state actors can engage in the negotiation of norms and mechanisms for cybersecurity governance. However, the fragmented nature of international cooperation poses challenges to achieving legitimacy and consistency in these efforts. Drawing on governance theories, the paper argues that addressing power imbalances and ensuring broader participation are essential for fostering accountability. Additionally, CCB initiatives should extend beyond government actors to empower civil society and the private sector, enabling them to play a more active role in shaping cybersecurity policies. By strengthening the capacity of all relevant stakeholders, both domestically and internationally, a more resilient and legitimate global cybersecurity framework can be established

Rate of complications due to neuromuscular scoliosis spine surgery in a 30-years consecutive series

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the rate of intraoperative and postoperative complications in a large series of patients affected by neuromuscular scoliosis. METHODS: It was a monocentric retrospective study. In this study have been considered complications those events that significantly affected the course of treatment, such as getting the hospital stay longer, or requiring a subsequent surgical procedure, or corrupting the final result of the treatment. RESULTS: Of the 358 patients affected by neuromuscular scoliosis treated from January 1985 to December 2010, 185 that met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. There were recorded 66 complications in 55/185 patients. Of that 66 complications, 54 complications occurred in 46/120 patients with Luque's instrumentation, while only 12 complications occurred in 9/65 patients with hybrid instrumentation and this difference was statistically significant (p 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The surgical treatment in neuromuscular scoliosis is burdened by a large number of complications. An accurate knowledge of possible complications is mandatory to prepare strategies due to prevent adverse events. A difference in definitions could completely change results in good or bad as well as in our same series the adverse events amounted at almost 30% of cases, but complications that due to complete failure would amount at 9.19% of patients. KEYWORDS: Complications; Neuromuscular scoliosis; Scoliosis; Scoliosis surgery PMID: 28314995 DOI: 10.1007/s00586-017-5034-6 Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Google

Fast and simple qubit-based synchronization for quantum key distribution

We propose Qubit4Sync, a synchronization method for Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) setups, based on the same qubits exchanged during the protocol and without requiring additional hardware other than the one necessary to prepare and measure the quantum states. Our approach introduces a new cross-correlation algorithm achieving the lowest computational complexity, to our knowledge, for high channel losses. We tested the robustness of our scheme in a real QKD implementation