140 research outputs found
The Periodic Standing-Wave Approximation: Overview and Three Dimensional Scalar Models
The periodic standing-wave method for binary inspiral computes the exact
numerical solution for periodic binary motion with standing gravitational
waves, and uses it as an approximation to slow binary inspiral with outgoing
waves. Important features of this method presented here are: (i) the
mathematical nature of the ``mixed'' partial differential equations to be
solved, (ii) the meaning of standing waves in the method, (iii) computational
difficulties, and (iv) the ``effective linearity'' that ultimately justifies
the approximation. The method is applied to three dimensional nonlinear scalar
model problems, and the numerical results are used to demonstrate extraction of
the outgoing solution from the standing-wave solution, and the role of
effective linearity.Comment: 13 pages RevTeX, 5 figures. New version. A revised form of the
nonlinearity produces better result
Computational fact checking from knowledge networks
Traditional fact checking by expert journalists cannot keep up with the
enormous volume of information that is now generated online. Computational fact
checking may significantly enhance our ability to evaluate the veracity of
dubious information. Here we show that the complexities of human fact checking
can be approximated quite well by finding the shortest path between concept
nodes under properly defined semantic proximity metrics on knowledge graphs.
Framed as a network problem this approach is feasible with efficient
computational techniques. We evaluate this approach by examining tens of
thousands of claims related to history, entertainment, geography, and
biographical information using a public knowledge graph extracted from
Wikipedia. Statements independently known to be true consistently receive
higher support via our method than do false ones. These findings represent a
significant step toward scalable computational fact-checking methods that may
one day mitigate the spread of harmful misinformation
Simple Nudges for Better Password Creation
Recent security breaches have highlighted the consequences of reusing passwords across online accounts. Recent guidance on password policies by the UK government recommend an emphasis on password length over an extended character set for generating secure but memorable passwords without cognitive overload. This paper explores the role of three nudges in creating website-specific passwords: financial incentive (present vs absent), length instruction (long password vs no instruction) and stimulus (picture present vs not present). Mechanical Turk workers were asked to create a password in one of these conditions and the resulting passwords were evaluated based on character length, resistance to automated guessing attacks, and time taken to create the password. We found that users created longer passwords when asked to do so or when given a financial incentive and these longer passwords were harder to guess than passwords created with no instruction. Using a picture nudge to support password creation did not lead to passwords that were either longer or more resistant to attacks but did lead to account-specific passwords
Social and ethical checkpoints for bottom-up synthetic biology, or protocells
An alternative to creating novel organisms through the traditional “top-down” approach to synthetic biology involves creating them from the “bottom up” by assembling them from non-living components; the products of this approach are called “protocells.” In this paper we describe how bottom-up and top-down synthetic biology differ, review the current state of protocell research and development, and examine the unique ethical, social, and regulatory issues raised by bottom-up synthetic biology. Protocells have not yet been developed, but many expect this to happen within the next five to ten years. Accordingly, we identify six key checkpoints in protocell development at which particular attention should be given to specific ethical, social and regulatory issues concerning bottom-up synthetic biology, and make ten recommendations for responsible protocell science that are tied to the achievement of these checkpoints
Ethics and ‘fracking’: A review of (the limited) moral thought on shale gas development
Whilst claims about the ethicality of shale gas development via hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) are commonplace in everyday discourse, little scholarly attention has been afforded explicitly to this aspect of unconventional fossil fuel extraction. The limited research that speaks to ethical considerations largely describes ethical concerns associated with development – extremely few claims in research literature make an ethical case for development. The most common ethical concerns cited in research stem from issues of distributive justice, with procedural justice, the precautionary principle, exposure to involuntary risks, rights-based arguments, and changes in community character and way of life as next most common. Additional research hints implicitly at ethical dilemmas associated with shale gas development, but does not openly identify these issues as having moral implications. Many ethical considerations relate closely to concerns about water quality and the volume/supply of water available for other purposes. The limited scholarship in this area reveals the import of understanding the ways in which ethics permeate thoughts about shale gas development for designing policy that responds to constituent needs and concerns. Even more limited than research on ethical claims in association with shale gas development is well-reasoned scholarship that analyses the extent to which ethical claims about development are well justified and philosophically justifiable. A comprehensive and systematic analysis of the range of ethical claims potentially relevant to shale gas development and their usefulness for informing policy on this topic would contribute greatly to informed decision-making on this controversial issue – something that science alone cannot achieve
Distributional Consequences of Public Policies: An Example from the Management of Urban Vehicular Travel
E-Democracy and Network Externalities – The Case of Websites of Finnish Members of Parliament
Organizing risk: organization and management theory for the risk society
Risk has become a crucial part of organizing, affecting a wide range of organizations in all sectors. We identify, review and integrate diverse literatures relevant to organizing risk, building on an existing framework that describes how risk is organized in three ‘modes’ – prospectively, in real-time, and retrospectively. We then identify three critical issues in the existing literature: its fragmented nature; its neglect of the tensions associated with each of the modes; and its tendency to assume that the meaning of an object in relation to risk is singular and stable. We provide a series of new insights with regard to each of these issues. First, we develop the concept of a risk cycle that shows how organizations engage with all three modes and transition between them over time. Second, we explain why the tensions have been largely ignored and show how studies using a risk work perspective can provide further insights into them. Third, we develop the concept of risk translation to highlight the ways in the meanings of risks can be transformed and to identify the political consequences of such translations. We conclude the paper with a research agenda to elaborate these insights and ideas further
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