The algorithmic regulation of security: An infrastructural perspective

This article contributes to debates on algorithmic regulation by focusing on the domain of security. It develops an infrastructural perspective, by analyzing how algorithmic regulation is enacted through the custom‐built transatlantic data infrastructures of the EU‐U.S. Passenger Name Records and Terrorism Financing Tracking Program programs. Concerning regulation through algorithms, this approach analyzes how specific, commercial data are rendered transferable and meaningful in a security context. Concerning the regulation of algorithms, an infrastructural perspective examines how public values like privacy and accountability are built into international data infrastructures. The creation of data infrastructures affects existing modes of governance and fosters novel power relations among public and private actors. We highlight emergent modes of standard setting, thus enriching Yeung's (2018) taxonomy, and question the practical effects of operationalizing public values through infrastructural choices. Ultimately, the article offers a critical reading of algorithmic security, and how it materially, legally, and politically supports specific ways of doing security

Co-Producing Security: Platform Content Moderation and European Security Integration

The European Union (EU) seeks to play a leading role in steering the private work of online content moderation, as demonstrated by numerous policy and legislative initiatives in the domain. Two initiatives, in particular, are shaping terrorist content moderation: the creation of a EU Internet Referral Unit and the adoption of a Regulation on preventing the online dissemination of terrorist content (TERREG). This article analyses these initiatives and their practical effects. In particular, it unpacks the legal and technological mechanisms at the core of EU regulation in the realm of online terrorist content moderation, and how they co-produce security decisions across public and private spheres. Based on interviews, fieldwork observations and document analysis, we show how processes of referral and removal, and processes of flagging and filtering are key to EU-directed content moderation. In conclusion, we reflect on content moderation as a novel form of European security integration

Формалізація основних принципів взаємодії інвестора (кредитора) та позичальника (господарюючого суб’єкта)

Здійснено аналіз питань пов’язаних з організацією раціонального інвестування як з точки зору позичальника (господарюючого суб’єкта) так і з точки зору інвестора (кредитора). Проблему узгодження інтересів інвестора та позичальника сформульовано як багатокритеріальну задачу математичного програмування. Запропонована формалізація взаємодії господарюючого суб’єкта та інвестора за допомогою дослідження дискретного Марковського процесу, стани якого задаються вектором інтегральних показників діяльності кредитора та позичальника.This work comprises the rational investment organizationrelated issues analysis from the borrower’s (managing entity), as well as from the investor’s (creditor’s) point of view. The borrower and investor’s interests’ coordination issue is formulated as a mathematical programming multicriterion problem. The borrower and investor cooperation formalization with help of discreet Markov’s process study is introduced. The Markov’s process’ states are determined by the investor and borrower’s integral activities’ rates vector

Mutation of TBCK causes a rare recessive developmental disorder

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the underlying genetic defect in a family with 3 siblings affected by a severe, yet viable, congenital disorder. METHODS: Extensive genetic and metabolic investigations were performed, and the affected children were imaged at different ages. Whole-genome genotyping and whole-exome sequencing were undertaken. A single large region (>8 Mb) of homozygosity in chromosome 4 (chr4:100,268,553-108,609,628) was identified that was shared only in affected siblings. Inspection of genetic variability within this region led to the identification of a novel mutation. Sanger sequencing confirmed segregation of the mutation with disease. RESULTS: All affected siblings share homozygosity for a novel 4-bp deletion in the gene TBCK (NM_033115:c.614_617del:p.205_206del). CONCLUSIONS: This finding provides the genetic cause of a severe inherited disease in a family and extends the number of mutations and phenotypes associated with this recently identified disease gene

Reduced tillage, but not organic matter input, increased nematode diversity and food web stability in European long‐term field experiments

Soil nematode communities and food web indices can inform about the complexity, nutrient flows and decomposition pathways of soil food webs, reflecting soil quality. Relative abundance of nematode feeding and life‐history groups are used for calculating food web indices, i.e., maturity index (MI), enrichment index (EI), structure index (SI) and channel index (CI). Molecular methods to study nematode communities potentially offer advantages compared to traditional methods in terms of resolution, throughput, cost and time. In spite of such advantages, molecular data have not often been adopted so far to assess the effects of soil management on nematode communities and to calculate these food web indices. Here, we used high‐throughput amplicon sequencing to investigate the effects of tillage (conventional vs. reduced) and organic matter addition (low vs. high) on nematode communities and food web indices in 10 European long‐term field experiments and we assessed the relationship between nematode communities and soil parameters. We found that nematode communities were more strongly affected by tillage than by organic matter addition. Compared to conventional tillage, reduced tillage increased nematode diversity (23% higher Shannon diversity index), nematode community stability (12% higher MI), structure (24% higher SI), and the fungal decomposition channel (59% higher CI), and also the number of herbivorous nematodes (70% higher). Total and labile organic carbon, available K and microbial parameters explained nematode community structure. Our findings show that nematode communities are sensitive indicators of soil quality and that molecular profiling of nematode communities has the potential to reveal the effects of soil management on soil quality