Toward Fair, Accountable, and Transparent Algorithms: Case Studies on Algorithm Initiatives in Korea and China

© 2019, © 2019 EURICOM. Algorithms are playing an increasingly huge role becoming a big part of human lives. With the conceptualisation of algorithms as a socio-technical system, this study investigates algorithm initiatives in Korea and China in terms of the opportunities, risks, and challenges embedded in their development. This study analyses algorithm development and trends from a critical socio-technical lens: social, technological, cultural, and industrial phenomena that represent strategic interactions involving people, technology, and society and elicit sensitive legal, cultural, and ethical rhetoric issues. Despite rosy predictions and proactive drives, new risks related to privacy, transparency, and fairness emerge as critical concerns of the social ramifications of algorithms and of their impacts on the new information milieu. With these emerging issues, questions are raised on the ways to govern algorithms and to respond to potential outcomes that such a policy approach may have on society and industry. Both Korea and China will likely struggle with the social cost of AI as it challenges what it means to be fair, transparent, and accountable. The socio-political implications of algorithms are discussed to identify key issues as both countries progress toward an algorithm-based, AI-driven society

Blockchain: The emerging technology of digital trust

© 2019 Elsevier Ltd Trust in individual relationships with blockchain has become an increasingly prominent issue. This study introduces a key heuristic used to assess trust in blockchain by analyzing how privacy and security concerns about blockchains have an impact on the user\u27s attitude and behavior. It proposes a blockchain user model by integrating security and privacy as primary influencing factors of trust and behavioral intent. The results from a user experience model of blockchain users confirm that the model explains user experience and predicts behavioral intent of blockchain. The results establish users’ cognitive role in embedding privacy and security in blockchain. The research contributes to the ongoing research by clarifying the role and dimension of trust in relation to security and privacy in blockchains and provides heuristic implications for academia and industry

Melanotan-II reverses autistic features in a maternal immune activation mouse model of autism

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interactions, difficulty with communication, and repetitive behavior patterns. In humans affected by ASD, there is a male pre-disposition towards the condition with a male to female ratio of 4:1. In part due to the complex etiology of ASD including genetic and environmental interplay, there are currently no available medical therapies to improve the social deficits of ASD. Studies in rodent models and humans have shown promising therapeutic effects of oxytocin in modulating social adaptation. One pharmacological approach to stimulating oxytocinergic activity is the melanocortin receptor 4 agonist Melanotan-II (MT-II). Notably the effects of oxytocin on environmental rodent autism models has not been investigated to date. We used a maternal immune activation (MIA) mouse model of autism to assess the therapeutic potential of MT-II on autism-like features in adult male mice. The male MIA mice exhibited autism-like features including impaired social behavioral metrics, diminished vocal communication, and increased repetitive behaviors. Continuous administration of MT-II to male MIA mice over a seven-day course resulted in rescue of social behavioral metrics. Normal background C57 male mice treated with MT-II showed no significant alteration in social behavioral metrics. Additionally, there was no change in anxiety-like or repetitive behaviors following MT-II treatment of normal C57 mice, though there was significant weight loss following subacute treatment. These data demonstrate MT-II as an effective agent for improving autism-like behavioral deficits in the adult male MIA mouse model of autism

Thumb movement and touch-based interaction heuristics in smart devices: Advances in human and smart device interaction

Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. The goal of this study was to examine the effects of interaction techniques (e.g., swiping and tapping) and the range of thumb movements on interactivity, engagement, attitude, and behavioral intention in single-handed interaction by focusing on interactions with mobile devices such as smartphones. This study adopted the perspective of the hybrid definition of interactivity, which includes the interactivity effect outcomes mediated by perceived interactivity. A 2 (technological features: swiping and tapping) × 2 (range of thumb movement: wide and narrow) between-participant experiment was conducted. The results showed the ranges of thumb movement to have significant effects on perceived interactivity, engagement, attitude, and behavioral intention, whereas no effects were observed for interaction techniques. A narrow range of thumb movement had more influence on the interactivity outcomes, rather than a wide range of thumb movement. The implications of the finding were discussed

Contining a Corona Misinfeelernic and Covidiocy: Political Talk Shows on German Public-Service IV

Misinformation surrounding the pandemic has spread rapidly in this age of digital virality. We argue that the factual and science-based discussion of the corona crisis on Anne Will and Maybrit Illner, two political talk shows on German public-service television, has contributed to containing both a potential misinfodemic and the virus itself. We use thematic analysis to interpret the data from ten shows in March at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany. In our study, we examine the extent to which the talk shows rely on the expertise of scientists, particularly virologists, as they refer questions to the experts and discuss the coronavirus pandemic among the participants in an effort to debunk myths and to fight fake news

Degeneration and impaired regeneration of gray matter oligodendrocytes in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Oligodendrocytes associate with axons to establish myelin and provide metabolic support to neurons. In the spinal cord of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) mice, oligodendrocytes downregulate transporters that transfer glycolytic substrates to neurons and oligodendrocyte progenitors (NG2(+) cells) exhibit enhanced proliferation and differentiation, although the cause of these changes in oligodendroglia is unknown. We found extensive degeneration of gray matter oligodendrocytes in the spinal cord of SOD1 (G93A) ALS mice prior to disease onset. Although new oligodendrocytes were formed, they failed to mature, resulting in progressive demyelination. Oligodendrocyte dysfunction was also prevalent in human ALS, as gray matter demyelination and reactive changes in NG2(+) cells were observed in motor cortex and spinal cord of ALS patients. Selective removal of mutant SOD1 from oligodendroglia substantially delayed disease onset and prolonged survival in ALS mice, suggesting that ALS-linked genes enhance the vulnerability of motor neurons and accelerate disease by directly impairing the function of oligodendrocytes

Toxic effects of ammonia exposure on growth performance, hematological parameters, and plasma components in rockfish, Sebastes schlegelii, during thermal stress

Abstract Rockfish, Sebastes schlegelii (mean length 14.53 ± 1.14 cm and mean weight 38.36 ± 3.45 g), were exposed for 4 weeks with the different levels of ammonia in the concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/L at 19 and 24 °C. The indicators of growth performance such as daily length gain, daily weight gain, condition factor, and hematosomatic index were significantly reduced by the ammonia exposure and high temperature. The ammonia exposure induced a significant decrease in hematological parameters, such as red blood cell (RBC) count, white blood cell (WBC) count, hemoglobin (Hb), and hematocrit (Ht), whose trend was more remarkable at 24 °C. Mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were also notably decreased by the ammonia exposure. Blood ammonia concentration was considerably increased by the ammonia concentration exposure. In the serum components, the glucose, glutamic oxalate transaminase (GOT), and glutamic pyruvate transaminase (GPT) were substantially increased by the ammonia exposure, whereas total protein was significantly decreased. But, the calcium and magnesium were not considerably changed

Watching the Watchdogs: A Conceptual Model for Media Accountability in a Non-Western Country

Professional and academic debates on the role of media accountability instruments (MAIs) have so far largely focused on Western democracies and on solving the issues of transparency and trust through press and media councils, ombudspersons, media criticism fora, and digital forms of media accountability. They have notably ignored the disruptive force of media technologies in the context of the rise of algorithm-driven platforms. This paper draws on Von Krogh [Von Krogh, T. 2012. Understanding Media Accountability Media Accountability in Relation To Media Criticism and Media Governance in Sweden 1940–2010. PhD Diss. Mid Sweden University] amended version of McQuail (2005) and Bardoel and d’Haenens’ models (2004. “Media Responsibility and Accountability: New Conceptualizations and Practices.” Communications 29: 5–25. doi:10.1515/comm.2004.007) to propose an enhanced model that takes into account the state/media relations in non-democratic societies and the disruptive force of media technologies and algorithm-driven platforms. In-depth semi-structured interviews with 12 prominent media practitioners were conducted. The findings suggest the limits of normative conceptualizations of media accountability when adopted and applied to non-democratic countries. We propose a model that explains the role of media technologies and algorithms-driven platforms as game changers in the debate on media accountability in non-Western countries

Striatal neuroinflammation promotes parkinsonism in rats

The specific role of neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease remains to be fully elucidated. By infusing lipopolysaccharide (LPS) into the striatum, we investigated the effect of neuroinflammation on the dopamine nigrostriatal pathway. Here, we report that LPS-induced neuroinflammation in the striatum causes progressive degeneration of the dopamine nigrostriatal system, which is accompanied by motor impairments resembling parkinsonism. Our results indicate that neurodegeneration is associated with defects in the mitochondrial respiratory chain related to extensive S-nitrosylation/nitration of mitochondrial proteins. Mitochondrial injury was prevented by treatment of L-N^6^-(l-iminoethyl)-lysine, an inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitor, suggesting that iNOS-derived NO is responsible for mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, the nigral dopamine neurons exhibited intracytoplasmic [alpha]-synuclein and ubiquitin accumulation. These results demonstrate that degeneration of nigral dopamine neurons by neuroinflammation is associated with mitochondrial malfunction induced by NO-mediated S-nitrosylation/nitration of mitochondrial proteins