Reasonable Expectations of Privacy in an Era of Drones and Deepfakes: Expanding the Supreme Court of Canada’s Decision in R v Jarvis

Perpetrators of Technology-Facilitated gender-based violence are taking advantage of increasingly automated and sophisticated privacy-invasive tools to carry out their abuse. Whether this be monitoring movements through stalker-ware, using drones to non-consensually film or harass, or manipulating and distributing intimate images online such as deep-fakes and creepshots, invasions of privacy have become a significant form of gender-based violence. Accordingly, our normative and legal concepts of privacy must evolve to counter the harms arising from this misuse of new technology. Canada’s Supreme Court recently addressed Technology-Facilitated violations of privacy in the context of voyeurism in R v Jarvis (2019). The discussion of privacy in this decision appears to be a good first step toward a more equitable conceptualization of privacy protection. Building on existing privacy theories, this chapter examines what the reasoning in Jarvis might mean for “reasonable expectations of privacy” in other areas of law, and how this concept might be interpreted in response to gender-based Technology-Facilitated violence. The authors argue the courts in Canada and elsewhere must take the analysis in Jarvis further to fully realize a notion of privacy that protects the autonomy, dignity, and liberty of all

Vacuum-UV negative photoion spectroscopy of CH4

Using synchrotron radiation in the range 12-35 eV, negative ions are detected by mass spectrometry following vacuum-UV photoexcitation of methane. Ion yields for H$^-$, CH$^-$ and CH$_2^-$ are recorded, the spectra of CH$^-$ and CH$_2^-$ for the first time. All ions display a linear dependence of signal with pressure, showing that they arise from unimolecular ion-pair dissociation. Cross sections for ion-pair formation are put onto an absolute scale by calibrating the signal strengths with those of F$^-$ from SF$_6$ and CF$_4$. Following normalisation to total vacuum-UV absorption cross sections, quantum yields for anion production are reported. There is a major discrepancy in the H$^-$ cross section with an earlier measurement, which remains unresolved. The anions arise from both direct and indirect ion-pair mechanisms. For a generic polyatomic molecule AB, the former is defined as AB $\rightarrow$ A$^-$ + B$^+$ (+ neutrals), the latter as the predissociative crossing of an initially-excited Rydberg state of AB by an ion-pair state. In a separate experiment, the threshold photoelectron spectrum of the second valence band of CH$_4$, ionisation to CH$_4^+$ A $^2$A$_1$ at 22.4 eV, is recorded with an instrumental resolution of 0.004 eV; many of the Rydberg states observed in indirect ion-pair formation converge to this state. The widths of the peaks are lifetime limited, increasing with increasing $v$ in the $v_1$ (a$_1$) vibrational ladder. They are the first direct measurement of an upper value to the dissociation rate of these levels into fragment ions

Leading edge stabilisation of vertical boundary layer diffusion flames

The leading edge stability of vertical boundary layer diffusion flames established over a 3D-printed porous gas burner is revealed through Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence imaging of the OH radical (OH-PLIF). Flame stability is studied by premixing methane and ethylene with increasing volume fractions of bromotrifluoromethane (CF3Br/Halon-1301) to increase the characteristic chemical timescale. Blow-off occurs at 15.7% and 37.3% CF3Br addition for methane and ethylene respectively, which are remarkably large limits compared to other flame configurations. As CF3Br is added, the flame stand-off distance increases and the reaction zone broadens, thereby increasing the flame length. This accelerates the buoyancy-induced flow ahead of the leading edge, promoting O2 entrainment into the flame anchor. Consequently, the radical scavenging effects on the flame anchor reactivity are dampened, resulting in the flame re-anchoring slightly downstream along the plate. Towards extinction, the flame shortens dramatically due to efficient catalytic cycling and radiative quenching at the flame tip resulting from the brominated species and excessive soot formation. This reduces the O2 mass flux into the kinetically dampened flame anchor resulting in blow-off extinction. Therefore, blow-off is controlled by both the leading edge reactivity and trailing edge length. Methane is shown to be considerably more sensitive compared to ethylene to CF3Br owing to its larger flame speed. These results demonstrate that fire-induced buoyancy greatly increases blow-off limits when using chemically active or inert agents in vertical wall fire configurations

Eaten alive: cannibalism is enhanced by parasites

Cannibalism is ubiquitous in nature and especially pervasive in consumers with stage-specific resource utilization in resource-limited environments. Cannibalism is thus influential in the structure and functioning of biological communities. Parasites are also pervasive in nature and, we hypothesize, might affect cannibalism since infection can alter host foraging behaviour. We investigated the effects of a common parasite, the microsporidian Pleistophora mulleri, on the cannibalism rate of its host, the freshwater amphipod Gammarus duebeni celticus. Parasitic infection increased the rate of cannibalism by adults towards uninfected juvenile conspecifics, as measured by adult functional responses, that is, the rate of resource uptake as a function of resource density. This may reflect the increased metabolic requirements of the host as driven by the parasite. Furthermore, when presented with a choice, uninfected adults preferred to cannibalize uninfected rather than infected juvenile conspecifics, probably reflecting selection pressure to avoid the risk of parasite acquisition. By contrast, infected adults were indiscriminate with respect to infection status of their victims, probably owing to metabolic costs of infection and the lack of risk as the cannibals were already infected. Thus parasitism, by enhancing cannibalism rates, may have previously unrecognized effects on stage structure and population dynamics for cannibalistic species and may also act as a selective pressure leading to changes in resource use

Functional Analysis of Spontaneous Cell Movement under Different Physiological Conditions

Cells can show not only spontaneous movement but also tactic responses to environmental signals. Since the former can be regarded as the basis to realize the latter, playing essential roles in various cellular functions, it is important to investigate spontaneous movement quantitatively at different physiological conditions in relation to cellular physiological functions. For that purpose, we observed a series of spontaneous movements by Dictyostelium cells at different developmental periods by using a single cell tracking system. Using statistical analysis of these traced data, we found that cells showed complex dynamics with anomalous diffusion and that their velocity distribution had power-law tails in all conditions. Furthermore, as development proceeded, average velocity and persistency of the movement increased and as too did the exponential behavior in the velocity distribution. Based on these results, we succeeded in applying a generalized Langevin model to the experimental data. With this model, we discuss the relation of spontaneous cell movement to cellular physiological function and its relevance to behavioral strategies for cell survival.Comment: Accepted to PLoS ON

Rofecoxib and cardiovascular adverse events in adjuvant treatment of colorectal cancer

Background Selective cyclooxygenase inhibitors may retard the progression of cancer, but they have enhanced thrombotic potential. We report on cardiovascular adverse events in patients receiving rofecoxib to reduce rates of recurrence of colorectal cancer. Methods All serious adverse events that were cardiovascular thrombotic events were reviewed in 2434 patients with stage II or III colorectal cancer participating in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of rofecoxib, 25 mg daily, started after potentially curative tumor resection and chemotherapy or radiotherapy as indicated. The trial was terminated prematurely owing to worldwide withdrawal of rofecoxib. To examine possible persistent risks, we examined cardiovascular thrombotic events reported up to 24 months after the trial was closed. Results The median duration of active treatment was 7.4 months. The 1167 patients receiving rofecoxib and the 1160 patients receiving placebo were well matched, with a median follow-up period of 33.0 months (interquartile range, 27.6 to 40.1) and 33.4 months (27.7 to 40.4), respectively. Of the 23 confirmed cardiovascular thrombotic events, 16 occurred in the rofecoxib group during or within 14 days after the treatment period, with an estimated relative risk of 2.66 (from the Cox proportional-hazards model; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03 to 6.86; P = 0.04). Analysis of the Antiplatelet Trialists’ Collaboration end point (the combined incidence of death from cardiovascular, hemorrhagic, and unknown causes; of nonfatal myocardial infarction; and of nonfatal ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke) gave an unadjusted relative risk of 1.60 (95% CI, 0.57 to 4.51; P = 0.37). Fourteen more cardiovascular thrombotic events, six in the rofecoxib group, were reported within the 2 years after trial closure, with an overall unadjusted relative risk of 1.50 (95% CI, 0.76 to 2.94; P = 0.24). Four patients in the rofecoxib group and two in the placebo group died from thrombotic causes during or within 14 days after the treatment period, and during the follow-up period, one patient in the rofecoxib group and five patients in the placebo group died from cardiovascular causes. Conclusions Rofecoxib therapy was associated with an increased frequency of adverse cardiovascular events among patients with a median study treatment of 7.4 months’ duration. (Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN98278138.

Facilitation of non-indigenous ascidian by marine eco-engineering interventions at an urban site

Marine artificial structures often support lower native species diversity and more non-indigenous species (NIS), but adding complex habitat and using bioreceptive materials have the potential to mitigate these impacts. Here, the interacting effects of structural complexity (flat, complex with pits) and concrete mixture (standard, or with oyster shell or vermiculite aggregate) on recruitment were assessed at two intertidal levels at an urban site. Complex tiles had less green algal cover, oyster shell mixtures had less brown (Ralfsia sp.) algal cover. At a low tidal elevation, the non-indigenous ascidian Styela plicata dominated complex tiles. Additionally, mixtures with oyster shell supported higher total cover of sessile species, and a higher cover of S. plicata. There were no effects of complexity or mixture on biofilm communities and native and NIS richness. Overall, these results suggest that habitat complexity and some bioreceptive materials may facilitate colonisation by a dominant invertebrate invader on artificial structures

On the structure of buoyant fires with varying levels of fuel-turbulence

This paper employs a novel burner to study the effects of fuel-generated turbulence on the spatial and temporal structure of buoyant turbulent diffusion flames which are representative of large fires. Fuel-turbulence levels are increased using a perforated plate that issues high-velocity jets, enabling shearing of the fuel stream. The perforated plate may be recessed to control the turbulence level at the jet exit plane. It is shown that the exit plane axial velocity fluctuations can be increased from 0.135 m/s to 1.813 m/s. Varying the levels of fuel-turbulence in the burner allows for the control of key processes defining buoyant fires such as the spatial and temporal flame structure and flame instability modes. These processes are characterised by high-speed simultaneous imaging of planar laser-induced fluorescence of the OH radical (OH-PLIF) and Mie scattering from soot particles. Increasing the fuel-turbulence level deforms the flame, which promotes non-radial lateral entrainment into the flame sheet. This results in a sharp increase in the tilting of the near-field flame sheet along the vertical flame axis. Strong angular entrainment forces are shown to overcome the diffusive and thermal expansive forces at the flame neck, which leads to a strained asymmetric sinuous flame pinch-off instability, followed by separation of the flame base. Sinuous pinch-off instabilities occur at a greater frequency than the symmetric varicose pinch-off instabilities observed for flames with low fuel-turbulence. The asymmetric stretching of the flame neck inhibits the formation of the classical puffing instability formed with an axisymmetric plume that defines classically buoyant flames. Probability density functions calculated for the flame front curvature and flame surface area are shown to monotonically broaden in the near-field region of the flame due to lateral entrainment effects. The transition to buoyancy-driven turbulence also shifts to an increasingly more upstream location. This burner, with its well-defined boundary conditions and novel data, forms a platform for advancing capabilities to model complex fire phenomena including turbulence-buoyancy interactions