Justice, and Only Justice, You Shall Pursue: Network Neutrality, the First Amendment and John Rawls\u27s Theory of Justice

As broadband becomes the public\u27s technology of choice to access the Internet, it is also emerging as the battlefield upon which the struggle for control of the Internet is being fought. Operators who provide physical access to the service claim the right to discriminate among the content providers who use the infrastructure in which the operators have invested. In contrast, content providers warn that exercising such a policy would undermine the principles that have made the Internet such a success. [...] For academic observers, analysis of this issue has thus far been confined to the areas of property law, innovation, and competition models. This study, however, offers a different framework for analyzing the network neutrality controversy, one that takes into account that the Internet is a new medium of mass self communication. The Internet provides a unique venue for civic engagement, exposure to information, and opportunity for education. The established frameworks that guide the regulation of traditional media are not necessarily suitable for this new form of communication because they fail to address its multi-participant character (as opposed to the limited-participant technologies of old media ), and the abundance created by its innovative technological form (as opposed to the scarcity which characterized old media ). Here arises the urgent need to address this debate in its appropriate context. While others have framed the debate in terms of another battle among the conflicting interests of large corporations, we view it as a struggle between the newly defined classes of haves and have-nots. We contend that using this new frame of reference should provide both those whose interests have been ignored by the regulation of past technologies, and the newly created have-nots, with an opportunity to better their social positioning by enjoying unobstructed access to the Internet as users. Therefore, we propose abandoning the utilitarian philosophy that has characterized U.S. telecommunications regulation--the outcome of which has been promoting the interests of a fortunate few--and adopting the alternative theory of John Rawls\u27s theory of justice. [...] The materialization of the promise of the Internet requires its maintenance as an open and neutral network. We are therefore concerned about the continued reliance on legacy policies and intend to offer here a new underlying theory for regulation of access to the Internet. We suggest that although Rawls\u27s theory preceded the popularization of the Internet by decades, it has the power to bridge the different policy narratives and offer a framework for maintaining the free nature of the Internet because it addresses both the social and economic nature of the Internet policy debate, accepts the general framework of market economy and capitalism, focuses on protecting fundamental rights, and proposes an egalitarian, fair, and just solution

A Review on European Union’s Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy and its Impact on Food Safety

In 2018, European Union adopted a European strategy for plastics in a circular economy as a part of theiraction plan for a circular economy. Sustainability is the underlying motivation behind the plasticsstrategy with a goal of addressing how plastics are designed, used and recycled in the EU. One of thestrategies outlined is that by 2030, all plastic packaging placed on the EU market is either reusable or canbe recycled in a cost-effective manner. A large portion of food packaging is multi-layer plastic that is notrecyclable in a cost-effective manner. Given the difficulties associated with recycling today’s complexfood packaging, what impacts will the European Union’s strategies for plastics in a circular economy haveon food safety? This article explores what is being done and what can be done to mitigate the risks tofood safety while adhering to the EU’s plastic strategy. It has been observed that the plastic plays a vitalrole in maintaining food safety, extending shelf-life and minimising food waste. However, it is currentlynot possible to recycle multi-layer plastic packaging which is widely used throughout the food industry,and there are currently no viable alternatives offering the same level of protection. Unless possiblesubstitutes to multi-layer plastics offering the same level of food protection can be developed then therewill be detrimental effects on food quality, safety and shelf-life, which will lead to increased food waste,additional food costs and a reduction in the variety and availability of certain foods

Conductance of amyloid β based peptide filaments: structure–function relations.

Controlling the morphology of self-assembled peptide nanostructures, particularly those based on amyloid peptides, has been the focus of intense research. In order to exploit these structures in electronic applications, further understanding of their electronic behavior is required. In this work, the role of peptide morphology in determining electronic conduction along self-assembled peptide nanofilament networks is demonstrated. The peptides used in this work were based on the sequence AAKLVFF, which is an extension of a core sequence from the amyloid b peptide. We show that the incorporation of a non-natural amino acid, 2-thienylalanine, instead of phenylalanine improves the obtained conductance with respect to that obtained for a similar structure based on the native sequence, which was not the case for the incorporation of 3-thienylalanine. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the morphology of the self-assembled structures, which can be controlled by the solvent used in the assembly process, strongly affects the conductance, with larger conduction obtained for a morphology of long, straight filaments. Our results demonstrate that, similar to natural systems, the assembly and folding of peptides could be of great importance for optimizing their function as components of electronic devices. Hence, sequence design and assembly conditions can be used to control the performance of peptide based structures in such electronic applications

"False negative -- that one is going to kill you": Understanding Industry Perspectives of Static Analysis based Security Testing

The demand for automated security analysis techniques, such as static analysis based security testing (SAST) tools continues to increase. To develop SASTs that are effectively leveraged by developers for finding vulnerabilities, researchers and tool designers must understand how developers perceive, select, and use SASTs, what they expect from the tools, whether they know of the limitations of the tools, and how they address those limitations. This paper describes a qualitative study that explores the assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and challenges experienced by developers who use SASTs. We perform in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 20 practitioners who possess a diverse range of software development expertise, as well as a variety of unique security, product, and organizational backgrounds. We identify $17$ key findings that shed light on developer perceptions and desires related to SASTs, and also expose gaps in the status quo - challenging long-held beliefs in SAST design priorities. Finally, we provide concrete future directions for researchers and practitioners rooted in an analysis of our findings.Comment: To be published in IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy 202

Homeotic Gene Teashirt (tsh) Has a Neuroprotective Function in Amyloid-Beta 42 Mediated Neurodegeneration

Background: Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is a debilitating age related progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of cognition, and eventual death of the affected individual. One of the major causes of AD is the accumulation of Amyloid-beta 42 (Aβ42) polypeptides formed by the improper cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the brain. These plaques disrupt normal cellular processes through oxidative stress and aberrant signaling resulting in the loss of synaptic activity and death of the neurons. However, the detailed genetic mechanism(s) responsible for this neurodegeneration still remain elusive. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have generated a transgenic Drosophila eye model where high levels of human Aβ42 is misexpressed in the differentiating photoreceptor neurons of the developing eye, which phenocopy Alzheimer\u27s like neuropathology in the neural retina. We have utilized this model for a gain of function screen using members of various signaling pathways involved in the development of the fly eye to identify downstream targets or modifiers of Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. We have identified the homeotic gene teashirt (tsh) as a suppressor of the Aβ42 mediated neurodegenerative phenotype. Targeted misexpression of tsh with Aβ42 in the differentiating retina can significantly rescue neurodegeneration by blocking cell death. We found that Tsh protein is absent/ downregulated in the neural retina at this stage. The structure function analysis revealed that the PLDLS domain of Tsh acts as an inhibitor of the neuroprotective function of tsh in the Drosophila eye model. Lastly, we found that the tsh paralog, tiptop (tio) can also rescue Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. Conclusions/Significance: We have identified tsh and tio as new genetic modifiers of Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. Our studies demonstrate a novel neuroprotective function of tsh and its paralog tio in Aβ42 mediated neurodegeneration. The neuroprotective function of tsh is independent of its role in retinal determination

Analysis of Neural Quantification and Phenotype through Immunofluorescence Stain in Oropharyngeal Cancer

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp21/1186/thumbnail.jp