The Global Legal Standards Report

The IUC Independent Policy Report was drafted by the “IUC Legal Standards Research Group," organized by a Steering Committee chaired by Ugo Mattei (International University College of Turin), coordinated by Edoardo Reviglio (International University College of Turin) and Giuseppe Mastruzzo (International University College of Turin), and composed by Franco Bassanini (University of Rome “La Sapienza"), Guido Calabresi (Yale University), Antoine Garapon (Institut des Hautes Etudes sur la Justice, Paris), and Tibor Varady (Central European University, Budapest). Contributors include Eugenio Barcellona (Eastern Piedmont University), Mauro Bussani (University of Trieste), Giuliano G. Castellano (Ecole Polytechnique, Preg/CRG), Moussa Djiré (Bamako University), Liu Guanghua (Lanzhou University), Golnoosh Hakimdavar (University of Turin), John Haskell (SOAS), Jedidiah J. Kroncke (Yale Law School), Andrea Lollini (Bologna University), Alberto Lucarelli (Federico II University), Boris N. Mamlyuk, (University of Turin), Alberto Monti (Bocconi University), Sergio Ariel Muro (Torquato di Tella University), Domenico Nicolò (Mediterranean University of Reggio Calabria), and Nicola Sartori (University of Michigan).

Thinking Outside the Black-Box: The Case for "Algorithmic Sovereignty" in Social Media

This article is an interdisciplinary critical analysis of personalization systems and the gatekeeping role of current mainstream social media. The first section presents a literature review of data-driven personalization and its challenges in social media. The second section sheds light on increasing concerns regarding algorithms' ability to overtly persuade—and covertly manipulate—users for the sake of engagement, introducing the emergence of the exclusive ownership of behavioral modification through hyper-nudging techniques. The third section empirically analyzes users' expectations and behaviors regarding such data-driven personalization to frame a conceptualization of users' agency. The fourth section introduces the concept of "algorithmic sovereignty." Current projects that aim to grant this algorithmic sovereignty highlight some potential applications. Together this novel theoretical framework and empirical applications suggest that, to preserve trust, social media should open their personalization algorithms to a social negotiation as the first step toward a more sustainable social media landscape. To decentralize the immense power of mainstream social media, guarantee a democratic oversight, and mitigate the unintended undesirable consequences of their algorithmic curation, public institutions and civil society could help in developing and researching public algorithms, fostering a collective awareness so as to eventually ensure a fair and accountable "algorithmic sovereignty.

Escritos para pensar o público-político em tempos de algoritmos e plataformas conectivas

Las discusiones sobre lo público se han suscitado en el debate académico desde las primeras conceptualizaciones realizadas entre fines de la década del ‘50 y principios de los ‘60 del siglo XX por Hannah Arendt y Jürgen Haber­mas en sus ya clásicos La condición humana e Historia y crítica de la opinión pública, respectivamente. Los cuestionamientos, atenuaciones y respuestas a estos planteos no tardaron en aparecer, incluso, contemporáneamente a la publicación de las obras mencionadas. A aquel conjunto de planteos —que varios autores de este volumen recuperan y problematizan— se suman hoy los diferentes argumentos que se han precipitado en relación con los recientes cambios acaecidos en la configuración de la esfera pública, sobre todo aquellos vinculados con el desarrollo del proceso histórico de mediatización.Fil: Reviglio, María Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Relaciones Internacionales. Instituto de Investigaciones. Centro de Investigaciones en Mediatizaciones; ArgentinaFil: Raimondo Anselmino, Natalia. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Políticas y Relaciones Internacionales. Instituto de Investigaciones. Centro de Investigaciones en Mediatizaciones; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

COVID-19 and Ophthalmology: A New Chapter in an Old Story

Editorial, No Abstrac

COVID-19 and Ophthalmology: A New Chapter in an Old Story

Editorial, No Abstrac

La enseñanza y el aprendizaje de la Biología a través de la lectura, la escritura y las TIC

Esta propuesta pedagógica fue diseñada con el propósito de promover una interacción más eficiente entre la lectura, la escritura y las nuevas tecnologías en contextos escolares de aprendizaje. Asimismo, representa un intento de revalorizar la lectura y la escritura como herramientas para la construcción de la subjetividad, la inclusión social, la apropiación de saberes considerados valiosos y la formación de competencias. En el escenario actual, las nuevas tecnologías imparten características particulares a la cultura de lo escrito que exigen ser tenidas en cuenta a la hora de analizar su transmisión en los espacios escolares.Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Escuela Superior de Comercio "Libertador General San Martín". Departamento de Física, Biología y Química; Argentin

Leitura e escrita em biologia. Uma experiência pedagógica com TIC

This paper shows the results of a pedagogical experience, which linked reading and writing skills to information and communication technologies (ict) as didactic strategies to teach and learn biology. This work was based on academic literacy theory (Carlino, 2013) and was performed involving 32 third degree students of one of the Secondary Schools of the University of Rosario. The activities consisted of critical reading of specialized publications in printed and digital format, written production of reports and critical comments  and use of a social network to share information. Regarding the results, during the experience, the authors could see positive transformations in both behavior and cognitive performance among pupils involved. This fact points to the importance of thinking deeply about the role of reading and writing as didactic strategies to learn specific language usages in each scientific field. Besides, ict demands new skills to read, write, and participate in virtual spaces. At this point, schools are the most suitable place to learn about them.El presente escrito describe una experiencia pedagógica en la cual la lectura y la escritura se integraron con nuevas tecnologías de la información y la comunicación (tic) para funcionar como estrategias didácticas mediadoras del proceso de enseñanza y de aprendizaje de la biología. El trabajo se realizó desde la perspectiva teórica de la alfabetización académica (Carlino, 2013) con 32 alumnos de tercer año de una de las escuelas de Enseñanza Media de la Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Las actividades consistieron en lectura crítica de publicaciones científicas y de divulgación en formato impreso y digital, producción escrita de informes y de comentarios críticos y utilización de una red social para compartir información. Respecto de los resultados, en el desarrollo fue posible observar en los alumnos una serie de transformaciones actitudinales y cognitivas superadoras, que llaman a reflexionar sobre el rol que desempeñan la lectura y la escritura como recursos de aprendizaje de los sistemas de conceptos y métodos y de los usos del lenguaje específico de cada disciplina científica. Asimismo, las transformaciones impuestas por las tic demandan el desarrollo de competencias particulares relacionadas con las nuevas formas de leer, escribir y participar que encuentran en las prácticas áulicas un espacio apropiado para su aprendizaje.Este artigo descreve uma experiência pedagógica, na qual a leitura e a escrita foram integradas às novas tecnologias da informação e comunicação (tic) para funcionar como estratégias educacionais mediando o processo de ensino e aprendizagem da biologia. O trabalho foi realizado sob a perspectiva teórica da alfabetização acadêmica (Carlino, 2013) com 32 alunos do terceiro ano de uma das escolas secundárias da Universidade Nacional de Rosário. As atividades consistiram na leitura crítica de publicações científicas e de divulgação em formato impresso e digital, produção escrita de relatórios e comentários críticos e uso de uma rede social para compartilhar informações. Quanto aos resultados, no desenvolvimento foi possível observar nos alunos uma série de superações de transformações atitudinais e cognitivas, que exigem refletir sobre o papel da leitura e da escrita como recursos de aprendizagem dos sistemas de conceitos e métodos e de os usos específicos da linguagem de cada disciplina científica. Da mesma forma, as transformações impostas pelas tics exigem o desenvolvimento de competências específicas relacionadas às novas formas de ler, escrever e participar que encontram nas práticas em sala de aula um espaço adequado para sua aprendizagem

Photophysical and photodynamic analysis of different formulations of riboflavin

Background: Riboflavin (Rb) has been used in the ophthalmological procedure known as corneal cross-linking (CXL). Pathologies requiring this treatment include keratoconus, corneal ectasia, and infectious keratitis. Rb is instilled via different molecules that are transported into the tissues. However, each vehicle imparts different properties that alter the photodynamic behavior of Rb, leading to variable concentrations of free radicals within the medium. The objective of this study was to measure the concentrations of free radicals produced by commonly used Rb formulations. To determine the free radical production level of each formulation, L-tryptophan (L-Tryp) was used as a model substrate because it can be efficiently photo-oxidized. Methods: We investigated the photodegradation of L-Tryp and its kinetics upon light exposure. The spectra were recorded using a Shimadzu UV-1800 PC spectrophotometer and a Cary Eclipse fluorescence spectrophotometer. A high-power solid-state LED light source was used for irradiation. L-Tryp degradation was performed using a 9-W LED lamp, and steady-state photolysis was conducted in quartz cells. The observed rate constants for L-Tryp degradation were determined by analyzing the changes in absorbance and fluorescence intensity. Data analysis was performed using Origin software. Results: We examined the characteristics of the photophysical and photodynamic action of the carriers in different commercially available Rb formulations. These included a) Rb with dextran, b) Rb without dextran, c) VibeX Rapid® (hydroxypropylmethylcellulose as a vehicle), d) Trans-Epithelial Kit (I) (sodium chloride as a vehicle), and e) Trans-Epithelial Kit (II) (benzalkonium chloride as a vehicle), using L-Tryp as a model substrate, and focusing on absorption and emission spectra. VibeX Rapid® exhibited the highest photo-degradation constant. The study affirmed the stability of Rb formulations for CXL and highlighted the efficacy of VibeX Rapid® in L-Tryp photo-oxidation and this rationalizes its current use as a CXL agent. Conclusions: We demonstrated that formulations for transport of Rb are of crucial importance in CXL applications. Rb in the VibeX Rapid® formulation is more effective in generating photo-degradation, and this reflects its superior performance in CXL. Future experiments should be designed and conducted to quantitatively differentiate the production of free radicals. Studies involving human participants could shed light on the clinical efficacy and safety of the available Rb formulations