The Digital Pandemic

In response to viral spreads of disinformation in the 21st century, most notably in 2020, this paper analyzes Section 230 of the Communications Decency Cct as currently written. Presently, much ambiguity surrounds the actual purpose and implications Section 230 denotes for the United States, and the world. Heads of the largest technology companies frequently come under fire, called upon by both politicians and the public to combat the spread of disinformation on the internet. In this paper, I present an analysis of Section 230 from its inception to today, followed by an examination of platofmr-by-platform decisions on how to best comply with the statue. I argue revoking section 230 i snot a reasonable colution, rather a statutory modification coupled with heightened industry collaboratoion will serve to uphold the section's original objectives set forth in 1996.</jats:p

Neuromorphic Computing

In the face of increasingly large computational demands and the impending halt to Moore's law, the semiconductor industry has been forced to re-evaluate the traditional computing paradism. Central to this re-evaluation has been the novel development of neuromorphic computing - an approach that, at its core, seeks to replicate the brain in silicon. Despite challenges on the algorithmic front, neuromorphic computing promises a massively parallel, efficicient, and scalable computational solution with large implications on the daily lives of consumers. The future of the technology, however, is uncertain. With the rise of high performance and Quantum computing as promising alternatives, te semiconductor industry at large must consider the extent to which neuromorphic computing can emerge as a viable and feasible solution in the coming years. It is vital, therefore, to understand the theoretical underpinnings of the neuromorphic approach and predict the likelihood of its implementation within the next decade</jats:p

The Demon of the Belfry

The Penny Press' sensational coverage of the 1895 Emmanuel Church Murders (committed by San Francisco Medical zstudent Theofore Durrant) highlighted their obsession with deviant sexuality and gruesome violence. Contemporary newspapers continually cited Durrant's lack of romantic success, highlighted his peculiar medical background, speculated about his intimate relationship with his mother, and emphasized the maidenhood of his two young female victims - all while engaging in what scholar Karen Haltunnen terms the 'Pornography of Violence'. Scholars have not sufficiently studied how newspapers and other media during this time romanticized traditional sexual relationships while simultaneously fetishizing violence - especially if that violence was sexual in nature. This paper will argue that rapidly changing conceptions of sexual normativity during the Gilded Age - and the conflict between representatives on both sides of that fierce debate - manifested themselves in the implicity, and often these explicity sexualized coverage of Durrant.</jats:p

Legalizing Love

This paper analyzes how the state-level legalizations and national legalization of gay marriage affected the number of children adopted in the United States—both on average and in each of the five age groups. To this end, this paper uses a difference regression using data from the Kids Count Data Center, which details the number of children in each of five age groups adopted each year from 2000 to 2017. This regression analysis found a 9.1% increase in the number of total adoptions after the 2016 national legalization of gay marriage. However, the analysis also found that a state’s legalization was correlated with an 8% decrease in adoptions in that state, creating a complexity in the results that underlines the need for further research. However, the difference in effect between state-level and national legalizations may imply that the barriers to gay couples adopting in the United States may be more cultural than explicitly legal.</jats:p

Unmasking Medical Frauds

This paper investigates how the evolution of the e-commerce market in conjunction with the extensive reach of globalization has brought about new ways for illicit trade to circumvent regulation, especially in the multibillion dollar industry that is the international trade of counterfeit pharmaceutical products. Developing countries are often especially vulnerable to the increasingly sophisticated methods for circulating falsely advertised medicines, medical equipment, and healthcare accessories due to unstable political environments and local governance. The effects of the consumption of false medical products call for action in regard to regulation and prevention via legislation and technological advances. Economic implications as well as the numerous dangers posed to consumers worldwide make illicit trade in the medical sector a pressing concern, especially in the face of global health emergencies like the current pandemic.</jats:p

Pronouns and Personhood

This paper argues that that to have gender is not having certain reproductive anatomy, but is instead the social meaning of sex. Gender has now become a social construct imposed upon the human person, thwarting their ability to identify as the social gender they subscribe to. Because we seek to identify and organize persons into socio-sexual hierarchy, the gender revolution of the twenty-first century, especially through the identification of personal pronouns, poses al arger question, greater than one of gender orientation. While sociologists are addressing the recent effects of personal pronoun usage, the purpose of this inquiry is to acknowledge the lack of new research material in philosophy and gender/queer theory, an interdisciplinary field that requires attention. I propose a reevaluation of the problems of gender identity along with the intersection of free will and biological determinism and to fill in the gaps in previous thinking surrounding social construction, the self, and personhood—all questions prompted by the gender revolution.</jats:p

The Force on the Front

Police involvement in the Christian Front Movement in Brooklyn, NY grew unnoticed from 1938-1940, resulting in anti-semitic violence even after the police comissioner and mayor were forced to address the issue after the arrest in 1940 of 17 Christian Front Members accused of planning terrorist activities. The Christian Front was able to grow in an area like Brooklyn due to its high population of Irish-Catholics, and since the Christian Front was a religiously-based anti-semitic group led by an Irish Catholic priest, these people aligned well with the movement's beliefs. With a large Irish-Catholic police force, it is evident that the police not only had membership in the Christian Front but also those sympathetic to the movement. The stronghold of the Christian Front and the anti-semitic beliefs prevalent throughout the NYPD resulted in the creation of an environment where anti0semitic attacks could proliferate unaddressed, and where Irish Catholic nationalists could spread and impose their beliefs of anti-semitism and through their position of power in a law enforcement role. </jats:p

Let the Sun do the Work

PV-Battery systems offer a viable technological alternative to intermittent, stand-alone PV systems when deployed at the residential level. PV-Battery systems allow households to significantly reduce their reliance on the electric grid by storing excess electricity generated from theu solar panels for self-consumption. This study investigates the extent to which residential PV-Battery systems offer economic and environmental benefits to Massachusetts homeowners throughout their operational lifetime. Using spreadsheet models, I represent the energy flows, cash flows, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with residential PV-Battery systems in Massachusetts under different economic and technological assumptions. Results indicate that these systems are a viable means for homeowners to save money and reduce their carbon footprint. Economic performance of residential PV-Battery systems is deeply impacted by federal and state subsidies, as well as net metering offerings and electricity rate structures. System size also offers certain tradeoffs between economic and environmental performance.</jats:p