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Unelected Digital Sovereigns? A Review of The Tech Coup
Full text linkThis review of The Tech Coup: How to Save Democracy from Silicon Valley by Marietje Schaake explores the author’s urgent argument that unregulated technology companies pose a grave threat to democratic institutions. Drawing on her experience as a European lawmaker and global tech policy advisor, Schaake critiques the unchecked power of Big Tech firms like Meta, Google, and Amazon, examining how their influence over information, governance, and global markets undermines accountability and democratic norms. The review highlights her call for stronger regulation, public awareness, and civic action, while commending the book’s clarity, authority, and practical roadmap for restoring democratic control in the digital age.
Asthma and Air Pollution in the San Francisco East Bay
Full text linkPrimarily low-income, Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) neighborhoods face disproportionate exposure to environmental hazards in the United States today. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of environmental racism during the past century. It outlines the historical precedent for policies that perpetuate environmental racism and health inequality while highlighting how they negatively impact health outcomes in the San Francisco Bay Area. Specifically, this analysis explores the ban against non-passenger trucks weighing more than 9,000 lbs on Interstate-580, which traverses the predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood of Oakland Hills in Oakland, California. Consequently, air traffic pollution on Interstate-880, the alternative highway in East Bay that runs through low-income communities of color in West Oakland, bears the burden of air traffic pollution related to trucking. Poor health outcomes, such as the prevalence of asthma and recent wheeze, are elevated in communities near I-880 as compared to I-580. Moreover, greater rates of traffic-related air pollutants, such as black carbon, nitrous oxide, and nitrogen dioxide have been shown to be greater near I-880 than near I-580. This paper explores past successes in the pursuit of environmental justice in California and builds on existing theories to propose potential solutions to the crisis in Oakland
American Humanitarianism: The Unique Opportunity for US Military Policy in a World Increasingly Confronted with the Realities of Climate Change
Full text linkThe foreign policy of the United States is at a point of inflection. Policymakers are confronted by the arrival of climate change, intensifying US-China great power competition, damaged American creditability, faltering US global health leadership, and the lack of American grand strategy. Most pressingly, the window for completely preventing climate change has passed as increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, and more frequent and devesting natural disasters effect populations worldwide. In order to develop an effective response to these challenges, we should learn from previous humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations (HADR) which have been shown to significantly change a country’s perception abroad, deepen bilateral and multilateral cooperation, improve the readiness of a country’s military, while also building resilience and providing aid during times of need. As such, this paper specifically recommends policymakers consider increasing reactive HADR missions, improving HADR mission readiness, increasing proactive HA missions, increasing funding for HADR and HADR-capable assets, and reforming the combatant command structure
All Work and No Play Makes TikTok a Dull Platform: The Influence of TikTok’s ‘Hustle Culture’ on Productivity in the Digital Age
Full text linkAn explorative opinion piece on TikTok\u27s hustle culture and how working spaces and everyday experiences are changing due to this phenomenon. Drawing upon key creators and practices on the TikTok platform, this paper will analyse how hustle culture redefines the self and perception of others and explores how the sociomaterial conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic bring together technologies and bodies to help better interpret TikTok’s role in the nature of work
The Model Blindspot in Research and Intervention: How The Model Minority Myth Deprives Us of Significant Data
No full textWithin the demographics of most research studies, if diversity is present within multiple groups, there\u27s almost always one that\u27s classified as a monolith: "Asian." What does it mean to be a part of the model minority in the United States? When are we allowed to have the problems research considers important to study? How do we approach the highly stigmatized Asian population when recruiting? This article touches on the research statistics that make studying these differences crucial in research, and provides suggestions on how to make research include these groups better in the future.
Conscious AI Should Be Managed Similarly to Humans
Full text linkAI systems are becoming increasingly prominent and ubiquitous in our daily lives. For example, one can find AI systems in social media and in large language models (ex. ChatGPT) used to predict user behavior and text input. While these AI systems can be useful, they still have problems aligning with our human values. This paper will conduct a systematic review of ethical AI design methods, and discuss instances where these design methods assisted AI in aligning with human values. Then we will discuss how AI developing human consciousness may change the implementation of these design methods. This paper provides a potential way to think about how to manage AI in the case it develops human consciousness
A solution to stabilizing eVTOL and UAM passenger bodies for medical air transportation (air ambulances)
Full text linkThis research paper proposes an innovative solution to address challenges faced by air ambulances, particularly in ensuring patient stability and comfort during flight. The solution comprises a gyroscopic body design and an AI-controlled stabilization system. The gyroscopic design involves a multi-layered structure with interconnected components: a primary hollow base housing flight equipment, a secondary stabilizer maintaining lateral stability, and a central medical body for patients and medical teams. The stabilization system employs modified carpentry levels, cameras, and spherical weights to detect and correct changes in the medical body\u27s center of gravity. The proposed solution enhances patient stability, mitigates motion sickness, and provides a stable platform for medical procedures. It offers potential benefits such as smoother patient transfers, improved flight efficiency, and safer working conditions for the flight crew. The integration of advanced technology showcases the synergy between aerospace engineering and AI, highlighting the adaptability of modern tools in enhancing air ambulance operations. Overall, this comprehensive solution aims to revolutionize air ambulance services, enhancing patient care and operational efficiency in emergency medical scenarios
Use of AI in Civil Engineering, its Problems and Solutions
Full text linkCivil engineering being an important field, it has not remained aloof from the global advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). This paper aims to discuss AI technologies in relation to civil engineering and their applicability, advantages and disadvantages. Civil engineering graduates’ use of AI methods like machine learning, neural networks, and deep learning show great potential for innovative practices in aspects like structural health monitoring, construction management, and predicting maintenance needs. To demonstrate the role of AI in civil engineering, this paper compiles a summary and analysis on literature as well as case studies that reveals how AI performs the tasks better by making predictions that are precise; how design procedures are made better; and how safety and efficiency are improved in the execution of civil engineering projects. However, the following problems remain: data quality problems, need for specialized knowledge, and AI’s interaction with current systems. The presented study outlines the recommendations on how to overcome these problems: data management should be consistently regulated across studies, and AI specialists and civil engineers should work closely together; AI-based methodologies should be integrated into academic curricula. Thus, this paper is to present the analysis of the above mentioned aspects to reveal the future perspectives of AI in CE and critical points that may need further study and development
Cloudy days for solar energy: A study of the Spanish solar photovoltaic Feed-in Tariff through the Multi-Level Perspective and Socio-technical Transition Pathways
Full text linkThis article explores the under-researched area of policy failures from a Multi-level Perspective (MLP) theoretical framework. In the process, it builds on MLP as a framework and suggests theoretical additions that may increase its explanatory power: the consideration of politics in regimes by exploring power dynamics and the importance of landscapes in influencing transitions. The article offers a contextualization of energy policy in Spain. It then outlines the theoretical framework combining MLP to the socio-technical transition pathways and adding political economy to the regime level. In the analysis it explores the interactions between niche, regime and landscapes followed by a discussion of the ability of the theory to explain and explore policy failures. The article concludes landscape and regime levels are essential in explaining the Spanish SPV case while highlighting the importance of power relations, especially within the regime level. It finally challenges Multi-level Perspective to further explore the complexity of the relations among its different levels. The article suggests further exploration of policy failures as a source of both theoretical and political insight
A Case Study of Linguistic Manipulation in Exxon’s Corpus of Internal and Public Communications as Discourse Strategy to Neutralize Public Opposition
Full text linkThe increase in scientific research in the late 1900s prompted questioning in Exxon, an oil giant, on the ethics of their operations. Exxon responded with numerous public statements and documents that shed off accusations and critics. Exxon was able to operate despite numerous obstacles for decades. The linguistic strategies of epistemic modality, first person plural personal pronouns, and textual complexity implemented in these stated texts highlight a trend of functioning to cast doubt and prevent opposition. A case study of primary documents shared internally and publicly highlighted major differences in the textual metafunction of grammatical items and the variances in lexical structure. The vast difference in informational output despite similar visual texts gives reason for analyzing a discourse industry strategy Exxon successfully utilized to nullify the mass outcries of hazardous operations