Control Regime Research Articles

Hidden in Plain Sight: “Neutral” Enclosures for High‐Skilled Immigrants During COVID‐191

Politicians and mainstream media in the EU, UK, and US regularly emphasize the need for highly skilled migrants, but, over the last few decades, the terms and conditions for these highly skilled migrants have changed drastically. As part of the neoliberal migrant control regime, highly skilled migrants are brought to countries under very restrictive conditions. They work and contribute taxes but have few to no political rights. Based on data on highly skilled Indian migrants in the US during the pandemic, we argue that highly skilled “nonimmigrants” are placed within a thicket of laws and policies that act as enclosures, but these seemingly neutral enclosures remain “hidden in plain sight” because of the silence about their near‐indentured life conditions.

Unraveling the Mechanism of Very Initial Dendritic Growth Under Lithium Ion Transport Control in Lithium Metal Anodes.

Lithium metal deposition is strongly affected by the intrinsic properties of the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) and working electrolyte, but a relevant understanding is far from complete. Here, by employing multiple electrochemical techniques and the design of SEI and electrolyte, we elucidate the electrochemistry of Li deposition under mass transport control. It is discovered that SEIs with a lower Li ion transference number and/or conductivity induce a distinctive current transition even under moderate potentiostatic polarization, which is associated with the control regime transition of Li ion transport from the SEI to the electrolyte. Furthermore, our findings help reveal the creation of a space-charge layer at the electrode/SEI interface due to the involvement of the diffusion process of Li ions through the SEI, which promotes the formation of dendrite embryos that develop and eventually trigger SEI breakage and the control regime transition of Li ion transport. Our insight into the very initial dendritic growth mechanism offers a bridge toward design and control for superior SEIs.

THE IMPORTANCE AND ROLE OF STANDARDS IN BIOSAFETY

Standards play an important role in biosecurity by establishing and enforcing certain requirements and regulations. They contribute to the systematization and standardization of processes and procedures aimed at preventing, detecting and responding to potential threats.Biological security is becoming increasingly relevant in the context of globalization and the development of science and technology. In a world, where threats from biological agents can range from epidemics and pandemics to bioterrorism and environmental disasters, standards play a key role in protecting society and the environment. Emergence of contagious diseases, both natural and intentional, among humans, animals and plants. Multilateral biological control regimes are required for national security and environmental protection.This article provides an overview of the regulatory framework for biosafety and biosecurity

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Development of a New Combined Medicine for Musculoskeletal Disorders

Musculoskeletal disorders represent a significant global health concern, affecting millions and straining healthcare systems. Addressing the complex nature of musculoskeletal disorders necessitates a multifaceted approach, one that integrates various scientific disciplines. This paper delves into the collaborative efforts employed in the development of a new combined medication tailored for musculoskeletal disorders. Bringing together expertise from pharmacology, biomedicine, physiotherapy, and bioinformatics, the research has forged a holistic pathway to medication synthesis. Key focus areas include the evaluation of molecular targets, ensuring optimal drug-drug interactions, and tailoring the therapeutic approach based on the individual patient's needs and the specific disorder's pathology. Furthermore, insights from physical therapy informed the drug development process, ensuring that the new medication aligns with rehabilitative approaches and promotes functional recovery. Advanced computational methods also played a pivotal role, enabling the prediction of drug efficacy, potential side effects, and patient response variability. Preliminary results suggest that this interdisciplinary strategy not only enhances the drug's therapeutic potential but also minimizes adverse reactions, paving the way for a more comprehensive and effective approach to managing musculoskeletal disorders. This research underscores the power of interdisciplinary collaboration on the relevance, necessity, and timeliness of the pharmaceutical development of a new combined medicine for musculoskeletal disorders based on known active pharmaceutical ingredients. The characteristics of active pharmaceutical ingredients (ketamine, analgin, diazepam) were studied in order to substantiate the composition based on a combination of evidence-selected active pharmaceutical ingredients. The composition, clinical and pharmacological properties, control regime, availability, areas of medical application, quality and safety profile were substantiated.

Will the New UK Subsidy Control Regime Help ‘Level Up’ the Economy?

There is an emerging political consensus in the UK that greater devolution of spending powers will bring benefits in terms of reducing economic disparities between regions, enhancing social cohesion, and improving the economy's prospects for productivity, growth and the transition to net zero. The Subsidy Control Act 2022 is thought to be key to achieving this by providing public authorities with greater flexibility in how they make spending decisions than was previously the case under EU State aid rules. This paper examines whether the new regime does indeed make it easier for awarding bodies to grant beneficial subsidies. It concludes that the regime risks placing obligations on public authorities that are considerably more onerous than EU State aid rules and there is a need to significantly increase the scope of streamlined routes which provide legal certainty to beneficial spending decisions.

Popular geopolitics of ‘nuclear India’: tracing the evolution of India’s ‘regional’ and ‘global’ identities in the English daily The Hindu from 2011–2020

ABSTRACT Conventional wisdom on India’s nuclear geopolitics takes a top-down approach, foregrounding state perceptions of India’s nuclear role in regional and global politics. This conventional approach overlooks the bottom-up processes, such as media representations, which have been fundamental in shaping India’s nuclear identity. This is because media representations comprise common-sense knowledge, since media is the primary source of information in a democracy. Building on theoretical underpinnings of popular geopolitics, this article focuses on analyses of media representations in the Editorial of the English daily The Hindu from 2011–2020. This national newspaper boasts the second-largest readership among English dailies. The direct link between The Hindu Editorial’s representations of ‘nuclear India’ and India’s ‘regional’ and ‘global’ selfhood is crucial. The concerned period of 2011–2020 was pivotal in charting Indian geopolitical identity, as India partook in international negotiations after the US-India Nuclear Deal in 2008 and became a member of multilateral export control regimes like the Wassenaar Arrangement, Australia Group, and Missile Technology Control Regime. This article deconstructs the Editorial texts to elicit the intertextual links underpinning the ‘geopolitical cultural signifier’, ‘geospatial mythology’, and ‘self/other’ binary representation that operationalises India’s nuclear identity in regional and global settings.

The EU Dual-use Regulation, cyber-surveillance and human rights: the competing norms and organised hypocrisy of EU export controls

ABSTRACTThis article analyses the process and outcome of the review and recast of the EU Dual-use Regulation which concluded in 2020. The recast was dominated by conflicts both among EU member states and between the European Council, European Commission and European Parliament about the interlinked issues of expanding the range of human rights states should consider when implementing the Regulation and controlling exports of “cyber-surveillance items”. The processes through which states individually and collectively determine their content of their export controls are often portrayed as a zero-sum contest between “norms” and “interests”. This article argues that the recast can be better understood if it is viewed as a competition between different constitutive and regulative norms grounded in humanitarian, economic and national security concerns. The article also argues that the outcome of the recast can be better understood if we apply Brunsson’s concept of “organized hypocrisy” and view it as a set of compromises which sought to address several competing norms. The article concludes by reflecting on the potential wider application of the “competing norms” and “organized hypocrisy” frameworks for other studies of states’ export controls and export control regimes.

Security-defence nexus in flux: (De)securitisation of technology in the Netherlands

ABSTRACTThe contemporary defence sector is dominated by dual-use technologies which have both military and civilian applications. The trade of these technologies is governed by export controls. Designation of technologies as “dual-use” and export control regimes can be considered as securitisation of such technologies. Securitisation refers to the discursive construction of existential threats. This article seeks to understand which actors desire securitisation or its opposite, desecuritisation, of technology. The contribution of this research is twofold. Firstly, securitisation of technology has implications for understanding defence and security in contemporary Europe. Secondly, identifying the actors involved in (de)securitisation allows for the analysis of their different roles in determining security discourses around technologies. The article builds on the literature on securitisation theory. Then it explores the EU-level export control regimes and afterwards focuses on a single case study of the Netherlands both as representative of smaller European states with an SME-heavy defence sector and as an example of an expanded export control regime by a member state. To conduct the analysis, I use the data obtained through a workshop with representatives of Dutch defence companies as well as a survey that has been answered by security and defence experts.

The Foreign Subsidies Regulation of the European Union: A New Instrument Levelling the Playing Field?

The European Union (‘EU’) has adopted a Foreign Subsidies Regulation (‘FSR’) to address potential distortions of competition in EU markets caused by subsidies granted to companies by non-EU governments. The FSR aims to level the playing field for all companies active within the EU and to close a regulatory gap left by existing frameworks (such as the EU’s State aid and merger control regimes or trade defense instruments). This article provides a comprehensive overview of the FSR and the accompanying Implementing Regulation and reflects upon their practical implications for companies engaging in economic activity in EU markets. Has a simple idea (i.e., extending the controls already applicable to government support by EU Member States also to support by non-EU governments) morphed into a bureaucratic monster burdening companies with needless red tape? Will the FSR achieve its goals effectively or will it put too much strain on the European Commission’s resources? Is the FSR about fair competition or is it simply protectionist? European Union, subsidies, mergers, acquisitions, M&A, public procurement, government contracts, State aid, competition, trade defense, Foreign Subsidies Regulation, FSR

Multiple territorialities and the shifting conservation frontiers of Patagonia

AbstractThis conclusion to the In‐Focus issue examines the conservation frontier in Patagonia. The conservation frontier is a historical process of spatial transformation connected to the mobilization of imaginaries that unlock existing regimes of resource control and promote new territorialization projects. The discussion highlights the creation of national park systems, the securing of the contested border, and the conversion of Andean Patagonia into a space of sublime wilderness. We argue that the contemporary conservation frontier is an open field of contestation defined by its multiplicities. The articles comprising the special issue reflect crosscutting themes regarding frontier multiplicities: varied conservation‐based territorialization projects; the genesis of onto‐epistemic frictions between actors; and disparate frontier temporalities that anchor spatial transformations. These contemporary frontier projects draw attention to new avenues of change related to Indigenous self‐rule and carework, co‐management regimes, infrastructure building efforts, and eco‐apocalyptic temporalities, as well as hyping the possibility of Patagonia as a bastion for alternative energy. Thus, this conclusion highlights how conservation frontiers are historically made and remade in relation to spatial production tied to capitalist dynamics and state formation.

Bioinformation Control Regimes and Protections: Based on the Biometric Information Privacy Act in Illinois

With the development of the times, the advanced technologies have brought social life with great convenience. The biometrics has integrated into various aspects of daily activities. To some extent it may increase the efficiency of life and provide more methods to protect the security in essential fields. Nevertheless, as the recent creations, many problems have been exposed during the social practice. All over the world, the giant companies including Facebook, Twitter and Marriott have been reported in unauthorized using or selling the bioinformation of users. The absence of supervision and the imperfect legislation led to large number of illegal behaviors. Biological information is unique and unchangeable with special risks. Once it is leaked, it will be exposed for whole life. Its sensitivity and utilization value are much higher than general information, but such actions will invade customers biological privacy. An increasing number of citizens have realized the fact and become anxiety for the biometric technique. However, the generally consensus in the academic is that the advantages may outweigh its drawbacks. Therefore, this essay will analyze the infringements which may be caused in different stages when using bioinformation and the effective solutions towards them. In order to have a more comprehensive and logical content, the methods used in creating this thesis including the case study, regulatory research and the comparative research. It could be discovered that even though the bioinformation control regimes and protections lacks supervision and relevant regulatory which has led to practical issues frequently, such technology could surely benefit humans with correct measures in the long term.

Local flow control by phononic subsurfaces over extended spatial domains

Local phonon motion underneath a surface interacting with a flow may cause the flow to passively stabilize, or destabilize, as desired within the region adjacent to the subsurface motion. This mechanism has been extensively analyzed over only a spatial region on the order of the instability wavelength along the fluid–structure interface. Here, we uncover fundamental relations between the behavior of flow instabilities and the frequency response characteristics of the phononic subsurface structure admitting the elastic motion. These relations are then utilized to demonstrate the possibility of extensive spatial expansion of the control regime along the downstream direction with minimal loss of performance—potentially covering the entire surface exposed to the flow.

‘Crisis’, control and circulation: Biometric surveillance in the policing of the ‘crimmigrant other’

Automated facial recognition, the use of dactyloscopic data and advanced forensic DNA analyses are becoming dominant technological surveillance means for ‘crimmigration’ control. ‘Crimmigration’ describes the increasing criminalisation of migration, based on a perceived ‘crisis’ of mass migration and its assumed negative impact on national stability and welfare, materialising in overlapping crime and migration control regimes. We analyse the policing of migration through biometric technologies as the reproduction of social practices of security against crime. By combining concepts of social practices and ethical regimes, we suggest that biometric ethical regimes are constituted by social practices working towards legitimising the use of biomaterials and biodata. This analytical synthesis supports us in exploring how biometric technologies deployed in the policing of crime circulate into the policing of migration and vice versa. First, technologies as materials (DNA, fingerprints, facial images, analysis kits, databases, etc.) are inscribed with assumptions about validating identity and suspicion, and are increasingly made accessible as data across policy domains. Second, forensic competence moves in abstracted forms of expertise independent of context and ethics of application, creating challenges for reliable and legitimate technology deployment. Third, biometric technologies, often portrayed as reliable, useful, accurate policing tools, travel from crime into migration control with meanings that construct generalised criminal suspicion of migrants. To evidence the complexity and difficulty of achieving accountability and responsibility for the ethical governance of biometric technologies in policing, we trace how the goals, risks, benefits and values of biometric technologies are framed, and how the legitimacy of their deployment in policing of migration is constructed and negotiated.

A Study on the Establishment of New Export Control Regime and Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy

A Study on the Establishment of New Export Control Regime and Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy

A framework for understanding land control transfer in agricultural commodity frontiers

AbstractAcross the globe, the expansion of large‐scale commodity agriculture is occurring not into empty space but over existing social systems. An understanding of the dynamics of expansion and associated impacts of commodity agriculture thus fundamentally requires examining how existing control regimes are dissolved and, simultaneously, how novel ones are assembled in order to make way for the changes in resources use that characterize these transitional moments. With this in mind, in this article, I provide a broad review of the strategies used to secure control over land prospected for agricultural commodity production, distinguishing between the tactics that are applied by agro‐interested actors in order to ‘break down’ forms of existing land control, those they apply in parallel to ‘build up’ new control structures, and those strategies that are applied by actors (often smallholders) wishing to ‘hold on to’ the control that they have. I then present a framework for examining the dynamics of control transfer that builds on this analytical structure of ‘breaking down’, ‘building up’, and ‘holding on to’ control.

Accommodating Nutopia: The nuclear ban treaty and the developmental interests of Global South countries

Abstract This article argues that the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) would not have been possible without protecting the inalienable rights of states to pursue nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. While some Western states and NGOs have pushed to ban all applications of nuclear technology, this was unacceptable to a large number of disarmament-supporting states from the Global South and the Non-Aligned Movement. Without support from states across the Global South, the TPNW would not have achieved the required number of signatories to be adopted. Thus, we argue that to properly understand the TPNW, an appreciation of states’ interests and motivations beyond their more widely discussed frustrations with the pace of nuclear disarmament is essential. We also argue that nuclear weapons scholarship must pay more attention to perspectives from the Global South and the concept of Nutopia – a belief in both the dystopian potential of nuclear weapons and the utopian possibilities of nuclear energy – in its understanding of nuclear politics, past and present. Global South perspectives are often overlooked, and as such, current regimes of nuclear arms control and disarmament remain only partially understood in Western literature.

Recommendations for growing young Australian red-clawed crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) in industrial conditions

The Australian thermophilic red-clawed crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) is characterized by a number of qualities that ensure its effective cultivation in commercial aquaculture. At the same time, the year-round cultivation of this species in natural reservoirs of Russia is limited by the seasonal course of temperatures. In this regard, the cultivation of tropical crayfish in certain periods of life in regulated conditions is a necessary stage of full-cycle technology. In particular, the successful maintenance of ARCC juveniles until they are transferred to natural conditions (after reaching a mass of 5 g) in installations with a controlled temperature regime is due to a number of factors. First of all, this is the planting density, which naturally depends on the area and capacity of installations with a closed water supply cycle, the size, mass and age characteristics of the object. The physiological and biological state of crayfish, the intensity and quality of feeding, and the duration of cultivation play an important role. The purpose of this work is to determine the main technological indicators of growing juveniles Australian red-clawed crayfish in industrial conditions up to 5 g. Data on the results of growing juveniles Australian red-clawed crayfish under controlled temperature conditions showed the main differences in mass indicators and survival of groups of juveniles Australian crayfish depending on the initial average weight, planting density, order of offspring. The terms of growing juveniles up to 5 g have been established, the feed costs for this period have been calculated, the chemical composition of the body of juvenile crayfish has been determined.

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici biomass variations under disease control regimes using Trichoderma and compost

A comprehensive understanding of population dynamics of pathogens and bioagents in plant rhizospheres is important for improving organic farming. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL30) causes Fusarium wilt of tomato. In this study, we compared biomass variations of FOL30 under different disease control regimes, using Trichoderma asperellum TA23 strain, compost, or their combination. Biomass variations of FOL30 and TA23 were observed for 13 weeks using quantitative real-time PCR. Separate applications of TA23, compost, and their combination all reduced FOL biomass when compared to experimental controls. Regression analyses of the qPCR data showed that FOL populations fitted curvilinear polynomial order 3 regression models (R2 = 0.87 to 0.95). Areas under the population dynamic curves (AUPDCs; log10 ng DNA week-1 g-1 soil) were: 43.8 from FOL30 alone, 36.6 from FOL30 plus TA23, 25.4 from FOL30 plus compost, and 25.5 from FOL30 plus TA23 plus compost. These results indicate that the individual applications of TA23 or compost, or their combination, decreased the FOL biomass. The negative correlation between TA23 and FOL30 populations showed that the compost and biocontrol agent reduced FOL pathogen populations. This study demonstrates that compost fortified with T. asperellum TA23 decreased FOL populations and reduced disease, and that their use is a promising strategy for managing Fusarium wilt of tomato in organic farming.

Accelerating voxelwise annotation of cross-sectional imaging through AI collaborative labeling with quality assurance and bias mitigation.

precision-medicine quantitative tools for cross-sectional imaging require painstaking labeling of targets that vary considerably in volume, prohibiting scaling of data annotation efforts and supervised training to large datasets for robust and generalizable clinical performance. A straight-forward time-saving strategy involves manual editing of AI-generated labels, which we call AI-collaborative labeling (AICL). Factors affecting the efficacy and utility of such an approach are unknown. Reduction in time effort is not well documented. Further, edited AI labels may be prone to automation bias. In this pilot, using a cohort of CTs with intracavitary hemorrhage, we evaluate both time savings and AICL label quality and propose criteria that must be met for using AICL annotations as a high-throughput, high-quality ground truth. 57 CT scans of patients with traumatic intracavitary hemorrhage were included. No participant recruited for this study had previously interpreted the scans. nnU-net models trained on small existing datasets for each feature (hemothorax/hemoperitoneum/pelvic hematoma; n = 77-253) were used in inference. Two common scenarios served as baseline comparison- de novo expert manual labeling, and expert edits of trained staff labels. Parameters included time effort and image quality graded by a blinded independent expert using a 9-point scale. The observer also attempted to discriminate AICL and expert labels in a random subset (n = 18). Data were compared with ANOVA and post-hoc paired signed rank tests with Bonferroni correction. AICL reduced time effort 2.8-fold compared to staff label editing, and 8.7-fold compared to expert labeling (corrected p < 0.0006). Mean Likert grades for AICL (8.4, SD:0.6) were significantly higher than for expert labels (7.8, SD:0.9) and edited staff labels (7.7, SD:0.8) (corrected p < 0.0006). The independent observer failed to correctly discriminate AI and human labels. For our use case and annotators, AICL facilitates rapid large-scale curation of high-quality ground truth. The proposed quality control regime can be employed by other investigators prior to embarking on AICL for segmentation tasks in large datasets.

Ride-Hailing Networks with Strategic Drivers: The Impact of Platform Control Capabilities on Performance

Problem definition: Motivated by ride-hailing platforms such as Uber, Lyft and Didi, we study the problem of matching riders with self-interested drivers over a spatial network. We focus on the performance impact of two operational platform controls—demand-side admission control and supply-side repositioning control—considering the interplay with two practically important challenges: (i) spatial demand imbalances prevail for extended periods of time; and (ii) self-interested drivers strategically decide whether to join the network, and, if so, whether to reposition when not serving riders. Methodology/results: We develop and analyze the steady-state behavior of a novel game-theoretic fluid model of a two-location, four-route loss network. First, we fully characterize and compare the steady-state system equilibria under three control regimes, from minimal control to centralized control. Second, we provide insights on how and why platform control impacts equilibrium performance, notably with new findings on the role of admission control: the platform may find it optimal to strategically reject demand at the low-demand location even if drivers are in excess supply, to induce repositioning to the high-demand location. We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for this policy. Third, we derive upper bounds on the platform’s and drivers’ benefits caused by increased platform control; these are more significant under moderate capacity and significant cross-location demand imbalance. Managerial implications: Our results contribute important guidelines on the optimal operations of ride-hailing networks. Our model can also inform the design of driver compensation structures that support more centralized network control. Supplemental Material: The e-companion and Supplemental Material are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2023.1221 .