Regulatory Controls Research Articles

A regulatory control framework for decentrally governed DLT systems: Action design research

Although distributed ledger technology (DLT) systems seem to address conventional regulatory governance concerns, they also present systemic risks. This paper aims to address the risks of decentrally governed DLT systems. It achieves this by identifying regulatory controls that address the altered governance dynamics of decentralized systems. To address the research gap in DLT regulation, we co-designed regulatory control treatments with Australian regulatory DLT experts using a participatory action design research approach. This paper provides a theory-ingrained, practitioner-vetted framework to inform regulators, regulated entities and researchers of appropriate control responses to systemic and participant risks presented by decentrally governed DLT systems.

A stability perspective of bioinspired unmanned aerial vehicles performing optimal dynamic soaring

The phenomenon of dynamic soaring, as exhibited by soaring birds, has long been a biological inspiration for aerospace and control engineers. If this fascinating phenomenon, which allows soaring birds to perform almost unpowered flight using wind shear, can be mimicked by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), then there is substantial potential for technological and economic enhancement of UAV performance. Although there has been a considerable amount of research covering the modeling, optimization, control and simulation aspects of different UAVs performing dynamic soaring, there is little to no conclusive work analyzing the stability of such UAVs in soaring orbits. In this paper we present a comprehensive framework for determining the stability of soaring UAVs utilizing both linear (Floquet-based) and nonlinear (contraction theory-based) techniques. Floquet stability analysis was inconclusive, which led to the use of a nonlinear contraction formulation to reach a conclusive stability assessment for an actual nonlinear fixed-wing UAV performing dynamic soaring. Furthermore, parametric variation along with numerical simulations were conducted to ascertain the response of the actual nonlinear system when perturbed from the nominal motion studied in this paper. The analysis and simulations revealed that the system possesses instability as the UAV motion diverges from its nominal trajectory and follows an undesirable path. From this result we conclude, for the first time in the literature as far as we are aware, that UAVs performing dynamic soaring in an optimal way to reduce wind shear requirements are inherently unstable. The results of this work suggest that mimicking of dynamic soaring by UAVs will require careful investigation of tracking and regulatory controls that need to be implemented.

A review of suitable analytical technology for physio-chemical characterisation of nanomaterials in the customs laboratory

Customs laboratories are typically exposed to a large range of products requiring screening for tariff classification and for regulatory control purposes. Often this can be novel products coming to the marketplace for the first time. One emerging area of significance is innovative products and equipment arising from applications of nanotechnology. From a commercial prospective, some of these products may have tariffs, regulatory policy requirements, quotas or other trade barriers in place now, or potentially they may have in the future. Internationally there is growing concern that some nanomaterials have potential human, animal and environmental health risks. An important role of the Customs Laboratories European Network (CLEN) is to provide a scientific support service to customs administrations to control the distribution of potentially dangerous or controlled products within the European customs territory. Customs laboratories are generally equipped with a broad range of equipment; however, it is important that these laboratories keep pace with advancing measurement technologies, methodologies and international protocols to facilitate trade, to continue to protect the consumers and to implement relevant regulatory controls. It is crucial that customs laboratories are maintained at the very edge of scientific development with suitable techniques for screening and for characterisation of ‘nano’ products. This review will focus on this emerging technology to introduce the science of nano characterisation, and it will provide some relevant international recommendations towards characterisation of these novel materials. An overview of some of the more prominent European regulatory policies and member state registration/inventory requirements relating to nanotechnology controls is provided along with some practical considerations for characterisation and measurement of nanomaterials.

Physician Perspectives on Codeine Accessibility, Patterns of Use, Misuse, and Dependence in Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, there are concerning rates of non-compliance with pharmaceutical regulations prohibiting the pharmacy dispensing of prescription-only medications without a physician prescription. This is the first study in the Middle East which examines physicians’ perceptions regarding misuse of codeine, listed as a narcotic, controlled, and prescription-only drug. The CODEMISUSED survey was adapted to the Saudi Arabian context and pilot tested, prior to cross-sectional administration to physicians in Riyadh, Jeddah, Abha, and Jazan (n = 105). Descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentage) present physician level of agreement, neutrality, and disagreement with statements regarding codeine prescribing, patient awareness and use, online and community pharmacy availability, and dependence. The study indicates concern by physicians regarding patient intentional use of codeine to enhance mood, misuse patterns, lack of awareness around habit-forming use and iatrogenic dependence, and sourcing via illegal dispensing. It underscores the imperatives to address pharmacy compliance with pharmaceutical regulatory controls, implement enhanced pharmacovigilance, and improve awareness around safe use.

Self-Medication with Antibiotic among Public Population in Erbil City

Self-medication is the administration of medications without a medical prescription to manage self-diagnosed health problems or symptoms. Self-medication with antibiotics is a global phenomenon, and it is more common in developing countries due to poor regulatory controls. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics in Erbil city, Iraq. This was an observational cross-sectional study involving a total of 100 people from the public population in Erbil City, Iraq. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants. Among 100 participants, 90% of them were self-medicated with antibiotics. Amoxicillin was the most commonly used antibiotic for self-medication. For successful treatment, 77% of the participants were satisfied by self-medication with the antibiotic. The primary source for the antibiotic was from a community pharmacy with 38%. The study showed that there is a significant association between self-medication with antibiotics and the occupational status of the participants. Self-medication with antibiotics was found to be prevalent among the public population of Erbil City. As a recommendation regulatory control should be implemented to prevent dispensing antibiotics without a medical prescription.

Modelling and control of an integrated high purity methanol distillation configuration

Process integration in distillation unit operations promises improved process efficiencies. However, to realize these benefits fit for purpose control structures are needed to ensure stable and on-specification operations. In practice, this requires the development of regulatory and advanced process controls accounting for nuances and intricacies of a given design and application. This manuscript focuses on developing a control structure for a novel industrial mass-integrated twin-column distillation configuration, where a multi-component crude methanol feed is refined into AA grade (ultra-high purity) methanol, while meeting many technical and economic requirements. To this end, a Digital Model (a dynamic process model) of the column configuration was developed and used to carry out a thorough dynamic analysis. Based on the understanding gained, a regulatory control layer was introduced to achieve stable operations. An advanced supervisory level control structure and a Model Predictive Control (MPC) structure were then developed and compared on the Digital model where both alternatives achieved on-specification (technical and economic) operations. It was illustrated that a well-designed control structure could achieve stable and on-specification control for this specific application. Further disturbance testing showed the MPC is marginal efficient than a supervisory control but has similar robustness.

Information technology Act implications on social media and cybercrime

Social media is seen as a key platform for freedom of expression: anyone with access to the internet can create an account, which allows them to express their own opinions on a daily basis, through tweets, status updates, and photographs. Freedom of expression is considered to be a basic human right, so in this respect we can praise social media for furthering the fulfilment of this human right, through its accessibility. Freedom of expression is an integral part of freedom to information. An interesting example of the role of social media in freedom of information was, Twitter’s decision to revoke the use of an account called ‘Politwoops’, which let the public see tweets politicians had deleted. This account was shut down as Twitter suggested its use violated the politician’s privacy settings. However, it has now been reinstated to allow public transparency and freedom of information. An ideal world we would like to assume that our social media pages are a safe place for us to express ourselves. On the one hand, social media is an excellent resource for enabling the human right of freedom of expression, but on the other hand, it does pose deeply problematic questions regarding self-censorship and surveillance. Social media platform is garnering attention like never before. With lockdowns and nowhere to go people are hooked to Social media like never before. It is become the go to place for all sorts of news, socializing, learning and arguments. In India an estimated 11 gigabits data is consumed by mobile users on social media. The overall mobile data consumption in the country is increased by 47%during the Covid affected lockdown in the year 2019.The speed of internet is one another factor on which every person working from home is investing on. In this constrained physical socializing space and increased dependency on social media, there are concerns about the contents posted by the social media users. The data analysis shows intrusion into privacy, derogatory posts and personal data protection problems and hoax messages on the social media. However, to address the real impact of social media on freedom of expression,the meaning of ‘freedom of expression’ must be defined. The exceptions to this rule are when an ‘expression’ directly, and violently, threatens another person or group. Though there are certain regulatory controls through new law and regulations. IT ACT was enacted in the year2000 in India, it is continuously evolving with the time and new regulations are being incorporated continuously. This paper is an exclusive study of main regulations imposed by the IT Act in India. The paper also discusses the loss of immunity clause for the organizations which are not abiding the recent restrictions. An exclusive case study is presented on much discussed social media platform “Twitter, in this paper. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY), Government of India also set up experts committee to identify key data protection issues in India and recommend methods of addressing them. This paper analyzes the existing Information Technology Act 2000. The paper examines main provisions of the IT Act and the Rules that provide for the protection of personal data, the kind of personal data that they apply to, as well as some of the criticisms of these provisions and their enforcement.

Corporate capers, group accounting reforms

ABSTRACT Histories of business firms, mergers and takeovers, disputes, frauds and failures have proven fruitful in observing whether accounting generally produces serviceable information in applied commercial settings. We contribute to this literature by drawing on John Preston’s 2021 biography of Robert Maxwell, and earlier biographies of the media baron, juxtaposed with evidence in Frank Partnoy’s account of the 1920s larger-than-life Swedish engineer, businessman and financier Ivar Kreuger. Cameos of other business histories are interposed to suggest these cases are not outliers. Both oversaw what was referred to as an unexpected company failure. While their founder manager actions suggest that there is nothing new under the sun, there are enduring deficiencies in the group information disclosed to interested parties using malleable standards-based accounting, especially conventional consolidation accounting. These weaknesses are known to regulators and accounting standard setters but remain effectively unaddressed. The wheeling and dealing of Maxwell and Kreuger provide the commercial equivalent of a laboratory setting, with evidence suggesting circumvention of the separate legal entity notion within corporate groups, impeding effective regulatory and governance controls. Using a hypothetical, worked example, an alternative group accounting system illustrates how disclosure of additional, more serviceable group information to interested parties would likely provide a check on the actions of a dominant manager, and further, provide a greater likelihood of identification of a company failure trajectory.

Discrete cis-acting element regulates developmentally timed gene-lamina relocation and neural progenitor competence invivo.

SUMMARYThe nuclear lamina is typically associated with transcriptional silencing, and peripheral relocation of genes highly correlates with repression. However, the DNA sequences and proteins regulating gene-lamina interactions are largely unknown. Exploiting the developmentally timed hunchback gene movement to the lamina in Drosophila neuroblasts, we identified a 250 bp intronic element (IE) both necessary and sufficient for relocation. The IE can target a reporter transgene to the lamina and silence it. Endogenously, however, hunchback is already repressed prior to relocation. Instead, IE-mediated relocation confers a heritably silenced gene state refractory to activation in descendent neurons, which terminates neuroblast competence to specify early-born identity. Surprisingly, we found that the Polycomb group chromatin factors bind the IE and are required for lamina relocation, revealing a nuclear architectural role distinct from their well-known function in transcriptional repression. Together, our results uncover in vivo mechanisms underlying neuroblast competence and lamina association in heritable gene silencing.

A metabolic daylength measurement system mediates winter photoperiodism in plants.

Plants have served as a preeminent study system for photoperiodism due to their propensity to flower in concordance with the seasons. A nearly singular focus on understanding photoperiodic flowering has prevented the discovery of other photoperiod measuring systems necessary for vegetative health. Here, we use bioinformatics to identify photoperiod-induced genes in Arabidopsis. We show that one, PP2-A13, is expressed exclusively in, and required for, plant fitness in short, winter-like photoperiods. We create a real-time photoperiod reporter, using the PP2-A13 promoter driving luciferase, and show that photoperiodic regulation is independent of the canonical CO/FT mechanism for photoperiodic flowering. We then reveal that photosynthesis combines with circadian-clock-controlled starch production to regulate cellular sucrose levels to control photoperiodic expression of PP2-A13. This work demonstrates the existence of a photoperiod measuring system housed in the metabolic network of plants that functions to control seasonal cellular health.

Regional Temperature-Ozone Relationships Across the U.S. Under Multiple Climate and Emissions Scenarios

The potential effects of 21st century climate change on ozone (O3) concentrations in the United States are investigated using global climate simulations to drive higher-resolution regional meteorological and chemical transport models. Community Earth System Model (CESM) and Coupled Model version 3 (CM3) simulations of the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario are dynamically downscaled using the Weather Research and Forecasting model, and the resulting meteorological fields are used to drive the Community Multiscale Air Quality model. Air quality is modeled for five 11-year periods using both a 2011 air pollutant emission inventory and a future projection accounting for full implementation of promulgated regulatory controls. Across the U.S., CESM projects daily maximum temperatures during summer to increase 1–4 °C by 2050 and 2–7 °C by 2095, while CM3 projects warming of 2–7 °C by 2050 and 4–11 °C by 2095. The meteorological changes have geographically varying impacts on O3 concentrations. Using the 2011 emissions dataset, O3 increases 1–5 ppb in the central Great Plains and Midwest by 2050 and more than 10 ppb by 2095, but it remains unchanged or even decreases in the Gulf Coast, Maine, and parts of the Southwest. Using the projected emissions, modeled increases are attenuated while decreases are amplified, indicating that planned air pollution control measures ameliorate the ozone climate penalty. The relationships between changes in maximum temperature and changes in O3 concentrations are examined spatially and quantified to explore the potential for developing an efficient approach for estimating air quality impacts of other future climate scenarios. Implications Statement: The effects of climate change on ozone air quality in the United States are investigated using two global climate model simulations of a high warming scenario for five decadal periods in the 21st century. Warming summer temperatures simulated under both models lead to higher ozone concentrations in some regions, with the magnitude of the change increasing with temperature over the century. The magnitude and spatial extent of the increases are attenuated under a future emissions projection that accounts for regulatory controls. Regional linear regression relationships are developed as a first step toward development of a reduced form model for efficient estimation of the health impacts attributable to changes in air quality resulting from a climate change scenario.

The Rule of Law as an Emergent Social Norm: Evidence from Qualitative Research in Russia

Abstract We study attitudes to legality and the rule of law in Russia through analysis of interviews with legal and business professionals conducted in 2013–14, the high point of the stabilisation of the Russian economy and polity following the transition of the 1990s. The annexation of Crimea occurred during the course of our fieldwork but the effects of the cooling of relations with the west and the introduction of sanctions were yet to be felt. We observed a perception that the administration of civil justice was not uniformly corrupt, but that in ‘political’ cases, that is, those involving state officials or powerful private interests, judicial decisions could in effect be bought and sold. This commodification of civil justice was the result of an empowered but predatory state. While the state was strong enough to engage in predation, however, it was seen as lacking the capacity to manage the economy in an effective way or to deliver essential public goods. We consider the implications of our findings for a conception of the rule of law as an emergent social norm. We conclude that the 1990s policy of weakening the state through privatisation and the removal of regulatory controls, a policy designed to ensure that the command economy did not return, has left Russia with a dysfunctional public order, under which the ‘normality’ envisaged by the reforms of the 1990s is a distant prospect.

Assessment of Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism Risks in a Nonprofit Organization

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) handle enormous sums of cash and routinely transfer monies across countries. NPOs have historically functioned under fewer formal regulatory controls and a less rigorous administrative and financial management style. Criminal and terrorist misuse is said to be more likely in the industry. The abuse of nonprofits by terrorist entities has a long history, business, and financial indicators. They are often utilizing in industries where prevention is critical. Indicators can improve forewarning, allowing for the mitigation of dangers before they materialize or detecting existing misuse. Numerous elements were founded in the case studies that showed that an NPO was being abused or was at high risk of being abused. These elements have been compiled in this chapter to assist all stakeholders, including nonprofits, government actors, financial institutions, and designated non-financial businesses or professions (DNFBPs), in identifying and investigating potential cases of abuse within a specific NPO the more significant NPO sector. While the list of indicators provided here is extensive and global in scope, it is not exhaustive; there are likely to be additional indications peculiar to certain settings found within specific national jurisdictions, as per FATF Recommendation 1 (national risk assessment).

Global transitioning: beyond the Covid-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Picking up on Fernand Braudel’s schematic of three speeds of time, this article examines the overlapping periods of vaccine nationalism, viral globalization, and runaway capitalism: running away, meaning a lack of effective regulatory controls and lax democratic accountability. The stark contradiction between vaccine nationalism and a planetary health crisis propels this unfolding of history. The two tendencies feed one another, affording an opportunity to grasp the flow of history and the system’s fragility. This dynamic highlights the conundrum of equitable distribution of the drug on a world level. It draws attention to the imperative of replacing vaccine nationalism with a global vaccine ethics based on rectitude and social justice. This complex offers an opportunity to restructure the world in ways that are accountable, inclusive, and protective of the common good. In this way, Braudelian historicism is deployed to chart an avenue of inquiry about transitioning to a better world order.

Regulation of lipid homeostasis by the TBC protein dTBC1D22 via modulation of the small GTPase Rab40 to facilitate lipophagy.

The regulation of lipid homeostasis is not well understood. Using forward genetic screening, we demonstrate that the loss of dTBC1D22, an essential gene that encodes a Tre2-Bub2-Cdc16 (TBC) domain-containing protein, results in lipid droplet accumulation in multiple tissues. We observe that dTBC1D22 interacts with Rab40 and exhibits GTPase activating protein (GAP) activity. Overexpression of either the GTP- or GDP-binding-mimic form of Rab40 results in lipid droplet accumulation. We observe that Rab40 mutant flies are defective in lipid mobilization. The lipid depletion induced by overexpression of Brummer, a triglyceride lipase, is dependent on Rab40. Rab40 mutant flies exhibit decreased lipophagy and small size of autolysosomal structures, which may be due to the defective Golgi functions. Finally, we demonstrate that Rab40 physically interacts with Lamp1, and Rab40 is required for the distribution of Lamp1 during starvation. We propose that dTBC1D22 functions as a GAP for Rab40 to regulate lipophagy.

Evolution of a σ–(c-di-GMP)–anti-σ switch

Filamentous actinobacteria of the genus Streptomyces have a complex lifecycle involving the differentiation of reproductive aerial hyphae into spores. We recently showed c-di-GMP controls this transition by arming a unique anti-σ, RsiG, to bind the sporulation-specific σ, WhiG. The Streptomyces venezuelae RsiG-(c-di-GMP)2-WhiG structure revealed that a monomeric RsiG binds c-di-GMP via two E(X)3S(X)2R(X)3Q(X)3D repeat motifs, one on each helix of an antiparallel coiled-coil. Here we show that RsiG homologs are found scattered throughout the Actinobacteria. Strikingly, RsiGs from unicellular bacteria descending from the most basal branch of the Actinobacteria are small proteins containing only one c-di-GMP binding motif, yet still bind their WhiG partners. Our structure of a Rubrobacter radiotolerans (RsiG)2-(c-di-GMP)2-WhiG complex revealed that these single-motif RsiGs are able to form an antiparallel coiled-coil through homodimerization, thereby allowing them to bind c-di-GMP similar to the monomeric twin-motif RsiGs. Further data show that in the unicellular actinobacterium R. radiotolerans, the (RsiG)2-(c-di-GMP)2-WhiG regulatory switch controls type IV pilus expression. Phylogenetic analysis indicates the single-motif RsiGs likely represent the ancestral state and an internal gene-duplication event gave rise to the twin-motif RsiGs inherited elsewhere in the Actinobacteria. Thus, these studies show how the anti-σ RsiG has evolved through an intragenic duplication event from a small protein carrying a single c-di-GMP binding motif, which functions as a homodimer, to a larger protein carrying two c-di-GMP binding motifs, which functions as a monomer. Consistent with this, our structures reveal potential selective advantages of the monomeric twin-motif anti-σ factors.

Nomenclatural issues concerning cultured yeasts and other fungi: why it is important to avoid unneeded name changes

ABSTRACTThe unambiguous application of fungal names is important to communicate scientific findings. Names are critical for (clinical) diagnostics, legal compliance, and regulatory controls, such as biosafety, food security, quarantine regulations, and industrial applications. Consequently, the stability of the taxonomic system and the traceability of nomenclatural changes is crucial for a broad range of users and taxonomists. The unambiguous application of names is assured by the preservation of nomenclatural history and the physical organisms representing a name. Fungi are extremely diverse in terms of ecology, lifestyle, and methods of study. Predominantly unicellular fungi known as yeasts are usually investigated as living cultures. Methods to characterize yeasts include physiological (growth) tests and experiments to induce a sexual morph; both methods require viable cultures. Thus, the preservation and availability of viable reference cultures are important, and cultures representing reference material are cited in species descriptions. Historical surveys revealed drawbacks and inconsistencies between past practices and modern requirements as stated in the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi, and Plants (ICNafp). Improper typification of yeasts is a common problem, resulting in a large number invalid yeast species names. With this opinion letter, we address the problem that culturable microorganisms, notably some fungi and algae, require specific provisions under the ICNafp. We use yeasts as a prominent example of fungi known from cultures. But viable type material is important not only for yeasts, but also for other cultivable Fungi that are characterized by particular morphological structures (a specific type of spores), growth properties, and secondary metabolites. We summarize potential proposals which, in our opinion, will improve the stability of fungal names, in particular by protecting those names for which the reference material can be traced back to the original isolate.

Water Infrastructure: Does the US Need a National Policy?

Although its investment needs lag the dominant transportation category, water infrastructure addresses human needs at a foundational level because it plays public health and economic roles. Much of it is old and not likely to be replaced soon, so federal policy must focus on intergovernmental leadership to sustain vital dams, urban water systems, and natural systems. Fixing the federal responsibility requires attention to intergovernmental relations and the conflicting goals of investment and regulation. Regulatory reform is ongoing, and normally not amenable to political initiatives. Federal water policies for both investment and regulatory controls seem to be on a flat trajectory, which is expected because they have evolved over decades. These can be summarized as: maintain federal dams and levees, invest in small grants and leveraging funds for state and local governments, address water justice issues, and operate essential programs like flood insurance. Public health and safety concerns will continue to dominate, more than in other infrastructure sectors. The future of water investments will be to hold the course with occasional shifts to respond to emergencies and new opportunities, such as greater private sector involvement.

DEVELOPMENT OF A RULE-BASED SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATED BIM CODE-CHECKING

This paper aims to describe a method for code-checking integrated into a BIM-based process. Recent developments in the field of model checking, made possible by the increased level of maturity of information modelling, open the possibility to facilitate regulatory controls. However, the automation of this process requires the definition and classification of rules, which represent the translation of regulatory requirements into a computer-based language. This activity, based on Italian legislation, represents the first step to propose a system that aims at integrating BIM models with the rule dataset. For this reason, this paper analyses the different types of queries through rules. These rules must recall principles of generality, replicability, consistency, uniformity. All these requirements are summarized in a structured spreadsheet and compared with the information contained in the BIM model, through a tool implemented within Dynamo software and facilitated by the use of scripts in Python language. The results of this process can be represented in the model and in the spreadsheet for an immediate visualization. This method allows a rapid and detailed control capable of highlighting the potential of information modelling and its integration.

Radioactive material in cosmetic and healthcare products: Regulatory controls

We provide an overview of the issue of the regulatory control of cosmetics and healthcare products that intentionally contain added radioactivity, the suggested health benefits from such product utilisation being firmly within the realm of the unproven. Examples are offered of control practices in several countries. Access to the products depends strongly on national controls. This apart, there is a general lacking in public awareness of such radioactive content and the potential for harm in the circumstance of daily exposure to such media. With prolonged use of these adding to cancer risk, at the manufacturing stage it is suggested that the products should be subject to regulatory inspection and certification, crucial in reducing radiation exposure. In particular, based on published data from a number of European and Asian countries, review is made of such cosmetic and healthcare products, also including estimates of the effective doses implied from the utilisation of these. The information concerns the progeny of the primordial radionuclides 238U, 232Th, and 40K, encompassing a comparatively large range of values, from 1.7×10-4 to 2.8×103 Bq per kg for 238U, 3×10-5 to 1.2×104 Bq per kg for 232Th and 1.1×10-3 to 9.5×102 for 40K. In many countries standards and regulations have been implemented typically with authority over exemptions for radioactive materials in cosmetic and healthcare products. In the absence of harmonised regulations, transnational access and the use of such cosmetic and healthcare products will remain a worldwide concern.