Civic Protest. Version 2.0

The author discusses the involvement of Russian-speaking members of the Ukrainian population in the Euromaidan protests. She argues that protesters of all cultural backgrounds had united in opposition to the corruption of the Yanukovych government and highlights the potential inherent in their participation in protests in creating a civic Ukrainian nation     

NAFTA 2.0 and LGBTQ Employment Discrimination

Because federal law does not expressly prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, LGBTQ Americans were thrilled to learn that a preliminary draft of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) included a provision (the Provision) requiring each nation to enact LGBTQ-inclusive nondiscrimination laws. That excitement promptly turned to despair, however, after the Trump administration insisted on the addition of a footnote (the Footnote) designed to exempt the United States from the Provision. To date, the Footnote has been derided by scholars and trade experts alike as a transparent attempt to evade the Provision's LGBTQ-inclusive mandate. Yet, by focusing only on what the USMCA does not do, these analyses overlook what the agreement does do, even if unintended, to benefit LGBTQ Americans. This article provides the first comprehensive analysis of the USMCA's implications for federal antidiscrimination law and demonstrates that—regardless of how the Supreme Court rules in a trio of LGBTQ employment cases—the Footnote actually stands to help, not hinder, the cause of LGBTQ equality.     

Forensic artefacts left by Pidgin Messenger 2.0

Pidgin, formerly known as Gaim, is a multi-protocol instant messaging (IM) client that supports communication on most of the popular IM networks. Pidgin is chiefly popular under Linux, and is available for Windows, BSD and other UNIX versions. This article presents a number of traces that are left behind after the use of Pidgin on Linux, enabling digital investigators to search for and interpret instant messaging activities, including online conversations and file transfers. Specifically, the contents and structures of user settings, log files, contact files and the swap partition are discussed. In addition looking for such information in active files on a computer, forensic examiners can recover deleted items by searching a hard drive for file signatures and known file structures detailed in this article.     

The accelerated polyvinyl-alcohol method for GSR collection--PVAL 2.0

The polyvinyl-alcohol collection method (PVAL) is used in forensic practice to gather topographical information about gunshot residues (GSR) from the hands to decide if the subject has made use of firearms. The results allow a distinction between suicide and homicide. The only inconvenience of PVAL was that the procedure took about 60 min because three layers of liquid PVAL had to be applied and dried. Therefore, the collection method was only applied to corpses. The improved and accelerated PVAL 2.0 uses a sandwich technique. Cotton gauze for stabilization is moistened with a 10% PVAL solution. A solid film of PVAL (Solublon) is spread on the cotton mesh. The gauze is then modeled to the hand and dried with a hair dryer. After removing the cotton gauze, the traces are embedded in the water-soluble PVAL. The procedure does not take more than 15 min. The results demonstrate the qualities and advantages of PVAL: topographical distribution of GSR, highest gain of GSR, sampling of all other traces like blood, backspatter etc., and humidity does not reduce the gain. In addition, with the new PVAL 2.0 dislocation of GSR or contamination are excluded. PVAL 2.0 can also be applied on live suspects.     

The Impact of Web 2.0 on the Doctor-Patient Relationship

Web 2.0 innovations may enhance informed patient decision-making, but also raise ethical concerns about inaccurate or misleading information, damage to the doctor-patient relationship, privacy and confidentiality, and health disparities. To increase the benefits and decrease the risks of these innovations, we recommend steps to help patients assess the quality of health information on the Internet; promote constructive doctor-patient communication about new information technologies; and set standards for privacy and data security in patient-controlled health records and for point-of-service advertising.     

Web 2.0, wikis, and the IP Community

Legal context: The emergence of new web-based programs being used in the fieldsof patent applications and IP legal information has opened upa range of new opportunities for IP-related legal processesand knowledge sharing. Key points: This article explains the background to Web 2.0 applicationsand explores the potential for the use of wikis in various areasof IP. It notes the limitations, as well as the possibilities,of wikis and explains how they work in practice. It outlinesthree recent examples of wikis in the IP world, explaining howthey work and the significance of their overall objectives. Practical significance: The adoption of this technology by official bodies suggestswider future use and the appearance of unofficial sites showsthat current developments have already reached a stage wheremany IP practitioners can begin to interact and share knowledgein a way that has not been considered previously. It is conceivablethat developments in this area will be rapid and it is in theinterests of users to familiarize themselves with the use ofthis new ‘social software’.     

NFIQ 2.0用于指纹质量控制的可行性及方法

目的测试NFIQ 2.0标准计算指纹质量评分模块在活体采集和油墨捺印指纹质量控制上的可靠性,研究利用NFIQ 2.0指纹分值综合判断指纹质量的可行性和在实际工作中的使用方法。方法一是利用NFIQ 2.0模块接口程序结合VS2015 C#编程语言制作指纹质量评分软件。二是记录20张指纹图片放置在采集框上、下、左、右、中五个位置时NFIQ 2.0的分值,计算平均偏差、最大偏差和相对偏差。三是对在指纹数据库中随机选出的1334枚活体采集和油墨捺印指纹(8位灰度、500 dpi BMP格式指纹图片)进行评分,将得出的分值与通过人工检查该1334枚指纹在指纹系统中自动提取的特征所计算的特征准确率,形成线条图并制作拟合线,通过线条图和拟合线研究NFIQ 2.0分值与特征准确率之间存在的关系。结果从平均偏差、最大偏差和相对偏差分析,指纹图片放置位置对NFIQ 2.0分值的影响很小。利用线条图和拟合线进行统计时,NFIQ 2.0分值与特征准确率之间呈现出一定的对应关系,NFIQ 2.0分值高的指纹,系统自动提取的特征准确性相对较高,反之相对较低。并且,分值在41~100之间时,特征准确率稳定在80%以上。结论NFIQ 2.0标准计算指纹质量评分模块可以用于大批量活体采集和油墨捺印指纹的辅助质量检测,在实际工作中可将NFIQ 2.0模块嵌入活体采集软件和指纹系统档卡扫描中,设定合理的阈值,对提高指纹采集的质量检测效率和提升指纹采集质量将有较大帮助。     

Scanning for patterns of relationship: analyzing kinship and marriage networks with Puck 2.0

The article presents the software Puck (Program for the use and computation of kinship data), a computer tool for the in-depth analysis of kinship networks. Its core feature consists in identifying, counting and classifying matrimonial circuit structures (resulting from marriages between kin or affines). Such matrimonial censuses make it possible to explore in a rigorous fashion one of the most central questions in kinship studies: the relationship between particular marriage choices and the patterning of the global kinship network that emerges from them. At the same time, Puck constitutes a general tool for the management, treatment and exploratory analysis of genealogical datasets, including non-genealogical relations and random simulations. Puck has been designed to meet two complementary expectations: the identification of the recurrent, cross-cultural organizational properties of kinship networks, and the ability to situate particular actors within social processes involving both genealogical and non-genealogical factors. This article presents the theoretical foundations and main functions of Puck, using concrete examples drawn from a genealogical dataset of upper-class Parisian Jewish banking dynasties present in Paris during the nineteenth century.     

Web2.0及数字媒体时代混音音乐的合法性及许可模式探讨

Web2.0网络时代的到来以及数字媒体技术的迅速发展,使传统著作权领域著作权人与消费者分离的只读文化,转型为著作权人与消费者结合的读写文化,混音创作由此诞生并开始盛行.然而作为全新的创作形式,混音作品尚处在著作权法的灰色地带.因此,借鉴美国相关判例及研究,探讨我国著作权法制度下混音作品的合法性、各类许可机制的有效性以及侵权例外抗辩规则的适用性.探索平衡混音创作人与原作著作权人的权益的最佳路径,使著作权法与技术更新相适应.     

Web2.0时代集体创作作品的保护困境与立法应对

在Web2.0时代,集体创作成为网络信息创造的一种主要方式。集体创作作品由多个无意思联络的分散创作者共同创作而成,由于著作权分散于多个个体创作者手中,这类作品在利用时出现由于权利太多而导致的交易成本问题。无论将权利初始分配给单一的组织或整个创作群体,还是让个体权利人自愿弃权,都有其不可避免的缺陷。将集体创作作品的版权留在独立分散的创作者手中,并通过公共许可机制将集体创作作品的版权提前授权给他人,既保留了创作者的自治性,又解决了权利原子化带来的交易成本问题。