Constituent Communication Through Telephone Town Halls: A Field Experiment Involving Members of Congress

Telephone town halls are an increasingly prevalent method for members of Congress (MCs) to communicate with constituents, even while garnering popular criticism for failing to facilitate engagement and accountability. Yet scholars have paid little attention to the events and their effects, and even less to how they might be improved. To remedy this problem, we report on a field experiment in which four MCs joined their constituents in telephone town halls. Overall, participation in an event improved constituents’ evaluations of the format in general, and of the MC in particular. Furthermore, we studied how these events might be improved by evaluating a reform—a single‐topic focus with predistributed briefing materials—designed to enhance deliberative interaction. This reform enhanced effects on opinions of the format without significantly altering effects on attitudes toward the MC. Our results suggest that telephone town halls hold promise for constituents, officeholders, and democratic practice.     

EU update

This is the latest edition of the DLA Piper column on developments in EU law relating to IP, IT and telecommunications. This news article summarises recent developments that are considered important for practitioners, students and academics in a wide range of information technology, e-commerce, telecommunications and intellectual property areas. It cannot be exhaustive but intends to address the important points. This is a hard copy reference guide, but links to outside web sites are included where possible. No responsibility is assumed for the accuracy of information contained in these links.     

A Pimp's Game: A Rational Choice Approach to Understanding the Decisions of Sex Traffickers

We employ a rational choice framework to understand the conditions under which sex traffickers allow their victims access to telecommunications devices while under their control. We posit that sex traffickers are rational actors who make calculated decisions regarding whether to allow their victims access to the Internet and cell phones. We hypothesize that sex traffickers allow younger victims and those they did not defraud in the recruitment process greater access to telecommunications devices because these decisions maximize their payoffs with minimal risk. However, we hypothesize that younger victims’ access to telecommunications devices is conditional on whether they have been defrauded in recruitment. In order to test these hypotheses, we deployed a survey to 115 victims of sex trafficking in the United States to learn about how they were recruited by their sex trafficker and the level of access they had to technology while under their sex trafficker's control. We find support for all of our hypotheses. The results have serious implications for criminal justice policy and practice.     

基于Ion Torrent PGM~(TM)测序系统的人mtDNA全测序分析

目的应用Ion Torrent PGM~(TM)测序系统对人线粒体DNA(mitochondria DNA,mtDNA)全序列进行分析检测,研究不同组织间mt DNA序列差异情况。方法通过法医尸体检验采集6名无关个体的组织样本,包括胸腔血液、头发、肋软骨、指甲、骨骼肌和口腔上皮。使用4对引物对线粒体全序列进行扩增,应用Ion Shear~(TM)Plus Reagents试剂盒和Ion Plus Fragment Library试剂盒等构建文库,并在Ion Torrent PGM~(TM)测序系统上进行线粒体基因组全序列测序,并针对异质性位点和在HVⅠ区域突变位点,进行Sanger测序验证。结果所有样本的全基因组mtDNA都扩增成功,6名无关个体分属于6种不同的单倍型,同一个体不同组织之间mtDNA存在异质性差异。异质性位点和HVⅠ区域突变位点采用Sanger测序结果均得到验证。通过Kappa统计方法进行一致性检验后发现,相同个体不同组织的mtDNA序列检验结果仍具有较好的一致性。结论本研究所采用的人线粒体基因组全序列的测序检验方法,可以检测出同一个体不同组织间mtDNA的异质性差异,该差异具有较高的一致性,该结果对mtDNA在法庭科学中的应用具有指导作用。     

Are courts re-inventing Internet regulation?

The article reviews the evolution and key dimensions of the jurisprudence around the world as it relates to the Internet regulation and governance. It argues that while the judicial sector played a fairly marginal role as far as on-line issues were concerned in the first two decades of the Internet development, judicial rulings have now emerged as one of the main forces shaping on-line freedom of expression and information and the Internet governance. The article reviews a number of decisions from Europe and Latin America to demonstrate that judicial ruling are challenging some of the Internet’s founding principles and values. They have become highly influential, not just as interpreters of the law (the tribunals’ traditional function) but as shapers or transformers of the Internet norms and values. This evolution has become particularly clear over the last three to five years, demonstrating the increasing confidence of judges and Tribunals in challenging engineers, users, corporations, or indeed governments and possibly establishing different norms as far as the cyberspace is concerned.     

Developing human resource in research and development: international experiences and implications for Vietnam

ABSTRACT

Human resource is the key driving force of research and development of a nation. Japan and Korea are two examples of how appropriate strategies in developing human resources have been transferred into remarkable achievements in R&D. In recent years, Vietnam has observed significant shift in investment for R&D. Thus, the lessons of Japan and Korea could provide Vietnam with valuable strategies for further development in human resources in R&D, particularly in vision of R&D development, policy flexibility, increased investment on R&D development and human resources, key R&D organization formation and increased international cooperation in S&T.     

高科技产业的垄断问题研究

分析高新技术产业中的垄断双重性,探讨技术创新法律体系下的反垄断立法。     

试论运用司法会计技术查办经济犯罪案件的策略

司法会计技术作为查办经济犯罪案件的重要手段之一,越来越受到公安司法机关的重视.本文从我国司法会计技术的发展现状入手,分别对运用司法会计检查技术和鉴定技术的策略提出可操作性意见,以便更好地发挥司法会计技术在查办经济犯罪案件中的重要作用.