A decision analytic model to guide early‐stage government regulatory action: Applications for synthetic biology

Synthetic biology (SB) involves the alteration of living cells and biomolecules for specific purposes. Products developed using these approaches could have significant societal benefits, but also pose uncertain risks to human and environmental health. Policymakers currently face decisions regarding how stringently to regulate and monitor various SB applications. This is a complex task, in which policymakers must balance uncertain economic, political, social, and health‐related decision factors associated with SB use. We argue that formal decision analytical tools could serve as a method to integrate available evidence‐based information and expert judgment on the impacts associated with SB innovations, synthesize that information into quantitative indicators, and serve as the first step toward guiding governance of these emerging technologies. For this paper, we apply multi‐criteria decision analysis to a specific case of SB, a micro‐robot based on biological cells called “cyberplasm.” We use data from a Delphi study to assess cyberplasm governance options and demonstrate how such decision tools may be used for assessments of SB oversight.     

Studying social media as semiotic technology: a social semiotic multimodal framework

ABSTRACT

How do we study social media technology? While social semiotics provides an extensive toolkit for analysing multimodal texts and semiotic practices, the study of social media as semiotic technology poses a significant challenge to existing research methodologies. In this article, we present a social semiotic framework that allows us to describe in analytical details the multimodal meaning potentials offered by digital social media technology and connect these to multimodal text-making and semiotic practices while underscoring the role of technology. Our framework is organized around seven interrelated and inherently informed dimensions: (1) multimodality, (2) practice, (3) the social, (4) medium, (5) the material, (6) the historical, and (7) the critical. This framework could pertain to most types of semiotic technologies, but will here be developed for accounting for social media technologies, and its viability will be illustrated with examples from Instagram. By developing this framework, we aim at elaborating the theoretical basis and analytical tools of social semiotics, and thereby contributing to bringing forward increased understanding of how social media technology enables making, enacting and managing meaning.     

Science and Technology for Economic Growth. New Insights from when the Data Contradicts Desktop Models1

Science and technology policy initiatives in the early 1980s have focused in both the United States and Western Europe on improving capacity to apply a good science base in practice, expecting increases in technological advancement, improved market presence and enhanced economic growth. Results varied broadly in the United States and Europe. Even more puzzling, Japan charged ahead in technological advancement without that strong of a science base of its own. Some industrialized economies do not conform to the expected science–technology relationship, whereby strong performance in science shall lead to strong technological performance. The puzzling science–technology relationship in advanced countries has plausible explanations. (1) Science–technology relationship is much interdependent or symbiotic. Its strength and primary direction at a given time varies largely by field of science or technological innovation and across long periods of time. (2) Science–technology link in a country may depend on the overall scientific and technological level of development in that country. The strength and interdependent nature of this link evolves historically and varies across fields of science and technology. The strength of the link is affected by scientific and technological specialization in a country. Different technological fields have different scientific intensities, or degrees of building upon the science base. (3) Specialization of countries across scientific and technological fields varies. Hence, the strength of science–technology link differs between countries. High technological specialization of a country may impact its technological performance more than its immediately current scientific performance does. History, tradition and knowledge transfers may affect more returns on R&D expenditures than the actual value of R&D funds spent in science or technology. Explanations of puzzling behavior of science–technology link may become policy recommendations.     

Unlikely Fissures and Uneasy Resonances: Lesbian Co-mothers,Surrogate Parenthood and Fathers’ Rights

This article explores commonalities between parental claims for lesbian co-mothers and other contexts in which intention is a key aspect to family formation for (mostly) heterosexual families: in particular, surrogacy and pre-birth disputes over embryos. Through a series of case studies drawn from recent reproductive controversies, the paper uses the lens of empathy to argue for social or non-genetic modes of parenthood connecting lesbian mothers and other ‘reproductive outsiders’.

全面理解和把握科学技术是第一生产力

科学技术是为自然科学、社会科学和技术的有机统一。科学技术在生产力中的作用应是 :生产力=人×(社会科学理论 +自然科学理论) +(生产工具 +生产对象)×技术。只有这样理解科学技术及其在生产力发展中的作用 ,才能避免重技术而忽视科学、重自然科学而忽视社会科学的偏向。     

基因专利保护制度探析

基因专利保护制度是法学界关注的新课题。本文从基因技术的可专利性、基因专利申请的实质审查、基因专利的归属三个方面展开分析 ,分别论述了是否应给予基因技术以专利保护、如何审查基因专利申请、以及基因专利成果利益分享问题 ,以供研究参考。     

科技法律责任的特性与制度优化

科学技术在为人类社会带来便利的同时也带来了许多科技风险.在风险社会中完善的科技法律责任对科技社会法律治理、科技法律体系化建设、传统法律责任体系突破、科技强国建设以及科学技术标准化发展都具有重要意义.通过对中国现有主要科技基本法律文本的分析,可以看出中国现行科技法律责任体现为三大传统法律责任的综合,且其中行政法律责任占据...     

疫情防控视域下社区媒介参与社区治理的路径优化:演进韧性与技术嵌入

演进韧性强调系统在危机中变化、适应和转变的能力,为现代风险社会中社区媒介参与社区治理的路径优化提供了新的理论资源和视角.据此审视疫情防控中邻里互助、技术嵌入下以信任与合作为基础的多元交叉网络、社区中“隐私悖论”负面性的消解及微基建项目的推进发现,疫情防控期间社区的内部边界并未封闭,居民主导的治理模式在强调社区韧性的背景...     

The humanitarian cyberspace: shrinking space or an expanding frontier?

In an effort to contribute to a more critical understanding of the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in humanitarian action, this article explores the topography of the ‘humanitarian cyberspace’ – a composite of ‘cyberspace’ and ‘humanitarian space’ – as it has emerged since the mid-1990s. The goals are to offer some observations about the conditions of the humanitarian cyberspace and to reflect on the relationship between the persistent features of humanitarian action and new developments brought on by ICT. The prism through which the role of ICT in humanitarian action is explored is that of the ‘shrinking humanitarian space’.     

eGovernment Applications and Public Personnel Acceptance: An Empirical Analysis of the Public Servant Perspective

Given the importance of eGovernment applications as an integral part of modern public service provision, this contribution concentrates on the issue of continued technology acceptance of public servants. The goal of this article is to connect individual, technological, and organizational aspects in an explanatory model. Using Theory of Reasoned Action and the Technology Acceptance model, an extended model of continued end-user behavior is analyzed. The results show the importance of Ease of Use, Usefulness, Openness to IT, and Subjective Norm for Acceptance and a Continued Q4 Usage Intention. However, a significant influence of Bureaucratic Culture cannot be shown.