Rescuing Democracy in the Age of the Internet

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Runciman
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
Entire History ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Masses ◽  
Alternative Regime

Throughout almost the entire history of democracy—from pre-Socratic Greece up to the second half of the twentieth century—its champions faced little difficulty in identifying its enemies. Critics of democracy consistently lined up to attack it on ideological and philosophical grounds. The litany of complaints was familiar: Democracy is an ignorant, unreliable, unstable form of rule; putting power in the hands of the people entrusts decision-making to those who are incapable of making the right decisions, either because of their natural incapacity or because social arrangements have denuded them of their ability to know what they are doing; democratic politicians pander to the masses, and the masses reward them for it; democracies choose short-term gratification over long-term solutions and eventually pay the price. These charges were invariably accompanied by the promise of something better, the assumption being that almost any alternative regime would be an improvement on the inadequacies of democracy.

scholarly journals Hybrid-based Framework for COVID-19 Prediction via Federated Machine Learning Models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ameni Kallel ◽  
Molka Rekik ◽  
Mahdi Khemakhem
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Streaming Data ◽  
Cloud Environment ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The People ◽  
Cloud Framework ◽  
Iot Devices ◽  
New Framework

<div>The COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unfortunately highly transmissible across the people. Therefore, a smart monitoring system that detects and tracks the suspected COVID-19 infected persons may improve the clinicians decision-making and consequently limit the pandemic spread. This paper entails a new framework integrating the Machine Learning (ML), cloud, fog, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to propose a COVID-19 disease monitoring and prognosis system. The proposal leverages the IoT devices that collect streaming data from both medical (e.g., X-ray machine, Lung UltraSound machine, etc.) and non-medical (e.g., bracelet, smartwatch, etc.) devices. Moreover, the proposed hybrid fog-cloud framework provides two kinds of federated ML as a Service (federated-MLaaS); (i) the distributed batch-MLaaS, which is implemented on the cloud environment for a long-term decision-making, and (ii) the distributed stream-MLaaS installed into a hybrid fog/cloud environment for a short-term decision-making. Stream-MLaaS use a shared federated prediction model stored into the cloud; whereas the real-time symptom data processing and COVID-19 prediction are done into the fog. The federated ML models are determined after evaluating a set of both batch and stream-ML algorithms from the Python’s libraries.</div>

scholarly journals Hybrid-based Framework for COVID-19 Prediction via Federated Machine Learning Models

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ameni Kallel ◽  
Molka Rekik ◽  
Mahdi Khemakhem
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Streaming Data ◽  
Cloud Environment ◽  
Short Term ◽  
The People ◽  
Cloud Framework ◽  
Iot Devices ◽  
New Framework

<div>The COronaVIrus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is unfortunately highly transmissible across the people. Therefore, a smart monitoring system that detects and tracks the suspected COVID-19 infected persons may improve the clinicians decision-making and consequently limit the pandemic spread. This paper entails a new framework integrating the Machine Learning (ML), cloud, fog, and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to propose a COVID-19 disease monitoring and prognosis system. The proposal leverages the IoT devices that collect streaming data from both medical (e.g., X-ray machine, Lung UltraSound machine, etc.) and non-medical (e.g., bracelet, smartwatch, etc.) devices. Moreover, the proposed hybrid fog-cloud framework provides two kinds of federated ML as a Service (federated-MLaaS); (i) the distributed batch-MLaaS, which is implemented on the cloud environment for a long-term decision-making, and (ii) the distributed stream-MLaaS installed into a hybrid fog/cloud environment for a short-term decision-making. Stream-MLaaS use a shared federated prediction model stored into the cloud; whereas the real-time symptom data processing and COVID-19 prediction are done into the fog. The federated ML models are determined after evaluating a set of both batch and stream-ML algorithms from the Python’s libraries.</div>

scholarly journals Internet marketing tools

2019 ◽  
pp. 67-74
Author(s):  
Urtė Sturienė
Keyword(s):  
Internet Marketing ◽  
Term Effect ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Long Term Effect ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

In today's world, every business organization can pursue marketing goals online. Choosing the right Internet marketing tools or combining several may be significant in reaching the target audience. Therefore, without precise criteria for assessing the impact of Internet marketing tools on business organizations, it is not very easy to choose the most appropriate tools to compete with other businesses. This paper aims to investigate the impact of Internet marketing tools on business organizations. In order to achieve this goal, the following tasks are set: to analyse the Internet marketing concept and to reveal the impact assessment criteria. The results have shown that there is no agreed scientific definition of the term and concept of Internet marketing tools. However, it is obvious that Internet marketing is the part of digital marketing. Also, the Internet marketing impact criteria consist of short-term effect, long-term effect, and alternatives. Internet marketing tools typically drive sales growth, strengthen the brand and help to build and maintain relationships with clients.

Civic Engagement and E-Governance in Gauteng

2012 ◽  
pp. 250-275
Author(s):  
Lucienne Abrahams ◽  
Mark Burke ◽  
Lauri Elliott ◽  
Warren Hero
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Interaction ◽  
Civic Engagement ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Broadband Service ◽  
Universal Suffrage ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Right

Gauteng, South Africa’s economic center, has a history of social exclusion by virtue of differentiated access to employment, income, assets, and education. Levels of civic engagement prior to 1994 were limited by the absence of universal political suffrage and a society in which the majority of the population was denied the right to participate in decision-making based on racial discrimination. The achievement of universal suffrage in 1994 created the foundations for greater civic engagement. However, as social interaction and societal governance becomes increasingly electronically mediated (through the Internet, Web 2.0 technologies, and mobile content platforms), a large proportion of the population is excluded from these new forms of on-Net interaction. This chapter argues that policies that push universal household broadband service can contribute to reducing social exclusion through creating the foundation for households to operate as units of production and overcome economic deprivation, thus laying a stronger basis for civic engagement.

scholarly journals Actinomyces meyeriEmpyema: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hae Won Jung ◽  
Chong Rae Cho ◽  
Ji Yoon Ryoo ◽  
Hyun Kyo Lee ◽  
So Young Ha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pleural Fluid ◽  
Response To Treatment ◽  
Penicillin G ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Oral Amoxicillin ◽  
History Of ◽  
Multiple Lung Nodules ◽  
The Right ◽  
Radiological Studies

Actinomyces meyeriis an uncommon cause of human actinomycosis. Here, we report a rare case of empyema caused byA. meyeri. A 49-year-old male presented with a history of 10 days of dyspnea and chest pain. A large amount of loculated pleural effusion was present on the right side and multiple lung nodules were documented on radiological studies. A chest tube was inserted and purulent pleural fluid was drained.A. meyeriwas isolated in anaerobic cultures of the pleural fluid. The infection was alleviated in response to treatment with intravenous penicillin G (20 million IU daily) and oral amoxicillin (500 mg every 8 hours) for 4 months, demonstrating that short-term antibiotic treatment was effective.

Distinguishable Brain Activation Networks for Short- and Long-Term Motor Skill Learning

2005 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 512-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Floyer-Lea ◽  
P. M. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Motor Skill ◽  
Isometric Force ◽  
Brain Activation ◽  
Skill Learning ◽  
Anterior Cingulate ◽  
Motor Skill Learning ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Learning Stage ◽  
The Right

The acquisition of a new motor skill is characterized first by a short-term, fast learning stage in which performance improves rapidly, and subsequently by a long-term, slower learning stage in which additional performance gains are incremental. Previous functional imaging studies have suggested that distinct brain networks mediate these two stages of learning, but direct comparisons using the same task have not been performed. Here we used a task in which subjects learn to track a continuous 8-s sequence demanding variable isometric force development between the fingers and thumb of the dominant, right hand. Learning-associated changes in brain activation were characterized using functional MRI (fMRI) during short-term learning of a novel sequence, during short-term learning after prior, brief exposure to the sequence, and over long-term (3 wk) training in the task. Short-term learning was associated with decreases in activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal, anterior cingulate, posterior parietal, primary motor, and cerebellar cortex, and with increased activation in the right cerebellar dentate nucleus, the left putamen, and left thalamus. Prefrontal, parietal, and cerebellar cortical changes were not apparent with short-term learning after prior exposure to the sequence. With long-term learning, increases in activity were found in the left primary somatosensory and motor cortex and in the right putamen. Our observations extend previous work suggesting that distinguishable networks are recruited during the different phases of motor learning. While short-term motor skill learning seems associated primarily with activation in a cortical network specific for the learned movements, long-term learning involves increased activation of a bihemispheric cortical-subcortical network in a pattern suggesting “plastic” development of new representations for both motor output and somatosensory afferent information.

John Stuart Mill‘s Liberal Reformism and the New Concept of Freedom, Property and Government

Diogenes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolay Alexandrov ◽  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Classical Liberal ◽  
Individualism And Collectivism ◽  
Liberal Ideology ◽  
History Of ◽  
Economic Reality ◽  
Social Liberalism ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Masses

The article is devoted to a key moment in the history of British liberalism when, under the influence of the Industrial Revolution, the need arose for a revision of classical liberal teaching. On the border between classical and social liberalism stands the figure of the British philosopher and economist John Stuart Mill who attempted to update the basic tenets of liberal ideology. Taking into account the socio-economic reality of his time, he set out to revise the foundations of liberal ideology, rethinking in modern times the problems of freedom, property and governance by expanding their perimeter in favour of the masses. This article also details Stuart Mill’s concept of individualism and collectivism in the context of freedom and the right to self-determination.

From Users’ Intentions to IF-THEN Rules in the Internet of Things

2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-33
Author(s):  
Fulvio Corno ◽  
Luigi De Russis ◽  
Alberto Monge Roffarello
Keyword(s):  
Internet Of Things ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Real World Data ◽  
Original Intention ◽  
Recommendation Accuracy ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Internet Of Things

In the Internet of Things era, users are willing to personalize the joint behavior of their connected entities, i.e., smart devices and online service, by means of trigger-action rules such as “IF the entrance Nest security camera detects a movement, THEN blink the Philips Hue lamp in the kitchen.” Unfortunately, the spread of new supported technologies makes the number of possible combinations between triggers and actions continuously growing, thus motivating the need of assisting users in discovering new rules and functionality, e.g., through recommendation techniques. To this end, we present , a semantic Conversational Search and Recommendation (CSR) system able to suggest pertinent IF-THEN rules that can be easily deployed in different contexts starting from an abstract user’s need. By exploiting a conversational agent, the user can communicate her current personalization intention by specifying a set of functionality at a high level, e.g., to decrease the temperature of a room when she left it. Stemming from this input, implements a semantic recommendation process that takes into account ( a ) the current user’s intention , ( b ) the connected entities owned by the user, and ( c ) the user’s long-term preferences revealed by her profile. If not satisfied with the suggestions, then the user can converse with the system to provide further feedback, i.e., a short-term preference , thus allowing to provide refined recommendations that better align with the original intention. We evaluate by running different offline experiments with simulated users and real-world data. First, we test the recommendation process in different configurations, and we show that recommendation accuracy and similarity with target items increase as the interaction between the algorithm and the user proceeds. Then, we compare with other similar baseline recommender systems. Results are promising and demonstrate the effectiveness of in recommending IF-THEN rules that satisfy the current personalization intention of the user.

scholarly journals From the Internet Text: Gender, Embodiment and Ontology

2008 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Sondheim
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Communication ◽  
Simultaneous Presence ◽  
Contemporary Life ◽  
History Of ◽  
Extended Analysis ◽  
Entire History ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Virtual Subject

The Internet Text is an extended analysis of the environment of Internet communication, an extended meditation on the psychology and philosophy of Net exchange. As such, it is concerned primarily with virtual or electronic subjectivity – the simultaneous presence and absence of the user, the sorts of libidinal projections that result, the nature of flamewars, and the ontological or epistemological issues that underlie these processes. Internet Text begins with a brief, almost corrosive, account of the subject – an account based on the concepts of Address, Protocol, and Recognition. This section “reduces” virtual subjectivity to packets of information, Internet sputterings, and an ontology of the self based on Otherness – your recognition of me is responsible for my Net-presence. The reduction then begins to break down through a series of further texts detailing the nature of this presence; a nature which is both sexualized/gendered, and absenting, the result of an imaginary site. Eventually, it has become clear that everything revolves around issues of the virtual subject, who is only virtual on the Net, but who has a very real body elsewhere. So Internet Text has evolved more and more in a meditation on this subject – a subject which will perhaps be one of the dominant modes of being within the next millennium. Finally, it should be noted that there are no conclusions to be drawn in Internet Text, no series of protocol statements or declarations creating any sort of ultimate defining or explanatory position. The entire history of philosophy mitigates against this; instead, I side with the Schlegels, with Nietzsche, Bataille, Jabes, and others, for whom the fragment is crucial to an understanding of contemporary life... It is dedicated to Michael Current and Clara Hielo.

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