Analysis of approaches to assessing changes in welfare and real GDP growth during digitalization of the economy

The paper attempts to estimate, in monetary terms, the volume of free digital services in GDP while assessing the contribution of digitalization to changes in welfare and economic growth. Approaches to such an estimation are analyzed and criticized. In particular, the calculation of the added value created in the digital sector does not properly reflect the economic effect of digitalization. Alternative auxiliary methods for estimating the contribution of digitalization to GDP growth are considered: the creation of satellite accounts of the digital economy within the SNA; the categorization and calculation of “purely” digital goods. The paper analyzes the methodology of calculating GDP which takes into account consumer surpluses from the use of free digital goods. The advantages of this methodology are outlined, including the consideration of a significant part of the digital sector of the economy in the calculation of GDP, as well as the relative ease of its use. This methodology was tested by drawing on the example of the Republic of Bashkortostan.

The Dynamics of Product Development in Software Startups

Software startups are increasingly under high pressure to deliver successful products to survive and thrive in the modern highly competitive technology market. Larger organizations with deep pockets can replicate the same business ideas used by startups with relative ease. So how does the average startup stand a chance at succeeding at this seemingly David vs. Goliath contest? This article looks at the available literature and identifies such factors that can affect the success of software development startups. Using causal loop constructs from the field of system dynamics, the interactions among the various identified factors are visualised to reveal the dynamics of the system. The result is as a three-dimensional view of success factors in form of time, capital and (product) differentiation. The modelled system is then simulated, and the resultant trend is reviewed and interpreted. This research acts as ground work for analysing the workings of software development startups and sets the stage for a more holistic study of the area, upon which further research can be carried out.

Teaching scientific creativity through philosophy of science

There is a demand to nurture scientific creativity in science education. This paper proposes that the relevant conceptual infrastructure with which to teach scientific creativity is often already included in philosophy of science courses, even those that do not cover scientific creativity explicitly. More precisely, it is shown how paradigm theory can serve as a framework with which to introduce the differences between combinational, exploratory, and transformational creativity in science. Moreover, the types of components given in Kuhn’s disciplinary matrix are argued to indicate a further subdivision within transformational creativity that makes explicit that this most radical type of creativity that aims to go beyond and thus to transform the current paradigm can take many different directions. More generally, it is argued that there are several synergies between the topic of scientific creativity and paradigm theory that can be utilized in most philosophy of science courses at relative ease. Doing so should promote the understanding of scientific creativity among students, provide another way to signify the relevance of paradigm theory, and more strategically be a way of reinforcing the place of philosophy of science in science education.

Accountability and cyber conflict: examining institutional constraints on the use of cyber proxies

As state-sponsored cyber operations have proliferated, some states are outsourcing these operations to non-state cyber proxies. However, given the relative ease of outsourcing cyber operations, it is puzzling why more states are not engaged in this practice. I examine how domestic accountability institutions potentially explain this restraint in the use of cyber proxies. I argue that in cases where the incumbent is likely to be held to account for cyber operations, there is restraint in the use of proxies. Moreover, I distinguish vertical from horizontal accountability and argue that because vertical accountability mechanisms directly threaten the tenure of the incumbent if outsourced cyber operations go wrong, it has a greater constraining effect relative to horizontal accountability. I test these propositions with new data on the activities of several hacker groups and robustly confirm that accountability institutions do place significant constraints on the use of cyber proxies.

Synthesis and ESR studies of multiphenyl porphyrins

The synthesis of tetra biphenyl and tetra triphenyl derivatives of porphyrin has been achieved with relative ease, and although the compounds show the expected low solubility in organic solvents, their tendency to form aggregates was observed. They are sufficiently dispersed to allow characterization by 1H, 13C, mass spectrometry, and determine their photophysical properties. The presence of 8 hydroxyl groups and 12 aromatic rings in the structure of the porphyrin showed to be able to stabilize the superoxide anion. This approach allows the possibility of using these compounds as building blocks and could be applicable to synthesizing other highly structurally uniform and well-defined porphyrin derivatives in good yields.

Multivariate visualization: A Taxonomy and novel visualization methods

While intuitive visualizations for bivariate analyses are numerous and able to be constructed with relative ease, the same is not true for multivariate analyses. Commonly utilized multivariate visualization strategies are often cognitively taxing for readers and there is little guidance for researchers seeking to decide upon the proper visualization for their analysis. In this paper we seek to rectify these limitations by developing a data analysis taxonomy that allows one to easily identify appropriate visualizations. This taxonomy aims to provide guidance to researchers in their decision-making regarding which multivariate visualization strategy best fits their research question. Our taxonomy classifies research questions into five different categories (zero-order effects, conditioning, moderation, mediation, and clustering), providing example research questions and analyses for each. Throughout, we identify tools appropriate for multivariate visualizations, including ghost lines, added variable plots, and paneling. All these tools are freely available in R through the Flexplot package, as well as in the Visual Modeling module in JASP.

Physically Unclonable Functions with Confidential Computing for Enhanced Encryption of EHRs

Continual exploitation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has led to increasing amounts of ransomware and identity theft in recent years. Existing cryptosystems protecting these EHRs are weak due to their inherently transparent software that allows adversaries to extract encryption keys with relative ease. I designed a novel cryptosystem that employs Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) to securely encrypt user EHRs in a protected SGX enclave. The CPU-attached PUF provides a secret, device-unique value or a ‘digital fingerprint’ which is used to derive a symmetric key for subsequent AES-NI hardware encryption. Since the cryptographic operations, from key derivation to encryption, transpire in a confidential SGX enclave, the keys are always protected from OS-privileged attacks- a capability lacking in most existing systems. I used my system APIs to evaluate the performance of various hash and encryption schemes across multiple EHR block sizes. SHA512 and AES-NI-256-GCM were selected for cryptosystem implementation because they demonstrated high performance without compromising on security.

Physically Unclonable Functions with Confidential Computing for Enhanced Encryption of EHRs

Continual exploitation of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) has led to increasing amounts of ransomware and identity theft in recent years. Existing cryptosystems protecting these EHRs are weak due to their inherently transparent software that allows adversaries to extract encryption keys with relative ease. I designed a novel cryptosystem that employs Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) to securely encrypt user EHRs in a protected SGX enclave. The CPU-attached PUF provides a secret, device-unique value or a ‘digital fingerprint’ which is used to derive a symmetric key for subsequent AES-NI hardware encryption. Since the cryptographic operations, from key derivation to encryption, transpire in a confidential SGX enclave, the keys are always protected from OS-privileged attacks- a capability lacking in most existing systems. I used my system APIs to evaluate the performance of various hash and encryption schemes across multiple EHR block sizes. SHA512 and AES-NI-256-GCM were selected for cryptosystem implementation because they demonstrated high performance without compromising on security.

“That’s the way my Wednesdays always go”: reverse-order instructions insufficient to mitigate schema-consistent errors in alibi generation

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the ability of innocent suspects to produce accurate alibis, as well as to identify procedures police interviewers can use to increase the probability of generating accurate alibis. Design/methodology/approach In Study 1, 54 university students had a lecture (target event) end at either the normal time (schema group) or 25 min early (non-schema group) and then attempted to generate an alibi for the target event after either a short, moderate or long delay. In Study 2, 20 students had a lecture end 25 min early and underwent an interview regarding their whereabouts using a reverse-order interview technique designed to disrupt schema usage. Findings Results from Study 1 suggested that participants relied on schemas to generate their alibis, which led to false alibis for the non-schema group, and this reliance was more pronounced as the delay between event and recall increased. In Study 2, all but one participant produced a false alibi, suggesting reverse order is ineffective in increasing accurate recall in alibi situations. Practical implications Results from the two studies revealed that people can produce false alibis easily in mock police interviews – a finding that appears to result from the reliance on schemas. These findings highlight the relative ease with which innocent individuals can produce false alibis. Further research, specific to the alibi generation process, is needed to give police interviewers the tools to produce more accurate and detailed alibis. Originality/value This research provides additional evidence regarding the role of schemas in alibi generation. Contrary to findings from the eyewitness area, reverse-order instructions failed to disrupt schema reliance and do not appear to be an effective alibi-elicitation technique.

MICROPROCESSOR SYSTEM FOR TEMPERATURE INVESTIGATION OF AC MACHINES

The paper is about four channel microprocessor system for temperature measurement during static and running mode. It incorporates microcontroller type PIC18F452 and employs sensors which convert temperature into voltage. In addition it features optional connection to a PC for storing and processing amassed data. Based on this system a new method is proposed for analysing overheating and cooling of individual parts of asynchronous electric machines. A set of differential equations is derived which later on are processed by MATHCAD software. Obtained results can be presented in tabular or graphic form. The outcome of resolving this task is in the relative ease with which it is possible to establish overheat of various machine parts. Similarly, such approach could be applied with other types of electric machines.