Logic Programming with Post-Quantum Cryptographic Primitives for Smart Contract on Quantum-Secured Blockchain

This paper investigates the usage of logic and logic programming in the design of smart contracts. Our starting point is the logic-based programming language for smart contracts used in a recently proposed framework of quantum-secured blockchain, called Logicontract (LC). We then extend the logic used in LC by answer set programming (ASP), a modern approach to declarative logic programming. Using ASP enables us to write various interesting smart contracts, such as conditional payment, commitment, multi-party lottery and legal service. A striking feature of our ASP implementation proposal is that it involves post-quantum cryptographic primitives, such as the lattice-based public key encryption and signature. The adoption of the post-quantum cryptographic signature overcomes a specific limitation of LC in which the unconditionally secure signature, despite its strength, offers limited protection for users of the same node.

Chaotic Fitness Dependent Optimizer for Planning and Engineering Design

Fitness Dependent Optimizer (FDO) is a recent metaheuristic algorithm that mimics the reproduction behavior of the bee swarm in finding better hives. This algorithm is similar to Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) but it works differently. The algorithm is very powerful and has better results compared to other common metaheuristic algorithms. This paper aims at improving the performance of FDO, thus, the chaotic theory is used inside FDO to propose Chaotic FDO (CFDO). Ten chaotic maps are used in the CFDO to consider which of them are performing well to avoid local optima and finding global optima. New technic is used to conduct population in specific limitation since FDO technic has a problem to amend population. The proposed CFDO is evaluated by using 10 benchmark functions from CEC2019. Finally, the results show that the ability of CFDO is improved. Singer map has a great impact on improving CFDO while the Tent map is the worst. Results show that CFDO is superior to GA, FDO, and CSO. Both CEC2013 and CEC2005 are used to evaluate CFDO. Finally, the proposed CFDO is applied to classical engineering problems, such as pressure vessel design and the result shows that CFDO can handle the problem better than WOA, GWO, FDO, and CGWO. Besides, CFDO is applied to solve the task assignment problem and then compared to the original FDO. The results prove that CFDO has better capability to solve the problem.

What Exactly (If Anything) is Wrong with Paternalism Towards Children?

Theoretical and practical issues concerning the justification of paternalism towards children are widely debated in a variety of philosophical contexts. The major focus of these debates either lies on questions concerning the general legitimacy of paternalism towards children or on justifications of paternalism in concrete situations involving children (e.g. in applied ethics). Despite the widespread consensus that the legitimacy of educational paternalism in important respects hinges on its principled, temporal and domain-specific limitation (e.g., via a soft-paternalist strategy), surprisingly little has been said about conditions and criteria that determine what exactly (if anything) is morally wrong with paternalism towards children. This contribution aims to further the understanding of these normative issues by providing a critical analysis of the theoretical and methodological difficulties involved in developing context-invariant criteria for the identification of specific wrong-making features of paternalist rationales and paternalistically justified practices in cases involving children. I am going to show that the moral status of pro- and anti-paternalist reasons is much more context-sensitive than usually assumed by proponents of standard generalist justificatory strategies. In conclusion my argument is that a moral particularist and casuistic framework may offer an adequate theoretical alternative to make sense of the context-dependent wrongs (and rights) of educational paternalism.

Differences in Ethical Judgment between Accounting Students: An Experiment using Ethical-dilemma Movie and Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm

<p>The study tries to seek evidence whether the ethical judgment of the accounting students following treatment of watching ethical-dilemma movie and make a reflection as suggested by Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm Approach. The study is a quasi-experimental using posttest only with an experimental and control group approach. Using the respondents of senior accounting students in a university in Indonesia, we found no ethical judgment difference between students received the treatment and the control group. However, the score of the treated group was higher than the score of the control group. Under a specific limitation, this study suggests that a reflective learning method is an excellent idea to improve students' ethical judgment.</p>

Triangle of dynamics factors in inter-organizational networks

Purpose – the main scientific purpose of this article is to conceptualise the categories of dynamics of interorganisational networks strategy. The scientific problem presented in the article concerns initially identified connections between three major elements (based on literature studies and authors’ previous experiences), describing the dynamism of the strategy as mentioned above. Those elements were named by the authors as the Triangle of Dynamics Factors (TDF), and are (1) propensity of taking the risk and real ability to accurately assess opportunities, (2) skills, and processes of opportunities identification, creation, and exploitation, as well as (3) leadership skills of contemporary managers. Basing on those connections, the article concerns on clarifying research hypotheses in the areas of the three mentioned differentiating factors. Research methodology – in order to achieve the main goal of the article both quantitative (survey research) and qualitative (case study) methods were chosen for future research. Findings – the conducted research is focused on positioning previously mentioned categories in the micro-scale strategy, as well as on determining variables constituting the dynamics of inter-organisational networks strategies. The article presents research hypotheses that will be verified. Research limitations – the limitations are primarily related to a variety of factors influencing the dynamics of interorganisational network strategies, observed both inside and outside the networks. The article focuses on those factors that decision-makers in networks can influence, which is tantamount to omitting most factors within the networks' environment. At the same time, the article focuses on selected types of inter-organisational networks – both decentralised and centralised. The article is conceptual; therefore, it does not contain the results of empirical research directly oriented on all three identified factors, which is its specific limitation. Partial results of the previously conducted research indicated in the article relate only to one of the identified elements. It is the area of skills, and processes of opportunities identification, creation, and exploitation. Practical implications – the practical business implications concern mostly the necessity of organisational adaptation to changing environmental conditions, the imperative of being flexible and striving for the success by inter-organisational networks. The article identifies those factors being under the actual influence exerted by networks' representatives. Originality/Value – this article is the authors' third joint work, and hitherto in the examined literature, there were no publications dedicated to the study of strategy dynamics and dynamism of the inter-organisational networks' strategy, researched in the triad: risk – opportunities – leadership. This creates a wide interpretative and research area for the indicated topic

The springboard network: multinationals in Latin America

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide empirical evidence regarding the springboard regionalization strategy implemented by multinationals entering Latin America and the organizational networks developed to serve this end. Design/methodology/approach Using the organizational network approach, a typology is developed to explain the Springboard network. Quantitative analysis is used, in the form of logistic binary regression, to study these networks composition. Findings From a sample of 154 subsidiaries extracted from the AMADEUS intelligent database, three categories for multinational’s networks are created, with the Spanish subsidiary acting as the leader: strategic centers (SCs), administrative centers (ACs) and regional headquaters (RHQs). Findings provide evidence of cultural features, industry behavior and the multinational’s size and entry mode influence these networks organization. Research limitations/implications It is proposed that culture and historical ties have evolved together and management scholars should be aware of this phenomenon. Specific limitation that this study exhibits is the data provided by AMADEUS and the fact that R&D information for both the Spanish and the Latin American subsidiary were not available. Practical implications Staffing composition and expatriate corporate policy should consider the springboard effect to manage springboard networks. Social implications Industries and authorities in all countries involved should be aware of their role in MNC strategies for regional expansion. Originality/value It is argued that a network of subsidiaries within the multinational can participation in the springboard behavior, which is determined by the culture that the multinational originates from, as well as the Spanish culture, creating a particular type of leadership.

CONVENTIONALITY CONTROL OF DOMESTIC “ABUSE OF POWER”: MAINTAINING HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

Human rights courts often behave as constitutional courts especially when they have the ability to control the “separation of powers” in States in accordance with human rights conventions (“conventionality control”). This study comments on the latest “abuse of power” jurisprudence of the European and Inter-American courts of human rights, which embraces rich implications for re-evaluating general and specific provisions that place democratic limitations on human rights violations. The first section confirms that the courts have recently implemented conventionality control of “abuse of power” against judicial independence, voices of political opposition and media pluralism, in all such unfair exercises of authority adverse influences are exerted on individual (human rights) and collective (democracy) aspects. The next section justifies or criticises the courts’ decisions on the pro-democratic fair balance tests (legality, legitimacy and proportionality) embodied in human rights conventions’ general and specific limitation clauses, which have rarely been scrutinised until recent cases of “abuse of power”. In essence, this study shows that value-oriented momenta in their practical decisions can contribute to a future mapping of constitutionalism beyond the State (ius constitutionale commune), limiting domestic abuse of kratos (power) of the demos (people) in terms of international human rights sources.

Influence of the Reprocessing by Plasma Melting and Injection Molding on the Thermomechanical Properties of a Ni-Ti SMA Manufactured by VIM

ABSTRACTShape Memory Alloys (SMA) metallic materials that change their mechanical and physical properties with temperature variation and mechanical loading, surprising engineers and researchers. In this way, one can develop thermomechanical actuators capable, for example, of generating force by blocking the shape recovery or change the natural frequency of a mechanical system by blocking resonance. The processing of these SMA are countless, each one with its specific limitation and particularity. This study aims to evaluate the influence of rapid solidification of a Ni-Ti SMA that is originally manufactured by Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) and reprocessed by Plasma Melting (PM) followed by injection molding into different metal molds (steel, brass, aluminum and copper). The influence of such a processing is analyzed through Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Electrical Resistance as a function of Temperature (ERT) to determine the effects on transformation temperatures. The results demonstrate that by using the copper mold one can provide greater uniformity of the material properties. Thus, there is the possibility of obtaining different kinds of SMA mini-actuators by PM injection in a copper mold and that includes different shapes and sizes that can be studied further.