The Threat of Terrorism: The Perspective of a Policy-Maker

This note defines and analyzes the most important issues concerning decisionmaking about human-induced insecurities such as terrorism and organized crime from the perspective of a policymaker. By means of modeling the policymakers trade-o_ between the e_ectiveness and costs of policy measures targeted at reducing the threat of terrorism, we aim at helping to understand the role economic research can take to enable e_cient decisionmaking in the context of human-induced insecurities in general and terrorism in particular.

Low-Latency Elliptic Curve Scalar Multiplication

This paper presents a low-latency algorithm designed for parallel computer architectures to compute the scalar multiplication of elliptic curve points based on approaches from cryptographic side-channel analysis. A graphics processing unit implementation using a standardized elliptic curve over a 224-bit prime field, complying with the new 112-bit security level, computes the scalar multiplication in 1.9ms on the NVIDIA GTX 500 architecture family. The presented methods and implementation considerations can be applied to any parallel 32-bit architectur

Finding ECM-friendly curves through a study of Galois properties

In this paper we prove some divisibility properties of the cardinality of elliptic curves modulo primes. These proofs explain the good behavior of certain parameters when using Montgomery or Edwards curves in the setting of the elliptic curve method (ECM) for integer factorization. The ideas of the proofs help us to find new families of elliptic curves with good division properties which increase the success probability of ECM

Innovative Performance Measures to assess Destination Competitiveness

Many Destination Management Organizations (DMOs) have functionally expanded beyond their origins as information disseminators, to take on a more direct sales role, supported through innovative e-commerce capabilities. Central reservation systems (CRSs) not only provide DMOs with new sources of revenue, but additionally, the on-going accommodation and attraction booking process creates rich data bases that when mined, can provide DMOs with relevant and timely performance measures. While much has been written about destination competitiveness and industry performance, CRS data provides a relatively new source to tap. This paper mines data from 15 DMO reservation systems and presents new indices for measuring and benchmarking destination performance

Models of tax payments of performers of economic activity in Latvia

Economic theory sources widely discuss the fiscal policy, the ways of encouraging economic development, improve the welfare of people, improve employment and promote progress by fiscal instruments. On one side, it is possible to use the expenditure policy, on the other side, tax revenue can be optimised by reducing tax gaps. State officials often view self-employment as a missed opportunity deserving more focused attention. The European Union also supports this position. The question of self-employment is important for performers of economic activity. The aim of the research: on the basis of theoretical (legislative) and empirical analysis to find out advantages and disadvantages of tax payments of performers of economic activity in Latvia