European banks’ business models as a driver of strategic planning: one size fits all

Purpose This paper aims to verify the presence of a management model that confirms or not the one size fits all hypothesis expressed in terms of risk-return. This study will test the existence of stickiness phenomena and discuss the relevance of business model analysis integration with the risk assessment process. Design/methodology/approach The sample consists of 60 credit institutions operating in Europe for 20 years of observations. This study proposes a classification of banks’ business models (BMs) based on an agglomerative hierarchical clustering algorithm analyzing their performance according to risk and return dimensions. To confirm BM stickiness, the authors verify the tendency and frequency with which a bank migrates to other BMs after exogenous events. Findings The results show that it is impossible to define a single model that responds to the one size fits all logic, and there is a tendency to adapt the BM to exogenous factors. In this context, there is a propensity for smaller- and medium-sized institutions to change their BM more frequently than larger institutions. Practical implications Quantitative metrics seem to be only able to represent partially the intrinsic dynamics of BMs, and to include these metrics, it is necessary to resort to a holistic view of the BM. Originality/value This paper provides evidence that BMs’ stickiness indicated in the literature seems to weaken in conjunction with extraordinary events that can undermine institutions’ margins

Anterior-to-Posterior Migration of a Lumbar Disc Sequestration. Surgical Remarks and Technical Notes about a Tailored Microsurgical Discectomy

Extrusion of disc material within the spinal canal complicates up to 28.6% of lumbar disc herniations. Due to the anatomical "corridors" created by the anterior midline septum and lateral membranes, relocation occurs with an anterior and anterolateral axial topography. Posterior migration is an extremely rare condition and anterior-to-posterior circumferential migration is an even rarer condition. Its radiological feature can be enigmatic and since, in more than 50% of cases, clinical onset is a hyperacute cauda equina syndrome, it may imply a difficult surgical decision in emergency settings. Surgery is the gold standard but when dealing with such huge sequestrations, standard microdiscectomy must be properly modified in order to minimize the risk of surgical trauma or traction on the nerve roots

Block-Based Models and Theorem Proving in Model-Based Development

This paper presents a methodology to integrate computer-assisted theorem proving into a standard workflow for model-based development that uses a block-based language as a modeling and simulation tool. The theorem prover provides confidence in the results of the analysis as it guides the developers towards a correct formalization of the system under developmen

Improving network formation in IEEE 802.15.4e DSME

Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks are becoming attractive also for industrial applications, since recent standardization efforts have introduced significant improvement to reliability and deterministic communication delays. In this context, IEEE 802.15.4e is widely considered the major improvement, introducing many enhancements to the original IEEE 802.15.4 standard aimed at supporting critical applications. Among the new defined MAC protocols, Deterministic and Synchronous Multi-channel Extension (DSME) represents the most suitable option for applications with time-varying requirements. In this paper, an analysis of the IEEE 802.15.4 DSME MAC protocol during network formation is presented. The goal is to study the protocol performance and propose solutions to reduce the network formation time, improving energy and resource efficiency. To carry out the performance evaluation, DSME has been fully implemented in Contiki OS, an actual operating system for sensor nodes. The study has highlighted issues and inefficiencies in the network formation process, allowing to consequently propose effective solutions. In particular, it is proposed a set of guidelines for DSME configuration to the original MAC protocol that are proved to increase significantly the network formation efficiency

A framework for formal analysis and simulative evaluation of security attacks in wireless sensor networks

AbstractWhen designing Wireless Sensor Networks it is important to analyze their security risks and provide adequate solutions for protecting them from malicious attacks. Unfortunately, perfect security cannot be achieved, for performance reasons. Therefore, designers have to devise security priorities, and select security mechanisms accordingly. However, in the early stages of the design process, the concrete effects of security attacks on the system may not be clearly identified. In this paper, we propose a framework that integrates formal verification and network simulation for enabling designers to evaluate the effects of attacks, identify possible security mechanisms, and evaluate their effectiveness, since design time. Formal methods are used to build the abstract model of the application, together with a set of attacks, and to state properties of general validity. The simulator measures the impact of the attacks in terms of common network parameters, like energy consumption or computational effort. Such information can be used to select adequate security mechanisms, then the initial abstract model can be refined to adopt them, and finally prove that former system properties are still verified. The framework relies on UPPAAL for formal modeling and verification and uses the Attack Simulation Framework on top of Castalia as a network simulator. As proof of concept, a case study is shown

Effect of the numbers of slots and barriers on the optimal design of synchronous reluctance machines

This paper analyzes the impact of the numbers of stator slots and rotor layers on the optimal design of synchronous reluctance (SyR) machines. Eighteen SyR machine examples have been designed by means of a multi-objective optimization algorithm and finite element analysis so to maximize torque and minimize torque ripple. Twelve, twenty-four and forty-eight slot stators are considered, associated to rotors with fourpoles and one to six flux barriers per pole. The results of the comparative analysis show that high numbers of slots and layers are beneficial for maximizing the torque and the power factor, and that torque ripple and iron loss minimization require precise matches between the slots and the layers, which are not necessarily the same for the two purposes. Finally, for some slot/layer combinations the optimization algorithm produces nonconventional barrier distributions, very promising is some cases. A fast finite element evaluation is used for the evaluation of thousands of candidate machines during the optimization, whereas an accurate transient with motion finite element analysis stage is used for the off-line characterization of the final designs

Verifying Data Secure Flow in AUTOSAR Models by Static Analysis

This paper presents a method to check data secure flow in security annotated AUTOSAR models. The approach is based on information flow analysis and abstract interpretation. The analysis computes the lowest security level of data sent on a communication, according to the annotations in the model and the code of runnables. An abstract interpreter executes runnables on abstract domains that abstract from real values and consider only data dependency levels. Data secure flow is verified if data sent on a communication always satisfy the security annotation in the model. The work has been developed in the EU project Safure, where modeling extensions to AUTOSAR have been proposed to improve security in automotive communications

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Verifying data secure flow in AUTOSAR models

This paper presents an approach for enhancing the design phase of AUTOSAR models when security annotations are required. The approach is based on information flow analysis and abstract interpretation. The analysis evaluates the correctness of the model by assessing if the flow of data is secure with respect to causal data dependencies within the model. To find these dependencies an exhaustive search through the model would be required. Abstract interpretation is used as a trade-off between the precision and complexity of the analysis. The approach also provides annotated models without oversizing the set of annotations