The Digital Avatar on a Blockchain: E-Identity, Anonymity and Human Dignity

Finanzdienstleister sammeln immer größere Mengen an Daten von ihren Kunden, um konform mit speziellen Rechtsakten (eIDAS Verordnung, Zahlungsdiensterichtlinie, Geldwäscherichtlinie) zu handeln und Risiken zu minimieren. Die durch die fortschreitende Digitalisierung zunehmenden technischen Möglichkeiten der Datensammlung werfen Bedenken auf im Hinblick auf die Grundsätze der Verhältnismäßigkeit, Notwendigkeit und Datenminimierung. Über die Vereinbarkeit mit der Datenschutz-Grundverordnung hinaus ergeben sich jedoch weiterreichende Probleme, da bestimmte Identitätsarchitekturen und deren technische Umsetzungen potentiell die Rechte und Freiheiten einzelner beinträchtigen sowie ethische Fragestellungen aufwerfen. Der vorliegende Beitrag analysiert Aspekte digitaler Identität am Beispiel einer Distributed Ledger- beziehungsweise Blockchain-Architektur für die Registrierung neuer Kunden durch Finanzdienstleister, wo mithilfe von Hashing-Algorithmen individuelle Identifikatoren aus spezifischen Datenpunkten der Kunden gewonnen werden, die schließlich für Zwecke der Nachvollziehbarkeit und Überprüfbarkeit unveränderlich in der Datenstruktur gespeichert werden. Nach einer kurzen Einleitung in das Verständnis von Identität im digitalen Raum und der Anwendbarkeit der Datenschutz-Grundverordnung auf eine distribuierten Datenstruktur wird eine kritische Betrachtung der Entwicklung aus rechtlicher und soziologischer Perspektive vorgenommen, dass zunehmend die Mobiltelefone der Kunden von Finanzdienstleistern als Schnittstellen zu Blockchain-Netzwerken dienen. Die Diskussion reicht über die Frage digitaler Identität im Finanzsektor hinaus und zeigt die Notwendigkeit auf, angemessene und verhältnismäßige rechtliche Bestimmungen zu schaffen, die das Individuum effektiv vor Grundrechtsverletzungen vor dem Hintergrund der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung schützen.In order to comply with specific regulations (eIDAS, Payment Services Directive, Anti-Money Laundering Directive) and reduce risk profiles, financial service providers increasingly collect large amounts of information from their customers. The increasing opportunities and technical means for data collection afforded from digitalisation raise legal concerns related to proportionality, necessity, and data minimization. However, the concerns go beyond just GDPR compliance and legislative balance, as distinct architectures and technological deployments potentially impact rights, freedoms, and ethics. This paper will address the issue by examining aspects of digital identity, especially those that have proposed the use of a permissioned distributed ledger or blockchain as architecture for know your customer and onboarding evidential frameworks, using specific hashing schemes that derive unique identifiers from the combination of specific personal data points. Evidence is appended to a data structure, for the purpose of auditing and/or record keeping, potentially ensuring an immutable record of events is maintained. After elaborating on the notion of identity in the digital sphere and the applicability of the GDPR to such a data structure, the discussion will be developed to critically assess the current trend towards using the financial institutions’ customers’ mobile devices as interfaces to the distributed data structure and the legal and sociological implications of this technological development. The potential impact of the analysis goes beyond digital identity within the finance sector, positioning the discussion towards approaches for e-governance and the regulation of digital identity in a way that human dignity is preserved and the risks of creating a ubiquitous “digital avatar” are adequately addressed by the law

miR-375 gene dosage in pancreatic β-cells: implications for regulation of β-cell mass and biomarker development

MicroRNAs play a crucial role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Mice with genetic deletion of miR-375 exhibit impaired glycemic control due to decreased β-cell and increased α-cell mass and function. The relative importance of these processes for the overall phenotype of miR-375KO mice is unknown. Here, we show that mice overexpressing miR-375 exhibit normal β-cell mass and function. Selective re-expression of miR-375 in β-cells of miR-375KO mice normalizes both, α- and β-cell phenotypes as well as glucose metabolism. Using this model, we also analyzed the contribution of β-cells to the total plasma miR-375 levels. Only a small proportion (≈1 %) of circulating miR-375 originates from β-cells. Furthermore, acute and profound β-cell destruction is sufficient to detect elevations of miR-375 levels in the blood. These findings are supported by higher miR-375 levels in the circulation of type 1 diabetes (T1D) subjects but not mature onset diabetes of the young (MODY) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients. Together, our data support an essential role for miR-375 in the maintenance of β-cell mass and provide in vivo evidence for release of miRNAs from pancreatic β-cells. The small contribution of β-cells to total plasma miR-375 levels make this miRNA an unlikely biomarker for β-cell function but suggests a utility for the detection of acute β-cell death for autoimmune diabetes

Neutral kaon mixing beyond the Standard Model with n(f)=2+1 chiral fermions. Part 1: bare matrix elements and physical results

We compute the hadronic matrix elements of the four-quark operators relevant for $K^0-{\bar K^0}$ mixing beyond the Standard Model. Our results are from lattice QCD simulations with $n_f=2+1$ flavours of domain-wall fermion, which exhibit continuum-like chiral-flavour symmetry. The simulations are performed at two different values of the lattice spacing ($a\sim0.08$ and a\sim 0.11 \, \fm ) and with lightest unitary pion mass \sim 300\, \MeV. For the first time, the full set of relevant four-quark operators is renormalised non-perturbatively through RI-SMOM schemes; a detailed description of the renormalisation procedure is presented in a companion paper. We argue that the intermediate renormalisation scheme is responsible for the discrepancies found by different collaborations. We also study different normalisations and determine the matrix elements of the relevant four-quark operators with a precision of $\sim 5\%$ or better.Comment: 38 page

What factors affect patients’ access to healthcare? Protocol for an overview of systematic reviews

Background The importance of access to healthcare for all is internationally recognised as a global goal, high on the global agenda. Yet inequalities in health exist within and between countries which are exacerbated by inequalities in access to healthcare. In order to address these inequalities, we need to better understand what drives them. While there exists a wealth of research on access to healthcare in different countries and contexts, and for different patient groups, to date no attempt has been made to bring this evidence together through a global lens. This study aims to address that gap by bringing together evidence of what factors affect patients’ access to healthcare and exploring how those factors vary in different countries and contexts around the world. Methods An overview of reviews will be conducted using a comprehensive search strategy to search four databases: Medline, Embase, Global Health and Cochrane Systematic Reviews. Additional searches will be conducted on the Gates Foundation, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and World Bank websites. Titles and abstracts will be screened against the eligibility criteria and full-text articles will be obtained for all records that meet the inclusion criteria or where there is uncertainty around eligibility. A data extraction table will be developed during the review process and will be piloted and refined before full data extraction commences. Methodological quality/risk of bias will be assessed for each included study using the AMSTAR 2 tool. The quality assessment will be used to inform the narrative synthesis, but a low-quality score will not necessarily lead to study exclusion. Discussion Factors affecting patients’ ability to access healthcare will be identified and analysed according to different country and context characteristics to shed light on the importance of different factors in different settings. Results will be interpreted accounting for the usual challenges associated with conducting such reviews. The results may guide future research in this area and contribute to priority setting for development initiatives aimed at ensuring equitable access to healthcare for all

Neutral kaon mixing beyond the Standard Model with nf=2+1 chiral fermions part II:Non Perturbative Renormalisation of the ΔF=2 four-quark operators

We compute the renormalisation factors (Z-matrices) of the $\Delta F=2$ four-quark operators needed for Beyond the Standard Model (BSM) kaon mixing. We work with nf=2+1 flavours of Domain-Wall fermions whose chiral-flavour properties are essential to maintain a continuum-like mixing pattern. We introduce new RI-SMOM renormalisation schemes, which we argue are better behaved compared to the commonly-used corresponding RI-MOM one. We find that, once converted to MS, the Z-factors computed through these RI-SMOM schemes are in good agreement but differ significantly from the ones computed through the RI-MOM scheme. The RI-SMOM Z-factors presented here have been used to compute the BSM neutral kaon mixing matrix elements in the companion paper [1]. We argue that the renormalisation procedure is responsible for the discrepancies observed by different collaborations, we will investigate and elucidate the origin of these differences throughout this work

A Randomised, Blinded, Placebo-Controlled, Dose Escalation Study of the Tolerability and Efficacy of Filgrastim for Haemopoietic Stem Cell Mobilisation in Patients With Severe Active Rheumatoid Arthritis

Autologous haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) represents a potential therapy for severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). As a prelude to clinical trails, the safety and efficacy of haemopoietic stem cell (HSC) mobilisation required investigation as colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) have been reported to flare RA. A double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled dose escalation study was performed. Two cohorts of eight patients fulfilling strict eligibility criteria for severe active RA (age median 40 years, range 24-60 years; median disease duration 10.5 years, range 2-18 years) received filgrastim (r-Hu-methionyl granulocyte(G)-(SF) at 5 and 10 microg/kg/day, randomised in a 5:3 ratio with placebo. Patients were unblinded on the fifth day of treatment and those randomised to filgrastim underwent cell harvesting (leukapheresis) daily until 2 X 10^6/kg CD34+ cells (haemopoietic stem and progenitor cells) were obtained. Patients were assessed by clinical and laboratory parameters before, during and after filgrastim administration. RA flare was defined as an increase of 30% or more in two of the following parameters: tender joint count, swollen joint count or pain score. Efficacy was assessed by quantitation of CD34+ cells and CFU-GM. One patient in the 5 microg/kg/day group and two patients in the 10 microg/kg/day group fulfilled criteria for RA flare, although this did not preclude successful stem cell collection. Median changes in swollen and tender joint counts were not supportive of filgrastim consistently causing exacerbation of disease, but administration of filgrastim at 10 microg/kg/day was associated with rises in median C-reactive protein and median rheumatoid factor compared with placebo. Other adverse events were well recognised for filgrastim and included bone pain (80%) and increases in alkaline phosphatase (four-fold) and lactate dehydrogenase (two-fold). With respect to efficacy, filgrastim at 10 microg/kg/day was more efficient with all patients (n = 5) achieving target CD34+ cell counts with a single leukapheresis (median = 2.8, range = 2.3-4.8 X 10^6/kg, median CFU-GM = 22.1, range = 4.2-102.9 X 10^4/kg), whereas 1-3 leukaphereses were necessary to achieve the target yield using 5 microg/kg/day. We conclude that filgrastim may be administered to patients with severe active RA for effective stem cell mobilisation. Flare of RA occurs in a minority of patients and is more likely with 10 than 5 microg/kg/day. However, on balance, 10 microg/kg/day remains the dose of choice in view of more efficient CD34+ cell mobilisation

Evaluation of profitability and future potential for low emission productive uses of land that is currently used for livestock: SLMACC Project 405422

Agriculture accounts for 48% of New Zealand’s gross greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with nearly 75% of the emissions coming from methane (CH₄) production from ruminant animals (enteric-CH₄) (Ministry for the Environment 2020). Changes to alternative low biogenic greenhouse gas emission (BGE) land uses is an option for reducing national GHG and meeting national reduction targets for overall GHG and CH₄. However, large land use change will have implications for New Zealand’s economy. To address this, replacing profitable livestock with alternative profitable land uses would potentially overcome this concern. This report describes work conducted in the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change (SLMACC) Project 405422 - Evaluation of profitability and future potential for low emission productive uses of land that is currently used for livestock. The aim of the project was to evaluate potential agricultural land uses (including crop and forest options) that could provide an alternative to livestock production based on market growth opportunities, GHG footprints and suitability for current climate and soil conditions. Our approach was to produce a framework whereby we could consider the trade-offs between BGE and profitability. Firstly, we identified potential high value crops that could increase their production areas based on an assessment of market opportunities. Secondly, we assessed their growing requirements and identified where they might grow throughout New Zealand. Then, for each crop we estimated potential BGE and ranges in profitability; we also considered the role of forestry in emission reductions and as a profitable land use. Finally, we considered CH₄ emissions reduction scenarios where these alternative land uses might replace livestock. Through the various stages of the work we ground-truthed our findings with stakeholders and industry experts