Disciplining CBDCs: Achieving the Balance between Privacy Protection and Central Bank Independence

Central bank digital currency (“CBDC”) is a crucial FinTech development that aspires to overhaul the current payment system. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, CBDCs’ promises to reduce personal contact, facilitate socially desirable use of money, and initiate more targeted monetary measures have increased their popularity. In addition, CBDCs can potentially serve as a tool to internationalize a sovereign’s currency. World central banks, thus, have gradually formulated a consensus on structuring CBDCs, leaving the regulatory aspects of CBDCs deserving more attention. Among the regulatory issues related to CBDCs, observers often mentioned their association with privacy concerns, but comprehensive studies on this aspect of CBDCs remain limited. In this paper, we discuss the privacy concerns associated with CBDCs and attempt to introduce discipline upon CBDCs and their issuing central banks. We first demonstrate the privacy implications of CBDCs and highlight the risks that issuing sovereigns misuse CBDCs to serve their agendas. We then discuss, in a domestic context, several architectural designs proclaimed to address CBDCs’ privacy concerns and propose further disciplinary mechanisms that may credibly enforce privacy protection laws against issuing central banks and other governmental authorities. We finally highlight the extraterritorial character of modern privacy laws, which allows foreign privacy protection regulators to discipline the CBDCs of other sovereigns. Through this analysis, we argue that applying modern privacy laws with proper supporting mechanisms may effectively discipline CBDCs and their issuing central banks

A Novel Watermarking Technique for Tampering Detection in Digital Images

A novel fragile watermarking technique is proposed for hiding logo information into an image by tuning block pixels based on a bitmap parity checking approach. A secure key and a random number generator are used to hide the logo information in a secret, undetectable, and unambiguous way. The characteristics of the mean gray value and the bitmap in a block are exploited for performing the embedding work efficiently and for hiding a logo into an image imperceptibly. The logo can be extracted without referencing the original image. The proposed method is useful for authentication of original digital products. The extracted logo not only can be used to identify tampered locations in digital images but also can resist JPEG compression to a certain degree. Good experimental results have been conducted and resulting images show the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method

Frequency-Synthesized Approach to High-Power Attosecond Pulse Generation and Applications: Applications

In part I of this work, we present the design, construction and diagnostics of a new scheme of generating high-power attosecond pulses and arbitrary waveforms by multicolor synthesis. In this chapter, we demonstrate selected applications of this novel source, such as coherently controlled harmonic generation as well as phase-sensitive two-color ablation of copper and stainless steel by this multicolor laser system

Characterization of transparent conductive delafossite-CuCr 1−x O 2 films

a b s t r a c t In this study, the CuCr 1−x O 2 films with x = 0.00-0.25 were prepared on a quartz substrate by sol-gel processing. The films were first deposited onto a quartz substrate by spin-coating. The specimens were annealed at 500 • C in air for 1 h and post-annealed in N 2 at 700 • C for 2 h. As the films were post-annealed in N 2 , a pure delafossite-CuCrO 2 phase appeared in the CuCr 1−x O 2 films below x = 0.20. However, an additional CuO phase appeared at x = 0.25. The pure delafossite-CuCrO 2 phase can exist within x ≤ 0.20 in CuCr 1−x O 2 films. The binding energies of Cu-2p 3/2 and Cr-2p 3/2 in the CuCr 1−x O 2 films with the pure delafossite-CuCrO 2 phase were 932.1 ± 0.2 eV and 576.0 ± 0.2 eV, respectively. The surface exhibited elongated grain features when the pure delafossite-CuCrO 2 phase was present in the CuCr 1−x O 2 films. The maximum transmittance of the CuCr 1−x O 2 films with the pure delafossite-CuCrO 2 phase was approximately 80%, which moved toward the visible region with the increasing x-value. The film absorption edges were observed at 400 nm, which were sharper with the increasing x-value. The optical bandgaps of CuCr 1−x O 2 films with the pure delafossite-CuCrO 2 phase were approximately 3.0 eV. The electrical conductivity of CuCr 1−x O 2 films with the pure delafossite-CuCrO 2 phase was 1.1 × 10 −3 S cm −1 (x = 0.00), and increased to 0.16 S cm −1 (x = 0.20). The corresponding carrier concentration of CuCr 1−x O 2 films with the pure delafossite-CuCrO 2 phase was 2.8 × 10 14 cm −3 (x = 0.00), and markedly increased to 1.8 × 10 16 cm −3 (x = 0.20). The Cr-deficient condition in delafossite-CuCrO 2 films enhances film electrical conductivity and carrier concentration, but retains the film's high-visible transparency

Simulation of 2D Free-surface Potential Flows Using a Robust Local Polynomial Collocation Method

Abstract In this paper a mesh-free numerical model for simulating 2D free-surface potential flows is established. A Lagrangian time-marching scheme is chosen for the boundary conditions of the moving and deforming free surface while a local polynomial collocation method is applied for solving the Laplace equation at each time step. The collocation method is developed in a way that the governing equation is satisfied on boundaries as well as boundary conditions. At any free surface node, this gives accurate estimation of the derivatives of velocity potential, which represent components of the velocity vector at that specific node. Therefore, trajectories of the free surface nodes can be predicted precisely. The numerical model is applied to the simulation of free surface waves in the liquid sloshing of a swaying tank. Present model is verified by comparing the numerical results with experimental data. Fairly good agreements are observed

Frequency-Synthesized Approach to High-Power Attosecond Pulse Generation and Applications: Generation and Diagnostics

We present a new scheme of generating high-power attosecond pulses and arbitrary waveform synthesis by multicolor synthesis. The full bandwidth of the multicolor laser system extends more than two-octaves and reaches 37,600 cm−1 which can be used to generate sub-single-cycle (∼0.37 cycle) sub-femtosecond (360 attosecond) pulses with carrier-envelope phase (CEP) control. The results show a promising approach for generation of relatively high-power attosecond pulses in the optical region. In this chapter, the design and diagnostics of the laser system are described. In part 2 of this work (the following chapter), we demonstrate selected applications of this novel source, such as coherently controlled harmonic generation as well as phase-sensitive 2-color ablation of copper and stainless steel by this multi-color laser system

Photothermal responsivity of van der Waals material-based nanomechanical resonators

Nanomechanical resonators made from van der Waals materials (vdW NMRs) provide a new tool for sensing absorbed laser power. The photothermal response of vdW NMRs, quantified from the resonant frequency shifts induced by optical absorption, is enhanced when incorporated in a Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometer. Along with the enhancement comes the dependence of the photothermal response on NMR displacement, which lacks investigation. Here, we address the knowledge gap by studying electromotively driven niobium diselenide drumheads fabricated on highly reflective substrates. We use a FP-mediated absorptive heating model to explain the measured variations of the photothermal response. The model predicts a higher magnitude and tuning range of photothermal responses on few-layer and monolayer NbSe$_{2}$ drumheads, which outperform other clamped vdW drum-type NMRs at a laser wavelength of $532\,$nm. Further analysis of the model shows that both the magnitude and tuning range of NbSe$_{2}$ drumheads scale with thickness, establishing a displacement-based framework for building bolometers using FP-mediated vdW NMRs.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Trends and predictors of changes in pulmonary function after treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed to investigate the trends in changes in pulmonary function and the risk factors for pulmonary function deterioration in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis after completing treatment. INTRODUCTION: Patients usually have pulmonary function abnormalities after completing treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. The time course for changes in pulmonary function and the risk factors for deterioration have not been well studied. METHODS: A total of 115 patients with 162 pulmonary function results were analyzed. We retrieved demographic and clinical data, radiographic scores, bacteriological data, and pulmonary function data. A generalized additive model with a locally weighted scatterplot smoothing technique was used to evaluate the trends in changes in pulmonary function. A generalized estimating equation model was used to determine the risk factors associated with deterioration of pulmonary function. RESULTS: The median interval between the end of anti-tuberculosis treatment and the pulmonary function test was 16 months (range: 0 to 112 months). The nadir of pulmonary function occurred approximately 18 months after the completion of the treatment. The risk factors associated with pulmonary function deterioration included smear-positive disease, extensive pulmonary involvement prior to anti-tuberculosis treatment, prolonged anti-tuberculosis treatment, and reduced radiographic improvement after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: After the completion of anti-tuberculosis TB treatment, several risk factors predicted pulmonary function deterioration. For patients with significant respiratory symptoms and multiple risk factors, the pulmonary function test should be followed up to monitor the progression of functional impairment, especially within the first 18 months after the completion of anti-tuberculosis treatment

Bis-tridentate Ir(III) Metal Phosphors for Efficient Deep-Blue Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Emissive Ir(III) metal complexes possessing two tridentate chelates (bis-tridentate) are known to be more robust compared to those with three bidentate chelates (tris-bidentate). Here, the deep-blue-emitting, bis-tridentate Ir(III) metal phosphors bearing both the dicarbene pincer ancillary such as 2,6-diimidazolylidene benzene and the 6-pyrazolyl-2-phenoxylpyridine chromophoric chelate are synthesized. A deep-blue organic light-emitting diode from one phosphor exhibits Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE(x,y)) coordinates of (0.15, 0.17) with maximum external quantum efficiency (max. EQE) of 20.7% and EQE = 14.6% at the practical brightness of 100 cd m−2

Pityriasis lichenoid-like mycosis fungoides in a 9-year-old boy: A case report

No abstract availabl