Communications networks are traditionally used to bring information together. In this paper, we use them to keep information apart in order to protect personal privacy. We show how to implement anonymous credit cards using simple building blocks and standard cryptographic techniques. We propose a systematic method to determine the set of parties that must collude to bring information together. ...

Recent studies have shown that firms credit rating transition process is not stationary and may have structural breaks. To study the predictability of structural breaks, we develop a predictive model for latent structural breaks in firms rating transition dynamics, using historical records of (highdimensional) economic and market fundamentals. As a large number of economic and market variables ...

Interest in computer science is growing. As a result, computer science (CS) and related departments are experiencing an explosive increase in undergraduate enrollments and unprecedented demand from other disciplines for learning computing. According to the 2014 CRA Taulbee Survey, the number of undergraduates declaring a computing major at Ph.D. granting departments in the US has increased 60% ...

OBJECTIVE In the context of the nutrition transition and associated changes in the food retail sector, to examine the socio-economic characteristics and motivations of shoppers using different retail formats (large supermarkets (LSM), medium-sized supermarkets (MSM) or traditional outlets) in Tunisia. DESIGN Cross-sectional survey (2006). Socio-economic status, type of food retailer and motiv...

Incident reporting as a key mechanism for organisational learning and the establishment of a stronger safety culture are pillars of the current patient safety movement. Studies have suggested that incident reporting in healthcare does not achieve its full potential due to serious barriers to reporting and that sometimes staff may feel alienated by the process. The aim of the work reported in th...