Knowbella Tech (Helix)

[ceaa]

Take a a view on this one if you want to mine with your mobile device.
This thing is just starting.

minepi.com/Chocolateheart

Invitation code:
Chocolateheart

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://coindataflow.com/en/currency/pi-network&ved=2ahUKEwie0s2j5uvqAhVkxKYKHZRPDJ8QtwIwAXoECAUQCA&usg=AOvVaw2gTtpkFtbGjwkxhshaSVh_

[Anthropoid]

U.S.: New Legislation Proposes to Exclude Crypto From Securities Laws

https://cointelegraph.com/news/us-new-legislation-proposes-to-exclude-crypto-from-securities-laws

[Anthropoid]

G20 SUMMIT: WE WILL REGULATE CRYPTOCURRENCIES ‘IN LINE WITH FATF STANDARDS’

ALLEN SCOTT · @BITCOINISTER | DEC 02, 2018 | 09:00

G20 countries have agreed to regulate cryptocurrencies in line with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards at the second session of the summit held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

‘WE WILL REGULATE CRYPTO-ASSETS FOR ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING’

On Saturday, a joint declaration was officially signed by all G20 nations, reports The Saudi Gazette. The document acknowledges that “necessary reform” is required given the blistering pace of the “digitalization” of the global economy.

In relation to cryptocurrencies or “crypto-assets” as they are referred to in the document, the G20 has agreed to a regulatory approach in line with FATF standards. Section 25 of the official declaration reads:

We will regulate crypto-assets for anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism in line with FATF standards and we will consider other responses as needed.



In addition, the countries will work together and monitor the digitization of the global economy that’s happening at a rapid pace. An excerpt from section 26 reads:

We will continue to work together to seek a consensus-based solution to address the impacts of the digitization of the economy on the international tax system with an update in 2019 and a final report in 2020.
Bitcoinist reported last week that the U.S. has taken the first-ever action against two Iranian ransomware “facilitators.” The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) published two Bitcoin wallet addresses warning the cryptocurrency and financial communities that anyone transacting with the accused could be subject to secondary sanctions.

However, it still doubtful that these measures will be successful in preventing Bitcoin and cryptocurrency transactions at the protocol level. In fact, Bitcoin was intentionally designed to be censorship resistant, borderless and politically nuetral form of money.


G20: INDIA URGES TO COMBAT ‘FUGITIVE ECONOMIC OFFENDERS’

India appears to have spearheaded the initiative Friday, presenting a nine-point list urging the G20 countries to combat “fugitive economic offenders” which also includes crypto-assets such as Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, as The Hans India reports.

The agenda was presented by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called for the FATF to assign priority and establish international cooperation. This would ensure that member countries work closely and respective financial intelligence units share information required to track down offenders.

“FATF should be tasked to formulate a standard definition of fugitive economic offenders. FATF should also develop a set of commonly agreed and standardized procedures related to identification, extradition and judicial proceedings for dealing with fugitive economic offenders to provide guidance and assistance to G20 countries, subject to their domestic law,” the agenda read.

According to the FATF website:

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is an inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions. The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system. The FATF is, therefore, a “policy-making body” which works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas.
Earlier in July, Bitcoinist reported on the first session held in Buenos Aires, where the member states stopped short of establishing a regulatory framework. Nevertheless, the G20 did concede that “crypto-assets can deliver significant benefits” and do not pose a risk to global financial stability. However, the members agreed to monitor their progress and develop a comprehensive regulatory approach in the near future, citing concerns with tax evasion and money laundering.

“Crypto-assets do, however, raise issues with respect to consumer and investor protection, market integrity, tax evasion, money laundering, and terrorist financing,” the report read. “Crypto-assets lack the key attributes of sovereign currencies. While crypto-assets do not at this point pose a global financial stability risk, we remain vigilant.”

https://bitcoinist.com/g20-regulate-cryptocurrencies-fatf/

[BariDari]

All your delights regarding ICO are quite funny given the recent news about all the ICO scams.
Though I agree about a reverse ICO, it's the only legit method left. And as for the well established companies I'd rather invest in companies from gaming industry related to bockchain. The purely cryptocurrency startups don't count.
Check this MobileGo ICO review insert-text-here. Basically it's a platform for app developers that provides way better term than playstor and others.
Be smart with your investments.
I think it's going to be extremely usefull.

[Anthropoid]

IBM Targets Scientific Research in Latest Blockchain Patent

https://cointelegraph.com/news/ibm-targets-scientific-research-in-latest-blockchain-patent

[Anthropoid]

Security Tokens Set To Take Center Stage In 2019

#STO #ICO #securities #equities #blockchain #bitcoin #ether #BTC #ETH

https://m.nasdaq.com/article/security-tokens-set-to-take-center-stage-in-2019-cm982207

[Anthropoid]

@Knowbella Founder Jason E. Barkeloo wonderfully interviewed by John Furier @furrier at Blockchain Futurist conference @Futurist_conf @theCUBE

Our Founder Jason E. Barkeloo wonderfully interviewed by John Furier @furrier at Blockchain Futurist conference @Futurist_conf @theCUBE https://t.co/GqVz4qx3kI

— Knowbella Tech (@knowbella) August 17, 2018

[Anthropoid]

Security Token Offerings (STO) Part 3: The Challenges for a Decentralized Investment Market

https://www.reddit.com/r/CryptocurrencyICO/comments/982eso/security_token_offerings_sto_part_3_the/?st=JKY1VRY6&sh=249736db

[Anthropoid]

The era of securities tokens is here

https://venturebeat.com/2018/08/04/the-era-of-security-tokens-has-begun/?

[Anthropoid]

German stock exchange getting into trading cryptocurrency

https://bitcoinexchangeguide.com/germanys-boerse-stuttgart-stock-exchange-to-build-ico-platform-and-bison-crypto-trading-app/

[Anthropoid]

What Is A Security Token Offering (STO): Different ICO Regulations?

https://bitcoinexchangeguide.com/what-is-a-security-token-offering-sto-different-ico-regulations/

[Anthropoid]

Intercontinental Exchange Announces Bakkt, a Global Platform and Ecosystem for Digital Assets

Launch of regulated, physical Bitcoin futures contract and warehouse planned for November 2018 Bakkt to draw on expertise from leading companies across regulated markets, risk management, technology and consumer experience including BCG, Intercontinental Exchange, Microsoft and Starbucks

August 03, 2018 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

ATLANTA & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE), a leading operator of global exchanges, clearing houses, data and listings services, announced today that it plans to form a new company, Bakkt, which intends to leverage Microsoft cloud solutions to create an open and regulated, global ecosystem for digital assets. The new company is working with a marquee group of organizations including BCG, Microsoft, Starbucks, and others, to create an integrated platform that enables consumers and institutions to buy, sell, store and spend digital assets on a seamless global network.

“As the flagship retailer, Starbucks will play a pivotal role in developing practical, trusted and regulated applications for consumers to convert their digital assets into US dollars for use at Starbucks”

The Bakkt ecosystem is expected to include federally regulated markets and warehousing along with merchant and consumer applications. Its first use cases will be for trading and conversion of Bitcoin versus fiat currencies, as Bitcoin is today the most liquid digital currency. The effort is designed to address evolving needs in the estimated $270 billion digital asset marketplace.

Applications for digital currencies continue to develop alongside regulatory frameworks and rising investment in blockchain technology which, halfway through 2018, has already exceeded all of 2017, according to KPMG. By leveraging trusted market infrastructure, Bakkt is being engineered to help the digital asset markets evolve securely and efficiently while supporting transaction flows.

“In bringing regulated, connected infrastructure together with institutional and consumer applications for digital assets, we aim to build confidence in the asset class on a global scale, consistent with our track record of bringing transparency and trust to previously unregulated markets,” said Jeffrey C. Sprecher, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Intercontinental Exchange.

As an initial component of the Bakkt offering, Intercontinental Exchange’s U.S.-based futures exchange and clearing house plan to launch a 1-day physically delivered Bitcoin contract along with physical warehousing in November 2018, subject to CFTC review and approval. These regulated venues will establish new protocols for managing the specific security and settlement requirements of digital currencies. In addition, the clearing house plans to create a separate guarantee fund that will be funded by Bakkt.

“Bakkt is designed to serve as a scalable on-ramp for institutional, merchant and consumer participation in digital assets by promoting greater efficiency, security and utility,” said Kelly Loeffler, CEO of Bakkt. “We are collaborating to build an open platform that helps unlock the transformative potential of digital assets across global markets and commerce.”

“Blockchain technology holds tremendous potential to enable new business models and trusted ecosystems,” said Sean Collins, Senior Partner, BCG. “By leveraging and developing fundamental market infrastructure, the Bakkt platform will enable firms across industries to accelerate a range of innovation.”

“As the flagship retailer, Starbucks will play a pivotal role in developing practical, trusted and regulated applications for consumers to convert their digital assets into US dollars for use at Starbucks,” said Maria Smith, Vice President, Partnerships and Payments for Starbucks. “As a leader in Mobile Pay to our more than 15 million Starbucks Rewards members, Starbucks is committed to innovation for expanding payment options for our customers.”

In addition to Intercontinental Exchange and M12, Microsoft’s venture capital arm, investors in Bakkt are expected to include, among others, an affiliate of Fortress Investment Group, Eagle Seven, Galaxy Digital, Horizons Ventures, Alan Howard, Pantera Capital, Protocol Ventures, and Susquehanna International Group, LLP.

Bakkt is currently in preparation for launch and further operational details will be announced in the coming weeks. To sign up to receive alerts and information, please visit Bakkt.com.

About Bakkt

Bakkt is designed to enable consumers and institutions to seamlessly buy, sell, store and spend digital assets. Formed with the purpose of bringing trust, efficiency and commerce to digital assets, Bakkt seeks to develop open technology to connect existing market and merchant infrastructure to the blockchain.

About Intercontinental Exchange

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) is a Fortune 500 and Fortune Future 50 company formed in the year 2000 to modernize markets. ICE serves customers by operating the exchanges, clearing houses and information services they rely upon to invest, trade and manage risk across global financial and commodity markets. A leader in market data, ICE Data Services serves the information and connectivity needs across virtually all asset classes. ICE is the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, which has helped companies raise more capital than any other exchange in the world, driving economic growth and transforming markets.

https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180803005236/en/Intercontinental-Exchange-Announces-Bakkt-Global-Platform-Ecosystem

[Anthropoid]

NYSE, MSFT, and Starbucks team for cryptocurrency trading

https://www.businessinsider.com/the-owner-of-the-new-york-stock-exchange-is-teaming-up-with-microsoft-and-starbucks-to-build-an-ecosystem-for-crypto-2018-8

[Anthropoid]

"CFTC Chair J. Christopher Giancarlo: 'We are falling behind’" blockchain and cryptocurrency innovation.


https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2018/07/137001-cftc-chair-j-christopher-giancarlo-we-are-falling-behind/

[Anthropoid]

SEC top official asks crypto users to either go “complaince” or “different tack”

The newly appointed U.S. SEC top official Valerie Szczepanik hopes cooperation from crypto enthusiasts, else stringent measures awaiting. The significant financial companies are thrashed with legal cases under the active initiative of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This newly appointed SEC officer has undertaken the responsibility to supervise the emerging crypto industry.

However, the common trend suggests that the crypto enthusiasts find it difficult to associate with the market police of SEC. This is intimidation present among the people belonging to the crypto industrial domain is due to the investigative activities and outcomes.


According to the 51 year old SEC officer, Szczepanik, "We want people to come talk to us." She has further stated, "When I’m in meetings with folks, I want them to see me as someone who’s interested in communication and back and forth, and looking to encourage innovation that helps investors and the markets."

The seriousness of the challenging situations created by the digital currencies reflects the concern of SEC. In June, 2018 the Szczepanik is designated as the senior adviser of the domain of digital assets. Focussing on this new SEC officer, technology has always been a matter of interest for her. As an officer, she started invigilating cryptocurrencies almost six years back.


However, the top most levels of this regulatory body could detect the unwilling attitude among the crypto supporters in this industry. Hester Pierce is the Republican Commissioner who has given an interview stating the underlying reason for people to maintain distance from SEC. She commented that for these crypto enthusiasts the event, “meant going through enforcement.”

William Hinman has been an ex- lawyer at Silicon Valley who operates the department of corporation finance of SEC. He is of the opinion that the joining of Szczepanik in SEC may bring about a transformation in the system. According to Hinman, "Early days in this space, a lot of the activity just didn’t come into any other division other than enforcement." Hinman has further commented, "Folks weren’t coming to us and saying, ’Oh, I have a security, let me register it with corporation finance."


Such a comment led to an upsurge of nearly 12% in the valuation of ethereum [ETH]. On the other hand, Goldman Sachs a prominent investment banking institution with distinct international presence based in New York is gearing up for trading business of Bitcoins [BTC]. The intervention by the regulators into the dark, undiscovered crypto industry can drag it out and expose to light. This would facilitate better understanding of the mechanism prevalent in the functioning of the industry.

However, Szczepanik commented, “What we’re hoping is people will want to come into compliance.” She has cautioned that if the crypto market retains its opaque nature then strict measures would be directed towards it. She said, “If there’s no effort to do that, if instead folks choose to ignore applicable laws, we might take a different tack.”

https://bcfocus.com/news/sec-top-official-asks-crypto-users-to-either-go-complaince-or-different-tack/19913/

[Anthropoid]

Science Career Ads Are Disproportionately Seen by Men

Marketing algorithms prevent many women from seeing the advertising, even though it’s illegal to target jobs to one gender


https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-career-ads-are-disproportionately-seen-by-men/

[Anthropoid]

Ethereum blockchain used to expose China’s pharma giant, Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology, for supplying inferior baby vaccines

#Ethereum [ETH] used to expose China’s pharma giant, Changchun Changsheng Biotechnology, for supplying inferior baby vaccineshttps://t.co/SxFZ8HvdhQ#vaccinations #supplychain #pharma #blockchain

— Knowbella Tech (@knowbella) July 27, 2018

[Anthropoid]

A Chinese government analysis has concluded the average lifespan of a blockchain project is 1.22 years, sources report May 28.

Speaking at the ongoing China International Big Data Industry Expo 2018 in Guizhou, He Baohong of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) said only 8% of the blockchain projects ever launched are still alive.

https://cointelegraph.com/news/chinese-report-blockchain-projects-go-from-boom-to-bust-in-15-months

[Anthropoid]

Billionaire Marc Lasry sees bitcoin reaching up to $40,000 as it becomes more mainstream and easier to trade


https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/18/marc-lasry-bitcoin-to-hit-40000-dollars-as-it-becomes-more-mainstream.html

[Anthropoid]

Binance, Neufund Back ‘World’s First Decentralized Stock Exchange’ in Malta

https://www.ccn.com/binance-to-partner-with-malta-stock-exchange-to-create-worlds-first-decentralized-stock-exchange/amp/

[Anthropoid]

Coinbase Retracts Announcement of Regulatory Approval to List Coins Considered Securities

https://cointelegraph.com/news/coinbase-retracts-announcement-of-regulatory-approval-to-list-coins-considered-securities

[Anthropoid]

Congressional Hearing on The Future of Money & Crypto: “These Innovations Should be Fostered Not Smothered”

https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2018/07/136604-congressional-hearing-on-the-future-of-money-crypto-these-innovations-should-be-fostered-not-smothered/

[Anthropoid]

Five Open Science Projects

https://medium.com/knowbella-tech/5-open-science-projects-knowbella-tech-really-like-484fc69514dc

[Anthropoid]

National Academies Push Open Science

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/07/18/national-academies-push-open-science

[Anthropoid]

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine have published a framework to help academics, research institutions and funders bring open science to the fore.

https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2018/07/18/national-academies-push-open-science

[Anthropoid]

Coinbase Gets Regulator Approval to List Digital Coins Considered to be Securities

Coinbase Gets Regulator Approval to List Digital Coins Considered to be #Securities #STO #ICO #cryptocurrency #cryptocurrencies #tokens #altcoins https://t.co/RTbhcRHBTC

— Knowbella Tech (@knowbella) July 16, 2018

[Anthropoid]

Scientific publishing is rigged at our expense

If ‘money makes the world go round,’ then the world of scientific publishing has proved to be no exception to the rule.

When the first scientific journal, The Royal Society’s Philosophical Transactions, came rolling off the press in 1665, it was paid for with a subscription model. In time, journals like these yielded income for commercial publishers, especially as the number of scientists and research institutions grew.

But it was never big business — at least by modern standards. The moderately small scientific community, competition between printing houses, and high costs of distribution and production, reigned in any possibility of profiteering. The system worked well insofar as those who wanted to read about recent discoveries had reasonable access to printed journals, at reasonable prices.

In the mid-twentieth century, the laissez-faire approach began to go awry. Through the 60s and 70s, power was consolidated as commercial publishers acquired high-profile journals to add to their collections, previously overseen by various not-for-profit academic societies. A once crowded market soon transformed into one dominated by a handful of major players...

https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/07/07/scientific-publishing-is-rigged-at-our-expense/

[Anthropoid]

Blockchain For Scientists Takes On Elsevier, The Business The Internet Couldn't Kill


https://www.forbes.com/sites/kittyknowles/2018/06/13/blockchain-science-iris-ai-project-aiur-elsevier-academic-journal-london-tech-week-cogx/#15805ff91e0a

[Anthropoid]

Security Tokens Set To Take Center Stage In 2019

#STO #ICO #blockchain #securities

If 2017 marked the emergence of initial coin offerings and 2018 has been the year of regulatory uncertainty around those ICOs, then 2019 will belong to the security token. So far, security token offerings make up only a relatively small percentage of ICOs. But that will soon change. Security tokens, not utility coins, will attract significant amounts of Wall Street money next year. Why is this shift expected to occur, and how can you prepare for it?

Security tokens combine the characteristics of utility tokens and venture capital

We believe security tokens act as a natural bridge between traditional finance like venture capital and Blockchain and benefit both equally. Utility tokens, akin to loyalty rewards points given by credit cards, have dominated ICOs. However, in some cases, owners cannot use the tokens beyond the issuer’s platform. As for venture capital, most private assets are relatively illiquid, which means investors face a difficult and costly time trying to convert them into cash. Security tokens solve both fundamental problems.

Security tokens digitally represent ownership in any asset, such as a piece of a tech startup or a venture capital fund and can provide investors with various rights to that company or fund. Furthermore, Security tokens provide liquidity to investors, access to compliance features to issuers, and a framework for oversight to regulators....

https://www.nasdaq.com/article/security-tokens-set-to-take-center-stage-in-2019-cm982207

[Anthropoid]

Data on U.S. federal research and development obligations and outlays of federal agencies for basic research, applied research, development, and R&D plant, agency, field of science or engineering (for research only), geographic area, and performer. #STEM

https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/fedfunds/2016/

[Anthropoid]

Podcast interview of Jason about Knowbella Tech

https://soundcloud.com/knowbella

[Anthropoid]

Gibraltar Stock Exchange Confirms Move Into Security Tokens

Being tokenised securities, most are already fully-regulated.

https://cryptobriefing.com/gibraltar-stock-exchange-security-tokens/

[Anthropoid]

Knowbella Tech at TokenNews

Securities Token Offering (STO)

Regulated Fund Raising Method primarily by Blockchain-based Projects.

Compared with Un-regulated ICO, token is backed by securities and less speculative.

i.g. Knowbella

https://tokennews-hk.com/glossary/securities-token-offering-sto/

[Anthropoid]

Knowbella Tech podcast

https://www.futuretechpodcast.com/podcasts/knowbella-tech-collaboration-powered-open-science/

[Anthropoid]

Google Co-Founder Sergey Brinn Admits Mining Ethereum At The Recent Blockchain Summit?

By Jamie Pancho - July 9, 2018

Sergey Brin — the ninth richest man in the world and one of the Google’s Co-Founder — admits that he is mining Ethereum at the 2018 Blockchain Summit.

Brin who is also the President of Alphabet — a collection of companies mainly Google that prospers strong leaders and independence — is now taking a side job with cryptocurrency, according to Michael del Castillo who reported this via his twitter account.

The Summit was hosted at Sir Richard Branson’s hotel, the Kasbah Tamadot on July 8; Brin, then, said that he is having interest on the online currency, specifically, Ethereum. With an estimated net worth of $52 billion, Brin can be one of the richest men in the crypto industry. Interestingly, even his son, Benji Wojin shared the same passion with cryptocurrency that was also mentioned by Brin.

Moreover, other personalities were also invited at the Summit to tackle their different perspectives regarding the unpredictable status of crypto in the country.

Former Guns n’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum defined blockchain technology as ‘rebellious’ and ‘very rock and roll.’ He also gave an insight on how he thinks that blockchain can help the music and showbiz industry in the future. According to him, the power of blockchain can use to defend every artists’ intellectual property rights.

“A user should be able to own content in a way that rewards the artist. When the blockchain came along, I said, this can happen. And the way it will work is through smart contracts” said Sorum.

Even Former SEC Commissioner Annette Nazareth explained that SEC took a big step with their claim that cryptos are not securities. Although, she thinks that regulators understand that blockchain is a ‘tremendous opportunity’ that they have to think about in the future.

However, Former CFTC chair Jim Newsome believes that regulators are choosing the right direction with their recent decisions.

“We are still in the early stages of this technology’s development. We’re in the first inning of a very long ball game. So we need to be careful not to rush regulators too much. Because typically when you rush regulators, they tend to get it wrong.”

Although not every one of them that talked in the Summit shared the same perspective with crypto, one thing they are amazed with is the zero-knowledge proofs. These proofs are created to show that a transaction is accurate without revealing the transaction data to the nodes. Revealing it as one of the main privacy settings in Zcash. Brin even described it as ‘really mindboggling.’
Recently, as reported by BTCNN, Google company are taking their little steps towards cryptocurrencies. With Brin as a miner and supporter of cryptos, people are expecting to see more of Google’s interaction with blockchain in the near future.

?https://www.btcnn.com/google-co-founder-admits-mining-ethereum-at-the-recent-blockchain-summit/?

[Anthropoid]

A New Open Source Imaging System

The open source movement has facilitated the development of low cost and easy-to-use technologies for scientific settings. A study published in PLOS ONE describes the creation of a novel multi-fluorescence imaging system from readily available, low cost components.

The study has just been awarded the 2018 PLOS Open Source Toolkit Channel Prize, and I was lucky to interview via email study authors Isaac Nuñez and Tamara Matute, of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, who both contributed to the answers below.

What drew you to study bioengineering?

As engineers, we are always very interested in the development of technologies and tools for solving problems. Often engineers leave aside the biological perspective, but the ability of biological systems to solve problems is unique and carries a huge advantage compared to any tool invented by man. So we think it is vital to learn and seek solutions from this perspective.

What does the term “open source” mean, and how do open source tools benefit your research community?

There exist many good definitions of open source technologies, but for us, it refers to the freedom to use, study, replicate, modify, improve and redistribute technology without restrictions. As an investigator or developer, you work to make everything generated from your work generally available to be re-done, modified or mixed.

The GOSH (Global Open Science Hardware) movement and OpenPlant work to promote open source technology. We believe that openly shared technologies, such as open scientific hardware and open genetic tools, are crucial for technology development and knowledge production, particularly in low income countries.

In your study, you developed an open source imaging tool using cheap LEDs, filters and a Raspberry Pi camera in combination with fluorescent proteins. What gave you the idea?

We were inspired by the open source IO Rodeo transilluminator, which images electrophoresis gels, and the FlyPi microscope. We started to think how to evolve it to accomplish more sophisticated tasks for our daily research as well as for educational applications. So we combined the transilluminator with other existing advances such as long stokes shift fluorescent proteins, raspberry pi cameras and python programing resources.

Tell us about the development process.

When starting a project of this kind you have some ideas of what you want, but it really is an ongoing process. You have to prototype the different components in parallel and problem solve along the way. Our design also mutated along the way thanks to conversations with people such André Chagas (neuroscientist and co-editor of the PLOS Open Source Toolkit Channel) and information we found in online forums. It’s a continuous learning process and the final solution comes from the whole team.

Could you describe your tool and how it works?

It is a low cost multi fluorescence imaging station to study the dynamic genetic responses of cells. It uses blue light and an orange acrylic filter and excites different fluorescent proteins to emit a detectable fluorescent signal. The system is easy and cheap to build and uses only common available resources. Furthermore, we combined development of the equipment with testing of fluorescent proteins under blue light excitation to find which best fit the system as well as to adapt them to a set of modular genetic resources to use on it. The image recording mechanism is versatile, because you can use a raspberry pi system or simply a cell phone camera to take images or perform timelapse experiments. Finally, we included software resources to perform image processing, data analysis and teaching

Who do you hope might use your tool, and for what?

We hope that this tool will be used by researchers, educators and students of all ages.

For researchers, it can be used to obtain quantifiable cell data, such as growth and interaction dynamics in different experimental configurations, and to visualize the expression of fluorescent proteins and electrophoresis results.

For students and educators, we believe the tool can demonstrate experiments of quantitative biological behavior, something that we believe is lacking in biology education. Since the tool is inexpensive, it is possible to manufacture and use it in educational contexts where there is generally little or no access to technology. We hope that this is not a final product but just the first of a series of variations adapted for specific needs. We are currently exploring ways to openly distribute the required genetic resources.

Working with a potentially reconfigurable open device allows for more informative data acquisition, which increases our ability to propose new experiments or adaptations.

You have just been awarded the 2018 PLOS Open Source Toolkit Prize for this work. How did you feel when you found out that you’d won?

We were really happy and very honored. In our local context, open source is not well understood or simply unknown. Unfortunately, many institutions focus only on traditional proprietary development of technology, without giving space to other types of development. This award helps to get more attention for open technology in our institutions and also for the OpenPlant mini grants that were crucial for this work. We hope that winning the prize will contribute to advancing the understanding of open technologies and their great potential for both the scientific community and society.

What do you plan to do with your $500 prize money?

We are considering using the prize to develop new workshops about open technologies in the community, or to manufacture more equipment to realize these workshops and as gifts for schools.

Research Article: Nuñez I, Matute T, Herrera R, Keymer J, Marzullo T, Rudge T, et al. (2017) Low cost and open source multi-fluorescence imaging system for teaching and research in biology and bioengineering. PLoS ONE 12(11): e0187163. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0187163

Project page: https://osf.io/dy6p2/

Images Credits: Nuñez et al., 2017; Isaac Nuñez, Tamara Matute.

http://researchnews.plos.org/2018/07/04/shedding-light/

[Anthropoid]

How to manage grant funding for scientists using blockchain.

[Anthropoid]

Why Reg A for STO?

Some smart people have asked us why do a STO via SEC Reg A instead of Reg D/S?

Here are some thoughts...

https://medium.com/knowbella-tech/why-the-regulation-a-for-a-securities-token-offering-sto-c206e06f7d75

[Anthropoid]

Magistrate judge of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida finds that cryptocurrency tokens issued in an initial coin offering (“ICO”) by the startup company, Centra Tech, are securities under federal securities laws.

https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=595ba35c-3258-4dba-8e97-f49cef680775

[Anthropoid]

“...the less shady an ICO project is, the more successful it tends to be.”

“...liquidity and trading volume are higher when coin issuers ‘offer voluntary disclosure, credibly commit to the project, and signal quality.’”

ICOs “raised $11.8 billion between January and May of 2018—compared with $5.5 billion in all of 2017.”

https://www.technologyreview.com/the-download/611585/despite-shadiness-and-crackdowns-the-ico-boom-is-bigger-than-ever/

[Anthropoid]

Hong Kong VC Firm Invests $160 Million in World’s First Security Token Exchange

A Hong Kong venture capital firm has reportedly agreed to invest $160 million in Chinese security token exchange tZero. As reported by China Money Network, Hong Kong-based GSR Capital has entered into a $160 million purchasing agreement with the security token exchange tO.com Inc (tZERO) for its security tokens at US$10 per token.

https://www.newsbtc.com/2018/07/02/hong-kong-vc-firm-invests-160-million-in-worlds-first-security-token-exchange/

[Anthropoid]

There is some confusion as to whether a token is a cryptocurrency.

Is it?

https://www.fxstreet.com/cryptocurrencies/news/tokenomics-201807021130

[Anthropoid]

Better go STO (securities token offering)!

Another ICO Cracked Down by SEC, Even the Investors Can be Punished by Law

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has cracked down on an initial coin offering (ICO) called PlexCoin for illicitly distributing securities without the approval and authorization from the SEC.

SEC Steps In

On June 20, 2018, the U.S. SEC disclosed that local authorities have requested the police to freeze the assets and holdings of PlexCoin project operators, alleging Dominic Lacroix, a Canadian securities’ violator, for unlawfully utilizing secret accounts and personal accounts of other individuals to launder money received during the token sale.

The SEC’s litigation release read:

“The SEC’s request for an additional asset freeze, filed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, alleges that, since the original freeze in December, Lacroix had been using secret accounts, including an account in his brother’s name but which he controlled, to improperly dissipate for personal use digital assets obtained from investors during the PlexCoin Initial Coin Offering (ICO).”

Clear Intent of Shutting Down Securities Tokens

Jay Clayton, the chairman of the SEC, has previously said every ICO he has seen is a security and that any token that primarily benefits a single individual or organization can be considered a security on the existing definition of a security. Clayton further emphasized the organization will not change the definition of a security to embrace ICOs.

This week, the SEC clarified, for the first time in the history of the cryptocurrency sector, that bitcoin and Ether, the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain protocol, are not securities.

At the Yahoo Finance All Markets Summit, SEC Division of Corporate Finance director William Hinman said:

“And putting aside the fundraising that accompanied the creation of Ether, on my understanding of the present state of Ether, the Ethereum network and its decentralized structure, current offers and sales of Ether are not securities transactions. And, as with Bitcoin, applying the disclosure regime of the federal securities laws to current transactions in Ether would seem to add little value.”
To Coinbase, the categorization of Ethereum as a currency rather than a security directly meant Ethereum Classic, a hard fork of the Ethereum blockchain, is also by definition, not a security. Almost immediately after the approval of the SEC of Ethereum as a currency, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange and brokerage in the world added Ethereum Classic to its platform.

Intent Behind the SEC

The categorization of bitcoin and Ethereum, which evidently are not securities, as securities would have shut down the entire blockchain sector in the US. The optimistic comments from the SEC has demonstrated the agency’s plan to embrace the blockchain industry and sustain its cryptocurrency market while protecting investors and cracking down on ICOs whose sole purpose of existence is to defraud investors.

By US law, as explained by Chris Concannon, the president of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe), one of the largest futures market in the global finance sector, distributing or selling tokens generated by ICOs categorized as securities by the SEC could result in investors being punished by local financial authorities as unauthorized security distributors.

As such, especially for investors from the U.S., being involved in projects like PlexCoin, both directly and indirectly, could lead to a series of legal troubles if due diligence is not conducted beforehand.

https://btcmanager.com/another-ico-cracked-down-by-sec-even-the-investors-can-be-punished-by-law/

[Anthropoid]

Who Will Benefit from the Evolution of ICOs into Security Token Offerings?

A lack of liquidity is the main reason for the slow development of crowdfunding and other types of fundraising. To date, only peer-to-peer (p2p) platforms have established a secondary market to resell loans.
However, there is no opportunity to resell the stocks which an investor has accumulated through investing in crowdfunding platforms. As result, less than 5% of the alternative finance in the world belongs to equity-based crowdfunding and 95% of the turnover currently resides at p2p lending platforms.

The recent rise of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) has shown that the traditional stock exchanges and crowdfunding platforms are unable to meet the demand from new early-stage issuers and global investors. Additionally, the ICO market wouldn’t exist without the possibility it offers for the exchange of tokens and their liquidity.
From a legal and financial perspective, ICOs are, however, not the best example of blockchain-based investing. Moreover, misuse of ICOs could discredit the use of blockchain technology in the investment sector in much the same way as bitcoin discredits the use of blockchain in the traditional monetary system.

In the ICO process, both companies and investors should understand the risks that are associated with a “trap of the coin economy” - a company which has issued tokens is limiting almost to a zero ability to earn revenues directly from their main business activities, not, as they do, indirectly from the crypto exchanges where their coin is traded. In case the company gives too much power to the token on its platform, this results in losses to its equity investors. Investors can expect the dividends to be based on token sale revenues, as opposed to the company’s actual business activities.

This model is impossible to scale sustainably, as the number of ICOs grows and the liquidity decreases. There are two potential ways out of this dilemma:

Utility tokens/coins have to be limited in functionality to allow for main services still to be paid in liquid currencies and thus generate a sustainable revenue stream for the team and shareholders.

Innovative companies that aim to build sustainable revenue-generating businesses may choose to raise funds through a Security Token Offering (STO) instead of ICO. It is true that most traditional businesses and startups consider the issuance of tokens for crypto fundraising reasons, these are the most suitable for the issuance of equity type tokens.

Companies that offer for sale tokenized shares and debentures are more attractive from an investment perspective, trustworthy in legal terms, economically sustainable in the long-term and eligible for investments by traditional funds.

After a year of opposition between regulators and crypto innovators, finally, we can see that the ICO is evolving into STO. These offerings will be conducted on the emerging regulated platforms that facilitate trading in tokenized securities. Corporations and startups will thus have the opportunity to issue their tokenized shares and bonds to a greater number of fiat and crypto investors. Fiat investors will hence get the necessary liquidity for their private investments, while crypto investors will obtain legally compliant tokens, which actually represent their share in the companies.

When investing in security tokens, investors are interested in sustainable companies with a solid [potential] generation of revenue from their business activities, experienced operational teams, a business plan with financial projections, as well as the legal standing of the security token issued on the platform which is conducting the STO and the legal status of the platform itself. Most investors prefer to invest in countries with English law, like the US and the UK, where investors experience the greatest protection.

Fundraising through tokenized equity, debt or reward empowers SMEs and startups to connect with investors and other interested parties at any stage in the company’s growth phase and hence raise the necessary funds faster.

By choosing regulatory compliant fundraising platforms for their STO, companies can receive the full spectrum of services out of the box - security token issuance, exchange listing, investor onboarding (KYC, AML, accreditation), and management of future dividends or interest payments.

While a new more sustainable security token economy is evolving, there are not many platforms that are ready to offer compliant STO services. There are tZero and Polymath in the US and Canada, respectively. And in Europe, HighCastle is the first to be offering technological and legal infrastructure that supports a compliant Securities Token Offering and Reward Token Offering, to be launched under the auspices of the UK securities law framework.

HighCastle blockchain-based protocol is designed to tokenize and enable smooth trading of private securities, which stimulates the liquidity of private investments and opens access for private companies to over $18 trillion of individual and institutional capital vs only $12 billion available to ICOs. In contrary to private venture fundraising, companies get a fair access to a much broader pool of global crypto and fiat investors, an opportunity to raise funds faster at lower cost and higher valuation of their company.

Around 20 new ICOs appear on the market each day. Most of them are simultaneously listed at the HighCastle Marketplace. At HighCastle Exchange, those and other companies, on their own or with the help of HighCastle’s Authorized Advisers, have the opportunity to launch an STO.

Thus, companies have the potential to fundraise global capital easier and faster through the STO, whilst they can choose to stay registered and located in their home country, supporting their domestic economy through global expansion and internationalization of local businesses and innovators.

For innovative companies and traditional businesses that want to leverage their sustainable and long-run growth, HighCastle has created a platform where they can undertake an offering of their tokenized securities, giving an opportunity to investors to hold traditional shares or bonds in their crypto wallets. The use of blockchain in capital markets is unlocking a new opportunity for investors to trade and participate in the private securities market.

This new emerging model of tokenized fundraising and trading ensures that securities issued by promising developing companies can be accessed by crypto and fiat investors, both retail and institutional investors, who can invest through highly-compliant and regulated platforms.


https://m.investing.com/news/cryptocurrency-news/who-will-benefit-from-the-evolution-of-icos-into-security-token-offerings-1510523

[Anthropoid]

4 new crypto coins to keep an eye on

The number of crypto coins is almost 1,500 according to CoinMarketCap. This is a huge offer and there are new ones every week. Every project, every crypto coin has its own specific applications, one more interesting than the other. All (outside the scamcoins) they want to grow into a large company. These are some interesting new crypto coins.

Please note, this is based on an article from Joseph Steinberg, CEO at SecureMySocia on Inc.com. This is not a TechTrader advice.

Gladius
Gladius recently raised $ 12 million through an ICO. It offers a decentralized blockchain technology that must protect against DDoS attacks and speeds up the delivery of content.

Gladius allows you to borrow data from your internet usage. Often there are times when you do not consume data, but you still pay for it. Through Gladius you only pay the bandwidth you use when you need it, including DDoS protection.

Eristica
Eristica currently offers an ICO. It is a platform where people can challenge each other. Through smart contracts, a fee is paid when the challenge succeeds or not. People can accept challenges, when they succeed they are paid. If one does not succeed, the other party is paid.

Eristica says that they already have more than 1 million users in Russia and more than 200,000 in Southeast Asia and India.

Safein
Safein is planning an ICO in the first quarter of 2018. It creates a blockchain identity system. We are all familiar with creating profiles for every website or app that we want to use. Through the Safein system you can register anywhere without having to register again each time. They also allow you to decide which information is shared.

Knowbella (Helix)
Knowbella is a platform for intellectual property. It helps scientists to collaborate on their projects, share results and get feedback on their research. Through the tokens, Helix, scientists can be paid for the progress of their project. Via Knowbella they want to create a platform to manage scientific data better and more efficiently.

4 new crypto coins to keep an eye on

⁦@knowbella⁩ #crypto #token #ICO #STO #blockchain #science #research #openaccess #openscience https://t.co/pcX2oWpdDi

— Knowbella Tech (@knowbella) June 30, 2018

[Anthropoid]

The difference between a cryptocurrency coin and a protocol token

The two most often confused and interchangeably used terms, crypto coins, and tokens explained


The blockchain technology has unexpectedly spurred a lot of other new fields. The cryptocurrencies being one of the first mainstream adoptions of the blockchain technology there are a few other concepts within the industry which apply the blockchain technology. For an instance, the protocol tokens are different from the cryptocurrencies, but both of them apply to Blockchain Technology itself. Let us try to understand the basic characteristics which differentiate a cryptocurrency coin from a protocol token.

Both of them are most often regarded or assumed as being circulated as a currency but actually, it is not the case. Bitcoin is regarded as a currency because it is a medium of exchange and a store of value. But due to the high momentum, all the tokens, as well as the coins, were termed as cryptocurrencies, which is not correct. They incorporate completely separate ways of cryptography. This confusion can be a great disaster for the newcomers in the field.

Cryptocurrency coin
Cryptocurrency coins are just a digital version of the Fiat currencies that we use on a day to day basis. Bitcoin is one of the best examples of a cryptocurrency coin. The transactions that take place using Bitcoin are stored on an immutable ledger which is distributed throughout the network for verification and transparency. The Blockchain network reduces fraud and increases transparency. There are a number of other cryptocurrencies which are created on the original Bitcoin protocol, proposed by the anonymous group of people named, Satoshi Nakamoto like Litecoin, Namecoin, etc. There also cryptocurrencies like Ripple and Monero which are developed on their own separate blockchain protocol. Each and every cryptocurrency coin needs to have some basic characteristic features to qualify itself as a coin, They are as follows.

The coin should be
Fungible
Divisible
Acceptable
Portable
have a Limited supply.
The cryptocurrency coins can be sent, received, and can also be mined. They can, in no circumstances, act differently from a currency.



Tokens
Cryptocurrency token is very similar to the cryptocurrency coin but a token can be used as a part of an ecosystem. A token gives the owner, the right to participate, in that particular network. The functionalities of a token are unlimited and their existence only seems to be valid inside a particular ecosystem, outside of which they become null and void. A token might be used to represent a company’s share, give access to the project’s functionalities, or used as a digital asset. With every launch of a new project, a new functionality of the token is unraveled.

One of the most real-life examples of a token is a ticket for a particular concert. The ticket is valid only within the premises of the concert and sometimes may be valid at other designated restaurants and places. Security tokens, as well as utility tokens, are the two types of tokens which are available in cryptocurrency market. Security tokens are mostly considered to be a security while representing the share of the company, but the utility tokens find its application outside the ecosystem also.

Creation of a particular coin is a cumbersome process as the user needs to have a vast amount of knowledge about the Blockchain Technology. On the other hand, the creation of tokens doesn’t require that much information, one can use a standard template provided by some of the most successful Blockchain platforms. The Ethereum network provides the best service in this matter where the creation of tokens can seamlessly be undertaken by following a few simple steps.

Conclusion

A cryptocurrency coin can just be used as a transfer of value but a token can represent a company’s share within that ecosystem. A token might be necessary to access particular financial services that the blockchain network provides. Similarly, cryptocurrency coin can be used to buy or sell goods or services. Interestingly, it is to be noted that tokens can be bought with the help of cryptocurrency coins, but the coins cannot be bought by using tokens. Now, as one has understood the basic difference between a cryptocurrency coin and token it would become easier for them not to get misguided or misled in the cryptocurrency world.

https://coinnounce.com/difference-between-cryptocurrency-coin-protocol-token/

[Anthropoid]

The Security Token Thesis

https://hackernoon.com/the-security-token-thesis-4c5904761063

[Anthropoid]

Testimony Provided by SEC Chair Jay Clayton Appears to Indicate Ethereum Not Being a Security is Commission Policy, Not Opinion

https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2018/06/135425-testimony-provided-by-sec-chair-jay-clayton-appears-to-indicate-ethereum-not-being-a-security-is-commission-policy-not-opinion/

[Anthropoid]

Knowbella Tech and doDOC™ Partner to Integrate doDOC™ Content Management System Platform into Knowbella Platform™.

Innovative manuscript development tool to be integrated into scientific collaboration platform.

Cincinnati, OH and Boston, MA – June 26, 2018 - Knowbella Tech LLC, a scientific collaboration platform company, and doDOC, a document creation and management tool company, have partnered. Knowbella Platform™ will freely provide its scientific users with the doDOC scientific manuscript development tool.

According to Mark Pohlkamp, CEO of Knowbella Tech, “The Knowbella Tech scientific collaboration platform is being designed to provide researchers an end-to-end scientific ecosystem experience. After providing scientists with free non-therapeutic intellectual properties to collaborate around, it is important to enable those researchers to develop manuscripts they can submit to our preprint server so open access journals can review them for publication”.


According to Federico Cismondi, CEO of doDOC, “doDOC is helping researchers collaborate with scientific manuscripts in a way they have never experienced before. doDOC enable teams to work together on the same documents at the same time, drastically accelerating the authoring and review processes. With doDOC, scientists can write documents with the highest complexity of contents, seamlessly using citations from several popular repositories like Mendeley, PubMed, Scopus and EndNote. Our partnership with Knowbella Tech is aligned with our vision to define the next generation of scientific collaboration platforms, with complete focus on science development, high-quality content and value.”

The Knowbella Platform™ alpha version is scheduled for release within sixty days. More information will be provided at that time.

About Knowbella Tech LLC
Its mission is crowdsourcing the global scientific community around orphan and dormant intellectual properties to advance science and generate a public good. The freely available Knowbella Platform that will result from a successful SEC-compliant Securities Token Offering (STO) will enable scientists to collaborate around advancing technologies. Scientists will be rewarded for their conduct of science within the Platform with Helix™, “The Currency of Science™.”

About doDOC Corp.
doDOC’s mission is to change the way that complex documents are produced, from draft to publishing. Scientific documents are among the most complex ones due to their contents and strict layout design. With doDOC, scientists not only save time, but they also produce higher quality of publications due to an open channel for collaboration with their colleagues, full traceability and control of their actions, and a virtually infinite library of citations and layouts following journals specifications. doDOC is a powerful and flexible cloud-based software, scaled to meet the needs of any business, from startups to global companies.

Knowbella Tech contact:
Mark Pohlkamp, CEO
+1.513.260.4400
[e-mail]
Knowbella.Tech
Twitter: @Knowbella
Telegram: t.me/knowbella

doDOC Corp contact:
Federico Cismondi, CEO
+1.617.806.6635
[e-mail]
dodoc.com/
Twitter: @doD0C

https://www.openpr.com/news/1098857.html

[Anthropoid]

SEC and 5 things you should know about ICOs

[+]ICOs can be securities offerings.
[+]They may need to be registered.
[+]Tokens sold in ICOs can be called many things.
[+]ICOs may pose substantial risks.
[+]Ask questions before investing.


https://www.sec.gov/ICO