Samuel Karumba, Salil S. Kanhere, Raja Jurdak, Subbu Sethuvenkatraman
The emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and distributed energy resources (DERs), has given rise to collaborative communities that manage their energy production and consumption load through peer-to-peer decentralized energy trading (P2P DET). To address the issue of distributed trust in these communities, blockchain technology is widely considered as a promising solution due to its ability to provide records provenance and visibility. However, the current blockchain-based platforms are known to compromise on scalability and privacy in favor of trustless interactions and often do not support interoperability. In this work, we propose a hypergraph-based adaptive consortium blockchain (HARB) framework, which coordinates DERs through high-order relationships rather than P2P pairwise relationships. HARB is presented in a three-layered network architecture to address the aforementioned challenges. The bottom layer (Underlay) addresses the issue of scalability, by exploiting the rich representation ability of hypergraphs to describe complex relationships among DERs and end users. We use the described complex relations to form scalable network clusters with intra- and inter-community energy trading relationships. The middle layer (Overlay) presents a blockchain service model to describe adaptive blockchain modules that support interoperability between the network clusters. To preserve privacy, we present a data tagging and anonymization model in the top layer (Contract), which attributes transactions to specific network clusters. To evaluate our framework, we modeled various IoT devices with different computing resource profiles to simulate a distributed energy trading (DET) environment. The analyzed results have shown that our proposed framework can effectively improve the performance of blockchain-based DET systems.
Leili Soltanisehat, Reza Alizadeh, Haijing Hao, Kim‐Kwang Raymond Choo
Blockchain can be used to build a peer-to-peer, secure, and smart transaction system. As a horizontal technology that has changed several fields of industry, blockchain has tremendous potential to transform healthcare systems as well. In this article, a systematic review is conducted to critically evaluate 64 articles on blockchain-based healthcare systems, published between 2016 and January 2020 in 21 conferences, 33 journals, and ten online sources. The aim of this article is to answer three main questions. First, what are the applications of blockchain in the healthcare systems, and what are the structures and challenges of applying blockchain to a specific healthcare domain? Second, what are the technical, temporal, and spatial aspects of the currently developed blockchain applications for different healthcare domain? Third, what are the future research directions in designing and implementing blockchain-based healthcare systems? Statistical facts about the technical aspects of these 64 articles show that most of the proposed blockchain-based healthcare systems use private blockchain and Ethereum platforms; furthermore, the majority of the authors are affiliated with research institutions in the USA and China. We also discuss potential future research directions, e.g., integrating the blockchain in artificial intelligence based solutions, cloud-computing-based solutions, and parallel blockchain architecture.
Marcel Müller, Jacek Aleksander Janczura, Peter Ruppel
Current centralized e-commerce platforms have lock-in effects. These platform-binding effects are constructed towards the content creator and the consumer in the process of purchasing digital content. The lock-in effects originate from the situation in which a centralized platform offers a variety of value propositions towards content creators and consumers. In this article, we propose an approach to decentralize the value propositions and distribute them among different actors. Therefore, we develop a decentralized application based on smart contracts and the blockchain technology. With that application as a base, we offer an alternative to the current centralized marketplaces without lock-in effects.
Khaled Shuaib, Heba Saleous, Nazar Zaki, Fida K. Dankar
Scientific research in the area of human genomics is no longer restricted to scientists. With the introduction of companies such as 23andme and Ancestry, the interested people of the public have been getting involved in genetic studies. However, the nature of the data being collected and its link to confidential, personal information will need to be properly secured and complete to prevent the same issues faced by electronic medical records in healthcare: fragmentation and risk of disclosure. By integrating blockchains with genomics and healthcare, patients and research participants will be able to participate in their own healthcare and research, increasing patient and user centricity. In this paper, a layered architecture of how blockchains can be implemented in genomics and healthcare is proposed. The proposed architecture shows how communication between users, researchers, and medical professionals can be improved while encouraging genetic research while improving security and privacy.
Blockchain Technology Applications and Security
Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
Abstract The article analyzes the problems of the development of modern banking business in Russia in the context of the growing share of large banks in the market. The aim of the work is to determine the need for the introduction of new advanced technologies by small and medium banks in order to increase the efficiency of their activities. The working hypothesis is that against the background of low economic growth in Russia and high competition among state and quasi-state banks, small and medium-sized banks can remain competitive only through cooperation and the introduction of new advanced technologies (artificial intelligence technology and blockchain technology). The article provides a brief overview of theoretical and empirical studies of the introduction of modern information technologies in banking. Briefly describes the international experience in implementing information technology in the financial sector of the economy. The article also provides a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the development of the modern Russian banking system. The analysis of official statistics of the Bank of Russia was carried out, which confirmed the tendency to decrease in the number of banks in the Russian economy, as well as the increase in the degree of monopolization of the banking sector of the Russian economy. Together, these two phenomena lead to increased competition between large banks on the one hand and medium and small banks on the other, in which the latter can only be actively introduced by new information technologies. The study clearly showed that the monopolization of the banking sector leads to the need to look for new development paths for small and medium-sized banks through the introduction of modern technologies.
Akash Vijayan, Akeel Mohammed Ashique, Mathew Koshy Karunattu, Ansamma John · 5 authors
Technological growth has been tremendous in the past few decades and has brought significant changes in the lifestyle of human beings. One such field where the growth of technology brought a radical change is the field of transactions. Introduction of digital payments and digital money brought a whole new dimension in money payments and transactions. Policies of different governments has encouraged and also discouraged the use of various types of digital money. Still digital payments are ever growing in terms of volume. Still digital payments are not widespread as traditional cash transactions due to various security issues, threats, vulnerabilities and mostly the people's fear or doubt on its security aspects. The paper addresses such issues and finally proposes a better enhancement for the existing digital payment technologies by using secured and privacy sensitive technologies like blockchain.
In a world of nonstop developing technology, Blockchain has become a trusted tool to apply transparency in the public sector. The consensus mechanism provides trusted data that can support clear and adjusted as well as well-structured procedures. Nowadays, the public sector can increase trust by adapting Blockchain applications in the services offered to be e-government portals. In this paper, the researchers review the literature to identify the potential use cases and application of Blockchain in e-government services. This new technology along with its related applications will be discussed and defined. Moreover, the possibilities of using Blockchain in the public sector and its impact on organizational transformation, financial management, and performance are increasing. The study concluded that the use of blockchain technologies and applications is still limited in the public sector. Obstacles and barriers are related mostly to (security and privacy) and law and by-laws support. This paper will provide a useful reference for researchers in blockchain applications and their impact on e-government and propose future research questions that need to be addressed to inform how the public sector should approach the blockchain technology adoption.
IOTA opened recently a new line of research in distributed ledgers area by targeting algorithms that ensure a high throughput for the transactions generated in IoT systems. Transactions are continuously appended to an acyclic structure called Tangle. Each new transaction selects and approves, as parents, two existing transactions who have not been approved yet (called Tips). Recent research indicates that, IOTA suffers from a Fairness Problem, where a part of submitted transactions might not be approved by new coming transactions. They are called Left-Behind transactions. Recently, G-IOTA has been proposed: by using the Left-Behind Protection mechanism, G-IOTA can fix the fairness problem. G-IOTA, however, needs additional computation resources for left-behind protection mechanism, which is not suitable for an energy-aware IoT system. Furthermore, both IOTA and G-IOTA suffer from a potential security defect. This side effect reduces the Unpredictability when transactions are appended to the tangle. Leaking the unpredictability, an adversary can easily induce the tendency of transactions appending to the tangle. This approach is called Prediction Attack. In this paper, we propose E-IOTA to solve the fairness problem and at the same time, guarantee the unpredictability of the tangle. Interestingly, our real scenario simulation shows that E-IOTA offers better performance efficiency compared to G-IOTA and even original IOTA. Simultaneously, E-IOTA retains the core data structure of IOTA, which makes E-IOTA be compatible with current IOTA implementation. Our solution can therefore be a perfect alternative solution for current IOTA.
This paper explores the potential to reduce the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of offshore wind technology through the use of digitalized financial innovations made possible by Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). Specifically, this paper proposed a novel application of DLT to crowdsource project finance for clean energy projects. An introduction to DLT technology and some of its potential applications is provided first. Next, the potential to move from a more centralized, top-down energy system to a more decentralized, two-way transactive energy system enabled by DLT is discussed. Within this new energy system framework, the idea of crowd-sourced equity funding of the capital cost of renewable energy is introduced. The impact of crowdfunded equity on the LCOE is then explored via the creation of a theoretical offshore wind installation off the coast of New Jersey. An existing offshore wind capital cost model is modified for use in the U.S., and an existing wind annual energy production model is utilized to provide inputs into a LCOE model. Finally, the potential impacts that DLT based crowdfunded equity may have on cost of debt, debt tenor, and debt-to-equity ratio are also input into the LCOE model in order to examine the range of potential impacts it may have on offshore wind LCOE.
The advent of distributed ledger technology in developed nations is emerging as a new instrument to improve the traditional industry system in the developing states. The adoption of disruptive technology is indeed a necessary condition for the coming future to bring transparency and remove third party trust related issues in the industries. The aim of the current study is to understand the distributed ledger technology (DLT) adoption by service & manufacturing industries-Pakistan context. The conceptual model is based on the traditional adoption theories-namely theory of planned behavior (TPB), technology acceptance model (TAM) and technology readiness index (TRI). In order to analyze the data a partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used and empirical data is collected from a sample of 211 practitioners working in the Finance, Supply chain and IT Departments. The study result shows that TRI construct-Optimism (OPT) and Innovativeness (INN) have significant impact on Perceived ease of use (PEOU) and insignificant impact on Perceived usefulness (PU). TAM construct- Perceived ease of use (PEOU), Perceived usefulness (PU), attitude (ATT) and TPB-construct perceived behavioral control (BPC) affect the Behavioral Intention (BI). TPB construct-Subjective Norms (SN) have negligible impact on the Behavioral Intention (BI). It is one of the initial studies on Blockchain Technology implementation for Pakistan industries and the result suggest that practitioners would perceive Blockchain Technology adoption free of efforts to arise the maximum benefits for improving the productions efficiency.
This paper identifies the development of cryptocurrency’s regulations and influences of people’s intentions to use cryptocurrency in Thailand. The analysis of behavioral intentions to use cryptocurrency is conducted applying the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model. The study used the questionnaire survey, and applied the multiple regression analysis to analyze the influences of Thai people to use cryptocurrencies. This research categorizes the purposes of cryptocurrency into three groups including: the first purpose is investment, as people buy cryptocurrency for wealth increasing; second, it is a means of payment for goods and services; and the third purpose is collecting points and redeeming rewards, as people are able to simply compare cryptocurrency to credit card points and redeem them for rewards. Regarding the findings, social influence is the most important factor that persuades people to use cryptocurrency. The other determinants in the UTAUT model that encourage people intention to use cryptocurrency are facilitating conditions, effort expectancy, and performance expectancy. 
Many blockchain-based cryptocurrencies provide users with online blockchain explorers for viewing online transaction data. However, traditional blockchain explorers mostly present transaction information in textual and tabular forms. Such forms make understanding cryptocurrency transaction mechanisms difficult for novice users (NUsers). They are also insufficiently informative for experienced users (EUsers) to recognize advanced transaction information. This study introduces a new online cryptocurrency transaction data viewing tool called SilkViser. Guided by detailed scenario and requirement analyses, we create a series of appreciating visualization designs, such as paper ledger-inspired block and blockchain visualizations and ancient copper coin-inspired transaction visualizations, to help users understand cryptocurrency transaction mechanisms and recognize advanced transaction information. We also provide a set of lightweight interactions to facilitate easy and free data exploration. Moreover, a controlled user study is conducted to quantitatively evaluate the usability and effectiveness of SilkViser. Results indicate that SilkViser can satisfy the requirements of NUsers and EUsers. Our visualization designs can compensate for the inexperience of NUsers in data viewing and attract potential users to participate in cryptocurrency transactions.
This study aims to investigate if the investors’ sentiment expressed on contentspecific online forum affects the return of Bitcoin. We use a large dataset consisting of 2.8 million forum posts sourced from “Bitcointalk.org” for a period between Jan 2016 and May 2020. The sentiment is derived daily with the Hu Liu lexical model after a detailed investigation of different lexicons. Using time-series data, we test for the relationship between the investors’ sentiment and Bitcoin price along with other financial variables that may inform about the direction of Bitcoin price. Our results show that sentiment derived from online forums do not present an autoregressive relationship with return of Bitcoin
Kripto paralar ekonomi ve finans dünyasında etkili bir rol oynamaya başladığından beri bu varlıklarla işlem yapan kişi ve kuruluşların ekonomik değeri haiz bu varlıkları koruması zorlaşmıştır. Merkezi bir otoriteye bağlı olmayan kripto paraların avantajları olduğu gibi dezavantajları da vardır. Kripto para birimleri normal bir banka kartı veya kredi kartı ile aynı yasal korumaya sahip olmadığından bu sistemin güvenlik zafiyetlerini bilen kötü niyetli kişiler teknolojinin yardımıyla kripto para dolandırıcılığı yapabilmektedir. Kripto para birimlerinin kendine özgü bir varlık değerinin bulunması ve uçtan uca şifreleme yöntemi ile aracı olmaksızın transfer edilebilme imkanı, kişilere önemli avantajlar sağlarken sanal para arzlarıyla, fidye yazılımlarla, phishing tuzakları ile ponzi şeması yöntemi veya internet ve sosyal medya reklamları ile kripto para dolandırıcılığı işlenebilmektedir. Çalışmamızda kripto para dolandırıcılığı suçuyla nasıl mücadele edileceği ve mevcut düzenlemelerle mukayese edildiğinde sanal ortamda icra edilen fiillerin hangi suçlara sebebiyet vereceği tartışılarak kripto para dolandırıcılığının ne şekilde işlendiği ve bu konuda nelere dikkat edilmesi gerektiği üzerinde durulacaktır.
O dinheiro é indispensável para o ser humano e apresenta constantes evoluções. Com o avanço da tecnologia, diversos meios de pagamento surgiram e dentre eles é possível destacar as criptomoedas, um assunto recente que tem sido apresentado em diversos meios, sobretudo, como uma possibilidade de investimento. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar as características tecnológicas chaves das três criptomoedas que ocupam, atualmente, os maiores índices de capitalização de mercado, sendo elas: Bitcoin, Ethereum e XRP. Para atingir tal objetivo, assumiu-se nesta pesquisa um posicionamento de natureza qualitativa. Aplicou-se técnicas descritivas para retraçar os históricos e a descrição de suas tecnologias chave. Como resultados, a presente pesquisa demonstrou que as criptomoedas apresentam objetivos diferentes, no entanto, utilizam-se da mesma tecnologia de transação, a peer-to-peer. As tecnologias de blockchain, mineração e proof-of-work são utilizadas de maneiras distintas por cada uma das criptomoedas. Por fim, considera-se que trabalhos como esse são importantes por colocarem luz nas tecnologias implementadas. Como limitações, ressalta-se o estudo em três casos. Abstract Money is indispensable for humans and is constantly evolving. With the advancement of technology, several payment methods have emerged and among them it is possible to highlight cryptocurrencies, a recent subject that was presented in various media, mainlyas a possibility of investment. Therefore, this paper aims to analyze the three cryptocurrencies that occupy the highest market capitalization indexes, namely: Bitcoin, Ethereum and XRP. To achieve this goal, a qualitative approach was assumed in this research. Descriptive techniques were applied to retrace the histories and the description of their key technologies. As a result, the present research demonstrated that cryptocurrencies have different objectives, however, it uses the same peer-to-peer transaction technology. Blockchain, mining and proof-of-work technologies are used in different ways. Finally, it is considered that works like this are important because they shed light on the implemented technologies. Limitations include the application in three cases. Keywords:Tecnologies; Criptocurrencies; Blockchain; Bitcoin; Payment.
Blockchain technology, beyond cryptocurrencies, is called to be the new information exchange ecosystem due to its unique properties, such as immutability and transparency. The main objective of this work is to introduce the design of a decentralized rental system, which leverages smart contracts and the Ethereum public blockchain. The work started from an exhaustive investigation on the Ethereum platform, emphasizing the aspect of cryptography and all the technology behind this platform. In order to test the proposed scheme in a realistic use, the implementation of a web application for the rental of vehicles has been carried out. The application covers the entire vehicle rental process offered in traditional web applications, adding more autonomy and ease of use to users. Following Ethereum application development guidelines, all business logic is located in the smart contracts implemented in the Ethereum network, where these contracts control the entire vehicle rental system of customers. While this is a work in progress, the results obtained in the first proof of concept have been very promising.
Nowadays, having a mechanism to guarantee the traceability of the information and to monitor the evolution of the news from its origin, and having elements to know the reputation and credibility of the media, analyze the news as well as its evolution and possible manipulation, etc. is becoming increasingly significant. Transparency in journalism is currently a key element in performing serious and rigorous journalism. End-users and fact-checking agencies need to be able to check and verify the information published in different media. This transparency principle enables the tracking of news stories and allows direct access to the source of essential content to contrast the information it contains and to know whether it has been manipulated. Additionally, the traceability of news constitutes another instrument in the fight against the lack of credibility, the manipulation of information, misinformation campaigns and the propagation of fake news. This article aims to show how to use Blockchain to facilitate the tracking and traceability of news so that it can provide support to the automatic indexing and extraction of relevant information from newspaper articles to facilitate the monitoring of the news story and allows users to verify the veracity of what they are reading.
ABSTRACT The objective of these teaching notes is to provide an outline for offering blockchain related foundational knowledge to accounting students so they can evaluate and prepare for the effect of blockchain on the accounting profession. The approach is driven by the following principle: Given that accounting students do not want to become programmers or cryptographers, what is the essential blockchain knowledge that they need to know? Based on my own teaching and research experience, I propose and explain how I use a combination of storytelling and scaffolding approach to focus on the delivery of the following topics: (1) why study blockchain? (2) general foundational knowledge (i.e., element of complete transactions and double spending), (3) interactive exercises to explain technical knowledge on topics such as hashing and proof-of-work (mining), and (4) blockchain implementation in a supply chain setting.
Jenny Alexandra Triana Casallas, Juan Manuel Cueva Lovelle, José Ignacio Rodríguez Molano
The appearance of so-called block chains or Blockchain with the promise of transforming trust and the way value is exchanged, joins the expansion of the technological capabilities of organizations to achieve higher levels of productivity and innovation. This is how Blockchain-based techniques are being applied to many fields, focusing in this article on the public sector, as a possible solution to the demands for transparency, participation and citizen cooperation that society demands; due to the possibility of disintermediation based on automated transactions and on the responsibility and security in the management of official blockchain records. This could obstruct corruption and make government services more transparent and efficient. Although, it investigates about applications in the public sector under the Blockchain system, such as transactions, agreements, property registries and innovations, developments and other assets; Special emphasis is placed on the possibility of implementing Smart Contracts (mechanisms that aim to eliminate intermediaries to simplify processes) in public procurement procedures, given that it is in this type of activity where high levels of corruption are generated. It is concluded then that Europe has the largest number of blockchain initiatives worldwide, while Latin America, except for the case of Peru, lacks this type of applications, being this continent exactly where there are the countries with the highest levels of corruption. It concludes with a recommendation to use blockchain along with smart contracts through platforms such as Ethereum or Lisk, mainly given its flexibility and current development on topics with similar functionalities.
Asset custody is a core financial service in which the custodian holds\nin-safekeeping assets on behalf of the client. Although traditional custody\nservice is typically endorsed by centralized authorities, decentralized custody\nscheme has become technically feasible since the emergence of digital assets,\nand furthermore, it is greatly needed by new applications such as blockchain\nand DeFi (Decentralized Finance).\n In this work, we propose a framework of decentralized asset custody scheme\nthat is able to support a large number of custodians and safely hold customer\nassets of multiple times the value of the total security deposit. The proposed\ncustody scheme distributes custodians and assets into many custodian groups via\ncombinatorial designs, where each group fully controls the assigned assets.\nSince every custodian group is small, the overhead cost is significantly\nreduced. The liveness is also improved because even a single alive group would\nbe able to process transactions.\n The security of this custody scheme is guaranteed under the rational\nadversary model, such that any adversary corrupting a bounded fraction of\ncustodians cannot move assets more than the security deposit paid. We further\nanalyze the security and performance of our constructions from both theoretical\nand experimental sides and give explicit examples with concrete numbers and\nfigures for a better understanding of our results.\n
During the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era, the block chain was used as a digital record of transactions that is simultaneously used and shared within a large decentralized, publicly accessible network. In order to maintain the healthcare sector in Industrial Revolution 4.0, smart contracts are used to provide those addresses which provide transparent ways to do transactions among entities. In the other hand, the adoption has challenges, such as the adoption curve, the complexity of the business ecosystems and standardization, data privacy, and people expectations in the healthcare industry.