Reproducibility, data sharing, personal data privacy concerns and patient enrolment in clinical trials are huge medical challenges for contemporary clinical research. A new technology, Blockchain, may be a key to addressing these challenges and should draw the attention of the whole clinical research community.Blockchain brings the Internet to its definitive decentralisation goal. The core principle of Blockchain is that any service relying on trusted third parties can be built in a transparent, decentralised, secure "trustless" manner at the top of the Blockchain (in fact, there is trust, but it is hardcoded in the Blockchain protocol via a complex cryptographic algorithm). Therefore, users have a high degree of control over and autonomy and trust of the data and its integrity. Blockchain allows for reaching a substantial level of historicity and inviolability of data for the whole document flow in a clinical trial. Hence, it ensures traceability, prevents a posteriori reconstruction and allows for securely automating the clinical trial through what are called Smart Contracts. At the same time, the technology ensures fine-grained control of the data, its security and its shareable parameters, for a single patient or group of patients or clinical trial stakeholders.In this commentary article, we explore the core functionalities of Blockchain applied to clinical trials and we illustrate concretely its general principle in the context of consent to a trial protocol. Trying to figure out the potential impact of Blockchain implementations in the setting of clinical trials will shed new light on how modern clinical trial methods could evolve and benefit from Blockchain technologies in order to tackle the aforementioned challenges.
Open access
2 source records
Ethics in Clinical Research
Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education
Blockchains such as Bitcoin and Ethereum execute payment transactions securely, but their performance is limited by the need for global consensus. Payment networks overcome this limitation through off-chain transactions. Instead of writing to the blockchain for each transaction, they only settle the final payment balances with the underlying blockchain. When executing off-chain transactions in current payment networks, parties must access the blockchain within bounded time to detect misbehaving parties that deviate from the protocol. This opens a window for attacks in which a malicious party can steal funds by deliberately delaying other parties' blockchain access and prevents parties from using payment networks when disconnected from the blockchain. We present Teechain, the first layer-two payment network that executes off-chain transactions asynchronously with respect to the underlying blockchain. To prevent parties from misbehaving, Teechain uses treasuries, protected by hardware trusted execution environments (TEEs), to establish off-chain payment channels between parties. Treasuries maintain collateral funds and can exchange transactions efficiently and securely, without interacting with the underlying blockchain. To mitigate against treasury failures and to avoid having to trust all TEEs, Teechain replicates the state of treasuries using committee chains, a new variant of chain replication with threshold secret sharing. Teechain achieves at least a 33x higher transaction throughput than the state-of-the-art Lightning payment network. A 30-machine Teechain deployment can handle over 1 million Bitcoin transactions per second.
The article is devoted to the legal aspects of decentralization in Ukraine, the problems arising in the creation and functioning of the united territorial communities. The mechanism of solving the problems facing the united territorial commu nities with the help of public-private partnership is proposed. It is proposed to make wider use of the advantages of economic and legal experiments. REFERENCES1. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (2014), Koncepciya reformuvannya miscevogo samovryaduvannya ta terytorialnoyi organizaciyi vlady v Ukrayini, zatverdzhena Rozporyadzhennyam [The concept of local government reform and territorial organization of power in Ukraine, approved by Decree], Oficijnyj visnyk Ukrayiny, vol. 30, art. 831.2. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2014), Pro spivrobitnycztvo terytorialnyh gromad : Zakon Ukrayiny [On cooperation of local communities: The Law of Ukraine], Vidomosti Verhovnoyi Rady Ukrayiny, vol. 34, art. 1167.3. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2015), Pro dobrovilne obâyednannya terytorialnyx gromad : Zakon Ukrayiny [On a voluntary association of local communities: The Law of Ukraine], Vidomosti Verhovnoyi Rady Ukrayiny, vol. 13, art. 91.4. Tkachuk A. (2017), O decentralizacii, uspehah, riskah i roli parlamenta [On Decentralization, Progress, Risks and the Role of Parliament], Zerkalo nedeli, available at: http://gazeta.zn.ua/internal/o-decentralizacii-uspehahriskah-i-roli-parlamenta-_.html5. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2015), Pro zasady derzhavnoyi regionalnoyi polityky : Zakon Ukrayiny [OnPrinciples of regional policy: The Law of Ukraine], Vidomosti Verhovnoyi Rady Ukrayiny, vol. 13, art. 90.6. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2010), Byudzhetnyj kodeks Ukrayiny [The Budget Code of Ukraine], Vidomosti Verhovnoyi Rady Ukrayiny, vol. 50â51, art. 572.7. Jakelâ R. (2017), Nu pochti realistichnyj bjudzhet [Well, almost a realistic budget], Zerkalo nedeli, available at: http://gazeta.zn.ua/economics_of_regions/nu-pochtirealistichnyy-byudzhet-_.html8. Slobozhan A. (2013), Mestnoe samoupravlenie i evroperspektivy [Local self-government and Euro-perspectives], Zerkalo nedeli, available at: http://gazeta.zn.ua/macrolevel/mestnoe-samoupravlenie-i-evroperspektivy-_.html9. Derkach M.I. and Lytvyn M.V. (2012), Dosvid Nimechchyny u finansuvanni ekonomichnogo rozvytku regioniv [German experience in financing economic development], BiznesInform, vol. 9, pp. 42â47.10. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (1997), Pro misceve samovryaduvannya v Ukrayini : Zakon Ukrayiny [On local government in Ukraine: The Law of Ukraine], Vidomosti Verhovnoyi Rady Ukrayiny, vol. 24, art. 170.11. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2003), Hospodarsâkyy kodeks Ukrayiny [Economic Code of Ukraine], Ofitsiynyy visnyk Ukrayiny, vol. 11, art. 462.12. Ruchkina G.F. and Kupyzin V.V. (2010), Socialânaja otvet stvennostâ subâektov predprinimatelâskoj dejatelânosti i pravovoe regulirovanie otnoshenij po raspredeleniju pribyli [Social responsibility of subjects of entrepreneurial activity and legal regulation of relations on distribution of profit], Predprinimatelâskoe pravo, vol. 1, pp. 35â40.13. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (2011), Pro zatverdzhennya Metodyky vyyavlennya ryzykiv zdijsnennya derzhavno-pryvatnogo partnerstva, yih ocinky ta vyznachennya formy upravlinnya nymy : Postanova [On approval of Methodology identify risks of public-private partnership, their evaluation and determination of management forms: Resolution], Oficijnyj visnyk Ukrayiny, vol. 18, art. 769.14. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (2015), Pro vnesennya zmin do postanovy Kabinetu Ministriv Ukrayiny vid 16 lyutogo 2011 r. â 232 : Postanova [On Amendments to Resolution of The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on February 16, 2011, Number 232:],Oficijnyj visnyk Ukrayiny, vol. 76, art. 2525.
Blockchains such as Bitcoin and Ethereum execute payment transactions securely, but their performance is limited by the need for global consensus. Payment networks overcome this limitation through off-chain transactions. Instead of writing to the blockchain for each transaction, they only settle the final payment balances with the underlying blockchain. When executing off-chain transactions in current payment networks, parties must access the blockchain within bounded time to detect misbehaving parties that deviate from the protocol. This opens a window for attacks in which a malicious party can steal funds by deliberately delaying other parties' blockchain access and prevents parties from using payment networks when disconnected from the blockchain. We present Teechain, the first layer-two payment network that executes off-chain transactions asynchronously with respect to the underlying blockchain. To prevent parties from misbehaving, Teechain uses treasuries, protected by hardware trusted execution environments (TEEs), to establish off-chain payment channels between parties. Treasuries maintain collateral funds and can exchange transactions efficiently and securely, without interacting with the underlying blockchain. To mitigate against treasury failures and to avoid having to trust all TEEs, Teechain replicates the state of treasuries using committee chains, a new variant of chain replication with threshold secret sharing. Teechain achieves at least a 33x higher transaction throughput than the state-of-the-art Lightning payment network. A 30-machine Teechain deployment can handle over 1 million Bitcoin transactions per second.
Blockchains such as Bitcoin and Ethereum execute payment transactions securely, but their performance is limited by the need for global consensus. Payment networks overcome this limitation through off-chain transactions. Instead of writing to the blockchain for each transaction, they only settle the final payment balances with the underlying blockchain. When executing off-chain transactions in current payment networks, parties must access the blockchain within bounded time to detect misbehaving parties that deviate from the protocol. This opens a window for attacks in which a malicious party can steal funds by deliberately delaying other parties' blockchain access and prevents parties from using payment networks when disconnected from the blockchain. We present Teechain, the first layer-two payment network that executes off-chain transactions asynchronously with respect to the underlying blockchain. To prevent parties from misbehaving, Teechain uses treasuries, protected by hardware trusted execution environments (TEEs), to establish off-chain payment channels between parties. Treasuries maintain collateral funds and can exchange transactions efficiently and securely, without interacting with the underlying blockchain. To mitigate against treasury failures and to avoid having to trust all TEEs, Teechain replicates the state of treasuries using committee chains, a new variant of chain replication with threshold secret sharing. Teechain achieves at least a 33x higher transaction throughput than the state-of-the-art Lightning payment network. A 30-machine Teechain deployment can handle over 1 million Bitcoin transactions per second.
YuâPin Lin, Joy R. Petway, Johnathen Anthony, Hussnain Mukhtar · 7 authors
Blockchain technology, while still challenged with key limitations, is a transformative Information and Communications Technology (ICT) that has changed our notion of trust. Improved efficiencies for agricultural sustainable development has been demonstrated when ICT-enabled farms have access to knowledge banks and other digital resources. UN FAO-recommended ICT e-agricultural infrastructure components are a confluence of ICT and blockchain technology requirements. When ICT e-agricultural systems with blockchain infrastructure are immutable and distributed ledger systems for record management, baseline agricultural environmental data integrity is safeguarded for those who participate in transparent data management. This paper reviewed blockchain-based concepts associated with ICT-based technology. Moreover, a model ICT e-agriculture system with a blockchain infrastructure is proposed for use at the local and regional scale. To determine context specific technical and social requirements of blockchain technology for ICT e-agriculture systems, an evaluation tool is presented. The proposed system and tool can be evaluated and applied to further developments of e-agriculture systems.
Technologia blockchain jest uznawana za jednÄ z przelomowych technologii informatycznych naszych czasow. Ponad 8 letnia juz historia tej technologii lÄ czy sie nierozerwalnie z historiÄ cyfrowej waluty Bitcoin, stworzonej przez tajemniczego Satoshi Nakamoto. Od czasu, gdy pierwsi uzytkownicy podlÄ czyli sie do sieci Bitcoin, nastÄ pila ewolucja w postrzeganiu samej technologii blockchain jako technologii bazowej, dajÄ cej sie zastosowac nie tylko do tworzenia innych niz Bitcoin kryptowalut. Istotne bylo takze pojawienie sie niezaleznej od Bitcoin sieci blockchain nazwanej Ethereum, zaprojektowanej przez 19 letniego Vitalika Buterina, ktora zaoferowala nowe mozliwoĆci funkcjonalne - inteligentne kontrakty. Blockchain jaki znamy dzisiaj bardzo intensywnie i skutecznie wykorzystuje znane koncepty kryptograficzne takie jak jednokierunkowe funkcje haszujÄ ce, kryptografie asymetrycznÄ czy znakowanie czasem. Mechanizmy konsensusu zawieranego automatycznie przez uczestnikow sieci blockchain eliminujÄ potrzebe zaufanej trzeciej strony przy przetwarzaniu transakcji, a inteligentne kontrakty poszerzyly obszar zastosowan technologii blockchain daleko poza transfer kryptowalut. Przedsiebiorstwa i instytucje na calym Ćwiecie dostrzegly innowacyjny potencjal wynikajÄ cy z unikalnych cech technologii blockchain i dzisiaj sÄ juz na etapie usprawniania swoich procesow z wykorzystaniem tej technologii. Przytoczone przyklady zastosowan realnie wplywajÄ takze na poprawe jakoĆci zycia zwyklych ludzi.
Un mondo bitcoin. Cos'e bitcoin? Cenni generali sulle altre criptovalute. Funzione monetaria. Bitcoin come mezzo di scambio. Usi illeciti e riciclaggio. Riciclaggio nell'era contemporanea. Strategie mediante bitcoin.
Artykul podejmuje probe oceny charakteru prawnego kryptowalut. Bitcoin i inne waluty wirtualne sÄ przedmiotem powszechnego obrotu. Z uwagi na niemoznoĆc zakwalifikowania bitcoin jako pieniÄ dza, Ćrodka platniczego ani instrumentu finansowego, obrot ten ma charakter nieuregulowany. Tymczasem, choc bitcoin niewÄ tpliwie wykazuje wiele zalet, stwarza dla uzytkownikow sieci zagrozenie zwiÄ zane z niestabilnoĆci tej âwalutyâ, anonimowoĆciÄ transakcji, ktora sprzyja niewywiÄ zywaniu sie z kontraktow i zjawisku tzw. prania brudnych pieniedzy oraz moze powodowac ryzyko utraty lokowanych Ćrodkow w wyniku bankructwa czy zamkniecia organizatora platformy transakcyjnej.
espanolLos Smart contract son aquellos contratos que se ejecutan de manera automatica cuando se da alguna circunstancia que se hubiera estipulado. No hay accion humana, si uno de los contratantes o el empleado no cumple con lo estipulado en el contrato, sera el mismo contrato quien, automaticamente y sin accion humana, se ejecute, pudiendo llegar a resolver un contrato con la consecuente perdida del bien o que se produzca un despido automatico. Las posibilidades son ilimitadas. EnglishThe smart contracts are contracts that are executed automatically, when there is some circumstance that would have been stipulated. There is no human action, if one of the contracting parties or the employee does not comply with what is stipulated in the contract, it will just the contract that, automatically and without human action, will be able to solve a contract, with the loss of the good or an automatic dismissal. The possibilities are unlimited.
A new variation of blockchain proof of work algorithm is proposed to incentivize the timely execution of image processing algorithms. A sample image processing algorithm is proposed to determine interesting images using analysis of the entropy of pixel subsets within images. The efficacy of the image processing algorithm is examined using two small sets of training and test data. The interesting image algorithm is then integrated into a simplified blockchain mining proof of work algorithm based on Bitcoin. The incentive of cryptocurrency mining is theorized to incentivize the execution of the algorithm and thus the retrieval of images that satisfy a minimum requirement set forth by the interesting image algorithm. The digital storage implications of running an image- based blockchain are then examined mathematically.
Peer review of scholarly papers is seen to be a critical step in the publication of high quality outputs in reputable journals. However, it appears that there are few incentives for researchers to agree to conduct suitable reviews in a timely fashion and in some cases unscrupulous practices are occurring as part of the production of academic research output. Innovations in internet-based technologies mean that there are ways in which some of the challenges can be addressed. In particular, this paper proposes a new currency system using the BlockChain as its basis that provides a number of solutions. Potential benefits and problems of using the technology are discussed in the paper and these will need further investigation should the idea develop further. Ultimately, the currency could be used as an alternative publication metric for authors, institutions and journals.
Gerry McGivern, Sue Dopson, Ewan Ferlie, Michael Fischer · 7 authors
In this article, we discuss temporal work and temporal politics situated between groups with different temporal orientations, arguing that attention needs to be paid to covert and unarticulated silent politics during temporal work. Drawing on a case study of a management consultancy project to redesign public health care, we explain how unarticulated temporal interests and orientations shape the construction of problems, which, in turn, legitimate tasks and time frames. We also show how task and time frames are temporarily fixed and imposed through boundary objects, and the way these may then be reinterpreted and co-opted to deflect pressure to change. Thus, we argue, unarticulated, covert and political temporal inter-dynamics produce expedient provisional temporal settlements, which resolve conflict in the short term, while perpetuating it in the longer run.
This chapter examines the evolution of health care system in Kazakhstan since its independence. The Soviet health system, which emphasized centralized planning with the principle of free universal health coverage for all, has been adopted by Kazakhstan. To bring major improvements in the health system, the reform measures have altered the institutional and procedural aspects of health care delivery as well as the behavioral aspects of health care providers. In analyzing the health reform programs, four elements in the reform have been examined, namely, decentralization, efficiency and quality, expenditure and financing, and competition. The health financing system consolidates funds at the oblast level, where oblast health departments serve as the single health purchaser or single payer for all state health funds. The National Program of Health Care Reform and Development incorporates a new health financing policy, which aims to improve the linkage between different levels of care, reinvest resources saved through rationalization and decrease regional differences in health financing.
Devolution of the healthcare function from the national government in Kenya to county governments is influenced by various socio-economic and political factors. In particular, the provision of health infrastructure for healthcare under the management of county governments presents various challenges to these devolved units of governance. This study investigated the influence of financing of health infrastructure on implementation of healthcare projects in Meru County. The study is hinged on one theory; Theory of Fiscal Decentralization. The study adopted Descriptive survey research design. Target population was composed of 703 respondents; 23 Department of Health Non-medical staff, 670 Medical Personnel and 10 Health Civil Society Organizationsâ Managers. For this study, a sample size of 249 participants was used and subjects selected making uses of Stratified and Simple random sampling. Two questionnaires were used to collect primary data from the sampled respondents. Quantitative data was analyzed through the application of descriptive statistics while qualitative data was outlined in narratives modeled on themes under research. The study established that funding disbursed from central governments, budgetary constraints and revenue through local all influenced the financing of health infrastructure. The study concluded that adequate financial resources disbursed in good time are key drivers of the financing of health infrastructure that influenced the implementation of healthcare projects by in Meru County. The study recommends that, The Ministry of Health should advocate that the Ministry of Finance should devolve more financial resources for the purchase and implementation of health infrastructure at county government levels for implementation of healthcare projects.
A blockchain is a decentralized ledger where all transactions are recorded. For having a reliable blockchain and double-spending prevention, we need a decentralized consensus and agreement on a blockchain. Bitcoin uses proof-of-work (PoW). It is a cryptographic puzzle that is difficult to solve but easy to verify. However, because of significant latency of proof-of-work for transactions confirmation, this consensus mechanism is vulnerable against double-spending. On the other hand, PoW consumes a significant amount of energy that by growing the network, it becomes a major problematic of this consensus mechanism. In this paper, we introduce an alternative to PoW, because of all its major problems and security issues that may lead to collapsing decentralization of the blockchain, while a full decentralized system is the main purpose of using blockchain technology. The approach we introduce is based on a distributed voting process and called "RDV: Register, Deposit, Vote". Since in RDV algorithm, there is no mining process, so it is appropriate for low-level energy devices and Internet of Things (IoT).