Abstract The rise of decentralized technologies introduces challenges in fairness, efficiency, and scalability within distributed ledger protocols. The Internet of Things Applications (IOTA) Tangle, a directed acyclic graph (DAG)-based structure, addresses these challenges by enabling scalable, feeless transactions for IoT applications. This study presents a novel Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP)-based Tip Selection Algorithm (TSA) to optimize fairness in the IOTA Tangle. The proposed TSA reduces orphaned transactions to as low as 0.003% and eliminates lazy tip selection under medium network loads. Extensive simulations demonstrate that the POMDP-based TSA confirms up to 107 transactions at optimal lambda values, outperforming existing algorithms like Weighted TSA by 328% in efficiency. This algorithm offers significant scalability, fairness, and adaptability, making it a robust solution for IoT-based decentralized applications. These findings advance DAG-based distributed ledger systems by addressing orphaned transactions and lazy behavior, ensuring secure and efficient operations under diverse network conditions.
Non-Fungible Token (NFT) plays a transformative role in the digital asset market, revolutionizing how ownership and value are exchanged in decentralized ecosystems. Understanding NFT transaction dynamics is essential for analyzing trading patterns and how user interactions shape market behaviors. Existing studies analyze single blockchain or specific NFT collections, limiting a broader understanding of different blockchains to support NFT transactions. We compare Ethereum-based NFT's and Polygon-based NFT's network dynamics using network analysis as the implementation method of graph analytics to examine the distinct network structures and market behaviors. This study collects 2,819,578 NFT transaction data, including 806,995 from Etherscan and 2,012,583 from Polygonscan between May 2022 and May 2024. The methodology employs network properties, temporal degree analysis, and network metrics, including centrality and modularity, to evaluate user interactions and assess network efficiencies. The findings reveal that the temporal average degree shows Polygon-based NFT higher node connectivity at certain periods, while Ethereum-based NFT remains more stable. The average weighted degree reveals higher early transaction activity in Polygon-based NFT. Centrality analysis highlights single dominant nodes in both networks. Polygon-based NFT demonstrates higher activity reflected by network density and tightly clustered interactions with higher modularity. Ethereum-based NFT exhibits a more interconnected structure and cohesive community clusters with lower modularity. These findings offer valuable insights into blockchain selection and optimization in the NFT market, emphasizing the comparative understanding of network dynamics across different ecosystems.
The metaverse is a virtual world, consisting of a collective virtual shared space where users can interact with one another through avatars and computer-generated objects. Its goal is to mimic our real world as closely as possible, integrating elements of various trends like AI, immersive reality, advanced connectivity, and Web3. While there is currently no universally accepted definition of the metaverse, the emergence of metaverse technologies across multiple sectors, including animal farming, is rapidly gaining momentum. The potential value of the metaverse, particularly in relation to its capacity for solving complex problems (e.g., climate change and sustainability) in precision food production systems makes it an exciting endeavor. However, it is crucial to consider ethical implications during the development of metaverse technologies for modern animal farming, given the sensitive and controversial nature of animal welfare. Failure to address these ethical considerations could lead to a lack of credibility and insensitivity towards the adoption of metaverse technologies in the animal farming sector. It is therefore important to ensure that the development of metaverse technologies does not prioritize technology over animal welfare, ethics, and socio-economic implications. Additionally, addressing the topic of diversity and equity in the context of animal farming and the metaverse is crucial to avoid perpetuating existing inequalities during the implementation of metaverse technologies. The purpose of this critical review is to stimulate dialogue among stakeholders such as farmers, animal scientists, bioengineers, veterinarians, policymakers, consumers, and business-to-business clients. It aims to help them better understand the potential and power of the metaverse, identify ethical implications and strategic imperatives, and act as a force for its positive evolution.
Yash Madhwal, Eric Pieber, Yury Yanovich, Tatiana Yakushkina
In recent years, much more attention has been devoted to the management of honey bees, resulting in the slowing down of bee mortality and their improved protection. However, there are still some obstacles that prevent all-encompassing protection. In this work, we present the first prototype of a system that the processes of a supply chain of apiarists by enabling them to sell the products on a blockchain platform, thus preserving the provenance of the product. The data is processed in the context of smart contracts, which provide a majority of the business logic of how the data can/may be processed and accessed. We give an overview of the background of the usefulness of the proposed solution in regard to the recognized issues in this field. Further, we demonstrate the first approaches that have been implemented in order to lay a solid cornerstone for supporting beekeepers with a decentralized system. The code for the prototype application is available on GitHub.