scholarly journals A Review of Blockchain Architecture and Consensus Protocols: Use Cases, Challenges, and Solutions

Author(s):  
Leila Ismail ◽  
Huned Materwala

ver the last decade the blockchain technology has emerged to provide solutions to the complexity, performance and privacy challenges of using distributed databases. Over this time, the concept of blockchain has shifted greatly due to the rapidly evolving distributed applications in a collaborative ecosystem such as smart cities, social networking, governance, and smart healthcare, and the ultimate need for green computing, cost reduction for customers, and business growth for enterprises. Consequently, blockchain architecture has misaligned with the goals for a green collaborative digital ecosystem. Therefore, it becomes critical to address this vent and to build new frameworks to align blockchain with those goals. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of blockchain architecture and its consensus protocols, bringing a retrospective analysis and discussing the rationale of the evolution of the various architectures and protocols, as well as capturing the assumptions conducting to their development and contributions to building collaborative applications. We introduce a classification of those architectures and provide insights for future research directions in the field.

Symmetry ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 1198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ismail ◽  
Materwala

Over the last decade, blockchain technology has emerged to provide solutions to thecomplexity and privacy challenges of using distributed databases. It reduces cost for customers byeliminating intermediaries and builds trust in peer-to-peer communications. Over this time, theconcept of blockchain has shifted greatly due to its potential in business growth for enterprisesand the rapidly evolving applications in a collaborative smart-city ecosystem, healthcare, andgovernance. Many platforms, with different architectures and consensus protocols, have beenintroduced. Consequently, it becomes challenging for an application developer to choose the rightplatform. Furthermore, blockchain has misaligned with the goals for an efficient green collaborativedigital ecosystem. Therefore, it becomes critical to address this gap and to build new frameworks toalign blockchain with those goals. In this paper, we discuss the evolution of blockchain architectureand consensus protocols, bringing a retrospective analysis and discussing the rationale of theevolution of the various architectures and protocols, as well as capturing the assumptions conduciveto their development and contributions to building collaborative applications. We introduce aclassification of those architectures helping developers to choose a suitable platform for applicationsand providing insights for future research directions in the field to build new frameworks.


Author(s):  
Abderahman Rejeb ◽  
Karim Rejeb ◽  
Steven J. Simske ◽  
John G. Keogh

AbstractBlockchain can function as a foundational technology with numerous applications in smart cities. The objective of this paper is twofold. First, it provides a detailed overview of the extant literature on blockchain applications in smart cities; second, it reveals the trends and suggests future research directions for scholars who wish to contribute to this rapidly growing field. We conducted a bibliometric review using a keyword co-occurrence network and article co-citation analysis. The analysis includes the assessment of 148 articles published between 2016 and 2020 in 76 academic journals. The review results demonstrate that the number of articles devoted to the study of blockchain applications and smart cities has increased exponentially in recent years. More importantly, the research identifies some of the most influential studies in this area. The paper discusses trends and highlights the challenges related to the deployment of blockchain in smart cities. To the authors’ best knowledge, this represents the first study to review the literature from leading journals on blockchain applications in smart cities using bibliometric techniques.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 3095
Author(s):  
Alírio E. Rodrigues ◽  
Idelfonso Nogueira ◽  
Rui P.V. Faria

In the last two decades, scientific methodologies for the prediction of the design, performance and classification of fragrance mixtures have been developed at the Laboratory of Separation and Reaction Engineering. This review intends to give an overview of such developments. It all started with the question: what do we smell? The Perfumery Ternary Diagram enables us to determine the dominant odor for each perfume composition. Evaporation and 1D diffusion model is analyzed based on vapor-liquid equilibrium and Fick’s law for diffusion giving access to perfume performance parameters. The effect of matrix and skin is addressed and the trail of perfumes analyzed. Classification of perfumes with the perfumery radar is discussed. The methodology is extended to flavor and taste engineering. Finally, future research directions are suggested.


2019 ◽  
Vol 109 ◽  
pp. 83-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoqing Zhao ◽  
Shaofeng Liu ◽  
Carmen Lopez ◽  
Haiyan Lu ◽  
Sebastian Elgueta ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 156-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne De Keyser ◽  
Sarah Köcher ◽  
Linda Alkire (née Nasr) ◽  
Cédric Verbeeck ◽  
Jay Kandampully

PurposeSmart technologies and connected objects are rapidly changing the organizational frontline. Yet, our understanding of how these technologies infuse service encounters remains limited. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to update existing classifications of Frontline Service Technology (FST) infusion. Moreover, the authors discuss three promising smart and connected technologies – conversational agents, extended reality (XR) and blockchain technology – and their respective implications for customers, frontline employees and service organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper uses a conceptual approach integrating existing work on FST infusion with artificial intelligence, robotics, XR and blockchain literature, while also building on insights gathered through expert interviews and focus group conversations with members of two service research centers.FindingsThe authors define FST and propose a set of FST infusion archetypes at the organizational frontline. Additionally, the authors develop future research directions focused on understanding how conversational agents, XR and blockchain technology will impact service.Originality/valueThis paper updates and extends existing classifications of FST, while paving the road for further work on FST infusion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 61 ◽  
pp. 102360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bharat Bhushan ◽  
Aditya Khamparia ◽  
K. Martin Sagayam ◽  
Sudhir Kumar Sharma ◽  
Mohd Abdul Ahad ◽  
...  

2022 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 1-41
Author(s):  
Rafael Belchior ◽  
André Vasconcelos ◽  
Sérgio Guerreiro ◽  
Miguel Correia

Blockchain interoperability is emerging as one of the crucial features of blockchain technology, but the knowledge necessary for achieving it is fragmented. This fact makes it challenging for academics and the industry to achieve interoperability among blockchains seamlessly. Given this new domain’s novelty and potential, we conduct a literature review on blockchain interoperability by collecting 284 papers and 120 grey literature documents, constituting a corpus of 404 documents. From those 404 documents, we systematically analyzed and discussed 102 documents, including peer-reviewed papers and grey literature. Our review classifies studies in three categories: Public Connectors, Blockchain of Blockchains, and Hybrid Connectors. Each category is further divided into sub-categories based on defined criteria. We classify 67 existing solutions in one sub-category using the Blockchain Interoperability Framework, providing a holistic overview of blockchain interoperability. Our findings show that blockchain interoperability has a much broader spectrum than cryptocurrencies and cross-chain asset transfers. Finally, this article discusses supporting technologies, standards, use cases, open challenges, and future research directions, paving the way for research in the area.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raja Wasim Ahmad ◽  
Khaled Salah ◽  
Raja Jayaraman ◽  
Ibrar Yaqoob ◽  
Mohammed Omar

Smart cities have the potential to overcome environmental problems caused by improper waste disposal to improve human health, protect the aquatic ecosystem, and reduce air pollution. However, today's systems, approaches, and technologies leveraged for waste management are manual and centralized that make them vulnerable to manipulation and the single point of failure problem. Also, a large portion of the existing waste management systems within smart cities fall short in providing operational transparency, traceability, audit, security, and trusted data provenance features. In this paper, we explore the key role of blockchain technology in managing waste within smart cities as it can offer traceability, immutability, transparency, and audit features in a decentralized, trusted, and secure manner. We discuss the opportunities brought about by blockchain technology in various waste management use cases and application scenarios, including real-time tracing and tracking of waste, reliable channelization and compliance with waste treatment laws, efficient waste resources management, protection of waste management documentation, and fleet management. We introduce a framework that leverages blockchain-based smart contracts to automate the key services in terms of waste management of smart cities. We compare the existing blockchain-based waste management solutions based on important parameters. Furthermore, we present insightful discussions on several ongoing blockchain-based research projects and case studies to highlight the practicability of blockchain in waste management. Finally, we present open challenges that act as future research directions.


Author(s):  
Mohammed Fisal Abu Khaled

This chapter intends to document the various ways that the nascent technology, blockchain, and other forms of distributed ledger technology (DLT) can provide both increased and decreased risk as well as offer FinTech industries a fertile environment to pursue key technological advancements that can help shape almost every facet of the financial world. Issues of trust, transparency, and privacy will be explored as it pertains to the execution of blockchain technology within financial sectors. Strengths and weakness will be explored within regulations, legal environments, risk management, and the environment. Based on the findings of a comprehensive literature review, possible solutions and recommendations will be provided for governmental agencies, regulators, and users of financial services with a special focus on Islamic FinTech. Future research directions will also be shared that can assist Islamic FinTech.


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