A catallactic market for data mining services.

We describe a Grid market for exchanging data mining services based on the Catallactic market mechanism proposed by von Hayek. This market mechanism allows selection between multiple instances of services based on operations required in a data mining task (such as data migration, data pre-processing and subsequently data analysis). Catallaxy is a decentralized approach, based on a “free market” mechanism, and is particularly useful when the number of market participants is large or when conditions within the market often change. It is therefore particularly suitable in Grid and peer-2-peer systems. The approach assumes that the service provider and user are not co-located, and require multiple message exchanges to carry out a data mining task. A market of J48-based decision tree algorithm instances, each implemented as a Web service, is used to demonstrate our approach. We have validated the feasibility of building catallactic data mining grid applications, and implemented a proof-of-concept application (Cat-COVITE) mapped to a Catallactic Grid Middleware.Peer Reviewe

Performance Evaluation - Annual Report Year 3

This report describes the work done and results obtained in third year of the CATNETS project. Experiments carried out with the different configurations of the prototype are reported and simulation results are evaluated with the CATNETS metrics framework. The applicability of the Catallactic approach as market model for service and resource allocation in application layer networks is assessed based on the results and experience gained both from the prototype development and simulations. --Grid Computing

Proof-of-Concept Application - Annual Report Year 2

This document first gives an introduction to Application Layer Networks and subsequently presents the catallactic resource allocation model and its integration into the middleware architecture of the developed prototype. Furthermore use cases for employed service models in such scenarios are presented as general application scenarios as well as two very detailed cases: Query services and Data Mining services. This work concludes by describing the middleware implementation and evaluation as well as future work in this area. --Grid Computing

Performance evaluation - annual report year 3

This report describes the work done and results obtained in third year of the CATNETS project. Experiments carried out with the different configurations of the prototype are reported and simulation results are evaluated with the CATNETS metrics framework. The applicability of the Catallactic approach as market model for service and resource allocation in application layer networks is assessed based on the results and experience gained both from the prototype development and simulations

Evaluation and metrics framework

In this paper a metrics framework for evaluating different scenarios in the CATNETS project is defined. The aim is to use this framework to compare the catallactic scenario against the central auctioneer. --Grid Computing

Bitcoin : users’ characteristics, motivations and investment behaviours

In less than a decade, the cryptocurrency known as Bitcoin has gone from a fringe phenomenon to a topic of increasing interest to academia and mainstream investors. However, despite the growing body of research seeking to understand Bitcoin, the pseudonymous, decentralised, and globally-diffused nature of its user base means that the individuals who use it remain poorly understood. In particular, the motivations, risk-appreciation, and investment behaviours of early adopters and innovators are subject to supposition in the absence of data derived from the user base. This thesis seeks to address this gap in knowledge by employing a multi-stage, mixed methodology approach and a theoretical framework to understand the Bitcoin user base. Utilising semantic analysis, a survey of online cryptocurrency communities, and econometric time-series analysis, this thesis addresses the extent and nature of Bitcoin in hedging; how individual users perceive their own motivations, uses, and risks that have driven their behaviour; and the nature of the relationship between the prices of cryptocurrency and indices of confidence. Analysis of the data determined that the use of Bitcoin as an instrument of hedging is limited, and influenced by political and institutional factors. Likewise, its motivations, uses, and risks are reflective of the users’ political ideology, with the community and marketplace becoming more sophisticated as they evolve over time. Additionally, despite several case studies demonstrating risk-averse adoption of Bitcoin, there is no relationship between its prices and confidence.Doctor of Philosoph