Applicability and Appropriateness of Distributed Ledgers Consensus Protocols in Public and Private Sectors: A Systematic Review

Advancement of consensus protocols in recent years has enabled distributed ledger technologies (DLTs) to find its application and value in sectors beyond cryptocurrencies. Here we reviewed 66 known consensus protocols and classified them into philosophical and architectural categories, also providing a visual representation. As a case study, we focus on the public sector and highlighted potential protocols. We have also listed these protocols against basic features and sector preference in a tabular format to facilitate selection. We argue that no protocol is a silver bullet, therefore should be selected carefully, considering the sector requirements and environment

Blockchain: A Panacea for Trust Challenges In Public Services? A Socio-technical Perspective

Trust in corporations, governments and public services has been steadily declining over the last few decades. L ack of transparency and auditability has been a key driver for this decline. Blockchain technology has been co mmended as a solution that can h elp with disintermediat ion and fill ing the consistently increasing trust challenges faced by the corporate and public s ector s . Public services are seeking solutions that can help establish trust and increase transpar e n c y with its citizens and b usinesses are undertaking extensive business analysis to determine the need and effectiveness of blockchain - like platforms as the basis for transforming their existing platforms. Due to the decisive nature, most of the analysis results thus indicate that if a trusted third party is an option, then blockchain should not be used. Here we highlight the challenges a nd opportunities of establishing trust and how blockchain technology can help public services bridge the trust gap with its citizens . We argue that all information technology systems rely on a suite of technologies , thus blockchain should be added to the c urrent technology stack rather than taking an ‘ all or nothing ’ approach. We also argue that analysing the effectiveness of futuristic technology like blockchain with industrial age methodology and mindset may limit th e realisation of its impact on society and economy . Therefore, we propose to take a heuristic approach , where different properties of blockchain technology need to be mapped against different aspects of current business process with a futuristic view in mind. Taking Com panies House – a governme nt organisation that holds over 4 million UK - based companies ’ records – as an example, we demonstrate how certain business processes in Companies House can benefit from adapting a blockchain - based solution

Message from the 2021 Blockchain & the Circular Supply Chain workshop organizers

Presents the introductory welcome message from the conference proceedings. May include the conference officers' congratulations to all involved with the conference event and publication of the proceedings recor

Public service operational efficiency and blockchain - A case study of Companies House, UK

Despite the increasing interest and exploration of the use of blockchain technology in public service organisations (PSOs), academic understanding of its transformative impact on the operational excellence of PSOs remains limited. This study adopts an action design science research methodology to develop a proof of concept (POC) blockchain based application for Companies House, a government agency that is registering companies across UK. The application addresses the operational challenges of Companies House as well as issues citizens face when accessing its services. We draw from the public value framework proposed by Twizeyimana and Andersson (2019) and demonstrate the significance of the emerging blockchain technology in relation to their democratic practices based on six dimensions. We further discuss the related challenges and barriers for its implementation and evaluate the POC with the stakeholders of Companies House. We also present an illustrative case study, where we explored the appropriateness of the POC in relation to the draft legislation, “Registration of Overseas Entities and Beneficial Owners” (ROEBO) bill which proposes the introduction of a register of the beneficial owners of overseas legal entities that own real estate in the UK. Our research is one of the few studies that will provide in-depth empirical insights about the relationship between blockchain and operational excellence of PSOs

Portable Sensing Platform for the Visual Detection of Iodide Ions in Food and Clinical Samples

The detection of iodide ions (I−), despite challenges due to low concentrations and potential masking, is crucial for studying physiological processes and diagnosing diseases. A colorimetric sensor was developed to improve I− ion monitoring and facilitate on-site detection based on filter paper, which is a cost-effective platform. The sensor observed color changes in response to the exposure of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), from colorless to yellowish brown. The sensor demonstrated a detection limit of 0.125 × 10−6 M for I− ions in a relatively wide range of 0.01 to 15 × 10−6 M under optimized conditions including gel concentration, temperature, incubation time, TMB and H2O2 concentration, and pH. Furthermore, the proposed sensor was successfully employed in a variety of applications, such as biological (urine and blood serum), food (egg yolk and snacks), and environmental samples (tap water). The study established effective recoveries in complex media for visual on-site I− ion monitoring, indicating the developed assay as a potent, affordable, and practical platform