Bitcoin and Blockchain Security A Study in Misconceptions

Since its inception in 2008/2009 Bitcoin and its underlying blockchain technology has been thoroughly studied and the number of scientific articles has grown substantially. Irrespective of the research field, most of the articles have an introduction to blockchain technology where the key parts of it are described. However, many authors make misconceptions about the security model of Proof of Work-based blockchains when describing it. The most prevailing misconception is the confusion of the concepts tamper evidence and tamper resistance. There are also other misconceptions regarding blockchain security. This article presents the result of an extensive literature review of blockchain publications indexed by Web of Science where we study how the security of blockchains is described. We find that almost a third of the studied papers are misleading when describing the security of the technology

Kombiløsning mellom utvidelse hos Forset Grus AS og fremtidig jernbane/godsterminal

I prosjektoppgaven «Underjordsanlegg for godsterminal» i faget TGB4500 ved NTNU så undertegnede på muligheten for å flytte deler av det planlagte logistikknutepunktet ved Torgård inn i fjellhaller i Vassfjellet. På denne måten brukes arealer som ellers ikke kan utnyttes, og dermed unngås de mange negative konsekvensene ved å legge logistikknutepunktet i dagen. For Jernbaneverket vil det være en stor kostnad å investere i et underjordsanlegg kontra å bygge det i dagen. Til gjengjeld vil anlegget trolig være billigere å vedlikeholde fordi det ikke blir påvirket av vær og vind i samme grad. Det vil også være en nærmest uendelig mulighet til utvidelser senere fordi det ikke er rift om de tilstøtende arealene. Forset Grus AS ønsker en lokasjon hvor de kan ta ut pukk i flere tiår fremover i tid uten at de forstyrrer nærliggende miljø. De har derfor, sammen med Pro Invenia AS, laget en mulighetsstudie av et underjordisk pukkverk i Vassfjellet. Et slikt pukkverk vil eliminere alle negative faktorer knyttet til pukkproduksjon, utenom tungtrafikk inn og ut av anlegget. Løsningen krever en investering på over 20 millioner kroner før pukkverket kan tjene penger på deponering. I denne avhandlingen blir det vurdert om Forset Grus AS kan drive fjellhaller med en geometri som er gunstig for en eventuell godsterminal. Når fjellhallene er ferdig kan de gå over til å produsere pukk fra fjellhaller som senere skal brukes til deponering. På bakgrunn av tilgjengelig informasjon fra rapporter, topografiske kart, NGUs berggrunnskart og erfaringer fra tidligere prosjekter i Norge er det laget en modell i programmet Phase2 fra RocScience. Geometrien til hallene er bestemt ut fra plasskrav fra Jernbaneverket og skattepliktig areal. Det er knyttet usikkerhet til inputparameterne og det er derfor det ikke forsøkt å optimere bredden på pilarene eller bergsikringen. Resultatet for k=1,0 og k=2,0 viser at spenningene og deformasjonene i hallene kun vil være moderate, og at det dermed kun trengs en moderat mengde bergsikring for å stabilisere eventuelle bruddsoner. Når k=2,5 vil pilarene i deponihallene nærme seg det som trolig er maksimal belastning før de blir ustabile. På bakgrunn av resultater i denne avhandlingen konkluderes det med at anlegget kan bygges. Dette anlegget vil ha mange viktige miljømessige fordeler både lokalt og nasjonalt, fordi det vil fjerne fotavtrykket til store industrier lokalt å flytte nasjonal godstransport fra vei og over på jernbane

Nordic digital identification (eID)

This publication presents the survey results and policy recommendations of a Nordic study of national eID-systems. The countries that have been studied are Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The aim of the study is to facilitate and lay a foundation for discussions about the similarities and differences in legal, organisational, technical and data approaches taken by the different countries. The survey data has been gathered with the assistance of the members of a project reference group. The data has been analysed and structured into a number of highlighted issues (chapter 1). The highlighted issues have been in turn used as baseline for a set of recommendations (chapter 9). The Nordic Council of Ministers has provided funding and facilitated the staffing of the reference group. The Norwegian Agency for Public Management and e-Government, Difi, has been the project owner and provided project resources

A computational iterative design method for bend-twist deformation in composite ship propeller blades for thrusters

This study investigates the feasibility of utilising common composite material layup techniques in ship propeller blade design to achieve an automatic pitch adjustment through bending-induced twist deformation. A comprehensive design approach, including various reinforcement materials and arrangements, was employed to attain the desired foil pitching, while minimising other undesirable deformation modes. The design process involved iterative computational analysis using finite element analysis and a deformation mode analysis based on foil shape parameters. The research showed that the proposed design approach effectively found options to improve the desired foil parameter pitch, while minimising undesirable deformation modes such as blade deflection and foil shape change. Furthermore, the proposed blade design was tested in thruster steering operational conditions and was found to have a pitch change well matched, potentially countering some changes in fluid flow. When compared to Kumar and Wurm’s design, which only focused on the angular orientation of glass reinforcement, the proposed design was found to outperform the twisting by achieving the same twist for a blade half the length. This study provides valuable insights into the utilisation of composite materials in ship propeller design and highlights the potential for further improvement through a composite engineering design approach.publishedVersio

Data governance: Organizing data for trustworthy Artificial Intelligence

The rise of Big, Open and Linked Data (BOLD) enables Big Data Algorithmic Systems (BDAS) which are often based on machine learning, neural networks and other forms of Artificial Intelligence (AI). As such systems are increasingly requested to make decisions that are consequential to individuals, communities and society at large, their failures cannot be tolerated, and they are subject to stringent regulatory and ethical requirements. However, they all rely on data which is not only big, open and linked but varied, dynamic and streamed at high speeds in real-time. Managing such data is challenging. To overcome such challenges and utilize opportunities for BDAS, organizations are increasingly developing advanced data governance capabilities. This paper reviews challenges and approaches to data governance for such systems, and proposes a framework for data governance for trustworthy BDAS. The framework promotes the stewardship of data, processes and algorithms, the controlled opening of data and algorithms to enable external scrutiny, trusted information sharing within and between organizations, risk-based governance, system-level controls, and data control through shared ownership and self-sovereign identities. The framework is based on 13 design principles and is proposed incrementally, for a single organization and multiple networked organizations.NORTE-01-0145- FEDER-000037

A framework for analysing blockchain technology adoption: Integrating institutional, market and technical factors

The adoption of blockchain technologies require the consideration of a broad range of factors, over and above the predominantly technology focus of most current work. Whilst scholarly literature on blockchain technology is only beginning to emerge, majority are focused on the technicalities of the technology and tend to ignore the organizational complexities of adopting the technology. Drawing from a focused review of literature, this paper proposed a conceptual framework for adoption of blockchain technology capturing the complex relationships between institutional, market and technical factors. The framework highlights that varying outcomes are possible, and the change process is focal as this shapes the form blockchain applications take. Factors presented in the framework (institutional, market and technical) interact and mutually influence each other. The proposed framework can be used by organisations as a reference point for adopting blockchain applications and by scholars to expand, refine and evaluate research into blockchain technology

Blockchain in supply chain management: Australian manufacturer case study

The recent explosion of interest around Blockchain and capabilities of this technology to track all types of transaction more transparently and securely motivate us to explore the possibilities Blockchain offers across the supply chain. This paper examines whether Blockchain makes a good fit for use in an Australian manufacturer supply chain. To address this, the research uses Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as a framework from the literature. Blockchain allows us to have permissioned or permission-less distributed ledgers where stakeholders can interact with each other. It details how Blockchain works and the mechanism of hash algorithms which allows for greater security of information. It also focuses on the supply chain management and looks at the intricacies of a manufacturers supply chain. We present a review of the processes in place of an electrical manufacturer and the problems faced in the supply chain. A model is proposed in using public and private Blockchains to overcome these issues. The proposed solution has the potential to bring greater transparency, validity across the supply chain, and improvement of communication between stakeholders involved. We also point out some potential issues that should be considered if adopting Blockchain.N/