【Abstract】The metaverse, a digital immersive environment in which people interact by using immersive technologies, is shaping a new way for people to interact and socialise. Forecasts predict that by 2026 a quarter of the population will spend at least an hour a day in the metaverse. This pro-jection requires the consideration of several challenges and opportunities that will influence the design of the metaverse. A qualitative ethnographic study with industry experts was carried out to explore the social impact of the metaverse through the lens of inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and safety with the goal to identify directions business have to undertake. The results indicated the vast nature of future research questions that will need to be answered and facilitated the creation of good practices for designing an inclusive, accessible, safe metaverse that gua-rantees equity and diversity. These good practices are a starting point to develop a narrative, spark conversations, brainstorm questions and eventually provide answers for designing a met -averse as a place for people that does not substitute the physical world but complements it.
【Abstract】Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency based on blockchain. All historical Bitcoin transactions are stored in the Bitcoin blockchain, but Bitcoin owners are generally unknown. This is the reason for Bitcoin's pseudo-anonymity, therefore it is often used for illegal transactions. Bitcoin addresses are related to Bitcoin users' identities. Some Bitcoin addresses have the potential to be analyzed due to the behavior patterns of Bitcoin transactions. However, existing Bitcoin analysis methods do not consider the fusion of new blocks' data, resulting in low efficiency of Bitcoin address analysis. In order to address this problem, this paper proposes an incremental Bitcoin address cluster method to avoid re-clustering when new block data is added. Besides, a heuristic Bitcoin address clustering algorithm is developed to improve clustering accuracy for the Bitcoin Blockchain. Experimental results show that the proposed method increases Bitcoin address cluster efficiency and accuracy.
【Abstract】Widespread applications of 5G technology have prompted the outsourcing of computation dominated by the Internet of Things (IoT) cloud to improve transmission efficiency, which has created a novel paradigm for improving the speed of common connected objects in IoT. However, although it makes it easier for ubiquitous resource-constrained equipment that outsources computing tasks to achieve high-speed transmission services, security concerns, such as a lack of reliability and collusion attacks, still exist in the outsourcing computation. In this paper, we propose a reliable, anti-collusion outsourcing computation and verification protocol, which uses distributed storage solutions in response to the issue of centralized storage, leverages homomorphic encryption to deal with outsourcing computation and ensures data privacy. Moreover, we embed outsourcing computation results and a novel polynomial factorization algorithm into the smart contract of Ethereum, which not only en-ables the verification of the outsourcing result without a trusted third party but also resists collusion attacks. The results of the theoretical analysis and experimental performance evaluation demonstrate that the proposed pro-tocol is secure, reliable, and more effective compared with state-of-the-art approaches.
【Abstract】With the constant fusion of virtual and reality, a new vision of human beings has emerged-Metaverse. At present, the development of metaverse is still in its infancy, and although the industry has put feverish investment into it, there are still many problems that need to be discussed in academia. The first thing is user engagement. Metaverse relies heavily on massive online users to realize its social value. In other words, user engagement is the foundation of the metaverse ecosystem. Therefore, our research uses Nova Empire as a case study, aiming at understanding metaverse engagement via complexity analysis of social patterns and reward mechanisms. Specifically, the behavioral data of 46 954 players in September 2021 are used for analysis. Our observations show that social behavior is not the main factor for user engagement. Then, we perform a correlation analysis of trigger times for different gaming behaviors to verify the above observations. The results prove that the main factors affecting user engagement are game tasks and reward mechanisms in the early stage and social gaming behaviors environment with alliances in the middle and late stages. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings for the design of future games and propose operation strategies on user engagement to improve the metaverse ecosystem and other online social space.
【Abstract】In the context of digital monetary market integration, the importance of cross-border digital currency research is receiving prominent attention. This study integrated Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) and initial trust factors (ITM) into an integrative framework, which synthetically complemented the objective measures and subjective insights of digital currencies. The results indicated the integrated framework, which verified its robustness predicting the acceptance and recommendation intention of digital currency. By analyzing the two different features of digital currencies, this research puts forward a set of targeted solutions to ensure that users of Chinese and Korean digital currencies make a long-term policy for the sustainability, eventually benefitting the cross-border digital monetary transactions and economic cooperation in Asia, which leads the world to the sustainable development in the digital currencies field.
【Keywords】digital currency; Digital Currency Electronic Payment (DCEP); Extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2); initial trust factors (ITM); trust; cross-countries comparison; usage intention; partial least squares
【Abstract】Using 5-minute high-frequency data, we study realized volatility spillovers in major crypto-currencies, employing generalized forecast error variance decomposition. We also include COVID19 period observations and report time-varying and asymmetric connectedness across various cryptocurrencies using realized volatilities and semi-variances. Our study provides diverse connections after distinctly considering good-and bad volatilities, which is unique in the related literature. Bitcoin and Ethereum are central to the system and dominant transmitters of positive shocks, while Litecoin propagates negative shocks abundantly. Ripple and Stellar are the least connected currencies with others, whereas Cardano and EOS are isolated in the network. This feature makes these currencies suitable diversifiers in a portfolio with other cryptocurren-cies. Further, the majority of these connections are asymmetric in the long-and short-run. The time-varying and asymmetric nature of connections offers potentially unique opportunities for diversification and portfolios strategies. Total volatility connectedness is not only significantly enhanced but also changed in its nature during the COVID19 period. We observe no significant changes in results after the robustness check through varying lengths of the rolling-window. The findings are important to crypto investors and regulatory authorities for better diversification strategies and effective market oversight, respectively.
【Abstract】This paper inquires into the dynamic imaginaries of the Ethereum project. We present Ethereum as animated by three such imaginaries: the world computer (technical), productive money (economic) and public goods (political). We examine how these imaginaries are materialized, carried forward and evolve through the Ethereum ecosystem, focusing on how Ethereum's prefigurative logic underpins this dynamism. In our analysis, we pay particular attention to how the imaginaries overlap and often generate contradictions that nonetheless do not seem to undermine the cohesion of the project. We introduce the concept of 'prefigurative imaginaries' to describe how prefiguration works to create multiple, mutually entangled but distinct imaginaries.
【Abstract】The metaverse has been settled as a platform that is widely beloved by digital natives that are familiar with mobile devices and immersive contents. Thanks to the protocol enabling hedonic interaction, the user experience provides significant value from its communication, enabling learning experiences anytime and anywhere. However, the research topics are focused on the promotions of technology development, marketing effects, and relevant investment consensus. Surprisingly, the biggest problem was the lack of research from the perspective of the young generation, who mainly use the metaverse. This paper intends to examine the usability of digital native participants in detail and suggest how immersive contents, usage environment, and interface aspects should be designed from their point of view. As a result, the significant engagement factors and improvements, through heuristic usability evaluation considering content and user control, were discovered from individual interviews. Conversely, the elements to be supplemented in user experience were derived from information architecture and usage environment categories. In conclusion, the theoretical basis of the empirical usability evaluation on metaverse platforms and following recommendations with practical implications could gain more importance from this research.
【Abstract】As an emerging technology enabling economic, social, and environmental sustainability, blockchain has drawn considerable attention from the academic community in management and economics. It is essential to clarify this field's research status, hotspots, and evolution trends. This study took 642 pieces of literature on blockchain in management and economics from the Web of Science (WoS) as data sources. It combined the bibliometric knowledge mapping visualization and statistical analysis methods to conduct a systematic analysis. It is found that the United States and China are the primary core strengths, and highly influential research organizations and authors have emerged in this field. The research of blockchain in management and economics has the property of being interdisciplinary. Research hotspots are mainly distributed in the combination and application of blockchain technology and emerging technologies and the research on blockchain in supply chain management (SCM), supply chain finance, intellectual property, digital currency, and transaction costs. The evolution trends of research hotspots show a rule of overlapping commonness and individuality. This study systematically revealed the overall research development situation on blockchain in management and economics to provide some reference and inspiration for relevant researchers.
【Abstract】Advancement in the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing has escalated the number of connected edge devices in a smart city environment. Having billions more devices has contributed to security concerns, and an attack-proof authentication mechanism is the need of the hour to sustain the IoT environment. Securing all devices could be a huge task and require lots of computational power, and can be a bottleneck for devices with fewer computational resources. To improve the authentication mechanism, many researchers have proposed decentralized applications such as blockchain technology for securing fog and IoT environments. Ethereum is considered a popular blockchain platform and is used by researchers to implement the authentication mechanism due to its programable smart contract. In this research, we proposed a secure authentication mechanism with improved performance. Neo blockchain is a platform that has properties that can provide improved security and faster execution. The research utilizes the intrinsic properties of Neo blockchain to develop a secure authentication mechanism. The proposed authentication mechanism is compared with the existing algorithms and shows that the proposed mechanism is 20 to 90 per cent faster in execution time and has over 30 to 70 per cent decrease in registration and authentication when compared to existing methods.
【Abstract】Non-fungible token (NFT) trade has grown drastically over recent years. While scholarship on the technical aspects and potential applications of NFTs has been steadily increasing, less attention has been directed to the human perception of or attitudes toward this new type of digital asset. The aim of this research is to investigate what concerns are expressed in relation to non-fungible tokens by those who engage with NFTs on the social media platform Twitter. In this study, data was gathered through online social media data mining of NFT-related posts on Twitter. Two datasets (with 18,373 and 36,354 individual tweet records, respectively) were obtained. Topic modeling was used as a method of data analysis. Our results reveal 19 overall themes of concerns around NFTs as expressed on Twitter, which broadly fall into two categories: concerns about attacks and threats by third parties; and concerns about trading and the role of marketplaces. Overall, this study offers a better understanding of the expressions of concern, uncertainty, and the perception of possible barriers related to NFT trading. These findings contribute to theoretical insight and can, moreover, function as a basis for developing practical design and policy interventions.
【Abstract】Metaverse platforms have become increasingly prevalent for collaboration in virtual environments. Metaverse platforms, as opposed to virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality, expand with enhanced social meanings within virtual worlds. The research object in this study is the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng, one of China's most treasured cultural heritage sites. We aimed to create a metaverse platform for the chime bells of Marquis Yi of Zeng to provide visitors with a highly immersive and interactive experience. First, we collected the materials and data of the chime bells and other exhibits, as well as historical information. Then, the data were processed and integrated for 3D model reconstruction. In addition, we designed the virtual roaming system through which visitors could interact with the exhibits to obtain multimedia information and even knock to ring the chime bells. Finally, we built our system to connect multiple visitors in different geographic locations and encourage them to collaborate and communicate within the virtual space. This platform helps users visualize cultural heritage, simulates real-life tour experiences with intuitive manners of interaction, and motivates visitors' interest in traditional culture. This research also reveals the potential use of metaverse-related techniques in cultural heritage sectors.
【Abstract】Bitcoin is yet to be assumed as a worthy cryptocurrency and rewarding asset in the global market. As polynomial-based neural networks (PBNNs) are very robust and more accurate in modeling stock price prediction, their advantage in Bitcoin pricing needs to be analyzed. In this study, the robustness of PBNNs, based on Chebyshev (CPBNN) and Legendre (LPBNN), is blended with the proposed algorithm, coined as the mutated climb monkey algorithm (MCMA), to control the estimation of network parameters to accurately predict the one-day-ahead Bitcoin price. The performance was evaluated by a comparative analysis of the testing of both CPBNN and LPBNN with each of the six algorithms under consideration on three different datasets collected within the same time interval. As the use of a few evaluation criteria will not be able to identify an efficient predictor model, this study also proposes the use of a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) framework to rank all models using 15 different evaluation criteria. The ranking of the models clearly indicates that the proposed MCMA algorithm outperforms all other algorithms under study. The convergence plots of the top two models for the datasets also indicate that the PBNN using MCMA for learning predicts better results.
【Abstract】The worldwide food supply chain network firms have embraced digitalization and have changed customers' everyday lives in serval viewpoints. This work proposes a framework for IoT and Blockchain based smart Food Chain Management System (IBFS) aiming to regulate the food inventory systems in an organization focusing on the safety and nature of the items conveyed to the end consumers. The proposed IBFS framework is an IoT-based blockchain with smart contract architecture for trust, reliability, and transparency. A Message Queue Telemetry Transport (MQTT) (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) broker or server is deployed on the broadcast to record all data collected from the IoT sensors. The data provided by IoT-sensors or devices is pooled and gathered by MQTT based cloud brokers and the shipment's geolocation, movement, and temperature are logged. The work uses two types of smart contracts based on Ethereum-based blockchain technology (BCT) environment as the operational backbone written in the Solidity language. The first smart contract deals with custody and the second smart contract deals with shipment or transportation to track the produce. The food supply chain process evaluates the collected data from the IoT sensors managed with the help of blockchain and MQTT servers. The quality of food is measured by evaluating by temperature and humidity function, transition time, final item and for validation of smart contracts. Performance evaluation of IBFS in terms of Gas cost under various test conditions prove the effectiveness of the work.
