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The special issue in the International Journal of Network Management features extended versions of the best papers from the 2023 IEEE International Conference on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency, held in Dubai, UAE. The papers delve into advancements in illicit activity tracking, transaction mechanisms, synchronization, and database integration. Notable contributions include enhancing detection of illicit activities in Bitcoin, exploring strategic miner behaviors in the Ethereum network, innovating synchronization of transaction pools in blockchain networks, and addressing the integration of blockchain data into traditional databases. These papers collectively contribute to the advancement of blockchain technology, offering insights into security enhancements, miner behavior, and integration techniques for enterprise systems. [Extracted from the article]

Numerous variables are involved in determining the market capitalization and price of cryptocurrencies. So, It is impossible to ignore the feedback of each variable on the other ones. Also, Bitcoin management is challenging due to inter-dependencies and feedback between economic and social drivers. To better understand the dynamics that different variables have on Bitcoin, a system dynamics approach has been developed to investigate the complex interactions between factors related to Bitcoin and paper money and how these factors may affect the stability of Bitcoin. This paper aims to examine the impact of government support for Bitcoin in the future, news and sentiments effect on Bitcoin market price, and the future orientation of Bitcoin. For this purpose, a simulation period is considered from 2017 to 4500 days later. Moreover, In this study, policies have been designed to check the impact of policies on variables in the long term by keeping other variables constant. The results show that if governments support Bitcoin as an official trading currency in the future, the market price of Bitcoin and its trading volume will grow upward and fluctuate so that its market price will go up to about 90 thousand dollars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Via a discussion of public debates surrounding the potential minting of a trillion dollar platinum coin in the context of the American debt ceiling crises of 2011 and 2013, this essay seeks to make sense of the popular persistence of 'commodity' or 'metallist' understandings of money's value in the face of a scholarly consensus that all currency is 'token' or 'fiat' in nature. Scholars from Knapp to Desan have elaborated token theories of commodity money, wherein both precious and non-precious currencies are treated as the products of social construction. By contrast, I suggest the need to supplement such approaches with what I term a commodity theory of token money, wherein money objects made from both precious and non-precious materials are treated as inherently valuable. Exploring the semiotic convergence between gold, Bitcoin and modern paper money, I suggest that the broadly Peircean notion of rhematization in which symbol and indexical signs are (mis)taken for iconic ones is particularly suited to unpack the continuing social salience of commodity theories of money across the gold/paper divide. Moreover attention must be paid to how we define the icon itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This installment of Notes from the Community covers the first animated feature film rendered entirely in a game engine, bad design methods, customizable tattoos, debugging paper jams, and other topics to take your mind off your worries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain is the foundation of cryptocurrencies, and most cryptocurrency technologies are decentralized. This study explains the topic of scalability in blockchains and presents a comparative analysis of numerous blockchain metrics with real-time data. This study performed this using a blockchain simulation (BlockSim) and then looked at effective techniques that may be utilized to overcome the limitation by comparing the simulator and real-world circumstances. This paper proposes an effective algorithm that improves the scalability of the Bitcoin network through efficient transaction deferment. This study also proposes an algorithm that improves the current Bitcoin protocols using inventory messaging (INV) and transaction deferment or adjournment. These improvements are compatible with the existing Bitcoin Network protocols. The improved algorithm was simulated using BlockSim and the AnyLogic Multi Paradigm Simulation Engine. The simulators were configured with 1000 nodes interconnected in a Bitcoin-like peer-to-peer network. The result of the simulation shows that the adjourned transaction protocol provides for a controlled reduction in the number of messages required to propagate a transaction at the cost of a modest increase in transaction propagation time. This system can manage the tradeoff between the quantity of messages and propagation latency by adjusting the threshold and timeout values, thereby improving the network's overall scalability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper documents inconsistent terminologies and misleading analogies in current discussions of digital money and payments. It offers a more consistent framework for understanding the potential of technological innovation in providing the functions of money and payments: as media of exchange, stores of value, and units of account and the implications of cryptographic technologies underpinning cryptocurrencies for the future of money and payments. These could support efficiency gains in money and payments, but decentralization is not inherent to their application. Radical reform leading to improved economic outcomes is conceivable, but not through disruptive displacement of existing institutional arrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a theoretical and empirical outlook on different aspects of various cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology including the evolution of digital tokens and how they widely affect the financial markets, organizations, banks, governments via analyzing the characteristics and current history of cryptocurrencies alongside with blockchain technology. The choice of this topic was motivated by the fact that the virtual money concept and blockchain technology are utterly new phenomena. This new technology is completely decentralized making the subject worthy of scientific research. The paper solely focuses on analyzing how cryptocurrencies currently affect the financial markets and the future trends of these virtual tokens in the global economy. The study is keen to further examine the impact of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on international fund transfers. Literature review and case study with up-to-date data has been included in the analysis. The following results have been obtained: cryptocurrencies offer a wide range of features such as faster, cheaper and more secure cross-border money transfers that can also provide anonymity. Most crypto tokens are highly volatile due to their nature and various other factors. Cryptocurrencies could provide more beneficial options for users on cross border transfers compared to traditional methods of fund transfers. Cryptocurrencies might have the potential to replace paper money and gain mainstream recognition throughout the world. The study sheds light onto current and future trends of cryptocurrencies and blockchain. It is outlined for the crypto, financial, economic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blockchain technology is evolving across the globe and is being looked upon as a definite part of the future. Blockchain is often associated with bitcoin and finance's domain. But over the last decade, this backend technology to bitcoin has spread its association in almost all domains that we can think of. Further to this, smart contracts are making the blockchain ecosystem better. Other evolving technologies like Internet-of-things, Industrial Internet-ofthings, Cyber physical systems are also making their onset on the global platform. Smart buildings link Internet-of-things connectivity, sensors and the cloud to remotely supervise and assure efficient heating-air conditioning, lighting and security systems etc to improve efficiency and overall sustainability. The global buildings sector over the next 40 years is expected to add 230 billion square meters of fresh construction, i.e., adding the equivalent of Paris every week. Thus integrating these technologies right at the onset, before they grow in isolation, is a coveted need today. This paper proposes a prototype to simulate architecture and discusses how blockchain enabled smart buildings can further expedite automation, security and transparency. For an apprehension purpose, the paper focuses on smart contracts enabled repairs and service in smart buildings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]