Chain Quality Research Articles

The Bitcoin Backbone Protocol: Analysis and Applications

Bitcoin is the first and most popular decentralized cryptocurrency to date. In this work, we extract and analyze the core of the Bitcoin protocol, which we term the Bitcoin backbone , and prove three of its fundamental properties which we call Common Prefix , Chain Quality and Chain Growth in the static setting where the number of players remains fixed. Our proofs hinge on appropriate and novel assumptions on the “hashing power” of the protocol participants and their interplay with the protocol parameters and the time needed for reliable message passing between honest parties in terms of computational steps. A takeaway from our analysis is that, all else being equal, the protocol’s provable tolerance in terms of the number of adversarial parties (or, equivalently, their “hashing power” in our model) decreases as the duration of a message passing round increases. Next, we propose and analyze applications that can be built “on top” of the backbone protocol, specifically focusing on Byzantine agreement (BA) and on the notion of a public transaction ledger. Regarding BA, we observe that a proposal due to Nakamoto falls short of solving it, and present a simple alternative which works assuming that the adversary’s hashing power is bounded by 1/3. The public transaction ledger captures the essence of Bitcoin’s operation as a cryptocurrency, in the sense that it guarantees the liveness and persistence of committed transactions. Based on this notion we describe and analyze the Bitcoin system as well as a more elaborate BA protocol and we prove them secure assuming the adversary’s hashing power is strictly less than 1/2. Instrumental to this latter result is a technique we call 2-for-1 proof-of-work (PoW) that has proven to be useful in the design of other PoW-based protocols.

Revisiting Nakamoto Consensus in Asynchronous Networks: A Comprehensive Analysis of Bitcoin Safety and Chain Quality

Revisiting Nakamoto Consensus in Asynchronous Networks: A Comprehensive Analysis of Bitcoin Safety and Chain Quality

Alignment between vertical and horizontal coordination for food quality and safety in Indonesian vegetable chains

This study explores the alignment between vertical coordination (VC) and horizontal coordination (HC) in Indonesian vegetable value chains. This alignment helps buyers to design efficient coordination mechanisms with regard to the production of safe and high-quality vegetables. We use a qualitative approach and describe five vegetable value chains featuring VC and HC. Within-case and cross-case analyses have been performed to develop propositions. The empirical study finds that there is a diverse combination of VC and HC mechanisms in Indonesian vegetable value chains. Strong VC correlates with high food quality and safety standards that farmers have to meet. The presence of HC through a producer organisation (PO) reduces the need for strict VC mechanisms. When VC is combined with HC through a PO, efficiency of quality and safety control increases and coordination costs decrease, ensuring better compliance with food quality and safety requirements.

Intelligent Wheat Types Classification Model Using New Voting Classifier

When assessing the quality of the grain supply chain's quality, it is essential to identify and authenticate wheat types, as this is where the process begins with the examination of seeds. Manual inspection by eye is used for both grain identification and confirmation. High-speed, low-effort options became available thanks to automatic classification methods based on machine learning and computer vision. To this day, classifying at the varietal level is still challenging. Classification of wheat seeds was performed using machine learning techniques in this work. Wheat area, wheat perimeter, compactness, kernel length, kernel width, asymmetry coefficient, and kernel groove length are the 7 physical parameters used to categorize the seeds. The dataset includes 210 separate instances of wheat kernels, and was compiled from the UCI library. The 70 components of the dataset were selected randomly and included wheat kernels from three different varieties: Kama, Rosa, and Canadian. In the first stage, we use single machine learning models for classification, including multilayer neural networks, decision trees, and support vector machines. Each algorithm's output is measured against that of the machine learning ensemble method, which is optimized using the whale optimization and stochastic fractal search algorithms. In the end, the findings show that the proposed optimized ensemble is achieving promising results when compared to single machine learning models.

The Effects of Elasticity of Demand For Product Quality And Discount Rate In Dual-Channel Supply Chains

This research employed a development model investigating offline and online demand functions in the dual-channel supply chain (DCSC) structure by Widodo He explains that the DCSC structure has a problem determining each channel’s prices and proposes a mathematical model approach between offline channels and online channels. The critical parameter is the relative ratio of customer acceptance on the online and the offline channels. Besides using the relative ratio of customer acceptance on the online and the offline channels, this research employed an additional variable, namely the elasticity of demand for quality and discount rate. Adding a new variable to the DCSC structure increases profit systems. This study aimed to investigate the best prices for offline and online channels to get optimal profits. Therefore, optimal prices were discovered for consumers and companies with the two sales structures running simultaneously. The model development profits showe that profits in both offline and online channels increased. In the current condition, the offline channels tended to dominate. However, the analysis of this study showed that online sales could control the sales structures. The overall profits of IDR 2,532,106.00 were obtained by setting a price of IDR 87,296.00 on offline channels and Rp. 89,300.00 on the online channel.

Cloud Education Chain and Education Quality Evaluation Based on Hybrid Quantum Neural Network Algorithm

This paper proposes the functional model and application service implementation process of the education cloud platform application service architecture. The entire cloud application service architecture mainly includes four parts: cloud service management, cloud application service rapid creation and deployment, dynamic process configuration, and unified identity authentication. Based on the basic theory of workflow, the process status and business services of cloud application services are discussed. The BP neural network weight optimization model based on the improved quantum evolution method is studied, and a method that combines the improved quantum evolution algorithm (IQEA) and the BP algorithm to complete the back propagation neural network training is proposed, that is, the IQEA‐BP algorithm. Firstly, the traditional quantum evolution algorithm is improved, and then, the improved quantum evolution algorithm is used to optimize the network weights as a whole to overcome the shortcomings of the BP algorithm that is easy to fall into the local optimum; then, we use the BP algorithm to find the better weight as the initial value to improve the training and prediction accuracy of the network. In order to enrich the school education quality evaluation system, this article adds soft indicators that can reflect school education performance on the basis of the existing “National Education Inspection Team” indicators and uses analytical methods to prove the effectiveness and feasibility of the new evaluation indicators. The X1‐X10 index data is selected as the evaluation index of the school education quality evaluation system in this paper. Testing the performance of the BP neural network, the accuracy rate of the school education quality evaluation is 93.3%, the average absolute error is 0.067, and the accuracy and recall rate of the test set grade gradient of 0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and 8 are all 93%, indicating that the IQEA‐BP neural network algorithm has a good effect on the evaluation of school education quality.

Power, supply chain integration and quality performance of agricultural products: evidence from contract farming in China

Improving the quality of agricultural products is crucial for facilitating sustainable agricultural development. One widely embraced approach is contract farming, which generates guarantees—necessary for sustaining the continuous operations of vulnerable farmers—while enabling manufacturers to manage the aggregate supply chain risks and prices. Although management researchers have investigated power and quality performance issues between organisations, few have examined their impact on contract farming. This paper extends the literature by examining the relationships between power, supply chain integration and the quality performance of agricultural products, from the perspectives of farm households and agribusiness companies in contract farming. This study proposes and empirically examines a model, applying survey data from 78 agricultural companies and 321 peasant householders in China. The results show that different types of power have different effects on contract farming. In particular, non-economic power significantly and positively affects supply chain integration. Its impact on process coordination is greater than its impact on information sharing. The effect of economic power on supply chain integration is different from the binary perspective. These findings have positive theoretical and practical significance for agribusiness and will help farmers to improve the quality of primary agricultural products and achieve sustainable agricultural development.

Exploring Customer Perception of Service Quality in Coffeehouse Chains

Turkey is a fast growing market for global coffeehouse brands. This exploratory study investigates the service quality considerations of coffeehouse chains as perceived by the customers; namely customer expectations, loyalty, reasons of preference over coffee house brands, and service attributes of the coffee house brands in Turkey. Data are collected from a sample in several popular shopping malls in different parts of Istanbul that shelters coffeehouses of all of the brands included in this study through a survey questionnaire. The sample is chosen randomly and the survey is conducted mostly at weekends. The brands included in this survey are the five top global brands and one domestic brand. Results give evidence that further study may expose more revealing findings about customer satisfaction and commitment in coffee house brands.

GSCS: General Secure Consensus Scheme for Decentralized Blockchain Systems

Blockchain, a type of a decentralized network system that allows mutually distrustful parties to transact securely without involving third parties, has recently been attracting increasing attention. Hence, there must be a consensus mechanism to ensure a distributed consensus among all participants. Such a consensus mechanism may also be used to guarantee fairness, correctness and security of such decentralized systems. Thus, in this paper we propose a novel consensus mechanism named GSCS that is an improved version of PoW. Compared with existing consensus mechanisms (such as PoW, PoS and so on), GSCS provides strong resistance to resource centralization, the quantum attack and other malicious attacks. In this work, we first present the serial mining puzzle to resist collusive mining and the quantum attack. It guarantees that participants can only obtain a negligible advantage by solving the relevant problem in parallel. Second, GSCS considers the influence of participant credibility. The credibility is reflected by the mining behavior of each participant and directly influence to the mining difficulty of participant. Thus, credible participants enjoy a higher probability of winning the mining competition than do participants who are not credible. Finally, performance of GSCS is analyzed in terms of the common prefix, chain quality, chain growth, and power cost. The results indicate that GSCS is security- and incentive-compatible with suitable security parameter settings. In brief, GSCS has the potential to ensure a more secure and robust environment for decentralized blockchain systems.

Service Quality in Manufacturing Supply Chains: A Bi-directional perspective from Indian SMEs

This study investigates the role played by service quality in the supply chains of Indian small-medium manufacturing units and presents models at different junctions which propose and validate that the contributions made by supply chain partners towards service quality lead to satisfaction and loyalty. The research design for this study includes a combination of literature review, exploratory interviews and a questionnaire survey conducted through interview schedule with respondents working in different SMEs situated in Northern India. Both internal and external customer perspectives have been considered. Structural equation modelling has been used for data analysis. Three models showing linkages of manufacturer (manufacturing unit's) service quality with supplier service quality, employee service quality and distributor service quality are developed. The models are empirically tested and are found to be fit. This study would be of interest to SME practitioners interested in strengthening relationships with supply chains partners to achieve win-win situations.

English

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of procurement performance on the profitability of Foam Mattress Firms in Uganda. Cross-sectional research design was used to execute the study. Stratified and simple random sampling techniques were employed to draw a sample size of 40 Departments whose inventory, supply chain, production, marketing, internal audit and accounting department formed the unit of analysis while inventory managers, store keepers, supply chain managers, quality controllers, production managers, accountants, and internal auditors formed the unit of inquiry. Questionnaires were self-administered to 200 respondents. The units of analysis (Departments) were each represented by five (5) respondents. The responses were aggregated to the respective units of analysis (Departments). Correlation and regression statistical analysis were performed by SPSS. The findings revealed that procurement performance is positive and significantly associated to profitability (r=0.857; p<0.01). Overall, the results indicate that procurement performance greatly influences profitability in Foam Mattress Manufacturing Firms in Uganda. The study was cross-sectional with its intrinsic weaknesses. This study was limited to Foam Mattress Manufacturing Firms sector in Uganda. Future study should examine the same in line with other private sector industries. Moreover, the findings were drawn from the study within the setting of Uganda, thus future study should examine the same in different countries. Key words: Procurement, performance, procurement performance, profitability.

A Fair Blockchain Based on Proof of Credit

Proof of work and proof of stake (PoS) are commonly used in the current permissionless blockchains. These consensus protocols can be abstracted into a random process of selecting a node for accounting in a blockchain ledger. However, they are generally faced with resource consumption and vulnerability issues. We present proof of credit (PoC), a fair blockchain protocol based on the PoC blockchain protocol. It is a special PoS protocol where the credit is a special kind of stake quantifying whether the node’s activity is beneficial to the system. Any nodes cannot change their credits arbitrarily. We demonstrate that our PoC protocol satisfies the security properties, including common prefix, chain quality, and chain growth, under the assumption that the total credit the honest held is majority. In addition, we propose a self-audit mechanism and a hybrid incentive mechanism to enhance the security and stability. Finally, we explain the method by which the PoC protocol resists the double-spending attacks and the selfish mining attacks.

Strategic Applications of Business Analytics to Healthcare and Hospital Management

Business analytics provides the framework to exploit the synergies among traditionally-diverse topics, such as the fields of data mining, quantitative methods, operations research/management science, decision support systems, and so forth, in a more practical, application-driven format. The authors investigate and explore business analytics applications in improving hospital and healthcare management, as well as controlling its ascending cost. Research frontiers confront many areas, such as prevention management, inpatients management, postoperative management, supply chain management, performance management, quality management, risk management, crisis management, disaster management, IT management, knowledge management, and change management. In addition, the article is trying to identify future research directions as well.

Establishment and application of multidisciplinary chain management model based on information technology in surgical patient handover

Objective To explore the clinical application of information technology in the multidisciplinary chain management of surgical patient handover, in order to reduce the safety hazard in the process of surgical patient handover. Methods In the contemporary controlled study, 300 patients were selected as the control group from February to July 2017 by cluster sampling, and 303 patients were selected as experimental group from February to July 2018. Traditional sectional handover method was adopted in the control group, to managed the patients' handover from each section. In the experimental group, based on the information communication platform between the surgery room and relevant clinical departments, by clinical electronic documents chain transfer method, quality inspection and supervision information feedback technology, to achieve shared decision and improvement of patients handover problems, we built the multidisciplinary management pattern. The two groups were compared for statistical difference from six aspects: the rate of acceptance specification, the accuracy of identity verification method, the rate of operation labeling verification, the accuracy of inventory of items, the evaluation of pipeline patency, and the evaluation of skin condition at the compression site. Results The rate of standard delivery of surgical patient handover increased from 49.33% to 92.08% in the two groups. The experimental group was better than the control group in the rate of correct delivery of handover from the following five aspects: identity recognition, indication of surgical site, inventory of articles carried, unobstructed pipeline and skin state of the pressure site with statistical significance (P<0.01) . Conclusions The multidisciplinary chain management model of surgical patient handover supported by information technology is effective in clinical application, which can significantly reduce the risk of hazard in patient handover and is worthy of clinical promotion. Key words: Information technology; Chain management; Patient handover; Multidisciplinary

Uma análise da gestão operacional em uma multinacional de argamassas industrializadas sob a ótica dos princípios lean manufacturing

Este trabalho tem como objetivo principal analisar o sistema de gestão de operações de uma empresa de argamassas industrializadas, com múltiplas unidades fabris, sob a ótica da aplicação dos princípios Lean Manufacturing. Pretende-se compreender como esses controles estão implantados e se um diagnóstico baseado na estratégia de gestão é capaz de demonstrar oportunidades de melhoria na gestão de setup de produção; manutenção produtiva total; produção puxada e fluxo continuo; integração da cadeia de suprimentos; gerenciamento visual; controle de qualidade; operações padronizadas; melhoria continua e flexibilização de mão de obra. Assim, para o esse trabalho, a metodologia utilizada foi de caráter descritivo através do estudo de caso, utilizando para coleta e tratamento dos dados questionários aplicados aos gestores das unidades fabris, análise documental, observação participativa da pesquisadora e entrevistas com os gestores regionais. O resultado da pesquisa evidenciou os pontos com oportunidades de melhoria e também unidades fabris com melhores práticas na gestão de operações, que podem ser referências para as demais unidades.

Integration of supply chain management and quality management within a quality focused organizational framework

A paucity of research has explored the integration of supply chain management (SCM) and quality management (QM) within an overall organizational context. The investigation of integrating SCM and QM within an organizational framework has the potential to foster theory development of SCM and QM and to strengthen SCM and QM practice. The Baldrige Award promotes organization performance excellence and the associated framework has evolved into a notable quality focused organizational framework. Prior studies have focused on validating the effectiveness of the Baldrige framework. In this research, we integrate SCM and QM within the context of a quality focused organizational framework by proposing a modified version of the Baldrige framework and validate the proposed framework. We use cross-sectional survey data to test the hypothesized research model through partial least squares – structural equation modeling. The results support the effectiveness of the proposed framework. The research shows the importance of SCM as a major organizational construct with a significant positive direct influence on organizational results. The research also shows that SCM is a mediator for leadership and measurement, analysis and knowledge management that influence organizational results. This work discusses theoretical and managerial implications as well as implications for future research.

Value Chain Approach and Quality Certificate Applied to Agriculture Entities for the Management of Fruit Trees

The value chain in the agricultural sector, has increased exponentially to become an instrument for strengthened local economies. The process of updating the economic and social model, in Cuba, has considered to implement new policies, strategies and management models, in which value chains are inserted in the agri-food sector, reinforcing the municipal food self-sufficiency from the local agricultural perspective. The present article constitutes an exercise of participatory innovation, implementing a value chain management model in the production of seven agricultural entities devoted to fruit growing. The management model was applied considering the technical-productive, organizational, economic, environmental and social dimensions and was supported by the application of six innovations, eight technological improvements and five scientific results were introduced. Impacts exceeded the base line indicators in all dimensions studied in value chains. The management system has contributed to local agricultural development in their municipalities which was benefited by the organizational, social and productive contribution. A Participatory Guarantee System (GSP) to certify agro-ecological productions, was used for the first time in the country which also favored the application of agro-ecological practices with a holistic approach.

Supply Chain and Quality Management Practice: Its Impact on Competitive Advantage and Firm Performance (Study on Small and Medium Enterprises at West Java)

. Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) play an important role in encouraging economic growth of West Java. However, the contribution of SMEs is still small due to the lack of competitiveness of SME products. Competitiveness and weak SME performance can be enhanced by supply chain management and quality management practices. This study focuses on supply chain management and quality management practices that are mutually casual, competitive advantage and firm performance and the role of moderation of company age in SMEs in West Java. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of supply chain management and quality management practices on competitive advantage either partially or simultaneously and its impact on firm performance, and how the role of moderating variable company's age in moderating the relationship between competitive advantage and firm performance. The unit of analysis in this study is the Small and Medium Enterprises business located in West Java region with a sample size of 200 business units. To test the model of the research empirically tested using structural equation modeling (SEM) with the help of LISREL 8.70. The results of this study indicate that the implementation of supply chain management and quality management are done simultaneously provide a great impact for increasing competitive advantage as well as firm performance. The role of corporate age moderation is very small in strengthening the relationship between competitive advantages with firm performance on SMEs in West Java.

Impact of human resources on wine supply chain flexibility, quality, and economic performance

This article assesses the impact of human resources skills on production quality, flexibility, and economic performance of La Rioja’s wine supply chain. These four elements were integrated as latent variables composed of 15 observed variables and associated through six hypotheses. Data were gathered from 64 wineries located in La Rioja, Spain, and hypotheses were validated in a structural equation model using WarpPLS v.5 software. Results indicate that human resources skills have a positive direct impact on SC flexibility and quality, but not on economic performance; however, these variables are indirectly associated through SC quality and SC flexibility.

Achieving quality by rapid inventory turnover in the supply chain

Whereas just in time (JIT) and by extension lean have been lauded as successful strategies for waste reduction, improved efficiency and quality improvement, this paper argues that the overall objective of these practices is largely waste reduction. Although quality has improved after successful implementation of these strategies, our view is that this has been a consequence rather than a deliberate objective. The paper advocates for a marriage between lean and total quality management (TQM) in order to achieve dual objectives of waste reduction as well as quality enhancement within the organisation and across the supply chain. This paper is especially informative in that little research has been done in this area and is therefore a good addition to literature. The paper is of a descriptive nature derived mainly from recent literature sources. Meta-synthesis was used to glean and integrate pertinent insights and recommendations into a new approach for attaining quality in rapid inventory turnover supply chains. A key limitation of this approach is that it has not been tested in real life settings. As such, the approach needs to be further elaborated through inductive case studies, confirmatory structural modelling, and experimental design studies to make it applicable in specific contexts.