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The future of smart contracts: Pioneering a new era of automated transactions and trust in the digital economy
The future of smart contracts in decentralized finance (DeFi) is a dynamic and evolving field that holds immense potential for transforming traditional financial systems The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with smart contracts is enhancing their capabilities, enabling efficient processing of data and intelligent decision-making. Smart contracts provide an open and effective replacement for traditional financial structures as they continue to gain popularity. The potential of smart contracts to improve transparency, optimize operating procedures, and transform industries like healthcare, finance, and education is what will determine their future. To support blockchain-based apps and grow the DeFi ecosystem, smart contract platforms like Polkadot, Cardano, and Ethereum must continue to innovate and evolve. The future of smart contracts is largely being shaped by the possibility of multi-chain smart contracts, the incorporation of AI and machine learning technology, and the support for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). 2024, IGI Global. All rights reserved. -
A Novel Dynamic Physical Layer Impairment-Aware Routing and Wavelength Assignment (PLI-RWA) Algorithm for Mixed Line Rate (MLR) Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) Optical Networks
The ever-increasing global Internet traffic will inevitably lead to a serious upgrade of the current optical networks' capacity. The legacy infrastructure can be enhanced not only by increasing the capacity but also by adopting advance modulation formats, having increased spectral efficiency at higher data rate. In a transparent mixed-line-rate (MLR) optical network, different line rates, on different wavelengths, can coexist on the same fiber. Migration to data rates higher than 10 Gbps requires the implementation of phase modulation schemes. However, the co-existing on-off keying (OOK) channels cause critical physical layer impairments (PLIs) to the phase modulated channels, mainly due to cross-phase modulation (XPM), which in turn limits the network's performance. In order to mitigate this effect, a more sophisticated PLI-Routing and Wavelength Assignment (PLI-RWA) scheme needs to be adopted. In this paper, we investigate the critical impairment for each data rate and the way it affects the quality of transmission (QoT). In view of the aforementioned, we present a novel dynamic PLI-RWA algorithm for MLR optical networks. The proposed algorithm is compared through simulations with the shortest path and minimum hop routing schemes. The simulation results show that performance of the proposed algorithm is better than the existing schemes. 2016 by De Gruyter. -
A survey on next-generation mixed line rate (MLR) and energy-driven wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks
With the ever-increasing traffic demands, infrastructure of the current 10 Gbps optical network needs to be enhanced. Further, since the energy crisis is gaining increasing concerns, new research topics need to be devised and technological solutions for energy conservation need to be investigated. In all-optical mixed line rate (MLR) network, feasibility of a lightpath is determined by the physical layer impairment (PLI) accumulation. Contrary to PLI-aware routing and wavelength assignment (PLIA-RWA) algorithm applicable for a 10 Gbps wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) network, a new Routing, Wavelength, Modulation format assignment (RWMFA) algorithm is required for the MLR optical network. With the rapid growth of energy consumption in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), recently, lot of attention is being devoted toward "green" ICT solutions. This article presents a review of different RWMFA (PLIA-RWA) algorithms for MLR networks, and surveys the most relevant research activities aimed at minimizing energy consumption in optical networks. In essence, this article presents a comprehensive and timely survey on a growing field of research, as it covers most aspects of MLR and energy-driven optical networks. Hence, the author aims at providing a comprehensive reference for the growing base of researchers who will work on MLR and energy-driven optical networks in the upcoming years. Finally, the article also identifies several open problems for future research. 2015 by De Gruyter. -
Theoretical Investigation of Optical WDM Network Performance in the Presence of FWM and ASE Noise
In this article, for an optical star wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) network, with quality factor (Q-factor) as performance metric, we investigate the performance degradation due to the combined effects of four-wave mixing (FWM) and amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) noise. A mathematical model is developed, and the simulations are performed based on the optical frequency grid defined by the ITU-T Recommendation G.692. Further, the analysis is conducted for the optical fibers that are ITU-T compliant viz. G.652, G. 652D, G. 653, G. 654 and G.655. The simulation results show that, compared to the other fiber types, performance of the G. 652D and G.652 fibers is the "best", thus justifying the preferred use of fibers with high dispersion and effective area values. The simulation results also highlight that with the use of a fiber having low dispersion and effective area value, it may not be possible to obtain the desired performance. 2017 by De Gruyter 2017. -
Investigation of launch power and regenerator placement effect on the design of mixed-line-rate (MLR) optical WDM networks
In recent years, owing to the consistent increase in volume and heterogeneity of the traffic, telecommunication networks have undergone significant innovations. Existing studies have shown that, by adopting a mixed-line-rate (MLR) strategy, wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks can cost-effectively respond to the diverse variety of traffic requirements which have heterogeneous service demands. However, due to the existence of physical layer impairments [specifically cross-phase modulation (XPM)], adjacent channels on different line rates may exhibit serious degradation of signal quality and optical reach. In such cases, launch power governs the bit-error rate as it affects both the signal and the noise power due to XPM. Therefore, an intelligent choice of launch power on different line rates can significantly reduce the network cost. Further, in MLR optical networks, trade-off between regenerator placement and the launch power attains importance and needs to be addressed. In this work, we investigate the launch power and regenerator placement effect on the design of a MLR WDM optical network. The obtained simulation results show that the network cost is (i) mainly controlled by power values of the 10/100/400 Gbps channels, and (ii) decreases for a cost model in which, compared to 10G transponders, high-bit-rate transponders have higher cost decay. Further, with a lower cost model, it is found that more numbers of regenerators can be deployed, simultaneously minimizing the network cost. 2017, Springer Science+Business Media New York. -
Spectral and power efficiency investigation in single- and multi-line-rate optical wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks
In order to tackle the increasing heterogeneous global Internet traffic, mixed-line-rate (MLR) optical wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) networks have emerged as the cost- and power-efficient solution. In MLR WDM networks, channels are structured as sub-bands, each of which consists of wavelengths operating at a similar data rate. By reducing the (1) spacing within a sub-band, or (2) spacing between sub-bands operating at different data rates, spectral efficiency can be improved. However, owing to high physical layer impairment levels, decrease in sub-band spacing adversely affects transmission reach of the channels, which results in higher power consumption due to requirement of increased signal regeneration. In this work, we compare power efficiency of various MLR and single-line-rate (SLR) solutions, and also investigate the trade-off that exists between spectral and power efficiency in a WDM network. Simulation results indicate that (1) for high transmission capacities, a combination of 100Gbps transponders and 40Gbps regenerators will obtain the highest power efficiency; (2) for long connection distances, a point ofmerging occurs for various SLR and MLR designs, where power consumption is independent of the frequency band distribution; and (3) for MLR systems, both spectral and power efficiency can be improved by using either shorter links with higher bandwidth assignment to 100Gbps wavelengths, or longer links with higher bandwidth assignment to 40Gbps wavelengths. Finally, the results indicate that focusing on spectral efficiency alone results in extra power consumption, since high quality of transmission and spectral efficiency leads to increased regeneration. 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York. -
Launch power determination algorithm for dynamic traffic provisioning in mixed-line-rate optical wavelength division multiplexed networks
In transparent mixed-line-rate (MLR) optical networks, different line rates, on different wavelengths, can coexist on the same fibre. However, along the path, signal experiences various physical layer impairments (PLIs), and its quality also degrades. A major factor that affects transmission quality is launch power of the optical signal. On one hand, power must be high enough to ensure less noise at receiver; on the other hand, it must be lower than the limit where PLIs start to distort the signal. Further, high launch power is disruptive to both, the actual lightpath and its neighbours. In this study, we investigate the problem of determining appropriate launch power for provisioning dynamic connection requests in transparent MLR networks. We propose a heuristic that determines the appropriate launch power of a lightpath. The PLI-average (PLI-A) approach is based on the optical reach of signals, is practical, and can adapt to the needs of network operators. Results show that performances of the proposed approach are better than the existing schemes. Copyright 2015 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd. -
Physical layer impairment-aware routing and wavelength assignment (PLI-RWA) strategy for mixed line rate (MLR) wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) optical networks
The ever increasing global Internet traffic is resulting in a serious upgrade of the current optical networks' capacity. The legacy infrastructure can be enhanced not only by increasing the capacity, but also by adopting advance modulation formats, having increased spectral efficiency at higher data rate. In a mixed-line-rate (MLR) optical network, different line rates, on different wavelengths, can coexist on the same fiber. Further, studies have shown that migration to data rates higher than 10Gbps requires implementation of phase modulation schemes. However, the co-existing On-Off Keying (OOK) channels cause critical physical layer impairments (PLIs) to the phase modulated channels, mainly due to cross-phase modulation (XPM), which in turn limits the network's performance. In order to mitigate this effect, a more sophisticated PLI-Routing and Wavelength Assignment (PLI-RWA) scheme needs to be adopted. In this work, we investigate the critical impairment for each data rate and the way it affects the quality of transmission (QoT). We propose a novel PLI-RWA algorithm for MLR optical networks. The proposed algorithm is compared through simulations with the existing shortest path and minimum hop routing schemes. 2015 IEEE -
A novel launch power determination strategy for physical layer impairment-aware (PLI-A) lightpath provisioning in mixed-line-rate (MLR) optical networks
In mixed-line-rate (MLR) networks, various data rates, on varied wavelengths, exist on a fiber. In MLR networks, end-to-end lightpaths can be established with the desired line rate; requiring advanced modulation formats for higher data rates. However, along the route, the signals experience different physical layer impairments (PLIs), and their quality also worsens. The transmission signal quality is affected by the launch power, which must be high for lesser noise at the receiver, and must also be low, such that the PLIs do not start to distort the signal. Further, higher launch power also disrupts the existing lightpath and its neighbours. We propose a weighted strategy for provisioning PLI-aware (PLI-A) lightpaths in MLR networks. Through the simulations, we compare and demonstrate that the proposed strategy demonstrates better performances than our previously proposed algorithm (i.e. PLI-Average (PLI-A)), and existing approaches. 2016 IEEE. -
A study on Savings and Investment Patterns of Women in Bangalore
Economic growth of a nation is driven by savings and its transformation into investment. In the last three decades, Indian economy has emerged as one of the fastest growing economies of the world. Households are the biggest contributors to Indias savings rate; their savings equal 23 percent of Indias GDP. Though the percentage of savings by household sector in financial assets is increasing year on year, what is worrying is that only around half of the household savings in India are invested in financial instruments. Knowledge about saving and investment preferences, gender-wise, will help to design effective investment instruments. Another area that requires further examination is the role that a woman plays in influencing aggregate savings and investment. Till the last decade, considering the low earning potential of women to earn, save and invest, not much research has been conducted on this subject. The coming decade, is going to see more and more women getting higher education and aiming for heavy pay cheque jobs. There is an urgent need to understand the savings and investment pattern of women, so as to frame policies and develop financial products exclusively for women. Another reason for understanding the savings and investment pattern of women is that, though they are good savers, they are unable to convert all their savings into investments. They do not invest as much as the men do. According to Barber (2001) though women are not active investors, they make more profits than men when they trade because by trading more, men hurt their performance more than women. Preda (2001) comments that women are always excluded from financial discussions, on the explicit ground that they cannot understand investments. According to Chachoria (2000) women are the next generation financial decision makers and they should be targeted from a financial perspective. She suggests that marketing for financial products should be done differently for women. Through this study an attempt is made to understand the savings and investment pattern of women. The factors which influence their investment decision making are identified. As 60 percent of women in India are house wives , they have been included in this study . The vi variations in the investment pattern between working and non-working with respect to socio-demographic attributes have been analyzed. The sample size consisted of 225 women, who regularly save and invest. The study was conducted in the city of Bangalore. Convenience sampling was used for the purpose of data collection. Data was collected through questionnaires and was subjected to descriptive and inferential analysis. The major findings of the research are: ?The most important reason why a woman saves is because of a Precautionary motive. Saving money in Bank and in the house kitty (saving at home) are the most preferred saving avenues. ?Even though non-working women dont have direct income of their own, they are able to save a minimum of 5 to 10 percent from their household savings. ?Safety of the principal is regarded as a very important criterion before investing, as opposed to instruments with low initial investment. ?The main motive behind investing is to fulfill their personal and financial goals. They also recognize the importance of multiplying savings through investment. ?Gold is the most preferred investment instrument, followed by real estate, insurance products, bank deposits, chit funds, mutual funds, bonds, post office deposits, shares and SIP. ?The highest constraint in investing is found to be lack of awareness and advice. This bursts a common myth: In India women are not able to invest as they are not able to take decisions on their own. -
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Insurance coverage framework for assisted reproductive treatments for women
Giving birth to a child is considered as one of the purest and highest forms of giving by any human being. The harsh reality is that not all men and women can reproduce. Some remain childless their entire life. Infertility hurts both men and women, but women more. Women continue to face social stigma of not bearing a child and go through stress, anxiety, and depression (Donkar, 2007; Widge, 2002; Reissman, 2000). One of the most significant contributions of Medical Science is the invention of Assisted Reproductive Technology Treatments that help infertile couples to conceive. India has been a pioneer in adapting to this technology and since 1978 many couples have been able to give birth to a child. Unfortunately, these treatments are expensive. Infact, the high treatment cost is the predominant source of anxiety in patients going through these treatments across the world (Iaconelli, 2013). There are instances where, couples leave the treatment, mid way as they are not able to arrange more money (Brennan et al., 2006). However, countries like Denmark, Canada, New Zealand, Belgium, and Japan, to name a few have included these treatments under their Government health insurance policy, whereas countries such as UK, USA, and Singapore have their Private Health insurance companies covering them. In comparison with its western counterparts, India is far behind in using Insurance as a method to finance Assisted Reproductive treatments. A preliminary study indicated two things- The resistance from the Insurance company's side in venturing into a product of this sort and secondly, unavailability of an insurance framework to guide them to venture into such a product. Thus, study began with the sole intention of creating an Insurance framework for assisted Reproductive Treatments particularly for women. A Qualitative Methodology has been adapted for the study. As a first step, infertility treatment polices from developed and developing countries were gathered and analyzed to extract the components of the drafting an Assisted re productive Treatment policy framework. Using these components, interview schedules were made to solicit information from the three different stakeholders. In-depth face to face interviews with 13 Doctors, 12 Patients, and 10 Insurers were conducted and data was further analyzed using Qualitative Content Analysis Method as prescribed by Olle Rudolf Holsti in 1968 and refined by Downe-Wamboltdt in 1992. The concepts of reduction, distillation, and condensation as prescribed by Olle Findahl in 1981, Stephen Cavanagh in 1997, and Paul Atkinknson in 1996 have been used. The results pave the way for the proposed framework. This framework can be used as a guide by Insurance companies in defining the disease, designing the value proposition, entry and exit age, coverage as per stage of treatment, designing the proposal form to solicit information from the insured, arriving at the sum Insured, drafting conditions and exclusions of the policy, pricing, and promotional aspects, mitigation of moral hazards and claims management. The framework suggests a model that can benefit patients to avail insurance at a nominal price. -
Education as a Determinant of E - Governance Adoption: A Cse Study of Tele Centres of Karnataka
Imperial Journal of Interdisciplinary Research, Vol. 2, Issue 13, pp. 32-38. -
Transparency and effective e-governance: A case of telecentres in the Indian state of Karnataka /
Transforming Government : People, Process And Policy, Vol.11, Issue 4, pp.506-522, ISSN: 1750-6166. -
E-governance service quality and effective e-governance: A qualitative evaluation of telecentres of Karnataka /
Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 7, Issue 3, pp. 1272-1288, ISSN: 2249-7315. -
E-governance diffusion in the telecenters of Karnataka - a gender analysis /
International Journal of Business Information Systems, Vol.24, Issue 4, pp.452-468, ISSN: 1746-0980 (Print), 1746-0980 (Online). -
A study on social media influence on people's obsession with food /
With the coming in of various social media platforms which allow the public to share things about themselves in online forum, there is an increasing need among people to disclose to everyone from what they are doing to what they are eating. The phenomenon of food pornography has existed for a long time; however it has gained popularity because of social media. -
A survey on next-generation Mixed Line Rate (MLR) and energy-driven Wavelength-Division Multiplexed (WDM) optical networks /
Journal of Optical Communications, Vol.36, Issue 2, pp.516-532, ISSN No: 2191-6322. -
A novel dynamic Physical Layer Impairment-Aware Routing and Wavelength Assignment (PLI-RWA) algorithm for Mixed Line Rate (MLR) Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) optical networks /
Journal of Optical Communications, Vol.37, Issue 4, pp.349-356, ISSN: 2191-6322 (Online) 0173-4911 (Print).