Blockchain technology has a wide range of applications in the fields of finance, credit reporting and intellectual property, etc. As the core of blockchain, consensus algorithm affects the security and performance of blockchain system directly. In the past 10 years, there have been about 30 consensus algorithms such as Proof of Work (PoW), Proof of Stake (PoS), Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), Ripple Protocol Consensus Algorithm (RPCA) and AlgoRand. But their security, stability and operating efficiency still lag far behind our actual needs. This paper introduces the computing power competition of PoW into DPoS to design an improved consensus algorithm named Delegated Proof of Stake with Downgrade (DDPoS). Through the further modification, the impact of both computing resources and stakes on generating blocks is reduced to achieve higher efficiency, fairness, and decentralization in consensus process. Then a downgrade mechanism is proposed to quickly replace the malicious nodes to improve the security. The simulation experiments in blockchain system show that the proposed consensus algorithm is significantly more efficient than PoW and PoS, but slightly lower than DPoS. However, its degree of centralization remains far below that of DPoS. And through the downgrade mechanism, the proposed consensus algorithm can detect and downgrade the malicious nodes timely to ensure the security and good operation of system. INDEX TERMS Blockchain, consensus algorithm, delegated proof of stake with downgrade, downgrade mechanism, efficiency, fairness, decentralization.
The exit selection behavior of pedestrians plays an important part in the process of evacuation. This paper proposes a cellular automata model based on fuzzy logic method for simulating the evacuation of pedestrians from a multiple-exit room. When pedestrians select the exit, the distance and density are adopted as two important input variables in the fuzzy logic method, and the probability of selecting each exit is defined as the output variable of fuzzy logic method. The output variable of fuzzy logic, exit width and herding behavior are combined to determine the target exit. The competitiveness of each pedestrian is calculated by logit model to solve the position conflicts among pedestrians. The validation of the model is demonstrated by comparing the simulation data with the real data. The effects of attributes of pedestrians, exits and obstacles on evacuation are studied in simulations. Results show that large public facilities should control the inflows of pedestrians, and the reasonable increase of the exit quantity and exit width are effective for improving the evacuation efficiency. In the design of buildings, obstacles need to be designed reasonably, which should not be too large or too small. At the same time, obstacles should be kept at a certain distance from the exit, so as to ease the exit congestion and improve the evacuation efficiency. This paper takes the advantages of fuzzy logic method to solve the exit selection problem, which can effectively integrate the robustness with physiological-based "perception-action" behavior, the experience knowledge of pedestrians and the perception information of the surrounding environment into the decision-making process. INDEX TERMS Cellular automata model, exit selection, fuzzy logic method, logit model, pedestrian evacuation I. INTRODUCTION
The behavior of stair/escalator/elevator selection of passengers at the subway platform could directly affect the travel efficiency and even the service level of the station. This paper proposes a stair/escalator/elevator selection model of passengers at the subway platform, where the cellular automata model is used to simulate passenger movement, and the fuzzy logic theory is used to describe selection behavior. The distance to the stair/escalator/elevator and the density of passengers in front of the facility are selected as the main influence factors. The rationality and effectiveness of the selection model are verified by comparing the field data with simulation results of passengers choosing different stairs/escalators/elevators. The relationship between passenger quantity, passenger speed, escalator quantity, escalator location, and the traffic rate is analyzed based on simulation results, which can provide a theoretical reference for the facility layout optimization at the platform floor of the subway station.
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