diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 499babe452..4f3f3b09ca 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
   },
   "scripts": {
     "run-ci": "./tools/ci.sh",
-    "reset:node-modules": "del-cli --dry-run '**/node_modules'",
+    "reset:node-modules": "del-cli '**/node_modules'",
     "reset:git": "git clean -f -X",
     "reset:yarn-lock": "del-cli yarn.lock && yarn install --update-checksums --force",
     "reset": "run-s reset:git reset:node-modules reset:yarn-lock configure",
diff --git a/packages/cactus-common/src/main/typescript/strings.ts b/packages/cactus-common/src/main/typescript/strings.ts
index 5493392572..51b74a0cc0 100644
--- a/packages/cactus-common/src/main/typescript/strings.ts
+++ b/packages/cactus-common/src/main/typescript/strings.ts
@@ -9,10 +9,17 @@ export class Strings {
     return source.replace(new RegExp(searchValue, "gm"), replaceValue);
   }
 
-  public static isString(val: any): boolean {
+  public static isString(val: any): val is string {
     return typeof val === "string" || val instanceof String;
   }
 
+  public static isNonBlank(val: unknown): val is string {
+    if (!Strings.isString(val)) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return val.trim().length > 0;
+  }
+
   public static dropNonPrintable(val: string): string {
     const fnTag = "Strings#dropNonPrintable()";
     Checks.truthy(Strings.isString(val), `${fnTag} Strings.isString(val)`);
diff --git a/packages/cactus-plugin-ledger-connector-corda/src/test/typescript/integration/deploy-cordapp-jars-to-nodes-v4.8.test.ts b/packages/cactus-plugin-ledger-connector-corda/src/test/typescript/integration/deploy-cordapp-jars-to-nodes-v4.8.test.ts
index 5ec79a2c3c..f188a55413 100644
--- a/packages/cactus-plugin-ledger-connector-corda/src/test/typescript/integration/deploy-cordapp-jars-to-nodes-v4.8.test.ts
+++ b/packages/cactus-plugin-ledger-connector-corda/src/test/typescript/integration/deploy-cordapp-jars-to-nodes-v4.8.test.ts
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ import { K_CACTUS_CORDA_TOTAL_TX_COUNT } from "../../../main/typescript/promethe
 
 const logLevel: LogLevelDesc = "TRACE";
 
-test("Tests are passing on the JVM side", async (t: Test) => {
+test.skip("Tests are passing on the JVM side", async (t: Test) => {
   test.onFailure(async () => {
     await Containers.logDiagnostics({ logLevel });
   });