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Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM)-Based Dog Activity Detection Using Accelerometer and Gyroscope. The third paper, authored by Jeong et al. [[14]], introduced a fall detection system that combines a simple threshold method (STM) and LSTM, creating the STM-LSTM-based fall detection system. With rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IOTs), and communication networks, the future of information and communication engineering (ICE) promises remarkable opportunities and challenges. 10.3390/app12199801 18 Zhang M., Wang C., Zhu W., Shen Y. An Intelligent DOA Estimation Error Calibration Method Based on Transfer Learning. [Extracted from the article]

The hybrid in-band on-channel (IBOC) transmission system, which serves as a digital audio radio scheme, facilitates the simultaneous transmission of analog FM and digital audio. In IBOC systems, broadcasters transmit signals within allocated channel bands, posing a challenge in bandwidth allocation for digital audio transmission. To address this, cooperative game theory, supported by the bankruptcy game and Shapley's value, is proposed as a strategy to optimize bandwidth allocation at each node or station. This approach considers service demand, the number of stations, and radio channel conditions in the FM band. The paper presents a scenario under saturated traffic conditions to evaluate the degree of optimization achievable using the Shapley value under clearly defined traffic and channel conditions. The results indicate that cooperative game theory, with the support of the Shapley value, offers an excellent alternative for optimizing bandwidth in digital broadcasting over IBOC in FM, with potential applicability in other digital radio broadcasting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum technologies promise major advances in different areas. From computation to sensing or telecommunications, quantum implementations could bring significant improvements to these fields, arousing the interest of researchers, companies, and governments. In particular, the deployment of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) networks, which enable the secure dissemination of cryptographic keys to remote application entities following Quantum Mechanics Principles, appears to be one of the most attractive and relevant use cases. Quantum devices and equipment are still in a development phase, making their availability low and their price high, hindering the deployment of physical QKD networks and, therefore, the research and experimentation activities related to this field. In this context, this paper focuses on providing research stakeholders with an open-access testbed where it is feasible to emulate the deployment of QKD networks, thus enabling the execution of experiments and trials, where even potential network attacks can be analyzed, without the quantum physical equipment requirement, nor compromising the integrity of an already built QKD network. The designed solution allows users to automatically deploy, configure, and run a digital twin environment of a QKD network, offering cost-effectiveness and great flexibility in the study of the integration of quantum communications in the current network infrastructures. This solution is aligned with the European Telecommunications Standard Institute (ETSI) standardized application interface for QKD, and is built upon open-source technologies. The feasibility of this solution has been validated throughout several functional trials carried out in the 5G Telefónica Open Network Innovation Centre (5TONIC), verifying the service performance in terms of speed and discarded qubits when generating the quantum keys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: A deep learning application to improve speech clarity in digital audio affected by environmental noises, showing potential for enhancing real-time streaming communication in noisy settings. This paper presents an approach to enhancing the clarity and intelligibility of speech in digital communications compromised by various background noises. Utilizing deep learning techniques, specifically a Variational Autoencoder (VAE) with 2D convolutional filters, we aim to suppress background noise in audio signals. Our method focuses on four simulated environmental noise scenarios: storms, wind, traffic, and aircraft. The training dataset has been obtained from public sources (TED-LIUM 3 dataset, which includes audio recordings from the popular TED-TALK series) combined with these background noises. The audio signals were transformed into 2D power spectrograms, upon which our VAE model was trained to filter out the noise and reconstruct clean audio. Our results demonstrate that the model outperforms existing state-of-the-art solutions in noise suppression. Although differences in noise types were observed, it was challenging to definitively conclude which background noise most adversely affects speech quality. The results have been assessed with objective (mathematical metrics) and subjective (listening to a set of audios by humans) methods. Notably, wind noise showed the smallest deviation between the noisy and cleaned audio, perceived subjectively as the most improved scenario. Future work should involve refining the phase calculation of the cleaned audio and creating a more balanced dataset to minimize differences in audio quality across scenarios. Additionally, practical applications of the model in real-time streaming audio are envisaged. This research contributes significantly to the field of audio signal processing by offering a deep learning solution tailored to various noise conditions, enhancing digital communication quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An important development direction for the future of the automotive industry is connected and cooperative vehicles. Some functionalities in traffic need the cars to communicate with each other. In platooning, multiple cars driving in succession reduce the distances between them to drive in the slipstream of each other to reduce drag, energy consumption, emissions, and the probability of traffic jams. The car in front controls the car behind remotely, so all cars in the platoon can accelerate and decelerate simultaneously. In this paper, a system for vehicle-to-vehicle communication is proposed using modulated taillights for transmission and an off-the-shelf camera with CMOS image sensor for reception. An Undersampled Differential Phase Shift On–Off Keying modulation method is used to transmit data. With a frame sampling rate of 30 FPS and two individually modulated taillights, a raw data transmission rate of up to 60 bits per second is possible. Of course, such a slow communication channel is not applicable for time-sensitive data transmission. However, the big benefit of this system is that the identity of the sender of the message can be verified, because it is visible in the captured camera image. Thus, this channel can be used to establish a secure and fast connection in another channel, e.g., via 5G or 802.11p, by sending a verification key or the fingerprint of a public key. The focus of this paper is to optimize the raw data transmission of the proposed system, to make it applicable in traffic and to reduce the bit error rate. An improved modulation mode with smoother phase shifts is used that can reduce the visible flickering when data is transmitted. By additionally adjusting the pulse width ratio of the modulation signal and by analyzing the impact of synchronization offsets between transmitter and receiver, major improvements of the bit error rate (BER) are possible. In previously published research, such a system without the mentioned adjustments was able to transmit data with a BER of 3.46%. Experiments showed that with those adjustments a BER of 0.48% can be achieved, which means 86% of the bit errors are prevented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The residue number system is widely used in applications such as communication systems, cryptography, digital filters, digital signal processors, fault-tolerant detection, and so on. This paper proposes a multifunction modulo (2n ± 1) multiplier based on the radix-4 Booth encoding scheme that can operate both modulo (2n − 1) and modulo (2n + 1) multipliers using the same hardware structure with only one control signal. A novel modulo (2n ± 1) multiplier based on radix-4 Booth encoding is proposed that can achieve superior performance, with low power, fast operation, high area efficiency, and low area-delay product (ADP) and power-delay product (PDP) compared with similar modified Booth-encoding methods. In addition, by integrating the separate modulo functions of the modulo (2n − 1) multiplier and modulo (2n + 1) multiplier into a single multifunction modulo (2n ± 1) multiplier, the proposed method can save up to 52.59% (n = 16) of hardware area, up to 5.45% (n = 32) of delay time, up to 49.05% (n = 16) of dynamic power, up to 50.92% (n = 32) of ADP, and up to 50.02% (n = 32) of PDP compared with the original separate circuits merged together. Furthermore, the operation ranges of the multiplicand and multiplier of the proposed modulo (2n + 1) multiplier and modulo (2n − 1) multiplier are {0, 2n + 1} and {0, 2n}, respectively, which are wider than for other reported hardware structures. The hardware area, power consumption, and delay time are simulated and verified using Verilog HDL and Xilinx FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) Vivado tools. The Xilinx Artix-7 XC7A35T-CSG324-1 FPGA chipset is adopted in the proposed work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical imaging plays a crucial role in modern healthcare, providing essential information for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. The Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard has revolutionized the storage, transmission, and sharing of medical images and related data. Despite its advantages, implementation and deployment of the DICOM protocol often suffers from incomplete understanding, leading to vulnerabilities within the healthcare ecosystem. This research paper presents an implementation of DICOM communication and the development of a practical demonstration for simulation purposes The simulation can be used for conducting cybersecurity tests in the context of DICOM communication. Overall, the simulation provides a digital environment that can help in retrieving valuable insights into the practical aspects of DICOM communication and PACS integration, serving as a valuable resource for medical imaging professionals, researchers, and developers. These research results provide practical insights, and the DICOM simulation can be used in realistic contexts to showcase a variety of security scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wireless sensor networks (WSN) have emerged as a robust and cost-effective solution for buried pipeline monitoring due to the low cost (a maximum of a few tens of UK pounds (GBP)), low power supply capacity (in the order of 1 watt/hour) and small size (centimetre scale) requirements of the wireless sensor nodes. One of the main challenges for WSN deployment, however, is the limited range of underground data communication between the wireless sensor nodes of less than 3 m, which subsequently increases deployment costs for a utility owner for buried pipeline monitoring. A promising alternative to overcome this limitation is using low-frequency (<1 kHz) acoustic signal propagation along the pipe. This paper examines the feasibility of using low-frequency acoustic signal propagation along exposed and buried medium-density polyethylene (MDPE) pipes and makes predictions of the potential distances at which reliable data communication can be achieved. Quantification of the acoustic attenuation was performed using both analytical and numerical models in addition to laboratory and field experiments. The predicted acoustic data communication distance ranged between approximately 18 m for an exposed and approximately 11 m for a buried MDPE pipe. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using low-frequency acoustic signal propagation for achieving reliable wireless underground communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of Industry 4.0, the smart oilfield is introduced, which relies on large-scale information exchange among various parts, and there is an urgent need for special fiber links for both increased data transmission capacity and high-sensitivity distributed sensing. Multicore fibers can be expected to play a critical role, in the parts of cores that are responsible for data transmission, while others are used for sensing. In this paper, we propose a heterogeneously integrated seven-core fiber for interconnection and awareness applications in smart oilfields, which could not only support digital and analog signal transmission but could also measure temperature and vibration. The core for digital signal transmission has a low differential mode group delay of 10 ps/km over the C-band, and the crosstalk between adjacent cores is lower than −55 dB/km at the pitch of 50 μm. A 25-Gbaud transmission over 50 km is simulated. Each core for analog signal transmission has a large effective area of 172 μm2 to suppress the nonlinear effect due to the watt-scale input power. The proposed heterogeneously multicore fiber exhibits great potential to be applied in smart oilfields, meeting the demand for efficient and cost-effective oil production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication systems based on chaotic synchronization are gaining interest in the area of secure and covert data transmission. In this paper, a novel digital communication technique based on a coherent chaotic data transmission approach is proposed. In general, this technique resembles the well-known approach based on the modulation of nonlinearity parameters. The key idea of this study is to modulate a signal by varying not the system parameter but the symmetry coefficient in discrete chaotic models obtained by the special numerical integration method. For this purpose, the self-adjoint semi-implicit integration method of order 2 is used to obtain discrete master and slave models of the considered chaotic oscillator. The experimental results explicitly show that, like during parameter modulation, transmitting and receiving oscillators may completely synchronize only if the symmetry coefficients are equal in both systems. The architecture of the communication system based on the proposed modulation is presented. The practical applicability of the approach is confirmed by transmitting a test binary sequence between the transmitter and receiver models and preliminary benchmarking of the obtained communication system. Since the symmetry coefficient modulation does not significantly impact the chaotic behavior of the transmitting digital system, its better suitability for covert messaging was experimentally confirmed by comparing it with the parameter modulation technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: The communications scenario analyzed in this paper is typical of environments affected by strong electromagnetic interference (EMI), such as, e.g., power line communications or power substations. The transmission of random correlated samples with continuous values, which we analyze, can be seen both as a rough model for multicarrier digital transmission systems (such as OFDM) or, more realistically, as an accurate model for a network of distributed sensors, as typical of an Internet of Things (IoT) scenario. The receivers that we propose in this paper are a convenient choice whenever the sensors communicate (with each other or with a base station) in an environment affected by strong EM interference. Impulsive noise is the main limiting factor for transmission over channels affected by electromagnetic interference. We study the estimation of (correlated) Gaussian signals in an impulsive noise scenario. In this work, we analyze some of the existing, as well as some novel estimation algorithms. Their performance is compared, for the first time, for different channel conditions, including the Markov–Middleton scenario, where the impulsive noise switches between different noise states. Following a modern approach in digital communications, the receiver design is based on a factor graph model and implements a message passing algorithm. The correlation among signal samples, as well as among noise states brings about a loopy factor graph, where an iterative message passing scheme should be employed. As is well known, approximate variational inference techniques are necessary in these cases. We propose and analyze different algorithms and provide a complete performance comparison among them, showing that the expectation propagation, transparent propagation, and parallel iterative schedule approaches reach a performance close to optimal, at different channel conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data hiding is a field widely used in copyright, annotation, and secret communication for digital content, and has been continuously studied for more than 20 years. In general, data hiding uses the original image as a cover image to hide data, but recently, the research area has expanded to research on improving the security and privacy protection of image contents by encrypting the image. This research is called separable reversible data hiding in an encrypted image (SRDH-EI). In this paper, we proposed a more efficient SRDH-EI method based on AMBTC. AMBTC can guarantee very good network transmission efficiency for applications that do not require a particularly high image quality because the compression time is short and calculation is simple compared to other existing compression methods. The SRDH-EI method presented here divides AMBTC into non-overlapping 4 × 4 blocks and then performs image encryption on them. Thereafter, data can be hidden using a Hamming code for each block. The proposed method has an advantage in that the quality of the cover image and the hiding capacity can be adjusted by appropriately using the value T of the difference between the two quantization levels. The experimental results proved the efficiency and superiority of our proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of high frame rate and 3-D imaging techniques has raised pressing requirements for ultrasound systems. In particular, the processing power and data transfer rate requirements may be so demanding to hinder the real-time (RT) implementation of such techniques. This paper first analyzes the general requirements involved in RT ultrasound systems. Then, it identifies the main bottlenecks in the receiving section of a specific RT scanner, the ULA-OP 256, which is one of the most powerful available open scanners and may therefore be assumed as a reference. This case study has evidenced that the "star" topology, used to digitally interconnect the system's boards, may easily saturate the data transfer bandwidth, thus impacting the achievable frame/volume rates in RT. The architecture of the digital scanner was exploited to tackle the bottlenecks by enabling a new "ring" communication topology. Experimental 2-D and 3-D high-frame-rate imaging tests were conducted to evaluate the frame rates achievable with both interconnection modalities. It is shown that the ring topology enables up to 4400 frames/s and 510 volumes/s, with mean increments of +230% (up to +620%) compared to the star topology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industry 4.0 is moving forward under technology upgrades, utilizing information technology to improve the intelligence of the industry, whereas Industry 5.0 is value-driven, aiming to focus on essential societal needs, values, and responsibility. The manufacturing industry is currently moving towards the integration of productivity enhancements and sustainable human employment. Such a transformation has deeply changed the human–machine interaction (HMI), among which digital twin (DT) and extended reality (XR) are two cutting-edge technologies. A manufacturing DT offers an opportunity to simulate, monitor, and optimize the machine. In the meantime, XR empowers HMI in the industrial field. This paper presents an XR application framework for DT-based services within a manufacturing context. This work aims to develop a technological framework to improve the efficiency of the XR application development and the usability of the XR-based HMI systems. We first introduce four layers of the framework, including the perception layer with the physical machine and its ROS-based simulation model, the machine communication layer, the network layer containing three kinds of communication middleware, and the Unity-based service layer creating XR-based digital applications. Subsequently, we conduct the responsiveness test for the framework and describe several XR industrial applications for a DT-based smart crane. Finally, we highlight the research challenges and potential issues that should be further addressed by analyzing the performance of the whole framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Our proposed solution is initially applied to three-dimensional virtual endoscopy, but it could be used by any kind of medical specialist that uses medical imaging. In the medical world, with the innovative application of medical informatics, it is possible to enable many aspects of surgeries that were not able to be addressed before. One of these is contactless surgery planning and controlling the visualization of medical data. In our approach to contactless surgery, we adopted a new framework for hand and motion detection based on augmented reality. We developed a contactless interface for a surgeon to control the visualization options in our DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) viewer platform that uses a stereo camera as a sensor device input that controls hand/finger motions, in contactless mode, and applied it to 3D virtual endoscopy. In this paper, we will present our proposal for defining motion parameters in contactless, incisionless surgeries. We enabled better surgeon's experience, more precise surgery, real-time feedback, depth motion tracking, and contactless control of visualization, which gives freedom to the surgeon during the surgery. We implemented motion tracking using stereo cameras with depth resolution and precise shutter sensors for depth streaming. Our solution provides contactless control with a range up to 2–3 m that enables the application in the operating room. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encryption of visual data is a requirement of the modern day. This is obvious and greatly required due to widespread use of digital communication mediums, their wide range of applications, and phishing activities. Chaos approaches have been shown to be extremely effective among many encryption methods. However, low-dimensional chaotic schemes are characterized by restricted system components and fundamental structures. As a result, chaotic signal estimation algorithms may be utilized to anticipate system properties and their initial values to breach the security. High-dimensional chaotic maps on the other hand, have exceptional chaotic behavior and complex structure because of increased number of system parameters. Therefore, to overcome the shortcomings of the lower order chaotic map, this paper proposes a 5D Gauss Map for image encryption for the first time. The work presented here is an expansion of the Gauss Map's current 1D form. The performance of the stated work is evaluated using some of the most important metrics as well as the different attacks in the field. In addition to traditional and well-established metrics such as PSNR, MSE, SSIM, Information Entropy, NPCR, UACI, and Correlation Coefficient that have been used to validate encryption schemes, classification accuracy is also verified using transfer learning. The simulation was done on the MATLAB platform, and the classification accuracy after the encryption-decryption process is compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interference mitigation in L-band Digital Aeronautic Communication Systems (LDACS) from legacy users is extremely important as any error in data retrieval of aeronautic communication can adversely affect flight safety. This paper proposes an LDACS receiver prototype which uses rank-ordered absolute differences (ROAD) statistics to detect the distance measuring equipment (DME) interference. The detected DME interference is reduced in the next stage by pulse blanking. The performance of the proposed ROAD pulse blanking method (ROAD PB) is compared with the existing interference mitigation methods which use the amplitude of the received signal for the detection of DME interference. In depth analysis of the obtained results affirms that the proposed ROAD value-based interference detection excels amplitude-based detection. For an SNR value of 0 dB, the proposed method of detection could achieve a 3% increase in terms of accuracy with a reduction of 4% in false alarms. With the advantage of ROAD statistics detection, the proposed ROAD PB could achieve an SNR saving of 2.7, 1.1, 0.7, 0.25 and 0.2 dBs at BER 10 − 1 in comparison with pulse blanking, Genie-aided estimation enhanced pulse peak attenuator (GAEPPA), GAE enhanced pulse peak limiter (GAEPPL), optimum Bayesien estimator enhanced pulse peak attenuator (OBEPPA) and OBE enhanced pulse peak limiter (OBEPPL). The comparative results show that the proposed ROAD pulse blanking outperformed the other techniques for the optimum threshold value of the operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Featured Application: Applications for the speech codecs presented in this paper are Voice over Internet Protocol, digital cellular communications, and video telephony. As speech-coding standards have improved over the years, so complexity has increased, and less emphasis been placed on low encoding/decoding delay. We present a low-complexity, low-delay speech codec based on tree-coding with sample-by-sample adaptive long- and short-code generators that incorporates pre- and post-filtering for perceptual weighting and multimode speech classification with comfort noise generation (CNG). The pre-/post-weighting filters adapt based on the code generator parameters available at both the encoder and decoder rather than the usual method that uses the input speech. The coding of the multiple speech modes and comfort noise generation is accomplished using the code generator adaptation algorithms, again, rather than using the input speech. Codec complexity comparisons are presented and operational rate distortion curves for several standardized speech codecs and the new codec are given. Finally, codec performance is shown in relation to theoretical rate distortion bounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to develop wireless sensor networks, which are defined by the IEEE 802.15.4 specification, researchers are considering low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) due to their advantages of being long range, low power, low cost, and highly mobile. The issue of mobility is covered in the IEEE 802.15.4g standard for supporting a smart utility network (SUN), which is mainly controlled by orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation. In a high mobility scenario, inter-carrier interference is a primary factor in reducing the performance of OFDM transmissions due to the destruction of the subcarrier component's orthogonality. This paper analyzes the mobility effect in multi-rate multi-regional orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (MR-OFDM) for low-power wide-area networks in general, and the SUN MR-OFDM system in particular. As mentioned in standard 802.15.4 2015, IEEE 802.15.4g MR-OFDM is one of the low-power wide-area (LPWA) technologies in which energy optimization problems are of first priority. We are especially interested in simple technologies that provide high efficiency. Therefore, we propose a highly adaptive method that uses the cyclic prefix to mitigate the mobility effect in real time. At a symbol frames interval of 120 us, the Doppler shift effect from the mobility of the MR-OFDM system adapted smoothly. This is not the best method to mitigate Doppler shift but it is a simple method that suits the LPWA network. The proposed scheme clearly simulated the mobility of the MR-OFDM system, and had the advantage of using a cyclic-prefix with a bit error rate performance through Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) and the Rician channel of Matlab. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A technology for low-power high data-rate digital capsule endoscopy with human body communication (CEHBC) is presented in this paper. To transfer the image data stably with low power consumption, the proposed system uses three major schemes: Frequency selective digital transmission (FSDT) modulation with HBC, the use of an algorithm to select electrode pairs, and the LineSync algorithm. The FSDT modulation supports high-data rate transmission and prevents the signal attenuation effect. The selection algorithm of the electrode pair finds the best receiving channel. The LineSync algorithm synchronizes the data and compensates for data polarity during the long data transmission section between the capsule endoscope and the receiver. Because all the major functional blocks of the CEHBC transmitter can be implemented as digital logics, they can be easily fabricated using the field programmable gate array (FPGA). Moreover, this CEHBC transmitter can achieve low power-consumption and can support a relatively high data rate in spite of using its clock a few tens of MHz slower. The proposed CEHBC-TXD is the digital portion of the CEHBC transmitter that provides low-power (3.7 mW) and high data-rate (6 Mbps) performance while it supports a high-resolution image (480 × 480 byte) at 3.13 fps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coupled Map Lattice (CML) usually serves as a pseudo-random number generator for encrypting digital images. Based on our analysis, the existing CML-based systems still suffer from problems like limited parameter space and local chaotic behavior. In this paper, we propose a novel intermittent jumping CML system based on multiple chaotic maps. The intermittent jumping mechanism seeks to incorporate the multi-chaos, and to dynamically switch coupling states and coupling relations, varying with spatiotemporal indices. Extensive numerical simulations and comparative studies demonstrate that, compared with the existing CML-based systems, the proposed system has a larger parameter space, better chaotic behavior, and comparable computational complexity. These results highlight the potential of our proposal for deployment into an image cryptosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the synchronization problem of multi-agent systems with nonlinear controller outputs via event-triggered control, in which the combined edge state information is utilized, and all controller outputs are nonlinear to describe their inherent nonlinear characteristics and the effects of data transmission in digital communication networks. First, an edge-event-triggered policy is proposed to implement intermittent controller updates without Zeno behavior. Then, an edge-self-triggered solution is further investigated to achieve discontinuous monitoring of sensors. Compared with the previous event-triggered mechanisms, our policy design considers the controller output nonlinearities. Furthermore, the system's inherent nonlinear characteristics and networked data transmission effects are combined in a unified framework. Numerical simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of our theoretical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intraoral scanner represents an important innovation in the world of dentistry, capable of transforming and digitizing conventional workflows and significantly improving communication with the patient, especially in pediatric age. The aim of this study is to investigate how digital dentistry, using the intraoral scanner, can interact in the communicative trinomial dentist–pediatric patient–parents and how this tool can be useful in communicating and understanding the received message. The value of the introduction of digital dentistry on communication schemes is evaluated by administering a questionnaire of 17 questions. A sample of 100 children aged between 6 and 12 years was studied. Of the sample of children/parents included in the study, 50 were re-examined 4 weeks after the first visit to re-administer the questionnaire. Internal consistency, assessed through Cronbach's alpha, was adequate, being alpha equal to 0.728. Test–retest reliability was assessed with Cohen's kappa index for dichotomous variables (percentage of agreement was >85.71%), and for the discrete variables it was assessed with the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). The reliability was moderate (0.5 < ICC < 0.75) for Q4, Q9, Q11 and Q1; for the other answers, the reliability was poor (ICC < 0.5) and not statistically significant. The digital approach is confirmed not only as a powerful innovation from an engineering or clinical point of view, but also as a useful tool for a more effective communication in the approach to pediatric patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern age, watermarking techniques are mandatory to secure digital communication over the internet. For an optimal technique, a high signal-to-noise ratio and normalized correctional is required. In this paper, a digital watermarking technique is proposed on the basis of the least significant bit through an image gradient and chaotic map. The image is segmented into noncorrelated blocks, and the gradient of each block is calculated. The gradient of the image expresses the rapid changes in an image. A chaotic substitution box (S-Box) is used to scramble the watermark according to a piecewise linear chaotic map (PWLCM). PWLCM has a positive Lyapunov exponent and better balance property as compared to other chaotic maps. This S-Box technique is capable of producing a disperse sequence with high nonlinearity in the generated sequence. Least significant bit is a simple technique for embedding but it has a high payload capacity and direct pixel manipulation. The embedding payload introduces a tradeoff between robustness and imperceptibility; hence, the image gradient is a technique to identify the best-suited place to embed a watermark and avoid image degradation. By modifying the least significant bits of the original image, the watermark signal is embedded according to the image gradient. In the image gradient, the direction and magnitude decide how much embeding can be done. In comparison with other methods, the experimental results show satisfactory progress in robustness against several image processing and geometrical attacks while maintaining the imperceptibility of the watermark signal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research proposes the implementation of an architecture for industrial process monitoring and control for a manufacturing execution system (MES) using an immersive digital twin (DT). For the design of the proposal, cyber–physical systems (CPS), MES, robotics, the Internet of Things, augmented reality, virtual reality, and open platform communication-unified architecture (OPC UA) communication protocols were used to integrate these technologies and enhance the functionalities of the DT by providing greater performance. The proposed work is implemented in an Industry 4.0 laboratory that is composed of Festo Cyber–Physical Factory and CP-Lab stations. The implementation of the architecture is based on ISO 23247, where the following requirements were considered for the design of DTs: (1) observable attributes and 3D design and visualization of all physical production lines in all of their stages, (2) a communication entity through the OPC UA protocol for the collection of state changes of manufacturing elements, (3) a DT entity where digital models are modeled and updated based on the collected data, and (4) user entities through the use of AR and VR to make manufacturing more efficient. The experimental results showed that the architecture enables interoperability between different platforms and control subsystems. It allows for the detection and diagnosis of problems during the execution of the production line; in addition, the high-fidelity simulation and AR and VR environments provided by the DT with data obtained in real time can improve the accuracy and efficiency of manufacturing through a more detailed analysis of the process, providing advantages such as interactive creation for customized products and continuous innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid digital content growth demands pivotal font selection for design and communication. Our study focuses on a font recommendation system that aligns fonts with content emotions. To achieve this, we define font-emotions and quantify them. Additionally, we leverage deep learning techniques for content analysis. Understanding common emotional perceptions, we aimed to align fonts with content emotions. After evaluating diverse mapping methods, we determined a correlation analysis-based model to be most effective. Implementing this model, we verified its utility through usability evaluations. Our proposed system not only assists users with limited design knowledge in receiving contextually fitting font suggestions but also extends its application across various digital content realms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

6G networks can be truly intelligent wireless systems that have the flexibility for continuous technological improvements. However, security events affecting information systems have grown increasingly complicated and sophisticated. Intruders may be able to operate due to a lack of evidence authenticity. Using network forensics methods can solve many cybercrime instances. These methods can be used to locate the intruder and to determine the intrusion's origin and how it can be avoided in the future. Existing network forensics techniques confront security threats and vulnerabilities in several networks, such as personal area networks, local area networks, wide area networks, and wireless wide area networks under telecom networks, in practice, but cannot operate in 6G and beyond telecom networks, which are critical at this moment. Thus, a comprehensive literature analysis of telecom networks is conducted to identify existing concerns and challenges in conducting digital communication forensics. Hence, a digital forensics system for 6G and beyond networks is proposed as an initial idea on the basis of the highlighted issues, thereby assessing security incidents and providing justified evidence that explains the footprints of the attackers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, environmental electromagnetic fields exist everywhere and the whole population is exposed. The most widespread technologies engendering exposure to electromagnetic fields for the public and workers are radiofrequency wireless communication systems. Such exposure can have direct effects on living tissue involving biological problems or personal symptoms, as well as indirect effects restricting healthcare appliances. This assessment aims to analyze, examine and categorize the consequences of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields emitted by radiofrequency devices. This concerns biological effects in living tissues and atypical personal symptoms for short and long-term exposures. The evaluation methodology in this field of investigation is also discussed. In the article, these consequences as well as their evaluation techniques, in the case of wireless digital communication tools, are analyzed and reviewed. The categorization of exposure sources, the corresponding effects and their assessment methodologies are analyzed. The concept of systematic reviews and meta-analyses and their applications in various assessments of these effects and symptoms are reviewed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In underground mines, various mining activities may generate dust or vibrations, affecting workers' health and safety. Therefore, for worker safety, we must monitor the environment and identify possible risks. However, it is difficult to install multiple sensors and acquire data simultaneously because of the difficulties of connecting to an external network in underground mines. This study developed a digital device to share acquired data by combining ZigBee communication technology with an accelerometer and dust sensor. In total, 29 vibration modules, 14 dust modules, and 2 coordinator modules were installed at Taeyoung EMC's Samdo Mine in Samcheok, Republic of Korea. Because of its application, we could detect changes in vibration and dust before and after blasting. The dust density of the devices close to the blasting point increases rapidly up to about 230 µg/m3 and then decreases to about 180 µg/m3, and the dust density of the devices further increases over time. The dust density was usually maintained at a value of about 100 to 150 µg/m3 before blasting. The spatial distribution of the dust density of multiple devices was visualized using ArcGIS Pro. Although the wireless sensor network is well-established, some modules were temporarily disconnected from the network. In order to solve the problem of unstable network connection in some modules, change of network settings and line of sight analysis are required. Improvements in the technology developed in this study may help prevent potential hazards in underground mines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The advances in the digital era have necessitated the adoption of communication as the main channel for modern business. In the past, business negotiations, profiling, seminars, shopping, and agreements were in-person but today everything is almost digitalized. Objectives: The study aims to examine how the Internet of things (IoTs) connects text-object as part of NLP and AI responding to human needs. Also, how precipitated changes in the business environment and modern applications such as NLP and AI embedded with IoTs services have changed business settings. Problem statement: As communication takes lead in the business environment, companies have developed sophisticated applications of NLP that take human desires and fulfill them instantly with the help of text, phone calls, smart records, and chatbots. The ease of communication and interaction has shown a greater influence on customer choice, desires, and needs. Modern service providers now use email, text, phone calls, smart records, and virtual assistants as first contact points for almost all of their dealings, customer inquiries, and most preferred trading channels. Method: The study uses text content as part of NLP and AI to demonstrate how companies capture customers' insight and how they use IoTs to influence customers' reactions, responses, and engagement with enterprise management in Industry 4.0. The "Behavior-oriented drive and influential function of IoTs on Customers in Industry 4.0" concept was used in this study to determine the influence of Industry 4.0 on customers. Results: The result indicates the least score of 12 out of 15 grades for all the measurements on a behavior-oriented drive and influential function of IoTs on customers. Conclusion: The study concluded that NLP and AI are the preferred system for enterprise management in the era of Industry 4.0 to understand customers' demands and achieve customer satisfaction. Therefore, NLP and AI techniques are a necessity to attain business goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most Human–Computer Interfaces are built on the paradigm of manipulating abstract representations. This can be limiting when computers are used in artistic performance or as mediators of social connection, where we rely on qualities of embodied thinking: intuition, context, resonance, ambiguity and fluidity. We explore an alternative approach to designing interaction that we call the emergent interface: interaction leveraging unsupervised machine learning to replace designed abstractions with contextually derived emergent representations. The approach offers opportunities to create interfaces bespoke to a single individual, to continually evolve and adapt the interface in line with that individual's needs and affordances, and to bridge more deeply with the complex and imprecise interaction that defines much of our non-digital communication. We explore this approach through artistic research rooted in music, dance and AI with the partially emergent system Sonified Body. The system maps the moving body into sound using an emergent representation of the body derived from a corpus of improvised movement from the first author. We explore this system in a residency with three dancers. We reflect on the broader implications and challenges of this alternative way of thinking about interaction, and how far it may help users avoid being limited by the assumptions of a system's designer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fundamental chromatic dispersion limit for an optical communication N-level pulse amplitude modulation (PAM-N) format without any dispersion compensating module is calculated. The main result of this analysis shows that in a non-dispersion-compensated channel, the product β2B2L (where β2, L, and B are the dispersion coefficient, fiber length, and the Baud rate, respectively) is bounded by a number, which depends only on the number of levels N. In particular, β2B2L < 0.318, β2B2L < 0.212, and β2B2L < 0.14 for N values of 2, 4, and 8, respectively. Moreover, an analytical expression for a noisy channel's power penalty was formulated. This analytic expression shows high agreement with numerical simulations. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such a fundamental limit has been formulated for PAM-N systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion of digital transformation encompasses the adoption and integration of a variety of new information and communication technologies for the development of more efficient, flexible, agile, and sustainable solutions for industrial systems. Besides technology, this process also involves new organizational forms and leads to new business models. As such, this work addresses the contribution of collaborative networks to such a transformation. An analysis of the collaborative aspects required in the various dimensions of the 4th industrial revolution is conducted based on a literature survey and experiences gained from several research projects. A mapping between the identified collaboration needs and research results that can be adopted from the collaborative networks area is presented. Furthermore, several new research challenges are identified and briefly characterized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of applications in science and industry are currently pushing the development of ultrafast laser technologies that enable high average powers. SESAM modelocked thin disk lasers (TDLs) currently achieve higher pulse energies and average powers than any other ultrafast oscillator technology, making them excellent candidates in this goal. Recently, 275 W of average power with a pulse duration of 583 fs were demonstrated, which represents the highest average power so far demonstrated from an ultrafast oscillator. In terms of pulse energy, TDLs reach more than 40 μJ pulses directly from the oscillator. In addition, another major milestone was recently achieved, with the demonstration of a TDL with nearly bandwidth-limited 96-fs long pulses. The progress achieved in terms of pulse duration of such sources enabled the first measurement of the carrier-envelope offset frequency of a modelocked TDL, which is the first key step towards full stabilization of such a source. We will present the key elements that enabled these latest results, as well as an outlook towards the next scaling steps in average power, pulse energy and pulse duration of such sources. These cutting-edge sources will enable exciting new applications, and open the door to further extending the current performance milestones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]