Precoding-Aided Spatial Modulation for the Wiretap Channel with Relay Selection and Cooperative Jamming

We propose in this paper a physical-layer security (PLS) scheme for dual-hop cooperative networks in an effort to enhance the communications secrecy. The underlying model comprises a transmitting node (Alice), a legitimate node (Bob), and an eavesdropper (Eve). It is assumed that there is no direct link between Alice and Bob, and the communication between them is done through trusted relays over two phases. In the first phase, precoding-aided spatial modulation (PSM) is employed, owing to its low interception probability, while simultaneously transmitting a jamming signal from Bob. In the second phase, the selected relay detects and transmits the intended signal, whereas the remaining relays transmit the jamming signal received from Bob. We analyze the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of the ergodic secrecy capacity (ESC), the secrecy outage probability (SOP), and the bit error rate (BER) at Bob and Eve. We obtain closed-form expressions for the ESC and SOP and we derive very tight upper-bounds for the BER. We also optimize the performance with respect to the power allocation among the participating relays in the second phase. We provide examples with numerical and simulation results through which we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme

A Review on Cadmium and Lead Contamination: Sources, Fate, Mechanism, Health Effects and Remediation Methods

Cadmium and lead soil contamination is a widespread environmental problem that requires profound and sustainable solutions. These toxic elements can be naturally occurring on the Earth’s crust or from man-made origins. Cadmium and lead could accumulate and translocate in soil over the long term. Thus, their risk of entering the food chain is extremely elevated and their effects on the living organisms in the food web are of great concern. The main purpose of this review study is to emphasize the risk to human health of cadmium and lead as an environmental contaminant in soil and plants. Human exposure to cadmium and lead can cause severe illness; for instance, long-term exposure to cadmium can alter kidney health and cause dysfunction. Additionally, lead threatens the nervous system and causes countless diseases. Hence, the remediation of cadmium and lead from soil before they enter the food chain remains essential, and regular monitoring of their principal sources is crucially needed for a sustainable soil ecosystem

Optimized Channel-Aware Scheduling for Heterogeneous Internet of Things

Emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and their anticipated massive deployment stimulate the need for developing adaptive energy efficient modulation schemes to maximize network lifetime. IoT systems are typically comprised of limited energy heterogeneous devices in the sensing layer, imposing significant challenges in developing cross-layer schemes to solve the network lifetime problem. In this paper, we present a multi-objective adaptive modulation scheme for the physical layer of a heterogeneous IoT environment. We consider channel conditions to opportunistically maximize device prioritization, energy efficiency, and spectral efficiency. The problem is modeled as a Mixed Integer Linear Program (MILP) in GAMS and is solved by CPLEX under Rayleigh fading channel conditions. Performance evaluations show that considering device heterogeneity is crucial in order to exploit energy savings and spectral efficiency in IoT sensing nodes

Secondary system's scheduling using precoding-aided space shift keying for overlay cognitive radio

In this paper, we consider an overlay cognitive radio (CR) scenario where the primary transmitter (PT) and the primary receiver (PR) communicate via the help of a secondary users' (SUs) system. Under a worst-case scenario, we assume that the link between the primary users (PUs) is broken and the help of a selected secondary transmitter (ST) is required. Taking advantage of this opportunity, this ST will be able to transmit its own data. The communications of the PUs and the SUs take place over two phases. In the first phase, receive space shift keying (R-SSK) is employed at the PT in order to activate one ST for reception. This ST is scheduled to transmit its own data during the second phase using conventional SSK, which also allows the PR to decode the PT's message. The proposed scheduling scheme is initiated by the PT based on its incoming bits which provides fairness among STs. The proposed system comes with other advantages including the low receivers' complexity and the improved energy efficiency (EE) all gained by the use of SSK. We analyze the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of the average bit error probability (ABEP). We finally provide comparisons to existing schemes and we generate numerical results through which we confirm the derived analysis and we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed overlay cognitive scheduling scheme

Artificial Intelligence for Diabetes Mellitus Type II: Forecasting and Anomaly Detection

Diabetes Mellitus Type II (T2D) is a Chronic Disease and is the most common type of Diabetes in the world, responsible for 95% of all Diabetes patients. T2D is a very complex disease and requires a large amount of self-management from the patient in order to maintain a healthy and threat-free lifestyle. Therefore, we develop in this paper a data analytics solution to assist in the self-management of T2D patients through several methods consisting of a rule-based system, anomaly detection, and threat forecasting

Precoding-Aided Spatial Modulation for the Wiretap Channel with Relay Selection and Cooperative Jamming

We propose in this paper a physical-layer security (PLS) scheme for dual-hop cooperative networks in an effort to enhance the communications secrecy. The underlying model comprises a transmitting node (Alice), a legitimate node (Bob), and an eavesdropper (Eve). It is assumed that there is no direct link between Alice and Bob, and the communication between them is done through trusted relays over two phases. In the first phase, precoding-aided spatial modulation (PSM) is employed, owing to its low interception probability, while simultaneously transmitting a jamming signal from Bob. In the second phase, the selected relay detects and transmits the intended signal, whereas the remaining relays transmit the jamming signal received from Bob. We analyze the performance of the proposed scheme in terms of the ergodic secrecy capacity (ESC), the secrecy outage probability (SOP), and the bit error rate (BER) at Bob and Eve. We obtain closed-form expressions for the ESC and SOP and we derive very tight upper-bounds for the BER. We also optimize the performance with respect to the power allocation among the participating relays in the second phase. We provide examples with numerical and simulation results through which we demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.Qatar Foundation; Qatar National Research FundScopu

Implementation of a smart grid communication system compliant with IEEE 2030.5

Energy utilities are constantly under pressure to meet the growing and complicated energy demands. The traditional energy grid allows for one-way communication of energy usage between customers and the utilities. This does not allow the utilities to have control or to suggest any changes in consumption based on the energy data they obtain. In this paper, we propose and implement an innovative two-way communication system between the transformer agent (TA), attached to a neighborhood's electric transformer, and its customer agents (CAs), that are attached to each house using inexpensive and common-use devices and modules. In this context, different houses communicate their energy usage, while an electric transformer relays action requests from the energy utility's headquarters. This enables the real-time tracking of energy usage by both the consumers and the utility. Therefore, the efficiency of energy generation and distribution is enhanced, and consumers are empowered to make smarter decisions about their consumption. In our system, Raspberry Pi3 modules are used to represent CAs, while an Intel Edison is used to represent the TAs. CAs form a self- healing mesh network using the high data rate Wi-Fi in mesh mode while TAs communicate with the utility headquarters using LTE. The proposed system is compliant with the IE

IPv6-Based Smart Grid Communication over 6LoWPAN

Smart Grid is a major element of the Smart City concept that enables two-way communication of energy data between electric utilities and their consumers. These communication technologies are going through sharp modernization to meet future demand growth and to achieve reliability, security, and efficiency of the electric grid. In this paper, we implement an IPv6 based two-way communication system between the transformer agent (TA), installed at local electric transformer and various customer agents (CAs), connected to customer's smart meter. Various homes sh