ABSTRACT
Schools have become increasingly influenced by what has been called the Social Internet of Things (SIoT). As many schools transitioned to online teaching and learning in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a need to analyze data on technology adoption in schools for changes and continuity since the inception of increasingly popular smartphones since 2007 that has affected videoconferencing, blended learning, and the flipped classroom concept. In this study, videoconference technology is the main factor analyzed in relation to IoT and schools in which handheld devices are considered gateways to further integration of schools into an IoT framework. The researchers analyze a selection of a 2009 dataset and a 2019 dataset from the National Center for Education Statistics (United States) to discuss teachers' perceptions of technology, especially the use of handheld devices and videoconference technology. Recommendations for educator preparation programs (EPPs) are made based on the discussion of the results of this analysis in context with the events of 2020 for why EPPs could emphasize flipped classroom design models within an SIoT framework. © 2023 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The study of food products to determine the level of creatine in them is an actual task, taking into account the need for this substance for patients with Covid'19 and spinal muscular atrophy. The purpose of our research is to develop a mobile information system for determining the level of creatine in food products. The developed method for determining the level of creatine in food products by the user and the method for determining the level of creatine in food products using a mobile information system provide the user with the opportunity to quickly, conveniently, cheaply and effectively assess the presence and level of creatine in any food products, on the basis of which to build a rational diet from the point vision of body saturation with creatine. The proposed mobile information system for determining the level of creatine in food products provides convenience, low-cost, celerity, miniaturization and automation for measurement of concentration of creatine in any food products. The conclusion obtained from the system regarding the presence and level of creatine in this or that food product is useful and extremely important when preparing the diet of patients, especially patients with Covid'19 and/or spinal muscular atrophy. The proposed approach and mobile information system for determining the level of creatine in food products can be used not only for drawing up the diet of patients, especially patients with Covid'19 and/or spinal muscular atrophy, from the point vision of body saturation with creatine, but also for example, to check the quality of meat products. © 2023 Copyright for this paper by its authors.
ABSTRACT
The pandemics such as COVID-19 are worldwide health risks and result in catastrophic impacts on the global economy. To prevent the spread of pandemics, it is critical to trace the contacts between people to identify the infection chain. Nevertheless, the privacy concern is a great challenge to contact tracing. Moreover, existing contact tracing apps cannot obtain the macro-level infection risk information, e.g., the hotspots where the infection occurs, which, however, is critical to optimize healthcare planning to better control and prevent the outbreak of pandemics. In this paper, we develop a novel privacy-preserved pandemic tracing system, PRISC, to compute the infection risk through cellular-enabled IoT devices. In the PRISC system, there are three parties: a mobile network operator, a social network provider, and the health department. The physical contact records between users are obtained by the mobile network operator from the users’cellular-enabled IoT devices. The social contacts are obtained by the social network provider, while the health department has the records of pandemic patients. The three parties work together to compute a heatmap of pandemic infection risk in a region, while fully protecting the data privacy of each other. The heatmap provides both macro and micro level infection risk information to help control pandemics. The experiment results indicate that PRISC can compute an infection risk score within a couple of seconds and a few mega-bytes (MBs) communication cost, for datasets with 100,000 users. IEEE
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced most interactions to move to online space, starting from online lectures, conferences in hybrid mode, and work-from-home office works. Hence, it is essential for live video streaming to be reliable and provide a good quality of experience (QoE) to users. However, in large sections of the world, the cellular network is not reliable enough to be used for online participation in such events. To quantify this problem, we first measure the QoE in terms of lag, video resolution, and dropped calls on a popular video conferencing platform Google Meet over three different cellular ISPs in New Delhi, India. We observe significantly worse quality of experience metrics compared to a study recently performed in the US. To mitigate this problem, we propose NATIVE (Network Aggregation-based Tiled lIve Video strEaming), a system of aggregating the cellular network connectivity using a secondary or helper device in the vicinity trusted by the user. The implementation of NATIVE uses tiled encoding of video, where the video frames are divided into rectangular units known as tiles. All the tiles are divided into two subsets which are scheduled independently via the available network interfaces depending on its importance. The receiver device receives video segments from the two network paths and stitches back the tiles in them to play. We show the demo of NATIVE using two laptops and a cloud server where the server acts as a streamer. © 2023 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Research and development at NTT Network Innovation Laboratories aims to establish elemental technologies for next-generation communication networks envisioned under NTT's Innovative Optical and Wireless Network (IOWN) and the 6th-generation mobile communication system (6G). These technologies, which include advanced and high-capacity backbone optical transmission networks and extended coverage of wireless communications, are being developed to support dramatic changes in the information society such as the expansion of remote work due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article introduces optical/wireless transmission technologies and systemization technologies currently being researched and developed at NTT Network Innovation Laboratories. © 2022 Authors. All rights reserved.
ABSTRACT
M-government services have gained popularity recently, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic and advancements in mobile technology. However, providing the full range of government services on mobile devices is still in the early stages. Moreover, improving and expanding capacity and providing services requires understanding the factors influencing users' behavioral intentions to adopt this technology. This study investigates factors that directly affect the intention to use mobile government services by employing the technology acceptance model and two external factors, trust and social influence in Bahrain by utilizing artificial neural networks and structural equation modeling. Results indicate that the perceived usefulness and trust factors influence users' behavioral intention to use m-government services, followed by perceived usefulness and social influence. The results of the investigated model provide insights to various stakeholders, including the government and developers, to encompass additional security measures and awareness programs among users to achieve higher levels of mobile services usage. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
In this paper we propose a method for using mobile network data to detect potential COVID-19 hospitalizations and derive corresponding epidemic risk maps. We apply our methods to a dataset from more than 2 million cellphones, collected by a mobile network provider located in London, UK. The approach yields a 98.6% agreement with released public records of patients admitted to NHS hospitals. Analyzing the mobility pattern of these individuals prior to their potential hospitalization, we present a series of risk maps. Compared with census-based maps, our risk maps indicate that the areas of highest risk are not necessarily the most densely populated ones and may change from day to day. Finally, we observe that hospitalized individuals tended to have a higher average mobility than non-hospitalized ones. © 2022 Owner/Author.
ABSTRACT
This control system is a modern new device which integrates sensing technology, computer technology, network communication technology and mobile communication technology. The system is mainly composed of STM32 single chip microcomputer (SCM) as the control core, sensor as the information detection element, with the corresponding executive mechanism, voice broadcast, display and mobile device. In addition to the functions of conventional push-key call and obstacle detection between elevator doors, it also has the functions of mobile phone remote monitoring, voice recognition control, telephone call alarm and so on. By detecting and recognizing the call signals from keys, mobile phones and voices, the SCM sends forward and reverse commands to the motor and PWM wave signals to the steering gear, so as to realize the opening and closing of elevator lifting and elevator doors. After the elevator reaches the target floor, there will be corresponding voice prompts. When the elevator door is opened, the infrared tube sensor is used to detect whether there are obstacles between the elevator doors. If so, the buzzer makes an alarm. If not, the elevator door closes with delay. All running states of the elevator will be displayed on the OLED screen in real time, and reported to the mobile phone for remote monitoring by users. The corresponding functions are realized after programming and physical debugging. The mobile phone remote call and voice call functions of the system have more prominent advantages during the COVID-19 or in hospitals, which can realize contactless riding, avoid contact with infected germs and greatly save waiting time. © 2022 SPIE.
ABSTRACT
With COVID-19 as an initiation, the stage for human socioeconomic activities is rapidly shifting from physical space to cyberspace. Mobile networks have evolved as essential communication networks for connecting individuals and things to the cloud. Further evolution of mobile networks is essential to realize Digital Twin. In particular, low latency and guaranteed QoS using network slicing are extremely challenging requirements that legacy mobile networks until 4G have not been able to meet. In addition, the chronic shortage of spectrum accompanying the shift to broadband continues to encourage the use of small cells, which naturally make xHaul1 denotes a term that expresses either fronthaul, midhaul or backhaul. problem be more serious. The author has worked on this xHaul problem in both academia and industry for 20 years, developing a unique WLAN mesh protocol for backhaul. In order to bring the results of this research to practical use, PicoCELA Inc. as a vehicle for commercialization of the fruits, was incorporated. The edge device brought by PicoCELA with the WLAN mesh capability are linked to a cloud server and are serving various applications as a general-purpose platform to facilitate the introduction of Digital Twin. This paper reviews the history of WLAN mesh technology to date, identifies the technical issues that arise when using it in an enterprise scenario, and then provides an overview of how PicoCELA' s WLAN mesh addresses these issues. The PicoCELA solution as an edge platform is overviewed, followed by some real-world use cases. Finally, the outlook for mobile communications in the future is summarized. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
In this paper we propose a method for using mobile network data to detect potential COVID-19 hospitalizations and derive corresponding epidemic risk maps. We apply our methods to a dataset from more than 2 million cellphones, collected over the months of March and April in 2020 by a British mobile network provider. The method consists of different algorithms, including detection, filtering, validation and fine-tuning. The approach detected over 2,800 potentially hospitalized individuals, yielding a 98.6% agreement with released public records of patients admitted to NHS hospitals. Analyzing the mobility pattern of these individuals prior to their potential hospitalization, we present a series of risk maps. Compared with census-based maps, our risk maps indicate that the areas of highest risk are not necessarily the most densely populated ones. We also show that the areas of highest risk may change from day to day. Finally, we observe that hospitalized individuals tended to have a higher average mobility than non-hospitalized ones. Overall, we conclude that the rich spatio-temporal information extracted from mobile network data may benefit both the mobile-based technologies and the policies that are being developed against existing and future epidemics. © 2022 ACM.
ABSTRACT
SIM swapping is a novel criminal modus operandi which uses copied SIM cards for the purpose of taking over a mobile service subscription and thereby accessing sensitive personal and financial data. Authorities around the world have reported a surge in SIM Swapping crimes, mainly driven by criminals taking advantage of the increasingly virtual lifestyle precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study examines related cases around the world, and categorizes them according to their specific modi operandi, as well as the initial responses of national authorities to this emerging crime. By analyzing the dynamics of this new crime trend, this study aims to propose preemptive and preventative measures to address this new threat. Research has identified three main steps in SIM Swapping crime: 1) personal data theft, 2) fraudulent copying of SIM card, and 3) exploitation of falsely-obtained mobile service for perpetration. Research has also found that the subscriber authentication procedure involved in replacing a SIM card is vulnerable to identity theft, especially in jurisdictions which have implemented eSIM. Therefore, it will be upon governments to enforce a stronger user authentication and information security regime for mobile carriers, introduce an online payment system devised with a data-sharing mechanism connecting mobile carriers and financial services, and raise public awareness on SIM Swapping and information security in general. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
COVID-19 has now been sweeping the whole world, and fundamentally affecting our daily life. An effective mechanism to further fight against COVID-19 and prevent the spread of this pandemic is to alert people when they are in the vicinity of areas with a high infection risk, yielding them to adjust their routes and consequently, leave these areas. Inspired by the fact that mobile communication networks are capable of precise positioning, data processing and information broadcasting, as well as are available for almost every person, in this paper, we propose a mobile network assisted Risk arEa ALerting scheme, named REAL, which exploits heterogeneous mobile networks to alert users who are in/near to the areas with high risks of COVID- 19 infection. Specifically, in REAL scheme, all base stations (BSs) periodically estimate their serving users' locations, which are then analyzed by macro BSs (MBSs) to identify risk areas. Next, each MBS transmits the information about risk areas to small BSs (SBSs), which in their turn adjust the beamforming direction to cover these areas and send alerts to users located therein. Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed REAL scheme. In addition, some key challenges associated with implementing REAL are discussed at the end. IEEE
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the design of a low cost Yagi log-periodic antenna to extend the coverage of 4G/LTE reception. In recent times, there has been an overwhelming demand for such solutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic as a good internet connection was essential for online teaching/learning activities and for employees working from home. This paper presents the design of a single low cost antenna solution covering common frequency bands used in 4G/LTE networks to the problem without increasing the number of base stations to improve coverage. The performance of the designed antenna is analyzed using the high frequency structure analyzer (HFSS) software from ANSYS and results are presented. © 2021 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The development of mobile network and intelligent terminal technology has laid the foundation for online learning. After the 2020 COVID-19, online learning mode of art courses has become an upsurge and trend in China's schools and training institutions. This paper discusses the strategies to further improve the online learning of art courses from three aspects: strengthening teachers' guidance to students' online learning, strengthening the cultivation of students' online learning concept and building a mixed learning model. © VDE VERLAG GMBH ∙ Berlin ∙ Offenbach.
ABSTRACT
Phone sharing is pervasive in many low- and middle-income countries, affecting how millions of people interact with technology and each other. Yet there is very little quantitative evidence available on the extent or nature of phone sharing in resource-constrained contexts. This paper provides a comprehensive quantitative analysis of demographic variation in phone sharing patterns in Togo, and documents how a large cash transfer program during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted sharing. We analyze mobile phone records from the entire Togolese mobile network to measure the movement of SIM cards between SIM card slots (often on different mobile devices). By matching phone sharing measures derived from SIM reshuffling to demographic data from a government-run cash transfer program covering hundreds of thousands of individuals, we find that phone sharing is most common among women, young people, and people in rural areas. We also leverage randomization in the cash transfer program to find that the delivery of cash aid via mobile money significantly increases phone sharing among beneficiaries. We discuss the limitations of measuring phone sharing with mobile network data and the implications of our results for future aid programs delivered via mobile money. © 2022 Owner/Author.
ABSTRACT
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, intensive controls were put in place to prevent the pandemic from spreading. People's habits have been altered by the COVID-19 measures and restrictions imposed such as social distance and lockdown measures. These unexpected changes created a significant impact on cellular networks, such as increased use of online services and content streaming, which increased the burden on wireless networks. This research work is basically a case study that aims to examine and investigate cellular network performance, including upload speed, download speed, and latency, during two periods (MCO, CMCO) in three different regions, including Kuala Lumpur, Selangor (Cheras), and Johor Bahru, to observe the effects of lockdown enforcement and other restrictions in Malaysia on cellular network traffic. We used the phone application Speedtest™ as a tool for data collection within different times during the day, considering the peak times, including morning, evening, and night times. The research findings show how COVID-19 has affected internet traffic in Malaysia significantly. This research would help perspective developers and companies to better understand and be prepared for tough times and higher load on cellular networks in future pandemics such as COVID-19 © 2022. International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications.All Rights Reserved.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives and how we use network infrastructures in an unprecedented way. While early studies have started shedding light on the link between COVID-19 containment measures and mobile network traffic, we presently lack a clear understanding of the implications of the virus outbreak, and of our reaction to it, on the usage of mobile apps. We contribute to closing this gap, by investigating how the spatiotemporal usage of mobile services has evolved through different response measures enacted in France during a continued seven-month period in 2020 and 2021. Our work complements previous studies in several ways: (i) it delves into individual service dynamics, whereas previous studies have not gone beyond broad service categories;(ii) it encompasses different types of containment strategies, allowing to observe their diverse effects on mobile traffic;(iii) it covers both spatial and temporal behaviors, providing a comprehensive view on the phenomenon. These elements of novelty let us lay new insights on how the demands for hundreds of different mobile services are reacting to the new environment set forth by the pandemics. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
The worldwide population is aging, even though more and more elderly people are living independently and alone. Moreover, pandemics such as COVID-19 are putting enormous pressure in health care systems all around the world. To deal with the growing elderly population and health care challenges, there is an emerging focus on technology and IT products. Technology such as mobile devices with their ever-increasing computational power, and differing sensors show immense usefulness for elderly as well as people with disability. This study proposes the development of 3D QR codes for improved safety, security, and customization of user interfaces. This study proposes multiple QR codes aligned together to create a QR cube (or QR cuboid) to store an increasing amount of information about the user. Individual QR codes will be compatible with existing systems. On the other hand, nearly, all individual information is stored with the user, enabling better privacy. Even with the development of future technologies, QR cubes can be used to access digital information. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
ABSTRACT
During this nearly two-years-long pandemic period, the COVID-19 impacts people's lives dramatically, many people were forced to stay at home by the government's lockdown policy, and they also need to work and study at home. Therefore, there is an equivalent impact on networks as people are more dependent on them. But there are only a limited number of research has been done in this intersection area between the pandemic and networks. So, we want to fill this gap. In this paper, we will study the mobile network data from U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and COVID-19 cases data from the U.S. centers for disease control and prevention (CDC), then use machine learning to investigate the relationship between mobile network data and COVID-19 cases. We will discuss other related works, which used other methods or investigated this topic in other regions, then we will introduce our machine learning methods, experiments and give the conclusion. © 2022 IEEE.
ABSTRACT
Today, e-government services globally are a true indicator of the growth of countries and societies, and it's a mirror of the country. With all the digital conditions, Iraqi society is growing and continuing its movement towards building an information society without any significant government influence. According to the United Nations e-government survey 2018 and 2020, Iraq placed in the 155th, and 143th position among the world countries, and according to the ITE statistical reports, 103 % of Iraqi citizens have cell phones (82 % according to World Bank reports), and 100 % of these cell phones are smart phones. With 17 % using the Internet, the %age among the Iraqi population is rising. These numbers suggest that Iraqi society can easily be an electronic society, but the truth on the ground says something entirely different, and it's as simple as there's no true Iraqi e-government. The pandemic of Covid-19 proves that Iraqi society has the capacity to use online services. The main reason for this weakness is the failure of ongoing e-learning trials in the Iraqi education and higher education systems in Iraq. Today, the Iraqi Ministry of Higher Education (MOHEDSR) is actually beginning to successfully adopt e-learning services through ministry and university capabilities, not e-government support, in all Iraqi higher education sectors. Digital skills are required to prepare for future occupations. © 2021 IEEE.