TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-22DOI: 10.3390/technologies11040083
Maria Papatsimouli, Panos Sarigiannidis, G. Fragulis
{"title":"A Survey of Advancements in Real-Time Sign Language Translators: Integration with IoT Technology","authors":"Maria Papatsimouli, Panos Sarigiannidis, G. Fragulis","doi":"10.3390/technologies11040083","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11040083","url":null,"abstract":"Real-time sign language translation systems are of paramount importance in enabling communication for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. This population relies on various communication methods, including sign languages and visual techniques, to interact with others. While assistive technologies, such as hearing aids and captioning, have improved their communication capabilities, a significant communication gap still exists between sign language users and non-users. In order to bridge this gap, numerous sign language translation systems have been developed, encompassing sign language recognition and gesture-based controls. Our research aimed to analyze the advancements in real-time sign language translators developed over the past five years and their integration with IoT technology. By closely examining these technologies, we aimed to attain a deeper comprehension of their practical applications and evolution in the domain of sign language translation. We analyzed the current literature, technical reports, and conference papers on real-time sign language translation systems. Our results offer insights into the current state of the art in real-time sign language translation systems and their integration with IoT technology. We also provide a deep understanding of the recent developments in sign language translation technology and the potential for their fusion with Internet of Things technology to improve communication and promote inclusivity for the deaf and hard-of-hearing population.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"42 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74452962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-21DOI: 10.3390/technologies11040082
A. E. Guerrero-Sanchez, E. Rivas-Araiza, Mariano Garduño-Aparicio, S. Tovar-Arriaga, J. Rodríguez-Reséndiz, M. Toledano-Ayala
{"title":"A Novel Methodology for Classifying Electrical Disturbances Using Deep Neural Networks","authors":"A. E. Guerrero-Sanchez, E. Rivas-Araiza, Mariano Garduño-Aparicio, S. Tovar-Arriaga, J. Rodríguez-Reséndiz, M. Toledano-Ayala","doi":"10.3390/technologies11040082","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11040082","url":null,"abstract":"Electrical power quality is one of the main elements in power generation systems. At the same time, it is one of the most significant challenges regarding stability and reliability. Due to different switching devices in this type of architecture, different kinds of power generators as well as non-linear loads are used for different industrial processes. A result of this is the need to classify and analyze Power Quality Disturbance (PQD) to prevent and analyze the degradation of the system reliability affected by the non-linear and non-stationary oscillatory nature. This paper presents a novel Multitasking Deep Neural Network (MDL) for the classification and analysis of multiple electrical disturbances. The characteristics are extracted using a specialized and adaptive methodology for non-stationary signals, namely, Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD). The methodology’s design, development, and various performance tests are carried out with 28 different difficulties levels, such as severity, disturbance duration time, and noise in the 20 dB to 60 dB signal range. MDL was developed with a diverse data set in difficulty and noise, with a quantity of 4500 records of different samples of multiple electrical disturbances. The analysis and classification methodology has an average accuracy percentage of 95% with multiple disturbances. In addition, it has an average accuracy percentage of 90% in analyzing important signal aspects for studying electrical power quality such as the crest factor, per unit voltage analysis, Short-term Flicker Perceptibility (Pst), and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), among others.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"31 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85732835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-19DOI: 10.3390/technologies11030080
P. Balasubramanian
{"title":"Analysis of Redundancy Techniques for Electronics Design—Case Study of Digital Image Processing","authors":"P. Balasubramanian","doi":"10.3390/technologies11030080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11030080","url":null,"abstract":"Electronic circuits/systems operating in harsh environments such as space are likely to experience faults or failures due to the impact of high-energy radiation. Given this, to overcome any faults or failures, redundancy is usually employed as a hardening-by-design approach. Moreover, low power and a small silicon footprint are also important considerations for space electronics since these translate into better energy efficiency, less system weight, and less cost. Therefore, the fault-tolerant design of electronic circuits and systems should go hand in hand with the optimization of design metrics, especially for resource-constrained electronics such as those used in space systems. A single circuit or system (also called a simplex implementation) is not fault-tolerant as it may become a single point of failure and is not used for a space application. As an alternative, a triple modular redundancy (TMR) implementation, which uses three identical copies of a circuit or system and a voter to perform majority voting of the circuits and systems outputs, may be used. However, in comparison with a simplex implementation, a TMR implementation consumes about 200% more area and dissipates 200% more power when circuits or systems are triplicated. To mitigate the area and power overheads of a TMR implementation compared to a simplex implementation, researchers have suggested alternative redundancy approaches such as selective TMR (STMR) insertion, partially approximate TMR (PATMR), fully approximate TMR (FATMR), and majority voting-based reduced precision redundancy (VRPR). Among these, VRPR appears to be promising, especially for inherently error-tolerant applications such as digital image/video/audio processing, which is relevant to space systems. However, the alternative redundancy approaches mentioned are unlikely to be suitable for the implementation of control logic. In this work, we analyze various redundancy approaches and evaluate the performance of TMR and VRPR for a digital image processing application. We provide MATLAB-based image processing results corresponding to TMR and VRPR and physical implementation results of functional units based on TMR and VRPR using a 28-nm CMOS technology.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"81 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"86220763","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-19DOI: 10.3390/technologies11030081
S. Dorji, Albert Alexander Stonier, Geno Peter, Ramya Kuppusamy, Yuvaraja Teekaraman
{"title":"An Extensive Critique on Smart Grid Technologies: Recent Advancements, Key Challenges, and Future Directions","authors":"S. Dorji, Albert Alexander Stonier, Geno Peter, Ramya Kuppusamy, Yuvaraja Teekaraman","doi":"10.3390/technologies11030081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11030081","url":null,"abstract":"Given the various aspects of climate change and the growing demand for energy, energy efficiency and environmental protection have become major concerns worldwide. If not taken care of, energy demand will become unmanageable due to technological growth in cities and nations. The solution to the global energy crisis could be an advanced two-way digital power flow system that is capable of self-healing, interoperability, and predicting conditions under various uncertainties and is equipped with cyber protections against malicious attacks. The smart grid enables the integration of renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and energy storage into the grid. Therefore, the perception of the smart grid and the weight given to it by researchers and policymakers are of utmost importance. In this paper, the studies of many researchers on smart grids are examined in detail. Based on the literature review, various principles of smart grids, the development of smart grids, functionality of smart grids, technologies of smart grids with their characteristics, communication of smart grids, problems in the implementation of smart grids, and possible future studies proposed by various researchers have been presented.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90558968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-17DOI: 10.3390/technologies11030079
Clinton C. Gardner, J. Navalta, Bryson Carrier, Charli D Aguilar, Jorge Perdomo Rodriguez
{"title":"Training Impulse and Its Impact on Load Management in Collegiate and Professional Soccer Players","authors":"Clinton C. Gardner, J. Navalta, Bryson Carrier, Charli D Aguilar, Jorge Perdomo Rodriguez","doi":"10.3390/technologies11030079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11030079","url":null,"abstract":"Methods: Training impulse (TRIMP) is obtained through wearable technology and plays a direct role on the load management of soccer players. It is important to understand TRIMP to best prepare athletes for competition. A systematic search for articles was conducted using Google Scholar, with papers screened and extracted by five reviewers. The inclusion criteria were: the study was focused on collegiate or professional soccer, the use of training impulse (TRIMP), and the use of wearable technology to measure TRIMP. Of 10,100 papers, 10,090 articles were excluded through the systematic review process. Ten papers were selected for final review and grouped based on (1) training vs. match (N = 8/10), (2) preseason vs. in-season (N = 3/10), and (3) positional comparison (N = 3/10). Wearable technologies mainly track physical metrics (N = 10/10). Higher TRIMP data were noted in starters than reserves throughout the season in matches and slightly lower TRIMP for starters vs. reserves during training. TRIMP data change throughout the season, being higher in preseason phases compared to early-season, mid-season, and late-season phases. These findings help highlight the benefits of TRIMP in managing internal player load in soccer. Future research should focus on utilizing wearable-derived TRIMP and the impact on player performance metrics, and how TRIMP data vary across different positions in soccer.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"54 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"73438946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-16DOI: 10.3390/technologies11030078
J. Daza, Wael Ben Mbarek, L. Escoda, J. Saurina, J. Suñol
{"title":"Two Fe-Zr-B-Cu Nanocrystalline Magnetic Alloys Produced by Mechanical Alloying Technique","authors":"J. Daza, Wael Ben Mbarek, L. Escoda, J. Saurina, J. Suñol","doi":"10.3390/technologies11030078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11030078","url":null,"abstract":"Fe-rich soft magnetic alloys are candidates for applications as magnetic sensors and actuators. Spring magnets can be obtained when these alloys are added to hard magnetic compounds. In this work, two nanocrystalline Fe-Zr-B-Cu alloys are produced by mechanical alloying, MA. The increase in boron content favours the reduction of the crystalline size. Thermal analysis (by differential scanning calorimetry) shows that, in the temperature range compressed between 450 and 650 K, wide exothermic processes take place, which are associated with the relaxation of the tensions of the alloys produced by MA. At high temperatures, a main crystallisation peak is found. A Kissinger and an isoconversional method were used to determine the apparent activation of the exothermic processes. The values are compared with those found in the scientific literature. Likewise, adapted thermogravimetry allowed for the determination of the Curie temperature. The functional response has been analysed by hysteresis loop cycles. According to the composition, the decrease of the Fe/B ratio diminishes the soft magnetic behaviour.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"41 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"80850804","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-15DOI: 10.3390/technologies11030077
A. Teterina, V. Minaychev, Polina V Smirnova, Margarita I. Kobiakova, I. Smirnov, R. Fadeev, Alexey A. Egorov, A. Ashmarin, Kira V. Pyatina, A. Senotov, I. Fadeeva, V. Komlev
{"title":"Injectable Hydrated Calcium Phosphate Bone-like Paste: Synthesis, In Vitro, and In Vivo Biocompatibility Assessment","authors":"A. Teterina, V. Minaychev, Polina V Smirnova, Margarita I. Kobiakova, I. Smirnov, R. Fadeev, Alexey A. Egorov, A. Ashmarin, Kira V. Pyatina, A. Senotov, I. Fadeeva, V. Komlev","doi":"10.3390/technologies11030077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11030077","url":null,"abstract":"The injectable hydrated calcium phosphate bone-like paste (hCPP) was developed with suitable rheological characteristics, enabling unhindered injection through standard 23G needles. In vitro assays showed the cytocompatibility of hCPP with mesenchymal embryonic C3H10T1/2 cell cultures. The hCPP was composed of aggregated micro-sized particles with sphere-like shapes and low crystallinity. The ability of hCPP particles to adsorb serum proteins (FBS) was investigated. The hCPP demonstrated high protein adsorption capacity, indicating its potential in various biomedical applications. The results of the in vivo assay upon subcutaneous injection in Wistar rats indicated nontoxicity and biocompatibility of experimental hCPP, as well as gradual resorption of hCPP, comparable to the period of bone regeneration. The data obtained are of great interest for the development of commercial highly effective osteoplastic materials for bone tissue regeneration and augmentation.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"59 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85621918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-12DOI: 10.3390/technologies11030076
Z. Muhammad, Z. Anwar, A. R. Javed, Bilal Saleem, Sidra Abbas, T. Gadekallu
{"title":"Smartphone Security and Privacy: A Survey on APTs, Sensor-Based Attacks, Side-Channel Attacks, Google Play Attacks, and Defenses","authors":"Z. Muhammad, Z. Anwar, A. R. Javed, Bilal Saleem, Sidra Abbas, T. Gadekallu","doi":"10.3390/technologies11030076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11030076","url":null,"abstract":"There is an exponential rise in the use of smartphones in government and private institutions due to business dependencies such as communication, virtual meetings, and access to global information. These smartphones are an attractive target for cybercriminals and are one of the leading causes of cyber espionage and sabotage. A large number of sophisticated malware attacks as well as advanced persistent threats (APTs) have been launched on smartphone users. These attacks are becoming significantly more complex, sophisticated, persistent, and undetected for extended periods. Traditionally, devices are targeted by exploiting a vulnerability in the operating system (OS) or device sensors. Nevertheless, there is a rise in APTs, side-channel attacks, sensor-based attacks, and attacks launched through the Google Play Store. Previous research contributions have lacked contemporary threats, and some have proven ineffective against the latest variants of the mobile operating system. In this paper, we conducted an extensive survey of papers over the last 15 years (2009–2023), covering vulnerabilities, contemporary threats, and corresponding defenses. The research highlights APTs, classifies malware variants, defines how sensors are exploited, visualizes multiple ways that side-channel attacks are launched, and provides a comprehensive list of malware families that spread through the Google Play Store. In addition, the research provides details on threat defense solutions, such as malware detection tools and techniques presented in the last decade. Finally, it highlights open issues and identifies the research gap that needs to be addressed to meet the challenges of next-generation smartphones.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"89497457","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-10DOI: 10.3390/technologies11030075
James Gerrans, P. Donyai, K. Finlay, R. Sherratt
{"title":"An Efficient Smart Pharmaceutical Packaging Technology Framework to Assess the Quality of Returned Medication through Non-Intrusively Recording Storage Conditions after Dispensation","authors":"James Gerrans, P. Donyai, K. Finlay, R. Sherratt","doi":"10.3390/technologies11030075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11030075","url":null,"abstract":"Medicine waste is a global issue, with economic, environmental, and social consequences that are only predicted to worsen. A structured review of the literature on medicine reuse revealed that there is a lack of technological applications addressing the key concerns raised by pharmaceutical stakeholders on the safety and feasibility of redispensing medication. A basis and guidelines for solutions aiming at enabling medicine reuse were devised by exploring a conceptual model of a Circular Pharmaceutical Supply Chain (CPSC), discussing concerns raised within the literature and identifying methods to influence the public and pharmaceutical companies. SPaRAS, a novel system to validate the storage conditions and streamline the assessment of returned medicines, is proposed. The Smart Packaging System (SPS) will record the storage conditions of medication while in patient care. The companion Returns Assessment System (RAS) will efficiently communicate with the SPS through RFID, configure the sensors within the SPS to the needs of its assigned medicine and assess the returns against tailored eligibility criteria. The increased safety and efficiency provided by SPaRAS addresses the concerns of large pharmaceutical companies and the public, offering a method to reuse previously owned medication and reduce the effects of unnecessary medicine waste.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87468018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
TechnologiesPub Date : 2023-06-10DOI: 10.3390/technologies11030074
Reem M. Alotaibi, Felwa A. Abukhodair
{"title":"Radiation Dose Tracking in Computed Tomography Using Data Visualization","authors":"Reem M. Alotaibi, Felwa A. Abukhodair","doi":"10.3390/technologies11030074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies11030074","url":null,"abstract":"Radiation dose tracking is becoming very important due to the popularity of computerized tomography (CT) scans. One of the challenges of radiation dose tracking is that there are several variables that affect the dose from the patient side, machine side, and procedures side. Although some tracking software programs exists, they are based on static analysis and cause integration errors due to the heterogeneity of Hospital Information Systems (HISs) and prevent users from obtaining accurate answers to their questions. In this paper, a visual analytic approach is utilized to track radiation dose data from computed tomography (CT) through the use of Tableau data visualization software. The web solution is evaluated in real-life scenarios by domain experts. The results show that the visual analytics approach improves the tracking process, as users completed the tasks with a 100% success rate. The process increased user satisfaction and also provided invaluable insight into the analytical process.","PeriodicalId":22341,"journal":{"name":"Technologies","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"88646835","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}