Sensors

23 pages, 8312 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization of the Photon Path Length Probability Density Function-Simultaneous (PPDF-S) Method and Evaluation of CO₂ Retrieval Performance Under Dense Aerosol Conditions

by Chisa Iwasaki, Ryoichi Imasu, Andrey Bril, Sergey Oshchepkov, Yukio Yoshida, Tatsuya Yokota, Vyacheslav Zakharov, Konstantin Gribanov and Nikita Rokotyan

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1262; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051262 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 4545

Abstract

The photon path length probability density function-simultaneous (PPDF-S) algorithm is effective for retrieving column-averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide (XCO₂) and methane (XCH₄) from Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) spectra in Short Wavelength InfraRed (SWIR). Using this method, light-path modification [...] Read more.

The photon path length probability density function-simultaneous (PPDF-S) algorithm is effective for retrieving column-averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide (XCO₂) and methane (XCH₄) from Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) spectra in Short Wavelength InfraRed (SWIR). Using this method, light-path modification attributable to light reflection/scattering by atmospheric clouds/aerosols is represented by the modification of atmospheric transmittance according to PPDF parameters. We optimized PPDF parameters for a more accurate XCO₂ retrieval under aerosol dense conditions based on simulation studies for various aerosol types and surface albedos. We found a more appropriate value of PPDF parameters referring to the vertical profile of CO₂ concentration as a measure of a stable solution. The results show that the constraint condition of a PPDF parameter that represents the light reflectance effect by aerosols is sufficiently weak to affect XCO₂ adversely. By optimizing the constraint, it was possible to obtain a stable solution of XCO₂. The new optimization was applied to retrieval analysis of the GOSAT data measured in Western Siberia. First, we assumed clear sky conditions and retrieved XCO₂ from GOSAT data obtained near Yekaterinburg in the target area. The retrieved XCO₂ was validated through a comparison with ground-based Fourier Transform Spectrometer (FTS) measurements made at the Yekaterinburg observation site. The validation results showed that the retrieval accuracy was reasonable. Next, we applied the optimized method to dense aerosol conditions when biomass burning was active. The results demonstrated that optimization enabled retrieval, even under smoky conditions, and that the total number of retrieved data increased by about 70%. Furthermore, the results of the simulation studies and the GOSAT data analysis suggest that atmospheric aerosol types that affected CO₂ analysis are identifiable by the PPDF parameter value. We expect that we will be able to suggest a further improved algorithm after the atmospheric aerosol types are identified. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hyper-Spectral Imaging, Sounding and Applications from Space)

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16 pages, 7851 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Design of a Smartphone Indoor Positioning Dynamic Ground Truth Reference System Using Robust Visual Encoded Targets

by Xuan Liao, Ruizhi Chen, Ming Li, Bingxuan Guo, Xiaoji Niu and Weilong Zhang

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1261; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051261 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4202

Abstract

Smartphone indoor positioning ground truth is difficult to directly, dynamically, and precisely measure in real-time. To solve this problem, this paper proposes and implements a robust smartphone high-precision indoor positioning dynamic real-time ground truth reference system using color visual scatter-encoded targets based on [...] Read more.

Smartphone indoor positioning ground truth is difficult to directly, dynamically, and precisely measure in real-time. To solve this problem, this paper proposes and implements a robust smartphone high-precision indoor positioning dynamic real-time ground truth reference system using color visual scatter-encoded targets based on machine vision and photogrammetry. First, a kind of novel high-precision color vision scatter-encoded patterns with a robust recognition rate is designed. Then we use a smartphone to obtain a sequence of images of an experimental room and extract the base points of the color visual scatter-encoded patterns from the sequence images to establish the indoor local coordinate system of the encoded targets. Finally, we use a high-efficiency algorithm to decode the targets of a real-time dynamic shooting image to obtain accurate instantaneous pose information of a smartphone camera and establish the high-precision and high-availability smartphone indoor positioning direct ground truth reference system for preliminary real-time accuracy evaluation of other smartphone positioning technologies. The experimental results show that the encoded targets of the color visual scatter-encoded pattern designed in this paper are easy to detect and identify, and the layout is simple and affordable. It can accurately and quickly solve the dynamic instantaneous pose of a smartphone camera to complete the self-positioning of the smartphone according to the artificial scatter feature visual positioning technology. It is a fast, efficient and low-cost accuracy-evaluation method for smartphone indoor positioning. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Selected Papers from UPINLBS 2018)

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16 pages, 7803 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Luminescent Lanthanide Metal Organic Frameworks as Chemosensing Platforms towards Agrochemicals and Cations

by Germán E. Gomez, María dos Santos Afonso, Héctor A. Baldoni, Federico Roncaroli and Galo J. A. A. Soler-Illia

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1260; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051260 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5352

Abstract

Since the first studies of luminescent sensors based on metal organic frameworks (MOFs) about ten years ago, there has been an increased interest in the development of specific sensors towards cations, anions, explosives, small molecules, solvents, etc. However, the detection of toxic compounds [...] Read more.

Since the first studies of luminescent sensors based on metal organic frameworks (MOFs) about ten years ago, there has been an increased interest in the development of specific sensors towards cations, anions, explosives, small molecules, solvents, etc. However, the detection of toxic compounds related to agro-industry and nuclear activity is noticeably scarce or even non-existent. In this work, we report the synthesis and characterization of luminescent lanthanide-based MOFs (Ln-MOFs) with diverse crystalline architectures obtained by solvothermal methods. The luminescent properties of the lanthanides, and the hypersensitive transitions of Eu³⁺ (⁵D₀→⁷F₂) and Tb³⁺ (⁵D₄→⁷F₅) intrinsically found in the obtained MOFs in particular, were evaluated and employed as chemical sensors for agrochemical and cationic species. The limit of detection (LOD) of Tb-PSA MOFs (PSA = 2-phenylsuccinate) was 2.9 ppm for [UO₂²⁺] and 5.6 ppm for [Cu²⁺]. The variations of the 4f–4f spectral lines and the quenching/enhancement effects of the Ln-MOFs in the presence of the analytes were fully analyzed and discussed in terms of a combinatorial “host–guest” vibrational and “in-silico” interaction studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Metal-Organic Frameworks for Various Sensing Applications)

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Graphical abstract

11 pages, 1087 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Underwater Acoustic Time Delay Estimation Based on Envelope Differences of Correlation Functions

by Guodong Li, Jinsong Wu, Taolin Tang, Zhixin Chen, Jun Chen and Huang Liu

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1259; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051259 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5303

Abstract

This paper proposes underwater acoustic time delay estimation based on the envelope differences of correlation functions (EDCF), which mitigates the delay estimation errors introduced by the amplitude fluctuations of the correlation function envelopes in the traditional correlation methods (CM). The performance of the [...] Read more.

This paper proposes underwater acoustic time delay estimation based on the envelope differences of correlation functions (EDCF), which mitigates the delay estimation errors introduced by the amplitude fluctuations of the correlation function envelopes in the traditional correlation methods (CM). The performance of the proposed delay estimation method under different time values was analyzed, and the optimal difference time values are given. To overcome the influences of digital signal sampling intervals on time delay estimation, a digital time delay estimation approach with low complexity and high accuracy is proposed. The performance of the proposed time delay estimation was analyzed in underwater multipath channels. Finally, the accuracy of the delay estimation using this proposed method was demonstrated by experiments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Smart Ocean: Emerging Research Advances, Prospects and Challenges)

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23 pages, 11257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

HABITAT: An IoT Solution for Independent Elderly

by Elena Borelli, Giacomo Paolini, Francesco Antoniazzi, Marina Barbiroli, Francesca Benassi, Federico Chesani, Lorenzo Chiari, Massimiliano Fantini, Franco Fuschini, Andrea Galassi, Gian Andrea Giacobone, Silvia Imbesi, Melissa Licciardello, Daniela Loreti, Michele Marchi, Diego Masotti, Paola Mello, Sabato Mellone, Giuseppe Mincolelli, Carla Raffaelli, Luca Roffia, Tullio Salmon Cinotti, Carlo Tacconi, Paola Tamburini, Marco Zoli and Alessandra Costanzo Show full author list Hide full author list

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051258 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 82 | Viewed by 12424

Abstract

In this work, a flexible and extensive digital platform for Smart Homes is presented, exploiting the most advanced technologies of the Internet of Things, such as Radio Frequency Identification, wearable electronics, Wireless Sensor Networks, and Artificial Intelligence. Thus, the main novelty of the [...] Read more.

In this work, a flexible and extensive digital platform for Smart Homes is presented, exploiting the most advanced technologies of the Internet of Things, such as Radio Frequency Identification, wearable electronics, Wireless Sensor Networks, and Artificial Intelligence. Thus, the main novelty of the paper is the system-level description of the platform flexibility allowing the interoperability of different smart devices. This research was developed within the framework of the operative project HABITAT (Home Assistance Based on the Internet of Things for the Autonomy of Everybody), aiming at developing smart devices to support elderly people both in their own houses and in retirement homes, and embedding them in everyday life objects, thus reducing the expenses for healthcare due to the lower need for personal assistance, and providing a better life quality to the elderly users. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things for Smart Homes)

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10 pages, 2290 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrothermal Synthesis of WO₃·0.33H₂O Nanorod Bundles as a Highly Sensitive Cyclohexene Sensor

by Xiaofei Liu, Xintai Su, Chao Yang and Kongjun Ma

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1257; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051257 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 4638

Abstract

In this paper, WO₃·0.33H₂O nanorods were prepared through a simple hydrothermal method using p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) as an auxiliary reagent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the products with PABA addition were orthorhombic WO [...] Read more.

In this paper, WO₃·0.33H₂O nanorods were prepared through a simple hydrothermal method using p-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) as an auxiliary reagent. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the products with PABA addition were orthorhombic WO₃·0.33H₂O, which were mainly composed of nanorods with different crystal planes. The sensing performance of WO₃·0.33H₂O nanorod bundles prepared by the addition of PABA (100 ppm cyclohexene, Ra/Rg = 50.6) was found to be better than the WO₃ synthesized without PABA (100 ppm cyclohexene, Ra/Rg = 1.3) for the detection of cyclohexene. The new synthesis route and sensing characteristics of as-synthesized WO₃·0.33H₂O nanorods revealed a promising candidate for the preparation of the cost-effective gas sensors. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Chemical Sensors)

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17 pages, 6201 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sensitivity Improvement of Extremely Low Light Scenes with RGB-NIR Multispectral Filter Array Sensor

by Seunghoon Jee and Moon Gi Kang

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1256; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051256 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6646

Abstract

Recently, several red-green-blue near-infrared (RGB-NIR) multispectral filter arrays (MFAs), which include near infrared (NIR) pixels, have been proposed. For extremely low light scenes, the RGB-NIR MFA sensor has been extended to receive NIR light, by adding NIR pixels to supplement for the insufficient [...] Read more.

Recently, several red-green-blue near-infrared (RGB-NIR) multispectral filter arrays (MFAs), which include near infrared (NIR) pixels, have been proposed. For extremely low light scenes, the RGB-NIR MFA sensor has been extended to receive NIR light, by adding NIR pixels to supplement for the insufficient visible band light energy. However, the resolution reconstruction of the RGB-NIR MFA, using demosaicing and color restoration methods, is based on the correlation between the NIR pixels and the pixels of other colors; this does not improve the RGB channel sensitivity with respect to the NIR channel sensitivity. In this paper, we propose a color restored image post-processing method to improve the sensitivity and resolution of an RGB-NIR MFA. Although several linear regression based color channel reconstruction methods have taken advantage of the high sensitivity NIR channel, it is difficult to accurately estimate the linear coefficients because of the high level of noise in the color channels under extremely low light conditions. The proposed method solves this problem in three steps: guided filtering, based on the linear similarity between the NIR and color channels, edge preserving smoothing to improve the accuracy of linear coefficient estimation, and residual compensation for lost spatial resolution information. The results show that the proposed method is effective, while maintaining the NIR pixel resolution characteristics, and improving the sensitivity in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio by approximately 13 dB. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Infrared Sensors and Technologies)

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20 pages, 13184 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Seabed Real-Time Sensing System for In-Situ Long-Term Multi-Parameter Observation Applications

by Lanjun Liu, Zhibo Liao, Caiyi Chen, Jialin Chen, Jiong Niu, Yonggang Jia, Xiujun Guo, Zhaowei Chen, Li Deng, Haibo Xu and Tao Liu

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1255; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051255 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 7194

Abstract

Aiming at the real-time observation requirements in marine science and ocean engineering, based on underwater acoustic communication and satellite communication technology, a seabed real-time sensing system for in-situ long-term multi-parameter observation applications (SRSS/ILMO) is proposed. It consists of a seabed observation system, a [...] Read more.

Aiming at the real-time observation requirements in marine science and ocean engineering, based on underwater acoustic communication and satellite communication technology, a seabed real-time sensing system for in-situ long-term multi-parameter observation applications (SRSS/ILMO) is proposed. It consists of a seabed observation system, a sea surface relay transmission buoy, and a remote monitoring system. The system communication link is implemented by underwater acoustic communication and satellite communication. The seabed observation system adopts the “ARM + FPGA” architecture to meet the low power consumption, scalability, and versatility design requirements. As a long-term unattended system, a two-stage anti-crash mechanism, an automatic system fault isolation design, dual-medium data storage, and improved Modbus protocol are adopted to meet the system reliability requirements. Through the remote monitoring system, users can configure the system working mode, sensor parameters and acquire observation data on demand. The seabed observation system can realize the observation of different fields by carrying different sensors such as those based on marine engineering geology, chemistry, biology, and environment. Carrying resistivity and pore pressure sensors, the SRSS/ILMO powered by seawater batteries was used for a seabed engineering geology observation. The preliminary test results based on harbor environment show the effectiveness of the developed system. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Smart Ocean: Emerging Research Advances, Prospects and Challenges)

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31 pages, 4734 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development of an Optoelectronic Sensor for Detecting and Classifying Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) for Use in Real-Time Intelligent Traps

by Fabiano Sandrini Moraes, Dori Edson Nava, Tiago Scheunemann and Vagner Santos da Rosa

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1254; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051254 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 6741

Abstract

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) cause losses to world fruit growing. For a fast and effective control of the pest, it is necessary to identify the species and their populations. Thus, we developed an infrared optoelectronic sensor using phototransistors to capture the signal of [...] Read more.

Fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) cause losses to world fruit growing. For a fast and effective control of the pest, it is necessary to identify the species and their populations. Thus, we developed an infrared optoelectronic sensor using phototransistors to capture the signal of the partial occlusion of the infrared light caused by the beating of the fly wings. Laboratory experiments were conducted using the sensor to capture the wing beat signal of A. fraterculus and C. capitata. The captured signals were used to obtain the characteristics of the flies’ wing beats frequency and for a production of a dataset made available as one of the results of this work. For the passage detection, we developed the algorithm of detection of events of passage (PEDA) that uses the root mean square (RMS) value of a sliding window applied to the signal compared to a threshold value. We developed the algorithm of detection of events of passage (CAEC) that uses the techniques of autocorrelation and Fourier transform for the extraction of the characteristics of the wings’ beat signal. The results demonstrate that it is possible to use the sensor for the development of an intelligent trap with detection and classification in real time for A. fraterculus and C. capitata using the wing beat frequency obtained by the developed sensor. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optoelectronic and Photonic Sensors)

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11 pages, 2165 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Dual Channel Lateral Field Excitation Quartz Crystal Microbalance for Measuring Liquid Electrical Properties

by Jinxing Liang, Debo Kong and Chaolin Liu

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1253; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051253 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4207

Abstract

Lateral field excitation quartz crystal microbalance (LFE-QCM) can detect both the electrical properties (conductivity and permittivity) and mechanical properties (viscosity and density) of the liquid. In practical applications for detecting electrical properties, the viscosity and density of the liquid will also change. This [...] Read more.

Lateral field excitation quartz crystal microbalance (LFE-QCM) can detect both the electrical properties (conductivity and permittivity) and mechanical properties (viscosity and density) of the liquid. In practical applications for detecting electrical properties, the viscosity and density of the liquid will also change. This research proposed a dual-channel LFE-QCM for reducing the influence of density and viscosity. The sensing layer of one resonant element is almost bare, and the other is covered by a metal film as a reference. Different organic solutions and NaCl solution were used to study the influence of mechanical properties and the temperature on electrical properties. The experimental results demonstrate that the dual-channel LFE-QCM is necessary for properly detecting electrical properties of the liquid. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue QCM-Based Sensors)

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20 pages, 8808 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Parabolic Equation Modeling of Electromagnetic Wave Propagation over Rough Sea Surfaces

by Ying Gao, Qun Shao, Binzhou Yan, Qifan Li and Shuxia Guo

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1252; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051252 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 5962

Abstract

The parabolic equation is an efficient numerical solution for electromagnetic wave propagation. In order to address the difficulties in predicting electromagnetic wave propagation in the maritime environment caused by atmospheric dust and rough sea surfaces, and the shortcomings of the existing research that [...] Read more.

The parabolic equation is an efficient numerical solution for electromagnetic wave propagation. In order to address the difficulties in predicting electromagnetic wave propagation in the maritime environment caused by atmospheric dust and rough sea surfaces, and the shortcomings of the existing research that cannot fully reflect the rough characteristics of sea surfaces, the authors have modelled electromagnetic wave propagation in the maritime environment, including in the presence of atmospheric dust. In this study the authors present a parabolic equation modeling method for calculating the electromagnetic wave propagation over rough sea surfaces. Firstly, the rough sea surface is generated by building a double summation model of three-dimensional random sea surface. Then, combined with the piecewise linear shift transformation method of the parabolic equation model, the parabolic equation random sea surface model is constructed, and the electromagnetic wave propagation characteristics in a rough sea environment are analyzed. Finally, a large number of results are compared with the Miler-Brown model and shadow effect model in rough sea environments, which verifies that the random sea surface model can better characterize the influence of rough sea surfaces on electromagnetic wave propagation. The model can be used to improve the reliability of marine microwave communication links and the detection performance of ship-borne radar. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Remote Sensors)

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20 pages, 10229 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mosaicking Opportunistically Acquired Very High-Resolution Helicopter-Borne Images over Drifting Sea Ice Using COTS Sensors

by Chang-Uk Hyun, Joo-Hong Kim, Hyangsun Han and Hyun-cheol Kim

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1251; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051251 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3704

Abstract

Observing sea ice by very high-resolution (VHR) images not only improves the quality of lower-resolution remote sensing products (e.g., sea ice concentration, distribution of melt ponds and pressure ridges, sea ice surface roughness, etc.) by providing details on the ground truth of sea [...] Read more.

Observing sea ice by very high-resolution (VHR) images not only improves the quality of lower-resolution remote sensing products (e.g., sea ice concentration, distribution of melt ponds and pressure ridges, sea ice surface roughness, etc.) by providing details on the ground truth of sea ice, but also assists sea ice fieldwork. In this study, two fieldwork-based methods are proposed, one for the practical acquisition of VHR images over drifting Arctic sea ice using low-cost commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) sensors equipped on a helicopter, and the other for quantifying the compensating effect from continuously drifting sea ice that reduces geolocation uncertainty in the image mosaicking procedure. The drifting trajectory of the target ice was yielded from that recorded by an icebreaker that was tightly anchored to the floe and was then used to reversely compensate the locations of acquired VHR images. After applying the compensation, three-dimensional geolocation errors of the VHR images were decreased by 79.3% and 24.2% for two pre-defined image groups, respectively. The enhanced accuracy of the imaging locations was affected by imaging duration causing variable drifting distances of individual images. Further applicability of the mosaicked VHR image was discussed by comparing it with a TerraSAR-X synthetic aperture radar image containing the target ice, suggesting that the proposed methods can be used for precise comparison with satellite remote sensing products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Remote Sensors)

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27 pages, 7173 KiB

Open AccessReview

Structure-Property Relationships in Graphene-Based Strain and Pressure Sensors for Potential Artificial Intelligence Applications

by Zewei Luo, Xiaotong Hu, Xiyue Tian, Chen Luo, Hejun Xu, Quanling Li, Qianhao Li, Jian Zhang, Fei Qiao, Xing Wu, V. E. Borisenko and Junhao Chu

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1250; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051250 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 77 | Viewed by 10510

Abstract

Wearable electronic sensing devices are deemed to be a crucial technology of smart personal electronics. Strain and pressure sensors, one of the most popular research directions in recent years, are the key components of smart and flexible electronics. Graphene, as an advanced nanomaterial, [...] Read more.

Wearable electronic sensing devices are deemed to be a crucial technology of smart personal electronics. Strain and pressure sensors, one of the most popular research directions in recent years, are the key components of smart and flexible electronics. Graphene, as an advanced nanomaterial, exerts pre-eminent characteristics including high electrical conductivity, excellent mechanical properties, and flexibility. The above advantages of graphene provide great potential for applications in mechatronics, robotics, automation, human-machine interaction, etc.: graphene with diverse structures and leverages, strain and pressure sensors with new functionalities. Herein, the recent progress in graphene-based strain and pressure sensors is presented. The sensing materials are classified into four structures including 0D fullerene, 1D fiber, 2D film, and 3D porous structures. Different structures of graphene-based strain and pressure sensors provide various properties and multifunctions in crucial parameters such as sensitivity, linearity, and hysteresis. The recent and potential applications for graphene-based sensors are also discussed, especially in the field of human motion detection. Finally, the perspectives of graphene-based strain and pressure sensors used in human motion detection combined with artificial intelligence are surveyed. Challenges such as the biocompatibility, integration, and additivity of the sensors are discussed as well. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Two-Dimensional Materials Based Sensors)

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17 pages, 1330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Multi-Agent Gamification System for Managing Smart Homes

by Alicja Winnicka, Karolina Kęsik, Dawid Połap, Marcin Woźniak and Zbigniew Marszałek

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1249; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051249 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4414

Abstract

Rapid development and conducted experiments in the field of the introduction the fifth generation of the mobile network standard allow for the flourishing of the Internet of Things. This is one of the most important reasons to design and test systems that can [...] Read more.

Rapid development and conducted experiments in the field of the introduction the fifth generation of the mobile network standard allow for the flourishing of the Internet of Things. This is one of the most important reasons to design and test systems that can be implemented to increase the quality of our lives. In this paper, we propose a system model for managing tasks in smart homes using multi-agent solutions. The proposed solution organizes work and distributes tasks to individual family members. An additional advantage is the introduction of gamification, not only between household members, but also between families. The solution was tested to simulate the entire solution as well as the individual components that make up the system. The proposal is described with regard to the possibility of implementing smart homes in future projects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor Technology for Smart Homes)

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17 pages, 5401 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Robust Normal Estimation for 3D LiDAR Point Clouds in Urban Environments

by Ruibin Zhao, Mingyong Pang, Caixia Liu and Yanling Zhang

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1248; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051248 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 6515

Abstract

Normal estimation is a crucial first step for numerous light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data-processing algorithms, from building reconstruction, road extraction, and ground-cover classification to scene rendering. For LiDAR point clouds in urban environments, this paper presents a robust method to estimate normals [...] Read more.

Normal estimation is a crucial first step for numerous light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data-processing algorithms, from building reconstruction, road extraction, and ground-cover classification to scene rendering. For LiDAR point clouds in urban environments, this paper presents a robust method to estimate normals by constructing an octree-based hierarchical representation for the data and detecting a group of large enough consistent neighborhoods at multiscales. Consistent neighborhoods are mainly determined based on the observation that an urban environment is typically comprised of regular objects, e.g., buildings, roads, and the ground surface, and irregular objects, e.g., trees and shrubs; the surfaces of most regular objects can be approximatively represented by a group of local planes. Even in the frequent presence of heavy noise and anisotropic point samplings in LiDAR data, our method is capable of estimating robust normals for kinds of objects in urban environments, and the estimated normals are beneficial to more accurately segment and identify the objects, as well as preserving their sharp features and complete outlines. The proposed method was experimentally validated both on synthetic and real urban LiDAR datasets, and was compared to state-of-the-art methods. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Laser Scanning and Photogrammetry for Sustainable Development)

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20 pages, 4560 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Evaluation of Soil Moisture (SM), Land Surface Temperature (LST), and LST-Derived SM Indexes Dynamics during SMAPVEX12

by Hao Sun, Baichi Zhou and Hongxing Liu

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1247; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051247 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4702

Abstract

Downscaling microwave soil moisture (SM) with optical/thermal remote sensing data has considerable application potential. Spatial correlations between SM and land surface temperature (LST) or LST-derived SM indexes (SMIs) are vital to the current optical/thermal and microwave fusion downscaling methods. In this study, the [...] Read more.

Downscaling microwave soil moisture (SM) with optical/thermal remote sensing data has considerable application potential. Spatial correlations between SM and land surface temperature (LST) or LST-derived SM indexes (SMIs) are vital to the current optical/thermal and microwave fusion downscaling methods. In this study, the spatial correlations were evaluated at the same spatial scale using SMAPVEX12 SM data and MODIS day/night LST products. LST-derived SMIs was calculated using NLDAS-2 gridded meteorological data with conventional trapezoid and two-stage trapezoid models. Results indicated that (1) SM agrees better with daytime LST than the nighttime or the day-night differential LST; (2) the daytime LSTs on Aqua and Terra present very similar spatial agreement with SM and they have very similar performances as downscaling factors in simulating SM; (3) decoupling effect among SM, LST, and LST-derived SMIs occurs not only in very wet but also in very dry condition; and (4) the decoupling effect degrades the performance of LST as a downscaling factor. The future downscaling algorithms should consider net surface radiation and soil type to tackle the decoupling effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Satellite Remotely Sensed Soil Moisture)

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15 pages, 8273 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of a New Geophone and Geometry in Tunnel Seismic Detection

by Yao Wang, Nengyi Fu, Xinglin Lu and Zhihong Fu

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1246; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051246 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 6217

Abstract

Seismic imaging is the most effective geophysical method and has been extensively implemented to detect potential geological hazards in tunnels during construction. The coupling of geophones and the design of geometry in tunnels are the two major challenges. To ensure successful coupling, a [...] Read more.

Seismic imaging is the most effective geophysical method and has been extensively implemented to detect potential geological hazards in tunnels during construction. The coupling of geophones and the design of geometry in tunnels are the two major challenges. To ensure successful coupling, a high-sensitivity semi-automatic coupling geophone with a broadband was designed. In practice, this geophone is attached with a wheel and two springs. Once inserted into the borehole, an automatic coupling action occurs. This semi-automatic coupling design within the geophone not only guarantees good coupling, but reduces the time and costs usually required to install a traditional geophone. In the use of geophones for tunnel seismic detection, we propose two new two-dimensional (2D) seismic geometries based on the two commonly used geometries. A test to assess the effectiveness of the qualities of imaging from four geometries was completed by comparing the results of the forward modeling of sandwich models. The conclusion is that the larger the horizontal offset of the layout geometry, the higher the resolution of the imaging; the larger the vertical offset, the weaker the mirror image. The vertical offset is limited due to the narrow tunnel condition. Therefore, the mirror effect cannot be entirely eliminated; however, it can be further suppressed by constructing 2D geometry. The two newly proposed 2D geometries caused the imaging arc of the inter-layer, but suppressed the mirror image. The mirror image added a significant number of errors to the data, which could misguide tunnel construction; therefore the new 2D geometries are more reasonable than the two most commonly used. We applied one of the two new 2D geometries that was more practical to an actual project, the Chongqing Jinyunshan Tunnel in China, and acquired high-quality seismic data using two semi-automatic coupling geophones. The detection results were essentially consistent with the excavation conclusions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensor Applications on Built Environment)

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21 pages, 25546 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on a Face Real-time Tracking Algorithm Based on Particle Filter Multi-Feature Fusion

by Tao Wang, Wen Wang, Hui Liu and Tianping Li

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1245; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051245 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3838

Abstract

With the revolutionary development of cloud computing and internet of things, the integration and utilization of “big data” resources is a hot topic of the artificial intelligence research. Face recognition technology information has the advantages of being non-replicable, non-stealing, simple and intuitive. Video [...] Read more.

With the revolutionary development of cloud computing and internet of things, the integration and utilization of “big data” resources is a hot topic of the artificial intelligence research. Face recognition technology information has the advantages of being non-replicable, non-stealing, simple and intuitive. Video face tracking in the context of big data has become an important research hotspot in the field of information security. In this paper, a multi-feature fusion adaptive adjustment target tracking window and an adaptive update template particle filter tracking framework algorithm are proposed. Firstly, the skin color and edge features of the face are extracted in the video sequence. The weighted color histogram are extracted which describes the face features. Then we use the integral histogram method to simplify the histogram calculation of the particles. Finally, according to the change of the average distance, the tracking window is adjusted to accurately track the tracking object. At the same time, the algorithm can adaptively update the tracking template which improves the accuracy and accuracy of the tracking. The experimental results show that the proposed method improves the tracking effect and has strong robustness in complex backgrounds such as skin color, illumination changes and face occlusion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Computational Intelligence Paradigms and Machine Learning for Security, Privacy and Forensics in Cloud Computing)

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13 pages, 8350 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Microscale Linear Phased-Array Ultrasonic Transducer Based on PZT Ceramics

by Xue-Jiao Jiang, Meng-Wei Liu, Fang-Fang Shi, Wen Wang, Xian-Mei Wu and Jia-Yi Chen

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1244; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051244 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5359

Abstract

In this paper, a microscale high-frequency ultrasonic transducer was prepared by combining traditional planar ultrasonic phased-array technology and micro processing technology. The piezoelectric ceramic material PZT was used as the functional material of the transducer. The number of the arrays was 72, the [...] Read more.

In this paper, a microscale high-frequency ultrasonic transducer was prepared by combining traditional planar ultrasonic phased-array technology and micro processing technology. The piezoelectric ceramic material PZT was used as the functional material of the transducer. The number of the arrays was 72, the width of each array was 50 μm, the pitch of each array was 70 μm, and the length of each array was 3 mm. The PZT chip was finely ground to a thickness of 130 μm and could reach a frequency of 10 MHz. The experimental platform of micron-scale precision was set up for a beam-forming lateral sound field test and imaging experiment to validate the theoretical analysis. The echo imaging test showed that a mold with a feature size of about 400 μm could be imaged well. Full article

(This article belongs to the Collection Modeling, Testing and Reliability Issues in MEMS Engineering)

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11 pages, 3434 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Remote Sensing of Daytime Water Leaving Reflectances of Oceans and Large Inland Lakes from EPIC onboard the DSCOVR Spacecraft at Lagrange-1 Point

by Bo-Cai Gao, Rong-Rong Li and Yuekui Yang

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1243; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051243 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3930

Abstract

The NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on board the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite has been making multiple observations of the entire sunlit Earth in a given day from the Sun-Earth Largangian L1 point since the summer of 2015. EPIC contains [...] Read more.

The NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) on board the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite has been making multiple observations of the entire sunlit Earth in a given day from the Sun-Earth Largangian L1 point since the summer of 2015. EPIC contains 10 narrow channels in the 317–780 nm solar spectral range. The data acquired with EPIC have already been used in a variety of scientific investigations, including the study of the global ozone levels, aerosol index and aerosol optical depth, UV reflectivity of clouds over land and ocean, cloud height over land and ocean, and vegetation indices. In this article, we report that EPIC data, particularly for the data measured with narrow channels centered near 443, 551, and 680 nm, can also have important applications in remote sensing of ocean color in different geographical regions. We have modified a version of a multi-channel atmospheric correction algorithm for Moderate Resolution Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MODIS) ocean color applications and adapted the algorithm for processing EPIC data. We present three case studies on water leaving reflectance retrievals from EPIC data acquired over a large turbid river, inland lakes, and oceans. We conclude that a future ocean color instrument on board a satellite at the L1 point, which provides continuous view of the full sunlit disk of the Earth, will complement and extend ocean color observations with the low Earth observing polar orbital and geostationary satellite instruments in both the spatial and time domains. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Quantitative Remote Sensing: Past, Present and Future)

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26 pages, 1375 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Intersection-Based Link-Adaptive Beaconless Forwarding in Urban Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks

by Khaleel Husain, Azlan Awang, Nidal Kamel and Sonia Aïssa

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1242; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051242 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4220

Abstract

Remote monitoring applications in urban vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) enable authorities to monitor data related to various activities of a moving vehicle from a static infrastructure. However, urban environment constraints along with various characteristics of remote monitoring applications give rise to significant hurdles [...] Read more.

Remote monitoring applications in urban vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) enable authorities to monitor data related to various activities of a moving vehicle from a static infrastructure. However, urban environment constraints along with various characteristics of remote monitoring applications give rise to significant hurdles while developing routing solutions in urban VANETs. Since the urban environment comprises several road intersections, using their geographic information can greatly assist in achieving efficient and reliable routing. With an aim to leverage this information, this article presents a receiver-based data forwarding protocol, termed Intersection-based Link-adaptive Beaconless Forwarding for City scenarios (ILBFC). ILBFC uses the position information of road intersections to effectively limit the duration for which a relay vehicle can stay as a default forwarder. In addition, a winner relay management scheme is employed to consider the drastic speed decay in vehicles. Furthermore, ILBFC is simulated in realistic urban traffic conditions, and its performance is compared with other existing state-of-the-art routing protocols in terms of packet delivery ratio, average end-to-end delay and packet redundancy coefficient. In particular, the results highlight the superior performance of ILBFC, thereby offering an efficient and reliable routing solution for remote monitoring applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vehicular Network Communications)

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18 pages, 2654 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Portable Sensors Add Reliable Kinematic Measures to the Assessment of Upper Extremity Function

by Fredrik Öhberg, Tomas Bäcklund, Nina Sundström and Helena Grip

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1241; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051241 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3784

Abstract

Ordinal scales with low resolution are used to assess arm function in clinic. These scales may be improved by adding objective kinematic measures. The aim was to analyze within-subject, inter-rater and overall reliability (i.e., including within-subject and inter-rater reliability) and check the system’s [...] Read more.

Ordinal scales with low resolution are used to assess arm function in clinic. These scales may be improved by adding objective kinematic measures. The aim was to analyze within-subject, inter-rater and overall reliability (i.e., including within-subject and inter-rater reliability) and check the system’s validity of kinematic measures from inertial sensors for two such protocols on one person. Twenty healthy volunteers repeatedly performed two tasks, finger-to-nose and drinking, during two test sessions with two different raters. Five inertial sensors, on the forearms, upper arms and xiphoid process were used. Comparisons against an optical camera system evaluated the measurement validity. Cycle time, range of motion (ROM) in shoulder and elbow were calculated. Bland–Altman plots and linear mixed models including the generalizability (G) coefficient evaluated the reliability of the measures. Within-subject reliability was good to excellent in both tests (G = 0.80–0.97) and may serve as a baseline when assessing upper extremities in future patient groups. Overall reliability was acceptable to excellent (G = 0.77–0.94) for all parameters except elbow axial rotation in finger-to-nose task and both elbow axial rotation and flexion/extension in drinking task, mainly due to poor inter-rater reliability in these parameters. The low to good reliability for elbow ROM probably relates to high within-subject variability. The sensors provided good to excellent measures of cycle time and shoulder ROM in non-disabled individuals and thus have the potential to improve today’s assessment of arm function. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Gyroscopes and Accelerometers)

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19 pages, 489 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reduced Overhead Routing in Short-Range Low-Power and Lossy Wireless Networks

by Muhammad Omer Farooq and Dirk Pesch

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1240; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051240 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4523

Abstract

In this paper we present enhanced routing protocol for low-lower and lossy networks (ERPL), a reduced overhead routing protocol for short-range low-power and lossy wireless networks, based on RPL. ERPL enhances peer-to-peer (P2P) route construction and data packet forwarding in RPL’s storing and [...] Read more.

In this paper we present enhanced routing protocol for low-lower and lossy networks (ERPL), a reduced overhead routing protocol for short-range low-power and lossy wireless networks, based on RPL. ERPL enhances peer-to-peer (P2P) route construction and data packet forwarding in RPL’s storing and non-storing modes of operation (MoPs). In order to minimize source routing overhead, it encodes routing paths in Bloom Filters (BF). The salient features of ERPL include the following: (i) optimized P2P routing and data forwarding; (ii) no additional control messages; and (iii) minimized source routing overhead. We extensively evaluated ERPL against RPL using emulation, simulation, and physical test-bed based experiments. Our results demonstrate that ERPL outperforms standard RPL in P2P communication and its optimized P2P route construction and data forwarding algorithms also positively impact the protocol’s performance in multi-point to point (MP2P) and point to multi-point (P2MP) communications. Our results demonstrate that the BF-based approach towards compressed source routing information is feasible for the kinds of networks considered in this paper. The BF-based approach results in 65% lower source routing control overhead compared to RPL. Our results also provide new insights into the performance of MP2P, P2MP, and P2P communications relative to RPL’s destination-oriented directed a-cyclic graph (DODAG) depth, i.e., a deeper DODAG negatively impacts the performance of MP2P and P2MP communications, however it positively impacts P2P communication, while the reverse holds true for a relatively shallow DODAG. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine Communication)

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11 pages, 4133 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dissecting and Interpreting a Three-Dimensional Ground-Penetrating Radar Dataset: An Example from Northern Australia

by Lawrence B. Conyers, Mary-Jean Sutton and Emma St. Pierre

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1239; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051239 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3789

Abstract

A robust 3-D GPR dataset provides interpreters with a variety of methods for extracting important information at buried archaeological sites. An iterative approach that uses reflection profile analysis, amplitude slice-mapping, and often both in conjunction is often necessary as neither method by itself [...] Read more.

A robust 3-D GPR dataset provides interpreters with a variety of methods for extracting important information at buried archaeological sites. An iterative approach that uses reflection profile analysis, amplitude slice-mapping, and often both in conjunction is often necessary as neither method by itself is sufficient. In northern Australia, two constructed mounds contain a number of cultural and geological horizons and features, which can be imaged with GPR. The reflection profiles display the modified ground surface prior to mound construction and some initial construction layers. On the pre-mound surface, amplitude maps of reflective layers that were built-up on the ground surface indicate that they were constructed in an intentional manner. Those surfaces were later covered by sand to produce mounds used for human burial. Human internments in the mound can only be seen in reflection profiles, but once discovered, the profiles can be re-sliced to produce high definition amplitude images of these remains. No one method of analysis can provide an overall interpretation of these complex internal mound features. When the methods are varied, depending on the results of one method, a detailed and varied analysis of certain aspects of the mounds’ internal features are visible, leading to the generation of a number of hypotheses about how this area of northern Australia was used in the past. The 3-D data from GPR shows that this area was an important location on the landscape in the past, and was modified by the construction of a monumental mound, which was then used for human burials, and more recently, the construction of what was likely a ritual enclosure. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geophysics and Remote Sensing in Archaeology and Monumental Heritage)

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14 pages, 2866 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bluetooth Mesh Energy Consumption: A Model

by Seyed Mahdi Darroudi, Raül Caldera-Sànchez and Carles Gomez

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1238; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051238 - 12 Mar 2019

Cited by 52 | Viewed by 8632

Abstract

The recent publication of the Bluetooth Mesh standard is a remarkable milestone in the evolution of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). As a new technology in the Internet of Things (IoT) market, it is crucial to investigate the performance of Bluetooth Mesh. However, while [...] Read more.

The recent publication of the Bluetooth Mesh standard is a remarkable milestone in the evolution of Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). As a new technology in the Internet of Things (IoT) market, it is crucial to investigate the performance of Bluetooth Mesh. However, while a fundamental feature of Bluetooth Mesh is its suitability for energy-constrained devices, this aspect has not yet been properly considered in the literature. In this paper, we model the current consumption, lifetime and energy cost per delivered bit of a battery-operated Bluetooth Mesh sensor node. The model is based on measurements performed on a real hardware platform. Evaluation results quantify the impact of crucial Bluetooth Mesh parameters. Among others, we have found that a sensor device running on a simple 235 mAh battery, and sending a data message every 10 s, can achieve a lifetime of up to 15.6 months, whereas the asymptotic lifetime is 21.4 months. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low Energy Wireless Sensor Networks: Protocols, Architectures and Solutions)

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7 pages, 2259 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Lactamase Inhibitors on the Biosensor Penp during the Measurement of Lactam Antibiotics Concentration

by Dagoberto Soto, Camila Silva, Cristian Ugalde, Kwok-Yin Wong, Yun-Chung Leung, Lok-Yan So and Max Andresen

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1237; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051237 - 12 Mar 2019

Viewed by 3177

Abstract

PenP is a fluorescent biosensor of lactam antibiotics (LA). It is structurally derived from the mutant lactamase TEM-1 comprising the substitution E166C, where fluorescein is covalently linked to cysteine. The presence of LA in the medium produces a change in the intrinsic fluorescence [...] Read more.

PenP is a fluorescent biosensor of lactam antibiotics (LA). It is structurally derived from the mutant lactamase TEM-1 comprising the substitution E166C, where fluorescein is covalently linked to cysteine. The presence of LA in the medium produces a change in the intrinsic fluorescence level of the biosensor, and the integral of the fluorescence level over time correlates directly with the LA concentration. Previously, we have successfully used PenP to determine the concentration of lactam antibiotics in clinical samples. The use of lactamase inhibitors (LI) is a common strategy to enhance the effect of LA due to the inhibition of an important resistance mechanism of pathogenic microorganisms. Structurally, LI and LA share the common element of recognition of lactamases (the lactam ring), but they differ in the reversibility of the mechanism of interaction with said enzyme. Because the biological recognition domain of PenP is derived from a lactamase, LI is expected to interfere with the PenP detection capabilities. Surprisingly, this work provides evidence that the effect of LI is marginal in the determination of LA concentration mediated by PenP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enzyme-Based Biosensors for Biomedical Analysis)

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20 pages, 6025 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Energy-Efficient Slotted Sense Multiple Access Broadcast Protocol for Reliable Command Delivery in Dynamic Wireless Sensor Networks

by Dae-Seung Yoo, Van Khoe Ta, Byung-Tae Jang and Hoon Oh

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1236; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051236 - 11 Mar 2019

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4253

Abstract

In industrial monitoring and control applications, a server often has to send a command to a node or group of nodes in wireless sensor networks. Flooding achieves high reliability of message delivery by allowing nodes to take the redundancy of receiving the identical [...] Read more.

In industrial monitoring and control applications, a server often has to send a command to a node or group of nodes in wireless sensor networks. Flooding achieves high reliability of message delivery by allowing nodes to take the redundancy of receiving the identical message multiple times. However, nodes consume much energy due to this redundancy and the long duty cycle. A reliable slotted broadcast protocol (RSBP) tackles this problem by allocating a distinct broadcast slot (BS) to every node using a tree topology. Not only does it remove collision, but it also minimizes energy consumption such that every node remains active only during its parent’s broadcast slot and its own broadcast slot to receive and rebroadcast a message, respectively. However, it suffers from low reliability in harsh environments due to the compete removal of redundancy and low responsiveness to the changes in network topology due to the global scheduling of slots. Our approach allocates one distinct broadcast sharable slot (BSS) to each tree level, thus making a BSS schedule topology-independent. Then, nodes at the same level compete to rebroadcast a message to nodes at one level higher within the BSS, thus allowing the redundancy. In addition, it uses a slot-scheduled transmission within BSS that can further improve reliability by reducing message collisions and also enables the precise management of energy. According to simulations and experiments, the proposed approach can achieve high reliability comparable to flooding and low-energy consumption comparable to RSBP. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low Energy Wireless Sensor Networks: Protocols, Architectures and Solutions)

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20 pages, 1221 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Secured Proxy-Based Data Sharing Module in IoT Environments Using Blockchain

by Kwame Opuni-Boachie Obour Agyekum, Qi Xia, Emmanuel Boateng Sifah, Jianbin Gao, Hu Xia, Xiaojiang Du and Moshen Guizani

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1235; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051235 - 11 Mar 2019

Cited by 39 | Viewed by 7198

Abstract

Access and utilization of data are central to the cloud computing paradigm. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), the tendency of data sharing on the cloud has seen enormous growth. With data sharing comes numerous security and privacy issues. In [...] Read more.

Access and utilization of data are central to the cloud computing paradigm. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), the tendency of data sharing on the cloud has seen enormous growth. With data sharing comes numerous security and privacy issues. In the process of ensuring data confidentiality and fine-grained access control to data in the cloud, several studies have proposed Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE) schemes, with Key Policy-ABE (KP-ABE) being the prominent one. Recent works have however suggested that the confidentiality of data is violated through collusion attacks between a revoked user and the cloud server. We present a secured and efficient Proxy Re-Encryption (PRE) scheme that incorporates an Inner-Product Encryption (IPE) scheme in which decryption of data is possible if the inner product of the private key, associated with a set of attributes specified by the data owner, and the associated ciphertext is equal to zero

(0)

. We utilize a blockchain network whose processing node acts as the proxy server and performs re-encryption on the data. In ensuring data confidentiality and preventing collusion attacks, the data are divided into two, with one part stored on the blockchain network and the other part stored on the cloud. Our approach also achieves fine-grained access control. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Internet of Things (IoT) Operating Systems Management: Opportunities, Challenges, and Solution)

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13 pages, 5275 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Continuous Live-Cell Culture Imaging and Single-Cell Tracking by Computational Lensfree LED Microscopy

by Gregor Scholz, Shinta Mariana, Agus Budi Dharmawan, Iqbal Syamsu, Philipp Hörmann, Carsten Reuse, Jana Hartmann, Karsten Hiller, Joan Daniel Prades, Hutomo Suryo Wasisto and Andreas Waag

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1234; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051234 - 11 Mar 2019

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 8440

Abstract

Continuous cell culture monitoring as a way of investigating growth, proliferation, and kinetics of biological experiments is in high demand. However, commercially available solutions are typically expensive and large in size. Digital inline-holographic microscopes (DIHM) can provide a cost-effective alternative to conventional microscopes, [...] Read more.

Continuous cell culture monitoring as a way of investigating growth, proliferation, and kinetics of biological experiments is in high demand. However, commercially available solutions are typically expensive and large in size. Digital inline-holographic microscopes (DIHM) can provide a cost-effective alternative to conventional microscopes, bridging the gap towards live-cell culture imaging. In this work, a DIHM is built from inexpensive components and applied to different cell cultures. The images are reconstructed by computational methods and the data are analyzed with particle detection and tracking methods. Counting of cells as well as movement tracking of living cells is demonstrated, showing the feasibility of using a field-portable DIHM for basic cell culture investigation and bringing about the potential to deeply understand cell motility. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Eurosensors 2018 Selected Papers)

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16 pages, 3131 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Electrochemical Immunosensor Based on Nanoelectrode Ensembles for the Serological Analysis of IgG-type Tissue Transglutaminase

by Henok B. Habtamu, Tarcisio Not, Luigina De Leo, Sara Longo, Ligia M. Moretto and Paolo Ugo

Sensors 2019, 19(5), 1233; https://doi.org/10.3390/s19051233 - 11 Mar 2019

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4701

Abstract

Celiac disease (CD) is a gluten-dependent autoimmune disorder affecting a significant percentage of the general population, with increasing incidence particularly for children. Reliable analytical methods suitable for the serological diagnosis of the disorder are urgently required for performing both the early diagnosis and [...] Read more.

Celiac disease (CD) is a gluten-dependent autoimmune disorder affecting a significant percentage of the general population, with increasing incidence particularly for children. Reliable analytical methods suitable for the serological diagnosis of the disorder are urgently required for performing both the early diagnosis and the follow-up of a patient adhering to a gluten-free diet. Herein we report on the preparation and application of a novel electrochemical immunosensor based on the use of ensembles of gold nanoelectrodes (NEEs) for the detection of anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG), which is considered one reliable serological marker for CD. To this end, we take advantage of the composite nature of the nanostructured surface of membrane-templated NEEs by functionalizing the polycarbonate surface of the track-etched membrane with tissue transglutaminase. Incubation of the functionalized NEE in anti-tTG samples results in the capture of the anti-tTG antibody. Confirmation of the recognition event is achieved by incubating the NEE with a secondary antibody labelled with horseradish peroxidase (HRP): in the presence of H₂O₂ as substrate and hydroquinone as redox mediator, an electrocatalytic current is indeed generated whose increment is proportional to the amount of anti-tTG captured from the sample. The optimized sensor allows a detection limit of 1.8 ng mL⁻¹, with satisfactory selectivity and reproducibility. Analysis of serum samples from 28 individuals, some healthy and some affected by CD, furnished analytical results comparable with those achieved by classical fluoroenzyme immunoassay (FEIA). We note that the NEE-based immunosensor developed here detects the IgG isotype of anti-tTG, while FEIA detects the IgA isotype, which is not a suitable diagnostic marker for IgA-deficient patients. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Surfaces in Sensing Systems)

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