Integrated sensing and communication (ISAC) has the advantages of efficient spectrum utilization and low hardware cost. It is promising to be implemented in the fifth-generation-advanced (5G-A) and sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication systems, having the potential to be applied in intelligent applications requiring both communication and high-accurate sensing capabilities. As the fundamental technology of ISAC, ISAC signal directly impacts the performance of sensing and communication. This article systematically reviews the literature on ISAC signals from the perspective of mobile communication systems, including ISAC signal design, ISAC signal processing algorithms and ISAC signal optimization. We first review the ISAC signal design based on 5G, 5G-A and 6G mobile communication systems. Then, radar signal processing methods are reviewed for ISAC signals, mainly including the channel information matrix method, spectrum lines estimator method and super resolution method. In terms of signal optimization, we summarize peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) optimization, interference management, and adaptive signal optimization for ISAC signals. This article may provide the guidelines for the research of ISAC signals in 5G-A and 6G mobile communication systems.
Deep neural networks (DNNs) have achieved tremendous success in artificial intelligence (AI) fields. However, DNN models can be easily illegally copied, redistributed, or abused by criminals, seriously damaging the interests of model inventors. The copyright protection of DNN models by neural network watermarking has been studied, but the establishment of a traceability mechanism for determining the authorized users of a leaked model is a new problem driven by the demand for AI services. Because the existing traceability mechanisms are used for models without watermarks, a small number of false-positives are generated. Existing black-box active protection schemes have loose authorization control and are vulnerable to forgery attacks. Therefore, based on the idea of black-box neural network watermarking with the video framing and image perceptual hash algorithm, a passive copyright protection and traceability framework PCPT is proposed that uses an additional class of DNN models, improving the existing traceability mechanism that yields a small number of false-positives. Based on an authorization control strategy and image perceptual hash algorithm, a DNN model active copyright protection and traceability framework ACPT is proposed. This framework uses the authorization control center constructed by the detector and verifier. This approach realizes stricter authorization control, which establishes a strong connection between users and model owners, improves the framework security, and supports traceability verification.
Non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) will complement terrestrial networks (TNs) in 5G and beyond, which can be attributed to recent deployment and standardization activities. Maximizing the efficiency of NTN communications is critical to unlock its full potential and reap its numerous benefits. One method to make communications more efficient is by the usage of multi-connectivity (MC), which allows a user to connect to multiple base stations simultaneously. It is standardized and widely used for TNs, but for MC to be used in the NTN environment, several challenges must be overcome. In this article, challenges related to MC in NTNs are discussed, and solutions to the identified challenges are proposed.
Uncertainty estimation in Neural Networks (NNs) is vital in improving reliability and confidence in predictions, particularly in safety-critical applications. Bayesian Neural Networks (BayNNs) with Dropout as an approximation offer a systematic approach to quantifying uncertainty, but they inherently suffer from high hardware overhead in terms of power, memory, and computation. Thus, the applicability of BayNNs to edge devices with limited resources or to high-performance applications is challenging. Some of the inherent costs of BayNNs can be reduced by accelerating them in hardware on a Computation-In-Memory (CIM) architecture with spintronic memories and binarizing their parameters. However, numerous stochastic units are required to implement conventional dropout-based BayNN. In this paper, we propose the Scale Dropout, a novel regularization technique for Binary Neural Networks (BNNs), and Monte Carlo-Scale Dropout (MC-Scale Dropout)-based BayNNs for efficient uncertainty estimation. Our approach requires only one stochastic unit for the entire model, irrespective of the model size, leading to a highly scalable Bayesian NN. Furthermore, we introduce a novel Spintronic memory-based CIM architecture for the proposed BayNN that achieves more than $100\times$ energy savings compared to the state-of-the-art. We validated our method to show up to a $1\%$ improvement in predictive performance and superior uncertainty estimates compared to related works.
Deep neural networks (DNNs) have been successfully applied in various fields. A major challenge of deploying DNNs, especially on edge devices, is power consumption, due to the large number of multiply-and-accumulate (MAC) operations. To address this challenge, we propose PowerPruning, a novel method to reduce power consumption in digital neural network accelerators by selecting weights that lead to less power consumption in MAC operations. In addition, the timing characteristics of the selected weights together with all activation transitions are evaluated. The weights and activations that lead to small delays are further selected. Consequently, the maximum delay of the sensitized circuit paths in the MAC units is reduced even without modifying MAC units, which thus allows a flexible scaling of supply voltage to reduce power consumption further. Together with retraining, the proposed method can reduce power consumption of DNNs on hardware by up to 78.3% with only a slight accuracy loss.
The wide adoption and usage of generative artificial intelligence (AI) models, particularly ChatGPT, has sparked a surge in research exploring their potential applications in the educational landscape. This survey examines academic literature published between November, 2022, and July, 2023, specifically targeting high-impact research from Scopus-indexed Q1 and Q2 journals. This survey delves into the practical applications and implications of generative AI models across a diverse range of educational contexts. Through a comprehensive and rigorous evaluation of recent academic literature, this survey seeks to illuminate the evolving role of generative AI models, particularly ChatGPT, in education. By shedding light on the potential benefits, challenges, and emerging trends in this dynamic field, the survey endeavors to contribute to the understanding of the nexus between artificial intelligence and education. The findings of this review will empower educators, researchers, and policymakers to make informed decisions about the integration of AI technologies into learning environments.
As enterprises increasingly migrate their applications to the cloud, the demand for secure and cost-effective Wide Area Networking (WAN) solutions for data transmission between branches and data centers grows. Among these solutions, Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) has emerged as a promising approach. However, existing SD-WAN implementations largely rely on IPSec tunnels for data encryption between edge routers, resulting in drawbacks such as extended setup times and limited throughput. Additionally, the SD-WAN control plane rarely takes both latency and monetary cost into consideration when determining routes between nodes, resulting in unsatisfactory Quality of Service (QoS). We propose WirePlanner, an SD-WAN solution that employs a novel algorithm for path discovery, optimizing both latency and cost, and configures WireGuard tunnels for secure and efficient data transmission. WirePlanner considers two payment methods: Pay-As-You-Go, where users pay for a fixed amount of bandwidth over a certain duration, and Pay-For-Data-Transfer, where users pay for the volume of transmitted data. Given an underlay topology of edge routers and a user-defined budget constraint, WirePlanner identifies a path between nodes that minimizes latency and remains within the budget, while utilizing WireGuard for secure data transmission.
Face recognition technology has advanced significantly in recent years due largely to the availability of large and increasingly complex training datasets for use in deep learning models. These datasets, however, typically comprise images scraped from news sites or social media platforms and, therefore, have limited utility in more advanced security, forensics, and military applications. These applications require lower resolution, longer ranges, and elevated viewpoints. To meet these critical needs, we collected and curated the first and second subsets of a large multi-modal biometric dataset designed for use in the research and development (R&D) of biometric recognition technologies under extremely challenging conditions. Thus far, the dataset includes more than 350,000 still images and over 1,300 hours of video footage of approximately 1,000 subjects. To collect this data, we used Nikon DSLR cameras, a variety of commercial surveillance cameras, specialized long-rage R&D cameras, and Group 1 and Group 2 UAV platforms. The goal is to support the development of algorithms capable of accurately recognizing people at ranges up to 1,000 m and from high angles of elevation. These advances will include improvements to the state of the art in face recognition and will support new research in the area of whole-body recognition using methods based on gait and anthropometry. This paper describes methods used to collect and curate the dataset, and the dataset's characteristics at the current stage.
Autonomous driving has achieved a significant milestone in research and development over the last decade. There is increasing interest in the field as the deployment of self-operating vehicles on roads promises safer and more ecologically friendly transportation systems. With the rise of computationally powerful artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, autonomous vehicles can sense their environment with high precision, make safe real-time decisions, and operate more reliably without human interventions. However, intelligent decision-making in autonomous cars is not generally understandable by humans in the current state of the art, and such deficiency hinders this technology from being socially acceptable. Hence, aside from making safe real-time decisions, the AI systems of autonomous vehicles also need to explain how these decisions are constructed in order to be regulatory compliant across many jurisdictions. Our study sheds a comprehensive light on developing explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) approaches for autonomous vehicles. In particular, we make the following contributions. First, we provide a thorough overview of the present gaps with respect to explanations in the state-of-the-art autonomous vehicle industry. We then show the taxonomy of explanations and explanation receivers in this field. Thirdly, we propose a framework for an architecture of end-to-end autonomous driving systems and justify the role of XAI in both debugging and regulating such systems. Finally, as future research directions, we provide a field guide on XAI approaches for autonomous driving that can improve operational safety and transparency towards achieving public approval by regulators, manufacturers, and all engaged stakeholders.
With the advances of data-driven machine learning research, a wide variety of prediction problems have been tackled. It has become critical to explore how machine learning and specifically deep learning methods can be exploited to analyse healthcare data. A major limitation of existing methods has been the focus on grid-like data; however, the structure of physiological recordings are often irregular and unordered which makes it difficult to conceptualise them as a matrix. As such, graph neural networks have attracted significant attention by exploiting implicit information that resides in a biological system, with interactive nodes connected by edges whose weights can be either temporal associations or anatomical junctions. In this survey, we thoroughly review the different types of graph architectures and their applications in healthcare. We provide an overview of these methods in a systematic manner, organized by their domain of application including functional connectivity, anatomical structure and electrical-based analysis. We also outline the limitations of existing techniques and discuss potential directions for future research.
Deep Learning has implemented a wide range of applications and has become increasingly popular in recent years. The goal of multimodal deep learning is to create models that can process and link information using various modalities. Despite the extensive development made for unimodal learning, it still cannot cover all the aspects of human learning. Multimodal learning helps to understand and analyze better when various senses are engaged in the processing of information. This paper focuses on multiple types of modalities, i.e., image, video, text, audio, body gestures, facial expressions, and physiological signals. Detailed analysis of past and current baseline approaches and an in-depth study of recent advancements in multimodal deep learning applications has been provided. A fine-grained taxonomy of various multimodal deep learning applications is proposed, elaborating on different applications in more depth. Architectures and datasets used in these applications are also discussed, along with their evaluation metrics. Last, main issues are highlighted separately for each domain along with their possible future research directions.