Air-Ground Collaborative Mobile Edge Computing:Architecture,Challenges,and Opportunities

By pushing computation,cache,and network control to the edge,mobile edge computing(MEC)is expected to play a leading role in fifth generation(5G)and future sixth generation(6G).Nevertheless,facing ubiquitous fast-growing computational demands,it is impossible for a single MEC paradigm to effectively support high-quality intelligent services at end user equipments(UEs).To address this issue,we propose an air-ground collaborative MEC(AGCMEC)architecture in this article.The proposed AGCMEC integrates all potentially available MEC servers within air and ground in the envisioned 6G,by a variety of collaborative ways to provide computation services at their best for UEs.Firstly,we introduce the AGC-MEC architecture and elaborate three typical use cases.Then,we discuss four main challenges in the AGC-MEC as well as their potential solutions.Next,we conduct a case study of collaborative service placement for AGC-MEC to validate the effectiveness of the proposed collaborative service placement strategy.Finally,we highlight several potential research directions of the AGC-MEC.

Collaborative positioning for swarms:A brief survey of vision,LiDAR and wireless sensors based methods

As positioning sensors,edge computation power,and communication technologies continue to develop,a moving agent can now sense its surroundings and communicate with other agents.By receiving spatial information from both its environment and other agents,an agent can use various methods and sensor types to localize itself.With its high flexibility and robustness,collaborative positioning has become a widely used method in both military and civilian applications.This paper introduces the basic fundamental concepts and applications of collaborative positioning,and reviews recent progress in the field based on camera,LiDAR(Light Detection and Ranging),wireless sensor,and their integration.The paper compares the current methods with respect to their sensor type,summarizes their main paradigms,and analyzes their evaluation experiments.Finally,the paper discusses the main challenges and open issues that require further research.

CRBFT:A Byzantine Fault-Tolerant Consensus Protocol Based on Collaborative Filtering Recommendation for Blockchains

Blockchain has been widely used in finance,the Internet of Things(IoT),supply chains,and other scenarios as a revolutionary technology.Consensus protocol plays a vital role in blockchain,which helps all participants to maintain the storage state consistently.However,with the improvement of network environment complexity and system scale,blockchain development is limited by the performance,security,and scalability of the consensus protocol.To address this problem,this paper introduces the collaborative filtering mechanism commonly used in the recommendation system into the Practical Byzantine Fault Tolerance(PBFT)and proposes a Byzantine fault-tolerant(BFT)consensus protocol based on collaborative filtering recommendation(CRBFT).Specifically,an improved collaborative filtering recommendation method is designed to use the similarity between a node’s recommendation opinions and those of the recommender as a basis for determining whether to adopt the recommendation opinions.This can amplify the recommendation voice of good nodes,weaken the impact of cunningmalicious nodes on the trust value calculation,andmake the calculated resultsmore accurate.In addition,the nodes are given voting power according to their trust value,and a weight randomelection algorithm is designed and implemented to reduce the risk of attack.The experimental results show that CRBFT can effectively eliminate various malicious nodes and improve the performance of blockchain systems in complex network environments,and the feasibility of CRBFT is also proven by theoretical analysis.

Joint Task Allocation and Resource Optimization for Blockchain Enabled Collaborative Edge Computing

Collaborative edge computing is a promising direction to handle the computation intensive tasks in B5G wireless networks.However,edge computing servers(ECSs)from different operators may not trust each other,and thus the incentives for collaboration cannot be guaranteed.In this paper,we propose a consortium blockchain enabled collaborative edge computing framework,where users can offload computing tasks to ECSs from different operators.To minimize the total delay of users,we formulate a joint task offloading and resource optimization problem,under the constraint of the computing capability of each ECS.We apply the Tammer decomposition method and heuristic optimization algorithms to obtain the optimal solution.Finally,we propose a reputation based node selection approach to facilitate the consensus process,and also consider a completion time based primary node selection to avoid monopolization of certain edge node and enhance the security of the blockchain.Simulation results validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm,and the total delay can be reduced by up to 40%compared with the non-cooperative case.

Impacts of agri-food e-commerce on traditional wholesale industry:Evidence from China

Rapidly expanding studies investigate the effects of e-commerce on company operations in the retail market.However,the interaction between agri-food e-commerce(AEC)and the traditional agri-food wholesale industry(AWI)has not received enough attention in the existing literature.Based on the provincial panel data from 2013 to 2020 in China,this paper examines the effect of AEC on AWI,comprising three dimensions:digitalization(DIGITAL),agrifood e-commerce infrastructure and supporting services(AECI),and agri-food e-commerce economy(AECE).First,AWI and AEC are measured using an entropy-based combination of indicators.The results indicate that for China as a whole,AWI has remained practically unchanged,whereas AEC exhibits a significant rising trend.Second,the findings of the fixed-effect regression reveal that DIGITAL and AECE tend to raise AWI,whereas AECI negatively affects AWI.Third,threshold regression results indicate that AECI tends to diminish AWI with three-stage inhibitory intensity,which manifests as a first increase and then a drop in the inhibition degree.These results suggest that with the introduction of e-commerce for agricultural product circulation,digital development will have catfish effects that tend to stimulate the vitality of the conventional wholesale industry and promote technical progress.Furthermore,the traditional wholesale industry benefits financially from e-commerce even while it diverts part of the traditional wholesale circulation for agricultural products.

Full-domain collaborative deployment method of multiple interference sources and evaluation of its deployment effect

This paper realizes the full-domain collaborative deployment of multiple interference sources of the global satellite navigation system(GNSS)and evaluates the deployment effect to enhance the ability to disturb the attacker and the capability to defend the GNSS during navigation countermeasures.Key evaluation indicators for the jamming effect of GNSS suppressive and deceptive jamming sources are first created,their evaluation models are built,and their detection procedures are sorted out,as the basis for determining the deployment principles.The principles for collaboratively deploying multi-jamming sources are developed to obtain the deployment structures(including the required number,structures in demand,and corresponding positions)of three single interference sources required by collaboratively deploying.Accordingly,simulation and hardware-in-loop testing results are presented to determine a rational configuration of the collaborative deployment of multi-jamming sources in the set situation and further realize the full-domain deployment of an interference network from ground,air to space.Varied evaluation indices for the deployment effect are finally developed to evaluate the deployment effect of the proposed configuration and further verify its reliability and rationality.

How does network intermediary affect collaborative innovation?Evidence from Chinese listed companies

Purpose:This study aims to explore how network intermediaries influence collaborative innovation performance within inter-organizational technological collaboration networks.Design/methodology/approach:This study employs a mixed-method approach,combining quantitative social network analysis with regression techniques to investigate the role of network intermediaries in collaborative innovation performance.Using a patent dataset of Chinese industrial enterprises,the research constructs the collaboration networks and analyzes their structural positions,particularly focusing on their role as intermediaries,characterized by betweenness centrality.Negative binomial regression analysis is employed to assess how these network characteristics shape innovation outcomes.Findings:The study reveals that firms in intermediary positions enhance collaborative innovation performance,but this effect is nuanced.A key finding is that network clustering negatively moderates the intermediary-innovation relationship.Highly clustered networks,while fostering local collaboration,may limit the innovation potential of intermediaries.On the other hand,relationship strength,measured by collaboration intensity and trust among firms,positively moderates the intermediary-innovation link.Research limitations:This study has several limitations that present opportunities for further research.The reliance on quantitative social network analysis may overlook the complexity of intermediaries’roles,and future studies could benefit from incorporating qualitative methods to better understand cultural and institutional factors.Additionally,cross-country comparisons are needed to assess the consistency of these dynamics in different contexts.Practical implications:The study offers practical insights for firms and policymakers.Organizations should strategically position themselves as network intermediaries to access diverse information and resources,thereby improving innovation performance.Building strong trust helps using network intermediary advantages.For firms in highly clustered networks,it is important to seek external partners to avoid limiting their exposure to new ideas and technologies.This research emphasizes the need to balance network diversity with relationship strength for sustained innovation.Originality/value:This research contributes to the literature by offering new insights into the role of network intermediaries,presenting a comprehensive framework for understanding the interaction between network dynamics and firm innovation.

Optimization and Construction of Collaborative Office under the Background of Smart Campus in Universities

At present, with the continuous development of technologies such as the Internet, big data, and artificial intelligence, smart campuses in universities are being rapidly constructed. Improving the informatization level of administrative management work is also an important content. The collaborative office work in multiple departments requires more standardized, convenient, intelligent, and secure office systems. In response to this issue, this article analyzes the optimization and construction process of collaborative office systems based on the development of university informatization, summarizes the operational results, and explores the prospects of smart office.

Multi-Robot Collaborative Hunting in Cluttered Environments With Obstacle-Avoiding Voronoi Cells

This work proposes an online collaborative hunting strategy for multi-robot systems based on obstacle-avoiding Voronoi cells in a complex dynamic environment. This involves firstly designing the construction method using a support vector machine(SVM) based on the definition of buffered Voronoi cells(BVCs). Based on the safe collision-free region of the robots, the boundary weights between the robots and the obstacles are dynamically updated such that the robots are tangent to the buffered Voronoi safety areas without intersecting with the obstacles. Then, the robots are controlled to move within their own buffered Voronoi safety area to achieve collision-avoidance with other robots and obstacles. The next step involves proposing a hunting method that optimizes collaboration between the pursuers and evaders. Some hunting points are generated and distributed evenly around a circle. Next, the pursuers are assigned to match the optimal points based on the Hungarian algorithm.Then, a hunting controller is designed to improve the containment capability and minimize containment time based on collision risk. Finally, simulation results have demonstrated that the proposed cooperative hunting method is more competitive in terms of time and travel distance.

Collaborative Charging Scheduling in Wireless Charging Sensor Networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have the trouble of limited battery power, and wireless charging provides apromising solution to this problem, which is not easily affected by the external environment. In this paper, we studythe recharging of sensors in wireless rechargeable sensor networks (WRSNs) by scheduling two mobile chargers(MCs) to collaboratively charge sensors. We first formulate a novel sensor charging scheduling problem with theobjective of maximizing the number of surviving sensors, and further propose a collaborative charging schedulingalgorithm(CCSA) for WRSNs. In the scheme, the sensors are divided into important sensors and ordinary sensors.TwoMCs can adaptively collaboratively charge the sensors based on the energy limit ofMCs and the energy demandof sensors. Finally, we conducted comparative simulations. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithmcan effectively reduce the death rate of the sensor. The proposed algorithm provides a solution to the uncertaintyof node charging tasks and the collaborative challenges posed by multiple MCs in practical scenarios.

Research on the Collaborative Governance of Social Responsibility in Online Audiovisual Enterprises

This paper aims to analyze the present conditions of the social responsibility ecosystem in online audiovisual enterprises in the digital age. It focuses on the governance of social responsibility in these enterprises and conducts an in-depth analysis of the problems and influencing factors related to the social responsibility aberrations of online audiovisual enterprises. Drawing upon social responsibility theory and collaborative governance theory, this research constructs a social responsibility guidance and governance system guided by the public, supported by the voluntary fulfillment of responsibilities by online audiovisual enterprises, and based on the collaborative participation of diverse stakeholders. It explores and optimizes the implementation pathways of this system, providing theoretical support and practical guidance for promoting the sustainable development of online audiovisual enterprises. Furthermore, it aims to contribute to the creation of a harmonious Internet ecosystem.

Multi-Agent Collaborative Task Planning with Uncertain Task Requirements

In response to the uncertainty of information of the injured in post disaster situations,considering constraints such as random chance and the quantity of rescue resource,the split deliv-ery vehicle routing problem with stochastic demands(SDVRPSD)model and the multi-depot split delivery heterogeneous vehicle routing problem with stochastic demands(MDSDHVRPSD)model are established.A two-stage hybrid variable neighborhood tabu search algorithm is designed for unmanned vehicle task planning to minimize the path cost of rescue plans.Simulation experiments show that the solution obtained by the algorithm can effectively reduce the rescue vehicle path cost and the rescue task completion time,with high optimization quality and certain portability.

Impact of BRICS Trade Facilitation on China's Exports Using Cross-Border E-Commerce

With the rapid growth of the global digital economy, cross-border e-commerce, as an emerging form of trade, has gradually become a powerful engine to promote the development of global trade. BRICS is an important force in the global economy, and the progress of the BRICS countries' trade facilitation level has an important impact on the global trade environment. This paper conducts an in-depth study of the dynamic changes in BRICS trade facilitation from 2013 to 2022, and uses an extended gravity model to analyze the specific impact of this change on China's exports using cross-border e-commerce. The results show that although the BRICS countries have made some progress in trade facilitation, the overall level still needs to be improved, and there are obvious differences among member countries. However, the improvement of trade facilitation among BRICS countries has undoubtedly brought significant positive effects to China's exports using cross-border e-commerce.

Active Micro-Nano-Collaborative Bioelectronic Device for Advanced Electrophysiological Recording

The development of precise and sensitive electrophysiological recording platforms holds the utmost importance for research in the fields of cardiology and neuroscience.In recent years,active micro/nano-bioelectronic devices have undergone significant advancements,thereby facilitating the study of electrophysiology.The distinctive configuration and exceptional functionality of these active micro-nano-collaborative bioelectronic devices offer the potential for the recording of high-fidelity action potential signals on a large scale.In this paper,we review three-dimensional active nano-transistors and planar active micro-transistors in terms of their applications in electroexcitable cells,focusing on the evaluation of the effects of active micro/nano-bioelectronic devices on electrophysiological signals.Looking forward to the possibilities,challenges,and wide prospects of active micro-nano-devices,we expect to advance their progress to satisfy the demands of theoretical investigations and medical implementations within the domains of cardiology and neuroscience research.

Enhancing Multicriteria-Based Recommendations by Alleviating Scalability and Sparsity Issues Using Collaborative Denoising Autoencoder

A Recommender System(RS)is a crucial part of several firms,particularly those involved in e-commerce.In conventional RS,a user may only offer a single rating for an item-that is insufficient to perceive consumer preferences.Nowadays,businesses in industries like e-learning and tourism enable customers to rate a product using a variety of factors to comprehend customers’preferences.On the other hand,the collaborative filtering(CF)algorithm utilizing AutoEncoder(AE)is seen to be effective in identifying user-interested items.However,the cost of these computations increases nonlinearly as the number of items and users increases.To triumph over the issues,a novel expanded stacked autoencoder(ESAE)with Kernel Fuzzy C-Means Clustering(KFCM)technique is proposed with two phases.In the first phase of offline,the sparse multicriteria rating matrix is smoothened to a complete matrix by predicting the users’intact rating by the ESAE approach and users are clustered using the KFCM approach.In the next phase of online,the top-N recommendation prediction is made by the ESAE approach involving only the most similar user from multiple clusters.Hence the ESAE_KFCM model upgrades the prediction accuracy of 98.2%in Top-N recommendation with a minimized recommendation generation time.An experimental check on the Yahoo!Movies(YM)movie dataset and TripAdvisor(TA)travel dataset confirmed that the ESAE_KFCM model constantly outperforms conventional RS algorithms on a variety of assessment measures.

Digital twin-and extended reality-based telepresence for collaborative robot programming in the 6G perspective

In the context of Industry 4.0,a paradigm shift from traditional industrial manipulators to Collaborative Robots(CRs)is ongoing,with the latter serving ever more closely humans as auxiliary tools in many production processes.In this scenario,continuous technological advancements offer new opportunities for further innovating robotics and other areas of next-generation industry.For example,6G could play a prominent role due to its human-centric view of the industrial domains.In particular,its expected dependability features will pave the way for new applications exploiting highly effective Digital Twin(DT)-and eXtended Reality(XR)-based telepresence.In this work,a novel application for the above technologies allowing two distant users to collaborate in the programming of a CR is proposed.The approach encompasses demanding data flows(e.g.,point cloud-based streaming of collaborating users and robotic environment),with network latency and bandwidth constraints.Results obtained by analyzing this approach from the viewpoint of network requirements in a setup designed to emulate 6G connectivity indicate that the expected performance of forthcoming mobile networks will make it fully feasible in principle.

Collaborative robust dispatch of electricity and carbon under carbon allowance trading market

The launch of the carbon-allowance trading market has changed the cost structure of the power industry.There is an asynchronous coupling mechanism between the carbon-allowance-trading market and the day-ahead power-system dispatch.In this study,a data-driven model of the uncertainty in the annual carbon price was created.Subsequently,a collaborative,robust dispatch model was constructed considering the annual uncertainty of the carbon price and the daily uncertainty of renewable-energy generation.The model is solved using the column-and-constraint generation algorithm.An operation and cost model of a carbon-capture power plant(CCPP)that couples the carbon market and the economic operation of the power system is also established.The critical,profitable conditions for the economic operation of the CCPP were derived.Case studies demonstrated that the proposed low-carbon,robust dispatch model reduced carbon emissions by 2.67%compared with the traditional,economic,dispatch method.The total fuel cost of generation decreases with decreasing,conservative,carbon-price-uncertainty levels,while total carbon emissions continue to increase.When the carbon-quota coefficient decreases,the system dispatch tends to increase low-carbon unit output.This study can provide important guidance for carbon-market design and the low-carbon-dispatch selection strategies.

Predicting Purchasing Behavior on E-Commerce Platforms: A Regression Model Approach for Understanding User Features that Lead to Purchasing

This research introduces a novel approach to improve and optimize the predictive capacity of consumer purchase behaviors on e-commerce platforms. This study presented an introduction to the fundamental concepts of the logistic regression algorithm. In addition, it analyzed user data obtained from an e-commerce platform. The original data were preprocessed, and a consumer purchase prediction model was developed for the e-commerce platform using the logistic regression method. The comparison study used the classic random forest approach, further enhanced by including the K-fold cross-validation method. Evaluation of the accuracy of the model’s classification was conducted using performance indicators that included the accuracy rate, the precision rate, the recall rate, and the F1 score. A visual examination determined the significance of the findings. The findings suggest that employing the logistic regression algorithm to forecast customer purchase behaviors on e-commerce platforms can improve the efficacy of the approach and yield more accurate predictions. This study serves as a valuable resource for improving the precision of forecasting customers’ purchase behaviors on e-commerce platforms. It has significant practical implications for optimizing the operational efficiency of e-commerce platforms.

Research on Current Situation and Legal Regulation of Cosmetics Live Streaming E-commerce in China

Analyze the compatibility between cosmetics and live streaming e-commerce from its own nature,marketing means and supply chain characteristics.According to the prominent problems,sort out the relationship between all parties in the cosmetics live e-commerce industry chain.Combined with the latest regulatory policies of live streaming e-commerce and cosmetics,the responsibilities of different subjects in cosmetics live streaming e-commerce are summarized,and relevant suggestions and countermeasures are put forward for the standardization and development of live streaming e-commerce.Cosmetics brand owners are the first responsible persons for product quality.Anchors,as a mixed identity between intermediary,advertising spokesperson and operator,should bear stricter joint and several liability when recommending products related to consumers’health.If anchors fail to clearly identify themselves in the recommendation process,thus causing consumers to mistake them for the operator of the cosmetics,they should assume the obligations of the operator.

How Does E-Commerce Policy Affect Consumption Disparities of Rural Households?-Evidence from China

In the context of China’s ongoing efforts to promote countryside revitalization and facilitate domestic economic circulation,it is of great significance to reduce the consumption disparity among rural households and unleash the consumption potential in the countryside.Based on data from China Family Panel Studies,this paper adopts a staggered difference-in-differences method to assess the impact of the e-commerce to enter rural areas on the consumption disparity among rural households.Findings:the comprehensive demonstration work of promoting e-commerce to enter rural areas has reduced the consumption disparity among rural households through the following mechanisms.Firstly,this policy initiative has mitigated the consumption-inhibiting effect on rural household consumption due to the local market size and external market accessibility by promoting the distribution of consumer goods to villages.Secondly,this policy initiative has also increased the agricultural income of rural households and reduced their consumption disparity by distributing farm produce to cities and enhancing the agricultural income of rural households.Moreover,the work is characterized by inclusive growth and is not susceptible to the“elite capture”phenomenon.