SPM Article

Processing, storing, and communicating information that originates as an analog signal involves converting this information to bits. This conversion can be described by the combined effect of sampling and quantization, as shown in Figure 1. The digital representation is achieved by first sampling the analog signal to represent it by a set of discretetime samples and then quantizing these samples to a finite number of bits. 

Sparse representation can efficiently model signals in different applications to facilitate processing. In this article, we will discuss various applications of sparse representation in wireless communications, with a focus on the most recent compressive sensing (CS)-enabled approaches.

With the proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) applications, billions of household appliances, phones, smart devices, security systems, environment sensors, vehicles, buildings, and other radio-connected devices will transmit data and communicate with each other or people, and it will be possible to constantly measure and track virtually everything.

Discrete-time rational transfer functions are often converted to parallel second-order sections due to better numerical performance compared to direct form infinite impulse response (IIR) implementations. This is usually done by performing partial fraction expansion over the original transfer function. 

This article describes the basic principles of ultrasound thermography (UST) and its real-time implementation using graphics processing unit (GPU)-enabled software architecture. In medicine, the term thermography is mostly associated with heat-sensing infrared cameras for recording surface temperature changes. In this article, we use this term to describe the qualitative noninvasive imaging of tissue temperature change using any imaging modality. Examples of these modalities include microwave radiometry, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), US imaging, and photoacoustic tomography.

As we witness the fourth industrial revolution, several aspects of our daily lives will soon be impacted beyond recognition. The list includes health care, education, security, transportation, warfare, and entertainment.

Drilling is the riskiest activity in the oil-field exploration and development stage. Real-time measurements are needed to monitor drilling conditions to keep it in the safe operating envelope, guide the drilling system into the most productive zones, and provide information for further stages in the completion of the well. In this article, we describe digital communication systems for drilling, including data transmission and data compression. We begin by describing data transmission techniques used for two systems: mud-pulse telemetry (MPT) and electromagnetic (EM) telemetry.