Ever since the introduction of fifth generation (5G) mobile communications, the mobile telecommunications industry has been debating whether 5G is an “evolution” or “revolution” from the previous legacy mobile networks, but now that 5G has been commercially available for the past few years, the research direction has recently shifted towards the upcoming generation of mobile communication system, known as the sixth generation (6G), which is expected to drastically provide significant and evolutionary, if not revolutionary, improvements in mobile networks. The promise of extremely high data rates (in terabits), artificial intelligence (AI), ultra-low latency, near-zero/low energy, and immense connected devices is expected to enhance the connectivity, sustainability, and trustworthiness and provide some new services, such as truly immersive “extended reality” (XR), high-fidelity mobile hologram, and a new generation of entertainment. Sixth generation and its vision are still under research and open for developers and researchers to establish and develop their directions to realize future 6G technology, which is expected to be ready as early as 2028. This paper reviews 6G mobile technology, including its vision, requirements, enabling technologies, and challenges. Meanwhile, a total of 11 communication technologies, including terahertz (THz) communication, visible light communication (VLC), multiple access, coding, cell-free massive multiple-input multiple-output (CF-mMIMO) zero-energy interface, intelligent reflecting surface (IRS), and infusion of AI/machine learning (ML) in wireless transmission techniques, are presented. Moreover, this paper compares 5G and 6G in terms of services, key technologies, and enabling communications techniques. Finally, it discusses the crucial future directions and technology developments in 6G.

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Revolution or Evolution? Technical Requirements and Considerations towards 6G Mobile Communications

Melanopsin-containing retinal ganglion cells (mRGCs) represent a third class of retinal photoreceptors involved in regulating the pupillary light reflex and circadian photoentrainment, among other things. The functional integrity of the circadian system and melanopsin cells is an essential component of well-being and health, being both impaired in aging and disease. Here we review evidence of melanopsin-expressing cell alterations in aging and neurodegenerative diseases and their correlation with the development of circadian rhythm disorders. In healthy humans, the average density of melanopsin-positive cells falls after age 70, accompanied by age-dependent atrophy of dendritic arborization. In addition to aging, inner and outer retinal diseases also involve progressive deterioration and loss of mRGCs that positively correlates with progressive alterations in circadian rhythms. Among others, mRGC number and plexus complexity are impaired in Parkinson’s disease patients; changes that may explain sleep and circadian rhythm disorders in this pathology. The key role of mRGCs in circadian photoentrainment and their loss in age and disease endorse the importance of eye care, even if vision is lost, to preserve melanopsin ganglion cells and their essential functions in the maintenance of an adequate quality of life.

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Photosensitive Melanopsin-Containing Retinal Ganglion Cells in Health and Disease: Implications for Circadian Rhythms

The ‘15-minute city’ concept is emerging as a potent urban regeneration model in post-pandemic cities, offering new vantage points on liveability and urban health. While the concept is primarily geared towards rethinking urban morphologies, it can be furthered via the adoption of Smart Cities network technologies to provide tailored pathways to respond to contextualised challenges through the advent of data mining and processing to better inform urban decision-making processes. We argue that the ‘15-minute city’ concept can value-add from Smart City network technologies in particular through Digital Twins, Internet of Things (IoT), and 6G. The data gathered by these technologies, and processed via Machine Learning techniques, can unveil new patterns to understand the characteristics of urban fabrics. Collectively, those dimensions, unpacked to support the ‘15-minute city’ concept, can provide new opportunities to redefine agendas to better respond to economic and societal needs as well as align more closely with environmental commitments, including the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 11 and the New Urban Agenda. This perspective paper presents new sets of opportunities for cities arguing that these new connectivities should be explored now so that appropriate protocols can be devised and so that urban agendas can be recalibrated to prepare for upcoming technology advances, opening new pathways for urban regeneration and resilience crafting.

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Unpacking the ‘15-Minute City’ via 6G, IoT, and Digital Twins: Towards a New Narrative for Increasing Urban Efficiency, Resilience, and Sustainability

The race for the 6th generation of wireless networks (6G) has begun. Researchers around the world have started to explore the best solutions for the challenges that the previous generations have experienced. To provide the readers with a clear map of the current developments, several review papers shared their vision and critically evaluated the state of the art. However, most of the work is based on general observations and the big picture vision, and lack the practical implementation challenges of the Internet of Things (IoT) use cases. This paper takes a novel approach in the review, as we present a sample of IoT use cases that are representative of a wide variety of its implementations. The chosen use cases are from the most research-active sectors that can benefit from 6G and its enabling technologies. These sectors are healthcare, smart grid, transport, and Industry 4.0. Additionally, we identified some of the practical challenges and the lessons learned in the implementation of these use cases. The review highlights the cases’ main requirements and how they overlap with the key drivers for the future generation of wireless networks.

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/13/6/159/pdf

6G opportunities arising from Internet of Things use cases: a review paper

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that affects a large portion of the population, especially the elderly. It manifests with motor, cognitive and other types of symptoms, decreasing significantly the patients’ quality of life. The recent advances in the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence fields, including the subdomains of machine learning and deep learning, can support Parkinson’s disease patients, their caregivers and clinicians at every stage of the disease, maximizing the treatment effectiveness and minimizing the respective healthcare costs at the same time. In this review, the considered studies propose machine learning models, trained on data acquired via smart devices, wearable or non-wearable sensors and other Internet of Things technologies, to provide predictions or estimations regarding Parkinson’s disease aspects. Seven hundred and seventy studies have been retrieved from three dominant academic literature databases. Finally, one hundred and twelve of them have been selected in a systematic way and have been considered in the state-of-the-art systematic review presented in this paper. These studies propose various methods, applied on various sensory data to address different Parkinson’s disease-related problems. The most widely deployed sensors, the most commonly addressed problems and the best performing algorithms are highlighted. Finally, some challenges are summarized along with some future considerations and opportunities that arise.

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Internet of Things Technologies and Machine Learning Methods for Parkinson’s Disease Diagnosis, Monitoring and Management: A Systematic Review

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a complex structure dependent upon multiple mechanisms to ensure rhythmic electrical activity that varies between day and night, to determine circadian adaptation and behaviours. SCN neurons are exposed to glutamate from multiple sources including from the retino-hypothalamic tract and from astrocytes. However, the mechanism preventing inappropriate post-synaptic glutamatergic effects is unexplored and unknown. Unexpectedly we discovered that TRESK, a calcium regulated two-pore potassium channel, plays a crucial role in this system. We propose that glutamate activates TRESK through NMDA and AMPA mediated calcium influx and calcineurin activation to then oppose further membrane depolarisation and rising intracellular calcium. Hence, in the absence of TRESK, glutamatergic activity is unregulated leading to membrane depolarisation, increased nocturnal SCN firing, inverted basal calcium levels and impaired sensitivity in light induced phase delays. Our data reveals TRESK plays an essential part in SCN regulatory mechanisms and light induced adaptive behaviours.

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TRESK is a key regulator of nocturnal suprachiasmatic nucleus dynamics and light adaptive responses

The earth’s rotation around its very own axis generates the phenomenon that we refer to as our day and night. This change in environmental lighting has been an essential component of life; where throughout the evolutionary chain, organisms have used this signal as a timing cue to which they regulate/ synchronise their sleep-wake activity. It is this entrainment of both phy- siological processes and behavioural traits that define and, in some aspects, govern an individual’s life style through circadian linked routines. Mammals, are no exception to this rule, often being referred to as ’creatures of habit’. From inception through to old age humans tend to gravitate to structured and defined periodic sleep- wake patterns; an uncanny system innately programmed into every individual, contributing to good health and wellbeing. However, the caveat lies within the aging process itself. Aging of the physio- logical components that govern and maintain circadian rhythms in mammals result in disruption to the clock leading to problems in sleep, cognition and social function, to name but a few. Little is known regarding the underlying mechanisms driving such changes; thus, it is imperative that we understand the natural biological aging process so to develop therapies and treatments that improve the quality of life in our, ever growing, aging population.

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Aging clocks: disrupted circadian rhythms.

It has been 100+ years since the world’s first commercial radio station started. This century witnessed several astonishing inventions (e.g. the computer, internet and mobiles) that have shaped the way we work and socialize. With the start of a new decade, it is evident that we are becoming more reliant on these new technologies as the majority of the world population relies on the new technology on a daily basis. As world’s population is becoming reliant on new technologies and we are shaping our lives around it, it is of paramount importance to consider those people who struggle in using the new technologies and inventions. In this paper, we are presenting an algorithm and a framework that helps partially sighted people to locate their essential belongings. The framework integrates state-of-the-art technologies from computer vision, speech recognition and communication queueing theory to create a framework that can be implemented on low computing power platforms. The framework verbally communicates with the users to identify the object they are aiming to find and then notify them when it is within the range.

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Assistive Technology for the Visually Impaired: Optimizing Frame Rate (Freshness) to Improve the Performance of Real-Time Objects Detection Application

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the mammalian circadian clock, is a heterogenous structure made of several neuron types that generate a circadian electrical activity profile. However, it is unclear how such regulation in endogenous neuronal excitability is maintained. Background two- pore domain potassium channels (K2P), such as TASK-3, play an important role in inhibiting neuronal activity. Here, we utilize a TASK-3 KO mouse model to unravel the role played by this channel in SCN circadian neuronal regulation and behavioral photoentrainment. Our results reveal that TASK-3 is needed to adapt to challenging lighting conditions, such as those experienced through seasonal changes and jet lag. From our investigations this appears to be very distinct from pathways that drive acute, ‘one-off’ adjustments in clock phase, in response to single pulses of light. These findings provide crucial information on the intricate pathways linking clock output to behavioral adaptation to light-dark cycles.

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Aiste Steponenaite

Papers

6G opportunities arising from Internet of Things use cases: a review paper

TRESK is a key regulator of nocturnal suprachiasmatic nucleus dynamics and light adaptive responses

Aging clocks: disrupted circadian rhythms.

Assistive Technology for the Visually Impaired: Optimizing Frame Rate (Freshness) to Improve the Performance of Real-Time Objects Detection Application

TASK-3 Two-Pore Potassium Channels drive neuronal excitability of the circadian clock and entrainment to challenging light environments