The trend of personalized medicine and the increasing flexibility of drug dosage relevant goals of the 21st century represent the foundation for the current research. To obtain doses smaller than the smallest available, physicians frequently write prescriptions for children and adults, without preserving the integrity of the pill. Moreover, patients purchase large amounts of medication for cost-saving reasons. To support the correct administration of the remedies and the partial alignment to the personalized treatment trend, this paper proposes a flexible and user-friendly solution for determining the medication quantity given to patients, using augmented reality and optical character recognition algorithm capabilities. Via the MATLAB development environment and a Logitech HD Pro C920 webcam, the results were 80% correct in identifying the cutting position of the pill, by means of the Hough transform, and 30% correct in weight recognition exploitation using an optical character recognition (OCR) algorithm. In future work, a higher resolution camera and a more powerful computer can be used to increase the percentages mentioned above. In addition, a 3D scan of the pill fragmentation, combined with the weight recognition functionality, could increase the accuracy of the splitting procedure, conducted by the patient or the patient caretaker.

Robots can be very different, from humanoids to intelligent self-driving cars or just IoT systems that collect and process local sensors’ information. This paper presents a way to increase dependability for information exchange and processing in systems with Cloud-Fog-Edge architectures. In an ideal interconnected world, the recognized and registered robots must be able to communicate with each other if they are close enough, or through the Fog access points without overloading the Cloud. In essence, the presented work addresses the Edge area and how the devices can communicate in a safe and secure environment using cryptographic methods for structured systems. The presented work emphasizes the importance of security in a system’s dependability and offers a communication mechanism for several robots without overburdening the Cloud. This solution is ideal to be used where various monitoring and control aspects demand extra degrees of safety. The extra private keys employed by this procedure further enhance algorithm complexity, limiting the probability that the method may be broken by brute force or systemic attacks.

The COVID-19 infectious disease spread in the world represents, by far, one of the most significant moments in humankind’s recent history, affecting daily activities for a long period of time. The data available now allow important modelling developments for the simulation and prediction of the process of an infectious disease spread. The current work provides strong insight for estimation and prediction mathematical model development with emphasis on differentiation between three distinct methods, based on data gathering for Romanian territory. An essential aspect of the research is the quantification and filtering of the collected data. The current work identified five main categories considered as the model’s inputs: inside temperatures (°C), outside temperatures (°C), humidity (%), the number of tests and the quantified value of COVID-19 measures (%) and, as the model’s outputs: the number of new cases, the number of new deaths, the total number of cases or the total number of deaths. Three mathematical models were tested to find the optimal solution: transfer vector models using transfer functions as elements, autoregressive-exogenous (ARX) models, and autoregressive-moving-average (ARMAX) models. The optimal solution was selected by comparing the fit values obtained after the simulation of all proposed models. Moreover, the manuscript includes a study of the complexity of the proposed models. Based on the gathered information, the structure parameters of the proposed models are determined and the validity and the efficiency of the obtained models are proven through simulation.

This research provides valuable insights into the application of mathematical modeling to real-world scenarios, as exemplified by the COVID-19 pandemic. After data collection, the preparation stage included exploratory analysis, standardization and normalization, computation, and validation. A mathematical model initially developed for COVID-19 dynamics in Romania was subsequently applied to data from Italy and Switzerland during the same time interval. The model is structured as a multiple-input single-output (MISO) system, where the inputs underwent a neural network-based training stage to address inconsistencies in the acquired data. In parallel, an ARMAX model was employed to capture the stochastic nature of the epidemic process. Results demonstrate that the Romanian-based model generalized effectively across the three countries, achieving a strong predictive accuracy (forecast accuracy > 98.59%). Importantly, the model maintained robust performance despite significant cross-country differences in testing strategies, policy measures, timing of initial cases, and imported infections. This work contributes a novel perspective by showing that a unified data-driven modeling framework can be transferable across heterogeneous contexts. More broadly, it underscores the potential of integrating mathematical modeling with predictive analytics to support evidence-based decision-making and strengthen preparedness for future global health crises.

The COVID-19 pandemic was a profoundly influential global occurrence in recent history, impacting daily life, economics, and healthcare systems for an extended period. The abundance of data has been essential in creating models to simulate and forecast the dissemination of infectious illnesses, aiding governments and health organizations in making educated decisions. This research primarily focuses on designing a control technique that incorporates the five most important inputs that impact the spread of COVID-19 on the Romanian territory. Quantitative analysis and data filtering are two crucial aspects to consider when developing a mathematical model. In this study the transfer function principle was used as the most accurate method for modeling the system, based on its superior fit demonstrated in a previous study. For the control strategy, a PI (Proportional-Integral) controller was designed to meet the requirements of the intended behavior. Finally, it is showed that for such complex models, the chosen control strategy, combined with fine tuning, led to very accurate results.