The limitations in access to mathematical resources faced by visually impaired people (VIPs) are undoubtedly one of the most significant obstacles for them to obtain, e.g., a degree in science. In this context, computational tools such as Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) are not blind-friendly, which causes solving elementary mathematical problems to become a challenging task for this group of people. This paper presents the Casvi system, a CAS for people with visual disabilities that allows carried out basics and advanced numerical calculations using the Maxima mathematical engine. Twenty-five VIPs tested the Casvi system to assess its functionality and usability. As a result, VIPs achieved a 92% accuracy when executing mathematical operations through Casvi . Finally, our system outperforms the LAMBDA system regarding the time needed by VIPs to perform mathematical operations correctly.

Currently, one of the main challenges that the world's big cities are facing is the security problem of their citizens and specifically the disappearance of people (even more in Latin America countries). Thus, to address this problem, a software system called SiGPro has been developed, which allows notifications for the early location of missing persons, using some technological tools, being one of the most prominent application of the MQTT protocol frequently used in the Internet of Things (IoT). SiGPro applies a MQTT-Bridge for hierarchical server communication and developing the software system for real-time performance. SiGPro innovates a Progressive Notification Mechanism, not considered in other similar projects and being one of the main contributions of this research; it delivers notifications depending on the disappearance distance in order to not saturate the end user. In addition, SiGPro was deployed in three cities in Ecuador, (being Quito city the MQTT-broker), where more than 140 users participated in each city and in different test scenarios. Time and distances of disappearance solution were obtained, taking into account the total anonymity of the victim. Finally, SigPro has shown that increasing crowdsensing (number of users), reduces the distance at which the missing person has been located.

Managing traffic in a large city has become a topic of great interest in both politics and science. The costs of poor traffic management have been quantified as losses equal to millions of dollars, not counting the unquantifiable value of the time that a person loses in traffic jams. Intelligent transport systems (ITS) offer a set of innovative solutions specific to the management of different modes of transport. This article focuses on the development of an ITS for the city of Quito that allows smart decision-making to direct heavy haul transporters that want to enter the city via one of its main access routes. Technologies such as Sensor Web Enablement (SWE), in association with the Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT) communication protocol, facilitate the development of a vehicular management platform/system capable of sending notifications in real-time and issuing instructions to drivers regarding traffic delays along routes, average speeds, etc. The system supports a network of heterogeneous sensors accessible through the web. It can integrate any device that uses HTTP protocol. Time interval and location range testing have been undertaken to refine the accuracy of the system and make it adaptable to any geographic situation. The system allows communicate with the server through MQTT or through web services, using technologies such as: MongoDB and GeoJSON. One of the most relevant results is that the degree of accuracy of the system is within appropriate ranges when compared to commercial applications such as Google Maps and Waze.

Visually impaired individuals face challenges in pursuing higher education, particularly in technical courses related to engineering. The lack of specialized tools and resources that allow for proper development in academic activities is a significant barrier to their admission, retention, and graduation from higher education institutions. By considering this, this paper presents the development of a blind-friendly Computer Algebra System (CAS) called IrisMath. This system enables visually impaired people to perform mathematical operations commonly used in engineering. IrisMath is a web application inspired by Jupyter Notebooks and developed using a Layered Architecture to provide modularity. It offers a variety of output formats, including LaTex, CMathML, JSON, and audio formats. Our CAS has undergone an extensive assessment of its functional, non-functional, and usability requirements, demonstrating its potential as a tool for engineering students with visual disabilities.

Computer Algebra Systems (CAS) currently lack an effective auditory representation, with most existing solutions relying on screen readers that provide limited functionality. This limitation prevents blind users from fully understanding and interpreting mathematical expressions, leading to confusion and self-doubt. This paper addresses the challenges blind individuals face when comprehending mathematical expressions within a CAS environment. We propose “Math for Everybody” (Math4e, version 1.0), a software module to reduce barriers for blind users in education. Math4e is a Sonification Module for CAS that generates a series of auditory tones, prosodic cues, and variations in audio parameters such as volume and speed. These resources are designed to eliminate ambiguity and facilitate the interpretation and understanding of mathematical expressions for blind users. To assess the effectiveness of Math4e, we conducted standardized tests employing the methodologies outlined in the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK), International Software Testing Qualifications Board (ISTBQ), and ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119. The evaluation encompassed two scenarios: one involving simulated blind users and another with real blind users associated with the “Asociación de Invidentes Milton Vedado” foundation in Ecuador. Through the SAM methodology and verbal surveys (given the condition of the evaluated user), results are obtained, such as 90.56% for pleasure, 90.78% for arousal, and 91.56% for dominance, which demonstrates significant acceptance of the systems by the users. The outcomes underscored the users’ commendable ability to identify mathematical expressions accurately.

This paper aims to examine the physical layer security (PLS) performance of a reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS)-aided wiretap multiple-input single-output (MISO) system over generalized fading conditions by assuming inherent phase shift errors at the RIS. Specifically, the procedures (i.e., the method) to conduct this research is based on learning-based approaches to model the magnitude of the end-to-end RIS channel, i.e., employing an unsupervised expectation-maximization (EM) approach via a finite mixture of Nakagami-m distributions. This general framework allows us to accurately approximate key practical factors in RIS’s channel modeling, such as generalized fading conditions, spatial correlation, discrete phase shift, beamforming, and the presence of direct and indirect links. For the numerical results, the secrecy outage probability, the average secrecy rate, and the average secrecy loss under different setups of RIS-aided wireless systems are assessed by varying the fading parameters of the N-wave with a diffuse power fading channel model. The results show that the correlation between RIS elements and unfavorable channel conditions (e.g., Rayleigh) affect secrecy performance. Likewise, it was confirmed that the use of a RIS is not essential when there is a solid line-of-sight link between the transmitter and the legitimate receiver.