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Concentration-Encoded Molecular Communication in Nanonetworks. Part 1: Fundamentals, Issues, and Challenges

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Book cover Modeling, Methodologies and Tools for Molecular and Nano-scale Communications

Part of the book series: Modeling and Optimization in Science and Technologies ((MOST,volume 9))

Abstract

Concentration-encoded molecular communication (CEMC) is a technique in molecular communication (MC) paradigm where information is encoded into the amplitude of the transmission rate of molecules at the transmitting nanomachine (TN) and, correspondingly, the transmitted information is decoded by observing the concentration of information molecules at the receiving nanomachine (RN). In this chapter, we particularly focus on the fundamentals, issues, and challenges of CEMC system towards the realization of molecular nanonetworks. CEMC is a simple encoding approach in MC using a single type of information molecules only and without having to alter the internal structure of molecules, or use distinct molecules. Despite its simplicity, CEMC suffers from several challenges that need to be addressed in detail. Although there exists some literature on MC and nanonetworks in general, in this chapter, we particularly focus on CEMC system and provide a comprehensive overview of the principles, prospects, issues, and challenges of CEMC system.

This research work was completed while M.U. Mahfuz was with the University of Ottawa, Canada.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Lysozyme is a kind of enzyme [4].

  2. 2.

    1 nm is equal to 10−9 (i.e. billionth) of a metre. It is approximately 1/80,000 of the typical diameter of a human hair, or 10 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom [13].

Abbreviations

CEMC:

Concentration-encoded molecular communication

EM:

Electromagnetic

ISI:

Intersymbol interference

LRBP:

Ligand-receptor binding process

M-AM:

Multiple amplitude modulation

MC:

Molecular communication

NEMS:

Nano-electromechanical systems

OOK:

On-off keying

PAM:

Pulse amplitude modulation

RN:

Receiving nanomachine

TN:

Transmitting nanomachine

VAI:

Vibrio fischeri Auto-Inducer

VRV:

Virtual receive volume

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Acknowledgements

M.U. Mahfuz would like to thank the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for the financial support in the form of PGS-D scholarship during the years 2010–2013.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural and Applied Sciences (Engineering Technology), University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet Drive, Green Bay, Wisconsin, 54311, USA

    Mohammad Upal Mahfuz

  2. School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Ottawa, 800 King Edward Ave, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5, Canada

    Dimitrios Makrakis & Hussein T. Mouftah

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  1. Mohammad Upal Mahfuz
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  2. Dimitrios Makrakis
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  3. Hussein T. Mouftah
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Correspondence to Mohammad Upal Mahfuz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computer Science, University of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Junichi Suzuki

  2. Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan

    Tadashi Nakano

  3. 57006D Applied Science Building, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA

    Michael John Moore

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Mahfuz, M.U., Makrakis, D., Mouftah, H.T. (2017). Concentration-Encoded Molecular Communication in Nanonetworks. Part 1: Fundamentals, Issues, and Challenges. In: Suzuki, J., Nakano, T., Moore, M. (eds) Modeling, Methodologies and Tools for Molecular and Nano-scale Communications. Modeling and Optimization in Science and Technologies, vol 9. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50688-3_1

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