Shapley’s Value as a Resource Optimization Strategy for Digital Radio Transmission over IBOC FM

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

I recommend a minor revision. The study is worthy for publication in Applied Science subject to the following comments:

1. The paper has a clear structure and strong logical coherence, but there is room for further improvement in enhancing the overall coherence of the organization.

2. The review of relevant literature is relatively comprehensive, but there may be a lack of in-depth exploration in terms of capture efficiency.

3. The author needs to carefully review spelling and grammar errors.

4. The author conducted a thorough analysis of the research question in the discussion section,  but could there be a presentation of some of the dynamic expressions in the manuscript?

5. The conclusion is concise, but has the consideration been given to future research directions?

6. Are there novel research ideas or methods?

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Minor editing of English language required.

Author Response

In the attached file you will find the responses to each of the observations made, which were addressed in the best possible way.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The manuscript proposes the usage of Shapley's value to optimize digital radio transmission over IBOC FM. The research topic is interesting. However, the abstract and the introduction are confused. It is not completely clear the idea of the authors in the abstract. The introduction also does not follow the ordinary sequence of a journal manuscript (for example, there is no indication about how will be the continuation of the paper in terms of organization, structure...).

The authors should evaluate the relevance of the research topic, as several AM and FM radios are simply being shuted down. It's true that several other FM broadcasters are moving to digital transmission, although it is important to envisage if the proposed method (which seemed confused to me) can be easily applied by broadcasters around the world. The number of recent references cited in the manuscript corroborate that this topic may not be very actual anymore. Then, it is important to demonstrate the relevance and usability of the proposed solution.

Figures 1, 2 and 3 were extracted from https://www.rfwireless-world.com  ; it is important to evaluate if this is not an issue in terms of intelectual property. I'd suggest the authors to prepare a new version of these images without just copying the original ones.

Considering the results, basically only tables are highlighted with lots of data, which can not attract the attention from general readers. I suggest the authors to think on a better way to present the results. Also, the discussion of the results lacks of a more deep evaluation.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

A review of the English is necessary as there are some typos. For example, the sentence "In view of the above, the use of cooperative game theory, supported by the use of the bankruptcy game and Shapley's value, is proposed as a strategy..." ilustrates the necessity of a verification of the English language of the manuscript.

Author Response

In the attached file you will find the responses to each of the observations made, which were addressed in the best possible way.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This manuscript explores the application of cooperative game theory, specifically Shapley's value and the bankruptcy game, to optimize bandwidth allocation in the hybrid in-band on-channel (IBOC) transmission system for digital audio radio. I have some comments for this manuscript.

1. There are only 3 figures but 11 tables in this manuscript. Maybe the authors can change the Algorithms presented in the paper to some flowcharts, so that the overall manuscript would be more readable.

2. The format of the manuscript needs to be modified, and the overal format needs to be consistent.

3. It would be better if the authors could add more concurrent references, since many references listed in the manuscript are too old.

4. The results section clearly presents the outcomes of applying Shapley's value to the proposed scenario. However, it would be advantageous to include a comparative analysis with other optimization strategies to highlight the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Author Response

In the attached file you will find the responses to each of the observations made, which were addressed in the best possible way.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

In this paper, the authors introduced in-band on-channel (IBOC) FM system which integrates analog and digital FM in the same system. Besides, the authors proposed game theory-based method to optimize resource allocations. However, I think there are some points which should be improved for better publication quality.

1) The qualities of Figure 1-3 are low. The text is vague when zooming in the figures.

2) In algorithms, variables like Nj, nMk, etc. are not explained.

3) Some notations like Nj, nMk should be in more mathematical fashion.

4) The results are not compared with benchmarks, so that the performance of the proposed method is not clear. 

Comments on the Quality of English Language

Some abbreviations like BER, SNR are used before their definitions. Please check the paper more carefully to modify some flaws.

Author Response

In the attached file you will find the responses to each of the observations made, which were addressed in the best possible way.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 5 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors approach an interesting topic with a significant practical impact both on the transmission quality and the costs to ensure analog and digital broadcasting with the same platform.

It would have been useful to specify in detail the scenario considered for the implementation of the solution, the advantages and disadvantages of the method proposed and verified by simulations, in relation to other approaches to the optimization of resources in IBOC FM.

Author Response

In the attached file you will find the responses to each of the observations made, which were addressed in the best possible way.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

OK!

Author Response

All observations were attended to and adjusted in the best way to facilitate their understanding and in accordance with their recommendations. In turn, paragraphs were included expanding and/or clarifying his concerns, which have been highlighted throughout the manuscript.

We are pleased with the messages of pleasure received for your appreciation of the final version of the manuscript and we thank you for your valuable collaboration in having your endorsement for the article to be accepted in the journal for publication.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The authors provided a detailed reply letter, adressing all the topics mentioned in the first review round. Additionally, the manuscript was clearly improved with the suggested reviews. In this way, after reading the revised version, I do not have further comments and I'd like to congratulate the authors for the manuscript.

Author Response

All observations were attended to and adjusted in the best way to facilitate their understanding and in accordance with their recommendations. In turn, paragraphs were included expanding and/or clarifying his concerns, which have been highlighted throughout the manuscript.

We are pleased with the messages of pleasure received for your appreciation of the final version of the manuscript and we thank you for your valuable collaboration in having your endorsement for the article to be accepted in the journal for publication.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf