Nasir Saeed

Lameya Aldhaheri, Noor Alshehhi, Irfana Ilyas Jameela Manzil et al.

The emerging field of smart agriculture leverages the Internet of Things (IoT) to revolutionize farming practices. This paper investigates the transformative potential of Long Range (LoRa) technology as a key enabler of long-range wireless communication for agricultural IoT systems. By reviewing existing literature, we identify a gap in research specifically focused on LoRa's prospects and challenges from a communication perspective in smart agriculture. We delve into the details of LoRa-based agricultural networks, covering network architecture design, Physical Layer (PHY) considerations tailored to the agricultural environment, and channel modeling techniques that account for soil characteristics. The paper further explores relaying and routing mechanisms that address the challenges of extending network coverage and optimizing data transmission in vast agricultural landscapes. Transitioning to practical aspects, we discuss sensor deployment strategies and energy management techniques, offering insights for real-world deployments. A comparative analysis of LoRa with other wireless communication technologies employed in agricultural IoT applications highlights its strengths and weaknesses in this context. Furthermore, the paper outlines several future research directions to leverage the potential of LoRa-based agriculture 4.0. These include advancements in channel modeling for diverse farming environments, novel relay routing algorithms, integrating emerging sensor technologies like hyper-spectral imaging and drone-based sensing, on-device Artificial Intelligence (AI) models, and sustainable solutions. This survey can guide researchers, technologists, and practitioners to understand, implement, and propel smart agriculture initiatives using LoRa technology.

Shumaila Javaid, Nasir Saeed, Bin He

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as a transformative technology across diverse sectors, offering adaptable solutions to complex challenges in both military and civilian domains. Their expanding capabilities present a platform for further advancement by integrating cutting-edge computational tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms. These advancements have significantly impacted various facets of human life, fostering an era of unparalleled efficiency and convenience. Large Language Models (LLMs), a key component of AI, exhibit remarkable learning and adaptation capabilities within deployed environments, demonstrating an evolving form of intelligence with the potential to approach human-level proficiency. This work explores the significant potential of integrating UAVs and LLMs to propel the development of autonomous systems. We comprehensively review LLM architectures, evaluating their suitability for UAV integration. Additionally, we summarize the state-of-the-art LLM-based UAV architectures and identify novel opportunities for LLM embedding within UAV frameworks. Notably, we focus on leveraging LLMs to refine data analysis and decision-making processes, specifically for enhanced spectral sensing and sharing in UAV applications. Furthermore, we investigate how LLM integration expands the scope of existing UAV applications, enabling autonomous data processing, improved decision-making, and faster response times in emergency scenarios like disaster response and network restoration. Finally, we highlight crucial areas for future research that are critical for facilitating the effective integration of LLMs and UAVs.

Doaa Mahmud, Hadeel Hajmohamed, Shamma Almentheri et al.

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are crucial for the development and operation of smart cities, addressing key challenges in efficiency, productivity, and environmental sustainability. This paper comprehensively reviews the transformative potential of Large Language Models (LLMs) in optimizing ITS. Initially, we provide an extensive overview of ITS, highlighting its components, operational principles, and overall effectiveness. We then delve into the theoretical background of various LLM techniques, such as GPT, T5, CTRL, and BERT, elucidating their relevance to ITS applications. Following this, we examine the wide-ranging applications of LLMs within ITS, including traffic flow prediction, vehicle detection and classification, autonomous driving, traffic sign recognition, and pedestrian detection. Our analysis reveals how these advanced models can significantly enhance traffic management and safety. Finally, we explore the challenges and limitations LLMs face in ITS, such as data availability, computational constraints, and ethical considerations. We also present several future research directions and potential innovations to address these challenges. This paper aims to guide researchers and practitioners through the complexities and opportunities of integrating LLMs in ITS, offering a roadmap to create more efficient, sustainable, and responsive next-generation transportation systems.

Shumaila Javaid, Nasir Saeed

Integrated Satellite Aerial Terrestrial Networks (ISATNs) are envisioned as key enablers of 6G, providing global connectivity for applications such as autonomous transportation, Industrial IoT, and disaster response. Their large-scale deployment, however, risks unsustainable energy use and carbon emissions. This work advances prior energy-aware studies by proposing a carbon-aware orchestration framework for ISATNs that leverages Digital Twin (DT) technology. The framework adopts grams of CO$_2$-equivalent per bit (gCO$_2$/bit) as a primary sustainability metric and implements a multi timescale Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) loop that combines day-ahead forecasting with real-time adaptive optimization. ISATN-specific control knobs, including carbon-aware handovers, UAV duty cycling, and renewable-aware edge placement, are exploited to reduce emissions. Simulation results with real carbon intensity data show up to 29\% lower gCO$_2$/bit than QoS-only orchestration, while improving renewable utilization and resilience under adverse events.

Muhammad Azeem, Shumaila Javaid, Hamza Fahim et al.

Artificial neural network (ANN) ability to learn, correct errors, and transform a large amount of raw data into useful medical decisions for treatment and care have increased its popularity for enhanced patient safety and quality of care. Therefore, this paper reviews the critical role of ANNs in providing valuable insights for patients' healthcare decisions and efficient disease diagnosis. We thoroughly review different types of ANNs presented in the existing literature that advanced ANNs adaptation for complex applications. Moreover, we also investigate ANN's advances for various disease diagnoses and treatments such as viral, skin, cancer, and COVID-19. Furthermore, we propose a novel deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model called ConXNet for improving the detection accuracy of COVID-19 disease. ConXNet is trained and tested using different datasets, and it achieves more than 97% detection accuracy and precision, which is significantly better than existing models. Finally, we highlight future research directions and challenges such as complexity of the algorithms, insufficient available data, privacy and security, and integration of biosensing with ANNs. These research directions require considerable attention for improving the scope of ANNs for medical diagnostic and treatment applications.