Abd Ullah Khan

Abd Ullah Khan, Uman Khalid, Trung Q. Duong et al.

A beyond-diagonal reconfigurable intelligent surface (BD-RIS) is an innovative type of reconfigurable intelligent surface (RIS) that has recently been proposed and is considered a revolutionary advancement in wave manipulation. Unlike the mutually disconnected arrangement of elements in traditional RISs, BD-RIS creates cost-effective and simple inter-element connections, allowing for greater freedom in configuring the amplitude and phase of impinging waves. However, there are numerous underlying challenges in realizing the advantages associated with BD-RIS, prompting the research community to actively investigate cutting-edge schemes and algorithms in this direction. Particularly, the passive beamforming design for BD-RIS under specific environmental conditions has become a major focus in this research area. In this article, we provide a systematic introduction to BD-RIS, elaborating on its functional principles concerning architectural design, promising advantages, and classification. Subsequently, we present recent advances and identify a series of challenges and opportunities. Additionally, we consider a specific case study where beamforming is designed using four different algorithms, and we analyze their performance with respect to sum rate and computation cost. To augment the beamforming capabilities in 6G BD-RIS with quantum enhancement, we analyze various hybrid quantum-classical machine learning (ML) models to improve beam prediction performance, employing real-world communication Scenario 8 from the DeepSense 6G dataset. Consequently, we derive useful insights about the practical implications of BD-RIS.

Abd Ullah Khan, Adnan Shahid, Haejoon Jung et al.

Space-air-ground-integrated network (SAGIN)-enabled multiconnectivity (MC) is emerging as a key enabler for next-generation networks, enabling users to simultaneously utilize multiple links across multi-layer non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and multi-radio access technology (multi-RAT) terrestrial networks (TN). However, the heterogeneity of TN and NTN introduces complex architectural challenges that complicate MC implementation. Specifically, the diversity of link types, spanning air-to-air, air-to-space, space-to-space, space-to-ground, and ground-to-ground communications, renders optimal resource allocation highly complex. Recent advancements in reinforcement learning (RL) and agentic artificial intelligence (AI) have shown remarkable effectiveness in optimal decision-making in complex and dynamic environments. In this paper, we review the current developments in SAGIN-enabled MC and outline the key challenges associated with its implementation. We further highlight the transformative potential of AI-driven approaches for resource optimization in a heterogeneous SAGIN environment. To this end, we present a case study on resource allocation optimization enabled by agentic RL for SAGIN-enabled MC involving diverse radio access technologies (RATs). Results show that learning-based methods can effectively handle complex scenarios and substantially enhance network performance in terms of latency and capacity while incurring a moderate increase in power consumption as an acceptable tradeoff. Finally, open research problems and future directions are presented to realize efficient SAGIN-enabled MC.

Ubaidullah, Muhammad Abid Hussain, Mohsin Raza Jafri et al.

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is a contagious viral infection that significantly deteriorates livestock health, thereby posing a serious threat to the global economy and food security. Owing to its rapid spread characteristics, early and precise identification is crucial to prevent outbreaks and ensure timely intervention. In this paper, we propose a hybrid deep learning-based approach called LUMPNet for the early detection of LSD. LUMPNet utilizes image data to detect and classify skin nodules -- the primary indicator of LSD. To this end, LUMPNet uses YOLOv11, EfficientNet-based CNN classifier with compound scaling, and a novel adaptive hybrid optimizer. More precisely, LUMPNet detects and localizes LSD skin nodules and lesions on cattle images. It exploits EfficientNet to classify the localized cattle images into LSD-affected or healthy categories. To stabilize and accelerate the training of YOLOv11 and EfficientNet hybrid model, a novel adaptive hybrid optimizer is proposed and utilized. We evaluate LUMPNet at various stages of LSD using a publicly available dataset. Results indicate that the proposed scheme achieves 99% LSD detection training accuracy, and outperforms existing schemes. The model also achieves validation accuracy of 98%. Moreover, for further evaluation, we conduct a case study using an optimized EfficientNet-B0 model trained with the AdamW optimizer, and compare its performance with LUMPNet. The results show that LUMPNet achieves superior performance.