Mahzabeen Emu

Vehicle platooning, especially when dedicated to carrying goods, represents a forward-looking approach to optimizing logistics and freight transportation using autonomous vehicles. In this study, we propose to employ Quantum Long Short Term Memory (QLSTM) models to predict the vehicle dynamics of a leading vehicle of the platoon. This predictive capability allows the following vehicles to adjust their behaviours dynamically. By doing so, we aim to optimize control strategies and maintain string stability within vehicle platoons. This approach leverages the unique computational advantages of quantum computing, particularly in processing complex temporal data, potentially leading to more accurate and efficient dynamic systems in vehicular platoon infrastructure. The simulation results indicate that the QLSTM model is highly efficient by learning more information in fewer epochs compared to traditional Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) models. This efficiency contributes to minimizing control errors, enhancing the precision and reliability of vehicle dynamics in the context of autonomous vehicle platooning. This research not only enhances the predictability of autonomous vehicle platoons but also opens pathways for research into how quantum computing can be integrated into real-time dynamic systems analysis and control.

This study explores the integration of Quantum Long Short Term Memory (QLSTM) networks into vehicle platooning systems to enhance the coordination and performance of platoons on highways. Vehicle platooning is a transformative approach to managing fleets of vehicles by utilizing advanced communication and control technologies. These technologies synchronize speed and maintain optimal inter-vehicle distances, improving traffic flow and safety. Our research presents a novel system model for vehicle platooning that includes both vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications enabled by a Roadside Unit (RSU), which facilitates the exchange of critical data such as speed, position, and control inputs among vehicles. The core of our methodology is the application of a QLSTM network, which is trained with historical traffic data to predict future states of vehicle platoons. This allows platoons to dynamically adjust their behavior in response to real-time conditions, optimizing the overall traffic flow and reducing the likelihood of collisions. The objective function of our model focuses on minimizing deviations from desired state references, emphasizing the importance of maintaining specified inter-vehicle distances and velocities. Preliminary results demonstrate that our QLSTM-enhanced platooning model significantly improves the stability and efficiency of vehicular platoons, particularly in complex traffic scenarios on the I–26 freeway in South Carolina. This study not only provides a practical framework for implementing quantum computing techniques in real-world transportation systems but also opens new avenues for further research in quantum-resilient traffic management solutions.

This study presents a novel Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based approach to automate conference session scheduling that integrates Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques. By analyzing contextual information from conference activities, this framework uses a Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP) model to optimize the scheduling. Using data from the MSR conference, and by employing GPT-3.5 and SciBERT, this framework generates a weighted contextual similarity and applies hard constraints, to ensure scheduling feasibility, and soft constraints, to improve thematic coherence. Evaluations demonstrate the ability to surpass manual scheduling.

Metaverse can unleash the potentials of Internet of Sense (IoS) communication by intertwining objects and environment between physical world and parallel virtual world. In order to digitally experience smell or taste and navigate effortlessly in virtual reality, optimal resource allocation to strengthen sensing data based infrastructure system is a critical research challenge. The Metaverse Infrastructure Service Providers (MISPs) tap into data marketplace and subscribe to resources in advance for fulfilling the needs of data consumers and users. The demand of the data based services being uncertain, non-optimal subscription schemes may lead to unwanted resource wastage or shortage. Thus, we propose a Stochastic Integer Programming (SIP) model with two phase reservation and on-demand plans for optimal resource allocation in data marketplace. Further along this line, we strive to predict the demand by leveraging Quantum Neural Networks (QNN) that is able to learn with fewer historical data in comparison to classical machine/deep learning paradigms. Extensive simulation results justify that QNN as a supporting model can significantly reduce the computational complexities of SIP formulation. This research can contribute to reduce Metaverse resource fabrication costs, upgrade the profit margin for MISPs by increasing data based service sales revenue, provide real-time resource management decisions, and overall make real impacts in the virtual world.

The Service Function Chaining (SFC) failure is a rare event that comes with escalating unexpected costs. It is an overly simplistic assumption that during the installation of the Virtual Network Function (VNF) recovery instance, the network conditions impacting the cost of redeployment will remain unchanged. In this paper, we propose a deterministic optimization model using traditional Integer Linear Programming (ILP) that maneuvers the resource allocation for prior and post-failure SFC deployment. Afterwards, we design a robust optimization model that accounts for the uncertainty of the redeployment costs. As per the strong duality theorem, we derive the dual formulation of the robust optimization model for reduced computational complexity. Further along this line, we propose a quantum annealing-driven quadratic optimization (QUBO) model that demonstrates inherent robustness even without explicitly considering the uncertainty bounds of SFC redeployment costs. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate the superiority of robust solutions over deterministic approaches and explore the potential strengths of quantum annealing in terms of intrinsic resiliency. Although quantum computing is not yet ready to solve large-scale SFC deployment, it can support VNF services that demand ultra-low running time/real-time decision-making.

Metaverse refers to the intersection of parallel virtual worlds with their physical counterparts by allowing users to interact with virtual people, objects, and environments. Resource allocation in various aspects of Metaverse domains, called as MetaSlices hereinafter, is a crucial optimization research problem. To serve this purpose, we consider a MetaSlice framework with the notion of sharing resources among common functions and enable placing time-sensitive services at the edge of multi-tier architecture in proximity to users. Unfortunately, the classical Integer Linear Programming is inappropriate for such heavily constrained optimization problem due to the extensive running time and memory. Hence, we model a novel Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) formulation to simultaneously optimize resources and secure Quality of Service for MetaSlices as a paradigm shift towards quantum computing. Furthermore, we propose to employ two hybrid classical-quantum strategies, Warm Start and Cold Start Quantum Annealing to optimize resource under bandwidth uncertainty, offer ultra-low running time, and increase service acceptance rate/scalability in a resource-hungry and dynamic Metaverse system.

Motor vehicle crashes are one of the most common causes of fatalities on the roads. Real-time severity prediction of such crashes may contribute towards reducing the rate of fatality. In this study, the fundamental goal is to develop machine learning models that predict whether the outcome of a collision will be fatal or not. A Canadian road crash dataset containing 5.8 million records is utilized in this research. In this study, ensemble models have been developed using majority and soft voting to address the class imbalance in the dataset. The prediction accuracy of approximately 75% is achieved using Convolutional Neural Networks. Moreover, a comprehensive analysis of the attributes that are important in distinguishing between fatal vs. non-fatal motor vehicle collisions has been presented in this paper. In-depth information content analysis reveals the factors that contribute the most in the prediction model. These include roadway characteristics and weather conditions at the time of the crash, vehicle type, time when the collision happen, road user class and their position, any safety device used, and the status of traffic control. With real-time data based on weather and road conditions, an automated warning system can potentially be developed utilizing the prediction model employed in this study.

Due to the massive Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity and substantial growth of communication traffic, Virtual Network Function (VNF) orchestration scheme is anticipated to function promptly, dynamically, and intelligently for next-generation networks. Hence, we urge the necessity to move beyond the traditional paradigm and employ VNFs on the network edge located cloudlet. Overall, multi-access edge computing can intensify the performance of delay-sensitive IoT applications compared to the core cloud based VNF deployments. In this paper, we intend to investigate how to simultaneously leverage the ensembling of multiple deep learning models for proper calibration to provide real-time VNF placement solutions. We also address the challenges associated with state-of-the-art approaches to deal with dynamic network traffic and topology patterns. Our envisioned methods, based on Convolutional Neural Networks and Artificial Neural Networks named as E-ConvNets and E-ANN respectively, suggest two proactive VNF deployment strategies. These ensembled VNF deployment strategies demonstrate encouraging performance (optimality gap nearly 7%) in terms of minimizing relocation and communication costs, and high scalability intelligence factor (around 0.93) through simulation results compared to standalone deep learning models. Furthermore, the presented results indicate the potentialities of applying deep learning-based strategies into similar research enigmas for future telecommunication network researches.