Machine learning (ML) has seen a substantial increase in its role in improving operations for staff and customers in different industries. However, there appears to be a somewhat limited adoption of ML by farm businesses, highlighted by a review of the literature investigating innovative behaviors by rural businesses. A review of the literature identified a dearth of studies investigating ML adoption by farm businesses in rural regions of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), especially in the context of family-owned farms. Therefore, this paper aims to investigate the drivers and barriers to ML adoption by family/non-family-owned farms in rural UAE. The key research questions are (1) what are the drivers and barriers for rural UAE farms adopting ML? As well as (2) is there a difference in the drivers and barriers between family and non-family-owned farms? Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with farm businesses across several rural regions in the UAE. Then, through a Template Analysis (TA), drivers and barriers for rural UAE-based farm owners adopting ML were identified. Interview findings highlighted that farms could benefit from adopting ML in daily operations to save costs and improve efficiency. However, 16 of 20 farms were unaware of the benefits related to ML due to access issues (highlighted by 12 farms) in incorporating ML operations, where they felt that incorporating ML into their operations was costly (identified by 8 farms). It was also identified that non-family-owned farms were more likely to take up ML, which was attributed to local culture influencing family farms (11 farms identified culture as a barrier). This study makes a theoretical contribution by proposing the Machine Learning Adoption Framework (MLAF). In terms of practical implications, this study proposes an ML program specifically targeting the needs of farm owners in rural UAE. Policy-based implications are addressed by the findings aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainability Development Goals 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Indoor localization (IL) is a significant topic of study with several practical applications, particularly in the context of the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities. The area of IL has evolved greatly in recent years due to the introduction of numerous technologies such as WiFi, Bluetooth, cameras, and other sensors. Despite the growing interest in this field, there are numerous challenges and drawbacks that must be addressed to develop more accurate and sustainable systems for IL. This review study gives an in-depth look into IL, covering the most promising artificial intelligence-based and hybrid strategies that have shown excellent potential in overcoming some of the limitations of classic methods within IoT environments. In addition, the paper investigates the significance of high-quality datasets and evaluation metrics in the design and assessment of IL algorithms. Furthermore, this overview study emphasizes the crucial role that machine learning techniques, such as deep learning and transfer learning, play in the advancement of IL. A focus on the importance of IL and the various technologies, methods, and techniques that are being used to improve it. Finally, the survey highlights the need for continued research and development to create more accurate and scalable techniques that can be applied across a range of IoT-related industries, such as evacuation-egress routes, hazard-crime detection, smart occupancy-driven energy reduction and asset tracking and management.

This paper presents an in-depth exploration of machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) for the optimization and design of dual-band antennas in Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Dual-band antennas, which are essential for the functionality of current and forthcoming flexible wireless communication systems, face increasing complexity and design challenges as demands and requirements for IoT-connected devices become more challenging. The study demonstrates how AI can streamline the antenna design process, enabling customization for specific frequency ranges or performance characteristics without exhaustive manual tuning. By utilizing ML and DL tools, this research not only enhances the efficiency of the design process but also achieves optimal antenna performance with significant time savings. The integration of AI in antenna design marks a notable advancement over traditional methods, offering a systematic approach to achieving dual-band functionality tailored to modern communication needs. We approached the antenna design as a regression problem, using the reflection coefficient, operating frequency, bandwidth, and voltage standing wave ratio as input parameters. The ML and DL models then are used to predict the corresponding design parameters for the antenna by using 1,000 samples, from which 700 are allocated for training and 300 for testing. This effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through the successful application of various ML techniques, including Fine Gaussian Support Vector Machines (SVM), as well as Regressor and Residual Neural Networks (ResNet) with different activation functions, to optimize the design of a dual-band T-shaped monopole antenna, thereby substantiating AI's transformative potential in antenna design.

Over the previous two decades, a notable array of space exploration missions have been initiated with the primary aim of facilitating the return of both humans and robots from Earth to the moon. The significance of these endeavors cannot be emphasized enough as numerous entities, both public and private, from across the globe have invested substantial resources into this pursuit. Researchers have committed their efforts to addressing the challenges linked to lunar communication. Even with all of these efforts, only a few of the many suggested designs for communication and antennas on the moon have been evaluated and compared. These designs have also not been shared with the scientific community. To bridge this gap in the existing body of knowledge, this paper conducts a thorough review of lunar surface communication and the diverse antenna designs employed in lunar communication systems. This paper provides a summary of the findings presented in lunar surface communication research while also outlining the assorted challenges that impact lunar communication. Apart from various antenna designs reported in this field, based on their intended usage, two additional classifications are introduced: (a) mission-based antennas—utilized in actual lunar missions—and (b) research-based antennas—employed solely for research purposes. Given the critical need to comprehend and predict lunar conditions and antenna behaviors within those conditions, this review holds immense significance. Its relevance is particularly pronounced in light of the numerous upcoming lunar missions that have been announced.

Recent methodologies for audio classification frequently involve cepstral and spectral features, applied to single channel recordings of acoustic scenes and events. Further, the concept of transfer learning has been widely used over the years, and has proven to provide an efficient alternative to training neural networks from scratch. The lower time and resource requirements when using pre-trained models allows for more versatility in developing system classification approaches. However, information on classification performance when using different features for multi-channel recordings is often limited. Furthermore, pre-trained networks are initially trained on bigger databases and are often unnecessarily large. This poses a challenge when developing systems for devices with limited computational resources, such as mobile or embedded devices. This paper presents a detailed study of the most apparent and widely-used cepstral and spectral features for multi-channel audio applications. Accordingly, we propose the use of spectro-temporal features. Additionally, the paper details the development of a compact version of the AlexNet model for computationally-limited platforms through studies of performances against various architectural and parameter modifications of the original network. The aim is to minimize the network size while maintaining the series network architecture and preserving the classification accuracy. Considering that other state-of-the-art compact networks present complex directed acyclic graphs, a series architecture proposes an advantage in customizability. Experimentation was carried out through Matlab, using a database that we have generated for this task, which composes of four-channel synthetic recordings of both sound events and scenes. The top performing methodology resulted in a weighted F1-score of 87.92% for scalogram features classified via the modified AlexNet-33 network, which has a size of 14.33 MB. The AlexNet network returned 86.24% at a size of 222.71 MB.