Addressing Real-World Challenges in Recognition and Classification with Cutting-Edge AI Models and Methods

A special issue of Information (ISSN 2078-2489). This special issue belongs to the section "Artificial Intelligence".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1083

Special Issue Editors

Department of Computer Science, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
Interests: self-supervised learning; hybrid quantum–classical models; nature-inspired feature selection; positional encoding methods

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Guest Editor
Department of Computer Science, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
Interests: large language models; applications of LLMs; NLP; model optimizations; AI for code; big data analytics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Deep learning has emerged as a transformative technology, significantly enhancing the performance of classification and recognition tasks across various domains. The ability of deep neural networks to extract complex patterns from large datasets has led to unprecedented breakthroughs in fields such as computer vision, natural language processing, language translations, speech recognition, unstructured language processing, medical diagnostics, drug discovery and intelligent automation.

Despite these advancements, challenges such as model interpretability, computational efficiency, data scarcity, and real-time deployment on edge devices continue to affect research. Additionally, with the growing complexity of classification problems, especially in biomedical AI, drug discovery and smart agriculture, there is a need to explore beyond classical deep learning approaches; this is primarily driven by limitations such as multilingual and unstructured data, and high-dimensional data representations.

Emerging paradigms such as quantum-enhanced machine learning (QML) and large language models (LLMs) offer new opportunities for the integration of adaptive knowledge, the optimization of feature representations, the acceleration of training, the enhancement of inference efficiency in data-scarce environments, and generalization across healthcare, agriculture, commonsense reasoning, biomedical applications, and programming.

This Special Issue aims to compile innovative research that presents the practical application of deep learning models in classification and recognition, addressing both fundamental challenges and novel approaches that enhance accuracy, efficiency, and real-world usability. More specifically, we welcome contributions whose scope includes, but is not limited to, the following challenges facing AI models and methods:

  • Data Imbalance and Limited Annotations—Investigating novel techniques such as data augmentation, self-supervised learning, and active learning to address imbalanced and scarce datasets.
  • Domain Adaptation and Transfer Learning—Exploring methods to improve model generalization across different datasets, domains, and real-world environments.
  • Explainability and Interpretability in AI Models—Enhancing transparency in recognition and classification models for improved trust, fairness, and accountability.
  • Few-Shot, Zero-Shot, and Self-Supervised Learning—Advancing recognition and classification models that require minimal labelled data for improved adaptability.
  • Multimodal and Cross-Modal Learning—Integrating multiple data sources such as text, images, video, and sensor data to improve classification accuracy and robustness.
  • Real-Time and Scalable AI Solutions—Optimizing recognition and classification models for high-speed, large-scale processing in resource-constrained environments.
  • Bias Mitigation and Ethical AI—Addressing fairness, bias, and ethical concerns in AI-driven classification to ensure responsible and unbiased decision-making.
  • Application-Specific Challenges and Innovations—Addressing domain-specific recognition problems in healthcare, agriculture, business, social media, and education using cutting-edge AI techniques.

Dr. Syed Naqvi
Dr. Md Mostafizer Rahman
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • classification and recognition
  • large language models
  • hybrid quantum–classical approaches
  • multimodal and cross-modal learning
  • class imbalance
  • feature extraction and selection

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 3265 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Rare Class Performance in HOI Detection with Re-Splitting and a Fair Test Dataset
by Gyubin Park and Afaque Manzoor Soomro
Information 2025, 16(6), 474; https://doi.org/10.3390/info16060474 - 6 Jun 2025
Viewed by 175
Abstract
In Human–Object Interaction (HOI) detection, class imbalance severely limits the performance of a model on infrequent interaction categories. To overcome this problem, a Re-Splitting algorithm has been developed. This algorithm implements DreamSim-based clustering and performs k-means-based partitioning to restructure the train–test splits. By [...] Read more.
In Human–Object Interaction (HOI) detection, class imbalance severely limits the performance of a model on infrequent interaction categories. To overcome this problem, a Re-Splitting algorithm has been developed. This algorithm implements DreamSim-based clustering and performs k-means-based partitioning to restructure the train–test splits. By doing so, the approach balances the rarities and frequent classes of interaction equally, thereby increasing robustness. A Real-World test dataset has also been introduced. This dataset is comparable to a truly independent benchmark. It is designed to address class distribution bias, which is commonly present in traditional test sets. However, as shown in the Experiment and Evaluation subsection, a high level of performance can be achieved for the general case using different few-shot and rare-class training instances. Models trained solely on the re-split dataset show significant improvements in rare-class mAP, particularly for one-stage models. Evaluation on the test dataset from the real world further emphasizes previously overlooked model performance and supports fair structuring of dataset. The methods are validated with extensive experiments using five one-stage and two two-stage models. Our analysis shows that reshaping dataset distributions increases rare-class detection by as much as 8.0 mAP. This study paves the way for balanced training and evaluation leading to the formulation of a general framework for scalable, fair, and generalizable HOI detection. Full article
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22 pages, 2695 KiB  
Article
Comparing Classification Algorithms to Recognize Selected Gestures Based on Microsoft Azure Kinect Joint Data
by Marc Funken and Thomas Hanne
Information 2025, 16(5), 421; https://doi.org/10.3390/info16050421 - 21 May 2025
Viewed by 172
Abstract
This study aims to explore the potential of exergaming (which can be used along with prescriptive medication for children with spinal muscular atrophy) and examine its effects on monitoring and diagnosis. The present study focuses on comparing models trained on joint data for [...] Read more.
This study aims to explore the potential of exergaming (which can be used along with prescriptive medication for children with spinal muscular atrophy) and examine its effects on monitoring and diagnosis. The present study focuses on comparing models trained on joint data for gesture detection, which has not been extensively explored in previous studies. The study investigates three approaches to detect gestures based on 3D Microsoft Azure Kinect joint data. We discuss simple decision rules based on angles and distances to label gestures. In addition, we explore supervised learning methods to increase the accuracy of gesture recognition in gamification. The compared models performed well on the recorded sample data, with the recurrent neural networks outperforming feedforward neural networks and decision trees on the captured motions. The findings suggest that gesture recognition based on joint data can be a valuable tool for monitoring and diagnosing children with spinal muscular atrophy. This study contributes to the growing body of research on the potential of virtual solutions in rehabilitation. The results also highlight the importance of using joint data for gesture recognition and provide insights into the most effective models for this task. The findings of this study can inform the development of more accurate and effective monitoring and diagnostic tools for children with spinal muscular atrophy. Full article
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21 pages, 3195 KiB  
Article
YOLO-LSM: A Lightweight UAV Target Detection Algorithm Based on Shallow and Multiscale Information Learning
by Chenxing Wu, Changlong Cai, Feng Xiao, Jiahao Wang, Yulin Guo and Longhui Ma
Information 2025, 16(5), 393; https://doi.org/10.3390/info16050393 - 9 May 2025
Viewed by 460
Abstract
To address challenges such as large-scale variations, high density of small targets, and the large number of parameters in deep learning-based target detection models, which limit their deployment on UAV platforms with fixed performance and limited computational resources, a lightweight UAV target detection [...] Read more.
To address challenges such as large-scale variations, high density of small targets, and the large number of parameters in deep learning-based target detection models, which limit their deployment on UAV platforms with fixed performance and limited computational resources, a lightweight UAV target detection algorithm, YOLO-LSM, is proposed. First, to mitigate the loss of small target information, an Efficient Small Target Detection Layer (ESTDL) is developed, alongside structural improvements to the baseline model to reduce parameters. Second, a Multiscale Lightweight Convolution (MLConv) is designed, and a lightweight feature extraction module, MLCSP, is constructed to enhance the extraction of detailed information. Focaler inner IoU is incorporated to improve bounding box matching and localization, thereby accelerating model convergence. Finally, a novel feature fusion network, DFSPP, is proposed to enhance accuracy by optimizing the selection and adjustment of target scale ranges. Validations on the VisDrone2019 and Tiny Person datasets demonstrate that compared to the benchmark network, the YOLO-LSM achieves a mAP0.5 improvement of 6.9 and 3.5 percentage points, respectively, with a parameter count of 1.9 M, representing a reduction of approximately 72%. Different from previous work on medical detection, this study tailors YOLO-LSM for UAV-based small object detection by introducing targeted improvements in feature extraction, detection heads, and loss functions, achieving better adaptation to aerial scenarios. Full article
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