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Battlefield preservation is commonly understood as a matter of heritage management, historical education, or cultural tourism. This article argues that its origins and enduring significance lie elsewhere. Modern battlefield preservation emerged as a direct consequence of the transformation of warfare between the late eighteenth and twentieth centuries. Beginning with the French Revolution and the levée en masse, military service became increasingly associated with citizenship, national identity, and mass participation, while industrialization provided the logistical and technological foundations necessary for warfare on an unprecedented scale. As warfare expanded, so too did its human consequences, transforming military death from the experience of a relatively small warrior elite into a shared social reality affecting entire populations. Drawing upon military history, memory studies, sociology, religious studies, and heritage scholarship, this article examines how mass warfare generated new forms of collective bereavement, ritual commemoration, battlefield pilgrimage, and historical preservation. Through case studies ranging from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars to the Crimean War, Gettysburg, the World Wars, and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, it demonstrates how expanding mobilization, industrialized conflict, and rising casualty rates produced enduring landscapes of memory. The article argues that battlefield preservation developed through a cumulative historical process linking mass warfare, mass casualties, collective trauma, commemorative practices, and the creation of commemorative landscapes. Preserved battlefields are not merely remnants of past conflicts; they are cultural institutions through which societies negotiate memory, identity, and meaning. As traditional sources of collective authority weakened in modern societies, battlefields increasingly acquired functions associated with ritual, pilgrimage, and civil religion. The expansion of warfare produced an expansion of remembrance, and the preserved battlefield emerged as one of the most enduring cultural responses to the human consequences of modern conflict. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Studies on Religious Rituals and Practices)

16 pages, 7041 KB

Open AccessArticle

Surface Erosion–Corona Synergistic Degradation Characteristics and Material Adaptability of High-Temperature Vulcanized Silicone Rubber in Desert Regions

by Jianghai Geng, Jingwei Li, Lingling Li, Ping Wang, Zhengbo Tian and Wei Liu

Polymers 2026, 18(17), 2051; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym18172051 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

The harsh sandstorm and the strong electric fields generated by operating transmission lines in desert regions can readily lead to performance degradation and shortened service life of high-temperature vulcanized (HTV) silicone rubber (SR) composite insulators. To screen HTV silicone rubber materials suitable for desert applications, this study conducted aging tests under windblown sand erosion, corona aging, and their combined synergistic effect on three HTV silicone rubber materials. By comparing the evolution of surface morphology and chemical structure under single-factor and combined aging conditions, the acceleration mechanism of erosion on corona aging was analyzed. Further comparison of the performance degradation of the three materials after identical aging durations revealed that the higher the hardness of HTV silicone rubber, the stronger its resistance to erosion, and it retains superior corona aging resistance after erosion. Under combined erosion and corona aging, the high-hardness S3 HTV silicone rubber maintained an intact surface micro-morphology and molecular chain structure, with a smaller reduction in elongation at break, sustained high volume and surface resistivity, and no noticeable deterioration in dielectric properties. A comprehensive evaluation demonstrates that the high-hardness S3 silicone rubber exhibits superior environmental adaptability in desert regions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Polymer Applications)

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30 pages, 2326 KB

Open AccessArticle

Intelligent Environments in Manufacturing Ecosystems: Improving Innovation Performance Through Digital Platforms and Connected Intelligence

by Nicos Komninos

Digital 2026, 6(3), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/digital6030071 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Manufacturing sectors and ecosystems can improve their innovation performance through digital platforms, connected intelligence, and organisational settings that enable collaboration among experts and ecosystem members. The convergence of skills and capabilities distributed across humans, organisations, communities, and AI agents creates intelligent environments that can support ecosystemic and transformative innovation. To examine this hypothesis, we follow a three-stage methodology. First, we develop a modelling framework based on a vector autoregressive model, in which a weighted matrix representing directed binary couplings among human, collective, and machine intelligence drives the transition of a manufacturing ecosystem from a baseline innovation state to a more advanced one. Second, we present the SmartGreenEcos experiment, which develops an intelligent environment adapted to a specific manufacturing ecosystem. The experiment demonstrates the feasibility of the model’s abstract architecture by implementing digital platforms, e-services, and AI agents that facilitate inter-company collaboration, experimentation, and innovation. Third, we use simulations and analyse the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the weighted matrix to examine the internal dynamics of intelligent environments and identify key thresholds and drivers of change. The results of this three-stage methodology provide insights into the design of intelligent environments and the interaction parameters through which connected intelligence can improve innovation performance. Full article

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28 pages, 16533 KB

Open AccessArticle

Synergistic Damage Behavior of 5052 Aluminum Alloy Under CW–Nanosecond Combined Pulse Laser Irradiation

by Yuehao Cai, Donghan Li, Yuyang Chen, Junyang Xu, Xianshi Jia, Lu Zhang, Kai Li, Zhou Li and Cong Wang

Materials 2026, 19(17), 3589; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma19173589 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

5052 aluminum alloy has been widely used in aerospace, shipbuilding, automotive, and electronic industries due to its low density, high specific strength, and excellent corrosion resistance. Understanding its laser-induced damage behavior under combined continuous-wave (CW) and nanosecond (ns) pulse laser irradiation is essential for optimizing combined laser processing. In this study, the damage behaviors induced by individual CW laser, individual ns pulse laser, and combined pulse laser were systematically investigated using high-speed imaging, infrared thermography, and three-dimensional surface characterization. The results show that the combined pulse laser significantly enhances both damage depth and material removal efficiency compared with single laser irradiation. Although the peak surface temperature remains nearly unchanged under different processing conditions, the crater morphology and penetration depth vary substantially. High-speed imaging reveals that plasma evolution and molten metal ejection dominate the material removal process. Variations in processing parameters significantly modify molten pool dynamics and plasma behavior. In particular, enhanced plasma shielding or excessive energy dissipation reduces the effective laser energy coupling, leading to decreased material removal efficiency. The synergistic interaction among molten pool evolution, plasma expansion, and molten metal ejection governs the final damage morphology. This study provides new insights into the dynamic interaction mechanisms between combined pulse laser and aluminum alloys, offering guidance for parameter optimization in high-precision laser micromachining. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Alloy Strengthening Mechanisms, Microstructure Control and Performance Optimization (Third Edition))

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21 pages, 2916 KB

Open AccessArticle

Performance Evaluation of an Erlang Loss System with Server Failures

by Konstantinos Lolis, Marinos Vlasakis, Ioannis Moscholios, Irene Keramidi, Dimitris Uzunidis and Michael Logothetis

Electronics 2026, 15(17), 3788; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics15173788 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Loss models of fixed capacity constitute a fundamental tool in teletraffic theory, with the classical Erlang loss model being widely used for dimensioning purposes. In practical communication systems, however, server failures and repairs introduce time-varying capacity, significantly affecting call blocking probabilities (CBPs). This paper studies an Erlang loss system where busy servers may fail. Failed servers are repaired by either a shared or a non-shared repair facility, while in-service calls are lost upon server failure. Three approaches for determining CBP in the shared and non-shared repair cases are examined. The first provides exact results by solving a 2D Markov chain but becomes computationally demanding for large systems. The second, known as the performability method, offers a simple approximation but allows failures of idle servers. The third approximate approach employs state aggregation while restricting failures to busy servers. These approximate solutions offer computational efficiency, but they cannot ensure consistently accurate performance. To circumvent this limitation, we propose a novel method for the exact and efficient determination of CBPs. Analytical comparisons show that: (1) the third approach consistently outperforms the performability method and (2) the proposed method outperforms the approximate methods in both the shared and the non-shared repair cases. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Circuits and Systems for Electronics and Telecommunications)

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11 pages, 2833 KB

Open AccessArticle

Exploratory Medico-Legal Assessment of Health Trajectories in a Cohort of Italian Inmates: A Retrospective Study

by Massimiliano Esposito, Federica Ministeri, Mario Giuseppe Chisari, Lucio Di Mauro, Serena Matera, Valentina Schilirò, Ermanno Vitale, Francesco Sessa, Giuseppe Ragazzi, Carmelo Ferrara and Cristoforo Pomara

Forensic Sci. 2026, 6(3), 71; https://doi.org/10.3390/forensicsci6030071 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Background: Health assessment in custodial settings represents a core medico-legal function, particularly when clinical changes may influence detention compatibility and judicial decisions. Objective documentation of disease progression during incarceration is essential to ensure respect for the principle of healthcare equivalence and the protection of fundamental rights. Methods: A retrospective descriptive medico-legal analysis was conducted on 37 male inmates referred for forensic evaluation. Standardized assessments included anamnesis, physical and psychiatric examination, evaluation of medical records, and comparative evaluation of pre-detention and detention-period health status. Results: Pre-existing conditions accounted for 73% of pathologies, while 27% developed during imprisonment. Clinical deterioration occurred in 35.1% of inmates (13 cases). Psychiatric disorders were frequent (27%, 10 inmates), predominantly depressive. Conclusions: The findings indicate that imprisonment may constitute a setting that contributes to the progression of medical and psychiatric conditions, highlighting structural and organizational challenges within penitentiary healthcare. Strengthening standardized medico-legal assessment protocols, improving multidisciplinary collaboration, and ensuring continuity of care between prison and community health services are crucial steps toward protecting inmates’ health. This study provides an exploratory assessment of health conditions in a cohort of inmates within the Italian correctional system, emphasizing the central role of healthcare in custodial settings. Since many Italian correctional facilities are equipped with well-developed healthcare services and appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic resources, numerous acute and chronic medical conditions can be effectively managed within the prison setting, ensuring continuity of care while limiting the need for transfer to external healthcare facilities. Full article

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35 pages, 830 KB

Open AccessArticle

How Current Organisational AI Use, Intention to Use or Expand the Use of AI, and Perceived Usefulness of AI for Tourism Service Development Relate to Creativity at Workplace, Organisational Innovation, and Organisational Growth Intention in the Baltic Sea Region

by Gita Šakytė-Statnickė, Anna Katarzyna Mazurek-Kusiak and Laurencija Budrytė-Ausiejienė

Sustainability 2026, 18(17), 8651; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178651 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is increasingly adopted by tourism organisations, yet its relationships with creativity, innovation, and organisational growth intention remain insufficiently understood across national contexts. This study examined relationships among current organisational AI use, intention to use or expand the use of AI, perceived usefulness of AI for tourism service development, creativity at workplace, organisational innovation, and organisational growth intention in Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden. Survey responses, provided by 436 representatives of tourism organisations, were analysed using structural equation modelling, bias-corrected bootstrapping, and exploratory multi-group comparisons. Current organisational AI use was positively associated with creativity at workplace in the pooled model, but the association was modest and was not robust in country-specific bootstrap analyses. Perceived usefulness of AI for tourism service development showed a more robust positive association with organisational innovation, while creativity at workplace was strongly associated with organisational innovation and organisational innovation was positively associated with organisational growth intention. Intention to use or expand the use of AI was positively associated with organisational growth intention in the hypothesised structural model, but this relationship was specification-dependent and did not remain statistically significant after controlling for main activity group and number of employees. Significant indirect associations were also identified, and country-specific analyses indicated heterogeneity in selected relationships. The findings support distinguishing the three AI-related dimensions and suggest that creativity-supportive and innovation-management practices remain important alongside AI-related practices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Smart and Responsible Tourism: Innovations for a Sustainable Future)

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26 pages, 1101 KB

Open AccessArticle

Embedded ONNX Versus Python Sidecar Inference for Anomaly-Aware Availability Response in Spring Boot Microservices: An Architectural Evaluation

by Tymofii Bondaruk, Oleksandr Tsypliak, Vadym Shkarupylo and Volodymyr Artemchuk

J. Cybersecur. Priv. 2026, 6(5), 141; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcp6050141 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Availability-oriented monitoring may require low-latency anomaly inference, but deploying a lightweight model as a separate service adds process, serialization, and network-path overhead. This article evaluates the inference-path architecture used by a prototype availability-response loop; it does not evaluate the effectiveness of a new DoS/EDoS detector or claim production attack mitigation. The same IsolationForest model and telemetry vectors were executed through an external Python/FastAPI sidecar and through ONNX Runtime embedded in a Spring Boot JVM. The prototype also included a LSTM Autoencoder and a bounded rule layer producing SCALE_UP, RETRY, FALLBACK, or NONE. The main Kubernetes benchmark used Docker Desktop 4.73.1 (Docker Engine 29.4.3) with Kubernetes v1.34.3 on a single-node cluster. Embedded ONNX reduced request-response latency from 26.090 ms to 4.839 ms on average, from 62.065 ms to 5.367 ms at P95, and from 76.487 ms to 6.244 ms at P99; calculated sequential throughput increased from 38.3 to 206.7 requests/s. Additional checks covered concurrent load, gRPC transport, cold start, memory footprint, and limited Kubernetes actions. In an extended comparison using 15 runs of 950 s for each active configuration, CPU-based HPA, rules-only, and AI+rules produced overlapping aggregate SLA-violation rates; no aggregate benefit of the ML gate over rules alone was observed under the tested degradation proxies. The evidence supports a narrow architectural conclusion: in-process ONNX is a lower-latency and lower-footprint execution path for the tested lightweight model. Detection quality, superiority over rule-only or established autoscaling mechanisms, and effectiveness against real adversarial traffic remain open validation tasks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Security Engineering & Applications)

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20 pages, 3000 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating Clinical Pharmacy Services in Ministry of Health Hospitals in Al-Baha Region of Saudi Arabia, a Three-Year Retrospective Analysis

by Saleh Alghamdi

Healthcare 2026, 14(17), 2689; https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14172689 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Background: Clinical pharmacists play a crucial role in identifying and resolving drug-related problems (DRPs) in hospitals. However, there is limited empirical evidence concerning their effect on service organizations in smaller regional facilities in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A retrospective serial cross-sectional study was conducted using three years of administrative data (2023–2025) from two public hospitals in the Al-Baha region. A total of 1812 different database records were identified after full-scale data cleaning, validation, and deduplication. The statistical framework included chi-square test of independence, pairwise two-proportions Z-test, three multivariate binary logistic regression models, Cramer’s V association analysis, and Ward’s hierarchical cluster modeling. Results: Active intervention rates significantly increased from 48.9% in 2023 to 72.4% in 2024 (z = −8.58, p < 0.001), stabilizing at 69.6% throughout 2025 (p < 0.001 versus the 2023 baseline), because 2023 data came from a different source system than 2024 to 2025 data, this pattern is reported descriptively rather as a programmatic integration. The most frequent clinical actions addressed therapy optimization (28.4%), inappropriate dosage regimens (23.6%), and missing drug orders (18.8%). Most entries recorded were for adult intensive care units (ICUs) (74.1%), and most involved patients aged 65 years or older (61.1% of records). ICU setting was independently associated with the intervention being classified as therapy optimization (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.64, p < 0.001), but it was an inverse predictor of dosage-error tracking (OR 0.30, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This is among the first serial cross-sectional studies to build an evidence-based framework describing clinical pharmacy practices in the Al-Baha region, showing pharmacists’ roles and prioritizing advanced clinical training programs, reinforcing the need for critical analysis of health cluster policies across peripheral Saudi networks. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Clinical Care)

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18 pages, 2058 KB

Open AccessArticle

Cynarin Alleviates Sodium Iodate-Induced Retinal Pigment Epithelium Injury by Regulating Oxidative Stress and Inflammation

by Yue-Lin Fang, Yu-Jou Hsu, Chao-Hsien Sung, Chia-Chi Kung, Shiuan-Ruei Shiu, Chih-Yu Hung, Mei-Jung Chen, Der-Chen Chang, I-Chia Liang and Chi-Feng Hung

Biomolecules 2026, 16(9), 1227; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16091227 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss and is strongly driven by oxidative stress and inflammation. This study investigated the protective effects of cynarin against sodium iodate (NaIO₃)-induced retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) injury, focusing on the MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways. Materials and Methods: Human ARPE-19 cells were exposed to NaIO₃, and cell viability was assessed by the MTT assay. Protein expression of MAPK components (p38, JNK, ERK) and the NF-κB pathway was analyzed by Western blotting, and pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α) mRNA expression was measured by RT-qPCR. In vivo, NaIO₃-induced retinal degeneration in C57BL/6 mice was treated with cynarin (3 or 10 mg/kg) for seven days, and retinal changes were evaluated by fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, and OCT. Results: Cynarin preserved ARPE-19 cell viability without cytotoxicity. It significantly attenuated NaIO₃-induced p38 and JNK phosphorylation, IκB degradation, and NF-κB activation while downregulating IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α expression. In vivo, cynarin reduced drusen-like lesions, hyperfluorescent abnormalities, and retinal thinning, and dose-dependently suppressed ocular pro-inflammatory cytokines. Conclusions: Cynarin protects against oxidative stress-induced retinal degeneration by suppressing MAPK and NF-κB inflammatory signaling, representing a promising therapeutic candidate for preventing or delaying NaIO₃-induced dry AMD-like retinal injury. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Insights into Retinal Biology: Focus on Inflammation, Metabolism, and Retinal Dysfunction)

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22 pages, 497 KB

Open AccessArticle

Employee Voice in Digital Service Platform Environments: The Roles of Perceived Digital System Support and Psychological Empowerment

by YoonSeo Kim and HyoungChul Shin

Behav. Sci. 2026, 16(9), 1466; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16091466 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Digital transformation has reshaped work processes across the tourism industry, increasing the need to understand how employees perceive organizational digital systems and how these perceptions are associated with workplace behaviors. This study examined the relationships among perceived digital system support (PDSS), psychological empowerment, and voice behavior among tourism employees from an organizational behavior perspective grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model. Data were collected through an online survey of employees working in travel agencies, airlines, hotels, and foodservice organizations in South Korea, and 314 valid responses were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicated that PDSS was positively associated with psychological empowerment, and psychological empowerment was positively associated with voice behavior. By contrast, the direct relationship between PDSS and voice behavior was not statistically significant, whereas the indirect association via psychological empowerment was significant, indicating a pattern consistent with full mediation. These findings suggest that employees’ positive perceptions of organizational digital systems show an indirect association with constructive voice behavior via psychological empowerment, particularly competence, self-determination, and impact. The study extends the application of the Technology Acceptance Model from technology acceptance to employee organizational behavior in digital work environments and highlights the importance of fostering psychologically empowering workplaces during digital transformation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Shaping Workplace Behavior: Leadership, Communication and Office Politics)

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18 pages, 286 KB

Open AccessArticle

Linking Ecosystem-Service Perceptions and Wool Valorisation in Alpine Sheep Farming Systems

by Chiara Costamagna, Valentina Maria Merlino, Alessandro Petrontino, Alessandra Degli Esposti, Paolo Cornale, Danielle Borra and Luca Maria Battaglini

Animals 2026, 16(17), 2649; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16172649 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Wool is often regarded as a low-value by-product of Alpine sheep farming, despite its potential to convey the ecosystem services (ESs) generated by these systems. This study examines how awareness and perception of these services are associated with consumer attitudes towards locally produced wool in the Lanzo Valleys in Northwestern Italy. A convenience sample of 400 adults familiar with the study area completed an online questionnaire. Principal Component Analysis identified two orientations towards wool products—Sustainability Orientation and Product-Value Orientation—which together explained 69.33% of the variance. A TwoStep Cluster Analysis based on the component scores identified four profiles within the study sample: Sustainability-sensitive (22%), Disinterested (14.25%), Eco-aesthetic (36%), and Aesthetically aware (27.75%). Sustainability-oriented respondents attributed greater importance to ES related to biodiversity, native-breed conservation and animal welfare, whereas aesthetic and experiential attributes represented an additional, distinct dimension of product evaluation. Residence status was not significantly associated with cluster membership. Given the non-probabilistic sampling design, these profiles should be interpreted as exploratory attitudinal patterns. The findings may inform differentiated communication and wool-valorisation strategies linking environmental, cultural, aesthetic and functional values. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Animal System and Management)

35 pages, 664 KB

Open AccessArticle

AI-Supported Inquiry-Based Learning in Photosynthesis and Respiration: Implications for Sustainable Science Teacher Education

by Ganime Aydın

Sustainability 2026, 18(17), 8643; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178643 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to support sustainable science teacher education by promoting inquiry, responsible technology use, and digital competence. This study examined the effects of an AI-supported guided inquiry intervention on pre-service science teachers’ artificial intelligence literacy (AIL), self-perceived computational thinking skills (SPCTS), and conceptual understanding of photosynthesis and cellular respiration. A quantitatively driven quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design with an embedded qualitative component was employed with 48 s-year pre-service science teachers in Türkiye. The experimental group participated in an eight-week AI-supported guided inquiry program integrating problem and design-based learning, whereas the control group received conventional instruction. Mixed-design ANOVA revealed significant group-by-time interactions for conceptual understanding of photosynthesis (F (1, 41) = 22.79, p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.357) and cellular respiration (F (1, 44) = 25.70, p < 0.001, ηp² = 0.369), whereas no significant effects were found for AIL or SPCTS (p > 0.05). Qualitative findings showed that participants reported perceived benefits and engagement in conceptual learning, inquiry, collaboration, critical evaluation of AI-generated outputs, and digital content creation. The findings suggest that AI-supported guided inquiry can strengthen disciplinary conceptual learning while fostering competencies associated with sustainable science teacher education, although longer interventions may be required to produce measurable gains in AIL and SPCTS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Artificial Intelligence and Sustainable Development)

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23 pages, 6899 KB

Open AccessArticle

Diagnosis-Driven Low-Impact Remediation of a Reconstructed Underground Shooting Range Tunnel Affected by Groundwater Ingress: A Case Study

by Julia Blazy, Łukasz Drobiec and Sławomir Kwiecień

Sustainability 2026, 18(17), 8645; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18178645 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Groundwater ingress threatens the serviceability and durability of underground structures, particularly when hydrogeotechnical conditions and waterproofing details are considered separately. This study presents a diagnosis-driven assessment of a reconstructed underground shooting range tunnel where leakage persisted despite reconstruction and previous repairs. The objectives were to identify the cause-and-effect mechanism of water ingress and select a targeted, low-impact remediation strategy. The investigation combined archival analysis, three site inspections, ultrasonic testing at 24 locations, eight tomographic scans, targeted destructive verification, and three geotechnical boreholes extending to 7.5 m. Ultrasonic measurements indicated good concrete homogeneity, with a mean estimated compressive strength of 36.9 MPa and a coefficient of variation of 5.86%. Tomography indicated a 25 cm bottom slab and a 20 cm lean concrete layer, compared with the designed 30 cm and 10 cm, respectively. The original geotechnical investigation was too shallow, and the ground conditions should have been classified as difficult, corresponding to geotechnical category II. Finally, leakage was linked to groundwater underestimation, water accumulation in the backfilled excavation, absence of drainage, waterproofing discontinuities, and ineffective previous injections. Targeted reinjection and joint sealing were selected, demonstrating how integrated diagnostics can support proportionate remediation while limiting excavation, demolition, material use, and operational disruption. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Low-Impact Materials and Construction Strategies for Sustainable and Resilient Buildings)

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20 pages, 5533 KB

Open AccessArticle

Multi-Feature Fusion and Seasonal Selection for Forest Type Mapping in a Subtropical–Temperate Monsoon Climate Ecotone Using Sentinel-1/2: A Case Study

by Ju Wang, Xiaoming Che, Xianwu Yang, Manxing Shi and Mengyang Xu

Forests 2026, 17(9), 1007; https://doi.org/10.3390/f17091007 (registering DOI) - 24 Aug 2026

Abstract

Fine-scale mapping of forest types is a prerequisite for accurately assessing forest biomass, biodiversity, ecosystem service values, and carbon budgets. Shihe County, located within an ecotone transitioning from subtropical to temperate monsoon climates in China, was selected as the case study area. By integrating Sentinel-1 SAR and Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery, along with derived vegetation indices, texture features, and backscattering coefficients, as well as statistical features extracted from the 2022 NDVI time-series, we employed a hierarchical classification framework and a random forest algorithm to generate the forest type map. The results indicated the following: (1) With a single-date multi-feature dataset, late winter (3 March) was determined to be the optimal period for forest type classification in Shihe County. (2) Shortwave infrared bands, red-edge bands, the modified vegetation index, the normalized difference red-edge index, mean texture features, and VH-polarization data were the most influential variables. (3) Incorporating yearly NDVI time-series statistical features into the single-date winter subset significantly improved classification performance, yielding an overall accuracy of 86.39% and a Kappa of 0.781, which represents a 10.83% improvement over the baseline. Persistent misclassification between bamboo forests and tea plantations remained a primary constraint on further accuracy enhancement, while the classification accuracy for evergreen broadleaf forest and deciduous coniferous forest exhibited considerable uncertainty, likely attributable to limited reference sample sizes. (4) Deciduous broadleaf forests constituted the dominant land cover type in Shihe County, whereas evergreen coniferous forests, bamboo, and tea plantations were also widely distributed, collectively reflecting the region’s transitional ecological characteristics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Remote Sensing for Forest Resource Monitoring and Management)

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