Sign in to use this feature.

Years

Between: -

Subjects

remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline

Journals

remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline

Article Types

Countries / Regions

remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline
remove_circle_outline

Search Results (1,726)

Search Parameters:
Keywords = spectral index models

Order results
Result details
Results per page
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
23 pages, 6626 KB  
Article
Reconstruction-Assisted Band Selection for Non-Destructive Prediction of Citrus Soluble Solids Content from VNIR Hyperspectral Images
by Junjie Zhao, Siya Liu, Fengyong Yang, Long Cheng, Fang Hu, Sixing Xu and Lei Shan
Foods 2026, 15(10), 1774; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods15101774 - 18 May 2026
Abstract
The increasing demand for better fruit flavor and eating quality has driven the need for rapid and non-destructive assessment of internal attributes to support fruit grading and precision supply. Visible–near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (VNIR-HSI) provides rich spectral–spatial information for evaluating sweetness in citrus fruit, [...] Read more.
The increasing demand for better fruit flavor and eating quality has driven the need for rapid and non-destructive assessment of internal attributes to support fruit grading and precision supply. Visible–near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (VNIR-HSI) provides rich spectral–spatial information for evaluating sweetness in citrus fruit, but its practical use is constrained by high spectral dimensionality, redundancy, and system cost. Here, we propose a reconstruction-assisted, attention-guided band-selection framework for non-destructive prediction of soluble solids content (SSC) in Shimen honey mandarins. The framework integrates spectral–spatial attention, probability-based differentiable band selection, and full-band reconstruction into a unified end-to-end architecture, enabling compact and informative band learning. Using 952 samples, the model selected 56 informative bands from the original 176-band hyperspectral data and achieved competitive SSC prediction on the test set (RMSE = 0.63 °Brix, R2 = 0.80) while maintaining high-fidelity reconstruction of the full-band hyperspectral cube from the compact input (peak signal-to-noise ratio, PSNR = 36.47 dB; structural similarity index, SSIM = 0.89). These findings support the proposed framework as a methodological proof of concept for non-destructive citrus quality evaluation, indicating that substantial spectral compression can be achieved under the current VNIR setting while largely preserving predictive performance. The selected bands may provide candidate spectral regions for future compact citrus-quality sensing systems. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

25 pages, 16895 KB  
Article
Spectrally Derived Soil Salinization Information Extraction and Analysis of Driving Factors: A Case Study of Zhanhua District, Yellow River Delta
by Tianyi Wang, Jian Chen, Sheng Ma, Weixu Yang, Na Zhang, Qiang Li and Qiang Wu
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(10), 1612; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18101612 - 17 May 2026
Abstract
Understanding the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of soil salinization in the Yellow River Delta is a key research focus in the comprehensive utilization of saline–alkali land. Taking Zhanhua District as the study area, this study extracted soil salinization information using four remote [...] Read more.
Understanding the spatiotemporal evolution and driving mechanisms of soil salinization in the Yellow River Delta is a key research focus in the comprehensive utilization of saline–alkali land. Taking Zhanhua District as the study area, this study extracted soil salinization information using four remote sensing salinity index models (SDI1, SDI2, SDI3, SDI4). Model accuracy was evaluated, and the optimal model (SDI1, with an overall accuracy of 86.21%) was selected to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil salinization from 1993 to 2023. The XGBoost-SHAP framework was then applied to identify and interpret the driving factors of salinization. Furthermore, future soil salinization trends under climate change were projected based on four scenarios from the Sixth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6), including SSP1-2.6 (low forcing), SSP2-4.5 (medium forcing), SSP3-7.0 (medium-to-high-forcing), and SSP5-8.5 (high forcing). The results show the following: (1) Spatially, soil salinization in Zhanhua District exhibits a pattern of being “lighter in the south and heavier in the north.” Over the past 30 years, salinization has undergone a phased evolution characterized by a transition from “severe in the north and mild in the south” to “overall expansion” and finally to “improvement in the north and optimization in the south,” while the proportional structure of salinization severity levels has remained relatively stable. (2) Among the driving factors, evaporation is the dominant contributor (SHAP value = 0.3357), followed by precipitation (0.1732) and population density (0.1518). Soil moisture, land use, and temperature exert moderate influences, while nighttime light intensity, slope, and elevation contribute relatively less. Overall, soil salinization is jointly controlled by climatic factors and human–nature interactions. (3) Among the future climate scenarios, the SSP1-2.6 low-emission scenario exhibits the most pronounced mitigation trend, with a further reduction in salinization intensity projected by 2100. This study provides a scientific basis and data support for formulating soil salinization control and saline–alkali land management strategies in Zhanhua District and the Yellow River Delta. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 2671 KB  
Article
Fourier-Transform-Based Metrology for Whispering Gallery Mode Spectra in Soft Photonic Microcavities
by Sadok Kouz and Abdel I. El Abed
Metrology 2026, 6(2), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/metrology6020034 - 17 May 2026
Abstract
We present a Fourier-transform (FT)-based framework for quantitative analysis of whispering gallery mode (WGM) spectra in soft photonic microcavities. By treating the WGM spectrum as a quasi-periodic signal, the method enables robust extraction of the optical path length [...] Read more.
We present a Fourier-transform (FT)-based framework for quantitative analysis of whispering gallery mode (WGM) spectra in soft photonic microcavities. By treating the WGM spectrum as a quasi-periodic signal, the method enables robust extraction of the optical path length Lopt=λc2/Δλ directly in the frequency domain, avoiding explicit peak identification and reducing sensitivity to background and spectral overlap. This quantity is used as a primary measurand within a unified metrological formulation: when the cavity radius R is known, it yields the effective refractive index neff=Lopt/(2πR); when the refractive index n is known, it provides an inferred geometric path length lgeo=Lopt/n. Following the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement (GUM), we establish the measurement models and evaluate the uncertainty budget, identifying the FSR determination as the dominant contribution (relative uncertainty 7.7%), with secondary contributions from radius measurement (1.5%) and negligible influence from wavelength calibration. The framework is applied to two representative soft photonic systems as complementary test and consistency cases. For Rhodamine B-doped mesoporous silica microcapsules (R=44μm), we obtain neff=1.164±0.09, corresponding to a porosity of 63.3% via Bruggeman effective medium theory, in close agreement with independent BET measurements (62.8%). For surfactant-stabilized Rhodamine 640-doped benzyl alcohol microdroplets, the method identifies dominant Fourier-domain periodicities and yields inferred geometric path lengths consistent with near-equatorial mode propagation. An additional N=14 droplet analysis gives an FT-inferred radius of 60.78±1.91μm, in close agreement with the microscopy-estimated radius of approximately 60μm. By combining Fourier-domain analysis with explicit measurement modeling and uncertainty quantification, this work establishes FT-WGM spectroscopy as a reproducible and generalizable tool for single-particle metrology in complex soft-matter microcavities. Full article
16 pages, 2035 KB  
Article
White Matter Infarct Detection with Transformer and Auto-ML-Derived Models
by Vitaly Dobromyslin and Wenjin Zhou
Brain Sci. 2026, 16(5), 529; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci16050529 (registering DOI) - 15 May 2026
Viewed by 137
Abstract
Background: The past decade has seen a reversal in the U.S long-term decline in age-adjusted mortality rate from stroke. Timely stroke detection can boost the patient’s chances for recovery by enabling life-saving treatment and informing the patient of their increased risk of successive [...] Read more.
Background: The past decade has seen a reversal in the U.S long-term decline in age-adjusted mortality rate from stroke. Timely stroke detection can boost the patient’s chances for recovery by enabling life-saving treatment and informing the patient of their increased risk of successive infarcts. Since no single imaging modality can currently provide accurate and safe stroke detection at both acute and chronic stages, there is a need to develop novel imaging biomarkers with both diagnostic and prognostic value. Methods: We trained a U-shaped, nested hierarchical transformer model (UNesT) for T1-w white matter infarct segmentation using the ATLAS R2 dataset. Model reproducibility was independently evaluated on the Washington University (WU) stroke dataset. To boost T1-w UNesT stroke detection performance, automated machine learning techniques were used to extract 77 novel resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) stroke biomarkers. Results: Stroke detection performance of the T1-w UNesT model degraded from Dice indices of 0.611 to 0.24 and 0.41 for the subacute and chronic timepoints respectively in the WU dataset. After UNesT re-optimization with the training portion of the WU dataset, the test set Dice index improved to 0.41–0.50. The spectral peak amplitude at the subacute timepoint increased the T1-w UNesT Dice index from 0.41 to 0.50 (p < 0.01) and correlated with language recovery. Conclusions: By training a UNesT model on the T1-w stroke data from one dataset and evaluating it on an independent dataset, we highlight the dataset drift concerns. Spectral peak amplitude is proposed as a novel rs-fMRI biomarker for improving stroke detection and predicting stroke recovery trajectory. Full article
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

17 pages, 11678 KB  
Article
Remote Sensing Estimation of Plant Diversity in Sandy Ecosystem Based on Sentinel-2 Data
by Kairu Xiang, Zhiqiang Liu, Xinyan Chen and Yu Peng
Diversity 2026, 18(5), 295; https://doi.org/10.3390/d18050295 - 15 May 2026
Viewed by 173
Abstract
Plant diversity is a key indicator of ecosystem structure, function, and restoration status, yet its rapid assessment remains challenging in sandy ecosystems where vegetation is sparse, spatially heterogeneous, and strongly affected by exposed soil backgrounds. In such environments, conventional greenness-based spectral indices may [...] Read more.
Plant diversity is a key indicator of ecosystem structure, function, and restoration status, yet its rapid assessment remains challenging in sandy ecosystems where vegetation is sparse, spatially heterogeneous, and strongly affected by exposed soil backgrounds. In such environments, conventional greenness-based spectral indices may not adequately capture species-level variation because plant communities are controlled not only by photosynthetic biomass but also by soil moisture, micro-topography, and dune-related habitat heterogeneity. This study evaluated the potential of Sentinel-2-derived spectral indices for estimating plant α-diversity in the Hunshandak Sandland, northern China. Based on field observations from 888 plots collected during 2017–2024, four α-diversity metrics—species richness, Shannon–Wiener index, Simpson index, and Pielou evenness index—were calculated and compared with 21 spectral indices using correlation analysis, partial least squares regression (PLSR), and random forest (RF) models. The results showed that model performance varied substantially among diversity metrics. Species richness was estimated with the highest accuracy, whereas Shannon–Wiener, Simpson, and Pielou indices showed weaker predictability, indicating that remotely sensed spectral indices were more sensitive to species number than to abundance distribution and evenness. Moisture- and soil-background-sensitive indices, including the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), Bare Soil Index (BSI/BRI), and Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index (CARI), showed relatively stable relationships with plant diversity across different vegetation gradients. Although the overall explanatory power was moderate rather than high, the results demonstrate the practical value of Sentinel-2 spectral indices for regional screening of plant diversity patterns in sandy ecosystems. This study provides empirical evidence for biodiversity monitoring and ecological restoration assessment in semi-arid sandy landscapes and highlights the need to integrate environmental covariates, multi-source remote sensing, and phenological information in future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biodiversity Conservation Planning and Assessment—2nd Edition)
Show Figures

Figure 1

27 pages, 4449 KB  
Article
Rice Yield Estimation Based on Machine Learning Applied to UAV Remote Sensing Data
by Ritik Pokharel, Thanos Gentimis, Manoch Kongchum, Brenda Tubana, Rejina Adhikari and Tri Setiyono
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(10), 1575; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18101575 - 14 May 2026
Viewed by 130
Abstract
Accurate in-season rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield prediction is crucial for improved nitrogen management and climate-smart decision making, yet rigorous comparative benchmarking of machine learning (ML) models using multi-temporal UAV spectral data with independent temporal validation remains limited. This study systematically evaluated [...] Read more.
Accurate in-season rice (Oryza sativa L.) yield prediction is crucial for improved nitrogen management and climate-smart decision making, yet rigorous comparative benchmarking of machine learning (ML) models using multi-temporal UAV spectral data with independent temporal validation remains limited. This study systematically evaluated four ML algorithms (Random Forest, XGBoost, Neural Network, and Linear Regression) and two Bayesian model averaging ensembles for rice yield prediction using UAV multispectral imagery. Field experiments spanning three growing seasons (2023–2025) at Louisiana State University comprised 9–10 varieties and six nitrogen rates (0–235 kg N ha−1; 576 plots). Vegetation indices and spectral bands from three growth stages were extracted as predictors. Models were compared using 300 random train–test iterations with systematic hyperparameter optimization, followed by independent validation on 2025 data. Among the individual models, XGBoost achieved the highest internal accuracy (R2 = 0.87, RMSE = 0.85 t ha−1), substantially outperforming Linear Regression (R2 = 0.66, RMSE = 1.32 t ha−1), while reduced BMA reached R2 = 0.89. XGBoost demonstrated robust temporal generalization (R2 = 0.62, NRMSE = 8.47%) despite environmental variation. The Enhanced Vegetation Index and Normalized Difference Red Edge at 90 days after planting (reproductive stage) were the most stable predictors across 300 iterations. Tree-based ML models substantially outperform traditional linear approaches, providing reliable pre-harvest yield forecasting for operational precision rice production. Full article
20 pages, 16517 KB  
Article
UAV Hyperspectral Retrieval of Optically Inactive Water Quality Parameters (Total Hardness and CODMn) Using a GA-Optimized Attention-Enhanced Neural Network
by Guofang Yang, Yingjun Zhao, Yanjie Yang and Xiaoping Niu
Water 2026, 18(10), 1186; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18101186 - 14 May 2026
Viewed by 208
Abstract
Retrieving non-optically active water quality variables, such as total hardness (TH) and permanganate index (CODMn), from hyperspectral data remains challenging because these parameters are not directly linked to spectral reflectance. To improve their estimation from UAV hyperspectral imagery, a GA-MHSA-BPNN framework was developed [...] Read more.
Retrieving non-optically active water quality variables, such as total hardness (TH) and permanganate index (CODMn), from hyperspectral data remains challenging because these parameters are not directly linked to spectral reflectance. To improve their estimation from UAV hyperspectral imagery, a GA-MHSA-BPNN framework was developed by combining a genetic algorithm (GA), multi-head self-attention (MHSA), and a backpropagation neural network (BPNN). In this framework, MHSA was introduced to strengthen the representation of informative spectral features, while GA was applied to optimize the initial network parameters and thus enhance convergence stability. The proposed framework was evaluated against BPNN, GA-BPNN, MHSA-BPNN, and 1D-CNN models. Among the tested approaches, GA-MHSA-BPNN produced the most favorable results for both TH and CODMn, with R2 values of 0.878 and 0.843, respectively. Additional experiments using different proportions of training samples showed that the model remained relatively stable when the training data were reduced to 70% and 50% of the original dataset. These results indicate that integrating GA and MHSA into a UAV hyperspectral retrieval framework can improve the estimation of non-optically active water quality variables and provide useful methodological support for efficient and refined monitoring of drinking water source areas. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 10915 KB  
Article
A Comparative Analysis of Maize and Winter Wheat LAI Retrieval Using Spectral and Texture Features from Sentinel-2A Image
by Yangyang Zhang, Xu Han and Jian Yang
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(10), 1561; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18101561 - 13 May 2026
Viewed by 210
Abstract
The leaf area index (LAI) is a key parameter reflecting vegetation canopy structure and growth status. This study systematically compares the performance of spectral and texture features derived from Sentinel-2A imagery for LAI retrieval in winter wheat and maize. Multiple vegetation indices and [...] Read more.
The leaf area index (LAI) is a key parameter reflecting vegetation canopy structure and growth status. This study systematically compares the performance of spectral and texture features derived from Sentinel-2A imagery for LAI retrieval in winter wheat and maize. Multiple vegetation indices and gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) texture features were extracted, and three types of texture indices—Normalized Difference Texture Index (NDTI), Ratio Texture Index (RTI), and Difference Texture Index (DTI)—were constructed. Modeling was performed using Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR) and Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). Results show that red-edge vegetation indices and mean texture features (e.g., NDVI_M) are robust predictors for both crops, with correlation coefficients reaching 0.87 for winter wheat and 0.83 for maize. Texture indices further enhance the representation of canopy structural information; the optimal NDTI achieved |R| > 0.88 for both crops, though the specific feature pairs were crop-specific. Using the proposed two-stage feature optimization strategy combined with GPR, the LAI estimation accuracy for winter wheat reached R2 = 0.87 with RMSE = 0.41 on an independent test set, while for maize the accuracy was R2 = 0.75 with RMSE = 0.38. The strategy significantly improved accuracy for winter wheat (uniform canopy) but yielded limited gains for maize (heterogeneous canopy), largely due to differences in canopy architecture. This study demonstrates that integrating multi-dimensional features with nonlinear modeling enhances LAI estimation accuracy. By providing a side-by-side comparative evaluation across two contrasting crop canopies, this study underscores the necessity of crop-adaptive feature selection and modeling strategies. The findings offer practical guidance rather than a universal model for large-scale crop monitoring in agricultural remote sensing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Remote Sensing Observation Methods for Leaf Area Index (LAI))
Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 4759 KB  
Article
Regularity of Cross-Fault Ground Motion Input Characteristics on the Response of Transmission Tower-Line Systems
by Yu Wang, Xiaojun Li and Mianshui Rong
Buildings 2026, 16(10), 1933; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings16101933 - 13 May 2026
Viewed by 155
Abstract
Transmission tower-line systems spanning active faults are simultaneously subjected to the “dual characteristic seismic actions” of permanent ground displacement (PGD) and spatially varying near-fault ground motions, rendering their failure mechanisms far more complex than those under conventional site-specific seismic actions. This paper investigates [...] Read more.
Transmission tower-line systems spanning active faults are simultaneously subjected to the “dual characteristic seismic actions” of permanent ground displacement (PGD) and spatially varying near-fault ground motions, rendering their failure mechanisms far more complex than those under conventional site-specific seismic actions. This paper investigates a 500 kV double-circuit “two-tower, three-line” coupled system by establishing a high-fidelity finite element model. An analytical framework is proposed, centered on indexing seismic action and structural response by key parameters: “Permanent Ground Displacement–Peak Differential Displacement–Velocity Pulse Period” (“PGD–Δmax–Tp”). By employing synthesized ground motions, the displacement time history is decomposed into three components—a velocity pulse, high-frequency background noise, and permanent displacement—thereby achieving a strict decoupling of these three control variables. Based on this methodology, three sets of controlled-variable scenarios were constructed to systematically reveal the independent influence of ground motion spectral characteristics, permanent displacement, and peak differential displacement on the system’s response. The research indicates that: spectral characteristics modulate the failure mode (the whiplash effect is triggered when the period ratio μ is approximately 1–2, whereas tower leg buckling occurs when μ ≫ 1); a threshold PGD value exists that triggers a shift in the structural force-resisting mechanism; and the peak differential displacement (Δmax) causes the system’s response to transition from being dominated by conductor slackening and unloading to being governed by inertia and P-Δ effects. The insights gained into the asymmetric response characteristics of towers on opposite sides of the fault provide a quantitative reference for the revision of seismic design codes for cross-fault power transmission projects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Building Structures)
Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 2510 KB  
Article
Grain Yield Estimation of Rice Germplasm Resources Using Time-Series UAV Imagery and Dynamic Clustering Process
by Qi Ke, Di Wang, Yan Zhao, Caili Guo, Xiaoxu Han, Ankang Zhang, Chongya Jiang, Xia Yao, Tao Cheng, Weixing Cao, Yan Zhu and Hengbiao Zheng
Agriculture 2026, 16(10), 1056; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16101056 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 329
Abstract
Traditional methods for measuring rice yield are often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and difficult to implement at scale. Conversely, remote sensing-based yield prediction models typically exhibit limited applicability across diverse genetic materials. In this study, we propose a high-precision yield prediction approach that integrates UAV-based [...] Read more.
Traditional methods for measuring rice yield are often labor-intensive, time-consuming, and difficult to implement at scale. Conversely, remote sensing-based yield prediction models typically exhibit limited applicability across diverse genetic materials. In this study, we propose a high-precision yield prediction approach that integrates UAV-based time-series imagery with dynamic process clustering. Field experiments were conducted over two years involving 630 rice germplasm accessions in Rugao and Huaian, Jiangsu Province. UAV-mounted RGB and multispectral cameras were employed to acquire canopy imagery throughout the rice growth period. A range of features, including spectral reflectance, vegetation indices, canopy height (CH), and canopy volume (CV), were extracted from the UAV data. The K-Shape clustering algorithm was applied to dynamically group the temporal growth curves, enabling the construction of a cluster-based yield prediction model. Among the vegetation indices, the Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI2) demonstrated the best performance (R2 = 0.73, RMSE = 599.53 kg/hm2). Models based on temporal features of CH and CV showed satisfactory accuracy (R2 = 0.70, RMSE = 640.96 kg/hm2). Notably, a dual-modal model combining vegetation indices with structural parameters significantly improved predictive performance (R2 = 0.80, RMSE = 511.42 kg/hm2). This study demonstrates that multi-feature cluster analysis enhances the accuracy and robustness of yield prediction models across diverse genotypes. The proposed methodology provides valuable technical support for high-yield rice breeding initiatives. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Unmanned Aerial System for Crop Monitoring in Precision Agriculture)
Show Figures

Figure 1

39 pages, 525 KB  
Article
Spatial–Temporal EEG Imaging for Dual-Loop Neuro-Adaptive Simulation: Cognitive-State Decoding and Communication Gating in Critical Human–Machine Teams
by Rubén Juárez, Antonio Hernández-Fernández, Claudia Barros Camargo and David Molero
J. Imaging 2026, 12(5), 208; https://doi.org/10.3390/jimaging12050208 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 197
Abstract
Human performance in critical environments is frequently degraded by mistimed communication delivered during periods of visual–cognitive saturation. In such settings, failures arise not only from individual limitations but also from poor coordination between operators under rapidly changing workload conditions. We present a dual-loop [...] Read more.
Human performance in critical environments is frequently degraded by mistimed communication delivered during periods of visual–cognitive saturation. In such settings, failures arise not only from individual limitations but also from poor coordination between operators under rapidly changing workload conditions. We present a dual-loop neuro-adaptive simulation framework based on real-time spectral–topographic EEG representations, in which multichannel cortical activity is transformed into dynamic spatial maps and decoded to regulate both operator assistance and team communication. The system integrates 14-channel wireless EEG (Emotiv EPOC X, 256 Hz), gaze tracking, telemetry, and communication events through an LSL-based multimodal synchronization pipeline. A hybrid CNN–LSTM model processes sequences of spectral-topographic EEG maps to classify three operationally actionable neurocognitive states—Channelized Attention, Diverted Attention, and Surprise/Startle—while also estimating a continuous Cognitive Load Index (CLI). These representation-derived features are then used by a multi-agent proximal policy optimization (MAPPO) controller to generate two coordinated outputs: (i) adaptive haptic guidance for the pilot, designed to reduce reliance on overloaded visual and auditory channels, and (ii) a traffic-light communication gate for the telemetry engineer, regulating whether radio intervention should proceed, be delayed, or be withheld. In a high-fidelity dual-station simulation with 25 pilot–engineer pairs, the proposed framework was associated with a reduction of more than 30% in communication breakdown errors relative to open-loop telemetry, with the strongest effects observed during peak-load windows, while preserving realistic task progression. It also improved pilot reaction time to time-critical warnings and reduced engineer decision load under the tested conditions. These findings support the use of spectral-topographic EEG representations as a practical basis for combining multimodal neurophysiological sensing, spatiotemporal pattern decoding, and adaptive coordination in high-pressure human–machine teams. At the same time, the study should be interpreted as evidence of controlled feasibility in a simulated setting rather than as definitive proof of field-level generalization. We further discuss deployment constraints and propose privacy-by-design safeguards to ensure that neurocognitive signals are used exclusively for operational adaptation rather than employability assessment or performance scoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section AI in Imaging)
Show Figures

Figure 1

38 pages, 5046 KB  
Article
Using Sentinel-2 Time Series to Monitor the Loss of Individual Large Trees in Humanized Landscapes
by João Gonçalo Soutinho, Kerri T. Vierling, Lee A. Vierling, Jörg Müller and João F. Gonçalves
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(10), 1519; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18101519 - 12 May 2026
Viewed by 395
Abstract
Large trees are keystone ecological structures that sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services, particularly in human-altered landscapes. However, their persistence is increasingly threatened by land-use change, urban expansion, and inadequate monitoring. This study develops and validates a scalable, automated framework for monitoring the loss [...] Read more.
Large trees are keystone ecological structures that sustain biodiversity and ecosystem services, particularly in human-altered landscapes. However, their persistence is increasingly threatened by land-use change, urban expansion, and inadequate monitoring. This study develops and validates a scalable, automated framework for monitoring the loss of large individual trees using satellite image time series and breakpoint detection. We compared four spectral indices (SIs): Enhanced Vegetation Index 2–EVI2; Normalized Burn Ratio–NBR; Normalized Difference Red Edge–NDRE, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index–NDVI derived from Sentinel-2 imagery (2015–2025) for 691 georeferenced trees in Lousada, northern Portugal. Data were accessed and processed in Google Earth Engine and analyzed using a custom R-based workflow, including cloud masking, gap-filling, temporal interpolation, upper-envelope smoothing, deseasonalization, and break detection. Five breakpoint detection algorithms were compared: BFAST, energy-divisive, linear regression of structural changes, wild-binary segmentation, and change point models. Detected breakpoints were subsequently post-validated to determine whether they were associated with declines in SIs, using three pre-/post-breakpoint methods: comparisons of short- and long-term medians and a randomized trend analysis. As a baseline, these algorithms/post-validation logic were compared against the Continuous Change Detection and Classification (CCDC) approach. The results indicate moderate but consistent break detection performance, with a maximum balanced accuracy of 73% (for EVI2 or NDVI and using the energy-divisive algorithm coupled with the long-term median post-validator) under conservative validation criteria and high specificity for surviving trees. CCDC ranked comparatively lower at 62%. Algorithm performance varied substantially, with the energy-divisive providing the most conservative detection and the wild-binary segmentation yielding higher sensitivity. Performance was further influenced by tree structural attributes and species identity, with larger, taller and isolated trees, as well as particular genera, showing higher detection accuracy, with genus Eucalyptus, Tilia and Celtis yielding top performance results (79–65%) and Quercus, Castanea and Platanus the lowest (62–60%). By integrating satellite observations with large-tree inventory data from the Green Giants citizen science project, this study demonstrates the potential of decentralized, Earth observation-based monitoring to support tree-level loss assessments in fragmented landscapes. The proposed framework provides a transferable foundation for wide-scale monitoring of large trees in peri-urban and mixed-use environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Ecology Monitoring Using Remote Sensing)
Show Figures

Figure 1

31 pages, 29579 KB  
Article
A Continuous Cryosphere Index for Snow and Ice Reflectance
by Christopher Small
Remote Sens. 2026, 18(10), 1505; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs18101505 - 11 May 2026
Viewed by 217
Abstract
Because of high visible and near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance, and deep shortwave infrared (SWIR) absorption, snow and ice are unique among terrestrial land cover. As such, both are well-suited to mapping and monitoring using optical remote sensing. However, to date, almost all studies of [...] Read more.
Because of high visible and near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance, and deep shortwave infrared (SWIR) absorption, snow and ice are unique among terrestrial land cover. As such, both are well-suited to mapping and monitoring using optical remote sensing. However, to date, almost all studies of snow and ice spectroscopy have been limited to single or small numbers of specific cryospheric environments. These studies serve a diversity of objectives, but together also suggest the importance of the global continuum of snow and ice composition and spectroscopy. The continuum of snow and ice composition gives rise to the characteristics that allow different types of snow and ice to be distinguished optically. Particularly with imaging spectrometers. Characterization of this continuum of reflectance can facilitate development of physical models to quantify snow and ice composition and abundance, particularly in the presence of other types of land cover. In this study, a collection of ~140,000,000 visible through SWIR (VSWIR) reflectance spectra, collected by NASA’s EMIT imaging spectrometer from 56 diverse cryospheric environments, is used to characterize the continuum of snow and ice reflectance. This continuum is characterized using linear dimensionality reduction to quantify the dimensionality and topology of the spectral feature space of snow and ice. The resulting spectral feature space is effectively two-dimensional with a planar spectral feature continuum bounded by dry and wet snow, ice and dark targets (e.g., shadow, water). Because of the near collinearity of snow and ice endmember reflectances, linear spectral mixture models based only on these endmembers are ill-posed and unstable to inversion. However, in landscapes where sufficiently homogeneous seasonal snow is present with other land cover types, the standardized spectroscopic mixture model based on the Substrate, Vegetation and Dark (SVD) continuum can be extended with an instance-specific snow endmember (SVD + snow) to yield plausible areal fraction estimates with small misfits to observed spectra. More generally, the snow–ice-dark continuum can also be represented accurately with an optimal normalized difference index exploiting compositionally distinct differential absorptions at ~650 and ~1230 nm to distinguish dry from wet snow from white and blue ice. This optimized index, referred to as the Continuous Cryosphere Index (CCI), minimizes BRDF effects of topographic slope and aspect relative to illumination, while avoiding the saturation that causes the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) to conflate wet snow with white and blue ice reflectance. In addition to imaging spectrometers like EMIT, operational sensors like MODIS, VIIRS and WorldView-3 have spectral bands near 650 nm and 1230 nm, so they could also be used for CCI mapping. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 3987 KB  
Article
UAV-Based Multi-Source Feature Fusion and Ensemble Learning for Maize Growth Monitoring and Fertilizer Optimization in Saline–Alkali Regions
by Xun Yang, Haixiao Ge, Fenfang Lin, Fei Ma and Changwen Du
Agronomy 2026, 16(10), 951; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy16100951 (registering DOI) - 11 May 2026
Viewed by 277
Abstract
In saline–alkali environments, soil salinity imposes severe abiotic stress on maize growth by inhibiting root activity and nutrient uptake. Traditional destructive sampling methods struggle to enable cross-growth stage, large-scale dynamic fertilizer effect assessment. This study, conducted in saline–alkali farmlands of Inner Mongolia, utilized [...] Read more.
In saline–alkali environments, soil salinity imposes severe abiotic stress on maize growth by inhibiting root activity and nutrient uptake. Traditional destructive sampling methods struggle to enable cross-growth stage, large-scale dynamic fertilizer effect assessment. This study, conducted in saline–alkali farmlands of Inner Mongolia, utilized UAV multispectral remote sensing to extract 20 vegetation indices and 40 texture parameters, constructing a multi-source feature set. An ensemble learning framework integrating Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DTR), AdaBoost and Gradient Boosting Regression (GBR) was developed to achieve precise monitoring of maize plant height, leaf area index (LAI), and yield. In addition, the study aimed to evaluate the dynamic effects of seven fertilizer treatments (six controlled-release composite fertilizers, T1–T6, and conventional CK) and to identify the optimal fertilization scheme, with particular emphasis on comparing the two best-performing treatments, T1 and T2. Results showed that: (1) The ensemble model improved prediction robustness, with R2 values of 0.88, 0.76, and 0.76 for plant height, LAI, and yield across the entire growth cycle, respectively. The integration of texture features effectively mitigated spectral saturation during peak growth stages (e.g., tasseling and filling). (2) For fertilizer evaluation, T1 performed best in growth and yield at jointing, tasseling, and filling stages, with a yield increase rate of up to 40.18% at the jointing stage. Although T2 slightly outperformed T1 in yield increase at maturity (15.42%), T1 was identified as the optimal fertilizer scheme for the region based on whole-growth-stage growth performance, measured yield, LAI, and yield increase rate. These results demonstrate that UAV-based multi-source feature fusion combined with ensemble learning provides an effective and non-destructive approach for fertilizer evaluation and precision nutrient management in saline–alkali regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section Precision and Digital Agriculture)
Show Figures

Figure 1

24 pages, 475 KB  
Article
Multi-Strategy Market Dynamics Analysis: A Novel Framework for Agent-Based Economic Modeling with Reinforcement Learning
by Yuhang Du and Yuhan Zhao
Mathematics 2026, 14(10), 1621; https://doi.org/10.3390/math14101621 - 11 May 2026
Viewed by 259
Abstract
This paper presents a Multi-Strategy Market Dynamics Analysis (MSMDA) framework for agent-based economic modeling with reinforcement learning. The primary methodological contribution is an integrated strategy–stability–macro inference pipeline that links population-level strategy evolution to dynamic market stability and model-internal counterfactual policy analysis. The framework [...] Read more.
This paper presents a Multi-Strategy Market Dynamics Analysis (MSMDA) framework for agent-based economic modeling with reinforcement learning. The primary methodological contribution is an integrated strategy–stability–macro inference pipeline that links population-level strategy evolution to dynamic market stability and model-internal counterfactual policy analysis. The framework is organized into six analytical components: Strategy Temporal Pattern Recognition (STPR), Strategy Transition Detection and Analysis (STDA), Strategy-Macro Causality Analysis (SMCA), the Dynamic Market Stability Index (DMSI), the Adaptive Rationality Equilibrium (ARE), and the Information Asymmetry Propagation (IAP) metric. The method is evaluated within a simulation dataset comprising 447,129 records across four experimental scenarios, 1500 discrete time periods, and 200 heterogeneous firms governed by proximal policy optimization. Results show that competitive strategies dominate market emergence patterns at 60.8% of all observations and achieve superior average profitability of 28.07 monetary units per period, compared with 4.49 for dumping strategies and 7.83 for market power strategies. The DMSI reveals a mean stability of 0.372 with standard deviation 0.097, peaking at 0.780 during strategic consolidation and collapsing to zero during a major demand shock. Within the simulated economy, doubly-robust counterfactual analysis projects a 28.4% GDP increase from a market power-to-competition intervention and a 31.2% increase under full ARE optimization at ρ*=0.6. The ARE further identifies a Pareto-optimal market configuration that jointly maximizes per-firm profit at 229.82 monetary units per period and systemic stability at DMSI =0.67, indicating that efficiency and resilience need not conflict in the calibrated simulation environment. To address time-series autocorrelation in bootstrap inference throughout the framework, we employ a moving block bootstrap with data-adaptive block length selection based on the spectral density at frequency zero, providing finite-sample confidence intervals for the reported test statistics and counterfactual projections. Full article
(This article belongs to the Section E5: Financial Mathematics)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop