Estimation of aboveground biomass in Atlantic Forest fragments using hyperspectral-RPA data: assessing the effect of spatial resolution and shadowed pixels

Secondary tropical forests are essential for biodiversity conservation and carbon sequestration. However, estimating aboveground biomass (AGB) in these ecosystems remains challenging due to their structural complexity and the spectral interference caused by canopy shading. This study demonstrates the potential of hyperspectral data acquired by a remotely piloted aircraft, HS-RPA, for modelling AGB in forest remnants at different successional stages in the Atlantic Forest. Specifically, it investigates how variations in spatial resolution and canopy shading affect the accuracy of biomass estimates, providing insights for optimizing remote sensing approaches in structurally complex tropical forests. Thirty permanent plots (30 m × 30 m) were established in four forest remnants in southern Espírito Santo, Brazil. Hyperspectral images were acquired in the 397–1002 nm range, with native resolution of 0.11 m, later resampled to 0.5 m and 5 m. Four scenarios were analysed combining different spatial resolutions and the presence or absence of shadow masking. Regression models indicated that both spectral bands and vegetation indices, particularly Red-edge Vegetation Stress Index (RVSI) and Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), contributed to AGB estimation. The best performance was obtained in the scenario with 5 m resolution and without shadow masking (adjusted R 2  = 0.78; RMSE = 50.50%). Notably, models without shadow masking outperformed those with shaded pixels removed, indicating that shadow exclusion did not improve predictive accuracy. Shaded areas may capture structural nuances of the canopy, providing complementary information on vegetation heterogeneity. In this study, the spatial resolution of 5 metres also promoted greater spectral stability by smoothing small-scale variations. Overall, airborne hyperspectral data for AGB estimation highlight important aspects related to spatial resolution and illumination conditions in tropical forest monitoring. The results obtained provide valuable support for the development of more accurate methodologies aimed at biomass estimation, contributing to the improvement of forest monitoring strategies.

Exploring EnMAP hyperspectral images and ensemble deep learning for classifying forest land-cover types in Brazil

Spatially explicit information on forest land-cover types is critical for effectively managing and conserving forest ecosystems and monitoring restoration initiatives. This study delves into the potential of the Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program (EnMAP) hyperspectral satellite for distinguishing between tropical forest land-cover types in São Paulo, Brazil. We developed and evaluated a novel ensemble deep learning approach, integrating a 1D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), an autoencoder, and a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN), for pixel-wise classification. We also assessed the impact of spectral resolution by comparing EnMAP data with simulated Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2A data, and investigated the influence of band selection on classification accuracy. The study focused on mapping forest land-cover types, including conserved remnants, natural regeneration, restoration plantations, and monocultures. Our findings reveal significant distinctions in spectral responses across these forest land-cover types. The ensemble deep learning model significantly outperformed individual deep learning models and traditional Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers, achieving the highest weighted F1-Score of 0.700. EnMAP data further achieved significantly higher F1-scores than Sentinel-2A and Landsat-8 ( p  < 0.05), with the greatest gains observed for natural regeneration and restoration plantations. Interestingly, band selection did not universally improve classification performance for the deep learning models, and in some cases, led to a decrease in accuracy. While monocultures were classified with high accuracy, misclassifications were observed between natural regeneration and restoration plantations, and between conserved remnants and natural regeneration, reflecting their spectral similarities. This study provides valuable insights into the effective use of space-borne hyperspectral imagery and ensemble deep learning for robust forest land-cover type mapping in tropical regions, emphasizing the critical role of high spectral resolution.

The Overseer State: Slavery Indenture and Governance in the British Empire, 1812–1916 by Sascha Auerbach, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2025, 382 pp., £105 (hardback), ISBN 978-1-009-31579-1

Longitudinal Trajectories of Identity Formation and Resilience Development in Adolescents Living in Under-Resourced Communities

Identity and resilience are critical during adolescence, especially when facing contextual challenges. This longitudinal study explored the trajectories of identity and resilience in adolescents ( n  = 546; M Age = 16.22) living in an under-resourced South African community. Associations between identity and resilience were analyzed across three time points using repeated measures ANOVA’s. The dimensions of identity did not vary substantially across time, but resilience scores fluctuated significantly. Participants with high resilience showed a substantial decrease in Exploration in Depth over time, while participants with low resilience showed an increase. The findings provide insights into how to foster resilience in adolescents living in under-resourced communities.

Australia’s policy discourse of culturally and linguistically diverse teachers

Recruitment of more culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) teachers is considered a strategy to address the current national teacher shortage and increasing community diversity in Australia. However, the success of this strategy is cast into uncertainty when considering the historical underrepresentation of CALD school leaders and teachers in Australia. We approach this issue through policy analysis and examine two questions: How are CALD teachers represented in Australian policies about teacher workforce and teacher education? How can CALD teachers be better supported through inclusive policymaking? Using Bacchi’s WPR approach, we analyse the problematisations, assumptions, silences, and contradictions in the representations about CALD teachers in Australian federal policies. Findings show a blurred picture and a deficit view of the cohort without genuine understanding of their backgrounds, distinctive contribution and additional challenges they experience. We argue that future policymaking should critically and differentially support CALD teachers towards sustainable careers in Australian schools.

Response to “Beyond Being With: Disrupting the Idealization of Presence in Mental Health Nursing”

‘I’m Going to Put on Bright Clothes now’: The Process and Social Dimensions of Resilience Among Older Adults

This article focuses on older adults’ resilience following major losses. Interviews of seventeen older adults in Ireland illuminate the resilience process and its social dimensions – family, friends, social participation, formal supports, faith and spirituality. Becoming resilient is a process that develops through agential resolve contextualized by utilization of available resources. Those who had struggled to see themselves as resilient benefited from formal supports – such as counseling and social prescribing – that helped them to engage resilient agency. The resilience process presents as an internal resolution aided by social supports.

Effects of textual constraint and emojis on emotion inferences for text message senders

Emojis help communicate nonverbal information, such as a sender’s emotional state, in electronic forms of communication. Sometimes, however, the link between an emoji and a sender’s emotional state is less clear, requiring recipients to carefully evaluate the accompanying text to generate an emotion inference. We propose that textual constraint affects how easily a recipient infers a sender’s emotional state from an emoji. Participants judged a text sender’s emotional state from messages that either strongly suggest or weakly suggest the sender’s emotion, with or without an emoji. Results showed participants more easily infer a sender’s emotional state when an emoji is present, but this effect is moderated by textual constraint. Emojis support emotion inferences to a greater relative extent when texts are weakly (rather than strongly) suggestive of the sender’s emotional state. These findings suggest emojis support discourse processes by helping supplement missing or ambiguous details contained within text messages.

Gross Motor Acquisition in Infants with Down Syndrome Using Hip Helpers ® : An Exploratory Matched-Pair Case Series

To explore trends in gross motor skill acquisition associated with a parent‑implemented Hip Helpers ® home program in two matched pairs of infants with Down syndrome (DS). In this prospective exploratory matched‑pair case series, two 6-month-old (Child A1 and Child A2) and two 9-month-old (Child B1 and B2) children with Trisomy 21 DS participated in a Hip Helpers ® home program (two daily 30-minute sessions during active play). Pairs had similar motor abilities and continued usual therapies. Use of Hip Helpers ® for child A2 and B2 was discontinued when the children could pull themselves to a standing position. Testing using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) occurred monthly until each participant was able to take three independent steps. GMFM-88 change scores were variable across pairs, with the largest gains in Sitting (Dimension B). Crawling began later in garment users, suggesting a potential tradeoff. No adverse events were reported. Neither child who participated in the Hip Helpers ® home program showed a faster acquisition of gross motor skills than is predicted for children with DS who do not use the garment. Feasibility was suggested; acceptability was not measured. Larger studies with objective adherence and standardized feasibility/acceptability tools are needed.

Temporary and Permanent Display Case Guidelines Developed Through Interdepartmental Collaborations at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) recently developed three guidelines that bring greater transparency and efficiency to the acquisition of display casework and meet the highest conservation standards. The first document is intended for outside vendors who are building permanent gallery display cases. These display cases, typically made with archival materials such as glass and metal, are expected to function for at least 30 years. The second and third documents were written for borrowers at other institutions or in-house designers, respectively, and define additional materials for cases intended for “temporary” use (up to six months). The overarching goals of these documents are to ensure the preservation of collections through the use of appropriate construction materials, establishing a more cost-efficient procurement process, and clearly defining The Met’s display expectations. A wide range of departments at The Met contributed to the generation of these documents, including Scientific Research, Conservation, Registrar, Buildings, Security, Procurement, Design, Counsel, Curatorial, and the Administration; an external display case vendor was also contracted to ensure information required to accurately plan and construct permanent cases was included. The evolution and rationale for all three documents are described here, and each is available in the supplemental materials.