Remote sensing enables real-time insights into crop progress, aiding farmer decision-making on crop management factors such as fertilization and irrigation. However, artifacts in satellite image time series (SITS), including clouds, sun and sensor geometry variations, intersensor biases, and atmospheric effects, cause reflectance and vegetation index fluctuations, complicating interpretation. To improve SITS temporal consistency, this study developed empirical models that correct these artifacts. The focus scenario was rice monitoring, including 7266 rice fields from four years in New South Wales, Australia. However, the method generalized to corn and cotton crops with promising results. Masking cloud-affected data using Cloud Score+ provided a better trade-off between image frequency and time-series smoothness compared with other cloud masking methods. Self-supervised LightGBM models outperformed linear models in correcting these deviations. The importance of key features including solar and view angles, reflectances in bands sensitive to atmospheric effects and the satellite sensor (differences between Sentinel-2A and -2B, especially in a red edge band), were indicated by SHAP analyses. Surprisingly, top of atmosphere time series had similar or better consistency than harmonized Landsat Sentinel surface reflectance time series after correcting the deviations. Our method reduced the root mean squared deviation of a red edge chlorophyll index by 39.7% and the normalized difference vegetation index by 21.4%. These corrections enhance SITS interpretability for near real-time crop monitoring, improving data in farmer decision-support tools.

Recent literature on innovative learning environments primarily focuses on teacher readiness to utilise new spatial affordances. This article instead examines the adaptability of the spaces themselves, exploring how school leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand modify and refine spatial designs to enhance teaching and learning. A framework comprising Massey's theory of space and Wenger's communities of practice is used to conceptualise space as dynamically co-constructed through interrelations, constituting multiple identities and narratives, and constantly evolving in educational settings. The qualitative research, based on school leader interviews, illustrates how assessing pedagogical needs and critically evaluating the use of space in built environments can inform adaptations in spatial design. Vignettes illustrate specific examples of respatialisation, such as the strategic insertion of walls to create distinct learning zones and the removal of impractical and problematic architectural features. The findings highlight that successful respatialisation requires a thoughtful examination of educational practices and an adaptable approach to design, prioritising functionality alongside user well-being and safety. The article profiles a tool to guide practice and a flexible, responsive approach to school respatialisation, so that spaces remain physically adaptable and supportive of evolving educational goals.

This paper examines the generation of key-dependent S-boxes using sponge functions. In this study, we render 8-bit key-dependent S-boxes employing a novel approach that contrasts previous techniques using a mixing strategy. We test the efficiency and security of the resultant S-boxes by performing a sequence of experiments. We consider the integration of the keyed S-boxes into a symmetric cipher and determine the probability of differential cryptanalysis. We found that the maximum differential distribution is approximately 12/256 or ≈ 2^–6, with a mean of roughly 11/256 and a standard deviation of 1.2/256. Our review of other methods concludes that they have the same maximum differential distribution, while our generation method is significantly faster. We conclude by characterising future research on keyed S-boxes in a white-box context.

Twenty-four wheat genotypes were characterized for the presence of three stress related genetic attributes using gene-specific molecular markers. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products of approximately 110 bp of 1RS rye chromosome fragment from 16 genotypes were obtained using specific primer pairs indicating the presence of translocation in these lines. The same genotypes were screened for the presence of dwarfing genes where 19 genotypes showed the presence of either the Rht-B1b or Rht-D1b allele having a semi-dwarf phenotype. Two of the genotypes (Kheri and Sufi) had wild type alleles in both the loci and two other genotypes showed the presence of double dwarf alleles (Rht-B1b + Rht-D1b). A 16.9 kDa HSP gene was characterized by validating a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) linked with thermo tolerance in wheat. Thirteen of the 24 genotypes, which failed to amplify the specific PCR product due to the presence of an SNP, are expected to show tolerance for heat stress. Among the genotypes, Sonora-64, Balaka, Barkat, Aghrani and BARI Gom-24 (Prodip) tested positive for all the three markers evaluated (rye translocation, dwarfing genes and heat tolerance). These genotypes could be used to improve various stress tolerance attributes in wheat for future breeding programs.