A Riemannian Approach for Spatiotemporal Analysis and Generation of 4D Tree-shaped Structures

We propose the first comprehensive approach for modeling and analyzing the spatiotemporal shape variability in tree-like 4D objects, i.e., 3D objects whose shapes bend, stretch, and change in their branching structure over time as they deform, grow, and interact with their environment. Our key contribution is the representation of tree-like 3D shapes using Square Root Velocity Function Trees (SRVFT). By solving the spatial registration in the SRVFT space, which is equipped with an L2 metric, 4D tree-shaped structures become time-parameterized trajectories in this space. This reduces the problem of modeling and analyzing 4D tree-like shapes to that of modeling and analyzing elastic trajectories in the SRVFT space, where elasticity refers to time warping. In this paper, we propose a novel mathematical representation of the shape space of such trajectories, a Riemannian metric on that space, and computational tools for fast and accurate spatiotemporal registration and geodesics computation between 4D tree-shaped structures. Leveraging these building blocks, we develop a full framework for modelling the spatiotemporal variability using statistical models and generating novel 4D tree-like structures from a set of exemplars. We demonstrate and validate the proposed framework using real 4D plant data.

LSTM Autoencoder-based Deep Neural Networks for Barley Genotype-to-Phenotype Prediction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a key driver of precision agriculture, facilitating enhanced crop productivity, optimized resource use, farm sustainability, and informed decision-making. Also, the expansion of genome sequencing technology has greatly increased crop genomic resources, deepening our understanding of genetic variation and enhancing desirable crop traits to optimize performance in various environments. There is increasing interest in using machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) algorithms for genotype-to-phenotype prediction due to their excellence in capturing complex interactions within large, high-dimensional datasets. In this work, we propose a new LSTM autoencoder-based model for barley genotype-to-phenotype prediction, specifically for flowering time and grain yield estimation, which could potentially help optimize yields and management practices. Our model outperformed the other baseline methods, demonstrating its potential in handling complex high-dimensional agricultural datasets and enhancing crop phenotype prediction performance.