Search

Parallel piezostages have been prevalently applied in the micro-/nano-positioning field, but, unluckily, suffer from the undesired effects, like creep, hysteresis, vibration, cross coupling, and input saturation. To eliminate these nonlinearities, a new discrete-time sliding mode predictive control (DSMPC) with decoupling and damping properties (DSMPC-DDP) is proposed for a parallel six-axis piezostage devoted to cell micromanipulation. Firstly, a state-space-based decoupler is applied to make the MIMO system decoupled into six SISO subsystems, and then a damping compensator via the notch filter principle is selected to suppress the high-frequency vibration dynamics of six subsystems. After that, a feedback DSMPC law is designed for each decoupled and damped subsystem. Unlike the traditional linear model predictive control (MPC), the feedback DSMPC is developed based on a nonlinear discrete-time terminal sliding mode prediction model, leading to stronger robustness and faster convergence speed. Through the utilization of the receding horizon optimization, the sliding mode states are optimized to explicitly deal with the input constraints. The stability of the closed-loop subsystems is analyzed based on the terminal constraint theory. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed controller is validated by a series of experimental tests. Results show that the proposed DSMPC-DDP scheme can achieve higher tracking accuracy and control bandwidth than the existing proportional–integral (PI) and MPC methods in the context of abovementioned nonlinearities. • A new DSMPC-DDP is proposed for a parallel six-axis piezostage. • Attenuating the creep, hysteresis, cross coupling, vibration, and input saturation simultaneously. • Providing rigorous stability analysis for the closed-loop control system. • Comprehensive comparative experiments are conducted for validating the superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parallel micropositioning piezostages are widely used in the micro-/nano-manipulation applications, but also subject to the nonlinear disturbances, like hysteresis, creep and cross-coupling effects. In this paper, a new fractional robust adaptive decoupled control (FRADC) is synthesized for a six-axis parallel micropositioning piezostage to improve the positioning accuracy. The proposed FRADC contains three intuitional terms: (1) a decoupling term that alleviates the coupled motions among different axes, making the controller implementation more convenient and efficient; (2) a feedforward compensation term based on a fractional normalized Bouc-Wen (FONBW) model, compensating for the rate-dependent hysteresis effect induced by the piezoelectric actuators; (3) a feedback model reference adaptive control (MRAC) term with fractional proportional-plus-integral-type updating rules that suppresses the creep effect, parameters uncertainty and external disturbances, further enhancing the robustness and positioning accuracy. The stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed in theory. The effectiveness of the proposed FRADC is experimentally validated by comparing with the standalone inverse-FONBW-based feedforward control, the standalone feedback fractional MRAC, and the traditional integer-order control methods. Results demonstrate that the proposed FRADC can guarantee higher positioning accuracy for the piezostage system in wider control bandwidth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nilaparvata lugens is a notorious rice pest causing significant annual yield and economic losses. The use of entomopathogenic fungi offers a promising and eco-friendly approach to sustainable pest management programs. However, research in this area is currently limited to a few specific types of insects and other arthropods. This study aimed to analyze the biocontrol potential of Lecanicillium attenuatum against N. lugens. Bioassays showed that L. attenuatum 3166 induced >80% mortality in N. lugens following 7 d exposure. Greenhouse and field investigations demonstrated that L. attenuatum 3166 application leads to a substantial reduction in N. lugens populations. Under greenhouse conditions, fluorescence was detected in GFP-labeled L. attenuatum 3166 hyphae enveloping the bodies of N. lugens. In field trials, L. attenuatum 3166 treatment exhibited a control efficacy of up to 68.94% at 14 d post-application, which was comparable to that of the commercial entomopathogenic fungal agent. Genomic sequencing of L. attenuatum 3166 revealed a comprehensive array of genes implicated in its infestation and lethality. Further, the transcriptome sequencing analysis highlighted the elevated expression levels of genes encoding proteases, chitinases, cutinases, and phospholipases. Our findings highlight the potential of L. attenuatum 3166 as an effective biological control agent against N. lugens. [Display omitted] • L. attenuatum 3166 induced over 80% mortality in N. lugens bioassays. • GFP-labeled hyphae of L. attenuatum 3166 enveloped N. lugens in greenhouse. • Field trials showed control efficacy of up to 68.94%. • Genomic and transcriptome sequencing revealed key genes for pest control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel functional biochar (BC) was prepared from industrial waste red mud (RM) and low-cost walnut shell by one facile-step pyrolysis method to adsorb phosphorus (P) in wastewater. The preparation conditions for RM-BC were optimized using Response Surface Methodology. The adsorption characteristics of P were investigated in batch mode experiments, while a variety of techniques were used to characterize RM-BC composites. The impact of key minerals (hematite, quartz, and calcite) in RM on the P removal efficiency of the RM-BC composite was studied. The results showed that RM-BC composite produced at 320 °C for 58 min, with a 1:1 mass ratio of walnut shell and RM, had a maximum P sorption capacity of 15.48 mg g−1, which was more than double that of the raw BC. The removal of P from water was found to be facilitated significantly by hematite, which forms Fe–O–P bonds, undergoes surface precipitation, and exchanges ligands. This research provides evidence for the effectiveness of RM-BC in treating P in water, laying the foundation for future scaling-up trials. [Display omitted] • Preparation conditions for biochar composite from red mud and walnut shell were optimized. • Batch adsorption experiments were conducted on the adsorption characteristics of P. • The maximum P adsorption capacity of biochar composite reached 15.48 mg g−1. • Fe from hematite in red mud of the biochar composite play an important role in removing P. • Adsorption mechanism includes creation of Fe–O–P bonds, surface precipitation and ligand exchange. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]