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Background: Tumor genomic profiling has a significant impact on the selection of targeted therapy. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a noninvasive, and reproducible assay compared with tissue biopsy. We aimed to evaluate its utility in identifying mutations and guiding targeted therapy for lung cancer. Methods: A total of 173 lung cancer patients underwent next-generation sequencing (NGS) using a targeted enrichment panel covering 20 lung cancer-related genes. The performance of the ctDNA NGS assay in identifying genetic mutations or alterations was compared with tissue biopsy and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). The treatment response to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) therapies based on the ctDNA assay results was also assessed. Results: The ctDNA was detected in 61.85% of patients. Tissue mutations were detected in paired ctDNA in 38.57% of cases, while ctDNA mutations were detected in paired tissues in 89.1% of cases. The ctDNA increased the number of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who received NCCN-recommended genetic testing by 12%. The concordance between ddPCR and ctDNA was relatively high reaching 99.43%. EGFR T790M/C797S c.G2390C and EGFR T790M/C797S c.T2389A were detected in tissue and ctDNA, respectively, in patient 01015. Moreover, ctDNA assay identified the EGFR T790M mutation, which was missed by tissue biopsy in patient 01149, who developed drug resistance after 1 year of EGFR-TKI therapy. Of the 17 patients who received EGFR-TKI targeted therapies based on the ctDNA NGS results, 12 patients achieved a partial response and two patients had stable disease. Conclusions: The results demonstrated that the ctDNA assay could partially overcome tumor heterogeneity in detecting mutations and provide complementary information on tumor genomic profiles. Moreover, the presence of EGFR mutations in ctDNA could offer valuable guidance for selecting appropriate EGFR-TKI treatment for advanced lung cancer patients. However, it is important to note that the ctDNA NGS assay has certain limitations in fully identifying all genomic alterations present in the tumor.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with insidious onset, commonly seen in the elderly and with increasing incidence, for which there is still no effective treatment. Medicinal and edible homologous substances refer to substances that are both food and traditional Chinese medicine, and have received widespread attention due to their safety and good therapeutic and health effects. This paper describes the pathogenesis of AD, and summarizes the anti-AD mechanism of medicinal and edible homologous substances from the aspects of slowing down the deposition of β-amyloid, inhibiting the over-phosphorylation of Tau protein, improving the cholinergic system, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and protection of neurons and synapses, so as to provide references for the development and application of medicinal and edible homologous substances products.

Abstract The advent of Industry 4.0 has significantly promoted the field of intelligent manufacturing, which is facilitated by the development of new technologies are emerging. Robot technology and robot intelligence methods have rapidly developed and been widely applied. Manipulators are widely used in industry, and their control is a crucial research topic. The inverse kinematics solution of manipulators is an important part of manipulator control, which calculates the joint angles required for the end effector to reach a desired position and posture. Traditional inverse kinematics solution algorithms often face the problem of insufficient generalization, and iterative methods have challenges such as large computation and long solution time. This paper proposes a reinforcement learning-based inverse kinematics solution algorithm, called the MAPPO-IK algorithm. The algorithm trains the manipulator agent using the MAPPO algorithm and calculates the difference between the end effector state of the manipulator and the target posture in real-time by designing a reward mechanism, while considering Gaussian distance and cosine distance. Through experimental comparative analysis, the feasibility, computational efficiency, and superiority of this reinforcement learning algorithm are verified. Compared with traditional inverse kinematics solution algorithms, this method has good generalization and supports real-time computation, and the obtained result is a unique solution. Reinforcement learning algorithms have better adaptability to complex environments and can handle different sudden situations in different environments. This algorithm also has the advantages of path planning, intelligent obstacle avoidance, and other advantages in dynamically processing complex environmental scenes.

The application of interleukin-17 (IL-17) inhibitors, including secukinumab, ixekizumab, brodalumab, and bimekizumab, are associated with elevated risk of candidiasis. These medications interfere with the IL-17 pathway, which is essential for maintaining mucosal barriers and coordinating the immune response against Candida species. The observational data and clinical trials demonstrate the increased incidence of candidiasis in individuals treated with IL-17 inhibitors. Brodalumab and bimekizumab pose a greater risk than secukinumab in eliciting candidiasis, whereas the data regarding ixekizumab are equivocal. Higher doses and prolonged treatment duration of IL-17 inhibitors increase the risk of candidiasis by compromising the immune response against Candida species. Prior to prescribing IL-17 inhibitors, healthcare professionals should comprehensively evaluate patients’ medical histories and assess their risk factors. Patients should be educated on the signs and symptoms of candidiasis to facilitate early detection and intervention. Future research should focus on identifying the risk factors associated with candidiasis in patients receiving IL-17 inhibitors. Prospective studies and long-term surveillance are required to explore the impact of specific inhibitors on the incidence and severity of candidiasis and to evaluate the effectiveness of combination therapies, such as concurrent use of IL-17 inhibitors and prophylactic antifungal agents.

Background: Aspergillus , a widespread fungus in the natural environment, poses a significant threat to human health by entering the human body via the airways and causing a disease called aspergillosis. This study comprehensively analyzed data on aspergillosis in published articles from mainland China to investigate the prevalence of Aspergillus , and risk factors, mortality rate, and underlying condition associated with aspergillosis. Methods: Published articles were retrieved from Google Scholar, PubMed, and Science Direct online search engines. In the 101 analyzed studies, 3558 Aspergillus isolates were meticulously collected and classified. GraphPad Prism 8 was used to statistically examine the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of aspergillosis. Results: Aspergillus fumigatus was prominently reported ( n = 2679, 75.14%), followed by A. flavus ( n = 437, 12.25%), A. niger ( n = 219, 6.14%), and A. terreus ( n = 119, 3.33%). Of a total of 9810 patients, 7513 probable cases accounted for the highest number, followed by confirmed cases ( n = 1956) and possible cases ( n = 341). In patients, cough emerged as the most common complaint ( n = 1819, 18.54%), followed by asthma ( n = 1029, 10.48%) and fever (1024, 10.44%). Of total studies, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) was reported in 47 (45.53%) studies, exhibiting an increased prevalence in Beijing ( n = 12, 25.53%), Guangdong ( n = 7, 14.89%), and Shanghai ( n = 6, 12.76%). Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis (CPA) was reported in 14 (13.86%) studies. Among the total of 14 studies, the occurrence of CPA was 5 (35.71%) in Beijing and 3 (21.42%) in Shanghai. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA), was reported at a lower frequency ( n = 8, 7.92%), Guangdong recorded a relatively high number ( n = 3, 37.5%), followed by Beijing ( n = 2, 25.0%), and Shanghai ( n = 1, 12.5%). Percentage of death reported: IPA had the highest rate ( n = 447, 68.87%), followed by CPA ( n = 181, 27.88%) and ABPA ( n = 14, 2.15%). Among the aspergillosis patients, 6220 had underlying conditions, including chronic lung disease ( n = 3765, 60.53%), previous tuberculosis ( n = 416, 6.68%), and organ transplant or organ failure ( n = 648, 10.41%). Aspergillosis was also found in patients using corticosteroid therapy ( n = 622, 10.0%). Conclusion: This review sheds light on the prevalence patterns of Aspergillus species, risk factors of aspergillosis, and gaps in surveillance that could be helpful for the control and treatment of aspergillosis and guide the researchers in future studies. Registration: This systematic review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO: Registration ID CRD42023476870.

Interleukins (ILs) are vital in regulating the immune system, enabling to combat fungal diseases like candidiasis effectively. Their inhibition may cause enhanced susceptibility to infection. IL inhibitors have been employed to control autoimmune diseases and inhibitors of IL-17 and IL-23, for example, have been associated with an elevated risk of Candida infection. Thus, applying IL inhibitors might impact an individual’s susceptibility to Candida infections. Variations in the severity of Candida infections have been observed between individuals with different IL inhibitors, necessitating careful consideration of their specific risk profiles. IL-1 inhibitors (anakinra, canakinumab, and rilonacept), IL-2 inhibitors (daclizumab, and basiliximab), and IL-4 inhibitors (dupilumab) have rarely been associated with Candida infection. In contrast, tocilizumab, an inhibitor of IL-6, has demonstrated an elevated risk in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment, as evidenced by a 6.9% prevalence of candidemia among patients using the drug. Furthermore, the incidence of Candida infections appeared to be higher in patients exposed to IL-17 inhibitors than in those exposed to IL-23 inhibitors. Therefore, healthcare practitioners must maintain awareness of the risk of candidiasis associated with using of IL inhibitors before prescribing them. Future prospective studies need to exhaustively investigate candidiasis and its associated risk factors in patients receiving IL inhibitors. Implementing enduring surveillance methods is crucial to ensure IL inhibitors safe and efficient utilization of in clinical settings.

Haploid breeding can shorten the breeding period of new maize varieties and is an important means to increase maize yield. In the breeding program, a large number of haploid seeds need to be screened, and this step is mainly achieved manually, which hinders the industrialization of haploid maize breeding. This article aims to develop a multispectral camera to identify the haploid seeds automatically. The camera was manufactured by replacing narrow-band filters of the ordinary CCD camera, and the RGB, 405 nm, 980 nm and 1050 nm images of haploid or diploid seeds were simultaneously captured (the characteristic wavelengths were determined according to color and high-oil markers of maize). The performance was tested using four maize varieties with the two genetic markers. The results show that the developed multispectral camera significantly improved the recognition accuracy of haploid maize seeds to 92.33%, 97.33%, 97% and 93.33% for the TYD1903, TYD1904, TYD1907 and TYD1908 varieties, respectively. The cameras in the near-infrared region (wavelengths of 980 nm and 1050 nm) achieved better performance for the varieties of high-oil marker, with an increase of 0.84% and 1.5%, respectively. These results demonstrate the strong potential of the multispectral imaging technology in the haploid seed identification of maize.

The immunogenicity of Aha1, an OMP of Aeromonas hydrophila mediating the adhesion of bacteria onto the mucosal surface of hosts has been established. In this study, recombinant vectors, pPG1 and pPG2, carrying a 1366 bp DNA fragment that was responsible for encoding the 49 kDa Aha1 from A. hydrophila were constructed, respectively, then electroporated into a probiotic strain Lactobacillus casei CC16 separately to generate two types of recombinants, L. casei-pPG1-Aha1 (Lc-pPG1-Aha1) and L. casei-pPG2-Aha1 (Lc-pPG2-Aha1). Subsequently, these were orally administered into common carps to examine their immunogenicity. The expression and localization of the expressed Aha1 protein relative to the carrier L. casei was validated via Western blotting, flow cytometry, and immune fluorescence separately. The recombinant vaccines produced were shown high efficacies, stimulated higher level of antibodies and AKP, ACP, SOD, LZM, C3, C4 in serum in hosts. Immune-related gene expressions of cytokines including IL-10, IL-1β, TNF-α, IFN-γ in the livers, spleens, HK, and intestines were up-regulated significantly. Besides, a more potent phagocytosis response was observed in immunized fish, and higher survival rates were presented in common carps immunized with Lc-pPG1-Aha1 (60%) and Lc-pPG2-Aha1 (50%) after re-infection with virulent strain A. hydrophila. Moreover, the recombinant L. casei were shown a stronger propensity for survivability in the intestine in immunized fish. Taken together, the recombinant L. casei strains might be promising candidates for oral vaccination against A. hydrophila infections in common carps.

ABSTRACT Candidiasis is a life-threatening disease that increases mortality in critically ill patients. However, such epidemiological data are still lacking in underdeveloped regions of China. A retrospective analysis (2016 to 2021) was conducted in Meizhou People’s Hospital, China to study the burden of candidiasis, particularly candidemia, and antifungal susceptibilities of the species among hospitalized patients. Of the 7,864 candidiasis cases, 461 (5.86%) were candidemia cases. Candida albicans (64.25%) was the most identified species, followed by C. tropicalis (12.61%), C. glabrata (10.79%), and C. parapsilosis (9.79%). In non-C. albicans (NCA) candidemia cases, the number of C. glabrata cases was higher (102/461, 22.37%) than C. tropicalis (64/461, 14.04%). Gastrointestinal pathology, respiratory dysfunctions, septic shock, and malignancies were common underlying comorbidities, respectively. A central venous catheter was an independent risk factor for both C. albicans and NCA candidemia. The mortality rate was not statistically significant for either C. albicans or NCA. Amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine were highly effective (98 to 100%), while azoles were least effective (67.74 to 95.66%). Candidemia cases caused by C. tropicalis and C. glabrata had significantly lower azole susceptibility than non-candidemia-causing isolates. This study provides valuable information for prescribers to choose the right empirical therapy, for researchers to explore different resistance mechanisms, and for health care managers to control candidiasis better. IMPORTANCE This study provides important information on the burden of candidiasis, particularly candidemia, and the antifungal susceptibility of Candida species among hospitalized patients in an underdeveloped region of China. First, the finding that azoles were least effective against Candida species causing candidemia is particularly noteworthy, as it suggests the possibility of resistance to this class of antifungal agents. This information can guide the choice of empirical therapy and help in the selection of appropriate antifungal agents for the treatment of candidemia, thereby reducing the risk of resistance development. Second, the study provides important information for researchers to explore different resistance mechanisms in Candida species. Finally, the study has important implications for health care managers in controlling the spread of candidiasis. The high prevalence of candidemia cases in the study highlights the need for appropriate infection control measures to prevent the spread of the disease.

Enzyme-based biosensors commonly utilize the drop-casting method for their surface modification. However, the drawbacks of this technique, such as low reproducibility, coffee ring effects, and challenges in mass production, hinder its application. To overcome these limitations, we propose a novel surface functionalization strategy of enzyme crosslinking via inkjet printing for reagentless enzyme-based biosensors. This method includes printing three functional layers onto a screen-printed electrode: the enzyme layer, crosslinking layer, and protective layer. Nanomaterials and substrates are preloaded together during our inkjet printing. Inkjet-printed electrodes feature a uniform enzyme deposition, ensuring high reproducibility and superior electrochemical performance compared to traditional drop-casted ones. The resultant biosensors display high sensitivity, as well as a broad linear response in the physiological range of the serum phosphate. This enzyme crosslinking method has the potential to extend into various enzyme-based biosensors through altering functional layer components.

Abstract Background Renal injury is one of the common microvascular complications of diabetes, known as diabetic kidney disease (DKD) seriously threatening human health. Previous research has reported that the Chinese Medicine Fufang-Zhenzhu-Tiaozhi (FTZ) capsule protected myocardia from injury in diabetic minipigs with coronary heart disease (DM-CHD). And we found significant renal injury in the minipigs. Therefore, we further investigated whether FTZ prevents renal injury of DM-CHD minipig and H2O2-induced oxidative injury of HK-2 cells. Methods DM-CHD model was established by streptozotocin injection, high fat/high-sucrose/high-cholesterol diet combined with balloon injury in the coronary artery. Blood lipid profile, fasting blood glucose (FBG), and SOD were measured with kits. The levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr), urine trace albumin (UALB), urine creatinine (UCR) (calculate UACR), cystatin (Cys-C), and β-microglobulin (β-MG) were measured by ELISA kits to evaluate renal function. TUNEL assay was performed to observe the apoptosis. qPCR was used to detect the mRNA expression levels of HO-1, NQO1, and SOD in kidney tissue. The protein expressions of Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase 3 in the kidney tissue and HK-2 cells were detected by western blot. Meanwhile, HK-2 cells were induced by H2O2 to establish an oxidative stress injury model to verify the protective effect and mechanisms of FTZ. Results In DM-CHD minipigs, blood lipid profile and FBG were elevated significantly, and the renal function was decreased with the increase of BUN, Scr, UACR, Cys-c, and β-MG. A large number of inflammatory and apoptotic cells in the kidney were observed accompanied with lower levels of SOD, Bcl-2, Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1, but high levels of Bax and Cleaved-caspase 3. FTZ alleviated glucose-lipid metabolic disorders and the pathological morphology of the kidney. The renal function was improved and the apoptotic cells were reduced by FTZ administration. FTZ could also enhance the levels of SOD, Nrf2, HO-1, and NQO1 proteins to promote antioxidant effect, down-regulate the expression of Bax and Caspase3, as well as up-regulate the expression of Bcl-2 to inhibit cell apoptosis in the kidney tissue and HK-2 cells. Conclusions We concluded that FTZ prevents renal injury of DM-CHD through activating anti-oxidative capacity to reduce apoptosis and inhibiting inflammation, which may be a new candidate for DKD treatment. Graphical Abstract

After 3D printing technology has been advancing for several years, it still faces a huge challenge to fabricate 3D metal structures with high-resolution. In this study, a facile strategy of making high-resolution metallic structures based on the bioinspired 3D printing method was proposed. A bioinspired initiator, dopamine, was mixed into a 3D printing photopolymer, which could be conducive to fabricating metallic structures after direct surface-initiated electroless plating (ELP). Because of the intrinsic high resolution of the structures printed with the digital light processing (DLP) technology, complex objects with a feature resolution on the order of 137 μm were fabricated. Moreover, Cu- and Ni-parts of complex structures with a high resolution were demonstrated. By combining the advantages of 3D printing in structure design with those of surface modification assisted by catechol groups, the proposed method was confirmed as a cost-effective method to significantly enhance the capability of 3D printing, and it could endow the 3D printing technology with more practical applications in electronics, acoustic absorption, catalyst supports and other fields.

Abstract Aeromonas veronii (A. veronii) is a pathogenic that can infect human, animal and aquatic organisms, in which poses a huge threat to the health of many aquatic organisms such as Cyprinus carpio. In this study, Lactobacillus casei (L. casei) strain CC16 was used as antigen deliver carrier and fused with cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) as an adjuvant to construct the recombinant L. casei pPG-Aha1/Lc CC16(surface-displayed) and pPG-Aha1-CTB/Lc CC16(surface-displayed) expressing Aha1 protein of A. veronii, respectively. And the immune responses in Cyprinus carpio by oral route was explored. Our results demonstrated that the recombinant strains could stimulate high serum specific antibody immunoglobulin M (IgM) and induce a stronger acid phosphatase (ACP), alkaline phosphatase (AKP), C3, C4, lysozyme (LZM), Lectin and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in Cyprinus carpio compared with control groups. Meanwhile, the expression of Interleukin-10 (IL-10), Interleukin-1β (IL-1β), Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α), immunoglobulin Z1 (IgZ1) and immunoglobulin Z2 (IgZ2) in the tissues were significantly upregulated compared with Lc-pPG or PBS groups, indicating that humoral and cell immune response were triggered. Additionally, recombinant L. casei could survive and colonize in fish intestine. Significantly, recombinant L. casei provides immune protection against A. veronii infection, which Cyprinus carpio received pPG-Aha1-CTB/Lc CC16 (64.29%) and pPG-Aha1/Lc CC16 (53.57%) had higher survival rates compared with the controls. Thus, we demonstrated that recombinant pPG-Aha1/Lc CC16 and pPG-Aha1-CTB/Lc CC16 may be the promising strategy for the development of an oral vaccine against A. veronii.

To avoid issues such as the greenhouse working robot’s inability to perform normal tasks or reduced working accuracy due to the influence of uneven ground, this study designed a set of greenhouse self-balancing mobile robots. The self-balancing mobile robot system designed in this study uses a quadruped mobile robot as a carrier, equipped with a three-degrees-of-freedom wheel-leg structure and is complemented with a posture control algorithm. The algorithm calculates the adjustment of each leg based on the vehicle’s tilt angle and wheel-ground pressure, achieving control over the robot’s posture angle, the center of gravity height, wheel-ground contact force, and other functions. To address the issue of over-constrained (weak legs) posture adjustment during mobile robot fieldwork, a flexible joint sensor based on the PR structure has been designed and developed. After field testing, it was verified that the greenhouse self-balancing mobile robot proposed in this study can adapt well to field environments, such as climbing hills, overcoming obstacles, crossing furrows, and so on. The response speed of the flexible joint sensor can meet the requirements of self-balancing while effectively solving the problem of weak legs.

We prepare carbon nanotubes based on the cross-linking reaction between small organic molecules citric acid and amino urea or ethylenediamine. Factors affecting the yield of carbon nanotube are optimized and catalytic effect of hydrated metal nitrate on carbon nanotube growth is investigated. The results demonstrate that carbon nanotube can grow in a wide range of urea content. Even two-dimensional sheet assembled by the prepared carbon nanotubes is observed when ethylenediamine is used. It is believed that such competitive strategy can expand the techniques for efficient, large-scale and low-cost synthesis of carbon nanotubes.

Resin content of composites is a dominant factor of macroscopic properties and essential to study. Taking carbon fiber/poly (ether ether ketone) (CF/PEEK) composites molded by various means as examples, a method for resin content calculation obtained along with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) for thermal properties analyzation was introduced. According to results of resin mass contents, TGA curves and differential thermogravimetric analysis (DTG) curves were divided to four stages, including non-decomposition stage of 25–500 °C, rapid decomposition stage of 500–600 °C, transitional stage of 600–700 °C and the stable stage of 700–800 °C. And resin contents were accurate obtained from the transitional stage and stable stage. Results tested by acid digestion method, ignition loss method and TGA methods were compared and it was proved that the TGA method was suitable for resin fraction calculation with a slight difference below 3% compared to results from the other two methods. By comparing results of different composites, we found that TGA methods can also be applied to other composites including reinforcements not disintegrate such as graphite, carbon nanotubes and matrix of thermosetting and thermoplastic decompose under inert gas in testing condition.

Phage therapy is an alternative approach to overcome the problem of multidrug resistance in bacteria. In this study, a bacteriophage named PZL-Ah152, which infects Aeromonas hydrophila, was isolated from sewage, and its biological characteristics and genome were studied. The genome contained 54 putative coding sequences and lacked known putative virulence factors, so it could be applied to phage therapy. Therefore, we performed a study to (i) investigate the efficacy of PZL-Ah152 in reducing the abundance of pathogenic A. hydrophila strain 152 in experimentally infected crucian carps, (ii) evaluate the safety of 12 consecutive days of intraperitoneal phage injection in crucian carps, and (iii) determine how bacteriophages impact the normal gut microbiota. The in vivo and in vitro results indicated that the phage could effectively eliminate A. hydrophila. Administering PZL-Ah152 (2 × 109 PFU) could effectively protect the fish (2 × 108 CFU/carp). Furthermore, a 12-day consecutive injection of PZL-Ah152 did not cause significant adverse effects in the main organs of the treated animals. We also found that members of the genus Aeromonas could enter and colonize the gut. The phage PZL-Ah152 reduced the number of colonies of the genus Aeromonas. However, no significant changes were observed in α-diversity and β-diversity parameters, which suggested that the consumed phage had little effect on the gut microbiota. All the results illustrated that PZL-Ah152 could be a new therapeutic method for infections caused by A. hydrophila.

Founded on bounded rationality and limited information, evolutionary game theory has been preliminarily applied in many fields, such as electricity market (EM). To address the complex behavioral decision-making issues in the more-common three-population multi-strategy evolutionary game (3PmSEG) scenarios in EM. This paper explores the long-term evolutionarily stable equilibrium (ESE) characteristics of general 3PmSEG systems with the aim of systematically investigating the evolution process of long-term on-grid bidding of a generation-side EM based on these features. First, the long-term ESE characteristics of general three-population two-strategy and three-strategy evolutionary games are thoroughly investigated. Complete relative net payoff (RNP) parameters are defined for these games. Then, the modeling idea of general 3PmSEGs is elaborated. Research shows that the game can be guided to evolve toward an expected long-term ESE point by properly adjusting its RNP parameters. To verify this, finally, the long-term on-grid bidding of power generation is investigated for a tripartite generation-side EM. The case study reveals that effective government supervision can effectively promote new energy accommodation of the market. Overall, the models developed in this paper are relatively universal and practical, which can provide some theoretical and methodological references for complex evolutionary game issues in related fields.

The high electronic conductivity of solid-state electrolytes leads to Li dendrite growth, thus hindering the commercialization of solid-state batteries. Here, the authors propose a flexible electron-blocking interface to protect garnet electrolytes from the electronic degradation.

At present, the primary technical deterrent to the use of strawberry harvesting robots is the low harvest rate, and there is a need to improve the accuracy and real-time performance of the localization algorithms to detect the picking point on the strawberry stem. The pose estimation of the fruit target (the direction of the fruit axis) can improve the accuracy of the localization algorithm. This study proposes a novel harvesting robot for the ridge-planted strawberries as well as a fruit pose estimator called rotated YOLO (R-YOLO), which significantly improves the localization precision of the picking points. First, the lightweight network Mobilenet-V1 was used to replace the convolution neural network as the backbone network for feature extraction. The simplified network structure substantially increased the operating speed. Second, the rotation angle parameter $\alpha $ was used to label the training set and set the anchors; the rotation of the bounding boxes of the target fruits was predicted using logistic regression with the rotated anchors. The test results of a set of 100 strawberry images showed that the proposed model's average recognition rate to be 94.43% and the recall rate to be 93.46%. Eighteen frames per second (FPS) were processed on the embedded controller of the robot, demonstrating good real-time performance. Compared with several other target detection methods used for the fruit harvesting robots, the proposed model exhibited better performance in terms of real-time detection and localization accuracy of the picking points. Field test results showed that the harvesting success rate reached 84.35% in modified situations. The results of this study provide technical support for improving the target detection of the embedded controller of harvesting robots.

In large-scale potential field data inversion, constructing the kernel matrix is a time-consuming problem with large memory requirements. Therefore, a spherical planting inversion of Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) data is proposed using the L1-norm in conjunction with tesseroids. Spherical planting inversion, however, is strongly dependent on the correct seeds’ density contrast, location, and number; otherwise, it can cause mutual intrusion of anomalous sources produced by different seeds. Hence, a weighting function was introduced to limit the influence area of the seeds for yielding robust solutions; moreover, it is challenging to set customized parameters for each seed, especially for the large number of seeds used or complex gravity anomalies data. Hence, we employed the “shape-of-anomaly” data-misfit function in conjunction with a new seed weighting function to improve the spherical planting inversion. The proposed seed weighting function is constructed based on the covariance matrix for given gravity data and can avoid manually setting customized parameters for each seed. The results of synthetic tests and field data show that spherical planting inversion requires less computer memory than traditional inversion. Furthermore, the proposed seed weighting function can effectively limit the seed influence area. The result of spherical planting inversion indicates that the crustal thickness of Mare Crisium is about 0 km because the Crisium impact may have removed all crust from parts of the basin.

The accuracy and real-time performance of the speed measurement method were important factors influencing the accuracy of the seeding spacing monitoring. In this study, three different speed measurement methods (including GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver speed measurement, radar speed measurement, and encoder measurement rotation speed) were used to compare and analyze the monitoring results of seeding spacing. The same monitoring system was used to calculate the seeding spacing under three different speed measurement methods. The encoder directly measured the rotation speed of the seeding disc instead of the traditional method of measuring the rotation speed of the driving wheel. The monitoring results of uniform-speed and variable-speed seeding field tests showed that the three speed measurement methods have extremely high correlations, with a correlation coefficient R > 0.95. There was small difference among the three speed measurement methods, and they all met the needs of field seeding operations. After comprehensively considering the use cost and installation complexity, it was recommended to use GNSS receiver speed measurement to monitor the speed of the seeding operation and the real-time seeding spacing.

In view of the high energy consumption of heating and air conditioning in buildings, the study takes the unit radiation plate filled with Phase Change Material (PCM) as the research object, and proposes an energy storage scheme combining double-layer energy storage floor with ceiling-mounted energy storage radiant panel air conditioning to improve the utilization rate of valley electricity. Numerical simulation method is used to simulate the phase change heat transfer process, and the heat transfer characteristics of the phase change energy storage radiant air conditioning system under different ambient temperatures and indoor heat fluxes are studied. The results show that the floor surface can maintain a warm surface of 24–18 °C in the heat storage environment of 19 °C and the heat release environment of 12 °C in winter. And the floor surface can maintain a cool surface of 19–24 °C, and the radiant panel surface can maintain a cool surface of 18–23 °C in the cold storage environment of 26 °C and the cold release environment of 32 °C in summer. The system can not only meet the requirements of indoor heating and ventilation, but also alleviate the uncomfortable problem of rapid temperature change of radiant panel, and effectively solve the dewing problem of radiant panel.

The mechanized sowing operation of corn breeding can improve test accuracy and efficiency and speed up the test process. In view of the problems of low flexibility, high price, and poor sowing quality of the current seeder in corn breeding experiments, the critical components of a hand-pushing corn plot precision planter were optimized. Through the analysis of the relative motion between corn seed and the hole seed-metering wheel, the hole diameter range and hole depth range of the hole seed-metering wheel were determined as 13~19 mm and 6~12 mm, respectively. The chamber structure was optimized to improve the seed filling performance under the condition of a small number of seeds. The angle range between the connecting plate and the horizontal line (ACP) and the angle range between the back plate and the horizontal line (ABP) were 35~55° and 40~70°, respectively. EDEM was used to simulate the seeding circumstances of hole seed-metering wheel with different holes sizes. The optimal combination of hole diameter and depth under different seeds’ sizes and the appropriate angle combination of ACP and ABP were obtained through the orthogonal test. The results of the simulation experiment showed that the optimal hole diameter–depth combinations of the small, medium, and large corn seeds were 13–8, 15–10, and 17–8 mm, respectively. The angle ACP and the angle ABP were, respectively, 45°and 70°. The soil bin test was carried out to further verify the actual seeding effect and the influence of the rotating speed of hole seed-metering wheel on seeding. The results showed that when the rotating speed of hole seed-metering wheel was less than 16.0 r/min, the qualified seeding rates and the double seeds rates of the small, medium, and large corn seeds were higher than 90% and 85%, respectively. The missing seeding rates were 0%. The variation coefficients of plant spacing were less than 5%, indicating good stability of plant spacing, which met the design requirements. The study results can provide a theoretical reference for the optimization design of maize breeding equipment in a plot.

The fabrication of nanostructures usually involves chemical processes that have in certain steps. Especially, it is necessary to use the chemical etching method to release the as-patterned structures from the substrate in most of the transfer techniques. Here, a novel scheme of template transfer as developed for the fabrication of freestanding Au nanomembranes and nanowires by using a soluble PVP adhesive. The nanomembranes feature the periodic nanohole arrays with high uniformity. Without the substrates, these plasmonic nanohole arrays show symmetric and antisymmetric resonance modes with bright and dark spectral features, respectively, in transmission. Through the spectral analysis for reflection, we have disclosed that the usual dark mode in transmission is not really dark, but it reveals a distinct feature in reflection. Two coupling modes present distinct spectral features in transmission and reflection due to their different loss channels. To show their versatility, the freestanding nanomembranes were also employed as secondary templates to form Si nanowire arrays by the metal-assisted chemical etching method.

Surface modification of carbon fibres (CFs) is an important part of the interfacial study of CF composites. Traditional modification methods feature complicated production processes and a variety of influential factors. The modification technology utilized may cause fibre damage. To solve this problem, a simple and efficient CF surface modification method involving the in-situ carbonisation of micron-sized sucrose particles, is proposed in this paper. Sucrose crystals were introduced on the surface of the CFs by an ethyl acetate suspension coating and carbonised in atmosphere at moderate temperatures. Carbonisation of sucrose at 290 °C in air resulted in not only the formation of a large amount of CO content, but also in micron-sized particles. The attachment of these uniform and reactive particles to the CF surfaces resulted in a markedly improved impact resistance level of the carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite. Meanwhile, the interfacial shear strength (IFSS) and interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of the carbonised sucrose-deposited fibre/epoxy composites increased by 20.8% and 13.8%, respectively. This method provides a novel, convenient, and effective approach to enhance the mechanical properties of high-performance CFRPs.

Determining the metallicity and semiconductivity of a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) bundle plays a particularly vital role in its interconnection with the metal electrode of an integrated circuit. In this paper, an effective method is proposed to determine the electrical transport properties of an MWCNT bundle using a current–voltage characteristic curve during its electrical breakdown. We established the reliable electrical nanoscale contact between the MWCNT bundle and metal electrode using a robotic manipulation system under scanning electron microscope (SEM) vacuum conditions. The experimental results show that the current–voltage curve appears as saw-tooth-like current changes including up and down steps, which signify the conductance and breakdown of carbon shells in the MWCNT bundle, respectively. Additionally, the power law nonlinear behavior of the current–voltage curve indicates that the MWCNT bundle is semiconducting. The molecular dynamics simulation explains that the electron transport between the inner carbon shells, between the outermost carbon shells and gold metal electrode and between the outermost carbons shells of two adjacent individual three-walled carbon nanotubes (TWCNTs) is through their radial deformation. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate the electron transport mechanism between the gold surface and double-wall carbon nanotube (DWCNT) and between the inner and outermost carbon shells of DWCNT using the charge density difference, electrostatic potential and partial density of states.

Kidney stone disease involves the aggregation of stone-forming salts consequent to solute supersaturation in urine. The development of novel therapeutic agents for this predominantly metabolic and biochemical disorder have been hampered by the lack of a practical pre-clinical model amenable to drug screening. Here, Drosophila melanogaster, an emerging model for kidney stone disease research, was adapted as a high-throughput functional drug screening platform independent of the multifactorial nature of mammalian nephrolithiasis. Through functional screening, the therapeutic potential of a novel compound commonly known as arbutin that specifically binds to oxalate, a key component of kidney calculi, was identified. Through isothermal titration calorimetry, high-performance liquid chromatography and atomic force microscopy, arbutin was determined to interact with calcium and oxalate in both free and bound states, disrupting crystal lattice structure, growth and crystallization. When used to treat patient urine samples, arbutin significantly abrogated calculus formation in vivo and outperformed potassium citrate in low pH urine conditions, owing to its oxalate-centric mode of action. The discovery of this novel antilithogenic compound via D. melanogaster, independent of a mammalian model, brings greater recognition to this platform, for which metabolic features are primary outcomes, underscoring the power of D. melanogaster as a high-throughput drug screening platform in similar disorders. This is the first description of the use of D. melanogaster as the model system for a high-throughput chemical library screen. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first authors of the paper.

Self-assembled buckypapers have been successfully prepared using sodium carboxyl methyl cellulose (CMC) as a binder. The lowest resistivity that was reached was 0.43 ± 0.03 Ω·m, when the buckypapers were prepared by the same mass of CMC and carboxy-modified carbon nanotubes (CNTs). A heat-resistant electroconductive nanocomposite with epoxy resin as the matrix and CMC/buckypapers as the reinforcement was fabricated by a resin impregnation molding technique. The effects of CMC/buckypaper layers on the conductivity, thermal stability, and mechanical and dynamic mechanical performance of the epoxy resin polymer nanocomposites were investigated. It was found that CMC/buckypapers hold great promise for improving the properties of nanocomposites, and the buckypapers’ performance can be enhanced by using modified CNTs to prepare them. The obtained nanocomposites showed an approximate 71.23% bending strength improvement (125.04 ± 5.62 MPa) and a 30.71% bending modulus improvement (5.83 ± 0.68 GPa), with an increased number of CMC/buckypaper layers. An enhanced degradation temperature and residual mass were also achieved for the nanocomposites when compared with a pure polymer. The nanocomposites with four CMC/buckypaper layers possessed the highest storage modulus (1934 MPa), which was approximately 60% higher than that of a neat polymer (1185 MPa). Therefore, CMC/buckypapers could be effectively used to manufacture heat-resistant electroconductive polymer nanocomposites with improved properties.

The warm sheet cylindrical deep drawing experiment of aluminum alloy was carried out and macro-mechanical properties and microstructure evolution of hydro-formed cups with different cooling medium were analyzed, which aimed to investigate the effects of different types of cooling on mechanical properties and microstructure of cylindrical cups hydro-formed by warm Hydro-mechanical Deep Drawing (HDD). Results show that, under the condition of warm hydroforming, the mechanical properties such as yield stress and ultimate strength were influenced very little by air or water cooling. Grain coarsening of these hydro-formed cups can be inhibited to a certain extent with subsequent rapid water cooling. Moreover, it shows that the processing with warm sheet hydroforming and subsequent rapid cooling of 7075-O aluminum alloy has a positive significance in maintaining the stability of macro mechanical properties and inhibiting the degradation of the microstructure of materials.