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Due to the potential issue of non-rigid deformations in the manufacturing process of mobile phone frames, most existing dispensing automation methods struggled to acquire accurate dispensing positions. For this purpose, an innovative approach of dispensing trajectory generation was proposed, which addressed the limitations associated with previous methods. Firstly, the phone frames were scanned using a 3D laser profiler, then a point cloud registration algorithm based on the pose graph was introduced to reconstruct the point clouds of frames. The template-based approach was employed, and the dispensing trajectory for template was manually annotated. Subsequently, the template was aligned with the target by a non-rigid registration algorithm based on the deformation graph, thereby the transformed trajectory was obtained. Furthermore, a trajectory refinement strategy was presented to generate the robust, accurate dispensing trajectory of the target. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the errors of the generated dispensing trajectories were consistently below 0.01 mm, and the speed can meet the real-time requirement of practical applications.

The problem of missing persons is a major global challenge, which causes serious harm to their families and societies. For this study, we collected 9,193 U.S. missing-persons records for the years 1996-2021 from the Doe Network platform. We used mathematical statistics and Moran's I index to analyze the socio-demographic characteristics, spatio-temporal distribution and its evolution patterns. Then the geodetector was applied to conduct an in-depth analysis of the influencing factors in socio-cultural, economic and demographic aspects. Based on above findings, a sociological theory of the formation mechanism of the missing-person phenomenon in the United States was proposed. Major findings included: (1) With age increasing, the number of missing persons initially increased and then dropped gradually. The highest missing rate was found among adolescents (13-18 years old) and adults (19-59 years old). Although more males than females were reported missing, the high-incidence period of males lagged slightly behind that of females. The high missing rate among adolescent females was linked to sexual crimes, including sex trafficking and rape, while that of adult men tended to be caused by family discord or debt problems. Among racial groups, black people faced the greatest risk of going missing. (2) From 1996, the number of missing-person incidents initially showed a wave upward trended and then fell sharply, after peaking in 2017, because of a series of immigration regulations. In 2020, it declined dramatically again, due to COVID-19. Influenced by the temperature, school holidays, and festivals, most people were reported missing during the months of June, August, and December. Only few missing incidents happened between February and April. (3) Spatially, at the state level, the missing population distribution decreased from the coastal border area to the inland area; over time, areas with a great number of missing-person incidents advanced simultaneously from the eastern and western coastal areas and the southern US-Mexico border to US inland areas. At the county level, they were concentrated on the edge and scattered internally. (4) Missing-person incidents were caused by the interaction of multiple factors; regional population mobility, fertility rate, and the number of vulnerable people had a positive impact on numbers of missing people, while per capital GDP had a negative impact. The power of population-based environmental factors was significantly enhanced after be interacted with social and economic factors, on explaining the missing-person spatial distribution, all of which were above 80%. (5) The underlying mechanism of missing-person incidents could be understood from the perspective of "social anomie". In other words, the disconnect between social goals and means led to social anomie, which then induced deviant behavior, including abduction, murder, and running away from home, increasing the likelihood of missing-person incidents. Finally, we offered suggestions for disappearance prevention and further study directions. The findings provided a basic understanding of the missing-person phenomenon, contributing to global scientific information, which could aid in preventing missing-person incidents.

Sending children out for adoption has a long history. It completely changes the trajectory of children's survival and development. Trapped in the complexity, concealment, and dispersion of this behavior, the relevant definition is controversial and research data is difficult to obtain,the systemic and deep understanding are urgently needed. Based on public welfare website cases, this study uses social networks, spatial analysis, mathematical statistics and Geodetector to explore the spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics of informal adoption-out from 1981 to 2010 and further summarize the process and causal mechanism of informal adoption-out. The results are as follows: (1) Adopted children are mostly females under one-year of age. The young age of the group is because of the birth families' independent decision-making. Influenced by contemporary birth policy, economic conditions, and other factors, they make decisions as early as possible. During the family planning period, the number of children was strictly controlled. Influenced by the preference for sons, some families gave up girls to have the opportunity to have boys. Traditional fertility concepts have been highlighted in the narrow fertility space. (2) Over time, an inverted U-shaped distribution of "increasing first and decreasing later" is presented. From 1981 to 1983, adopted children were mainly affected by the family's economic situation. The violation of the birth policy became the dominant factor around 1990. Spatially, it is mainly distributed in the eastern, central Sichuan-Chongqing regions of China. (3) Economic poverty, birth-policy violations, son preference, and family accidents can explain about 90% of informal adopted-out cases. Children are most likely to be dispatched when the survival and development of families and children cannot be guaranteed. (4) Population factors are the most important factors affecting the spatial distribution. Natural disasters, birth control, and economic factors have a greater impact on each period in that order. The time interval interaction detection result shows that, when families are faced with poverty and change (for example, parent is ill or dies), the probability of children being sent out for adoption greatly increases. A parent's absence will not only worsen the family's economic situation, but also reduce the emotional willingness to raise children. (5) Based on the rational choice theory, this study posits the influencing mechanism of sending children out for adoption: Culture, the fertility system, laws, and the economy constitute the macro environment of informal adoption, which also thoroughly affects family decision-making. As a basic research unit, the collection of decision-making results has both similarities and regional characteristics in macro. In 2015, China enacted the "Two-child policy," which may have led to a large number of adoptions. The goal of adoption has gradually shifted from "maximizing the interests of the family" to "maximizing the rights and interests of children." Therefore, we should learn from historical experience, rapidly improve the laws related to adoption, clarify the legal boundaries of children sent out by birth families, and combat the occurrence of crimes such as child trafficking, so as to protect their legitimate rights and interests.

The paper compares and discusses human trafficking from the perspective of state governance in these two countries; the five different aspect of strategies, laws and regulations, working institutions, police systems, and victim rescue and resettlement are examined. The strengths and weaknesses of the two countries in tackling human trafficking are also compared in this study. National strategies for human trafficking governance in China and the United States are formulated under the framework of "people-oriented, coordinated prevention, legal crackdown, active assistance, and proper resettlement". China is more concerned with combating the domestic trafficking of women and children, whereas the United States focuses on the governance of commercial, transnational human trafficking. China's governance is characterized by top-down management and bottom-up autonomy. Once strategies, laws, and regulations are formed, they can be quickly implemented across the entire country. In the United States, the federal government and state governments are cooperative rather than subordinate, and the separation of powers and two-party political system are other issues that indicate the need for further investigations regarding the national implementation and linkage of the governance of human trafficking. This paper concludes with several recommendations on how China should respond to and combat human trafficking crime, including escalating the implementation of China's Action Plan against Human Trafficking (2021-2030) and taking specific actions based on local conditions; enhancing the connection with the national laws and absorption from them and continuing to promote special legislations targeting human trafficking crimes; attaching greater importance to social construction and govemance of transnational human trafficking through strengthening international cooperation; refining anti-trafficking work organizations and setting up specialized working groups, special funds and smoother channels for suggestions; constructing and perfecting China's "Reunion System" supporting system.

One new quaternary tin polychalcogenide K2BaSnSe5 has been synthesized by high temperature solid‐state reaction. It crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P21/c of the monoclinic system with cell constants a=11.948(2) Å, b=10.367(2) Å, c=9.2902(19) Å, β=91.33(3)°, and V=1150.4(4) Å3. The compound features an interesting zero‐dimensional structure consisting of SnSe5 units, made up of SnSe4 tetrahedra and [Se2] unit, with K+, Ba2+ cations locating in the interstitial sites for charge‐balance. Diffuse reflectance spectrum indicates semiconducting property with an optical band gap of 1.45 eV. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the band gap of the title compound is determined by [SnSe5] units, and the title compound has a large birefringence of 0.28 at wavelength 1.06 μm, which implies that K2BaSnSe5 may be an intriguing photoelectronic material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One new quaternary tin polychalcogenide K2BaSnSe5 has been synthesized by high temperature solid‐state reaction. It crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group P21/c of the monoclinic system with cell constants a=11.948(2) Å, b=10.367(2) Å, c=9.2902(19) Å, β=91.33(3)°, and V=1150.4(4) Å3. The compound features an interesting zero‐dimensional structure consisting of SnSe5 units, made up of SnSe4 tetrahedra and [Se2] unit, with K+, Ba2+ cations locating in the interstitial sites for charge‐balance. Diffuse reflectance spectrum indicates semiconducting property with an optical band gap of 1.45 eV. Theoretical calculations demonstrate that the band gap of the title compound is determined by [SnSe5] units, and the title compound has a large birefringence of 0.28 at wavelength 1.06 μm, which implies that K2BaSnSe5 may be an intriguing photoelectronic material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents an improved weed detection model, ADL-YOLOv8, designed to enhance detection accuracy for small targets while achieving model lightweighting. It addresses the challenge of attaining both high accuracy and low memory usage in current intelligent weeding equipment. By overcoming this issue, the research not only reduces the hardware costs of automated impurity removal equipment but also enhances software recognition accuracy, contributing to reduced pesticide use and the promotion of sustainable agriculture. The ADL-YOLOv8 model incorporates a lighter AKConv network for better processing of specific features, an ultra-lightweight DySample upsampling module to improve accuracy and efficiency, and the LSKA-Attention mechanism for enhanced detection, particularly of small targets. On the same dataset, ADL-YOLOv8 demonstrated a 2.2% increase in precision, a 2.45% rise in recall, a 3.07% boost in mAP@0.5, and a 1.9% enhancement in mAP@0.95. The model's size was cut by 15.77%, and its computational complexity was reduced by 10.98%. These findings indicate that ADL-YOLOv8 not only exceeds the original YOLOv8n model but also surpasses the newer YOLOv9t and YOLOv10n in overall performance. The improved algorithm model makes the hardware cost required for embedded terminals lower. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA molecules can form predictable nanostructures through sequence-directed hybridization. In this study, DNA nanospheres were designed for fluorescence/magnetic resonance imaging and drug delivery in glioma-bearing mice. DNA nanospheres were constructed using Y-shaped DNA, linker DNA, and an DNA aptamer through the hybridization of their sticky ends. Linker DNA was assembled by an i-motif sequence with its complementary strand and could cause pH-responsive dissociation of double strands. The DNA aptamer with a sticky end could inhibit the extension of nanospheres to control their size as well as recognize glioma cells. Gd-DOTA, Cy5, and BHQ-3 were modified at specific bases to endow DNA nanospheres with dual imaging capabilities. Doxorubicin was loaded into DNA double strands, which were readily released in acidic environments. In vitro experiments revealed that the multifunctional nanospheres were pH-responsive and showed effective cell uptake and fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging abilities. As drug carriers, DNA nanospheres increased the potency of doxorubicin against glioma cells. This approach achieved dual imaging and therapeutic effects in xenograft glioma mice by integrating multiple functions and may provide guidance for the surgical resection of glioma and assist with postoperative chemotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The validation of remotely sensed evapotranspiration (ET) products is important for the development of ET estimation models and the accuracy of the scientific application of the products. In this study, different ET products such as HiTLL, MOD16A2, ETMonitor, and SoGAE were compared using multi-source remote sensing data and ground-based data to evaluate their applicability in the Heihe River Basin (HRB) during 2010–2019. The results of the comparison with the site observations show that ETMonitor provides a more stable and reliable estimation of ET than the other three products. The ET exhibited significant variations over the decade, characterized by a general increase in rates across the HRB. These changes were markedly influenced by variations in land use and topographical features. Specifically, the analysis showed that farmland and forested areas had higher ET rates due to greater vegetation cover and moisture availability, while grasslands and water bodies demonstrated lower ET rates, reflecting their respective land cover characteristics. This study further explored the influence of various factors on ET, including land use changes, NDVI, temperature, and precipitation. It was found that changes in land use, such as increases in agricultural areas or reforestation efforts, directly influenced ET rates. Moreover, meteorological conditions such as temperature and precipitation patterns also played crucial roles, with warmer temperatures and higher precipitation correlating with increased ET. This study highlights the significant impact of land use and climatic factors on spatiotemporal variations in ET within the HRB, underscoring its importance for optimizing water resource management and land use planning in arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing mobile robot monocular vision positioning algorithm performs poorly in illumination changing and weak illumination areas, and cannot be applied to dark scenes in coal mines. In order to solve these problems, the oriented FAST and rotated BRIEF (ORB) algorithm is improved by non-maximal value suppression processing and adaptive threshold adjustment. The random sample consensus (RANSAC) algorithm is used for feature point matching, which improves the efficiency of feature point extraction and matching in weak illumination areas of coal mines. In order to solve the problem that the distance between the robot and the object and the size of the object cannot be determined by monocular vision positioning alone, the epipolar geometry method is used to visually calculate the matched feature points, and the inertial navigation data is used to provide scale information for monocular visual positioning. Based on the tight coupling principle, the graph optimization method is applied to fuse, optimize and solve the inertial navigation data and monocular visual data so as to obtain the robot pose information. The experimental results show that: ① Although the number of feature points extracted is small, the ORB algorithm takes less time. The feature points, which are evenly distributed, can accurately describe the object features. ② Compared with the original ORB algorithm, the improved ORB algorithm has a certain increase in extraction time. However, the number of available feature points extracted is also greatly increased. ③ The RANSAC algorithm eliminates the mismatched points and improves the accuracy of feature point matching, thus improving the accuracy of monocular vision positioning. ④ The accuracy of the improved fusion positioning method is greatly improved, the relative error is reduced from 0.6 m to less than 0.4 m, the average error is reduced from 0.20 m to 0.15 m, and the root mean square error is reduced from 0.24 m to 0.18 m.