Search Results (94)

This study analyzed the effects of various educational materials used in Tool Box Meetings conducted prior to work at construction sites on educational effectiveness. Specifically, the study examined the impact of changes in information quantity, linguistic explanation, and the number of educational materials on the cognitive load of construction workers. The study involved 345 construction workers. Group A utilized visual materials with higher information quantity compared to Group B. Group B, in turn, used visual materials that simplified the information to match linguistic explanations provided for Group A’s materials. Group C conducted the education meeting by reducing the number of educational materials from 13 to 8 after using Group B’s materials. Cognitive load, based on recall counts and recall rates, was then analyzed. In Group A, the use of visual educational materials with high information quantity was associated with reduced learning effectiveness, likely due to increased cognitive load. Meanwhile, in Group B, using educational materials that simplified information to match linguistic explanations resulted in an increase in recall counts and recall rates. In Group C, reducing the number of educational materials resulted in no difference in recall counts compared to Group B; however, there was an increase in the overall recall rate. Based on these research findings, it was concluded that utilizing visually simplified materials aligned with linguistic explanations and considering the cognitive load of workers to establish an appropriate number of educational materials are effective approaches in Tool Box Meeting education. Full article

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image ship detection faces challenges such as distinguishing ships from other terrains and structures, especially in specific marine complex environments. The motivation behind this work is to enhance detection accuracy while minimizing false positives, which is crucial for applications like defense vessel monitoring and civilian search and rescue operations. To achieve this goal, we propose several architectural improvements to You Only Look Once version 8 Nano (YOLOv8n) and present Small Target-YOLOv8(ST-YOLOv8)—a novel lightweight SAR ship detection model based on the enhance YOLOv8n framework. The C2f module in the backbone’s transition sections is replaced by the Conv_Online Reparameterized Convolution (C_OREPA) module, reducing convolutional complexity and improving efficiency. The Atrous Spatial Pyramid Pooling (ASPP) module is added to the end of the backbone to extract finer features from smaller and more complex ship targets. In the neck network, the Shuffle Attention (SA) module is employed before each upsampling step to improve upsampling quality. Additionally, we replace the Complete Intersection over Union (C-IoU) loss function with the Wise Intersection over Union (W-IoU) loss function, which enhances bounding box precision. We conducted ablation experiments on two widely used multimodal SAR datasets. The proposed model significantly outperforms the YOLOv8n baseline, achieving 94.1% accuracy, 82% recall, and 87.6% F1 score on the SAR Ship Detection Dataset (SSDD), and 92.7% accuracy, 84.5% recall, and 88.1% F1 score on the SAR Ship Dataset_v0 dataset (SSDv0). Furthermore, the ST-YOLOv8 model outperforms several state-of-the-art multi-scale ship detection algorithms on both datasets. In summary, the ST-YOLOv8 model, by integrating advanced neural network architectures and optimization techniques, significantly improves detection accuracy and reduces false detection rates. This makes it highly suitable for complex backgrounds and multi-scale ship detection. Future work will focus on lightweight model optimization for deployment on mobile platforms to broaden its applicability across different scenarios. Full article

Object detection in complex road scenes is vital for autonomous driving, facing challenges such as object occlusion, small target sizes, and irregularly shaped targets. To address these issues, this paper introduces DGSS-YOLOv8s, a model designed to enhance detection accuracy and high-FPS performance within the You Only Look Once version 8 small (YOLOv8s) framework. The key innovation lies in the synergistic integration of several architectural enhancements: the DCNv3_LKA_C2f module, leveraging Deformable Convolution v3 (DCNv3) and Large Kernel Attention (LKA) for better the capture of complex object shapes; an Optimized Feature Pyramid Network structure (Optimized-GFPN) for improved multi-scale feature fusion; the Detect_SA module, incorporating spatial Self-Attention (SA) at the detection head for broader context awareness; and an Inner-Shape Intersection over Union (IoU) loss function to improve bounding box regression accuracy. These components collectively target the aforementioned challenges in road environments. Evaluations on the Berkeley DeepDrive 100K (BDD100K) and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Technological Institute (KITTI) datasets demonstrate the model’s effectiveness. Compared to baseline YOLOv8s, DGSS-YOLOv8s achieves mean Average Precision (mAP)@50 improvements of 2.4% (BDD100K) and 4.6% (KITTI). Significant gains were observed for challenging categories, notably 87.3% mAP@50 for cyclists on KITTI, and small object detection (AP-small) improved by up to 9.7% on KITTI. Crucially, DGSS-YOLOv8s achieved high processing speeds suitable for autonomous driving, operating at 103.1 FPS (BDD100K) and 102.5 FPS (KITTI) on an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU. These results highlight that DGSS-YOLOv8s effectively balances enhanced detection accuracy for complex scenarios with high processing speed, demonstrating its potential for demanding autonomous driving applications. Full article

Fluorescence tracing effectively identifies asphalt stripping on aggregate surfaces, showing promise for characterizing asphalt–aggregate adhesion in pavement performance detection. However, this method’s effectiveness depends on sensor parameters and ambient conditions. This study developed a fluorescence tracing image acquisition system and employed a five-factor, six-level orthogonal experiment to optimize sensor parameters. We compared multilayer perceptron (MLP) regression, Kolmogorov–Arnold networks regression, and Laplacian sharpening for image quality assessment, with MLP proving superior. The results indicate that (1) image quality is primarily influenced by camera aperture, followed by focal length, exposure time, UV light–camera distance, and object–camera distance; (2) the optimal parameters were 100,000 ms exposure time, 8 mm focal length, 44 cm object–camera distance, aperture of 6, and 30 cm UV light–camera distance; (3) a green background with combined UV and daylight illumination in a glass box yielded the highest image quality score (0.7084); and (4) images acquired under these optimized conditions displayed fluorescence tracing and asphalt regions with superior clarity. This study optimizes the fluorescence tracing method for quantifying the adhesion between asphalt and aggregate and promotes an intellectual approach to material performance detection in pavement engineering. Full article

YTH domain-containing proteins act as the primary readers of N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A), playing an important role in plant development and stress responses. However, little is known about the YTH proteins in medicinal plants. Genome-wide identification of the YTH gene family in the medicinal model plant, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, identified a total of nineteen SmYTH genes from five chromosomes, with SmYTH8–SmYTH19 clustered on chromosome 8. Phylogenetic analysis showed that SmYTH proteins belong to the YTHDF category. No YTHDC members were identified. Conserved domain identification, amino acid sequence alignment, and phase separation prediction revealed that SmYTH1–SmYTH4 exhibited the characteristic m⁶A reader protein feature, containing conserved aromatic cages (WWW) capable of binding m⁶A residues. SmYTH5–SmYTH19 proteins contain a unique conserved F-box protein interaction domain that has not been reported previously. qRT-PCR analysis revealed tissue-specific patterns, with SmYTH1–SmYTH4 genes highly expressed in roots and leaves, whereas SmYTH8–SmYTH19 were mainly expressed in leaves. The results were consistent with RNA-seq data. The expression of various SmYTHs and the content of phenolic acid active ingredients were significantly altered under MeJA and SA treatments. The results provide useful information for further studies on the biological functions of m⁶A and YTH proteins in S. miltiorrhiza. Full article

Based on the current issues of difficulty in clearing intra-row weeds in orchards, inaccurate sensor detection, and the inability to adjust the row spacing depth, this study designs an intelligent intra-row obstacle avoidance and weeding machine for orchards. We designed the weeding machine’s sensor device, depth-limiting device, row spacing adjustment mechanism, joystick-based obstacle avoidance mechanism, weeding shovel, and hydraulic system. The sensor device integrates non-contact sensors and a mechanical tactile structure, which overcomes the instability of non-contact detection and avoids the risk of collision obstacle avoidance by the weeding parts. The weeding shovel can be adapted to the environments of orchards with small plant spacing. The combination of the sensor device and the obstacle avoidance mechanism realizes flexible obstacle avoidance. We used Ansys Workbench to conduct static and vibration modal analyses on the chassis of the in-field weeding machine. On this basis, through topology optimization, the chassis quality of the weeding machine is reduced by 8%, which realizes the goal of light weight and ensures the stable operation of the machinery. To further optimize the weeding operation parameters, we employed the Box–Behnken design response surface analysis, with weeding coverage as the optimization target. We systematically explored the effects of forward speed, hydraulic cylinder extension speed, and retraction speed on the weeding efficiency. The optimal operational parameter combination determined by this study for the weeding machine is as follows: forward speed of 0.5 m/s, hydraulic cylinder extension speed of 11.5 cm/s, and hydraulic cylinder retraction speed of 8 cm/s. Based on the theoretical analysis and scenario simulations, we validated the performance of the weeding machine through field experiments. The results show that the weeding machine, while exhibiting excellent obstacle avoidance performance, can achieve a maximum weeding coverage of 84.6%. This study provides a theoretical foundation and technical support for the design and development of in-field mechanical weeding, which is of great significance for achieving intelligent orchard management and further improving fruit yield and quality. Full article

To improve the film-picking performance of toothed chain tillage residual film recycling machines, the working parameters of a film-picking device were optimized using a Box–Behnken design, with the film-picking rate as the response parameter. The effectiveness of the film-picking device, along with soil compaction, torque, and stress on the picking teeth during the process, was evaluated through DEM-MBD coupling simulations and experiments. The optimized working parameters for the film-lifting device were found to be forward speed $\mathrm{v}=1.94 \mathrm{m}·{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$, picking tooth speed $\mathrm{n}=10.47 \mathrm{r}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{d}·{\mathrm{s}}^{-1}$, and penetration depth $h=125 \mathrm{m}\mathrm{m}$. Under these conditions, the film-picking rate for the single-tooth and multi-tooth devices were 88% and 90%, respectively, with a 2% error. The simulation and experimental values for soil compaction, torque, and stress during the film-picking process were 800 Pa, 2.72 $\mathrm{N}·\mathrm{m}$, and 6.4 N, respectively. The corresponding simulation values were 870 Pa, 2.53 $\mathrm{N}·\mathrm{m}$, and 6.5 N, with errors of 8%, 7%, and 2%. This study provides valuable insights for optimizing the design of residual film recycling machines and predicting soil compaction, tooth torque, and stress. Full article

MADS-box transcription factors play a crucial role in plant growth and development. Although previous genome-wide analyses have investigated the MADS-box family in cucumber, this study provides the first comprehensive reannotation of the MADS-box gene family in Cucumis sativus using updated Cucurbitaceae genome data, offering novel insights into the gene family’s evolution and functional diversity. The results show that a total of 48 CsMADS-box genes were identified in the V3 version of cucumber, while 3 of the 43 genes identified in the V1 version were duplicated. The V1 version actually has only 40 genes. Additionally, we analyzed the variability in protein sequences and found that the amino acid sequences of 14 genes showed no differences between the two versions of the database, while the amino acid sequences of 29 genes exhibited significant differences. The further analysis of conserved motifs revealed that although the amino acid lengths of 15 genes had changed, their conserved motifs remained unchanged; however, the conserved motifs of 12 genes had altered. Furthermore we found that motif1 and motif2 were present in most proteins, indicating that they are highly conserved. Gene structure analysis revealed that most type I (Mα, Mβ) MADS-box genes lack introns, whereas type II (MIKC) genes exhibit a similar structure with a higher number of introns. Chromosomal localization analysis indicated that CsMADS-box genes are unevenly distributed across the seven chromosomes of cucumber. Promoter region analysis showed that the promoter regions of CsMADS-box genes contain response elements related to plant growth and development, suggesting that CsMADS-box genes may be extensively involved in plant growth and development. Different CsMADS-box genes exhibit specific high expression in roots, stems, leaves, tendrils, male flowers, female flowers, and ovaries, suggesting that these genes play crucial roles in the growth, development, reproduction and morphogenesis of cucumber. Moreover, 26, 18, 8, and 10 CsMADS-box genes were differentially expressed under high temperature, NaCl and/or silicon, downy mildew, and powdery mildew treatments, respectively. Interestingly, CsMADS07 and CsMADS16 responded to all tested stress conditions. These findings provide a reference and basis for further investigation into the function and mechanisms of the MADS-box genes for resistance breeding in cucumber. Full article

Successful continuous fiber-reinforced composite filament 3D printing hinges on the synergistic relationship between the printing nozzle and precisely controlled process parameters. This research uses a simulation model to investigate how printing temperature, printing speed, and nozzle length affect the prepreg filament’s molten state during 3D printing. We employed the Box–Behnken response surface methodology to optimize these key parameters. Using continuous fiber-reinforced composite filament polylactic acid (CFRCF/PLA) as an example, and a printing nozzle with a 1 mm diameter and an 8 mm length of heating zone were designed. The optimal printing parameters were determined to be as follows: printing temperature of 220 °C, printing speed of 300 mm/min, and printing layer height of 0.2 mm. Experimental validation using the optimized nozzle and parameters demonstrated enhanced stability in continuous fiber prepreg filament printing. Full article

Laying hens’ metabolism goes through a cyclic process to produce eggs, which requires higher dietary protein and energy in the morning (AM) and higher calcium (Ca) in the afternoon/evening (PM) than the rest of the day. Therefore, poultry scientists are trying to adopt a new feeding strategy called AM/PM or split feeding to precisely meet hen’s requirements more effectively than conventional methods. A 10-week cage layer trial was carried out via a Box–Behnken response surface design to identify the optimal amount of protein, energy, and calcium of the AM/PM diets. There were 13 test treatments with three levels of crude protein (19.6%/18.4%, 20.3%/17.7%, 21%/17%), calcium (3.3%/4.9%, 2.5%/5.7%, 1.6%/6.6%), and apparent metabolizable energy (AME) (12 MJ/kg/11.2 MJ/kg, 12.4 MJ/kg/10.8 MJ/kg, 12.8 MJ/kg/10.4 MJ/kg) for AM/PM diets respectively and a control treatment with industry baseline (CP-19%, Ca-4.1% and ME 11.6 MJ/kg). These are the calculated values of nutrients on a dry matter basis. A total of 364 hens were randomly distributed into 2 dietary treatments where each treatment had 13 replicates (2 hens per replicate cage, 26 hens per treatment). AM and PM diets were swapped out at approximately 8 am and 4 pm each day. Egg production and hen performance were measured daily and weekly, respectively, with egg quality, serum Ca, and nutrient digestibility measured at week 10. AM:PM intake and feed cost were calculated for each treatment. The optimal FCR, feed cost, and AM:PM intake were used to determine Ca, CP, and AME levels. The result showed that 6 out of 13 of our test treatments gave improved FCR compared to the control treatment (p = 0.017). Dietary treatments did not affect overall hen weight and serum Ca and egg quality at week 10, except for the lower yolk color score in the control treatment (p = 0.002). Hens in the experimental treatment, with calcium levels of 1.6% and 6.6%, crude protein (CP) levels of 19.6% and 18.4%, and AME content of 12.4 MJ/kg and 10.8 MJ/kg in the AM and PM diet, respectively, showed the highest apparent protein digestibility (56.6%) compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Similarly, hens receiving a treatment containing calcium at 3.3% and 4.9%, CP at 21% and 17%, and AME at 12.4 MJ/kg and 10.8 MJ/kg in the AM and PM diet, respectively, achieved the highest calcium digestibility (62.13%), while the control treatment yielded the lowest calcium digestibility (p < 0.05). After analyzing the data using the Box–Behnken response surface methodology, we found that (21/17)% CP, (3.3/4.9)% Ca, and (12/11.12) MJ/kg energy in the AM/PM diet gave the optimum performance in terms of lower feed cost and better feed efficiency. The data of AM:PM intake demonstrate that selective feeding occurs in between treatments (p < 0.001) and the degree of selection depends on the difference between the level of nutrients in AM and PM diet. This study revealed that when optimized, AM/PM feeding improves feed efficiency and egg quality of laying hens. Full article

Vaccination cold chains depend critically on maintaining temperatures within the 2–8 °C range, with phase-change materials (PCMs) like n-tetradecane offering substantial potential due to their high latent heat and optimal melting characteristics. Despite extensive research on PCM melting enhancement, strategies to extend melting duration and thermal stability remain underexplored. This pioneering numerical study investigates the impact of incorporating 5% glycerol additive in n-tetradecane, aiming to decelerate the melting rate and sustain the desired temperature range over prolonged periods. This study numerically assesses the effect of a 5% glycerol additive on n-tetradecane, revealing a substantial 20.6 h extension in safe temperature maintenance, from 123.3 h in pure n-tetradecane (T) to 143.9 h with the additive (T + G). Although T reaches full melting in 121.7 h, the air temperature inside the cold box breaches 8 °C only 1.6 h after; in contrast, T + G reaches this threshold 2.2 h before full melting, resulting in an effective extension of 20.6 h. Entropy analysis shows a delayed rise in T + G, indicating enhanced thermal stability, while temperature contours confirm T + G sustains cooling until day 6, a full day beyond T. These findings highlight glycerol’s potential to modulate thermal dynamics within PCM-based cold boxes, offering a cost-effective improvement in vaccine transport sustainability. Full article

Ramie is a valuable natural fiber resource. The fabric made of ramie fiber has distinctive natural characteristics, and its products are widely favored in the international market. Because the cellulose fiber in ramie is closely adhered by a viscous material composed of pectin, hemicellulose, and lignin, mechanical stripping and processing is needed to obtain primary ramie fiber for downstream use. To address the production challenges posed by high labor intensity and the scarcity of small, direct-feeding ramie decorticators in hilly and mountainous regions, this study designed and optimized a spiral ramie decortication component that integrated functions of ramie stalk crushing, xylem removal, outer shell scraping, and phloem separating and throwing. The three-dimensional model of the ramie stripping component was crafted with SolidWorks software, and subsequent modal analysis and dynamic simulation studies were conducted using Abaqus software. The Box–Behnken experimental design method was used to construct a mathematical model describing the effects of the decorticating drum rotation speed and the decorticating gap on the fiber percentage of fresh stalk, and the optimal operating parameters were determined accordingly. The research findings indicated that the component’s initial ten natural frequencies span from 234.41 to 431.70 Hz, which do not overlap with the external excitation frequencies, thus ensuring that no resonance phenomenon occurs during the operation process, meeting the design requirements for the ramie decortication operation. Under dynamic load conditions, the ramie decorticator can efficiently perform the task of ramie fiber decortication, and the stress and strain experienced by the device meet the established design specifications; by optimizing operating parameters, the optimal operating conditions were determined to be the speed of feeding and crushing parts (SFCP) of 100 r/min, the speed of separating and throwing parts (SSTP) of 400 r/min, the gap of feeding and crushing parts (GFCP) of 8 mm, and the gap of separating and throwing parts (GSTP) of 0 mm. Experimental results indicated that under this optimal parameter combination, the fiber percentage of fresh stalk of the spiral ramie decorticator can reach 5.03%, with a relative error of less than 3% compared to the theoretical model prediction value, thus confirming the accuracy of the model prediction. This study establishes a robust technical basis for the development of a convenient decortication technology for ramie fibers. However, this technique is more suitable for small growers, especially in hilly areas, to achieve large-scale applications, schemes must be reevaluated based on production efficiency. Full article

To address the inadequacies of mechanized potato-harvesting equipment on challenging terrains like hills, mountains, and small fields, a lightweight and simple self-propelled crawler potato combine harvester was developed based on the agronomic and harvesting requirements of potato cultivation. The machine consists of key components including a depth-limited soil-crushing device, an auxiliary feeding device, an excavation device, a rubber rod separation device, and a ton bag sorting device. It offers technical advantages such as a lightweight structure, auxiliary feeding and conveying, and manual assistance in sorting ton bags. The key components, such as the auxiliary feeding device, depth-limiting soil-crushing device, and rubber rod separation device, were analyzed theoretically to determine the relevant structures and parameters. Through initial harvesting performance tests, the separation screen line speed, vibration frequency, and device inclination angle were identified as the experimental factors. Evaluation indicators such as potato bruise rate, skin breakage rate, loss rate, and impurity content were chosen, and a three-factor, three-level Box–Behnken optimization test was conducted. The results indicated that with a separation screen line speed of 1 m/s, vibration frequency of 8 Hz, and device inclination angle of 30°, the potato damage rate during harvesting was 1.318%, the skin breakage rate was 1.825%, the loss rate was 2.815%, and the impurity rate was 2.736%. Field tests with the same parameters showed that the potato damage rate, skin breakage rate, loss rate, and impurity rate of the harvester were 1.357%, 1.853%, 2.86%, and 2.748%, respectively, meeting relevant industry technical standards. This research can serve as a reference for enhancing the harvesting performance of potato combine harvesters and ton bag sorting technology. Full article

We examined the effect of botulinum toxin-A on upper limb impairments and activity limitations in chronic stroke. This study is a secondary analysis of control group data from a national, multicenter, Phase III randomized trial with a masked outcome assessment. We studied 71 stroke survivors who received a botulinum toxin-A injection in any muscle(s) that crosses the wrist due to significant spasticity after a stroke greater than 3 months previously. We measured upper limb activity, spasticity, range of motion, grip strength, pain and other outcomes at injection and three months later. The median difference between injection and 3 months later was 0.0 blocks/s (interquartile range (IQR) 0.0) on the Box and Block Test, 0/4 (IQR 1) on the Tardieu Scale, 4 degrees (IQR 26) of wrist extension, 0.0 kg (IQR 2) of grip strength, 0.0 (IQR 1.5) on the 10 cm visual analogue scale for pain, 0/100 (IQR 21) on the 10 cm visual analogue scale for overall health, 0/3 (IQR 0) for self-care and −2 (IQR 8) for burden of care. In chronic stroke survivors who have little activity in their upper limb, botulinum toxin-A is not effective in improving any measured outcomes and does not appear to be clinically justified in this population with severe activity limitations. Full article

Given the overwhelming literature on the beneficial effects of exercise, it is surprising that many individuals do not meet current physical activity guidelines. Among the most often cited reasons for nonadherence to exercise are a lack of time and lack of enjoyment. However, recent technology has provided a new mode of exercise that could change an individual’s perception of exercise. Purpose: Compare in-task valance during and enjoyment after a bout of moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) and virtual reality boxing (VRB). Methods: Participants [N = 20, 8 females; age (M ± SD); 26.1 ± 7.2 yrs; BMI (M ± SD); 26.4 ± 5.8] completed a 5 min warm-up, 20 min MICE and VRB workout, and a 5 min cool-down. The in-task valance, heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were assessed during, and enjoyment was assessed immediately after each condition. Results: Participants reported more positive in-task valence [Cohen’s d = 0.59] and greater post-exercise enjoyment [Cohen’s d = 1.76] during VRB relative to MICE. Further, participants reported higher RPE [Cohen’s d = 0.53] and heart rates [Cohen’s d = 0.52] during VRB. Conclusion: Virtual reality boxing resulted in significantly greater in-task valence and post-exercise enjoyment relative to traditional cardio. As both in-task valence and enjoyment have been linked to exercise adherence, virtual reality exercise should be considered as a means to increase exercise adherence. Full article