Search Results (476)

Fruit harvesting systems are undergoing a paradigm shift toward sustainable and energy-efficient mechanized platforms driven by robotics, artificial intelligence, and advanced sensing technologies. This review synthesizes recent engineering developments in fruit harvesting, focusing on system architecture, fruit detachment mechanics, and mechanized harvesting strategies. It examines harvesting classifications, mechanical principles governing detachment, and pre-harvest factors affecting performance, along with principal mechanisms including shaking, cutting, and alternative detachment techniques. Post-detachment handling and fruit recovery processes are also analyzed, together with economic and sustainability-related trade-offs between manual and mechanized harvesting systems. Recent progress in robotic harvesting systems, machine vision, and multi-sensor fusion is evaluated within the framework of smart orchard engineering, with increasing emphasis on energy-efficient design, resource optimization, reduced postharvest losses, and environmental sustainability as key performance drivers. Despite these advancements, current technologies remain constrained by fruit damage susceptibility, biological variability, limited cross-crop adaptability, and high implementation costs, limiting large-scale adoption in commercial orchards. The novelty of this review lies in establishing a unified engineering framework that links mechanical detachment principles with robotic systems and intelligent sensing technologies under an energy-efficient sustainability perspective, enabling a system-level understanding of harvesting performance and supporting the development of next-generation adaptive and sustainable fruit harvesting systems. Full article

Marine diesel engines generate high concentrations of sub-micron particulate matter (PM) that requires effective exhaust aftertreatment. While conventional wire-in-tube electrostatic precipitators (ESP) offer a low-drag solution, their practical efficiency is limited by particle re-entrainment at elevated flow velocities. This study investigates a novel application of corrugated cylindrical ducts—standard vibration-compensating couplings—as electrostatic collectors. A fully coupled two-dimensional axisymmetric COMSOL Multiphysics 6.4 model was developed, integrating turbulent flow (k–ε), electrostatics, ion charge transport, and particle tracing. Numerical results demonstrate that while smooth and corrugated geometries yield identical theoretical Deutsch–Anderson efficiency (61.1% at Uin = 0.5 m/s, the corrugated profile significantly suppresses re-entrainment. The corrugations reduce wall shear stress by a factor of 7.7 to 13.5 at flow velocities of 0.3–0.8 m/s, maintaining aerodynamic conditions below critical particle detachment thresholds. With a pressure drop penalty representing less than 6% of the localized corona power, these findings show that existing marine exhaust infrastructure can be repurposed as high-efficiency, low-re-entrainment particle collectors through the integration of cold plasma electrodes. Full article

This review explicitly focuses on agricultural attachments and executing components that interact directly with soil and crops, rather than the tractor vehicle itself. Operating within complex and variable farmland media environments, the key components of agricultural machinery have long been constrained by bottlenecks such as high-energy draught resistance, severe solid–liquid interfacial adhesion, and intense abrasive wear. Bionic functional surfaces, based on the coupling of micro-geometric morphology and surface-interface physical chemistry, provide a scientific approach to overcoming traditional tribological limitations by reconstructing the contact mechanics and fluid dynamics boundaries at the interface. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the latest research progress regarding bionic functional surfaces in the fields of friction reduction, wear resistance, and anti-adhesion in agricultural machinery. The article systematically categorises typical biological prototypes, such as soil-burrowing animals, aquatic organisms, and plant leaves, alongside their multidimensional feature extraction methods. It provides an in-depth analysis of core interaction mechanisms, ranging from static air cushion effects and dynamic wetting evolution to active electro-osmotic soil detachment, interfacial stress redistribution, and microscopic wear debris capture. Furthermore, it evaluates the efficacy of cross-scale coupled numerical simulation technologies in resolving interfacial interactions. At the engineering application level, this review extensively discusses the field performance of bionic structures in typical operational scenarios, including draught reduction in tillage and land preparation, blockage prevention in seed-metering channels, and low-damage harvesting in agricultural machinery. Finally, countermeasures are proposed to address the fatigue degradation of bionic surfaces under alternating field loads and the barriers to the large-scale fabrication of large-sized components. The paper further highlights the development trend towards the deep integration of bionic tribology with digital twins and intelligent wear-state perception technologies, aiming to provide systematic underlying theoretical and technical references for the research and development of the next generation of intelligent agricultural equipment characterised by low energy consumption and a prolonged service life. Full article

Dissolution-induced spalling is a major deterioration mechanism affecting the long-term stability of grottoes exposed to acidic environments. However, existing numerical methods have limited capability in capturing the coupled effects of hydrochemical dissolution, joint degradation, and fracture propagation. In this study, a hydrochemical damage-coupled Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA) method is proposed. A mineral dissolution-based crack evolution model is first established, and a chemical residual strength factor D_c is introduced to quantify the degradation of fracture toughness, tensile strength, and shear strength. The factor is then incorporated into a nonlinear joint constitutive model to simulate the mechanical-chemical behavior. The proposed method is validated through a two-block contact model and a three-point bending test. Results show that the model accurately reproduces nonlinear contact behavior, including stiffness degradation, hysteresis, and peak strength reduction (24.6% after 90 days) under chemical erosion. Further application to a typical sandstone grotto reveals a progressive failure process characterized by crack initiation, propagation, coalescence, and eventual block detachment. The results demonstrate that hydrochemical dissolution significantly accelerates structural degradation of grotto rock masses, and that both the number of active cracks as well as the total crack length have significantly increased. The proposed method provides an effective tool for evaluating long-term stability and supports the preservation of grotto cultural heritage. Full article

Gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis is not simply an extension of the primary tumor into the abdominal cavity. It represents a biologically distinct disease context shaped by interactions between disseminated tumor cells, peritoneal fluid, mesothelial surfaces, submesothelial stroma, extracellular matrix, immune populations, and malignant ascites. In this narrative review, we examine peritoneal metastasis as a transition between three related but physiologically different states: the primary gastric tumor, free-floating tumor cells or spheroids in the peritoneal fluid, and established mesothelial or submesothelial metastatic implants. We discuss how tumor cells acquire dissemination competence in the primary tumor, survive detachment and fluid-phase stress, adhere to remodeled mesothelium, recruit stromal and immune support, and adapt to ascites-mediated signaling. We also review how the peritoneal niche may contribute to biomarker discordance, immune exclusion, therapeutic resistance, and limitations of conventional response assessment. Where relevant, we distinguish evidence derived directly from gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis from preclinical data, extrapolation from other peritoneal malignancies, and hypothesis-generating interpretation. Finally, we summarize practical implications for tissue sampling, ascites and lavage analysis, biomarker interpretation, translational modeling, and peritoneal-directed therapeutic strategies. A clearer understanding of the biological divergence between the primary tumor, the fluid-phase compartment, and peritoneal implants may improve the study and clinical management of gastric cancer peritoneal metastasis. Full article

Early and late leaf spot (ELS and LLS), caused by Passalora arachidicola and Nothopassalora personata, are major constraints to peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) production. Durable resistance in cultivated germplasm remains limited due to the crop’s narrow genetic base. Wild Arachis species represent an important but underutilized source of resistance. This study aimed to identify and prioritize wild introgressions associated with foliar disease resistance in advanced peanut backcross lines derived from the induced allotetraploid BatSten1 (Arachis batizocoi × A. stenosperma)^4x. A population of advanced backcross lines carrying reduced wild genome content (~5% to ~1% across advancement) was evaluated through four years of field trials for LLS severity and yield, complemented by detached-leaf bioassays to dissect resistance components for both ELS and LLS. Genome-wide SNP genotyping, combined with mixed-model analysis and association mapping, identified introgressed regions influencing disease response. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) detected loci on chromosomes A06 and A09 associated with LLS resistance, explaining approximately 25% and 11% of phenotypic variation, respectively, with evidence of additive effects between loci. Component-level analyses further revealed both resistance- and susceptibility-associated introgressions. Although tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) incidence was evaluated in field trials, exploratory GWAS did not detect significant marker–trait associations, indicating that genetic components associated with this trait were not resolved under the conditions tested. Overall, these results expand the understanding of the genetic architecture of leaf spot resistance beyond traditional donor sources and provide a framework for prioritizing beneficial wild introgressions while minimizing linkage drag in peanut pre-breeding programs. Full article

This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of robotic fruit harvesting systems, with a particular focus on the system-level integration of perception, manipulation, and fruit detachment within autonomous harvesting environments. Recent advances in machine vision, deep learning, sensor fusion, robotic end-effectors, grasping strategies, and motion planning are critically analyzed alongside cutting, pulling, and vibration-based detachment mechanisms under unstructured orchard conditions. Beyond component-level analysis, this review emphasizes the critical role of perception–action coupling and highlights key system integration challenges, including localization errors, perception-to-action latency, and environmental variability, which continue to limit reliable field deployment. In addition, orchard and pre-harvest-related factors such as canopy structure, fruit distribution, and detachment force variability are examined in relation to their direct impact on system performance, robustness, and harvesting efficiency. Furthermore, the review extends toward system-level considerations by incorporating performance evaluation metrics, economic feasibility, and scalability constraints, which are essential for transitioning robotic harvesting systems from experimental prototypes to commercially viable solutions, including practical field deployment in distributed and multi-robot harvesting systems. Emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, advanced sensing, digital agriculture, and energy-aware system design, are discussed as key enablers for achieving adaptive, data-driven, and scalable autonomous harvesting. The novelty of this work lies in proposing an integrated framework that explicitly links perception, manipulation, and detachment with orchard-level constraints and deployment requirements, thereby bridging the gap between algorithmic advancements and real-world implementation of autonomous fruit harvesting systems. Full article

Karst critical zones in Southwest China are highly vulnerable to soil–water loss because thin soils, exposed carbonate bedrock, well-developed epikarst, and strong surface–subsurface connectivity promote both surface erosion and subsurface leakage. Although soil erosion, subsurface leakage, karst rocky desertification, and ecological restoration have been widely studied, the coupling between landscape structural patterns and soil–water loss remains insufficiently synthesized. This semi-systematic critical review synthesizes evidence from karst hydrology, soil erosion, karst rocky desertification, landscape structure, and critical zone studies, with a primary focus on Southwest China. The reviewed evidence indicates that geomorphic setting, land use vegetation structure, bare-rock exposure, and epikarst development jointly regulate runoff generation, infiltration, sediment detachment, subsurface leakage, and sediment connectivity. Peak–cluster depressions commonly favor internal sediment storage and vertical leakage, whereas valley and canyon systems tend to enhance surface runoff connectivity and channelized sediment export. However, pathway dominance varies with rainfall intensity, soil moisture, soil thickness, land use, karst rocky desertification degree, and fracture–conduit connectivity. Long-term soil–water loss may further reshape landscape structure through soil thinning, vegetation degradation, bedrock exposure, and karst rocky desertification feedbacks. Current research is limited by insufficient quantification of subsurface soil loss, weak integration between landscape metrics and hydrological models, and scarce long-term monitoring data. Future studies should integrate field monitoring, tracers, remote sensing, landscape metrics, and coupled surface–subsurface models to support geomorphic-setting-specific karst rocky desertification control. Full article

Magnetic covalent organic frameworks (MCOFs) offer efficient adsorption via designable pore channels and active sites, along with rapid magnetic separation due to their intrinsic superparamagnetism. However, physical mixing or non-covalent assembly often leads to weak binding, causing the leaching or detachment of magnetic components during use, and compromises the well-defined crystallinity of the COF. In this study, we employed an in situ synthesis strategy at room temperature based on amidation and Schiff base reactions to fabricate a magnetic TAPT-DHTA-COF with good crystallinity and superparamagnetism. This material was used as a magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) adsorbent to establish an MSPE-GC-MS/MS method for the determination of amide herbicides (AHs). The TAPT-DHTA-COF is rich in hydroxyl groups, which form strong hydrogen bonds with the polar AH molecules. In a green tea matrix, six AHs showed good linearity within the concentration range of 1–500 ng g⁻¹, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9910 to 0.9982. The limits of detection were between 0.25 and 0.73 ng g⁻¹, spiked recoveries ranged from 80.1% to 94.8%, and relative standard deviations were below 6.2%. This work offers an improved synthesis strategy for novel magnetic COFs and insights into their application in adsorbing polar pesticides. Full article

Polymer flooding is a highly promising enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique for improving sweep efficiency, particularly in complex reservoirs at advanced stages of water production. While polymer flooding effectively improves sweep efficiency, efficient mobilization of residual oil requires further reduction in interfacial tension. Surfactant systems capable of forming microemulsions have therefore been introduced to enhance oil displacement through improved oil mobilization. The underlying oil displacement mechanisms of microemulsions are strongly dependent on phase behavior, which is governed by Winsor phase conditions. In this study, the pore-scale oil displacement mechanisms of Winsor I, II, and III microemulsion systems were systematically investigated using glass micromodel experiments. Winsor I mainly promoted oil detachment and emulsification, leaving residual oil as corner-bound oil and dispersed droplets. Winsor II showed limited efficiency due to its oil-continuous nature and viscous water-in-oil emulsions, resulting in persistent columnar residual oil. In contrast, Winsor III formed a continuous middle-phase microemulsion, enabling a solubilization-migration mechanism that effectively mobilized and transported oil. Accordingly, Winsor III achieved the highest recovery (81.37%), followed by Winsor I (75.6%) and Winsor II (64.9%). Optimized microemulsion slug injection further improved performance, with Winsor II-III-I reaching 82.2% and Winsor III-I sequence achieved the highest recovery of 85.6%. This study provides a mechanistic framework linking Winsor phase behavior to oil mobilization and demonstrates that both phase optimization and slug design are critical for improving microemulsion flooding performance in complex reservoir conditions. Full article

Background/Objectives: Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement via right anterior thoracotomy (Mini-AVR) has been proven safe and effective. However, the restricted surgical field through this approach makes this surgery challenging and therefore limits its application. A simple modification of an exposure technique involving third-rib detachment from the sternum in a wedge shape allows for expansion of the surgical field to the left, facilitating surgical exposure and performance, which may shorten the learning curve for surgeons, and make this surgery applicable to patients with less favorable anatomy. Methods: This is a retrospective study. From 2019 to 2024, 176 patients aged 62.9 ± 17.5 years old underwent Mini-AVR via right anterior thoracotomy with third-rib detachment at our hospital in Vietnam. Results: A mechanical prosthesis was used in 98 patients (55.7%) and bioprosthesis in 78 patients (44.3%). Leftward and deep aorta position were seen in 57 (32.4%) and 18 (10.2%) patients, respectively. The aortic cross-clamp and bypass time were 78.69 ± 24.1 and 128.1 ± 26.3 min, respectively. Root enlargement was performed in 2 patients (1.1%). Conclusions: Wedge-shape detachment of the third rib from the sternum in Mini-AVR allows for expansion of the surgical field to the left, facilitating surgical exposure and performance, especially in patients with less favorable anatomy. Full article

Vision-based structural defect detection methods based on YOLOv11 have achieved promising performance in recent years; however, their robustness in real engineering environments remains limited due to illumination variation, shadow occlusion, surface contamination, and complex background textures. Existing data-driven approaches primarily rely on visual appearance features while neglecting the intrinsic geometric continuity and morphological characteristics associated with structural failures such as cracks and spalling. To address these challenges, this study proposes an enhanced defect detection framework termed GCA-YOLO for intelligent structural inspection. The proposed method integrates a Geometric Constraint Attention (GCA) module and a Residual Efficient Channel Attention (RECA) module to improve feature representation. Instead of explicit physical simulation, the GCA module embeds morphology-guided geometric priors into the attention mechanism using differentiable gradient and Laplacian operators. This enforces structural continuity perception and suppresses geometrically inconsistent responses caused by background noise. Furthermore, a geometry confidence gating mechanism adaptively modulates the contribution of morphological features, while the RECA module recalibrates channel-wise responses to enhance the representation of weak and low-contrast defects. To comprehensively evaluate the proposed method, experiments were conducted on three representative datasets, including a public crack dataset and two self-built datasets (one for peeling/detachment and one for crack defects). These datasets were collected from diverse civil infrastructure scenarios such as bridges, tunnels, and pavements under challenging conditions including low illumination, shadow occlusion, complex textures, and heterogeneous backgrounds. Compared with the baseline YOLOv11 model, the proposed GCA-YOLO framework improves mAP@0.5 by 2.2%, 2.5%, and 15.9% on the public crack dataset, the self-built peeling/detaching dataset, and the self-built crack dataset, respectively. Meanwhile, Recall is improved by 4.6%, 3.8%, and 33.1%, respectively, demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed dual-attention framework in enhancing the completeness of defect localization and reducing missed detections. Despite these performance gains, the proposed framework maintains a lightweight architecture and does not introduce significant computational overhead. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed framework achieves strong robustness, stable generalization capability, and favorable detection efficiency across different defect categories and engineering scenarios, demonstrating promising potential for intelligent infrastructure inspection, urban safety monitoring, and practical engineering deployment. Full article

Shock buffet is one of the critical issues affecting the aerodynamic performance, flight quality, and flight safety of large aircraft. To overcome the limitations of traditional experimental measurement methods, such as insufficient capability in capturing flow features and high cost, an integrated experimental system tailored for extreme cryogenic and high-Reynolds-number conditions is developed based on the conventional tuft technique. This system comprises “preparation of low-flow-disturbance fluorescent mini-tufts, high-efficiency large-area tuft taping, automatic generation of digital streamline, and flow topology analysis”. Furthermore, a technique for assessing the transonic shock buffet onset using dynamic flow visualization with fluorescent mini-tufts is proposed. This paper takes a typical supercritical airfoil as the research object. First, through high-precision numerical simulations, it reveals that low-energy, unstable boundary-layer separation is the core driving force for the development and maintenance of shock buffet, and that flow separation characteristics serve as an important basis for determining the shock buffet onset. Subsequently, experimental validation is conducted in a 0.3 m high-Reynolds-number transonic wind tunnel. Using a dual-excitation-band composite light source, simultaneous measurements of pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) and fluorescent mini-tuft patterns are realized. The experimental results show that under extreme conditions, characterized by a wide total temperature range of 110 K to 280 K and strong scouring at Mach numbers from 0.6 to 0.9, the fluorescent mini-tufts (approximately 0.05 mm in diameter) exhibit excellent flow-following capability without any detachment. The digitized flow patterns of the fluorescent mini-tufts, obtained via computer image recognition algorithms, clearly reveal the location and area of boundary-layer separation. The trends show good agreement with the cryogenic PSP results, providing an important reference for determining the shock buffet onset. Full article

Background/Objectives: This study explored parents’ perspectives regarding digital media use in children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) and examined how these views vary according to family and clinical characteristics. Methods: Data were collected from an Italian survey involving 352 families. Items assessed the perceived effects of digital devices on child development and parenting, awareness of screen time guidelines, and use of time- and content-limiting tools. Quantitative analyses were complemented by a reflexive thematic analysis of open-ended responses describing how digital media influenced parenting. Results: Parents expressed divergent attitudes towards digital media, with broadly similar proportions reporting positive, neutral, and negative views regarding both child development and parenting. More favourable views were associated with greater perceived benefits for children and were more frequent among parents of children with more severe functional disabilities. About half had discussed screen use with health professionals, and most were aware of existing guidelines. Thematic analysis identified six themes related to digital parenting: educational means (digital devices as tools for communication, learning, and socialisation), entertainment (screens as a source of leisure or behavioural management), reward (digital media used as reinforcement), screen time as a “necessity” (technology as an integral and sometimes rehabilitative part of daily life), negative effects on the child (concerns about detachment, reduced social interaction, and mood dysregulation), and parental behaviour and attitudes (reflecting the emotional burden of regulation and broader beliefs about digital media). Conclusions: Parents of children with NDs navigate digital media use through a complex balance of perceived risks and benefits. Findings highlight the need for family-centred guidance and assistive technology approaches that promote digital inclusion while addressing parental stress and regulatory challenges. Full article

In the fields of cell engineering, bio-fabrication, and targeted therapy, achieving high-precision manipulation of microparticles and cells remains a technical challenge. Although acoustic tweezers based on surface acoustic waves (SAWs) offer a promising solution, the structural complexity of conventional SAW devices has limited their practical applications. This work proposes a symmetric interdigitated transducer (IDT)-based acoustic tweezers device featuring a simple structure and high flexibility for modulating acoustic pressure field patterns and enabling particle manipulation. Theoretical investigations into the particle manipulation mechanism of the proposed device were conducted using the finite element method. A detachable polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) assembly chamber was also designed. The effectiveness of the device was validated through dynamic and reconfigurable manipulation experiments using fluorescent polystyrene microspheres. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed device can rapidly and precisely modulate SAW to achieve array-based manipulation of particle clusters, forming corresponding array patterns. Compared with conventional sorting methods, this device offers advantages including low cost, high precision, ease of operation, and good biocompatibility, making it suitable for large-scale manipulation of microparticles and biological cells. This technology has the potential to expand the application landscape of SAW and may emerge as a cutting-edge approach for directed cell assembly and culture. Full article