Search Results (4,195)

The transition from conventional silica nanoparticle (SiNP) production based on purified alkoxysilanes and high-temperature flame hydrolysis of silicon tetrachloride to renewable and waste-derived silicon resources requires more than precursor substitution. It requires a mechanistic understanding of how feedstock mineralogy, silicon speciation, impurity chemistry, and processing history propagate through dissolution, nucleation, condensation, gelation, aging, drying, and pore evolution to determine material performance, environmental burden, and manufacturing feasibility. Although previous reviews have established the technical feasibility of producing silica from secondary resources, their predominant organization by feedstock, synthesis route, or application provides limited ability to explain why nominally similar processes generate materials with markedly different structural and functional properties. This review addresses these through a resource-pull, feedstock-to-function framework that links resource chemistry and process design to critical material attributes, application-specific specifications, sustainability, and scale-up requirements. Agricultural residues, industrial by-products, geothermal resources, waste glass, and fluorosilicate streams are critically compared according to silicon form and phase, reactivity, impurity profile, compositional variability, purification demand, and attainable product quality. Particular attention is given to waste-derived alkaline silicate systems, in which molecular, oligomeric, and colloidal silica coexist and therefore require characterization beyond bulk SiO₂ concentration. Established and emerging processing strategies, including controlled combustion and alkaline extraction, alkali fusion, ambient-pressure drying, microwave and mechanochemical activation, biogenic and biomimetic templating, and continuous processing, are evaluated according to their mechanistic effects, technological maturity, structural control, and demands for energy, reagents, water, solvents, effluent treatment, and capital. Across these routes, gelation and aging emerge as critical transfer stages through which feedstock composition is translated into network connectivity, pore architecture, shrinkage behavior, and ultimately functional performance. Evidence from secondary-source aerogels further shows that properly controlled waste-derived systems can attain BET surface areas of approximately 350–500 m² g⁻¹, within the textural range of many alkoxide-derived materials, indicating that feedstock variability, impurity management, and process control are more important constraints than an inherently lower performance ceiling. On this basis, this review proposes a minimum evidence framework comprising feedstock traceability, intermediate-speciation and colloidal characterization, silicon mass balance, gelation and aging metrics, application-specific qualification criteria, performance-normalized life cycle and techno-economic assessment, process analytical control, and staged pilot validation. Collectively, these principles provide a mechanistically grounded basis for moving sustainable silica synthesis beyond isolated proof-of-concept demonstrations toward reproducible, scalable, application-matched, and commercially credible manufacturing platforms. Full article

Emerging industrial agglomeration drives green transformation through knowledge spillovers and economies of scale. However, its effects exhibit pronounced nonlinearity and heterogeneity, shaped by spatial externalities and development stages. This paper investigates 19 Chinese urban agglomerations over the period 2014 to 2023. Kernel density estimation based on enterprise-level Point-of-Interest (POI) data is used to characterize spatial agglomeration patterns across eight emerging sectors. A two-stage dynamic network super-efficiency SBM model decomposes Green Transition Efficiency (GTE) into resource utilization and pollution control sub-stages. An XGBoost-SHAP-GEO analytical framework, combined with partial dependence analysis, then identifies nonlinear driving mechanisms. The main findings are as follows: First, emerging industrial agglomeration intensifies and polarizes toward the eastern coast, whereas GTE displays a “high-west, low-east” pattern. This produces a significant spatial mismatch, rooted in the near-saturation of environmental carrying capacity in eastern regions, where congestion effects exceed knowledge spillover dividends. Second, geographic characteristics constitute the primary factor shaping GTE and operate through nonlinear interactions with industrial agglomeration and R&D investment. Notably, their moderation direction is reversible, suggesting that geographic endowments should be understood as “conditional assets” rather than fixed advantages. Third, nonlinear patterns across sectors are highly heterogeneous. The bio-industry is the only sector to achieve a J-shaped positive breakthrough. Information technology and new materials exhibit persistent inhibition, while related services display an extremely narrow threshold window with the deepest negative reversal. Thus, “moderate agglomeration” is a multidimensional concept that shifts dynamically with industry type and regional endowment. Fourth, driving mechanisms display stage-dependent evolution. The incubation stage relies on natural endowments and basic industrial pull, with the green bottleneck residing in resource utilization efficiency. The growth stage faces multiple tensions from coexisting positive and negative effects. The optimization stage shifts toward R&D innovation and industrial greening, marking a qualitative transformation from MAR externalities to Jacobs externalities. In addition, the non-significant linear coefficient in the 2SLS instrumental variable test is consistent with the inverted U-shaped nonlinear finding, further validating the necessity of a nonlinear analytical framework. These findings provide differentiated governance evidence for balancing industrial agglomeration with green sustainable development. Full article

Boron carbide (B₄C) ceramics suffer from poor sinterability and inherent brittleness, which severely limit their engineering applications. In this work, B₄C–graphene nanoplatelet (GNP) composites were fabricated by hot pressing using heterogeneously co-precipitated powder mixtures, with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a surfactant for achieving uniform dispersion of GNPs within the B₄C matrix. The formation mechanisms of B₄C–GNP hybrids were systematically elucidated. The results show that CTAB endows GNPs with positive charges, enabling electrostatic co-precipitation with negatively charged B₄C particles to construct layered hybrid architectures. The GNP content has a significant modulation effect on the microstructure and mechanical properties of B₄C composites. A maximum relative density of 99.65%, Vickers hardness of 33.5 GPa, and flexural strength of 488 MPa were obtained at 1 wt% GNPs, while the fracture toughness reached a peak value of 4.89 MPa·m^1/2 at 2 wt% GNPs, representing a 63.5% improvement over monolithic B₄C. The enhanced fracture toughness is attributed to multiple toughening mechanisms, including crack deflection, crack bridging, GNP pull-out, step-like fracture, and zigzag crack propagation. This study provides a feasible strategy for preparing uniformly dispersed ceramic–graphene composites with balanced mechanical properties. Full article

Existing studies on selective pepper harvesting commonly use the pedicel as the picking target. However, for Hang pepper, dense branches and leaves cause severe fruit stem occlusion, resulting in a low harvesting success rate. To address this limitation, an end-effector that uses the fruit body as the picking target was designed in this study. Physical property tests of Hang pepper were first conducted. In radial compression tests, a post-release deformation of less than 5% was used as the criterion for low-damage clamping. The maximum allowable clamping force was determined to be 3.5 N, under which the maximum fruit compression ratio was 10%. The maximum cutting force required to shear the pedicel was 15.03 N. Based on these results, a harvesting strategy consisting of fruit clamping, fruit pull-down, and pedicel cutting was proposed. A five-bar linkage was adopted as the main mechanism of the end-effector, and its kinematic and mechanical models were established. Taking the minimum driving torque as the optimization objective, a genetic algorithm was used to optimize the linkage dimensions. The optimized driving torque was 0.801 N m, and a calculation method relating the target fruit diameter to the servo rotation angle was established. Harvesting experiments under prescribed target diameters showed a harvesting success rate of 95%, and the single-fruit harvesting time was 5.1 s, demonstrating the excellent harvesting capability of the proposed end-effector. Full article

Ornamental palm pruning residues represent a locally abundant, underutilized lignocellulosic waste stream with potential as a waste-valorized epoxy reinforcement. This study investigates the flexural behavior of particulate epoxy composites reinforced with Washingtonia robusta leaf stalk residue, evaluating the influence of reinforcement granulometry on mechanical and microstructural response. Four specimen families were fabricated from a Bisphenol A/F epoxy resin cured with a cycloaliphatic amine hardener: neat resin (RS, reference) and composites reinforced with fine (RF), coarse (RG) and mixed-fraction (RM) particles at 20 vol.% loading. Flexural properties were assessed by three-point bending and fracture surfaces were characterized by SEM. The neat resin exhibited a non-monotonic, viscoelastic-dominated response with no fracture within the extended deformation range tested, whereas all reinforced systems fractured within a substantially narrower window (~8–14.5 mm). RF showed the highest observed flexural modulus (≈15.8 GPa), followed by RM (≈15.4 GPa) and RG (≈14.2 GPa). These differences were not statistically significant (one-way ANOVA, p > 0.05). Damage tolerance followed a similar descriptive trend: RG failed earliest, linked to large interfacial pull-out cavities; RF delayed fracture through crack deflection; and RM showed the most favorable overall balance, combining a modulus comparable to RF with superior crack path tortuosity. These results indicate the potential of Washingtonia robusta, particularly in mixed-granulometry form, as a candidate reinforcement for semi-structural epoxy biocomposites, pending further characterization of properties such as tensile strength, impact resistance, moisture absorption, and long-term durability. Full article

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease strongly associated with human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27). However, the incomplete penetrance of HLA-B27 suggests that additional molecular mechanisms contribute to AS pathogenesis. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have emerged as important regulators of immune responses, but their roles in AS pathogenesis remain incompletely understood. In this study, circRNA expression profiles were examined by high-throughput RNA sequencing and selected circRNAs were validated by quantitative RT-PCR in T cells from AS patients and healthy controls. Among the validated circRNAs, circRNPS1 was significantly up-regulated in T cells from AS patients. Overexpression of circRNPS1 in activated Jurkat cells increased IL-2, IL-17A, and interferon-γ expression and enhanced JAK2/STAT1 and MEK1/2-ERK signaling. RNA pull-down followed by proteomic analysis identified heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K (hnRNPK) that binds to the back-splicing junction region of circRNPS1. CircRNPS1 increased the stability of hnRNPK and VAV1, whereas hnRNPK knockdown attenuated circRNPS1-mediated MEK1/2-ERK activation and inflammatory cytokine expression. Furthermore, an antisense RNA fragment targeting the back-splicing junction region of circRNPS1 suppressed IL-2, IL-17A, and interferon-γ expression in activated circRNPS1-overexpressing Jurkat cells and T cells from AS patients. Disrupting the interaction between circRNPS1 and hnRNPK therefore warrants further investigation as a potential therapeutic strategy for AS. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2) is a key regulator of cell-cycle progression and a potential anticancer target. This study aimed to identify alkaloid-derived CDK2 ligands using an integrated computational workflow and to obtain preliminary evidence of their effects on cancer-cell viability. Methods: Molecular docking with mVina and fast pulling of ligand (FPL) simulations were benchmarked using 20 experimentally characterized CDK2 inhibitors. A library of 2692 PubChem-derived alkaloids was screened, followed by ADMET evaluation, 100 ns molecular dynamics simulations, and FPL-based relative-affinity re-ranking. The three prioritized compounds were evaluated in HepG2 and HGC-27 cells using an MTT assay after 48 h of exposure. Results: Docking and FPL showed correlations with experimental affinity data of R_Dock = 0.549 ± 0.180 and R_W = −0.676 ± 0.119, respectively. CID 636885, CID 46184320, and CID 101691758 were prioritized for detailed evaluation. All three compounds reduced cell viability, with lower IC₅₀ values observed in HepG2 cells than in HGC-27 cells. CID 101691758 exhibited the highest growth-inhibitory activity among the tested compounds, with IC₅₀ values of 15.37 ± 0.46 µg mL⁻¹ in HepG2 cells and 52.64 ± 1.33 µg mL⁻¹ in HGC-27 cells. Conclusions: The workflow identified three preliminary alkaloid hits, with CID 101691758 showing the most favorable combined computational and cell-viability profile. However, the MTT assay does not establish direct CDK2 inhibition or kinase selectivity. Biochemical CDK2 inhibition, target-engagement, and kinase-panel studies are therefore required. Full article

Ribonucleoprotein granules such as processing bodies (P-bodies) and stress granules (SGs) are membrane-less organelles that regulate mRNA metabolism through liquid–liquid phase separation. UBAP2L drives SG assembly and can bridge P-bodies with SGs, yet how it is mobilized between these compartments remains unclear. Here, using co-immunoprecipitation, GST pull-down, CRISPR-Cas9-mediated knockout, and immunofluorescence microscopy, we demonstrate that CCHCR1 directly binds UBAP2L and that this interaction is dynamically regulated by stress intensity. Under mild oxidative stress, CCHCR1 retains UBAP2L in P-bodies; as stress intensifies, this interaction weakens, permitting UBAP2L release for SG assembly. CCHCR1 deficiency aberrantly traps UBAP2L in P-bodies via enhanced DDX6 association, resulting in defective SG assembly, delayed maturation, and increased P-body–SG fusion. These findings establish CCHCR1 as a stress-responsive switch that controls UBAP2L partitioning between P-bodies and stress granules, thereby controlling the threshold and kinetics of SG biogenesis. Full article

Background and Objectives: This retrospective cohort study aimed to evaluate the association between sagittal tibial tunnel angle and radiological and clinical outcomes following transtibial pull-out repair of medial meniscus posterior root tears. Materials and Methods: A total of 81 patients who underwent arthroscopic transtibial pull-out repair between January 2022 and October 2025 and had a minimum follow-up of 6 months were retrospectively evaluated. Demographic, clinical, radiological, and functional data were analyzed. Meniscal extrusion, hip–knee–ankle angle, mechanical axis deviation, sagittal and coronal tunnel angles, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, and Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) score were assessed preoperatively and at 6 months postoperatively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to explore the ability of sagittal tibial tunnel angle to discriminate achievement of the patient acceptable symptom state (PASS) based on the postoperative IKDC score. The ROC-derived 51.5° value was considered an exploratory, cohort-specific threshold. For secondary between-group comparisons, patients were classified into two groups according to sagittal tibial tunnel angle: ≤51.5° and >51.5°. Results: The cohort included 56 female patients, and the mean age was 50.0 ± 9.97 years. Receiver operating characteristic analysis identified 51.5° as the exploratory cohort-specific threshold, with an area under the curve of 0.754, sensitivity of 77.8%, and specificity of 68.9%. Patients with a sagittal tunnel angle >51.5° had lower postoperative meniscal extrusion than those with an angle ≤51.5° (3.0 mm versus 4.0 mm, p < 0.001), greater reduction in meniscal extrusion (1.10 mm versus 0.3 mm, p < 0.001), higher postoperative IKDC (71.62 ± 10.69 versus 53.0 ± 15.44, p < 0.001), and lower postoperative NPRS scores (1 versus 4, p < 0.001). Achievement of the patient acceptable symptom state was also more frequent in the >51.5° group (66.7% vs. 17.9%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: A greater sagittal tibial tunnel angle measured on 6-month postoperative MRI was associated with lower concurrent meniscal extrusion, higher functional scores, and lower pain scores following transtibial pull-out repair. However, the retrospective design and short follow-up period limit causal and long-term interpretation. The cohort-derived 51.5° threshold should be considered exploratory and requires external validation before clinical application. Full article

This pilot in vitro study explored the tensile retention of lithium disilicate and monolithic zirconia crowns cemented onto zirconia one-piece implants using two resin cements and two cementation protocols. In addition, the relationship between micro-computed tomography (micro-CT)-derived cement layer characteristics and retention was explored for lithium disilicate crowns. Thirty-two implant–crown assemblies were prepared using 16 lithium disilicate and 16 zirconia crowns. Specimens were cemented with either an adhesive resin cement (Panavia V5) or a self-adhesive resin cement (SpeedCem Plus) using two protocols: conventional apical-half cementation (AH) and an abutment-assisted apical-half protocol (A-AH). Cement thickness and porosity for lithium disilicate crowns were obtained from a previously published micro-CT analysis of the same specimens; no micro-CT measurements were available for the zirconia specimens. Tensile pull-out testing was performed using a universal testing machine. The primary outcome was the maximum recorded force at the first observed mechanical failure, irrespective of the mode of that failure, so that all 32 specimens contributed a value. Failure occurred by crown debonding in 27 specimens, by crown fracture in 4 and by implant fracture in 1. For the primary outcome, the maximum recorded force was lower for lithium disilicate than for zirconia crowns (medians 347.20 versus 596.05 N; exact Mann–Whitney p = 0.017) and lower with the A-AH than with the AH protocol (medians 304.24 versus 614.38 N; p < 0.001), whereas the difference between the two resin cements was not statistically significant (medians 438.88 versus 550.83 N; p = 0.210). The highest observed mean maximum load was recorded for zirconia crowns cemented with Panavia V5 using the AH protocol (729.9 ± 237.7 N), whereas the lowest observed mean maximum load was recorded for lithium disilicate crowns cemented with Panavia V5 using the A-AH protocol (219.7 ± 105.1 N). In a secondary, cause-specific exploratory analysis restricted to crown debonding (27 events, 5 specimens censored at fracture), Cox proportional hazards regression on the applied-force scale gave hazard ratios of 3.75 (95% CI 1.40–10.01) for lithium disilicate versus zirconia, 6.47 (2.39–17.53) for A-AH versus AH and 1.82 (0.76–4.39) for Panavia V5 versus SpeedCem Plus. For lithium disilicate crowns, exploratory factorial ANOVA indicated that cementation protocol was associated with differences in cement thickness (p = 0.035), while cement type was associated with differences in porosity (p < 0.001). All 16 lithium disilicate cement thickness observations lay between 253.29 and 254.96 µm, a total span of 1.67 µm. Within that extremely restricted range, a univariable exploratory Cox model expressed per 0.1 µm gave a hazard ratio for debonding of 1.24 (95% CI 1.03–1.48; p = 0.024); this is an unadjusted association across a range that is itself associated with cementation protocol, and it does not demonstrate a clinically meaningful or independent effect of cement thickness. No association was detected for total porosity (0.959 per percentage point, 0.717–1.283); that interval is wide and indicates absence of evidence rather than evidence of no association. Within the limitations of this pilot in vitro study—four specimens per subgroup, wide confidence intervals and no adjustment for multiplicity—the findings suggest that crown material and cementation protocol may be associated with retention patterns. They are exploratory and hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in larger, independently powered studies. Full article

Diamond-coated tools are suitable for CFRP machining because of their high hardness, sharp cutting edge, and good wear resistance. However, the anisotropic and heterogeneous nature of CFRP makes drilling-induced defects, such as burrs, tearing, fiber pull-out, and delamination, difficult to avoid, especially at the hole exit. In this study, an ice-supported drilling method was proposed for CFRP hole machining using diamond-coated drills. An ice layer was formed beneath the CFRP laminate to provide simultaneous low-temperature cooling and mechanical support during drilling. Comparative drilling experiments were conducted at spindle speeds of 400, 1200, and 2000 r/min. The results showed that the ice-supported drilling method markedly improved the hole surface quality and inner-wall integrity of CFRP laminates. Compared with conventional dry drilling, the drilling temperature was reduced by 22.03%, 10.70%, and 11.45% at 400, 1200, and 2000 r/min, respectively, while the hole-exit delamination factor decreased by 41.68%, 27.45%, and 57.04%, respectively. Moreover, after the same number of drilled holes, the diamond-coated drill used under ice-supported conditions exhibited less severe surface wear and cutting-edge blunting than that used under conventional dry conditions. The observed improvements were interpreted as being associated with the combined thermal-regulation and temporary mechanical-backing effects of the ice-supported condition. Full article

Disamenity and amenity facilities pull property values in opposite directions, yet prior studies have treated disamenities as a homogeneous category and have been constrained by data scattered across agencies and by mismatched spatial scales. This study integrates multi-source spatial data, comprising 3426 sub-districts (eup-myeon-dong) nationwide, a 500 m population grid of 376,668 cells, and the actual point locations of individual facilities, into a single spatial framework and applies a multi-method design that combines a spatial Durbin model (SDM), explainable machine learning (XGBoost–SHAP), an environmental-justice analysis, and a micro-siting analysis. Four findings emerge. First, not all disamenities are associated with lower prices: only pollution-emitting facilities with a clear emission signature, namely, sewage treatment plants and incinerators, capitalize robustly as cross-sectional associations, into both housing prices and officially assessed land values, with the effect extending into neighboring sub-districts rather than staying purely local. The other disamenities show no robust total effect on either price; their estimates are small or unstable across specifications. Second, capitalization of pollution-emitting facilities is pronounced in the urban sample and disappears in the rural one, and the coefficient structure differs overall between urban and rural areas (global Chow test, p < 10⁻²¹). Third, micro-siting analysis shows that where a facility is placed (siting) and what it leaves behind in prices (capitalization) are distinct layers, and that capitalization tracks the population a facility keeps nearby rather than its nuisance type: pollution-emitting facilities retain enough nearby housing for their burden to register, whereas funerary facilities sited far from people do not. Fourth, the environmental inequity of pollution exposure runs along income rather than age and concentrates in cities rather than in rural areas: the exposure rate among residents of low-income urban sub-districts (49%) is 2.5 times that of the urban population as a whole (19%), while the greater Seoul metropolitan area remains comparatively insulated. These layered findings were possible only once the dispersed spatial data had been integrated and standardized, and the study demonstrates that fusing and efficiently managing spatial data is a precondition for evidence-based land-use and environmental policy. Full article

Physical ability testing is an essential part of police education, as fitness assessments indicate students’ preparedness for police work. Clear documentation and reporting of test protocols and measurement properties are essential for interpreting, evaluating, and comparing the usefulness of different test batteries. Therefore, this scoping review aimed to map the fitness tests used in police education programs internationally, including reporting standards of test protocols, reliability, validity, and sex-based test specificity, thereby providing insight into the physical abilities considered important for police work. The main searches were conducted in the databases CINAHL, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. The database search yielded 1323 articles, of which 92 met the inclusion criteria. An additional nine articles were included through citation and hand searching. Of the 101 studies, 95 used an average of 4–5 general fitness tests, and 29 included work-related police tests. Test protocols were generally well documented across studies. However, only a few studies included in this review assessed test–retest reliability, and only a limited number of studies, whose primary aim was to validate the tests, evaluated test validity. The most commonly used assessments were upper-body and core muscular endurance (60 s push-up, maximum pull-up, and 60 s sit-up tests), upper-body muscular strength (hand-grip test), lower-body power (standing long jump, and vertical jump tests), and aerobic capacity (20 m multistage fitness, 2400 m Cooper, and 12 min Cooper tests. Only 19 studies reported sex-specific performance standards, including differences in test execution, scoring systems, VO_2max estimation, or time limits. The findings indicate that tests of upper-body muscular endurance and strength, lower-body power, and aerobic capacity are among the most frequently measured physical abilities in police education programs internationally, while also highlighting the need for more standardized reporting of test protocols, reliability, and validity. Full article

Under climate warming, bark beetle outbreaks increasingly threaten forest health. Hylurgops longipillus, a native bark beetle in Northeast China, causes patchy mortality in Pinus koraiensis plantations. We developed an integrated emergency control system based on host selection chemical ecology. Damage characterization revealed that adults concentrated on trees with 10–50% crown needle yellowing, and infestations expanded as discrete patches radiating from multiple epicenters. Electrophysiological and behavioral assays of host volatiles and some of their isomers yielded a highly effective attractant (69.4 adults per five-trap set over 5 d, 1.8× control) and a repellent reducing ethanol-baited trap catches by 83.3%. Emergency control techniques consisted of integrated management combining removal and safe disposal of infested trees, chemical stump sealing, push–pull trapping, and tree vigor enhancement. Three-year monitoring showed ~94% decline in trap catches, no subsequent outbreaks, and stable control. This attractant-centered, chemical ecology-based system can rapidly suppress H. longipillus outbreaks and achieve long-term management, providing a scientific basis and operational framework for similar localized bark beetle emergencies under climate warming. Full article

Conventional pneumatic bending actuators cannot perform the in-grasp twisting required to detach mature Agaricus bisporus from the cultivation substrate. Manual harvesting was characterized by measuring fingertip contact forces, fruiting-body rotation, and motion timing using flexible-film force sensors and an inertial measurement unit. The resulting grasp–twist–lift characteristics informed the design of a three-finger segmented variable-angle symmetric oblique-chamber (SVA-SOC) pneu-net soft gripper. Each SVA-SOC actuator integrates upper parallel chambers and lower symmetric oblique chambers that are synchronously pressurized to generate inward bending for grasping; after grasp establishment, differential pressure between the lower oblique chamber groups induces torsional deformation while the grasping pressure is maintained. A reduced-order model based on the Yeoh constitutive model and segmented constant-curvature assumption was validated against finite-element simulations and experiments, yielding root mean square error (RMSE) values of 12.82° and 3.36° for bending and twisting angles, respectively. At 85 kPa, a single actuator generated bending and tangential contact forces of 1.41 and 1.31 N, respectively. The three-finger gripper achieved a maximum target rotation of 44.59°, an initial grasping force of 5.38 N, and a pull-off force of 18.59 N. In 50 harvesting trials, grasping, harvesting, and undamaged harvesting rates were 100%, 94% and 86%, respectively, indicating feasibility for low-damage harvesting of mature Agaricus bisporus. Full article