Search Results (135)

Recent advances in chiplet architectures, heterogeneous integration, 2.5D/3D packaging, high-performance computing, and RF applications have increased the demand for high-density vertical interconnects and low-loss packaging platforms. Glass substrates have attracted considerable attention for next-generation advanced packaging because of their low dielectric loss, high dimensional stability, smooth surface, and compatibility with large-area panel-level processing. Through-glass vias (TGVs) are essential vertical interconnect structures that enable the electrical integration of glass substrates. This focused review summarizes TGV technologies for glass-based advanced packaging from the perspectives of via formation, seed layer deposition, metallization, Cu filling, defect formation, reliability, and plugging-based alternative architectures. Representative TGV formation methods, including laser drilling, selective laser etching, laser-induced deep etching, wet/dry etching, and photosensitive glass processing, are compared. Metallization approaches based on sputtering, electroless plating, ALD/CVD, and hybrid processes are discussed together with Cu electroplating strategies such as conformal plating, bottom-up filling, pulse or pulse-reverse plating, and engineered-geometry filling. Key defects, including voids, seams, pinch-off, seed discontinuity, Cu/glass interfacial delamination, glass cracking, and Cu protrusion, are reviewed in relation to thermomechanical reliability. Finally, polymer/dielectric plugging, plugging/re-drilling, conductive paste plugging, and hybrid Cu/plugging structures are discussed as application-specific alternatives for balancing electrical performance, reliability, manufacturability, yield, and cost. Full article

To address the difficulty of real-time detection of seed-filling performance in pneumatic suction seed metering devices under high-speed operation—where seed targets are tiny, prone to adhesion, and affected by motion blur—this paper proposes a lightweight online detection algorithm, YOLOv8n-MA. First, according to the seed adsorption characteristics of the suction holes, the detection targets are divided into three categories: none, one, and two. Second, based on YOLOv8n, the backbone network is replaced with MobileNetV1 to reduce computational cost, and an ACmix attention module is integrated into the Neck to enhance feature representation for the three suction-hole states. Finally, to meet the demand for low-latency inference on resource-constrained devices, the model is deployed on an edge computing controller to achieve real-time detection. Experimental results show that, compared with the original YOLOv8n, the parameters and FLOPs of YOLOv8n-MA are reduced by 34.4% and 59.8%, respectively, while the mean average precision (mAP) is improved by 2.0% to 96.8%, achieving a superior trade-off between accuracy and efficiency over other detection models of the same category, such as YOLOv5n, YOLOv9n, and YOLOv10n. In field tests, the detection accuracy reaches 95.02% at 12 km/h and 92.65% at 15 km/h. The proposed method provides effective technical support for the intelligent monitoring and control of precision seeding under high-speed operation. Full article

Electric vehicle (EV) fleets are expanding rapidly and will place substantial demand on distribution grids. Day-ahead scheduling of city-scale EV charging constitutes a constrained multi-objective optimization problem that must balance peak load, load variation, and valley utilization simultaneously. This paper proposes a structured warm-start strategy that embeds a load-conservation valley-filling (LCVF) heuristic into the NSGA-III metaheuristic, seeding the entire initial population with grid-compliant, valley-filling schedules before the first generation runs. This search-space shaping approach restricts the evolutionary search to a feasible subspace defined by LCVF, enabling convergence that random initialization cannot achieve within the same computational budget. On four seasonal city-level instances derived from real electricity consumption data from Campo Grande, MS, Brazil ($N=50,336$ vehicles), VF–NSGA-III reduces peak load by $0.54$–$2.52\%$ (mean $1.31\%$) relative to standalone LCVF while requiring only $\approx 1.5\%$ of its runtime. The warm-start provides a structural advantage that population scaling alone cannot overcome: LCVF-initialized NSGA-III with $N_{\mathrm{pop}}=10$ achieves a hypervolume $35\%$ above the randomly initialized variant with $N_{\mathrm{pop}}=100$. A 32-day generalization study (June 2022–May 2023) confirms a mean peak-load reduction of $4.91\%$ over standalone LCVF and $4.93\%$ over randomly initialized NSGA-III across all seasons, demonstrating consistent performance over a full annual demand cycle. Full article

High temperature during flowering and grain filling severely reduces rice yield and grain quality. Split potassium (K) fertilization can mitigate such heat-induced damage, yet its mechanisms linking grain filling, endogenous hormones and grain performance remain unclear. Here, a two-year pot experiment was conducted to explore the effects of split K application on rice yield, quality and hormonal metabolism under high temperature. Four treatments included ambient temperature with full basal K (AT-K₁₀₀), high temperature with full basal K (HT-K₁₀₀), and two split K regimes under high temperature (HT-K₇₀₊₃₀, HT-K₃₀₊₇₀). Split K application decreased abscisic acid (ABA) levels at 5 days after anthesis (DAA), increased indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), zeatin riboside (ZR) and gibberellin A3 (GA₃) at 5 DAA, and maintained higher IAA and GA₃ levels until 20 DAA. The ratios of ABA/IAA and ABA/GA₃ were also reduced at both 5 and 20 DAA. These hormonal alterations optimized grain-filling dynamics, prolonged active filling duration and improved middle- and late-stage filling rates, thereby promoting grain weight accumulation and suppressing chalkiness formation. Compared with HT-K₁₀₀, HT-K₇₀₊₃₀ increased yield by 8.75%, which was attributed to improved seed-setting rate and 1000-grain weight. HT-K₃₀₊₇₀ enhanced spikelet number per panicle, seed-setting rate and 1000-grain weight, but significantly decreased effective panicles, resulting in no obvious yield advantage. Furthermore, split K application effectively reduced grain chalkiness, with a more pronounced effect at a higher panicle-stage K proportion. Under ongoing global warming, K management can be tailored to production goals: higher basal K is preferable for yield pursuit, while increasing panicle K topdressing effectively improves grain quality. Full article

To address the issues of poor seed filling efficiency, low qualified seeding index, and high missed-seeding index in cassava precision planters, this study developed a dual-chamber pre-cut cassava stem filling mechanism. The structure and working principles were analyzed, identifying key factors affecting performance. By employing the discrete element method (DEM) to simulate the interaction between cassava seed stems and the filling mechanism, using statistical analysis to process experimental data, and adopting kinematic and mechanical equilibrium modeling for theoretical analysis, the structure and dimensions of the seed scoop were ultimately optimized. Subsequently, we evaluated the effects of the seed scoop speed in the first filling zone, the seed filling speed ratio, and the seed stem population thickness on performance through multi-factor simulation experiments. Based on the NSGA-II algorithm and the analytic hierarchy process, the optimal parameters were determined as follows: a seed filling speed ratio of 0.78, a seed scoop speed (first filling zone) of 0.6 m/s, and a seed stem population thickness of 290–320 mm. Bench tests under these conditions yielded a 95.31% qualified filling rate (ratio of single-segment cassava stem captured by seed scoop to total stems), 1.89% missed-filling rate (ratio of cassava stem not captured by seed scoop to total stems), and 2.80% double-filling rate (ratio of multi-segment cassava stem captured by seed scoop to total stems). Variety adaptability tests confirmed the mechanism’s robustness for precision planting. These findings offer theoretical guidance for precision planting of stalk-type crops. Full article

Organic fertilizer substitution is increasingly used to reduce chemical nitrogen input in rice production, but the agronomic effects may vary with fertilizer source. This study compared chemical fertilizer alone with seven organic substitution treatments based on rapeseed cake, peanut bran, mushroom residue fertilizer, cattle manure, chicken manure, goat manure, and pig manure under the same nitrogen substitution ratio. Rice yield, grain quality, post-harvest soil physicochemical properties, and integrated performance were evaluated in the 2025 final-year dataset after two consecutive years of continuous fertilization. Responses differed clearly among fertilizer sources. Chicken manure and cattle manure produced the highest grain yields, mainly through stronger effects on grains per panicle, seed-setting rate, and grain filling. Grain quality showed more selective responses: mushroom residue fertilizer resulted in the highest head rice rate, peanut bran increased chalkiness-related traits, and mushroom residue fertilizer and goat manure were associated with higher grain protein content. In contrast to the yield pattern, plant-derived fertilizers, especially rapeseed cake and mushroom residue fertilizer, showed stronger advantages in post-harvest soil improvement. Rapeseed cake produced the highest soil quality index, whereas mushroom residue fertilizer showed the most balanced overall performance across yield, grain quality, and soil variables. These results indicate that the effects of organic fertilizer substitution in rice are strongly source-dependent. Animal-derived fertilizers were more favorable for short-term yield improvement, rapeseed cake was more effective for soil fertility enhancement, and mushroom residue fertilizer provided the best overall balance among productivity, grain quality, and soil improvement. Full article

To address the severe multiple-seed pickup problem during the seed-filling process of an air-suction seed metering device for small-seed crops with multiple seeds per hill, a combined seed-cleaning mechanism consisting of an upper seven-tooth seed-cleaning device and a lower seed-cleaning blade was developed based on an analysis of the causes of multiple pickup. Mathematical models of seed motion and force were established to describe the interaction between the seven-tooth seed-cleaning device and the seed population during the cleaning process. The installation position and adjustment mechanism of the device on the seed chamber housing were determined, and its tooth-profile parameters and major operating positions were theoretically analyzed. Accordingly, the design method and calculation models for the key parameters of the seven-tooth seed-cleaning device were established. A quadratic regression orthogonal rotational combination experiment was conducted using three factors affecting cleaning performance: the distance between the apex of the first tooth and the corresponding suction hole, the operating speed of the seed metering device, and the negative pressure. Regression equations were established and response surface analysis was performed. With the seed-cleaning qualification rate as the optimization objective, the optimal parameter combinations were obtained as follows: for millet, 3.36 mm, 3.59 km/h, and 1.43 kPa; for broomcorn millet, 3.49 mm, 4.22 km/h, and 2.11 kPa; and for rapeseed, 3.15 mm, 3.73 km/h, and 1.52 kPa. To reduce the influence of random error, 200 repeated bench tests were conducted for each seed type under its corresponding optimal parameter combination at operating speeds of 2.0–5.0 km/h. The seed-cleaning qualification rates for millet, broomcorn millet, and rapeseed were all above 90%, meeting the design requirements of the seed-cleaning mechanism. This study provides a theoretical basis and technical reference for seed-cleaning mechanisms for air-suction precision seed metering devices for small-seed crops with multiple seeds per hill. Full article

Uneven seed spacing, skewed stalk posture, and inconsistent planting depth remain major challenges in horizontal sugarcane planting. To address these issues, a semi-automatic transverse sugarcane planter integrating a supply–buffer–discharge seeder and multiple soil-engaging components was developed. The seed placement process and the interaction between stalk discharge and soil disturbance were investigated through Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations and experiments. First, the working principle and key component parameters of the whole machine were determined. It integrated the processes of soil crushing, furrowing, seeding, ridge covering. In addition, a dynamic analysis was conducted on the inter-particle disengagement effect during the two-step seed filling process of lifting and discharging. Secondly, a discrete element simulation model for the entire process of soil-engaging seed arrangement operations was established for the machine. The effects of forward speed and seed outlet position were studied using a discrete element method (DEM) simulation model that coupled soil disturbance flow with stalk-seed discharge behaviour. Furthermore, a response surface methodology (RSM) experiment was performed on the seeding test bench to quantify the effects of guiding parameters on seed placement uniformity. The determination coefficient (R²) of the established regression model exceeded 0.9, indicating high prediction accuracy. The optimal collaborative parameter combination was optimized as follows: forward speed of 1.2 m·s⁻¹, buffer inclination angle of 55°and supply roller speed of 26 r·min⁻¹. After verification, the seed placement uniformity coefficient of the seeder reached 91.8 ± 1.4%, which met the expected accuracy requirements for horizontal planting. Full article

Drip fertigation (DF) is increasingly adopted to improve winter wheat productivity, yet its interactions with planting density (PD) and the underlying source–sink mechanisms remain insufficiently quantified. Here, we evaluated winter wheat performance under two water–nitrogen (N) regimes—conventional management (CM) and DF—across a wide PD gradient (100–800 seeds m⁻²) during two growing seasons. Grain yield, yield components, population traits, dry matter production, source–sink indices, canopy N status, N uptake and N-use efficiencies were assessed. Across seasons, DF increased grain yield by 15.4–20.8% relative to CM. Yield exhibited a quadratic response to PD under both regimes; however, DF shifted the optimal PD upward (456–487 seeds m⁻²) compared with CM (377–378 seeds m⁻²) and sustained near-maximum yields over a broader PD range. DF improved population productivity by increasing productive stem percentage and grains per ear, resulting in greater grain number per m² (sink size). DF also strengthened source capacity during grain filling: post-anthesis dry matter production increased by 15.5–17.6% and strongly associated with yield (r² ≥ 0.819). Source–sink analysis suggested that DF was associated with more density treatments showing simultaneously high grain number and high post-anthesis dry matter accumulation, a pattern consistent with a broader high-yield density range. Enhanced N acquisition, especially after anthesis, may have contributed to this response. DF increased N nutrition index at anthesis and markedly increased post-anthesis N uptake by 47.7–49.5%, thereby raising total N uptake at maturity and grain N accumulation. DF improved fertilizer-N recovery efficiency and agronomic efficiency by 33.9–42.3% and 26.7–30.9%, respectively. Collectively, DF improved N uptake and source–sink coordination, enabling high yield and reduced yield penalties when planting density deviated from the optimum. Full article

Salinity is an emerging constraint for Mediterranean coastal agriculture, where shallow groundwater, seawater intrusion, and summer evapo-concentration generate relevant intra-seasonal variability in soil electrical conductivity. Camelina [Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz] has been proposed as a diversification oilseed for constrained environments, but its field performance under realistic, dynamic salinity in Mediterranean soils remains unexplored. This two season on farm study compared three commercial camelina lines at an inland non-saline site and a coastal saline–sodic site in northeastern Italy, combining agronomic measurements with phenology aligned monitoring of soil saturated paste electrical conductivity (ECe). At the saline site, ECe increased from 1.8 dS m⁻¹ at the vegetative stage to 6.2 dS m⁻¹ at seed filling, while camelina completed its cycle earlier than at the inland site. Despite similar aboveground and root biomass yield at flowering across lines, performance diverged during the reproductive phase. Two lines maintained similar seed yields (1.30 Mg ha⁻¹) at the coastal site compared with the inland site, whereas one line declined from 1.45 Mg ha⁻¹ to 0.40 Mg ha⁻¹. Differences among lines in seed yield under salinity were accompanied by contrasting responses in seed oil composition. Oil yield at the saline site was more strongly associated with the increase in ECe from flowering to seed filling than with absolute ECe at seed filling. These results provide the first field-based evidence of line-specific salinity responses in camelina and highlight its potential to diversify moderately salt-affected Mediterranean coastal cropping systems, while emphasizing the need to account for temporal salinity dynamics in genotype selection and crop planning. Full article

The unique material properties of Cyperus esculentus L. seeds present challenges for precision seeding, as no specialized seed-metering device is currently available. In practice, general-purpose planters such as peanut seeders are often adapted for this crop. However, the dry seeds of C. esculentus exhibit an irregular shape, uneven surface texture, significant size variation, and poor flowability, leading to inadequate seed pickup and suboptimal seeding performance in conventional metering devices. To address these issues, two types of seed pickup devices—one with a V-shaped scoop and the other with an arc-shaped scoop—were designed to improve the seed-filling process and enhance seed agitation within the seed pool. A comparative analysis of the material properties of seeds before and after soaking was conducted, and key structural parameters of the scoops were determined based on the post-soaking characteristics. A mechanistic analysis was performed to clarify the operational principles and influencing factors of the scoop-based pickup mechanism. Using EDEM software (2022 version), the motion characteristics of seeds inside the metering device were observed, and the agitating speed of the seed population was compared with and without the scoop devices. Performance comparison experiments were carried out with two scoop types under varying conditions, including metering disc rotation speed, seed size grade (large, medium, and small), and seed moisture state (dry vs. soaked). Simulation results of seed disturbance indicated that the V-shaped scoop significantly enhanced agitation intensity, with a maximum movement velocity 15.8% higher than that of the arc-shaped scoop. The V-shaped scoop demonstrated superior stability and adaptability across different seed sizes, rotation speeds, and moisture conditions. Seed pickup success rates reached 96%, 96%, and 85% for large, medium, and small seeds, respectively. Under high-speed operation (40 r/min), the V-shaped scoop showed a 9% lower miss-seeding rate compared to the arc-shaped scoop. Full article

Stochastically forced nonlinear wave systems are commonly associated with complex dynamical behavior, although little is known about the general interaction of nonlinear dispersion, irrational forcing frequencies, and multiplicative noise. To fill this gap, we consider a generalized stochastic SIdV equation and examine the effects of deterministic and stochastic influences on the long-term behavior of the equation. The PDE was modeled using a stochastic traveling-wave transformation that simplifies it into a planar system, which was studied using Darboux-seeded constructions, Poincaré maps, bifurcation patterns, Lyapunov exponents, recurrence plots, and sensitivity diagnostics. We discovered that natural, implicit, and unique seeds produce highly diverse transformed wave fields exhibiting both irrational and golden-ratio forcing, controlling the transition from quasi-periodicity to chaos. Stochastic perturbation is demonstrated to suppress as well as to amplify chaotic states, based on noise levels, altering attractor geometry, predictability, and multistability. Meanwhile, OGY control is demonstrated to be able to stabilize chosen unstable periodic orbits of the double-well regime. A stochastic bifurcation analysis was performed with respect to noise strength $\sigma$, revealing that the attractor structure of the system remains robust under stochastic excitation, with noise inducing only bounded fluctuations rather than qualitative dynamical transitions within the investigated parameter regime. These findings demonstrate that the emergence, deformation, and controllability of complex oscillatory patterns of stochastic nonlinear wave models are jointly controlled by nonlinear structure, external forcing, and noise. Full article

To address the industry pain points of high seed breakage rate and uncontrollable miss-filling rate, multiple-filling rate in traditional rapeseed roller-type precision centralized seed metering devices—while breaking the adaptation limitation of existing empirical hole designs for different small-particle-size crops—this study innovatively proposes a hole optimization scheme based on the Bezier curve and develops a roller-type precision centralized seed metering device suitable for rapeseed and small-particle-size crops. First, combined with the physical properties of rapeseed seeds (particle size 1.5~2.5 mm, high sphericity, strong fluidity) and agronomic requirements for precision seeding, a multi-mechanical coupling model for seed filling and dropping (synergistic effect of gravity–centrifugal force–air blowing force) was established. The regulatory mechanism of hole geometric parameters (wrap angle, width, height) on seeding performance was clarified, and the enhancement mechanism of the Bezier curve’s curvature continuity on seed movement stability was revealed from the theoretical level. On this basis, a three-factor quadratic orthogonal combination experiment of hole wrap angle, width, and height was conducted using EDEM discrete element software. The optimal hole parameter combination was obtained through multi-objective optimization (minimizing miss-filling rate, multiple-filling rate and maximizing seed-filling qualification rate): wrap angle 2.271° (error ± 0.2°), width 3.407 mm (error ± 0.1 mm), and height 2.254 mm (error ± 0.02 mm). Simulation results showed that under this parameter combination, the seed-filling qualification rate reached 99.122%, with the miss-filling rate and multiple-filling rate as low as 0.448% and 0.416%, respectively. Further bench test verification indicated that when the roller speed was in the range of 10~30 r/min, the seed breakage rate was consistently below 0.5%, and the seed-filling qualification rate remained above 94%. Among them, the comprehensive seeding performance was optimal at a speed of 15 r/min, with a miss-seeding rate of 0.65%, a multiple-seeding rate of 2.06%, and a breakage rate of 0.12%, fully meeting the agronomic requirements for rapeseed precision seeding, providing a theoretical basis and engineering reference for the digital and universal design of key components of precision seeders for small-particle-size crops. Full article

We demonstrate a 1.5 μm methane-filled hollow-core fiber (HCF) amplifier that delivers 7.1 W of narrow-linewidth (<0.1 nm), near-diffraction-limited (M² < 1.2) pulsed Raman output. The system is pumped by a 1064 nm pulsed fiber laser and amplifies a 1543 nm continuous-wave seed via stimulated Raman scattering in methane. Using a 45-m HCF, we systematically investigated the influence of seed injection on key laser characteristics, covering the spectral profile, power scaling, and beam properties. This work provides an effective strategy for realizing high-performance fiber lasers in the 1.5 μm band. Full article

Invasive seed predators can severely affect the reproduction of long-lived trees, especially when host range expansion occurs. The beetle Specularius impressithorax (Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), native to Africa, has become established in Hawaiʻi where it attacks the endemic coral tree (Erythrina sandwicensis; Wiliwili). Here, we report the infestation of an African coral tree (E. livingstoniana) by this beetle and assess its performance and oviposition patterns on native and non-native hosts. Field surveys showed that eggs were aggregated on both hosts but more abundant on E. sandwicensis than on E. livingstoniana. Laboratory assays revealed no difference in larva-to-adult survival between the two hosts, although adults emerging from E. sandwicensis were larger. Choice tests indicated no oviposition preference between the two Erythrina species, despite the larger seed size of E. sandwicensis. To explore potential host range expansion, trials were run on economic legumes with varying phylogenetic distance from Erythrina, which showed oviposition on peanut (Arachis hypogaea) with low but successful survival (10.3%), while no development occurred on broad bean or pigeon pea. More E. sandwicensis seeds germinated when infested by a single early-stage larva (70% germination) than when uninfested (20%), suggesting that minimal seed predation may facilitate germination because previously reported greater damage induced by infestation through adulthood reduces germination. Our findings highlight the ecological flexibility of an invasive bruchine, its potential to exploit other Faboideae plants, and the dual role of seed predators as both threats and facilitators of seed germination. These results have implications for conservation of endemic coral trees and for understanding invasion dynamics of shared seed predators. Additionally, we examined non-botanical substrate filled with seed powder for oviposition and compiled global host records of S. impressithorax to contextualize its host range expansion. Full article