The phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry(φ-OTDR)is a good candidate for distributed dynamic strain sensing,due to its high sensitivity and fast measurement,which has already been widely used in intrusion...The phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry(φ-OTDR)is a good candidate for distributed dynamic strain sensing,due to its high sensitivity and fast measurement,which has already been widely used in intrusion monitoring,geophysical exploration,etc.For the frequency scanning basedφ-OTDR,the phase change manifests itself as a shift of the intensity distribution.The correlation between the reference and measured spectra is employed for relative strain demodulation,which has imposed the continuous measurement for the absolute strain demodulation.Fortunately,the Brillouin optical time domain analysis(BOTDA)allows for the absolute strain demodulation with only one measurement.In this work,the combination of theφ-OTDR and BOTDA has been proposed and demonstrated by using the same set of frequency-scanning optical pulses,and the frequency-agile technique is also introduced for fast measurements.A 9.9 Hz vibration with a strain range of 500 nεhas been measured under two different absolute strains(296.7μεand 554.8με)by integrating the Rayleigh and Brillouin information.The sub-micro strain vibration is demonstrated by theφ-OTDR signal with a high sensitivity of 6.8 nε,while the absolute strain is measured by the BOTDA signal with an accuracy of 5.4με.The proposed sensor allows for dynamic absolute strain measurements with a high sensitivity,thus opening a door for new possibilities which are yet to be explored.展开更多
The production of hydroponic leafy vegetable plug-seedlings uses coco-peat as culture substrate in South China.Coco-peat has lowered density than peat-moss,and the friction between substrate block and pickup tool is s...The production of hydroponic leafy vegetable plug-seedlings uses coco-peat as culture substrate in South China.Coco-peat has lowered density than peat-moss,and the friction between substrate block and pickup tool is small.So,it is hard to pick up in mechanism transplantation.In order to increase the friction,the existing transplanting manipulator had relatively complex structures.To simplify the structure of transplanting manipulator and improve the stability of picking up substrate block,four stainless steel fingers with rectangular cross-section were used in this research.A vertical driving was used to realize the coupling effect that could insert and shrink at the same time,by applying different combination of constraints to the steel fingers.This could increase friction between the steel fingers and the substrate block,and then enhance the stability of the substrate block.Different combinations of constraints were applied to the rectangular stainless steel fingers(3 mm×0.8 mm).The working videos of steel fingers were taken by high-speed photography.High-speed motioned analysis software was used to acquire and analyze traces of steel fingers movements.When the length which top end of the steel fingers moved outward(M)is equal to 1.5 mm,the length which guiding part widened(N)is equal to 1 mm,the shrinking distance of steel fingers is 4.2 mm.In this research,16-day hydroponic leafy vegetable plug-seedlings were used for performance,which cultivated with coco-peat substrate with the moisture in the substrate at 81%.The transplanting manipulator was attached to a Denso robotic arm to conduct transplanting performance test.When the shrinking distance of steel fingers increased from 0 mm to 3.2 mm and the inserting angle decreased from 80°to 77°,the lifting force of substrate block increased by 118%from 1.45 N to 3.16 N.However,excessive shrinkage stirred the substrate block,which would reduce the friction between the substrate block and pickup parts and lowered the lifting force of pickup part in the substrate block.The experimental results also demonstrated that when the shrinking distance of the steel fingers reached 3.2 mm and the root distribution rate reached 46%,the success rate of transplantation was 80%.When the leafy vegetable plug-seedlings root distribution rate reached 92%,the success rate of transplantation was 96.67%.The degree of root distribution rate was positively correlated with the transplantation success rate.Therefore,in order to ensure an acceptable success rate of transplantation,the root distribution rate of leafy vegetable plug-seedlings should be at least 90%.This study provides a technical reference for developing simplified transplanting manipulator that can be used to transplant the hydroponic leafy vegetable plug-seedlings with coco-peat as the culture substrate.展开更多
Grafting is a green,environmentally friendly,and sustainable way to prevent soil-borne diseases.Although artificial grafting is the main grafting approach used for grafting production,it has some problems which are lo...Grafting is a green,environmentally friendly,and sustainable way to prevent soil-borne diseases.Although artificial grafting is the main grafting approach used for grafting production,it has some problems which are low productivity,unstable operating quality and labor-intensive.Hence,some countries have been engaged in the development of grafting robots for the past two decades;however,the productivity of these grafting robots has no advantage when compared to artificial grafting.This study aims to develop a high-productivity grafting robot(HPR)for Solanaceae.To improve grafting productivity,this paper adopted plug trays to feed crown-removed rootstocks automatically and carried out multi-plant simultaneous grafting to improve grafting productivity and extensibility.Manipulators were employed to take out rootstocks,increase the distance between them,and transfer them to transfer cups for the simultaneous multi-plant grafting.At the same time,negative pressure mechanisms were designed for speeding up the auxiliary feeding of root-removed scions.Although the HPR was designed in a two-operator mode,a one-operator mode can also be implemented by adjusting the control program.Tests were conducted by varying the artificial feeding speed to analyze the performance of the grafting robot.The results showed that the productivity of the robot in the two-operator mode was 2250 plants/h,and 1542 plants/h in one-operator mode;comparing the artificial feeding productivity with auto grafting productivity,it was found that the capacity of the grafting robot was higher than the feeding speed of the one-operator mode but lower than that of the two-operator mode.展开更多
To adhere to the needs of automated supply of collected seedlings for mechanized grafting and cutting machines for enhancing their operational efficiency,herein,a separation system that uses subdivided air streams to ...To adhere to the needs of automated supply of collected seedlings for mechanized grafting and cutting machines for enhancing their operational efficiency,herein,a separation system that uses subdivided air streams to separate the collected seedlings is developed.The separation system comprises a feeder for supplying collected seedlings,a seedling separator that uses subdivided air streams,a picking belt for the separated seedlings,a delivery unit for the separated seedlings,a pneumatic unit,and a control unit.To investigate the complete performance of separation,picking,and delivery of the separation system,several separation experiments were conducted to separate the collected Anthurium seedlings.The results show that the consistency of the moving direction of seedlings floated by subdivided air streams in the separation container and the moving direction of the picking belt have a significant effect on the picking of the separated seedlings by the picking belt.Moreover,the seedling supply timing of the feeder has a significant effect on the stability of the collected seedling separation rate during continuous separation.When this timing is such that the percentage of separated seedlings is 70%,the separation rate of continuous separation operation is 2.24 plant/s(the separation productivity is 8060 plants/h)with 0.12 CV.The operating conditions are 0.5 MPa separation pressure,0.5 s nozzle operation time,and 60 mm seedling thickness in the separation container.Moreover,the staying times of the collected seedlings separated in the separation container are less than 2.5 min.展开更多
Myofibroblasts,the primary effector cells for implant-induced fibrosis,contribute to this process by secreting excessive collagen-rich matrix and contracting.Thus,approaches that suppress myofibroblasts may achieve de...Myofibroblasts,the primary effector cells for implant-induced fibrosis,contribute to this process by secreting excessive collagen-rich matrix and contracting.Thus,approaches that suppress myofibroblasts may achieve desirable suppression effects in the fibrotic process.As one of the important physical properties of materials,material topographical structures have been proven to affect various aspects of cell behaviors,so is it possible to manipulate the formation of myofibroblasts by tailoring the topographical properties of medical devices?In this study,polycaprolactone(PCL)surfaces with typical micropatterns(micro column and micro pit)were fabricated.The regulatory effects of surface micropatterns on the myofibroblastic differentiation of fibroblasts were investigated.Compared to the flat surfaces and surfaces with micro pit,surfaces with micro columns triggered the F-to G-actin transition,inhibiting the nuclear transfer of myocardin-related transcription factor-A.Subsequently,the downstream geneα-smooth muscle actin,which is a marker of myofibroblasts,was suppressed.Further in vivo investigation showed that PCL implants with micro-column-patterned surfaces inhibited the formation of peri-implant fibrotic capsules.Our results demonstrate that surface topographical properties are a potent regulator of fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts and highlight the antifibrotic potential of modifying surfaces with micro-column patterns.展开更多
基金This work was supported by the National Key Scientific Instrument and Equipment Development Project of China(2017YFF0108700)National Natural Science Foundation of China(61975045)The authors would like to express our gratitude to Long Wang,Chao Pang and Yabo Feng for their help in the experiment.
文摘The phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry(φ-OTDR)is a good candidate for distributed dynamic strain sensing,due to its high sensitivity and fast measurement,which has already been widely used in intrusion monitoring,geophysical exploration,etc.For the frequency scanning basedφ-OTDR,the phase change manifests itself as a shift of the intensity distribution.The correlation between the reference and measured spectra is employed for relative strain demodulation,which has imposed the continuous measurement for the absolute strain demodulation.Fortunately,the Brillouin optical time domain analysis(BOTDA)allows for the absolute strain demodulation with only one measurement.In this work,the combination of theφ-OTDR and BOTDA has been proposed and demonstrated by using the same set of frequency-scanning optical pulses,and the frequency-agile technique is also introduced for fast measurements.A 9.9 Hz vibration with a strain range of 500 nεhas been measured under two different absolute strains(296.7μεand 554.8με)by integrating the Rayleigh and Brillouin information.The sub-micro strain vibration is demonstrated by theφ-OTDR signal with a high sensitivity of 6.8 nε,while the absolute strain is measured by the BOTDA signal with an accuracy of 5.4με.The proposed sensor allows for dynamic absolute strain measurements with a high sensitivity,thus opening a door for new possibilities which are yet to be explored.
基金The authors acknowledge that this work was supported by the“intelligent agricultural machinery and equipment”of key research and development project in Guangdong Province(2019B020222004)the Guangdong Province modern agriculture innovation team of protected agriculture for generic key technology systems(2019-2023),2019 South China Agricultural University doctoral innovative talents(domestic training)cultivation project(CX2019N009).
文摘The production of hydroponic leafy vegetable plug-seedlings uses coco-peat as culture substrate in South China.Coco-peat has lowered density than peat-moss,and the friction between substrate block and pickup tool is small.So,it is hard to pick up in mechanism transplantation.In order to increase the friction,the existing transplanting manipulator had relatively complex structures.To simplify the structure of transplanting manipulator and improve the stability of picking up substrate block,four stainless steel fingers with rectangular cross-section were used in this research.A vertical driving was used to realize the coupling effect that could insert and shrink at the same time,by applying different combination of constraints to the steel fingers.This could increase friction between the steel fingers and the substrate block,and then enhance the stability of the substrate block.Different combinations of constraints were applied to the rectangular stainless steel fingers(3 mm×0.8 mm).The working videos of steel fingers were taken by high-speed photography.High-speed motioned analysis software was used to acquire and analyze traces of steel fingers movements.When the length which top end of the steel fingers moved outward(M)is equal to 1.5 mm,the length which guiding part widened(N)is equal to 1 mm,the shrinking distance of steel fingers is 4.2 mm.In this research,16-day hydroponic leafy vegetable plug-seedlings were used for performance,which cultivated with coco-peat substrate with the moisture in the substrate at 81%.The transplanting manipulator was attached to a Denso robotic arm to conduct transplanting performance test.When the shrinking distance of steel fingers increased from 0 mm to 3.2 mm and the inserting angle decreased from 80°to 77°,the lifting force of substrate block increased by 118%from 1.45 N to 3.16 N.However,excessive shrinkage stirred the substrate block,which would reduce the friction between the substrate block and pickup parts and lowered the lifting force of pickup part in the substrate block.The experimental results also demonstrated that when the shrinking distance of the steel fingers reached 3.2 mm and the root distribution rate reached 46%,the success rate of transplantation was 80%.When the leafy vegetable plug-seedlings root distribution rate reached 92%,the success rate of transplantation was 96.67%.The degree of root distribution rate was positively correlated with the transplantation success rate.Therefore,in order to ensure an acceptable success rate of transplantation,the root distribution rate of leafy vegetable plug-seedlings should be at least 90%.This study provides a technical reference for developing simplified transplanting manipulator that can be used to transplant the hydroponic leafy vegetable plug-seedlings with coco-peat as the culture substrate.
基金This work was supported by grants from the National Key Research and Development Program of the 13th Five-year Plan(2017YFD0701301)National“863”Plan(2013AA102406-03)+1 种基金and the Guangdong Province Modern Agriculture Innovation Team of Protected Agriculture for Generic Key Technology Systems(2019-2023)The authors would also like to acknowledge technical support from Guangzhou Sky Mechanical&Electrical Technology Co.Ltd.
文摘Grafting is a green,environmentally friendly,and sustainable way to prevent soil-borne diseases.Although artificial grafting is the main grafting approach used for grafting production,it has some problems which are low productivity,unstable operating quality and labor-intensive.Hence,some countries have been engaged in the development of grafting robots for the past two decades;however,the productivity of these grafting robots has no advantage when compared to artificial grafting.This study aims to develop a high-productivity grafting robot(HPR)for Solanaceae.To improve grafting productivity,this paper adopted plug trays to feed crown-removed rootstocks automatically and carried out multi-plant simultaneous grafting to improve grafting productivity and extensibility.Manipulators were employed to take out rootstocks,increase the distance between them,and transfer them to transfer cups for the simultaneous multi-plant grafting.At the same time,negative pressure mechanisms were designed for speeding up the auxiliary feeding of root-removed scions.Although the HPR was designed in a two-operator mode,a one-operator mode can also be implemented by adjusting the control program.Tests were conducted by varying the artificial feeding speed to analyze the performance of the grafting robot.The results showed that the productivity of the robot in the two-operator mode was 2250 plants/h,and 1542 plants/h in one-operator mode;comparing the artificial feeding productivity with auto grafting productivity,it was found that the capacity of the grafting robot was higher than the feeding speed of the one-operator mode but lower than that of the two-operator mode.
基金This work was supported in part by the National key research and development program(Grant No.2021YFD2000700)Guangdong Provincial Special Fund for Modern Agriculture Industry Technology Innovation Teams(No.2022KJ131).
文摘To adhere to the needs of automated supply of collected seedlings for mechanized grafting and cutting machines for enhancing their operational efficiency,herein,a separation system that uses subdivided air streams to separate the collected seedlings is developed.The separation system comprises a feeder for supplying collected seedlings,a seedling separator that uses subdivided air streams,a picking belt for the separated seedlings,a delivery unit for the separated seedlings,a pneumatic unit,and a control unit.To investigate the complete performance of separation,picking,and delivery of the separation system,several separation experiments were conducted to separate the collected Anthurium seedlings.The results show that the consistency of the moving direction of seedlings floated by subdivided air streams in the separation container and the moving direction of the picking belt have a significant effect on the picking of the separated seedlings by the picking belt.Moreover,the seedling supply timing of the feeder has a significant effect on the stability of the collected seedling separation rate during continuous separation.When this timing is such that the percentage of separated seedlings is 70%,the separation rate of continuous separation operation is 2.24 plant/s(the separation productivity is 8060 plants/h)with 0.12 CV.The operating conditions are 0.5 MPa separation pressure,0.5 s nozzle operation time,and 60 mm seedling thickness in the separation container.Moreover,the staying times of the collected seedlings separated in the separation container are less than 2.5 min.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(T2288101,31971266,U22A20157,32022041,and 82272152)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(2022A1515011925)the Key Research and Development Program of Guangzhou(202007020002)。
文摘Myofibroblasts,the primary effector cells for implant-induced fibrosis,contribute to this process by secreting excessive collagen-rich matrix and contracting.Thus,approaches that suppress myofibroblasts may achieve desirable suppression effects in the fibrotic process.As one of the important physical properties of materials,material topographical structures have been proven to affect various aspects of cell behaviors,so is it possible to manipulate the formation of myofibroblasts by tailoring the topographical properties of medical devices?In this study,polycaprolactone(PCL)surfaces with typical micropatterns(micro column and micro pit)were fabricated.The regulatory effects of surface micropatterns on the myofibroblastic differentiation of fibroblasts were investigated.Compared to the flat surfaces and surfaces with micro pit,surfaces with micro columns triggered the F-to G-actin transition,inhibiting the nuclear transfer of myocardin-related transcription factor-A.Subsequently,the downstream geneα-smooth muscle actin,which is a marker of myofibroblasts,was suppressed.Further in vivo investigation showed that PCL implants with micro-column-patterned surfaces inhibited the formation of peri-implant fibrotic capsules.Our results demonstrate that surface topographical properties are a potent regulator of fibroblast differentiation into myofibroblasts and highlight the antifibrotic potential of modifying surfaces with micro-column patterns.