The recently discovered social place cells and grid cells in hippocampal formation are believed to be the neural basis underlying relative navigation of conspecifics. In this paper, we propose a new brain-inspired relative navigation model in a large-scale 3D environment for collective UAVs that translates the neurodynamics of the social place cell–grid cell circuit to robotic relative navigation algorithm for the first time. Our approach comprises three key parts: (1) a 3D isotropic Gaussian function-based cube social place cell network (cube-SPCNet), (2) a 3D continuous attractor neural network-based cube grid cell network (cube-GCNet), and (3) a population vector-based neural decoding module. The resulting brain-inspired relative navigation model incorporates the good relative information abstraction capabilities of the cube-SPCNet with the powerful temporal filtering capabilities of the cube-GCNet, yielding robustness and accuracy performance improvement for relative navigation. Experimental results show the new method can provide more robust and precise relative navigation results than its conventional counterpart, displaying a possible brain-inspired solution for relative navigation enhancement for collective UAVs.

Systematically monitoring the baseline sensitivity of troublesome weeds to herbicides is crucial for the early detection of a premature market lifespan of herbicides. Florpyrauxifen-benzyl is one of the most important rice herbicides across the world, which has been used for five years in China. Barnyardgrass is one of the main targeted weed species of florpyrauxifen-benzyl. Totally 114 barnyardgrass populations were collected from rice fields in Jiangsu Province, China, and screened for susceptibility of each population to florpyrauxifen-benzyl by whole-plant bioassays. For all populations, the GR50 doses (the dose causing a 50% reduction in fresh weight of aboveground parts) of florpyrauxifen-benzyl ranged from 1.0 to 34.5 g ai ha-1, with an average of 6.8 g ai ha-1, a baseline sensitivity dose of 3.3 g ai ha-1, and a baseline sensitivity index of 34.5. Twenty-one days after treatment with florpyrauxifen-benzyl at the labeled dose (36 g ai ha-1), 90% of the barnyardgrass populations showed reductions in fresh weight of aboveground parts > 95%. Compared with the baseline sensitivity dose, 63, 44, and seven populations had no resistance (55%), low resistance (39%), and moderate resistance (6%) to florpyrauxifen-benzyl, respectively. Furthermore, the GR50 distribution of barnyardgrass populations did not show a significant correlation with city, planting methods (direct-seeding or transplanting), and rice species (ssp. indica or ssp. japonica) at the seed-collection rice fields (P > 0.05). In conclusion, florpyrauxifen-benzyl remains effective for barnyardgrass control in rice fields despite serious resistance challenges.

This study demonstrates a kilowatt-level, spectrum-programmable, multi-wavelength fiber laser (MWFL) with wavelength, interval and intensity tunability. The central wavelength tuning range is 1060–1095 nm and the tunable number is controllable from 1 to 5. The wavelength interval can be tuned from 6 to 32 nm and the intensity of each channel can be adjusted independently. Maximum output power up to approximately 1100 W has been achieved by master oscillator power amplifier structures. We also investigate the wavelength evolution experimentally considering the difference of gain competition, which may give a primary reference for kW-level high-power MWFL spectral manipulation. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest output power ever reported for a programmable MWFL. Benefiting from its high power and flexible spectral manipulability, the proposed MWFL has great potential in versatile applications such as nonlinear frequency conversion and spectroscopy.

A high-energy pulsed vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) solid-state laser at 177 nm with high peak power by the sixth harmonic of a neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) amplifier in a KBe2BO3F2 prism-coupled device was demonstrated. The ultraviolet (UV) pump laser is a 352 ps pulsed, spatial top-hat super-Gaussian beam at 355 nm. A high energy of a 7.12 mJ VUV laser at 177 nm is obtained with a pulse width of 255 ps, indicating a peak power of 28 MW, and the conversion efficiency is 9.42% from 355 to 177 nm. The measured results fitted well with the theoretical prediction. It is the highest pulse energy and highest peak power ever reported in the VUV range for any solid-state lasers. The high-energy, high-peak-power, and high-spatial-uniformity VUV laser is of great interest for ultra-fine machining and particle-size measurements using UV in-line Fraunhofer holography diagnostics.

This study aimed to demonstrate the utilization value of 1PN embryos. The 1PN zygotes collected from December 2021 to September 2022 were included in this study. The embryo development, the pronuclear characteristics, and the genetic constitutions were investigated. The overall blastocyst formation and good-quality blastocyst rates in 1PN zygotes were 22.94 and 16.24%, significantly lower than those of 2PN zygotes (63.25 and 50.23%, respectively, P = 0.000). The pronuclear characteristics were found to be correlated with the developmental potential. When comparing 1PN zygotes that developed into blastocysts to those that arrested, the former exhibited a significantly larger area (749.49 ± 142.77 vs. 634.00 ± 119.05, P = 0.000), a longer diameter of pronuclear (29.81 ± 3.08 vs. 27.30 ± 3.00, P = 0.000), and a greater number of nucleolar precursor body (NPB) (11.56 ± 3.84 vs. 7.19 ± 2.73, P = 0.000). Among the tested embryos, the diploidy euploidy rate was significantly higher in blastocysts in comparison with the arrested embryos (66.67 vs. 11.76%, P = 0.000), which was also significantly higher in IVF-1PN blastocysts than in ICSI-1PN blastocysts (75.44 vs. 25.00%, P = 0.001). However, the pronuclear characteristics were not found to be linked to the chromosomal ploidy once they formed blastocysts.

In summary, while the developmental potential of 1PN zygotes is reduced, our study shows that, in addition to the reported pronuclear area and diameter, the number of NPB is also associated with their developmental potential. The 1PN blastocysts exhibit a high diploidy euploidy rate, are recommend to be clinically used post genetic testing, especially for patients who do not have other 2PN embryos available.

Adrenal vein sampling (AVS) is a complicated procedure requiring clinical expertise, collaboration, and patient involvement to ensure it occurs successfully. Implementation science offers unique insights into the barriers and enablers of service delivery of AVS. The primary aim of this review was to identify implementation components as described within clinical studies, that contribute to a successful AVS procedure. The secondary aim was to inform practice considerations to support the scale-up of AVS. A scoping review of clinical papers that discussed factors contributing to effective AVS implementation was included. A phased approach was employed to extract implementation science data from clinical studies. Implementation strategies were named and defined, allowing for implementation learnings to be synthesized, in the absence of dedicated research examining implementation process and findings only. Ten implementation components reported as contributing to a successful AVS procedure were identified. These components were categorized according to actions required pre-AVS, during AVS, and post-AVS. Using an implementation science approach, the findings of this review and analysis provide practical considerations to facilitate AVS service delivery design. Extracting implementation science information from clinical research has provided a mechanism that accelerates the translation of evidence into practice where implementation research is not yet available.

To characterize fluid flow in the slip regime, the use of Navier–Stokes–Fourier (NSF) equations with slip boundary conditions is prevalent. This trend underscores the necessity of developing reliable and accurate slip boundary conditions. According to kinetic theory, slip behaviours are intrinsically linked to the gas scattering processes at the surface. The widely used Maxwell scattering model, which employs a single accommodation coefficient to describe gas scattering processes, reveals its limitations when the difference between accommodation coefficients in the tangential and normal directions becomes significant. In this work, we provide a derivation of velocity slip and temperature jump boundary conditions based on the Cercignani–Lampis–Lord scattering model, which applies two independent accommodation coefficients to describe the gas scattering process. A Knudsen layer correction term is introduced to account for the impact of the surface on the velocity distribution function, which is associated with the scattering model. The governing equation of the correction term is established based on the linearized Boltzmann equation. Additionally, two moments are derived to capture the collision effect in the Knudsen layer: a conserving moment of collision invariants, and an approximate higher-order conserving moment. These moments are then employed to determine the coefficients in the correction term. We demonstrate that the derived slip coefficients align closely with numerical results obtained by solving the Boltzmann equation in the Knudsen layer. Besides, we apply the derived slip boundary conditions within the framework of the NSF equations, yielding numerical results that exhibit excellent consistency with those obtained through molecular-level simulations.

Characterised by the extensive use of obsidian, a blade-based tool inventory and microblade technology, the late Upper Palaeolithic lithic assemblages of the Changbaishan Mountains are associated with the increasingly cold climatic conditions of Marine Isotope Stage 2, yet most remain poorly dated. Here, the authors present new radiocarbon dates associated with evolving blade and microblade toolkits at Helong Dadong, north-east China. At 27 300–24 100 BP, the lower cultural layers contain some of the earliest microblade technology in north-east Asia and highlight the importance of the Changbaishan Mountains in understanding changing hunter-gatherer lifeways in this region during MIS 2.

Aging ships and offshore structures face harsh environmental and operational conditions in remote areas, leading to age-related damages such as corrosion wastage, fatigue cracking, and mechanical denting. These deteriorations, if left unattended, can escalate into catastrophic failures, causing casualties, property damage, and marine pollution. Hence, ensuring the safety and integrity of aging ships and offshore structures is paramount and achievable through innovative healthcare schemes. One such paradigm, digital healthcare engineering (DHE), initially introduced by the final coauthor, aims at providing lifetime healthcare for engineered structures, infrastructure, and individuals (e.g., seafarers) by harnessing advancements in digitalization and communication technologies. The DHE framework comprises five interconnected modules: on-site health parameter monitoring, data transmission to analytics centers, data analytics, simulation and visualization via digital twins, artificial intelligence-driven diagnosis and remedial planning using machine and deep learning, and predictive health condition analysis for future maintenance. This article surveys recent technological advancements pertinent to each DHE module, with a focus on its application to aging ships and offshore structures. The primary objectives include identifying cost-effective and accurate techniques to establish a DHE system for lifetime healthcare of aging ships and offshore structures—a project currently in progress by the authors.

This study investigates the impact of molecular thermal fluctuations on compressible decaying isotropic turbulence using the unified stochastic particle (USP) method, encompassing both two-dimensional (2-D) and three-dimensional (3-D) scenarios. The findings reveal that the turbulent spectra of velocity and thermodynamic variables follow the wavenumber (k) scaling law of ${k}^{(d-1)}$ for different spatial dimensions $d$ within the high wavenumber range, indicating the impact of thermal fluctuations on small-scale turbulent statistics. With the application of Helmholtz decomposition, it is found that the thermal fluctuation spectra of solenoidal and compressible velocity components (${\boldsymbol {u}}_{s}$ and ${\boldsymbol {u}}_{c}$) follow an energy ratio of 1 : 1 for 2-D cases, while the ratio changes to 2 : 1 for 3-D cases. Comparisons between 3-D turbulent spectra obtained through USP simulations and direct numerical simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations demonstrate that thermal fluctuations dominate the spectra at length scales comparable to the Kolmogorov length scale. Additionally, the effect of thermal fluctuations on the spectrum of ${\boldsymbol {u}}_{c}$ is significantly influenced by variations in the turbulent Mach number. We further study the impact of thermal fluctuations on the predictability of turbulence. With initial differences caused by thermal fluctuations, different flow realizations display significant disparities in velocity and thermodynamic fields at larger scales after a certain period of time, which can be characterized by ‘inverse error cascades’. Moreover, the results suggest a strong correlation between the predictabilities of thermodynamic fields and the predictability of ${\boldsymbol {u}}_{c}$.

Dual-robot system has been widely applied to the field of handling and palletizing for its high efficiency and large workspace. It is one of the key problems of the trajectory planning to determine the collision avoidance method of the dual-robot system. In the present study, a collision avoidance trajectory planning method for the dual-robot system was proposed on the basis of a modified artificial potential field (APF) algorithm. The interference and collision criterion of the dual-robot system was given firstly, which was established based on the method of kinematic analysis in robotics. And then, in consideration of the problem of excessive virtual potential field force induced by using the traditional APF algorithm in the process of dual-robot trajectory planning, a modified APF algorithm was proposed. Finally, the modified APF algorithm was used for motion control of a dual-robot palletizing process, and the collision avoidance performance of the proposed collision avoidance algorithm was studied through a dual-robot palletizing simulation and experiment. The results have shown that with the proposed collision avoidance trajectory planning algorithm, the two robots in dual-robot system can maintain a safe distance at all times during palletizing process. Compared with the traditional APF and rapidly-exploring random tree (RRT) algorithm, the trajectory solution time of the modified APF algorithm is greatly reduced. And the modified APF algorithm’s convergence time is 14.2% shorter than that of the traditional APF algorithm.

In the absence of the necessary valley topography, karst depressions are sometimes used to construct conventional impoundments in order to contain tailings. Leakage is a primary concern for such impoundments. The purpose of the current study was to determine the characteristics and barrier performance of laterite mantling karst depressions, using, as an example, the Wujiwatang (WJWT) tailings impoundment, located in the Gejiu mining area, southwestern China. The geotechnical-hydrogeological properties, geochemistry, mineral compositions, and particle shapes of the laterite were investigated by geotechnical techniques, chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the laterite contained poorly sorted particles that covered a wide spectrum of grain sizes (<5 mm to <50 nm), and was unexpectedly categorized as silty clay or silt with a high liquid limit. The continuous gradation and small D90 value helped the laterite achieve saturated hydraulic conductivities in the range of <10–6 cm/s required for impoundment liners. The laterite beneath the tailings impoundment was finer-grained and had a lower permeability than that of the laterite on the depression walls within the same depression. Geochemically and mineralogically, the laterite was classified as true laterite and its major mineralogical constituents were gibbsite and goethite with chlorite occurring in trace amounts. The laterite was dominated by subspherolitic–spherolitic cohesionless grains (concretions) made up of Al, Fe, Ti, and Mn oxides and hydroxides. The laterite did not have plasticity indices in the clay range. Fortunately, slopewash prior to tailings containment selectively transported the finer oxide concretions to the depression floor, creating a natural low-permeability barrier for the WJWT tailings impoundment. This is undoubtedly important for the planning and design of future karst depression-type tailings impoundments around the world.

The efficient separation of hexane isomers from the light naphtha fraction is a significant challenge in the petrochemical industry. 5A zeolite adsorbent is used commercially to sieve alkane isomers. In this study, 5A zeolites were synthesized using a low-cost natural clay mineral precursor, i.e. palygorskite (PAL), with the addition of crystallization directing agent (CDA). By varying the mass ratio of CDA/deionized water, 5A zeolites were obtained as CDA-5%, CDA-7.5%, and CDA-10%. All products were submicron particles with an average particle size of 400–800 nm. A sieving test of CDA-induced 5A zeolites was carried out on hexane adsorbates including n-hexane (nHEX), 2-methylpentane (2MP), and 3-methylpentane (3MP). According to vapor-phase batch adsorption experiments, a significant equilibrium amount (0.149 g/g) of nHEX and only 0.0321 g/g 2MP and 0.0416 g/g 3MP were adsorbed on the 5A zeolite product with CDA-5%. The dynamic adsorption performance of 5A zeolite (CDA-5%) was evaluated by breakthrough curves of binary mixtures of nHEX/2MP and nHEX/3MP. Palygorskite 5A (PAL 5A) zeolite achieved maximum dynamic adsorption capacities of nHEX (0.16 g/g in both cases) at 200°C and 1.2 MPa total pressure. This work provided an economic alternative for the synthesis of 5A zeolites using natural clay minerals instead of chemical raw materials.