As a major global food crop, maize kernel hardness significantly influences breakage during harvesting and post-production processing. However, accurately predicting the breakage behavior of maize kernels remains challenging due to multiple influencing factors, such as kernel shape, moisture content, and variety. Based on the Tavares breakage theory within the discrete element method (DEM), this work combined experimental and simulation approaches to calibrate the parameters of a maize kernel breakage model. A polyhedral discrete element model of maize kernels was established, and the particle size distribution data of fragments were obtained through uniaxial compression experiment. By fitting the governing equations of the Tavares breakage model to experimental data, calibrated model parameters were determined as follows: E infinity, d 0, phi, A, and were 181.3, 8.22, 10, 67.7, and 0.033, respectively. Finally, the internal consistency of the calibrated parameters was validated by comparing re-simulation and experimental results across several metrics: cumulative fragment size distribution, mass-based proportion of fragments on each screen, force-displacement curves, and critical fracture force. The results showed that when the particle size distribution follows the incomplete beta function (IBF) law, the simulation results agree well with experimental values. Furthermore, this work demonstrated that the calibration parameters of the maize breakage model were reliable and could accurately predict and analyze the maize crushing process.

Seed melon pulping is a critical process in the full utilization of seed melon. However, controlling the performance during the pulping process presents several challenges, particularly the unclear relationship between pulping performance and process parameters. This study proposes an optimization of seed melon pulping process parameters based on the optimal Latin hypercube sampling (OLHS) method. The seed melon pulping rate and the large-particle ratio after pulping were selected as performance indicators, with process parameters including the feeding rate of rind-flesh, the rotational speed of first-channel pulping knife roller, and the rotational speed of second-channel pulping knife roller. The OLHS method was combined with the discrete element method (DEM) of pulping to derive the input parameters required for training the radial basis function neural network (RBFNN). Subsequently, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) was employed to find the optimal solution for the pulping performance approximation model, followed by validation through comparison experiments. The multi-objective optimization results showed that the optimal process parameters were rind-flesh feeding rate of 175.69 kg/min-1, first-channel pulping knife roller rotational speed of 797.71 r/min-1, and second-channel pulping knife roller rotational speed of 708.34 r/min-1. Under these parameters, the seed melon pulping rate reached 92.81%, and the large-particle ratio after pulping was 2.19%. Furthermore, the RBFNN-trained approximation model demonstrated a high degree of model fit for the process parameters and performance indicators, as well as strong predictive ability for the macroscopic behavior of the pulping process parameters. Further verification through seed melon pulping experiments showed consistent results with the simulation outcomes, indicating that the optimization results can effectively improve seed melon pulping performance and further confirm the reliability of the method.

Optimizing the mechanical properties of fiber-based paper films remains challenging due to difficulty in controlling multi-scale structure. This study employs a screening strategy on flax straw pulp to investigate the evolution of fiber length distribution and its regulatory effect on the mechanical properties of fiber-natural binder composites. Six paper film samples were prepared via wet-forming using fibers classified by mesh size (0, 24, 48, 100, 200, >200 mesh). Combined characterizations (fiber morphology, SEM, AFM, and in-situ tensile testing) revealed a non-monotonic dependence of tensile strength on fiber size, whereas tear strength decreased linearly with reduced fiber dimensions. The unscreened sample (S0) exhibited superior tensile strength (29.43 ± 1.03 MPa) and tear strength (38.24 ± 1.45 N/mm), outperforming all screened samples (max. 17.16 ± 0.60 MPa and 24.93 ± 1.03 N/mm, respectively). This highlights the synergistic advantages of the multi-scale fiber composite architecture. Microstructural characterization identified fiber pull-out as the dominant failure mode, indicating a mismatch between the high intrinsic strength of the fibers and the relatively weaker interfacial hydrogen bonding. This work clarifies that fiber dimensions dictate macroscopic performance by governing the competition between mechanical interlocking and interfacial bonding. The findings provide a strategic perspective and theoretical foundation for the rational design of high-performance, fully biodegradable agricultural paper films.

Objective To investigate the effects of dapagliflozin on inflammatory factors and prognosis in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM)and acute myocardial infarction(AMI).Methods In a randomized,double-blind trial,146 patients with T2DM and AMI(within 7 days of onset)were divided into dapagliflozin(dapagliflozin 10 mg/d combining AMI standard therapy)and control(AMI standard therapy)groups,and were followed up for 12 months.Serum levels of interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6,high-sensitivity C reactive protein(hs-CRP)at baseline,1,3,6,and 12 months,and left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF),brain natriuretic peptide(BNP),and major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)rate at 12 months were compared between the two groups.Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze the cumulative incidences of MACE in the two groups.Results Three patients were withdrawn or dropped out.At 12 months,IL-1β,IL-6,and hs-CRP levels were significantly lower in dapagliflozin group(n=71)than those in control group(n=72,P＜0.01),approaching normal levels.Compared with the control group,LVEF was higher(P＜0.01),BNP was lower(P＜0.01),MACE incidence was lower(P=0.047)in dapagliflozin group at 12 months.Generalized linear mixed models showed significant group-time interactions in IL-1β,IL-6,and hs-CRP(P＜0.001),and these factors declined faster in the dapagliflozin group.Kaplan-Meier curve showed the cumulative incidences of MACE and heart failure were lower in dapagliflozin group than those in non-dapagliflozin group(P＜0.05).Conclusions For patients with T2DM patients and AMI,dapagliflozin has good anti-inflammatory and cardioprotective effects.

Biodegradable mulching films are critical for modern agriculture. Fabricating eco-friendly, biodegradable paper mulch from agricultural waste is key to sustainable agricultural development, and excellent water resistance, mechanical strength and durability are essential for its stable application. This study focuses on utilizing cow dung and flax straw fibers as primary raw materials, proposing a synergistic modification strategy employing alkyl ketene dimer (AKD) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) to enhance the performance of the paper-based mulching film. Under the optimum amount of AKD, the tensile strength, tear strength, static contact angle and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of the fiber-based paper mulch were 8.84 MPa, 20.39 N/mm, 142.53 and 2489.13 g/(m2 center dot 24h) respectively. Under the optimum CMC addition, the tensile strength increased to 10.31 MPa, the tear strength increased to 21.21 N/mm, the static contact angle (SCA) remained at 140.36, and the WVTR decreased sharply to 896.38 g/(m2 center dot 24h). Compared with the original fiber-based paper mulch, the tensile strength and tear strength increased by 24.82% and 8.71% respectively. Furthermore, sandpaper rubbing testing demonstrated that AKD/CMC-modified fiber-based paper mulch exhibits excellent water resistance and durability. Dry heat aging tests (105 degrees C, 72 h) demonstrated that the optimized fiber-based paper mulch exhibited a significantly smaller decline in mechanical and hydrophobic properties compared to the original sample. The Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analyses confirmed that AKD and CMC exerted a protective effect on the fiber structure, delaying the changes in functional groups induced by aging. This study successfully developed a fiber-based paper mulch with superior hydrophobicity and mechanical properties, providing an effective approach for the resource utilization of agricultural waste and the development of environmentally friendly mulching films.

Precise regulation of surface wettability is critical for achieving efficient droplet transport. However, traditional surface preparation methods often suffer from process complexity, high costs, and difficulties associated with large-scale production. In this paper, we propose a suspension-based micro-etching technique for phosphor bronze surfaces, enabling the precise tailoring of droplet transport. First, micro- and nanoscale structures with gradient wettability were constructed on the surface, and then, the adhesion force of droplets was precisely controlled. An in-depth analysis based on a range of characterization methods, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), indicated that the superhydrophobic surfaces constructed using the proposed suspension micro-etching technique exhibited more homogeneous microstructures, allowing also for the better control of the surface characteristics, and confirming the extraordinary potential of the proposed technique. Furthermore, the anti-icing and bouncing performance, as well as the self-cleaning ability of the created gradient-based surface, were investigated. The observed performance was consistent with the surface wettability. Overall, we present a cost-efficient, straightforward, and innovative approach to the fabrication of gradient wettability surfaces, which not only expands the palette of preparation techniques but also establishes a foundation for advancing the related fields.

The accuracy of on-board yield monitoring for combine harvesters is limited by the difficulty of acquiring high-fidelity mass flow signals and achieving reliable cumulative integration under complex vibration and varying operating conditions. To address this challenge, this study developed a weighing-based on-board yield monitoring system (DW-ORMS), in which a flow-collecting weighing-type grain mass flow sensor (C-GMFS) served as the core sensing unit. The C-GMFS enables stable weighing observation in confined installation spaces through mechanical decoupling and a single force-transmission path. At the system level, a state-aware gating strategy and trusted update mechanism were introduced to improve the reliability of output and cumulative mass estimation during unsteady operating phases. Based on field-measured disturbance characteristics, a parameterized disturbance model was established and used to identify the valid operating window and fix the gating parameter range. Simulation results showed that the proposed method achieved band-limited interference suppression of Aband≥17.73 dB under strong disturbances while maintaining trend fidelity of PRRtrend≥41.73% and low processing delay. Field harvesting experiments were conducted at working speeds of 2–8 km·h−¹. The cumulative strip mass showed excellent agreement with manual weighing references, with R²=0.973 and RMSE = 0.84 kg, and the strip-level mass closure error remained within CE ≤ 5% (N = 35). No monotonic drift in error was observed across working-speed groups. These results demonstrate that the DW-ORMS provides a deployable and traceable solution for high-confidence on-board yield monitoring of combine harvesters under unsteady field conditions.

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in energy storage systems, electric vehicles, aerospace and maritime applications. However, in the face of extreme conditions such as high temperature, overcharge or overdischarge, Lithium-ion batteries will face the risk of thermal runaway, which will lead to serious dangerous events such as fire or explosion in extreme cases. Conducting experimental research on early warning and suppression of thermal runaway in lithium batteries can significantly reduce these potential risks and ensure the reliability of the battery system. In this paper, the early and mid-term early warning methods of thermal runaway of lithium battery are introduced comprehensively, including temperature, gas, voltage, impedance, pressure difference and multi-parameter monitoring technology, and the basic principles, advantages and limitations of these methods are discussed. In addition, the paper provides a detailed explanation of the mechanisms, suppression time, suppression efficiency, re-ignition rate, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of later-stage suppression technologies, and offers an outlook on key areas for future research and development trends. It aims to provide relevant reference and guidance for scholars in the field of early warning methods and suppression technology of thermal runaway of Lithium-ion batteries.

Steel 45 is widely used in mechanical manufacturing, construction engineering, automotive product, petrochemical industry, and marine engineering. Although it possesses superior strength, toughness, and comprehensive mechanical property, it is highly susceptible to corrosion, which directly leads to a shortened service life. This work proposes a simple, low-cost, and efficient air spraying technology for preparing a ceramic-based superhydrophobic Al2O3-STA@WPU composite coating to address the corrosion problem of steel 45. The results show that the static water contact angle of the designed coating is as high as 162.20°, and the rolling angle is as low as 6.20°, indicating superior superhydrophobicity. After a sandpaper friction test, the coating still exhibits excellent mechanical stability and durability. Furthermore, electrochemical tests have shown that an air layer is formed in such rough coating, thus effectively hindering the interfacial interaction and mass transfer of corrosive species, resulting in significantly improved corrosion resistance. Such a robust, simple, low-cost, and efficient superhydrophobic coating has important economic value and practical significance for the corrosion protection of metals and structural components. It effectively addresses the engineering issue of poor mechanical stability often encountered with traditionally reported superhydrophobic surfaces during service.

To explore the yield-increasing mechanism of mechanized potato planting with corn straw mulching, a two-year (2021 and 2022) field experiment was conducted to study the effects of mechanized no-tillage with straw mulching on potato yield and water use efficiency. This experiment included mechanized no-tillage potato planting with corn straw mulch covering (JG), plastic film mulching (HM), and open flat planting (CK). The results showed that mechanical no-tillage with straw mulching significantly affected soil water content in the 0–100 cm soil layer, yield, and water use efficiency (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in yield between JG and HM, but it was significantly higher than that of CK. The yield of JG was 3.09~12.27% higher than that of CK. The yield increase was mainly achieved by increasing the potato weight per plant (0.697~0.862 **) and the average single potato weight (0.048~0.631). The tuber weight per plant was positively correlated with the plant height at the seedling stage (0.03~0.92 **) and positively correlated with the dry weight of stems and leaves at the tuber expansion stage and starch accumulation stage (0.74 **~0.95 **). It was negatively correlated with the number of branches at the tuber formation stage (−0.33~−0.88 **). Compared with CK, JG could significantly improve the water use efficiency of potatoes and reduce water consumption during the whole growth period of crops. In 2021, JG was 6.5% higher than CK, and HM was 6.88% lower than CK. In 2022, JG and HM increased water use efficiency by 26.17% and 14.50% compared with CK. When HM is applied in heavy soil areas, soil compaction can easily occur, which affects seedling emergence and reduces yield. At the same time, JG has strong adaptability to soil types and good yield stability. It can be seen that JG is a green and efficient mechanized potato cultivation technology suitable for dry farming areas.

Super-hydrophobic surface plays an important role in self-cleaning, oil-water separation, anti-icing and other fields because of its special wetting properties. However, the superhydrophobic surface is easily damaged by external load during use, which affects the performance. In this study, carbon fiber prepreg is used as substrate, PTFE nanoparticles are used as hydrophobic substance, and metal screen is used as template. Combined with hot pressing process, PTFE nanoparticles were piled and pressed on the surface of prepreg to form the super-hydrophobic surface of carbon fiber/epoxy resin composite with multi-stage micro-nano structure.The prepared surface shows excellent hydrophobicity and mechanical stability. Especially under the pressing of metal screen and the adhesion of epoxy resin, PTFE nanoparticles are piled up into mirror image structure of the screen. The multi-stage combined structure obviously improves the wear resistance of the surface. Even if the microstructure is damaged, the particles filled in the epoxy resin will be exposed to form a new hierarchical structure, so that the surface energy will remain hydrophobic for a long time until the whole microstructure is completely ground. This preparation method is fast and efficient, and the prepared surface has stable performance, which expands the application scene and scope of super-hydrophobic surface.

Hardness is a critical mechanical property of grains. Accurate predictions of grain hardness play a crucial role in improving grain milling efficiency, reducing grain breakage during transportation, and selecting high-quality crops. In this study, we developed machine learning models (MLMs) to predict the hardness of Jinsui No.4 maize seeds. The input variables of the MLM were loading speed, loading depth, and different types of indenters, and the output variable was the slope of the linear segment. Using the Latin square design, 100 datasets were generated. Four different types of MLMs, a genetic algorithm (GA), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), and long short-term memory network (LSTM), were used for our data analysis, respectively. The result indicated that the GA model had a high accuracy in predicting hardness values, the R2 of the GA model training set and testing set reached 0.98402 and 0.92761, respectively, while the RMSEs were 1.4308 and 2.8441, respectively. The difference between the predicted values and the actual values obtained by the model is relatively small. Furthermore, in order to investigate the relationship between hardness and morphology after compression, scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the morphology of the maize grains. The result showed that the more complex the shape of the indenter, the more obvious the destruction to the internal polysaccharides and starch in the grain, and the number of surface cracks also significantly increases. The results of this study emphasize the potential of MLMs in determining the hardness of agricultural cereal grains, leading to improved industrial processing efficiency and cost savings. Additionally, combining grain hardness prediction models with the operating mechanisms of industry machinery would provide valuable references and a basis for the parameterization of seed grain processing machinery.

Super-hydrophobic surface has excellent waterproof, self-cleaning and delayed icing properties, and is widely used in various fields, but its lack of durability restricts its large-scale use. In this paper, carbon fiber composite material with excellent mechanical properties is selected as the substrate, PTFE nanoparticles with excellent hydrophobicity are used as the surface energy substance, and metal screen is selected as the template, combined with hot pressing molding process, a super-hydrophobic surface with multi-level micro-nano structure is successfully constructed. The test shows that the water contact angle of the surface is 169 degrees, and the rolling angle is about 2 degrees. The contact angle of the surface is also over 150 degrees for other liquids, and it bounces off the external water droplets for three times, so it can easily take away pollutants and keep the surface dry and clean under the action of water flow. In the same icing environment, compared with the original surface, it can prolong the freezing time of droplets by 5 times. After repeated rubbing, the surface still has superhydrophobic properties until the whole surface is completely destroyed. The preparation method used in this study is simple, and the prepared superhydrophobic surface has excellent performance, which is expected to promote the application of superhydrophobic surface in practical working conditions.Highlights The preparation method is fast, efficient, low-energy and environment-friendly, and the used materials are simple and economical, and can be reused. The prepared surface has excellent hydrophobic performance for different media. The prepared superhydrophobic surface has low adhesion and droplet rebound performance. The prepared superhydrophobic surface has excellent delayed icing performance. The prepared superhydrophobic surface has excellent wear resistance. Preparation process and performance test of superhydrophobic surface. image

Livestock dung, discarded crop straws, and residual plastic film are the primary agricultural non-point sources of pollution. For livestock dung and discarded crop straw, the general treatment focuses on compost, animal fodder, industrial raw material, and new energy. The development of degradable mulch film is the main way to solve pollution from residual plastic film. However, an effective way to solve the above three types of pollution simultaneously and use them for ecological circular agriculture has been less studied. In this study, using cow dung and flax straw wastes as raw materials, we prepared natural, fibre-based paper mulch using the rapid-Kothen method and analysed the film-forming mechanism. Based on the Van Soest method, the cow dung and flax straw waste contain abundant cellulose fibres: 36.75% and 54.69%, respectively. The tensile strength and tear strength of fibre paper mulch are 1.87 kN/m and 19.91 N/mm, respectively. To enhance the adaptability of the fibre paper mulch in humid environments, the surface of the mulch was treated with alkyl ketene dimer (AKD). The AKD-coated fibre paper mulch displays hydrophobic properties, indicated by a contact angle of 128° ± 2°. It has a wet tensile strength of 0.64 kN/m and a wet tear strength of 8.23 N/mm. Additionally, it exhibits a dry tensile strength and a tear strength of 2.13 kN/m and 16.43 N/mm, respectively. Notably, the dry tensile strength is increased by 16.31%. In this way, the livestock dung and discarded crop straw can be reused, reducing dung pollution and straw burning in livestock farms, and the final products can alleviate the residual film pollution simultaneously.

During maize production and transportation, maize kernels frequently interact with mechanical components. To accurately simulate the interaction process between maize and mechanical components, it is essential to establish a reliable maize kernel model and input precise contact parameters. This study established polyhedral discrete element models of different maize kernels and calibrated the contact parameters between maize kernels and steel plates using the inclined plane method. The coefficients of restitution, static friction, and dynamic friction between maize and steel sheets were measured to be 0.5, 0.545, and 0.213, respectively. Subsequently, the contact parameters between maize kernels were determined through steepest climb tests and central composite design response surface tests. Then, the above parameters were optimized using Design-Expert software. The coefficients of restitution, static friction, and dynamic friction between maize kernels were measured to be 0.318, 0.182, and 0.232, respectively. Finally, the optimized parameters were validated using the angle of repose experiment, which found that the relative error between the experiment and the simulation was only 1.24%. The results indicated that the obtained contact parameters were accurate and reliable.

Decentralized Autonomous Organization (DAO) becomes a popular governance solution for decentralized applications (dApps) to achieve decentralized governance. In the DAO, no single entity can arbitrarily control the dApps without approval from the majority of members. However, despite its advantages, DAO has also been targeted by several attacks, leading to the loss of millions of dollars. In this paper, we first provided an overview of the DAO governance process within the blockchain. Next, we identified the issues within three components of governance process: Governance Contract, Documentation, and Proposal. Each of these components is vulnerable to issues that could potentially result in substantial financial losses. Then we developed automated methods to detected above issues. To investigate the issues within the existing DAO ecosystem, we constructed a state-of-the-art dataset that includes 16,427 DAOs, 183 documentation, and 122,307 proposals across 9 different blockchains. Our analysis reveals that a majority of DAO developers and members have not given sufficient attention to these issues, especially in the area of proposal. The result shows that over 60

Protecting system observability records (logs) from compromised OSs has gained significant traction in recent times, with several note-worthy approaches proposed. Unfortunately, none of the proposed approaches achieve high performance with tiny log protection delays. They also leverage risky environments for protection (e.g., many use general-purpose hypervisors or TrustZone, which have large TCB and attack surfaces). HitchHiker is an attempt to rectify this problem. The system is designed to ensure (a) in-memory protection of batched logs within a short and configurable real-time deadline by efficient hardware permission switching, and (b) an end-to-end high-assurance environment built upon hardware protection primitives with debloating strategies for secure log protection, persistence, and management. Security evaluations and validations show that HitchHiker reduces log protection delay by 93.3--99.3% compared to the state-of-the-art, while reducing TCB by 9.4--26.9X. Performance evaluations show HitchHiker incurs a geometric mean of less than 6% overhead on diverse real-world programs, improving on the state-of-the-art approach by 61.9--77.5%.

Super-hydrophobic surface is widely used in waterproof, antifouling, and anticorrosion fields because of its unique wetting characteristics. However, the rough structure of super-hydrophobic surface is easily damaged in service, which leads to the loss of various properties, making it difficult to apply super-hydrophobic surface on a large scale in actual production. In this paper, epoxy resin was used as adhesive, mixed with hydrophobic silica particles and sprayed on the surface of carbon fiber composites. After curing, the surface of super-hydrophobic carbon fiber composites with contact angle of 158 +/- 2 degrees and sliding angle of 1 +/- 0.5 degrees was formed. The surface had excellent dynamic water repellent performance, and the droplets could bounce more than three times on the surface. Furthermore, the super-hydrophobic surface had excellent wear resistance and mechanical stability. After the friction damage test, the surface structure of the sample was slightly damaged. The amount of wear was small, and the surface was still in super-hydrophobic state. Through soaked in solutions with different pH values, the microstructure of the surface was not obviously damaged by corrosion, the contact angle of water droplets was greater than 155 degrees. The preparation method of super-hydrophobic surface of carbon fiber composite proposed in this study is simple and rapid, and the prepared surface has excellent performance, the practical application of super-hydrophobic surface is promoted. Performance verification of superhydrophobic surface under multi-factor working conditions.image

To improve the utilization rate of flax straw and the clean treatment of livestock manure, an experimental study was conducted on the process and performance of making fibre paper films by mixing cow dung and flax straw fibre. Cow dung and flax straw were used as the main raw materials, and functional additives were not added. The whole technological process of the pretreatment, the beating process, the determination of the beating degree, the basis weight of the paper, papermaking, drying, sample cutting, and the determination and analysis of the related mechanical properties of the film-making materials were studied. In this study, the Box–Behnken experimental design principle in the response surface methodology was adopted, and the effect of each factor on the tensile strength and tear strength of fibre paper film made of mixed fibres was determined using the combined experimental design comprising four factors and three levels centres. The results showed that the optimum technological parameters were as follows: the beating degree of the cow dung fibre was 37 °SR, the beating degree of the flax straw fibre was 85 °SR, the paper basis weight was 80 g/m2, and the addition of flax straw fibre was 65%. At a drying temperature of 80 °C and a drying time of 8 min, under the conditions of the hybrid fibre paper film placed in the laboratory environment (humidity of 30%~40%, temperature of 18 °C) for 24 h, the measured tensile strength was about 8.26 MPa, and the tear strength was about 19.91 N/mm. This study provides a reference that can be used for the further study of fibre paper film.