As digital technologies have advanced more rapidly,the number of paper documents recently converted into a digital format has exponentially increased.To respond to the urgent need to categorize the growing number of d...As digital technologies have advanced more rapidly,the number of paper documents recently converted into a digital format has exponentially increased.To respond to the urgent need to categorize the growing number of digitized documents,the classification of digitized documents in real time has been identified as the primary goal of our study.A paper classification is the first stage in automating document control and efficient knowledge discovery with no or little human involvement.Artificial intelligence methods such as Deep Learning are now combined with segmentation to study and interpret those traits,which were not conceivable ten years ago.Deep learning aids in comprehending input patterns so that object classes may be predicted.The segmentation process divides the input image into separate segments for a more thorough image study.This study proposes a deep learning-enabled framework for automated document classification,which can be implemented in higher education.To further this goal,a dataset was developed that includes seven categories:Diplomas,Personal documents,Journal of Accounting of higher education diplomas,Service letters,Orders,Production orders,and Student orders.Subsequently,a deep learning model based on Conv2D layers is proposed for the document classification process.In the final part of this research,the proposed model is evaluated and compared with other machine-learning techniques.The results demonstrate that the proposed deep learning model shows high results in document categorization overtaking the other machine learning models by reaching 94.84%,94.79%,94.62%,94.43%,94.07%in accuracy,precision,recall,F-score,and AUC-ROC,respectively.The achieved results prove that the proposed deep model is acceptable to use in practice as an assistant to an office worker.展开更多
Background: When applied to trabecular bone X-ray images, the anisotropic properties of trabeculae located at ultra-distal radius were investigated by using the trabecular bone scores (TBS) calculated along directions...Background: When applied to trabecular bone X-ray images, the anisotropic properties of trabeculae located at ultra-distal radius were investigated by using the trabecular bone scores (TBS) calculated along directions parallel and perpendicular to the forearm. Methodology: Data from more than two hundred subjects were studied retrospectively. A DXA (GE Lunar Prodigy) scan of the forearm was performed on each subject to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) value at the location of ultra-distal radius, and an X-ray digital image of the same forearm was taken on the same day. The values of trabecular bone score along the direction perpendicular to the forearm, TBS<sub>x</sub>, and along the direction parallel to the forearm, TBS<sub>y</sub>, were calculated respectively. The statistics of TBS<sub>x</sub> and TBS<sub>y</sub> were calculated, and the anisotropy of the trabecular bone, which was defined as the ratio of TBS<sub>y</sub> to TBS<sub>x</sub> and changed with subjects’ BMD and age, was reported and analyzed. Results: The results show that the correlation coefficient between TBS<sub>x</sub> and TBS<sub>y</sub> was 0.72 (p BMD and age was reported. The results showed that decreased trabecular bone anisotropy was associated with deceased BMD and increased age in the subject group. Conclusions: This study shows that decreased trabecular bone anisotropy was associated with decreased BMD and increased age.展开更多
This study investigated the correlations between mechanical properties and mineralogy of granite using the digital image processing(DIP) and discrete element method(DEM). The results showed that the X-ray diffraction(...This study investigated the correlations between mechanical properties and mineralogy of granite using the digital image processing(DIP) and discrete element method(DEM). The results showed that the X-ray diffraction(XRD)-based DIP method effectively analyzed the mineral composition contents and spatial distributions of granite. During the particle flow code(PFC2D) model calibration phase, the numerical simulation exhibited that the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS) value, elastic modulus(E), and failure pattern of the granite specimen in the UCS test were comparable to the experiment. By establishing 351 sets of numerical models and exploring the impacts of mineral composition on the mechanical properties of granite, it indicated that there was no negative correlation between quartz and feldspar for UCS, tensile strength(σ_(t)), and E. In contrast, mica had a significant negative correlation for UCS, σ_(t), and E. The presence of quartz increased the brittleness of granite, whereas the presence of mica and feldspar increased its ductility in UCS and direct tensile strength(DTS) tests. Varying contents of major mineral compositions in granite showed minor influence on the number of cracks in both UCS and DTS tests.展开更多
The technology of drilling tests makes it possible to obtain the strength parameter of rock accurately in situ. In this paper, a new rock cutting analysis model that considers the influence of the rock crushing zone(R...The technology of drilling tests makes it possible to obtain the strength parameter of rock accurately in situ. In this paper, a new rock cutting analysis model that considers the influence of the rock crushing zone(RCZ) is built. The formula for an ultimate cutting force is established based on the limit equilibrium principle. The relationship between digital drilling parameters(DDP) and the c-φ parameter(DDP-cφ formula, where c refers to the cohesion and φ refers to the internal friction angle) is derived, and the response of drilling parameters and cutting ratio to the strength parameters is analyzed. The drillingbased measuring method for the c-φ parameter of rock is constructed. The laboratory verification test is then completed, and the difference in results between the drilling test and the compression test is less than 6%. On this basis, in-situ rock drilling tests in a traffic tunnel and a coal mine roadway are carried out, and the strength parameters of the surrounding rock are effectively tested. The average difference ratio of the results is less than 11%, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method for obtaining the strength parameters based on digital drilling. This study provides methodological support for field testing of rock strength parameters.展开更多
Regional inequality significantly influences sustainable development and human well-being.In China,there exists pronounced regional disparities in economic and digital advancements;however,scant research delves into t...Regional inequality significantly influences sustainable development and human well-being.In China,there exists pronounced regional disparities in economic and digital advancements;however,scant research delves into the interplay between them.By analyzing the economic development and digitalization gaps at regional and city levels in China,extending the original Cobb-Douglas production function,this study aims to evaluate the impact of digitalization on China's regional inequality using seemingly unrelated regression.The results indicate a greater emphasis on digital inequality compared to economic disparity,with variable coefficients of 0.59 for GDP per capita and 0.92 for the digitalization index over the past four years.However,GDP per capita demonstrates higher spatial concentration than digitalization.Notably,both disparities have shown a gradual reduction in recent years.The southeastern region of the Hu Huanyong Line exhibits superior levels and rates of economic and digital advancement in contrast to the northwestern region.While digitalization propels economic growth,it yields a nuanced impact on achieving balanced regional development,encompassing both positive and negative facets.Our study highlights that the marginal utility of advancing digitalization is more pronounced in less developed regions,but only if the government invests in the digital infrastructure and education in these areas.This study's methodology can be utilized for subsequent research,and our findings hold the potential to the government's regional investment and policy-making.展开更多
Background:There is mounting evidence that regular physical activity is an important prerequisite for healthy cognitive aging.Consequently,the finding that almost one-third of the adult population does not reach the r...Background:There is mounting evidence that regular physical activity is an important prerequisite for healthy cognitive aging.Consequently,the finding that almost one-third of the adult population does not reach the recommended level of regular physical activity calls for further public health actions.In this context,digital and home-based physical training interventions might be a promising alternative to center-based intervention programs.Thus,this systematic review aimed to summarize the current state of the literature on the effects of digital and home-based physical training interventions on adult cognitive performance.Methods:In this pre-registered systematic review(PROSPERO;ID:CRD42022320031),5 electronic databases(PubMed,Web of Science,Psyclnfo,SPORTDiscus,and Cochrane Library)were searched by 2 independent researchers(FH and PT)to identify eligible studies investigating the effects of digital and home-based physical training interventions on cognitive performance in adults.The systematic literature search yielded 8258 records(extra17 records from other sources),of which 27 controlled trials were considered relevant.Two reviewers(FH and PT)independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using a modified version of the Tool for the assEssment of Study qualiTy and reporting in EXercise(TESTEX scale).Results:Of the 27 reviewed studies,15 reported positive effects on cognitive and motor-cognitive outcomes(i.e.,performance improvements in measures of executive functions,working memory,and choice stepping reaction test),and a considerable heterogeneity concerning study-related,population-related,and intervention-related characteristics was noticed.A more detailed analysis suggests that,in particular,interventions using online classes and technology-based exercise devices(i.e.,step-based exergames)can improve cognitive performance in healthy older adults.Approximately one-half of the reviewed studies were rated as having a high risk of bias with respect to completion adherence(≤85%)and monitoring of the level of regular physical activity in the control group.Conclusion:The current state of evidence concerning the effectiveness of digital and home-based physical training interventions is mixed overall,though there is limited evidence that specific types of digital and home-based physical training interventions(e.g.,online classes and step-based exergames)can be an effective strategy for improving cognitive performance in older adults.However,due to the limited number of available studies,future high-quality studies are needed to buttress this assumption empirically and to allow for more solid and nuanced conclusions.展开更多
Reinforcement learning has been applied to air combat problems in recent years,and the idea of curriculum learning is often used for reinforcement learning,but traditional curriculum learning suffers from the problem ...Reinforcement learning has been applied to air combat problems in recent years,and the idea of curriculum learning is often used for reinforcement learning,but traditional curriculum learning suffers from the problem of plasticity loss in neural networks.Plasticity loss is the difficulty of learning new knowledge after the network has converged.To this end,we propose a motivational curriculum learning distributed proximal policy optimization(MCLDPPO)algorithm,through which trained agents can significantly outperform the predictive game tree and mainstream reinforcement learning methods.The motivational curriculum learning is designed to help the agent gradually improve its combat ability by observing the agent's unsatisfactory performance and providing appropriate rewards as a guide.Furthermore,a complete tactical maneuver is encapsulated based on the existing air combat knowledge,and through the flexible use of these maneuvers,some tactics beyond human knowledge can be realized.In addition,we designed an interruption mechanism for the agent to increase the frequency of decisionmaking when the agent faces an emergency.When the number of threats received by the agent changes,the current action is interrupted in order to reacquire observations and make decisions again.Using the interruption mechanism can significantly improve the performance of the agent.To simulate actual air combat better,we use digital twin technology to simulate real air battles and propose a parallel battlefield mechanism that can run multiple simulation environments simultaneously,effectively improving data throughput.The experimental results demonstrate that the agent can fully utilize the situational information to make reasonable decisions and provide tactical adaptation in the air combat,verifying the effectiveness of the algorithmic framework proposed in this paper.展开更多
A digital data-acquisition system based on XIA LLC products was used in a complex nuclear reaction experiment using radioactive ion beams.A flexible trigger system based on a field-programmable gate array(FPGA)paramet...A digital data-acquisition system based on XIA LLC products was used in a complex nuclear reaction experiment using radioactive ion beams.A flexible trigger system based on a field-programmable gate array(FPGA)parametrization was developed to adapt to different experimental sizes.A user-friendly interface was implemented,which allows converting script language expressions into FPGA internal control parameters.The proposed digital system can be combined with a conventional analog data acquisition system to provide more flexibility.The performance of the combined system was veri-fied using experimental data.展开更多
Microvasculature of the retina is considered an alternative marker of cerebral vascular risk in healthy populations.However,the ability of retinal vasculature changes,specifically focusing on retinal vessel diameter,t...Microvasculature of the retina is considered an alternative marker of cerebral vascular risk in healthy populations.However,the ability of retinal vasculature changes,specifically focusing on retinal vessel diameter,to predict the recurrence of cerebrovascular events in patients with ischemic stroke has not been determined comprehensively.While previous studies have shown a link between retinal vessel diameter and recurrent cerebrovascular events,they have not incorporated this information into a predictive model.Therefore,this study aimed to investigate the relationship between retinal vessel diameter and subsequent cerebrovascular events in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Additionally,we sought to establish a predictive model by combining retinal veessel diameter with traditional risk factors.We performed a prospective observational study of 141 patients with acute ischemic stroke who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University.All of these patients underwent digital retinal imaging within 72 hours of admission and were followed up for 3 years.We found that,after adjusting for related risk factors,patients with acute ischemic stroke with mean arteriolar diameter within 0.5-1.0 disc diameters of the disc margin(MAD_(0.5-1.0DD))of≥74.14μm and mean venular diameter within 0.5-1.0 disc diameters of the disc margin(MVD_(0.5-1.0DD))of≥83.91μm tended to experience recurrent cerebrovascular events.We established three multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models:model 1 included traditional risk factors,model 2 added MAD_(0.5-1.0DD)to model 1,and model 3 added MVD0.5-1.0DD to model 1.Model 3 had the greatest potential to predict subsequent cerebrovascular events,followed by model 2,and finally model 1.These findings indicate that combining retinal venular or arteriolar diameter with traditional risk factors could improve the prediction of recurrent cerebrovascular events in patients with acute ischemic stroke,and that retinal imaging could be a useful and non-invasive method for identifying high-risk patients who require closer monitoring and more aggressive management.展开更多
The deterioration of unstable rock mass raised interest in evaluating rock mass quality.However,the traditional evaluation method for the geological strength index(GSI)primarily emphasizes the rock structure and chara...The deterioration of unstable rock mass raised interest in evaluating rock mass quality.However,the traditional evaluation method for the geological strength index(GSI)primarily emphasizes the rock structure and characteristics of discontinuities.It ignores the influence of mineral composition and shows a deficiency in assessing the integrity coefficient.In this context,hyperspectral imaging and digital panoramic borehole camera technologies are applied to analyze the mineral content and integrity of rock mass.Based on the carbonate mineral content and fissure area ratio,the strength reduction factor and integrity coefficient are calculated to improve the GSI evaluation method.According to the results of mineral classification and fissure identification,the strength reduction factor and integrity coefficient increase with the depth of rock mass.The rock mass GSI calculated by the improved method is mainly concentrated between 40 and 60,which is close to the calculation results of the traditional method.The GSI error rates obtained by the two methods are mostly less than 10%,indicating the rationality of the hyperspectral-digital borehole image coupled evaluation method.Moreover,the sensitivity of the fissure area ratio(Sr)to GSI is greater than that of the strength reduction factor(a),which means the proposed GSI is suitable for rocks with significant fissure development.The improved method reduces the influence of subjective factors and provides a reliable index for the deterioration evaluation of rock mass.展开更多
Brazilian pre-salt reservoirs are renowned for their intricate pore networks and vuggy nature,posing significant challenges in modeling and simulating fluid flow within these carbonate reservoirs.Despite possessing ex...Brazilian pre-salt reservoirs are renowned for their intricate pore networks and vuggy nature,posing significant challenges in modeling and simulating fluid flow within these carbonate reservoirs.Despite possessing excellent petrophysical properties,such as high porosity and permeability,these reservoirs typically exhibit a notably low recovery factor,sometimes falling below 10%.Previous research has indicated that various enhanced oil recovery(EOR)methods,such as water alternating gas(WAG),can substantially augment the recovery factor in pre-salt reservoirs,resulting in improvements of up to 20%.Nevertheless,the fluid flow mechanism within Brazilian carbonate reservoirs,characterized by complex pore geometry,remains unclear.Our study examines the behavior of fluid flow in a similar heterogeneous porous material,utilizing a plug sample obtained from a vugular segment of a Brazilian stromatolite outcrop,known to share analogies with certain pre-salt reservoirs.We conducted single-phase and multi-phase core flooding experiments,complemented by medical-CT scanning,to generate flow streamlines and evaluate the efficiency of water flooding.Subsequently,micro-CT scanning of the core sample was performed,and two cross-sections from horizontal and vertical plates were constructed.These cross-sections were then employed as geometries in a numerical simulator,enabling us to investigate the impact of pore geometry on fluid flow.Analysis of the pore-scale modeling and experimental data unveiled that the presence of dead-end pores and vugs results in a significant portion of the fluid remaining stagnant within these regions.Consequently,the injected fluid exhibits channeling-like behavior,leading to rapid breakthrough and low areal swept efficiency.Additionally,the numerical simulation results demonstrated that,irrespective of the size of the dead-end regions,the pressure variation within the dead-end vugs and pores is negligible.Despite the stromatolite's favorable petrophysical properties,including relatively high porosity and permeability,as well as the presence of interconnected large vugs,the recovery factor during water flooding remained low due to early breakthrough.These findings align with field data obtained from pre-salt reservoirs,providing an explanation for the observed low recovery factor during water flooding in such reservoirs.展开更多
The tensile strength at the rock-concrete interface is one of the crucial factors controlling the failure mechanisms of structures,such as concrete gravity dams.Despite the critical importance of the failure mechanism...The tensile strength at the rock-concrete interface is one of the crucial factors controlling the failure mechanisms of structures,such as concrete gravity dams.Despite the critical importance of the failure mechanism and tensile strength of rock-concrete interfaces,understanding of these factors remains very limited.This study investigated the tensile strength and fracturing processes at rock-mortar interfaces subjected to direct and indirect tensile loadings.Digital image correlation(DIC)and acoustic emission(AE)techniques were used to monitor the failure mechanisms of specimens subjected to direct tension and indirect loading(Brazilian tests).The results indicated that the direct tensile strength of the rock-mortar specimens was lower than their indirect tensile strength,with a direct/indirect tensile strength ratio of 65%.DIC strain field data and moment tensor inversions(MTI)of AE events indicated that a significant number of shear microcracks occurred in the specimens subjected to the Brazilian test.The presence of these shear microcracks,which require more energy to break,resulted in a higher tensile strength during the Brazilian tests.In contrast,microcracks were predominantly tensile in specimens subjected to direct tension,leading to a lower tensile strength.Spatiotemporal monitoring of the cracking processes in the rock-mortar interfaces revealed that they show AE precursors before failure under the Brazilian test,whereas they show a minimal number of AE events before failure under direct tension.Due to different microcracking mechanisms,specimens tested under Brazilian tests showed lower roughness with flatter fracture surfaces than those tested under direct tension with jagged and rough fracture surfaces.The results of this study shed light on better understanding the micromechanics of damage in the rock-concrete interfaces for a safer design of engineering structures.展开更多
Natural disaster risk monitoring is an important task for disaster prevention and reduction.In the case of immovable cultural relics,however,the feedback mechanism,risk factors,monitoring logic,and monitoring indicato...Natural disaster risk monitoring is an important task for disaster prevention and reduction.In the case of immovable cultural relics,however,the feedback mechanism,risk factors,monitoring logic,and monitoring indicators of natural disaster risk monitoring are complex.How to achieve intelligent perception and monitoring of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics has always been a focus and a challenge for researchers.Based on the analysis of the concepts and issues related to the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics,this paper proposes a framework for natural disaster risk monitoring for immovable cultural relics based on the digital twin.This framework focuses on risk monitoring,including the physical entities of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics,monitoring indicators,and virtual entity construction.A platform for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics is proposed.Using the Puzhou Ancient City Site as a test bed,the proposed concept can be used for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics at different scales.展开更多
The presence of discontinuities(e.g.faults,fractures,veins,layering)in crystalline rocks can be challenging for seismic interpretations because the wide range of their size,orientation,and intensity,which controls the...The presence of discontinuities(e.g.faults,fractures,veins,layering)in crystalline rocks can be challenging for seismic interpretations because the wide range of their size,orientation,and intensity,which controls the mechanical properties of the rock and elastic wave propagation,resulting in equally varying seismic responses at different scales.The geometrical characterisation of adjacent outcrop discontinuity networks allows a better understanding of the nature of the subsurface rocks and aids seismic interpretation.In this study,we characterise the discontinuity network of the Balmuccia peridotite(BP)in the IvreaeVerbano Zone(IVZ),northwestern Italy.This geological body is the focus of the Drilling the Ivrea eVerbano zonE(DIVE),an international continental scientific drilling project,and two active seismic surveys,SEismic imaging of the Ivrea ZonE(SEIZE)and high-resolution SEIZE(Hi-SEIZE),which aim to resolve the subsurface structure of the DIVE drilling target through high-resolution seismic imaging.For fracture characterisation,we developed two drone-based digital outcrop models(DOMs)at two different resolutions(10^(-3)-10 m and 10^(-1)-10^(3)m),which allowed us to quantitatively characterise the orientation,size,and intensity of the main rock discontinuities.These properties affect the seismic velocity and consequently the interpretation of the seismic data.We found that(i)the outcropping BP discontinuity network is represented by three more sets of fractures with respect to those reported in the literature;(ii)the discontinuity sizes follow a power-law distribution,indicating similarity across scales,and(iii)discontinuity intensity is not uniformly distributed along the outcrop.Our results help to explain the seismic behaviour of the BP detected by the SEIZE survey,suggesting that the low P-wave velocities observed can be related to the discontinuity network,and provide the basic topological parameters(orientation,density,distribution,and aperture)of the fracture network unique to the BP.These,in turn,can be used for interpretation of the Hi-SEIZE seismic survey and forward modelling of the seismic response.展开更多
The concept of the digital twin,also known colloquially as the DT,is a fundamental principle within Industry 4.0 framework.In recent years,the concept of digital siblings has generated considerable academic and practi...The concept of the digital twin,also known colloquially as the DT,is a fundamental principle within Industry 4.0 framework.In recent years,the concept of digital siblings has generated considerable academic and practical interest.However,academia and industry have used a variety of interpretations,and the scientific literature lacks a unified and consistent definition of this term.The purpose of this study is to systematically examine the definitional landscape of the digital twin concept as outlined in scholarly literature,beginning with its origins in the aerospace domain and extending to its contemporary interpretations in the manufacturing industry.Notably,this investigationwill focus on the research conducted on Industry 4.0 and smartmanufacturing,elucidating the diverse applications of digital twins in fields including aerospace,intelligentmanufacturing,intelligent transportation,and intelligent cities,among others.展开更多
The human digital twin(HDT)emerges as a promising human-centric technology in Industry 5.0,but challenges remain in human modeling and simulation.Digital human modeling(DHM)provides solutions for modeling and simulati...The human digital twin(HDT)emerges as a promising human-centric technology in Industry 5.0,but challenges remain in human modeling and simulation.Digital human modeling(DHM)provides solutions for modeling and simulating human physical and cognitive aspects to support ergonomic analysis.However,it has limitations in real-time data usage,personalized services,and timely interaction.The emerging HDT concept offers new possibilities by integrating multi-source data and artificial intelligence for continuous monitoring and assessment.Hence,this paper reviews the evolution from DHM to HDT and proposes a unified HDT framework from a human factors perspective.The framework comprises the physical twin,the virtual twin,and the linkage between these two.The virtual twin integrates human modeling and AI engines to enable model-data-hybrid-enabled simulation.HDT can potentially upgrade traditional ergonomic methods to intelligent services through real-time analysis,timely feedback,and bidirectional interactions.Finally,the future perspectives of HDT for industrial applications as well as technical and social challenges are discussed.In general,this study outlines a human factors perspective on HDT for the first time,which is useful for cross-disciplinary research and human factors innovation to enhance the development of HDT in industry.展开更多
High-strength steels are mainly composed of medium-or low-temperature microstructures,such as bainite or martensite,with coherent transformation characteristics.This type of microstructure has a high density of disloc...High-strength steels are mainly composed of medium-or low-temperature microstructures,such as bainite or martensite,with coherent transformation characteristics.This type of microstructure has a high density of dislocations and fine crystallographic structural units,which ease the coordinated matching of high strength,toughness,and plasticity.Meanwhile,given its excellent welding perform-ance,high-strength steel has been widely used in major engineering constructions,such as pipelines,ships,and bridges.However,visual-ization and digitization of the effective units of these coherent transformation structures using traditional methods(optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy)is difficult due to their complex morphology.Moreover,the establishment of quantitative relationships with macroscopic mechanical properties and key process parameters presents additional difficulty.This article reviews the latest progress in microstructural visualization and digitization of high-strength steel,with a focus on the application of crystallographic methods in the development of high-strength steel plates and welding.We obtained the crystallographic data(Euler angle)of the transformed microstruc-tures through electron back-scattering diffraction and combined them with the calculation of inverse transformation from bainite or martensite to austenite to determine the reconstruction of high-temperature parent austenite and orientation relationship(OR)during con-tinuous cooling transformation.Furthermore,visualization of crystallographic packets,blocks,and variants based on actual OR and digit-ization of various grain boundaries can be effectively completed to establish quantitative relationships with alloy composition and key process parameters,thereby providing reverse design guidance for the development of high-strength steel.展开更多
The most widely adopted method for diagnosing respiratory infectious diseases is to conduct polymerase chain reaction(PCR)assays on patients’respiratory specimens,which are collected through either nasal or oropharyn...The most widely adopted method for diagnosing respiratory infectious diseases is to conduct polymerase chain reaction(PCR)assays on patients’respiratory specimens,which are collected through either nasal or oropharyngeal swabs.The manual swab sampling process poses a high risk to the examiner and may cause false-negative results owing to improper sampling.In this paper,we propose a pneumatically actuated soft end-effector specifically designed to achieve all of the tasks involved in swab sampling.The soft end-effector utilizes circumferential instability to ensure grasping stability,and exhibits several key properties,including high load-to-weight ratio,error tolerance,and variable swab-tip stiffness,leading to successful automatic robotic oropharyngeal swab sampling,from loosening and tightening the transport medium tube cap,holding the swab,and conducting sampling,to snapping off the swab tail and sterilizing itself.Using an industrial collaborative robotic arm,we integrated the soft end-effector,force sensor,camera,lights,and remote-control stick,and developed a robotic oropharyngeal swab sampling system.Using this swab sampling system,we conducted oropharyngeal swab-sampling tests on 20 volunteers.Our Digital PCR assay results(RNase P RNA gene absolute copy numbers for the samples)revealed that our system successfully collected sufficient numbers of cells from the pharyngeal wall for respiratory disease diagnosis.In summary,we have developed a pharyngeal swab-sampling system based on an“enveloping”soft actuator,studied the sampling process,and imple-mented whole-process robotic oropharyngeal swab-sampling.展开更多
文摘As digital technologies have advanced more rapidly,the number of paper documents recently converted into a digital format has exponentially increased.To respond to the urgent need to categorize the growing number of digitized documents,the classification of digitized documents in real time has been identified as the primary goal of our study.A paper classification is the first stage in automating document control and efficient knowledge discovery with no or little human involvement.Artificial intelligence methods such as Deep Learning are now combined with segmentation to study and interpret those traits,which were not conceivable ten years ago.Deep learning aids in comprehending input patterns so that object classes may be predicted.The segmentation process divides the input image into separate segments for a more thorough image study.This study proposes a deep learning-enabled framework for automated document classification,which can be implemented in higher education.To further this goal,a dataset was developed that includes seven categories:Diplomas,Personal documents,Journal of Accounting of higher education diplomas,Service letters,Orders,Production orders,and Student orders.Subsequently,a deep learning model based on Conv2D layers is proposed for the document classification process.In the final part of this research,the proposed model is evaluated and compared with other machine-learning techniques.The results demonstrate that the proposed deep learning model shows high results in document categorization overtaking the other machine learning models by reaching 94.84%,94.79%,94.62%,94.43%,94.07%in accuracy,precision,recall,F-score,and AUC-ROC,respectively.The achieved results prove that the proposed deep model is acceptable to use in practice as an assistant to an office worker.
文摘Background: When applied to trabecular bone X-ray images, the anisotropic properties of trabeculae located at ultra-distal radius were investigated by using the trabecular bone scores (TBS) calculated along directions parallel and perpendicular to the forearm. Methodology: Data from more than two hundred subjects were studied retrospectively. A DXA (GE Lunar Prodigy) scan of the forearm was performed on each subject to measure the bone mineral density (BMD) value at the location of ultra-distal radius, and an X-ray digital image of the same forearm was taken on the same day. The values of trabecular bone score along the direction perpendicular to the forearm, TBS<sub>x</sub>, and along the direction parallel to the forearm, TBS<sub>y</sub>, were calculated respectively. The statistics of TBS<sub>x</sub> and TBS<sub>y</sub> were calculated, and the anisotropy of the trabecular bone, which was defined as the ratio of TBS<sub>y</sub> to TBS<sub>x</sub> and changed with subjects’ BMD and age, was reported and analyzed. Results: The results show that the correlation coefficient between TBS<sub>x</sub> and TBS<sub>y</sub> was 0.72 (p BMD and age was reported. The results showed that decreased trabecular bone anisotropy was associated with deceased BMD and increased age in the subject group. Conclusions: This study shows that decreased trabecular bone anisotropy was associated with decreased BMD and increased age.
基金This research was supported by the Department of Mining Engineering at the University of Utah.In addition,the lead author wishes to acknowledge the financial support received from the Talent Introduction Project,part of the Elite Program of Shandong University of Science and Technology(No.0104060540171).
文摘This study investigated the correlations between mechanical properties and mineralogy of granite using the digital image processing(DIP) and discrete element method(DEM). The results showed that the X-ray diffraction(XRD)-based DIP method effectively analyzed the mineral composition contents and spatial distributions of granite. During the particle flow code(PFC2D) model calibration phase, the numerical simulation exhibited that the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS) value, elastic modulus(E), and failure pattern of the granite specimen in the UCS test were comparable to the experiment. By establishing 351 sets of numerical models and exploring the impacts of mineral composition on the mechanical properties of granite, it indicated that there was no negative correlation between quartz and feldspar for UCS, tensile strength(σ_(t)), and E. In contrast, mica had a significant negative correlation for UCS, σ_(t), and E. The presence of quartz increased the brittleness of granite, whereas the presence of mica and feldspar increased its ductility in UCS and direct tensile strength(DTS) tests. Varying contents of major mineral compositions in granite showed minor influence on the number of cracks in both UCS and DTS tests.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2023YFC2907600)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.42077267,42277174 and 52074164)+2 种基金the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province,China(No.ZR2020JQ23)the Opening Project of State Key Laboratory of Explosion Science and Technology,Beijing Institute of Technology(No.KFJJ21-02Z)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,China(No.2022JCCXSB03).
文摘The technology of drilling tests makes it possible to obtain the strength parameter of rock accurately in situ. In this paper, a new rock cutting analysis model that considers the influence of the rock crushing zone(RCZ) is built. The formula for an ultimate cutting force is established based on the limit equilibrium principle. The relationship between digital drilling parameters(DDP) and the c-φ parameter(DDP-cφ formula, where c refers to the cohesion and φ refers to the internal friction angle) is derived, and the response of drilling parameters and cutting ratio to the strength parameters is analyzed. The drillingbased measuring method for the c-φ parameter of rock is constructed. The laboratory verification test is then completed, and the difference in results between the drilling test and the compression test is less than 6%. On this basis, in-situ rock drilling tests in a traffic tunnel and a coal mine roadway are carried out, and the strength parameters of the surrounding rock are effectively tested. The average difference ratio of the results is less than 11%, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method for obtaining the strength parameters based on digital drilling. This study provides methodological support for field testing of rock strength parameters.
基金funded by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grants No.42171210,42371194)Major Project of Key Research Bases for Humanities and Social Sciences Funded by the Ministry of Education of China(Grant No.22JJD790015).
文摘Regional inequality significantly influences sustainable development and human well-being.In China,there exists pronounced regional disparities in economic and digital advancements;however,scant research delves into the interplay between them.By analyzing the economic development and digitalization gaps at regional and city levels in China,extending the original Cobb-Douglas production function,this study aims to evaluate the impact of digitalization on China's regional inequality using seemingly unrelated regression.The results indicate a greater emphasis on digital inequality compared to economic disparity,with variable coefficients of 0.59 for GDP per capita and 0.92 for the digitalization index over the past four years.However,GDP per capita demonstrates higher spatial concentration than digitalization.Notably,both disparities have shown a gradual reduction in recent years.The southeastern region of the Hu Huanyong Line exhibits superior levels and rates of economic and digital advancement in contrast to the northwestern region.While digitalization propels economic growth,it yields a nuanced impact on achieving balanced regional development,encompassing both positive and negative facets.Our study highlights that the marginal utility of advancing digitalization is more pronounced in less developed regions,but only if the government invests in the digital infrastructure and education in these areas.This study's methodology can be utilized for subsequent research,and our findings hold the potential to the government's regional investment and policy-making.
文摘Background:There is mounting evidence that regular physical activity is an important prerequisite for healthy cognitive aging.Consequently,the finding that almost one-third of the adult population does not reach the recommended level of regular physical activity calls for further public health actions.In this context,digital and home-based physical training interventions might be a promising alternative to center-based intervention programs.Thus,this systematic review aimed to summarize the current state of the literature on the effects of digital and home-based physical training interventions on adult cognitive performance.Methods:In this pre-registered systematic review(PROSPERO;ID:CRD42022320031),5 electronic databases(PubMed,Web of Science,Psyclnfo,SPORTDiscus,and Cochrane Library)were searched by 2 independent researchers(FH and PT)to identify eligible studies investigating the effects of digital and home-based physical training interventions on cognitive performance in adults.The systematic literature search yielded 8258 records(extra17 records from other sources),of which 27 controlled trials were considered relevant.Two reviewers(FH and PT)independently extracted data and assessed the risk of bias using a modified version of the Tool for the assEssment of Study qualiTy and reporting in EXercise(TESTEX scale).Results:Of the 27 reviewed studies,15 reported positive effects on cognitive and motor-cognitive outcomes(i.e.,performance improvements in measures of executive functions,working memory,and choice stepping reaction test),and a considerable heterogeneity concerning study-related,population-related,and intervention-related characteristics was noticed.A more detailed analysis suggests that,in particular,interventions using online classes and technology-based exercise devices(i.e.,step-based exergames)can improve cognitive performance in healthy older adults.Approximately one-half of the reviewed studies were rated as having a high risk of bias with respect to completion adherence(≤85%)and monitoring of the level of regular physical activity in the control group.Conclusion:The current state of evidence concerning the effectiveness of digital and home-based physical training interventions is mixed overall,though there is limited evidence that specific types of digital and home-based physical training interventions(e.g.,online classes and step-based exergames)can be an effective strategy for improving cognitive performance in older adults.However,due to the limited number of available studies,future high-quality studies are needed to buttress this assumption empirically and to allow for more solid and nuanced conclusions.
文摘Reinforcement learning has been applied to air combat problems in recent years,and the idea of curriculum learning is often used for reinforcement learning,but traditional curriculum learning suffers from the problem of plasticity loss in neural networks.Plasticity loss is the difficulty of learning new knowledge after the network has converged.To this end,we propose a motivational curriculum learning distributed proximal policy optimization(MCLDPPO)algorithm,through which trained agents can significantly outperform the predictive game tree and mainstream reinforcement learning methods.The motivational curriculum learning is designed to help the agent gradually improve its combat ability by observing the agent's unsatisfactory performance and providing appropriate rewards as a guide.Furthermore,a complete tactical maneuver is encapsulated based on the existing air combat knowledge,and through the flexible use of these maneuvers,some tactics beyond human knowledge can be realized.In addition,we designed an interruption mechanism for the agent to increase the frequency of decisionmaking when the agent faces an emergency.When the number of threats received by the agent changes,the current action is interrupted in order to reacquire observations and make decisions again.Using the interruption mechanism can significantly improve the performance of the agent.To simulate actual air combat better,we use digital twin technology to simulate real air battles and propose a parallel battlefield mechanism that can run multiple simulation environments simultaneously,effectively improving data throughput.The experimental results demonstrate that the agent can fully utilize the situational information to make reasonable decisions and provide tactical adaptation in the air combat,verifying the effectiveness of the algorithmic framework proposed in this paper.
基金This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Nos.2023YFA1606403 and 2023YFE0101600)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12027809,11961141003,U1967201,11875073 and 11875074).
文摘A digital data-acquisition system based on XIA LLC products was used in a complex nuclear reaction experiment using radioactive ion beams.A flexible trigger system based on a field-programmable gate array(FPGA)parametrization was developed to adapt to different experimental sizes.A user-friendly interface was implemented,which allows converting script language expressions into FPGA internal control parameters.The proposed digital system can be combined with a conventional analog data acquisition system to provide more flexibility.The performance of the combined system was veri-fied using experimental data.
基金supported by the Youth Fund of Fundamental Research Fund for the Central Universities of Jinan University,No.11622303(to YZ).
文摘Microvasculature of the retina is considered an alternative marker of cerebral vascular risk in healthy populations.However,the ability of retinal vasculature changes,specifically focusing on retinal vessel diameter,to predict the recurrence of cerebrovascular events in patients with ischemic stroke has not been determined comprehensively.While previous studies have shown a link between retinal vessel diameter and recurrent cerebrovascular events,they have not incorporated this information into a predictive model.Therefore,this study aimed to investigate the relationship between retinal vessel diameter and subsequent cerebrovascular events in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Additionally,we sought to establish a predictive model by combining retinal veessel diameter with traditional risk factors.We performed a prospective observational study of 141 patients with acute ischemic stroke who were admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University.All of these patients underwent digital retinal imaging within 72 hours of admission and were followed up for 3 years.We found that,after adjusting for related risk factors,patients with acute ischemic stroke with mean arteriolar diameter within 0.5-1.0 disc diameters of the disc margin(MAD_(0.5-1.0DD))of≥74.14μm and mean venular diameter within 0.5-1.0 disc diameters of the disc margin(MVD_(0.5-1.0DD))of≥83.91μm tended to experience recurrent cerebrovascular events.We established three multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models:model 1 included traditional risk factors,model 2 added MAD_(0.5-1.0DD)to model 1,and model 3 added MVD0.5-1.0DD to model 1.Model 3 had the greatest potential to predict subsequent cerebrovascular events,followed by model 2,and finally model 1.These findings indicate that combining retinal venular or arteriolar diameter with traditional risk factors could improve the prediction of recurrent cerebrovascular events in patients with acute ischemic stroke,and that retinal imaging could be a useful and non-invasive method for identifying high-risk patients who require closer monitoring and more aggressive management.
基金supported by the National Key R&D Program of China(Grant Nos.2021YFB3901403 and 2023YFC3007203).
文摘The deterioration of unstable rock mass raised interest in evaluating rock mass quality.However,the traditional evaluation method for the geological strength index(GSI)primarily emphasizes the rock structure and characteristics of discontinuities.It ignores the influence of mineral composition and shows a deficiency in assessing the integrity coefficient.In this context,hyperspectral imaging and digital panoramic borehole camera technologies are applied to analyze the mineral content and integrity of rock mass.Based on the carbonate mineral content and fissure area ratio,the strength reduction factor and integrity coefficient are calculated to improve the GSI evaluation method.According to the results of mineral classification and fissure identification,the strength reduction factor and integrity coefficient increase with the depth of rock mass.The rock mass GSI calculated by the improved method is mainly concentrated between 40 and 60,which is close to the calculation results of the traditional method.The GSI error rates obtained by the two methods are mostly less than 10%,indicating the rationality of the hyperspectral-digital borehole image coupled evaluation method.Moreover,the sensitivity of the fissure area ratio(Sr)to GSI is greater than that of the strength reduction factor(a),which means the proposed GSI is suitable for rocks with significant fissure development.The improved method reduces the influence of subjective factors and provides a reliable index for the deterioration evaluation of rock mass.
基金the support of EPIC-Energy Production Innovation Center,hosted by the University of Campinas(UNICAMP)sponsored by FAPESP-Sao Paulo Research Foundation(2017/15736e3 process).
文摘Brazilian pre-salt reservoirs are renowned for their intricate pore networks and vuggy nature,posing significant challenges in modeling and simulating fluid flow within these carbonate reservoirs.Despite possessing excellent petrophysical properties,such as high porosity and permeability,these reservoirs typically exhibit a notably low recovery factor,sometimes falling below 10%.Previous research has indicated that various enhanced oil recovery(EOR)methods,such as water alternating gas(WAG),can substantially augment the recovery factor in pre-salt reservoirs,resulting in improvements of up to 20%.Nevertheless,the fluid flow mechanism within Brazilian carbonate reservoirs,characterized by complex pore geometry,remains unclear.Our study examines the behavior of fluid flow in a similar heterogeneous porous material,utilizing a plug sample obtained from a vugular segment of a Brazilian stromatolite outcrop,known to share analogies with certain pre-salt reservoirs.We conducted single-phase and multi-phase core flooding experiments,complemented by medical-CT scanning,to generate flow streamlines and evaluate the efficiency of water flooding.Subsequently,micro-CT scanning of the core sample was performed,and two cross-sections from horizontal and vertical plates were constructed.These cross-sections were then employed as geometries in a numerical simulator,enabling us to investigate the impact of pore geometry on fluid flow.Analysis of the pore-scale modeling and experimental data unveiled that the presence of dead-end pores and vugs results in a significant portion of the fluid remaining stagnant within these regions.Consequently,the injected fluid exhibits channeling-like behavior,leading to rapid breakthrough and low areal swept efficiency.Additionally,the numerical simulation results demonstrated that,irrespective of the size of the dead-end regions,the pressure variation within the dead-end vugs and pores is negligible.Despite the stromatolite's favorable petrophysical properties,including relatively high porosity and permeability,as well as the presence of interconnected large vugs,the recovery factor during water flooding remained low due to early breakthrough.These findings align with field data obtained from pre-salt reservoirs,providing an explanation for the observed low recovery factor during water flooding in such reservoirs.
文摘The tensile strength at the rock-concrete interface is one of the crucial factors controlling the failure mechanisms of structures,such as concrete gravity dams.Despite the critical importance of the failure mechanism and tensile strength of rock-concrete interfaces,understanding of these factors remains very limited.This study investigated the tensile strength and fracturing processes at rock-mortar interfaces subjected to direct and indirect tensile loadings.Digital image correlation(DIC)and acoustic emission(AE)techniques were used to monitor the failure mechanisms of specimens subjected to direct tension and indirect loading(Brazilian tests).The results indicated that the direct tensile strength of the rock-mortar specimens was lower than their indirect tensile strength,with a direct/indirect tensile strength ratio of 65%.DIC strain field data and moment tensor inversions(MTI)of AE events indicated that a significant number of shear microcracks occurred in the specimens subjected to the Brazilian test.The presence of these shear microcracks,which require more energy to break,resulted in a higher tensile strength during the Brazilian tests.In contrast,microcracks were predominantly tensile in specimens subjected to direct tension,leading to a lower tensile strength.Spatiotemporal monitoring of the cracking processes in the rock-mortar interfaces revealed that they show AE precursors before failure under the Brazilian test,whereas they show a minimal number of AE events before failure under direct tension.Due to different microcracking mechanisms,specimens tested under Brazilian tests showed lower roughness with flatter fracture surfaces than those tested under direct tension with jagged and rough fracture surfaces.The results of this study shed light on better understanding the micromechanics of damage in the rock-concrete interfaces for a safer design of engineering structures.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.42171444,42301516)Beijing Natural Science Foundation Project-Municipal Education Commission Joint Fund Project(No.KZ202110016021)Beijing Municipal Education Commission Scientific Research Project-Science and Technology Plan General Project(No.KM202110016005).
文摘Natural disaster risk monitoring is an important task for disaster prevention and reduction.In the case of immovable cultural relics,however,the feedback mechanism,risk factors,monitoring logic,and monitoring indicators of natural disaster risk monitoring are complex.How to achieve intelligent perception and monitoring of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics has always been a focus and a challenge for researchers.Based on the analysis of the concepts and issues related to the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics,this paper proposes a framework for natural disaster risk monitoring for immovable cultural relics based on the digital twin.This framework focuses on risk monitoring,including the physical entities of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics,monitoring indicators,and virtual entity construction.A platform for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics is proposed.Using the Puzhou Ancient City Site as a test bed,the proposed concept can be used for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics at different scales.
基金the Swiss National Science Foundation for the grant PP00P2_187199 of project OROG3NY.
文摘The presence of discontinuities(e.g.faults,fractures,veins,layering)in crystalline rocks can be challenging for seismic interpretations because the wide range of their size,orientation,and intensity,which controls the mechanical properties of the rock and elastic wave propagation,resulting in equally varying seismic responses at different scales.The geometrical characterisation of adjacent outcrop discontinuity networks allows a better understanding of the nature of the subsurface rocks and aids seismic interpretation.In this study,we characterise the discontinuity network of the Balmuccia peridotite(BP)in the IvreaeVerbano Zone(IVZ),northwestern Italy.This geological body is the focus of the Drilling the Ivrea eVerbano zonE(DIVE),an international continental scientific drilling project,and two active seismic surveys,SEismic imaging of the Ivrea ZonE(SEIZE)and high-resolution SEIZE(Hi-SEIZE),which aim to resolve the subsurface structure of the DIVE drilling target through high-resolution seismic imaging.For fracture characterisation,we developed two drone-based digital outcrop models(DOMs)at two different resolutions(10^(-3)-10 m and 10^(-1)-10^(3)m),which allowed us to quantitatively characterise the orientation,size,and intensity of the main rock discontinuities.These properties affect the seismic velocity and consequently the interpretation of the seismic data.We found that(i)the outcropping BP discontinuity network is represented by three more sets of fractures with respect to those reported in the literature;(ii)the discontinuity sizes follow a power-law distribution,indicating similarity across scales,and(iii)discontinuity intensity is not uniformly distributed along the outcrop.Our results help to explain the seismic behaviour of the BP detected by the SEIZE survey,suggesting that the low P-wave velocities observed can be related to the discontinuity network,and provide the basic topological parameters(orientation,density,distribution,and aperture)of the fracture network unique to the BP.These,in turn,can be used for interpretation of the Hi-SEIZE seismic survey and forward modelling of the seismic response.
基金This research is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.61902158).
文摘The concept of the digital twin,also known colloquially as the DT,is a fundamental principle within Industry 4.0 framework.In recent years,the concept of digital siblings has generated considerable academic and practical interest.However,academia and industry have used a variety of interpretations,and the scientific literature lacks a unified and consistent definition of this term.The purpose of this study is to systematically examine the definitional landscape of the digital twin concept as outlined in scholarly literature,beginning with its origins in the aerospace domain and extending to its contemporary interpretations in the manufacturing industry.Notably,this investigationwill focus on the research conducted on Industry 4.0 and smartmanufacturing,elucidating the diverse applications of digital twins in fields including aerospace,intelligentmanufacturing,intelligent transportation,and intelligent cities,among others.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.72071179)ZJU-Sunon Joint Research Center of Smart Furniture,Zhejiang University,China.
文摘The human digital twin(HDT)emerges as a promising human-centric technology in Industry 5.0,but challenges remain in human modeling and simulation.Digital human modeling(DHM)provides solutions for modeling and simulating human physical and cognitive aspects to support ergonomic analysis.However,it has limitations in real-time data usage,personalized services,and timely interaction.The emerging HDT concept offers new possibilities by integrating multi-source data and artificial intelligence for continuous monitoring and assessment.Hence,this paper reviews the evolution from DHM to HDT and proposes a unified HDT framework from a human factors perspective.The framework comprises the physical twin,the virtual twin,and the linkage between these two.The virtual twin integrates human modeling and AI engines to enable model-data-hybrid-enabled simulation.HDT can potentially upgrade traditional ergonomic methods to intelligent services through real-time analysis,timely feedback,and bidirectional interactions.Finally,the future perspectives of HDT for industrial applications as well as technical and social challenges are discussed.In general,this study outlines a human factors perspective on HDT for the first time,which is useful for cross-disciplinary research and human factors innovation to enhance the development of HDT in industry.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Project of China(Nos.2022YFB3708200 and 2021YFB3703500)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.52271089 and 52001023).
文摘High-strength steels are mainly composed of medium-or low-temperature microstructures,such as bainite or martensite,with coherent transformation characteristics.This type of microstructure has a high density of dislocations and fine crystallographic structural units,which ease the coordinated matching of high strength,toughness,and plasticity.Meanwhile,given its excellent welding perform-ance,high-strength steel has been widely used in major engineering constructions,such as pipelines,ships,and bridges.However,visual-ization and digitization of the effective units of these coherent transformation structures using traditional methods(optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy)is difficult due to their complex morphology.Moreover,the establishment of quantitative relationships with macroscopic mechanical properties and key process parameters presents additional difficulty.This article reviews the latest progress in microstructural visualization and digitization of high-strength steel,with a focus on the application of crystallographic methods in the development of high-strength steel plates and welding.We obtained the crystallographic data(Euler angle)of the transformed microstruc-tures through electron back-scattering diffraction and combined them with the calculation of inverse transformation from bainite or martensite to austenite to determine the reconstruction of high-temperature parent austenite and orientation relationship(OR)during con-tinuous cooling transformation.Furthermore,visualization of crystallographic packets,blocks,and variants based on actual OR and digit-ization of various grain boundaries can be effectively completed to establish quantitative relationships with alloy composition and key process parameters,thereby providing reverse design guidance for the development of high-strength steel.
基金Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.52222502,92048302,and 51975306)Research Project of State Key Laboratory of Mechanical System and Vibration of China(Grant No.MSV201904)Emergency Research Project for COVID-19 from Institute for Precision Medicine of Tsinghua University of China.
文摘The most widely adopted method for diagnosing respiratory infectious diseases is to conduct polymerase chain reaction(PCR)assays on patients’respiratory specimens,which are collected through either nasal or oropharyngeal swabs.The manual swab sampling process poses a high risk to the examiner and may cause false-negative results owing to improper sampling.In this paper,we propose a pneumatically actuated soft end-effector specifically designed to achieve all of the tasks involved in swab sampling.The soft end-effector utilizes circumferential instability to ensure grasping stability,and exhibits several key properties,including high load-to-weight ratio,error tolerance,and variable swab-tip stiffness,leading to successful automatic robotic oropharyngeal swab sampling,from loosening and tightening the transport medium tube cap,holding the swab,and conducting sampling,to snapping off the swab tail and sterilizing itself.Using an industrial collaborative robotic arm,we integrated the soft end-effector,force sensor,camera,lights,and remote-control stick,and developed a robotic oropharyngeal swab sampling system.Using this swab sampling system,we conducted oropharyngeal swab-sampling tests on 20 volunteers.Our Digital PCR assay results(RNase P RNA gene absolute copy numbers for the samples)revealed that our system successfully collected sufficient numbers of cells from the pharyngeal wall for respiratory disease diagnosis.In summary,we have developed a pharyngeal swab-sampling system based on an“enveloping”soft actuator,studied the sampling process,and imple-mented whole-process robotic oropharyngeal swab-sampling.
