An Overview of Field-Robotics in Agricultural Engineering

Nach der Einführung von Assistenz- und Automatisierungstechnik folgt nun der nächste Schritt hin zur hoch- und vollautomatisierten Landmaschine. Technologische Fortschritte in der Entwicklung von Sensoren, aber auch kompakte Antriebs- und Energiespeichersysteme öffnen immer mehr Einsatzbereiche für Feldroboter. Innovative und im Schwarm arbeitende Feldroboter werden in Zukunft vielseitige Aufgaben ökologischer und ökonomischer als herkömmliche Verfahren verrichten. Der Einsatz von Feldrobotern ermöglicht einen wichtigen Beitrag für das Precision Farming, so dass beispielsweise jede einzelne Pflanze im Bestand auf ihre Wachstumseigenschaften untersucht und versorgt werden kann. In diesem Beitrag werden verschiedene Feldroboter genauer vorgestellt und deren Funktionen erklärt.After the introduction of assistance and automation technology, the next step is now towards highly and fully automated agricultural machinery. Technological advances in the development of sensors, but also compact drive and energy storage systems are opening up more and more areas of application for field robots. In the near future, innovative field robots working in swarms will perform a wide range of tasks more ecologically and economically than traditional concepts. The use of field robots makes an important contribution to precision farming, so that for example every single plant in the crop can be examined and nurtured for its individual needs. In this article, various field robots are presented in more detail and their functions explained

Syntheses of Ir 4 (CO) 6 (η 5 -C 5 Me 4 H) 2 and Ir 7 (μ 3 -CO) 3 (CO) 12 (η 5 -C 5 Me 5 ) from Pentametallic Molybdenum-Iridium Cluster Precursors.

Reaction of Mo2Ir3(μ-CO)3(CO)6(η5-C5H5)2(η5-C5Me5) with Ir(CO)2(η5-C5Me4H) afforded the four-valence-electron-deficien

Developments in the field of Automation and Robotic Systems – An Overview and Insight into a research project

Entwicklungen aus der Industrie 4.0 halten schon längst ihren Einzug in die Landwirtschaft, von cyber-physischen Systemen bis hin zur Nutzung von KI für komplexe Entscheidungen. Neben der Fortschreibung der evolutionären Entwicklung der Landtechnik ermöglichen diese auch revolutionäre oder disruptive Ansätze durch Robotersysteme. Die Anwendung von KI zum Erreichen der nächsten Stufe der Automation wird zusätzlich durch den Einblick in ein Forschungsprojekt zur computergestützten Prozessoptimierung eines selbstfahrenden Zuckerrübenvollernters auf Grundlage maschinellen Lernens veranschaulicht. Die Ansätze und Lösungen auf diesem Themenfeld sind vielfältig. Daher werden in diesem und in den nächsten Jahrbüchern auch Beispiele vorgestellt.In general, recent developments in the industry sector called Industry 4.0-technologies, such as Cyber-Physical Systems or AI, have already found their way into the field of agriculture. Those technologies have alongside evolutional effects on the used solutions the opportunity to lead to revolutionary or disruptive approaches especially considering robotic systems. The application of AI to reach the next level of automation is additionally illustrated by an insight into a research project for computer-aided process optimization of a self-propelled sugar beet harvester based on machine learning. The approaches and solutions in this field are diverse. For this reason, examples are presented in this and the next yearbooks

Linear Optical, Quadratic and Cubic Nonlinear Optical, Electrochemical, and Theoretical Studies of "Rigid-Rod" Bis-Alkynyl Ruthenium Complexes

The syntheses of oligo(p‐phenylene ethynylene)s (OPEs) end‐functionalized by a nitro acceptor group and with a ligated ruthenium unit at varying locations in the OPE chain, namely, trans‐[Ru{(C≡C‐1,4‐C6H4)nNO2}(C≡CR)(dppe)2] (dppe=1,2‐bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane; n=1, R=1,4‐C6H4C≡C‐1,4‐C6H4C≡CPh, 1,4‐C6H4NEt2; n=2, R=Ph, 1,4‐C6H4C≡CPh, 1,4‐C6H4C≡C‐1,4‐C6H4C≡CPh, 1,4‐C6H4NO2, 1,4‐C6H4NEt2; n=3, R=Ph, 1,4‐C6H4C≡CPh), are reported. Their electrochemical properties were assessed by cyclic voltammetry, their linear optical properties and quadratic and cubic nonlinear optical properties were assayed by UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopy, hyper‐Rayleigh scattering studies employing nanosecond pulses at 1064 nm, and broad spectral range Z‐scan studies employing femtosecond pulses, respectively, and their linear optical properties and vibrational spectroscopic behavior in the formally RuIII state was examined by UV/Vis/NIR and IR spectroelectrochemistry, respectively. The potentials of the metal‐localized oxidation processes are sensitive to alkynyl‐ligand modification, but this effect is attenuated on π‐bridge lengthening. Computational studies employing time‐dependent density functional theory were undertaken on model complexes, with a 2D scan revealing a soft potential‐energy surface for intra‐alkynyl‐ligand aryl‐ring rotation; this is consistent with the experimentally observed blueshift in optical absorption maxima. Quadratic optical nonlinearities are significant and cubic NLO coefficients for these small complexes are small. The optimum length of the alkynyl ligands and the ideal metal location in the OPE to maximize the key coefficients have been defined.We thank the Australian Research Council, the Fund for Scientific Research–Flanders (FWO-Vlaanderen; FWO G.0312.08), and the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (GOA/2006/03) for financial support, and Yuwen Wu (ANU) for providing a crystal of 14 suitable for the X-ray diffraction study

Mixed-metal cluster chemistry. 37. Syntheses, structural, spectroscopic, electrochemical, and optical power limiting studies of tetranuclear molybdenum–iridium clusters

Tetrahedral Mo2Ir2(μ3-CO)(μ-CO)5(CO)4(η5-C5H5)2 (1) reacted with P(C6H4Me-4)3, P(C6H2Me2-3,5-OMe-4)3, and AsPh3 to afford the substitution products Mo2Ir2(μ-CO)3(CO)6(L)(η5-C5H5)2 [L = P(C6H4Me-4)3 (3), P(C6H2Me2-3,5-OMe-4)3 (4), AsPh3 (5)] in fair to good yields, while reaction of 1 with HC≡CSiPri3 proceeded by insertion into the Mo–Mo bond to give the pseudo-octahedral Mo2Ir2(μ4-η2-HC2SiPri3)(μ-CO)4(CO)4(η5-C5H5)2 (6) in fair yield. While MoIr3(μ-CO)3(CO)7(η5-C5H5) reacted with HC≡CSiMe3 to give a complex mixture of thus-far-uncharacterized products, its phosphine substitution product MoIr3(μ-CO)3(CO)5(PPh3)2(η5-C5H5) reacted with the same alkyne via insertion into a Mo–Ir bond to afford the pseudo-octahedral MoIr3(μ4-η2-HC2SiMe3)(μ-CO)3(CO)4(PPh3)2(η5-C5H5) (8) in good yield. Clusters 4, 5 (two isomers), 6 and 8 have been characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Cyclic voltammetric studies of Mo2Ir2(μ-CO)3(CO)6(PPh3)(η5-C5H5)2 (2), 3–6 and 8 confirmed the tuning of redox potentials upon phosphines/arsine introduction and alkyne modification. IR spectroelectrochemical studies of 2, 6, and 8 suggest decreasing proclivity for bridging carbonyl ligands following oxidation. Variable temperature 31P NMR studies of 3 and 4 revealed interconverting isomers in solution, the structures of which are assigned as analogues of the X-ray diffraction-confirmed isomers of 5. Studies of 2–5 using ns pulses and the open-aperture Z-scan technique revealed that all are optical limiters at wavelengths in the visible region.We thank the Australian Research Council (ARC) for support ofthis work. J.F. is the recipient of a China Scholarship Council ANUPostgraduate Scholarship and M.P.C. holds an ARC AustralianResearch Fellowshi

Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Impair CD171-Specific CD4+ CAR T Cell Efficacy

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell efficacy against solid tumors is currently limited by several immune escape mechanisms, which may include tumor-derived extracellular vesicles. Advanced neuroblastoma is an aggressive childhood tumor without curative treatment options for most relapsed patients today. We here evaluated the role of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles on the efficacy of CAR T cells targeting the neuroblastoma-specific antigen, CD171. For this purpose, CAR T cell activation, cytokine production, exhaustion, and tumor cell-directed cytotoxicity upon co-culture was evaluated. Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles isolated from SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells neither affected CAR T cell activation nor expression of inhibitory markers. Importantly, exposure of CD4+ CD171-specific CAR T cells to tumor-derived extracellular vesicles significantly impaired tumor cytotoxicity of CAR T cells. This effect was independent of neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinases 1 or 2 (NTRK1, NTRK2) expression, which is known to impact immune responses against neuroblastoma. Our results demonstrate for the first time the impact of tumor-derived extracellular vesicles and non-cell-mediated tumor-suppressive effects on CD4+ CAR T cell efficacy in a preclinical setting. We conclude that these factors should be considered for any CAR T cell-based therapy to make CAR T cell therapy successful against solid tumors

Modeling and application of ring stiffness condition for radial-axial ring rolling

© 2016 Elsevier LtdRadial-axial ring rolling (RARR) is an advanced incremental metal-forming technology for manufacturing various seamless rings, especially for large scale rings. A primary problem for RARR is to facilitate rolling process stable and form a ring with good dimension and performance. However, RARR is an extremely complex dynamic rolling process with high flexibility. To reasonably control guide roll is an important approach to keep rolling process stable during RARR. In this paper, a mathematical model of ring stiffness condition for RARR was established based on the force method. Then the influence factors to ring stiffness were discussed, especially the section bending moment factor. To verify the ring stiffness model, finite element (FE) simulation was adopted. In addition, a comparison of different ring stiffness models was made. It can be found the proposed stiffness model has a high accuracy. Furthermore, a control method of the pressure in the hydraulic cylinder to adjust the guiding force based on the stiffness model was proposed. By FE simulation of RARR, an appropriate adjustment coefficient to determine the guiding force was obtained. Finally, an experiment of RARR for a large ring was carried out. The rolling process was very smooth and steady, and a super-large ring with diameter more than 9 m was manufactured successfully

Multiphoton absorption in amyloid protein fibres

Fibrillization of peptides leads to the formation of amyloid fibres, which, when in large aggregates, are responsible for diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Here, we show that amyloids have strong nonlinear optical absorption, which is not present in native non-fibrillized protein. Z-scan and pump-probe experiments indicate that insulin and lysozyme β-amyloids, as well as α-synuclein fibres, exhibit either two-photon, three-photon or higher multiphoton absorption processes, depending on the wavelength of light. We propose that the enhanced multiphoton absorption is due to a cooperative mechanism involving through-space dipolar coupling between excited states of aromatic amino acids densely packed in the fibrous structures. This finding will provide the opportunity to develop nonlinear optical techniques to detect and study amyloid structures and also suggests that new protein-based materials with sizable multiphoton absorption could be designed for specific applications in nanotechnology, photonics and optoelectronics

Elevated sHLA-G plasma levels post chemotherapy combined with ILT-2 rs10416697C allele status of the sHLA-G-related receptor predict poorest disease outcome in early triple-negative breast cancer patients

IntroductionTriple negative breast cancer (TNBC) shows an aggressive growing and spreading behavior and has limited treatment options, often leading to inferior disease outcome. Therefore, surrogate markers are urgently needed to identify patients at high risk of recurrence and more importantly, to identify additional therapeutic targets enabling further treatment options. Based on the key role of the non-classical human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) and its related receptor immunoglobulin-like transcript receptor-2 (ILT-2) in immune evasion mechanisms of tumors, members of this ligand-receptor axis appear to be promising tool for both, defining risk groups and potential therapeutic targets.Materials and methodsTo follow this, sHLA-G levels before and after chemotherapy (CT), HLA-G 3’ UTR haplotypes, and allele variations rs10416697 at the distal gene promoter region of ILT-2 were defined in healthy female controls and early TNBC patients. The results obtained were associated with clinical status, presence of circulating tumor cell (CTC) subtypes, and disease outcome of patients in terms of progression-free or overall survival.ResultssHLA-G plasma levels were increased in TNBC patients post-CT compared to levels of patients pre-CT or controls. High post-CT sHLA-G levels were associated with the development of distant metastases, the presence of ERCC1 or PIK3CA-CTC subtypes post-CT, and poorer disease outcome in uni- or multivariate analysis. HLA-G 3’ UTR genotypes did not influence disease outcome but ILT-2 rs10416697C allele was associated with AURKA-positive CTC and with adverse disease outcome by uni- and multivariate analysis. The prognostic value of the combined risk factors (high sHLA-G levels post-CT and ILT-2 rs10416697C allele carrier status) was an even better independent indicator for disease outcome in TNBC than the lymph nodal status pre-CT. This combination allowed the identification of patients with high risk of early progression/death with positive nodal status pre-CT or with non-pathological complete therapy responseConclusionThe results of this study highlight for the first time that the combination of high levels of sHLA-G post-CT with ILT-2 rs10416697C allele receptor status is a promising tool for the risk assessment of TNBC patients and support the concept to use HLA-G/ILT-2 ligand-receptor axis as therapeutic targets

Chemotherapy elicits pro-metastatic extracellular vesicles in breast cancer models

Cytotoxic chemotherapy is an effective treatment for invasive breast cancer. However, experimental studies in mice also suggest that chemotherapy has pro-metastatic effects. Primary tumours release extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, that can facilitate the seeding and growth of metastatic cancer cells in distant organs, but the effects of chemotherapy on tumour-derived EVs remain unclear. Here we show that two classes of cytotoxic drugs broadly employed in pre-operative (neoadjuvant) breast cancer therapy, taxanes and anthracyclines, elicit tumour-derived EVs with enhanced pro-metastatic capacity. Chemotherapy-elicited EVs are enriched in annexin A6 (ANXA6), a Ca2+-dependent protein that promotes NF-κB-dependent endothelial cell activation, Ccl2 induction and Ly6C+CCR2+ monocyte expansion in the pulmonary pre-metastatic niche to facilitate the establishment of lung metastasis. Genetic inactivation of Anxa6 in cancer cells or Ccr2 in host cells blunts the prometastatic effects of chemotherapy-elicited EVs. ANXA6 is detected, and potentially enriched, in the circulating EVs of breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy