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Climate adaptation through phenotypic innovation will become the main challenge for plants during global warming. Plants exhibit a plethora of mechanisms to achieve environmental and developmental plasticity by inducing dynamic alterations of gene regulation and by maximizing natural variation through large population sizes. While successful over long evolutionary time scales, most of these mechanisms lack the short-term adaptive responsiveness that global warming will require. Here, we review our current understanding of the epigenetic regulation of plant genomes, with a focus on stress-response mechanisms and transgenerational inheritance. Field and laboratory-scale experiments on plants exposed to stress have revealed a multitude of temporally controlled, mechanistic strategies integrating both genetic and epigenetic changes on the genome level. We analyze inter- and intra-species population diversity to discuss how methylome differences and transposon activation can be harnessed for short-term adaptive efforts to shape co-evolving traits in response to qualitatively new climate conditions and environmental stress.

Abstract The precise deployment of functional payloads to plant tissues is a new approach to help advance the fundamental understanding of plant biology and accelerate plant engineering. Here, the design of a silk‐based biomaterial is reported to fabricate a microneedle‐like device, dubbed “phytoinjector,” capable of delivering a variety of payloads ranging from small molecules to large proteins into specific loci of various plant tissues. It is shown that phytoinjector can be used to deliver payloads into plant vasculature to study material transport in xylem and phloem and to perform complex biochemical reactions in situ. In another application, it is demonstrated Agrobacterium‐mediated gene transfer to shoot apical meristem (SAM) and leaves at various stages of growth. Tuning of the material composition enables the fabrication of another device, dubbed “phytosampler,” which is used to precisely sample plant sap. The design of plant‐specific biomaterials to fabricate devices for drug delivery in planta opens new avenues to enhance plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, provides new tools for diagnostics, and enables new opportunities in plant engineering.

Climate adaptation through phenotypic innovation will become the main challenge for plants during global warming. Plants exhibit a plethora of mechanisms to achieve environmental and developmental plasticity by inducing dynamic alterations of gene regulation and by maximizing natural variation through large population sizes. While successful over long evolutionary time scales, most of these mechanisms lack the short-term adaptive responsiveness that global warming will require. Here, we review our current understanding of the epigenetic regulation of plant genomes, with a focus on stress-response mechanisms and transgenerational inheritance. Field and laboratory-scale experiments on plants exposed to stress have revealed a multitude of temporally controlled, mechanistic strategies integrating both genetic and epigenetic changes on the genome level. We analyze inter- and intra-species population diversity to discuss how methylome differences and transposon activation can be harnessed for short-term adaptive efforts to shape co-evolving traits in response to qualitatively new climate conditions and environmental stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's VUCA world, machinery and plant engineering companies face the major challenges of an advancing globalization and rapid technology changes. This forces them to react to changing requirements during product development and to shorten the time-to-market continuously due to competitive pressure. Especially companies from the wind turbine sector have to individualize their products for a variety of markets and customers, while at the same time taking into account complex dependencies between the various systems components. To address the stated challenges, this paper presents a framework for an agile and databased product development process that enables these companies to derive a development process that is best suited for their individual situation. The framework consists of a process model as well as an information model. The process model records the current development process with regard to the development network, the business process landscape and the actual development activities. The information model consists of an analysis of the currently used information systems, the description of the development's information need and the identification of information carrier objects. The implementation of an agile, databased development process is the integrated application of both, process and information model. The recurring process modules, which are allocated to specific physical product modules, and the information and data model, which assures the information supply during product development, characterize the reconfigurable development process of this framework. The validation of this framework is carried out in cooperation with a company from the field of wind turbine development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the results for the influence of plant ash on the engineering characteristics of solidified soil. Effects including the plant ash content, initial water content, and curing time on the engineering characteristics of soft clay were evaluated and analyzed. A series of laboratory experiments including the atterberg limits, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), conductivity, pH, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) were carried out. The results of the investigation revealed that the UCS increased with the increase in the plant ash content and curing time and decreased with the increase in the initial water content. The plasticity index decreased when plant ash was added. The results of the stress–strain curves showed that the failure strain was almost 3–6%. The pH and conductivity decreased with increasing curing time. The elastic modulus had an approximately linear relationship with the compressive strength. The SEM images showed that the sample solidified with plant ash and cement-based composites could form a dense structure. The influence mechanism of plant ash on the solidified soil was analyzed by XRD and SEM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the course-keeping control of directionally unstable large oil tankers involving a pole in the right half plane. Treated as an unstable plant in control engineering, tankers are theoretically and experimentally investigated during the controller design process. First, the unstable plant is mirror-mapped to its corresponding stable minimum phase plant using the mirror-mapping technique, which enables an easy controller design. Then, a linear proportional-differential and a first-order filter controller is designed based on the closed-loop gain shaping algorithm, which requires only one controller parameter to be properly selected based on the system's characteristics. Numerical simulation results confirmed that the designed controller can successfully stabilise an unstable plant subjected to external wind and wave disturbances. The controller designed with the proposed method is suitable for course-keeping control of directionally unstable large tankers. The controller design method is simple with an uncomplicated structure that can easily be implemented in engineering endeavours. Moreover, the rudder motion is small and soft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, it is well known that digitization has tenaciously become part of the construction industry. The document is aimed at being an analysis of the state of the art, focusing on the digitization application in post-disaster reconstruction. The new technologies have influenced all the actors involved to adapt to a new designing way, but this methodology brings with itself advantages and disadvantages. This paper will try to identify, clarify and review them. In fact, it will try to explain to what extent the logic related to the design and construction of the post-disaster area may be guided by a single common thread, that consists in the Building Information Modelling (BIM) methodology use. Through this methodology it is possible to reduce time and improve costs, thanks to the possibility to optimize the design and construction processes and to carry out virtual inspections and analysis based on the information from the construction phases. In addition, the various BIM tools, that allow interoperability, guarantee a semi-automatic review of the project's compliance with regulations and interference between the different design levels (structural, architectural, plant engineering and energy). In this way, there is the chance to improve the accuracy and reliability of the validation process. The entire process is also based on a multidisciplinary approach involving all branches of engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With continued global market growth and an increasingly competitive environment, manufacturing industry is facing challenges and desires to seek continuous improvement. This effect is forcing manufacturers to squeeze every asset for maximum value and thereby calls for high-equipment effectiveness, and at the same time flexible and resilient manufacturing systems. Maintenance operations are essential to modern manufacturing systems in terms of minimizing unplanned down time, assuring product quality, reducing customer dissatisfaction, and maintaining advantages and competitiveness edge in the market. It has a long history that manufacturers struggle to find balanced maintenance strategies without significantly compromising system reliability or productivity. Intelligent maintenance systems (IMS) are designed to provide decision support tools to optimize maintenance operations. Intelligent prognostic and health management tools are imperative to identify effective, reliable, and cost-saving maintenance strategies to ensure consistent production with minimized unplanned downtime. This article aims to present a comprehensive review of the recent efforts and advances in prominent methods for maintenance in manufacturing industries over the last decades, identifying the existing research challenges, and outlining directions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of biologics in plants, or plant molecular pharming, is a promising protein expression technology that is receiving increasing attention from the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, low expression yields of recombinant proteins and the realization that certain post-translational modifications (PTMs) may not occur optimally limited the widespread acceptance of the technology. However, molecular engineering of the plant secretory pathway is now enabling the production of increasingly complex biomolecules using tailored protein-specific approaches to ensure their maturation. These involve the elimination of undesired processing events, and the introduction of heterologous biosynthetic machinery to support the production of specific target proteins. Here, we discuss recent advances in the production of pharmaceutical proteins in plants, which leverage the unique advantages of the technology. Plants are an alternative pharmaceutical manufacturing platform with unique advantages compared with conventional technologies. Engineering the secretory pathway in plants enables the production of biologics that would otherwise accumulate at low levels or in an improperly processed form. Host proteases can be inactivated by co-expressing broad-spectrum protease inhibitors or by manipulating the pH along the secretory pathway. Glycoengineering strategies enable the production of human-like glycoforms that can be tailored to improve their biological activity. Introducing heterologous chaperone machinery improves the production of target proteins where the endogenous machinery does not efficiently mediate folding. Furin processing and tyrosine sulfation can be achieved in planta by introducing the required biosynthetic machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pinch analysis was applied to optimize the heat exchange network used in the moisture removal processes of energy plants. The moisture removal process absorbs moisture from natural gas using glycol as an absorbent, and the recycling process then separates moisture from the H2O-rich glycol in a regenerator column by applying the principle of vapor-liquid equilibria. For the dehydration process of a natural gas plant, the heat and mass flows are properly established and calculated by means of a static process model for a utility system embedded in the process based on the properties of natural gas. The results of the calculation generate a T-H composite curve that can be used to compare the pinch and to assess the installation and operating costs for the target temperature. The results show that approximately 61% of the total heat supply can be replaced with low-pressure steam, depending on the optimization of the heat exchanger network of the moisture removal process. Further, the annual operating costs can be reduced by about 17% in this case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-of-art technologies are an inherent part of managerial solutions upon designing and identification of processes. Simulation modelling facilitates prediction of obtained results as early as at the stage of experiments. Due to development of multi-agent simulation models, it becomes possible to improve the quality of managerial solutions, optimize expenses for their development as well as implement engineering variations at plants. This article discusses simulation model of certain units of commercial milk production. Models of storage site, filling and emptying lines, as well as of a system of tank statuses, storage units, and cream separator are described in details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While basic chemicals are mainly produced on an industrial scale by means of process‐optimized large‐scale plants, research institutes are developing biotechnological processes for the production of platform chemicals on a laboratory and pilot scale. In the context of this work, a cost calculation model for estimating the investment and operating costs of process engineering plants is presented, on the basis of which the economic competitiveness of processes currently under development can be determined. The model is usable for industrial‐scale applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar inverter providers optionally offer plant operators online access to their installed photovoltaic (PV) systems. Benefits consist of better system monitoring, faster response to maintenance needs, and a more comfortable data acquisition. Data mining from an online database enables a comparative statistical analysis for a large number of plants about specific productivity parameters, emission reductions and monetary savings. Restriction of information usually confines the progress of PV systems. Due to this situation, the Sunnyportal website managed by one of the most important world provider of solar inverters does not delimit the visualization of their own systems. In addition, there is unrestricted access to their available plants in cases where the owners set the status of their plants as "public". This study gathered and analyzed information on photovoltaic installations in Mexico with free access to production data. The results show an increase of almost 700% in the number of registered plants in Mexico with exponential growth since 2012. Mexico still shows a lack of studies regarding the monitoring of PV systems because available data are scarce. The specific productivity rate of the PV systems primarily depends on solar irradiation on-site, weather conditions, air contamination, the technology employed, correct engineering and plant maintenance. Based on data obtained, conclusions are drawn concerning preferences and performance of Mexican PV plants. The most both surprising as well as important result is that there is no correlation between specific productivity and average daily on-site irradiation. • PV systems in Mexico generate in the range between 90 and 125 kWh kW−1 month−1. • Specific production of PV plants in Mexico is less than the projected production. • Solar irradiation is overestimated in comparison to other factors. • Only a slight increase in productivity with increasing irradiation is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The precise deployment of functional payloads to plant tissues is a new approach to help advance the fundamental understanding of plant biology and accelerate plant engineering. Here, the design of a silk‐based biomaterial is reported to fabricate a microneedle‐like device, dubbed "phytoinjector," capable of delivering a variety of payloads ranging from small molecules to large proteins into specific loci of various plant tissues. It is shown that phytoinjector can be used to deliver payloads into plant vasculature to study material transport in xylem and phloem and to perform complex biochemical reactions in situ. In another application, it is demonstrated Agrobacterium‐mediated gene transfer to shoot apical meristem (SAM) and leaves at various stages of growth. Tuning of the material composition enables the fabrication of another device, dubbed "phytosampler," which is used to precisely sample plant sap. The design of plant‐specific biomaterials to fabricate devices for drug delivery in planta opens new avenues to enhance plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, provides new tools for diagnostics, and enables new opportunities in plant engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Automatisierungstechnik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Increasing digitization and rising customer requirements represent an opportunity for companies in the machine- and plant engineering industry. For long-term success, combined packages of product and service must be offered, to gain additional revenues and a unique selling proposition. Basically, the advantages of these bundles are slowly establishing themselves in industrial companies. The problem is, that the development and improvement of these bundles run often unsystematically, without a strategy. In Austria, companies are facing the issue, that they are not able to develop new services, due to a shortage of specially skilled employees. This derives out of a lack of clear definition of educational requirements. In order to identify those gaps, an empirical investigation based on expert interviews was conducted and the current status of training requirements was defined. As a result, future service job profiles and potential trends for education and training in the service area of industrial companies were derived thus machine- and plant engineering companies can innovate their employee education strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper discusses the use of the notion of Autonomous Systems for the process industry. • A taxonomy of 6 autonomy levels is proposed – ranging from 0 no Autonomy to 5 Full Autonomy. • The taxonomy is inspired by the SAE standard for autonomous driving and is here illustrated by industrial examples from Marine and Mining, as well as process examples. • It is argued that, while self-driving cars are mainly about replacing the driver, there are many potential benefits of industrial systems autonomy which relate to yield, product quality, cost of material and energy as well as safety. • It is further argued that process automation has several lifecycles such as Plant Engineering and Operations that may all be at different levels of Autonomy. • Even within one lifecycle phase, for example, Operations there are different tasks such as Control Room Operation, Field Operation and Maintenance and Production Planning and Scheduling that may need further refinement on Autonomy levels. Almost every day we read about new advances in self-driving cars and artificial intelligence. For autonomous driving, there already exist established standards with six levels describing the steps from driving without assistance to fully automated, i.e., autonomous driving. While many people and industries – in particular the automotive industry – believe that self-driving cars are feasible in the near future, one may ask how feasible full autonomy is in the process industry? Is it realistic to aim towards a fully autonomous chemical plant, and what does full autonomy even mean for the process industries? This paper introduces a definition of autonomy and corresponding levels of autonomy for the process industry. It starts from an abstract definition of six autonomy levels that are applicable to various industrial domains, also illustrated by recent examples from different industrial applications such as mining and marine. It also discusses how to achieve an autonomous system in general, based on cognitive capabilities and AI technologies potentially implementing them. Then, it discusses the applicability of this definition for process industry in a first step. Finally, the taxonomy is further refined by studying some key autonomous features of two process lifecycle phases: operations and engineering, and examples for the meaning of each autonomy level per feature are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Automatisierungstechnik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)