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Wear-resistant coatings are required for highly efficient and economical steel components in equipment, process, and power plant engineering to withstand high corrosive, tribological, thermal, and mechanical stresses. Co-alloys are used as wear-resistant coatings for steel components, tailored to the specific application. The substitutability of Co alloys with Ni-based wear protection systems, in addition to price and supply uncertainties, is facilitated by the combination of innovative welding and machining processes such as ultrasonic-assisted milling. The aim of the study is to improve the machinability of two different hard-facing alloys while maintaining the same wear protection potential. Therefore, the wear-resistant alloys NiMoCrSi (Colmonoy C56) and CoMnCrSi (Tribaloy T400) were modified by the alloying additions Nb, Hf, and Ti and then applied to a carbon-manganese steel S355 using the plasma transfer arc (PTA) welding process. The influence of the alloying additions on the microstructure as well as on the formation of the hard phases of the build-up welds is compared. For example, the inclusion of the alloying element Nb results in the formation of a more refined hard phase and reduces the machining force required for C56 and T400. In most cases, the wear resistance potential has been maintained. In order to improve the machinability of the hard facings, the optimization of the demanding machining conditions by alloy modifications of the Co- and Ni-based alloys is also presented. It is shown that some of the modified alloys have significantly better machinability than the conventional alloy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focus primarily on the different data concepts and the resulting implications for the scope and extent of the associated obligations. First, the underlying system of Chapter II of the Data Act (I.) and its various data concepts (II.) are presented and both are then illustrated per three practical examples (III.): (i) connected car, (ii) connected field sprayer, and (iii) connected robotic system in plant engineering. Particular attention is paid to the resulting obligations and their impact on companies. By clarifying the different definitions of terms, it is shown how companies can design their compliance strategies as efficiently as possible to meet the new legal requirements and at the same time maintain their competitiveness. Targeted recommendations for action for companies that are still in the initial phase of dealing with the Data Act are provided in the form of a scoping guide (IV.). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rarely do so many areas of society change as quickly as now. This study analyses the disruptive transformation of HR/qualification in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the leading sectors of mechanical and plant engineering and the automotive industry in Lower Franconia, Bavaria. More precisely, this study is about the Mainfranken region. Administratively, it comprises the two independent cities of Würzburg and Schweinfurt as well as seven administrative districts. This paper researches the long-term transformation of the world of work in terms of skill shortages, procurement strategies and employee performance. This study is based on quantitative and qualitative findings from the funding project transform.RMF in the form of an overarching literature review, a commissioned online survey, stakeholder workshops to identify regional trends and self-conducted expert interviews. Unsurprisingly, the shortage of skilled labour is a serious problem for regional SMEs. Managing directors are aware of the need to act in the acquisition and retention of recruited specialists. This includes in-house benefits, New Work models and competitive acquisition strategies. We must overcome the biggest obstacle to transformation—a lack of qualified personnel—together, structurally. Based on our insights, we create recommendations for action and connecting the potential in the network. In the future, the aim will be to intensify cooperation between society, business, science and politics at the regional level—transform.RMF's mission in the interests of its members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Plant chromosome engineering has emerged as a pivotal tool in modern plant breeding, facilitating the transfer of desirable traits through the incorporation of alien chromosome fragments into plants. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview of the past achievements, current methodologies and future prospects of plant chromosome engineering. We begin by examining the successful integration of specific examples such as the incorporation of rye chromosome segments (e.g. the 1BL/1RS translocation), Dasypyrum villosum segments (e.g. the 6VS segment for powdery mildew resistance), Thinopyrum intermedium segments (e.g. rust resistance genes) and Thinopyrum elongatum segments (e.g. Fusarium head blight resistance genes). In addition to trait transfer, advancements in plant centromere engineering have opened new possibilities for chromosomal manipulation. This includes the development of plant minichromosomes via centromere‐mediated techniques, the generation of haploids through CENH3 gene editing, and the induction of aneuploidy using KaryoCreate. The advent of CRISPR/Cas technology has further revolutionized chromosome engineering, enabling large‐scale chromosomal rearrangements, such as inversions and translocations, as well as enabling targeted insertion of large DNA fragments and increasing genetic recombination frequency. These advancements have significantly expanded the toolkit for genetic improvement in plants, opening new horizons for the future of plant breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant-based proteins offer a sustainable solution for stabilizing multiphase food materials like edible foams and emulsions. However, challenges in understanding and engineering plant protein-stabilized interfaces persist, mostly because of the commonly poorer functionality and complex composition of the respective protein isolates. We hypothesize that part of the limited understanding is related to the lack of experimental data on the length-scale of the thin liquid film that separates two neighboring bubbles. By conducting such experiments, we aim to better understand the mechanisms by which plant proteins stabilize foams, a critical material in food applications. In this study, we employ the dynamic thin film balance method to study the equilibrium properties and dynamic drainage behavior of foam thin liquid films stabilized by proteins derived from two main plant protein sources, yellow peas and rapeseeds, to investigate potential differences in film stabilization. Our thin film results provide new insights into the general foam stabilization mechanism of the two plant proteins. Most studies in this field focus on the impact of surface rheological parameters on stability of plant protein-based foam. We show that for such foams the half-life scales linearly with film thickness, the latter being closely related to the steric and electrostatic interactions developed across the respective films in equilibrium. Our study demonstrates the value of thin film studies in complementing traditional methods for studying protein-stabilized interfaces and facilitates an understanding of foam stabilization mechanisms that are universal among various surface-active species.   [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study on the engineering properties of different finger millet cultivars (Eleusine corocana L.). It evaluates their physical characteristics such as moisture content, bulk density, sphericity, and hardness, aiming to improve the processing methods for developing value-added products. It highlights how these properties influence the nutritional value of finger millet and its suitability for various applications, contributing to better food security.

Water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is considered a prospective free-floating aquatic plant potentially used to address current issues on food, energy, and the environment. It can grow quickly and easily in various tropical and subtropical environments as long as it has access to adequate light and water to support photosynthetic growth. Ecosystems are threatened by their invasive growth and remarkable capacity for adaptation. However, managing this plant can result in valuable products. This paper demonstrates particle technologies that might be used to utilize water hyacinths, including brake pads, fertilizer, bioenergy, animal feed, phytoremediation agents, bioplastics, and adsorbents. This study is accompanied by a discussion based on the conducted experiments and currently available literature, providing readers with a clearer understanding. Water hyacinth's capacity to absorb macro- and micro-nutrients, nitrogen, and phosphorus makes it a good plant for phytoremediation. The prospect of producing cellulose makes it prospective as a biomass energy source and livestock feeding. Further, it can be transformed into high-cellulose content particles for applications in bioplastics, brake pads, and adsorbents. The current reports regarding education of water hyacinth to student also were added. Finally, issues and suggestions for future development related to the use of water hyacinths are discussed. This study is expected to provide comprehensive knowledge on how to turn invasive water hyacinth plants into valuable products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of fixed nitrogen limits overall agricultural crop production worldwide. The so-called modern "green revolution" catalyzed by the widespread application of nitrogenous fertilizer has propelled global population growth. It has led to imbalances in global biogeochemical nitrogen cycling, resulting in a "nitrogen problem" that is growing at a similar trajectory to the "carbon problem". As a result of the increasing imbalances in nitrogen cycling and additional environmental problems such as soil acidification, there is renewed and increasing interest in increasing the contributions of biological nitrogen fixation to reduce the inputs of nitrogenous fertilizers in agriculture. Interestingly, biological nitrogen fixation, or life's ability to convert atmospheric dinitrogen to ammonia, is restricted to microbial life and not associated with any known eukaryotes. It is not clear why plants never evolved the ability to fix nitrogen and rather form associations with nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. Perhaps it is because of the large energy demand of the process, the oxygen sensitivity of the enzymatic apparatus, or simply failure to encounter the appropriate selective pressure. Whatever the reason, it is clear that this ability of crop plants, especially cereals, would transform modern agriculture once again. Successfully engineering plants will require creating an oxygen-free niche that can supply ample energy in a tightly regulated manner to minimize energy waste and ensure the ammonia produced is assimilated. Nitrogen-fixing aerobic bacteria can perhaps provide a blueprint for engineering nitrogen-fixing plants. This short review discusses the key features of robust nitrogen fixation in the model nitrogen-fixing aerobe, gamma proteobacteria Azotobacter vinelandii, in the context of the basic requirements for engineering nitrogen-fixing plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The manufacturing Industry in Europe plays a significant role in economic growth and development. Given the increased role of technology in this sector, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is one of the technological advancements that improve the Business Model (BM) efficacy in various manufacturing industries. However, research into the role of IIoT as a BM in the manufacturing industry is limited despite its contribution to the success and performance of the firms. Therefore, this study explores the role that IIoT plays as a BM in various manufacturing industries. A survey was conducted utilizing open-ended questionnaires across 60 manufacturing firms in Europe including automotive suppliers, information and communication, machine and plant engineering, electrical engineering, and medical engineering. The findings indicate that IIoT as a BM has different levels of contribution across the manufacturing industry with glaring variations in terms of performance between information and communication firms as well as automotive. This study can act as a guideline for further research on the complex relationship between IIoT as a BM and firms' performance to influence decision-making processes within the manufacturing industry. Given that this is a pre-study, the limitations, and recommendations for future research are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peroxisomes are favorable platforms for organelle engineering, featuring abundant endogenous metabolites, optimal membrane permeability, frequent contacts with other organelles, efficient protein targeting signals, and many known organelle proliferation factors. Yeast peroxisome engineering has produced valuable biomolecules, such as biopolyesters, biofuels, terpenoids, alkaloids, antibiotics, and phytohormones. Plant peroxisome engineering has great potential in biomanufacturing and agriculture and adds values to improving environmental sustainability and food security. Approaches for improving the performance of heterologous pathways in peroxisomes include increasing peroxisomal abundance, coupling multiple subcellular compartments, maximizing precursor and cofactor supplies, uncovering the rate-limiting steps, and peroxisomal surface display of enzymes. Subcellular compartmentalization of metabolic pathways plays a crucial role in metabolic engineering. The peroxisome has emerged as a highly valuable and promising compartment for organelle engineering, particularly in the fields of biological manufacturing and agriculture. In this review, we summarize the remarkable achievements in peroxisome engineering in yeast, the industrially popular biomanufacturing chassis host, to produce various biocompounds. We also review progress in plant peroxisome engineering, a field that has already exhibited high potential in both biomanufacturing and agriculture. Moreover, we outline various experimentally validated strategies to improve the efficiency of engineered pathways in peroxisomes, as well as prospects of peroxisome engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) functions in the control of plant stress responses, particularly in drought stress. A significant mechanism in attenuating and terminating ABA signals involves regulated protein turnover, with certain ABA receptors, despite their main presence in the cytosol and nucleus, subjected to vacuolar degradation via the Endosomal Sorting Complex Required for Transport (ESCRT) machinery.Collectively our findings show that discrete TOM1‐LIKE (TOL) proteins, which are functional ESCRT‐0 complex substitutes in plants, affect the trafficking for degradation of core components of the ABA signaling and transport machinery.TOL2,3,5 and 6 modulate ABA signaling where they function additively in degradation of ubiquitinated ABA receptors and transporters.TOLs colocalize with their cargo in different endocytic compartments in the root epidermis and in guard cells of stomata, where they potentially function in ABA‐controlled stomatal aperture.Although the tol2/3/5/6 quadruple mutant plant line is significantly more drought‐tolerant and has a higher ABA sensitivity than control plant lines, it has no obvious growth or development phenotype under standard conditions, making the TOL genes ideal candidates for engineering to improved plant performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although transgenic Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) crops have brought various ecological and socioeconomic benefits, there is evidence suggesting that pests will eventually develop resistance to Bt crops. Thus, additional genes are urgently needed to engineer pest resistance in plants. A recent study by Mo et al. indicates that iJAZ maybe the next breakthrough for engineering pest resistance in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wake losses from neighboring plants may become a major factor in wind plant design and control as additional plants are constructed in areas with high wind resource availability. Because plant wakes span a large range of physical scales, from turbine rotor diameter to tens of kilometers, it is unclear whether conventional wake models or turbine control strategies are effective at the plant scale. Wake steering and axial induction control are evaluated in the current work as means of reducing the impact of neighboring wind plants on power and levelized cost of electricity. FLOw Redirection and Induction in Steady State (FLORIS) simulations were performed with the Gauss–Curl Hybrid and TurbOPark wake models as well as two operation and maintenance models to investigate control setpoint sensitivity to wake representation and economic factors. Both wake models estimate losses across a range of atmospheric conditions, although the wake loss magnitude is dependent on the wake model. Annual energy production and levelized cost of electricity are driven by wind direction frequency, with frequently aligned plants experiencing the greatest losses. However, both wake steering and axial induction are unable to mitigate the impact of upstream plants. Wake steering is constrained by plant geometry, since wake displacement is much less than the plant wake width, while axial induction requires curtailing the majority of turbines in upstream plants. Individual turbine strategies are limited by their effective scale and model representation. New wake models that include plant-scale physics are needed to facilitate the design of effective plant wake control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Systems Engineering is developing differently in each sector and region. In German industry, especially in mechanical and plant engineering, Systems Engineering is of major importance. The introduction of Systems Engineering raises the question of which roles and competencies are required. This article examines the evolution of roles in Systems Engineering from a German perspective. Based on a literature review, the evolution of the identified Systems Engineering roles over time is shown, starting with the seminal publication by Sheard in 1996. It points out that only minimal adjustments and occasional role renaming have occurred. However, the review shows a common understanding of essential areas of responsibility within the SE and changes over time. The next step is to examine the current understanding of Systems Engineering roles in the industry. A quantitative analysis of job postings in Germany reveals a diverse interpretation of the term 'Systems Engineer; more than half of the positions cannot be categorized according to the INCOSE definitions. The job postings are used to determine which tasks are associated with the job, how often they occur, and in what combination. The primary responsibilities of systems engineers include creating and managing requirements, architecture processes, validation, and verification processes, and coordinating with customers and stakeholders. Finally, three representative companies from the mechanical and plant engineering sector were selected to analyze existing roles and tasks. From this, a common understanding of tasks and responsibilities is combined and organized into clusters. These are used by the companies to locate and thus derive their roles. The result is in an integrative approach that enables companies, especially in the midsize and medium sectors, to design the introduction in line with stakeholder demands. In summary, the industry's ongoing adaptation necessitates the evolution of Systems Engineering roles and competencies for successful and sustainable development and implementation of systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Elektronik Industrie is the property of Hüthig GmbH 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.)

Nanocarriers protect RNAs from enzymatic degradation after application onto plants for sustained protection against viruses and insects. Nanocarriers enabled controlled delivery of nucleic acids to plant cells, including slow and sustained release, subcellular organ targeting delivery, stimulated release, and endosome escape. The nanoparticle-mediated delivery system has high versatility, in terms of applicability to all plant species and the capacity to deliver alternative forms of nucleic acids and proteins. Plant biotechnology plays a crucial role in developing modern agriculture and plant science research. However, the delivery of exogenous genetic material into plants has been a long-standing obstacle. Nanoparticle-based delivery systems are being established to address this limitation and are proving to be a feasible, versatile, and efficient approach to facilitate the internalization of functional RNA and DNA by plants. The nanoparticle-based delivery systems can also be designed for subcellular delivery and controlled release of the biomolecular cargo. In this review, we provide a concise overview of the recent advances in nanocarriers for the delivery of biomolecules into plants, with a specific focus on applications to enhance RNA interference, foreign gene transfer, and genome editing in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Unternehmensgeschichte 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.)

Photorespiration consumes substantial amounts of energy in the forms of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and reductant making the pathway an important component in leaf energetics. Because of this high reductant demand, photorespiration is proposed to act as a photoprotective electron sink. However, photorespiration consumes more ATP relative to reductant than the C3 cycle meaning increased flux disproportionally increases ATP demand relative to reductant. Here we explore how energetic consumption from photorespiration impacts the flexibility of the light reactions in nicotiana tabacum. Specifically, we demonstrate that decreased photosynthetic efficiency (ϕII) at low photorespiratory flux was related to feedback regulation at the chloroplast ATP synthase. Additionally, decreased ϕII at high photorespiratory flux resulted in the accumulation of photoinhibition at photosystem II centers. These results are contrary to the proposed role of photorespiration as a photoprotective electron sink. Instead, our results suggest a novel role of ATP consumption from photorespiration in maintaining ATP synthase activity, with implications for maintaining energy balance and preventing photodamage that will be critical for plant engineering strategies. Summary Statement: Reduced photorespiratory flux leads to feedback regulation of the electron transport chain via ATP synthase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The availability of fixed nitrogen limits overall agricultural crop production worldwide. The so-called modern “green revolution” catalyzed by the widespread application of nitrogenous fertilizer has propelled global population growth. It has led to imbalances in global biogeochemical nitrogen cycling, resulting in a “nitrogen problem” that is growing at a similar trajectory to the “carbon problem”. As a result of the increasing imbalances in nitrogen cycling and additional environmental problems such as soil acidification, there is renewed and increasing interest in increasing the contributions of biological nitrogen fixation to reduce the inputs of nitrogenous fertilizers in agriculture. Interestingly, biological nitrogen fixation, or life’s ability to convert atmospheric dinitrogen to ammonia, is restricted to microbial life and not associated with any known eukaryotes. It is not clear why plants never evolved the ability to fix nitrogen and rather form associations with nitrogen-fixing microorganisms. Perhaps it is because of the large energy demand of the process, the oxygen sensitivity of the enzymatic apparatus, or simply failure to encounter the appropriate selective pressure. Whatever the reason, it is clear that this ability of crop plants, especially cereals, would transform modern agriculture once again. Successfully engineering plants will require creating an oxygen-free niche that can supply ample energy in a tightly regulated manner to minimize energy waste and ensure the ammonia produced is assimilated. Nitrogen-fixing aerobic bacteria can perhaps provide a blueprint for engineering nitrogen-fixing plants. This short review discusses the key features of robust nitrogen fixation in the model nitrogen-fixing aerobe, gamma proteobacteria Azotobacter vinelandii, in the context of the basic requirements for engineering nitrogen-fixing plants.

Summary: Spontaneous chromosomal rearrangements (CRs) play an essential role in speciation, genome evolution and crop domestication. To be able to use the potential of CRs for breeding, plant chromosome engineering was initiated by fragmenting chromosomes by X‐ray irradiation. With the rise of the CRISPR/Cas system, it became possible to induce double‐strand breaks (DSBs) in a highly efficient manner at will at any chromosomal position. This has enabled a completely new level of predesigned chromosome engineering. The genetic linkage between specific genes can be broken by inducing chromosomal translocations. Natural inversions, which suppress genetic exchange, can be reverted for breeding. In addition, various approaches for constructing minichromosomes by downsizing regular standard A or supernumerary B chromosomes, which could serve as future vectors in plant biotechnology, have been developed. Recently, a functional synthetic centromere could be constructed. Also, different ways of genome haploidization have been set up, some based on centromere manipulations. In the future, we expect to see even more complex rearrangements, which can be combined with previously developed engineering technologies such as recombinases. Chromosome engineering might help to redefine genetic linkage groups, change the number of chromosomes, stack beneficial genes on mini cargo chromosomes, or set up genetic isolation to avoid outcrossing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rhizobiome is a critical determinant of plant health, generally attributed to diverse bacteria and fungi. However, the contribution of soil-dwelling animals to plant health has been greatly underestimated and deserves further investigation. Nematodes, as co-evolved partners of plants, may be significantly enhancing plant health due to their predominant role as plant allies rather than plant enemies in the rhizosphere. Plant-parasitic nematodes cause root damage that facilitates opportunistic pathogen colonization. However, the damaged root cells also develop a community of beneficial microbiota and attract antagonists that strengthen plant defense responses. While bacterivorous nematodes cannot suppress plant disease directly by consuming bacterial pathogens, they could have a larger impact on plant protection by bringing antagonistic bacteria into contact with plant pathogens, thereby inhibiting pathogen growth. Nematodes are a crucial component of rhizosphere biodiversity, affecting plant health as the most abundant and functionally diverse soil animals. Plant-parasitic nematodes are generally considered harmful, which may overlook their potential benefits to plants when coexisting with free-living nematodes in soil. We provide new insights into nematodes as vital plant partners. Plant root damage by plant-parasitic nematodes creates opportunities for pathogens and beneficial microbiota to colonize the rhizosphere. Free-living nematodes coordinate microbiota to suppress plant diseases, but they are susceptible to mortality from plant pathogens, potentially favoring pathogen release in the root zone. We conclude that the nematode's role in regulating plant pathogens represents a missing link, constraining our ability to predict and control soil-borne diseases in healthy plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study endeavors to enhance the operational efficiency of extant coal-fired power plants to mitigate the adverse environmental impact intrinsic to the prevalent utilization of coal-fired power generation, which is particularly dominant in China. It focuses on the assessment and optimization of continuous denitrification systems tailored for a 1000 MW ultra-supercritical pulverized coal boiler. The extant denitrification framework encounters challenges during startup phases owing to diminished selective catalytic reduction (SCR) inlet flue gas temperatures. To ameliorate this, three retrofit schemes were scrutinized: direct mixing of high-temperature flue gas, bypass flue gas mixing, and high-temperature flue gas mixing with cold air. Each option underwent meticulous thermodynamic computations and comprehensive cost analyses. The findings elucidated that bypass flue gas mixing, involving the extraction and blending of high-temperature flue gas, emerged as the most financially prudent and practical recourse. This scheme optimizes fuel combustion heat utilization, significantly curtails fuel consumption, and fosters efficient internal heat transfer mechanisms within the boiler. The evaluation process meticulously considered safety parameters and equipment longevity. The insights derived from this investigation offer valuable guidance for implementing continuous denitrification system retrofits in industrial coal-fired power plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated CO2 concentrations have been observed to accelerate flowering time in Arabidopsis through the action of a highly conserved regulatory network controlled by miR156 and miR172. However, the network's robustness to the impact of increasing CO2 concentrations on flowering time remains poorly understood. In this study, we investigate this question by conducting a comprehensive analysis of the global landscape of network dynamics, including quantifying the probabilities associated with juvenile and flowering states and assessing the speed of the transition between them. Our findings reveal that a CO2 concentration range of 400–800ppm only mildly advances flowering time, contrasting with the dramatic changes from 200 to 300ppm. Notably, the feedback regulation of miR156 by squamosal promoter binding protein-like proteins (SPLs) plays a substantial role in mitigating the effects of increasing CO2 on flowering time. Intriguingly, we consistently observe a correlation between delayed flowering time and increased variance in flowering time, and vice versa, suggesting that this might be an intrinsic adaptation mechanism embedded within the network. To gain a deeper understanding of this network's dynamics, we identified the sensitive features within the feedback loops of miR156 SPLs and miR172—APETALA2 family proteins (AP2s), with the latter proving to be the most sensitive. Strikingly, our study underscores the indispensability of all feedback regulations in maintaining both juvenile and adult states as well as the transition time between them. Together, our research provides the first physical basis in plant species, aiding in the elucidation of novel regulatory mechanisms and the robustness of the miRNAs-regulated network in response to increasing CO2, therefore influencing the control of flowering time. Moreover, this study provides a promising strategy for engineering plant flowering time to enhance their adaptation and resilience. Author summary: This study investigates the impact of elevated atmospheric CO2 levels on the flowering time of Arabidopsis plants based on the underlying genetic regulatory network. While genetic insights into this pathway have been gained, it remains unclear how resilient this network is to increased CO2 levels and what its adaptive mechanisms is. We conducted a dynamical modeling and associated analysis on the network, exploring how CO2 concentrations influence flowering time. We employed the landscape and flux theory to quantify the global landscape for network dynamics, estimate the likelihood of different reproductive states, and assess transition speeds between them. By introducing "mutations" into the system, we identified the basin locations and depths of the landscape as well as the key elements in network. The study uncovered that the miR156—SPLs feedback circuit is responsible for stabilizing the pathway and mitigating the effects of elevated CO2, while the miR172—AP2s feedback circuit is well-stabilized but highly sensitive. This feedback mechanism in plant species offers valuable insights into how plants adapt to environmental challenges. The current study provides a foundation of understanding how miRNA feedback circuits respond to increased CO2 levels, suggesting future strategies for genetically engineering plant flowering to enhance their resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nerve growth factor (NGF) is a vital cytokine that plays a crucial role in the development and regeneration of the nervous system. It has been extensively studied for its potential therapeutic applications in various neural diseases. However, as a protein drug, limited natural source seriously hinders its translation and clinical applications. Conventional extraction of NGF from mouse submandibular glands has a very high cost and potentially induces immunogenicity; total synthesis and semi-synthesis methods are alternatives, but have difficulty in obtaining correct protein structure; gene engineering of plant cells is thought to be non-immunogenic, bioactive and economical. Meanwhile, large molecular weight, high polarity, and negative electrical charge make it difficult for NGF to cross the blood brain barrier to reach therapeutic targets. Current delivery strategies mainly depend on the adenovirus and cell biodelivery, but the safety and efficacy remain to be improved. New materials are widely investigated for the controllable, safe and precise delivery of NGF. This review illustrates physiological and therapeutic effects of NGF for various diseases. Moreover, new progress in production and delivery technologies for NGF are summarized. Bottlenecks encountered in the development of NGF as therapeutics are also discussed with the countermeasures proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the critical issues faced by the desalination plants is an accurate analysis of their real-time performance. Soft computing techniques are efficient in overcoming these issues and predicting accurate outcomes. In this paper, models based on the third version of the modified particle swarm optimization algorithm called autonomous groups particles swarm optimization—based artificial neural network (AGPSO3-ANN) have been proposed for accurate prediction of permeate flux of reverse osmosis (RO) desalination plant. It employs remarkable optimization strategy that demonstrates superiority than the conventional PSO-ANN techniques, to update acceleration factors (c1 and c2) and to screen the global best solution. Here, four input parameters: evaporator inlet temperature, feedwater salt concentration, condenser inlet temperature, and feed flow rate have been considered for the modeling, and models' performance evaluated in terms of the regression coefficient (R2) and mean square errors (MSE). The results show an impressive agreement between simulated and experimental datasets indicating that the proposed approach is strongly capable of finding optimal solutions to predict accurate results with minimum errors (R2 = 99.2%, MSE = 0.005) compared to the existing ANN approaches. This demonstrates that the proposed models based on such soft computing tools like AGPSO3-ANN are perfect for analyzing and predicting real-time desalination plant performance that would present an effective way for improved process control and efficiency for plant engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Synthetic control systems have led to significant advancement in the study and engineering of unicellular organisms, but it has been challenging to apply these tools to multicellular organisms like plants. The ability to predictably engineer plants will enable the development of novel traits capable of alleviating global problems, such as climate change and food insecurity. Engineering predictable multicellular phenotypes will require the development of synthetic control systems that can precisely regulate how the information encoded in genomes is translated into phenotypes. Many efficient control systems have been developed for unicellular organisms. However, it remains challenging to use such tools to study or engineer multicellular organisms. Plants are a good chassis within which to develop strategies to overcome these challenges, thanks to their capacity to withstand large-scale reprogramming without lethality. Additionally, engineered plants have great potential for solving major societal problems. Here we briefly review the progress of control system development in unicellular organisms, and how that information can be leveraged to characterize control systems in plants. Further, we discuss strategies for developing control systems designed to regulate the expression of transgenes or endogenous loci and generate dosage-dependent or discrete traits. Finally, we discuss the utility that mathematical models of biological processes have for control system deployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recombinant biopharmaceuticals including antigens, antibodies, hormones, cytokines, single-chain variable fragments, and peptides have been used as vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. Plant molecular pharming is a robust platform that uses plants as an expression system to produce simple and complex recombinant biopharmaceuticals on a large scale. Plant system has several advantages over other host systems such as humanized expression, glycosylation, scalability, reduced risk of human or animal pathogenic contaminants, rapid and cost-effective production. Despite many advantages, the expression of recombinant proteins in plant system is hindered by some factors such as non-human post-translational modifications, protein misfolding, conformation changes and instability. Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a vital role in various fields of biotechnology and in the aspect of plant molecular pharming, a significant increase in yield and stability can be achieved with the intervention of AI-based multi-approach to overcome the hindrance factors. Current limitations of plant-based recombinant biopharmaceutical production can be circumvented with the aid of synthetic biology tools and AI algorithms in plant-based glycan engineering for protein folding, stability, viability, catalytic activity and organelle targeting. The AI models, including but not limited to, neural network, support vector machines, linear regression, Gaussian process and regressor ensemble, work by predicting the training and experimental data sets to design and validate the protein structures thereby optimizing properties such as thermostability, catalytic activity, antibody affinity, and protein folding. This review focuses on, integrating systems engineering approaches and AIbased machine learning and deep learning algorithms in protein engineering and host engineering to augment protein production in plant systems to meet the ever-expanding therapeutics market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To limit the effects of global warming, arid lands, which constitute approximately one-third of terrestrial surfaces and are not utilized for agriculture, could serve as an effective method for long-term carbon (C) storage. We propose that soil–plant–microbiome engineering with oxalogenic plants and oxalotrophic microbes could facilitate C sequestration on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objective] The effects of different vegetation slope protection projects on root characteristics of common vegetation Elymus nutans were studied to provide reference for scientific construction of vegetation slope protection projects. [Method] Elymus nutans affected by projects of aggregate spray seeding, grass planting engineering with lattice frame and direct sowing of grass seeds in the Heihe Huang-zhaosi water conservancy project area were selected. Based on field survey of plant root and soil, indoor WinRHIZO root scanning analysis and soil physical and chemical properties analysis, root system characteristics of Elymus nutans and their relationship with soil physical and chemical properties were investigated. [Result] Under the slope protection projects of aggregate spray seeding, grass planting engineering with lattice frame and direct sowing of grass seeds, root systems of Elymus nutans mainly contained fine roots. The total root length, root surface area and root volume of grass planting engineering with lattice frame were 616.0 cm, 36.8 cm² and 0.24 cm³, all were significantly higher than those of direct sowing of grass seeds. The contents of organic matter, available phosphorus and available potassium of grass planting engineering using lattice frame were also higher than those of the other two methods, while 0-10 cm soil moisture content and soil bulk density under aggregate spray seeding project were the highest. Physical and chemical properties of soil had significant impacts on root system growth of Elymus nutans. Correlation analysis showed that there were significant positive correlations between soil water content and total root length, root surface area and root volume(P<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between soil available potassium and root surface area (P<0.05). [Conclusion] The total root length, total volume and total surface area of Elymus nutans in the grass planting engineering with lattice frame were the highest and the soil also had high contents of organic matter, available phosphorus and available potassium, indicating it was the best for similar areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Absolute distance measurement for multiple targets is required in industrial and scientific fields such as machine monitoring, detection of distortion in large structures, wafer alignment in semiconductor manufacturing, and the formation flying of satellites. Furthermore, the expansion of measurement channels is essential for the effective application of multi-target measurement. However, because measurement channels' expansion requires high power, it is difficult due to the low conversion efficiency of conventional systems that use a non-linear crystal for optical cross-correlation. In this study, for measurement channel expansion, time-of-flight based absolute laser ranging via high-efficiency dual-comb cross-correlation using a semiconductor optical amplifier is developed. The semiconductor optical amplifier acts as a cross-correlator, and it can produce a cross-correlation signal with a laser's power of 50 µW because of its very high conversion efficiency. This method is suitable for expanding the measurement channels and measuring non-cooperative targets as it can detect low-power signals. The repeatability of the distance measurement is 4 µm at a single shot (37 µs) and 120 nm for 5 ms. The linearity is assessed by evaluating the R-square, which is equal to 1 within the range of significant figures. Moreover, the distance measurement of targets lying on the two axes was demonstrated to ensure the measurement channels' expansion. This measurement system has the potential to determine multiple distances, making it applicable to diverse fields such as semiconductor manufacturing, smart factories, plant engineering, and satellite formation flying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shelter building caterpillars act as ecosystem engineers by creating and maintaining leaf shelters, which are then colonized by other arthropods. Foliage quality has been shown to influence initial colonization by shelter-building caterpillars. However, the effects of plant quality on the interactions between ecosystem engineers and their communities have yet to be studied at the whole plant level. We examined how leaf tying caterpillars, as ecosystem engineers, impact arthropod communities on Quercus alba (white oak), and the modifying effect of foliage quality on these interactions. We removed all leaf tying caterpillars and leaf ties on 35 Q. alba saplings during the season when leaf tying caterpillars were active (June–September), and compared these leaf tie removal trees to 35 control trees whose leaf ties were left intact. Removal of these ecosystem engineers had no impact on overall arthropod species richness, but reduced species diversity, and overall arthropod abundance and that of most guilds, and changed the structure of the arthropod community as the season progressed. There was an increase in plant-level species richness with increasing number of leaf ties, consistent with Habitat Diversity Hypothesis. In turn, total arthropod density, and that of both leaf tying caterpillars and free-feeding caterpillars were affected by foliar tannin and nitrogen concentrations, and leaf water content. The engineering effect was greatest on low quality plants, consistent with the Stress-Gradient Hypothesis. Our results demonstrate that interactions between ecosystem engineering and plant quality together determine community structure of arthropods on Q. alba in Missouri. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even in the epoch of the 4th Industrial Revolution, technologies are introducing human–machine/technology interactions that must be appropriately managed to prevent or reduce avoidable human errors. In recent years, power plants have started examining ways to manage human errors attributable to maintenance, thereby improving performance, safety, and well-being. Maintenance management requires the integration of human factors engineering (HFE) principles with maintenance practices to handle the issue of human errors. When adopting human factors engineering interventions to enhance maintenance, power plants must demonstrate the capacity for change to ensure effective management of change and realize the intervention's benefits. The main focus in power plants is usually on the technical side of change, with less emphasis on human factors. This study aimed to develop and trial a model for determining the capacity for change to aid HFE adoption in electric power systems maintenance. A quantitative and cross-sectional survey was conducted with maintenance personnel working in South African power plants. The results showed that management commitment, knowledge, and employee involvement are associated with the capacity for change in the maintenance of power plants. This study extends previous studies on the capacity for change when adopting unconventional interventions in maintenance such as HFE principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Part I of this series of papers focuses on plant and reactor engineering aspects of the TSL reactor technology. A general flowsheet is presented, while emphasis is given to the definition of different reactor zones in terms of fluid dynamics and occurring reactions. Then, the technical advantages of TSL processing, such as feed flexibility and high conversion rates (due to induced turbulence), low dust generation, and low fugitive emissions, are explained. In addition, the reactor is analyzed part by part, also taking into account patent literature, focusing on furnace design, settling furnaces for molten phase disengagement, feeding systems regarding input material streams such as concentrates and fuels, vessel cooling arrangements, off-gas system, and aspects associated with the refractory lining. Furthermore, specific focus is given to the centerpiece of the TSL reactor, i.e., the reactor lance. Associated developments have focused on establishing a slag coating to hinder lance wear, i.e., the development of cooling mechanisms (e.g., use of fluid-cooled lance and shroud arrangements), the increment of O2 enrichment within the incoming air stream, and influencing of fluid dynamics (e.g., O2 conversion at the lance tip, bubble formation, and bath splashing). Finally, comprehensive tables concerning process developments and commissioned TSL plants are provided thus concluding Part I of the review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]