Self-assembly to synchrony of active gels

Self-assembly functionalizes active constituents to perform rhythmic activities. Here, our results show that the capillary-Marangoni interaction of irregularly moving gel beads develops complex patterns at the air-liquid interface. The collective behavior of the self-assembled structures exhibits breathing dynamics, polygonal oscillating rings, and cluster synchrony of chains. Interestingly, the trapping of soft particles generates relay synchronization of a rotor. Swarming of clusters is found to form rhythmic shrinking and expanding multiple-ring patterns. The development of self-organized spatiotemporal patterns of our active gel system provides a new way of creating collective oscillations

From Balloon to Crystalline Structure in the Calcium Phosphate Flow-Driven Chemical Garden

We have studied the calcium phosphate precipitation reaction by producing chemical gardens in a controlled manner using a three-dimensional flow-driven technique. The injection of the phosphate containing solution into the calcium ion reservoir has resulted in structures varying from membranes to crystals. Dynamical phase diagrams are constructed by varying chemical composition and flow rates from which three different growth mechanisms have been revealed. The microstructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy and powder X-ray diffraction confirmed the morpho-logical transition from membrane tubes to crystalline branches upon decreasing pH

Growth and Photosynthetic Response of Capsicum Annuum L. in Biochar Amended Soil

The present study investigated the growth of Capsicum annuum L. (pepper) in an outdoor pot experiment. Changes in the plants’ aboveground and root biomass, leaf area, plant height, stem thickness, and yield, as a response to different doses of biochar amendments were observed. During the 12.5-week-long study, four treatments with biochar amounts of 0, 0.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0% (by weight) were added to silt loam soil. Photochemical responses of plants, the plants photochemical reflectance index (PRI) modified by the different doses of biochar were continuously monitored. Plant height and fruit yield were initially the highest for BC5.0; however, by the end of the experiment, both parameters showed higher values for BC2.5, e.g., 15.9 and 9.1% higher plant height and 32.5 and 22.6% higher fruit yield for BC2.5 and BC5.0 compared to control, respectively. By the end of the experiment the BC2.5 treatments had significantly higher stem thickness (p < 0.001) compared to all other amendments. Root dry matter in biochar treatments increased relative to controls with the highest values (54.9% increase) observed in the BC2.5 treatment. Biochar treatment increased leaf area index (LAI) values for the higher doses (1.58, 1.59, 2.03, and 1.89 for C, BC0.5, BC2.5, and BC5.0, respectively). Significant differences between control and biochar amended soils’ PRI measurements were observed (p < 0.001), showing less plant sensitivity to environmental changes when biochar was applied to the soil. While biochar amendment could greatly enhance plant growth and development, there is an optimal amount of biochar after which additional amount might not result in substantial differences, or even can result in lower fruit yield as found in the present study

Logisztika 4.0 - Intelligens megoldások az elosztási logisztika optimalizálására – Intelligens elosztási logisztikai rendszerek : Logistics 4.0 – Intelligent designs in distribution logistics

Industry 4.0 and as a relation Logistics 4.0 is a popular and trending topic in these days – be it researches or business aspects for companies. As distribution logistics is also one of the most important and continuously optimized process of the market players there are significant advantages to be derived of using intelligent designs in it. To be able to make the right choices and decisions about utilizing these resources and optimizing the neccessary, expectable outcome it is inevitable to have the proper and comprehensive knowledge – whether it is a market leader who has the best knowledge and resources to use the relevant tools and technologies in their daily operation or a small player who has limited capabilities and only able to follow these. This gave me the reason to take a deep look into it. Kivonat Népszerű és sok lehetőséget rejtő téma napjainkban az Ipar 4.0 és az ehhez kapcsolódó Logisztika 4.0 – mind kutatási, mind hatékonyságnövelési szempontból a vállalatok részéről. Mivel az elosztási logisztika a legtöbb piaci szereplő számára egy kulcsfontosságú és folyamatosan optimalizált folyamat, jelentős előnyök származtathatók a releváns intelligens rendszerek alkalmazásából. Ahhoz, hogy egy vállalat – legyen szó piacvezető, fenti technológiákat alkalmazó vagy kisebb, éppen csak azokkal ismerkedő piaci szereplőről – megfelelő döntést tudjon hozni ezen lehetőségek kiaknázásáról elengedhetetlen azok ismerete, a befektetett erőforrások és a várható előnyök optimalizálása. Kulcsszavak: Ipar 4.0, elosztási logisztika, digitalizáció, intelligens logisztika. &nbsp