Artificial Flowers Research Articles

Flower patterns improve foraging efficiency in bumblebees by guiding approach flight and landing

Abstract Colourful patterns on flowers are thought to benefit both pollinators and the plants they visit, by increasing the plants' pollination success via an increased foraging efficiency of the pollinators. This increased efficiency is assumed to result from a guidance effect of the flower patterns, correspondingly termed ‘nectar guides’, which indicate the position of the nectary to visiting pollinators, thus reducing their flower handling time. Although it is well established that flower patterns play an important role in flower choice, the mechanisms by which they improve the foraging efficiency of flower‐visiting insects remain poorly understood. In this study, we quantified the contributions of patterns to all phases of flower interaction in the buff‐tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris. We analysed the bees' flight paths, as well as landing positions and walking tracks on artificial flowers with different pattern types. We reveal that flower patterns reduced the overall flower handling time of the bees by up to 30%, by guiding their approach flight, landing positions and departure decisions. Surprisingly, we observed no improvement in nectary discovery time after the bees landed on the flower. Since we tested experienced foragers, which represent the majority of insect pollinators active in nature, the newly described nectary‐independent guidance effects of flower patterns are of high ecological relevance. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Static and Dynamic Performance Evaluation of a Solid-State LiDAR for 3D Object Detection in Greenhouse Spray Applications

Highlights Comprehensive evaluation of the measurement accuracy of an inexpensive solid-state LiDAR for object detection. Development of an algorithm to acquire point clouds of objects with various shapes under both static and dynamic conditions. Utilization of pseudo-color images to assess the surfaces of regular-shaped cartons and irregular artificial plants. Proposal for integrating the solid-state LiDAR into variable-rate spray applications for greenhouses. Abstract. An effective variable-rate spraying system for greenhouses requires accurate canopy structure parameters of plants to ensure proper pesticide dosage adjustment. While conventional laser systems integrated into spray systems can provide precise point cloud data of plants, they still present a high expense. This study examines the performance of a recently introduced, cost-effective, and high-resolution solid-state LiDAR (Intel RealSense L515) in relation to its potential for greenhouse spray applications. Additionally, a specialized point cloud acquisition algorithm was developed for this solid-state LiDAR to obtain the geometrical parameters of objects. To assess the LiDAR sensor's suitability for greenhouse spray applications, the performance of the LiDAR sensor and the algorithm was evaluated using five different sized regular-shaped cartons and three artificial plants with complex geometry. Various factors were analyzed, such as the horizontal distances between objects and the LiDAR sensor (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, and 3.0 m), the tilt angle of the LiDAR sensor relative to the ground (45°, 60°, and 75°), the height of the LiDAR sensor from the ground (ranging from 0.3 to 0.8 m with 0.5 m distance intervals), and the forward speed of the LiDAR sensor (0.1, 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 m s-1). The findings revealed that the optimal detection distance for this LiDAR sensor is 1.0 m. Increasing or decreasing the detection distance of the object relative to the LiDAR sensor diminished the measurement accuracy. The accuracy of the derived geometrical variables was affected by the height and tilt angle of the LiDAR sensor. Nevertheless, the geometrical parameters obtained from the solid-state LiDAR showed a favorable correspondence with the results of manual measurements. The highest root mean square error (RMSE) and coefficient of variation (CV) for the overall test were 14.3 mm and 14.3% in the X (length) direction, 14.3 mm and 14.3% in the Y (width) direction, and 10.8 mm and 10.8% in the Z (height) direction, respectively. The contour Edge Similarity Score for objects measured using the solid-state LiDAR and images obtained with an RGB camera exceeded 0.90. These findings suggest that the proposed solid-state LiDAR and the specifically designed algorithm could be effectively adapted to acquire the geometrical parameters of objects and to develop precise variable-rate spraying systems for greenhouse applications. Keywords: Canopy structure measurements, Point cloud, Precision agriculture, Precision spray technology, Variable-rate spraying systems.

Evaluation of Disinfection Methods for Artificial Plants in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Recirculating Water Systems.

The use of artificial plants as environmental enrichment for zebrafish (Danio rerio) in biomedical research facilities has been shown to provide benefits in animal welfare and care. Despite the benefits of artificial plants to zebrafish welfare, some research facilities are hesitant to incorporate them into their routine husbandry practices due to concerns about disease transmission and a lack of guidance on effective disinfection practices between tanks. Limited published information is available on how to adequately disinfect artificial plants, which creates concerns regarding their reuse between tanks in recirculating water systems. Proper sanitation and disinfection of these items is crucial to preventing the spread of disease in the system. We evaluated 2 disinfection methods- a commercial-grade laboratory glassware dishwasher and an ethylene oxide (ETO) sterilizer-by using ATP detection and bacterial culture of the artificial plants before and after the disinfection process. Plants were placed in the dirty sump of 2 separate recirculating systems (2,500 to 3,000 fish per system) for 2 wk before the start of the study. High ATP levels and various bacterial organisms were detected prior to disinfection. The commercial-grade labo- ratory glassware dishwasher and ETO sterilizer both significantly reduced ATP levels and resulted in complete eradication of live bacteria that were present before treatment. This study demonstrates 2 effective methods for disinfecting artificial plants in zebrafish facilities.

Training Neuro-Fuzzy by Using Meta-Heuristic Algorithms for MPPT

It is one of the topics that have been studied extensively on maximum power point tracking (MPPT) recently. Traditional or soft computing methods are used for MPPT. Since soft computing approaches are more effective than traditional approaches, studies on MPPT have shifted in this direction. This study aims comparison of performance of seven meta-heuristic training algorithms in the neuro-fuzzy training for MPPT. The meta-heuristic training algorithms used are particle swarm optimization (PSO), harmony search (HS), cuckoo search (CS), artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm, bee algorithm (BA), differential evolution (DE) and flower pollination algorithm (FPA). The antecedent and conclusion parameters of neuro-fuzzy are determined by these algorithms. The data of a 250 W photovoltaic (PV) is used in the applications. For effective MPPT, different neuro-fuzzy structures, different membership functions and different control parameter values are evaluated in detail. Related training algorithms are compared in terms of solution quality and convergence speed. The strengths and weaknesses of these algorithms are revealed. It is seen that the type and number of membership function, colony size, number of generations affect the solution quality and convergence speed of the training algorithms. As a result, it has been observed that CS and ABC algorithm are more effective than other algorithms in terms of solution quality and convergence in solving the related problem.

Cannabis sativa: Applications of Artificial Intelligence AI and Plant Tissue Culture for Micropropagation

This review paper highlights about the important applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and in vitro micropropagation of Cannabis. Cannabis micropropagation has largely been an underground effort with few peer reviewed studies. This lack of insight concerning in vitro cannabis techniques has limited the biotechnological utility of Cannabis crop. This is mainly due to the fact that Cannabis found to be recalcitrant under in vitro conditions, restrictions, long legacy of prohibition and stigmatization surrounding this Indian origin medicinal plant. Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) are two of the most exciting technological areas of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Data is a power today, and artificial intelligence (AI) can help Cannabis businesses to gather and analyze data in a wide variety of ways. Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has enhanced Cannabis crop production and improved real-time monitoring, harvesting, processing and marketing. These technologies saves the excess use of water, pesticides, herbicides, maintains the fertility of the soil, and also helps in the efficient use of man power and elevated the productivity and improved the quality of Cannabis products. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are widely used in science and technology, and have been successfully applied in Cannabis plant tissue cultures. Furthermore, Artificial neural networks (ANNs) can also simulate the growth of plants under different in vitro conditions. However, very few and limited in vitro regeneration protocols have been developed in Cannabis and existing protocols highlights only organogenesis. Therefore, there is a golden opportunity for the development of new in vitro regeneration protocols particularly induction of somatic embryogenesis, cryopreservation, protoplast isolation and culture, genetic transformation, production of synthetic seeds, and anther culture for the production of haploids in Cannabis.

Effects of biophilic design on hygrothermal environment and human sensation in a large artificial garden of a public building

Biophilic design is aimed at creating a good habitat for people by enhancing the connectedness between people and nature in the urban environment; its effects on promoting psychological health are well known, but further studies are required to quantify the effects on physical and physiological aspects to provide a holistic view to support design practice. In this study, we focused on the physical aspect and quantitatively analyzed the effects of biophilic design on the thermal environment and occupants' thermal sensations. Field measurements and questionnaire surveys were conducted at a multifloor indoor garden in a public building in Kumamoto, Japan, with an artificial waterfall, pond, plants, and natural light as biophilic elements. Predicted mean vote was calculated using field measurement results as an objective indicator to assess thermal comfort. Questionnaires were used to verify the psychological effects and clarify the occupants' thermal sensations by comparing with field measurement results. The effects of the waterfall were studied when it was switched on and off. The results suggest the rationality behind incorporating biophilic design inside buildings, in terms of the physical aspect, highlighting the psychological effectiveness, especially during winter, and the benefits of thermal comfort, especially during summer.

Assessment of the state of vegetation cover of recultivated dumps of uranium deposits in Northern Kazakhstan.

The purpose of this study was to assess the processes of plant community formation on recultivated dumps of spent uranium-containing industrial waste from uranium deposit mines, as well as to identify the degree of impact of agro-climatic factors, agrochemical indicators of soils of recultivated dumps, and the level of residual ionizing radiation on the productivity of the emerging vegetation cover. Studies of plant colonization of recultivated Grachevsky and Shantobinsky uranium mine dumps located in Northern Kazakhstan were carried out. The mining and technical stage of reclamation consisted of planning a dump with slopes of 15° and covering it with a 1 m layer of chestnut soil. In total, 30-35 plant species are present in the dumps, the projective coverage is approximately the same (56.6-70.0%), and the herbage density is 15-16.6 plants/100 m2. As a result of the measures taken to recultivate the dumps, the intensity of the background ionizing radiation at the Grachevsky mine dump was in the range of 25-35 µR/hr and at the Shantobinsky mine dump 10-25 µR/hr, which indicates compliance with safety standards. The plant species which can be used for artificial plant colonization of uranium-containing waste dumps, were identified.

Subtilisin integrated artificial plant cell walls as heterogeneous catalysts for asymmetric synthesis of (S)-amides.

Subtilisin integrated artificial plant-cell walls (APCWs) were fabricated by self-assembly using cellulose or nanocellulose as the main component. The resulting APCW catalysts are excellent heterogeneous catalysts for the asymmetric synthesis of (S)-amides. This was demonstrated by the APCW-catalyzed kinetic resolution of several racemic primary amines to give the corresponding (S)-amides in high yields with excellent enantioselectivity. The APCW catalyst can be recycled for multiple reaction cycles without loss of enantioselectivity. The assembled APCW catalyst was also able to cooperate with a homogeneous organoruthenium complex, which allowed for the co-catalytic dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) of a racemic primary amine to give the corresponding (S)-amide in high yield. The APCW/Ru co-catalysis constitutes the first examples of DKR of chiral primary amines when subtilisin is used as a co-catalyst.

Reconstruction of a Wreath and a Flower Bunch Excavated in the Northern Crypt of St Nicolas Church in Gniew

In the last five decades, during archaeological investigations in churches and church cemeteries both in Poland and Western Europe, relics of many wreaths made of artificial and natural flowers have been discovered. Some of them have been described in considerable detail and drawing reconstructions have been made. In many cases, the garlands were made of similar details, but the arrangement in individual compositions varied. On the basis of these discoveries, it was decided in the laboratory of the Institute of Archaeology in Toruń to make a copy of one wreath and bouquet found on the mortal remains of a child (coffin 4) in the northern crypt of St. Nicholas Church in Gniew dated to the second half of the 17th century (up to 1680). The analysis of elements was the basis for the individual flowers. And the final composition is the vision of one of the authors of the article, Barbara Gałka, who made copies of both the bouquet and the wreath. The raw materials for making the copies had been collected for a long time, as the Polish trade offer did not quite allow them to be gathered in advance. This article attempts to provide a description of the flowers used in 17th-century objects and the creative process in making the copies. The end result of these activities is shown in Figures 11, 12 and 13.

Paper Flowers: Jane Campion, Plant Life, and The Power of the Dog (2021)

Taking as its point of departure the place of the vegetal realm within Jane Campion’s filmmaking, this article attends to both living and artificial plants, homing in on the exquisitely crafted paper flowers of The Power of the Dog to explore their entanglement with human power relations. Manmade flowers are clearly distinct from the flowers of the garden or the prairie, but in this Western, they form part of a broader floral aesthetic with their living kin. Drawing upon thought that stems from actual plants (Deleuze and Guattari’s arboreal-rhizomatic thinking) and vegetal philosophy (Marder, Coccia), as well as parallel botany’s attention to the artificial (Lionni), I follow the fate of one paper flower as it intersects with the gendered history of artificial flower making and floral sexual symbolism. Thinking with this paper flower, I engage with theories that variously question binary power relations (Cixous, Barthes, Steinbock), reading these alongside scholarship on sex, gender, and masculinity in the Western (Neale, Mulvey, Bruzzi), and broaching the hierarchies of settler colonialism. The film’s floral aesthetic, I argue, challenges the either/or logic of male or female, masculine or feminine, and even though it cannot fully break away from the binaries it critiques, it is indebted to registering the importance of the nuance (Barthes) in the unthreading of power.

Effects of LED Red and Blue Light Component on Growth and Photosynthetic Characteristics of Coriander in Plant Factory

Coriander is a whole-plant edible micro vegetable frequently used in the food industry. Its fresh eating features give it a flavor that is both tasty and refreshing, as well as potentially dangerous due to the bacteria (e.g., Shigella sonnei) it may contain. Artificial light-based plant factories are becoming increasingly popular due to the development of light-emitting diodes (i.e., LEDs). These plant factories employ artificial light to recreate the ideal lighting conditions for photosynthesis, ensuring plant yield and safety. Red (R) light and blue (B) light are essential for crop development and photosynthesis because R light and B light correspond to the wavelength absorption peaks of chlorophyll. However, the sensitivity of various crops to the light of varying wavelengths varies. Here, we determined the ideal R to B light ratio for cultivating coriander in plant factories by evaluating the photosynthetic characteristics of coriander (‘Sumai’) under different red–blue ratios. Specifically, we used monochrome red (R) and blue (B) light as controls and evaluated a total of seven different ratio treatments of R and B light (R, R:B = 5:1 (R5B1), R:B = 3:1 (R3B1), R:B = 1:1 (R1B1), R:B = 1:3 (R1B3), R:B = 1:5 (R1B5), B) under the background of uniform light intensity (200 ± 10 μmol m−2 s−1) and photoperiod (16-h/8-h light/dark). The results showed that the total yield of R:B = 3:1 (R3B1) was 16.11% and 30.61% higher than monochrome R and B treatments, respectively, the photosynthetic rate (Pn) and stomatal density were increased, and the nitrate content was decreased. Monochromatic light has adverse effects on crops. Monochromatic R light reduces the CO2 assimilation amount. Monochromatic blue light treatment lowers chlorophyll concentration and net photosynthetic rate.

Influence of the instability of the field crop sprayer boom on the spraying uniformity

The purpose of the paper was to determine the influence of the instability of the sprayer field boom on the amount of working fluid applied to the sprayed plants. To achieve such aim, experiment was planned with the use of an obstacle course specially designed for this purpose and using artificial plants. Three nozzles of different types were investigated, i.e., universal flat-jet ISO F-03-110 (F110), low-drift ISO LD-03-110 (LD) and injector (anti-drift) ISO-03-110 MiniDrift (MD). Obtained results indicate that obstacles have clearly noticeable influence of spraying quality, understood as level and stability of working fluid deposition values. The worst results were obtained for MD nozzle while the best results were obtained for LD nozzle, both in terms of under/overdosing the working fluid (maximum 36% of overdose) and stability of results, what can lead to the conclusion that LD nozzles should be recommended for spraying fields with rough surfaces. • Influence of the sprayer boom instability on the spraying quality was evaluated. • Obstacle course was prepared according to the guidelines of the ISO 22763 standard. • Evaluated were three types of nozzles. • Variability of working fluid deposition was the biggest for anti-drift nozzle. • Low-drift nozzle seems to be the most appropriate for spraying uneven fields.

The Chinese Lady by Lloyd Suh

Reviewed by: The Chinese Ladyby Lloyd Suh Dohyun Gracia Shin THE CHINESE LADY. By Lloyd Suh. Directed by Ralph B. Peña. Barrington Stage Company and Ma-Yi Theater Company, Public Theater, New York City. 02 27, 2022. When Atung (Daniel K. Isaac), the translator and manservant of "the Chinese lady," opened up a green cargo box labeled "China Shipping," the audience was introduced to Afong Moy (Shannon Tyo), who is thought to be the first Chinese woman ever to come to the United States. She greeted the audience: "Hello. My name is Afong Moy. It is the year 1834. I am fourteen years old, and newly arrived in America. … Thank you for coming to see me." Afong Moy sat as an exhibition on the boxlike stage adorned with Chinese furniture, luxury goods, and flowers. Every detail of Chinoiserie in the box, including Afong Moy herself in a porcelain-patterned Chinese dress (by costume designer Linda Cho), was imagined to be "representative of China." However, The Chinese Ladyby the Barrington Stage Company and Ma-Yi Theater Company revealed that the US fantasy of China fabricated with transported Oriental luxuries has a hollow echo. Like lifeless, artificial flower petals on the stage's walls, the room was unlike any room in China, and Afong Moy was "unlike any lady to ever live." On the stage, which was made to look like a miniature box, she repeated a routine for the audience who paid to see her performance. When Atung opened a curtain, she introduced herself, walked one revolution around the room with her bound feet, ate Chinese cuisine with chopsticks, and demonstrated the tea ceremony while Atung sold Chinese luxury goods to the audience in the corner. Regardless of her taste or will, she was expected to follow a routine designed to facilitate a white audience's "education and entertainment" (or obsession with "commercial Orientalism"—to borrow John Kuo Wei Tchen's term inspired by Edward Said's "Orientalism"). In this mechanical repetition, The Chinese Ladyas directed by Ralph B. Peña delineated Afong Moy and Atung's unfulfilled desires through their conversations, which landed ironically each time they reprised the routine. The play's author, Lloyd Suh, embedded changes in the eerie routine that twisted stereotypical representations of Asian Americans. Afong Moy, who had been fetishized and consumed as a stereotypical Asian woman, was transformed to play in between an object of desire, subject to the gaze of others, and a desiring subject gazing back at US culture. Shannon Tyo delivered an Afong Moy brimming with speculation on US and Chinese culture, chattering away in a doll-like voice with grand theatrical gestures. Afong Moy's seemingly shallow speechifying, equating corsets with bound feet and so on, ironically revealed her counter-gaze on white voyeurism. Tyo's performance highlighted a stark contrast between young, naïve, hopeful Afong Moy and mature, disillusioned, ghost-like Afong Moy, disclosing the xenophobia and racism that obfuscated any trace of Afong Moy's later life in the United States. The Chinese Ladyfurther added a touch to Atung—the stereotypical trope of an "emasculated Asian male"—by focusing on his profession as a translator. Ventriloquizing white men's desire, Atung sold Chinese luxury goods, tickets to Afong Moy's performance, and the exoticism of Chinese culture itself. While Afong Moy showed a strong desire to bridge China and the United States by putting herself on display as an object of desire, Isaac's performance captured Atung's suppressed desire in his gentle smile, comical presentation, and slow locution, which did not clearly show his inner thoughts and feelings—these later exploding in his monologue on Atung's dream, the vividly sexual portrayal of his desire to be recognized. The most notable thing about Atung in The Chinese Ladyat the Public was that the production highlighted Atung's position as a translator. In the process of translation, Atung saw himself "interpreting" others' words with his point of view instead of "directly recreating" the white view. Before reenacting a reimagined conversation between Afong Moy and US President Andrew Jackson, he said that "we can only simulate the past, not in pursuit of...

Families engaged in flower business in Bangarpet

India is a land of many festivals. To celebrate these festivals flowers are the main stay. Be it celebrating birth days, anniversaries festivals, functions mainly weddings or valentines saying it with flowers is the heart of the events. In recent years with the disposable income increasing and urban areas expanding at a fast rate, celebrating any program even official ones have become the norm, so much so it has become a hightly profitable commercial business today. Flowers are mostly sourced from the farms outside Bangalore mostly from Hoskote and Kolar and Bangarpet which deposit all the truckloads of chrysanthemums, roses and lilies by the thousands in K.R Puram flower market, Rammurthy nagara flower markets. These flowers are sourced mainly from Bangarpet flower fields run by many agricultural families in Bangarpet. This is one of the main income earning business today as there are many event management companies which thrive on the flower cultivation. Both men and women farmers grow flowers and sell it in the main flower market in Bangarpet bus stand. They are then transported to major cities like Bangalore ,Mysore and Kolar. These farmers employed around 2 to 3 farmhands, usually depending on the size of the farm and the investment made (depending on the flowering variety)besides small ponds were lilies were also grown and sold specially to temples for pooja’s and marriages. For this study 200 samples were taken from 8 villages of Bangarpet, simple random sampling was carried out and questionnaire method was followed. The main soil used for flower cultivation in Bangarpet was red soil and coupled with many lakes and water bodies growing of flowers for business and livelihood become a major occupation in Bangarpet .The objectives were to study the main problem and challenges faced by these farmers regarding transportation from flowers field to markets, pricing of flowers and availability of space in markets. The other objectives were used to find out their socio-economic status and competition they face from the artificial flower markets. The findings indicated they earned from 1000 rupees to 2000 rupees per month depending on the size of their farm. They identified space in markets and pricing of flowers (due to their perishabiliyt) as their major problem and other challenges was most of the time they were ruthless elbowed out by the native wholesale flower merchants and established flower stalls.. Their monthly income was very less as they had to support a huge family of 7 to 8 members. Mostly women and some male farmers were engaged in flowers businesses. Research methodology has used both primary s well as secondary data. This study was based mostly on primary data .The main suggestion were to give these flower cultivators a fixed price to sell so that during off season they are not subject to huge losses and creation of separate stalls to sell flowers in marktes for them by charging a small rent will go a long way in encouraging their business.

Correlation and Regression Analysis of Spraying Process Quality Indicators

The study presents the results of the correlation and regression of the deposition of liquid and the degree of coverage of sprayed objects. Preliminary experiments were conducted in terms of droplet size depending on liquid pressure and nozzle type. Studies on the degree of coverage and deposition of spray liquid were then carried out. The test stand consisted of a carrier of nozzles and artificial plants. Samplers were attached to the artificial plants to obtain vertical and horizontal surfaces. Water-sensitive paper and filter papers were sampled (for measurements of the degree of coverage and deposition of liquid, respectively). The results of these studies showed strong and very strong Pearson’s correlation coefficients between the analyzed indicators (degree of coverage and deposition of liquid), from 0.9143 to 0.9815. Furthermore, high values of the coefficient of determination (R2 > 0.85) were obtained for linear regression. The high R2 values indicate a good match of the regression model to empirical data.

Disease management during bloom affects the floral microbiome but not pollination in a mass‐flowering crop

Abstract Flowering crops are heavily managed during bloom to both promote pollination and prevent disease. Disease management practices can alter the floral microbiome, including pathogens and nontarget microbes. However, whether agrochemical presence or altered microbiome composition affect pollinator foraging and pollination services is unclear. We assessed effects of orchard management tactics and landscape context on the flower microbiome in almond, Prunus dulcis. Fourteen orchards (five conventional, four organic and five conventional with habitat augmentation) were sampled at early and peak bloom to characterize bacterial and fungal communities associated with floral tissues. The surveys were complemented by an artificial flower experiment to assess effects of fungicides and microbes on honey bee foraging. Finally, a field trial was conducted to test effects of fungicides and microbes on pollination. As bloom progressed, bacterial and fungal abundance and diversity increased across all floral tissue types and management strategies. The magnitude by which microbial abundance and diversity were affected varied, with proximity to apiaries and orchard management having notable effects on bacteria and fungi respectively. Experiments revealed that fungicides reduced nectar removal by honey bees; however, neither fungicide nor microbe treatments affected pollination, as measured through pollen tube initiation and growth. Synthesis and applications. Our results reveal that microbiota associated with flowers of a pollinator‐dependent crop are temporally dynamic and sensitive to management practices. However, pollination services in almond may be resilient to both agrochemical disturbance and microbial augmentation of flowers, the latter of which may become more prominent as microbial solutions to disease management are embraced in agroecosystems.

Near-source ground motion estimation for assessing the seismic hazard of critical facilities in central Italy

We apply the Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA) and compute Physics-Based Simulations (PBS) of ground motion for three dams in the Campotosto area (Central Italy). The dams, which confine an artificial water reservoir feeding hydroelectric power plants, are located in an active seismic zone between the areas that experienced the 2009 L’Aquila and 2016–2017 Central Italy seismic sequences. The probabilistic disaggregation estimated for a return period of 2475 years, corresponding to the collapse limit state for critical facilities, indicates that the most dangerous fault is associated with a maximum magnitude of 6.75 ± 0.25 within a distance of 10 km. This fault is used in PBS to emulate the Maximum Credible Earthquake scenario. To capture the ground motion variability, we input a pseudo-dynamic source model to encompass spatial and temporal variations in the slip, rise time and rupture propagation, heavily affecting the near-source ground motion. Indeed, the ground motion above the rupture volume is mainly influenced by the epistemic uncertainties of rupture nucleation and slip distribution. The computed broadband seismograms are consistent with the near-source shaking recorded during the 2016 MW 6.6 Norcia earthquake and constrain the upper bound of the simulated ground motion at specific sites. Our modelling reinforces the importance of considering vertical ground motion near the source in seismic design. It could reach shaking values comparable to or larger than those of the horizontal components. This approach can be applied in other areas with high seismic hazard to evaluate the seismic safety of existing critical facilities.

Applications for Detecting Plant Diseases Based on Artificial Intelligence

Agriculture is an activity to manage biological natural resources with the help of technology and labor. The presence of diseases in plants that suddenly inhibit plant growth is alarming to farmers. So, farmers cannot determine what conditions these plants suffer. This study will discuss the implementation of Artificial Intelligence-based plant disease detection software. At this stage, deep learning models are created using cameras matched with objects. The application development is to detect diseases in plants. The fourth step is testing. This application includes the implementation of Convolutional Neural Network and Recurrent Neural Network, which provides Artificial Intelligence architecture to diagnose plant diseases, and offer solutions to those plants from the results of research with tomato plant sample tests obtained four categories of disease Early Blight disease with a prediction of 100%, Bacterial Spots 90%, Healthy 100%, Late Blight 100% a system that can recommend health care related to crops based on images so that it can help farmers identify types of plant diseases. This application can help farmers to reduce crop failure for farmers caused by plant diseases to improve the quality of agricultural and plantation products

Evaluation of The Performance of Butterfly Optimization Algorithm in Solving High-Dimensional Numerical Optimization Problems

Kelebek optimizasyon algoritması, kelebeklerin yiyecek arama davranışını modelleyen güncel meta-sezgisel algoritmalardan biridir. Pek çok problemin çözümünde başarılı bir şekilde kullanıldığı literatürde görülmektedir. Bir meta sezgisel algoritmanın başarısını, kontrol parametreleri ve problem boyutu doğrudan etkilemektedir. Muhtemel problemler değerlendirildiğinde, bazıları düşük boyutlu iken, bazıları yüksek boyutlu olabilmektedir. Bununla birlikte, meta-sezgisel algoritmaların yüksek boyutlu problemler üzerinde de başarılı olması beklenmektedir. Bu çalışmada, yüksek boyutlu nümerik optimizasyon problemlerinin çözümünde kelebek optimizasyon algoritmasının performansı değerlendirilmiştir. Kelebek optimizasyon algoritması; yapay arı koloni algoritması, armoni arama algoritması ve çiçek tozlaşma algoritması ile karşılaştırılmıştır. Sonuçların anlamlılığının analizi için Wilcoxon işaretli sıralar testi uygulanmıştır. Sonuçlar, çok boyutlu nümerik optimizasyon problemlerinin çözümünde, kelebek optimizasyon algoritmasının diğer algoritmalardan genel olarak daha başarılı olduğunu göstermiştir.

Building an Artificial Plant Cell Wall on a Lipid Bilayer by Assembling Polysaccharides and Engineered Proteins.

The cell wall constitutes a fundamental structural component of plant cells, providing them with mechanical resistance and flexibility. Mimicking this wall is a critical step in the conception of an experimental model of the plant cell. The assembly of cellulose/hemicellulose in the form of cellulose nanocrystals and xyloglucans as a representative model of the plant cell wall has already been mastered; however, these models lacked the pectin component. In this work, we used an engineered chimeric protein designed for bridging pectin to the cellulose/hemicellulose network, therefore achieving the assembly of complete cell wall mimics. We first engineered a carbohydrate-binding module from Ruminococcus flavefaciens able to bind oligogalacturonan, resulting in high-affinity polygalacturonan receptors with Kd in the micromolar range. A Janus protein, with cell wall gluing property, was then designed by assembling this carbohydrate-binding module with a Ralstonia solanacearum lectin specific for fucosylated xyloglucans. The resulting supramolecular architecture is able to bind fucose-containing xyloglucans and homogalacturonan, ensuring high affinity for both. A two-dimensional assembly of an artificial plant cell wall was then built first on synthetic polymer and then on the supported lipid bilayer. Such an artificial cell wall can serve as a basis for the development of plant cell mechanical models and thus deepen the understanding of the principles underlying various aspects of plant cells and tissues.