Artificial Flowers Research Articles

Fully Reversible and Super-Fast Photo-Induced Morphological Transformation of Nanofilms for High-Performance UV Detection and Light-Driven Actuators.

Flexible and highly ultraviolet (UV) sensitive materials garner considerable attention in wearable devices, adaptive sensors, and light-driven actuators. Herein, a type of nanofilms with unprecedented fully reversible UV responsiveness are successfully constructed. Building upon this discovery, a new system for ultra-fast, sensitive, and reliable UV detection is developed. The system operates by monitoring the displacement of photoinduced macroscopic motions of the nanofilms based composite membranes. The system exhibits exceptional responsiveness to UV light at 375nm, achieving remarkable response and recovery times of < 0.3s. Furthermore, it boasts a wide detection range from 2.85µWcm-2 to 8.30mWcm-2, along with robust durability. Qualitative UV sensing is accomplished by observing the shape changes of the composite membranes. Moreover, the composite membrane can serve as sunlight-responsive actuators for artificial flowers and smart switches in practical scenarios. The photo-induced motion is ascribed to the cis-trans isomerization of the acylhydrazone bonds, and the rapid and fully reversible shape transformation is supposed to be a synergistic result of the instability of the cis-isomers acylhydrazone bonds and the rebounding property of the networked nanofilms. These findings present a novel strategy for both quantitative and qualitative UV detection.

Regulation of feeding dynamics by the circadian clock, light and sex in an adult nocturnal insect.

Animals invest crucial resources in foraging to support development, sustenance, and reproduction. Foraging and feeding behaviors are rhythmically expressed by most insects. Rhythmic behaviors are modified by exogenous factors like temperature and photoperiod, and internal factors such as the physiological status of the individual. However, the interactions between these factors and the circadian clock to pattern feeding behavior remains elusive. As Drosophila, a standard insect model, spends nearly all its life on food, we rather chose to focus on the adults of a non-model insect, Agrotis ipsilon, a nocturnal cosmopolitan crop pest moth having structured feeding activity. Our study aimed to explore the impact of environmental cues on directly measured feeding behavior rhythms. We took advantage of a new experimental set-up, mimicking an artificial flower, allowing us to specifically monitor feeding behavior in a naturalistic setting, e.g., the need to enter a flower to get food. We show that the frequency of flower visits is under the control of the circadian clock in males and females. Feeding behavior occurs only during the scotophase, informed by internal clock status and external photic input, and females start to visit flowers earlier than males. Shorter duration visits predominate as the night progresses. Importantly, food availability reorganizes the microstructure of feeding behavior, revealing its plasticity. Interestingly, males show a constant number of daily visits during the 5days of adult life whereas females decrease visitations after the third day of adult life. Taken together, our results provide evidence that the rhythmicity of feeding behavior is sexually dimorphic and controlled by photoperiodic conditions through circadian clock-dependent and independent pathways. In addition, the use of the new experimental set-up provides future opportunities to examine the regulatory mechanisms of feeding behavior paving the way to investigate complex relationships between feeding, mating, and sleep-wake rhythms in insects.

Submerged macrophyte promoted nitrogen removal function of biofilms in constructed wetland

Biofilm is one of the important factors affecting nitrogen removal in constructed wetlands (CWs). However, the impact of submerged macrophyte on nitrogen conversion of biofilms on leaf of submerged macrophyte and matrix remains poorly understood. In this study, the CWs with Vallisneria natans and with artificial plant were established to investigate the effects of submerged macrophyte on nitrogen conversion and the composition of nitrogen-converting bacteria in leaf and matrix biofilms under high ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) loading. The 16S rRNA sequencing method was employed to explore the changes in bacterial communities in biofilms in CWs. The results showed that average removal rates of total nitrogen and NH4+-N in CW with V. natans reached 71.38% and 82.08%, respectively, representing increases of 24.19% and 28.79% compared with the control with artificial plant. Scanning electron microscope images indicated that high NH4+-N damaged the leaf cells of V. natans, leading to the cellular content release and subsequent increases of aqueous total organic carbon. However, the specific surface area and carrier function of V. natans were unaffected within 25 days. As a natural source of organic matters, submerged macrophyte provided organic matters for bacterial growth in biofilms. Bacterial composition analysis revealed the predominance of phylum Proteobacteria in CW with V. natans. The numbers of nitrifiers and denitrifiers in leaf biofilms reached 1.66 × 105 cells/g and 1.05 × 107 cells/g, as well as 2.79 × 105 cells/g and 7.41 × 107 cells/g in matrix biofilms, respectively. Submerged macrophyte significantly increased the population of nitrogen-converting bacteria and enhanced the expressions of nitrification genes (amoA and hao) and denitrification genes (napA, nirS and nosZ) in both leaf and matrix biofilms. Therefore, our study emphasized the influence of submerged macrophyte on biofilm functions and provided a scientific basis for nitrogen removal of biofilms in CWs.

Crafting Sacred Blooms: Late Medieval Mystical Floriculture as Tactile Devotion

Abstract: The Besloten hofes (enclosed gardens) of Mechelen are cabinet-shaped altarpieces that feature miniature garden spaces filled with an assortment of handmade silk flowers, devotional images, and relics. This article examines the process of creating these silk flowers and their impact on the presumed crafters or restorers—the professed nuns at the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwegasthuis (Hospital of Our Lady), where the Gardens were housed. It argues that this craftwork was a contemplative and tactile activity analogous to the rosary, a prayer method that involved reflection on exegetical understanding and constant touching of the prayer beads. Similar to the rosary, the silk flower craftwork enabled the nuns to enter a supernatural state where they experienced a profound connection with sacred entities. This article reinterprets the silk flower crafts in the cabinets not merely as decorations, but as tools for personal devotion.

A comparative analysis of foraging route development by bumblebees and honey bees

Many pollinators, such as bees, hummingbirds and bats, use multi-destination routes (traplines) to exploit familiar plant resources. However, it is not clear to what extent the mechanisms underpinning trapline development and optimisation are comparable across species. Here we compared route formation, repeatability and efficiency by foragers of two social bee species, the solo foraging bumblebee Bombus terrestris and the mass foraging honey bee Apis mellifera, in the same laboratory conditions. In a simple routing task (with four artificial flowers), all bumblebees and honey bees developed a route, although honey bees were slower to do so. In a more complex routing task (with six flowers), however, only bumblebees developed a route between the 6 flowers. Honey bees took a longer time to discover all flowers and developed routes between fewer flowers. Comparing bumblebees and honey bees using the same experimental paradigm thus revealed key behavioural differences likely resulting from their contrasting collective foraging strategies.

A highly efficient deep red-emitting Mn4+-powered oxyfluoride nanophosphor developed for plant growth and optical thermometric applications.

This research mainly highlighted an intense deep red-emitting and Mn4+-powered oxyfluoride nanophosphor, Mg14Ge4.99O16F8:0.01Mn4+ (MGOF:Mn), which was synthesized via adopting a scalable synthesis route for commercial temperature sensing and artificial plant growth applications. The electron microscopic analysis confirmed the formation of nanosized particles without any defined shape or size distribution. The obtained nanophosphor exhibited sharp emission peaks at 659 nm and 631 nm under UV (317 nm) and blue excitation (417 nm) owing to Mn4+:2Eg → 4A2g and Mn4+:2T1g → 4A2g transitions, respectively. The emission spectrum is situated in the deep red region of the CIE color diagram where the red color purity approached 100% under both the excitations. The absorption efficiency and the internal and external quantum efficiencies of this red-emitting system were calculated to be 53%, ∼77%, and ∼41%, respectively, under blue excitation of 417 nm, which indicated its potential for indoor plant cultivation. A prototype red LED was fabricated by pasting the red-emitting MGOF:Mn4+ nanophosphor powder on a 410 nm blue LED chip. The resulting electroluminescence spectrum overlapped with those of the important organic pigments of normal plants. Importantly, the thermometric properties of the nanophosphor were evaluated in detail for FIR and lifetime-based thermometry applications. The examined nanophosphor showed an extreme absolute sensitivity of 0.00326 K-1 at 373 K with excellent reproducibility and temperature resolution. Because of the small particle size and high luminescence efficiency, the nanophosphor could be implemented in various nano-devices where non-contact optical thermometry is necessary for high performance.

Phytosulfokine peptide library: chemical synthesis and biological evaluation on protoplast regeneration

A focussed library of 12 phytosulfokine analogues are synthesized and evaluated as artificial plant peptide hormones to boost regeneration of plant protoplasts.

Bumblebees display stimulus-specific persistence behaviour after being trained on delayed reinforcement

In uncertain environments, animals often face the challenge of deciding whether to stay with their current foraging option or leave to pursue the next opportunity. The voluntary decision to persist at a location or with one option is a critical cognitive ability in animal temporal decision-making. Little is known about whether foraging insects form temporal expectations of reward and how these expectations affect their learning and rapid, short-term foraging decisions. Here, we trained bumblebees on a simple colour discrimination task whereby they entered different opaque tunnels surrounded by coloured discs (artificial flowers) and received reinforcement (appetitive sugar water or aversive quinine solution depending on flower colour). One group received reinforcement immediately and the other after a variable delay (0–3 s). We then recorded how long bees were willing to wait/persist when reinforcement was delayed indefinitely. Bumblebees trained with delays voluntarily stayed in tunnels longer than bees trained without delays. Delay-trained bees also waited/persisted longer after choosing the reward-associated flower compared to the punishment-associated flower, suggesting stimulus-specific temporal associations. Strikingly, while training with delayed reinforcement did not affect colour discrimination, it appeared to facilitate the generalisation of temporal associations to ambiguous stimuli in bumblebees. Our findings suggest that bumblebees can be trained to form temporal expectations, and that these expectations can be incorporated into their decision-making processes, highlighting bumblebees’ cognitive flexibility in temporal information usage.Significance statementThe willingness to voluntarily wait or persist for potential reward is a critical aspect of decision-making during foraging. Investigating the willingness to persist across various species can shed light on the evolutionary development of temporal decision-making and related processes. This study revealed that bumblebees trained with delays to reinforcement from individual flowers were able to form temporal expectations, which, in turn, generalised to ambiguous stimuli. These findings contribute to our understanding of temporal cognition in an insect and the potential effects of delayed rewards on foraging behaviour.

FACILITY DESIGN FOR BENDOSARI ORCHARD EDU-TOURISM BASED ON COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Bendosari Orchard and Edu-Tourism stands as an initiative for enhancement and empowerment of Bendosari, Sumbersari, Moyudan, Sleman communities. Unfortunately, since its inception in 2011 and official inauguration in 2017, up until the year 2022, there has been a noticeable absence of development in terms of attractions and amenities. The research employs a qualitative descriptive method, while the planning based on community participation utilizes the Asset Based Community Development approach. This approach advocates for the utilization and empowerment of local assets to create a distinctive experience for visitors. From mapping, planning, implementation/construction, to evaluation together with the community. Beyond physical facilities, there is also a plan for the development of artificial vegetative plant cultivation (grafting, budding, cutting, and topworking). Research outcomes demonstrate that community involvement in the development of the facility resulted in effectiveness at every project phase. These findings provide a concrete example of the importance of community involvement in development projects, which will contribute to the quality and sustainability of project outcomes. The expansion of the tourism area is expected to be sustainable, and one approach is to establish connections with nearby attractions. By doing so, throughout the Bendosari area, tourists will have a variety of options to explore, thereby extending their stay within the Bendosari area, and this distribution will contribute to the local economic growth in the tourism sector.

Ancient insect vision tuned for flight among rocks and plants underpins natural flower colour diversity.

Understanding the origins of flower colour signalling to pollinators is fundamental to evolutionary biology and ecology. Flower colour evolves under pressure from visual systems of pollinators, like birds and insects, to establish global signatures among flowers with similar pollinators. However, an understanding of the ancient origins of this relationship remains elusive. Here, we employ computer simulations to generate artificial flower backgrounds assembled from real material sample spectra of rocks, leaves and dead plant materials, against which to test flowers' visibility to birds and bees. Our results indicate how flower colours differ from their backgrounds in strength, and the distributions of salient reflectance features when perceived by these key pollinators, to reveal the possible origins of their colours. Since Hymenopteran visual perception evolved before flowers, the terrestrial chromatic context for its evolution to facilitate flight and orientation consisted of rocks, leaves, sticks and bark. Flowers exploited these pre-evolved visual capacities of their visitors, in response evolving chromatic features to signal to bees, and differently to birds, against a backdrop of other natural materials. Consequently, it appears that today's flower colours may be an evolutionary response to the vision of diurnal pollinators navigating their world millennia prior to the first flowers.

Comparison between artificial fire blight shoot and flower inoculations in apple

AbstractFire blight is the most important bacterial disease in apple (Malus × domestica). Owing to the severity of the caused damages, fire blight resistance is an important breeding objective. In the past, various phenotypic screening methods and strategies have been used to identify new sources of fire blight resistance for breeding. In this study, breeding material, modern cultivars and heirloom accessions were phenotyped by artificial inoculation of shoots under greenhouse (n = 273) and flowers under field conditions (n = 20) and genotyped for known resistance genes and quantitative trait loci by using molecular markers. A comparison between the two phenotyping methods was made in relation to the two control varieties ‘Gala Galaxy’ and ‘Enterprise’. The results obtained for the resistance sources FB_MR5, Fb_E and FB_F7 are consistent with previously published data, showing a large effect of the two major resistance genes FB_MR5 (‘Malus × robusta 5’) and Fb_E (‘Evereste’). Genotypes carrying FB_F7 showed greater variation in their resistance levels, but were on average less susceptible than ‘Gala Galaxy’ and genotypes with no known resistance gene or quantitative trait locus (QTLs) in both tests. No correlation was found between the results of 18 genotypes phenotyped with both inoculation methods. The ranking of genotypes according to their flower and shoot fire blight resistance varied between the two methods. However, 11 of the 18 tested genotypes showed no significant difference between the results of the two methods. Additionally, it was found that flower shedding appears to be an important triggered mechanism for flower resistance to fire blight.

Early stage of invasion of the quagga mussel (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) within the interconnected lakes Lough Ree and Lough Derg of the Shannon River system, Ireland

Quagga and zebra mussels of the genus Dreissena are two of the most impactful freshwater invasive alien species that have spread widely across the globe. These species attach to natural and artificial substrates, form dense populations and filter large volumes of water causing ecological and economic damage. Following the quagga mussel’s discovery in the Shannon River system in Ireland, this study assesses its local distribution, population density, relative abundance, and population structure in the interconnected lakes Lough Ree and Lough Derg in order to determine the likely year and location of its introduction. Polymodal length-frequency analysis was used to distinguish between year cohorts and estimate growth rates. The quagga mussel is established widely across both lakes and is settling on a range of artificial surfaces, natural substrates, dead shells, plant material, and other invasive bivalves. High densities of quagga mussels exceeding 20 000 individuals per m2 were present on artificial surfaces in Lough Ree with total dreissenid densities reaching 26 758 per m2. The relative abundance of quagga mussels to zebra mussels on natural substrates is high in Lough Ree (up to 94.7%) and low in Lough Derg (up to 16.8%). Two to four year cohorts were present at all sites, with quagga mussels attaining large shell sizes over 34 mm in length. Growth varied between sites with a maximum estimated yearly growth rate of 16.8 mm. The time and place of the quagga mussel’s initial introduction in Ireland is still uncertain, but its widespread distribution, population structure, and high population density and relative abundance suggest it was first introduced to Lough Ree in 2016 or 2017.

Artificial flowers as a tool for investigating multimodal flower choice in wild insects.

Flowers come in a variety of colours, shapes, sizes and odours. Flowers also differ in the quality and quantity of nutritional reward they provide to entice potential pollinators to visit. Given this diversity, generalist flower-visiting insects face the considerable challenge of deciding which flowers to feed on and which to ignore. Working with real flowers poses logistical challenges due to correlations between flower traits, maintenance costs and uncontrolled variables. Here, we overcome this challenge by designing multimodal artificial flowers that varied in visual, olfactory and reward attributes. We used artificial flowers to investigate the impact of seven floral attributes (three visual cues, two olfactory cues and two rewarding attributes) on flower visitation and species richness. We investigated how flower attributes influenced two phases of the decision-making process: the decision to land on a flower, and the decision to feed on a flower. Artificial flowers attracted 890 individual insects representing 15 morphospecies spanning seven arthropod orders. Honeybees were the most common visitors accounting for 46% of visitors. Higher visitation rates were driven by the presence of nectar, the presence of linalool, flower shape and flower colour and was negatively impacted by the presence of citral. Species richness was driven by the presence of nectar, the presence of linalool and flower colour. For hymenopterans, the probability of landing on the artificial flowers was influenced by the presence of nectar or pollen, shape and the presence of citral and/or linalool. The probability of feeding increased when flowers contained nectar. For dipterans, the probability of landing on artificial flowers increased when the flower was yellow and contained linalool. The probability of feeding increased when flowers contained pollen, nectar and linalool. Our results demonstrate the multi-attribute nature of flower preferences and highlight the usefulness of artificial flowers as tools for studying flower visitation in wild insects.

Bumblebees negotiate a trade-off between nectar quality and floral biomechanics

How and why pollinators choose which flowers to visit are fundamental, multifaceted questions in pollination biology, yet most studies of floral traits measure simple relative preferences. Here, we used vertically and horizontally oriented slippery-surfaced artificial flowers to test whether bumblebees could make a trade-off between floral handling difficulty and nectar sucrose concentration. We quantified foraging energetics, thereby resolving the rationale behind the bees' foraging decisions. The bees chose flowers with either a high handling cost or low sucrose concentration, depending on which was the energetically favorable option. Their behavior agreed with the critical currency being the rate of energy return (net energy collected per unit time), not energetic efficiency (net energy collected per unit energy spent). This suggests that bumblebees prioritize immediate carbohydrate flow to the nest rather than energy gain over the working lifespan of each bee. Trade-off paradigms like these are a powerful approach for quantifying pollinator trait preferences.

Temporal variation of floral reward can improve the pollination success of a rare flowering plant

Many pollinating animals visit a variety of flowering plant species. Rare plant species pollinated by such generalists may experience a low quality or quantity of pollination, depending on the pollinators’ foraging behaviour. How plants cope with this rarity disadvantage is not well understood. One possibility would be to offer a higher floral reward, for example, a higher nectar sugar concentration. However, since nectar production is costly, rare plants may only be able to increase their nectar concentration for a limited time and offer little reward afterwards. In this study, we performed a laboratory experiment with bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) foraging on artificial flowers of two colours to investigate whether the bees’ foraging behaviour produces a rarity disadvantage and if so, whether the rare flower type could improve its pollination success through temporal variation of its nectar sugar concentration, i.e. a temporary increase of nectar sugar followed by a period with low concentration. We found that when both flower colours offered equal rewards, the rare colour received only slightly fewer visits per flower, but had a considerably lower expected pollination success based on the bumblebees’ visitation sequences. Temporal variation of the rare colour’s sugar concentration increased both the quantity and quality of visits it received. This positive effect was reduced when there were fewer rare flowers or when two bumblebees foraged simultaneously. Our results suggest that temporal variation of floral rewards can alleviate, but not completely eliminate the rarity disadvantage.

ANALISIS PENILAIAN KINERJA SUPPLIER PADA PT IDCSS

The best performance assessment of suppliers in the company is an effort to improve the quality of service and provide the best products to customers. The effort aims to keep the company competitive by minimizing discrepancies in the supply chain flow. Research was conducted on PT IDCSS to find the best performing suppliers in meeting the needs of artificial ornamental plant products, to minimize problems arising from the supply of inappropriate products. The method used in this research is the VPI frame worked Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) method with the main criteria of Quality, Cost, Delivery, Flexibility and Response which are divided into 17 sub-criteria. The results showed that the highest weights were the delivery criteria (0.389), cost (0.294), quality (0.157), response (0.108) and flexibility (0.052). The assessment results on supplier performance supplier MIS (0.260), YOH (0.256), FYG (0.244), CIL (0.129) and supplier SAM (0.112). This shows that supplier MIS has the best performance as a supplier of artificial ornamental plant products for PT IDCSS.

Impact of empty flowers on foraging choice and movement within floral patches by the honey bee, Apis mellifera

Floral displays often signal the presence of nectar, but nectar may not always be present due to previous visits by nectarivores or temporal changes in nectar availability. But how does the presence of empty flowers impact the preferences of foraging honey bees for the available flowers? We aimed to test if previously rewarding flowers changed the preference relationship between neighboring flowers, and if empty flowers impacted overall visitation, in the honey bee Apis mellifera. Using artificial flowers, we showed that although empty flowers did not influence foraging choices in A. mellifera workers, empty flowers did increase movement between flowers in the patch. The presence of empty flowers also resulted in increased rates of patch abandonment. Our results suggest that while empty flowers may not directly impact foraging preferences in bees, they can have an impact on visitation within patches and in the surrounding area, with possible knock-on effects for the pollination of both the emptied flower and neighboring plants.

Effects of light on growth and biomass of Dendrobium officinale (Kimura et Migo) grown in ThaiNguyen province, Vietnam

Dendrobium officinale Kimura et Migo (DO), one of the valuable and scarce medicinal orchids, in nature. Applying technical measures to regulating growth, increasing artificial plant biomass and conserving this herb is necessary. This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of shade treatments (30, 50, 70, and 90%) and light color (white, purple, blue, and red) on growth and biomass of the DO under greenhouse conditions in Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam. The results revealed that shading 50% and 70% significantly influenced on growth and biomass. Using red light is the best for growth, biomass, and increasing contents of polysaccharide and alkaloid. These results should be recommented in production technology of the DO.

Effects of culture medium composition on shoot multiplication and biomass production by in vitro culture of Dendrobium officinale (Kimura et Migo)

Dendrobium officinale (Kimura et Migo) is one of the most valuable and rare medicinal orchids exhausted in nature. The production of artificial plant biomass in this orchid is really necessary to prevent this risk. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of growth regulators (BAP, NAA, and GA3) on in vitro biomass production of Dendrobium officinale. Experiments were arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replicates. The results showed that MS medium supplemented with sucrose 30 gL-1, agar 6 gL-1, BAP gL-1, and NAA 0,5 gL-1 was the most suitable medium for in vitro biomass production. In vitro biomass of orchids cultured on the medium contained chemical components commonly found in wild dendrobium such as: Ca, Mg, protein, polysaccharides, and alkaloids. The success of this study is the basis for in vitro biomass production in order to supply materials for the medicine and food industries.

Plant secondary metabolite has dose‐dependent effects on bumblebees

The presence of secondary metabolites in flower nectar can mediate interactions between plants, pollinators, herbivores, and microbes. Milkweeds range in concentrations of cardenolides in flower nectar from ~ 1 to 100 ng μl–1. Using three different behavioral assays with bumblebees Bombus impatiens, we examined the impacts of the commercially available cardenolide ouabain at the range of concentrations at which cardenolides naturally occur in milkweeds. We show that after four days of exposure bees in consumption assays drank more of a nectar solution with a low ouabain concentration of 10 ng μl–1 than the control sucrose nectar, and over the course of the experiment bees consumed less of the 100 ng μl–1 ouabain solution than the control. Bee activity levels in Petri dish arena assays were not impacted by ouabain consumption, even at the highest concentrations; however, in free‐flying choice assays, bees preferentially visited artificial flowers containing 10 ng μl–1 ouabain more than flowers with sucrose control, or flowers with 100 ng μl–1 of ouabain. We therefore conclude that cardenolides may provide plants advantages to pollination at the low end of the naturally occurring range of concentrations for cardenolides, but may be costly to plants at the high end of the range. This research highlights that secondary metabolites in nectar may be under selection to be maintained at low concentrations, and species with high concentrations of secondary metabolites may be under conflicting selection pressures to maintain high circulating levels to deter herbivores at the cost of reduced pollination.