Carbon Materials Advancing Microorganisms in Driving Soil Organic Carbon Regulation

Carbon emission from soil is not only one of the major sources of greenhouse gases but also threatens biological diversity, agricultural productivity, and food security. Regulation and control of the soil carbon pool are political practices in many countries around the globe. Carbon pool management in engineering sense is much bigger and beyond laws and monitoring, as it has to contain proactive elements to restore active carbon. Biogeochemistry teaches us that soil microorganisms are crucial to manage the carbon content effectively. Adding carbon materials to soil is thereby not directly sequestration, as interaction of appropriately designed materials with the soil microbiome can result in both: metabolization and thereby nonsustainable use of the added carbon, or—more favorably—a biological amplification of human efforts and sequestration of extra CO2 by microbial growth. We review here potential approaches to govern soil carbon, with a special focus set on the emerging practice of adding manufactured carbon materials to control soil carbon and its biological dynamics. Notably, research on so-called “biochar” is already relatively mature, while the role of artificial humic substance (A-HS) in microbial carbon sequestration is still in the developing stage. However, it is shown that the preparation and application of A-HS are large biological levers, as they directly interact with the environment and community building of the biological soil system. We believe that A-HS can play a central role in stabilizing carbon pools in soil.

Design of biointerfaces composed of soft materials using controlled radical polymerization

Soft interface materials have an immense potential for the improvement of biointerfaces, which are the interface of biological and artificially designed materials. Controlling the chemical and physical structures of the...

Magnetic Microdimer as Mobile Meter for Measuring Plasma Glucose and Lipids

With the development of designed materials and structures, a wide array of micro/nanomachines with versatile functionalities are employed for specific sensing applications. Here, we demonstrated a magnetic propelled microdimer-based point-of-care testing system, which can be used to provide the real-time data of plasma glucose and lipids relying on the motion feedback of mechanical properties. On-demand and programmable speed and direction of the microdimers can be achieved with the judicious adjustment of the external magnetic field, while their velocity and instantaneous postures provide estimation of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides concentrations with high temporal accuracy. Numerical simulations reveal the relationship between motility performance and surrounding liquid properties. Such technology presents a point-of-care testing (POCT) approach to adapt to biofluid measurement, which advances the development of microrobotic system in biomedical fields.

Enhanced Vibration Isolation with Prestressed Resonant Auxetic Metamaterial

Metamaterials designate structures with properties exceeding bulk materials. Since the end of the 1990s, they have attracted ever-growing attention in many research fields such as electromagnetics, acoustics, and elastodynamics. This paper presents a numerical and experimental study on a locally resonant auxetic metamaterial for vibration isolation. The designed materials combine different mechanisms—such as buckling, local resonances, and auxetism—to generate enhanced isolation properties. This type of structure could help to improve the isolation for machines, transportation, and buildings. First, the static properties of the reference and resonant structures are compared. Dispersion curves are then analysed to describe their periodic dynamic behaviour. An experimental validation carried out on a specially designed test bench is then presented and compared to corresponding finite structure simulation. As a result, huge bandgaps are found for the resonant case and strong isolation properties are also confirmed by the experimental data.

Scientific and methodological foundations of hygienic assessment and examination of digital educational content

Introduction. In a modern school, digital educational materials are widely used, implemented through electronic teaching aids. However, teachers in the learning process are not guided by the appropriate recommendations of hygienists. The purpose of the study is to substantiate hygienically significant parameters of digital educational content presented on devices equipped with a screen. Materials and methods. Hygienic observational, expert-analytical and physiological-hygienic studies were carried out to assess 460 electronic educational materials. Results. A number of indicators have been established that characterize the readability of educational materials of a digital school, four of which are regulated by the current sanitary legislation, and the rest are of a recommendatory nature. The assessment of the textual material made it possible to establish that the educational materials did not comply with the regulated and recommended hygienic requirements in all respects. The expert assessment showed that the hygienically not rationally designed educational material presented on the screens causes discomfort of the visual analyzer after working with it. Working with such material contributes to visual fatigue, at the same time, the use of hygienically rationally designed materials is characterized by positive trends in the state of the visual analyzer. Conclusion. A hygienically not rationally designed educational material presented on screens causes discomfort in the visual analyzer and promotes visual fatigue. Hygienic assessment and examination of used and developed digital educational content should be carried out in terms of text, color, illustrative design and design of electronic educational material.

Programmed Plastic Deformation in Mathematically-Designed Architected Cellular Materials

The ability to control the exhibited plastic deformation behavior of cellular materials under certain loading conditions can be harnessed to design more reliable and structurally efficient damage-tolerant materials for crashworthiness and protective equipment applications. In this work, a mathematically-based design approach is proposed to program the deformation behavior of cellular materials with minimal surface-based topologies and ductile constituent material by employing the concept of functional grading to control the local relative density of unit cells. To demonstrate the applicability of this design tactic, two examples are presented. Rhombic, and double arrow deformation profiles were programmed as the desired deformation patterns. Grayscale images were used to map the relative density distribution of the cellular material. 316L stainless steel metallic samples were fabricated using the powder bed fusion additive manufacturing technique. Results of compressive tests showed that the designed materials followed the desired programmed deformation behavior. Results of mechanical testing also showed that samples with programmed deformation exhibited higher plateau stress and toughness values as compared to their uniform counterparts while no effect on Young’s modulus was observed. Plateau stress values increased by 8.6% and 13.4% and toughness values increased by 5.6% and 11.2% for the graded-rhombic and graded-arrow patterns, respectively. Results of numerical simulations predicted the exact deformation behavior that was programmed in the samples and that were obtained experimentally.

A Review of using Nanostructured Materials in Food Safety, Packaging and Storage

Food-grade Nano designed materials are largely utilized with a few methodologies for further developed food properties as far as quality and medical advantages. The food-grade nanostructured materials for the most part incorporate inorganic and natural materials, where the utilization of natural nanomaterials, like polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and others, has been expanded for their profile based assets. Food-grade nanostructured materials might offer further developed food properties as far as surface, shading, flavor, supplement substance, rheology and others, which must be basically checked. The nanostructured materials are likewise used to foster bundling materials, in both essential and optional bundling, for custom fitted properties with diminished waste. Be that as it may, the food handling is estimated as far as movement properties, toxicological conduct of nanoparticle among bundle and food materials, as food handling is a main pressing issue in securing the bundled items for the duration of the existence cycle. Among accessible, polysaccharide-based nanostructured materials, for example, nanocellulose, nanochitosan, nanostarch, and so on, are widely utilized materials for tuned food properties.

Visual Analysis Plus Hierarchical Linear Model Regressions: Morphosyntax Intervention with Deaf-and-Hard-of-Hearing Students

We conducted a pilot study using intentional teaching strategies with specially designed materials to improve accuracy and production of targeted English morphosyntax structures with six deaf and hard-of-hearing students (kindergarten to first grade). A multiple baseline single-case research design (SCRD) consisting of 20-minute sessions four times per week for the duration of a school year was implemented to determine the effect of the supplemental syntax curriculum. The data were inconsistent and highly variable. Visual analyses were problematic; therefore, hierarchical linear model (HLM) regression analyses were conducted with the time series SCRD data as an additional analysis. HLM regression analyses were used to interpret data that might otherwise be overlooked in SCRDs to provide specific values for the rate students were learning during the intervention phase of the study. This pilot study demonstrates that the syntax intervention produces promising results when data that are too messy for visual analysis are analyzed with HLM.