Bay Zoltán Foundation for Applied Research

Abstract Despite chimpanzees and bonobos sharing close phylogenetic ties to humans, chimpanzees are the more common model species in multiple fields of comparative research. One reason for this bias is the variation in tool repertoire size observed between the two species. Previous studies have examined the factors driving this difference, but few have targeted flexibility in how tools are used. We studied bonobos and chimpanzees under similar conditions in captivity, thus excluding any ecological variation present in these species’ natural habitats. We examined whether the species differed in their ability to switch between tools, a trait that may facilitate tool innovation in primates. To do so, we provided the apes with a task that required switching tool type from a rigid stick to a bendable rope to forage successfully. Our data suggest that there are no significant differences in tool-use performance between chimpanzees and bonobos in captivity. However, we found significant differences in the species’ exploration tendencies. While chimpanzees fixed their attention on stick tools, bonobos switched their attention more easily towards the rope, potentially due to less functional fixedness. We also found significant within-species differences between institutions. These findings suggest that future research should disentangle intrinsic flexibility in exploration and account for institution and group level effects.

In precision agriculture, the delineation of Management Zones (MZs) is essential for optimizing input use efficiency and site-specific nutrient management. MZs are established based on spatial variability derived from remote sensing data—such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from satellite or UAV-based imagery—and yield maps collected during harvest. However, the microbial community composition of the soil is often overlooked in MZ delineation. To address this gap, we investigated the soil bacterial community structure across different MZs in an arable field. The zones were delineated using NDVI data, soil profiles were described, and bulk soil samples were collected. Soil physicochemical parameters were analyzed in parallel with 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize bacterial community composition and diversity. The results demonstrated that soil texture and soil organic matter content were the primary drivers influencing bacterial community structure across the field. Moreover, patterns in microbial composition aligned closely with MZ delineations, indicating that microbial profiles could aid in better understanding and supporting the nutrient management practices. Our findings suggest that soil microbiological data can enhance the stability and biological relevance of MZ definitions, thereby improving resource allocation, soil health management, and overall sustainability in precision farming systems.

Protective coatings enhance abrasion and wear resistance, extending component lifespan. This study optimizes bath and heat treatment parameters for Ni–B coatings to improve tribological performance. Synthetic datasets of the coefficient of friction (COF) were analyzed using factorial design and the Taguchi method. The optimal COF values were <i>μ_opt</i> = 0.4244 (factorial) and <i>μ_opt</i> = 0.3998 (Taguchi), with the latter’s confidence interval [0.3671, 0.4325] confirming the validity of both. For minimizing COF, optimal settings were <i>t_f</i> = 60 °C, <i>T_l</i> = 60 min, <i>t_h</i> = 200 °C; for maximizing Vickers microhardness, <i>t_f</i> = 85 °C, <i>T_l</i> = 100 min, <i>t_h</i> = 600 °C, with a confidence interval of [814.17, 867.48]. These findings offer valuable insights into optimizing the Ni–B coating process.

In our study, supercapacitor electrodes were prepared by depositing electroless Ni-B coating on copper plates, followed by nitric acid etching. The composition and the micro- and phase structure of the coatings were investigated by ICP-OES, PFIB-SEM, and XRD techniques. The original pebble-like structure of the coating consists of 0.8-10 µm particles, with an X-ray amorphous phase structure. The surface morphology and porosity of the coating can be tuned simply by changing the etching time. The supercapacitive performance of the electrodes was evaluated by means of cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge-discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. The capacitance of the coating was found to vary on the etching time according to a maximum function, allowing for the determination of an optimal duration to obtain a specific capacitance of 157 mF/cm2 (at 0.5 A/g). An excellent charge storage retention of 178% was found after 5000 CV cycles at a scan rate of 50 mV/s owing to the evolved electrochemically active network on the surface of the electrode, indicating a long-term stable and reliable electrode.

Lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) is a crucial electrolyte for all-solid-state thin-film batteries due to its sufficient ionic conductivity. Understanding the mechanical behavior of LiPON films is crucial for further technological development. Previous studies noted unexpected ductility and strain recovery in amorphous LiPON during sharp-ended tip indentations revealing pile-up formation and densification as the main deformation mechanisms. Our work presents nanoindentation experiments including spherical tips, revealing a novel mechanical behavior of a sudden deformation event followed by slower but complete strain recovery during unloading. This unique deformation phenomenon is likely linked to the material's special structure, featuring isolated phosphate tetrahedra P(O,N)4 embedded in an amorphous Li matrix with occasional N bridge bonds between tetrahedra. In this study, the authors report on a range of nanoindentation experiments, examining how instability depends on strain rate and the indenter's tip geometry. It is found that instability occurs only within a specific range of deformation velocities and strongly depends on the indenter's tip sharpness. Assuming the mobility and the capability of the cooperative movement of the tetrahedra, the measured novel deformation method, and other, deformation-attached properties of the LiPON can be explained.

Abstract. Nowadays, using soil amendments to improve physical hydrological properties is popularly employed in agricultural engineering. This paper at first reports an experiment to compare the effect of two different soil amendments for their effect on soil water retention capacity. They two agents are the natural clay and a conditioning soil retainer. Soil water retention curve (SWRC) has been selected to quantify their effect on a benchmark pure sand soil in full range of water saturation, i.e. from fully saturated to nearly dry. Both the classic van Genuchten model and a novel three phase soil water retention model have been adopted to characterize the effect of the two soil amending agents on soil water retention capacity. The research results demonstrate that the clay has a significant enhancement on soil water retention at low content of clay and high soil water content range, however its effect reduces considerable with increasing clay content. Meanwhile the conditioning water retainer shows little effect at high soil water content range but has significant effect on soil water retention at low soil water content range. The results indicate the conditioning water retainer can help the reduction of the surface water evaporation and the water reservation underneath. The modelling has shown that the three-phase model is able to effectively represent the soil water retention curve in full range of soil water content, which provides a convenient tool to efficiently characterise the effect of conditioning water retainer. In addition, the three-phase model also provides the functional analysis and help understand the working mechanisms of the agents.

Poultry species are relatively rare among the target animals of grazing, and relatively few research has so far investigated the effect of poultry grazing in its details, including hen grazing on grassland vegetation. In our work, we studied the changes of grassland vegetation caused by a flock of organic laying hens grazed in mobile barns. The grazing field was selected in the organic apple orchard of the Babatvölgy Bio-Kerteszeti Tangazdaság of GAK near Gödöllő. During our work, we studied 8 grazing paddocks (grazed and control parts) of 4 sampling units at the beginning and the end of the paddocks’ grazing. In the current paper we present the data of the sampling unit closest to the mobile coop, which is therefore most exposed to disturbance. We recorded the percentage cover of each plant species and the phenological state of the plants, then analysed the floral composition based on social behaviour types, nature conservation value categories and grazing values. Our results show that the vegetation of the study area is characterized as a few years old fallow – dominated by weed and disturbance-tolerant species, but there are also species, indicating a (more) natural state. As for the effect of grazing, it can be said that laying hens mainly graze the "softer" plant parts that are easier to peck. Regardless of the phenological phase, they eat everything that is green plant, even fibrous grass species and poisonous plants are on their diet, though with least preference. As the effects of grazing, it should also be noted that no significant weeding effect of hen grazing could be observed in the examined time interval, so the herd could be successfully used for the management of the area.

The ancient Greek colony of Selinunte, with its acropolis on a promontory on the south-western coast of Sicily, is flanked by two valleys where two modest rivers flow today: the Modione to the west and the Cottone to the east. Archaeological reconstructions, historical documents from various sources, and recent remote sensing surveys indicate two important bays corresponding to the ancient mouths of these two rivers, now completely covered by a thick layer of sediments. It is believed that the ports of the colony were located in these bays, although the remains of these ports are still sparse and contradictory. Here we present a multibeam bathymetric map of part of the marine area immediately off Selinunte and a series of high-resolution seismic profiles acquired parallel to the coastline. They show the geometries and stratigraphic context of the two buried river valleys offshore, from which information about the palaeoenvironmental setting and evolution of the landscape can be derived and which may be used in adequately guiding future archaeological excavation programs.

Spicule activity in the chromosphere is modeled via the perturbation resulting from the propagation of an Alfvén wave pulse in a magnetic flux tube. Building on previous work, the model is augmented by the inclusion of a finite transitional layer in which the atmospheric density decreases exponentially. This additional complexity of the density stratification provides a more physical representation of the solar atmosphere and improves on the existing model. The wave pulse is introduced at the lower boundary of the flux tube and interacts with the transitional layer, also being partially reflected. The total mass flux induced by the pulse, and the proportion of this pulse that is transmitted through the layer, is calculated and examined in the context of spicules and the solar wind using an example solution. We find that the inclusion of the transitional layer results in more plasma flux being transferred into the upper solar atmosphere when compared with the case of a discontinuity. We examine how varying the parameters of this transitional layer affects the ratio of the flux above and below the layer.