Explore the vast range of titles available.

The application of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) has been gaining popularity over the last decades. LEDs have advantages compared to traditional light sources in terms of lifecycle, robustness, compactness, flexibility, and the absence of non-hazardous material. Combining these advantages with the possibility of emitting Ultraviolet C (UVC) makes LEDs serious candidates for light sources in decontamination systems. Nevertheless, it is unclear if they present better decontamination effectiveness than traditional mercury vapor lamps. Hence, this research uses a systematic literature review (SLR) to enlighten three aspects: (1) UVC LEDs’ application according to the field, (2) UVC LEDs’ application in terms of different biological indicators, and (3) the decontamination effectiveness of UVC LEDs in comparison to conventional lamps. UVC LEDs have spread across multiple areas, ranging from health applications to wastewater or food decontamination. The UVC LEDs’ decontamination effectiveness is as good as mercury vapor lamps. In some cases, LEDs even provide better results than conventional mercury vapor lamps. However, the increase in the targets’ complexity (e.g., multilayers or thicker individual layers) may reduce the UVC decontamination efficacy. Therefore, UVC LEDs still require considerable optimization. These findings are stimulating for developing industrial or final users’ applications.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of artificial light with different spectral composition and distribution on axial growth in guinea pigs. Three-week-old guinea pigs were randomly assigned to groups exposed to natural light, low color temperature light-emitting diode (LED) light, two full spectrum artificial lights (E light and Julia light) and blue light filtered light with the same intensity. Axial lengths of guinea pigs’ eyes were measured by A-scan ultrasonography prior to the experiment and every 2 weeks during the experiment. After light exposure for 12 weeks, retinal dopamine (DA), dihydroxy-phenylacetic acid (DOPAC) levels and DOPAC/DA ratio were analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography electrochemical detection and retinal histological structure was observed. Retinal melanopsin expression was detected using western blot and immunohistochemistry. After exposed to different kinds of light with different spectrum for 4 weeks, the axial lengths of guinea pigs’ eyes in LED group and Julia light group were significantly longer than those of natural light group. After 6 weeks, the axial lengths in LED light group were significantly longer than those of E light group and blue light filtered group. The difference between axial lengths in E light group and Julia light group showed statistical significance after 8 weeks (p<0.05). After 12 weeks of light exposure, the comparison of retinal DOPAC/DA ratio and melanopsin expression in each group was consistent with that of axial length. In guinea pigs, continuous full spectrum artificial light with no peak or valley can inhibit axial elongation via retinal dopaminergic and melanopsin system.

Artificial light can affect eyeball development and increase myopia rate. Matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2) degrades the extracellular matrix, and induces its remodeling, while tissue inhibitor of matrix MMP-2 (TIMP-2) inhibits active MMP-2. The present study aimed to look into how refractive development and the expression of MMP-2 and TIMP-2 in the guinea pigs' remodeled sclerae are affected by artificial light with varying spectral compositions. Three weeks old guinea pigs were randomly assigned to groups exposed to five different types of light: natural light, LED light with a low color temperature, three full spectrum artificial lights, i.e. E light (continuous spectrum in the range of ~390-780 nm), G light (a blue peak at 450 nm and a small valley 480 nm) and F light (continuous spectrum and wavelength of 400 nm below filtered). A-scan ultrasonography was used to measure the axial lengths of their eyes, every two weeks throughout the experiment. Following twelve weeks of exposure to light, the sclerae were observed by optical and transmission electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry, Western blot and RT-qPCR were used to detect the MMP-2 and TIMP-2 protein and mRNA expression levels in the sclerae. After four, six, eight, ten, and twelve weeks of illumination, the guinea pigs in the LED and G light groups had axial lengths that were considerably longer than the animals in the natural light group while the guinea pigs in the E and F light groups had considerably shorter axial lengths than those in the LED group. Following twelve weeks of exposure to light, the expression of the scleral MMP-2 protein and mRNA were, from low to high, N group, E group, F group, G group, LED group; however, the expression of the scleral TIMP-2 protein and mRNA were, from high to low, N group, E group, F group, G group, LED group. The comparison between groups was statistically significant (p<0.01). Continuous, peaks-free or valleys-free artificial light with full-spectrum preserves remodeling of scleral extracellular matrix in guinea pigs by downregulating MMP-2 and upregulating TIMP-2, controlling eye axis elongation, and inhibiting the onset and progression of myopia.

The early spring is a seasonal high-light “window” for new leaf growth and photosynthetic carbon capture by the shade-tolerant evergreen understory plants. However, it remains unclear how light regulates the source–sink relationship between rhizome (RO), mature leaf (ML), and immature leaf (IL) during Coptis chinensis leaf expansion. Understanding this relationship is essential to reducing RO reserve degradation and ultimately promote RO biomass accumulation. The plants grew in an artificial climate chamber with low (50 μmol m −2 s −1 ) and relatively high (200 μmol m −2 s −1 ) light intensity treatments. Leaf fluorescence, foliar phosphorus (P) fractions, soluble sugars, starch, total P, and alkaloid concentrations in ILs, MLs, and RO were measured, and 13 C labeling was used to indicate the direction of photosynthetic carbon flow between organs. The plants grown under high light intensity had higher levels of starch in RO and higher RO biomass at the end of the year compared to those grown under low light intensity. The photosystem II (PSII) operating efficiency [ Y (II)], relative electron transport rate ( r ETR), and photochemical quenching (qP), as well as sucrose and glucose, in ILs and MLs under relatively high light, was higher than those under low light. The glucose and starch concentrations in ILs at 35 d was significantly higher than that at 15 d when plants were under 200 μmol m −2 s −1 , while they were not significantly changed and remained low at 50 μmol m −2 s −1 . The 13 C was detected in the RO when plants were grown at 200 μmol m −2 s −1 , regardless of ILs and MLs 13 C labeling, while no 13 C was detected in the RO when plants were under 50 μmol m −2 s −1 . Additionally, the proportion of photosynthetic transport from ILs to MLs was significantly higher than that from MLs to ILs under the 50-μmol m −2 s −1 limit. Total P concentration in ILs was lower under relatively high light, but there was no difference in nucleic acid P concentration in ILs under the two light intensity treatments. The alkaloid concentration in RO was lower under 200 μmol m −2 s −1 than that under 50 μmol m −2 s −1 . We propose that relatively high light reduces the need for carbohydrates and P stored in the RO to support IL growth by (1) accelerating the sink-to-source transition in ILs, which inhibits the use of reserves in the RO; (2) using energy from MLs to support IL growth, thereby reducing RO reserve consumption, and (3) reducing the demand for P by investing less in the development of photosynthetic machinery. Furthermore, under low light, MLs serve as a sink and rely on other organs for support, directly or indirectly exacerbating the reserves lost in the RO.

In situ real-time monitoring of physiological information during crop growth (such as leaf chlorophyll values and water content) is crucial for enhancing agricultural production efficiency and crop management practices. In traditional agricultural monitoring, commonly used measurement methods, such as chemical analysis for determining leaf chlorophyll values and drying methods for measuring water content, are all non- in situ measurement techniques. These methods not only risk damaging the plants but may also impact plant growth and health. Furthermore, the complex setup of traditional spectrometers complicates the data collection process, which limits their practical application in plant monitoring. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a novel, user friendly, and plant-safe monitoring technology to improve agricultural management efficiency. To this end, this study proposes a novel wearable flexible sensor designed for in situ real-time monitoring of leaf chlorophyll values and water content. This sensor is lightweight, portable, and allows for flexible placement, enabling continuous monitoring by conforming to plant surfaces. Its spectral response covers multiple bands from near ultraviolet to near infrared, and it is equipped with an active light source ranging from ultraviolet to infrared to enable efficient measurements under various environmental conditions. In addition, the sensor is securely attached to the underside of the leaf using a magnetic suction method, ensuring long-term stable in situ monitoring, thus continuously collecting important physiological information throughout the crop growth cycle. Analysis of the sensor-collected data reveals that for leaf chlorophyll, Gaussian process regression shows the best prediction performance during multi-spectral scattering correction, with R c 2 of 0.8261 and RMSEc of 1.7444 on the training set; the performance on the test set is Rp² of 0.7155 and RMSE p of 2.0374. Meanwhile, for leaf water content, across various data preprocessing scenarios, gradient boosting regression can effectively predict it, yielding Rc² of 0.9401 and RMSEc of 0.0028 on the training set; the performance on the test set is R c 2 of 0.6667 and RMSE p of 0.0067.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), herbal preparations often consist of a mixture of herbs. Their quality control is challenging because every single herb contains hundreds of components (secondary metabolites). A typical 10 herb TCM formula was selected to develop an innovative strategy for its comprehensive chemical characterization and to study the specific contribution of each herb to the formula in an exploratory manner. Metabolite profiling of the TCM formula and the extract of each single herb were acquired with liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry for qualitative analyses, and to evaporative light scattering detection (ELSD) for semi-quantitative evaluation. The acquired data were organized as a feature-based molecular network (FBMN) which provided a comprehensive view of all types of secondary metabolites and their occurrence in the formula and all single herbs. These features were annotated by combining MS/MS-based in silico spectral match, manual evaluation of the structural consistency in the FBMN clusters, and taxonomy information. ELSD detection was used as a filter to select the most abundant features. At least one marker per herb was highlighted based on its specificity and abundance. A single large-scale fractionation from the enriched formula enabled the isolation and formal identification of most of them. The obtained markers allowed an improved annotation of associated features by manually propagating this information through the FBMN. These data were incorporated in the high-resolution metabolite profiling of the formula, which highlighted specific series of related components to each individual herb markers. These series of components, named multi-component signatures, may serve to improve the traceability of each herb in the formula. Altogether, the strategy provided highly informative compositional data of the TCM formula and detailed visualizations of the contribution of each herb by FBMN, filtered feature maps, and reconstituted chromatogram traces of all components linked to each specific marker. This comprehensive MS-based analytical workflow allowed a generic and unbiased selection of specific and abundant markers and the identification of multiple related sub-markers. This exploratory approach could serve as a starting point to develop more simple and targeted quality control methods with adapted marker specificity selection criteria to given TCM formula.

An efficient protocol for adventitious root induction from leaf explants of Morinda citrifolia treated with different concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) and α-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) was established in relation to physiological process changes during adventitious root induction under different light sources (fluorescent, red, blue, red + blue, and far-red). Among the different concentrations of IBA and NAA, 1.0 mg l⁻¹ IBA was proven as the best auxin source for adventitious root induction under fluorescent light. Higher concentrations of IBA and NAA trigger callus formation in both light and dark conditions. Maximum numbers of adventitious roots were induced under red light (26) followed by blue light (22) and the lowest under far-red light (6). In contrast, numerous callus formations were induced by red + blue followed by red and blue, while the highest root length (1.66 cm) with negligible callusing was observed under fluorescent light. Catalase and guaicacol peroxidase activities were highest under red light followed by fluorescent light and the lowest under red + blue light, but superoxide dismutase activity was not significantly influenced by different light sources. Ascorbate peroxidase played an important role in detoxification of the harmful effects of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Under fluorescent light, significantly lower accumulation of H₂O₂ was observed. Accumulation of H₂O₂ in the induced root under different light showed a positive correlation with peroxidation of lipids and was observed higher under far-red followed by red + blue and blue light.

Unlike traditional agriculture, vertical farming systems utilize soilless cultivation methods. Various solid media cultures or hydroponic methods can be employed for soilless farming. The selection of methods and materials should be based on criteria such as economic feasibility, accessibility, sustainability, ease of use and management, as well as operating costs, efficiency, and quality. In these intensive production systems, it is crucial to design, establish, and operate them like a factory to maintain high profitability. Since plant growth and development in vertical farming are faster compared to other agricultural methods, all harvesting, planting, irrigation, and system maintenance operations need to be carried out promptly. Therefore, determining which method or methods are more efficient in these systems is highly important. For the widespread adoption and sustainability of vertical farming, analyses of different methods and systems are necessary. The aim of this study is to contribute to the literature on methods for vertical farming facilities. In this study, lettuce, rocket, cress, and dill were cultivated under controlled climatic conditions in a fully enclosed and computer-controlled laboratory using the Deep Flow Technique (DFT) and Nutrient Film Technique (NFT). The growth performance, yield characteristics, and quality parameters of the plants grown were compared between the two systems. For this comparison, total fresh weight, plant height and width, stem diameter, leaf count, discarded leaf count, and branching (in applicable species) were used. Additionally, the energy efficiency of the vertical farming systems established using the two techniques was evaluated. The energy use efficiency (EUE) of the NFT and DFT systems was calculated as 4.16 g kWh⁻¹ and 5.89 g kWh⁻¹, respectively. The DFT system increased the total fresh weight and stem diameter in lettuce and dill plants by an average of 5%. Due to the higher biomass production in the DFT system, its EUE was calculated to be 5% higher.

At present greenhouse farming has become more popular in contrast to traditional farming because of its adjustment capability of the environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity, light intensity, and soil moisture according to the requirements of the crops. Continuous monitoring and controlling facilities of the greenhouse system allow the farmers a good maintenance system with good quality and high yield of the crops. In this paper, an Arduino microcontroller was used in a greenhouse system for an automatic monitoring system for cultivation incorporating various sensors such as a temperature-humidity sensor, and soil moisture sensor to collect parameters for monitoring the environment of the greenhouse. The collected data were used to control the temperature using cooling fans which facilitated the greenhouse controlling the environment. For storage and processing the data the controller code was generated in the Arduino programming language, and finally inserted into the Arduino UNO R3 microcontroller. A solar power system with a rechargeable battery was installed as a source of energy to ensure continuous power supply to the greenhouse system. Implementation of a greenhouse with a microclimatic parameter monitoring and controlling system will result in mitigating land and labor requirement problems for small-scale farmers, and gardeners as well as supplying suitable data for agricultural researchers.

Chinese medicine is a historic cultural legacy of China. It has made a significant contribution to medicine and healthcare for generations. The development of Chinese herbal medicine analysis is emphasized by the Chinese pharmaceutical industry. This study has carried out the experimental analysis of ten kinds of Chinese herbal powder including Fritillaria powder, etc., based on the photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) method. First, a photoacoustic spectroscopy system was designed and constructed, especially a highly sensitive solid photoacoustic cell was established. Second, the experimental setup was verified through the characteristic emission spectrum of the light source, obtained by using carbon as a sample in the photoacoustic cell. Finally, as the photoacoustic spectroscopy analysis of Fritillaria, etc., was completed, the specificity of the Chinese herb medicine analysis was verified. This study shows that the PAS can provide a valid, highly sensitive analytical method for the specificity of Chinese herb medicine without preparing and damaging samples.