A new code SORD for simulation of polarized light scattering in the Earth atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korkin, Sergey; Lyapustin, Alexei; Sinyuk, Aliaksandr; Holben, Brent

2016-05-01

We report a new publicly available radiative transfer (RT) code for numerical simulation of polarized light scattering in plane-parallel Earth atmosphere. Using 44 benchmark tests, we prove high accuracy of the new RT code, SORD (Successive ORDers of scattering1, 2). We describe capabilities of SORD and show run time for each test on two different machines. At present, SORD is supposed to work as part of the Aerosol Robotic NETwork3 (AERONET) inversion algorithm. For natural integration with the AERONET software, SORD is coded in Fortran 90/95. The code is available by email request from the corresponding (first) author or from ftp://climate1.gsfc.nasa.gov/skorkin/SORD/ or ftp://maiac.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/SORD.zip

Transcriptome analysis of molecular mechanisms responsible for light-stress response in Mythimna separata (Walker)

PubMed Central

Duan, Yun; Gong, ZhongJun; Wu, RenHai; Miao, Jin; Jiang, YueLi; Li, Tong; Wu, XiaoBo; Wu, YuQing

2017-01-01

Light is an important environmental signal for most insects. The Oriental Armyworm, Mythimna separata, is a serious pest of cereal crops worldwide, and is highly sensitive to light signals during its developmental and reproductive stages. However, molecular biological studies of its response to light stress are scarce, and related genomic information is not available. In this study, we sequenced and de novo assembled the transcriptomes of M. separata exposed to four different light conditions: dark, white light (WL), UV light (UVL) and yellow light (YL). A total of 46,327 unigenes with an average size of 571 base pairs (bp) were obtained, among which 24,344 (52.55%) matched to public databases. The numbers of genes differentially expressed between dark vs WL, dark vs UVL, dark vs YL, and UVL vs YL were 12,012, 12,950, 14,855, and 13,504, respectively. These results suggest that light exposure altered gene expression patterns in M. separata. Putative genes involved in phototransduction-fly, phototransduction, circadian rhythm-fly, olfactory transduction, and taste transduction were identified. This study thus identified a series of candidate genes and pathways potentially related to light stress in M. separata. PMID:28345615

Negative effects of heterospecific pollen receipt vary with abiotic conditions: ecological and evolutionary implications

PubMed Central

Celaya, Ileana N.; Arceo-Gómez, Gerardo; Alonso, Conchita; Parra-Tabla, Víctor

2015-01-01

Background and Aims Studies that have evaluated the effects of heterospecific pollen (HP) receipt on plant reproductive success have generally overlooked the variability of the natural abiotic environment in which plants grow. Variability in abiotic conditions, such as light and water availability, has the potential to affect pollen–stigma interactions (i.e. conspecific pollen germination and performance), which will probably influence the effects of HP receipt. Thus, a more complete understanding of the extent, strength and consequences of plant–plant interactions via HP transfer requires better consideration of the range of abiotic conditions in which these interactions occur. This study addresses this issue by evaluating the effects of two HP donors (Tamonea curassavica and Angelonia angustifolia) on the reproductive success of Cuphea gaumeri, an endemic species of the Yucatan Peninsula. Methods Mixed (conspecific pollen and HP) and pure (conspecific pollen only) hand-pollinations were conducted under varying conditions of water and light availability in a full factorial design. Reproductive success was measured as the number of pollen tubes that reached the bottom of the style. Key Results Only one of the two HP donors had a significant effect on C. gaumeri reproductive success, but this effect was dependent on water and light availability. Specifically, HP receipt caused a decrease in pollen tube growth, but only when the availability of water, light or both was low, and not when the availability of both resources was high. Conclusions The results show that the outcome of interspecific post-pollination interactions via HP transfer can be context-dependent and vary with abiotic conditions, thus suggesting that abiotic effects in natural populations may be under-estimated. Such context-dependency could lead to spatial and temporal mosaics in the ecological and evolutionary consequences of post-pollination interactions. PMID:26199385

Evidence for a photoprotective function for secondary carotenoids of snow algae

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bidigare, R.R.; Ondrusek, M.E.; Kennicutt, M.C. II

Snow algae occupy a unique habitat in high altitude and polar environments. These algae are often subject to extremes in nutrient availability, acidity, solar irradiance, desiccation, and ambient temperature. This report documents the accumulation of secondary carotenoids by snow algae in response to the availability of nitrogenous nutrients. Unusually large accumulations of astaxanthin esters in extra-chloroplastic lipid globules produce the characteristic red pigmentation typical of some snow algae (e.g., Chlamydomonas nivalis (Bauer) Wille). Consequently, these compounds greatly reduce the amount of light available for absorption by the light-harvesting pigment-protein complexes, thus potentially limiting photoinhibition and photodamage caused by intense solarmore » radiation. The esterification of astaxanthin with fatty acids represents a possible mechanism by which this chromophore can be concentrated within cytoplasmic globules to maximize its photoprotective efficiency. 53 refs., 2 figs., 4 tabs.« less

Comprehensive optical and data management infrastructure for high-throughput light-sheet microscopy of whole mouse brains.

PubMed

Müllenbroich, M Caroline; Silvestri, Ludovico; Onofri, Leonardo; Costantini, Irene; Hoff, Marcel Van't; Sacconi, Leonardo; Iannello, Giulio; Pavone, Francesco S

2015-10-01

Comprehensive mapping and quantification of neuronal projections in the central nervous system requires high-throughput imaging of large volumes with microscopic resolution. To this end, we have developed a confocal light-sheet microscope that has been optimized for three-dimensional (3-D) imaging of structurally intact clarified whole-mount mouse brains. We describe the optical and electromechanical arrangement of the microscope and give details on the organization of the microscope management software. The software orchestrates all components of the microscope, coordinates critical timing and synchronization, and has been written in a versatile and modular structure using the LabVIEW language. It can easily be adapted and integrated to other microscope systems and has been made freely available to the light-sheet community. The tremendous amount of data routinely generated by light-sheet microscopy further requires novel strategies for data handling and storage. To complete the full imaging pipeline of our high-throughput microscope, we further elaborate on big data management from streaming of raw images up to stitching of 3-D datasets. The mesoscale neuroanatomy imaged at micron-scale resolution in those datasets allows characterization and quantification of neuronal projections in unsectioned mouse brains.

Refrigerated display case lighting with LEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raghavan, Ramesh; Narendran, Nadarajah

2002-11-01

The rapid development of high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs) has triggered many applications, especially in the area of display lighting. This paper focuses on the application of white LEDs in refrigerated display cases. The fluorescent lighting presently used in commercial refrigerators is inefficient in the application and also it provides poor lighting for merchandising. A laboratory human factors experiment was conducted to assess the preference for the different lighting systems, namely, fluorescent and LED. Two refrigerated display cases, one with the traditional fluorescent lighting system and the other with a prototype LED lighting system, were placed side-by-side in a laboratory setting. Illuminance measurements made within the two display cases showed that the lighting was more uniform with the LED system compared to the traditional fluorescent system. Sixteen human subjects participated in this study and rated their preference for the two lighting systems. The results show that human subjects strongly preferred the display case with the LED lighting. The authors of this manuscript believe a field study would be greatly beneficial to further confirm these results and to understand the relationship between preference and sales. Considering the luminous efficacy of white LEDs presently available in the marketplace, it is possible to develop a LED based lighting system for commercial refrigerators that is competitive with fluorescent lighting system in terms of energy use. The LED based lighting would provide better lighting than traditional fluorescent lighting.

Ultrawidefield microscope for high-speed fluorescence imaging and targeted optogenetic stimulation.

PubMed

Werley, Christopher A; Chien, Miao-Ping; Cohen, Adam E

2017-12-01

The rapid increase in the number and quality of fluorescent reporters and optogenetic actuators has yielded a powerful set of tools for recording and controlling cellular state and function. To achieve the full benefit of these tools requires improved optical systems with high light collection efficiency, high spatial and temporal resolution, and patterned optical stimulation, in a wide field of view (FOV). Here we describe our 'Firefly' microscope, which achieves these goals in a Ø6 mm FOV. The Firefly optical system is optimized for simultaneous photostimulation and fluorescence imaging in cultured cells. All but one of the optical elements are commercially available, yet the microscope achieves 10-fold higher light collection efficiency at its design magnification than the comparable commercially available microscope using the same objective. The Firefly microscope enables all-optical electrophysiology ('Optopatch') in cultured neurons with a throughput and information content unmatched by other neuronal phenotyping systems. This capability opens possibilities in disease modeling and phenotypic drug screening. We also demonstrate applications of the system to voltage and calcium recordings in human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes.

Ultrawidefield microscope for high-speed fluorescence imaging and targeted optogenetic stimulation

PubMed Central

Werley, Christopher A.; Chien, Miao-Ping; Cohen, Adam E.

2017-01-01

The rapid increase in the number and quality of fluorescent reporters and optogenetic actuators has yielded a powerful set of tools for recording and controlling cellular state and function. To achieve the full benefit of these tools requires improved optical systems with high light collection efficiency, high spatial and temporal resolution, and patterned optical stimulation, in a wide field of view (FOV). Here we describe our ‘Firefly’ microscope, which achieves these goals in a Ø6 mm FOV. The Firefly optical system is optimized for simultaneous photostimulation and fluorescence imaging in cultured cells. All but one of the optical elements are commercially available, yet the microscope achieves 10-fold higher light collection efficiency at its design magnification than the comparable commercially available microscope using the same objective. The Firefly microscope enables all-optical electrophysiology (‘Optopatch’) in cultured neurons with a throughput and information content unmatched by other neuronal phenotyping systems. This capability opens possibilities in disease modeling and phenotypic drug screening. We also demonstrate applications of the system to voltage and calcium recordings in human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes. PMID:29296505

Athletics from the Ground Up: Selecting a Surface To Play On.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fickes, Michael

1998-01-01

Discusses flooring options for high school gymnasiums and the issues to consider when selecting flooring in light of the new sports activities now available. Explanations of how schools decided on whether to buy synthetic or wood flooring are provided. (GR)

Near-infrared light controlled photocatalytic activity of carbon quantum dots for highly selective oxidation reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Haitao; Liu, Ruihua; Lian, Suoyuan; Liu, Yang; Huang, Hui; Kang, Zhenhui

2013-03-01

Selective oxidation of alcohols is a fundamental and significant transformation for the large-scale production of fine chemicals, UV and visible light driven photocatalytic systems for alcohol oxidation have been developed, however, the long wavelength near infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) light have not yet fully utilized by the present photocatalytic systems. Herein, we reported carbon quantum dots (CQDs) can function as an effective near infrared (NIR) light driven photocatalyst for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. Based on the NIR light driven photo-induced electron transfer property and its photocatalytic activity for H2O2 decomposition, this metal-free catalyst could realize the transformation from benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with high selectivity (100%) and conversion (92%) under NIR light irradiation. HO&z.rad; is the main active oxygen specie in benzyl alcohol selective oxidative reaction confirmed by terephthalic acid photoluminescence probing assay (TA-PL), selecting toluene as the substrate. Such metal-free photocatalytic system also selectively converts other alcohol substrates to their corresponding aldehydes with high conversion, demonstrating a potential application of accessing traditional alcohol oxidation chemistry.Selective oxidation of alcohols is a fundamental and significant transformation for the large-scale production of fine chemicals, UV and visible light driven photocatalytic systems for alcohol oxidation have been developed, however, the long wavelength near infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) light have not yet fully utilized by the present photocatalytic systems. Herein, we reported carbon quantum dots (CQDs) can function as an effective near infrared (NIR) light driven photocatalyst for the selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. Based on the NIR light driven photo-induced electron transfer property and its photocatalytic activity for H2O2 decomposition, this metal-free catalyst could realize the transformation from benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with high selectivity (100%) and conversion (92%) under NIR light irradiation. HO&z.rad; is the main active oxygen specie in benzyl alcohol selective oxidative reaction confirmed by terephthalic acid photoluminescence probing assay (TA-PL), selecting toluene as the substrate. Such metal-free photocatalytic system also selectively converts other alcohol substrates to their corresponding aldehydes with high conversion, demonstrating a potential application of accessing traditional alcohol oxidation chemistry. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr00092c

Transcriptome analysis of Haloquadratum walsbyi: vanity is but the surface.

PubMed

Bolhuis, Henk; Martín-Cuadrado, Ana Belén; Rosselli, Riccardo; Pašić, Lejla; Rodriguez-Valera, Francisco

2017-07-03

Haloquadratum walsbyi dominates saturated thalassic lakes worldwide where they can constitute up to 80-90% of the total prokaryotic community. Despite the abundance of the enigmatic square-flattened cells, only 7 isolates are currently known with 2 genomes fully sequenced and annotated due to difficulties to grow them under laboratory conditions. We have performed a transcriptomic analysis of one of these isolates, the Spanish strain HBSQ001 in order to investigate gene transcription under light and dark conditions. Despite a potential advantage for light as additional source of energy, no significant differences were found between light and dark expressed genes. Constitutive high gene expression was observed in genes encoding surface glycoproteins, light mediated proton pumping by bacteriorhodopsin, several nutrient uptake systems, buoyancy and storage of excess carbon. Two low expressed regions of the genome were characterized by a lower codon adaptation index, low GC content and high incidence of hypothetical genes. Under the extant cultivation conditions, the square hyperhalophile devoted most of its transcriptome towards processes maintaining cell integrity and exploiting solar energy. Surface glycoproteins are essential for maintaining the large surface to volume ratio that facilitates light and organic nutrient harvesting whereas constitutive expression of bacteriorhodopsin warrants an immediate source of energy when light becomes available.

Better to light a candle than curse the darkness: illuminating spatial localization and temporal dynamics of rapid microbial growth in the rhizosphere

PubMed Central

Herron, Patrick M.; Gage, Daniel J.; Arango Pinedo, Catalina; Haider, Zane K.; Cardon, Zoe G.

2013-01-01

The rhizosphere is a hotbed of microbial activity in ecosystems, fueled by carbon compounds from plant roots. Basic questions about the location and dynamics of plant-spurred microbial growth in the rhizosphere are difficult to answer with standard, destructive soil assays mixing a multitude of microbe-scale microenvironments in a single, often sieved, sample. Soil microbial biosensors designed with the luxCDABE reporter genes fused to a promoter of interest enable continuous imaging of the microbial perception of (and response to) environmental conditions in soil. We used the common soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as host to plasmid pZKH2 containing a fusion between the strong constitutive promoter nptII and luxCDABE (coding for light-emitting proteins) from Vibrio fischeri. Experiments in liquid media demonstrated that high light production by KT2440/pZKH2 was associated with rapid microbial growth supported by high carbon availability. We applied the biosensors in microcosms filled with non-sterile soil in which corn (Zea mays L.), black poplar (Populus nigra L.), or tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) was growing. We detected minimal light production from microbiosensors in the bulk soil, but biosensors reported continuously from around roots for as long as six days. For corn, peaks of luminescence were detected 1–4 and 20–35 mm along the root axis behind growing root tips, with the location of maximum light production moving farther back from the tip as root growth rate increased. For poplar, luminescence around mature roots increased and decreased on a coordinated diel rhythm, but was not bright near root tips. For tomato, luminescence was dynamic, but did not exhibit a diel rhythm, appearing in acropetal waves along roots. KT2440/pZKH2 revealed that root tips are not always the only, or even the dominant, hotspots for rhizosphere microbial growth, and carbon availability is highly variable in space and time around roots. PMID:24032034

Development of a High Output Fluorescent Light Module for the Commercial Plant Biotechnology Facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Mark; Zhou, Wei-Jia; Doty, Laura (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

To maximize the use of available resources provided onboard the International Space Station, the development of an efficient lighting 1 system is critical to the overall performance of the CPBF. Not only is it important to efficiently generate photon energy, but thermal loads on the CPBF Temperature and Humidity Control System must be minimized. By utilizing optical coatings designed to produce highly diffuse reflectance in the visible wavelengths while minimizing reflectance in the infrared region, the design of the fluorescent light module for the CPBF is optimized for maximum photon flux, spatial uniformity and energy efficiency. Since the Fluorescent Light Module must be fully enclosed to meet (ISS) requirements for containment of particulates and toxic materials, heat removal from the lights presented some unique design challenges. By using the Express Rack moderate C, temperature-cooling loop, heat is rejected by means of a liquid/air coolant manifold. Heat transfer to the manifold is performed by conduction using copper fins, by forced air convection using miniature fans, and by radiation using optically selective coatings that absorb in the infrared wavelengths. Using this combination of heat transfer mechanisms builds in redundancy to prevent thermal build up and premature bulb failure.

High brightness phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes on transparent and flexible cellulose films.

PubMed

Purandare, Sumit; Gomez, Eliot F; Steckl, Andrew J

2014-03-07

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) were fabricated on flexible and transparent reconstituted cellulose obtained from wood pulp. Cellulose is naturally available, abundant, and biodegradable and offers a unique substrate alternative for the fabrication of flexible OLEDs. Transparent cellulose material was formed by dissolution of cellulose in an organic solvent (dimethyl acetamide) at elevated temperature (165 °C) in the presence of a salt (LiCl). The optical transmission of 40-μm thick transparent cellulose sheet averaged 85% over the visible spectrum. High brightness and high efficiency thin film OLEDs were fabricated on transparent cellulose films using phosphorescent Ir(ppy)3 as the emitter material. The OLEDs achieved current and luminous emission efficiencies as high as 47 cd A(-1) and 20 lm W(-1), respectively, and a maximum brightness of 10,000 cd m(-2).

High brightness phosphorescent organic light emitting diodes on transparent and flexible cellulose films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Purandare, Sumit; Gomez, Eliot F.; Steckl, Andrew J.

2014-03-01

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) were fabricated on flexible and transparent reconstituted cellulose obtained from wood pulp. Cellulose is naturally available, abundant, and biodegradable and offers a unique substrate alternative for the fabrication of flexible OLEDs. Transparent cellulose material was formed by dissolution of cellulose in an organic solvent (dimethyl acetamide) at elevated temperature (165 °C) in the presence of a salt (LiCl). The optical transmission of 40-μm thick transparent cellulose sheet averaged 85% over the visible spectrum. High brightness and high efficiency thin film OLEDs were fabricated on transparent cellulose films using phosphorescent Ir(ppy)3 as the emitter material. The OLEDs achieved current and luminous emission efficiencies as high as 47 cd A-1 and 20 lm W-1, respectively, and a maximum brightness of 10 000 cd m-2.

Amazon forests did not green up during the 2005 drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samanta, A.; Ganguly, S.; Hashimoto, H.; Devadiga, S.; Vermote, E. F.; Knyazikhin, Y.; Nemani, R. R.; Myneni, R. B.

2009-12-01

The sensitivity of Amazon rainforests to dry-season droughts remains unresolved with reports of enhanced tree mortality and forest fires, on one hand, and, excessive forest green-up, on the other. Here using the latest and improved version of satellite-derived vegetation greenness data - Collection 5 (C5) Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) - we report that the there is no evidence of large-scale greening of the Amazon during the 2005 drought - approximately 11%-12% of these forests display greening, while, 28%-29% show browning or no-change, and for the rest the data are not of sufficient quality to characterize any changes. In addition, independent satellite-derived data on precipitation, surface radiation and aerosols do not substantiate underlying assumptions of the hypothesis of enhanced photosynthetic capacity of intact Amazon forests stimulated by increased light availability during a drought. First, interannual changes in dry-season greenness are unrelated to concurrent changes in light availability. Second, the 2005 drought cannot be used as a surrogate for light availability to these rainforests owing to persistently high aerosol loads in the atmosphere. Third, the spatial extent and magnitude of greening do not change systematically with drought severity. Finally, the changes in vegetation activity of these forests during the drought-stricken dry season of 2005 are not unique in comparison to that observed during dry seasons of non-drought years. Our analysis also demonstrates the critical role of biomass burning aerosols in limiting light availability to water stressed Amazon forests during the dry season of 2005. This will have important implications for the sensitivity of these forests to similar droughts in future.

Retail lighting and packaging influence consumer acceptance of fluid milk.

PubMed

Potts, H L; Amin, K N; Duncan, S E

2017-01-01

Little is known about the effect of retail light-emitting diode (LED) exposure on consumer acceptance of milk. The study objective was to determine effects of fluorescent and LED lighting under retail storage conditions on consumer acceptance of milk. Consumer acceptance of milk stored under retail conditions was determined through sensory evaluation (2 studies; n=150+ each) and analytical measures (dissolved oxygen, secondary oxidation products, riboflavin retention). Study 1 evaluated milk stored in high-density polyethylene (HDPE) packages for 4h under LED light (960 lx). Commercially available HDPE package treatments included translucent HDPE (most commonly used), white HDPE [low concentration (1.3%) TiO 2 ], and yellow HDPE; in addition, HDPE with a higher TiO 2 concentration (high white; 4.9% TiO 2 ) and a foil-wrapped translucent HDPE (control) were tested. Translucent and control packages also were tested under fluorescent light. Study 2 evaluated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) packages for 4h under fluorescent and LED light (1,460 lx). The PET packaging included 2 treatments (medium, 4.0% TiO 2 ; high, 6.6% TiO 2 ) as well as translucent HDPE (exposed to fluorescent), clear PET (fluorescent and LED), and light-protected control. Overall mean acceptability of milk ranged from "like slightly" to "like moderately" with significantly lower acceptability for milk exposed to fluorescent light. Milk in HDPE and PET packages had comparable overall acceptability scores when exposed to LED light. Only the fluorescent light condition (both PET and HDPE) diminished overall acceptability. Fluorescent light exposure negatively influenced flavor with significant penalty (2.0-2.5 integers) to overall acceptability of milk in translucent HDPE and clear PET. The LED also diminished aftertaste of milk packaged in translucent HDPE. Changes in dissolved oxygen content, as an indication of oxidation, supported the observed differences in consumer acceptance of milk stored under fluorescent and LED light. Consumers like the flavor of fresh milk, which can be protected by selecting appropriate packaging that blocks detrimental light wavelengths. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of colored light-emitting diode illumination on behavior and performance of laying hens.

PubMed

Huber-Eicher, B; Suter, A; Spring-Stähli, P

2013-04-01

The best method for lighting poultry houses has been an issue for many decades, generating much interest in any new systems that become available. Poultry farmers are now increasingly using colored LED (light-emitting diodes) to illuminate hen houses (e.g., in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, and England). In Switzerland all newly installed systems are now equipped with LED, preferably green ones. The LED give monochromatic light from different wavelengths and have several advantages over conventional illuminants, including high energy efficiency, long life, high reliability, and low maintenance costs. The following study examines the effects of illumination with white, red, and green LED on behavior and production parameters of laying hens. Light intensities in the 3 treatments were adjusted to be perceived by hens as equal. Twenty-four groups of 25 laying hens were kept in identical compartments (5.0 × 3.3 m) equipped with a litter area, raised perches, feed and drinking facilities, and nest boxes. Initially, they were kept under white LED for a 2-wk adaptation period. For the next 4 wk, 8 randomly chosen compartments were lit with red LED (640 nm) and 8 others with green LED (520 nm). Behavior was monitored during the last 2 wk of the trial. Additionally weight gain, feed consumption, onset of lay, and laying performance were recorded. The results showed minor effects of green light on explorative behavior, whereas red light reduced aggressiveness compared with white light. The accelerating effect of red light on sexual development of laying hens was confirmed, and the trial demonstrated that this effect was due to the specific wavelength and not the intensity of light. However, an additional effect of light intensity may exist and should not be excluded.

Time-dependent upregulation of electron transport with concomitant induction of regulated excitation dissipation in Haslea diatoms.

PubMed

Perkins, R; Williamson, C; Lavaud, J; Mouget, J-L; Campbell, D A

2018-04-16

Photoacclimation by strains of Haslea "blue" diatom species H. ostrearia and H. silbo sp. nov. ined. was investigated with rapid light curves and induction-recovery curves using fast repetition rate fluorescence. Cultures were grown to exponential phase under 50 µmol m -2  s -1 photosynthetic available radiation (PAR) and then exposed to non-sequential rapid light curves where, once electron transport rate (ETR) had reached saturation, light intensity was decreased and then further increased prior to returning to near growth light intensity. The non-sequential rapid light curve revealed that ETR was not proportional to the instantaneously applied light intensity, due to rapid photoacclimation. Changes in the effective absorption cross sections for open PSII reaction centres (σ PSII ') or reaction centre connectivity (ρ) did not account for the observed increases in ETR under extended high light. σ PSII ' in fact decreased as a function of a time-dependent induction of regulated excitation dissipation Y(NPQ), once cells were at or above a PAR coinciding with saturation of ETR. Instead, the observed increases in ETR under extended high light were explained by an increase in the rate of PSII reopening, i.e. Q A - oxidation. This acceleration of electron transport was strictly light dependent and relaxed within seconds after a return to low light or darkness. The time-dependent nature of ETR upregulation and regulated NPQ induction was verified using induction-recovery curves. Our findings show a time-dependent induction of excitation dissipation, in parallel with very rapid photoacclimation of electron transport, which combine to make ETR independent of short-term changes in PAR. This supports a selective advantage for these diatoms when exposed to fluctuating light in their environment.

75 FR 12172 - Notice of Availability of a Draft Response to Petitions for the Reclassification of Light Brown...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-15

...] Notice of Availability of a Draft Response to Petitions for the Reclassification of Light Brown Apple... two petitions we received requesting the reclassification of light brown apple moth [Epiphyas.... SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Light brown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana [Walker]) (LBAM) is a plant...

Arctic tree rings as recorders of variations in light availability

PubMed Central

Stine, A. R.; Huybers, P.

2014-01-01

Annual growth ring variations in Arctic trees are often used to reconstruct surface temperature. In general, however, the growth of Arctic vegetation is limited both by temperature and light availability, suggesting that variations in atmospheric transmissivity may also influence tree-ring characteristics. Here we show that Arctic tree-ring density is sensitive to changes in light availability across two distinct phenomena: explosive volcanic eruptions (P<0.01) and the recent epoch of global dimming (P<0.01). In each case, the greatest response is found in the most light-limited regions of the Arctic. Essentially no late 20th century decline in tree-ring density relative to temperature is seen in the least light-limited regions of the Arctic. Consistent results follow from analysis of tree-ring width and from individually analysing each of seven tree species. Light availability thus appears an important control, opening the possibility for using tree rings to reconstruct historical changes in surface light intensity. PMID:24805143

Light Pollution at Mount Wilson: Effect of Lighting Technology Changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garstang, R. H.

2000-05-01

In an earlier paper (Bull. AAS. 30, 838, 1998; Mem. Soc. Astr. Italia, in press, 2000) I studied the effects of population growth and of smog on the historical growth of light pollution at Mount Wilson. I have now done some very crude calculations to evaluate the effect of changes in lighting technology - the most important change being from incandescent lamps to mercury vapor lamps to high pressure sodium lamps in street lighting. I am greatly indebted to George Eslinger, lately Director of the Bureau of Public Lighting of the City of Los Angeles, for information on the numbers and types of street lights in that City. The ratio of numbers of lamps of different kinds throughout the Los Angeles basin at any given date has been assumed to be the same as in the City. The contributions to the photon output in the B and V photometric bands have been estimated. The calculations show a rate of increase of the V brightness greater than that obtained if lighting changes are neglected. The B brightness shows a maximum during the period when mercury vapor street lighting predominated. I hope to refine my calculations when additional information becomes available.

Pollutant tracking for 3 Western North Atlantic sea grasses by remote sensing: Preliminary diminishing white light responses of Thalassia testudinum, Halodule wrightii, and Zostera marina.

PubMed

Thorhaug, Anitra; Berlyn, Graeme P; Poulos, Helen M; Goodale, Uromi M

2015-08-15

Sea grasses are foundation species for estuarine ecosystems. The available light for sea grasses diminishes rapidly during pollutant spills, effluent releases, disturbances such as intense riverine input, and tidal changes. We studied how sea grasses' remote-sensing signatures and light-capturing ability respond to short term light alterations. In vivo responses were measured over the entire visible-light spectra to diminishing white-light on whole-living-plants' spectral reflectance, including 6h of full oceanic-light fluences from 10% to 100%. We analyzed differences by various reflectance indices. We compared the sea grasses species responses of tropical vs. temperate and intertidals (Halodule wrightii, and Zostera marina) vs. subtidal (Thalassia testudinum). Reflectance diminished with decreasing light intensity that coincided with greater accessory pigment stimulation (anthocyanin, carotenoids, xanthins). Chlorophyll a and Chlorophyll b differed significantly among species (Thalassia vs. Halodule). Photosynthetic efficiency diminished at high light intensities. The NDVI index was inadequate to perceive these differences. Our results demonstrate the leaf-level utility of data to remote sensing for mapping sea grass and sea grass stress. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of Back Diffusion of Mg Dopants on Optoelectronic Properties of InGaN-Based Green Light-Emitting Diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Ning; Wei, Xue-Cheng; Lu, Kun-Yi; Feng, Liang-Sen; Yang, Jie; Xue, Bin; Liu, Zhe; Li, Jin-Min; Wang, Jun-Xi

2016-11-01

Not Available Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos 61505197 and 61334009, and the National High-Technology Research and Development Program of China under Grant No 2014AA032604.

Self-Assembled ZnO Nanosheet-Based Spherical Structure as Photoanode in Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ameri, Mohsen; Raoufi, Meysam; Zamani-Meymian, M.-R.; Samavat, Feridoun; Fathollahi, M.-R.; Mohajerani, Ezeddin

2018-03-01

High surface area and enhanced light scattering of ZnO nanosheet aggregates have made them a promising active layer candidate material for fabrication of nanostructure dye-sensitized solar cells. Here, we propose a facile preparation method of such ZnO nanosheet structures, and in order to verify their applicability as photoanode material for dye-sensitized solar cells, we employ morphological, optical, structural and electrical measurements. The results reveal the high surface area available for dye molecules for enhancing adsorption, high light scattering and competitive power conversion efficiencies compared to the works in literature. Finally, the device is optimized with respect to the photoanode thickness. The favorable features shown here can extend the application of the structure to other types of sensitization-based perovskite and quantum dot solar cells.

Regulating Charge and Exciton Distribution in High-Performance Hybrid White Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with n-Type Interlayer Switch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Dongxiang; Yang, Yanfeng; Xiao, Ye; Zhao, Yu; Yang, Yibin; Liu, Baiquan

2017-10-01

The interlayer (IL) plays a vital role in hybrid white organic light-emitting diodes (WOLEDs); however, only a negligible amount of attention has been given to n-type ILs. Herein, the n-type IL, for the first time, has been demonstrated to achieve a high efficiency, high color rendering index (CRI), and low voltage trade-off. The device exhibits a maximum total efficiency of 41.5 lm W-1, the highest among hybrid WOLEDs with n-type ILs. In addition, high CRIs (80-88) at practical luminances (≥1000 cd m-2) have been obtained, satisfying the demand for indoor lighting. Remarkably, a CRI of 88 is the highest among hybrid WOLEDs. Moreover, the device exhibits low voltages, with a turn-on voltage of only 2.5 V (>1 cd m-2), which is the lowest among hybrid WOLEDs. The intrinsic working mechanism of the device has also been explored; in particular, the role of n-type ILs in regulating the distribution of charges and excitons has been unveiled. The findings demonstrate that the introduction of n-type ILs is effective in developing high-performance hybrid WOLEDs. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Benefits of glass fibers in solar fiber optic lighting systems.

PubMed

Volotinen, Tarja T; Lingfors, David H S

2013-09-20

The transmission properties and coupling of solar light have been studied for glass core multimode fibers in order to verify their benefits for a solar fiber optic lighting system. The light transportation distance can be extended from 20 m with plastic fibers to over 100 m with the kind of glass fibers studied here. A high luminous flux, full visible spectrum, as well as an outstanding color rendering index (98) and correlated color temperature similar to the direct sun light outside have been obtained. Thus the outstanding quality of solar light transmitted through these fibers would improve the visibility of all kinds of objects compared to fluorescent and other artificial lighting. Annual relative lighting energy savings of 36% in Uppsala, Sweden, and 76% in Dubai were estimated in an office environment. The absolute savings can be doubled by using glass optical fibers, and are estimated to be in the order of 550 kWh/year in Sweden and 1160 kWh/year in Dubai for one system of only 0.159 m(2) total light collecting area. The savings are dependent on the fiber length, the daily usage time of the interior, the type of artificial lighting substituted, the system light output flux, and the available time of sunny weather at the geographic location.

GERLUMPH Data Release 2: 2.5 Billion Simulated Microlensing Light Curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vernardos, G.; Fluke, C. J.; Bate, N. F.; Croton, D.; Vohl, D.

2015-04-01

In the upcoming synoptic all-sky survey era of astronomy, thousands of new multiply imaged quasars are expected to be discovered and monitored regularly. Light curves from the images of gravitationally lensed quasars are further affected by superimposed variability due to microlensing. In order to disentangle the microlensing from the intrinsic variability of the light curves, the time delays between the multiple images have to be accurately measured. The resulting microlensing light curves can then be analyzed to reveal information about the background source, such as the size of the quasar accretion disk. In this paper we present the most extensive and coherent collection of simulated microlensing light curves; we have generated \\gt 2.5 billion light curves using the GERLUMPH high resolution microlensing magnification maps. Our simulations can be used to train algorithms to measure lensed quasar time delays, plan future monitoring campaigns, and study light curve properties throughout parameter space. Our data are openly available to the community and are complemented by online eResearch tools, located at http://gerlumph.swin.edu.au.

Polarimetric imaging of retinal disease by polarization sensitive SLO

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miura, Masahiro; Elsner, Ann E.; Iwasaki, Takuya; Goto, Hiroshi

2015-03-01

Polarimetry imaging is used to evaluate different features of the macular disease. Polarimetry images were recorded using a commercially- available polarization-sensitive scanning laser opthalmoscope at 780 nm (PS-SLO, GDx-N). From data sets of PS-SLO, we computed average reflectance image, depolarized light images, and ratio-depolarized light images. The average reflectance image is the grand mean of all input polarization states. The depolarized light image is the minimum of crossed channel. The ratio-depolarized light image is a ratio between the average reflectance image and depolarized light image, and was used to compensate for variation of brightness. Each polarimetry image is compared with the autofluorescence image at 800 nm (NIR-AF) and autofluorescence image at 500 nm (SW-AF). We evaluated four eyes with geographic atrophy in age related macular degeneration, one eye with retinal pigment epithelium hyperplasia, and two eyes with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy. Polarization analysis could selectively emphasize different features of the retina. Findings in ratio depolarized light image had similarities and differences with NIR-AF images. Area of hyper-AF in NIR-AF images showed high intensity areas in the ratio depolarized light image, representing melanin accumulation. Areas of hypo-AF in NIR-AF images showed low intensity areas in the ratio depolarized light images, representing melanin loss. Drusen were high-intensity areas in the ratio depolarized light image, but NIR-AF images was insensitive to the presence of drusen. Unlike NIR-AF images, SW-AF images showed completely different features from the ratio depolarized images. Polarization sensitive imaging is an effective tool as a non-invasive assessment of macular disease.

Light use efficiency for vegetables production in protected and indoor environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cocetta, Giacomo; Casciani, Daria; Bulgari, Roberta; Musante, Fulvio; Kołton, Anna; Rossi, Maurizio; Ferrante, Antonio

2017-01-01

In recent years, there is a growing interest for vegetables production in indoor or disadvantaged climatic zones by using greenhouses. The main problem of crop growing indoor or in environment with limited light availability is the correct choice of light source and the quality of lighting spectrum. In greenhouse and indoor cultivations, plant density is higher than in the open field and plants have to compete for light and nutrients. Nowadays, advanced systems for indoor horticulture use light emitting diodes (LED) for improving crop growth, enhancing the plant productivity and favouring the best nutritional quality formation. In closed environments, as indoor growing modules, the lighting system represents the only source of light and its features are fundamental for obtaining the best lighting performances for plant and the most efficient solution. LED lighting engines are more efficient compared to the lighting sources used traditionally in horticulture and allow light spectrum and intensity modulations to enhance the light use efficiency for plants. The lighting distribution and the digital controls are fundamental for tailoring the spectral distribution on each plant in specific moments of its growth and play an important role for optimizing growth and produce high-quality vegetables. LED lights can increase plant growth and yield, but also nutraceutical quality, since some light intensities increase pigments biosynthesis and enhance the antioxidants content of leaves or fruits: in this regards the selection of LED primary light sources in relation to the peaks of the absorbance curve of the plants is important.

Toward real-time diffuse optical tomography: accelerating light propagation modeling employing parallel computing on GPU and CPU.

PubMed

Doulgerakis, Matthaios; Eggebrecht, Adam; Wojtkiewicz, Stanislaw; Culver, Joseph; Dehghani, Hamid

2017-12-01

Parameter recovery in diffuse optical tomography is a computationally expensive algorithm, especially when used for large and complex volumes, as in the case of human brain functional imaging. The modeling of light propagation, also known as the forward problem, is the computational bottleneck of the recovery algorithm, whereby the lack of a real-time solution is impeding practical and clinical applications. The objective of this work is the acceleration of the forward model, within a diffusion approximation-based finite-element modeling framework, employing parallelization to expedite the calculation of light propagation in realistic adult head models. The proposed methodology is applicable for modeling both continuous wave and frequency-domain systems with the results demonstrating a 10-fold speed increase when GPU architectures are available, while maintaining high accuracy. It is shown that, for a very high-resolution finite-element model of the adult human head with ∼600,000 nodes, consisting of heterogeneous layers, light propagation can be calculated at ∼0.25  s/excitation source. (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

Photosynthetic light reactions increase total lipid accumulation in carbon-supplemented batch cultures of Chlorella vulgaris.

PubMed

Woodworth, Benjamin D; Mead, Rebecca L; Nichols, Courtney N; Kolling, Derrick R J

2015-03-01

Microalgae are an attractive biofuel feedstock because of their high lipid to biomass ratios, lipid compositions that are suitable for biodiesel production, and the ability to grow on varied carbon sources. While algae can grow autotrophically, supplying an exogenous carbon source can increase growth rates and allow heterotrophic growth in the absence of light. Time course analyses of dextrose-supplemented Chlorella vulgaris batch cultures demonstrate that light availability directly influences growth rate, chlorophyll production, and total lipid accumulation. Parallel photomixotrophic and heterotrophic cultures grown to stationary phase reached the same amount of biomass, but total lipid content was higher for algae grown in the presence of light (an average of 1.90 mg/mL vs. 0.77 mg/mL over 5 days of stationary phase growth). Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Electronic cameras for low-light microscopy.

PubMed

Rasnik, Ivan; French, Todd; Jacobson, Ken; Berland, Keith

2013-01-01

This chapter introduces to electronic cameras, discusses the various parameters considered for evaluating their performance, and describes some of the key features of different camera formats. The chapter also presents the basic understanding of functioning of the electronic cameras and how these properties can be exploited to optimize image quality under low-light conditions. Although there are many types of cameras available for microscopy, the most reliable type is the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera, which remains preferred for high-performance systems. If time resolution and frame rate are of no concern, slow-scan CCDs certainly offer the best available performance, both in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio and their spatial resolution. Slow-scan cameras are thus the first choice for experiments using fixed specimens such as measurements using immune fluorescence and fluorescence in situ hybridization. However, if video rate imaging is required, one need not evaluate slow-scan CCD cameras. A very basic video CCD may suffice if samples are heavily labeled or are not perturbed by high intensity illumination. When video rate imaging is required for very dim specimens, the electron multiplying CCD camera is probably the most appropriate at this technological stage. Intensified CCDs provide a unique tool for applications in which high-speed gating is required. The variable integration time video cameras are very attractive options if one needs to acquire images at video rate acquisition, as well as with longer integration times for less bright samples. This flexibility can facilitate many diverse applications with highly varied light levels. Copyright © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High-resolution and high-precision correlation of dark and light layers in the Quaternary hemipelagic sediments of the Japan Sea recovered during IODP Expedition 346

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tada, Ryuji; Irino, Tomohisa; Ikehara, Ken; Karasuda, Akinori; Sugisaki, Saiko; Xuan, Chuang; Sagawa, Takuya; Itaki, Takuya; Kubota, Yoshimi; Lu, Song; Seki, Arisa; Murray, Richard W.; Alvarez-Zarikian, Carlos; Anderson, William T.; Bassetti, Maria-Angela; Brace, Bobbi J.; Clemens, Steven C.; da Costa Gurgel, Marcio H.; Dickens, Gerald R.; Dunlea, Ann G.; Gallagher, Stephen J.; Giosan, Liviu; Henderson, Andrew C. G.; Holbourn, Ann E.; Kinsley, Christopher W.; Lee, Gwang Soo; Lee, Kyung Eun; Lofi, Johanna; Lopes, Christina I. C. D.; Saavedra-Pellitero, Mariem; Peterson, Larry C.; Singh, Raj K.; Toucanne, Samuel; Wan, Shiming; Zheng, Hongbo; Ziegler, Martin

2018-12-01

The Quaternary hemipelagic sediments of the Japan Sea are characterized by centimeter- to decimeter-scale alternation of dark and light clay to silty clay, which are bio-siliceous and/or bio-calcareous to a various degree. Each of the dark and light layers are considered as deposited synchronously throughout the deeper (> 500 m) part of the sea. However, attempts for correlation and age estimation of individual layers are limited to the upper few tens of meters. In addition, the exact timing of the depositional onset of these dark and light layers and its synchronicity throughout the deeper part of the sea have not been explored previously, although the onset timing was roughly estimated as 1.5 Ma based on the result of Ocean Drilling Program legs 127/128. Consequently, it is not certain exactly when their deposition started, whether deposition of dark and light layers was synchronous and whether they are correlatable also in the earlier part of their depositional history. The Quaternary hemipelagic sediments of the Japan Sea were drilled at seven sites during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 346 in 2013. Alternation of dark and light layers was recovered at six sites whose water depths are > 900 m, and continuous composite columns were constructed at each site. Here, we report our effort to correlate individual dark layers and estimate their ages based on a newly constructed age model at Site U1424 using the best available paleomagnetic datum and marker tephras. The age model is further tuned to LR04 δ18O curve using gamma ray attenuation density (GRA) since it reflects diatom contents that are higher during interglacial high-stands. The constructed age model for Site U1424 is projected to other sites using correlation of dark layers to form a high-resolution and high-precision paleo-observatory network that allows to reconstruct changes in material fluxes with high spatio-temporal resolutions.

Characterising and testing deep UV LEDs for use in space applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollington, D.; Baird, J. T.; Sumner, T. J.; Wass, P. J.

2015-12-01

Deep ultraviolet (DUV) light sources are used to neutralise isolated test masses in highly sensitive space-based gravitational experiments. An example is the LISA Pathfinder charge management system, which uses low-pressure mercury lamps. A future gravitational-wave observatory such as eLISA will use UV light-emitting diodes (UV LEDs), which offer numerous advantages over traditional discharge lamps. Such devices have limited space heritage but are now available from a number of commercial suppliers. Here we report on a test campaign that was carried out to quantify the general properties of three types of commercially available UV LEDs and demonstrate their suitability for use in space. Testing included general electrical and UV output power measurements, spectral stability, pulsed performance and temperature dependence, as well as thermal vacuum, radiation and vibration survivability.

Dismantlable Thermosetting Adhesives Composed of a Cross-Linkable Poly(olefin sulfone) with a Photobase Generator.

PubMed

Sasaki, Takeo; Hashimoto, Shouta; Nogami, Nana; Sugiyama, Yuichi; Mori, Madoka; Naka, Yumiko; Le, Khoa V

2016-03-02

A novel photodetachable adhesive was prepared using a photodepolymerizable cross-linked poly(olefin sulfone). A mixture of a cross-linkable poly(olefin sulfone), a cross-linking reagent, and a photobase generator functioned as a thermosetting adhesive and exhibited high adhesive strength on quartz plates comparable to that obtained for commercially available epoxy adhesives. The cured resin was stable in the absence of UV light irradiation but completely lost its adhesive strength upon exposure of glued quartz plates to UV light in conjunction with heating to 100 °C.

Comparisons of luminaires: Efficacies and system design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Albright, L. D.; Both, A. J.

1994-01-01

Lighting designs for architectural (aesthetic) purposes, vision and safety, and plant growth have many features in common but several crucial ones that are not. The human eye is very sensitive to the color (wavelength) of light, whereas plants are less so. There are morphological reactions, particularly to the red and blue portions of the light spectrum but, in general, plants appear to accept and use light for photosynthesis everywhere over the PAR region of the spectrum. In contrast, the human eye interprets light intensity on a logarithmic scale, making people insensitive to significant differences of light intensity. As a rough rule, light intensity must change by 30 to 50% for the human eye to recognize the difference. Plants respond much more linearly to light energy, at least at intensities below photosynthetic saturation. Thus, intensity differences not noticeable to the human eye can have significant effects on total plant growth and yield, and crop timing. These factors make luminaire selection and lighting system design particularly important when designing supplemental lighting systems for plant growth. Supplemental lighting for plant growth on the scale of commercial greenhouses is a relatively expensive undertaking. Light intensities are often much higher than required for task (vision) lighting, which increases both installation and operating costs. However, and especially in the northern regions of the United States (and Canada, Europe, etc.), supplemental lighting during winter may be necessary to produce certain crops (e.g., tomatoes) and very useful to achieve full plant growth potential and crop timing with most other greenhouse crops. Operating costs over the life of a luminaire typically will exceed the initial investment, making lighting efficacy a major consideration. This report reviews tests completed to evaluate the efficiencies of various commercially-available High-Pressure Sodium luminaires, and then describes the results of using a commercial lighting design computer program, Lumen-Micro, to explore how to place luminaires within greenhouses and plant growth chambers to achieve light (PAR) uniformity and relatively high lighting efficacies. Several suggestions are presented which could encourage systematic design of plant lighting systems.

Genetics, breeding and selection of rootstocks for Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Limited availability of arable land and high market demand for off-season vegetables often leads to continuous cultivation and cultivation under unfavorable conditions such as too cold, wet, dry, or under low-light winter greenhouses. Successive cropping can increase salinity, the incidence of vege...

Role of light satellites in the high-resolution Earth observation domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fishman, Moshe

1999-12-01

Current 'classic' applications using and exploring space based earth imagery are exclusive, narrow niche tailored, expensive and hardly accessible. On the other side new, inexpensive and widely used 'consumable' applications will be only developed concurrently to the availability of appropriate imagery allowing that process. A part of these applications can be imagined today, like WWW based 'virtual tourism' or news media, but the history of technological, cultural and entertainment evolution teaches us that most of future applications are unpredictable -- they emerge together with the platforms enabling their appearance. The only thing, which can be ultimately stated, is that the definitive condition for such applications is the availability of the proper imagery platform providing low cost, high resolution, large area, quick response, simple accessibility and quick dissemination of the raw picture. This platform is a constellation of Earth Observation satellites. Up to 1995 the Space Based High Resolution Earth Observation Domain was dominated by heavy, super-expensive and very inflexible birds. The launch of Israeli OFEQ-3 Satellite by MBT Division of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) marked the entrance to new era of light, smart and cheap Low Earth Orbited Imaging satellites. The Earth Resource Observation System (EROS) initiated by West Indian Space, is based on OFEQ class Satellites design and it is capable to gather visual data of Earth Surface both at high resolution and large image capacity. The main attributes, derived from its compact design, low weight and sophisticated logic and which convert the EROS Satellite to valuable and productive system, are discussed. The major advantages of Light Satellites in High Resolution Earth Observation Domain are presented and WIS guidelines featuring the next generation of LEO Imaging Systems are included.

New Materials and Device Designs for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Brien, Barry Patrick

Research and development of organic materials and devices for electronic applications has become an increasingly active area. Display and solid-state lighting are the most mature applications and, and products have been commercially available for several years as of this writing. Significant efforts also focus on materials for organic photovoltaic applications. Some of the newest work is in devices for medical, sensor and prosthetic applications. Worldwide energy demand is increasing as the population grows and the standard of living in developing countries improves. Some studies estimate as much as 20% of annual energy usage is consumed by lighting. Improvements are being made in lightweight, flexible, rugged panels that use organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), which are particularly useful in developing regions with limited energy availability and harsh environments. Displays also benefit from more efficient materials as well as the lighter weight and ruggedness enabled by flexible substrates. Displays may require different emission characteristics compared with solid-state lighting. Some display technologies use a white OLED (WOLED) backlight with a color filter, but these are more complex and less efficient than displays that use separate emissive materials that produce the saturated colors needed to reproduce the entire color gamut. Saturated colors require narrow-band emitters. Full-color OLED displays up to and including television size are now commercially available from several suppliers, but research continues to develop more efficient and more stable materials. This research program investigates several topics relevant to solid-state lighting and display applications. One project is development of a device structure to optimize performance of a new stable Pt-based red emitter developed in Prof Jian Li's group. Another project investigates new Pt-based red, green and blue emitters for lighting applications and compares a red/blue structure with a red/green/blue structure to produce light with high color rendering index. Another part of this work describes the fabrication of a 14.7" diagonal full color active-matrix OLED display on plastic substrate. The backplanes were designed and fabricated in the ASU Flexible Display Center and required significant engineering to develop; a discussion of that process is also included.

Reduced Photoinhibition under Low Irradiance Enhanced Kacip Fatimah (Labisia pumila Benth) Secondary Metabolites, Phenyl Alanine Lyase and Antioxidant Activity

PubMed Central

Ibrahim, Mohd Hafiz; Jaafar, Hawa Z.E.

2012-01-01

A randomized complete block design experiment was designed to characterize the relationship between production of total flavonoids and phenolics, anthocyanin, photosynthesis, maximum efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), electron transfer rate (Fm/Fo), phenyl alanine lyase activity (PAL) and antioxidant (DPPH) in Labisia pumila var. alata, under four levels of irradiance (225, 500, 625 and 900 μmol/m2/s) for 16 weeks. As irradiance levels increased from 225 to 900 μmol/m2/s, the production of plant secondary metabolites (total flavonoids, phenolics and antocyanin) was found to decrease steadily. Production of total flavonoids and phenolics reached their peaks under 225 followed by 500, 625 and 900 μmol/m2/s irradiances. Significant positive correlation of production of total phenolics, flavonoids and antocyanin content with Fv/Fm, Fm/Fo and photosynthesis indicated up-regulation of carbon-based secondary metabolites (CBSM) under reduced photoinhibition on the under low light levels condition. At the lowest irradiance levels, Labisia pumila extracts also exhibited a significantly higher antioxidant activity (DPPH) than under high irradiance. The improved antioxidative activity under low light levels might be due to high availability of total flavonoids, phenolics and anthocyanin content in the plant extract. It was also found that an increase in the production of CBSM was due to high PAL activity under low light, probably signifying more availability of phenylalanine (Phe) under this condition. PMID:22754297

Adjusting irradiance to enhance growth and lipid production of Chlorella vulgaris cultivated with monosodium glutamate wastewater.

PubMed

Jiang, Liqun; Ji, Yan; Hu, Wenrong; Pei, Haiyan; Nie, Changliang; Ma, Guixia; Song, Mingming

2016-09-01

Light is one of the most important factors affecting microalgae growth and biochemical composition. The influence of illumination on Chlorella vulgaris cultivated with diluted monosodium glutamate wastewater (MSGW) was investigated. Six progressive illumination intensities (0, 30, 90, 150, 200 and 300μmol·m(-2)s(-1)), were used for C. vulgaris cultivation at 25°C. Under 150μmol·m(-2)s(-1), the corresponding specific light intensity of 750×10(-6)μmol·m(-2)s(-1) per cell, algae obtained the maximum biomass concentration (1.46g·L(-1)) on the 7th day, which was 3.5 times of that under 0μmol·m(-2)s(-1), and the greatest average specific growth rate (0.79 d(-1)) in the first 7days. The results showed the importance role of light in mixotrophic growth of C. vulgaris. High light intensities of 200 and 300μmol·m(-2)s(-1) would inhibit microalgae growth to a certain degree. The algal lipid content was the greatest (30.5%) at 150μmol·m(-2)s(-1) light intensity, which was 2.42 times as high as that cultured in dark. The protein content of C. vulgaris decreased at high light intensities of 200 and 300μmol·m(-2)s(-1). The effect of irradiance on carbohydrate content was inversely correlated with that on protein. The available light at an appropriate intensity, not higher than 200μmol·m(-2)s(-1), was feasible for economical cultivation of C. vulgaris in MSGW. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Recent developments in white light emitting diodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lohe, P. P.; Nandanwar, D. V.; Belsare, P. D.; Moharil, S. V.

2018-05-01

In the recent years solid state lighting based on LEDs has revolutionized lighting technology. LEDs have many advantages over the conventional lighting based on fluorescent and incandescent lamps such as mercury free, high conversion efficiency of electrical energy into light, long lifetime reliability and ability to use with many types of devices. LEDs have emerged as a new potentially revolutionary technology that could save up to half of energy used for lighting applications. White LEDs would be the most important light source in the future, so much so that this aspect had been highlighted by the Nobel committee during the award of 2014 Nobel Prize for Physics. Recent advancement in the fabrication of GaN chip capable of emitting in blue and near UV region paved way for fabrication of white LED lamps. Mainly there are two approaches used for preparing white emitting solid state lamp. In the first approach blue light (λ=450 nm) emitted from the InGaN LED chip is partially absorbed by the YAG:Ce3+ phosphor coated on it and re-emitted as yellow fluorescence. A white light can be generated by the combination of blue + yellow emission bands. These lamps are already available. But they are suffering from major drawback that their Colour Rendering Index (CRI) is low. In the second approach, white LEDs are made by coating near ultraviolet emitting (360 to 410nm) LED with a mixture of high efficiency red, green and blue emitting phosphors, analogous to the fluorescent lamp. This method yields lamps with better color rendition. Addition of a yellow emitting phosphor improves CRI further. However conversion efficiency is compromised to some extent. Further the cost of near UV emitting chip is very high compared to blue emitting chips. Thus cost and light output wise, near UV chips are much inferior to blue chips. Recently some rare earth activated oxynitrides, silicates, fluorides have emerged as an important family of luminescent materials for white LED application because they can emit visible light strongly under blue light irradiation. These are chemically, thermally and mechanically stable materials with high efficiency to down convert blue radiation into green and red. Efficient white light can be generated by coating these phosphors on blue LED.CRI of white emitting LED lamp can be improved significantly if green and red emitting phosphors are coated on efficient blue emitting LED chips. In this approach CRI will be maintained if appropriate combination of red, green along with blue emission is used. This article reviews some recent developments in phosphors for white light emitting diodes.

Transcriptomic analysis suggests a key role for SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN LIKE, NAC and YUCCA genes in the heteroblastic development of the temperate rainforest tree Gevuina avellana (Proteaceae).

PubMed

Ostria-Gallardo, Enrique; Ranjan, Aashish; Chitwood, Daniel H; Kumar, Ravi; Townsley, Brad T; Ichihashi, Yasunori; Corcuera, Luis J; Sinha, Neelima R

2016-04-01

Heteroblasty, the temporal development of the meristem, can produce diverse leaf shapes within a plant. Gevuina avellana, a tree from the South American temperate rainforest shows strong heteroblasty affecting leaf shape, transitioning from juvenile simple leaves to highly pinnate adult leaves. Light availability within the forest canopy also modulates its leaf size and complexity. Here we studied how the interaction between the light environment and the heteroblastic progression of leaves is coordinated in this species. We used RNA-seq on the Illumina platform to compare the range of transcriptional responses in leaf primordia of G. avellana at different heteroblastic stages and growing under different light environments. We found a steady up-regulation of SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN LIKE (SPL), NAC, YUCCA and AGAMOUS-LIKE genes associated with increases in age, leaf complexity, and light availability. In contrast, expression of TCP, TPR and KNOTTED1 homeobox genes showed a sustained down-regulation. Additionally, genes involved in auxin synthesis/transport and jasmonate activity were differentially expressed, indicating an active regulation of processes controlled by these hormones. Our large-scale transcriptional analysis of the leaf primordia of G. avellana sheds light on the integration of internal and external cues during heteroblastic development in this species. © 2015 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

Absolute Distances to Nearby Type Ia Supernovae via Light Curve Fitting Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinkó, J.; Ordasi, A.; Szalai, T.; Sárneczky, K.; Bányai, E.; Bíró, I. B.; Borkovits, T.; Hegedüs, T.; Hodosán, G.; Kelemen, J.; Klagyivik, P.; Kriskovics, L.; Kun, E.; Marion, G. H.; Marschalkó, G.; Molnár, L.; Nagy, A. P.; Pál, A.; Silverman, J. M.; Szakáts, R.; Szegedi-Elek, E.; Székely, P.; Szing, A.; Vida, K.; Wheeler, J. C.

2018-06-01

We present a comparative study of absolute distances to a sample of very nearby, bright Type Ia supernovae (SNe) derived from high cadence, high signal-to-noise, multi-band photometric data. Our sample consists of four SNe: 2012cg, 2012ht, 2013dy and 2014J. We present new homogeneous, high-cadence photometric data in Johnson–Cousins BVRI and Sloan g‧r‧i‧z‧ bands taken from two sites (Piszkesteto and Baja, Hungary), and the light curves are analyzed with publicly available light curve fitters (MLCS2k2, SNooPy2 and SALT2.4). When comparing the best-fit parameters provided by the different codes, it is found that the distance moduli of moderately reddened SNe Ia agree within ≲0.2 mag, and the agreement is even better (≲0.1 mag) for the highest signal-to-noise BVRI data. For the highly reddened SN 2014J the dispersion of the inferred distance moduli is slightly higher. These SN-based distances are in good agreement with the Cepheid distances to their host galaxies. We conclude that the current state-of-the-art light curve fitters for Type Ia SNe can provide consistent absolute distance moduli having less than ∼0.1–0.2 mag uncertainty for nearby SNe. Still, there is room for future improvements to reach the desired ∼0.05 mag accuracy in the absolute distance modulus.

Skeletal light-scattering accelerates bleaching response in reef-building corals.

PubMed

Swain, Timothy D; DuBois, Emily; Gomes, Andrew; Stoyneva, Valentina P; Radosevich, Andrew J; Henss, Jillian; Wagner, Michelle E; Derbas, Justin; Grooms, Hannah W; Velazquez, Elizabeth M; Traub, Joshua; Kennedy, Brian J; Grigorescu, Arabela A; Westneat, Mark W; Sanborn, Kevin; Levine, Shoshana; Schick, Mark; Parsons, George; Biggs, Brendan C; Rogers, Jeremy D; Backman, Vadim; Marcelino, Luisa A

2016-03-21

At the forefront of ecosystems adversely affected by climate change, coral reefs are sensitive to anomalously high temperatures which disassociate (bleaching) photosynthetic symbionts (Symbiodinium) from coral hosts and cause increasingly frequent and severe mass mortality events. Susceptibility to bleaching and mortality is variable among corals, and is determined by unknown proportions of environmental history and the synergy of Symbiodinium- and coral-specific properties. Symbiodinium live within host tissues overlaying the coral skeleton, which increases light availability through multiple light-scattering, forming one of the most efficient biological collectors of solar radiation. Light-transport in the upper ~200 μm layer of corals skeletons (measured as 'microscopic' reduced-scattering coefficient, μ'(S,m)), has been identified as a determinant of excess light increase during bleaching and is therefore a potential determinant of the differential rate and severity of bleaching response among coral species. Here we experimentally demonstrate (in ten coral species) that, under thermal stress alone or combined thermal and light stress, low-μ'(S,m) corals bleach at higher rate and severity than high-μ'(S,m) corals and the Symbiodinium associated with low-μ'(S,m) corals experience twice the decrease in photochemical efficiency. We further modelled the light absorbed by Symbiodinium due to skeletal-scattering and show that the estimated skeleton-dependent light absorbed by Symbiodinium (per unit of photosynthetic pigment) and the temporal rate of increase in absorbed light during bleaching are several fold higher in low-μ'(S,m) corals. While symbionts associated with low-[Formula: see text] corals receive less total light from the skeleton, they experience a higher rate of light increase once bleaching is initiated and absorbing bodies are lost; further precipitating the bleaching response. Because microscopic skeletal light-scattering is a robust predictor of light-dependent bleaching among the corals assessed here, this work establishes μ'(S,m) as one of the key determinants of differential bleaching response.

Prenatal choline supplementation increases sensitivity to contextual processing of temporal information

PubMed Central

Buhusi, Catalin V.; Lamoureux, Jeffrey A.; Meck, Warren H.

2008-01-01

The effects of prenatal choline availability on contextual processing in a 30-s peak-interval (PI) procedure with gaps (1, 5, 10, and 15 s) were assessed in adult male rats. Neither supplementation nor deprivation of prenatal choline affected baseline timing performance in the PI procedure. However, prenatal choline availability significantly altered the contextual processing of gaps inserted into the to-be-timed signal (light on). Choline-supplemented rats displayed a high degree of context sensitivity as indicated by clock resetting when presented with a gap in the signal (light off). In contrast, choline-deficient rats showed no such effect and stopped their clocks during the gap. Control rats exhibited an intermediate level of contextual processing in between stop and full reset. When switched to a reversed gap condition in which rats timed the absence of the light and the presence of the light served as a gap, all groups reset their clocks following a gap. Furthermore, when filling the intertrial interval (ITI) with a distinctive stimulus (e.g., sound), both choline-supplemented and control rats rightward shifted their PI functions less on trials with gaps than choline-deficient rats, indicating greater contextual sensitivity and reduced clock resetting under these conditions. Overall, these data support the view that prenatal choline availability affects the sensitivity to the context in which gaps are inserted in the to-be-timed signal, thereby influencing whether rats run, stop, or reset their clocks. PMID:18778696

Sediment resuspension and bed armoring during high bottom stress events on the northern California inner continental shelf: measurements and predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiberg, Patricia L.; Drake, David E.; Cacchione, David A.

1994-08-01

Geoprobe bottom tripods were deployed during the winter of 1990-1991 on the northern California inner continental shelf as part of the STRESS field experiment. Transmissometer measurements of light beam attenuation were made at two levels and current velocity was measured at four levels in the bottom 1.2 m of water. Intervals of high measured bottom wave velocity were generally correlated with times of both high attenuation and high attenuation gradient in the bottom meter of the water column. Measured time series of light attenuation and attenuation gradient are compared to values computed using a modified version of the SMITH [(1977) The sea, Vol. 6, Wiley-Interscience, New York, pp. 539-577] steady wave-current bottom-boundary-layer model. Size-dependent transmissometer calibrations, which show significantly enhanced attenuation with decreasing grain size, are used to convert calculated suspended sediment concentration to light attenuation. The finest fractions of the bed, which are the most easily suspended and attenuate the most light, dominate the computed attenuation signal although they comprise only about 5-7% of the bed sediment. The calculations indicate that adjusting the value of the coefficient γ 0 in the expression for near-bed sediment concentration cannot in itself give both the correct magnitudes of light attenuation and attenuation gradient. To supply the volumes of fine sediment computed to be in suspension during peak events, even with values of γ 0 as low as 5 × 10 -5, requires suspension of particles from unreasonably large depths in the bed. A limit on the depth of sediment availability is proposed as a correction to suspended sediment calculations. With such a limit, reasonable attenuation values are computed with γ 0 ≈ 0.002. The effects of limiting availability and employing a higher γ 0 are to reduce the volume of the finest sediment in suspension and to increase the suspended volumes of the coarser fractions. As a consequence, the average size and settling velocity of suspended sediment increases as bottom shear stress increases, with accompanying increases in near-bed concentration gradients. Higher concentration gradients produce larger stratification effects, particularly near the top of the wave boundary layer at times when wave shear velocities are high and current shear velocities are low. These are the conditions under which maximum attenuation gradients are observed.

Sediment resuspension and bed armoring during high bottom stress events on the northern California inner continental shelf: measurements and predictions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiberg, P.L.; Drake, D.E.; Cacchione, D.A.

1994-01-01

Geoprobe bottom tripods were deployed during the winter of 1990-1991 on the northern California inner continental shelf as part of the STRESS field experiment. Transmissometer measurements of light beam attenuation were made at two levels and current velocity was measured at four levels in the bottom 1.2 m of water. Intervals of high measured bottom wave velocity were generally correlated with times of both high attenuation and high attenuation gradient in the bottom meter of the water column. Measured time series of light attenuation and attenuation gradient are compared to values computed using a modified version of the Smith [(1977) The sea, Vol. 6, Wiley-Interscience, New York, pp. 539-577] steady wave-current bottom-boundary-layer model. Size-dependent transmissometer calibrations, which show significantly enhanced attenuation with decreasing grain size, are used to convert calculated suspended sediment concentration to light attenuation. The finest fractions of the bed, which are the most easily suspended and attenuate the most light, dominate the computed attenuation signal although they comprise only about 5-7% of the bed sediment. The calculations indicate that adjusting the value of the coefficient ??0 in the expression for near-bed sediment concentration cannot in itself give both the correct magnitudes of light attenuation and attenuation gradient. To supply the volumes of fine sediment computed to be in suspension during peak events, even with values of ??0 as low as 5 ?? 10-5, requires suspension of particles from unreasonably large depths in the bed. A limit on the depth of sediment availability is proposed as a correction to suspended sediment calculations. With such a limit, reasonable attenuation values are computed with ??0 ??? 0.002. The effects of limiting availability and employing a higher ??0 are to reduce the volume of the finest sediment in suspension and to increase the suspended volumes of the coarser fractions. As a consequence, the average size and settling velocity of suspended sediment increases as bottom shear stress increases, with accompanying increases in near-bed concentration gradients. Higher concentration gradients produce larger stratification effects, particularly near the top of the wave boundary layer at times when wave shear velocities are high and current shear velocities are low. These are the conditions under which maximum attenuation gradients are observed. ?? 1994.

Global Picosecond Structural Dynamics of Orange Carotenoid Protein in Photo/Chemical Activated Signaling States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, Yanting; Xu, Mengyang; Liu, Hanjun; Blankenship, Robert; Markelz, Andrea

Light availability to photosynthetic organisms changes throughout the day. High light can over-saturate photosynthetic capacity and produce reactive oxygen which damages the photosynthetic apparatus and leads to cell death. Photosynthetic organisms have evolved multiple photo-protective strategies to prevent oxidative damage from light stress. For cyanobacteria, a blue-light photo-sensor orange carotenoid protein (OCP) responds to exposure to intense light. Upon high light stress, OCP converts from the orange inactive form (OCPO) to the red active form (OCPR) , with a large conformational change. And OCPR interacts with the light harvesting antenna phycobilisome (PB), and mediates the energy quenching of PB. We argue that both the susceptibility of OCP to large conformational change and its interaction with PB are associated with changes in the long range picosecond structural flexibility. To investigate the protein flexibility with signaling state dependence, temperature dependent terahertz time domain spectroscopy is performed in the range of 80 - 290 K on OCP solutions, as a function of illumination and chaotrope (NaSCN) concentration, which produces a long lived red state in the absence of photoexcitation. We characterize the global flexibility by both the net THz absorbance and the dynamical transition temperature, which scales with structural stability, and observed the dynamical transition occurred in the 180-220 K range. R.E.B. acknowledges DOE award DE-FG02- 07ER15902 and A.G.M. acknowledges NSF awards DBI 1556359 and MCB 1616529, and DOE award DE-SC0016317 for support of the work.

Liquid crystal light valve technologies for display applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kikuchi, Hiroshi; Takizawa, Kuniharu

2001-11-01

The liquid crystal (LC) light valve, which is a spatial light modulator that uses LC material, is a very important device in the area of display development, image processing, optical computing, holograms, etc. In particular, there have been dramatic developments in the past few years in the application of the LC light valve to projectors and other display technologies. Various LC operating modes have been developed, including thin film transistors, MOS-FETs and other active matrix drive techniques to meet the requirements for higher resolution, and substantial improvements have been achieved in the performance of optical systems, resulting in brighter display images. Given this background, the number of applications for the LC light valve has greatly increased. The resolution has increased from QVGA (320 x 240) to QXGA (2048 x 1536) or even super- high resolution of eight million pixels. In the area of optical output, projectors of 600 to 13,000 lm are now available, and they are used for presentations, home theatres, electronic cinema and other diverse applications. Projectors using the LC light valve can display high- resolution images on large screens. They are now expected to be developed further as part of hyper-reality visual systems. This paper provides an overview of the needs for large-screen displays, human factors related to visual effects, the way in which LC light valves are applied to projectors, improvements in moving picture quality, and the results of the latest studies that have been made to increase the quality of images and moving images or pictures.

Herbivores modify selection on plant functional traits in a temperate rainforest understory.

PubMed

Salgado-Luarte, Cristian; Gianoli, Ernesto

2012-08-01

There is limited evidence regarding the adaptive value of plant functional traits in contrasting light environments. It has been suggested that changes in these traits in response to light availability can increase herbivore susceptibility. We tested the adaptive value of plant functional traits linked with carbon gain in contrasting light environments and also evaluated whether herbivores can modify selection on these traits in each light environment. In a temperate rainforest, we examined phenotypic selection on functional traits in seedlings of the pioneer tree Aristotelia chilensis growing in sun (canopy gap) and shade (forest understory) and subjected to either natural herbivory or herbivore exclusion. We found differential selection on functional traits depending on light environment. In sun, there was positive directional selection on photosynthetic rate and relative growth rate (RGR), indicating that selection favors competitive ability in a high-resource environment. Seedlings with high specific leaf area (SLA) and intermediate RGR were selected in shade, suggesting that light capture and conservative resource use are favored in the understory. Herbivores reduced the strength of positive directional selection acting on SLA in shade. We provide the first demonstration that natural herbivory rates can change the strength of selection on plant ecophysiological traits, that is, attributes whose main function is resource uptake. Research addressing the evolution of shade tolerance should incorporate the selective role of herbivores.

How do Mediterranean shrub species cope with shade? Ecophysiological response to different light intensities.

PubMed

Díaz-Barradas, M C; Zunzunegui, M; Alvarez-Cansino, L; Esquivias, M P; Valera, J; Rodríguez, H

2018-03-01

Under natural conditions, light exposure for Mediterranean shrubs can be highly variable, especially during cloudy days or under a canopy, and can interfere with other environmental factors such as temperature and water availability. With the aim of decoupling the effect of radiation and temperature from water availability, we conducted an experiment where two perennial and three summer semi-deciduous shrub species were subjected to different levels of irradiation. In order to follow plant responses to light exposure, we measured gas exchange, photosystem II photochemical efficiency, photosynthetic pigments and leaf mass area in spring and summer. Results showed that all study species presented a plastic response to different light conditions, and that light-related traits varied in a coordinated manner. Summer semi-deciduous species exhibited a more opportunistic response, with higher photosynthesis rates in full sun, but under shade conditions, the two strategies presented similar assimilation rates. Stomatal conductance did not show such a drastic response as photosynthetsis, being related to changes in WUE. Daily cycles of F v /F m revealed a slight photoinhibitory response during summer, mainly in perennial species. In all cases photosynthetic pigments adjusted to the radiation level; leaves had lower chlorophyll content, higher pool of xanthophylls and higher proportion of the de-epoxydaded state of xanthophylls under sun conditions. Lutein content increased in relation to the xanthophyll pool under shade conditions. Our results evidenced that radiation is an important driving factor controlling morphological and physiological status of Mediterranean shrub species, independently of water availability. Summer semi-deciduous species exhibit a set of traits with higher response variability, maximising their photosynthetic assimilation under different sun conditions. © 2017 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Unique picoeukaryotic algal community under multiple environmental stress conditions in a shallow, alkaline pan.

PubMed

Pálffy, Károly; Felföldi, Tamás; Mentes, Anikó; Horváth, Hajnalka; Márialigeti, Károly; Boros, Emil; Vörös, Lajos; Somogyi, Boglárka

2014-01-01

Winter phytoplankton communities in the shallow alkaline pans of Hungary are frequently dominated by picoeukaryotes, sometimes in particularly high abundance. In winter 2012, the ice-covered alkaline Zab-szék pan was found to be extraordinarily rich in picoeukaryotic green algae (42-82 × 10(6) cells ml(-1)) despite the simultaneous presence of multiple stressors (low temperature and light intensity with high pH and salinity). The maximum photosynthetic rate of the picoeukaryote community was 1.4 μg C μg chlorophyll a (-1) h(-1) at 125 μmol m(-2) s(-1). The assimilation rates compared with the available light intensity measured on the field show that the community was considerably light-limited. Estimated areal primary production was 180 mg C m(-2) d(-1). On the basis of the 18S rRNA gene analysis (cloning and DGGE), the community was phylogenetically heterogeneous with several previously undescribed chlorophyte lineages, which indicates the ability of picoeukaryotic communities to maintain high genetic diversity under extreme conditions.

Depth-related gradients of viral activity in Lake Pavin.

PubMed

Colombet, J; Sime-Ngando, T; Cauchie, H M; Fonty, G; Hoffmann, L; Demeure, G

2006-06-01

High-resolution vertical sampling and determination of viral and prokaryotic parameters in a deep volcanic lake shows that in the absence of thermal stratification but within light, oxygen, and chlorophyll gradients, host availability empirically is prevalent over the physical and chemical environments and favors lytic over lysogenic "viral life cycles."

Two-Step Semi-Microscale Preparation of a Cinnamate Ester Sunscreen Analog

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stabile, Ryan G.; Dicks, Andrew P.

2004-01-01

A student procedure focusing on multistep sunscreen synthesis and spectroscopic analysis is reported. A two-step synthetic pathway towards sunscreens, an analog of a commercially available UV light blocker is designed, given the current high profile nature of skin cancer and media attention towards sunscreens.

Facile solvothermal synthesis of cube-like Ag@AgCl: a highly efficient visible light photocatalyst

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Lei; Wang, Ping; Zhu, Chengzhou; Zhai, Yueming; Dong, Shaojun

2011-07-01

In this paper, a stable and highly efficient plasmonic photocatalyst, Ag@AgCl, with cube-like morphology, has been successfully prepared via a simple hydrothermal method. Using methylene dichloride as chlorine source in the synthesis can efficiently control the morphology of Ag@AgCl, due to the low release rate of chloride ions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra were used to characterize the obtained product. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained product was evaluated by the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation, and it was found, interestingly, that Ag@AgCl exhibits high visible light photocatalytic activity and good stability.In this paper, a stable and highly efficient plasmonic photocatalyst, Ag@AgCl, with cube-like morphology, has been successfully prepared via a simple hydrothermal method. Using methylene dichloride as chlorine source in the synthesis can efficiently control the morphology of Ag@AgCl, due to the low release rate of chloride ions. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectra were used to characterize the obtained product. The photocatalytic activity of the obtained product was evaluated by the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under visible light irradiation, and it was found, interestingly, that Ag@AgCl exhibits high visible light photocatalytic activity and good stability. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: SEM images of the AgCl samples synthesized by changing the addition amount of PVP and AgNO3. See DOI: 10.1039/c1nr10247h

Supplemental blue LED lighting array to improve the signal quality in hyperspectral imaging of plants.

PubMed

Mahlein, Anne-Katrin; Hammersley, Simon; Oerke, Erich-Christian; Dehne, Heinz-Wilhelm; Goldbach, Heiner; Grieve, Bruce

2015-06-01

Hyperspectral imaging systems used in plant science or agriculture often have suboptimal signal-to-noise ratio in the blue region (400-500 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum. Typically there are two principal reasons for this effect, the low sensitivity of the imaging sensor and the low amount of light available from the illuminating source. In plant science, the blue region contains relevant information about the physiology and the health status of a plant. We report on the improvement in sensitivity of a hyperspectral imaging system in the blue region of the spectrum by using supplemental illumination provided by an array of high brightness light emitting diodes (LEDs) with an emission peak at 470 nm.

Programmable LED-based integrating sphere light source for wide-field fluorescence microscopy.

PubMed

Rehman, Aziz Ul; Anwer, Ayad G; Goldys, Ewa M

2017-12-01

Wide-field fluorescence microscopy commonly uses a mercury lamp, which has limited spectral capabilities. We designed and built a programmable integrating sphere light (PISL) source which consists of nine LEDs, light-collecting optics, a commercially available integrating sphere and a baffle. The PISL source is tuneable in the range 365-490nm with a uniform spatial profile and a sufficient power at the objective to carry out spectral imaging. We retrofitted a standard fluorescence inverted microscope DM IRB (Leica) with a PISL source by mounting it together with a highly sensitive low- noise CMOS camera. The capabilities of the setup have been demonstrated by carrying out multispectral autofluorescence imaging of live BV2 cells. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Integrated assessment of the direct and indirect effects of resource gradients on tree species recruitment.

PubMed

Ibáñez, Inés; McCarthy-Neumann, Sarah

2014-02-01

Understanding the dynamics of tree establishment is critical to assess forests' composition, management practices, and current responses to global change. We carried out a field seedling transplant experiment to assess not only the direct effects of resources influencing recruitment of four tree species, but also their indirect and combined effects. Our analysis integrated first growing season demographic data together with estimates of mycorrhizal fungal colonization and resource availability (light, soil moisture, and soil nitrogen). Only by considering both the direct and indirect effects of resources we were able to account for most of the variability observed during seedling recruitment. Contrary to expectations, increasing light levels were not always beneficial for recruitment even in low light habitats, and soil moisture availability benefited seedling growth but not survival. In addition, mycorrhizal fungal colonization was not always favored by high light levels or by increasing soil moisture. Seedling survival for all species was lower in plots with higher arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, while the association with ectomycorrhizal fungi varied from beneficial to detrimental. When integrating the direct, indirect, and interactive effects of resource availability and mycorrhizal fungal colonization on tree recruitment dynamics we found that species responded in a nonlinear fashion to increasing resource levels, and we also identified thresholds, i.e., shifts in the direction of the response, along the resource gradient. Our integrated assessment considerably outperformed a null model where only direct effects of resources were accounted for. These results illustrate how the combination of direct, indirect, and combined effects of driving variables better represents the complexity of the processes determining tree species recruitment than simple resource availability mechanisms.

Regional impacts of iron-light colimitation in a global biogeochemical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galbraith, E. D.; Gnanadesikan, A.; Dunne, J. P.; Hiscock, M. R.

2009-07-01

Laboratory and field studies have revealed that iron has multiple roles in phytoplankton physiology, with particular importance for light-harvesting cellular machinery. However, although iron-limitation is explicitly included in numerous biogeochemical/ecosystem models, its implementation varies, and its effect on the efficiency of light harvesting is often ignored. Given the complexity of the ocean environment, it is difficult to predict the consequences of applying different iron limitation schemes. Here we explore the interaction of iron and nutrient cycles using a new, streamlined model of ocean biogeochemistry. Building on previously published parameterizations of photoadaptation and export production, the Biogeochemistry with Light Iron Nutrients and Gasses (BLING) model is constructed with only three explicit tracers but including macronutrient and micronutrient limitation, light limitation, and an implicit treatment of community structure. The structural simplicity of this computationally inexpensive model allows us to clearly isolate the global effects of iron availability on maximum light-saturated photosynthesis rates from those of photosynthetic efficiency. We find that the effect on light-saturated photosynthesis rates is dominant, negating the importance of photosynthetic efficiency in most regions, especially the cold waters of the Southern Ocean. The primary exceptions to this occur in iron-rich regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where high light-saturated photosynthesis rates cause photosynthetic efficiency to play a more important role. Additionally, we speculate that the small phytoplankton dominating iron-limited regions tend to have relatively high photosynthetic efficiency, such that iron-limitation has less of a deleterious effect on growth rates than would be expected from short-term iron addition experiments.

Leaf physiology and biomass allocation of backcross hybrid American chestnut (Castanea dentata) seedlings in response to light and water availability.

PubMed

Brown, Caleb E; Mickelbart, Michael V; Jacobs, Douglass F

2014-12-01

Partial canopy cover promotes regeneration of many temperate forest trees, but the consequences of shading on seedling drought resistance are unclear. Reintroduction of blight-resistant American chestnut (Castanea dentata (Marsh.) Borkh.) into eastern North American forests will often occur on water-limited sites and under partial canopy cover. We measured leaf pre-dawn water potential (Ψpd), leaf gas exchange, and growth and biomass allocation of backcross hybrid American chestnut seedlings from three orchard sources grown under different light intensities (76, 26 and 8% full photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)) and subjected to well-watered or mid-season water-stressed conditions. Seedlings in the water-stress treatment were returned to well-watered conditions after wilting to examine recovery. Seedlings growing under medium- and high-light conditions wilted at lower leaf Ψpd than low-light seedlings. Recovery of net photosynthesis (Anet) and stomatal conductance (gs) was greater in low and medium light than in high light. Seed source did not affect the response to water stress or light level in most cases. Between 26 and 8% full PAR, light became limiting to the extent that the effects of water stress had no impact on some growth and morphological traits. We conclude that positive and negative aspects of shading on seedling drought tolerance and recovery are not mutually exclusive. Partial shade may help American chestnut tolerate drought during early establishment through effects on physiological conditioning. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Large-aperture ground glass surface profile measurement using coherence scanning interferometry.

PubMed

Bae, Eundeok; Kim, Yunseok; Park, Sanguk; Kim, Seung-Woo

2017-01-23

We present a coherence scanning interferometer configured to deal with rough glass surfaces exhibiting very low reflectance due to severe sub-surface light scattering. A compound light source is prepared by combining a superluminescent light-emitting diode with an ytterbium-doped fiber amplifier. The light source is attuned to offer a short temporal coherence length of 15 μm but with high spatial coherence to secure an adequate correlogram contrast by delivering strongly unbalanced optical power to the low reflectance target. In addition, the infrared spectral range of the light source is shifted close to the visible side at a 1,038 nm center wavelength, so a digital camera of multi-mega pixels available for industrial machine vision can be used to improve the correlogram contrast further with better lateral image resolutions. Experimental results obtained from a ground Zerodur mirror of 200 mm aperture size and 0.9 μm rms roughness are discussed to validate the proposed interferometer system.

Epi-Fluorescence Microscopy

PubMed Central

Webb, Donna J.; Brown, Claire M.

2012-01-01

Epi-fluorescence microscopy is available in most life sciences research laboratories, and when optimized can be a central laboratory tool. In this chapter, the epi-fluorescence light path is introduced and the various components are discussed in detail. Recommendations are made for incident lamp light sources, excitation and emission filters, dichroic mirrors, objective lenses, and charge-coupled device (CCD) cameras in order to obtain the most sensitive epi-fluorescence microscope. The even illumination of metal-halide lamps combined with new “hard” coated filters and mirrors, a high resolution monochrome CCD camera, and a high NA objective lens are all recommended for high resolution and high sensitivity fluorescence imaging. Recommendations are also made for multicolor imaging with the use of monochrome cameras, motorized filter turrets, individual filter cubes, and corresponding dyes that are the best choice for sensitive, high resolution multicolor imaging. Images should be collected using Nyquist sampling and should be corrected for background intensity contributions and nonuniform illumination across the field of view. Photostable fluorescent probes and proteins that absorb a lot of light (i.e., high extinction co-efficients) and generate a lot of fluorescence signal (i.e., high quantum yields) are optimal. A neuronal immune-fluorescence labeling protocol is also presented. Finally, in order to maximize the utility of sensitive wide-field microscopes and generate the highest resolution images with high signal-to-noise, advice for combining wide-field epi-fluorescence imaging with restorative image deconvolution is presented. PMID:23026996

PASTIS: Bayesian extrasolar planet validation - I. General framework, models, and performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz, R. F.; Almenara, J. M.; Santerne, A.; Moutou, C.; Lethuillier, A.; Deleuil, M.

2014-06-01

A large fraction of the smallest transiting planet candidates discovered by the Kepler and CoRoT space missions cannot be confirmed by a dynamical measurement of the mass using currently available observing facilities. To establish their planetary nature, the concept of planet validation has been advanced. This technique compares the probability of the planetary hypothesis against that of all reasonably conceivable alternative false positive (FP) hypotheses. The candidate is considered as validated if the posterior probability of the planetary hypothesis is sufficiently larger than the sum of the probabilities of all FP scenarios. In this paper, we present PASTIS, the Planet Analysis and Small Transit Investigation Software, a tool designed to perform a rigorous model comparison of the hypotheses involved in the problem of planet validation, and to fully exploit the information available in the candidate light curves. PASTIS self-consistently models the transit light curves and follow-up observations. Its object-oriented structure offers a large flexibility for defining the scenarios to be compared. The performance is explored using artificial transit light curves of planets and FPs with a realistic error distribution obtained from a Kepler light curve. We find that data support the correct hypothesis strongly only when the signal is high enough (transit signal-to-noise ratio above 50 for the planet case) and remain inconclusive otherwise. PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) shall provide transits with high enough signal-to-noise ratio, but to establish the true nature of the vast majority of Kepler and CoRoT transit candidates additional data or strong reliance on hypotheses priors is needed.

Studies On Particle-Accompanied Fission Of 252Cf(sf) And 235U(nth,f)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kopatch, Yu N.; Tishchenko, V.; Speransky, M.; Mutterer, M.; Gönnenwein, F.; Jesinger, P.; Gagarski, A. M.; von Kalben, J.; Kojouharov, I.; Lubkiewics, E.; Mezentseva, Z.; Nezvishevsky, V.; Petrov, G. A.; Schaffner, H.; Scharma, H.; Trzaska, W. H.; Wollersheim, H.-J.

2005-11-01

In recent multi-parameter studies of spontaneous and thermal neutron induced fission, 252Cf(sf) and 235U(nth,f) respectively, the energies and emission angles of fission fragments and light charged particles were measured. Fragments were detected by an energy and angle sensitive twin ionization chamber while the light charged particles were identified by a series of ΔE-Erest telescopes. Up to Be the light particle isotopes could be disentangled. In addition, in the 252Cf(sf) experiment, gammas emitted by the fragments were analyzed by a pair of large-volume segmented clover Ge detectors. Here the main interest is to study the γ-decay and the anisotropy of gammas emitted by fragments and light particles. On the other hand, the high count rates achieved in the U-experiment performed at the high flux reactor of the ILL, Grenoble, should allow to explore fragment-particle correlations in very rare events like quaternary fission. At the present stage of data evaluation, yields and energy distributions of light particles are available. For the present contribution in particular the yields of Be-isotopes for the two reactions studied are compared and discussed. For 252Cf(sf) these isotopic yields were hitherto not known.

Blue light-mediated transcriptional activation and repression of gene expression in bacteria

PubMed Central

Jayaraman, Premkumar; Devarajan, Kavya; Chua, Tze Kwang; Zhang, Hanzhong; Gunawan, Erry; Poh, Chueh Loo

2016-01-01

Light-regulated modules offer unprecedented new ways to control cellular behavior in precise spatial and temporal resolution. The availability of such tools may dramatically accelerate the progression of synthetic biology applications. Nonetheless, current optogenetic toolbox of prokaryotes has potential issues such as lack of rapid and switchable control, less portable, low dynamic expression and limited parts. To address these shortcomings, we have engineered a novel bidirectional promoter system for Escherichia coli that can be induced or repressed rapidly and reversibly using the blue light dependent DNA-binding protein EL222. We demonstrated that by modulating the dosage of light pulses or intensity we could control the level of gene expression precisely. We show that both light-inducible and repressible system can function in parallel with high spatial precision in a single cell and can be switched stably between ON- and OFF-states by repetitive pulses of blue light. In addition, the light-inducible and repressible expression kinetics were quantitatively analysed using a mathematical model. We further apply the system, for the first time, to optogenetically synchronize two receiver cells performing different logic behaviors over time using blue light as a molecular clock signal. Overall, our modular approach layers a transformative platform for next-generation light-controllable synthetic biology systems in prokaryotes. PMID:27353329

Lighting design for globally illuminated volume rendering.

PubMed

Zhang, Yubo; Ma, Kwan-Liu

2013-12-01

With the evolution of graphics hardware, high quality global illumination becomes available for real-time volume rendering. Compared to local illumination, global illumination can produce realistic shading effects which are closer to real world scenes, and has proven useful for enhancing volume data visualization to enable better depth and shape perception. However, setting up optimal lighting could be a nontrivial task for average users. There were lighting design works for volume visualization but they did not consider global light transportation. In this paper, we present a lighting design method for volume visualization employing global illumination. The resulting system takes into account view and transfer-function dependent content of the volume data to automatically generate an optimized three-point lighting environment. Our method fully exploits the back light which is not used by previous volume visualization systems. By also including global shadow and multiple scattering, our lighting system can effectively enhance the depth and shape perception of volumetric features of interest. In addition, we propose an automatic tone mapping operator which recovers visual details from overexposed areas while maintaining sufficient contrast in the dark areas. We show that our method is effective for visualizing volume datasets with complex structures. The structural information is more clearly and correctly presented under the automatically generated light sources.

Hydrogeological controls on post-fire moss recovery in peatlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lukenbach, M. C.; Devito, K. J.; Kettridge, N.; Petrone, R. M.; Waddington, J. M.

2015-11-01

Wildfire is the largest disturbance affecting boreal peatlands, however, little is known about the controls on post-fire peatland vegetation recovery. While small-scale variation in burn severity can reduce post-fire moss water availability, high water table (WT) positions following wildfire are also critical to enable the re-establishment of keystone peatland mosses (i.e. Sphagnum). Thus, post-fire moss water availability is also likely a function of landscape-scale controls on peatland WT dynamics, specifically, connectivity to groundwater flow systems (i.e. hydrogeological setting). For this reason, we assessed the interacting controls of hydrogeological setting and burn severity on post-fire moss water availability in three burned, Sphagnum-dominated peatlands in Alberta's Boreal Plains. At all sites, variation in burn severity resulted in a dichotomy between post-fire surface covers that: (1) exhibited low water availability, regardless of WT position, and had minimal (<5%) moss re-establishment (i.e. lightly burned feather mosses and severely burned Sphagnum fuscum) or (2) exhibited high water availability, depending on WT position, and had substantial (>50%) moss re-establishment (i.e. lightly burned S. fuscum and where depth of burn was >0.05 m). Notably, hydrogeological setting influenced the spatial coverage of these post-fire surface covers by influencing pre-fire WTs and stand characteristics (e.g., shading). Because feather moss cover is controlled by tree shading, lightly burned feather mosses were ubiquitous (>25%) in drier peatlands (deeper pre-fire WTs) that were densely treed and had little connection to large groundwater flow systems. Moreover, hydrogeological setting also controlled post-fire WT positions, thereby affecting moss re-establishment in post-fire surface covers that were dependent on WT position (e.g., lightly burned S. fuscum). Accordingly, higher recolonization rates were observed in a peatland located in a groundwater flow through system that had a shallow post-fire WT. Therefore, we argue that hydrogeological setting influences post-fire recovery in two ways: (1) by influencing vegetation structure prior to wildfire, thereby controlling the coverage of post-fire surface covers and (2) by influencing post-fire WT positions. These results suggest that post-fire moss recovery in peatlands isolated from groundwater flow systems may be particularly susceptible to droughts and future climate change.

Automatic illumination compensation device based on a photoelectrochemical biofuel cell driven by visible light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, You; Han, Yanchao; Xu, Miao; Zhang, Lingling; Dong, Shaojun

2016-04-01

Inverted illumination compensation is important in energy-saving projects, artificial photosynthesis and some forms of agriculture, such as hydroponics. However, only a few illumination adjustments based on self-powered biodetectors that quantitatively detect the intensity of visible light have been reported. We constructed an automatic illumination compensation device based on a photoelectrochemical biofuel cell (PBFC) driven by visible light. The PBFC consisted of a glucose dehydrogenase modified bioanode and a p-type semiconductor cuprous oxide photocathode. The PBFC had a high power output of 161.4 μW cm-2 and an open circuit potential that responded rapidly to visible light. It adjusted the amount of illumination inversely irrespective of how the external illumination was changed. This rational design of utilizing PBFCs provides new insights into automatic light adjustable devices and may be of benefit to intelligent applications.Inverted illumination compensation is important in energy-saving projects, artificial photosynthesis and some forms of agriculture, such as hydroponics. However, only a few illumination adjustments based on self-powered biodetectors that quantitatively detect the intensity of visible light have been reported. We constructed an automatic illumination compensation device based on a photoelectrochemical biofuel cell (PBFC) driven by visible light. The PBFC consisted of a glucose dehydrogenase modified bioanode and a p-type semiconductor cuprous oxide photocathode. The PBFC had a high power output of 161.4 μW cm-2 and an open circuit potential that responded rapidly to visible light. It adjusted the amount of illumination inversely irrespective of how the external illumination was changed. This rational design of utilizing PBFCs provides new insights into automatic light adjustable devices and may be of benefit to intelligent applications. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr00759g

Optimal integration of daylighting and electric lighting systems using non-imaging optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scartezzini, J.-L.; Linhart, F.; Kaegi-Kolisnychenko, E.

2007-09-01

Electric lighting is responsible for a significant fraction of electricity consumption within non-residential buildings. Making daylight more available in office and commercial buildings can lead as a consequence to important electricity savings, as well as to the improvement of occupants' visual performance and wellbeing. Over the last decades, daylighting technologies have been developed for that purpose, some of them having proven to be highly efficient such as anidolic daylighting systems. Based on non-imaging optics these optical devices were designed to achieve an efficient collection and redistribution of daylight within deep office rooms. However in order to benefit from the substantial daylight provision obtained through these systems and convert it into effective electricity savings, novel electric lighting strategies are required. An optimal integration of high efficacy light sources and efficient luminaries based on non-imaging optics with anidolic daylighting systems can lead to such novel strategies. Starting from the experience gained through the development of an Anidolic Integrated Ceiling (AIC), this paper presents an optimal integrated daylighting and electric lighting system. Computer simulations based on ray-tracing techniques were used to achieve the integration of 36W fluorescent tubes and non-imaging reflectors with an advanced daylighting system. Lighting power densities lower than 4 W/m2 can be achieved in this way within the corresponding office room. On-site monitoring of an integrated daylighting and electric lighting system carried out on a solar experimental building confirmed the energy and visual performance of such a system: it showed that low lighting power densities can be achieved by combining an anidolic daylighting system with very efficient electric light sources and luminaries.

Applying behavioral-ecological theory to plant defense: light-dependent movement in Mimosa pudica suggests a trade-off between predation risk and energetic reward.

PubMed

Jensen, Evelyn L; Dill, Lawrence M; Cahill, James F

2011-03-01

Many animal species tolerate different amounts of predation risk based on environmental conditions and the individual's own condition, often accepting greater risk when energetically stressed. We studied the sensitive plant Mimosa pudica to see whether it too accepts greater risk of predation when less light energy is available. This plant displays a defensive behavior of rapidly folding its leaves when stimulated by touch, thereby decreasing visibility to herbivores. Averting herbivory involves a trade-off because leaf closure results in a reduction in light foraging. We manipulated the light environment of individual M. pudica plants and recorded the time it took a plant to reopen its leaves following stimulation as a measure of tolerance of predation risk. As predicted by theory, avoidance behavior was sustained longer under high light conditions than under more light-limited conditions. These findings suggest this species balances the risk and reward of antiherbivore behavior in relation to current environmental conditions and that behavioral-ecological theory is a useful framework for understanding plant responses to predators.

Rosin-enabled ultraclean and damage-free transfer of graphene for large-area flexible organic light-emitting diodes

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhikun; Du, Jinhong; Zhang, Dingdong; Sun, Hengda; Yin, Lichang; Ma, Laipeng; Chen, Jiangshan; Ma, Dongge; Cheng, Hui-Ming; Ren, Wencai

2017-01-01

The large polymer particle residue generated during the transfer process of graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition is a critical issue that limits its use in large-area thin-film devices such as organic light-emitting diodes. The available lighting areas of the graphene-based organic light-emitting diodes reported so far are usually <1 cm2. Here we report a transfer method using rosin as a support layer, whose weak interaction with graphene, good solubility and sufficient strength enable ultraclean and damage-free transfer. The transferred graphene has a low surface roughness with an occasional maximum residue height of about 15 nm and a uniform sheet resistance of 560 Ω per square with about 1% deviation over a large area. Such clean, damage-free graphene has produced the four-inch monolithic flexible graphene-based organic light-emitting diode with a high brightness of about 10,000 cd m−2 that can already satisfy the requirements for lighting sources and displays. PMID:28233778

Biogeography of photosynthetic light-harvesting genes in marine phytoplankton.

PubMed

Bibby, Thomas S; Zhang, Yinan; Chen, Min

2009-01-01

Photosynthetic light-harvesting proteins are the mechanism by which energy enters the marine ecosystem. The dominant prokaryotic photoautotrophs are the cyanobacterial genera Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus that are defined by two distinct light-harvesting systems, chlorophyll-bound protein complexes or phycobilin-bound protein complexes, respectively. Here, we use the Global Ocean Sampling (GOS) Project as a unique and powerful tool to analyze the environmental diversity of photosynthetic light-harvesting genes in relation to available metadata including geographical location and physical and chemical environmental parameters. All light-harvesting gene fragments and their metadata were obtained from the GOS database, aligned using ClustalX and classified phylogenetically. Each sequence has a name indicative of its geographic location; subsequent biogeographical analysis was performed by correlating light-harvesting gene budgets for each GOS station with surface chlorophyll concentration. Using the GOS data, we have mapped the biogeography of light-harvesting genes in marine cyanobacteria on ocean-basin scales and show that an environmental gradient exists in which chlorophyll concentration is correlated to diversity of light-harvesting systems. Three functionally distinct types of light-harvesting genes are defined: (1) the phycobilisome (PBS) genes of Synechococcus; (2) the pcb genes of Prochlorococcus; and (3) the iron-stress-induced (isiA) genes present in some marine Synechococcus. At low chlorophyll concentrations, where nutrients are limited, the Pcb-type light-harvesting system shows greater genetic diversity; whereas at high chlorophyll concentrations, where nutrients are abundant, the PBS-type light-harvesting system shows higher genetic diversity. We interpret this as an environmental selection of specific photosynthetic strategy. Importantly, the unique light-harvesting system isiA is found in the iron-limited, high-nutrient low-chlorophyll region of the equatorial Pacific. This observation demonstrates the ecological importance of isiA genes in enabling marine Synechococcus to acclimate to iron limitation and suggests that the presence of this gene can be a natural biomarker for iron limitation in oceanic environments.

Why HID headlights bother older drivers

PubMed Central

Mainster, M A; Timberlake, G T

2003-01-01

Driving requires effective coordination of visual, motor, and cognitive skills. Visual skills are pushed to their limit at night by decreased illumination and by disabling glare from oncoming headlights. High intensity discharge (HID) headlamps project light farther down roads, improving their owner’s driving safety by increasing the time available for reaction to potential problems. Glare is proportional to headlamp brightness, however, so increasing headlamp brightness also increases potential glare for oncoming drivers, particularly on curving two lane roads. This problem is worse for older drivers because of their increased intraocular light scattering, glare sensitivity, and photostress recovery time. An analysis of automobile headlights, intraocular stray light, glare, and night driving shows that brightness rather than blueness is the primary reason for the visual problems that HID headlights can cause for older drivers who confront them. The increased light projected by HID headlights is potentially valuable, but serious questions remain regarding how and where it should be projected. PMID:12488274

Investigation of Saturation Effects in Ceramic Phosphors for Laser Lighting

PubMed Central

Krasnoshchoka, Anastasiia; Dam-Hansen, Carsten; Corell, Dennis Dan; Petersen, Paul Michael

2017-01-01

We report observations of saturation effects in a Ce:LuAG and Eu-doped nitride ceramic phosphor for conversion of blue laser light for white light generation. The luminous flux from the phosphors material increases linearly with the input power until saturation effects limit the conversion. It is shown that the temperature of the phosphor layer influences the saturation power level and the conversion efficiency. It is also shown that the correlated color temperature (CCT), phosphor conversion efficiency and color rendering index (CRI) are dependent both on the incident power and spot size diameter of the illumination. A phosphor conversion efficiency up to 140.8 lm/W with CRI of 89.4 was achieved. The saturation in a ceramic phosphor, when illuminated by high intensity laser diodes, is estimated to play the main role in limiting the available luminance from laser-based lighting systems. PMID:29292770

Lights Off for Arbuscular Mycorrhiza: On Its Symbiotic Functioning under Light Deprivation

PubMed Central

Konvalinková, Tereza; Jansa, Jan

2016-01-01

Plants are often exposed to shade over different time scales and this may substantially affect not only their own growth, but also development and functioning of the energetically dependent organisms. Among those, the root symbionts such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and rhizobia represent particularly important cases—on the one hand, they consume a significant share of plant carbon (C) budget and, on the other, they generate a number of important nutritional feedbacks on their plant hosts, often resulting in a net positive effect on their host growth and/or fitness. Here we discuss our previous results comparing mycorrhizal performance under different intensities and durations of shade (Konvalinková et al., 2015) in a broader context of previously published literature. Additionally, we review publicly available knowledge on the root colonization and mycorrhizal growth responses in AM plants under light deprivation. Experimental evidence shows that sudden and intensive decrease of light availability to a mycorrhizal plant triggers rapid deactivation of phosphorus transfer from the AM fungus to the plant already within a few days, implying active and rapid response of the AM fungus to the energetic status of its plant host. When AM plants are exposed to intensive shading on longer time scales (weeks to months), positive mycorrhizal growth responses (MGR) are often decreasing and may eventually become negative. This is most likely due to the high C cost of the symbiosis relative to the C availability, and failure of plants to fully compensate for the fungal C demand under low light. Root colonization by AM fungi often declines under low light intensities, although the active role of plants in regulating the extent of root colonization has not yet been unequivocally demonstrated. Quantitative information on the rates and dynamics of C transfer from the plant to the fungus is mostly missing, as is the knowledge on the involved molecular mechanisms. Therefore, these subjects deserve particular attention in the future. PMID:27375642

Lights Off for Arbuscular Mycorrhiza: On Its Symbiotic Functioning under Light Deprivation.

PubMed

Konvalinková, Tereza; Jansa, Jan

2016-01-01

Plants are often exposed to shade over different time scales and this may substantially affect not only their own growth, but also development and functioning of the energetically dependent organisms. Among those, the root symbionts such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and rhizobia represent particularly important cases-on the one hand, they consume a significant share of plant carbon (C) budget and, on the other, they generate a number of important nutritional feedbacks on their plant hosts, often resulting in a net positive effect on their host growth and/or fitness. Here we discuss our previous results comparing mycorrhizal performance under different intensities and durations of shade (Konvalinková et al., 2015) in a broader context of previously published literature. Additionally, we review publicly available knowledge on the root colonization and mycorrhizal growth responses in AM plants under light deprivation. Experimental evidence shows that sudden and intensive decrease of light availability to a mycorrhizal plant triggers rapid deactivation of phosphorus transfer from the AM fungus to the plant already within a few days, implying active and rapid response of the AM fungus to the energetic status of its plant host. When AM plants are exposed to intensive shading on longer time scales (weeks to months), positive mycorrhizal growth responses (MGR) are often decreasing and may eventually become negative. This is most likely due to the high C cost of the symbiosis relative to the C availability, and failure of plants to fully compensate for the fungal C demand under low light. Root colonization by AM fungi often declines under low light intensities, although the active role of plants in regulating the extent of root colonization has not yet been unequivocally demonstrated. Quantitative information on the rates and dynamics of C transfer from the plant to the fungus is mostly missing, as is the knowledge on the involved molecular mechanisms. Therefore, these subjects deserve particular attention in the future.

Competition for nitrogen between European beech and sycamore maple shifts in favour of beech with decreasing light availability.

PubMed

Simon, Judy; Li, Xiuyuan; Rennenberg, Heinz

2014-01-01

Plant species use different strategies for maximizing growth and fitness under changing environmental conditions. At the ecosystem level, seedlings in particular compete with other vegetation components for light and nitrogen (N), which often constitute growth-limiting resources. In this study, we investigated the effect of light availability on the competition for N between seedlings of European beech and sycamore maple and analysed the consequences of this competition for the composition of N metabolites in fine roots. Our results show different strategies in N acquisition between beech and sycamore maple. Both species responded to reduced light availability by adapting their morphological and physiological traits with a decrease in biomass and net assimilation rate and an increase in specific leaf area and leaf area ratio. For beech seedlings, competition with sycamore maple led to a reduction in organic N uptake capacity. Reduced light availability led to a decrease in ammonium, but an increase in glutamine-N uptake capacity in sycamore maple. However, this response was stronger compared with that of beech and was accompanied by reduced growth. Thus, our results suggest better adaptation of N acquisition to reduced light availability in beech compared with sycamore maple seedlings.

75 FR 38809 - Marquette Board of Light and Power; Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Assessment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-06

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2589-057--Michigan] Marquette Board of Light and Power; Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Assessment June 28, 2010... prepared a Final Environmental Assessment (FEA) regarding Marquette Board of Light and Power's plan to...

Plant lighting system with five wavelength-band light-emitting diodes providing photon flux density and mixing ratio control

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Plant growth and development depend on the availability of light. Lighting systems therefore play crucial roles in plant studies. Recent advancements of light-emitting diode (LED) technologies provide abundant opportunities to study various plant light responses. The LED merits include solidity, longevity, small element volume, radiant flux controllability, and monochromaticity. To apply these merits in plant light response studies, a lighting system must provide precisely controlled light spectra that are useful for inducing various plant responses. Results We have developed a plant lighting system that irradiated a 0.18 m2 area with a highly uniform distribution of photon flux density (PFD). The average photosynthetic PFD (PPFD) in the irradiated area was 438 micro-mol m–2 s–1 (coefficient of variation 9.6%), which is appropriate for growing leafy vegetables. The irradiated light includes violet, blue, orange-red, red, and far-red wavelength bands created by LEDs of five types. The PFD and mixing ratio of the five wavelength-band lights are controllable using a computer and drive circuits. The phototropic response of oat coleoptiles was investigated to evaluate plant sensitivity to the light control quality of the lighting system. Oat coleoptiles irradiated for 23 h with a uniformly distributed spectral PFD (SPFD) of 1 micro-mol m–2 s–1 nm–1 at every peak wavelength (405, 460, 630, 660, and 735 nm) grew almost straight upwards. When they were irradiated with an SPFD gradient of blue light (460 nm peak wavelength), the coleoptiles showed a phototropic curvature in the direction of the greater SPFD of blue light. The greater SPFD gradient induced the greater curvature of coleoptiles. The relation between the phototropic curvature (deg) and the blue-light SPFD gradient (micro-mol m–2 s–1 nm–1 m–1) was 2 deg per 1 micro-mol m–2 s–1 nm–1 m–1. Conclusions The plant lighting system, with a computer with a graphical user interface program, can control the PFD and mixing ratios of five wavelength-band lights. A highly uniform PFD distribution was achieved, although an intentionally distorted PFD gradient was also created. Phototropic responses of oat coleoptiles to the blue light gradient demonstrated the merit of fine controllability of this plant lighting system. PMID:23173915

Continuous Digital Light Processing (cDLP): Highly Accurate Additive Manufacturing of Tissue Engineered Bone Scaffolds.

PubMed

Dean, David; Jonathan, Wallace; Siblani, Ali; Wang, Martha O; Kim, Kyobum; Mikos, Antonios G; Fisher, John P

2012-03-01

Highly accurate rendering of the external and internal geometry of bone tissue engineering scaffolds effects fit at the defect site, loading of internal pore spaces with cells, bioreactor-delivered nutrient and growth factor circulation, and scaffold resorption. It may be necessary to render resorbable polymer scaffolds with 50 μm or less accuracy to achieve these goals. This level of accuracy is available using Continuous Digital Light processing (cDLP) which utilizes a DLP(®) (Texas Instruments, Dallas, TX) chip. One such additive manufacturing device is the envisionTEC (Ferndale, MI) Perfactory(®). To use cDLP we integrate a photo-crosslinkable polymer, a photo-initiator, and a biocompatible dye. The dye attenuates light, thereby limiting the depth of polymerization. In this study we fabricated scaffolds using the well-studied resorbable polymer, poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF), titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) as a dye, Irgacure(®) 819 (BASF [Ciba], Florham Park, NJ) as an initiator, and diethyl fumarate as a solvent to control viscosity.

Superpixel-based spatial amplitude and phase modulation using a digital micromirror device.

PubMed

Goorden, Sebastianus A; Bertolotti, Jacopo; Mosk, Allard P

2014-07-28

We present a superpixel method for full spatial phase and amplitude control of a light beam using a digital micromirror device (DMD) combined with a spatial filter. We combine square regions of nearby micromirrors into superpixels by low pass filtering in a Fourier plane of the DMD. At each superpixel we are able to independently modulate the phase and the amplitude of light, while retaining a high resolution and the very high speed of a DMD. The method achieves a measured fidelity F = 0.98 for a target field with fully independent phase and amplitude at a resolution of 8 × 8 pixels per diffraction limited spot. For the LG10 orbital angular momentum mode the calculated fidelity is F = 0.99993, using 768 × 768 DMD pixels. The superpixel method reduces the errors when compared to the state of the art Lee holography method for these test fields by 50% and 18%, with a comparable light efficiency of around 5%. Our control software is publicly available.

Highly efficient low color temperature organic LED using blend carrier modulation layer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hsieh, Yao-Ching; Chen, Szu-Hao; Shen, Shih-Ming; Wang, Ching-Chiun; Chen, Chien-Chih; Jou, Jwo-Huei

2012-10-01

Color temperature (CT) of light has great effect on human physiology and psychology, and low CT light, minimizing melatonin suppression and decreasing the risk of breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer. We demonstrates the incorporation of a blend carrier modulation interlayer (CML) between emissive layers to improve the device performance of low CT organic light emitting diodes, which exhibits an external quantum efficiency of 22.7% and 36 lm W-1 (54 cd A-1) with 1880 K at 100 cd m-2, or 20.8% and 29 lm W-1 (50 cd A-1) with 1940 K at 1000 cd m-2. The result shows a CT much lower than that of incandescent bulbs, which is 2500 K with 15 lmW-1 efficiency, and even as low as that of candles, which is 2000 K with 0.1 lmW-1. The high efficiency of the proposed device may be attributed to its CML, which helps effectively distribute the entering carriers into the available recombination zones.

Specific innovative semi-transparent solar cell for indoor and outdoor LiFi applications.

PubMed

Bialic, Emilie; Maret, Luc; Kténas, Dimitri

2015-09-20

Research in light-fidelity (LiFi), also called visible light communication (VLC), has gained huge interest. In such a communication system, an optical sensor translates the received luminous modulation flux into an electrical signal which is decoded. To consider LiFi as an alternative solution for wireless communication, the receiver must be operational in indoor and outdoor configurations. Photovoltaic modules could appear as a solution to this issue. In this paper, we present signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) response in the frequency of two different kinds of photovoltaic modules. We characterize in detail the SNR by using an experimental setup which connects a software-based direct current optical (DCO)-orthogonal frequency division multiiplexing emitter and receiver to hardware optical front ends. We analyze LiFi performances under different lighting conditions. We prove that the available bandwidth depends drastically on ambient lighting configurations. Under specific lighting conditions, a bandwidth around 4 MHz corresponding a data rate around 8 Mbit/s could be achieved. We present the lighting saturation effects and we prove that the semi-transparent solar cell under study improves their performances (both bandwidth and data rate) in high ambient lighting environments.

Negative effects of heterospecific pollen receipt vary with abiotic conditions: ecological and evolutionary implications.

PubMed

Celaya, Ileana N; Arceo-Gómez, Gerardo; Alonso, Conchita; Parra-Tabla, Víctor

2015-10-01

Studies that have evaluated the effects of heterospecific pollen (HP) receipt on plant reproductive success have generally overlooked the variability of the natural abiotic environment in which plants grow. Variability in abiotic conditions, such as light and water availability, has the potential to affect pollen-stigma interactions (i.e. conspecific pollen germination and performance), which will probably influence the effects of HP receipt. Thus, a more complete understanding of the extent, strength and consequences of plant-plant interactions via HP transfer requires better consideration of the range of abiotic conditions in which these interactions occur. This study addresses this issue by evaluating the effects of two HP donors (Tamonea curassavica and Angelonia angustifolia) on the reproductive success of Cuphea gaumeri, an endemic species of the Yucatan Peninsula. Mixed (conspecific pollen and HP) and pure (conspecific pollen only) hand-pollinations were conducted under varying conditions of water and light availability in a full factorial design. Reproductive success was measured as the number of pollen tubes that reached the bottom of the style. Only one of the two HP donors had a significant effect on C. gaumeri reproductive success, but this effect was dependent on water and light availability. Specifically, HP receipt caused a decrease in pollen tube growth, but only when the availability of water, light or both was low, and not when the availability of both resources was high. The results show that the outcome of interspecific post-pollination interactions via HP transfer can be context-dependent and vary with abiotic conditions, thus suggesting that abiotic effects in natural populations may be under-estimated. Such context-dependency could lead to spatial and temporal mosaics in the ecological and evolutionary consequences of post-pollination interactions. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. Allrights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Environmental Control on Microbial Turnover of Leaf Carbon in Streams – Ecological Function of Phototrophic-Heterotrophic Interactions

PubMed Central

Fabian, Jenny; Zlatanović, Sanja; Mutz, Michael; Grossart, Hans-Peter; van Geldern, Robert; Ulrich, Andreas; Gleixner, Gerd; Premke, Katrin

2018-01-01

In aquatic ecosystems, light availability can significantly influence microbial turnover of terrestrial organic matter through associated metabolic interactions between phototrophic and heterotrophic communities. However, particularly in streams, microbial functions vary significantly with the structure of the streambed, that is the distribution and spatial arrangement of sediment grains in the streambed. It is therefore essential to elucidate how environmental factors synergistically define the microbial turnover of terrestrial organic matter in order to better understand the ecological role of photo-heterotrophic interactions in stream ecosystem processes. In outdoor experimental streams, we examined how the structure of streambeds modifies the influence of light availability on microbial turnover of leaf carbon (C). Furthermore, we investigated whether the studied relationships of microbial leaf C turnover to environmental conditions are affected by flow intermittency commonly occurring in streams. We applied leaves enriched with a 13C-stable isotope tracer and combined quantitative and isotope analyses. We thereby elucidated whether treatment induced changes in C turnover were associated with altered use of leaf C within the microbial food web. Moreover, isotope analyses were combined with measurements of microbial community composition to determine whether changes in community function were associated with a change in community composition. In this study, we present evidence, that environmental factors interactively determine how phototrophs and heterotrophs contribute to leaf C turnover. Light availability promoted the utilization of leaf C within the microbial food web, which was likely associated with a promoted availability of highly bioavailable metabolites of phototrophic origin. However, our results additionally confirm that the structure of the streambed modifies light-related changes in microbial C turnover. From our observations, we conclude that the streambed structure influences the strength of photo-heterotrophic interactions by defining the spatial availability of algal metabolites in the streambed and the composition of microbial communities. Collectively, our multifactorial approach provides valuable insights into environmental controls on the functioning of stream ecosystems.

Blue light versus red light for photodynamic therapy of basal cell carcinoma in patients with Gorlin syndrome: A bilaterally controlled comparison study.

PubMed

Maytin, Edward V; Kaw, Urvashi; Ilyas, Muneeb; Mack, Judith A; Hu, Bo

2018-06-01

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-scarring alternative for treating basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in patients with Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome (BCNS), also known as Gorlin syndrome. In Europe, red light (635 nm) is the predominant source for PDT, whereas in the United States blue light (400 nm) is more widely available. The objective of this study was to conduct a head-to-head comparison of blue light and red light PDT in the same BCNS patients. In a pilot study of three patients with 141 BCC lesions, 5-aminolevulinate (20% solution) was applied to all tumors. After 4 h, half of the tumors were illuminated with blue light and the remainder with red light. To ensure safety while treating this many tumors simultaneously, light doses were escalated gradually. Six treatments were administered in three biweekly sessions over 4 months, with a final evaluation at 6 months. Tumor status was documented with high-resolution photographs. Persistent lesions were biopsied at 6 months. Clearance rates after blue light (98%) were slightly better than after red light (93%), with blue light shown to be statistically non-inferior to red light. Eight suspicious lesions were biopsied, 5 after red light (5/5 were BCC) and 3 after blue light (1 was BCC). Blue light PDT was reportedly less painful. Blue light and red light PDT appear to be equally safe and perhaps equally effective for treating BCC tumors in BCNS patients. Further studies to evaluate long-term clearance after blue light PDT are needed. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Means to improve light source productivity: from proof of concept to field implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rausa, E.; Cacouris, T.; Conley, W.; Jackson, M.; Luo, S.; Murthy, S.; Rechtsteiner, G.; Steiner, K.

2016-03-01

Light source technological performance is key to enabling chipmaker yield and production success. Just as important is ensuring that performance is consistent over time to help maintain as high an uptime as possible on litho-cells (scanner and track combination). While it is common to see average tool uptime of over 99% based on service intervention time, we will show that there are opportunities to improve equipment availability through a multifaceted approach that can deliver favorable results and significantly improve on the actual production efficiency of equipment. The majority of chipmakers are putting light source data generated by tools such as Cymer OnLine (COL), OnPulse Plus, and SmartPulse to good use. These data sets, combined with in-depth knowledge of the equipment, makes it possible to draw powerful conclusions that help increase both chip manufacturing consistency as well as equipment productivity. This discussion will focus on the latter, equipment availability, and how data analysis can help increase equipment availability for Cymer customers. There are several types of opportunities for increasing equipment availability, but in general we can focus on two primary categories: 1) scheduled downtime and 2) unscheduled downtime. For equipment that is under control of a larger entity, as the laser is to the scanner, there are additional categories related to either communication errors or better synchronization of events that can maximize overall litho-cell efficiency. In this article we will focus on general availability without highlighting the specific cause of litho-cell (laser, scanner and track). The goal is to increase equipment available time with a primary focus is on opportunities to minimize errors and variabilities.

Effect of Light Availability on the Interaction between Maritime Pine and the Pine Weevil: Light Drives Insect Feeding Behavior But Also the Defensive Capabilities of the Host

PubMed Central

Suárez-Vidal, Estefanía; López-Goldar, Xosé; Sampedro, Luis; Zas, Rafael

2017-01-01

Light is a major environmental factor that may determine the interaction between plants and herbivores in several ways, including top-down effects through changes in herbivore behavior and bottom-up effects mediated by alterations of plant physiology. Here we explored the relative contribution of these two regulation processes to the outcome of the interaction of pine trees with a major forest pest, the pine weevil (Hylobius abietis). We studied to what extent light availability influence insect feeding behavior and/or the ability of pines to produce induced defenses in response to herbivory. For this purpose, 3-year old Pinus pinaster plants from three contrasting populations were subjected to 6 days of experimental herbivory by the pine weevil under two levels of light availability (complete darkness or natural sunlight) independently applied to the plant and to the insect in a fully factorial design. Light availability strongly affected the pine weevil feeding behavior. The pine weevil fed more and caused larger feeding scars in darkness than under natural sunlight. Besides, under the more intense levels of weevil damage (i.e., those registered with insects in darkness), light availability also affected the pine’s ability to respond to insect feeding by producing induced resin defenses. These results were consistent across the three studied populations despite they differed in weevil susceptibility and inducibility of defenses. Morocco was the most damaged population and the one that induced more defensive compounds. Overall, results indicate that light availability modulates the outcome of the pine–weevil interactions through both bottom-up and top-down regulation mechanisms. PMID:28912787

Topography-based analysis of Hurricane Katrina inundation of New Orleans: Chapter 3G in Science and the storms-the USGS response to the hurricanes of 2005

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gesch, Dean

2007-01-01

The ready availability of high-resolution, high-accuracy elevation data proved valuable for development of topographybased products to determine rough estimates of the inundation of New Orleans, La., from Hurricane Katrina. Because of its high level of spatial detail and vertical accuracy of elevation measurements, light detection and ranging (lidar) remote sensing is an excellent mapping technology for use in low-relief hurricane-prone coastal areas.

Phosphorescent Organic Light Emitting Diodes Implementing Platinum Complexes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ecton, Jeremy Exton

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are a promising approach for display and solid state lighting applications. However, further work is needed in establishing the availability of efficient and stable materials for OLEDs with high external quantum efficiency's (EQE) and high operational lifetimes. Recently, significant improvements in the internal quantum efficiency or ratio of generated photons to injected electrons have been achieved with the advent of phosphorescent complexes with the ability to harvest both singlet and triplet excitons. Since then, a variety of phosphorescent complexes containing heavy metal centers including Os, Ni, Ir, Pd, and Pt have been developed. Thus far, the majority of the work in the field has focused on iridium based complexes. Platinum based complexes, however, have received considerably less attention despite demonstrating efficiency's equal to or better than their iridium analogs. In this study, a series of OLEDs implementing newly developed platinum based complexes were demonstrated with efficiency's or operational lifetimes equal to or better than their iridium analogs for select cases. In addition to demonstrating excellent device performance in OLEDs, platinum based complexes exhibit unique photophysical properties including the ability to form excimer emission capable of generating broad white light emission from a single emitter and the ability to form narrow band emission from a rigid, tetradentate molecular structure for select cases. These unique photophysical properties were exploited and their optical and electrical properties in a device setting were elucidated. Utilizing the unique properties of a tridentate Pt complex, Pt-16, a highly efficient white device employing a single emissive layer exhibited a peak EQE of over 20% and high color quality with a CRI of 80 and color coordinates CIE(x=0.33, y=0.33). Furthermore, by employing a rigid, tetradentate platinum complex, PtN1N, with a narrow band emission into a microcavity organic light emitting diode (MOLED), significant enhancement in the external quantum efficiency was achieved. The optimized MOLED structure achieved a light out-coupling enhancement of 1.35 compared to the non-cavity structure with a peak EQE of 34.2%. In addition to demonstrating a high light out-coupling enhancement, the microcavity effect of a narrow band emitter in a MOLED was elucidated.

Canopy gradients in leaf functional traits for species that differ in growth strategies and shade tolerance.

PubMed

Coble, Adam P; Fogel, Marilyn L; Parker, Geoffrey G

2017-10-01

In temperate deciduous forests, vertical gradients in leaf mass per area (LMA) and area-based leaf nitrogen (Narea) are strongly controlled by gradients in light availability. While there is evidence that hydrostatic constraints on leaf development may diminish LMA and Narea responses to light, inherent differences among tree species may also influence leaf developmental and morphological response to light. We investigated vertical gradients in LMA, Narea and leaf carbon isotope composition (δ13C) for three temperate deciduous species (Carpinus caroliniana Walter, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., Liriodendron tulipifera L.) that differed in growth strategy (e.g., indeterminate and determinate growth), shade tolerance and leaf area to sapwood ratio (Al:As). Leaves were sampled across a broad range of light conditions within three vertical layers of tree crowns to maximize variation in light availability at each height and to minimize collinearity between light and height. All species displayed similar responses to light with respect to Narea and δ13C, but not for LMA. Light was more important for gradients in LMA for the shade-tolerant (C. caroliniana) and -intolerant (L. tulipifera) species with indeterminate growth, and height (e.g., hydrostatic gradients) and light were equally important for the shade-tolerant (F. grandifolia) species with determinate growth. Fagus grandifolia had a higher morphological plasticity in response to light, which may offer a competitive advantage in occupying a broader range of light conditions throughout the canopy. Differences in responses to light and height for the taller tree species, L. tulipifera and F. grandifolia, may be attributed to differences in growth strategy or Al:As, which may alter morphological and functional responses to light availability. While height was important in F. grandifolia, height was no more robust in predicting LMA than light in any of the species, confirming the strong role of light availability in determining LMA for temperate deciduous species. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

On the prediction of auto-rotational characteristics of light airplane fuselages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pamadi, B. N.; Taylor, L. W., Jr.

1984-01-01

A semi-empirical theory is presented for the estimation of aerodynamic forces and moments acting on a steadily rotating (spinning) airplane fuselage, with a particular emphasis on the prediction of its auto-rotational behavior. This approach is based on an extension of the available analytical methods for high angle of attack and side-slip and then coupling this procedure with strip theory for application to a rotating airplane fuselage. The analysis is applied to the fuselage of a light general aviation airplane and the results are shown to be in fair agreement with experimental data.

Compact solar autoclave based on steam generation using broadband light-harvesting nanoparticles.

PubMed

Neumann, Oara; Feronti, Curtis; Neumann, Albert D; Dong, Anjie; Schell, Kevin; Lu, Benjamin; Kim, Eric; Quinn, Mary; Thompson, Shea; Grady, Nathaniel; Nordlander, Peter; Oden, Maria; Halas, Naomi J

2013-07-16

The lack of readily available sterilization processes for medicine and dentistry practices in the developing world is a major risk factor for the propagation of disease. Modern medical facilities in the developed world often use autoclave systems to sterilize medical instruments and equipment and process waste that could contain harmful contagions. Here, we show the use of broadband light-absorbing nanoparticles as solar photothermal heaters, which generate high-temperature steam for a standalone, efficient solar autoclave useful for sanitation of instruments or materials in resource-limited, remote locations. Sterilization was verified using a standard Geobacillus stearothermophilus-based biological indicator.

Organization of the Topical Meeting on Tunable Solid State Lasers Held in North Falmouth, Massachusetts on 1-3 May 1989

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-30

nm to produce blue light at 455 nm (Figure 1). A 20 Hz doubled Nd:YAG pump laser emitting up to 150 mJ at 532 nm 147 WA4-2 was used to resonantly...pumped by a diode laser, then in addition to the processes of Fig. 1, excited state absorption of the pump light from both 4I13,/z and 4I3112 may be...are visible and UV systems pumped at wavelengths that are available from semiconductor diode lasers and infrared emitting systems having high slope

Forging Fluorine-Containing Quaternary Stereocenters by a Light-Driven Organocatalytic Aldol Desymmetrization Process.

PubMed

Cuadros, Sara; Dell'Amico, Luca; Melchiorre, Paolo

2017-09-18

Reported herein is a light-triggered organocatalytic strategy for the desymmetrization of achiral 2-fluoro-substituted cyclopentane-1,3-diketones. The chemistry is based on an intermolecular aldol reaction of photochemically generated hydroxy-o-quinodimethanes and simultaneously forges two adjacent fully substituted carbon stereocenters, with one bearing a stereogenic carbon-fluorine unit. The method uses readily available substrates, a simple chiral organocatalyst, and mild reaction conditions to afford an array of highly functionalized chiral 2-fluoro-3-hydroxycyclopentanones. © 2017 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

The Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source

DOE PAGES

Ferguson, Ken R.; Bucher, Maximilian; Bozek, John D.; ...

2015-05-01

The Atomic, Molecular and Optical Science (AMO) instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) provides a tight soft X-ray focus into one of three experimental endstations. The flexible instrument design is optimized for studying a wide variety of phenomena requiring peak intensity. There is a suite of spectrometers and two photon area detectors available. An optional mirror-based split-and-delay unit can be used for X-ray pump–probe experiments. Recent scientific highlights illustrate the imaging, time-resolved spectroscopy and high-power density capabilities of the AMO instrument.

A spatial model to improve site selection for seagrass restoration in shallow boating environments.

PubMed

Hotaling-Hagan, Althea; Swett, Robert; Ellis, L Rex; Frazer, Thomas K

2017-01-15

Due to widespread and continuing seagrass loss, restoration attempts occur worldwide. This article presents a geospatial modeling technique that ranks the suitability of sites for restoration based on light availability and boating activity, two factors cited in global studies of seagrass loss and restoration failures. The model presented here was created for Estero Bay, Florida and is a predictive model of light availability and boating pressure to aid seagrass restoration efforts. The model is adaptive and can be parameterized for different locations and updated as additional data is collected and knowledge of how factors impact seagrass improves. Light data used for model development were collected over one year from 50 sites throughout the bay. Coupled with high resolution bathymetric data, bottom mean light availability was predicted throughout the bay. Data collection throughout the year also allowed for prediction of light variability at sites, a possible indicator of seagrass growth and survival. Additionally, survey data on boating activities were used to identify areas, outside of marked navigation channels, that receive substantial boating pressure and are likely poor candidate sites for seagrass restoration. The final map product identifies areas where the light environment was suitable for seagrasses and boating pressure was low. A composite map showing the persistence of seagrass coverage in the study area over four years, between 1999 and 2006, was used to validate the model. Eighty-nine percent of the area where seagrass persisted (had been mapped all four years) was ranked as suitable for restoration: 42% with the highest rank (7), 28% with a rank of 6, and 19% with a rank of 5. The results show that the model is a viable tool for selection of seagrass restoration sites in Florida and elsewhere. With knowledge of the light environment and boating patterns, managers will be better equipped to set seagrass restoration and water quality improvement targets and select sites for restoration. The modeling approach outlined here is broadly applicable and will be of value to a large and diverse suite of scientists and marine resource managers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Max Tech and Beyond: High-Intensity Discharge Lamps

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scholand, Michael

High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps are most often found in industrial and commercial applications, and are the light source of choice in street and area lighting, and sports stadium illumination. HID lamps are produced in three types - mercury vapor (MV), high pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MH). Of these, MV and MH are considered white-light sources (although the MV exhibits poor color rendering) and HPS produces a yellow-orange color light. A fourth lamp, low-pressure sodium (LPS), is not a HID lamp by definition, but it is used in similar applications and thus is often grouped with HID lamps. Withmore » the notable exception of MV which is comparatively inefficient and in decline in the US from both a sales and installed stock point of view; HPS, LPS and MH all have efficacies over 100 lumens per watt. The figure below presents the efficacy trends over time for commercially available HID lamps and LPS, starting with MV and LPS in 1930's followed by the development of HPS and MH in the 1960's. In HID lamps, light is generated by creating an electric arc between two electrodes in an arc tube. The particles in the arc are partially ionized, making them electrically conductive, and a light-emitting 'plasma' is created. This arc occurs within the arc tube, which for most HID lamps is enclosed within an evacuated outer bulb that thermally isolates and protects the hot arc tube from the surroundings. Unlike a fluorescent lamp that produces visible light through down-converting UV light with phosphors, the arc itself is the light source in an HID lamp, emitting visible radiation that is characteristic of the elements present in the plasma. Thus, the mixture of elements included in the arc tube is one critical factor determining the quality of the light emitted from the lamp, including its correlated color temperature (CCT) and color rendering index (CRI). Similar to fluorescent lamps, HID lamps require a ballast to start and maintain stable operating conditions, and this necessitates additional power beyond that used by the lamp itself. HID lamps offer important advantages compared to other lighting technologies, making them well suited for certain applications. HID lamps can be very efficient, have long operating lives, are relatively temperature-insensitive and produce a large quantity of light from a small package. For these reasons, HID lamps are often used when high levels of illumination are required over large areas and where operating and maintenance costs must be kept to a minimum. Furthermore, if the installation has a significant mounting height, high-power HID lamps can offer superior optical performance luminaires, reducing the number of lamps required to illuminate a given area. The indoor environments best suited to HID lamps are those with high ceilings, such as those commonly found in industrial spaces, warehouses, large retail spaces, sports halls and large public areas. Research into efficacy improvements for HID lighting technologies has generally followed market demand for these lamps, which is in decline for MV and LPS, has reached a plateau for HPS and is growing for MH. Several manufacturers interviewed for this study indicated that although solid-state lighting was now receiving the bulk of their company's R&D investment, there are still strong HID lamp research programs, which concentrate on MH technologies, with some limited amount of investment in HPS for specific niche applications (e.g., agricultural greenhouses). LPS and MV lamps are no longer being researched or improved in terms of efficacy or other performance attributes, although some consider MH HID lamps to be the next-generation MV lamp. Thus, the efficacy values of commercially available MV, LPS and HPS lamps are not expected to increase in the next 5 to 10 years. MH lamps, and more specifically, ceramic MH lamps are continuing to improve in efficacy as well as light quality, manufacturability and lamp life. Within an HID lamp, the light-producing plasma must be heated to sufficiently high temperatures to achieve high efficiencies, without melting the electrodes or altering the operating conditions of the lamp. The research in ceramic MH has focused on the arc tube, the electrodes and the plasma, resulting in an innovation announced by Philips Lighting in 2009 called the 'unsaturated lamp.' The unsaturated lamp addresses a problem experienced by standard ceramic MH lamps where a pool of liquid salt develops in the arc tube while the lamp is operating. This pool of liquid salt limits the light characteristics of the lamp such as the efficacy and color quality, and reduces lamp lifetime. By making modifications to the arc tube, the pressure and the operating temperature, the unsaturated ceramic MH lamp resolves this issue by keeping all the halide salts in the gaseous phase, even while the lamp is dimming (down to 50%).« less

Depth-Related Gradients of Viral Activity in Lake Pavin

PubMed Central

Colombet, J.; Sime-Ngando, T.; Cauchie, H. M.; Fonty, G.; Hoffmann, L.; Demeure, G.

2006-01-01

High-resolution vertical sampling and determination of viral and prokaryotic parameters in a deep volcanic lake shows that in the absence of thermal stratification but within light, oxygen, and chlorophyll gradients, host availability empirically is prevalent over the physical and chemical environments and favors lytic over lysogenic “viral life cycles.” PMID:16751565

Crop performance and weed suppression by weed-suppressive rice cultivars in furrow- and flood-irrigated systems under reduced herbicide inputs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Weed control in rice is challenging, particularly in light of increased resistance to herbicides in weed populations and diminishing availability of irrigation water. Certain indica rice cultivars can produce high yields and suppress weeds in conventional flood-irrigated, drill-seeded systems in the...

Impact of the ion transportome of chloroplasts on the optimization of photosynthesis.

PubMed

Szabò, Ildikò; Spetea, Cornelia

2017-06-01

Ions play fundamental roles in all living cells, and their gradients are often essential to fuel transport, regulate enzyme activities, and transduce energy within cells. Regulation of their homeostasis is essential for cell metabolism. Recent results indicate that modulation of ion fluxes might also represent a useful strategy to regulate one of the most important physiological processes taking place in chloroplasts, photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is highly regulated, due to its unique role as a cellular engine for growth in the light. Controlling the balance between ATP and NADPH synthesis is a critical task, and availability of these molecules can limit the overall photosynthetic yield. Photosynthetic organisms optimize photosynthesis in low light, where excitation energy limits CO2 fixation, and minimize photo-oxidative damage in high light by dissipating excess photons. Despite extensive studies of these phenomena, the mechanism governing light utilization in plants is still poorly understood. In this review, we provide an update of the recently identified chloroplast-located ion channels and transporters whose function impacts photosynthetic efficiency in plants. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Electronic and optical properties of Cr-, B-doped, and (Cr, B)-codoped SrTiO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jiao; Huang, Wei-Qing; Yang, Ke; Wei, Zeng-Xi; Peng, P.; Huang, Gui-Fang

2017-04-01

Energy band engineering of semiconductors plays a crucial role in exploring high-efficiency visible-light response photocatalysts. Herein, we systematically study the electronic properties and optical response of Cr-, B-doped SrTiO3, and (Cr, B)-codoped SrTiO3 by using first-principles calculations to explore the mechanism for its superior photocatalytic activities in the visible light region. Special emphasis is placed on uncovering the synergy effects of nonmetal B dopant with metal Cr dopant at different cation sites. It is found that the electronic properties and optical absorption of SrTiO3 can be dramatically engineered by mono- or co-doping. In particular, the intermediate levels lying in the bandgap of the codoped SrTiO3 relay on the Cr impurity doped at Sr or Ti cation sites. Moreover, the (Cr@Sr, B@O)-SrTiO3 retains the charge balancing without the generation of unexpected oxygen vacancies, and is more desirable for solar light harvesting due to its higher absorption than others in the entire visible light. The findings can rationalize the available experimental results and are helpful in designing SrTiO3-based photocatalysts with high-efficiency performance.

Fan-shaped jets above the light bridge of a sunspot driven by reconnection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robustini, Carolina; Leenaarts, Jorrit; de la Cruz Rodriguez, Jaime; Rouppe van der Voort, Luc

2016-05-01

We report on a fan-shaped set of high-speed jets above a strongly magnetized light bridge (LB) of a sunspot observed in the Hα line. We study the origin, dynamics, and thermal properties of the jets using high-resolution imaging spectroscopy in Hα from the Swedish 1m Solar Telescope and data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and Hinode. The Hα jets have lengths of 7-38 Mm, are impulsively accelerated to a speed of ~100 km s-1 close to photospheric footpoints in the LB, and exhibit a constant deceleration consistent with solar effective gravity. They are predominantly launched from one edge of the light bridge, and their footpoints appear bright in the Hα wings. Atmospheric Imaging Assembly data indicates elongated brightenings that are nearly co-spatial with the Hα jets. We interpret them as jets of transition region temperatures. The magnetic field in the light bridge has a strength of 0.8-2 kG and it is nearly horizontal. All jet properties are consistent with magnetic reconnection as the driver. Movies associated to Figs. 1 and 2 are available in electronic form at http://www.aanda.org

Specialist Insect Herbivore and Light Availability Do Not Interact in the Evolution of an Invasive Plant

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ziyan; He, Kate S.; Li, Bo

2015-01-01

Release from specialist insect herbivores may allow invasive plants to evolve traits associated with decreased resistance and increased competitive ability. Given that there may be genetic trade-off between resistance and tolerance, invasive plants could also become more tolerant to herbivores. Although it is widely acknowledged that light availability affects tolerance to herbivores, little information is available for whether the effect of light availability on tolerance differ between the introduced and native populations. We conducted a common garden experiment in the introduced range of Alternanthera philoxeroides using ten invasive US and ten native Argentinean populations at two levels of light availability and in the presence or absence of a specialist stem-boring insect Agasicles hygrophila. Plant biomass (total and storage root biomass), two allocation traits (root/shoot ratio and branch intensity, branches biomass/main stem biomass) and two functional traits (specific stem length and specific leaf area), which are potentially associated with herbivore resistance and light capture, were measured. Overall, we found that A. philoxeroides from introduced ranges had comparable biomass and tolerance to specialist herbivores, lower branch intensity, lower specific stem length and specific leaf area. Moreover, introduced populations displayed higher shade tolerance of storage root biomass and lower plastic response to shading in specific stem length. Finally, light availability had no significant effect on evolution of tolerance to specialist herbivores of A. philoxeroides. Our results suggest that post-introduction evolution might have occurred in A. philoxeroides. While light availability did not influence the evolution of tolerance to specialist herbivores, increased shade tolerance and release from specialist insects might have contributed to the successful invasion of A. philoxeroides. PMID:26407176

75 FR 27338 - Marquette Board of Light and Power; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-14

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2589-057--Michigan] Marquette Board of Light and Power; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment May 6, 2010. In... Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding Marquette Board of Light and Power's plan to repair the Tourist Park Dam...

Worldwide variation in within-canopy photosynthetic acclimation: differences in temporal and environmental controls among plant functional types

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niinemets, Ülo; Keenan, Trevor

2017-04-01

Major light gradients, characteristically 10- to 50-fold, constitute the most prominent feature of plant canopies. These gradients drive within-canopy variation in foliage structural, chemical and physiological traits. As a key acclimation response to variation in light availability, foliage photosynthetic capacity per area (Aarea) increases with increasing light availability within the canopy, maximizing whole canopy photosynthesis. Recently, a worldwide database including 831 within-canopy gradients with standardized light estimates for 304 species belonging to major vascular plant functional types was constructed and within-canopy variation in photosynthetic acclimation was characterized (Niinemets Ü, Keenan TF, Hallik L (2015) Tansley review. A worldwide analysis of within-canopy variations in leaf structural, chemical and physiological traits across plant functional types. The New Phytologist 205: 973-993). However, the understanding of how within-canopy photosynthetic gradients vary during the growing season and in response to site and stand characteristics is still limited. Here we analyzed temporal, environmental and site (nutrient availability, stand density, ambient CO2 concentration, water availability) sources of variation in within-canopy photosynthetic acclimation in different plant functional types. Variation in key structural (leaf dry mass per unit area, MA), chemical (nitrogen content per dry mass, NM, and area, NA) and physiological (photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency, EN) photosynthetic capacity per dry mass, Amass and area, Aarea) was examined. The analysis demonstrates major, typically 1.5-2-fold, time-, environment and site-dependent modifications in within-canopy variation in foliage photosynthetic capacity. However, the magnitude and direction of temporal and environmental variations in plasticity significantly varied among functional types. Species with longer leaf life span and low rates of canopy expansion or flush-type canopy formation had lower within canopy plasticity during the growing season and in response to environmental and site modifications than species with high rates of canopy expansion and leaf turnover. The fast canopy-expanding species that grow in highly dynamic light environments, actively modified Aarea by nitrogen reallocation among and partitioning within leaves. In contrast, species with low rate of leaf turnover generally exhibited a passive acclimation response with variation in Aarea primarily determined by light-dependent modifications in leaf structure during leaf growth. Due to limited reacclimation capacity in species with low leaf turnover, within-canopy variation in Aarea decreased with increasing leaf age in these species. Furthermore, the plasticity responded less to modifications in environmental and site characteristics than in species with faster leaf turnover. This analysis concludes that the rate of leaf turnover is the key trait determining the temporal variation and environmental responses of canopy photosynthetic acclimation.

Analysis of polarized-light effects in glass-promoting solutions with applications to cryopreservation and organ banking.

PubMed

Solanki, Prem K; Rabin, Yoed

2018-01-01

This study presents experimental results and an analysis approach for polarized light effects associated with thermomechanical stress during cooling of glass promoting solutions, with applications to cryopreservation and tissue banking in a process known as vitrification. Polarized light means have been previously integrated into the cryomacroscope-a visualization device to detect physical effects associated with cryopreservation success, such as crystallization, fracture formation, and contamination. The experimental study concerns vitrification in a cuvette, which is a rectangular container. Polarized light modeling in the cuvette is based on subdividing the tridimensional (3D) domain into a series of planar (2D) problems, for which a mathematical solution is available in the literature. The current analysis is based on tracking the accumulated changes in light polarization and magnitude, as it passes through the sequence of planar problems. Results of this study show qualitative agreement in light intensity history and distribution between experimental data and simulated results. The simulated results help explaining differences between 2D and 3D effects in photoelasticity, most notably, the counterintuitive observation that high stress areas may correlate with low light intensity regions based on the particular experimental conditions. Finally, it is suggested that polarized-light analysis must always be accompanied by thermomechanical stress modeling in order to explain 3D effects.

Analysis of polarized-light effects in glass-promoting solutions with applications to cryopreservation and organ banking

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

This study presents experimental results and an analysis approach for polarized light effects associated with thermomechanical stress during cooling of glass promoting solutions, with applications to cryopreservation and tissue banking in a process known as vitrification. Polarized light means have been previously integrated into the cryomacroscope—a visualization device to detect physical effects associated with cryopreservation success, such as crystallization, fracture formation, and contamination. The experimental study concerns vitrification in a cuvette, which is a rectangular container. Polarized light modeling in the cuvette is based on subdividing the tridimensional (3D) domain into a series of planar (2D) problems, for which a mathematical solution is available in the literature. The current analysis is based on tracking the accumulated changes in light polarization and magnitude, as it passes through the sequence of planar problems. Results of this study show qualitative agreement in light intensity history and distribution between experimental data and simulated results. The simulated results help explaining differences between 2D and 3D effects in photoelasticity, most notably, the counterintuitive observation that high stress areas may correlate with low light intensity regions based on the particular experimental conditions. Finally, it is suggested that polarized-light analysis must always be accompanied by thermomechanical stress modeling in order to explain 3D effects. PMID:29912973

Possibility for a full optical determination of photodynamic therapy outcome

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vollet-Filho, J. D.; Menezes, P. F. C.; Moriyama, L. T.; Grecco, C.; Sibata, C.; Allison, R. R.; Castro e Silva, O.; Bagnato, V. S.

2009-05-01

The efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) depends on a variety of parameters: concentration of the photosensitizer at the time of treatment, light wavelength, fluence, fluence rate, availability of oxygen within the illuminated volume, and light distribution in the tissue. Dosimetry in PDT requires the congregation of adequate amounts of light, drug, and tissue oxygen. The adequate dosimetry should be able to predict the extension of the tissue damage. Photosensitizer photobleaching rate depends on the availability of molecular oxygen in the tissue. Based on photosensitizers photobleaching models, high photobleaching has to be associated with high production of singlet oxygen and therefore with higher photodynamic action, resulting in a greater depth of necrosis. The purpose of this work is to show a possible correlation between depth of necrosis and the in vivo photosensitizer (in this case, Photogem®) photodegradation during PDT. Such correlation allows possibilities for the development of a real time evaluation of the photodynamic action during PDT application. Experiments were performed in a range of fluence (0-450 J/cm2) at a constant fluence rate of 250 mW/cm2 and applying different illumination times (0-1800 s) to achieve the desired fluence. A quantity was defined (ψ) as the product of fluorescence ratio (related to the photosensitizer degradation at the surface) and the observed depth of necrosis. The correlation between depth of necrosis and surface fluorescence signal is expressed in ψ and could allow, in principle, a noninvasive monitoring of PDT effects during treatment. High degree of correlation is observed and a simple mathematical model to justify the results is presented.

An Efficient, Affordable Optically Stimulated Luminescent (OSL) Annealer.

PubMed

Abraham, Sara A; Frank, Samuel J; Kearfott, Kimberlee J

2017-07-01

Optically stimulated luminescent (OSL) dosimeters are devices used for measuring doses of ionizing radiation. Signal is stored within an OSL material so that when stimulated with light, light of a specific wavelength is emitted in proportion to the integrated ionizing radiation dose. Each interrogation of the material results in the loss of a small fraction of signal, thus allowing multiple interrogations leading to more accurate measurements of dose. In order to reuse a dosimeter, the residual signals from prior doses must be taken into account and subtracted from current readings, adding uncertainty to any future measurements. To reduce these errors when they become large, it is desirable to completely clear the stored signal or anneal the dosimeter. Traditionally, heating the material has accomplished this. In a commercially available dosimeter badge system, the OSL material Al2O3:C is incorporated into a plastic slide that would melt at the necessary high temperatures, which can reach 900 °C, required for annealing. Fortunately, due to the material's high sensitivity to light, OSLs can be optically annealed instead. In order to do this, an affordable OSL dosimeter annealer was designed with inexpensive, exchangeable blue, green, and white high intensity light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Several dosimeters were repeatedly annealed for recorded intervals and then read out. A single dosimeter was partially annealed through repeated interrogations with the LED array from a commercial reader. The signal loss due to the exposure to each light was analyzed to determine the practicality and efficiency of each color. The rate and extent of signal loss was dependent not only on the spectrum of annealing light but on the initial signal levels as well. These findings suggest that blue LEDs are the most promising for effective and rapid clearing of the OSL material Al2O3:C.

LightAssembler: fast and memory-efficient assembly algorithm for high-throughput sequencing reads.

PubMed

El-Metwally, Sara; Zakaria, Magdi; Hamza, Taher

2016-11-01

The deluge of current sequenced data has exceeded Moore's Law, more than doubling every 2 years since the next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies were invented. Accordingly, we will able to generate more and more data with high speed at fixed cost, but lack the computational resources to store, process and analyze it. With error prone high throughput NGS reads and genomic repeats, the assembly graph contains massive amount of redundant nodes and branching edges. Most assembly pipelines require this large graph to reside in memory to start their workflows, which is intractable for mammalian genomes. Resource-efficient genome assemblers combine both the power of advanced computing techniques and innovative data structures to encode the assembly graph efficiently in a computer memory. LightAssembler is a lightweight assembly algorithm designed to be executed on a desktop machine. It uses a pair of cache oblivious Bloom filters, one holding a uniform sample of [Formula: see text]-spaced sequenced [Formula: see text]-mers and the other holding [Formula: see text]-mers classified as likely correct, using a simple statistical test. LightAssembler contains a light implementation of the graph traversal and simplification modules that achieves comparable assembly accuracy and contiguity to other competing tools. Our method reduces the memory usage by [Formula: see text] compared to the resource-efficient assemblers using benchmark datasets from GAGE and Assemblathon projects. While LightAssembler can be considered as a gap-based sequence assembler, different gap sizes result in an almost constant assembly size and genome coverage. https://github.com/SaraEl-Metwally/LightAssembler CONTACT: sarah_almetwally4@mans.edu.egSupplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Supercontinuum white light lasers for flow cytometry

PubMed Central

Telford, William G.; Subach, Fedor V.; Verkhusha, Vladislav V.

2009-01-01

Excitation of fluorescent probes for flow cytometry has traditionally been limited to a few discrete laser lines, an inherent limitation in our ability to excite the vast array of fluorescent probes available for cellular analysis. In this report, we have used a supercontinuum (SC) white light laser as an excitation source for flow cytometry. By selectively filtering the wavelength of interest, almost any laser wavelength in the visible spectrum can be separated and used for flow cytometric analysis. The white light lasers used in this study were integrated into a commercial flow cytometry platform, and a series of high-transmission bandpass filters used to select wavelength ranges from the blue (~480 nm) to the long red (>700 nm). Cells labeled with a variety of fluorescent probes or expressing fluorescent proteins were then analyzed, in comparison with traditional lasers emitting at wavelengths similar to the filtered SC source. Based on a standard sensitivity metric, the white light laser bandwidths produced similar excitation levels to traditional lasers for a wide variety of fluorescent probes and expressible proteins. Sensitivity assessment using fluorescent bead arrays confirmed that the SC laser and traditional sources resulted in similar levels of detection sensitivity. Supercontinuum white light laser sources therefore have the potential to remove a significant barrier in flow cytometric analysis, namely the limitation of excitation wavelengths. Almost any visible wavelength range can be made available for excitation, allowing access to virtually any fluorescent probe, and permitting “fine-tuning” of excitation wavelength to particular probes. PMID:19072836

Classical imaging with undetected light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardoso, A. C.; Berruezo, L. P.; Ávila, D. F.; Lemos, G. B.; Pimenta, W. M.; Monken, C. H.; Saldanha, P. L.; Pádua, S.

2018-03-01

We obtained the phase and intensity images of an object by detecting classical light which never interacted with it. With a double passage of a pump and a signal laser beams through a nonlinear crystal, we observe interference between the two idler beams produced by stimulated parametric down conversion. The object is placed in the amplified signal beam after its first passage through the crystal and the image is observed in the interference of the generated idler beams. High contrast images can be obtained even for objects with small transmittance coefficient due to the geometry of the interferometer and to the stimulated parametric emission. Like its quantum counterpart, this three-color imaging concept can be useful when the object must be probed with light at a wavelength for which detectors are not available.

High-resolution wavefront control of high-power laser systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brase, J; Brown, C; Carrano, C

1999-07-08

Nearly every new large-scale laser system application at LLNL has requirements for beam control which exceed the current level of available technology. For applications such as inertial confinement fusion, laser isotope separation, laser machining, and laser the ability to transport significant power to a target while maintaining good beam quality is critical. There are many ways that laser wavefront quality can be degraded. Thermal effects due to the interaction of high-power laser or pump light with the internal optical components or with the ambient gas are common causes of wavefront degradation. For many years, adaptive optics based on thing deformablemore » glass mirrors with piezoelectric or electrostrictive actuators have be used to remove the low-order wavefront errors from high-power laser systems. These adaptive optics systems have successfully improved laser beam quality, but have also generally revealed additional high-spatial-frequency errors, both because the low-order errors have been reduced and because deformable mirrors have often introduced some high-spatial-frequency components due to manufacturing errors. Many current and emerging laser applications fall into the high-resolution category where there is an increased need for the correction of high spatial frequency aberrations which requires correctors with thousands of degrees of freedom. The largest Deformable Mirrors currently available have less than one thousand degrees of freedom at a cost of approximately $1M. A deformable mirror capable of meeting these high spatial resolution requirements would be cost prohibitive. Therefore a new approach using a different wavefront control technology is needed. One new wavefront control approach is the use of liquid-crystal (LC) spatial light modulator (SLM) technology for the controlling the phase of linearly polarized light. Current LC SLM technology provides high-spatial-resolution wavefront control, with hundreds of thousands of degrees of freedom, more than two orders of magnitude greater than the best Deformable Mirrors currently made. Even with the increased spatial resolution, the cost of these devices is nearly two orders of magnitude less than the cost of the largest deformable mirror.« less

Functional analysis of the relative growth rate, chemical composition, construction and maintenance costs, and the payback time of Coffea arabica L. leaves in response to light and water availability.

PubMed

Cavatte, Paulo C; Rodríguez-López, Nélson F; Martins, Samuel C V; Mattos, Mariela S; Sanglard, Lílian M V P; Damatta, Fábio M

2012-05-01

In this study, the combined effects of light and water availability on the functional relationships of the relative growth rate (RGR), leaf chemical composition, construction and maintenance costs, and benefits in terms of payback time for Coffea arabica are presented. Coffee plants were grown for 8 months in 100% or 15% full sunlight and then a four-month water shortage was implemented. Plants grown under full sunlight were also transferred to shade and vice versa. Overall, most of the traits assessed were much more responsive to the availability of light than to the water supply. Larger construction costs (12%), primarily associated with elevated phenol and alkaloid pools, were found under full sunlight. There was a positive correlation between these compounds and the RGR, the mass-based net carbon assimilation rate and the carbon isotope composition ratio, which, in turn, correlated negatively with the specific leaf area. The payback time was remarkably lower in the sun than in shade leaves and increased greatly in water-deprived plants. The differences in maintenance costs among the treatments were narrow, with no significant impact on the RGR, and there was no apparent trade-off in resource allocation between growth and defence. The current irradiance during leaf bud formation affected both the specific leaf area and leaf physiology upon transferring the plants from low to high light and vice versa. In summary, sun-grown plants fixed more carbon for growth and secondary metabolism, with the net effect of an increased RGR.

Structure and function of natural sulphide-oxidizing microbial mats under dynamic input of light and chemical energy

PubMed Central

Klatt, Judith M; Meyer, Steffi; Häusler, Stefan; Macalady, Jennifer L; de Beer, Dirk; Polerecky, Lubos

2016-01-01

We studied the interaction between phototrophic and chemolithoautotrophic sulphide-oxidizing microorganisms in natural microbial mats forming in sulphidic streams. The structure of these mats varied between two end-members: one characterized by a layer dominated by large sulphur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB; mostly Beggiatoa-like) on top of a cyanobacterial layer (B/C mats) and the other with an inverted structure (C/B mats). C/B mats formed where the availability of oxygen from the water column was limited (<5 μm). Aerobic chemolithotrophic activity of the SOB depended entirely on oxygen produced locally by cyanobacteria during high light conditions. In contrast, B/C mats formed at locations where oxygen in the water column was comparatively abundant (>45 μM) and continuously present. Here SOB were independent of the photosynthetic activity of cyanobacteria and outcompeted the cyanobacteria in the uppermost layer of the mat where energy sources for both functional groups were concentrated. Outcompetition of photosynthetic microbes in the presence of light was facilitated by the decoupling of aerobic chemolithotrophy and oxygenic phototrophy. Remarkably, the B/C mats conserved much less energy than the C/B mats, although similar amounts of light and chemical energy were available. Thus ecosystems do not necessarily develop towards optimal energy usage. Our data suggest that, when two independent sources of energy are available, the structure and activity of microbial communities is primarily determined by the continuous rather than the intermittent energy source, even if the time-integrated energy flux of the intermittent energy source is greater. PMID:26405833

Assessing the Performance of LED-Based Flashlights Available in the Kenyan Off-Grid Lighting Market

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tracy, Jennifer; Jacobson, Arne; Mills, Evan

Low cost rechargeable flashlights that use LED technology are increasingly available in African markets. While LED technology holds promise to provide affordable, high quality lighting services, the widespread dissemination of low quality products may make it difficult to realize this potential. This study includes performance results for three brands of commonly available LED flashlights that were purchased in Kenya in 2009. The performance of the flashlights was evaluated by testing five units for each of the three brands. The tests included measurements of battery capacity, time required to charge the battery, maximum illuminance at one meter, operation time and lux-hoursmore » from a fully charged battery, light distribution, and color rendering. All flashlights tested performed well below the manufacturers? rated specifications; the measured battery capacity was 30-50percent lower than the rated capacity and the time required to fully charge the battery was 6-25percent greater than the rated time requirement. Our analysis further shows that within each brand there is considerable variability in each performance indicator. The five samples within a single brand varied from each other by as much as 22percent for battery capacity measurements, 3.6percent for the number of hours required for a full charge, 23percent for maximum initial lux, 38percent for run time, 11percent for light distribution and by as much as 200percent for color rendering. Results obtained are useful for creating a framework for quality assurance of off-grid LED products and will be valuable for informing consumers, distributors and product manufacturers about product performance.« less

The vitamin D hypothesis revisited: race-based disparities in birth outcomes in the United States and ultraviolet light availability.

PubMed

Thayer, Zaneta M

2014-04-15

Skin color has been proposed to contribute to race-based health disparities in the United States because of differences in ultraviolet (UV) light-induced vitamin D synthesis. The prediction of this hypothesis, herein named the UVD hypothesis, is that racial disparities in health outcomes are correlated with UV light availability. This paper investigates whether UV light availability is associated with disparities in the rates of low birth weight (LBW) and preterm birth (PTB) between whites and blacks, because these outcomes are thought to be influenced by vitamin D status and to shape disease risk in later life. Data on LBW and PTB from 2007 (n = 2,825,620 births) were compared with data on UV light exposure across the United States. Contrary to the predictions of the UVD hypothesis, LBW and PTB rate disparities were greatest in states with the highest UV light exposure. Notably, income inequality was positively and significantly related to LBW and PTB disparities, even after controlling for UV light availability. The results of this analysis demonstrate that there is a significant environmental gradient in racial disparities in birth outcomes in the United States, but other social or environmental factors associated with living in the southern United States are likely stronger contributors to disparities in birth outcomes than UV light-induced vitamin D status.

Low Light Availability Alters Root Exudation and Reduces Putative Beneficial Microorganisms in Seagrass Roots

PubMed Central

Martin, Belinda C.; Gleeson, Deirdre; Statton, John; Siebers, Andre R.; Grierson, Pauline; Ryan, Megan H.; Kendrick, Gary A.

2018-01-01

Seagrass roots host a diverse microbiome that is critical for plant growth and health. Composition of microbial communities can be regulated in part by root exudates, but the specifics of these interactions in seagrass rhizospheres are still largely unknown. As light availability controls primary productivity, reduced light may impact root exudation and consequently the composition of the root microbiome. Hence, we analyzed the influence of light availability on root exudation and community structure of the root microbiome of three co-occurring seagrass species, Halophila ovalis, Halodule uninervis and Cymodocea serrulata. Plants were grown under four light treatments in mesocosms for 2 weeks; control (100% surface irradiance (SI), medium (40% SI), low (20% SI) and fluctuating light (10 days 20% and 4 days 100%). 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing revealed that microbial diversity, composition and predicted function were strongly influenced by the presence of seagrass roots, such that root microbiomes were unique to each seagrass species. Reduced light availability altered seagrass root exudation, as characterized using fluorescence spectroscopy, and altered the composition of seagrass root microbiomes with a reduction in abundance of potentially beneficial microorganisms. Overall, this study highlights the potential for above-ground light reduction to invoke a cascade of changes from alterations in root exudation to a reduction in putative beneficial microorganisms and, ultimately, confirms the importance of the seagrass root environment – a critical, but often overlooked space. PMID:29375529

Observed and Modeled Bio-Optical, Bioluminescent, and Physical Properties during a Coastal Upwelling Event in Monterey Bay, California

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-01-27

users’ guide, report, Sequoia Sei., Inc., Mercer Island, Wash. (Available at http://www. HydroLight. info). Moblcy, C. D., and L. K. Sundman (2001b...HydroLight 4.2 technical doc- umentation, report. Sequoia Sei.. Inc., Mercer Island. Wash. (Available at http://www.HydroLight.info). Molinc, M

77 FR 73109 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NYSE Arca, Inc.; Notice of Filing and Immediate Effectiveness of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-07

... Change Amending NYSE Arca Rule 6.62(cc) Making Available the Post No Preference Light Only Quotation to... the Post No Preference Light Only Quotation (``PNPLO Quotation'') to options classes not participating... Exchange proposes to amend Rule 6.62(cc) to make available the Post No Preference Light Only Quotation...

Visible-Light-Responsive Catalysts Using Quantum Dot-Modified TiO2 for Air and Water Purification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coutts, Janelle L.; Hintze, Paul E.; Clausen, Christian; Richards, Jeffrey Todd

2014-01-01

Photocatalysis, the oxidation or reduction of contaminants by light-activated catalysts, utilizing titanium dioxide (TiO2) as the catalytic substrate has been widely studied for trace contaminant control in both air and water applications. The interest in this process is due primarily to its low energy consumption and capacity for catalyst regeneration. Titanium dioxide requires ultraviolet light for activation due to its relatively large band gap energy of 3.2 eV. Traditionally, Hg-vapor fluorescent light sources are used in PCO reactors; however, the use of mercury precludes the use of this PCO technology in a spaceflight environment due to concerns over crew Hg exposure. The development of a visible-light responsive (VLR) TiO2-based catalyst would eliminate the concerns over mercury contamination. Further, VLR development would allow for the use of ambient visible solar radiation or highly efficient LEDs, both of which would make PCO approaches more efficient, flexible, economical, and safe. Though VLR catalyst development has been an active area of research for the past two decades, there are few commercially available VLR catalysts. Those VLR catalysts that are commercially available do not have adequate catalytic activity, in the visible region, to make them competitive with those operating under UV irradiation. This study was initiated to develop more effective VLR catalysts through a novel method in which quantum dots (QD) consisting of narrow band gap semiconductors (e.g., CdS, CdSe, PbS, ZnSe, etc.) are coupled to TiO2 via two preparation methods: 1) photodeposition and 2) mechanical alloying using a high-speed ball mill. A library of catalysts was developed and screened for gas and aqueous phase applications using ethanol and 4-chlorophenol as the target contaminants, respectively. Both target compounds are well studied in photocatalytic systems and served as model contaminants for this research. Synthesized catalysts were compared in terms of preparation method, nature of the quantum dots, and dosage of quantum dots.

Microscale profiling of photosynthesis-related variables in a highly productive biofilm photobioreactor.

PubMed

Li, Tong; Piltz, Bastian; Podola, Björn; Dron, Anthony; de Beer, Dirk; Melkonian, Michael

2016-05-01

In the present study depth profiles of light, oxygen, pH and photosynthetic performance in an artificial biofilm of the green alga Halochlorella rubescens in a porous substrate photobioreactor (PSBR) were recorded with microsensors. Biofilms were exposed to different light intensities (50-1,000 μmol photons m(-2) s(-1) ) and CO2 levels (0.04-5% v/v in air). The distribution of photosynthetically active radiation showed almost identical trends for different surface irradiances, namely: a relatively fast drop to a depth of about 250 µm, (to 5% of the incident), followed by a slower decrease. Light penetrated into the biofilm deeper than the Lambert-Beer Law predicted, which may be attributed to forward scattering of light, thus improving the overall light availability. Oxygen concentration profiles showed maxima at a depth between 50 and 150 μm, depending on the incident light intensity. A very fast gas exchange was observed at the biofilm surface. The highest oxygen concentration of 3.2 mM was measured with 1,000 μmol photons m(-2) s(-1) and 5% supplementary CO2. Photosynthetic productivity increased with light intensity and/or CO2 concentration and was always highest at the biofilm surface; the stimulating effect of elevated CO2 concentration in the gas phase on photosynthesis was enhanced by higher light intensities. The dissolved inorganic carbon concentration profiles suggest that the availability of the dissolved free CO2 has the strongest impact on photosynthetic productivity. The results suggest that dark respiration could explain previously observed decrease in growth rate over cultivation time in this type of PSBR. Our results represent a basis for understanding the complex dynamics of environmental variables and metabolic processes in artificial phototrophic biofilms exposed to a gas phase and can be used to improve the design and operational parameters of PSBRs. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Response of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica to different light environments: Insights from a combined molecular and photo-physiological study.

PubMed

Dattolo, E; Ruocco, M; Brunet, C; Lorenti, M; Lauritano, C; D'Esposito, D; De Luca, P; Sanges, R; Mazzuca, S; Procaccini, G

2014-10-01

Here we investigated mechanisms underlying the acclimation to light in the marine angiosperm Posidonia oceanica, along its bathymetric distribution (at -5 m and -25 m), combining molecular and photo-physiological approaches. Analyses were performed during two seasons, summer and autumn, in a meadow located in the Island of Ischia (Gulf of Naples, Italy), where a genetic distinction between plants growing above and below the summer thermocline was previously revealed. At molecular level, analyses carried out using cDNA-microarray and RT-qPCR, revealed the up-regulation of genes involved in photoacclimation (RuBisCO, ferredoxin, chlorophyll binding proteins), and photoprotection (antioxidant enzymes, xanthophyll-cycle related genes, tocopherol biosynthesis) in the upper stand of the meadow, indicating that shallow plants are under stressful light conditions. However, the lack of photo-damage, indicates the successful activation of defense mechanisms. This conclusion is also supported by several responses at physiological level as the lower antenna size, the higher number of reaction centers and the higher xanthophyll cycle pigment pool, which are common plant responses to high-light adaptation/acclimation. Deep plants, despite the lower available light, seem to be not light-limited, thanks to some shade-adaptation strategies (e.g. higher antenna size, lower Ek values). Furthermore, also at the molecular level there were no signs of stress response, indicating that, although the lower energy available, low-light environments are more favorable for P. oceanica growth. Globally, results of whole transcriptome analysis displayed two distinct gene expression signatures related to depth distribution, reflecting the different light-adaptation strategies adopted by P. oceanica along the depth gradient. This observation, also taking into account the genetic disjunction of clones along the bathymetry, might have important implications for micro-evolutionary processes happening at meadow scale. Further investigations in controlled conditions must be performed to respond to these questions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of black light traps to monitor the abundance, spread, and flight behavior of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

PubMed

Nielsen, Anne L; Holmstrom, Kristian; Hamilton, George C; Cambridge, John; Ingerson-Mahar, Joseph

2013-06-01

Monitoring the distribution and abundance of an invasive species is challenging, especially during the initial years of spread when population densities are low and basic biology and monitoring methods are being investigated. Brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys (Stål)) is an invasive agricultural and urban pest that was first detected in the United States in the late 1990s. At the time of its detection, no method was available to effectively track H. halys populations, which are highly mobile and polyphagous. One possible solution was the utilization of black light traps, which are nonspecific traps attractive to night flying insects. To determine if black light traps are a reliable monitoring tool for H. halys, a state-wide network of 40-75 traps located on New Jersey farms were monitored from 2004 to 2011 for H. halys. This proved to be a highly effective method of monitoring H. halys populations and their spread at the landscape level. The total number of brown marmorated stink bug caught in New Jersey increased exponentially during this period at a rate of 75% per year. Logistic regression estimates that 2.84 new farms are invaded each year by H. halys. The results indicate that black light traps are attractive to early season populations as well as at low population densities. Weekly trap catch data are being used to generate state-wide population distribution maps made available to farmers in weekly newsletters and online. While no economic threshold currently exists for brown marmorated stink bug, the maps provide farmers with a tool to forecast pest pressure and plan management.

CALCLENS: weak lensing simulations for large-area sky surveys and second-order effects in cosmic shear power spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Matthew R.

2013-10-01

I present a new algorithm, Curved-sky grAvitational Lensing for Cosmological Light conE simulatioNS (CALCLENS), for efficiently computing weak gravitational lensing shear signals from large N-body light cone simulations over a curved sky. This new algorithm properly accounts for the sky curvature and boundary conditions, is able to produce redshift-dependent shear signals including corrections to the Born approximation by using multiple-plane ray tracing and properly computes the lensed images of source galaxies in the light cone. The key feature of this algorithm is a new, computationally efficient Poisson solver for the sphere that combines spherical harmonic transform and multigrid methods. As a result, large areas of sky (˜10 000 square degrees) can be ray traced efficiently at high resolution using only a few hundred cores. Using this new algorithm and curved-sky calculations that only use a slower but more accurate spherical harmonic transform Poisson solver, I study the convergence, shear E-mode, shear B-mode and rotation mode power spectra. Employing full-sky E/B-mode decompositions, I confirm that the numerically computed shear B-mode and rotation mode power spectra are equal at high accuracy (≲1 per cent) as expected from perturbation theory up to second order. Coupled with realistic galaxy populations placed in large N-body light cone simulations, this new algorithm is ideally suited for the construction of synthetic weak lensing shear catalogues to be used to test for systematic effects in data analysis procedures for upcoming large-area sky surveys. The implementation presented in this work, written in C and employing widely available software libraries to maintain portability, is publicly available at http://code.google.com/p/calclens.

Culturing Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 with N2 and CO2 in a Diel Regime Reveals Multiphase Glycogen Dynamics with Low Maintenance Costs

PubMed Central

Angermayr, S. Andreas; van Alphen, Pascal; Hasdemir, Dicle; Kramer, Gertjan; Iqbal, Muzamal; van Grondelle, Wilmar; Hoefsloot, Huub C.; Choi, Young Hae

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Investigating the physiology of cyanobacteria cultured under a diel light regime is relevant for a better understanding of the resulting growth characteristics and for specific biotechnological applications that are foreseen for these photosynthetic organisms. Here, we present the results of a multiomics study of the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803, cultured in a lab-scale photobioreactor in physiological conditions relevant for large-scale culturing. The culture was sparged with N2 and CO2, leading to an anoxic environment during the dark period. Growth followed the availability of light. Metabolite analysis performed with 1H nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed that amino acids involved in nitrogen and sulfur assimilation showed elevated levels in the light. Most protein levels, analyzed through mass spectrometry, remained rather stable. However, several high-light-response proteins and stress-response proteins showed distinct changes at the onset of the light period. Microarray-based transcript analysis found common patterns of ∼56% of the transcriptome following the diel regime. These oscillating transcripts could be grouped coarsely into genes that were upregulated and downregulated in the dark period. The accumulated glycogen was degraded in the anaerobic environment in the dark. A small part was degraded gradually, reflecting basic maintenance requirements of the cells in darkness. Surprisingly, the largest part was degraded rapidly in a short time span at the end of the dark period. This degradation could allow rapid formation of metabolic intermediates at the end of the dark period, preparing the cells for the resumption of growth at the start of the light period. IMPORTANCE Industrial-scale biotechnological applications are anticipated for cyanobacteria. We simulated large-scale high-cell-density culturing of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 under a diel light regime in a lab-scale photobioreactor. In BG-11 medium, Synechocystis grew only in the light. Metabolite analysis grouped the collected samples according to the light and dark conditions. Proteome analysis suggested that the majority of enzyme-activity regulation was not hierarchical but rather occurred through enzyme activity regulation. An abrupt light-on condition induced high-light-stress proteins. Transcript analysis showed distinct patterns for the light and dark periods. Glycogen gradually accumulated in the light and was rapidly consumed in the last quarter of the dark period. This suggests that the circadian clock primed the cellular machinery for immediate resumption of growth in the light. PMID:27208121

Xenon lighting adjusted to plant requirements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koefferlein, M.; Doehring, T.; Payer, Hans D.; Seidlitz, H. K.

1994-01-01

Xenon lamps are available as low and high power lamps with relatively high efficiency and a relatively long lifetime up to several thousand hours. Different construction types of short-arc and long-arc lamps permit a good adaptation to various applications in projection and illumination techniques without substantial changes of the spectral quality. Hence, the xenon lamp was the best choice for professional technical purposes where high power at simultaneously good spectral quality of the light was required. However, technical development does not stand still. Between the luminous efficacy of xenon lamps of 25-50 lm/W and the theoretical limit for 'white light' of 250 lm/W is still much room for improvement. The present development mainly favors other lamp types, like metal halide lamps and fluorescent lamps for commercial lighting purposes. The enclosed sections deal with some of the properties of xenon lamps relevant to plant illumination; particularly the spectral aspects, the temporal characteristics of the emission, and finally the economy of xenon lamps will be addressed. Due to radiation exceeding the natural global radiation in both the ultraviolet (UV) and the infrared (IR) regions, filter techniques have to be included into the discussion referring to the requirements of plant illumination. Most of the presented results were obtained by investigations in the GSF phytotron or in the closed Phytocell chambers of the University of Erlangen. As our experiences are restricted to area plant illumination rather than spot lights our discussion will concentrate on low pressure long-arc xenon lamps which are commonly used for such plant illuminations. As the spectral properties of short-arc lamps do not differ much from those of long-arc lamps most of our conclusions will be valid for high pressure xenon lamps too. These lamps often serve as light sources for small sun simulators and for monochromators which are used for action spectroscopy of plant responses.

Headlamps for light based driver assistance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Götz, M.; Kleinkes, M.

2008-04-01

Driving at night is dangerous. Although only 25% of all driving tasks are performed at night, nearly half of all fatal accidents happen in this time. In order to increase safety when driving under poor visibility conditions, automotive front lighting systems have undergone a strong development in the last fifteen years. One important milestone was the introduction of Xenon headlamps in 1992, which provide more and brighter light for road illumination than ever before. Since then the paradigm of simply providing more light has changed toward providing optimised light distributions, which support the driver's perception. A first step in this direction was the introduction of dynamic bend lighting and cornering light in 2003. In 2006 the first full AFS headlamp (Adaptive Front Lighting System) allowed an optimised adoption of the light distribution to the driving situation. These systems use information provided by vehicle sensors and an intelligent algorithm to guide light towards those areas where needed. Nowadays, even more information about the vehicle's environment is available. Image processing systems, for example, allow to detect other traffic participants, their speed and their driving directions. In future headlamp systems these data will be used to constantly regulate the reach of the light distribution thus allowing a maximal reach without providing glare. Moreover, technologies that allow to constantly use a high-beam light distribution are under development. These systems will illuminate the whole traffic area only excluding other traffic participants. LED light sources will play a significant role in these scenarios, since they allow to precisely illuminate certain areas of the road, while neighbouring parts will be left in dark.

Minimising losses to predation during microalgae cultivation.

PubMed

Flynn, Kevin J; Kenny, Philip; Mitra, Aditee

2017-01-01

We explore approaches to minimise impacts of zooplanktonic pests upon commercial microalgal crops using system dynamics models to describe algal growth controlled by light and nutrient availability and zooplankton growth controlled by crop abundance and nutritional quality. Losses of microalgal crops are minimised when their growth is fastest and, in contrast, also when growing slowly under conditions of nutrient exhaustion. In many culture systems, however, dwindling light availability due to self-shading in dense suspensions favours slow growth under nutrient sufficiency. Such a situation improves microalgal quality as prey, enhancing zooplankton growth, and leads to rapid crop collapse. Timing of pest entry is important; crop losses are least likely in established, nutrient-exhausted microalgal communities grown for high C-content (e.g. for biofuels). A potentially useful approach is to promote a low level of P-stress that does not adversely affect microalgal growth but which produces a crop that is suboptimal for zooplankton growth.

Ultraviolet and short wavelength visible light exposure: why ultraviolet protection alone is not adequate.

PubMed

Reichow, Alan W; Citek, Karl; Edlich, Richard F

2006-01-01

The danger of exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in both the natural environment and artificial occupational settings has long been recognized by national and international standards committees and worker safety agencies. There is an increasing body of literature that suggests that protection from UV exposure is not enough. Unprotected exposure to the short wavelengths of the visible spectrum, termed the "blue light hazard", is gaining acceptance as a true risk to long-term visual health. Global standards and experts in the field are now warning that those individuals who spend considerable time outdoors should seek sun filter eyewear with high impact resistant lenses that provide 100% UV filtration, high levels of blue light filtration, and full visual field lens/frame coverage as provided by high wrap eyewear. The Skin Cancer Foundation has endorsed certain sunglasses as "product[s]...effective [as] UV filter[s] for the eyes and surrounding skin". However, such endorsement does not necessarily mean that the eyewear meets all the protective needs for outdoor use. There are several brands that offer products with such protective characteristics. Performance sun eyewear by Nike Vision, available in both corrective and plano (nonprescription) forms, is one such brand incorporating these protective features.

High-Throughput Light Sheet Microscopy for the Automated Live Imaging of Larval Zebrafish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Ryan; Logan, Savannah; Dudley, Christopher; Parthasarathy, Raghuveer

The zebrafish is a model organism with a variety of useful properties; it is small and optically transparent, it reproduces quickly, it is a vertebrate, and there are a large variety of transgenic animals available. Because of these properties, the zebrafish is well suited to study using a variety of optical technologies including light sheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM), which provides high-resolution three-dimensional imaging over large fields of view. Research progress, however, is often not limited by optical techniques but instead by the number of samples one can examine over the course of an experiment, which in the case of light sheet imaging has so far been severely limited. Here we present an integrated fluidic circuit and microscope which provides rapid, automated imaging of zebrafish using several imaging modes, including LSFM, Hyperspectral Imaging, and Differential Interference Contrast Microscopy. Using this system, we show that we can increase our imaging throughput by a factor of 10 compared to previous techniques. We also show preliminary results visualizing zebrafish immune response, which is sensitive to gut microbiota composition, and which shows a strong variability between individuals that highlights the utility of high throughput imaging. National Science Foundation, Award No. DBI-1427957.

Enhancement of Stereo Imagery by Artificial Texture Projection Generated Using a LIDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Veitch-Michaelis, Joshua; Muller, Jan-Peter; Walton, David; Storey, Jonathan; Foster, Michael; Crutchley, Benjamin

2016-06-01

Passive stereo imaging is capable of producing dense 3D data, but image matching algorithms generally perform poorly on images with large regions of homogenous texture due to ambiguous match costs. Stereo systems can be augmented with an additional light source that can project some form of unique texture onto surfaces in the scene. Methods include structured light, laser projection through diffractive optical elements, data projectors and laser speckle. Pattern projection using lasers has the advantage of producing images with a high signal to noise ratio. We have investigated the use of a scanning visible-beam LIDAR to simultaneously provide enhanced texture within the scene and to provide additional opportunities for data fusion in unmatched regions. The use of a LIDAR rather than a laser alone allows us to generate highly accurate ground truth data sets by scanning the scene at high resolution. This is necessary for evaluating different pattern projection schemes. Results from LIDAR generated random dots are presented and compared to other texture projection techniques. Finally, we investigate the use of image texture analysis to intelligently project texture where it is required while exploiting the texture available in the ambient light image.

Thin Film Packaging Solutions for High Efficiency OLED Lighting Products

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2008-06-30

The objective of the 'Thin Film Packaging Solutions for High Efficiency OLED Lighting Products' project is to demonstrate thin film packaging solutions based on SiC hermetic coatings that, when applied to glass and plastic substrates, support OLED lighting devices by providing longer life with greater efficiency at lower cost than is currently available. Phase I Objective: Demonstrate thin film encapsulated working phosphorescent OLED devices on optical glass with lifetime of 1,000 hour life, CRI greater than 75, and 15 lm/W. Phase II Objective: Demonstrate thin film encapsulated working phosphorescent OLED devices on plastic or glass composite with 25 lm/W, 5,000more » hours life, and CRI greater than 80. Phase III Objective: Demonstrate 2 x 2 ft{sup 2} thin film encapsulated working phosphorescent OLED with 40 lm/W, 10,000 hour life, and CRI greater than 85. This report details the efforts of Phase III (Budget Period Three), a fourteen month collaborative effort that focused on optimization of high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED devices and thin-film encapsulation of said devices. The report further details the conclusions and recommendations of the project team that have foundation in all three budget periods for the program. During the conduct of the Thin Film Packaging Solutions for High Efficiency OLED Lighting Products program, including budget period three, the project team completed and delivered the following achievements: (1) a three-year marketing effort that characterized the near-term and longer-term OLED market, identified customer and consumer lighting needs, and suggested prototype product concepts and niche OLED applications lighting that will give rise to broader market acceptance as a source for wide area illumination and energy conservation; (2) a thin film encapsulation technology with a lifetime of nearly 15,000 hours, tested by calcium coupons, while stored at 16 C and 40% relative humidity ('RH'). This encapsulation technology was characterized as having less than 10% change in transmission during the 15,000 hour test period; (3) demonstrated thin film encapsulation of a phosphorescent OLED device with 1,500 hours of lifetime at 60 C and 80% RH; (4) demonstrated that a thin film laminate encapsulation, in addition to the direct thin film deposition process, of a polymer OLED device was another feasible packaging strategy for OLED lighting. The thin film laminate strategy was developed to mitigate defects, demonstrate roll-to-roll process capability for high volume throughput (reduce costs) and to support a potential commercial pathway that is less dependent upon integrated manufacturing since the laminate could be sold as a rolled good; (5) demonstrated that low cost 'blue' glass substrates could be coated with a siloxane barrier layer for planarization and ion-protection and used in the fabrication of a polymer OLED lighting device. This study further demonstrated that the substrate cost has potential for huge cost reductions from the white borosilicate glass substrate currently used by the OLED lighting industry; (6) delivered four-square feet of white phosphorescent OLED technology, including novel high efficiency devices with 82 CRI, greater than 50 lm/W efficiency, and more than 1,000 hours lifetime in a product concept model shelf; (7) presented and or published more than twenty internal studies (for private use), three external presentations (OLED workshop-for public use), and five technology-related external presentations (industry conferences-for public use); and (8) issued five patent applications, which are in various maturity stages at time of publication. Delivery of thin film encapsulated white phosphorescent OLED lighting technology remains a challenging technical achievement, and it seems that commercial availability of thin, bright, white OLED light that meets market requirements will continue to require research and development effort. However, there will be glass encapsulated white OLED lighting products commercialized in niche markets during the 2008 calendar year. This commercialization effort, the project team believes, will lead to increasing market attention and broader demand for more efficient, wide area general purpose white OLED lighting in the coming years.« less

Direct-current converter for gas-discharge lamps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lutus, P.

1980-01-01

Metal/halide and similar gas-discharge lamps are powered from low-voltage dc source using small efficient converter. Converter is useful whenever 60-cycle ac power is not available or where space and weight allocations are limited. Possible applications are offshore platforms, mobile homes, and emergency lighting. Design innovations give supply high reliability and efficiency up to 75 percent.

Visible emission from bismuth-doped yttrium oxide thin films for lighting and display applications.

PubMed

Scarangella, Adriana; Fabbri, Filippo; Reitano, Riccardo; Rossi, Francesca; Priolo, Francesco; Miritello, Maria

2017-12-11

Due to the great development of light sources for several applications from displays to lighting, great efforts are devoted to find stable and efficient visible emitting materials. Moreover, the requirement of Si compatibility could enlarge the range of applications inside microelectronic chips. In this scenario, we have studied the emission properties of bismuth doped yttrium oxide thin films grown on crystalline silicon. Under optical pumping at room temperature a stable and strong visible luminescence has been observed. In particular, by the involvement of Bi ions in the two available lattice sites, the emission can be tuned from violet to green by changing the excitation wavelength. Moreover, under electron beam at low accelerating voltages (3 keV) a blue emission with high efficiency and excellent stability has been recorded. The color is generated by the involvement of Bi ions in both the lattice sites. These peculiarities make this material interesting as a luminescent medium for applications in light emitting devices and field emission displays by opening new perspectives for the realization of silicon-technology compatible light sources operating at room temperature.

Effects of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and infrared radiation on erythema and pigmentation: a review.

PubMed

Sklar, Lindsay R; Almutawa, Fahad; Lim, Henry W; Hamzavi, Iltefat

2013-01-01

The effects of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and infrared radiation on cutaneous erythema, immediate pigment darkening, persistent pigment darkening, and delayed tanning are affected by a variety of factors. Some of these factors include the depth of cutaneous penetration of the specific wavelength, the individual skin type, and the absorption spectra of the different chromophores in the skin. UVB is an effective spectrum to induce erythema, which is followed by delayed tanning. UVA induces immediate pigment darkening, persistent pigment darkening, and delayed tanning. At high doses, UVA (primarily UVA2) can also induce erythema in individuals with skin types I-II. Visible light has been shown to induce erythema and a tanning response in dark skin, but not in fair skinned individuals. Infrared radiation produces erythema, which is probably a thermal effect. In this article we reviewed the available literature on the effects of ultraviolet radiation, visible light, and infrared radiation on the skin in regards to erythema and pigmentation. Much remains to be learned on the cutaneous effects of visible light and infrared radiation.

REVIEW ARTICLE: Bioluminescent signals and the role of reflectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herring, Peter J.

2000-11-01

Organisms in a well lit environment use optical signals derived from the selective reflection of ambient light. In a dim or dark environment it is very difficult (because of low photon numbers) to detect the contrast between light reflected from the organism and that from the background, and many organisms use bioluminescent signals instead. The use of such signals on land is largely restricted to sexual signalling by the luminous beetles, but in the deep ocean their use is widespread, involving both many different organisms and a range of uses which parallel those of reflective signals on land. Some bioluminescent signals rely almost entirely on an optically unmodified light source (e.g. a secretion) but others depend upon complex optical structures, particularly reflectors, in the light-emitting organs. Reflectors in the light organs of many shrimp, squid and fish are based on constructive interference systems but employ different biological materials. They and other structures modify the angular, spectral and intensity distributions of bioluminescent signals. The ready availability of highly efficient biological reflectors has been a formative influence in the evolution of bioluminescent signalling in the sea.

10-m 9.51-Gb/s RGB laser diodes-based WDM underwater wireless optical communication.

PubMed

Kong, Meiwei; Lv, Weichao; Ali, Tariq; Sarwar, Rohail; Yu, Chuying; Qiu, Yang; Qu, Fengzhong; Xu, Zhiwei; Han, Jun; Xu, Jing

2017-08-21

The availability of the underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) based on red (R), green (G) and blue (B) lights makes the realization of the RGB wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) UWOC system possible. By properly mixing RGB lights to form white light, the WDM UWOC system has prominent potentiality for simultaneous underwater illumination and high-speed communication. In this work, for the first time, we experimentally demonstrate a 9.51-Gb/s WDM UWOC system using a red-emitting laser diode (LD), a single-mode pigtailed green-emitting LD and a multi-mode pigtailed blue-emitting LD. By employing 32-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation in the demonstration, the red-light, the green-light and the blue-light LDs successfully transmit signals with the data rates of 4.17 Gb/s, 4.17 Gb/s and 1.17 Gb/s, respectively, over a 10-m underwater channel. The corresponding bit error rates (BERs) are 2.2 × 10 -3 , 2.0 × 10 -3 and 2.3 × 10 -3 , respectively, which are below the forward error correction (FEC) threshold of 3.8 × 10 -3 .

Response of Antarctic cryoconite microbial communities to light.

PubMed

Bagshaw, Elizabeth A; Wadham, Jemma L; Tranter, Martyn; Perkins, Rupert; Morgan, Alistair; Williamson, Christopher J; Fountain, Andrew G; Fitzsimons, Sean; Dubnick, Ashley

2016-06-01

Microbial communities on polar glacier surfaces are found dispersed on the ice surface, or concentrated in cryoconite holes and cryolakes, which are accumulations of debris covered by a layer of ice for some or all of the year. The ice lid limits the penetration of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) to the sediment layer, since the ice attenuates up to 99% of incoming radiation. This suite of field and laboratory experiments demonstrates that PAR is an important control on primary production in cryoconite and cryolake ecosystems. Increased light intensity increased efficiency of primary production in controlled laboratory incubations of debris from the surface of Joyce Glacier, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. However, when light intensity was increased to levels near that received on the ice surface, without the protection of an ice lid, efficiency decreased and measurements of photophysiology showed that the communities suffered light stress. The communities are therefore well adapted to low light levels. Comparison with Arctic cryoconite communities, which are typically not covered by an ice lid for the majority of the ablation season, showed that these organisms were also stressed by high light, so they must employ strategies to protect against photodamage. © FEMS 2016.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kinzey, Bruce R.; Myer, Michael

This report describes the process and results of a demonstration of solid-state lighting (SSL) technology in a residential street lighting application, under the U.S. Department of Energy GATEWAY Solid-State Lighting Technology Demonstration Program. In this project, eight 100W (nominal) high-pressure sodium cobra head fixtures were replaced with a like number of LED street light luminaires manufactured by Leotek, Inc. The Leotek product achieved an estimated payback in the Lija Loop installation of about 20 years for replacement scenarios and a much shorter 7.6 years for new installations. Much of the associated energy savings (55%) supporting these payback periods, however, weremore » achieved by reducing average horizontal photopic illuminance a similar amount (53%). Examined from a different perspective, the measured performance suggests that the Leotek product is at approximate parity with the HPS cobra head in terms of average delivered photopic illumination for a given power consumption. HPS comprises the second most efficacious street lighting technology available, exceeded only by low pressure sodium (LPS). LPS technology is not considered suitable for most street lighting applications due to its monochromatic spectral output and poor color rendering ability; therefore, this LED product is performing at an efficiency level comparable to its primary competition in this application.« less

Response of Antarctic cryoconite microbial communities to light

PubMed Central

Bagshaw, Elizabeth A.; Wadham, Jemma L.; Tranter, Martyn; Perkins, Rupert; Morgan, Alistair; Williamson, Christopher J.; Fountain, Andrew G.; Fitzsimons, Sean; Dubnick, Ashley

2016-01-01

Microbial communities on polar glacier surfaces are found dispersed on the ice surface, or concentrated in cryoconite holes and cryolakes, which are accumulations of debris covered by a layer of ice for some or all of the year. The ice lid limits the penetration of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) to the sediment layer, since the ice attenuates up to 99% of incoming radiation. This suite of field and laboratory experiments demonstrates that PAR is an important control on primary production in cryoconite and cryolake ecosystems. Increased light intensity increased efficiency of primary production in controlled laboratory incubations of debris from the surface of Joyce Glacier, McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. However, when light intensity was increased to levels near that received on the ice surface, without the protection of an ice lid, efficiency decreased and measurements of photophysiology showed that the communities suffered light stress. The communities are therefore well adapted to low light levels. Comparison with Arctic cryoconite communities, which are typically not covered by an ice lid for the majority of the ablation season, showed that these organisms were also stressed by high light, so they must employ strategies to protect against photodamage. PMID:27095815

Seasonal and within-canopy variation in shoot-scale resource-use efficiency trade-offs in a Norway spruce stand.

PubMed

Tarvainen, Lasse; Räntfors, Mats; Wallin, Göran

2015-11-01

Previous leaf-scale studies of carbon assimilation describe short-term resource-use efficiency (RUE) trade-offs where high use efficiency of one resource requires low RUE of another. However, varying resource availabilities may cause long-term RUE trade-offs to differ from the short-term patterns. This may have important implications for understanding canopy-scale resource use and allocation. We used continuous gas exchange measurements collected at five levels within a Norway spruce, Picea abies (L.) karst., canopy over 3 years to assess seasonal differences in the interactions between shoot-scale resource availability (light, water and nitrogen), net photosynthesis (An ) and the use efficiencies of light (LUE), water (WUE) and nitrogen (NUE) for carbon assimilation. The continuous data set was used to develop and evaluate multiple regression models for predicting monthly shoot-scale An . These models showed that shoot-scale An was strongly dependent on light availability and was generally well described with simple one- or two-parameter models. WUE peaked in spring, NUE in summer and LUE in autumn. However, the relative importance of LUE for carbon assimilation increased with canopy depth at all times. Our results suggest that accounting for seasonal and within-canopy trade-offs may be important for RUE-based modelling of canopy carbon uptake. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Projected impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on the global biogeography of planktonic foraminifera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roy, T.; Lombard, F.; Bopp, L.; Gehlen, M.

2014-06-01

Planktonic foraminifera are a major contributor to the deep carbonate-flux and the planktonic biomass of the global ocean. Their microfossil deposits form one of the richest databases for reconstructing paleoenvironments, particularly through changes in their taxonomic and shell composition. Using an empirically-based foraminifer model that incorporates three known major physiological drivers of foraminifer biogeography - temperature, food and light - we investigate (i) the global redistribution of planktonic foraminifera under anthropogenic climate change, and (ii) the alteration of the carbonate chemistry of foraminifer habitat with ocean acidification. The present-day and future (2090-2100) 3-D distributions of foraminifera are simulated using temperature, plankton biomass, and light from an Earth system model forced with historical and a future (IPCC A2) high CO2 emission scenario. The broadscale patterns of present day foraminifer biogeography are well reproduced. Foraminifer abundance and diversity are projected to decrease in the tropics and subpolar regions and increase in the subtropics and around the poles. In the tropics, the geographical shifts are driven by temperature, while the vertical shifts are driven by both temperature and food availability. In the high-latitudes, vertical shifts are driven by food availability, while geographical shifts are driven by both food availability and temperature. Changes in the marine carbon cycle would be expected in response to (i) the large-scale rearrangements in foraminifer abundance, and (ii) the reduction of the carbonate concentration in the habitat range of planktonic foraminifers: from 10-30 μmol kg-1 in the polar/subpolar regions to 30-70 μmol kg-1 in the subtropical/tropical regions. High-latitude species are most vulnerable to anthropogenic change: their abundance and available habitat decrease and up to 10% of their habitat drops below the calcite saturation horizon.

Comparisons of sets of electron-neutral scattering cross sections and calculated swarm parameters in Kr and Xe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bordage, M. C.; Hagelaar, G. J. M.; Pitchford, L. C.; Biagi, S. F.; Puech, V.

2011-10-01

Xenon is used in a number of application areas ranging from light sources to x-ray detectors for imaging in medicine, border security and high-energy particle physics. There is a correspondingly large body of data available for electron scattering cross sections and swarm parameters in Xe, whereas data for Kr are more limited. In this communication we show intercomparisons of the cross section sets in Xe and Kr presently available on the LXCat site. Swarm parameters calculated using these cross sections sets are compared with experimental data, also available on the LXCat site. As was found for Ar, diffusion coefficients calculated using these cross section data in a 2-term Boltzmann solver are higher than Monte Carlo results by about 30% over a range of E/N from 1 to 100 Td. We find otherwise good agreement in Xe between 2-term and Monte Carlo results and between measured and calculated values of electron mobility, ionization rates and light emission (dimer) at atmospheric pressure. The available cross section data in Kr yield swarm parameters in agreement with the limited experimental data. The cross section compilations and measured swarm parameters used in this work are available on-line at www.lxcat.laplace. univ-tlse.fr.

High-performance 3D printing of hydrogels by water-dispersible photoinitiator nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Pawar, Amol A.; Saada, Gabriel; Cooperstein, Ido; Larush, Liraz; Jackman, Joshua A.; Tabaei, Seyed R.; Cho, Nam-Joon; Magdassi, Shlomo

2016-01-01

In the absence of water-soluble photoinitiators with high absorbance in the ultraviolet (UV)–visible range, rapid three-dimensional (3D) printing of hydrogels for tissue engineering is challenging. A new approach enabling rapid 3D printing of hydrogels in aqueous solutions is presented on the basis of UV-curable inks containing nanoparticles of highly efficient but water-insoluble photoinitiators. The extinction coefficient of the new water-dispersible nanoparticles of 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl-diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO) is more than 300 times larger than the best and most used commercially available water-soluble photoinitiator. The TPO nanoparticles absorb significantly in the range from 385 to 420 nm, making them suitable for use in commercially available, low-cost, light-emitting diode–based 3D printers using digital light processing. The polymerization rate at this range is very fast and enables 3D printing that otherwise is impossible to perform without adding solvents. The TPO nanoparticles were prepared by rapid conversion of volatile microemulsions into water-dispersible powder, a process that can be used for a variety of photoinitiators. Such water-dispersible photoinitiator nanoparticles open many opportunities to enable rapid 3D printing of structures prepared in aqueous solutions while bringing environmental advantages by using low-energy curing systems and avoiding the need for solvents. PMID:27051877

High-performance 3D printing of hydrogels by water-dispersible photoinitiator nanoparticles.

PubMed

Pawar, Amol A; Saada, Gabriel; Cooperstein, Ido; Larush, Liraz; Jackman, Joshua A; Tabaei, Seyed R; Cho, Nam-Joon; Magdassi, Shlomo

2016-04-01

In the absence of water-soluble photoinitiators with high absorbance in the ultraviolet (UV)-visible range, rapid three-dimensional (3D) printing of hydrogels for tissue engineering is challenging. A new approach enabling rapid 3D printing of hydrogels in aqueous solutions is presented on the basis of UV-curable inks containing nanoparticles of highly efficient but water-insoluble photoinitiators. The extinction coefficient of the new water-dispersible nanoparticles of 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl-diphenylphosphine oxide (TPO) is more than 300 times larger than the best and most used commercially available water-soluble photoinitiator. The TPO nanoparticles absorb significantly in the range from 385 to 420 nm, making them suitable for use in commercially available, low-cost, light-emitting diode-based 3D printers using digital light processing. The polymerization rate at this range is very fast and enables 3D printing that otherwise is impossible to perform without adding solvents. The TPO nanoparticles were prepared by rapid conversion of volatile microemulsions into water-dispersible powder, a process that can be used for a variety of photoinitiators. Such water-dispersible photoinitiator nanoparticles open many opportunities to enable rapid 3D printing of structures prepared in aqueous solutions while bringing environmental advantages by using low-energy curing systems and avoiding the need for solvents.

An ultra-high-speed cinematographic method for the study of wakes in hypersonic ballistic ranges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koeneke, Axel; Jaeggy, Bernard Charles; Koerber, Germain

1987-11-01

Optical methods are among the only possibilities to study hypersonic wakes in ballistic ranges. Because of the flow velocities involved the methods employed must permit exposure time well below one microsecond. The ISL has used ultrahigh speed visualization techniques for the study of the transition of hypersonic wakes for quite some time, but the means available up to now did not permit investigation of the time-history of the instabilities in the wake. The use of a laser equipped with an acousto-optical modulator is proposed as a source of ultrashort, highly energetic pulses with high repetition rate to be used to record a certain number of images of the same experiment in order to study the time history of these instabilities. Advantages of the laser as a light source are not only the high energies available together with pulse duration down to 20 nanoseconds, but mostly the free choice of repetition rate independently of exposure time, and the possibility to synchronize the pulses with external events. The laser is a point source and as such can be used in a variety of different optical setups. The coherent nature of the laser light even permits holographic techniques. The reception system capable of recording the images at a sufficient rate is the basic problem in the development and use of the proposed setup.

Visualization of the Dynamic Rhizosphere Environment: Microbial and Biogeochemical Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cardon, Z. G.; Forbes, E. S.; Thomas, F.; Herron, P. M.; Gage, D. J.; Thomas, S.; Larsen, M.; Arango Pinedo, C.; Sievert, S. M.; Giblin, A. E.

2014-12-01

The rhizosphere is a hotbed of nutrient cycling fueled by carbon from plants and controlled by microbes. Plants also strongly affect the rhizosphere by driving water flow into and out of roots, and by oxygenating saturated soil and sediment. Location and dynamics of plant-spurred microbial growth and activities are impossible to discern with destructive soil assays mixing microbe-scale soil microenvironments in a single"snap-shot" sample. Yet data are needed to inform (and validate) models describing microbial activity and biogeochemistry in the ebb and flow of the dynamic rhizosphere. Dynamics and localization of rapid microbial growth in the rhizosphere can be assessed over time using living soil microbiosensors. We used the bacterium Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as host to plasmid pZKH2 containing a fusion between the strong constituitive promoter nptII and luxCDABE(genes coding for light production). High light production by KT2440/pZKH2 correlated with rapid microbial growth supported by high carbon availability. Biosensors were used in clear-sided microcosms filled with non-sterile soil in which corn, black poplar or tomato were growing. KT2440/pZKH2 revealed that root tips are not necessarily the only, or even the dominant, hotspots for rhizosphere microbial growth, and carbon availability is highly variable in space and time around roots. Roots can also be sources of oxygen (O2) to the rhizosphere in saturated soil. We quantified spatial distributions of O2 using planar optodes placed against the face of sediment blocks cut from vegetated salt marsh at Plum Island Ecosystems LTER. Integrated over time, Spartina alterniflora roots were O2 sources to the rhizosphere. However, "sun-up" (light on) did not uniformly enhance rhizosphere O2 concentrations (as stomata opened and O2 production commenced). In some regions, the balance of O2 supply (from roots) and O2 demand (root and microbial) tipped toward demand at sun-up (repeatedly, over days). We speculate that in these regions, carbon produced during photosynthesis was released from roots and stimulated microbial O2 demand in the light. In situ, such dynamics in O2 and carbon availability around plant roots will influence interlinked sulfur, nitrogen, and carbon cycling in salt marsh rhizosphere.

Do differences in understory light contribute to species distributions along a tropical rainfall gradient?

PubMed

Brenes-Arguedas, T; Roddy, A B; Coley, P D; Kursar, Thomas A

2011-06-01

In tropical forests, regional differences in annual rainfall correlate with differences in plant species composition. Although water availability is clearly one factor determining species distribution, other environmental variables that covary with rainfall may contribute to distributions. One such variable is light availability in the understory, which decreases towards wetter forests due to differences in canopy density and phenology. We established common garden experiments in three sites along a rainfall gradient across the Isthmus of Panama in order to measure the differences in understory light availability, and to evaluate their influence on the performance of 24 shade-tolerant species with contrasting distributions. Within sites, the effect of understory light availability on species performance depended strongly on water availability. When water was not limiting, either naturally in the wetter site or through water supplementation in drier sites, seedling performance improved at higher light. In contrast, when water was limiting at the drier sites, seedling performance was reduced at higher light, presumably due to an increase in water stress that affected mostly wet-distribution species. Although wetter forest understories were on average darker, wet-distribution species were not more shade-tolerant than dry-distribution species. Instead, wet-distribution species had higher absolute growth rates and, when water was not limiting, were better able to take advantage of small increases in light than dry-distribution species. Our results suggest that in wet forests the ability to grow fast during temporary increases in light may be a key trait for successful recruitment. The slower growth rates of the dry-distribution species, possibly due to trade-offs associated with greater drought tolerance, may exclude these species from wetter forests.

The synergetic effect of MoS2 and graphene on Ag3PO4 for its ultra-enhanced photocatalytic activity in phenol degradation under visible light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Wen-Chao; Wang, Xi; Li, Xiao-Yan

2014-06-01

The photo-degradation of organic pollutants using solar light is an attractive chemical process for water pollution control. In this study, we synthesized a new composite material consisting of silver phosphate (Ag3PO4) sub-microcrystals grown on a layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and graphene (GR) hybrid as a high-performance photocatalyst for the degradation of toxic organic pollutants. This composite photocatalyst was prepared via a simple two-step hydrothermal process that used sodium molybdate, thiourea and graphene oxide as precursors for the MoS2/GR hybrid and silver nitrate for the Ag3PO4 sub-microcrystals. The composite Ag3PO4-0.02(MoS2/0.005GR) was found to be the most effective catalyst for the photo-decomposition of 2,4-dichlorophenol under simulated solar light and visible light (λ >= 420 nm). The photocatalyst was also highly active for the degradation of nitrophenol and chlorophenol. The ultra photocatalytic activity of the novel catalyst arose from the synergetic effects of MoS2 and GR as cocatalysts in the composite. MoS2/GR nanosheets served as electron collectors for the interfacial electron transfer from Ag3PO4 to electron acceptors in the aqueous solution and thus enhanced the separation of the photo-generated electron-hole pairs and made the holes more available for organic oxidation. In addition, the presence of MoS2 and GR provided more active adsorption sites and allowed for the activation of dissolved O2 for organic degradation in water.The photo-degradation of organic pollutants using solar light is an attractive chemical process for water pollution control. In this study, we synthesized a new composite material consisting of silver phosphate (Ag3PO4) sub-microcrystals grown on a layered molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and graphene (GR) hybrid as a high-performance photocatalyst for the degradation of toxic organic pollutants. This composite photocatalyst was prepared via a simple two-step hydrothermal process that used sodium molybdate, thiourea and graphene oxide as precursors for the MoS2/GR hybrid and silver nitrate for the Ag3PO4 sub-microcrystals. The composite Ag3PO4-0.02(MoS2/0.005GR) was found to be the most effective catalyst for the photo-decomposition of 2,4-dichlorophenol under simulated solar light and visible light (λ >= 420 nm). The photocatalyst was also highly active for the degradation of nitrophenol and chlorophenol. The ultra photocatalytic activity of the novel catalyst arose from the synergetic effects of MoS2 and GR as cocatalysts in the composite. MoS2/GR nanosheets served as electron collectors for the interfacial electron transfer from Ag3PO4 to electron acceptors in the aqueous solution and thus enhanced the separation of the photo-generated electron-hole pairs and made the holes more available for organic oxidation. In addition, the presence of MoS2 and GR provided more active adsorption sites and allowed for the activation of dissolved O2 for organic degradation in water. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr01654h

Functional trait values, not trait plasticity, drive the invasiveness of Rosa sp. in response to light availability.

PubMed

Murphy, Jennifer E; Burns, Jean H; Fougère-Danezan, Marie; Drenovsky, Rebecca E

2016-12-01

Functional trait plasticity in resource capture traits has been suggested as an underlying mechanism promoting invasive species establishment and spread. Earlier studies on this mechanism treat invasiveness as a discrete characteristic (i.e., invasive vs. noninvasive) and do not consider the potential impacts of evolutionary history. In the present study, we used a continuous measure of invasiveness and a phylogenetic framework to quantify the relationship between functional trait expression, plasticity, and invasiveness in Rosa. In a manipulative greenhouse experiment, we evaluated how light availability affects functional traits and their plasticity in Rosa sp. and the out-group species, Potentilla recta, which vary in their invasiveness. Across functional traits, we found no significant relationship between plasticity and invasiveness. However, more invasive roses demonstrated an ability to produce a more branched plant architecture, promoting optimal light capture. Invasiveness also was linked with lower photosynthetic and stomatal conductance rates, leading to increased water-use efficiency (WUE) in more invasive roses. Our results suggest that functional trait values, rather than plasticity, promote invasive rose success, counter to earlier predictions about the role of plasticity in invasiveness. Furthermore, our study indicates that invasive roses demonstrate key functional traits, such as increased WUE, to promote their success in the high-light, edge habitats they commonly invade. © 2016 Botanical Society of America.

Exposure Render: An Interactive Photo-Realistic Volume Rendering Framework

PubMed Central

Kroes, Thomas; Post, Frits H.; Botha, Charl P.

2012-01-01

The field of volume visualization has undergone rapid development during the past years, both due to advances in suitable computing hardware and due to the increasing availability of large volume datasets. Recent work has focused on increasing the visual realism in Direct Volume Rendering (DVR) by integrating a number of visually plausible but often effect-specific rendering techniques, for instance modeling of light occlusion and depth of field. Besides yielding more attractive renderings, especially the more realistic lighting has a positive effect on perceptual tasks. Although these new rendering techniques yield impressive results, they exhibit limitations in terms of their exibility and their performance. Monte Carlo ray tracing (MCRT), coupled with physically based light transport, is the de-facto standard for synthesizing highly realistic images in the graphics domain, although usually not from volumetric data. Due to the stochastic sampling of MCRT algorithms, numerous effects can be achieved in a relatively straight-forward fashion. For this reason, we have developed a practical framework that applies MCRT techniques also to direct volume rendering (DVR). With this work, we demonstrate that a host of realistic effects, including physically based lighting, can be simulated in a generic and flexible fashion, leading to interactive DVR with improved realism. In the hope that this improved approach to DVR will see more use in practice, we have made available our framework under a permissive open source license. PMID:22768292

Compact solar autoclave based on steam generation using broadband light-harvesting nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Neumann, Oara; Feronti, Curtis; Neumann, Albert D.; Dong, Anjie; Schell, Kevin; Lu, Benjamin; Kim, Eric; Quinn, Mary; Thompson, Shea; Grady, Nathaniel; Nordlander, Peter; Oden, Maria; Halas, Naomi J.

2013-01-01

The lack of readily available sterilization processes for medicine and dentistry practices in the developing world is a major risk factor for the propagation of disease. Modern medical facilities in the developed world often use autoclave systems to sterilize medical instruments and equipment and process waste that could contain harmful contagions. Here, we show the use of broadband light-absorbing nanoparticles as solar photothermal heaters, which generate high-temperature steam for a standalone, efficient solar autoclave useful for sanitation of instruments or materials in resource-limited, remote locations. Sterilization was verified using a standard Geobacillus stearothermophilus-based biological indicator. PMID:23836642

Shining a Light on Electronics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Statler, James D.

2009-01-01

While they produced a limited amount of light when first introduced, light-emitting diode (LED) lights offered the benefit of rarely burning out. As a result, they were initially used primarily as indicator lights. Advances in the technology have made available LEDs that produce far brighter light, and one application that has come to market is…

Simple and cost-effective hardware and software for functional brain mapping using intrinsic optical signal imaging.

PubMed

Harrison, Thomas C; Sigler, Albrecht; Murphy, Timothy H

2009-09-15

We describe a simple and low-cost system for intrinsic optical signal (IOS) imaging using stable LED light sources, basic microscopes, and commonly available CCD cameras. IOS imaging measures activity-dependent changes in the light reflectance of brain tissue, and can be performed with a minimum of specialized equipment. Our system uses LED ring lights that can be mounted on standard microscope objectives or video lenses to provide a homogeneous and stable light source, with less than 0.003% fluctuation across images averaged from 40 trials. We describe the equipment and surgical techniques necessary for both acute and chronic mouse preparations, and provide software that can create maps of sensory representations from images captured by inexpensive 8-bit cameras or by 12-bit cameras. The IOS imaging system can be adapted to commercial upright microscopes or custom macroscopes, eliminating the need for dedicated equipment or complex optical paths. This method can be combined with parallel high resolution imaging techniques such as two-photon microscopy.

The influence of car-seat design on its character experience.

PubMed

Kamp, Irene

2012-03-01

Producing higher efficiency cars with less and lighter materials but without compromising safety, comfort and driving pleasure might give a competitive advantage. In this light, at BMW a new light weight car-seat concept was developed based on the human body contour. A possibility to increase the comfort is using a seat which elicits positive tactile experiences. However, limited information is available on seat characteristics and tactile experiences. Therefore, this study describes the contour of three different car-seat designs, including a light weight seat, and the recorded corresponding emotion and tactile experience of 21 persons sitting in the seats. Results show that the new light weight car-seat concept rated well on experienced relaxedness, even with the lack of a side support. The most important findings are that hard seats with rather high side supports are rated sporty and seats that are softer are rated more luxurious. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Data on Solubility of Simple Apolar Gases in Light and Heavy Water at High Temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prini, Roberto Fernández; Crovetto, Rosa

1989-07-01

The solubility data of apolar gases in light and heavy water over the temperature range covered experimentally have been evaluated, laying particular emphasis to the region above the normal boiling points of the solvents. The systems that have been included in this work are the inert gases and CH4 in light water and heavy water, H2, O2, N2, and C2H6 in light water and D2 in heavy water. Data in the original sources have been brought to the same footing by calculating from the raw experimental data P, T, and x when they were not reported by the author. This step is considered necessary to assess critically the available sets of data. The temperature dependence of Henry's constants for all the binary systems have been expressed in terms of two different polynomial equations. The formulations presented are discussed and the limits of application given.

Antibacterial Properties of Calcium Fluoride-Based Composite Materials: In Vitro Study

PubMed Central

Zarzycka, Beata; Grzegorczyk, Janina; Sokołowski, Krzysztof; Półtorak, Konrad; Sokołowski, Jerzy

2016-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate antibacterial activity of composite materials modified with calcium fluoride against cariogenic bacteria S. mutans and L. acidophilus. One commercially available conventional light-curing composite material containing fluoride ions (F2) and two commercially available flowable light-curing composite materials (Flow Art and X-Flow) modified with 1.5, 2.5, and 5.0 wt% anhydrous calcium fluoride addition were used in the study. Composite material samples were incubated in 0.95% NaCl at 35°C for 3 days; then dilution series of S. mutans and L. acidophilus strains were made from the eluates. Bacteria dilutions were cultivated on media afterwards. Colony-forming unit per 1 mL of solution (CFU/mL) was calculated. Composite materials modified with calcium fluoride highly reduced (p < 0.001) bacteria growth compared to commercially available composite materials containing fluoride compounds. The greatest reduction in bacteria growth was observed for composite materials modified with 1.5% wt. CaF2. All three tested composite materials showed statistically greater antibacterial activity against L. acidophilus than against S. mutans. PMID:28053976

A 3DHZETRN Code in a Spherical Uniform Sphere with Monte Carlo Verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Slaba, Tony C.; Badavi, Francis F.; Reddell, Brandon D.; Bahadori, Amir A.

2014-01-01

The computationally efficient HZETRN code has been used in recent trade studies for lunar and Martian exploration and is currently being used in the engineering development of the next generation of space vehicles, habitats, and extra vehicular activity equipment. A new version (3DHZETRN) capable of transporting High charge (Z) and Energy (HZE) and light ions (including neutrons) under space-like boundary conditions with enhanced neutron and light ion propagation is under development. In the present report, new algorithms for light ion and neutron propagation with well-defined convergence criteria in 3D objects is developed and tested against Monte Carlo simulations to verify the solution methodology. The code will be available through the software system, OLTARIS, for shield design and validation and provides a basis for personal computer software capable of space shield analysis and optimization.

Constructing Black Titania with Unique Nanocage Structure for Solar Desalination.

PubMed

Zhu, Guilian; Xu, Jijian; Zhao, Wenli; Huang, Fuqiang

2016-11-23

Solar desalination driven by solar radiation as heat source is freely available, however, hindered by low efficiency. Herein, we first design and synthesize black titania with a unique nanocage structure simultaneously with light trapping effect to enhance light harvesting, well-crystallized interconnected nanograins to accelerate the heat transfer from titania to water and with opening mesopores (4-10 nm) to facilitate the permeation of water vapor. Furthermore, the coated self-floating black titania nanocages film localizes the temperature increase at the water-air interface rather than uniformly heating the bulk of the water, which ultimately results in a solar-thermal conversion efficiency as high as 70.9% under a simulated solar light with an intensity of 1 kW m -2 (1 sun). This finding should inspire new black materials with rationally designed structure for superior solar desalination performance.

Water and light improvement after thinning at a xeric site: Which weights the most? A dual isotope approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giuggiola, Arnaud; Ogée, Jérôme; Gessler, Arthur; Rigling, Andreas; Bugmann, Harald; Treydte, Kerstin

2015-04-01

Reductions in stand density foster individual tree growth due to increases of resources such as water, light and nutrients. Detailed knowledge of the short- to long-term physiological response underlying the growth response to thinning is crucial for the management of forests already suffering from recurrent drought-induced dieback. We applied a dual isotope approach together with mechanistic isotope models such as MuSICA to study the physiological processes underlying growth enhancement in a long-term thinning experiment in a xeric Pinus sylvestris forest in Switzerland. This approach allowed for identifying and disentangling changes in stomatal conductance and assimilation rate. Our results indicate that an increase in stomatal conductance outweighs an increase in assimilation, meaning that the observed growth releases in heavy thinned trees at our xeric site are primarily driven by enhanced water availability rather than by the increase in light availability. We conclude that in areas with isohydric species (drought avoiders) that tend to grow close to their physiological limits, thinning is highly recommended to maintain a less negative water balance and thus foster tree growth, and ultimately the survival rate of individual trees and forests.

Simple, inexpensive technique for high-quality smartphone fundus photography in human and animal eyes.

PubMed

Haddock, Luis J; Kim, David Y; Mukai, Shizuo

2013-01-01

Purpose. We describe in detail a relatively simple technique of fundus photography in human and rabbit eyes using a smartphone, an inexpensive app for the smartphone, and instruments that are readily available in an ophthalmic practice. Methods. Fundus images were captured with a smartphone and a 20D lens with or without a Koeppe lens. By using the coaxial light source of the phone, this system works as an indirect ophthalmoscope that creates a digital image of the fundus. The application whose software allows for independent control of focus, exposure, and light intensity during video filming was used. With this app, we recorded high-definition videos of the fundus and subsequently extracted high-quality, still images from the video clip. Results. The described technique of smartphone fundus photography was able to capture excellent high-quality fundus images in both children under anesthesia and in awake adults. Excellent images were acquired with the 20D lens alone in the clinic, and the addition of the Koeppe lens in the operating room resulted in the best quality images. Successful photodocumentation of rabbit fundus was achieved in control and experimental eyes. Conclusion. The currently described system was able to take consistently high-quality fundus photographs in patients and in animals using readily available instruments that are portable with simple power sources. It is relatively simple to master, is relatively inexpensive, and can take advantage of the expanding mobile-telephone networks for telemedicine.

Laser-driven electron beam acceleration and future application to compact light sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafz, N.; Jeong, T. M.; Lee, S. K.; Pae, K. H.; Sung, J. H.; Choi, I. W.; Yu, T. J.; Jeong, Y. U.; Lee, J.

2009-07-01

Laser-driven plasma accelerators are gaining much attention by the advanced accelerator community due to the potential these accelerators hold in miniaturizing future high-energy and medium-energy machines. In the laser wakefield accelerator (LWFA), the ponderomotive force of an ultrashort high intensity laser pulse excites a longitudinal plasma wave or bubble. Due to huge charge separation, electric fields created in the plasma bubble can be several orders of magnitude higher than those available in conventional microwave and RF-based accelerator facilities which are limited (up to ˜100 MV/m) by material breakdown. Therefore, if an electron bunch is injected into the bubble in phase with its field, it will gain relativistic energies within an extremely short distance. Here, in the LWFA we show the generation of high-quality and high-energy electron beams up to the GeV-class within a few millimeters of gas-jet plasmas irradiated by tens of terawatt ultrashort laser pulses. Thus we realize approximately four orders of magnitude acceleration gradients higher than available by conventional technology. As a practical application of the stable high-energy electron beam generation, we are planning on injecting the electron beams into a few-meters long conventional undulator in order to realize compact X-ray synchrotron (immediate) and FEL (future) light sources. Stable laser-driven electron beam and radiation devices will surely open a new era in science, medicine and technology and will benefit a larger number of users in those fields.

Using Stage- and Slit-Scanning to Improve Contrast and Optical Sectioning in Dual-View Inverted Light Sheet Microscopy (diSPIM)

PubMed Central

KUMAR, ABHISHEK; CHRISTENSEN, RYAN; GUO, MIN; CHANDRIS, PANOS; DUNCAN, WILLIAM; WU, YICONG; SANTELLA, ANTHONY; MOYLE, MARK; WINTER, PETER W.; COLÓN-RAMOS, DANIEL; BAO, ZHIRONG; SHROFF, HARI

2017-01-01

Dual-view inverted selective plane illumination microscopy (diSPIM) enables high-speed, long-term, fourdimensional (4D) imaging with isotropic spatial resolution. It is also compatible with conventional sample mounting on glass coverslips. However, broadening of the light sheet at distances far from the beam waist and sample-induced scattering degrades diSPIM contrast and optical sectioning. We describe two simple improvements that address both issues and entail no additional hardware modifications to the base diSPIM. First, we demonstrate improved diSPIM sectioning by keeping the light sheet and detection optics stationary, and scanning the sample through the stationary light sheet (rather than scanning the broadening light sheet and detection plane through the stationary sample, as in conventional diSPIM). This stage-scanning approach allows a thinner sheet to be used when imaging laterally extended samples, such as fixed microtubules or motile mitochondria in cell monolayers, and produces finer contrast than does conventional diSPIM. We also used stage-scanning diSPIM to obtain high-quality, 4D nuclear datasets derived from an uncompressed nematode embryo, and performed lineaging analysis to track 97% of cells until twitching. Second, we describe the improvement of contrast in thick, scattering specimens by synchronizing light-sheet synthesis with the rolling, electronic shutter of our scientific complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (sCMOS) detector. This maneuver forms a virtual confocal slit in the detection path, partially removing out-of-focus light. We demonstrate the applicability of our combined stage- and slit-scanning-methods by imaging pollen grains and nuclear and neuronal structures in live nematode embryos. All acquisition and analysis code is freely available online. PMID:27638693

A hemiparasite in the forest understorey: photosynthetic performance and carbon balance of Melampyrum pratense.

PubMed

Světlíková, P; Hájek, T; Těšitel, J

2018-01-01

Melampyrum pratense is an annual root-hemiparasitic plant growing mostly in forest understorey, an environment with unstable light conditions. While photosynthetic responses of autotrophic plants to variable light conditions are in general well understood, light responses of root hemiparasites have not been investigated. We carried out gas exchange measurements (light response and photosynthetic induction curves) to assess the photosynthetic performance of M. pratense in spring and summer. These data and recorded light dynamics data were subsequently used to model carbon balance of the hemiparasite throughout the entire growth season. Summer leaves had significantly lower rates of saturated photosynthesis and dark respiration than spring leaves, a pattern expected to reflect the difference between sun- and shade-adapted leaves. However, even the summer leaves of the hemiparasite exhibited a higher rate of light-saturated photosynthesis than reported in non-parasitic understorey herbs. This is likely related to its annual life history, rare among other understorey herbs. The carbon balance model considering photosynthetic induction still indicated insufficient autotrophic carbon gain for seed production in the summer months due to limited light availability and substantial carbon loss through dark respiration. The results point to potentially high importance of heterotrophic carbon acquisition in M. pratense, which could be of at least comparable importance as in other mixotrophic plants growing in forests - mistletoes and partial mycoheterotrophs. It is remarkable that despite apparent evolutionary pressure towards improved carbon acquisition from the host, M. pratense retains efficient photosynthesis and high transpiration rate, the ecophysiological traits typical of related root hemiparasites in the Orobanchaceae. © 2017 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Growth and biomass distribution of cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Raf.) seedlings as influenced by light availability

Treesearch

Emile S. Gardiner; John D. Hodges

1998-01-01

Cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Raf.) seedlings were established and raised in the field under four light levels (100 percent. 53 percent, 27 percent or 8 percent of full sunlight) to study the effects of light availability on their shoot growth, biomass accumulation. and biomass distribution. After two growing seasons, greatest stem growth was observed on seedlings...

Photodetectors for scintillator proportionality measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, William W.; Choong, Woon-Seng; Hull, Giulia; Payne, Steve; Cherepy, Nerine; Valentine, John D.

2009-10-01

We evaluate photodetectors for use in a Compton Coincidence apparatus designed for measuring scintillator proportionality. There are many requirements placed on the photodetector in these systems, including active area, linearity, and the ability to accurately measure low light levels (which implies high quantum efficiency and high signal-to-noise ratio). Through a combination of measurement and Monte Carlo simulation, we evaluate a number of potential photodetectors, especially photomultiplier tubes and hybrid photodetectors. Of these, we find that the most promising devices available are photomultiplier tubes with high (˜50%) quantum efficiency, although hybrid photodetectors with high quantum efficiency would be preferable.

Period Estimation for Sparsely-sampled Quasi-periodic Light Curves Applied to Miras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Shiyuan; Yuan, Wenlong; Huang, Jianhua Z.; Long, James; Macri, Lucas M.

2016-12-01

We develop a nonlinear semi-parametric Gaussian process model to estimate periods of Miras with sparsely sampled light curves. The model uses a sinusoidal basis for the periodic variation and a Gaussian process for the stochastic changes. We use maximum likelihood to estimate the period and the parameters of the Gaussian process, while integrating out the effects of other nuisance parameters in the model with respect to a suitable prior distribution obtained from earlier studies. Since the likelihood is highly multimodal for period, we implement a hybrid method that applies the quasi-Newton algorithm for Gaussian process parameters and search the period/frequency parameter space over a dense grid. A large-scale, high-fidelity simulation is conducted to mimic the sampling quality of Mira light curves obtained by the M33 Synoptic Stellar Survey. The simulated data set is publicly available and can serve as a testbed for future evaluation of different period estimation methods. The semi-parametric model outperforms an existing algorithm on this simulated test data set as measured by period recovery rate and quality of the resulting period-luminosity relations.

A novel optical-fiber based surface plasmon resonance sensing architecture and its application to gastric cancer diagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Francois, Alexandre; Boehm, Jonathan; Penno, Megan; Hoffmann, Peter; Monro, Tanya M.

2011-05-01

The management of threats such as pandemics and explosives, and of health and the environment requires the rapid deployment of highly sensitive detection tools. Sensors based on Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) allow rapid, labelfree, highly sensitive detection, and indeed this phenomenon underpins the only label-free optical biosensing technology that is available commercially. In these sensors, the existence of surface plasmons is inferred indirectly from absorption features that correspond to the coupling of light to the surface plasmon. Although SPR is not intrinsically a radiative process, under certain conditions the surface plasmon can itself couple to the local photon states, and emit light. Here we show for the first time that by collecting and characterising this re-emitted light, it is possible to realise new SPR sensing architectures that are more compact, versatile and robust than existing approaches. It is applicable to a range of SPR geometries, including optical fibres. As an example, this approach has been used to demonstrate the detection of a protein identified as a being a biomarker for cancer.

Interaction between Ammonium Toxicity and Green Tide Development Over Seagrass Meadows: A Laboratory Study

PubMed Central

Moreno-Marín, Francisco; Vergara, Juan J.; Pérez-Llorens, J. Lucas; Pedersen, Morten F.; Brun, Fernando G.

2016-01-01

Eutrophication affects seagrasses negatively by increasing light attenuation through stimulation of biomass of fast-growing, bloom-forming algae and because high concentrations of ammonium in the water can be toxic to higher plants. We hypothesized nevertheless, that moderate amounts of nitrophilic macroalgae that coexists with seagrasses under eutrophic conditions, can alleviate the harmful effects of eutrophication on seagrasses by reducing ammonium concentrations in the seawater to non-toxic levels because such algae have a very large capacity to take up inorganic nutrients. We studied therefore how combinations of different ammonium concentrations (0, 25 and 50 μM) and different standing stocks of macroalgae (i.e. 0, 1 and 6 layers of Ulva sp.) affected survival, growth and net production of the seagrass Zostera noltei. In the absence of Ulva sp., increasing ammonium concentrations had a negative influence on the performance of Z. noltei. The presence of Ulva sp. without ammonium supply had a similar, but slightly smaller, negative effect on seagrass fitness due to light attenuation. When ammonium enrichment was combined with presence of Ulva sp., Ulva sp. ameliorated some of negative effects caused by high ammonium availability although Ulva sp. lowered the availability of light. Benthic microalgae, which increased in biomass during the experiment, seemed to play a similar role as Ulva sp.–they contributed to remove ammonium from the water, and thus, aided to keep the ammonium concentrations experienced by Z. noltei at relatively non-toxic levels. Our findings show that moderate amounts of drift macroalgae, eventually combined with increasing stocks of benthic microalgae, may aid seagrasses to alleviate toxic effects of ammonium under eutrophic conditions, which highlights the importance of high functional diversity for ecosystem resistance to anthropogenic disturbance. PMID:27035662

The origin of the split B800 absorption peak in the LH2 complexes from Allochromatium vinosum.

PubMed

Löhner, Alexander; Carey, Anne-Marie; Hacking, Kirsty; Picken, Nichola; Kelly, Sharon; Cogdell, Richard; Köhler, Jürgen

2015-01-01

The absorption spectrum of the high-light peripheral light-harvesting (LH) complex from the photosynthetic purple bacterium Allochromatium vinosum features two strong absorptions around 800 and 850 nm. For the LH2 complexes from the species Rhodopseudomonas acidophila and Rhodospirillum molischianum, where high-resolution X-ray structures are available, similar bands have been observed and were assigned to two pigment pools of BChl a molecules that are arranged in two concentric rings (B800 and B850) with nine (acidophila) or eight (molischianum) repeat units, respectively. However, for the high-light peripheral LH complex from Alc. vinosum, the intruiging feature is that the B800 band is split into two components. We have studied this pigment-protein complex by ensemble CD spectroscopy and polarisation-resolved single-molecule spectroscopy. Assuming that the high-light peripheral LH complex in Alc. vinosum is constructed on the same modular principle as described for LH2 from Rps. acidophila and Rsp. molischianum, we used those repeat units as a starting point for simulating the spectra. We find the best agreement between simulation and experiment for a ring-like oligomer of 12 repeat units, where the mutual arrangement of the B800 and B850 rings resembles those from Rsp. molischianum. The splitting of the B800 band can be reproduced if both an excitonic coupling between dimers of B800 molecules and their interaction with the B850 manifold are taken into account. Such dimers predict an interesting apoprotein organisation as discussed below.

Commercial Lighting Solutions Webtool Peer Review Report, Office Solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beeson, Tracy A.; Jones, Carol C.

2010-02-01

The Commercial Lighting Solutions (CLS) project directly supports the U.S. Department of Energy’s Commercial Building Energy Alliance efforts to design high performance buildings. CLS creates energy efficient best practice lighting designs for widespread use, and they are made available to users via an interactive webtool that both educates and guides the end user through the application of the Lighting Solutions. This report summarizes the peer review of the CLS webtool for offices. The methodology for the peer review process included data collection (stakeholder input), analysis of the comments, and organization of the input into categories for prioritization of the commentsmore » against a set of criteria. Based on this process, recommendations were developed for the release of version 2.0 of the webtool at the Lightfair conference in Las Vegas in May 2010. The report provides a list of the top ten most significant and relevant improvements that will be made within the webtool for version 2.0 as well as appendices containing the comments and short-term priorities in additional detail. Peer review comments that are considered high priority by the reviewers and the CLS team but cannot be completed for Version 2.0 are listed as long-term recommendations.« less

Fixing methods for the use of optical fibers in interferometric arrangements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cubik, Jakub; Kepak, Stanislav; Fajkus, Marcel; Zboril, Ondrej; Nedoma, Jan; Davidson, Alan; Vasinek, Vladimir

2016-12-01

Today interferometric sensors are among the most accurate available thanks to their inherent high sensitivity. These highly versatile sensors may be used to measure phenomena such as temperature, strain, fluid level, flow, vibration, stress, etc. This article concentrates on the composition of fiber-optic interferometers, in particular the Mach-Zehnder type. The Mach-Zehnder type is composed of two arms, one for measurement and a second serving as a reference. When light enters the interferometer, ideally the phase of the light is shifted only in the measurement arm while the phase in the second arm remains unchanged. Interference occurs when the light recombining at the output and the resulting light intensity is proportional to the measurand. A major issue in the application of fiber based sensors is laying and fixing the fibers effectively in real life environments. Different approaches are necessary for both arms. The reference arm should as far as possible be isolated from the measurand. In this paper, various isolating materials are considered, however there are almost unlimited materials that may be used for isolation purposes. Conventional construction methods and materials were used such as aluminum tubing, flexible PVC tubing, double sided tape, steel clinches, superglue, PVC strips and PVC strips filled by silicon.

Patterns of ecological specialization among microbial populations in the Red Sea and diverse oligotrophic marine environments

PubMed Central

Thompson, Luke R; Field, Chris; Romanuk, Tamara; Ngugi, David; Siam, Rania; El Dorry, Hamza; Stingl, Ulrich

2013-01-01

Large swaths of the nutrient-poor surface ocean are dominated numerically by cyanobacteria (Prochlorococcus), cyanobacterial viruses (cyanophage), and alphaproteobacteria (SAR11). How these groups thrive in the diverse physicochemical environments of different oceanic regions remains poorly understood. Comparative metagenomics can reveal adaptive responses linked to ecosystem-specific selective pressures. The Red Sea is well-suited for studying adaptation of pelagic-microbes, with salinities, temperatures, and light levels at the extreme end for the surface ocean, and low nutrient concentrations, yet no metagenomic studies have been done there. The Red Sea (high salinity, high light, low N and P) compares favorably with the Mediterranean Sea (high salinity, low P), Sargasso Sea (low P), and North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (high light, low N). We quantified the relative abundance of genetic functions among Prochlorococcus, cyanophage, and SAR11 from these four regions. Gene frequencies indicate selection for phosphorus acquisition (Mediterranean/Sargasso), DNA repair and high-light responses (Red Sea/Pacific Prochlorococcus), and osmolyte C1 oxidation (Red Sea/Mediterranean SAR11). The unexpected connection between salinity-dependent osmolyte production and SAR11 C1 metabolism represents a potentially major coevolutionary adaptation and biogeochemical flux. Among Prochlorococcus and cyanophage, genes enriched in specific environments had ecotype distributions similar to nonenriched genes, suggesting that inter-ecotype gene transfer is not a major source of environment-specific adaptation. Clustering of metagenomes using gene frequencies shows similarities in populations (Red Sea with Pacific, Mediterranean with Sargasso) that belie their geographic distances. Taken together, the genetic functions enriched in specific environments indicate competitive strategies for maintaining carrying capacity in the face of physical stressors and low nutrient availability. PMID:23789085

Fast, Large-Area, Wide-Bandgap UV Photodetector for Cherenkov Light Detection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wrbanek, John D.; Wrbanek, Susan Y.

2013-01-01

Due to limited resources available for power and space for payloads, miniaturizing and integrating instrumentation is a high priority for addressing the challenges of manned and unmanned deep space missions to high Earth orbit (HEO), near Earth objects (NEOs), Lunar and Martian orbits and surfaces, and outer planetary systems, as well as improvements to high-altitude aircraft safety. New, robust, and compact detectors allow future instrumentation packages more options in satisfying specific mission goals. A solid-state ultraviolet (UV) detector was developed with a theoretical fast response time and large detection area intended for application to Cherenkov detectors. The detector is based on the wide-bandgap semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO), which in a bridge circuit can detect small, fast pulses of UV light like those required for Cherenkov detectors. The goal is to replace the role of photomultiplier tubes in Cherenkov detectors with these solid-state devices, saving on size, weight, and required power. For improving detection geometry, a spherical detector to measure high atomic number and energy (HZE) ions from any direction has been patented as part of a larger space radiation detector system. The detector will require the development of solid-state UV photodetectors fast enough (2 ns response time or better) to detect the shockwave of Cherenkov light emitted as the ions pass through a quartz, sapphire, or acrylic ball. The detector must be small enough to fit in the detector system structure, but have an active area large enough to capture enough Cherenkov light from the sphere. The detector is fabricated on bulk single-crystal undoped ZnO. Inter - digitated finger electrodes and contact pads are patterned via photolithography, and formed by sputtered metal of silver, platinum, or other high-conductivity metal.

Patterns of ecological specialization among microbial populations in the Red Sea and diverse oligotrophic marine environments.

PubMed

Thompson, Luke R; Field, Chris; Romanuk, Tamara; Ngugi, David; Siam, Rania; El Dorry, Hamza; Stingl, Ulrich

2013-06-01

Large swaths of the nutrient-poor surface ocean are dominated numerically by cyanobacteria (Prochlorococcus), cyanobacterial viruses (cyanophage), and alphaproteobacteria (SAR11). How these groups thrive in the diverse physicochemical environments of different oceanic regions remains poorly understood. Comparative metagenomics can reveal adaptive responses linked to ecosystem-specific selective pressures. The Red Sea is well-suited for studying adaptation of pelagic-microbes, with salinities, temperatures, and light levels at the extreme end for the surface ocean, and low nutrient concentrations, yet no metagenomic studies have been done there. The Red Sea (high salinity, high light, low N and P) compares favorably with the Mediterranean Sea (high salinity, low P), Sargasso Sea (low P), and North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (high light, low N). We quantified the relative abundance of genetic functions among Prochlorococcus, cyanophage, and SAR11 from these four regions. Gene frequencies indicate selection for phosphorus acquisition (Mediterranean/Sargasso), DNA repair and high-light responses (Red Sea/Pacific Prochlorococcus), and osmolyte C1 oxidation (Red Sea/Mediterranean SAR11). The unexpected connection between salinity-dependent osmolyte production and SAR11 C1 metabolism represents a potentially major coevolutionary adaptation and biogeochemical flux. Among Prochlorococcus and cyanophage, genes enriched in specific environments had ecotype distributions similar to nonenriched genes, suggesting that inter-ecotype gene transfer is not a major source of environment-specific adaptation. Clustering of metagenomes using gene frequencies shows similarities in populations (Red Sea with Pacific, Mediterranean with Sargasso) that belie their geographic distances. Taken together, the genetic functions enriched in specific environments indicate competitive strategies for maintaining carrying capacity in the face of physical stressors and low nutrient availability.

Rapid water disinfection using vertically aligned MoS 2 nanofilms and visible light

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Chong; Kong, Desheng; Hsu, Po -Chun

Here, solar energy is readily available in most climates and can be used for water purification. However, solar disinfection of drinking water (SODIS) mostly relies on ultraviolet light, which represents only 4% of total solar energy, and this leads to slow treatment speed. The development of new materials that can harvest visible light for water disinfection, and speed up solar water purification, is therefore highly desirable. Here, we show that few-layered vertically aligned MoS 2 (FLV-MoS 2) films can be used to harvest the whole spectrum of visible light (~ 50% of solar energy) and achieve highly efficient water disinfection.more » The bandgap of MoS 2 was increased from 1.3 eV to 1.55 eV by decreasing the domain size, which allowed the FLV-MoS 2 to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) for bacterial inactivation in water. The FLV-MoS 2 showed ~15 times better log inactivation efficiency of indicator bacteria compared to bulk MoS 2, and much faster inactivation of bacteria under both visible light and sunlight illumination compared to widely used TiO 2. Moreover, by using a 5 nm copper film on top of the FLV-MoS 2 as a catalyst to facilitate electron-hole pair separation and promote the generation of ROS, the disinfection rate was further increased 6 fold. With our approach, we achieved water disinfection of >99.999% inactivation of bacteria in 20 minutes with a small amount of material (1.6 mg/L) under simulated visible light.« less

Rapid water disinfection using vertically aligned MoS 2 nanofilms and visible light

DOE PAGES

Liu, Chong; Kong, Desheng; Hsu, Po -Chun; ...

2016-08-15

Here, solar energy is readily available in most climates and can be used for water purification. However, solar disinfection of drinking water (SODIS) mostly relies on ultraviolet light, which represents only 4% of total solar energy, and this leads to slow treatment speed. The development of new materials that can harvest visible light for water disinfection, and speed up solar water purification, is therefore highly desirable. Here, we show that few-layered vertically aligned MoS 2 (FLV-MoS 2) films can be used to harvest the whole spectrum of visible light (~ 50% of solar energy) and achieve highly efficient water disinfection.more » The bandgap of MoS 2 was increased from 1.3 eV to 1.55 eV by decreasing the domain size, which allowed the FLV-MoS 2 to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) for bacterial inactivation in water. The FLV-MoS 2 showed ~15 times better log inactivation efficiency of indicator bacteria compared to bulk MoS 2, and much faster inactivation of bacteria under both visible light and sunlight illumination compared to widely used TiO 2. Moreover, by using a 5 nm copper film on top of the FLV-MoS 2 as a catalyst to facilitate electron-hole pair separation and promote the generation of ROS, the disinfection rate was further increased 6 fold. With our approach, we achieved water disinfection of >99.999% inactivation of bacteria in 20 minutes with a small amount of material (1.6 mg/L) under simulated visible light.« less

Light use efficiency of California redwood forest understory plants along a moisture gradient.

PubMed

Santiago, Louis S; Dawson, Todd E

2014-02-01

We investigated photosynthesis of five plant species growing in the understory at three sites (1,170-, 1,600- and 2,100-mm annual moisture inputs), along the geographical range of coastal California redwood forest, to determine whether greater inputs of rain and fog at northern sites enhance photosynthetic utilization of fluctuating light. Measurements of understory light environment and gas exchange were carried out to determine steady state and dynamic photosynthetic responses to light. Leaf area index ranged from 4.84 at the 2,100-mm site to 5.98 at the 1,170-mm site. Maximum rates of net photosynthesis and stomatal conductance (g) did not vary appreciably within species across sites. Photosynthetic induction after a change from low to high light was significantly greater in plants growing in lower light conditions regardless of site. Photosynthetic induction also increased with the rate of g in diffuse light, prior to the increase to saturating light levels. Post-illumination CO2 assimilation was the largest factor contributing to variation in C gain during simulated lightflecks. The duration of post-illumination photosynthetic activity, total CO2 assimilation per light received, and light use efficiency during simulated lightflecks increased significantly with moisture inputs in four out of five species. Increasing leaf N concentration with increasing moisture inputs in three out of five species, coupled with changes in leaf N isotopic composition with the onset of the summer fog season suggest that natural N deposition increases with rain and fog inputs and contributes to greater utilization of fluctuating light availability in coastal California redwood forests.

Minimizing lighting power density in office rooms equipped with Anidolic Daylighting Systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Linhart, Friedrich; Scartezzini, Jean-Louis

2010-04-15

Electric lighting is responsible for up to one third of an office building's electricity needs. Making daylight more available in office buildings can not only contribute to significant energy savings but also enhance the occupants' performance and wellbeing. Anidolic Daylighting Systems (ADS) are one type of very effective facade-integrated daylighting systems. All south-facing office rooms within the LESO solar experimental building in Lausanne (Switzerland) are equipped with a given type of ADS. A recent study has shown that these offices' occupants are highly satisfied with their lighting environment. The most energy-efficient south-facing offices have a lighting power density of lessmore » than 5W/m{sup 2}. The lighting situation within these ''best practice''-offices has been assessed using the lighting simulation software RELUX Vision. Because this lighting situation is very much appreciated by the occupants, it was used as a starting point for developing even more energy-efficient office lighting designs. Two new lighting designs, leading to lighting power densities of 3.9W/m{sup 2} and 3W/m{sup 2}, respectively, have been suggested and simulated with RELUX Vision. Simulation results have shown that the expected performances of these new systems are comparable to that of the current lighting installation within the ''best practice''-offices or even better. These simulation results have been confirmed during experiments on 20 human subjects in a test office room recently set up within the LESO building. This article gives engineers, architects and light planers valuable information and ideas on how to design energy-efficient and comfortable electric lighting systems in office rooms with abundant access to daylight. (author)« less

Sweetpotato vine management for confined food production in a space life-support system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Massa, Gioia D.; Mitchell, Cary A.

2012-01-01

Sweetpotato (Ipomea batatas L.) 'Whatley-Loretan' was developed for space life support by researchers at Tuskegee University for its highly productive, nutritious storage roots. This promising candidate space life-support crop has a sprawling habit and aggressive growth rate in favorable environments that demands substantial growing area. Shoot pruning is not a viable option for vine control because removal of the main shoot apex drastically inhibits storage-root initiation and development, and chemical growth retardants typically are not cleared for use with food crops. As part of a large effort by the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training in Advanced Life Support to reduce equivalent system mass (ESM) for food production in space, the dilemma of vine management for sweetpotato was addressed in effort to conserve growth area without compromising root yield. Root yields from unbranched vines trained spirally around wire frames configured either in the shapes of cones or cylinders were similar to those from vines trained horizontally along the bench, but occupying only a small fraction of the bench area. This finding indicates that sweetpotato is highly adaptable to a variety of vine-training architectures. Planting a second plant in the growth container and training the two vines in opposite directions around frames enhanced root yield and number, but had little effect on average length of each vine or bench area occupied. Once again, root yields were similar for both configurations of wire support frames. The 3-4-month crop-production cycles for sweetpotato in the greenhouse spanned all seasons of multiple years during the course of the study, and although electric lighting was used for photoperiod control and to supplement photosynthetic light during low-light seasons, there still were differences in total light available across seasons. Light variations and other environmental differences among experiments in the greenhouse had more effects on vine length than on root yield. Average vine length correlated positively with total hours of daylight received across seasons, and responses for one plant per container were higher above a threshold duration of solar exposure, suggesting that the vines of two plants per container compete for available light. In addition to the adaptability of sweetpotato to various vine-training architectures and across seasons in terms of maintaining root productivity, the open, interior volumes of the support frames tested in this study will provide future opportunity to enhance sweetpotato root yield in space by adding novel interior lighting, such as from intracanopy arrays of light-emitting diodes. This work was sponsored by NASA grant NAG 5 1286.

Does light influence the relationship between a native stem hemiparasite and a native or introduced host?

PubMed Central

Cirocco, Robert Michael; Facelli, José Maria; Watling, Jennifer Robyn

2016-01-01

Background and Aims There have been very few studies investigating the influence of light on the effects of hemiparasitic plants on their hosts, despite the fact that hemiparasites are capable of photosynthesis but also access carbon (C) from their host. In this study we manipulated light availability to limit photosynthesis in an established hemiparasite and its hosts, and determined whether this affected the parasite’s impact on growth and performance of two different hosts. We expected that limiting light and reducing autotrophic C gain in the parasite (and possibly increasing its heterotrophic C gain) would lead to an increased impact on host growth and/or host photosynthesis in plants grown in low (LL) relative to high light (HL). Methods The Australian native host Leptospermum myrsinoides and the introduced host Ulex europaeus were either infected or not infected with the native stem hemiparasite Cassytha pubescens and grown in either HL or LL. Photosynthetic performance, nitrogen status and growth of hosts and parasite were quantified. Host water potentials were also measured. Key Results In situ midday electron transport rates (ETRs) of C. pubescens on both hosts were significantly lower in LL compared with HL, enabling us to investigate the impact of the reduced level of parasite autotrophy on growth of hosts. Despite the lower levels of photosynthesis in the parasite, the relative impact of infection on host biomass was the same in both LL and HL. In fact, biomass of L. myrsinoides was unaffected by infection in either HL or LL, while biomass of U. europaeus was negatively affected by infection in both treatments. This suggests that although photosynthesis of the parasite was lower in LL, there was no additional impact on host biomass in LL. In addition, light did not affect the amount of parasite biomass supported per unit host biomass in either host, although this parameter was slightly lower in LL than HL for U. europaeus (P = 0·073). We also found no significant enhancement of host photosynthesis in response to infection in either host, regardless of light treatment. Conclusions Despite lower photosynthetic rates in LL, C. pubescens did not increase its dependency on host C to the point where it affected host growth or photosynthesis. The impact of C. pubescens on host growth would be similar in areas of high and low light availability in the field, but the introduced host is more negatively affected by infection. PMID:26832961

Does light influence the relationship between a native stem hemiparasite and a native or introduced host?

PubMed

Cirocco, Robert Michael; Facelli, José Maria; Watling, Jennifer Robyn

2016-03-01

There have been very few studies investigating the influence of light on the effects of hemiparasitic plants on their hosts, despite the fact that hemiparasites are capable of photosynthesis but also access carbon (C) from their host. In this study we manipulated light availability to limit photosynthesis in an established hemiparasite and its hosts, and determined whether this affected the parasite's impact on growth and performance of two different hosts. We expected that limiting light and reducing autotrophic C gain in the parasite (and possibly increasing its heterotrophic C gain) would lead to an increased impact on host growth and/or host photosynthesis in plants grown in low (LL) relative to high light (HL). The Australian native host Leptospermum myrsinoides and the introduced host Ulex europaeus were either infected or not infected with the native stem hemiparasite Cassytha pubescens and grown in either HL or LL. Photosynthetic performance, nitrogen status and growth of hosts and parasite were quantified. Host water potentials were also measured. In situ midday electron transport rates (ETRs) of C. pubescens on both hosts were significantly lower in LL compared with HL, enabling us to investigate the impact of the reduced level of parasite autotrophy on growth of hosts. Despite the lower levels of photosynthesis in the parasite, the relative impact of infection on host biomass was the same in both LL and HL. In fact, biomass of L. myrsinoides was unaffected by infection in either HL or LL, while biomass of U. europaeus was negatively affected by infection in both treatments. This suggests that although photosynthesis of the parasite was lower in LL, there was no additional impact on host biomass in LL. In addition, light did not affect the amount of parasite biomass supported per unit host biomass in either host, although this parameter was slightly lower in LL than HL for U. europaeus (P = 0·073). We also found no significant enhancement of host photosynthesis in response to infection in either host, regardless of light treatment. Despite lower photosynthetic rates in LL, C. pubescens did not increase its dependency on host C to the point where it affected host growth or photosynthesis. The impact of C. pubescens on host growth would be similar in areas of high and low light availability in the field, but the introduced host is more negatively affected by infection. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Alcohol Consumption, Alcohol Outlets, and the Risk of Being Assaulted With a Gun

PubMed Central

Branas, Charles C.; Elliott, Michael R.; Richmond, Therese S.; Culhane, Dennis P.; Wiebe, Douglas J.

2010-01-01

Background We conducted a population-based case–control study to better delineate the relationship between individual alcohol consumption, alcohol outlets in the surrounding environment, and being assaulted with a gun. Methods An incidence density sampled case–control study was conducted in the entire city of Philadelphia from 2003 to 2006. We enrolled 677 cases that had been shot in an assault and 684 population-based controls. The relationships between 2 independent variables of interest, alcohol consumption and alcohol outlet availability, and the outcome of being assaulted with a gun were analyzed. Conditional logistic regression was used to adjust for numerous confounding variables. Results After adjustment, heavy drinkers were 2.67 times as likely to be shot in an assault when compared with nondrinkers (p < 0.10) while light drinkers were not at significantly greater risk of being shot in an assault when compared with nondrinkers. Regression-adjusted analyses also demonstrated that being in an area of high off-premise alcohol outlet availability significantly increased the risk of being shot in an assault by 2.00 times (p < 0.05). Being in an area of high on-premise alcohol outlet availability did not significantly change this risk. Heavy drinkers in areas of high off-premise alcohol outlet availability were 9.34 times (p < 0.05) as likely to be shot in an assault. Conclusions This study finds that the gun assault risk to individuals who are near off-premise alcohol outlets is about the same as or statistically greater than the risk they incur from heavy drinking. The combination of heavy drinking and being near off-premise outlets resulted in greater risk than either factor alone. By comparison, light drinking and being near on-premise alcohol outlets were not associated with increased risks for gun assault. Cities should consider addressing alcohol-related factors, especially off-premise outlets, as highly modifiable and politically feasible approaches to reducing gun violence. PMID:19320627

Combinational light emitting diode-high frequency focused ultrasound treatment for HeLa cell.

PubMed

Choe, Se-Woon; Park, Kitae; Park, Chulwoo; Ryu, Jaemyung; Choi, Hojong

2017-12-01

Light sources such as laser and light emitting diode or ultrasound devices have been widely used for cancer therapy and regenerative medicines, since they are more cost-effective and less harmful than radiation therapy, chemotherapy or magnetic treatment. Compared to laser and low intensity ultrasound techniques, light emitting diode and high frequency focused ultrasound shows enhanced therapeutic effects, especially for small tumors. We propose combinational light emitting diode-high frequency focused ultrasound treatment for human cervical cancer HeLa cells. Individual red, green, and blue light emitting diode light only, high frequency focused ultrasound only, or light emitting diode light combined with high frequency focused ultrasound treatments were applied in order to characterize the responses of HeLa cells. Cell density exposed by blue light emitting diode light combined with high frequency focused ultrasound (2.19 ± 0.58%) was much lower than that of cells exposed by red and green light emitting diode lights (81.71 ± 9.92% and 61.81 ± 4.09%), blue light emitting diode light (11.19 ± 2.51%) or high frequency focused ultrasound only (9.72 ± 1.04%). We believe that the proposed combinational blue light emitting diode-high frequency focused ultrasound treatment could have therapeutic benefits to alleviate cancer cell proliferation.

Does Offender Gambling on the inside Continue on the outside? Insights from Correctional Professionals on Gambling and Re-Entry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, D. J.; Walker, Gordon J.

2009-01-01

This study brings to light a neglected topic of particular importance--offender gambling issues within the context of re-entry into the community. Fifteen correctional professionals from Nevada (high gambling availability) and Utah (no legalized gambling) participated in semi-structured interviews to provide insights into how gambling may impact…

A comparison of two open source LiDAR surface classification algorithms

Treesearch

Wade T. Tinkham; Hongyu Huang; Alistair M.S. Smith; Rupesh Shrestha; Michael J. Falkowski; Andrew T. Hudak; Timothy E. Link; Nancy F. Glenn; Danny G. Marks

2011-01-01

With the progression of LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) towards a mainstream resource management tool, it has become necessary to understand how best to process and analyze the data. While most ground surface identification algorithms remain proprietary and have high purchase costs; a few are openly available, free to use, and are supported by published results....

Natural forcings on a transformed territory overshoot thresholds of primary productivity in the Guadalquivir estuary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruiz, J.; Macías, D.; Navarro, G.

2017-09-01

A three year-long quasi continuum sampling dataset on the Guadalquivir estuary water quality was used to assess the role of light availability on its biological production. We found that inorganic nutrients within the estuary are very high (with mean values for inorganic nitrogen and phosphorous of 285 and 2.4 μM respectively) while phytoplankton biomass remains low most of the time (with a mean value of 2.6 mg/m3). A strong relationship between phytoplankton biomass and water turbidity was found indicating that, indeed, light availability is the major constraint of primary production in this system. Most of the time this limitation of primary production is not associated to enhanced turbidity connected to fresh water inputs. Instead, our data indicate that, independently of freshwater inputs, the photosynthesis is restricted by tidal forcings enhancing turbidity in an estuary that has been highly modified. Our results match with classical theories on the functioning of well-mixed, estuarine ecosystems as well as with recent modeling exercises. We also discuss the potential impacts of this particular characteristic of some estuarine systems for their management and regulatory control.

Functional approach to high-throughput plant growth analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Method Taking advantage of the current rapid development in imaging systems and computer vision algorithms, we present HPGA, a high-throughput phenotyping platform for plant growth modeling and functional analysis, which produces better understanding of energy distribution in regards of the balance between growth and defense. HPGA has two components, PAE (Plant Area Estimation) and GMA (Growth Modeling and Analysis). In PAE, by taking the complex leaf overlap problem into consideration, the area of every plant is measured from top-view images in four steps. Given the abundant measurements obtained with PAE, in the second module GMA, a nonlinear growth model is applied to generate growth curves, followed by functional data analysis. Results Experimental results on model plant Arabidopsis thaliana show that, compared to an existing approach, HPGA reduces the error rate of measuring plant area by half. The application of HPGA on the cfq mutant plants under fluctuating light reveals the correlation between low photosynthetic rates and small plant area (compared to wild type), which raises a hypothesis that knocking out cfq changes the sensitivity of the energy distribution under fluctuating light conditions to repress leaf growth. Availability HPGA is available at http://www.msu.edu/~jinchen/HPGA. PMID:24565437

Physical and biogeochemical controls on light attenuation in a eutrophic, back-barrier estuary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ganju, Neil K.; Miselis, Jennifer L.; Aretxabaleta, Alfredo L.

2014-01-01

Light attenuation is a critical parameter governing the ecological function of shallow estuaries. In these systems primary production is often dominated by benthic macroalgae and seagrass; thus light penetration to the bed is of primary importance. We quantified light attenuation in three seagrass meadows in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, a shallow eutrophic back-barrier estuary; two of the sites were located within designated Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESAs). We sequentially deployed instrumentation measuring photosynthetically active radiation, chlorophyll-a (chl-a) fluorescence, dissolved organic matter fluorescence (fDOM; a proxy for colored DOM absorbance), turbidity, pressure, and water velocity at 10 min intervals over three week periods at each site. At the southernmost site, where sediment availability was highest, light attenuation was highest and dominated by turbidity and to a lesser extent chl-a and CDOM. At the central site, chl-a dominated followed by turbidity and CDOM, and at the northernmost site turbidity and CDOM contributed equally to light attenuation. At a given site, the temporal variability of light attenuation exceeded the difference in median light attenuation at the three sites, indicating the need for continuous high-temporal resolution measurements. Vessel wakes, anecdotally implicated in increasing sediment resuspension, did not contribute to local resuspension within the seagrass beds, though frequent vessel wakes were observed in the channels. With regards to light attenuation and water clarity, physical and biogeochemical variables appear to outweigh any regulation of boat traffic within the ESAs.

Mycorrhizal colonization does not affect tolerance to defoliation of an annual herb in different light availability and soil fertility treatments but increases flower size in light-rich environments.

PubMed

Aguilar-Chama, Ana; Guevara, Roger

2012-01-01

Heterogeneous distribution of resources in most plant populations results in a mosaic of plant physiological responses tending to maximize plant fitness. This includes plant responses to trophic interactions such as herbivory and mycorrhizal symbiosis which are concurrent in most plants. We explored fitness costs of 50% manual defoliation and mycorrhizal inoculation in Datura stramonium at different light availability and soil fertility environments in a greenhouse experiment. Overall, we showed that non-inoculated and mycorrhiza-inoculated plants did not suffer from 50% manual defoliation in all the tested combinations of light availability and soil fertility treatments, while soil nutrients and light availability predominately affected plant responses to the mycorrhizal inoculation. Fifty percent defoliation had a direct negative effect on reproductive traits whereas mycorrhiza-inoculated plants produced larger flowers than non-inoculated plants when light was not a limiting factor. Although D. stramonium is a facultative selfing species, other investigations had shown clear advantages of cross-pollination in this species; therefore, the effects of mycorrhizal inoculation on flower size observed in this study open new lines of inquiry for our understanding of plant responses to trophic interactions. Also in this study, we detected shifts in the limiting resources affecting plant responses to trophic interactions.

Nutrient dynamics and primary production in a pristine coastal mangrove ecosystem: Andaman Islands, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenkins, E. N.; Nickodem, K.; Siemann, A. L.; Hoeher, A.; Sundareshwar, P. V.; Ramesh, R.; Purvaja, R.; Banerjee, K.; Manickam, S.; Haran, H.

2012-12-01

Mangrove ecosystems play a key role in supporting coastal food webs and nutrient cycles in the coastal zone. Their strategic position between the land and the sea make them important sites for land-ocean interaction. As part of an Indo-US summer field course we investigated changes in the water chemistry in a pristine mangrove creek located at Wright Myo in the Andaman Islands, India. This study was conducted during the wet season (June 2012) to evaluate the influence of the coastal mangrove wetlands on the water quality and productivity in adjoining pelagic waters. Over a full tidal cycle spanning approximately 24 hrs, we measured nutrient concentrations and other ancillary parameters (e.g. dissolved oxygen, turbidity, salinity, etc.) hourly to evaluate water quality changes in incoming and ebbing tides. Nutrient analyses had the following concentration ranges (μM): nitrite 0.2-0.9, nitrate 2.0-11.5, ammonium 1.3-7.5, dissolved inorganic phosphate 0.7-2.8. The dissolved inorganic nitrogen to dissolved inorganic phosphate (DIN/DIP) ratio was very low relative to an optimal ratio, suggesting growth is nitrogen limited. In addition, we conducted primary production assays to investigate the factors that controlled primary production in this pristine creek. The experiment was carried out in situ using the Winkler method at low and high tide. Four-hour incubation of light and dark bottles representing a fixed control, non-fertilized, fertilized with nitrate, and fertilized with phosphate enabled the measurement of both net oxygen production and dark respiration. The low tide experiment suggests the ecosystem is heterotrophic because the oxygen measured in the light bottles was consistently less than that of the dark bottles. This result may be an experimental artifact of placing the glass bottles in the sun for too long prior to incubation, potentially leading to photolysis of large organic molecules in the light bottles. The high tide experiment also displayed counterintuitive results because less oxygen was produced with nutrient addition relative to the unfertilized samples. Furthermore, community respiration increased slightly in the presence of nitrogen (N) but increased more so in the presence of phosphorus (P), indicating P limits respiration. N and P did not stimulate production but did stimulate consumption. Despite the low DIN/DIP ratio suggesting a N limitation in the system, N addition failed to stimulate primary production. Production at Wright Myo creek is therefore not limited by nutrients but is controlled by other conditions, possibly by a rain flushing event that occurred prior to the high tide primary production experiment or by light availability. Because light must be able to penetrate through the water column to drive photosynthesis, low light availability and high turbidity may have limited production.

Nutrients, high light, and shallow depths favor the expansion of the brown macroalgae Turbinaria ornata in the coral reefs of Mo'orea, French Polynesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rogers, J.; Cordoba, G.; Nieves, M.; Barber, P. H.; Fong, P.; Sura, S.

2016-02-01

Coral reefs provide food, recreation and economic resources for billions of people. Despite this importance, anthropogenic stressors including climate change and nutrification threaten coral reefs globally, causing phase-shifts to algal dominated ecosystems and loss of coral habitats. Throughout the tropical South Pacific, the brown macroalgae Turbinaria ornata is expanding its range and now dominates areas where corals used to thrive, especially shallow areas on fringing reefs of French Polynesia. Abiotic factors like light and nutrient availability could enhance the expansion of T. ornata by promoting its growth or by making it physically tougher, which could reduce herbivory pressure and enhance its survival in high energy zones. To understand the abiotic factors favoring growth and survival of T. ornata in Mo'orea, French Polynesia, we conducted a field experiment testing the effect of nutrients (+/- fertilizer), depth (1m within Turbinaria zone, 1.5m at border, 2m below depth distribution), and light (+/- shade) on the growth and toughness of T. ornata. Three-factor ANOVA showed that an interaction between nutrients and light favored T. ornata biomass accumulation (p=0.04). In addition, T. ornata from shallow depths were significantly tougher than intermediate depths (p=0.01). These results imply that nutrient enrichment combined with high light levels common in shallow coral reefs may promote growth and expansion of T. ornata to near-shore reef environments. Increased survival and population growth is likely further enhanced by increased toughness of T. ornata in shallow areas, which may limit herbivore grazing and improve survival in strong wave action or currents. Future research should examine whether reducing nutrient loading to coastal waters may limit the expansion of T. ornata in the South Pacific.

Nutrients, High Light and Shallow Depths Favor the Expansion of the Brown Macroalgae Turbinaria ornata in the Coral Reefs of Mo'orea, French Polynesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nieves, M.; Cordoba, G.; Rogers, J.

2016-02-01

Coral reefs provide food, recreation and economic resources for billions of people. Despite this importance, anthropogenic stressors including climate change and nutrification threaten coral reefs globally, causing phase-shifts to algal dominated ecosystems and loss of coral habitats. Throughout the tropical South Pacific, the brown macroalgae Turbinaria ornata is expanding its range and now dominates areas where corals used to thrive, especially shallow areas on fringing reefs of French Polynesia. Abiotic factors like light and nutrient availability could enhance the expansion of T. ornata by promoting its growth or by making it physically tougher, which could reduce herbivory pressure and enhance its survival in high energy zones. To understand the abiotic factors favoring growth and survival of T. ornata in Mo'orea, French Polynesia, we conducted a field experiment testing the effect of nutrients (+/- fertilizer), depth (1m within Turbinaria zone, 1.5m at border, 2m below depth distribution), and light (+/- shade) on the growth and toughness of T. ornata. Three-factor ANOVA showed that an interaction between nutrients and light favored T. ornata biomass accumulation (p=0.04). In addition, T. ornata from shallow depths were significantly tougher than those at intermediate depths (p=0.01). These results imply that nutrient enrichment combined with high light levels common in shallow coral reefs may promote growth and expansion of T. ornata to near-shore reef environments. Increased survival and population growth is likely further enhanced by increased toughness of T. ornata in shallow areas, which may limit herbivore grazing and improve survival in strong wave action or currents. Future research should examine whether reducing nutrient loading to coastal waters may limit the expansion of T. ornata in the South Pacific.

The physiology of invasive plants in low-resource environments

PubMed Central

Funk, Jennifer L.

2013-01-01

While invasive plant species primarily occur in disturbed, high-resource environments, many species have invaded ecosystems characterized by low nutrient, water, and light availability. Species adapted to low-resource systems often display traits associated with resource conservation, such as slow growth, high tissue longevity, and resource-use efficiency. This contrasts with our general understanding of invasive species physiology derived primarily from studies in high-resource environments. These studies suggest that invasive species succeed through high resource acquisition. This review examines physiological and morphological traits of native and invasive species in low-resource environments. Existing data support the idea that species invading low-resource environments possess traits associated with resource acquisition, resource conservation or both. Disturbance and climate change are affecting resource availability in many ecosystems, and understanding physiological differences between native and invasive species may suggest ways to restore invaded ecosystems. PMID:27293610

Silicon Photo-Multiplier Readouts for Scintillators in High-Energy Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloser, Peter F.; Legere, Jason S.; Bancroft, Christopher M.; McConnell, Mark L.; Ryan, James M.

2008-01-01

New scintillator materials have recently been shown to hold great potential for low-cost, reliable gamma-ray detectors in high-energy astronomy. New devices for the detection of scintillation light promise to make scintillator-based instruments even more attractive by reducing mass and power requirements,in particular, silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs) are starting to become commercially available that offer gains and quantum efficiencies similar to those of photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs), but with greatly reduced mass, high ruggedness, low voltage requirements, and no sensitivity to magnetic fields. We have conducted laboratory tests of a sample of commercially available SiPMs coupled to LaBr3;Ce, a scintillator of relevance to to future high-energy astrophysics missions. We present results for gamma-ray spectroscopy. compare the SiPM performance to that of a PMT, and discuss the extent to which SiPMs offer significant advantages for scintillator-based space missions.

Optical countermeasures against CLOS weapon systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toet, Alexander; Benoist, Koen W.; van Lingen, Joost N. J.; Schleijpen, H. Ric M. A.

2013-10-01

There are many weapon systems in which a human operator acquires a target, tracks it and designates it. Optical countermeasures against this type of systems deny the operator the possibility to fulfill this visual task. We describe the different effects that result from stimulation of the human visual system with high intensity (visible) light, and the associated potential operational impact. Of practical use are flash blindness, where an intense flash of light produces a temporary "blind-spot" in (part of) the visual field, flicker distraction, where strong intensity and/or color changes at a discomfortable frequency are produced, and disability glare where a source of light leads to contrast reduction. Hence there are three possibilities to disrupt the visual task of an operator with optical countermeasures such as flares or lasers or a combination of these; namely, by an intense flash of light, by an annoying light flicker or by a glare source. A variety of flares for this purpose is now available or under development: high intensity flash flares, continuous burning flares or strobe flares which have an oscillating intensity. The use of flare arrays seems particularly promising as an optical countermeasure. Lasers are particularly suited to interfere with human vision, because they can easily be varied in intensity, color and size, but they have to be directed at the (human) target, and issues like pointing and eye-safety have to be taken into account. Here we discuss the design issues and the operational impact of optical countermeasures against human operators.

Study the effects of varying interference upon the optical properties of turbid samples using NIR spatial light modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaul, Oren; Fanrazi-Kahana, Michal; Meitav, Omri; Pinhasi, Gad A.; Abookasis, David

2018-03-01

Optical properties of biological tissues are valuable diagnostic parameters which can provide necessary information regarding tissue state during disease pathogenesis and therapy. However, different sources of interference, such as temperature changes may modify these properties, introducing confounding factors and artifacts to data, consequently skewing their interpretation and misinforming clinical decision-making. In the current study, we apply spatial light modulation, a type of diffuse reflectance hyperspectral imaging technique, to monitor the variation in optical properties of highly scattering turbid media in the presence varying levels of the following sources of interference: scattering concentration, temperature, and pressure. Spatial near-infrared (NIR) light modulation is a wide-field, non-contact emerging optical imaging platform capable of separating the effects of tissue scattering from those of absorption, thereby accurately estimating both parameters. With this technique, periodic NIR illumination patterns at alternately low and high spatial frequencies, at six discrete wavelengths between 690 to 970 nm, were sequentially projected upon the medium while a CCD camera collects the diffusely reflected light. Data analysis based assumptions is then performed off-line to recover the medium's optical properties. We conducted a series of experiments demonstrating the changes in absorption and reduced scattering coefficients of commercially available fresh milk and chicken breast tissue under different interference conditions. In addition, information on the refractive index was study under increased pressure. This work demonstrates the utility of NIR spatial light modulation to detect varying sources of interference upon the optical properties of biological samples.

RdgB2 is required for dim-light input into intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells.

PubMed

Walker, Marquis T; Rupp, Alan; Elsaesser, Rebecca; Güler, Ali D; Sheng, Wenlong; Weng, Shijun; Berson, David M; Hattar, Samer; Montell, Craig

2015-10-15

A subset of retinal ganglion cells is intrinsically photosensitive (ipRGCs) and contributes directly to the pupillary light reflex and circadian photoentrainment under bright-light conditions. ipRGCs are also indirectly activated by light through cellular circuits initiated in rods and cones. A mammalian homologue (RdgB2) of a phosphoinositide transfer/exchange protein that functions in Drosophila phototransduction is expressed in the retinal ganglion cell layer. This raised the possibility that RdgB2 might function in the intrinsic light response in ipRGCs, which depends on a cascade reminiscent of Drosophila phototransduction. Here we found that under high light intensities, RdgB2(-/-) mutant mice showed normal pupillary light responses and circadian photoentrainment. Consistent with this behavioral phenotype, the intrinsic light responses of ipRGCs in RdgB2(-/-) were indistinguishable from wild-type. In contrast, under low-light conditions, RdgB2(-/-) mutants displayed defects in both circadian photoentrainment and the pupillary light response. The RdgB2 protein was not expressed in ipRGCs but was in GABAergic amacrine cells, which provided inhibitory feedback onto bipolar cells. We propose that RdgB2 is required in a cellular circuit that transduces light input from rods to bipolar cells that are coupled to GABAergic amacrine cells and ultimately to ipRGCs, thereby enabling ipRGCs to respond to dim light. © 2015 Walker et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Enhancing the sensitivity of slow light MZI biosensors through multi-hole defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Kun; Zhao, Yiliang; Hu, Shuren; Weiss, Sharon M.

2018-02-01

We demonstrate enhanced detection sensitivity of a slow light Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) sensor by incorporating multi-hole defects (MHDs). Slow light MZI biosensors with a one-dimensional photonic crystal in one arm have been previously shown to improve the performance of traditional MZI sensors based on the increased lightmatter interaction that takes place in the photonic crystal region of the structure. Introducing MHDs in the photonic crystal region increases the available surface area for molecular attachment and further increases the enhanced lightmatter interaction capability of slow light MZIs. The MHDs allow analyte to interact with a greater fraction of the guided wave in the MZI. For a slow light MHD MZI sensor with a 16 μm long sensing arm, a bulk sensitivity of 151,000 rad/RIU-cm is demonstrated experimentally, which is approximately two-fold higher than our previously reported slow light MZI sensors and thirteen-fold higher than traditional MZI biosensors with millimeter length sensing regions. For the label-free detection of nucleic acids, the slow light MZI with MHDs also exhibits a two-fold sensitivity improvement in experiment compared to the slow light MZI without MHDs. Because the detection sensitivity of slow light MHD MZIs scales with the length of the sensing arm, the tradeoff between detection limit and device size can be appropriately mitigated for different applications. All experimental results presented in this work are in good agreement with finite difference-time domain-calculations. Overall, the slow light MZI biosensors with MHDs are a promising platform for highly sensitive and multiplexed lab-on-chip systems.

Benthic Light Availability Improves Predictions of Riverine Primary Production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kirk, L.; Cohen, M. J.

2017-12-01

Light is a fundamental control on photosynthesis, and often the only control strongly correlated with gross primary production (GPP) in streams and rivers; yet it has received far less attention than nutrients. Because benthic light is difficult to measure in situ, surrogates such as open sky irradiance are often used. Several studies have now refined methods to quantify canopy and water column attenuation of open sky light in order to estimate the amount of light that actually reaches the benthos. Given the additional effort that measuring benthic light requires, we should ask if benthic light always improves our predictions of GPP compared to just open sky irradiance. We use long-term, high-resolution dissolved oxygen, turbidity, dissolved organic matter (fDOM), and irradiance data from streams and rivers in north-central Florida, US across gradients of size and color to build statistical models of benthic light that predict GPP. Preliminary results on a large, clear river show only modest model improvements over open sky irradiance, even in heavily canopied reaches with pulses of tannic water. However, in another spring-fed river with greater connectivity to adjacent wetlands - and hence larger, more frequent pulses of tannic water - the model improved dramatically with the inclusion of fDOM (model R2 improved from 0.28 to 0.68). River shade modeling efforts also suggest that knowing benthic light will greatly enhance our ability to predict GPP in narrower, forested streams flowing in particular directions. Our objective is to outline conditions where an assessment of benthic light conditions would be necessary for riverine metabolism studies or management strategies.

High magnetic field measurement utilizing Faraday rotation in SF11 glass in simplified diagnostics.

PubMed

Dey, Premananda; Shukla, Rohit; Venkateswarlu, D

2017-04-01

With the commercialization of powerful solid-state lasers as pointer lasers, it is becoming simpler nowadays for the launch and free-space reception of polarized light for polarimetric applications. Additionally, because of the high power of such laser diodes, the alignment of the received light on the small sensor area of a photo-diode with a high bandwidth response is also greatly simplified. A plastic sheet polarizer taken from spectacles of 3D television (commercially available) is simply implemented as an analyzer before the photo-receiver. SF11 glass is used as a magneto-optic modulating medium for the measurement of the magnetic field. A magnetic field of magnitude more than 8 Tesla, generated by a solenoid has been measured using this simple assembly. The measured Verdet constant of 12.46 rad/T-m is obtained at the wavelength of 672 nm for the SF11 glass. The complete measurement system is a cost-effective solution.

Beamed neutron emission driven by laser accelerated light ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kar, S.; Green, A.; Ahmed, H.; Alejo, A.; Robinson, A. P. L.; Cerchez, M.; Clarke, R.; Doria, D.; Dorkings, S.; Fernandez, J.; Mirfayzi, S. R.; McKenna, P.; Naughton, K.; Neely, D.; Norreys, P.; Peth, C.; Powell, H.; Ruiz, J. A.; Swain, J.; Willi, O.; Borghesi, M.

2016-05-01

Highly anisotropic, beam-like neutron emission with peak flux of the order of 109 n/sr was obtained from light nuclei reactions in a pitcher-catcher scenario, by employing MeV ions driven by a sub-petawatt laser. The spatial profile of the neutron beam, fully captured for the first time by employing a CR39 nuclear track detector, shows a FWHM divergence angle of ˜ 70^\\circ , with a peak flux nearly an order of magnitude higher than the isotropic component elsewhere. The observed beamed flux of neutrons is highly favourable for a wide range of applications, and indeed for further transport and moderation to thermal energies. A systematic study employing various combinations of pitcher-catcher materials indicates the dominant reactions being d(p, n+p)1H and d(d,n)3He. Albeit insufficient cross-section data are available for modelling, the observed anisotropy in the neutrons’ spatial and spectral profiles is most likely related to the directionality and high energy of the projectile ions.

Hydrostatic constraints on morphological exploitation of light in tall Sequoia sempervirens trees.

PubMed

Ishii, Hiroaki T; Jennings, Gregory M; Sillett, Stephen C; Koch, George W

2008-07-01

We studied changes in morphological and physiological characteristics of leaves and shoots along a height gradient in Sequoia sempervirens, the tallest tree species on Earth, to investigate whether morphological and physiological acclimation to the vertical light gradient was constrained by hydrostatic limitation in the upper crown. Bulk leaf water potential (Psi) decreased linearly and light availability increased exponentially with increasing height in the crown. During the wet season, Psi was lower in the outer than inner crown. C isotope composition of leaves (delta(13)C) increased with increasing height indicating greater photosynthetic water use efficiency in the upper crown. Leaf and shoot morphology changed continuously with height. In contrast, their relationships with light availability were discontinuous: morphological characteristics did not correspond to increasing light availability above 55-85 m. Mass-based chlorophyll concentration (chl) decreased with increasing height and increasing light availability. In contrast, area-based chl remained constant or increased with increasing height. Mass-based maximum rate of net photosynthesis (P (max)) decreased with increasing height, whereas area-based P (max) reached maximum at 78.4 m and decreased with increasing height thereafter. Mass-based P (max) increased with increasing shoot mass per area (SMA), whereas area-based P (max) was not correlated with SMA in the upper crown. Our results suggest that hydrostatic limitation of morphological development constrains exploitation of light in the upper crown and contributes to reduced photosynthetic rates and, ultimately, reduced height growth at the tops of tall S. sempervirens trees.

White LED sources for vehicle forward lighting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Derlofske, John F.; McColgan, Michele W.

2002-11-01

Considerations for the use of white light emitting diode (LED) sources to produce illumination for automotive forward lighting is presented. Due to their reliability, small size, lower consumption, and lower heat generation LEDs are a natural choice for automotive lighting systems. Currently, LEDs are being sucessfully employed in most vehicle lighting applications. In these applications the light levels, distributions, and colors needed are achievable by present LED technologies. However, for vehicle white light illumination applications LEDs are now only being considered for low light level applications, such as back-up lamps. This is due to the relatively low lumen output that has been available up to now in white LEDs. With the advent of new higher lumen packages, and with the promise of even higher light output in the near future, the use of white LEDs sources for all vehicle forward lighting applications is beginning to be considered. Through computer modeling and photometric evaluation this paper examines the possibilities of using currently available white LED technology for vehicle headlamps. It is apparent that optimal LED sources for vehicle forward lighting applications will be constructed with hereto undeveloped technology and packaging configurations. However, the intent here in exploring currently available products is to begin the discussion on the design possibilities and significant issues surrounding LEDs in order to aid in the design and development of future LED sources and systems. Considerations such as total light output, physical size, optical control, power consumption, color appearance, and the effects of white LED spectra on glare and peripheral vision are explored. Finally, conclusions of the feasibility of current LED technology being used in these applications and recommendations of technology advancements that may need to occur are made.

Extreme alien light allows survival of terrestrial bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Neil; Zhao, Guannan; Caycedo, Felipe; Manrique, Pedro; Qi, Hong; Rodriguez, Ferney; Quiroga, Luis

2013-07-01

Photosynthetic organisms provide a crucial coupling between the Sun's energy and metabolic processes supporting life on Earth. Searches for extraterrestrial life focus on seeking planets with similar incident light intensities and environments. However the impact of abnormal photon arrival times has not been considered. Here we present the counterintuitive result that broad classes of extreme alien light could support terrestrial bacterial life whereas sources more similar to our Sun might not. Our detailed microscopic model uses state-of-the-art empirical inputs including Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) images. It predicts a highly nonlinear survivability for the basic lifeform Rsp. Photometricum whereby toxic photon feeds get converted into a benign metabolic energy supply by an interplay between the membrane's spatial structure and temporal excitation processes. More generally, our work suggests a new handle for manipulating terrestrial photosynthesis using currently-available extreme value statistics photon sources.

History and current status of strontium iodide scintillators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cherepy, Nerine J.; Beck, Patrick R.; Payne, Stephen A.

Eu-doped strontium iodide single crystal growth has reached maturity and prototype SrI 2(Eu)-based gamma ray spectrometers provide detection performance advantages over standard detectors. SrI 2(Eu) offers a high, proportional light yield of >80,000 photons/MeV. Energy resolution of <3% at 662 keV with 1.5” x 1.5” SrI2(Eu) crystals is routinely achieved, by employing either a small taper at the top of the crystal or a digital readout technique. These methods overcome light-trapping, in which scintillation light is re-absorbed and re-emitted in Eu 2+-doped crystals. As a result, its excellent energy resolution, lack of intrinsic radioactivity or toxicity, and commercial availability makemore » SrI 2(Eu) the ideal scintillator for use in handheld radioisotope identification devices. A 6-lb SrI 2(Eu) radioisotope identifier is described.« less

QUASI-PERIODICITIES AT YEAR-LIKE TIMESCALES IN BLAZARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandrinelli, A.; Treves, A.; Covino, S.

2016-03-15

We searched for quasi-periodicities on year-like timescales in the light curves of six blazars in the optical—near-infrared bands and we made a comparison with the high energy emission. We obtained optical/NIR light curves from Rapid Eye Mounting photometry plus archival Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System data and we accessed the Fermi light curves for the γ-ray data. The periodograms often show strong peaks in the optical and γ-ray bands, which in some cases may be inter-related. The significance of the revealed peaks is then discussed, taking into account that the noise is frequency dependent. Quasi-periodicities on a year-likemore » timescale appear to occur often in blazars. No straightforward model describing these possible periodicities is yet available, but some plausible interpretations for the physical mechanisms causing periodic variabilities of these sources are examined.« less

History and current status of strontium iodide scintillators

DOE PAGES

Cherepy, Nerine J.; Beck, Patrick R.; Payne, Stephen A.; ...

2017-09-15

Eu-doped strontium iodide single crystal growth has reached maturity and prototype SrI 2(Eu)-based gamma ray spectrometers provide detection performance advantages over standard detectors. SrI 2(Eu) offers a high, proportional light yield of >80,000 photons/MeV. Energy resolution of <3% at 662 keV with 1.5” x 1.5” SrI2(Eu) crystals is routinely achieved, by employing either a small taper at the top of the crystal or a digital readout technique. These methods overcome light-trapping, in which scintillation light is re-absorbed and re-emitted in Eu 2+-doped crystals. As a result, its excellent energy resolution, lack of intrinsic radioactivity or toxicity, and commercial availability makemore » SrI 2(Eu) the ideal scintillator for use in handheld radioisotope identification devices. A 6-lb SrI 2(Eu) radioisotope identifier is described.« less

γ-ray telescopes using conversions to e+e- pairs: event generators, angular resolution and polarimetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gros, P.; Bernard, D.

2017-02-01

We benchmark various available event generators in Geant4 and EGS5 in the light of ongoing projects for high angular-resolution pair-conversion telescopes at low energy. We compare the distributions of key kinematic variables extracted from the geometry of the three final state particles. We validate and use as reference an exact generator using the full 5D differential cross-section of the conversion process. We focus in particular on the effect of the unmeasured recoiling nucleus on the angular resolution. We show that for high resolution trackers, the choice of the generator affects the estimated resolution of the telescope. We also show that the current available generator are unable to describe accurately a linearly polarised photon source.

Desktop supercomputer: what can it do?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bogdanov, A.; Degtyarev, A.; Korkhov, V.

2017-12-01

The paper addresses the issues of solving complex problems that require using supercomputers or multiprocessor clusters available for most researchers nowadays. Efficient distribution of high performance computing resources according to actual application needs has been a major research topic since high-performance computing (HPC) technologies became widely introduced. At the same time, comfortable and transparent access to these resources was a key user requirement. In this paper we discuss approaches to build a virtual private supercomputer available at user's desktop: a virtual computing environment tailored specifically for a target user with a particular target application. We describe and evaluate possibilities to create the virtual supercomputer based on light-weight virtualization technologies, and analyze the efficiency of our approach compared to traditional methods of HPC resource management.

Development of electronic cinema projectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glenn, William E.

2001-03-01

All of the components for the electronic cinema are now commercially available. Sony has a high definition progressively scanned 24 frame per second electronic cinema camera. This can be recorded digitally on tape or film on hard drives in RAID recorders. Much of the post production processing is now done digitally by scanning film, processing it digitally, and recording it on film for release. Fiber links and satellites can transmit cinema program material to theaters in real time. RAID or tape recorders can play programs for viewing at a much lower cost than storage on film. Two companies now have electronic cinema projectors on the market. Of all of the components, the electronic cinema projector is the most challenging. Achieving the resolution, light, output, contrast ratio, and color rendition all at the same time without visible artifacts is a difficult task. Film itself is, of course, a form of light-valve. However, electronically modulated light uses other techniques rather than changes in density to control the light. The optical techniques that have been the basis for many electronic light-valves have been under development for over 100 years. Many of these techniques are based on optical diffraction to modulate the light. This paper will trace the history of these techniques and show how they may be extended to produce electronic cinema projectors in the future.

HY5 regulates Nitrite Reductase 1 (NIR1) and Ammonium Transporter1;2 (AMT1;2) in Arabidopsis seedlings

PubMed Central

Huang, Lifen; Zhang, Hongcheng; Zhang, Huiyong; Deng, Xing Wang; Wei, Ning

2016-01-01

HY5 (Long Hypocotyles 5) is a key transcription factor in Arabidopsis thaliana that has a pivotal role in seedling development. Soil nitrogen is an essential macronutrient, and its uptake, assimilation and metabolism are influenced by nutrient availability and by lights. To understand the role of HY5 in nitrogen assimilation pathways, we examined the phenotype as well as the expression of selected nitrogen assimilation-related genes in hy5 mutant grown under various nitrogen limiting and nitrogen sufficient conditions, or different light conditions. We report that HY5 positively regulates nitrite reductase gene NIR1 and negatively regulates the ammonium transporter gene AMT1;2 under all nitrogen and light conditions tested, while it affects several other genes in a nitrogen supply-dependent manner. HY5 is not required for light induction of NIR1, AMT1;2 and NIA genes, but it is necessary for high level expression of NIR1 and NIA under optimal nutrient and light conditions. In addition, nitrogen deficiency exacerbates the abnormal root system of hy5. Together, our results suggest that HY5 exhibits the growth-promoting activity only when sufficient nutrients, including lights, are provided, and that HY5 has a complex involvement in nitrogen acquisition and metabolism in Arabidopsis seedlings. PMID:26259199

Lack of Physiological Depth Patterns in Conspecifics of Endemic Antarctic Brown Algae: A Trade-Off between UV Stress Tolerance and Shade Adaptation?

PubMed Central

Gómez, Iván; Huovinen, Pirjo

2015-01-01

A striking characteristic of endemic Antarctic brown algae is their broad vertical distribution. This feature is largely determined by the shade adaptation in order to cope with the seasonal variation in light availability. However, during spring-summer months, when light penetrates deep in the water column these organisms have to withstand high levels of solar radiation, including UV. In the present study we examine the light use characteristics in parallel to a potential for UV tolerance (measured as content of phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity and maximum quantum yield of fluorescence) in conspecific populations of four Antarctic brown algae (Ascoseira mirabilis, Desmarestia menziesii, D. anceps and Himantothallus grandifolius) distributed over a depth gradient between 5 and 30 m. The main results indicated that a) photosynthetic efficiency was uniform along the depth gradient in all the studied species, and b) short-term (6 h) exposure to UV radiation revealed a high tolerance measured as chlorophyll fluorescence, phlorotannin content and antioxidant capacity. Multivariate analysis of similarity indicated that light requirements for photosynthesis, soluble phlorotannins and antioxidant capacity are the variables determining the responses along the depth gradient in all the studied species. The suite of physiological responses of algae with a shallower distribution (A. mirabilis and D. menziesii) differed from those with deeper vertical range (D. anceps and H. grandifolius). These patterns are consistent with the underwater light penetration that defines two zones: 0–15 m, with influence of UV radiation (1% of UV-B and UV-A at 9 m and 15 m respectively) and a zone below 15 m marked by PAR incidence (1% up to 30 m). These results support the prediction that algae show a UV stress tolerance capacity along a broad depth range according to their marked shade adaptation. The high contents of phlorotannins and antioxidant potential appear to be strongly responsible for the lack of clear depth patterns in light demand characteristics and UV tolerance. PMID:26252953

Effect of light regime and provenance on leaf characteristics, growth and flavonoid accumulation in Cyclocarya paliurus (Batal) Iljinskaja coppices.

PubMed

Liu, Yang; Qian, Chenyun; Ding, Sihui; Shang, Xulan; Yang, Wanxia; Fang, Shengzuo

2016-12-01

As a highly valued and multiple function tree species, Cyclocarya paliurus is planted and managed for timber production and medical use. However, limited information is available on its genotype selection and cultivation for growth and phytochemicals. Responses of growth and secondary metabolites to light regimes and genotypes are useful information to determine suitable habitat conditions for the cultivation of medicinal plants. Both light regime and provenance significantly affected the leaf characteristics, leaf flavonoid contents, biomass production and flavonoid accumulation per plant. Leaf thickness, length of palisade cells and chlorophyll a/b decreased significantly under shading conditions, while leaf areas and total chlorophyll content increased obviously. In the full light condition, leaf flavonoid contents showed a bimodal temporal variation pattern with the maximum observed in August and the second peak in October, while shading treatment not only reduced the leaf content of flavonoids but also delayed the peak appearing of the flavonoid contents in the leaves of C. paliurus. Strong correlations were found between leaf thickness, palisade length, monthly light intensity and measured flavonoid contents in the leaves of C. paliurus. Muchuan provenance with full light achieved the highest leaf biomass and flavonoid accumulation per plant. Cyclocarya paliurus genotypes show diverse responses to different light regimes in leaf characteristics, biomass production and flavonoid accumulation, highlighting the opportunity for extensive selection in the leaf flavonoid production.

Impacts of CO2 Enrichment on Productivity and Light Requirements of Eelgrass.

PubMed

Zimmerman, R. C.; Kohrs, D. G.; Steller, D. L.; Alberte, R. S.

1997-10-01

Seagrasses, although well adapted for submerged existence, are CO2-limited and photosynthetically inefficient in seawater. This leads to high light requirements for growth and survival and makes seagrasses vulnerable to light limitation. We explored the long-term impact of increased CO2 availability on light requirements, productivity, and C allocation in eelgrass (Zostera marina L.). Enrichment of seawater CO2 increased photosynthesis 3-fold, but had no long-term impact on respiration. By tripling the rate of light-saturated photosynthesis, CO2 enrichment reduced the daily period of irradiance-saturated photosynthesis (Hsat) that is required for the maintenance of positive whole-plant C balance from 7 to 2.7 h, allowing plants maintained under 4 h of Hsat to perform like plants growing in unenriched seawater with 12 h of Hsat. Eelgrass grown under 4 h of Hsat without added CO2 consumed internal C reserves as photosynthesis rates and chlorophyll levels dropped. Growth ceased after 30 d. Leaf photosynthesis, respiration, chlorophyll, and sucrose-phosphate synthase activity of CO2-enriched plants showed no acclimation to prolonged enrichment. Thus, the CO2-stimulated improvement in photosynthesis reduced light requirements in the long term, suggesting that globally increasing CO2 may enhance seagrass survival in eutrophic coastal waters, where populations have been devastated by algal proliferation and reduced water-column light transparency.

Light sources for high-volume manufacturing EUV lithography: technology, performance, and power scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fomenkov, Igor; Brandt, David; Ershov, Alex; Schafgans, Alexander; Tao, Yezheng; Vaschenko, Georgiy; Rokitski, Slava; Kats, Michael; Vargas, Michael; Purvis, Michael; Rafac, Rob; La Fontaine, Bruno; De Dea, Silvia; LaForge, Andrew; Stewart, Jayson; Chang, Steven; Graham, Matthew; Riggs, Daniel; Taylor, Ted; Abraham, Mathew; Brown, Daniel

2017-06-01

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is expected to succeed in 193-nm immersion multi-patterning technology for sub-10-nm critical layer patterning. In order to be successful, EUV lithography has to demonstrate that it can satisfy the industry requirements in the following critical areas: power, dose stability, etendue, spectral content, and lifetime. Currently, development of second-generation laser-produced plasma (LPP) light sources for the ASML's NXE:3300B EUV scanner is complete, and first units are installed and operational at chipmaker customers. We describe different aspects and performance characteristics of the sources, dose stability results, power scaling, and availability data for EUV sources and also report new development results.

A new spectrometer for total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis of light elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Streli, Christina; Wobrauschek, Peter; Unfried, Ernst; Aiginger, Hannes

1993-10-01

A new spectrometer for total reflection X-ray fluorescence analysis (TXRF) of light elements as C, N, O, F, Na,… has been designed, constructed and realized. This was done under the aspect of optimizing all relevant parameters for excitation and detection under the conditions of Total Reflection in a vacuum chamber. A commercially available Ge(HP) detector with a diamond window offering a high transparency for low energy radiation was used. As excitation sources a special self-made windowless X-ray tube with Cu-target as well as a standard fine-focus Cr-tube were applied. Detection limits achieved are in the ng range for Carbon and Oxygen.

NASA Radiation Protection Research for Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilson, John W.; Cucinotta, Francis A.; Tripathi, Ram K.; Heinbockel, John H.; Tweed, John; Mertens, Christopher J.; Walker, Steve A.; Blattnig, Steven R.; Zeitlin, Cary J.

2006-01-01

The HZETRN code was used in recent trade studies for renewed lunar exploration and currently used in engineering development of the next generation of space vehicles, habitats, and EVA equipment. A new version of the HZETRN code capable of simulating high charge and energy (HZE) ions, light-ions and neutrons with either laboratory or space boundary conditions with enhanced neutron and light-ion propagation is under development. Atomic and nuclear model requirements to support that development will be discussed. Such engineering design codes require establishing validation processes using laboratory ion beams and space flight measurements in realistic geometries. We discuss limitations of code validation due to the currently available data and recommend priorities for new data sets.

Habitat, not resource availability, limits consumer production in lake ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Craig, Nicola; Jones, Stuart E.; Weidel, Brian C.; Solomon, Christopher T.

2015-01-01

Food web productivity in lakes can be limited by dissolved organic carbon (DOC), which reduces fish production by limiting the abundance of their zoobenthic prey. We demonstrate that in a set of 10 small, north temperate lakes spanning a wide DOC gradient, these negative effects of high DOC concentrations on zoobenthos production are driven primarily by availability of warm, well-oxygenated habitat, rather than by light limitation of benthic primary production as previously proposed. There was no significant effect of benthic primary production on zoobenthos production after controlling for oxygen, even though stable isotope analysis indicated that zoobenthos do use this resource. Mean whole-lake zoobenthos production was lower in high-DOC lakes with reduced availability of oxygenated habitat, as was fish biomass. These insights improve understanding of lake food webs and inform management in the face of spatial variability and ongoing temporal change in lake DOC concentrations.

Requirements of blue, UV-A, and UV-B light for normal growth of higher plants, as assessed by action spectra for growth and related phenomena

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hashimoto, T.

1994-01-01

Artificial lighting is very important for experimental purposes, as well as for the practical use of plants when not enough sunlight is available. To grow green higher plants in their normal forms under artificial lighting constructing efficient and economically reasonable lighting systems is not an easy task. One possible approach would be to simulate sunlight in intensity and the radiation spectrum, but its high construction and running costs are not likely to allow its use in practice. Sunlight may be excessive in irradiance in some or all portions of the spectrum. Reducing irradiance and removing unnecessary wavebands might lead to an economically feasible light source. However, removing or reducing a particular waveband from sunlight for testing is not easy. Another approach might be to find the wavebands required for respective aspects of plant growth and to combine them in a proper ratio and intensity. The latter approach seems more practical and economical, and the aim of this Workshop lies in advancing this approach. I summarize our present knowledge on the waveband requirements of higher plants for the regions of blue, UV-A and UV-B.

Plant Bioelectric Potential of Hard-leaf Cabbage to Irradiation-light Frequency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokuda, Masaki; Shao, Lixin; Oyabu, Takashi; Nanto, Hidehito

Bioelectric potential was investigated to examine the availability of vegetable growth control. The potential is a kind of information transmitted by the vegetable and it varies markedly with one’s physiological phenomenon, light, air contaminant and insect which are external factors. Highly-efficient growth control can be made possible due to clarifying the relationship between the external factors and the potential. Vegetable can be used as a sensor in addition. A hard-leaf cabbage (Ancient specie) was adopted as a subjective plant in this study and the bioelectric potential was measured. The analysis was carried out using the summation of the potential (vm1) for one minute. The data was input every 0.1 seconds through a difference amplifier. The potential characteristic was investigated as a function of light frequency emitting from a LED panel. In addition, the potential was studied when ethyl alcohol existed and not existed as an air contaminant. As a result, it becomes obvious that the vm1 is raised when blue and red lights are irradiated. The lights mainly contribute to photosynthesis. The potential increases in the presence of ethyl alcohol which was adopted as a kind of nutrient.

75 FR 31430 - Northern Lights, Inc.; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-03

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2594-013-MT] Northern Lights, Inc.; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment May 27, 2010. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission...

75 FR 78704 - Northern Lights, Inc.; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-16

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2594-013-MT] Northern Lights, Inc.; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment December 9, 2010. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission...

33 CFR 207.160 - All waterways tributary to the Atlantic Ocean south of Chesapeake Bay and all waterways tributary...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... lock is available, a green light, semaphore or flag will be displayed; when not available, a red light... booms and piling must be obtained by written permit from the District Engineer. (8) The building...

Light microscopy applications in systems biology: opportunities and challenges

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Biological systems present multiple scales of complexity, ranging from molecules to entire populations. Light microscopy is one of the least invasive techniques used to access information from various biological scales in living cells. The combination of molecular biology and imaging provides a bottom-up tool for direct insight into how molecular processes work on a cellular scale. However, imaging can also be used as a top-down approach to study the behavior of a system without detailed prior knowledge about its underlying molecular mechanisms. In this review, we highlight the recent developments on microscopy-based systems analyses and discuss the complementary opportunities and different challenges with high-content screening and high-throughput imaging. Furthermore, we provide a comprehensive overview of the available platforms that can be used for image analysis, which enable community-driven efforts in the development of image-based systems biology. PMID:23578051

Proposed Advanced Reactor Adaptation of the Standard Review Plan NUREG-0800 Chapter 4 (Reactor) for Sodium-Cooled Fast Reactors and Modular High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Belles, Randy; Poore, III, Willis P.; Brown, Nicholas R.

2017-03-01

This report proposes adaptation of the previous regulatory gap analysis in Chapter 4 (Reactor) of NUREG 0800, Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR [Light Water Reactor] Edition. The proposed adaptation would result in a Chapter 4 review plan applicable to certain advanced reactors. This report addresses two technologies: the sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) and the modular high temperature gas-cooled reactor (mHTGR). SRP Chapter 4, which addresses reactor components, was selected for adaptation because of the possible significant differences in advanced non-light water reactor (non-LWR) technologies compared with the current LWR-basedmore » description in Chapter 4. SFR and mHTGR technologies were chosen for this gap analysis because of their diverse designs and the availability of significant historical design detail.« less

Eternal triangle: the interaction of light source, electrical control gear, and optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

S'heeren, Griet

1998-04-01

In this particular 'affair' the participants are less than human but have individual personalities they bring to their relationship with each other. High pressure metal halide lamps such as BriteArc lamps have the highest luminance and radiance of all continuously operating practical light source. Since these lamps have short arcs and are available in power ratings from about 30W to 30kW they have found applications with various optical systems. Besides the lamps, such systems include an electrical control device and an optical system. To fulfil the user's requirements for a specific application, it is not only important to choose the right lamp, but crucial to achieve a harmonious marriage between the light source, electrical control device and the optics. To run a high pressure discharge lamp an ignitor/ballast system is essential This stabilizes the lamp parameters. The chemical components inside the lamp determine the lamp voltage and the gear determines, via the current, the lamp power. These are directly related in the luminance and color temperature of the emitted light. Therefore lamp performance and effective life are dependent on the ignitor, control gear and lamp combination. Since the lamp emits radiation in all directions, collection of the light from a lamp can be improved by using reflectors to deliver the light into a lens system. Since lamps with short arc gaps approach a point source they appear ideal for optical system applications. The shape of the reflector and the focusing of the lamp determine which part of the light is collected out of the light-arc. In the case of an LCD projector, the final light output also depends on the transmission characteristics of the LCD panels. Their nonlinearity causes the color of the emitted light to be different from the lamp color. All these parameters have to be optimized to obtain the highest performance. This leads to the conclusion that a carefully matched combination of lamp, ignitor/ballast and optics should guarantee the best system performance. This paper sets out to provide some guidelines on attempting to achieve a harmonious relationship between the three partners in this particular eternal triangle.

A brief history of LED photopolymerization.

PubMed

Jandt, Klaus D; Mills, Robin W

2013-06-01

The majority of modern resin-based oral restorative biomaterials are cured via photopolymerization processes. A variety of light sources are available for this light curing of dental materials, such as composites or fissure sealants. Quartz-tungsten-halogen (QTH) light curing units (LCUs) have dominated light curing of dental materials for decades and are now almost entirely replaced by modern light emitting diode light curing units (LED LCUs). Exactly 50 years ago, visible LEDs were invented. Nevertheless, it was not before the 1990s that LEDs were seriously considered by scientists or manufactures of commercial LCUs as light sources to photopolymerize dental composites and other dental materials. The objective of this review paper is to give an overview of the scientific development and state-of-the-art of LED photopolymerization of oral biomaterials. The materials science of LED LCU devices and dental materials photopolymerized with LED LCU, as well as advantages and limits of LED photopolymerization of oral biomaterials, are discussed. This is mainly based on a review of the most frequently cited scientific papers in international peer reviewed journals. The developments of commercial LED LCUs as well as aspects of their clinical use are considered in this review. The development of LED LCUs has progressed in steps and was made possible by (i) the invention of visible light emitting diodes 50 years ago; (ii) the introduction of high brightness blue light emitting GaN LEDs in 1994; and (iii) the creation of the first blue LED LCUs for the photopolymerization of oral biomaterials. The proof of concept of LED LCUs had to be demonstrated by the satisfactory performance of resin based restorative dental materials photopolymerized by these devices, before LED photopolymerization was generally accepted. Hallmarks of LED LCUs include a unique light emission spectrum, high curing efficiency, long life, low energy consumption and compact device form factor. By understanding the physical principles of LEDs, the development of LED LCUs, their strengths and limitations and the specific benefits of LED photopolymerization will be better appreciated. Copyright © 2013 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nitrogen and phosphorus availabilities interact to modulate leaf trait scaling relationships across six plant functional types in a controlled-environment study.

PubMed

Crous, Kristine Y; O'Sullivan, Odhran S; Zaragoza-Castells, Joana; Bloomfield, Keith J; Negrini, A Clarissa A; Meir, Patrick; Turnbull, Matthew H; Griffin, Kevin L; Atkin, Owen K

2017-08-01

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have key roles in leaf metabolism, resulting in a strong coupling of chemical composition traits to metabolic rates in field-based studies. However, in such studies, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of nutrient supply per se on trait-trait relationships. Our study assessed how high and low N (5 mM and 0.4 mM, respectively) and P (1 mM and 2 μM, respectively) supply in 37 species from six plant functional types (PTFs) affected photosynthesis (A) and respiration (R) (in darkness and light) in a controlled environment. Low P supply increased scaling exponents (slopes) of area-based log-log A-N or R-N relationships when N supply was not limiting, whereas there was no P effect under low N supply. By contrast, scaling exponents of A-P and R-P relationships were altered by P and N supply. Neither R : A nor light inhibition of leaf R was affected by nutrient supply. Light inhibition was 26% across nutrient treatments; herbaceous species exhibited a lower degree of light inhibition than woody species. Because N and P supply modulates leaf trait-trait relationships, the next generation of terrestrial biosphere models may need to consider how limitations in N and P availability affect trait-trait relationships when predicting carbon exchange. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Molecular Breeding to Create Optimized Crops: From Genetic Manipulation to Potential Applications in Plant Factories.

PubMed

Hiwasa-Tanase, Kyoko; Ezura, Hiroshi

2016-01-01

Crop cultivation in controlled environment plant factories offers great potential to stabilize the yield and quality of agricultural products. However, many crops are currently unsuited to these environments, particularly closed cultivation systems, due to space limitations, low light intensity, high implementation costs, and high energy requirements. A major barrier to closed system cultivation is the high running cost, which necessitates the use of high-margin crops for economic viability. High-value crops include those with enhanced nutritional value or containing additional functional components for pharmaceutical production or with the aim of providing health benefits. In addition, it is important to develop cultivars equipped with growth parameters that are suitable for closed cultivation. Small plant size is of particular importance due to the limited cultivation space. Other advantageous traits are short production cycle, the ability to grow under low light, and high nutriculture availability. Cost-effectiveness is improved from the use of cultivars that are specifically optimized for closed system cultivation. This review describes the features of closed cultivation systems and the potential application of molecular breeding to create crops that are optimized for cost-effectiveness and productivity in closed cultivation systems.

Molecular Breeding to Create Optimized Crops: From Genetic Manipulation to Potential Applications in Plant Factories

PubMed Central

Hiwasa-Tanase, Kyoko; Ezura, Hiroshi

2016-01-01

Crop cultivation in controlled environment plant factories offers great potential to stabilize the yield and quality of agricultural products. However, many crops are currently unsuited to these environments, particularly closed cultivation systems, due to space limitations, low light intensity, high implementation costs, and high energy requirements. A major barrier to closed system cultivation is the high running cost, which necessitates the use of high-margin crops for economic viability. High-value crops include those with enhanced nutritional value or containing additional functional components for pharmaceutical production or with the aim of providing health benefits. In addition, it is important to develop cultivars equipped with growth parameters that are suitable for closed cultivation. Small plant size is of particular importance due to the limited cultivation space. Other advantageous traits are short production cycle, the ability to grow under low light, and high nutriculture availability. Cost-effectiveness is improved from the use of cultivars that are specifically optimized for closed system cultivation. This review describes the features of closed cultivation systems and the potential application of molecular breeding to create crops that are optimized for cost-effectiveness and productivity in closed cultivation systems. PMID:27200016

Interactive effects of resource availabilities and defoliation on photosynthesis, growth, and mortality of red oak seedlings

Treesearch

James B. McGraw; Kurt W. Gottschalk; Milan C. Vavrek; A.L. Chester

1990-01-01

Responses of forest trees to defoliation by insects such as gypsy moth vary greatly from site to site and from individual to individual. To determine whether some of this variation could be explained by variation in other stress factors, red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings were exposed to low and high light, water, mineral nutrient, and defoliation...

Remote Detection of the Hydronium Ion

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-03-01

and all three arrangements have been observed. Apparently, the overall attainment of minimum energy in the crystal lattice is influential in...commercially available Jarre11-Ash 1-meter double monochromator. This unit has excellent stray light rejection and high linear dispersion . The detector is...and that these measurements are directly related to quantification of acid content in the atmosphere. Efforts in the area of Raman Spectroscopy

Holographic spectrum-splitting optical systems for solar photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Deming

Solar energy is the most abundant source of renewable energy available. The relatively high cost prevents solar photovoltaic (PV) from replacing fossil fuel on a larger scale. In solar PV power generation the cost is reduced with more efficient PV technologies. In this dissertation, methods to improve PV conversion efficiency with holographic optical components are discussed. The tandem multiple-junction approach has achieved very high conversion efficiency. However it is impossible to manufacture tandem PV cells at a low cost due to stringent fabrication standards and limited material types that satisfy lattice compatibility. Current produced by the tandem multi-junction PV cell is limited by the lowest junction due to series connection. Spectrum-splitting is a lateral multi-junction concept that is free of lattice and current matching constraints. Each PV cell can be optimized towards full absorption of a spectral band with tailored light-trapping schemes. Holographic optical components are designed to achieve spectrum-splitting PV energy conversion. The incident solar spectrum is separated onto multiple PV cells that are matched to the corresponding spectral band. Holographic spectrum-splitting can take advantage of existing and future low-cost technologies that produces high efficiency thin-film solar cells. Spectrum-splitting optical systems are designed and analyzed with both transmission and reflection holographic optical components. Prototype holograms are fabricated and high optical efficiency is achieved. Light-trapping in PV cells increases the effective optical path-length in the semiconductor material leading to improved absorption and conversion efficiency. It has been shown that the effective optical path length can be increased by a factor of 4n2 using diffusive surfaces. Ultra-light-trapping can be achieved with optical filters that limit the escape angle of the diffused light. Holographic reflection gratings have been shown to act as angle-wavelength selective filters that can function as ultra-light-trapping filters. Results from an experimental reflection hologram are used to model the absorption enhancement factor for a silicon solar cell and light-trapping filter. The result shows a significant improvement in current generation for thin-film silicon solar cells under typical operating conditions.

Energy cost unit of street and park lighting system with solar technology for a more friendly city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warman, E.; Nasution, F. S.; Fahmi, F.

2018-03-01

Street and park lighting system is part of a basic infrastructure need to be available in such a friendly city. Enough light will provide more comfort to citizens, especially at night since its function to illuminate roads and park environments around the covered area. The necessity to add more and more lighting around the city caused the rapid growth of the street and park lighting system while the power from PLN (national electricity company) is insufficient and the cost is getting higher. Therefore, it is necessary to consider other energy sources that are economical, environmentally friendly with good continuity. Indonesia, which located on the equator, have benefited from getting solar radiation throughout the year. This free solar radiation can be utilized as an energy source converted by solar cells to empower street and park lighting system. In this study, we planned the street and park lighting with solar technology as alternatives. It was found that for Kota Medan itself, an average solar radiation intensity of 3,454.17 Wh / m2 / day is available. By using prediction and projection method, it was calculated that the energy cost unit for this system was at Rp 3,455.19 per kWh. This cost was higher than normal energy cost unit but can answer the scarcity of energy availability for street and park lighting system

Understanding the importance of an energy crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mechtenberg, Abigail Reid

Human development and energy, in general, and electrical energy, specifically, co-exist seamlessly in high HDI countries where reliability and availability is greater than 99%. In numerous low HDI countries, there is 2-50% electric grid availability with reliability at or below 50% due to load shedding and faults. In Africa, solar, wind, biomass and hydroelectric energy production are cited to meet growing demand and increase reliability and availability; however, the capital costs are greater than the ability-to-pay for wide scale implementation. Since the 1970s, the United States has continued to argue over the new sustainable energy infrastructure solution(s); thus resulting in no new infrastructure being built for wide scale implementation. Together the world is facing the daunting task of averting an energy crisis in developed countries and facing energy crises in developing countries. This thesis explores the importance of energy crises: from the past, current, and future. The first part entails arguing that the United States is not on a pathway to prevent an energy crisis based on an analysis of 1986 and 2004 niche and status-quo manufacturing of light-duty vehicles. The second part answers the question of what an energy crisis looks like by exploring and investigating current electrical energy crises in Fort Portal, Uganda. This part used both anthropological and physics education empowerment research to co-design and build for various energy crisis situations in hospitals, schools, and businesses all from locally available materials and expertise. Finally, looking into the US light-duty vehicle's future, I design a new hybrid vehicle powertrain (called transition mode hybrid). This third part describes my new patent as a way to avert an energy crisis in the light-duty transportation sector.

Large size and high light do not lower the cost of reproduction for the Neotropical herb Goeppertia marantifolia.

PubMed

Matlaga, David P; Horvitz, Carol C

2015-03-01

• Sexual reproduction is often associated with a cost in terms of reduced survival, growth, or future reproduction. It has been proposed that plant size and the environment (availability of key resources) can sometimes lower or even nullify the cost of reproduction.• We address this issue experimentally with the Neotropical herb Goeppertia marantifolia, by manipulating sexual reproductive effort and measuring the demographic performance of plants and of their clonal offspring, in the context of natural variation in light availability.• Plants in the high-reproductive-effort treatment grew less between seasons but did not differ in their probability of flowering the second season or in inflorescence size compared with plants in the low-effort treatment. Reproductive effort of parent plants influenced the leaf area of their clonal offspring. Plants that invested less in sexual reproduction produced clonal offspring that were initially larger than those produced by plants that invested more in reproduction. The magnitude of this effect was greater in parent plants that received two seasons of the manipulated reproductive effort than in those that received a single season. The trade-off between reproductive modes dampened with time, leading to smaller differences in clonal offspring leaf area between treatments over time.• We found evidence of a cost of reproduction and trade-offs between reproductive modes, although the magnitude of these costs was small. However, we found no evidence of lower costs of reproduction for larger plants or for plants in higher-light environments over our 2-yr study period. © 2015 Botanical Society of America, Inc.

Are there effective interventions to prevent hospital-acquired Legionnaires' disease or to reduce environmental reservoirs of Legionella in hospitals? A systematic review.

PubMed

Almeida, Dejanira; Cristovam, Elisabete; Caldeira, Daniel; Ferreira, Joaquim J; Marques, Teresa

2016-11-01

Legionnaires' disease (LD) is recognized as an important hospital-acquired disease. Despite the several methods available, the optimal method to control hospital-acquired LD is not well established and their overall efficacy requires further evaluation. To systematically review all controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of interventions to prevent hospital-acquired LD in patients at high risk of developing the disease and its effects on environmental colonization. A database search was performed through PubMed and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (inception-November 2014). Eligible studies included all controlled studies evaluating interventions to prevent hospital-acquired LD in patients at high risk or evaluating the effect on environmental colonization. Both individual and pooled risk estimates were reported using risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). There were no studies evaluating the risk reduction in hospital-acquired LD, but 4 studies evaluated the influence of copper-silver ionization and ultraviolet light in the reduction of environmental reservoirs of Legionella. The meta-analysis showed a significant 95% risk reduction of Legionella positivity in environmental samples using copper-silver ionization (RR, 0.05; 95% CI, 0.01-0.17) and 97% risk reduction with ultraviolet light (RR, 0.03; 95% CI, 0.002-0.41). The best available evidence suggests that copper-silver ionization and ultraviolet light are effective in reducing Legionella positivity in environmental samples. Nevertheless, the low quality of evidence weakens the robustness of conclusions. Copyright © 2016 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Apparent optical properties of the Canadian Beaufort Sea - Part 1: Observational overview and water column relationships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoine, D.; Hooker, S. B.; Bélanger, S.; Matsuoka, A.; Babin, M.

2013-07-01

A data set of radiometric measurements collected in the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic) in August 2009 (Malina project) is analyzed in order to describe apparent optical properties (AOPs) in this sea, which has been subject to dramatic environmental changes for several decades. The two properties derived from the measurements are the spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient for downward irradiance, Kd, and the spectral remote sensing reflectance, Rrs. The former controls light propagation in the upper water column. The latter determines how light is backscattered out of the water and becomes eventually observable from a satellite ocean color sensor. The data set includes offshore clear waters of the Beaufort Basin as well as highly turbid waters of the Mackenzie River plumes. In the clear waters, we show Kd values that are much larger in the ultraviolet and blue parts of the spectrum than what could be anticipated considering the chlorophyll concentration. A larger contribution of absorption by colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is responsible for these high Kd values, as compared to other oligotrophic areas. In turbid waters, attenuation reaches extremely high values, driven by high loads of particulate materials and also by a large CDOM content. In these two extreme types of waters, current satellite chlorophyll algorithms fail. This questions the role of ocean color remote sensing in the Arctic when Rrs from only the blue and green bands are used. Therefore, other parts of the spectrum (e.g., the red) should be explored if one aims at quantifying interannual changes in chlorophyll in the Arctic from space. The very peculiar AOPs in the Beaufort Sea also advocate for developing specific light propagation models when attempting to predict light availability for photosynthesis at depth.

Apparent optical properties of the Canadian Beaufort Sea - Part 1: Observational overview and water column relationships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antoine, D.; Hooker, S. B.; Belanger, S.; Matsuoka, A.; Babin, M.

2013-03-01

A data set of radiometric measurements collected in the Beaufort Sea (Canadian Arctic) in August 2009 (MALINA project) is analysed in order to describe apparent optical properties (AOPs) in this sea, which is subject to dramatic environmental changes for several decades. The two properties derived from the measurements are the spectral diffuse attenuation coefficient for downward irradiance, Kd, and the spectral remote sensing reflectance, Rrs. The former controls light propagation in the upper water column. The latter determines how light is backscattered out of the water and becomes eventually observable from a satellite ocean colour sensor. The data set includes offshore clear waters of the Beaufort basin as well as highly turbid waters of the Mackenzie River plumes. In the clear waters, we show Kd values that are much larger in the ultraviolet and blue parts of the spectrum than what could be anticipated considering the chlorophyll concentration. A larger contribution of absorption by coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is responsible for this high Kd values, as compared to other oligotrophic areas. In turbid waters, attenuation reaches extremely high values, driven by high loads of particulate materials and also by a large CDOM content. In these two extreme types of waters, current satellite chlorophyll algorithms fail. This is questioning the role of ocean colour remote sensing in the Arctic when Rrs from only the blue and green bands are used. Therefore, other parts of the spectrum (e.g. the red) should be explored if one aims at quantifying interannual changes in chlorophyll in the Arctic from space. The very peculiar AOPs in the Beaufort Sea also advocate for developing specific light propagation models when attempting to predict light availability for photosynthesis at depth.

Rapid water disinfection using vertically aligned MoS2 nanofilms and visible light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chong; Kong, Desheng; Hsu, Po-Chun; Yuan, Hongtao; Lee, Hyun-Wook; Liu, Yayuan; Wang, Haotian; Wang, Shuang; Yan, Kai; Lin, Dingchang; Maraccini, Peter A.; Parker, Kimberly M.; Boehm, Alexandria B.; Cui, Yi

2016-12-01

Solar energy is readily available in most climates and can be used for water purification. However, solar disinfection of drinking water mostly relies on ultraviolet light, which represents only 4% of the total solar energy, and this leads to a slow treatment speed. Therefore, the development of new materials that can harvest visible light for water disinfection, and so speed up solar water purification, is highly desirable. Here we show that few-layered vertically aligned MoS2 (FLV-MoS2) films can be used to harvest the whole spectrum of visible light (∼50% of solar energy) and achieve highly efficient water disinfection. The bandgap of MoS2 was increased from 1.3 to 1.55 eV by decreasing the domain size, which allowed the FLV-MoS2 to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) for bacterial inactivation in the water. The FLV-MoS2 showed a ∼15 times better log inactivation efficiency of the indicator bacteria compared with that of bulk MoS2, and a much faster inactivation of bacteria under both visible light and sunlight illumination compared with the widely used TiO2. Moreover, by using a 5 nm copper film on top of the FLV-MoS2 as a catalyst to facilitate electron-hole pair separation and promote the generation of ROS, the disinfection rate was increased a further sixfold. With our approach, we achieved water disinfection of >99.999% inactivation of bacteria in 20 min with a small amount of material (1.6 mg l-1) under simulated visible light.

Negative Lens–Induced Myopia in Infant Monkeys: Effects of High Ambient Lighting

PubMed Central

Smith, Earl L.; Hung, Li-Fang; Arumugam, Baskar; Huang, Juan

2013-01-01

Purpose. To determine whether high light levels, which have a protective effect against form-deprivation myopia, also retard the development of lens-induced myopia in primates. Methods. Hyperopic defocus was imposed on 27 monkeys by securing −3 diopter (D) lenses in front of one eye. The lens-rearing procedures were initiated at 24 days of age and continued for periods ranging from 50 to 123 days. Fifteen of the treated monkeys were exposed to normal laboratory light levels (∼350 lux). For the other 12 lens-reared monkeys, auxiliary lighting increased the illuminance to 25,000 lux for 6 hours during the middle of the daily 12 hour light cycle. Refractive development, corneal power, and axial dimensions were assessed by retinoscopy, keratometry, and ultrasonography, respectively. Data were also obtained from 37 control monkeys, four of which were exposed to high ambient lighting. Results. In normal- and high-light-reared monkeys, hyperopic defocus accelerated vitreous chamber elongation and produced myopic shifts in refractive error. The high light regimen did not alter the degree of myopia (high light: −1.69 ± 0.84 D versus normal light: −2.08 ± 1.12 D; P = 0.40) or the rate at which the treated eyes compensated for the imposed defocus. Following lens removal, the high light monkeys recovered from the induced myopia. The recovery process was not affected by the high lighting regimen. Conclusions. In contrast to the protective effects that high ambient lighting has against form-deprivation myopia, high artificial lighting did not alter the course of compensation to imposed defocus. These results indicate that the mechanisms responsible for form-deprivation myopia and lens-induced myopia are not identical. PMID:23557736

Comparison of Riboflavin and Toluidine Blue O as Photosensitizers for Photoactivated Disinfection on Endodontic and Periodontal Pathogens In Vitro.

PubMed

Nielsen, Henrik Krarup; Garcia, Javier; Væth, Michael; Schlafer, Sebastian

2015-01-01

Photoactivated disinfection has a strong local antimicrobial effect. In the field of dentistry it is an emerging adjunct to mechanical debridement during endodontic and periodontal treatment. In the present study, we investigate the effect of photoactivated disinfection using riboflavin as a photosensitizer and blue LED light for activation, and compare it to photoactivated disinfection with the widely used combination of toluidine blue O and red light. Riboflavin is highly biocompatible and can be activated with LED lamps at hand in the dental office. To date, no reports are available on the antimicrobial effect of photoactivated disinfection using riboflavin/blue light on oral microorganisms. Planktonic cultures of eight organisms frequently isolated from periodontal and/or endodontic lesions (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Candida albicans, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherischia coli, Lactobacillus paracasei, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia and Propionibacterium acnes) were subjected to photoactivated disinfection with riboflavin/blue light and toluidine blue O/red light, and survival rates were determined by CFU counts. Within the limited irradiation time of one minute, photoactivated disinfection with riboflavin/blue light only resulted in minor reductions in CFU counts, whereas full kills were achieved for all organisms when using toluidine blue O/red light. The black pigmented anaerobes P. gingivalis and P. intermedia were eradicated completely by riboflavin/blue light, but also by blue light treatment alone, suggesting that endogenous chromophores acted as photosensitizers in these bacteria. On the basis of our results, riboflavin cannot be recommended as a photosensitizer used for photoactivated disinfection of periodontal or endodontic infections.

Field Commissioning of a Daylight-Dimming Lighting System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Floyd, David B.; Parker, Danny S.

A Florida elementary school cafeteria, retrofitted with a fluorescent lighting system that dims in response to available daylight, was evaluated through real time measurement of lighting and air conditioning power, work plane illumination, and interior/exterior site conditions. The new system produced a 27 percent reduction in lighting power due…

Roll-to-roll-compatible, flexible, transparent electrodes based on self-nanoembedded Cu nanowires using intense pulsed light irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Zhaoyang; Woo, Kyoohee; Kim, Inhyuk; Hwang, Hyewon; Kwon, Sin; Choi, Young-Man; Lee, Youngu; Lee, Taik-Min; Kim, Kwangyoung; Moon, Jooho

2016-04-01

Copper nanowire (Cu NW)-based flexible transparent conductive electrodes (FTCEs) have been investigated in detail for use in various applications such as flexible touch screens, organic photovoltaics and organic light-emitting diodes. In this study, hexadecylamine (HDA) adsorbed onto the surface of NWs is changed into polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) via a ligand exchange process; the high-molecular-weight PVP enables high dispersion stability. Intense pulsed light (IPL) irradiation is used to remove organic species present on the surface of the NWs and to form direct connections between the NWs rapidly without any atmospheric control. NWs are self-nanoembedded into a plastic substrate after IPL irradiation, which results in a smooth surface, strong NW/substrate adhesion, excellent mechanical flexibility and enhanced oxidation stability. Moreover, Cu NW FTCEs with high uniformities are successfully fabricated on a large area (150 mm × 200 mm) via successive IPL irradiation that is synchronized with the motion of the sample stage. This study demonstrates the possibility of roll-to-roll-based, large-scale production of low-cost, high-performance Cu NW-based FTCEs.Copper nanowire (Cu NW)-based flexible transparent conductive electrodes (FTCEs) have been investigated in detail for use in various applications such as flexible touch screens, organic photovoltaics and organic light-emitting diodes. In this study, hexadecylamine (HDA) adsorbed onto the surface of NWs is changed into polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) via a ligand exchange process; the high-molecular-weight PVP enables high dispersion stability. Intense pulsed light (IPL) irradiation is used to remove organic species present on the surface of the NWs and to form direct connections between the NWs rapidly without any atmospheric control. NWs are self-nanoembedded into a plastic substrate after IPL irradiation, which results in a smooth surface, strong NW/substrate adhesion, excellent mechanical flexibility and enhanced oxidation stability. Moreover, Cu NW FTCEs with high uniformities are successfully fabricated on a large area (150 mm × 200 mm) via successive IPL irradiation that is synchronized with the motion of the sample stage. This study demonstrates the possibility of roll-to-roll-based, large-scale production of low-cost, high-performance Cu NW-based FTCEs. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr00444j

Improvements to III-nitride light-emitting diodes through characterization and material growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Getty, Amorette Rose Klug

A variety of experiments were conducted to improve or aid the improvement of the efficiency of III-nitride light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which are a critical area of research for multiple applications, including high-efficiency solid state lighting. To enhance the light extraction in ultraviolet LEDs grown on SiC substrates, a distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) optimized for operation in the range from 250 to 280 nm has been developed using MBE growth techniques. The best devices had a peak reflectivity of 80% with 19.5 periods, which is acceptable for the intended application. DBR surfaces were sufficiently smooth for subsequent epitaxy of the LED device. During the course of this work, pros and cons of AlGaN growth techniques, including analog versus digital alloying, were examined. This work highlighted a need for more accurate values of the refractive index of high-Al-content AlxGa1-xNin the UV wavelength range. We present refractive index results for a wide variety of materials pertinent to the fabrication of optical III-nitride devices. Characterization was done using Variable-Angle Spectroscopic Ellipsometry. The three binary nitrides, and all three ternaries, have been characterized to a greater or lesser extent depending on material compositions available. Semi-transparent p-contact materials and other thin metals for reflecting contacts have been examined to allow optimization of deposition conditions and to allow highly accurate modeling of the behavior of light within these devices. Standard substrate materials have also been characterized for completeness and as an indicator of the accuracy of our modeling technique. We have demonstrated a new technique for estimating the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of nitride light-emitting diodes. This method is advantageous over the standard low-temperature photoluminescence-based method of estimating IQE, as the new method is conducted under the same conditions as normal device operation. We have developed processing techniques and have characterized patternable absorbing materials which eliminate scattered light within the device, allowing an accurate simulation of the device extraction efficiency. This efficiency, with measurements of the input current and optical output power, allow a straightforward calculation of the IQE. Two sets of devices were measured, one of material grown in-house, with a rough p-GaN surface, and one of commercial LED material, with smooth interfaces and very high internal quantum efficiency.

Biophysical Controls on Carbon Cycling in Restored and Unrestored Urban Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, L. G.; Harvey, J. W.; Singh, J. D.; Sinclair, G. A.; Langston, T.; Maglio, M. M.

2012-12-01

Stream restoration is a multibillion dollar industry, yet how restoration impacts the ecological functioning of streams remains poorly understood. Because stream restoration may alter numerous biophysical controls, including light availability (through tree removal during bank regrading), hydraulics, sediment characteristics, and/or nutrient concentrations, it can be challenging to achieve a general understanding of how different aspects of stream restoration design influence ecosystem function (e.g., carbon cycling). In this study we combined strategies of continuously monitoring hydrology, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen at a station with spatially distributed but temporally sparse synoptic sampling to understand how restoration and land-use impact carbon fixation and respiration in urban streams. The study was performed over three years in three adjacent 3rd-4th order stream reaches in the urban Chesapeake Bay watershed, one of which was restored in 2002 using the ubiquitous Natural Channel Design method. By parsing the dissolved oxygen time series into contributions from respiration and gross primary production, we found the unrestored urban reach to be the most heterotrophic. It removed two times more carbon from the stream to the atmosphere than an unrestored suburban stream that was nutrient impacted and five times more carbon than the restored urban stream. The synoptic sampling revealed that nutrients, light, and hydrodynamic disturbance were the primary controls on carbon fixation and respiration, with fine sediment also exhibiting importance, likely as a vehicle for nutrient transport. Low rates of net carbon removal in the restored stream arose from high light availability resulting in high primary production, combined with low fine sediment availability restricting respiration. Thus, while restoration may have been effective for stream stabilization, it has decreased the functionality of the stream for net carbon removal to the atmosphere. Surprisingly, streambed potential respiration rates were indistinguishable between different geomorphic zones within the streams, suggesting that large-scale factors (i.e., nutrient and fine sediment supply) were more dominant controls than geomorphically controlled local variability.

Choice of Illumination System & Fluorophore for Multiplex Immunofluorescence on FFPE Tissue Sections

PubMed Central

Kishen, Ria E. B.; Kluth, David C.; Bellamy, Christopher O. C.

2016-01-01

The recent availability of novel dyes and alternative light sources to facilitate complex tissue immunofluorescence studies such as multiplex labelling has not been matched by reports critically evaluating the considerations and relative benefits of these new tools, particularly in combination. Product information is often limited to wavelengths used for older fluorophores (FITC, TRITC & corresponding Alexa dyes family). Consequently, novel agents such as Quantum dots are not widely appreciated or used, despite highly favourable properties including extremely bright emission, stability and potentially reduced tissue autofluorescence at the excitation wavelength. Using spectral analysis, we report here a detailed critical appraisal and comparative evaluation of different light sources and fluorophores in multiplex immunofluorescence of clinical biopsy sections. The comparison includes mercury light, metal halide and 3 different LED-based systems, using 7 Qdots (525, 565, 585, 605, 625, 705), Cy3 and Cy5. We discuss the considerations relevant to achieving the best combination of light source and fluorophore for accurate multiplex fluorescence quantitation. We highlight practical limitations and confounders to quantitation with filter-based approaches. PMID:27632367

Performance enhancement technique of visible light communications using passive photovoltaic cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jhao-Ting; Chow, Chi-Wai; Liu, Yang; Hsu, Chin-Wei; Yeh, Chien-Hung

2017-06-01

The light emitting diode (LED) based visible light communication (VLC) system can provide lighting and communication simultaneously. It has attracted much attenuation recently. As the photovoltaic cell (also known as solar cell) is physically flexible, low cost, and easily available, it could be a good choice for the VLC receiver (Rx). Furthermore, besides acting as the VLC Rx, the solar cell can convert VLC signal into electricity for charging up the Rx devices. Hence, it could be a promising candidate for the future internet-of-thing (IoT) networks. However, using solar cell as VLC Rx is challenging, since the response of the solar cell is highly limited and it will limit the VLC data rate. In this work, we propose and demonstrate for the first time using pre-distortion Manchester coding (MC) signal to enhance the signal performance of solar cell Rx based VLC. The proposed scheme can significantly mitigate the slow response, as well as the direct-current (DC) wandering effect of the solar cell; hence 50 times increase in data rate can be experimentally achieved.

Commercially available high-speed system for recording and monitoring vocal fold vibrations.

PubMed

Sekimoto, Sotaro; Tsunoda, Koichi; Kaga, Kimitaka; Makiyama, Kiyoshi; Tsunoda, Atsunobu; Kondo, Kenji; Yamasoba, Tatsuya

2009-12-01

We have developed a special purpose adaptor making it possible to use a commercially available high-speed camera to observe vocal fold vibrations during phonation. The camera can capture dynamic digital images at speeds of 600 or 1200 frames per second. The adaptor is equipped with a universal-type attachment and can be used with most endoscopes sold by various manufacturers. Satisfactory images can be obtained with a rigid laryngoscope even with the standard light source. The total weight of the adaptor and camera (including battery) is only 1010 g. The new system comprising the high-speed camera and the new adaptor can be purchased for about $3000 (US), while the least expensive stroboscope costs about 10 times that price, and a high-performance high-speed imaging system may cost 100 times as much. Therefore the system is both cost-effective and useful in the outpatient clinic or casualty setting, on house calls, and for the purpose of student or patient education.

Light Emitting Diode Flashlights as Effective and Inexpensive Light Sources for Fluorescence Microscopy

PubMed Central

Robertson, J. Brian; Zhang, Yunfei; Johnson, Carl Hirschie

2009-01-01

Summary Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are becoming more commonly used as light sources for fluorescence microscopy. We describe the adaptation of a commercially available LED flashlight for use as a source for fluorescence excitation. This light source is long-lived, inexpensive, and is effective for excitation in the range of 440–600 nm. PMID:19772530

77 FR 7142 - Jersey Central Power and Light Company, PSEG Fossil, LLC; Notice of Availability of Environmental...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-10

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 2309-019] Jersey Central Power and Light Company, PSEG Fossil, LLC; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's...

Visible Light Responsive Catalysts Using Quantum Dot-Modified Ti02 for Air and Water Purification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coutts, Janelle L.; Levine, Lanfang H.; Richards, Jeffrey T.; Hintze, paul; Clausen, Christian

2012-01-01

The method of photocatalysis utilizing titanium dioxide, TiO2, as the catalyst has been widely studied for trace contaminant control for both air and water applications because of its low energy consumption and use of a regenerable catalyst. Titanium dioxide requires ultraviolet light for activation due to its band gap energy of 3.2 eV. Traditionally, Hg-vapor fluorescent light sources are used in PCO reactors and are a setback for the technology for space application due to the possibility of Hg contamination. The development of a visible light responsive (VLR) TiO2-based catalyst could lead to the use of solar energy in the visible region (approx.45% of the solar spectrum lies in the visible region; > 400 nm) or highly efficient LEDs (with wavelengths > 400 nm) to make PCO approaches more efficient, economical, and safe. Though VLR catalyst development has been an active area of research for the past two decades, there are few commercially available VLR catalysts; those that are available still have poor activity in the visible region compared to that in the UV region. Thus, this study was aimed at the further development of VLR catalysts by a new method - coupling of quantum dots (QD) of a narrow band gap semiconductor (e.g., CdS, CdSe, PbS, ZnSe, etc.) to the TiO2 by two preparation methods: 1) photodeposition and 2) mechanical alloying using a high-speed ball mill. A library of catalysts was developed and screened for gas and aqueous phase applications, using ethanol and 4-chlorophenol as the target contaminants, respectively. Both target compounds are well studied in photocatalytic systems serve as model contaminants for this research. Synthesized catalysts were compared in terms of preparation method, type of quantum dots, and dosage of quantum dots.

Evaluation of Internet websites about floaters and light flashes in patient education.

PubMed

Barbosa, Andréa Lima; Martins, Elisabeth Nogueira

2007-01-01

Flashes of light and floaters are most commonly caused by posterior vitreous separation but may be associated with sight-threatening disorders. Prevention of severe sequelae requires prompt dilated eye examination. Thus, information dissemination is crucial. This study aimed to evaluate the quality of information about floaters and light flashes available for patients on the Internet. Cross-sectional study. In July 2005 we evaluated information available on the Internet regarding floaters and light flashes, using two search engines (MetaCrawler and MSN) and three key terms ("floaters", "dark spots eye", and "light flashes eye"). The quality of each website was evaluated using a score system. The sites were classified as academic, organizational or commercial. Readability, general quality of the website (based on: ownership, purpose, authorship, author qualification, attribution, interactivity, and currency) and quality of the specific content (definition, causes, epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis) were analyzed. Of 145 websites evaluated, 49 were included. Four sites (8.2%) were academic, 9 (18.4%) organizational, and 36 (73.4%) commercial. In the majority of the sites (53.0%) information was poor and quality was not correlated with website classification. Information about floaters and light flashes available on the Internet is poor.

PERIOD ESTIMATION FOR SPARSELY SAMPLED QUASI-PERIODIC LIGHT CURVES APPLIED TO MIRAS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

He, Shiyuan; Huang, Jianhua Z.; Long, James

2016-12-01

We develop a nonlinear semi-parametric Gaussian process model to estimate periods of Miras with sparsely sampled light curves. The model uses a sinusoidal basis for the periodic variation and a Gaussian process for the stochastic changes. We use maximum likelihood to estimate the period and the parameters of the Gaussian process, while integrating out the effects of other nuisance parameters in the model with respect to a suitable prior distribution obtained from earlier studies. Since the likelihood is highly multimodal for period, we implement a hybrid method that applies the quasi-Newton algorithm for Gaussian process parameters and search the period/frequencymore » parameter space over a dense grid. A large-scale, high-fidelity simulation is conducted to mimic the sampling quality of Mira light curves obtained by the M33 Synoptic Stellar Survey. The simulated data set is publicly available and can serve as a testbed for future evaluation of different period estimation methods. The semi-parametric model outperforms an existing algorithm on this simulated test data set as measured by period recovery rate and quality of the resulting period–luminosity relations.« less

Black bean coats: New source of anthocyanins stabilized by β-cyclodextrin copigmentation in a sport beverage.

PubMed

Aguilera, Yolanda; Mojica, Luis; Rebollo-Hernanz, Miguel; Berhow, Mark; de Mejía, Elvira González; Martín-Cabrejas, María A

2016-12-01

Anthocyanin-rich powders and aqueous extracts, with high antioxidant activities, were obtained from black bean seed coats and applied to colour a sport beverage. Idaho and Otomi bean coats were extracted in water-citric acid 2% (1/50, w/v), stirring for 4h at 40°C. Anthocyanins from Idaho and Otomi extracts (1.83mg and 1.02mg C3G/g, respectively) were applied to a commercially available sport beverage, with and without 2% β-cyclodextrin (βCD) under light and darkness conditions for 10days, and stored at 4°C and 25°C for 6weeks. At different light and storage conditions, anthocyanin degradation fitted a first-order reaction model. All bean coat anthocyanins combined with βCD showed extended half-life (up to 13months), higher D-values (up to 43months) and fewer differences in colourimetric properties (lightness, chroma and hue angle) under darkness and 4°C conditions. These black bean coat aqueous extracts and powders might represent natural alternatives to synthetic colorants, ecologically extracted, and with a high antioxidant potential. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Estimating trans-seasonal variability in water column biomass for a highly migratory, deep diving predator.

PubMed

O'Toole, Malcolm D; Lea, Mary-Anne; Guinet, Christophe; Hindell, Mark A

2014-01-01

The deployment of animal-borne electronic tags is revolutionizing our understanding of how pelagic species respond to their environment by providing in situ oceanographic information such as temperature, salinity, and light measurements. These tags, deployed on pelagic animals, provide data that can be used to study the ecological context of their foraging behaviour and surrounding environment. Satellite-derived measures of ocean colour reveal temporal and spatial variability of surface chlorophyll-a (a useful proxy for phytoplankton distribution). However, this information can be patchy in space and time resulting in poor correspondence with marine animal behaviour. Alternatively, light data collected by animal-borne tag sensors can be used to estimate chlorophyll-a distribution. Here, we use light level and depth data to generate a phytoplankton index that matches daily seal movements. Time-depth-light recorders (TDLRs) were deployed on 89 southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) over a period of 6 years (1999-2005). TDLR data were used to calculate integrated light attenuation of the top 250 m of the water column (LA(250)), which provided an index of phytoplankton density at the daily scale that was concurrent with the movement and behaviour of seals throughout their entire foraging trip. These index values were consistent with typical seasonal chl-a patterns as measured from 8-daySea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFs) images. The availability of data recorded by the TDLRs was far greater than concurrent remotely sensed chl-a at higher latitudes and during winter months. Improving the spatial and temporal availability of phytoplankton information concurrent with animal behaviour has ecological implications for understanding the movement of deep diving predators in relation to lower trophic levels in the Southern Ocean. Light attenuation profiles recorded by animal-borne electronic tags can be used more broadly and routinely to estimate lower trophic distribution at sea in relation to deep diving predator foraging behaviour.

Silver nanocube aggregation gradient materials in search for total internal reflection with high phase sensitivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

König, Tobias A. F.; Ledin, Petr A.; Russell, Michael; Geldmeier, Jeffrey A.; Mahmoud, Mahmoud. A.; El-Sayed, Mostafa A.; Tsukruk, Vladimir V.

2015-03-01

We fabricated monolayer coatings of a silver nanocube aggregation to create a step-wise optical strip by applying different surface pressures during slow Langmuir-Blodgett deposition. The varying amount of randomly distributed nanocube aggregates with different surface coverages in gradient manner due to changes in surface pressure allows for continuous control of the polarization sensitive absorption of the incoming light over a broad optical spectrum. Optical characterization under total internal reflection conditions combined with electromagnetic simulations reveal that the broadband light absorption depends on the relative orientation of the nanoparticles to the polarization of the incoming light. By using computer simulations, we found that the electric field vector of the s-polarized light interacts with the different types of silver nanocube aggregations to excite different plasmonic resonances. The s-polarization shows dramatic changes of the plasmonic resonances at different angles of incidence (shift of 64 nm per 10° angle of incidence). With a low surface nanocube coverage (from 5% to 20%), we observed a polarization-selective high absorption of 80% (with an average 75%) of the incoming light over a broad optical range in the visible region from 400 nm to 700 nm. This large-area gradient material with location-dependent optical properties can be of particular interest for broadband light absorption, phase-sensitive sensors, and imaging.We fabricated monolayer coatings of a silver nanocube aggregation to create a step-wise optical strip by applying different surface pressures during slow Langmuir-Blodgett deposition. The varying amount of randomly distributed nanocube aggregates with different surface coverages in gradient manner due to changes in surface pressure allows for continuous control of the polarization sensitive absorption of the incoming light over a broad optical spectrum. Optical characterization under total internal reflection conditions combined with electromagnetic simulations reveal that the broadband light absorption depends on the relative orientation of the nanoparticles to the polarization of the incoming light. By using computer simulations, we found that the electric field vector of the s-polarized light interacts with the different types of silver nanocube aggregations to excite different plasmonic resonances. The s-polarization shows dramatic changes of the plasmonic resonances at different angles of incidence (shift of 64 nm per 10° angle of incidence). With a low surface nanocube coverage (from 5% to 20%), we observed a polarization-selective high absorption of 80% (with an average 75%) of the incoming light over a broad optical range in the visible region from 400 nm to 700 nm. This large-area gradient material with location-dependent optical properties can be of particular interest for broadband light absorption, phase-sensitive sensors, and imaging. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr06430e

CONSTRUCTION OF AN EARTH MODEL: ANALYSIS OF EXOPLANET LIGHT CURVES AND MAPPING THE NEXT EARTH WITH THE NEW WORLDS OBSERVER

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Oakley, P. H. H.; Cash, W.

2009-08-01

The orbital light curve of a terrestrial exoplanet will likely contain valuable information about the surface and atmospheric features of the planet, both in its overall shape and hourly variations. We have constructed an empirically based code capable of simulating observations of the Earth from any orientation, at any time of year with continuously updated cloud and snow coverage with a New Worlds Observatory. By simulating these observations over a full orbital revolution at a distance of 10 pc we determine that the detection of an obliquity or seasonal terrain change is possible at low inclinations. In agreement with othermore » studies, a 4 m New Worlds Observer can accurately determine the rotation rate of the planet at a success rate from {approx}30% to 80% with only 5 days of observations depending on the signal to noise of the observations. We also attempt simple inversions of these diurnal light curves to sketch a map of the reflecting planet's surface features. This mapping technique is only successful with highly favorable systems and in particular requires that the cloud coverage must be lower than the Earth's average. Our test case of a 2 M {sub +} planet at 7 pc distance with low exo-zodiacal light and 25% cloud coverage produced crude, but successful results. Additionally, with these highly favorable systems NWO may be able to discern the presence of liquid surface water (or other smooth surfaces) though it requires a complex detection available only at crescent phases in high inclination systems.« less

Sensor/amplifier for weak light sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Desmet, D. J.; Jason, A. J.; Parr, A. C.

1980-01-01

Light sensor/amplifier circuit detects weak light converts it into strong electrical signal in electrically noisy environment. Circuit is relatively simple and uses inexpensive, readily available components. Device is useful in such applications as fire detection and photographic processing.

Implementing bright light treatment for MSFC payload operations shiftworkers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayes, Benita C.; Stewart, Karen T.; Eastman, Charmane I.

1994-01-01

Intense light can phase-shift circadian rhythms and improve performance, sleep, and wellbeing during shiftwork simulations, but to date there have been very few attempts to administer light treatment to real shiftworkers. We have developed procedures for implementing light treatment and have conducted controlled trials of light treatment for MSFC Payload Operations staff during the USML-1 mission. We found that treatment had beneficial effects on fatigue, alertness, self-rated job performance, sleep, mood, and work attendance. Although there are portable bright light boxes commercially available, there is no testing protocol and little performance information available. We measure the illuminance of two candidate boxes for use in this study and found that levels were consistently lower than those advertised by manufacturers. A device was developed to enhance the illuminance output of such units. This device increased the illuminance by at least 60 % and provided additional improvements in visual comfort and overall exposure. Both the design of this device and some suggested procedures for evaluating light devices are presented.

The LAMP instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source free-electron laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osipov, Timur; Bostedt, Christoph; Castagna, J.-C.; Ferguson, Ken R.; Bucher, Maximilian; Montero, Sebastian C.; Swiggers, Michele L.; Obaid, Razib; Rolles, Daniel; Rudenko, Artem; Bozek, John D.; Berrah, Nora

2018-03-01

The Laser Applications in Materials Processing (LAMP) instrument is a new end-station for soft X-ray imaging, high-field physics, and ultrafast X-ray science experiments that is available to users at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) free-electron laser. While the instrument resides in the Atomic, Molecular and Optical science hutch, its components can be used at any LCLS beamline. The end-station has a modular design that provides high flexibility in order to meet user-defined experimental requirements and specifications. The ultra-high-vacuum environment supports different sample delivery systems, including pulsed and continuous atomic, molecular, and cluster jets; liquid and aerosols jets; and effusive metal vapor beams. It also houses movable, large-format, high-speed pnCCD X-ray detectors for detecting scattered and fluorescent photons. Multiple charged-particle spectrometer options are compatible with the LAMP chamber, including a double-sided spectrometer for simultaneous and even coincident measurements of electrons, ions, and photons produced by the interaction of the high-intensity X-ray beam with the various samples. Here we describe the design and capabilities of the spectrometers along with some general aspects of the LAMP chamber and show some results from the initial instrument commissioning.

Light Visor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

Seasonal Affective Disorder is a form of depression brought on by reduced light. For some people, this can lead to clinical depression. NASA has conducted research in light therapy and employs it to help astronauts adjust internal rhythms during orbital flight. Dr. George Brainard, a medical researcher and NASA consultant, has developed a portable light therapy device, which is commercially available. The Light Visor allows continuous light therapy and can be powered by either batteries or electricity. Dr. Brainard continues to research various aspects of light therapy.

Losing the Dark: Public Outreach about Light Pollution and Its Mitigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collins Petersen, Carolyn; Petersen, Mark C.; Walker, Constance E.; Kardel, W. Scott; International Dark Sky Association Education Committee

2015-01-01

Losing the Dark is a PSA video available for public outreach through fulldome theaters as well as conventional venues (classroom, lecture hall, YouTube, Vimeo). It was created by Loch Ness Productions for the International Dark Sky Association. It explains problems caused by light pollution, which targets astronomy, health, and the environment. Losing the Dark also suggests ways people can implement "wise lighting" practices to help mitigate light pollution. The video is available free of charge for outreach professionals in planetarium facilities (both fulldome and classical), science centers, classroom, and other outreach venues, and has been translated into 13 languages. It is available via download, USB key (at cost), and through online venues. This paper summarizes the program's outreach to more than a thousand fulldome theaters, nearly 100,000 views via four sites on Youtube and Vimeo,a number of presentations at other museum and classroom facilities, and shares some preliminary metrics and commentary from users.

Regional impacts of iron-light colimitation in a global biogeochemical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galbraith, E. D.; Gnanadesikan, A.; Dunne, J. P.; Hiscock, M. R.

2010-03-01

Laboratory and field studies have revealed that iron has multiple roles in phytoplankton physiology, with particular importance for light-harvesting cellular machinery. However, although iron-limitation is explicitly included in numerous biogeochemical/ecosystem models, its implementation varies, and its effect on the efficiency of light harvesting is often ignored. Given the complexity of the ocean environment, it is difficult to predict the consequences of applying different iron limitation schemes. Here we explore the interaction of iron and nutrient cycles in an ocean general circulation model using a new, streamlined model of ocean biogeochemistry. Building on previously published parameterizations of photoadaptation and export production, the Biogeochemistry with Light Iron Nutrients and Gasses (BLING) model is constructed with only four explicit tracers but including macronutrient and micronutrient limitation, light limitation, and an implicit treatment of community structure. The structural simplicity of this computationally-inexpensive model allows us to clearly isolate the global effect that iron availability has on maximum light-saturated photosynthesis rates vs. the effect iron has on photosynthetic efficiency. We find that the effect on light-saturated photosynthesis rates is dominant, negating the importance of photosynthetic efficiency in most regions, especially the cold waters of the Southern Ocean. The primary exceptions to this occur in iron-rich regions of the Northern Hemisphere, where high light-saturated photosynthesis rates allow photosynthetic efficiency to play a more important role. In other words, the ability to efficiently harvest photons has little effect in regions where light-saturated growth rates are low. Additionally, we speculate that the phytoplankton cells dominating iron-limited regions tend to have relatively high photosynthetic efficiency, due to reduced packaging effects. If this speculation is correct, it would imply that natural communities of iron-stressed phytoplankton may tend to harvest photons more efficiently than would be inferred from iron-limitation experiments with other phytoplankton. We suggest that iron limitation of photosynthetic efficiency has a relatively small impact on global biogeochemistry, though it is expected to impact the seasonal cycle of plankton as well as the vertical structure of primary production.

Ground based remote sensing and physiological measurements provide novel insights into canopy photosynthetic optimization in arctic shrubs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magney, T. S.; Griffin, K. L.; Boelman, N.; Eitel, J.; Greaves, H.; Prager, C.; Logan, B.; Oliver, R.; Fortin, L.; Vierling, L. A.

2014-12-01

Because changes in vegetation structure and function in the Arctic are rapid and highly dynamic phenomena, efforts to understand the C balance of the tundra require repeatable, objective, and accurate remote sensing methods for estimating aboveground C pools and fluxes over large areas. A key challenge addressing the modelling of aboveground C is to utilize process-level information from fine-scale studies. Utilizing information obtained from high resolution remote sensing systems could help to better understand the C source/sink strength of the tundra, which will in part depend on changes in photosynthesis resulting from the partitioning of photosynthetic machinery within and among deciduous shrub canopies. Terrestrial LiDAR and passive hyperspectral remote sensing measurements offer an effective, repeatable, and scalable method to understand photosynthetic performance and partitioning at the canopy scale previously unexplored in arctic systems. Using a 3-D shrub canopy model derived from LiDAR, we quantified the light regime of leaves within shrub canopies to gain a better understanding of how light interception varies in response to the Arctic's complex radiation regime. This information was then coupled with pigment sampling (i.e., xanthophylls, and Chl a/b) to evaluate the optimization of foliage photosynthetic capacity within shrub canopies due to light availability. In addition, a lab experiment was performed to validate evidence of canopy level optimization via gradients of light intensity and leaf light environment. For this, hyperspectral reflectance (photochemical reflectance index (PRI)), and solar induced fluorescence (SIF)) was collected in conjunction with destructive pigment samples (xanthophylls) and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements in both sunlit and shaded canopy positions.

Mu-Spec - A High Performance Ultra-Compact Photon Counting spectrometer for Space Submillimeter Astronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moseley, H.; Hsieh, W.-T.; Stevenson, T.; Wollack, E.; Brown, A.; Benford, D.; Sadleir; U-Yen, I.; Ehsan, N.; Zmuidzinas, J.;

Photosynthetic light response of flooded cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda) seedlings grown in two light regimes

Treesearch

Emile S. Gardiner; Ken W. Krauss

2001-01-01

Two-year-old cherrybark oak (Quercus pagoda Raf.) seedlings raised in full or partial (27 percent) sunlight were flooded for 30 days to study the effects of light availability and root inundation on photosynthetic light response. Compared with seedlings receiving full sunlight, seedlings receiving partial sunlight developed leaves...

Science, technology and mission design for LATOR experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turyshev, Slava G.; Shao, Michael; Nordtvedt, Kenneth L.

2017-11-01

The Laser Astrometric Test of Relativity (LATOR) is a Michelson-Morley-type experiment designed to test the Einstein's general theory of relativity in the most intense gravitational environment available in the solar system - the close proximity to the Sun. By using independent time-series of highly accurate measurements of the Shapiro time-delay (laser ranging accurate to 1 cm) and interferometric astrometry (accurate to 0.1 picoradian), LATOR will measure gravitational deflection of light by the solar gravity with accuracy of 1 part in a billion, a factor {30,000 better than currently available. LATOR will perform series of highly-accurate tests of gravitation and cosmology in its search for cosmological remnants of scalar field in the solar system. We present science, technology and mission design for the LATOR mission.

Light requirements of seagrasses determined from historical records of light attenuation along the Gulf coast of peninsular Florida

Treesearch

Zanethia D. Choice; Thomas K. Frazer; Charles A. Jacoby

2014-01-01

Seagrasses around the world are threatened by human activities that degrade water quality and reduce light availability. In this study, light requirements were determined for four common and abundant seagrasses along the Gulf coast of peninsular Florida using a threshold detecting algorithm. Light requirements ranged from 8% to 10% of surface irradiance for Halophila...

Fresnel Lenses for Wide-Aperture Optical Receivers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hemmati, Hamid

2004-01-01

Wide-aperture receivers for freespace optical communication systems would utilize Fresnel lenses instead of conventional telescope lenses, according to a proposal. Fresnel lenses weigh and cost much less than conventional lenses having equal aperture widths. Plastic Fresnel lenses are commercially available in diameters up to 5 m large enough to satisfy requirements for aperture widths of the order of meters for collecting sufficient light in typical long-distance free-space optical communication systems. Fresnel lenses are not yet suitable for high-quality diffraction-limited imaging, especially in polychromatic light. However, optical communication systems utilize monochromatic light, and there is no requirement for high-quality imaging; instead, the basic requirement for an optical receiver is to collect the incoming monochromatic light over a wide aperture and concentrate the light onto a photodetector. Because of lens aberrations and diffraction, the light passing through any lens is focused to a blur circle rather than to a point. Calculations for some representative cases of wide-aperture non-diffraction-limited Fresnel lenses have shown that it should be possible to attain blur-circle diameters of less than 2 mm. Preferably, the blur-circle diameter should match the width of the photodetector. For most high-bandwidth communication applications, the required photodetector diameters would be about 1 mm. In a less-preferable case in which the blur circle was wider than a single photodetector, it would be possible to occupy the blur circle with an array of photodetectors. As an alternative to using a single large Fresnel lens, one could use an array of somewhat smaller lenses to synthesize the equivalent aperture area. Such a configuration might be preferable in a case in which a single Fresnel lens of the requisite large size would be impractical to manufacture, and the blur circle could not be made small enough. For example one could construct a square array of four 5-m-diameter Fresnel lenses to obtain the same light-collecting area as that of a single 10-m-diameter lens. In that case (see figure), the light collected by each Fresnel lens could be collimated, the collimated beams from the four Fresnel lenses could be reflected onto a common offaxis paraboloidal reflector, and the paraboloidal reflector would focus the four beams onto a single photodetector. Alternatively, detected signal from each detector behind each lens would be digitized before summing the signals.

Engineering and Characterizing Light-Matter Interactions in Photonic Crystals

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

photonic crystal effects would occur at wavelengths in the infrared spectrum. These effects would not be easily measured by our available...spectrometers which operate in the visible and near- infrared , at wavelengths shorter than 1.6 microns. Similarly, the majority of interesting luminescent...periodicity of the photonic crystal is defined by the high -throughput method while the low-throughput method performs the complementary task of adding a

Guidance of Autonomous Aerospace Vehicles for Vertical Soft Landing using Nonlinear Control Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-11

Measured and Kalman filter Estimate of the Roll Attitude of the Quad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 2.4...and faster Hart- ley et al. [2013]. With availability of small, light, high fidelity sensors (Inertial Measurement Units IMU ) and processors on board...is a product of inverse of rotation matrix and inertia matrix for the quad frame. Since both the matrix are invertible at all times except when roll

Recent Advances of Light-Mediated Theranostics

PubMed Central

Ai, Xiangzhao; Mu, Jing; Xing, Bengang

2016-01-01

Currently, precision theranostics have been extensively demanded for the effective treatment of various human diseases. Currently, efficient therapy at the targeted disease areas still remains challenging since most available drug molecules lack of selectivity to the pathological sites. Among different approaches, light-mediated therapeutic strategy has recently emerged as a promising and powerful tool to precisely control the activation of therapeutic reagents and imaging probes in vitro and in vivo, mostly attributed to its unique properties including minimally invasive capability and highly spatiotemporal resolution. Although it has achieved initial success, the conventional strategies for light-mediated theranostics are mostly based on the light with short wavelength (e.g., UV or visible light), which may usually suffer from several undesired drawbacks, such as limited tissue penetration depth, unavoidable light absorption/scattering and potential phototoxicity to healthy tissues, etc. Therefore, a near-infrared (NIR) light-mediated approach on the basis of long-wavelength light (700-1000 nm) irradiation, which displays deep-tissue penetration, minimized photo-damage and low autofluoresence in living systems, has been proposed as an inspiring alternative for precisely phototherapeutic applications in the last decades. Despite numerous NIR light-responsive molecules have been currently proposed for clinical applications, several inherent drawbacks, such as troublesome synthetic procedures, low water solubility and limited accumulation abilities in targeted areas, heavily restrict their applications in deep-tissue therapeutic and imaging studies. Thanks to the amazing properties of several nanomaterials with large extinction coefficient in the NIR region, the construction of NIR light responsive nanoplatforms with multifunctions have become promising approaches for deep-seated diseases diagnosis and therapy. In this review, we summarized various light-triggered theranostic strategies and introduced their great advances in biomedical applications in recent years. Moreover, some other promising light-assisted techniques, such as photoacoustic and Cerenkov radiation, were also systemically discussed. Finally, the potential challenges and future perspectives for light-mediated deep-tissue diagnosis and therapeutics were proposed. PMID:27877246

Co-optimal distribution of leaf nitrogen and hydraulic conductance in plant canopies.

PubMed

Peltoniemi, Mikko S; Duursma, Remko A; Medlyn, Belinda E

2012-05-01

Leaf properties vary significantly within plant canopies, due to the strong gradient in light availability through the canopy, and the need for plants to use resources efficiently. At high light, photosynthesis is maximized when leaves have a high nitrogen content and water supply, whereas at low light leaves have a lower requirement for both nitrogen and water. Studies of the distribution of leaf nitrogen (N) within canopies have shown that, if water supply is ignored, the optimal distribution is that where N is proportional to light, but that the gradient of N in real canopies is shallower than the optimal distribution. We extend this work by considering the optimal co-allocation of nitrogen and water supply within plant canopies. We developed a simple 'toy' two-leaf canopy model and optimized the distribution of N and hydraulic conductance (K) between the two leaves. We asked whether hydraulic constraints to water supply can explain shallow N gradients in canopies. We found that the optimal N distribution within plant canopies is proportional to the light distribution only if hydraulic conductance, K, is also optimally distributed. The optimal distribution of K is that where K and N are both proportional to incident light, such that optimal K is highest to the upper canopy. If the plant is constrained in its ability to construct higher K to sun-exposed leaves, the optimal N distribution does not follow the gradient in light within canopies, but instead follows a shallower gradient. We therefore hypothesize that measured deviations from the predicted optimal distribution of N could be explained by constraints on the distribution of K within canopies. Further empirical research is required on the extent to which plants can construct optimal K distributions, and whether shallow within-canopy N distributions can be explained by sub-optimal K distributions.

Absence of sex differential plasticity to light availability during seed maturation in Geranium sylvaticum.

PubMed

Varga, Sandra; Laaksonen, Ester; Siikamäki, Pirkko; Kytöviita, Minna-Maarit

2015-01-01

Sex-differential plasticity (SDP) hypothesis suggests that since hermaphrodites gain fitness through both pollen and seed production they may have evolved a higher degree of plasticity in their reproductive strategy compared to females which achieve fitness only through seed production. SDP may explain the difference in seed production observed between sexes in gynodioecious species in response to resource (nutrients or water) availability. In harsh environments, hermaphrodites decrease seed production whereas females keep it relatively similar regardless of the environmental conditions. Light availability can be also a limiting resource and thus could theoretically affect differently female and hermaphrodite seed output even though this ecological factor has been largely overlooked. We tested whether the two sexes in the gynodioecious species Geranium sylvaticum differ in their tolerance to light limitation during seed maturation in the field. We used a fully factorial block experiment exposing female and hermaphrodite plants to two different light environments (control and shade) after their peak flowering period. Specifically, we measured fruit and seed production in response to decreased light availability and compared it between the sexes. Shading reduced the number of fruits and seeds produced, but the decrease was similar between the sexes. Furthermore, shading delayed seed production by three days in both sexes, but did not affect seed mass, seed P content, or the probability of re-flowering the following year. Our results give no evidence for reproductive SDP in response to light during seed maturation.

High Speed and High Spatial Density Parameter Measurement Using Fiber Optic Sensing Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Richards, William Lance (Inventor); Piazza, Anthony (Inventor); Parker, Allen R. Jr. (Inventor); Hamory, Philip J (Inventor); Chan, Hon Man (Inventor)

2017-01-01

The present invention is an improved fiber optic sensing system (FOSS) having the ability to provide both high spatial resolution and high frequency strain measurements. The inventive hybrid FOSS fiber combines sensors from high acquisition speed and low spatial resolution Wavelength-Division Multiplexing (WDM) systems and from low acquisition speed and high spatial resolution Optical Frequency Domain Reflection (OFDR) systems. Two unique light sources utilizing different wavelengths are coupled with the hybrid FOSS fiber to generate reflected data from both the WDM sensors and OFDR sensors operating on a single fiber optic cable without incurring interference from one another. The two data sets are then de-multiplexed for analysis, optionally with conventionally-available WDM and OFDR system analyzers.

High level expression and immunochemical characterization of botulinum neurotoxin type F light chain.

PubMed

Chauhan, Ritika; Chauhan, Vinita; Rao, Mula Kameshwar; Chaudhary, Dilip; Bhagyawant, Sameer; Dhaked, Ram Kumar

2018-06-01

Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most toxic biological substances known. Their potential use as biological warfare agent results in their classification as category A biowarfare agent by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA. Presently, there are no approved detection system and pharmacological treatments for BoNT intoxication. Although a toxoid vaccine is available for immuno-prophylaxis, vaccines cannot reverse the effect of pre-translocated toxin. Direct handling of the live BoNTs for developing detection and therapeutics may pose fatal danger. This concern was addressed by purifying the recombinant catalytically active light chain of BoNT/F. BoNT/F-LC gene was amplified from the genomic DNA using specifically designed primers and expressed in Escherichia coli. Expression and purification profile were optimized under different conditions for biologically active light chain production. Specific polyclonal antibodies generated against type F illustrates in vivo neutralization in mice and rabbit. These antibodies play key role in conceiving the development of high throughput SPR based detection system which is a highly precise label free technique for protein interaction analysis. The presented work is first of its kind, signifying the production of highly stable and active rBoNT/F-LC and its immunochemical characterization. The study aids in paving the path towards developing a persistent detection system as well as in presenting comprehended scheme for in vitro small molecule therapeutics analysis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Storage of RF photons in minimal conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cromières, J.-P.; Chanelière, T.

2018-02-01

We investigate the minimal conditions to store coherently a RF pulse in a material medium. We choose a commercial quartz as a memory support because it is a widely available component with a high Q-factor. Pulse storage is obtained by varying dynamically the light-matter coupling with an analog switch. This parametric driving of the quartz dynamics can be alternatively interpreted as a stopped-light experiment. We obtain an efficiency of 26%, a storage time of 209 μs and a time-to-bandwidth product of 98 by optimizing the pulse temporal shape. The coherent character of the storage is demonstrated. Our goal is to connect different types of memories in the RF and optical domain for quantum information processing. Our motivation is essentially fundamental.

MgO:PPLN frequency doubling optical chips for green light generation: from lab research to mass production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chang-Qing; Gan, Yi; Sun, Jian

2012-03-01

Laser displays require red, green and blue (RGB) laser sources each with a low-cost, a high wall-plug efficiency, and a small size. However, semiconductor chips that directly emit green light with sufficient power and efficiency are not currently available on the market. A practical solution to the "green" bottleneck is to employ diode pumped solid state laser (DPSSL) technology, in which a frequency doubling crystal is used. In this paper, recent progress of MgO doped periodically poled lithium niobate (MgO:PPLN) frequency doubling optical chips will be presented. It is shown that MgO:PPLN can satisfy all of the requirements for laser displays and is ready for mass production.

Light-dependent leaf trait variation in 43 tropical dry forest tree species.

PubMed

Markesteijn, Lars; Poorter, Lourens; Bongers, Frans

2007-04-01

Our understanding of leaf acclimation in relation to irradiance of fully grown or juvenile trees is mainly based on research involving tropical wet forest species. We studied sun-shade plasticity of 24 leaf traits of 43 tree species in a Bolivian dry deciduous forest. Sampling was confined to small trees. For each species, leaves were taken from five of the most and five of the least illuminated crowns. Trees were selected based on the percentage of the hemisphere uncovered by other crowns. We examined leaf trait variation and the relation between trait plasticity and light demand, maximum adult stature, and ontogenetic changes in crown exposure of the species. Leaf trait variation was mainly related to differences among species and to a minor extent to differences in light availability. Traits related to the palisade layer, thickness of the outer cell wall, and N(area) and P(area) had the greatest plasticity, suggesting their importance for leaf function in different light environments. Short-lived pioneers had the highest trait plasticity. Overall plasticity was modest and rarely associated with juvenile light requirements, adult stature, or ontogenetic changes in crown exposure. Dry forest tree species had a lower light-related plasticity than wet forest species, probably because wet forests cast deeper shade. In dry forests light availability may be less limiting, and low water availability may constrain leaf trait plasticity in response to irradiance.

Demonstration of LED Retrofit Lamps at an Exhibit of 19th Century Photography at the Getty Museum

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, Naomi J.; Druzik, Jim

This document is a report of observations and results obtained from a lighting demonstration project conducted under the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) GATEWAY Demonstration Program. The program supports demonstrations of high-performance solid-state lighting (SSL) products in order to develop empirical data and experience with in-the-field applications of this advanced lighting technology. The DOE GATEWAY Demonstration Program focuses on providing a source of independent, third-party data for use in decision-making by lighting users and professionals; this data should be considered in combination with other information relevant to the particular site and application under examination. Each GATEWAY Demonstration compares SSL productsmore » against the incumbent technologies used in that location. Depending on available information and circumstances, the SSL product may also be compared to alternate lighting technologies. Though products demonstrated in the GATEWAY program may have been prescreened for performance, DOE does not endorse any commercial product or in any way guarantee that users will achieve the same results through use of these products. This report reviews the installation and use of LED PAR38 lamps to light a collection of toned albument photographic prints at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, California. Research results provided by the Getty Conservation Institute are incorporated and discussed.« less

In vivo evaluation of battery-operated light-emitting diode-based photodynamic therapy efficacy using tumor volume and biomarker expression as endpoints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mallidi, Srivalleesha; Mai, Zhiming; Rizvi, Imran; Hempstead, Joshua; Arnason, Stephen; Celli, Jonathan; Hasan, Tayyaba

2015-04-01

In view of the increase in cancer-related mortality rates in low- to middle-income countries (LMIC), there is an urgent need to develop economical therapies that can be utilized at minimal infrastructure institutions. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a photochemistry-based treatment modality, offers such a possibility provided that low-cost light sources and photosensitizers are available. In this proof-of-principle study, we focus on adapting the PDT light source to a low-resource setting and compare an inexpensive, portable, battery-powered light-emitting diode (LED) light source with a standard, high-cost laser source. The comparison studies were performed in vivo in a xenograft murine model of human squamous cell carcinoma subjected to 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced protoporphyrin IX PDT. We observed virtually identical control of the tumor burden by both the LED source and the standard laser source. Further insights into the biological response were evaluated by biomarker analysis of necrosis, microvessel density, and hypoxia [carbonic anhydrase IX (CAIX) expression] among groups of control, LED-PDT, and laser-PDT treated mice. There is no significant difference in the percent necrotic volume and CAIX expression in tumors that were treated with the two different light sources. These encouraging preliminary results merit further investigations in orthotopic animal models of cancers prevalent in LMICs.

Radio Frequency Plasma Discharge Lamps for Use as Stable Calibration Light Sources

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McAndrew, Brendan; Cooper, John; Arecchi, Angelo; McKee, Greg; Durell, Christopher

2012-01-01

Stable high radiance in visible and near-ultraviolet wavelengths is desirable for radiometric calibration sources. In this work, newly available electrodeless radio-frequency (RF) driven plasma light sources were combined with research grade, low-noise power supplies and coupled to an integrating sphere to produce a uniform radiance source. The stock light sources consist of a 28 VDC power supply, RF driver, and a resonant RF cavity. The RF cavity includes a small bulb with a fill gas that is ionized by the electric field and emits light. This assembly is known as the emitter. The RF driver supplies a source of RF energy to the emitter. In commercial form, embedded electronics within the RF driver perform a continual optimization routine to maximize energy transfer to the emitter. This optimization routine continually varies the light output sinusoidally by approximately 2% over a several-second period. Modifying to eliminate this optimization eliminates the sinusoidal variation but allows the output to slowly drift over time. This drift can be minimized by allowing sufficient warm-up time to achieve thermal equilibrium. It was also found that supplying the RF driver with a low-noise source of DC electrical power improves the stability of the lamp output. Finally, coupling the light into an integrating sphere reduces the effect of spatial fluctuations, and decreases noise at the output port of the sphere.

Analysis methods for polarization state and energy transmission of rays propagating in optical systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Chao; Liu, Qiangsheng; Cen, Zhaofeng; Li, Xiaotong

2010-11-01

Polarization state of only completely polarized light can be analyzed by some software, ZEMAX for example. Based on principles of geometrical optics, novel descriptions of the light with different polarization state are provided in this paper. Differential calculus is well used for saving the polarization state and amplitudes of sampling rays when ray tracing. The polarization state changes are analyzed in terms of several typical circumstances, such as Brewster incidence, total reflection. Natural light and partially polarized light are discussed as an important aspect. Further more, a computing method including composition and decomposition of sampling rays at each surface is also set up to analyze the energy transmission of the rays for optical systems. Adopting these analysis methods mentioned, not only the polarization state changes of the incident rays can be obtained, but also the energy distributions can be calculated. Since the energy distributions are obtained, the surface with the most energy loss will be found in the optical system. The energy value and polarization state of light reaching the image surface will also be available. These analysis methods are very helpful for designing or analyzing optical systems, such as analyzing the energy of stray light in high power optical systems, researching the influences of optical surfaces to rays' polarization state in polarization imaging systems and so on.

Light and gravity signals synergize in modulating plant development

PubMed Central

Vandenbrink, Joshua P.; Kiss, John Z.; Herranz, Raul; Medina, F. Javier

2014-01-01

Tropisms are growth-mediated plant movements that help plants to respond to changes in environmental stimuli. The availability of water and light, as well as the presence of a constant gravity vector, are all environmental stimuli that plants sense and respond to via directed growth movements (tropisms). The plant response to gravity (gravitropism) and the response to unidirectional light (phototropism) have long been shown to be interconnected growth phenomena. Here, we discuss the similarities in these two processes, as well as the known molecular mechanisms behind the tropistic responses. We also highlight research done in a microgravity environment in order to decouple two tropisms through experiments carried out in the absence of a significant unilateral gravity vector. In addition, alteration of gravity, especially the microgravity environment, and light irradiation produce important effects on meristematic cells, the undifferentiated, highly proliferating, totipotent cells which sustain plant development. Microgravity produces the disruption of meristematic competence, i.e., the decoupling of cell proliferation and cell growth, affecting the regulation of the cell cycle and ribosome biogenesis. Light irradiation, especially red light, mediated by phytochromes, has an activating effect on these processes. Phytohormones, particularly auxin, also are key mediators in these alterations. Upcoming experiments on the International Space Station will clarify some of the mechanisms and molecular players of the plant responses to these environmental signals involved in tropisms and the cell cycle. PMID:25389428

The Phosphorylation State of the Drosophila TRP Channel Modulates the Frequency Response to Oscillating Light In Vivo

PubMed Central

Rhodes-Mordov, Elisheva; Katz, Ben; Oberegelsbacher, Claudia; Yasin, Bushra; Tzadok, Hanan; Huber, Armin

2017-01-01

Drosophila photoreceptors respond to oscillating light of high frequency (∼100 Hz), while the detected maximal frequency is modulated by the light rearing conditions, thus enabling high sensitivity to light and high temporal resolution. However, the molecular basis for this adaptive process is unclear. Here, we report that dephosphorylation of the light-activated transient receptor potential (TRP) ion channel at S936 is a fast, graded, light-dependent, and Ca2+-dependent process that is partially modulated by the rhodopsin phosphatase retinal degeneration C (RDGC). Electroretinogram measurements of the frequency response to oscillating lights in vivo revealed that dark-reared flies expressing wild-type TRP exhibited a detection limit of oscillating light at relatively low frequencies, which was shifted to higher frequencies upon light adaptation. Strikingly, preventing phosphorylation of the S936-TRP site by alanine substitution in transgenic Drosophila (trpS936A) abolished the difference in frequency response between dark-adapted and light-adapted flies, resulting in high-frequency response also in dark-adapted flies. In contrast, inserting a phosphomimetic mutation by substituting the S936-TRP site to aspartic acid (trpS936D) set the frequency response of light-adapted flies to low frequencies typical of dark-adapted flies. Light-adapted rdgC mutant flies showed relatively high S936-TRP phosphorylation levels and light–dark phosphorylation dynamics. These findings suggest that RDGC is one but not the only phosphatase involved in pS936-TRP dephosphorylation. Together, this study indicates that TRP channel dephosphorylation is a regulatory process that affects the detection limit of oscillating light according to the light rearing condition, thus adjusting dynamic processing of visual information under varying light conditions. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Drosophila photoreceptors exhibit high temporal resolution as manifested in frequency response to oscillating light of high frequency (≤∼100 Hz). Light rearing conditions modulate the maximal frequency detected by photoreceptors, thus enabling them to maintain high sensitivity to light and high temporal resolution. However, the precise mechanisms for this process are not fully understood. Here, we show by combination of biochemistry and in vivo electrophysiology that transient receptor potential (TRP) channel dephosphorylation at a specific site is a fast, light-activated and Ca2+-dependent regulatory process. TRP dephosphorylation affects the detection limit of oscillating light according to the adaptation state of the photoreceptor cells by shifting the detection limit to higher frequencies upon light adaptation. This novel mechanism thus adjusts dynamic processing of visual information under varying light conditions. PMID:28314815

40 CFR 86.1869-12 - CO2 credits for off-cycle CO2-reducing technologies.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... average over 5-cycle testing. (ii) High efficiency exterior lights. Credits may be accrued for high efficiency lighting as defined in paragraph (b)(4) of this section based on the lighting locations with such lighting installed. Credits for high efficiency lighting are the sum of the credits for the applicable...

Effects of deer on the photosynthetic performance of invasive and native forest herbs.

PubMed

Heberling, J Mason; Brouwer, Nathan L; Kalisz, Susan

2017-03-01

Overabundant generalist herbivores can facilitate non-native plant invasions, presumably through direct and indirect modifications to the environment that affect plant performance. However, ecophysiological mechanisms behind ungulate-mediated plant invasions have not been well-studied. At a long-term Odocoileus virginianus (white-tailed deer) exclusion site in a temperate deciduous forest, we quantified deer-mediated ecophysiological impacts on an invasive biennial Alliaria petiolata (garlic mustard) and two palatable native herbaceous perennials, Maianthemum racemosum and Trillium grandiflorum . In mid-summer, we found that leaf-level light availability was higher in unfenced areas compared with areas fenced to exclude deer. Alliaria in unfenced areas exhibited 50 % higher mean maximum photosynthetic rates compared with fenced areas. Further, specific leaf area decreased by 48 % on average in unfenced areas, suggesting leaf structural responses to higher light levels. Similarly, Maianthemum had 42 % higher mean photosynthetic rates and 33 % decreased mean specific leaf area in unfenced areas, but these functional advantages were likely countered by high rates of deer herbivory. By contrast, Trillium exhibited significantly lower (26 %) maximum photosynthetic rates in unfenced areas, but SLA did not differ. Deer-mediated differences in light saturated photosynthetic rates for all three species were only significant during months with overstory tree canopy cover, when light availability in the herb layer was significantly lower in fenced areas. Alliaria 's enhanced photosynthetic rates implicate overabundant deer, a situation that is nearly ubiquitous across its invaded range. Collectively, our results provide empirical evidence that generalist herbivores can alter non-native plant physiology to facilitate invasion.

Finding the Average Speed of a Light-Emitting Toy Car with a Smartphone Light Sensor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kapucu, Serkan

2017-01-01

This study aims to demonstrate how the average speed of a light-emitting toy car may be determined using a smartphone's light sensor. The freely available Android smartphone application, "AndroSensor," was used for the experiment. The classroom experiment combines complementary physics knowledge of optics and kinematics to find the…

Going beyond 4 Gbps data rate by employing RGB laser diodes for visible light communication.

PubMed

Janjua, Bilal; Oubei, Hassan M; Durán Retamal, Jose R; Ng, Tien Khee; Tsai, Cheng-Ting; Wang, Huai-Yung; Chi, Yu-Chieh; Kuo, Hao-Chung; Lin, Gong-Ru; He, Jr-Hau; Ooi, Boon S

2015-07-13

With increasing interest in visible light communication, the laser diode (LD) provides an attractive alternative, with higher efficiency, shorter linewidth and larger bandwidth for high-speed visible light communication (VLC). Previously, more than 3 Gbps data rate was demonstrated using LED. By using LDs and spectral-efficient orthogonal frequency division multiplexing encoding scheme, significantly higher data rates has been achieved in this work. Using 16-QAM modulation scheme, in conjunction with red, blue and green LDs, data rates of 4.4 Gbps, 4 Gbps and 4 Gbps, with the corresponding BER/SNR/EVM of 3.3 × 10⁻³/15.3/17.9, 1.4 × 10⁻³/16.3/15.4 and 2.8 × 10⁻³/15.5/16.7were obtained over transmission distance of ~20 cm. We also simultaneously demonstrated white light emission using red, blue and green LDs, after passing through a commercially available diffuser element. Our work highlighted that a tradeoff exists in operating the blue LDs at optimum bias condition while maintaining good color temperature. The best results were obtained when encoding red LDs which gave both the strongest received signal amplitude and white light with CCT value of 5835K.

Proteomic Study Related to Vascular Connections in Watermelon Scions Grafted onto Bottle-Gourd Rootstock under Different Light Intensities

PubMed Central

Muneer, Sowbiya; Ko, Chung Ho; Soundararajan, Prabhakaran; Manivnnan, Abinaya; Park, Yoo Gyeong; Jeong, Byoung Ryong

2015-01-01

Although grafting is broadly used in the production of crops, no information is available about the proteins involved in vascular connections between rootstock and scion. Similarly, proteome changes under the light intensities widely used for grafted seedlings are of practical use. The objective of this study was to determine the proteome of vascular connections using watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris Schrad.) ‘Sambok Honey’ and ‘Speed’ as the scion and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria Stanld.) ‘RS Dongjanggun’ as the rootstock grown under different light intensities (25, 50, 75 and 100 μmol m−2 s−1). Our proteomic analysis revealed 24 and 27 differentially expressed proteins in ‘Sambok Honey’ and ‘Speed’, respectively, under different light intensities. The identified proteins were largely involved in ion binding, amino acid metabolism, transcriptional regulation and defense response. The enhancement of ion-binding, transcriptional regulation, amino acid metabolism, and defense response proteins suggests a strengthening of the connection between the rootstock and scion under high light intensity. Indeed, the accumulation of key enzymes in the biological processes described above appears to play an important role in the vascular connections of grafted seedlings. Moreover, it appears that 100 μmol m−2 s−1 results in better protein expression responses in grafted seedlings. PMID:25789769

Proteomic study related to vascular connections in watermelon scions grafted onto bottle-gourd rootstock under different light intensities.

PubMed

Muneer, Sowbiya; Ko, Chung Ho; Soundararajan, Prabhakaran; Manivnnan, Abinaya; Park, Yoo Gyeong; Jeong, Byoung Ryong

2015-01-01

Although grafting is broadly used in the production of crops, no information is available about the proteins involved in vascular connections between rootstock and scion. Similarly, proteome changes under the light intensities widely used for grafted seedlings are of practical use. The objective of this study was to determine the proteome of vascular connections using watermelon (Citrullus vulgaris Schrad.) 'Sambok Honey' and 'Speed' as the scion and bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria Stanld.) 'RS Dongjanggun' as the rootstock grown under different light intensities (25, 50, 75 and 100 μmol m-2 s-1). Our proteomic analysis revealed 24 and 27 differentially expressed proteins in 'Sambok Honey' and 'Speed', respectively, under different light intensities. The identified proteins were largely involved in ion binding, amino acid metabolism, transcriptional regulation and defense response. The enhancement of ion-binding, transcriptional regulation, amino acid metabolism, and defense response proteins suggests a strengthening of the connection between the rootstock and scion under high light intensity. Indeed, the accumulation of key enzymes in the biological processes described above appears to play an important role in the vascular connections of grafted seedlings. Moreover, it appears that 100 μmol m-2 s-1 results in better protein expression responses in grafted seedlings.

Inorganic carbon availability in benthic diatom communities: photosynthesis and migration.

PubMed

Marques da Silva, Jorge; Cruz, Sónia; Cartaxana, Paulo

2017-09-05

Diatom-dominated microphytobenthos (MPB) is the main primary producer of many intertidal and shallow subtidal environments, being therefore of critical importance to estuarine and coastal food webs. Owing to tidal cycles, intertidal MPB diatoms are subjected to environmental conditions far more variable than the ones experienced by pelagic diatoms (e.g. light, temperature, salinity, desiccation and nutrient availability). Nevertheless, benthic diatoms evolved adaptation mechanisms to these harsh conditions, including the capacity to move within steep physical and chemical gradients, allowing them to perform photosynthesis efficiently. In this contribution, we will review present knowledge on the effects of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) availability on photosynthesis and productivity of diatom-dominated MPB. We present evidence of carbon limitation of photosynthesis in benthic diatom mats and highly productive MPB natural communities. Furthermore, we hypothesize that active vertical migration of epipelic motile diatoms could overcome local depletion of DIC in the photic layer, providing the cells alternately with light and inorganic carbon supply. The few available longer-term experiments on the effects of inorganic carbon enrichment on the productivity of diatom-dominated MPB have yielded inconsistent results. Therefore, further studies are needed to properly assess the response of MPB communities to increased CO 2 and ocean acidification related to climate change.This article is part of the themed issue 'The peculiar carbon metabolism in diatoms'. © 2017 The Author(s).

The Effect of Spectral Quality on Daily Patterns of Gas Exchange, Biomass Gain, and Water-Use-Efficiency in Tomatoes and Lisianthus: An Assessment of Whole Plant Measurements

PubMed Central

Lanoue, Jason; Leonardos, Evangelos D.; Ma, Xiao; Grodzinski, Bernard

2017-01-01

Advancements in light-emitting diode (LED) technology have made them a viable alternative to current lighting systems for both sole and supplemental lighting requirements. Understanding how wavelength specific LED lighting can affect plants is thus an area of great interest. Much research is available on the wavelength specific responses of leaves from multiple crops when exposed to long-term wavelength specific lighting. However, leaf measurements do not always extrapolate linearly to the complexities which are found within a whole plant canopy, namely mutual shading and leaves of different ages. Taken together, both tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) leaves under short-term illumination and lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) and tomato whole plant diurnal patterns of plants acclimated to specific lighting indicate wavelength specific responses of both H2O and CO2 gas exchanges involved in the major growth parameters of a plant. Tomato leaves grown under a white light source indicated an increase in transpiration rate and internal CO2 concentration and a subsequent decrease in water-use-efficiency (WUE) when exposed to a blue LED light source compared to a green LED light source. Interestingly, the maximum photosynthetic rate was observed to be similar. Using plants grown under wavelength specific supplemental lighting in a greenhouse, a decrease in whole plant WUE was seen in both crops under both red-blue (RB) and red-white (RW) LEDs when compared to a high pressure sodium (HPS) light. Whole plant WUE was decreased by 31% under the RB LED treatment for both crops compared to the HPS treatment. Tomato whole plant WUE was decreased by 25% and lisianthus whole plant WUE was decreased by 15% when compared to the HPS treatment when grown under RW LED. The understanding of the effects of wavelength specific lighting on both leaf and whole plant gas exchange has significant implications on basic academic research as well as commercial greenhouse production. PMID:28676816

Response of Demographic Rates of Tropical Trees to Light Availability: Can Position-Based Competition Indices Replace Information from Canopy Census Data?

PubMed Central

Grote, Steffi; Condit, Richard; Hubbell, Stephen; Wirth, Christian; Rüger, Nadja

2013-01-01

For trees in tropical forests, competition for light is thought to be a central process that offers opportunities for niche differentiation through light gradient partitioning. In previous studies, a canopy index based on three-dimensional canopy census data has been shown to be a good predictor of species-specific demographic rates across the entire tree community on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, and has allowed quantifying between-species variation in light response. However, almost all other forest census plots lack data on the canopy structure. Hence, this study aims at assessing whether position-based neighborhood competition indices can replace information from canopy census data and produce similar estimates of the interspecific variation of light responses. We used inventory data from the census plot at Barro Colorado Island and calculated neighborhood competition indices with varying relative effects of the size and distance of neighboring trees. Among these indices, we selected the one that was most strongly correlated with the canopy index. We then compared outcomes of hierarchical Bayesian models for species-specific recruitment and growth rates including either the canopy index or the selected neighborhood competition index as predictor. Mean posterior estimates of light response parameters were highly correlated between models (r>0.85) and indicated that most species regenerate and grow better in higher light. Both light estimation approaches consistently found that the interspecific variation of light response was larger for recruitment than for growth rates. However, the classification of species into different groups of light response, e.g. weaker than linear (decelerating) vs. stronger than linear (accelerating) differed between approaches. These results imply that while the classification into light response groups might be biased when using neighborhood competition indices, they may be useful for determining species rankings and between-species variation of light response and therefore enable large comparative studies between different forest census plots. PMID:24324723

Mosses and the struggle for light in a nitrogen-polluted world.

PubMed

van der Wal, René; Pearce, Imogen S K; Brooker, Rob W

2005-01-01

The impact of reduced light conditions as an indirect effect of nitrogen (N) deposition was determined on three mosses in a montane ecosystem, where sedge and grass cover increase due to N enrichment. Additionally, in the greenhouse we established the importance of low light to moss growth as an indirect N deposition effect relative to the direct toxic effects of N. The amount of light reaching the moss layer was strongly and negatively related to graminoid abundance. Mosses showed differing sensitivities to reduced light in the field. Racomitrium lanuginosum biomass was found to be highest under high-light conditions, Polytrichum alpinum at intermediate light levels, whilst that of Dicranum fuscescens was unrelated to light availability. Moreover, Racomitrium biomass decreased with increasing amounts of graminoid litter, whereas the other species were little affected. All three mosses responded differently to the combination of elevated N (20 vs 10 kg N ha(-1) year(-1)) and reduced light (60 and 80% reduction) in the greenhouse. Racomitrium growth was strongly influenced by both light reduction and elevated N, in combination reducing shoot biomass up to 76%. There was a tendency for Dicranum growth to be modestly reduced by elevated N when shaded, causing up to 19% growth reduction. Polytrichum growth was not influenced by elevated N but was reduced up to 40% by shading. We conclude that competition for light, induced by vascular plants, can strongly influence moss performance even in unproductive low biomass ecosystems. The effects of reduced light arising from N pollution can be as important to mosses as direct toxicity from N deposition. Yet, different sensitivities of mosses to both toxic and shading effects of elevated N prevent generalisation and can lead to competitive species replacement within moss communities. This study demonstrates the importance of understanding moss-vascular plant interactions to allow interpretation and prediction of ecosystem responses to anthropogenic drivers such as atmospheric N deposition or climate change.

The Effect of Spectral Quality on Daily Patterns of Gas Exchange, Biomass Gain, and Water-Use-Efficiency in Tomatoes and Lisianthus: An Assessment of Whole Plant Measurements.

PubMed

Lanoue, Jason; Leonardos, Evangelos D; Ma, Xiao; Grodzinski, Bernard

2017-01-01

Advancements in light-emitting diode (LED) technology have made them a viable alternative to current lighting systems for both sole and supplemental lighting requirements. Understanding how wavelength specific LED lighting can affect plants is thus an area of great interest. Much research is available on the wavelength specific responses of leaves from multiple crops when exposed to long-term wavelength specific lighting. However, leaf measurements do not always extrapolate linearly to the complexities which are found within a whole plant canopy, namely mutual shading and leaves of different ages. Taken together, both tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum ) leaves under short-term illumination and lisianthus ( Eustoma grandiflorum ) and tomato whole plant diurnal patterns of plants acclimated to specific lighting indicate wavelength specific responses of both H 2 O and CO 2 gas exchanges involved in the major growth parameters of a plant. Tomato leaves grown under a white light source indicated an increase in transpiration rate and internal CO 2 concentration and a subsequent decrease in water-use-efficiency (WUE) when exposed to a blue LED light source compared to a green LED light source. Interestingly, the maximum photosynthetic rate was observed to be similar. Using plants grown under wavelength specific supplemental lighting in a greenhouse, a decrease in whole plant WUE was seen in both crops under both red-blue (RB) and red-white (RW) LEDs when compared to a high pressure sodium (HPS) light. Whole plant WUE was decreased by 31% under the RB LED treatment for both crops compared to the HPS treatment. Tomato whole plant WUE was decreased by 25% and lisianthus whole plant WUE was decreased by 15% when compared to the HPS treatment when grown under RW LED. The understanding of the effects of wavelength specific lighting on both leaf and whole plant gas exchange has significant implications on basic academic research as well as commercial greenhouse production.

Finite element analysis of heat generation from different light-polymerization sources during cementation of all-ceramic crowns.

PubMed

Tunc, Elif Pak

2007-06-01

Exothermic composite resin chemical reactions and visible light generators can produce heat during a restorative polymerization process. These thermal changes in restored teeth may cause pain and irreversible pulpitis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the temperature distribution and heat flow patterns of a crowned mandibular second premolar tooth model using 3 different light-polymerization technologies and a finite element technique. A 2-dimensional finite element model was used to simulate a clinical condition. Heat flow and thermal stress distribution in a tooth during cementation of an all-ceramic crown using 4 commercially available light-polymerization units (LPUs), each with different wavelengths (Elipar TriLight, Elipar Freelight, Apollo 95 E, and ADT 1000 PAC), were investigated. The temperature values were measured at 3, 10, 12, and 40 seconds for each light-polymerizing unit (LPU) at 6 different finite element nodes. Two-dimensional temporal and spatial distribution of the thermal stress within the tooth, including the thermal coefficients and boundary conditions of the dental materials, were obtained and evaluated. The temperature at the nodal points did not exceed 42 degrees C, which is a threshold value for tissue vitality within the recommended operating periods at the dentin and pulp surface for all LPUs, except for Elipar TriLight. In the case of Elipar TriLlight, the temperatures at the dentin and pulp surfaces were 47 degrees C and 42 degrees C, respectively. When the light-polymerization units were used according to the manufacturers' operating procedures and without prolonged operating periods, with the exception of Elipar TriLight, the investigated LPUs did not produce significant heat. However, when the operating periods were prolonged, unacceptable temperature increases were observed, especially with the high-intensity LPUs.

Way Beyond Widgets: Delivering Integrated Lighting Design in Actionable Solutions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Myer, Michael; Richman, Eric E.; Jones, Carol C.

2008-08-17

Previously, energy-efficiency strategies for commercial spaces have focused on using efficient equipment without providing specific detailed instructions. Designs by experts in their fields are an energy-efficiency product in its own right. A new national program has developed interactive application-specific lighting designs for widespread use in four major commercial sectors. This paper will describe the technical basis for the solutions, energy efficiency and cost-savings methodology, and installations and measurement/verification to-date. Lighting designs have been developed for five types of retail stores (big box, small box, grocery, specialty market, and pharmacy) and are planned for the office, healthcare, and education sectors asmore » well. Nationally known sustainable lighting designers developed the designs using high-performance commercially available products, daylighting, and lighting controls. Input and peer review was received by stakeholders, including manufacturers, architects, utilities, energy-efficiency program sponsors (EEPS), and end-users (i.e., retailers). An interactive web tool delivers the lighting solutions and analyzes anticipated energy savings using project-specific inputs. The lighting solutions were analyzed against a reference building using the space-by-space method as allowed in the Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings (ASHRAE 2004) co-sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA). The results showed that the design vignettes ranged from a 9% to 28% reduction in the allowed lighting power density. Detailed control strategies are offered to further reduce the actual kilowatt-hour power consumption. When used together, the lighting design vignettes and control strategies show a modeled decrease in energy consumption (kWh) by 33% to 50% below the baseline design.« less

Growth Kinetics, Carbohydrate, and Leaf Phosphate Content of Clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) after Transfer to a High CO2 Atmosphere or to High Light and Ambient Air 1

PubMed Central

Morin, Francoise; André, Marcel; Betsche, Thomas

1992-01-01

Intact air-grown (photosynthetic photon flux density, 400 microeinsteins per square meter per second) clover plants (Trifolium subterraneum L.) were transfered to high CO2 (4000 microliters CO2 per liter; photosynthetic photon flux density, 400 microeinsteins per square meter per second) or to high light (340 microliters CO2 per liter; photosynthetic photon flux density, 800 microeinsteins per square meter per second) to similarly stimulate photosynthetic net CO2 uptake. The daily increment of net CO2 uptake declined transiently in high CO2, but not in high light, below the values in air/standard light. After about 3 days in high CO2, the daily increment of net CO2 uptake increased but did not reach the high light values. Nightly CO2 release increased immediately in high light, whereas there was a 3-day lag phase in high CO2. During this time, starch accumulated to a high level, and leaf deterioration was observed only in high CO2. After 12 days, starch was two- to threefold higher in high CO2 than in high light, whereas sucrose was similar. Leaf carbohydrates were determined during the first and fourth day in high CO2. Starch increased rapidly throughout the day. Early in the day, sucrose was low and similar in high CO2 and ambient air (same light). Later, sucrose increased considerably in high CO2. The findings that (a) much more photosynthetic carbon was partitioned into the leaf starch pool in high CO2 than in high light, although net CO2 uptake was similar, and that (b) rapid starch formation occurred in high CO2 even when leaf sucrose was only slightly elevated suggest that low sink capacity was not the main constraint in high CO2. It is proposed that carbon partitioning between starch (chloroplast) and sucrose (cytosol) was perturbed by high CO2 because of the lack of photorespiration. Total phosphate pools were determined in leaves. Concentrations based on fresh weight of orthophosphate, soluble esterified phosphate, and total phosphate markedly declined during 13 days of exposure of the plants to high CO2 but changed little in high light/ambient air. During this time, the ratio of orthophosphate to soluble esterified phosphate decreased considerably in high CO2 and increased slightly in high light/ambient air. It appears that phosphate uptake and growth were similarly stimulated by high light, whereas the coordination was weak in high CO2. PMID:16668889

Kinetic study of the plastoquinone pool availability correlated with H2O2 release in seawater and antioxidant responses in the red alga Kappaphycus alvarezii exposed to single or combined high light, chilling and chemical stresses.

PubMed

Barros, Marcelo P; Necchi, Orlando; Colepicolo, Pio; Pedersén, Marianne

2006-11-01

Under biotic/abiotic stresses, the red alga Kappaphycus alvarezii reportedly releases massive amounts of H(2)O(2) into the surrounding seawater. As an essential redox signal, the role of chloroplast-originated H(2)O(2) in the orchestration of overall antioxidant responses in algal species has thus been questioned. This work purported to study the kinetic decay profiles of the redox-sensitive plastoquinone pool correlated to H(2)O(2) release in seawater, parameters of oxidative lesions and antioxidant enzyme activities in the red alga Kappaphycus alvarezii under the single or combined effects of high light, low temperature, and sub-lethal doses of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) and 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone (DBMIB), which are inhibitors of the thylakoid electron transport system. Within 24 h, high light and chilling stresses distinctly affected the availability of the PQ pool for photosynthesis, following Gaussian and exponential kinetic profiles, respectively, whereas combined stimuli were mostly reflected in exponential decays. No significant correlation was found in a comparison of the PQ pool levels after 24 h with either catalase (CAT) or ascorbate peroxidase (APX) activities, although the H(2)O(2) concentration in seawater (R=0.673), total superoxide dismutase activity (R=0.689), and particularly indexes of protein (R=0.869) and lipid oxidation (R=0.864), were moderately correlated. These data suggest that the release of H(2)O(2) from plastids into seawater possibly impaired efficient and immediate responses of pivotal H(2)O(2)-scavenging activities of CAT and APX in the red alga K. alvarezii, culminating in short-term exacerbated levels of protein and lipid oxidation. These facts provided a molecular basis for the recognized limited resistance of the red alga K. alvarezii under unfavorable conditions, especially under chilling stress.

Evaluation of light penetration on Navigation Pools 8 and 13 of the Upper Mississippi River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Giblin, Shawn; Hoff, Kraig; Fischer, Jim; Dukerschein, Terry

2010-01-01

The availability of light can have a dramatic affect on macrophyte and phytoplankton abundance in virtually all aquatic ecosystems. The Long Term Resource Monitoring Program and other monitoring programs often measure factors that affect light extinction (nonvolatile suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, and chlorophyll) and correlates of light extinction (turbidity and Secchi depth), but rarely do they directly measure light extinction. Data on light extinction, Secchi depth, transparency tube, turbidity, total suspended solids, and volatile suspended solids were collected during summer 2003 on Pools 8 and 13 of the Upper Mississippi River. Regressions were developed to predict light extinction based upon Secchi depth, transparency tube, turbidity, and total suspended solids. Transparency tube, Secchi depth, and turbidity all showed strong relations with light extinction and can effectively predict light extinction. Total suspended solids did not show as strong a relation to light extinction. Volatile suspended solids had a greater affect on light extinction than nonvolatile suspended solids. The data were compared to recommended criteria established for light extinction, Secchi depth, total suspended solids, and turbidity by the Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee to sustain submersed aquatic vegetation in the Upper Mississippi River. During the study period, the average condition in Pool 8 met or exceeded all of the criteria whereas the average condition in Pool 13 failed to meet any of the criteria. This report provides river managers with an effective tool to predict light extinction based upon readily available data.

Diode probes for spatiotemporal optical control of multiple neurons in freely moving animals

PubMed Central

Koos, Tibor; Buzsáki, György

2012-01-01

Neuronal control with high temporal precision is possible with optogenetics, yet currently available methods do not enable to control independently multiple locations in the brains of freely moving animals. Here, we describe a diode-probe system that allows real-time and location-specific control of neuronal activity at multiple sites. Manipulation of neuronal activity in arbitrary spatiotemporal patterns is achieved by means of an optoelectronic array, manufactured by attaching multiple diode-fiber assemblies to high-density silicon probes or wire tetrodes and implanted into the brains of animals that are expressing light-responsive opsins. Each diode can be controlled separately, allowing localized light stimulation of neuronal activators and silencers in any temporal configuration and concurrent recording of the stimulated neurons. Because the only connections to the animals are via a highly flexible wire cable, unimpeded behavior is allowed for circuit monitoring and multisite perturbations in the intact brain. The capacity of the system to generate unique neural activity patterns facilitates multisite manipulation of neural circuits in a closed-loop manner and opens the door to addressing novel questions. PMID:22496529

SPLASSH: Open source software for camera-based high-speed, multispectral in-vivo optical image acquisition

PubMed Central

Sun, Ryan; Bouchard, Matthew B.; Hillman, Elizabeth M. C.

2010-01-01

Camera-based in-vivo optical imaging can provide detailed images of living tissue that reveal structure, function, and disease. High-speed, high resolution imaging can reveal dynamic events such as changes in blood flow and responses to stimulation. Despite these benefits, commercially available scientific cameras rarely include software that is suitable for in-vivo imaging applications, making this highly versatile form of optical imaging challenging and time-consuming to implement. To address this issue, we have developed a novel, open-source software package to control high-speed, multispectral optical imaging systems. The software integrates a number of modular functions through a custom graphical user interface (GUI) and provides extensive control over a wide range of inexpensive IEEE 1394 Firewire cameras. Multispectral illumination can be incorporated through the use of off-the-shelf light emitting diodes which the software synchronizes to image acquisition via a programmed microcontroller, allowing arbitrary high-speed illumination sequences. The complete software suite is available for free download. Here we describe the software’s framework and provide details to guide users with development of this and similar software. PMID:21258475

CALCLENS: Weak lensing simulations for large-area sky surveys and second-order effects in cosmic shear power spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, Matthew Rand

I present a new algorithm, CALCLENS, for efficiently computing weak gravitational lensing shear signals from large N-body light cone simulations over a curved sky. This new algorithm properly accounts for the sky curvature and boundary conditions, is able to produce redshift- dependent shear signals including corrections to the Born approximation by using multiple- plane ray tracing, and properly computes the lensed images of source galaxies in the light cone. The key feature of this algorithm is a new, computationally efficient Poisson solver for the sphere that combines spherical harmonic transform and multigrid methods. As a result, large areas of sky (~10,000 square degrees) can be ray traced efficiently at high-resolution using only a few hundred cores. Using this new algorithm and curved-sky calculations that only use a slower but more accurate spherical harmonic transform Poisson solver, I study the convergence, shear E-mode, shear B-mode and rotation mode power spectra. Employing full-sky E/B-mode decompositions, I confirm that the numerically computed shear B-mode and rotation mode power spectra are equal at high accuracy ( ≲ 1%) as expected from perturbation theory up to second order. Coupled with realistic galaxy populations placed in large N-body light cone simulations, this new algorithm is ideally suited for the construction of synthetic weak lensing shear catalogs to be used to test for systematic effects in data analysis procedures for upcoming large-area sky surveys. The implementation presented in this work, written in C and employing widely available software libraries to maintain portability, is publicly available at http://code.google.com/p/calclens.

CALiPER Special Summary Report: Retail Replacement Lamp Testing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2011-04-01

CALiPER testing has evaluated many products for commercial lighting markets and found some excellent performers. However, many of these are not available on the retail market. This special testing was undertaken to identify and test solid-state lighting (SSL) replacement lamp products that are available to the general public through retail stores and websites.

High-speed imaging using 3CCD camera and multi-color LED flashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hijazi, Ala; Friedl, Alexander; Cierpka, Christian; Kähler, Christian; Madhavan, Vis

2017-11-01

This paper demonstrates the possibility of capturing full-resolution, high-speed image sequences using a regular 3CCD color camera in conjunction with high-power light emitting diodes of three different colors. This is achieved using a novel approach, referred to as spectral-shuttering, where a high-speed image sequence is captured using short duration light pulses of different colors that are sent consecutively in very close succession. The work presented in this paper demonstrates the feasibility of configuring a high-speed camera system using low cost and readily available off-the-shelf components. This camera can be used for recording six-frame sequences at frame rates up to 20 kHz or three-frame sequences at even higher frame rates. Both color crosstalk and spatial matching between the different channels of the camera are found to be within acceptable limits. A small amount of magnification difference between the different channels is found and a simple calibration procedure for correcting the images is introduced. The images captured using the approach described here are of good quality to be used for obtaining full-field quantitative information using techniques such as digital image correlation and particle image velocimetry. A sequence of six high-speed images of a bubble splash recorded at 400 Hz is presented as a demonstration.

New R-SiC extends service life in kiln furniture

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sonntag, A.

1997-11-01

Silicon carbide kiln furniture systems are an essential part of modern high-temperature technology. SiC ceramics have exceptional high-temperature stability and thermal shock resistance., They show no plastic deformation (creep) under mechanical load and maintain their geometry after each high-temperature cycle. Therefore, various new kiln systems with light and open setting patterns can be realized where more fired goods can be produced with less kiln furniture ballast and within shorter firing cycles. The fast-firing technology of porcelain is an opportunity for new SiC kiln furniture ceramics. The new SiC ceramic systems available include: (1) recrystallized SiC (R-SiC); (2) silicon-infiltrated reaction-bonded SiCmore » (SiSiC); and (3) nitride-bonded SiC (NSiC). The new SiC ceramics have an important production criterion in common. They show practically no shrinkage during production. This is important for the manufacture of large shapes, such as beams, rollers and setter plates, as well as tailored geometries that allow light and open kiln furniture construction. Because of the extraordinarily high thermal shock resistance, high strength and high-temperature creep stability of these SiC ceramics, delicate and precise kiln furniture configurations have been introduced. One application is the fast firing of tableware with automatic setting robots.« less

Changes in the C/N balance caused by increasing external ammonium concentrations are driven by carbon and energy availabilities during ammonium nutrition in pea plants: the key roles of asparagine synthetase and anaplerotic enzymes.

PubMed

Ariz, Idoia; Asensio, Aaron C; Zamarreño, Angel M; García-Mina, Jose M; Aparicio-Tejo, Pedro M; Moran, Jose F

2013-08-01

An understanding of the mechanisms underlying ammonium (NH(4)(+)) toxicity in plants requires prior knowledge of the metabolic uses for nitrogen (N) and carbon (C). We have recently shown that pea plants grown at high NH(4)(+) concentrations suffer an energy deficiency associated with a disruption of ionic homeostasis. Furthermore, these plants are unable to adequately regulate internal NH4(+) levels and the cell-charge balance associated with cation uptake. Herein we show a role for an extra-C application in the regulation of C-N metabolism in NH(4)(+) -fed plants. Thus, pea plants (Pisum sativum) were grown at a range of NH(4)(+) concentrations as sole N source, and two light intensities were applied to vary the C supply to the plants. Control plants grown at high NH(4)(+) concentration triggered a toxicity response with the characteristic pattern of C-starvation conditions. This toxicity response resulted in the redistribution of N from amino acids, mostly asparagine, and lower C/N ratios. The C/N imbalance at high NH(4)(+) concentration under control conditions induced a strong activation of root C metabolism and the upregulation of anaplerotic enzymes to provide C intermediates for the tricarboxylic acid cycle. A high light intensity partially reverted these C-starvation symptoms by providing higher C availability to the plants. The extra-C contributed to a lower C4/C5 amino acid ratio while maintaining the relative contents of some minor amino acids involved in key pathways regulating the C/N status of the plants unchanged. C availability can therefore be considered to be a determinant factor in the tolerance/sensitivity mechanisms to NH(4)(+) nutrition in plants. Copyright © Physiologia Plantarum 2012.

QCL seeded, ns-pulse, multi-line, CO2 laser oscillator for laser-produced-plasma extreme-UV source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowak, Krzysztof Michał; Suganuma, Takashi; Kurosawa, Yoshiaki; Ohta, Takeshi; Kawasuji, Yasufumi; Nakarai, Hiroaki; Saitou, Takashi; Fujimoto, Junichi; Mizoguchi, Hakaru; Sumitani, Akira; Endo, Akira

2017-01-01

Successful merger of state-of-the-art, semiconductor quantum-cascade lasers (QCL), with the mature CO2 laser technology, resulted in a delivery of highly-desired qualities of CO2 laser output that were not available previously without much effort. These qualities, such as multi-line operation, excellent spectro-temporal stability and pulse waveform control, became available from a single device of moderate complexity. This paper describes the operation principle and the unique properties of the solid{state seeded CO2 laser, invented for an application in laser-produced-plasma (LPP), extreme-UV (EUV) light source.

Management of postpolio syndrome.

PubMed

Thorsteinsson, G

1997-07-01

Recent research has shed light on the pathogenesis of the postpolio syndrome and has helped explain its symptoms and the rationale for management. The aim of this article is to familiarize physicians with this syndrome. The history, acute infection, definition, and diagnosis are discussed, as well as the various symptoms and their management. People with postpolio syndrome can educate health professionals about this condition and can help others inflicted with this syndrome. Thus far, no cure is available. A correct diagnosis is important, and the physician must realize that severe comorbidities tend to afflict people with this syndrome. Numerous management options are available to help these people enjoy a high quality of life.

Advanced light source technologies that enable high-volume manufacturing of DUV lithography extensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cacouris, Theodore; Rao, Rajasekhar; Rokitski, Rostislav; Jiang, Rui; Melchior, John; Burfeindt, Bernd; O'Brien, Kevin

2012-03-01

Deep UV (DUV) lithography is being applied to pattern increasingly finer geometries, leading to solutions like double- and multiple-patterning. Such process complexities lead to higher costs due to the increasing number of steps required to produce the desired results. One of the consequences is that the lithography equipment needs to provide higher operating efficiencies to minimize the cost increases, especially for producers of memory devices that experience a rapid decline in sales prices of these products over time. In addition to having introduced higher power 193nm light sources to enable higher throughput, we previously described technologies that also enable: higher tool availability via advanced discharge chamber gas management algorithms; improved process monitoring via enhanced on-board beam metrology; and increased depth of focus (DOF) via light source bandwidth modulation. In this paper we will report on the field performance of these technologies with data that supports the desired improvements in on-wafer performance and operational efficiencies.

Enhanced detection of nitrogen dioxide via combined heating and pulsed UV operation of indium oxide nano-octahedra.

PubMed

Gonzalez, Oriol; Roso, Sergio; Vilanova, Xavier; Llobet, Eduard

2016-01-01

We report on the use of combined heating and pulsed UV light activation of indium oxide gas sensors for enhancing their performance in the detection of nitrogen dioxide in air. Indium oxide nano-octahedra were synthesized at high temperature (900 °C) via vapour-phase transport and screen-printed onto alumina transducers that comprised interdigitated electrodes and a heating resistor. Compared to the standard, constant temperature operation of the sensor, mild heating (e.g., 100 °C) together with pulsed UV light irradiation employing a commercially available, 325 nm UV diode (square, 1 min period, 15 mA drive current signal), results in an up to 80-fold enhancement in sensitivity to nitrogen dioxide. Furthermore, this combined operation method allows for making savings in power consumption that range from 35% to over 80%. These results are achieved by exploiting the dynamics of sensor response under pulsed UV light, which convey important information for the quantitative analysis of nitrogen dioxide.

Reconstruction of crimes by infrared photography.

PubMed

Sterzik, V; Bohnert, M

2016-09-01

Whenever blunt or sharp forces are used in a crime, analysis of bloodstain pattern distribution may provide important information for the reconstruction of happenings. Thereby, attention should be paid to both the crime scene and the clothes of everyone involved in the crime. On dark textiles, though, it is difficult or even impossible for the human eye to detect bloodstains because of the low contrast to the background. However, in the near infrared wavelength range, contrast is considerably higher. Many textiles reflect light beyond a wavelength of 830 nm and thus appear light-colored, whereas blood absorbs the light and appears dark. In our studies, a D7000 NIKON reflex camera modified for infrared photography produced high-resolution photographs visualizing even very small spatter stains on dark textiles. The equipment can be used at any crime scene or lab and provides immediately available and interpretable images. Thus, important findings can be obtained at an early stage of police investigations, as two examples (homicide and attempted homicide) illustrate.

Image degradation by glare in radiologic display devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badano, Aldo; Flynn, Michael J.

1997-05-01

No electronic devices are currently available that can display digital radiographs without loss of visual information compared to traditional transilluminated film. Light scattering within the glass faceplate of cathode-ray tube (CRT) devices causes excessive glare that reduces image contrast. This glare, along with ambient light reflection, has been recognized as a significant limitation for radiologic applications. Efforts to control the effect of glare and ambient light reflection in CRTs include the use of absorptive glass and thin film coatings. In the near future, flat panel displays (FPD) with thin emissive structures should provide very low glare, high performance devices. We have used an optical Monte Carlo simulation to evaluate the effect of glare on image quality for typical CRT and flat panel display devices. The trade-off between display brightness and image contrast is described. For CRT systems, achieving good glare ratio requires a reduction of brightness to 30-40 percent of the maximum potential brightness. For FPD systems, similar glare performance can be achieved while maintaining 80 percent of the maximum potential brightness.

Switchable Materials for Smart Windows.

PubMed

Wang, Yang; Runnerstrom, Evan L; Milliron, Delia J

2016-06-07

This article reviews the basic principles of and recent developments in electrochromic, photochromic, and thermochromic materials for applications in smart windows. Compared with current static windows, smart windows can dynamically modulate the transmittance of solar irradiation based on weather conditions and personal preferences, thus simultaneously improving building energy efficiency and indoor human comfort. Although some smart windows are commercially available, their widespread implementation has not yet been realized. Recent advances in nanostructured materials provide new opportunities for next-generation smart window technology owing to their unique structure-property relations. Nanomaterials can provide enhanced coloration efficiency, faster switching kinetics, and longer lifetime. In addition, their compatibility with solution processing enables low-cost and high-throughput fabrication. This review also discusses the importance of dual-band modulation of visible and near-infrared (NIR) light, as nearly 50% of solar energy lies in the NIR region. Some latest results show that solution-processable nanostructured systems can selectively modulate the NIR light without affecting the visible transmittance, thus reducing energy consumption by air conditioning, heating, and artificial lighting.

Optofluidic fabrication for 3D-shaped particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paulsen, Kevin S.; di Carlo, Dino; Chung, Aram J.

2015-04-01

Complex three-dimensional (3D)-shaped particles could play unique roles in biotechnology, structural mechanics and self-assembly. Current methods of fabricating 3D-shaped particles such as 3D printing, injection moulding or photolithography are limited because of low-resolution, low-throughput or complicated/expensive procedures. Here, we present a novel method called optofluidic fabrication for the generation of complex 3D-shaped polymer particles based on two coupled processes: inertial flow shaping and ultraviolet (UV) light polymerization. Pillars within fluidic platforms are used to deterministically deform photosensitive precursor fluid streams. The channels are then illuminated with patterned UV light to polymerize the photosensitive fluid, creating particles with multi-scale 3D geometries. The fundamental advantages of optofluidic fabrication include high-resolution, multi-scalability, dynamic tunability, simple operation and great potential for bulk fabrication with full automation. Through different combinations of pillar configurations, flow rates and UV light patterns, an infinite set of 3D-shaped particles is available, and a variety are demonstrated.

Nonreciprocal plasmonics enables giant enhancement of thin-film Faraday rotation.

PubMed

Chin, Jessie Yao; Steinle, Tobias; Wehlus, Thomas; Dregely, Daniel; Weiss, Thomas; Belotelov, Vladimir I; Stritzker, Bernd; Giessen, Harald

2013-01-01

Light propagation is usually reciprocal. However, a static magnetic field along the propagation direction can break the time-reversal symmetry in the presence of magneto-optical materials. The Faraday effect in magneto-optical materials rotates the polarization plane of light, and when light travels backward the polarization is further rotated. This is applied in optical isolators, which are of crucial importance in optical systems. Faraday isolators are typically bulky due to the weak Faraday effect of available magneto-optical materials. The growing research endeavour in integrated optics demands thin-film Faraday rotators and enhancement of the Faraday effect. Here, we report significant enhancement of Faraday rotation by hybridizing plasmonics with magneto-optics. By fabricating plasmonic nanostructures on laser-deposited magneto-optical thin films, Faraday rotation is enhanced by one order of magnitude in our experiment, while high transparency is maintained. We elucidate the enhanced Faraday effect by the interplay between plasmons and different photonic waveguide modes in our system.

Analysis and characterization of high-resolution and high-aspect-ratio imaging fiber bundles.

PubMed

Motamedi, Nojan; Karbasi, Salman; Ford, Joseph E; Lomakin, Vitaliy

2015-11-10

High-contrast imaging fiber bundles (FBs) are characterized and modeled for wide-angle and high-resolution imaging applications. Scanning electron microscope images of FB cross sections are taken to measure physical parameters and verify the variations of irregular fibers due to the fabrication process. Modal analysis tools are developed that include irregularities in the fiber core shapes and provide results in agreement with experimental measurements. The modeling demonstrates that the irregular fibers significantly outperform a perfectly regular "ideal" array. Using this method, FBs are designed that can provide high contrast with core pitches of only a few wavelengths of the guided light. Structural modifications of the commercially available FB can reduce the core pitch by 60% for higher resolution image relay.

Reflective type objective based spectral-domain phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography for high-sensitive structural and functional imaging of cochlear microstructures through intact bone of an excised guinea pig cochlea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subhash, Hrebesh M.; Wang, Ruikang K.; Chen, Fangyi; Nuttall, Alfred L.

2013-03-01

Most of the optical coherence tomographic (OCT) systems for high resolution imaging of biological specimens are based on refractive type microscope objectives, which are optimized for specific wave length of the optical source. In this study, we present the feasibility of using commercially available reflective type objective for high sensitive and high resolution structural and functional imaging of cochlear microstructures of an excised guinea pig through intact temporal bone. Unlike conventional refractive type microscopic objective, reflective objective are free from chromatic aberrations due to their all-reflecting nature and can support a broadband of spectrum with very high light collection efficiency.

Effects of periodic photoinhibitory light exposure on physiology and productivity of Arabidopsis plants grown under low light.

PubMed

Tian, Yonglan; Sacharz, Joanna; Ware, Maxwell A; Zhang, Huayong; Ruban, Alexander V

2017-07-10

This work examined the long-term effects of periodic high light stress on photosynthesis, morphology, and productivity of low-light-acclimated Arabidopsis plants. Significant photoinhibition of Arabidopsis seedlings grown under low light (100 μmol photons m-2 s-1) was observed at the beginning of the high light treatment (three times a day for 30 min at 1800 μmol photons m-2 s-1). However, after 2 weeks of treatment, similar photosynthesis yields (Fv/Fm) to those of control plants were attained. The daily levels of photochemical quenching measured in the dark (qPd) indicated that the plants recovered from photoinhibition within several hours once transferred back to low light conditions, with complete recovery being achieved overnight. Acclimation to high light stress resulted in the modification of the number, structure, and position of chloroplasts, and an increase in the average chlorophyll a/b ratio. During ontogenesis, high-light-exposed plants had lower total leaf areas but higher above-ground biomass. This was attributed to the consumption of starch for stem and seed production. Moreover, periodic high light exposure brought forward the reproductive phase and resulted in higher seed yields compared with control plants grown under low light. The responses to periodic high light exposure of mature Arabidopsis plants were similar to those of seedlings but had higher light tolerance. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

High visibility temporal ghost imaging with classical light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jianbin; Wang, Jingjing; Chen, Hui; Zheng, Huaibin; Liu, Yanyan; Zhou, Yu; Li, Fu-li; Xu, Zhuo

2018-03-01

High visibility temporal ghost imaging with classical light is possible when superbunching pseudothermal light is employed. In the numerical simulation, the visibility of temporal ghost imaging with pseudothermal light, equaling (4 . 7 ± 0 . 2)%, can be increased to (75 ± 8)% in the same scheme with superbunching pseudothermal light. The reasons for that the retrieved images are different for superbunching pseudothermal light with different values of degree of second-order coherence are discussed in detail. It is concluded that high visibility and high quality temporal ghost image can be obtained by collecting sufficient number of data points. The results are helpful to understand the difference between ghost imaging with classical light and entangled photon pairs. The superbunching pseudothermal light can be employed to improve the image quality in ghost imaging applications.

SearchLight: a freely available web-based quantitative spectral analysis tool (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prabhat, Prashant; Peet, Michael; Erdogan, Turan

2016-03-01

In order to design a fluorescence experiment, typically the spectra of a fluorophore and of a filter set are overlaid on a single graph and the spectral overlap is evaluated intuitively. However, in a typical fluorescence imaging system the fluorophores and optical filters are not the only wavelength dependent variables - even the excitation light sources have been changing. For example, LED Light Engines may have a significantly different spectral response compared to the traditional metal-halide lamps. Therefore, for a more accurate assessment of fluorophore-to-filter-set compatibility, all sources of spectral variation should be taken into account simultaneously. Additionally, intuitive or qualitative evaluation of many spectra does not necessarily provide a realistic assessment of the system performance. "SearchLight" is a freely available web-based spectral plotting and analysis tool that can be used to address the need for accurate, quantitative spectral evaluation of fluorescence measurement systems. This tool is available at: http://searchlight.semrock.com/. Based on a detailed mathematical framework [1], SearchLight calculates signal, noise, and signal-to-noise ratio for multiple combinations of fluorophores, filter sets, light sources and detectors. SearchLight allows for qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the compatibility of filter sets with fluorophores, analysis of bleed-through, identification of optimized spectral edge locations for a set of filters under specific experimental conditions, and guidance regarding labeling protocols in multiplexing imaging assays. Entire SearchLight sessions can be shared with colleagues and collaborators and saved for future reference. [1] Anderson, N., Prabhat, P. and Erdogan, T., Spectral Modeling in Fluorescence Microscopy, http://www.semrock.com (2010).

The Coherent X-ray Imaging instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source

DOE PAGES

Liang, Mengning; Williams, Garth J.; Messerschmidt, Marc; ...

2015-04-15

The Coherent X-ray Imaging (CXI) instrument specializes in hard X-ray, in-vacuum, high power density experiments in all areas of science. Two main sample chambers, one containing a 100 nm focus and one a 1 µm focus, are available, each with multiple diagnostics, sample injection, pump–probe and detector capabilities. The flexibility of CXI has enabled it to host a diverse range of experiments, from biological to extreme matter.

The Pharmacology of p-Aminopropiophenone in the Detoxification of Cyanide

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

45). High purity PAPP ( melting point of 140°C) is available as a light yellow crystal commercially from Eastman Kodak (Rochester, NY, U.S.A...synthesized in 1900 from acetanilide and propionyl chloride (58). More modern methods of chemical synthesis from aniline derivatives appear in the literature...Other chemicals (i.e., acetanilide ) are known to produce methemoglobinemia as well as hemolysis (dogs) (100), but the mechanism is not thought to be due

Lowering the driving voltage and improving the luminance of blue fluorescent organic light-emitting devices by thermal annealing a hole injection layer of pentacene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Jian; Yu, Qian-Qian; Zhang, Juan; Liu, Yang; Jia, Ruo-Fei; Han, Jun; Wu, Xiao-Ming; Hua, Yu-Lin; Yin, Shou-Gen

2017-08-01

Not Available Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 60906022), the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin, China (Grant No. 10JCYBJC01100), the Key Science and Technology Support Program of Tianjin, China (Grant No. 14ZCZDGX00006), and the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2013AA014201).

Widefield Imaging: Selected Strategies for Processing Light-Contaminated Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cannistra, Stephen A.

The beauty of nebulae, galaxies, and star clusters takes on new meaning when portrayed in a widefield view, where familiar objects that are commonly seen in isolation are now shown in relation to one another. Through the use of high quality, short focal length optics combined with large, commercially available CCD chips, it is possible to capture broad regions of sky that an older generation of astrophotographers could only dream of.

A beamline for high-pressure studies at the Advanced Light Source with a superconducting bending magnet as the source.

PubMed

Kunz, Martin; MacDowell, Alastair A; Caldwell, Wendel A; Cambie, Daniella; Celestre, Richard S; Domning, Edward E; Duarte, Robert M; Gleason, Arianna E; Glossinger, James M; Kelez, Nicholas; Plate, David W; Yu, Tony; Zaug, Joeseph M; Padmore, Howard A; Jeanloz, Raymond; Alivisatos, A Paul; Clark, Simon M

2005-09-01

A new facility for high-pressure diffraction and spectroscopy using diamond anvil high-pressure cells has been built at the Advanced Light Source on beamline 12.2.2. This beamline benefits from the hard X-radiation generated by a 6 T superconducting bending magnet (superbend). Useful X-ray flux is available between 5 keV and 35 keV. The radiation is transferred from the superbend to the experimental enclosure by the brightness-preserving optics of the beamline. These optics are comprised of a plane parabola collimating mirror, followed by a Kohzu monochromator vessel with Si(111) crystals (E/DeltaE approximately equal 7000) and W/B4C multilayers (E/DeltaE approximately equal 100), and then a toroidal focusing mirror with variable focusing distance. The experimental enclosure contains an automated beam-positioning system, a set of slits, ion chambers, the sample positioning goniometry and area detector (CCD or image-plate detector). Future developments aim at the installation of a second endstation dedicated to in situ laser heating and a dedicated high-pressure single-crystal station, applying both monochromatic and polychromatic techniques.

Multifunctional Single-Phase Photocatalysts: Extended Near Infrared Photoactivity and Reliable Magnetic Recyclability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiaoning; Zhu, Zhu; Li, Feng; Huang, Yan; Hu, Xiang; Huang, Haoliang; Peng, Ranran; Zhai, Xiaofang; Fu, Zhengping; Lu, Yalin

2015-10-01

A practical photocatalyst should be able to integrate together various functions including the extended solar conversion, a feasible and economic recyclability, and above the room temperature operation potential, et al., in order to fulfill the spreading application needs in nowadays. In this report, a multifunctional single-phase photocatalyst which possesses a high photoactivity extended into the near infrared region, an easy magnetic recyclability and the high temperature stability was developed by doping Co into a new layer-structured Bi7Fe3Ti3O21 material. Light absorption and photocatalytic activity of the resulted Bi7Fe3-xCoxTi3O21 photocatalyst were extended to the long wavelength as far as 800 nm. Its strong ferromagnetism above the room temperature enables the nanopowders fully recyclable in viscous solutions simply with a magnet bar in an experimental demonstration. Furthermore, such photoactivity and magnetic recyclability were heavily tested under high-temperature and high-viscosity conditions, which was intended to simulate the actual industrial environments. This work brings the bright light to a full availability of a new multifunctional photocatalyst, via integrating the much enhanced ferromagnetic, ferroelectric, optoelectronic properties, most importantly, into a single-phase structure.

Quantifying seagrass light requirements using an algorithm to spatially resolve depth of colonization.

EPA Science Inventory

Depth of colonization (Zc) is a useful seagrass growth metric that describes seagrass response to light availability. Similarly, percent surface irradiance at Zc (% SI) is an indicator of seagrass light requirements with applications in seagrass ecology and management. Methods ...

Sapling leaf trait responses to light, tree height and soil nutrients for three conifer species of contrasting shade tolerance.

PubMed

Lilles, Erica B; Astrup, Rasmus; Lefrançois, Marie-Lou; David Coates, K

2014-12-01

We developed models to describe the responses of four commonly examined leaf traits (mass per area, weight, area and nitrogen (N) concentration) to gradients of light, soil nutrients and tree height in three conifer species of contrasting shade tolerance. Our observational dataset from the sub-boreal spruce forests of British Columbia included subalpine fir (Abies lasioscarpa [Hook.] Nutt; high shade tolerance), interior spruce (Picea glauca × Picea engelmannii [Moench] Voss; intermediate shade tolerance) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia; low shade tolerance) saplings from 0.18 to 4.87 m tall, in 8-98% of total incident light, from field sites with <17.6 kg ha(-1) to >46.8 kg ha(-1) total dissolved N. Leaf weights and areas showed strong positive responses to light and height, but little or no response to soil nutrients. Parameter estimates indicated that the shape of leaf weight and area responses to light corresponded with shade tolerance ranking for the three species; pine had the most linear response whereas spruce and fir had asymptotic responses. Leaf N concentration responded positively to soil nutrients, negatively to light and idiosyncratically to height. The negative effect of light was only apparent on sites of high soil nutrient availability, and parameter estimates for the shape of the negative response also corresponded to shade tolerance ranking (apine = -0.79, aspruce = -0.15, afir = -0.07). Of the traits we measured, leaf mass per area showed the least response to light, soil nutrient and height gradients. Although it is a common practice in comparisons across many species, characterizing these conifers by mean values of their leaf traits would miss important intraspecific variation across environmental and size gradients. In these forests, parameter estimates representing the intraspecific variability of leaf trait responses can be used to understand relative shade tolerances. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Light, soil moisture, and tree reproduction in hardwood forest openings.

Treesearch

Leon S. Minckler; John D. Woerheide; Richard C. Schlesinger

1973-01-01

Light, soil moisture, and tree reproduction were measured at five positions in six openings on each of three aspects in southern Illinois. Amount of light received was clearly related to position in the light openings, opening size, and aspect. More moisture was available in the centers of the openings, although 4 years after openings were made the differences...

Continuous ECS-indicated recording of the proton-motive charge flux in leaves.

PubMed

Klughammer, Christof; Siebke, Katharina; Schreiber, Ulrich

2013-11-01

Technical features and examples of application of a special emitter-detector module for highly sensitive measurements of the electrochromic pigment absorbance shift (ECS) via dual-wavelength (550-520 nm) transmittance changes (P515) are described. This device, which has been introduced as an accessory of the standard, commercially available Dual-PAM-100 measuring system, not only allows steady-state assessment of the proton motive force (pmf) and its partitioning into ΔpH and ΔΨ components, but also continuous recording of the overall charge flux driven by photosynthetic light reactions. The new approach employs a double-modulation technique to derive a continuous signal from the light/dark modulation amplitude of the P515 signal. This new, continuously measured signal primarily reflects the rate of proton efflux via the ATP synthase, which under quasi-stationary conditions corresponds to the overall rate of proton influx driven by coupled electron transport. Simultaneous measurements of charge flux and CO2 uptake as a function of light intensity indicated a close to linear relationship in the light-limited range. A linear relationship between these two signals was also found for different internal CO2 concentrations, except for very low CO2, where the rate of charge flux distinctly exceeded the rate of CO2 uptake. Parallel oscillations in CO2 uptake and charge flux were induced by high CO2 and O2. The new device may contribute to the elucidation of complex regulatory mechanisms in intact leaves.

Performance of PHOTONIS' low light level CMOS imaging sensor for long range observation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bourree, Loig E.

2014-05-01

Identification of potential threats in low-light conditions through imaging is commonly achieved through closed-circuit television (CCTV) and surveillance cameras by combining the extended near infrared (NIR) response (800-10000nm wavelengths) of the imaging sensor with NIR LED or laser illuminators. Consequently, camera systems typically used for purposes of long-range observation often require high-power lasers in order to generate sufficient photons on targets to acquire detailed images at night. While these systems may adequately identify targets at long-range, the NIR illumination needed to achieve such functionality can easily be detected and therefore may not be suitable for covert applications. In order to reduce dependency on supplemental illumination in low-light conditions, the frame rate of the imaging sensors may be reduced to increase the photon integration time and thus improve the signal to noise ratio of the image. However, this may hinder the camera's ability to image moving objects with high fidelity. In order to address these particular drawbacks, PHOTONIS has developed a CMOS imaging sensor (CIS) with a pixel architecture and geometry designed specifically to overcome these issues in low-light level imaging. By combining this CIS with field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based image processing electronics, PHOTONIS has achieved low-read noise imaging with enhanced signal-to-noise ratio at quarter moon illumination, all at standard video frame rates. The performance of this CIS is discussed herein and compared to other commercially available CMOS and CCD for long-range observation applications.

A Comparative Study Between Smartphone-Based Microscopy and Conventional Light Microscopy in 1021 Dermatopathology Specimens.

PubMed

Jahan-Tigh, Richard R; Chinn, Garrett M; Rapini, Ronald P

2016-01-01

The incorporation of high-resolution cameras into smartphones has allowed for a variety of medical applications including the use of lens attachments that provide telescopic, macroscopic, and dermatoscopic data, but the feasibility and performance characteristics of such a platform for use in dermatopathology have not been described. To determine the diagnostic performance of a smartphone microscope compared to traditional light microscopy in dermatopathology specimens. A simple smartphone microscope constructed with a 3-mm ball lens was used to prospectively evaluate 1021 consecutive dermatopathology cases in a blinded fashion. Referred, consecutive specimens from the community were evaluated at a single university hospital. The performance characteristics of the smartphone platform were calculated by using conventional light microscopy as the gold standard. The sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of melanoma, nonmelanoma skin cancers, and other miscellaneous conditions by the phone microscopy platform, as compared with traditional light microscopy, were calculated. For basal cell carcinoma (n = 136), the sensitivity and specificity of smartphone microscopy were 95.6% and 98.1%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity for squamous cell carcinoma (n = 94) were 89.4% and 97.3%, respectively. The lowest sensitivity was found in melanoma (n = 15) at 60%, although the specificity was high at 99.1%. The accuracy of diagnosis of inflammatory conditions and other neoplasms was variable. Mobile phone-based microscopy has excellent performance characteristics for the inexpensive diagnosis of nonmelanoma skin cancers in a setting where a traditional microscope is not available.