Testing of Various Monochromatic LED Lights Used in Supplemental Irradiation of Lettuce in Modern Urban Rooftop Polytunnels

Abstract. Urban farming could provide both vegetable growers and urban dwellers with more direct access to various fresh vegetables. Nevertheless, certain challenging problems associated with urban farming, including a lack of cultivation space and the effects of urban heat islands, must still be solved. Relatedly, a grower must, in some cases, also know how to utilize various forms of technology, such as lighting systems, as well as factors such as water availability. In this study, an original rooftop polytunnel design for lettuce ( cv. Lollo Rosso) cultivation equipped with a hydroponic system and light emitting diodes (LEDs) is proposed. Various monochromatic lights were also tested for their effects on different quality parameters of lettuce. Specifically, supplemental red (655 nm), blue (445 nm), green (520 nm), and ultraviolet (380 nm) LED lights were used at night to apply photon fluxes of 150, 150, 150, and 20 µmol.m-2.s-1, respectively. The resulting effects of these different colored LEDs on the pigment concentration and growth response of the lettuce grown inside the roof polytunnel were then investigated. The experiment was then repeated several times with different environmental parameters in order to compare the effects of the different light wavelengths under higher temperatures and higher natural irradiation conditions.The results indicated that supplemental red or blue light at night could be strategically employed to maintain low nitrate levels and enhance the nutritional value and growth of lettuce grown in roof polytunnels. Keywords: Light emitting-diodes, LEDs, Hydroponic, Red lettuce, Rooftop polytunnel, Urban agriculture.</jats:p

Identification of Hydroxyl and Polysiloxane Compounds via Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy with Targeted Noise Analysis

This investigation of hydroxyl and polysiloxane absorption peaks in elastic polymer composites reveals significant spectral shifts within the fingerprint region of FTIR spectra. Using poly(vinyl butyral) (PVB) as the base polymer and poly(vinyl acetate) (PVAc) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) as reference materials, solvent effects on polymer&ndash;solvent interactions were systematically analyzed. Among the tested alcohol solvents, PEG 400 induced the most pronounced spectral changes, with the C=O stretching band shifting from 1740 to 1732 cm&minus;1 and the O&ndash;H band significantly broadening and downshifting to around 3300 cm&minus;1, reflecting strong hydrogen-bonding interactions. Wavelet-based noise reduction effectively enhanced the signal-to-noise ratio, reducing the baseline standard deviation by over 90%. This study introduces a novel noise-enhanced FTIR recognition model that integrates baseline noise metrics to improve detection sensitivity. The model successfully uncovers subtle structural variations in polymer&ndash;solvent systems that are typically masked by conventional FTIR techniques, advancing materials analysis and providing a robust framework for future FTIR-based diagnostics and material characterization

Evaluation of Patients with Hallux Valgus Wearing a 3D-Printed Orthosis during Walking

Hallux valgus (HV) is a foot deformity most commonly found in female and elderly patients. Its symptoms include foot pain, impaired gait patterns, poor balance, and falls in older adults. Recently, various HV orthoses have been introduced in the market; however, they have many shortcomings, such as high costs, unclear therapeutic effects, and effects on push-off of the foot during walking. The present study employs 3D printing technology to develop an HV orthosis and uses motion analysis to investigate the effects of wearing it. This study recruited 12 individuals with HV, who were asked to first perform a static HV measurement without orthosis, followed by a dynamic HV measurement using a Vicon motion analysis system in three trials. The results indicated that wearing the 3D-printed orthosis significantly corrected the HV angle by approximately 11° during static standing and by approximately 9° during dynamic walking. However, no significant difference was observed during use of the orthosis in terms of the ground reaction force. The obtained results demonstrate that the 3D-printed HV orthosis is an effective device for correcting the HV angle during static standing and dynamic walking, especially during the push-off phase of gait.</jats:p

RNA polymerase II gene (RPB2) encoding the second largest protein subunit in Phaeosphaeria nodorum and P. avenaria

A 5586 bp sequence (accession no. DQ278491), which includes the RNA polymerase II gene (RPB2) encoding the second largest protein subunit (RPB2), was obtained from the wheat biotype Phaeosphaeria nodorum (PN-w) by PCR amplification. The 3841 bp full length RPB2 gene contains two exons and a 52 bp intron, and encodes a complete 1262 amino acid protein. Similar to the C-terminals of the b subunits of prokaryotes and yeast RNA polymerases, the deduced RPB2 protein contained many structural features needed for gene transcription. Based on the phylogenetic analysis with the deduced RPB2 polypeptide sequences, the PN-w was closely related to the maize pathogen Cochliobolus heterostrophus. Size differences were found in the full length RPB2 gene of cereal Phaeosphaeria species, mainly due to differences in intron size. No nucleotide substitutions were found in homothallic P. avenaria f.sp. triticea (Pat1) and barley biotype P. nodorum (PN-b) isolates used in this study. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid sequences of the RPB2 gene in Pat1 were closely related to that in PN-w

Evaluation of Patients with Hallux Valgus Wearing a 3D-Printed Orthosis during Walking

Hallux valgus (HV) is a foot deformity most commonly found in female and elderly patients. Its symptoms include foot pain, impaired gait patterns, poor balance, and falls in older adults. Recently, various HV orthoses have been introduced in the market; however, they have many shortcomings, such as high costs, unclear therapeutic effects, and effects on push-off of the foot during walking. The present study employs 3D printing technology to develop an HV orthosis and uses motion analysis to investigate the effects of wearing it. This study recruited 12 individuals with HV, who were asked to first perform a static HV measurement without orthosis, followed by a dynamic HV measurement using a Vicon motion analysis system in three trials. The results indicated that wearing the 3D-printed orthosis significantly corrected the HV angle by approximately 11° during static standing and by approximately 9° during dynamic walking. However, no significant difference was observed during use of the orthosis in terms of the ground reaction force. The obtained results demonstrate that the 3D-printed HV orthosis is an effective device for correcting the HV angle during static standing and dynamic walking, especially during the push-off phase of gait