Quantifying the effects of far-red light on lettuce photosynthesis and growth using a 3D modelling approach

In vertical farms, the supplementation of far-red light has been widely applied to regulate plant growth and development. However, the relative contribution of far-red to photosynthesis and plant growth in indoor production systems is not sufficiently quantified. This study quantify the photosynthesis and growth responses under different levels of supplemental far-red in lettuce using a 3D modelling approach. Lettuce were cultivated under either white light or red to far-red (R:FR) ratio of 1.6 or 0.8. Measurements of plant morphological traits, leaf photosynthesis, and organ fresh and dry mass were taken and the 3D modelling approach was used to simulate plant photosynthesis and biomass accumulation. Results showed that leaf elevation angle, leaf expansion rate, and plant height significantly increased at each growth stage as the R:FR ratio decreased. Far-red light also promoted plant growth, leading to an increase in the dry and fresh weight of lettuce throughout the entire growth period. However, plants cultivated at low R:FR showed reduced maximum Rubisco carboxylation rate and maximum electron transport rate, which indicated that far-red light reduced the photosynthetic capacity in lettuce. Nevertheless, 3D model simulations demonstrated that plants exposed to enhanced far-red light exhibited increased light interception and whole-plant photosynthesis. The integrated analysis of photosynthetic parameters and plant morphological changes on the photosynthetic rate of the whole plant indicated that the positive effects of plant morphological changes outweighed the negative impacts of photosynthetic parameters. These results implied that far-red light-induced morphological changes enhanced light interception and whole-plant photosynthesis, thereby increased lettuce yield

Marshall Space Flight Center Faculty Fellowship Program

The 2017 Marshall Faculty Fellowship Program involved 21 faculty in the laboratories and departments at Marshall Space Flight Center. These faculty engineers and scientists worked with NASA collaborators on NASA projects, bringing new perspectives and solutions to bear. This Technical Memorandum is a compilation of the research reports of the 2017 Marshall Faculty Fellowship program, along with the Program Announcement (Appendix A) and the Program Description (Appendix B). The research affected the following six areas: (1) Materials (2) Propulsion (3) Instrumentation (4) Spacecraft systems (5) Vehicle systems (6) Space science The materials investigations included composite structures, printing electronic circuits, degradation of materials by energetic particles, friction stir welding, Martian and Lunar regolith for in-situ construction, and polymers for additive manufacturing. Propulsion studies were completed on electric sails and low-power arcjets for use with green propellants. Instrumentation research involved heat pipes, neutrino detectors, and remote sensing. Spacecraft systems research was conducted on wireless technologies, layered pressure vessels, and two-phase flow. Vehicle systems studies were performed on life support-biofilm buildup and landing systems. In the space science area, the excitation of electromagnetic ion-cyclotron waves observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission provided insight regarding the propagation of these waves. Our goal is to continue the Marshall Faculty Fellowship Program funded by Center internal project offices. Faculty Fellows in this 2017 program represented the following minority-serving institutions: Alabama A&M University and Oglala Lakota College

Irradiated Landscapes: Journey to Prospect Cottage

How does one map a memory of a place, a fragment of time, in a way that is as evocative and vivid as the initial experience? When we prospect a landscape, we witness it as it is now; light and shadow define it, complete with its current solar exposure, humidity and temperature. As we then move through the landscape our brains process this information, leading us to perceive something entirely new. Our memory of that perception is also rewritten each time we recall it. Intended as a process of design research – based at the late Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage on Dungeness beach in Kent, UK – this essay attempts to capture the fluidity of these perceived experiences and freeze them into sited mappings, unique to the temporal and climatic experience of the observer. Centered on the production of digitally-crafted ‘perceptual cartographies’, which are designed/generated from the site, it presents an exploration into ways of seeing architecture and landscape. In doing so, the essay calls for the recording of sites and designs in which emotional responses – induced by light – leave traces of the spaces in the individuals who visit them, creating a temporally sensitive and deeply perceptual experience of that place

X-Shaped Radio Galaxies: Probing Jet Evolution, Ambient Medium Dynamics, and Their Intricate Interconnection

This review explores the field of X-shaped radio galaxies (XRGs), a distinctive subset of winged radio sources that are identified by two pairs of jetted lobes which aligned by a significant angle, resulting in an inversion-symmetric structure. These lobes, encompassing active (primary) and passive (secondary) phases, exhibit a diverse range of properties across the multiple frequency bands, posing challenges in discerning their formation mechanism. The proposed mechanisms can broadly be categorized into those related either to a triaxial ambient medium, into which the jet propagates, or to a complex, central AGN mechanism, where the jet is generated. The observed characteristics of XRGs as discovered in the most substantial sample to date, challenge the idea that there is universal process at work that produces the individual sources of XRGs. Instead, the observational and numerical results rather imply the absence of an universal model and infer that distinct mechanisms may be at play for the specific sources. By scrutinizing salient and confounding properties, this review intends to propose the potential direction for future research to constrain and constrict individual models applicable to XRGs.Comment: Accepted for publication in "Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences

DISEÑO Y CONSTRUCCIÓN DE POTABILIZADOR INTEGRAL SOLAR DE AGUA PARA COMUNIDADES RURALES

"The design and construction of an autonomous water potabilizer that only uses solar energy as an energy source were developed. Relying on engineering areas such as mechanics, mechatronics, and optics as the main areas for its development. The autonomy was performed through the assembly of an automated control stage for the whole system powered by photovoltaic modules operating; reverse osmosis, and photocatalytic reactor, among others. In addition, during the reactor construction, a method for the CPC collectors manufacture is proposed, which includes the utilization of a 3D printed mold based on a structural styrofoam molding.

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse