Using Light to Improve Commercial Value

The plasticity of plant morphology has evolved to maximize reproductive fitness in response to prevailing environmental conditions. Leaf architecture elaborates to maximize light harvesting, while the transition to flowering can either be accelerated or delayed to improve an individual's fitness. One of the most important environmental signals is light, with plants using light for both photosynthesis and as an environmental signal. Plants perceive different wavelengths of light using distinct photoreceptors. Recent advances in LED technology now enable light quality to be manipulated at a commercial scale, and as such opportunities now exist to take advantage of plants' developmental plasticity to enhance crop yield and quality through precise manipulation of a crops' lighting regime. This review will discuss how plants perceive and respond to light, and consider how these specific signaling pathways can be manipulated to improve crop yield and quality

A prática da hidroginástica como tratamento complementar para pacientes com transtorno de ansiedade The practice of hydrogymnastics as a complementary treatment for patients with anxiety disorders

OBJETIVO: Analisar a efetividade da hidroginástica, como auxiliar terapêutico à redução do nível de ansiedade, em mulheres diagnosticadas com transtorno de ansiedade. MÉTODOS: Este ensaio clínico teve a participação de pacientes com ansiedade, sendo a depressão a comorbidade existente, do programa de Residência Médica em Psiquiatria do Hospital Universitário de Maringá, todas em tratamento com medicamentos (n = 16: grupo experimental = 8; grupo-controle = 8). O experimento foi realizado na piscina aquecida do Departamento de Educação Física da Universidade Estadual de Maringá. O delineamento do estudo foi elaborado com duas sessões de hidroginástica por semana, durante 12 semanas. Os instrumentos utilizados foram: o Inventário de Ansiedade de Beck (BAI) e o Perfil de Estado de Humor (POMS). Para análise estatística, foram utilizados o teste de Friedman, o Teste de Wilcoxon, o Teste de Mann-Whitney e Comparações Múltiplas, adotando significância em 5%. RESULTADOS: Os escores do transtorno de ansiedade tiveram redução no grupo experimental, após 12 semanas de intervenção (19,12 ± 3,12 para 8,37 ± 4,60 pontos, P = 0,0005*), e no grupo-controle (17,87 ± 14,32 para 12,12 ± 9,58 pontos, P = 0,254). Para o perfil do estado de humor, o grupo experimental evidenciou perfil de saúde mental positiva, enquanto o grupo-controle demonstrou perfil negativo de estado de humor. CONCLUSÕES: Portanto, as pacientes do grupo experimental evidenciaram significativa redução do nível de ansiedade em relação às pacientes do grupo-controle, que utilizaram apenas o tratamento convencional com medicamentos. Para o perfil do estado de humor, foram encontradas alterações no decorrer do estudo; o grupo-controle experimentou alteração negativa de humor durante o ensaio clínico, enquanto os pacientes do grupo experimental evidenciaram perfil positivo de estado de humor com redução da tensão, depressão, raiva, confusão e aumento do vigor.<br>OBJECTIVE: To analyze the effectiveness of hydrogymnastics as a therapeutic method to the reduction of anxiety in females diagnosed with anxiety disorder. METHODS: This clinical survey had as participants, patients with anxiety, being the depression the existent comorbidade, from Psychiatry Media Residence Program of the Academical Hospital of Maringá, all had medical treatment (n = 16: experimental group = 8; control group = 8). The experiment was accomplished in the warm swimming pool of the Department of Physical Education of the State University of Maringá. The design of the study was developed with two hydrogymnastics sessions per week, during 12 weeks. The instruments used in the data collection were: Beck's Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). As to statistics analysis the Friedman test, Wilcoxon test, Mann-Whitney test and Multiple Comparisons were used, with a significance of 5%. RESULTS: Results show that anxiety disorder scores decreased in the experimental group after 12 weeks of intervention (19.12 ± 3.12 to 8.37 ± 4.60, P = 0.0005*) and control group (17.87 ± 14.32 to 12.12 ± 9.58, P = 0.254). As for mood state profile experimental group evidenced a positive mental health profile, while control group showed a negative mood state profile. CONCLUSIONS: It may be concluded that patients from experimental group evidenced significant reduction in anxiety level in relation to control group patients whom used only the conventional medicine treatment. For mood state profile changes were found throughout the study, being that control group experimented negative mood changes during the clinical survey while experimental group patients evidenced positive mood state profile with reduction on tension, depression, anger confusion and enhancement on vigor