LED lighting systems for horticulture: Business growth and global distribution

In recent years, research on light emitting diodes (LEDs) has highlighted their great potential as a lighting system for plant growth, development and metabolism control. The suitability of LED devices for plant cultivation has turned the technology into a main component in controlled or closed plant-growing environments, experiencing an extremely fast development of horticulture LED metrics. In this context, the present study aims to provide an insight into the current global horticulture LED industry and the present features and potentialities for LEDs' applications. An updated review of this industry has been integrated through a database compilation of 301 manufacturers and 1473 LED lighting systems for plant growth. The research identifies Europe (40%) and North America (29%) as the main regions for production. Additionally, the current LED luminaires' lifespans show 10 and 30% losses of light output after 45,000 and 60,000 working hours on average, respectively, while the vast majority of worldwide LED lighting systems present efficacy values ranging from 2 to 3 μmol J-1 (70%). Thus, an update on the status of the horticultural LED sector, LEDs' applications and metrics, and the intense innovation are described and discussed

Improving water use efficiency in vertical farming: Effects of growing systems, far-red radiation and planting density on lettuce cultivation

Vertical farms (VFs) are innovative urban production facilities consisting of multi-level indoor systems equipped with artificial lighting in which all the environmental conditions are controlled independently from the external climate. VFs are generally provided with a closed loop fertigation system to optimize the use of water and nu-trients. The objective of this study, performed within an experimental VF at the University of Bologna, was to quantify the water use efficiency (WUE, ratio between plant fresh weight and the volume of water used) for a lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) growth cycle obtained in two different growing systems: an ebb-and-flow substrate culture and a high pressure aeroponic system. Considering the total water consumed (water used for irrigation and climate management), WUE of ebb-and-flow and aeroponics was 28.1 and 52.9 g L-1 H2O, respectively. During the growing cycle, the contribution generated by the recovery of internal air moisture from the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, was quantified. Indeed, by recovering water from the dehu-midifier, water use decreases dramatically (by 67 %), while WUE increased by 206 %. Further improvement of WUE in the ebb-and-flow system was obtained through ameliorated crop management strategies, in particular, by increasing planting densities (e.g., 153, 270 and 733 plants m-2) and by optimizing the light spectrum used for plant growth (e.g., adjusting the amount of far-red radiation in the spectrum). Strategies for efficient use of water in high-tech urban indoor growing systems are therefore proposed

Potential application of pre-harvest LED interlighting to improve tomato quality and storability

Growing conditions and agronomical inputs play a key role in determining fruit qualitative and nutraceutical traits at harvest and post-harvest. The hereby presented research investigated the effects of pre-harvest supplemental LED interlighting on post-harvest quality of hydroponically grown tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum “Siranzo”). Three LED treatments, applied for 16 h d-1 (h 8.00–00.00), were added to natural sunlight and consisted of Red and Blue (RB), Red and Blue + Far-Red (FR), and Red and Blue + Far-Red at the end-of-day for 30 min (EOD), with an intensity of 180 µmol m-2 s-1 for Red and Blue, plus 44 µmol m-2 s-1 for Far-Red. A control treatment (CK), where plants were grown only with sunlight, was also considered. Fruits at red stage were selected and placed in a storage room at 13 °C in darkness. Fruit quality assessment was performed at harvest time and after one week of storage. RB and FR increased fruit firmness compared to CK, opening possible benefits toward reducing fruit losses during post-harvest handling. RB treated fruits also maintained a higher content of lycopene and β-carotene after the first week of storage. The study demonstrates that supplementary LED interlighting during greenhouse tomato cultivation may enhance storability and help preserve fruit nutritional properties during post-harvest

Amplification curve analysis: Data-driven multiplexing using real-time digital PCR

Information about the kinetics of PCR reactions are encoded in the amplification curve. However, in digital PCR (dPCR), this information is typically neglected by collapsing each amplification curve into a binary output (positive/negative). Here, we demonstrate that the large volume of raw data obtained from realtime dPCR instruments can be exploited to perform data-driven multiplexing in a single fluorescent channel using machine learning methods, by virtue of the information in the amplification curve. This new approach, referred to as amplification curve analysis (ACA), was shown using an intercalating dye (EvaGreen), reducing the cost and complexity of the assay and enabling the use of melting curve analysis for validation. As a case study, we multiplexed 3 carbapenem-resistant genes to show the impact of this approach on global challenges such as antimicrobial resistance. In the presence of single targets, we report a classification accuracy of 99.1% (N = 16188) which represents a 19.7% increase compared to multiplexing based on the final fluorescent intensity. Considering all combinations of amplification events (including coamplifications), the accuracy was shown to be 92.9% (N = 10383). To support the analysis, we derived a formula to estimate the occurrence of co-amplification in dPCR based on multivariate Poisson statistics, and suggest reducing the digital occupancy in the case of multiple targets in the same digital panel. The ACA approach takes a step towards maximizing the capabilities of existing real-time dPCR instruments and chemistries, by extracting more information from data to enable data-driven multiplexing with high accuracy. Furthermore, we expect that combining this method with existing probe-based assays will increase multiplexing capabilities significantly. We envision that once emerging point-of-care technologies can reliably capture real-time data from isothermal chemistries, the ACA method will facilitate the implementation of dPCR outside of the lab

Sudden cardiac death in anabolic-androgenic steroid users: A literature review

Background and objectives: Anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs) are a group of synthetic molecules derived from testosterone and its related precursors. AASs are widely used illicitly by adolescents and athletes, especially by bodybuilders, both for aesthetic uses and as performance enhancers to increase muscle growth and lean body mass. When used illicitly they can damage health and cause disorders affecting several functions. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is the most common medical cause of death in athletes. SCD in athletes has also been associated with the use of performance-enhancing drugs. This review aimed to focus on deaths related to AAS abuse to investigate the cardiac pathophysiological mechanism that underlies this type of death, which still needs to be fully investigated. Materials and Methods: This review was conducted using PubMed Central and Google Scholar databases, until 21 July 2020, using the following key terms: “((Sudden cardiac death) OR (Sudden death)) AND ((androgenic anabolic steroid) OR (androgenic anabolic steroids) OR (anabolic-androgenic steroids) OR (anabolic-androgenic steroid))”. Thirteen articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria, for a total of 33 reported cases. Results: Of the 33 cases, 31 (93.9%) were males while only 2 (61%) were females. Mean age was 29.79 and, among sportsmen, the most represented sports activity was bodybuilding. In all cases there was a history of AAS abuse or a physical phenotype suggesting AAS use; the total usage period was unspecified in most cases. In 24 cases the results of the toxicological analysis were reported. The most detected AASs were nandrolone, testosterone, and stanozolol. The most frequently reported macroscopic alterations were cardiomegaly and left ventricular hypertrophy, while the histological alterations were foci of fibrosis and necrosis of the myocardial tissue. Conclusions: Four principal mechanisms responsible for SCD have been proposed in AAS abusers: the atherogenic model, the thrombosis model, the model of vasospasm induced by the release of nitric oxide, and the direct myocardial injury model. Hypertrophy, fibrosis, and necrosis represent a substrate for arrhythmias, especially when combined with exercise. Indeed, AAS use has been shown to change physiological cardiac remodeling of athletes to pathophysiological cardiac hypertrophy with an increased risk of life-threatening arrhythmias

Winter Greenhouse Tomato Cultivation : Matching Leaf Pruning and Supplementary Lighting for Improved Yield and Precocity

Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu CEX2019-000940-MSolar radiation entering a high-wire tomato greenhouse is mostly intercepted by the top of the crop canopy, while the role of lower leaves diminishes with age, turning them into sink organs rather than sources. Accordingly, the defoliation of basal leaves is a widely applied agronomic practice in high-wire greenhouse cultivation management. However, the recent increase in the application of supplemental light emitting diode (LED) lighting for high-density tomato production may affect the role of basal leaves, promoting their source role for fruit development and growth. The present research aims to explore the application of supplementary LED lighting on Solanum lycopersicum cv. Siranzo in the Mediterranean area during the cold season in combination with two regimes of basal defoliation. The defoliation factors consisted of the early removal of the leaves (R) right under the developing truss before the fruit turning stage and a non-removal (NR) during the entire cultivation cycle. The lighting factors consisted of an artificial LED lighting treatment with red and blue diodes for 16 h d−1 (h 8-00) with an intensity of 180 µmol s−1 m−2 (RB) and a control cultivated under natural light only (CK). The results demonstrated a great effect of the supplemental LED light, which increased the total yield (+118%), favoring fruit setting (+46%) and faster ripening (+60%) regardless of defoliation regimes, although the increased energy prices hinder the economic viability of the technology. Concerning fruit quality, defoliation significantly reduced the soluble solid content, while it increased the acidity when combined with natural light

Influenza Virus Infections in Cats

In the past, cats were considered resistant to influenza. Today, we know that they are susceptible to some influenza A viruses (IAVs) originating in other species. Usually, the outcome is only subclinical infection or a mild fever. However, outbreaks of feline disease caused by canine H3N2 IAV with fever, tachypnoea, sneezing, coughing, dyspnoea and lethargy are occasionally noted in shelters. In one such outbreak, the morbidity rate was 100% and the mortality rate was 40%. Recently, avian H7N2 IAV infection occurred in cats in some shelters in the USA, inducing mostly mild respiratory disease. Furthermore, cats are susceptible to experimental infection with the human H3N2 IAV that caused the pandemic in 1968. Several studies indicated that cats worldwide could be infected by H1N1 IAV during the subsequent human pandemic in 2009. In one shelter, severe cases with fatalities were noted. Finally, the highly pathogenic avian H5N1 IAV can induce a severe, fatal disease in cats, and can spread via cat-to-cat contact. In this review, the Advisory Board on Cat Diseases (ABCD), a scientifically independent board of experts in feline medicine from 11 European countries, summarises current data regarding the aetiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical picture, diagnostics, and control of feline IAV infections, as well as the zoonotic risks

Synthesis, Self-Assembly and In Vitro Cellular Uptake Kinetics of Nanosized Drug Carriers Based on Aggregates of Amphiphilic Oligomers of N-Vinyl-2-pyrrolidone

Development of nanocarrier-based drug delivery systems is a major breakthrough in pharmacology, promising targeted delivery and reduction in drug toxicity. On the cellular level, encapsulation of a drug substantially affects the endocytic processes due to nanocarrier–membrane interaction. In this study we synthesized and characterized nanocarriers assembled from amphiphilic oligomers of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone with a terminal thiooctadecyl group (PVP-OD). It was found that the dissolution free energy of PVP-OD depends linearly on the molecular mass of its hydrophilic part up to [Formula: see text] = 2 × 10(4), leading to an exponential dependence of critical aggregation concentration (CAC) on the molar mass. A model hydrophobic compound (DiI dye) was loaded into the nanocarriers and exhibited slow release into the aqueous phase on a scale of 18 h. Cellular uptake of the loaded nanocarriers and that of free DiI were compared in vitro using glioblastoma (U87) and fibroblast (CRL2429) cells. While the uptake of both DiI/PVP-OD nanocarriers and free DiI was inhibited by dynasore, indicating a dynamin-dependent endocytic pathway as a major mechanism, a decrease in the uptake rate of free DiI was observed in the presence of wortmannin. This suggests that while macropinocytosis plays a role in the uptake of low-molecular components, this pathway might be circumvented by incorporation of DiI into nanocarriers

Something old, someting new : Update of the 2009 and 2013 ABCD guidelines on prevention and management of feline infectious diseases

OVERVIEW: The ABCD has published 34 guidelines in two Special Issues of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (JFMS): the first in July 2009 (Volume 11, Issue 7, pages 527-620) and the second in July 2013 (Volume 15, Issue 7, pages 528-652). The present article contains updates and new information on 18 of these (17 disease guidelines and one special article 'Prevention of infectious diseases in cat shelters'). For detailed information, readers are referred to the guidelines published in the above-mentioned JFMS Special Issues