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This experiment investigated the effects of an ecologically relevant level of dim light at night (dLAN) on behavior, physiology and fat metabolism associated gene expressions in central and peripheral tissues of adult male zebra finches that were hatched and raised in 12:12 h LD cycle (Ev, day = 150 ± 5 lx; Ev, night = 0 lx) at 22 ± 2 °C temperature. Half of the birds (n = 8) were maintained on LD cycle and temperature, as before (control), to the other half of birds the 12 h dark period was dimly illuminated at ~ 5 lx (dim light at night, dLAN; Ev, day = 150 ± 5 lx; Ev, night = ~ 5 lx) for 6 weeks. The exposure to dLAN altered the 24 h activity and feeding patterns with enhanced activity and feeding at night. Birds under dLAN fattened and gained weight, and had higher night glucose levels. Concurrently, a negative effect of dLAN was found on mRNA expression of ppar-alpha and cd36 genes involved in the fat metabolism in the hypothalamus, intestine, liver and muscle. These results suggest a more global effect of dLAN exposure on obesity and perhaps long-term health risks due to obesity-related complications to diurnal animals including humans inhabiting an urbanized environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lighting is considered one of the physical key factors of environmental ergonomics in the workplace. The primary role of this factor is to maintain well-being at the workplace, increase productivity, and efficiency, and significantly influence visibility and visual conditions during task execution. To ensure the successful performance of manufacturing activities, it is essential to correctly set the lighting-technical parameters, particularly for areas involving visual tasks. This paper addresses this issue using a simulation program. The introduction of the paper describes the theoretical aspects of lighting conditions at the visual task area for proper subsequent interpretation of the conducted analysis. The second part details the execution of in-situ illumination intensity measurements, based on which a digital model of the real workplace is created. In the digital model, the characteristics of the lighting system, including a combined analysis of illumination intensity and uniformity, are examined. Additionally, within the virtual environment, luminance and glare are analyzed using the Unified Glare Rating (UGR) parameter. The conclusion of the paper evaluates the analyzed parameters to ensure suitable work performance during visual tasks, with an emphasis on reducing occupational health risks for employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal plants accommodated by understory habitats can easily suffer over-exploitation in the heavy harvest of natural products. It is necessary to develop a sustainable cultural protocol to provide high-quality stocks for efficient regeneration. Drought places stress on medicinal plants during their culture by limiting new sprout growth and reducing the quality of medicinal extracts. Artificial mediating approaches should be considered in a sustainable regime of medicinal plant culture to test the potential tradeoff between resistance to drought and production ability. In this study, Rabdosia rubescens seedlings were raised in three light-emitting diode (LED) spectra from red (71.7% red, 14.6% green, 13.7% blue), green (26.2% red, 17.4% green, 56.4% blue), and blue (17.8% red, 33.7% green, 48.5% blue) lights. Mown seedlings were subjected to a simulated drought event. Drought stressed the seedlings by reducing the growth, dry mass, nitrogen (N) uptake, and oridonin content. Mowing increased the oridonin content but decreased total C and N accumulation and the δ13C level. The red light benefitted starch accumulation only under the well-watered condition, and the green light induced an upregulation of δ13C but decreased antioxidant activity. Oridonin content was negatively associated with combined δ13C and catalase activity. Overall, either mowing or blue light can be recommended for the culture of R. rubescens to increase oridonin content, alleviating some of the negative consequences of drought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the connections between darkness and sustainability, particularly in contemporary night environments, and the needs of various species. Artificial light plays a vital role in shaping the aesthetics of today's nightscapes. For humans, illumination during night-time serves both practical purposes after sunset and enhances the aesthetic appeal of the night. However, this same artificial lighting poses disturbances to other species. Consequently, using artificial light at night is a significant issue in discussing a sustainable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Folia Pomeranae Universitatis Technologiae Stetinensis Agricultura Alimentaria Piscaria et Zootechnica is the property of West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In recent years, various applications for algae-based ß-1,3-glucans have been postulated, including animal feed and human nutrition. Chrysolaminarin is a ß-1,3–1,6-glucan produced by diatoms such as Phaeodactylum tricornutum for energy storage. It is accumulated under nutrient-depleted cultivation conditions. In this study, the production of chrysolaminarin in artificially illuminated scalable flat panel airlift photobioreactors (FPA) was investigated by using P. tricornutum in a two-stage production process. In the growth stage primarily biomass is produced, and the subsequent nitrogen-depleted stage induces the accumulation of chrysolaminarin. Three P. tricornutum strains (SAG 1090-1a, SAG 1090-1b, SAG 1090–6) were cultured at laboratory scale in 6 L-FPA reactors under controlled light conditions to characterize the process and identify a production strain. The chrysolaminarin content of the algae strains was analysed and additionally their contents of eicosapentaenoic acid and fucoxanthin, both of which could be involved in a possible co-production. Strain SAG 1090-1b exhibited the highest biomass productivity and chrysolaminarin content (317 ± 9 mg gDW−1) after nitrogen depletion, and thus stood out as the most suitable for chrysolaminarin production in a two-stage process. A co-production of the three compounds is possible. However, during nitrogen depletion there occurred trade-offs between the compounds. As chrysolaminarin was produced, the amount of fucoxanthin in the culture stagnated or even decreased depending on the selected strain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medicinal plants accommodated by understory habitats can easily suffer over-exploitation in the heavy harvest of natural products. It is necessary to develop a sustainable cultural protocol to provide high-quality stocks for efficient regeneration. Drought places stress on medicinal plants during their culture by limiting new sprout growth and reducing the quality of medicinal extracts. Artificial mediating approaches should be considered in a sustainable regime of medicinal plant culture to test the potential tradeoff between resistance to drought and production ability. In this study, Rabdosia rubescens seedlings were raised in three light-emitting diode (LED) spectra from red (71.7% red, 14.6% green, 13.7% blue), green (26.2% red, 17.4% green, 56.4% blue), and blue (17.8% red, 33.7% green, 48.5% blue) lights. Mown seedlings were subjected to a simulated drought event. Drought stressed the seedlings by reducing the growth, dry mass, nitrogen (N) uptake, and oridonin content. Mowing increased the oridonin content but decreased total C and N accumulation and the δ13C level. The red light benefitted starch accumulation only under the well-watered condition, and the green light induced an upregulation of δ13C but decreased antioxidant activity. Oridonin content was negatively associated with combined δ13C and catalase activity. Overall, either mowing or blue light can be recommended for the culture of R. rubescens to increase oridonin content, alleviating some of the negative consequences of drought.

The development of tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L., variety Bonsai) under illumination with various LED lamps was studied. Four illumination options—warm white (WW) as control, solar box (SB), red–green–blue (RGB), and red–blue (FS)—were used in the experiment. They were characterized by different combinations of blue (B), green (G), and red (R) proportions in the spectrum: 14% B : 48% G : 38% R (WW), 26% B : 41% G : 33% R (SB), 32% B : 19% G : 49% R (RGB), 27% B : 11% G : 62% R (FS). The photon flux density was 150 μmol quanta/(m 2 s). It was found that the difference in the R : G : B ratio in the spectra did not affect the accumulation of raw and dry mass of the aboveground parts and roots and the water and dry matter content in the green parts of plants. However, significant differences in the structure of the stomatal apparatus were found depending on the ratio of the main wavelengths (R : G : B) in the spectrum. The density of stomata distribution on the underside of the leaf was the highest in plants under WW conditions and the lowest in plants under FS conditions; the spectral composition of the latter was characterized by a decrease in the proportion of green illumination by 4 times and an increase in the proportions of red and blue illumination by almost two times. As expected, the size of stomatal guard cells was the largest in plants under FS conditions and the smallest in plants under WW conditions. The values for plants grown under RGB and SB were intermediate between minimum (WW) and maximum (FS) values. The response of plants to an increase or decrease in the proportions of the main wavelengths (R : G : B) in the spectrum in the range of 20–30% was flexible and did not affect changes in habitus but promoted acclimation to uncomfortable conditions through physiological parameters. It is concluded that a large proportion of green in the spectrum can have a certain effect on the accumulation of water and dry matter in the aboveground parts of plants and the structure of the stomatal apparatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial light at night (ALAN) has emerged as a prevalent anthropogenic stressor in many aquatic ecosystems impacting a wide range of taxa and ecological processes. In fishes, ALAN attracts both predators and prey, potentially resulting in increased predation mortality and sublethal impacts. Increased predation mortality is especially problematic in anadromous fishes, given that many populations are diminished and out‐migrating juveniles must transit illuminated waterways. Additionally, ALAN management is complex, because lighting benefits human safety, economies, and recreational pursuits. The Sundial Bridge (Redding, CA) is an iconic illuminated structure that spans a section of the little remaining spawning habitat of the endangered winter‐run Chinook Salmon. It was hypothesized that bridge ALAN increased Rainbow Trout predation of winter‐run fry, and a lighting management plan was implemented. However, ALAN impacts on this predator–prey interaction and species‐specific responses were unknown. Therefore, we used tethered salmonid fry and ARIS sonar cameras to determine whether variable ALAN treatments (0%, 25%, 50%, and 100% intensity) altered Rainbow Trout density (RTD) and fry predation risk, while investigating the temporal relationships of RTD with ALAN. ALAN significantly increased RTD on river right when any amount of ALAN was present, potentially leading to competition and fitness consequences; RTD did not change significantly in response to ALAN on river left. Although RTD generally increased in response to ALAN, salmonid fry predation was almost nonexistent. Therefore, while ALAN may decrease out‐migrant survival in other waterways, there was no evidence at our study site. Furthermore, the discrepancies between riverbanks demonstrate the complexity of ALAN and how it interacts with other environmental parameters potentially providing optimal foraging habitat. The Rainbow Trout attraction to ALAN, which occurred immediately with diminishing ambient light, indicates that complete ALAN removal may be necessary to mitigate ecological consequences of ALAN. When removal is unrealistic, ALAN should be diminished as early in the night as possible to minimize aquatic ecosystem impacts, while maintaining benefits for human populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Artificial light at night (ALAN) has emerged as a prevalent anthropogenic stressor in many aquatic ecosystems impacting a wide range of taxa and ecological processes. In fishes, ALAN attracts both predators and prey, potentially resulting in increased predation mortality and sublethal impacts. Increased predation mortality is especially problematic in anadromous fishes, given that many populations are diminished and out‐migrating juveniles must transit illuminated waterways. Additionally, ALAN management is complex, because lighting benefits human safety, economies, and recreational pursuits. The Sundial Bridge (Redding, CA) is an iconic illuminated structure that spans a section of the little remaining spawning habitat of the endangered winter‐run Chinook Salmon. It was hypothesized that bridge ALAN increased Rainbow Trout predation of winter‐run fry, and a lighting management plan was implemented. However, ALAN impacts on this predator–prey interaction and species‐specific responses were unknown. Therefore, we used tethered salmonid fry and ARIS sonar cameras to determine whether variable ALAN treatments (0%, 25%, 50%, and 100% intensity) altered Rainbow Trout density (RTD) and fry predation risk, while investigating the temporal relationships of RTD with ALAN. ALAN significantly increased RTD on river right when any amount of ALAN was present, potentially leading to competition and fitness consequences; RTD did not change significantly in response to ALAN on river left. Although RTD generally increased in response to ALAN, salmonid fry predation was almost nonexistent. Therefore, while ALAN may decrease out‐migrant survival in other waterways, there was no evidence at our study site. Furthermore, the discrepancies between riverbanks demonstrate the complexity of ALAN and how it interacts with other environmental parameters potentially providing optimal foraging habitat. The Rainbow Trout attraction to ALAN, which occurred immediately with diminishing ambient light, indicates that complete ALAN removal may be necessary to mitigate ecological consequences of ALAN. When removal is unrealistic, ALAN should be diminished as early in the night as possible to minimize aquatic ecosystem impacts, while maintaining benefits for human populations.

Victory onion (Allium victorialis) is an edible vegetation that has significant value as a non-structural carbohydrate and secondary metabolite supplier. Easily measured leaf variables will be useful to predict for the flexible adjustment of physiochemical parameters in a cultural regime in plant factory conditions. Red, green, and blue light-emitting diode (LED) spectra were used to culture victory onion sprouts. Compared to the green-light spectrum, the red-light spectrum promoted leaf width and area, specific leaf area, and dry mass, water content, fine root growth, and starch accumulation in shoots, but lowered concentrations of total flavonoids and saponins. Sprouts had their shoots cut, but there were limited interactive effects with light spectra on most variables. In general, shoot-cutting depressed growth of leaf morphology, shoot weight, water content, and soluble sugar content, but enhanced accumulation of secondary metabolites. We did not find any relationship between leaf variables and secondary metabolites. Instead, wider leaves with a larger area generally had greater dry mass, water content, and soluble sugar accumulation. Leaves with deeper green colours generally had the opposite effects.

Copyright of Przestrzeń Urbanistyka Architektura is the property of Cracow University of Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Spirulina is blue-green algae that grows mainly in tropical and subtropical lakes and is commonly used due to its nutritional features including high concentrations of protein, vitamins, mineral salts, carotenoids and antioxidants. This study aimed to investigate the anti-hypercholesterolemic potential of aqueous extract of Spirulina platensis cultivated in different colored flasks under artificial illumination; in vitro and in the diet induced hypercholesterolemic Swiss albino mice. Methods: Spirulina platensis was cultivated in red, blue, green and colorless Erlenmeyer flasks containing Zarrouk's medium under aerobic conditions, with incessant illumination by artificial cool white fluorescent with light intensity of 2500 lux (35 µmol photon m-2 s-1). Chlorophyll a and total carotenoid contents were estimated using colorimetric methods, fatty acids composition was determined by GC-Mass, in vitro and in vivo anti-cholesterol assays were used in assessing the anti-hypercholesterolemia potential of obtained Spirulina cells. Results: The results showed that the highest cell dry weight, chlorophyl a, and carotenoid of S. platensis were observed in colorless flasks and that the lowest values were recorded with the green colored flasks. Also, the hot water extract of S. platensis obtained from colorless flasks at a concentration of 15 mg/mL after 60 min of incubation exhibited the greatest reduction of cholesterol level. Gas chromatographymass spectrometry analysis of S. platensis methanolic extract showed 15 bioactive compounds were identified and grouped according to their chemical structures. An experimental model of hypercholesterolemic mice had been examined for impact of S. platensis individually and combined with atorvastatin drug. All S. platensis groups resulted in a remarkable decrease in plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein; and increase in high density lipoprotein. Conclusion: The present study concluded that the hot aqueous extract of S. platensis developed in colorless flasks is recommended as a natural source for bioactive compounds, with anti-cholesterol and antioxidant potentialities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fast urbanization and population increase resulted in the demand for ornamental seedling supply in a high efficiency under the culture of continuous artificial lighting. Light emitting diode (LED) can be considered as the replacement of high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps by providing lights with specific wavelengths for plant growth at low energy cost. In this study, nutrient use efficiency was detected in Podocarpus macrophyllus seedlings under lighting spectra generated by white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) (red (R)/green (G)/blue (B)=8.4:75:16.6) and high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps (R/G/B/=4.3:69.3:26.5). Compared to seedlings under the HPS spectrum, those under white LED spectrum had better growth, greater biomass accumulation, higher photosynthesis and gas exchange. In contrast, LED-spectrum treated seedlings had greater nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contents than HPS-spectrum treated ones. The LED spectrum promoted nutrient use index for both N and P in seedlings compared to the HPS spectrum. The LED spectrum induced steady-state uptake of P but resulted in the dilution of N. In conclusion, white LED can be considered to replace the usage of HPS lamps for the culture of tree seedlings due to the spectrum effect on N utilization, P uptake and the use efficiencies of N and P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (L.), larvae have attracted increasing attention because of their high capacity for bioconversion of diverse organic material into high-quality protein and lipids. Although previous studies have focused on optimization of breeding conditions, such as the acceptance of substrates, and temperatures and moisture contents, little is known about light-dependent adult development. Artificial light sources are important to commercial H. illucens breeding, especially at latitudes with short days in autumn and winter months. We examined how 3,000, 4,000, and 6,500 K color temperatures affect aspects of oviposition. Mating occurred under all of the broad spectrum light-emitting diode panels, resulting in fertilized egg clusters. Oviposition lasted up to 15 d, while the shortest oviposition period, in the 3,000 K light treatment, was 2 d. Total oviposition performance and oviposition period were not affected by the light treatments. Oviposition peaked 1–7 d after eggs were first deposited. The time until oviposition peaked was positively correlated with increasing color temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus [Ruprecht & Maximowicz] Maximowicz is an important understory species as well as a source of natural products in Asia. The natural source of Eleuthero has been over exploited for pharmacological use, but the manual restoration to rehabilitate its natural distribution has not yet been established. The root is one of the main underground organs in Eleuthero for the acquisition of pharmaceutical ingredients. Root growth also determines the seedling quality of this species for ecological restoration. In this study, Eleuthero seedlings were cultured for one growing cycle with chitosan oligosaccharide (CO) addition at rates of 0 and 25 ppm under artificial lightings by high-pressure sodium (HPS) lamps and two light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with photosynthetic photon flux density set to 94±5 μmol m-2. Light spectra of red (R): green (G): blue (B) ratios were measured to be 43.7:54.6:1.7, 43.8:47:9.2, and 72.7:13.3:14 for the HPS, LED-1, and LED-2 treatments, respectively. In autumn, no interactive effect was found between CO addition and light spectra treatments on any root parameters. Compared to the HPS treatment, the LED-1 treatment resulted in a greater root dry weight and morphology by over 30%. The CO addition caused an increase of root growth by 40-70%. Fine roots in diameter between 0-0.4 mm were the main root part that contributed to the length, surface area, and root tip number. Therefore, LED lighting with the R/G/B spectrum of 43.8:47:9.2 was suggested for the culture of Eleuthero seedlings with the purpose of promoting dry weight and morphology of fine roots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pacific hake (Merluccius productus) midwater trawl fishery is the largest groundfish fishery off the U.S. West Coast by volume. Catches comprise mainly Pacific hake, however, bycatch of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) can be an issue affecting the fishery as Endangered Species Act (ESA) listed Evolutionarily Significant Units represent a portion of the total Chinook salmon bycatch. We conducted two separate experiments evaluating the influence of artificial illumination on Chinook salmon behavior and their escapement out a bycatch reduction device (BRD) in a Pacific hake midwater trawl. In Experiment 1, we tested whether Chinook salmon could be attracted out specific escape windows of a BRD equipped with multiple escape windows using artificial illumination. In Experiment 2, we compared Chinook salmon escapement rates out of the BRD between tows conducted with and without artificial illumination to determine if illumination can enhance their escapement. Our results show that artificial illumination can influence where Chinook salmon exit out of the BRD, but also demonstrate that illumination can be used to enhance their escapement overall. As conservation of ESA-listed Chinook salmon is an ongoing management priority, our research contributes new information on how artificial illumination can minimize adverse interactions between the Pacific hake fishery and Chinook salmon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial illumination at night represents an increasingly concerning threat to ecosystems worldwide, altering persistence, behaviour, physiology and fitness of many organisms and their mutual interactions, in the long-term affecting ecosystem functioning. Bats are very sensitive to artificial light at night because they are obligate nocturnal and feed on insects which are often also responsive to lights. Here we tested the effects of LED lighting on prey-predator interactions at riverine ecosystems, using bats and their insect prey as models, and compared bat and insect reactions in terms of bat activity and prey insect abundance and diversity, respectively, on artificially lit vs. unlit nights. Artificial light influenced both insect and bat assemblages in taxon-specific directions: insect abundances increased at lit sites, particularly due to an increase in small dipterans near the light source. Composition of insect assemblages also differed significantly between lit and unlit sites. Total bat activity declined at lit sites, but this change was mainly due to the response of the most abundant species, Myotis daubentonii , while opportunistic species showed no reaction or even an opposite pattern (Pipistrellus kuhlii). We show that artificial lighting along rivers may affect trophic interactions between bats and insects, resulting in a profound alteration of community structure and dynamics. Image 1 • Artificial lighting may fragment watercourses putting an obstacle to bat movement. • Photopositive insects may fall victim to light-tolerant bats along lit rivers. • Light-averse bats reduce activity as a direct effect of lighting, not prey decrease. • Lighting is widespread along rivers and may alter ecosystem services bats provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The spatial illuminance distribution interferes in the commercial production of eggs and electric energy consumption, being considered the second major source of costs in the production chain. Therefore, in this study the objective was to evaluate the spatial distribution of the illuminance level and electric energy consumption in two commercial aviaries for egg production. The first aviary was equipped with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and the second, with light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. The illuminances in the aviaries were analyzed using descriptive statistics and their spatial distribution through geostatistics. It was found that the aviary equipped with CFL showed better uniformity in the illuminances distribution and better results in attending the luminance levels of 5 lux. On the other hand, the one equipped with LED lamps showed electric energy consumption 43.52% less than the one equipped with compact fluorescent lamps (CFL).

In 1798, Karl August Böttiger paid a nocturnal visit to the Gallery of Antiques in Dresden, illuminating the statues with a torch. At first glance, this seems to be yet another example of a popular practice for visiting galleries c.1800. Illuminating the sculptures by torchlight was a popular means of enlivening the objects, set in motion by the light flickering on their surfaces. The collections were thus meant to become a place where cold, white stone comes to life, and where the beholder becomes part of a revived antiquity.This was precisely what Böttiger intended, too. But to him, the effect of the torchlight appeared to be, as he wrote, “enlivening and – dividing!” The torchlight highlighted not only the beauty of the sculptures but also their modern restorations. Böttiger apparently failed to experience the living presence of the antique celebrated by many of his contemporaries (e.g. Goethe, Moritz).This essay focuses on the consequence of such a perception of sculptures as historically multi-layered objects. Böttiger’s experience resulted in a problematic situation. In trying to view the sculptures as contemporaries, he hoped to become ancient himself. But this operation failed in the moment when the sculptures themselves appeared to be anachronistic, impure palimpsests. In consequence, galleries may not only be the place were art history as chronological Stilgeschichte was born. They may also be the site where this perception changed into the experience of a more chaotic shape of time.

We examined how catches of ocean shrimp (Pandalus jordani), eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus), and juvenile groundfish could be affected by altering the level of artificial illumination along the fishing line of an ocean shrimp trawl. In the ocean shrimp trawl fishery, catches of eulachon are of special concern, as the species' southern Distinct Population Segment is listed as "threatened" under the US Endangered Species Act. Using a double-rigged trawl vessel, with one trawl illuminated and the other unilluminated, we compared the catch efficiencies for ocean shrimp, eulachon, and juvenile groundfish between an unilluminated trawl and trawls illuminated with 5, 10, and 20 LED fishing lights along their fishing line. The addition of artificial illumination along the trawl fishing line significantly affected the average catch efficiency for eulachon, rockfish (Sebastes spp.), and flatfish, with the three LED configurations each catching significantly fewer individuals than the unilluminated trawl without impacting ocean shrimp catches. For Pacific hake (Merluccius productus), the ten LED-configured trawl caught significantly more fish than the unilluminated trawl. For the five and 20 LED configurations, mean Pacific hake catches did not differ from the unilluminated trawl. This study contributes new data on how artificial illumination can affect eulachon catches (and other fish) and contribute to their conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To determine the spectral transmission of contact lenses (CLs), with and without an ultraviolet (UV) filter to evaluate their capacity for protection under UV radiation from artificial illumination (incandescent, fluorescent, xenon (Xe) lamps, or white LEDs (light-emitting diode)).Methods: The transmission curves of nine soft CLs were obtained by using a PerkinElmer Lambda 35 UV-vis spectrophotometer. A CIE standard was used for the emission spectra of incandescent and fluorescent lamps, and Xe lamps and white LEDs were measured by using an International Light Technologies ILT-950 spectroradiometer.Results: Five of the nine soft CLs analysed state that they incorporate UV filters, but the other four do not specify anything in this regard. The spectral transmission of all the CLs studied is excellent in the visible region. The CLs with UV filters filter out this radiation more or less effectively. Xe lamps emit a part in the UV region. Incandescent, fluorescent and white LEDs do not emit at all in the UV.Conclusions: Incorporating UV filters is important when the illumination is from a Xe lamp since this light source emits in the UV region. This, however, does not occur with incandescent and fluorescent lamps or white LEDs. The CLs that do incorporate UV filters meet all the standard requirements that the U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) has for UV-blocking CLs Class II (OcularScience, CooperVision and Neolens), and AcuvueMoist and HydronActifresh400 even comply with the stricter Class I. The CLs without UV filters let UVA, UVB and even some UVC through. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased generation of electrical energy from renewable sources leads to variations in production accompanied by high price volatility. The use of surplus capacities for the artificial illumination of greenhouse crops would increase yield while enabling electricity to be purchased at low prices. This, however, requires the frequent turning on and off of lamps, and may affect circadian rhythm. A daily dark phase of six hours is recommended for the tomato. Can this phase be split? To determine this, a greenhouse experiment was conducted with artificial light added continuously or intermittently to adult tomato plants at night while guaranteeing a daily total dark phase of seven hours. Interrupting the dark phase did not affect tomato growth or yield, even though the light-induced circadian clock must have been significantly affected. However, due to the thermal energy supplied by lamps, the air temperature in the greenhouse was significantly higher during light phases than dark phases, which may precondition the plant tolerance to the subdivided night. The findings suggest it would be worthwhile conducing further research into the use of volatile energy for greenhouse crop production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daylight offers visual comfort and a healthy environment inside buildings. However, factors like changing sky luminance patterns, occupant behaviour influenced by age and eyesight, daily activity schedule, building location and orientation, building plan, interior design and other socioeconomic factors influence the requirement of artificial illumination during daytime. Therefore to understand the causes in greater detail, a primary survey of 707 households belonging to different housing typologies like bungalows, duplexes, twin houses, row houses and apartments of the linear and angular forms was carried out in the study site. To calculate the hours of low natural illumination within a room, LOWLUX, a MATLAB based code has been developed. Sky classification for the site was done based upon the ‘all weather model’ by Perez. As revealed from the primary survey, factors identified as important in influencing artificial lighting during daytime are sky conditions, age, work hours, education, income and housing typology. A binary logistic regression applied to the database to predict whether people would switch on a light at daytime in the living room, revealed that the need was least in the Angular apartments and highest in the Bungalows. A similar model for kitchen revealed highest daytime artificial illumination requirement for duplexes with lowest for angular apartments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an ever more artificially illuminated world, common moth behaviour, flight-to-light, causes declines in their abundance and diversity that can have severe impacts on ecosystems. To test if it is possible to reduce the number of moths attracted to artificially illuminated objects, the original lighting of 15 cultural heritage buildings in Slovenia was substituted with blue or yellow lighting. These three illumination types differed in the amount of luminance, percentage of UV and short-wavelength light which are known to affect flight-to-light of moths. During our three-year field study approximately 20% of all known moth species in Slovenia were recorded. The blue and yellow illumination type attracted up to six times less specimens and up to four times less species compared to the original illumination type. This was true for all detected moths as well as within separate moth groups. This gives our study a high conservation value: usage of alternative, environmentally more acceptable illumination can greatly reduce the number of moths attracted to artificially illuminated objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several environmental and sensor effects make the determination of the wavelength position of absorption features in the visible near infrared (VNIR) (400-1200 nm) from hyperspectral imagery more difficult than from nonimaging spectrometers. To evaluate this, we focus on the ferric iron crystal field absorption, located at about 900 nm (F900), because it is impacted by both environmental and sensor effects. The consistency with which the wavelength position of F900 can be determined from imagery acquired in laboratory and field settings is evaluated under artificial and natural illumination, respectively. The wavelength position of F900, determined from laboratory imagery, is also evaluated as an indicator of the proportion of goethite in mixtures of crushed rock. Results are compared with those from a high-resolution field spectrometer. Images describing the wavelength position of F900 showed large amounts of spatial variability and contained an artifact-a consistent shift in the wavelength position of F900 to longer wavelengths. These effects were greatly reduced or removed when wavelength position was determined from a polynomial fit to the data, enabling wavelength position to be used to map hematite and goethite in samples of ore and on a vertical surface (a mine face). The wavelength position of F900 from a polynomial fit was strongly positively correlated with the proportion of goethite (R2=0.97). Taken together, these findings indicate that the wavelength position of absorption features from VNIR imagery should be determined from a polynomial (or equivalent) fit to the original data and not from the original data themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For determining the effect of illumination on nutrient removal in an artificial food web (AFW) system, we launched a pilot continuous-flow system. The system consisted of a storage basin, a phytoplankton growth chamber, and a zooplankton growth chamber. A 25,000 Lux AFW-light emitting diode (LED) on system and an AFW-LED off system were separately operated for 10 days. In the AFW-LED on system, the maximum chlorophyll-a concentration of the phytoplankton chamber was four times higher than that of the AFW-LED off system. With artificial nighttime illumination, the microalgae became both smaller and more nutritious; the microalgae became high quality food for the zooplankton, Daphnia magna. Consequently, this zooplankton became more efficient at extracting nutrients and grew more densely than in the AFW-LED off system condition. In the LED-on condition, the amounts of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) flowing into the system for 10 days were 84.7 g and 20.4 g, and the amounts flowing out were 19.5 g (23%) and 4.0 g (20%), respectively. In contrast, in the LED-off condition, 83.8 g and 20.6 g of TN and TP flowed into the system while 38.8 g (46%) and 6.8 g (33%) flowed out, respectively. Artificial illumination significantly improves the removal rate of nutrients in an AFW system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]