Search

Background: Understanding the dynamics of airborne microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in space life support systems is important because potential pathogens and antibiotic resistance pose a health risk to crew that can lead to mission failure. There have been few reports on the distribution patterns of microbiomes and ARGs in space life support systems. In particular, there have been no detailed investigations of microbiomes and/or antibiotic resistance based on molecular methods in long-term confined bioregenerative life support systems (BLSSs). Therefore, in the present study, we collected air dust samples from two crew shifts, different areas, and different time points in the "Lunar Palace 365" experiment. We evaluated microbial diversity, species composition, functional potential, and antibiotic resistance by combining cultivation-independent analyses (amplicon, shot-gun sequencing, and qPCR). Results: We found that the bacterial community diversity in the Lunar Palace1 (LP1) system was higher than that in a controlled environment but lower than that in an open environment. Personnel exchange led to significant differences in bacterial community diversity, and source tracking analysis revealed that most bacteria in the air derived from the cabin crew and plants, but no differences in microbial function or antibiotic resistance were observed. Thus, human presence had the strongest effect on the succession of microbial diversity in the BLSSs. Conclusions: Our results highlight that microbial diversity in BLSSs is heavily influenced by changes in crew and is unique from other open and controlled environments. Our findings can be used to help develop safe, enclosed BLSS that meet the requirements of human survival and habitation in outer space. In addition, our results can further enhance our understanding of the indoor air microbial community and effectively maintain a safe working and living environment, including plant growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational urban spatial development with durable structural capital entails discontinuous central densification. Such densification can be held back by interdependent redevelopment incentives among adjacent landowners—a market failure that distorts spatial development. We investigate such distortion in Christchurch, New Zealand, by studying land‐value change across neighborhoods in the city before and after the 2010‐2011 earthquakes. We show that neighborhood‐wide loss in structural capital due to seismic hazard exposure raised land value in central neighborhoods but reduced it in non‐central ones. These divergent land‐value changes reflect the mitigation of spatial‐development distortion because of reduced barriers to neighborhood redevelopment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The general public spends one-third of its time under artificial lighting, which lacks bands beneficial to human health, and long-term exposure will have a negative impact on bone health. Here, we report the effects of long-term, low-dose ultraviolet (UV) supplementation to white light-emitting diode (LED) light exposure on intestinal microorganisms and bone metabolism, as well as the correlations between the two. Normal and ovariectomized rats were irradiated with LED white light with or without supplementation with UV. The effects of UV supplementation on the intestinal flora and the relationship between the intestinal flora and bone were investigated by measuring the intestinal flora, bone metabolism markers, and bone histomorphology. UV supplementation affected the bone density and bone mass by changing the relative content of Firmicutes, Saccharibacteria, and Proteobacteria; however, the intestinal flora were not the only factors affecting bone. Ultraviolet supplementation changed the composition and function of the gut flora in the bone loss model. By increasing the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids and affecting immunomodulatory, intestinal flora directly or indirectly regulate the activity of osteoclasts and thus mediate UV-mediated improvements in bone metabolism. Our work shows that UV supplementation affects bone density by influencing the intestinal flora, introducing a novel strategy to develop healthier artificial light sources and prevent bone loss. Key points: • We measured the bone metabolism markers and bone histomorphometry of rats. • The diversity, composition, and function of intestinal flora were analyzed. • The relationship between gut microbiota and host bone physiology was analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plants have evolved various strategies for assembling rhizosphere microbiota in response to abiotic stressors. However, our understanding of rhizosphere bacterial community assembly and function under microgravity conditions is limited, especially when soil serves as the growth substrate. Here, using microgravity analogs, we compared the bacterial communities in both the rhizosphere and bulk soil of wheat plants grown in soil under normal gravity and simulated microgravity conditions through 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Our results revealed a decrease in rhizosphere bacterial diversity and an increase in the relative abundance of plant pathogens under simulated microgravity. Furthermore, simulated microgravity amplifies the contribution of deterministic processes in the assembly of rhizosphere bacterial communities and promotes functional redistribution of rhizosphere bacteria. To validate the roles of rhizosphere-enriched bacteria, we generated a synthetic microbial community (SynCom) of Methylorubrum extorquens NCIMB 9399 , Paracoccus marcusii MH1 , Massilia haematophila CCUG 38318 , and Brevibacillus nitrificans DA2 , four strains isolated from the rhizosphere under simulated microgravity conditions. The SynCom exhibited significant potential in promoting plant growth and enhancing plant defense. Our study not only provides insights into plant-rhizosphere microbial symbiosis under simulated microgravity conditions, but also lays the theoretical foundation for the development of soil-based space plant growth systems and engineered microbial communities. [Display omitted] • Simulated microgravity shifted the composition of rhizosphere bacterial communities of wheat. • Rhizosphere recruited beneficial bacteria for microbial equilibrium under simulated microgravity. • Simulated microgravity promoted the reallocation of potential ecological functions in rhizobacteria. • Beneficial rhizobacteria enhanced wheat growth and defense under simulated microgravity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Our aim in this study was to isolate potentially novel strains of fowl adenovirus serotype-4 (FAdV-4) that is currently circulating in broiler chicken flocks in Guangdong Province, China, and to compare nucleotide and amino acid (AA) sequences of their respective hexon genes. Materials and Methods: The experiment was carried out on poultry farms experiencing outbreaks of FAdV-4-associated hydropericardium syndrome (HPS). Tissue samples from the hearts and livers of deceased chickens were screened for FAdV-4 infection using hexon gene-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: New virus isolates were used to infect 7-day-old chicks, which went onto reproduce typical HPS signs. The hypervariable region of the FAdV-4 hexon gene was PCR-amplified and sequenced. The hexon nucleotide and deduced AA sequence identities were 99.8-99.9% and 99.5-99.8%, respectively, among the four novel isolates. In addition, the new isolates were 97-100% and 96.4-99.9% identical to the nucleotide and deduced AA sequences, respectively, of FAdV-4 hexon genes available in the National Center for Biotechnology Information GenBank database. Phylogenetic analyses, based on the hexon gene sequence, revealed that the new isolates, clustered with FAdV-C; the FAdV-A, FAdV-B, FAdV-D, and FAdV-E viruses, were more distantly related. Conclusion: New FAdV-4 isolates from Guangdong Province are similar to those identified in other regions of the world. This information provides critical insight into HPS epidemiology and provides a perspective for monitoring outbreaks and developing strategies for disease prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Space-enclosed cabins such as space stations provide a suitable living environment for astronauts, meanwhile they also facilitate various microorganisms to breed and corrode the materials' surfaces. To effectively prevent and control the microbial contamination in space-closed cabins and ensure the health of the astronauts, it is necessary to develop effective and safe disinfectants. In this study, organosilicon quaternary ammonium salt(OQAS), sodium dehydroacetate (SD) and polyhexamethylene biguanidine hydrochloride(PHMB) were selected as the target disinfectants and tested on four kinds of corrosive fungi, including Cladosporium cladosporioides , Aspergillus niger , Penicillium aurantiogriseum and Cladosporium herbarum. Firstly, the mycelial growth inhibition effects of these three disinfectants on the four fungi were tested separately, and the effective concentration range of the three disinfectants were determined. Then we combined these three disinfectants to get a new highly effective and safe compound bactericides, consisting of OQAS (0.37 mg/ml), SD (0.7 mg/ml) and PHMB (0.5 mg/ml), in which the total concentrations of bactericides were 1.57 mg/ml. This study provided a new perspective for the development of safe microbial bacteriostatic agents in spacecraft. Image 1 • Elucidate the selection principles of disinfectants for the space-enclosed cabins. • Selecting out three potential ideal disinfectants for the space-enclosed cabins. • Development of a compound disinfectant for the space-enclosed cabins. • Providing a new perspective for the development of disinfectants in spacecraft. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS) provide self‐sufficient food ingredients to support long‐term manned missions. It is crucial to transform raw food ingredients that are regenerated in situ in BLSS into nutritional and delectable meals for spacecraft crews. It is in our interest to develop a dietary menu with Chinese characteristics that comprises biomass produced in situ with BLSS regenerated ingredients. RESULTS: Here we report an optimized Chinese 4‐day diet meal plan for 'Lunar Palace 1' that is nutritionally balanced and highly acceptable. The 2900 cal diet menu not only meets the requirements of a balanced diet for crews but also exceeds the recommended levels for most nutrients. Specifically, daily fresh food consumption in our meal plan is 1267 g day−1, of which 78% is provided by crops and insects regenerated in situ in the BLSS. The meal plan is highly favored by Chinese crews, with acceptability as high as 7.8–8.2 on a 9‐point hedonic scale. We further confirmed that our meal plan satisfies crews' basic nutritional needs through a 105‐day closed habitation experiment. CONCLUSION: In brief, the findings provide new insights for dietary meal plan design in future long‐term manned missions. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spectral composition of artificial light is an important environmental factor for plants cultivated in controllable environment, eg., plant factory. In an attempt to explore the influence of different spectral wavebands on leaf lettuce growth and development, a new way of light treatment with turning off the specific narrow-wavebands from the wide spectrum was established. And leaf lettuce was cultivated under different light spectra with the spectral wavebands of green (LG), yellow (LY) and purple (LP) “knockout” respectively in controllable environment. Then changes in biomass, morphological indexes, photosynthetic gas exchange, chlorophyll content and soluble sugar content of lettuce were examined. Our results revealed that, compared with plants grown under wide-spectral LED light (CK), LG treatment showed significantly reduction of fresh shoot weight at 25 days after planting (DAP) comparing to CK. LY and LP obtained obviously higher fresh shoot weight and moisture content at 15 DAP, in contrast, significantly lower ratio of root to shoot than CK. And A/Ci in LG were significantly reduced by about 33.3% and 36.1% at 20 DAP and 25 DAP respectively compared with CK. In addition, LY showed significant increases in soluble sugar content compared to other treatments at three sampling stages, while the lowest values were obtained in CK. These results indicated that green, yellow and purple light had significant regulations on the biomass, photosynthesis and soluble sugar content in lettuce, depending on the different growth period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under normal gravity conditions, endophytic bacteria, one of the key bacterial community that inhabit in plant tissues, are well-known in promoting the plant growth and health, which are essential for long-term and long-distance manned microgravity space exploration. Here, we report how the Triticum aestivum endophytic bacterial communities behave differently under the simulated microgravity conditions. We demonstrate that, under simulated microgravity conditions, the microbial diversity in wheat seedling leaf increases while that in root decreases, compared to that cultivated under normal gravity conditions. We found that the dominant bacteria genus such as Pseudomonas , Paenibacillus and Bacillus significantly changes with gravity. The findings of this study provide important insight for space research, especially in terms of the Triticum aestivum cultivation in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant disease control and prevention in microgravity are critical for space plant cultivation. This study investigated the effects of a biocontrol bacterium Pseudochrobactrum kiredjianiae A4 on growth development and antifungal potential of wheat seedlings under simulated microgravity. The growth, antioxidant status and plant immune hormone of both non-infected and infected wheat seedlings were detected before and after inoculation of A4 strains under simulated microgravity condition (μG) and ground condition (1G). Our results showed that bacteria A4 promoted wheat growth by increasing root length and biomass accumulation and meanwhile enhancing fungal disease resistance through improving the antioxidant enzyme activities and plant hormone secretion. Moreover, A4 exhibited a weaker promotion ability on wheat biomass accumulation and disease resistance under μG condition compared to that under 1G. These results not only expand our understanding of the impact of microgravity on plant-microbe interaction, but also provide valuable insights into using plant beneficial microbes for plant cultivation and crop protection in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Spatial inequality refers to unequal access to local public services between high- and low-income households in relation to their residential locations. We examine two hypotheses regarding the role of income sorting and land-use conditions in shaping spatial inequality in Chinese cities, where residents have little direct influence on local public service provision. First, in the presence of resource indivisibility, travel cost, and location-based rationing, scarcity of public-service resources in a city makes access to public services more uneven across neighborhoods, thus exacerbating income sorting and spatial inequality in the city. Second, the exacerbating effect of resource scarcity is mitigated by land-use conditions that limit income sorting. Estimates of willingness to pay by households of different income levels for public-service resources across cities corroborate both the exacerbating effect of resource scarcity and the mitigating effect of inclusive land-use conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a consequence of the importance of crop cultivation in Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS), there is a necessity of protecting the plants from pathogenic diseases. Cave soil bacteria can be utilized as a source for isolating biocontrol bacteria that are suitable for plant growth in BLSS. Pseudochrobactrum kiredjianiae strain A4 (GenBank accession KT203923) is a gram-positive, short-rod shaped and whitish bacterium isolated from cave soil, and is culturable at 13 °C. A species-level identification was conducted by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, which showed that this strain had a 98% similarity with sequences of P. kiredjianiae isolated from the public domain. The A4 strain was positive for siderophore, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity. The results of in vitro experiments showed that A4 could inhibit the growth and development of Rhizoctonia cerealis , Fusarium graminearumt , Magnaporthe grisea , Fusarium oxysporum and Botrytis cinerea . Under greenhouse conditions, the bacterium A4 improved the physiological parameters and reduced the defense enzymes activities of wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) in the presence of R. cerealis . Statistical analysis of measured parameters revealed that A4-inoculated wheat plants were positively alleviating pathogenic stress. These results indicate that the isolate A4 provides a promising solution to control plant pathogenic fungi in BLSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light intensity and nitrogen concentration of nutrient solution are considered crucial for the contents of vitamin C and nitrate in cultivated leaf vegetables. We here investigated the effects of various combinations of light intensity (60, 140 and 220 μmol m −2 s −1 ) and nitrogen concentration (7, 15 and 23 mmol L −1 ) of the solution on the growth, photosynthetic characteristics, vitamin C and nitrate content of lettuce. Our results demonstrate that the lettuce had the largest dry biomass at the high illumination of 220 μmol m −2 s −1 and low nitrogen of 7 mmol L −1 . The higher light and low nitrogen also contributed to the accumulation of vitamin C and decrease of nitrate in lettuce leaves. The effect of nitrogen supply on chlorophyll concentrations was more efficient under low light than high illumination. Our results reveal that there was an obvious interaction between light intensity and nitrogen available for the photosynthesis, yield and quality of lettuce. This study provides valuable insights into the combinational regulation of light intensity and nitrogen supply for improving growth and nutritional quality of vegetables grown in greenhouse and plant factory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioregenerative life-support systems (BLSS) address interactions between organisms and their environment as an integrated system through the study of factors that regulate the pools and fluxes of materials and energy through ecological systems. As a simple model, using BLSS is very important in the investigation of element cycling and energy flux for sustainable development on Earth. A 105-day experiment with a high degree of closure was carried out in this system from February to May, 2014, with three volunteers. The results indicate that 247 g·d−1 carbon was imported into the system from stored food. Most hydrogen is circulated as water, and more than 99% H2O can be lost through leaf transpiration into the atmosphere. A total of 1.8 g·d−1 'unknown oxygen' emerged between the input and output of the plant growth module. For the urine processing module, 20.5% nitrogen was reused and 5.35 g·d−1 was put into the nutrient solution. Key Words: Bioregenerative life-support systems (BLSS)-Lunar Palace-1-Artificial ecosystem-Element cycling-Energy flux. Astrobiology 17, 78-86. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To conduct crewed simulation experiments of bioregenerative life support systems on the ground is a critical step for human life support in deep-space exploration. An artificial closed ecosystem named Lunar Palace 1 was built through integrating efficient higher plant cultivation, animal protein production, urine nitrogen recycling, and bioconversion of solid waste. Subsequently, a 105-day, multicrew, closed integrative bioregenerative life support systems experiment in Lunar Palace 1 was carried out from February through May 2014. The results show that environmental conditions as well as the gas balance between O2 and CO2 in the system were well maintained during the 105-day experiment. A total of 21 plant species in this system kept a harmonious coexistent relationship, and 20.5% nitrogen recovery from urine, 41% solid waste degradation, and a small amount of insect in situ production were achieved. During the 105-day experiment, oxygen and water were recycled, and 55% of the food was regenerated. Key Words: Bioregenerative life support systems (BLSS)-Space agriculture-Space life support-Waste recycle-Water recycle. Astrobiology 16, 925-936. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) hold great potential as electric light source for leafy vegetable production in controlled environment. However, most of LED lights in vegetable cultivation were only combined with red and blue LEDs, and the spectral composition was oversample. Previous studies reported that light spectral composition could influence nutritional quality of vegetables, e.g., nitrate content. In order to better understand the influence of spectral composition on nitrate accumulation of leafy vegetables grown in closed-type system. The nitrate content, nitrate primary metabolism of 35-day-old lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. Var. youmaicai) in vivo and its biomass were investigated. The results showed that cool white fluorescent light (T5) and high-pressure sodium light (HPS) with wide spectrum significantly reduced nitrate content in lettuce than red and blue combination LED light (RB-LED) treatment. Our findings demonstrated that a proper optimizing procedure of light spectrum with supplemental other wavebands in RB-LEDs is necessary for reducing nitrate accumulation of lettuce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microbial communities of plant ecosystems are in relation to plant growing environment, but the alteration in biodiversity of rhizosphere and phyllosphere microbial communities in closed and controlled environments is unknown. The purpose of this study is to analyze the change regularity of microbial communities with wheat plants dependent-cultivated in a closed artificial ecosystem. The microbial community structures in closed-environment treatment plants were investigated by a culture-dependent approach, polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), and Illumina Miseq high-throughput sequencing. The results indicated that the number of microbes decreased along with time, and the magnitude of bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes were 10-10, 10, and 10-10 CFU/g (dry weight), respectively. The analysis of PCR-DGGE and Illumina Miseq revealed that the wheat leaf surface and near-root substrate had different microbial communities at different periods of wheat ecosystem development and showed that the relative highest diversity of microbial communities appeared at late and middle periods of the plant ecosystem, respectively. The results also indicated that the wheat leaf and substrate had different microbial community compositions, and the wheat substrate had higher richness of microbial community than the leaf. Flavobacterium, Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, Enterobacter, Penicillium, Rhodotorula, Acremonium, and Alternaria were dominant in the wheat leaf samples, and Pedobacter, Flavobacterium, Halomonas, Marinobacter, Salinimicrobium, Lysobacter, Pseudomonas, Halobacillus, Xanthomonas, Acremonium, Monographella, and Penicillium were dominant populations in the wheat near-root substrate samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Porous-tube nutrient delivery system (PTNDS) allows high control of the root environment and prevents plant infections in both microgravity and ground conditions. In this paper, six soybean cultivars (‘ZH13’, ‘ZH57’, ‘LD10’, ‘HH35’, ‘HH43’, and ‘ZGDD’) were evaluated in terms of yield, photosynthetic efficiency, insoluble dietary fiber and ions uptake efficiency. Besides proximal composition, the concentrations of mineral and isoflavones were monitored in the seeds. ‘HH35’ and ‘ZH13’ plants showed much higher yield and harvest index, in addition to the lower lignin content of inedible biomass. Data showed that ‘HH35’ had the higher photosynthetic efficiency of soybean leaves with regard to photosynthetic rate and instantaneous carboxylation efficiency, whereas chlorophyll ratio and carotenoids content were no difference with the other cultivars. Both cations and anions except NH 4 + and H 2 PO 4 − , were accumulated excessively compared to controls, especially with anions in PTNDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming is partly due to the increase in atmospheric CO concentration. In the last two decades, many investigations have studied the effect of high CO levels on crops. However, nearly all studies have examined the effects of CO enrichment up to about 1200 μmol mol. In general, more CO is beneficial to plant growth because plants feed on CO. Here we tested the effect of CO levels from 400 to 5000 μmol mol on the yield and antioxidant capacity of Chinese cabbage, Brassica chinensis, and lettuce, Lactuca sativa. Total antioxidant capacity was measured using the ferric ion reducing antioxidant potential assay and the diphenyl-picryl-hydrazylhydrate free radical detection. Our results show that, as expected, CO concentrations of 1000-3000 μmol mol enhance the yields and contents of polyphenols, flavonoids and vitamin C in both vegetables. However, surprisingly, further increase up to 5000 μmol mol CO decreased yields and contents of polyphenols, flavonoids and vitamin C. Our findings thus show that very high atmospheric CO levels are impeding the growth of tested plants. They also suggest that agricultural food and production could be depleted at high atmospheric CO levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silkworm ( Bombyx mori L.) larvae were used as an ideal animal protein source for astronauts in bioregenerative life support system (BLSS). Here, we compared the differences in bacterial communities of the silkworm larval gut and cellulase-producing and amylase-producing bacteria between the BLSS rearing way (BRW) and the traditional rearing way (TRW) through Illumina Miseq sequencing, culture-dependent approach, 16S rDNA and ITS sequencing, phylogenetic analysis to find the role of gut bacteria in food digestion. The analysis of Miseq showed that the gut microbiota in the BRW was significantly changed than that in the TRW. Results revealed that the isolates can produce cellulose-degrading and starch-degrading enzymes of gut bacteria of silkworm in the BRW which decreased compared with that of the TRW, but the number of isolates both secrete cellulase and amylase are equal. The isolates that can produce both enzymes in the TRW were Alternaria sp. Preussia sp and Coprinellus radians. Meanwhile, in the BRW we found Enterococcus , Erwinia and Pantoea can produce cellulase and amylase. We could use the dominant populations to make probiotic products for nutrient absorption and disease prevention in BLSS to improve gut microecology, as well as the yield and quality of animal protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydroponic culture has traditionally been used for Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) because the optimal environment for roots supports high growth rates. Recent developments in Porous-tube Nutrient Delivery System (PTNDS) also offer high control of the root environment which is designed to provide a means for accurate environmental control and to allow for two-phase flow separation in microgravity. This study compared the effects of PTNDS and traditional hydroponic cultures on biomass yield, nutritional composition and antioxidant defense system (T-AOC, GSH, H 2 O 2 and MDA) of G. bicolor , and ionic concentration (NH 4 + , K + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , NO 3 − , H 2 PO 4 − , SO 4 2 − ) of nutrient solution during planting period in controlled environment chambers. The results indicated that the biomass production and yield of G. bicolor grown in PTNDS were higher than in hydroponic culture, although Relative water content (RWC), leaf length and shoot height were not significantly different. PTNDS cultivation enhanced calories from 139.5 to 182.3 kJ/100 g dry matter, and carbohydrate from 4.8 to 7.3 g/100 g dry matter and reduced the amount of protein from 7.3 to 4.8 g/100 g dry matter and ash from 1.4 to1.0 g/100 g dry matter, compared with hydroponic culture. PTNDS cultivation accumulated the nutrition elements of Ca, Cu, Fe and Zn, and reduced Na concentration. T-AOC and GSH contents were significantly lower in PTNDS than in hydroponic culture in the first harvest. After the first harvest, the contents of MDA and H 2 O 2 were significantly higher in PTNDS than in hydroponic culture. However, the activity of T-AOC and GSH and H 2 O 2 and MDA contents had no significant differences under both cultures after the second and third harvest. Higher concentrations of K + , Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ were found in nutrient solution of plants grown in hydroponics culture compared to PTNDS, wherein lower concentrations of NO 3 − , H 2 PO 4 − and SO 4 2 − occurred. Our results demonstrate that PTNDS culture has more potential to maintain nutritional quality and the optimal root zone environment for G. bicolor compared with hydroponic culture. And further refinements in PTNDS culture would make it a viable alternative for achieving high productivity in a BLSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the effects of different light sources, including high pressure sodium lamp (HPS), T5 fluorescent lamps (T5) and Red–Blue light-emitting diodes (R–B LEDs), on the antioxidant capacity of Gynura bicolor DC were studied through the analysis on the changes of the antioxidant indicators (phenolic compounds, flavonoids, glutathione) and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP) in G. bicolor . The results showed that the highest contents of phenolic compounds and flavonoids were found in G. bicolor under T5, and the antioxidant potential in G. bicolor evaluated by either DPPH or FRAP assay also increased under T5 than others, while the antioxidant activity in G. bicolor under R–B LEDs with narrower spectrum was the lowest under the equal light intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Low-light treatment affects physiological and biochemical changes of wheat. [•] Low-light treatment at seedling stage has no significant effect on crop productivity. [•] Low-light treatment at grain filling stage affects final production significantly. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Silkworm ( Bombyx mori L.) larvae were used as an ideal animal protein source for astronauts in the bioregenerative life support system (BLSS). Here, we compared the difference in bacterial communities of the silkworm larval gut between the BLSS rearing way (BRW) and the traditional rearing way (TRW) through culture-dependent approach, 16S rRNA gene analysis, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). The culture-dependent approach revealed that the numbers of gut bacteria of silkworm in the BRW significantly decreased compared with that of the TRW. The analysis of clone libraries showed that the gut microbiota in the BRW was significantly less diverse than that in the TRW. Acinetobacter and Bacteroides were dominant populations in the BRW, and Bacillus and Arcobacter dominated in the TRW. DGGE profiles confirmed the difference of silkworm gut bacterial community between two rearing ways. These results demonstrate that gut bacteria change from the BRW contributes to the decrease of silkworm physiological activity. This study increases our understanding of the change of silkworm gut microbiota in response to lettuce leaf feeding in the BRW. We could use the dominant populations to make probiotic products for nutrient absorption and disease prevention in the BLSS to improve gut microecology, as well as the yield and quality of animal protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Biologically processing rice and wheat straws into soil-like substrate (SLS) and then reusing them in plant cultivation system to achieve waste recycle is very crucially important in Bioregenerative life support system (BLSS). However, rice is a plant with strong allelopathic potential. It is not clear yet that what kinds of raw materials can be processed into proper SLS to grow rice in BLSS. Therefore, in this study, the aqueous extract of SLS made from three different materials including rice straw, wheat straw and rice–wheat straw mixture was utilized to investigate its effects on the seed germination and seedling growth of rice. The gradients of the extract concentrations (soil:water) were 1:3, 1:5, 1:9, and 1:15 with deionized water used as control. The effects of different types of SLS on seed germination and seedling vitality of rice were confirmed by analyzing the germination rate, seedling length, root length, the fresh weight and other indicants. In addition, based on the analysis towards pH, organic matter composition and other factors of the SLS as well as the chlorophyll, hormone content of rice, and the mechanism of the inhibition was speculated in order to explore the preventive methods of the phenomenon. Finally, the feasibility of cultivating rice on SLSs made from the raw materials mentioned above was evaluated and wheat raw was determined as the most appropriate material for growing rice. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Vegetable cultivation plays a crucial role in dietary supplements and psychosocial benefits of the crew during manned space flight. Here we developed a ground-based prototype of horn-type sequential vegetable production facility, named Horn-type Producer (HTP), which was capable of simulating the microgravity effect and the continuous cultivation of leaf–vegetables on root modules. The growth chamber of the facility had a volume of 0.12m3, characterized by a three-stage space expansion with plant growth. The planting surface of 0.154m2 was comprised of six ring-shaped root modules with a fibrous ion-exchange resin substrate. Root modules were fastened to a central porous tube supplying water, and moved forward with plant growth. The total illuminated crop area of 0.567m2 was provided by a combination of red and white light emitting diodes on the internal surfaces. In tests with a 24-h photoperiod, the productivity of the HTP at 0.3kW for lettuce achieved 254.3g eatable biomass per week. Long-term operation of the HTP did not alter vegetable nutrition composition to any great extent. Furthermore, the efficiency of the HTP, based on the Q-criterion, was 7×10−4 g2 m−3 J−1. These results show that the HTP exhibited high productivity, stable quality, and good efficiency in the process of planting lettuce, indicative of an interesting design for space vegetable production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Protection of human subjects from microbial contaminants is an important consideration in confined condition. The aim of this study was to investigate whether cruciferous vegetable cultivation will cause microbial contamination of confined living environment. Three cruciferous vegetables including pakchoi (Brassica rapa var. chinensis), lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. longifolia) and Chinese kale (Brassica oleracea var. alboglabra), were separately hydroponically cultivated in encapsulated systems where Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to mimic human. In the control group, SD rats were fed in a parallel encapsulated apparatus without plant cultivation. Surface microbes in all groups were sampled 20 days after the apparatuses were sealed. Microbial burden and community of the samples were analyzed using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. The results demonstrated that compared with control group, the cultivation of the three cruciferous vegetables effectively decreased microbial burden in the confined system containing rats, among which lettuce displayed the strongest bacteriostasis. PCR-DGGE analysis showed that the microbial community structure varied with the cultivation of three vegetables in the closed system. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that some microbial species were inhibited by the vegetables, including opportunistic human pathogenic bacteria, namely Staphylococcus epidermi, Gemella haemolysans and Enterobacter aerogenes. Overall, the study indicates that the cultivation of pakchoi, lettuce or Chinese kale is effective to reduce microbial burden, and thus the suitable vegetable cultivation in confined environment would not cause microbial contamination, instead, it would reduce microbial health risk. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Biofiltration of ethylene provides an environmentally friendly and economically beneficial option relative to physical/chemical removal, where selection of appropriate bed material is crucial. Here the vermicompost with indigenous microorganisms as bed material was evaluated for ethylene removal through batch test and biofilter experiment. Temporal and spatial dynamics of bacterial community in the vermicompost-biofilter under different ethylene loads were characterized by culture and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) methods. The results showed that ethylene was effectively degraded by the vermicompost under conditions of 25–50% moisture content and 25–35°C temperature. The vermicompost-biofilter achieved nearly 100% ethylene removal up to an inlet load of 11mgm−3 h−1. Local nitrogen lack of the vermicompost in the biofilter was observed over operation time, but the change of pH was slight. DGGE analysis demonstrated that the bacterial abundance and community structure of vermicompost-biofilter varied with the height of biofilter under different ethylene loads. Pseudomonads and Actinobacteria were predominant in the biofilter throughout the whole experiment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To establish an economical and environmentally friendly technology for ethylene removal from horticultural facilities and industrial point sources, a bench-scale natural zeolite biofiltration system was developed in this study. The system was evaluated for its performance in removing ethylene from an artificially contaminated air stream and characterized for its bacterial diversity under varied ethylene concentrations, and in different spatial stages of the filter. The biofilter enabled to approximately 100% remove ethylene at loading rates of 0.26–3.76gm−3 h−1 when operated with inoculum containing enriched ethylene-degrading bacteria. The bacterial diversity and abundance varied with the height of the biofilter. Moreover, the occurrence and predominance of specific bacterial species varied with the concentrations of ethylene introduced into the biofilter, as observed by PCR-DGGE methods. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the biofilter system supported a diverse community of ethylene-degrading bacteria, with high similarity to species in the classes Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, and Actinobacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, studies have shown that low‐dose supplemental infrared (IR) irradiation exhibits systemic anti‐inflammatory effects. The gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as a potential mediator of these effects due to its role in regulating host metabolism and inflammatory responses. To investigate the role of gut microbiota diversity and metabolite changes in the mechanism of light‐emitting diodes (LED) infrared's anti‐inflammatory action, we conducted IR irradiation on mice. Serum inflammatory cytokines were measured using ELISA, and fecal samples were subjected to metagenomic, untargeted, and targeted metabolomic analyses. Our results demonstrated a significant increase in the anti‐inflammatory cytokine IL‐10 in the IR group, accompanied by a declining trend in pro‐inflammatory cytokines. Gut microbiome analysis revealed distinct alterations in composition and functional genes between the groups, including the enrichment of beneficial bacteria like various species of Parabacteroides and Akkermansia muciniphila in the IR group. Notably, the IR group exhibited enrichment in carbohydrate metabolism pathways and a reduction in DNA damage and repair pathways. Furthermore, targeted metabolomic analysis highlighted a notable increase in short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs), including butyric acid and isobutyric acid, which positively correlated with the abundance of several beneficial bacteria. These findings suggest a potential interplay between gut microbiota‐derived SCFAs and the anti‐inflammatory response. In conclusion, our study provides comprehensive insights into the changes in gut microbiota species and functions associated with IR irradiation. Moreover, we emphasize the significance of altered SCFAs levels in the IR group, which may contribute to the observed anti‐inflammatory effects. Our findings contribute valuable evidence supporting the role of low‐dose infrared light irradiation as an anti‐inflammatory therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: To improve nutrient utilization and pathogenic resistance of plants in space, it is crucial to understand the effects of microgravity on the plant root microbiome. However, the finer details of whether and how microgravity affects the root microbiome remain unclear. Here, we found that simulated microgravity elicits no significant changes in fungal community composition and diversity, whether rhizosphere or endophytic. However, simulated microgravity caused a significant change in the composition and diversity of endophytic bacteria of wheat seedlings, but not in rhizosphere bacteria. The alteration of endophytic bacterial communities demonstrates that wheat seedlings adopt strategies to recruit additional endophytic Enterobacteriaceae and increase the stability of the endophytic bacterial network to respond to the challenge of simulated microgravity. Furthermore, our results also suggest that the corresponding changes in endophytic bacteria under simulated microgravity are closely related to a significant decrease in metabolites of the host's carbon metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, benzoxazinoid biosynthesis, and tryptophan metabolism pathways. Our findings reveal details important to our understanding of the impact of gravity on the microbial community of plant seedlings and the theoretical basis for manipulation of microorganisms to ensure efficient plant production in space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the core food crop of a bioregenerative life support system (BLSS), wheat is susceptible to pathogen infection due to the lack of effective microbial communities in the confined and isolated environment. Therefore, a thorough understanding of the dynamic changes in wheat rhizosphere fungi is of great significance for improving wheat production and ensuring the stability of the BLSS. In the current study, we collected samples of rhizosphere fungi in the four growth stages of wheat grown in the "Lunar Palace 365" experiment. We employed bioinformatics methods to analyze the samples' species composition characteristics, community network characteristics, and FUNGuild function analysis. We found that the species composition of rhizosphere fungi in the wheat at the tillering stage changed greatly in the closed and isolated environment, while the species composition in the seedling, flowering, and mature stage were relatively stable. The results of the FUNGuild function analysis showed that the functions of rhizosphere fungi changed during wheat development. The rhizosphere fungal community was centered on Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, and Chytridiomycota, and the community showed the characteristics of a "small world" arrangement. The stage of wheat seedlings is characterized by a greater abundance, diversity, and complexity of the network of interactions in the rhizosphere mycorrhiza community, while the tillering stage exhibited a greater clustering coefficient. Based on the changes in species composition, guild function regulation, and community structure differences of the wheat rhizosphere fungi in the BLSS, our study identified the critical fungal species during wheat development, providing a reference for ensuring the health and yield of plants in the BLSS system. Key points: • The diversity, composition, FUNguild, and network structure of rhizosphere fungi were analyzed. • Ascomycota, Mortierellomycota, and Chytridiomycota were the center of the rhizosphere fungal community network. • The effects of different wheat developmental stages on the community composition, function, and network structure of rhizosphere fungi were examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In our previous work on broadband photometric reverberation mapping (PRM), we proposed the interpolated cross-correlation function (ICCF)-Cut process to obtain the time lags of the H α emission line from two broadband lightcurves via subtracting the continuum emission from the line band. Extending the work, we enlarge our sample to the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) database. We adopt two criteria to select 123 type 1 active galactic nuclei (AGNs) with sufficient variability and smooth light curves from 3537 AGNs at z < 0.09 with more than 100 epoch observations in the g and r bands from the ZTF database. We calculate the H α time lags for 23 of them that have previous spectroscopic reverberation mapping (SRM) results using the ICCF-Cut, Just Another Vehicle for Estimating Lags In Nuclei (JAVELIN), and χ 2 methods. Our obtained H α time lags are slightly larger than the H β time lags, which is consistent with the previous SRM results and the theoretical model of the AGN broad-line region. The comparisons between the SRM and PRM lag distributions and between the subtracted emission line light curves indicate that after selecting AGNs with the two criteria, combining the ICCF-Cut, JAVELIN, and χ 2 methods provides an efficient way to get the reliable H α lags from the broadband PRM. Such techniques can be used to estimate the black hole masses of a large sample of AGNs in large multiepoch photometric sky surveys such as the Legacy Survey of Space and Time and the survey from the Wide Field Survey Telescope in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intelligent simulation of Sports can match the actual game and is of great significance to the development of Sports. Sports is a system in which multiple agents work together. Compared with a single agent, the learning space of multiple agents increases sharply as the number of agents increases, so the learning difficulty increases. Therefore, based on machine learning technology, this study combines with the actual situation to build a Sports simulation system. Moreover, after establishing a more reasonable team defensive formation and strategy, the overall movement of the agent is optimized, and the corresponding structural model has been established in combination with various actions. In addition, this study designs a controlled trial to analyze the performance of the model. The research shows that the proposed method has certain effects and can provide theoretical reference for subsequent related research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat seedlings are significantly impacted by the presence of bacteria. However, bacteria are unavoidably growing together with wheat. The study aimed to reveal wheat photosynthesis, phyllosphere bacterial community composition, and a shift in the bacterial community following different density treatments in a closed artificial ecosystem. Here, we report the relationship between photosynthesis and bacterial community in wheat seedlings for different planting densities. In this closed artificial ecosystem, a total of 30 phyla were detected, with 17 of them were simultaneously present in four treatments, under high light intensity and carbon dioxide growth environment. The key phyla detected include Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. We found that planting densities significantly impacted the photosynthetic characteristics of wheat and bacterial genetic biodiversity, but not on species composition of the bacterial community. Network analysis shows that the phyllosphere bacteria network structures were characterized by the clustering coefficient and modularity. Network for the 1000 plants/m2 treatment group exhibits the highest levels of average clustering coefficient but lowest modularity and number of modules, among all plant densities tested. In addition, the network for the 1200 plants/m2 treatment group exhibits the best characteristics in terms of net photosynthesis rate and intrinsic water use efficiency, higher complex phyllosphere community network structures, higher abundance of Corynebacterium, and more function of "Amino acid metabolism", which encourages the plants to grow better. The findings presented in this work elucidated the role of plant density in the growth of phyllosphere bacteria during wheat seedlings and provided theoretical support for reasonable wheat density cultivation in closed artificial ecosystems and wheat field production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Understanding the dynamics of human gut microbiota in space is crucial in maintaining astronaut health. Long‐duration and deep‐space manned exploration will require the in situ regeneration of resources, which would be achieved by an artificial ecosystem, such as a bioregenerative life‐support system (BLSS). Potential response of human gut microbiota to particular lifestyle and dietary structure experienced in a BLSS remains unclear. Here, we report how a BLSS impacts the gut microbiota during a 105‐day study that took place in the Chinese Lunar Palace 1 (LP1). The three crewmembers were provided with high‐plant and high‐fibre diet, and they followed a fixed schedule including extensive labour in the plant cabin. The gut microbiota composition of the three crewmembers showed convergence and similar dynamic change. Increased diversity and abundance of Lachnospira, Faecalibacterium and Blautia indicated that the LP1 dietary structure and the lifestyle may be beneficial for the maintenance of healthy gut microbiome. A stronger impact was found from the gut microbiome to the environment compared with the opposite direction, suggesting the necessity of environmental pathogen control in BLSS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CO 2 concentration [CO 2 ] level in artificial ecosystems such as greenhouse agriculture and space farming can easily exceed 1000 μmol mol −1 (or ppm). In order to understand how the growth and development in crop plants may respond to elevated CO 2 , it is necessary to determine if crop leaves in the closed artificial ecosystem have a fully developed photosynthetic apparatus, and whether or not photosynthesis in these leaves is more responsive to elevated CO 2 concentration. To address this issue, we evaluated the response of photosynthetic characteristics, leaf water status and antioxidant capacity of Chufa ( Cyperus esculentus L.), which is a sedge-like plant with 1–2 cm small sweet tubers in length, under elevated CO 2 concentrations in an artificial closed ecosystem. The results showed that Chufa plants cultivated in the elevated CO 2 environment from the seedling stage to the maturity stage were characterized by more appropriate chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate. The photosynthetic rate of Chufa plants in the 1000 and 3000 ppm treatments was no significant difference with that in 500 ppm CO 2 condition both at seedling stage and rapid growth stage. All the treatments had a high relative water content (RWC) about 60% at the maturity stage. However, there was no significant difference in membrane stability index (MSI) at the rapid growth stage. The antioxidase enzymes activities experienced a rise and a drop and reached the peak at the rapid growth stage. Elevated CO 2 , especially more than 1000 ppm conditions, may accelerant Chufa plants aging process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research analyzes a laminated double-curved panel's free/forced vibrational features and Low-Velocity Impact (LVI) Accordingly, the Hertz contact scheme is introduced to model the contact force between the structure and the impactor. Additionally, Hamilton's principle and four-variable refined quasi-3D logarithmic shear deformation theory (RQ-3DLSDT) are accessible for figuring out a structure's motion and Boundary Condition (BC) equations for the LVI. Moreover, for computing the motion equation in the displacement and time frames, respectively, the Galerkin and Newmark methods are provided. Finally, there are two subsections within the results section. The first examines the influence related to the number of laminated layers, the geometry of doubly curved panels, and the ratio associated with Young's module on the indentation and contact force in the time frame. The second discusses the impact of Young's module proportion, the laminated layers' form, and geometrical attributes related to the structure on the present simulation's free and forced vibration features with the LVI. • Forced vibration, and low velocity impact information of the panel. • Galerkin and Newmark procedure are presented for solving the equations. • For modeling the contact force, Hertz contact theory is presented. • When the pattern changes from vertical to horizontal, the instable area and critical curvature factor decrease. • As the Young's modulus ratio decreases, the indentation of the system increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peanut ( Arachis hypogaea L.) has been selected as one of the crop candidates for BLSS, because its seeds have high nutritional value, being rich in vegetable oil and protein. Porous-Tube Nutrient Delivery System (PTNDS) has been successfully used for crop cultivation in controllable environments. In this paper, four peanut cultivars ('HY25', 'HY28', 'HY31' and 'BS1016') were evaluated in terms of yield, photosynthetic efficiency, insoluble fiber and ions uptake efficiency. Besides protein, total oil content and fatty acid composition were monitored in the seeds. 'HY25' plants showed much higher yield and harvest index, in addition to the lower lignin content of inedible biomass. Data showed that 'HY25' had the higher photosynthetic capacity of peanut leaves with regard to highest photosynthetic rate, qP and Φ PSII , lowest energy dissipation ( qN ) values, whereas instantaneous carboxylation efficiency and water use efficiency carotenoids content were no difference with the other cultivars. ‘BS1016′ showed the lowest photosynthetic capacity contrarily. These suggested that ‘HY25′ could be the most suitable for the cultivation in a closed controlled environment with PTNDS. While, both cations and anions except NH 4 + and H 2 PO 4 − , were accumulated excessively compared to controls, especially with anions in PTNDS. Hence, further studies are needed in order to improve the nutritional quality of seeds and modify the fertilization strategy of this cultivar in the growth environment feasible during a closed environment and space mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elevated atmospheric CO 2 has been shown to rapidly alter plant physiology and ecosystem productivity, but contemporary ecological responses to increased CO 2 have yet to be studied in a controlled closed ecosystem with humans. To test this concept, at an integrated ground-based Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS) named Lunar Palace-1, we tested elevated CO 2 effects on gas exchange characteristics in an experiment involving humans. During the whole experimental process, researchers monitored CO 2 and O 2 concentrations in different plant growth and human occupied cabins on a real time basis. By turning off lighting and air ventilation system, elevated CO 2 effects were measured in plant chamber and overall facility during a 1 h period. The results indicated that elevated CO 2 had variable effects on plant photosynthetic and respiration rates. Photosynthesis in most plants is typically not saturated with respect to carbon dioxide at 400 ppm. Elevated CO 2 has inhibitory effects on plant respiration. Photosynthesis is strengthened and respiration is reduced in a closed artificial ecosystem were demonstrated under high levels of CO 2 . Our findings in this closed ecosystem may serve as key baseline design data for larger, long-term and higher degree of closure BLSS integration experiment planned for the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a consequence of the increasing importance of leaf vegetables in Bioregenerative life support system (BLSS), there is an interest in enhancing both the productivity and quality of Gynura bicolor DC ( G. bicolor ). The effects of super-elevated carbon dioxide concentration (3000 ppm) on G. bicolor in different periods were investigated to reveal plausible underlying mechanisms for the growth, photosynthetic characteristics, antioxidant capacity and biomass yield. Experimental results showed that not only the photosynthetic rate but also the antioxidant capacity were increased in short-term super-elevated CO 2 concentration. However, under long-term super-elevated CO 2 concentrations, photosynthetic rate and pigment contents of G. bicolor significantly decreased due to photo inhibition. Elevated CO 2 can be able to dwarf the G. bicolor plants. The leaves in high CO 2 concentration were curled, which may affect the photosynthetic efficiency. At 3000 ppm level, leaf senescence accelerated but biomass yield had no significant difference. Furthermore, elevated CO 2 controlled transpiration rate and then enhanced water use efficiency. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, peroxide activity (POD) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in 3000 ppm condition were significantly lower than that in 400 ppm condition. On the contrary, catalase (CAT) activity, glutathione (GSH) content and hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) were significantly enhanced under high CO 2 concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important agricultural crops in both space such as Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) and urban agriculture fields, and its cultivation is affected by several environmental factors. The objective of this study was to investigate the influences of different environmental conditions (BLSS, plant factory, green house and field) on the wheat growth, thousand kernel weight (TKW), harvest index (HI), biomass yield and quality during their life cycle. The results showed that plant height partially influenced by the interaction effects with environment, and this influence decreased gradually with the plant development. It was found that there was no significant difference between the BLSS and plant factory treatments on yields per square, but the yield of green house and field treatments were both lower. TKW and HI in BLSS and plant factory were larger than those in the green house and field. However, grain protein concentration can be inversely correlated with grain yield. Grain protein concentrations decreased under elevate CO 2 condition and the magnitude of the reductions depended on the prevailing environmental condition. Conditional interaction effects with environment also influenced the components of straw during the mature stage. It indicated that CO 2 enriched environment to some extent was better for inedible biomass degradation and had a significant effect on “source–sink flow” at grain filling stage, which was more beneficial to recycle substances in the processes of the environment regeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) has been selected as one of the core crops in Bioregenerative Life Support Systems (BLSS) for future long-term space mission, and its cultivation is affected by several environmental factors. Both light system and nutrient solution are most efficient for plant growth. The objective of this study was to investigate the influences of different spectra combinations and ionic concentration (NH 4 + , K + , Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , NO 3 − , H 2 PO 4 − , SO 4 2− ) on wheat growth, photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, antioxidant capacity and biomass yield. The results showed that red–white light (RW) and white light (W) are more conducive to wheat growth and development. There are obvious advantages: photosynthetic rate, harvest index, thousand kernel weight, edible and inedible biomass. In order to conduct wheat cultivation for good quality, high yield and efficiency in the artificial environment, a valid state-space model of wheat growth process (WGP) was developed by experimental data and system identification, and then the inverse system model of WGP was derived accordingly to theoretically optimize the planting regime including light intensity and mineral ions concentrations based on prescribed output responses of WGP and computer simulation. Analysis of the most efficient nutrient mixtures showed that depending on the light (intensity and quality) and the plant age the different absorption of mineral elements from nutrient solution was observed. Therefore, it is important to develop a balanced nutrient mixture and light, which would provide the optimum uptake by plants of each element for the growing season. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To establish bioregenerative life support system (BLSS) on lunar or Mars bases in the future, it is necessary to firstly conduct manned simulation experiments, including several different kinds of creatures on the ground. To provide the basis for establishing the system, a multibiological life support system composed of lettuce, silkworm and algae was set up in this study. Lettuce and silkworms were cultivated in a closed integrated cultivating system (CICS) of integrative experimental system (IES). The conveyor-type cultivation method was implemented, which harvested the largest batch of lettuce and silkworms from the system and carried the smallest batch of them into the system every four days. During this process, the main element contents of lettuce were determined. Biomasses, heights, and crown diameters of lettuce in and out of the system were compared. Biomasses, excrement production rates, and bioconversion rates of silkworms in and out of the system were also studied. Results showed silkworms and lettuce in the IES could grow normally. There were no significant differences of biomass, height, or excrement production rates between creatures (lettuce and silkworms) in the system and those out of the system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wheat is the core food crop in bioregenerative life support systems (BLSSs). In confined isolation environments, wheat growth suffers from a lack of stable microbial communities and is susceptible to pathogenic infections due to the culture substrate's limitations. To overcome this limitation, the time series changes of wheat rhizosphere microorganisms in wheat production must be understood. In the present study, we examined the rhizosphere microbial samples from wheat at four different growth stages from plants collected from a BLSS plant cabin. We employed bioinformatics analysis strategies to analyze the characteristics of species composition, function prediction, and community network. The species composition of wheat rhizosphere microorganisms was relatively stable in the seedling, tillering, and flowering stages in confined isolation environments. However, we observed marked microbial changes at mature stages. The results of functional prediction analysis suggest that the rhizosphere microbial community function of "Energy metabolism" gradually decreased, and the function of "Transmembrane transport" gradually increased during wheat development. The construction of the rhizosphere microbial community is non-random, scale-free and has the characteristics of a small world. We found the tillering stage to be more complex than the other stages. Our study reveals the composition characteristics, functional changes, and community structure fluctuations of rhizosphere bacteria at different development stages of wheat in the isolated and controlled environment, providing a theoretical basis for the efficient production of BLSS plant systems. Key Points: • We collected wheat rhizosphere microorganisms at different stages in a confined isolation environment. • The diversity, composition, function, and network structure of rhizosphere bacteria were analyzed. • The effect of different wheat stages on the composition, function, and network structure of rhizosphere microorganisms was speculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report Chandra detection of three UV-bright radio-quiet quasars at z ≳ 5. We have collected a sufficient number of photons to extract an X-ray spectrum of each quasar to measure their basic X-ray properties, such as the X-ray flux, power-law photon index (Γ), and optical-to-X-ray spectral slope (αOX). J074749+115352 at z = 5.26 is the X-ray brightest radio-quiet quasar at z > 5. It may have a short timescale variation (on a timescale of ∼3800 s in the observer's frame, or ∼600 s in the rest frame), which is, however, largely embedded in the statistical noise. We extract phase folded spectra of this quasar. There are two distinguishable states: a "high soft" state with an average X-ray flux ∼2.7 times the "low hard" state, and a significantly steeper X-ray spectral slope (versus). We also compare the three quasars detected in this paper to other quasar samples. We find that J074749+115352, with an SMBH mass of MSMBH ≈ 1.8 × 109M⊙ and an Eddington ratio of λEdd ≈ 2.3, is extraordinarily X-ray bright. It has an average αOX = −1.46 ± 0.02 and a 2–10 keV bolometric correction factor of Lbol/L2–10 keV = 42.4 ± 5.8, both significantly depart from some well defined scaling relations. We compare Γ of the three quasars to other samples at different redshifts, and do not find any significant redshift evolution based on the limited sample of z > 5 quasars with reliable measurements of the X-ray spectral properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Asprosin has been identified as a novel hormone enriched in white adipose tissue and is pathologically increased in insulin-resistant mice and humans. However, information regarding the role of asprosin in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains unavailable. Via conducting a hospital-based study, we purposed to ascertain the potential relationship between circulating asprosin concentrations and T2DM. Methods The study recruited 84 adults with T2DM and 86 controls with normal glucose tolerance. They matched in age, body mass index (BMI), and sex. Serum asprosin concentrations were measured via ELISA method. Results Compared to the controls, serum asprosin concentrations were significantly increased in the T2DM adults (P < 0.001). As asprosin concentrations increased across its tertiles, the percentage of T2DM increased (39.28, 37.50, and 70.68%; P value for trend < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression models demonstrated that compared with the 1st tertile of asprosin, the odds ratio of T2DM was 3.278(95% CI 1.053–10.200, P = 0.040) for the 3rd tertile after adjustment for potential confounders. Area under ROC curve of asprosin (sex and age adjusted) for predicting the presence of T2DM was 0.707[95% CI 0.628–0.786]. Finally, multiple stepwise regression analysis indicated that fasting glucose and triglyceride were independently associated with serum asprosin in T2DM. Conclusions Asprosin concentrations are increased in adults with T2DM. The results suggest that asprosin might serve as a risk factor associated with the pathogenesis of T2DM, but not an ideal biomarker for predicting T2DM. Highlights • Circulating asprosin levels were significantly higher in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM. • As asprosin levels elevated, the risk of having T2DM increased. • Fasting glucose and triglyceride were independently correlated with circulating asprosin. • Insulin secretion and sensitivity indexes were correlated with asprosin, but not independent factors of asprosin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Working and living under artificial lighting environment for a long duration do not allow sufficient sunlight exposure, resulting in an adverse effect on bone. Common artificial light source, white LED light, does not include ultraviolet irradiation that plays an important role in bone metabolism. Ultraviolet supplementation in artificial lighting environment can be used to simulate the effect of sunlight irradiation on bone metabolism. In this paper, we report the effects of long-term exposure of low-dose ultraviolet irradiation on the rats' bones and skin. We studied the changes in body weight, bone metabolism markers, bone mass content, bone mineral density, and skin of rats, under long-term exposure of low-dose ultraviolet irradiation. We found that the rats exposed to ultraviolet irradiation showed an increase in bone formation rate, decrease in bone resorption rate, and improvement in bone mass content and bone mineral density without adverse effects on skins. This paper provides an effective basis for future application of LED light to create a healthier, safer, and more comfortable indoor lighting environment. Highlight • UV supplementation under white-LED lighting was proposed for future development of safe and healthy light sources. • Changes in bone metabolism and BMC were analyzed, the results showed that supplemental UV irradiation improved rats' bone. • The rat's skin was observed and the result showed that UV dose did not have a negative effect on rats' skin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims C1q/TNF-related protein 9 (CTRP9) is an adipokine mainly secreted by white adipose tissue and plays protective roles in energy metabolism. However, information regarding the role of CTRP9 in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is scarce. Here we aimed to ascertain the clinical relevance between circulating CTRP9 levels and NAFLD through a cross-sectional study. Methods The study enrolled 82 NAFLD adults and 79 sex- and age-matched non-NAFLD controls. Serum CTRP9 was measured via ELISA method. Metabolic parameters were also determined. Results Although serum CTRP9 level seems to be higher in NAFLD adults, there was no significant difference among the ultrasonographic degrees of NAFLD ( P  = 0.275). Further, after adjustment for BMI in the multinomial logistic regression model, no significant odds ratio difference was observed for NAFLD among the CTRP9 tertiles. Moreover, binary logistic regression models demonstrated that, body mass index (BMI) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) but not CTRP9 were independent factors related to NAFLD. Besides, serum CTRP9 was positively correlated with BMI, waist circumference, Fasting insulin, HbA1c, and HOMA-IR in all subjects. BMI was the independent factor associated with serum CTRP9. Conclusions Serum CTRP9 is not independently related to NAFLD. The association between serum CTRP9 and NAFLD might be due to the influence of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]