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Recently developed experimental and computational approaches to identify putative coding small ORFs (smORFs) in genomes have revealed thousands of smORFs localized within coding and non-coding RNAs. They can be translated into smORF peptides or microproteins, which are defined as less than 100 amino acids in length. The identification of such a large number of potential biological regulators represents a major challenge, notably for elucidating the in vivo functions of these microproteins. Since the emergence of this field, Drosophila has proved to be a valuable model for studying the biological functions of microproteins in vivo. In this review, we outline how the smORF field emerged and the nomenclature used in this domain. We summarize the technical challenges associated with identifying putative coding smORFs in the genome and the relevant translated microproteins. Finally, recent findings on one of the best studied smORF peptides, Pri, and other microproteins studied so far in Drosophila are described. These studies highlight the diverse roles that microproteins can fulfil in the regulation of various molecular targets involved in distinct cellular processes during animal development and physiology. Given the recent emergence of the microprotein field and the associated discoveries, the microproteome represents an exquisite source of potentially bioactive molecules, whose in vivo biological functions can be explored in the Drosophila model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundRemote sensing instruments enable high-throughput phenotyping of plant traits and stress resilience across scale. Spatial (handheld devices, towers, drones, airborne, and satellites) and temporal (continuous or intermittent) tradeoffs can enable or constrain plant science applications. Here, we describe the technical details of TSWIFT (Tower Spectrometer on Wheels for Investigating Frequent Timeseries), a mobile tower-based hyperspectral remote sensing system for continuous monitoring of spectral reflectance across visible-near infrared regions with the capacity to resolve solar-induced fluorescence (SIF).ResultsWe demonstrate potential applications for monitoring short-term (diurnal) and long-term (seasonal) variation of vegetation for high-throughput phenotyping applications. We deployed TSWIFT in a field experiment of 300 common bean genotypes in two treatments: control (irrigated) and drought (terminal drought). We evaluated the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), photochemical reflectance index (PRI), and SIF, as well as the coefficient of variation (CV) across the visible-near infrared spectral range (400 to 900 nm). NDVI tracked structural variation early in the growing season, following initial plant growth and development. PRI and SIF were more dynamic, exhibiting variation diurnally and seasonally, enabling quantification of genotypic variation in physiological response to drought conditions. Beyond vegetation indices, CV of hyperspectral reflectance showed the most variability across genotypes, treatment, and time in the visible and red-edge spectral regions.ConclusionsTSWIFT enables continuous and automated monitoring of hyperspectral reflectance for assessing variation in plant structure and function at high spatial and temporal resolutions for high-throughput phenotyping. Mobile, tower-based systems like this can provide short- and long-term datasets to assess genotypic and/or management responses to the environment, and ultimately enable the spectral prediction of resource-use efficiency, stress resilience, productivity and yield.

This study investigates the relationship between climate change disclosure and institutional investors. A particular focus of the present study is the question of if and how the relationship is affected by the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI). A relevant context to the question is shareholder engagement, where institutional investors' legitimacy affects the outcomes. Thus, this study examines Japan, where shareholder engagement is the main pathway for institutional investors to convey their ESG‐related influence to investee companies. Using the stakeholder salience theory as a theoretical framework, the empirical results of analyzing 17,604 firm‐year eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) documents of listed Japanese companies provide evidence for the following. First, institutional stakeholders' holding ratio has positively influenced corporate climate change disclosure (power). Second, the positive influence of institutional investors is more significant when PRI‐signed institutional investors are present (legitimacy). Third, the aforementioned relations gained statistical significance gradually during the analysis period (urgency). Fundamentally, this study shows that the stakeholder salience theory contributes to a deeper understanding of the relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation source signal sorting in complex environments is currently a hot issue in the field of electronic countermeasures. The pulse repetition interval (PRI) can provide stable and obvious parametric features in radiation source identification, which is an important parameter relying on the signal sorting problem. To solve the problem linked to the difficulties in sorting the PRI in complex environments using the traditional method, a signal sorting method based on a parallel denoising autoencoder is proposed. This method implements the binarized preprocessing of known time-of-arrival (TOA) sequences and then constructs multiple parallel denoising autoencoder models using fully connected layers to achieve the simultaneous sorting of multiple signal types in the overlapping signals. The experimental results show that this method maintains high precision in scenarios prone to large error and can efficiently filter out noise and highlight the original features of the signal. In addition, the present model maintains its performance and some robustness in the sorting of different signal types. Compared with the traditional algorithm, this method improves the precision of sorting. The algorithm presented in this study still maintains above 90% precision when the pulse loss rate reaches 50%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently developed experimental and computational approaches to identify putative coding small ORFs (smORFs) in genomes have revealed thousands of smORFs localized within coding and non-coding RNAs. They can be translated into smORF peptides or microproteins, which are defined as less than 100 amino acids in length. The identification of such a large number of potential biological regulators represents a major challenge, notably for elucidating the in vivo functions of these microproteins. Since the emergence of this field, Drosophila has proved to be a valuable model for studying the biological functions of microproteins in vivo. In this review, we outline how the smORF field emerged and the nomenclature used in this domain. We summarize the technical challenges associated with identifying putative coding smORFs in the genome and the relevant translated microproteins. Finally, recent findings on one of the best studied smORF peptides, Pri, and other microproteins studied so far in Drosophila are described. These studies highlight the diverse roles that microproteins can fulfil in the regulation of various molecular targets involved in distinct cellular processes during animal development and physiology. Given the recent emergence of the microprotein field and the associated discoveries, the microproteome represents an exquisite source of potentially bioactive molecules, whose in vivo biological functions can be explored in the Drosophila model.

Este artículo aborda el proceso de dominación y el clientelismo político del Estado mexicano para coaccionar a los campesinos de las costas de Guerrero, quienes fueron cooptados por el Partido Revolucionario Institucional en la Unión Regional de Productores de Copra del Estado de Guerrero (URPCEG), la organización campesina más importante de la entidad y que desde sus inicios fue hegemonizada por grupos caciquiles. Un aporte de la investigación es el estudio y análisis de una de las masacres más sanguinarias de los años sesenta en México, que había pasado inadvertida por la historiografía del siglo XX. Si bien el enfoque es de historia regional, la importancia y el impacto del problema aquí presentado tiene trascendencia nacional, ya que la masacre de campesinos del 20 de agosto de 1967 en Acapulco es el antecedente inmediato a la aparición de diferentes guerrillas en Guerrero y en otros puntos del país. No es exagerado afirmar que fue uno de los actos de terrorismo instrumentados por el Estado mexicano como parte de una estrategia contrainsurgente que buscaba conjurar la insurrección campesina en la región de la Costa Grande de Guerrero, donde surgió paralelamente una crisis del clientelismo priista, así como una pugna intercaciquil combinada con un fuerte movimiento de masas de copreros y cafeticultores con demandas agrarias y económicas.

Evergreen conifer forests are the most prevalent land cover type in North America. Seasonal changes in the color of evergreen forest canopies have been documented with near-surface remote sensing, but the physiological mechanisms underlying these changes, and the implications for photosynthetic uptake, have not been fully elucidated. Here, we integrate on-the-ground phenological observations, leaf-level physiological measurements, near surface hyperspectral remote sensing and digital camera imagery, tower-based CO2 flux measurements, and a predictive model to simulate seasonal canopy color dynamics. We show that seasonal changes in canopy color occur independently of new leaf production, but track changes in chlorophyll fluorescence, the photochemical reflectance index, and leaf pigmentation. We demonstrate that at winter-dormant sites, seasonal changes in canopy color can be used to predict the onset of canopy-level photosynthesis in spring, and its cessation in autumn. Finally, we parameterize a simple temperature-based model to predict the seasonal cycle of canopy greenness, and we show that the model successfully simulates interannual variation in the timing of changes in canopy color. These results provide mechanistic insight into the factors driving seasonal changes in evergreen canopy color and provide opportunities to monitor and model seasonal variation in photosynthetic activity using color-based vegetation indices.

Abstract Background Remote sensing instruments enable high-throughput phenotyping of plant traits and stress resilience across scale. Spatial (handheld devices, towers, drones, airborne, and satellites) and temporal (continuous or intermittent) tradeoffs can enable or constrain plant science applications. Here, we describe the technical details of TSWIFT (Tower Spectrometer on Wheels for Investigating Frequent Timeseries), a mobile tower-based hyperspectral remote sensing system for continuous monitoring of spectral reflectance across visible-near infrared regions with the capacity to resolve solar-induced fluorescence (SIF). Results We demonstrate potential applications for monitoring short-term (diurnal) and long-term (seasonal) variation of vegetation for high-throughput phenotyping applications. We deployed TSWIFT in a field experiment of 300 common bean genotypes in two treatments: control (irrigated) and drought (terminal drought). We evaluated the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), photochemical reflectance index (PRI), and SIF, as well as the coefficient of variation (CV) across the visible-near infrared spectral range (400 to 900 nm). NDVI tracked structural variation early in the growing season, following initial plant growth and development. PRI and SIF were more dynamic, exhibiting variation diurnally and seasonally, enabling quantification of genotypic variation in physiological response to drought conditions. Beyond vegetation indices, CV of hyperspectral reflectance showed the most variability across genotypes, treatment, and time in the visible and red-edge spectral regions. Conclusions TSWIFT enables continuous and automated monitoring of hyperspectral reflectance for assessing variation in plant structure and function at high spatial and temporal resolutions for high-throughput phenotyping. Mobile, tower-based systems like this can provide short- and long-term datasets to assess genotypic and/or management responses to the environment, and ultimately enable the spectral prediction of resource-use efficiency, stress resilience, productivity and yield.

Orientation: Asset owners should be able to distinguish between asset managers based on their commitment, accountability, and quality of their environmental, social and governance (ESG) screening, and engagement practices. Research purpose: Although there were 48 asset managers in South Africa who were Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) signatories at the end of 2020, to the best knowledge of the authors this is the first academic study on the nature of active ownership reporting among South African PRI asset manager signatories. Motivation for the study: Asset managers are often accused of greenwashing and reporting practices that are mere ‘box ticking’. Research approach/design and method: The authors investigated the nature and extent of local PRI asset manager signatory active ownership reporting over the period 2016–2020, using content analysis and a self-constructed measurement instrument to ascertain the quality of reporting. Main findings: Vast differences were noted in the depth and breadth of shareholder engagement reporting, and as expected, the size of the asset manager played an important role in the quality of reporting. Practical/managerial implications: South African asset managers who claim to be responsible investors, by virtue of being PRI signatories, should ensure that public reporting accurately reflects their engagement activities and outcomes, given the potential reputational benefits and the increasing importance of ESG issues. Contribution/value add: The research may be valuable to asset managers and owners seeking a competitive advantage within the growing RI sector, by highlighting the importance of clear and transparent disclosure.

Salinization is a significant adverse factor that suppresses productivity of agricultural plants. Multispectral imaging and calculation of reflectance indices, including the typical photochemical reflectance index (PRI), can be used for early revealing of changes in plants under salinization. However, the direction of change in typical PRI is dependent on the type of stressor and the experimental conditions. Earlier, we proposed modified PRIs with shifted measuring wavelengths and analyzed their changes under excess light, water deficit, and heating. In the current work, we investigated the sensitivity of these indices to changes in pea plants under salinization (100, 200, and 400 mM NaCl treatment). It was shown that short-wavelength PRIs were increased under this treatment; in contrast, long-wavelength PRIs were decreased. Most of the modified PRIs were strongly related to the maximal yield of photosystem II and the normalized difference vegetation index. Long-wavelength PRIs were more sensitive to plant changes than short-wavelength PRIs, typical PRI, and the normalized difference vegetation index because their stable decrease under moderate salinization (the 200 mM NaCl treatment) was initiated earlier. Our results show that long-wavelength PRIs, which also decreased under the action of the excess light, water deficit, and heating, can be potentially used as a universal tool for early revealing of stress changes in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation of research institutes and centres of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) into public research institutions (PRI) in 2022 represents a completion of a long-term transformation process that began legislatively 8 years ago, in 2014, and ideologically even earlier, approximately 14 years ago, in 2008. The new legal framework on the one hand, removed several previous legislative obstacles that fully prevented a commercialization of intellectual property as a result of research and innovation in the environment of the SAS. On the other hand, even with regard to the mentioned historical debt, the legislation could help the effective technology transfer much more significantly. Some specific suggestions are presented in this post.

Vegetation indices (VIs) related to plant greenness have been studied extensively for the remote detection of foliar nitrogen content. Yet, the potential of chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) and photoprotection-based indices such as the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) or the chlorophyll/carotenoid index (CCI) for the detection of a wide range of nutrients remains elusive. We measured the dynamics of foliar macro- and micronutrient contents in potato plants as affected by fertilization and water stress, along with leaf and canopy level observations of spectral reflectance and ChlF (or solar-induced fluorescence). ChlF and photoprotection-related indices were more strongly related to a wide range of foliar nutrient contents compared to greenness-based indices. At the leaf level, relationships were largely mediated by foliar chlorophyll contents (Cab) and leaf morphology, which resulted in two contrasting groupings: a group dominated by macronutrients N, P, K, and Mg that decreased during canopy development and was positively correlated with Cab, and a group including Cu, Mn, Zn, and S that increased and was negatively related to Cab. At the canopy-level, spectral indices were additionally influenced by canopy structure, and so their capacity to detect foliar nutrient contents depends on the spatiotemporal covariation between foliar Cab, morphology, and canopy structure within the observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaponics is a plant and fish co-cultivation system with high sustainability, yet sub-optimal concentrations of Fe and K often compromise crop yields. We cultivated the Mediterranean wild edible Cichorium spinosum L. (Greek name: stamnagathi) in an aquaponics setup following a minimal supplementation approach that focused on Fe and K. Stamnagathi and tilapia fish were co-cultivated under (i) solely Fe, (ii) Fe+K input and (iii) no-input Control treatments. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of aquaponics for stamnagathi cultivation, identify the system's bottlenecks, and propose optimization measures. Several plant's growth and functional parameters were monitored throughout the 35-day experimental period, notably instantaneous gas exchange and photosynthetic capacity via light response curves, state and efficiency of the photosynthetic machinery, pigment content, and yield and morphometric assessments. Fish growth characteristics and survival rates remained unaffected. Fe deficiency was crucial in shaping the responses of Control stamnagathi, which showed inferior performance in terms of photochemistry, chlorophylls content, light use efficiency and, subsequently, photosynthetic activity. Fe and Fe+K-treated plants exhibited similarly high performance in all studied parameters and achieved 4.5- and 4-fold increased yields, respectively, compared to Control. The results demonstrate that aquaponics is an advantageous cropping system for stamnagathi and solely Fe supplementation is adequate to promote excellent performance and yield of this oligotrophic species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquaponics is a promising cultivation technique for combined production of crops and fish, on the condition of tackling certain nutrients deficiencies. The aim of the present study was to examine the limitations imposed by the system on spinach (Spinacia oleracea) growth and functional performance and to identify the minimum nutrient supplementation for their optimization. Spinach was co-cultivated with red tilapia under three treatments; iron (Fe) and iron with potassium (Fe+K) enrichment was compared with the no-external input control. During a 45-day experiment, the photosynthetic performance, photosynthetic machinery efficiency, total chlorophylls content, and leaf reflectance were monitored, along with leaf nutritional state, antioxidant activity, and growth responses of fish and crops. Control plants showed symptoms of Fe deficiency, extensive chlorosis, stunted growth, and functional impairment already from day 10. The latter consisted of a coordinated down-regulation of photochemistry, carboxylation, and light-use efficiency. Fe-treated plants exhibited similar growth and functional performance with Fe+K-treated plants but outperformed them in chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rates, and photochemical efficiency, mainly due to higher quantum yield of electron transport. Fish growth remained unaffected. Fe-deficiency was identified as the major bottleneck for spinach cultivation in closed-loop aquaponics, and our results demonstrate that only Fe supplementation may sufficiently improve spinach function and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart specialisation is an instrument of the European Cohesion Policy and a key political principle to advance European competitiveness, innovation and welfare. Whereas smart specialisation is previously recognised for its focus on creating economic value through regional specialisation and new innovations, some recent arguments show that sustainable and social aspects are now defining the new smart specialisation strategy (McCann & Soete 2020; Pontikakis et al. 2022). In this paper, we examine the concept of public value to determine what a broader sustainable focus could mean for the next generation of smart specialisation strategies and how regions may use their entrepreneurial discovery processes (EDP) in a new way to combine vertical specialisation with more horizontal, sustainable and particularly social sustainability goals. Our inspection of public value via Moore's strategic triangle and the smart specialisation literature indicate that the entrepreneurial discovery process can be viewed as a platform for conveying public value, which may also help in understanding how the entrepreneurial discovery process may become an open discovery process (ODP) in partnerships for regional innovation (PRO) implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart specialisation is an instrument of the European Cohesion Policy and a key political principle to advance European competitiveness, innovation and welfare. Whereas smart specialisation is previously recognised for its focus on creating economic value through regional specialisation and new innovations, some recent arguments show that sustainable and social aspects are now defining the new smart specialisation strategy (McCann & Soete 2020; Pontikakis et al. 2022). In this paper, we examine the concept of public value to determine what a broader sustainable focus could mean for the next generation of smart specialisation strategies and how regions may use their entrepreneurial discovery processes (EDP) in a new way to combine vertical specialisation with more horizontal, sustainable and particularly social sustainability goals. Our inspection of public value via Moore’s strategic triangle and the smart specialisation literature indicate that the entrepreneurial discovery process can be viewed as a platform for conveying public value, which may also help in understanding how the entrepreneurial discovery process may become an open discovery process (ODP) in partnerships for regional innovation (PRO) implementation.

Spectral characteristics of the bryophyte carpet and mat subformation on Nelson Island (South Shetlands Islands) and Galindez Island (Argentine Islands, Graham Coast) were analyzed using spectral reflectance characteristics. A set of 9 specific reflectance indices were calculated and compared between two locations for the same type of moss vegetation formed by Sanionia georgicouncinata and Warnstorfia spp. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is efficient in discriminating between the two contrasting color/ecological moss community classes, i.e. such as less vigorous or dead and vigorous. However, NDVI is not sufficiently sensitive to discriminate intermediate vitality states. Presented data also demonstrates that complementary application of two indices, NDVI and Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), can be promising for followup studies focused on the determination of the color differences attributed to ecolophysiological state of a moss community. With the same values of NDVI, bryophyte carpet and mat subformation on Galindez Island are characterized by higher values of the OSAVI, which can be used as an indicator for further monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrates the potential of using low-altitude multispectral imagery data to assess irrigation and fertilization techniques and the relative degree of plant water and nutrient stress. This study aims to create a methodology that can be widely used by vertical farms. Techniques were used for early water and nitrogen stress detection using multispectral reflectance systems in an indoor environment with artificial lighting. The methodology focuses on irrigation and nutrition, that sets schedules, and automatically updates a decision-making system based on crop reflectance data and simplified reflectance indices. The experimental process took place on the premises of CphFarmHouse in Denmark. The results showed that crop reflectance increased due to water and nitrogen deficiencies. The detected reflectance increase was significant on the third day of the experiment when irrigation and fertilization were not applied. It should be noted that during the experimental period, the researchers did not detect water or nitrogen deficiencies visible to the naked eye. More specifically, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI) showed statistically significant differences between the control treatment and the two stress treatments with limited water and nitrogen. Additionally, based on the reflectance measurements and the measured physiological crop parameters, significant correlations (p < 0.01) were observed mainly between the PRI and the chlorophyll content, the photosynthetic efficiency and the stomatal conductance (r = 0.84/0.90, 0.73/0.66, 0.61/0.66 among the nitrogen and water treatments). The research provides data analysis results on sensors and approaches for crop reflectance measurements as well as spectral indices for remote water and nitrogen detection. Finally, the results provide a feasibility analysis, suggesting that multispectral images could be used as a rapid tool to estimate the physiological status of plants, which is indicative of the spatial variation in the vertical farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing methods are known to provide estimates of berry quality. However, previous studies have shown that the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) failed to predict berry quality attributes in rain-fed vineyards. This study explores the association of several reflectance indices with vine biophysical characteristics and berry yield and quality attributes and their temporal stability. The study was conducted in rain-fed Chardonnay vineyards located around Masquefa (Penedès region, Catalonia, Spain) over four years. Canopy reflectance, fractional Intercepted Photosynthetic Active Radiation, predawn water potential and canopy temperature at midday were measured at veraison whereas berry yield and quality attributes were determined at harvest. Water availability and vine biophysical attributes showed large temporal stability whereas berry quality attributes were not temporally stable. The capability of reflectance indices to estimate berry quality attributes was subject to the timing and extent of water deficits. The Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI), the NDVI and the Water Index (WI) provided estimates of berry quality attributes under mild, moderate and severe water deficits, respectively. These results might have potential applications in precision viticulture activities such as selective harvesting according to grape quality attributes and the assessment of ripening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The collection and analysis of large amounts of information on a plant-by-plant basis contributes to the development of precision fertigation and may be achieved by combining remote-sensing technology with high-throughput phenotyping methods. Here, lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa) were grown under optimal and suboptimal nitrogen and irrigation treatments from seedlings to harvest. A Plantarray system was used to calculate and log weights, daily transpiration, and momentary transpiration rates throughout the experiment. From 15 d after planting until experiment termination, the entire array of plants was imaged hourly (from 09.00 h to 14.00 h) using a hyperspectral moving camera. Three vegetation indices were calculated from the plants' reflectance signal: red-edge chlorophyll index (RECI), photochemical reflectance index (PRI), and water index (WI), and combined treatments, physiological measurements, and vegetation indices were compared. RECI values differed significantly between nitrogen treatments from the first day of imaging, and WI values distinguished well-irrigated from drought-treated groups before detecting significant differences in daily transpiration rate. The PRI, calculated hourly during the drought-treatment phase, changed with the momentary transpiration rate. Thus, hyperspectral imaging might be used in growing facilities to detect nitrogen or water shortages in plants before their physiological response affects yields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Salinization is a significant adverse factor that suppresses productivity of agricultural plants. Multispectral imaging and calculation of reflectance indices, including the typical photochemical reflectance index (PRI), can be used for early revealing of changes in plants under salinization. However, the direction of change in typical PRI is dependent on the type of stressor and the experimental conditions. Earlier, we proposed modified PRIs with shifted measuring wavelengths and analyzed their changes under excess light, water deficit, and heating. In the current work, we investigated the sensitivity of these indices to changes in pea plants under salinization (100, 200, and 400 mM NaCl treatment). It was shown that short-wavelength PRIs were increased under this treatment; in contrast, long-wavelength PRIs were decreased. Most of the modified PRIs were strongly related to the maximal yield of photosystem II and the normalized difference vegetation index. Long-wavelength PRIs were more sensitive to plant changes than short-wavelength PRIs, typical PRI, and the normalized difference vegetation index because their stable decrease under moderate salinization (the 200 mM NaCl treatment) was initiated earlier. Our results show that long-wavelength PRIs, which also decreased under the action of the excess light, water deficit, and heating, can be potentially used as a universal tool for early revealing of stress changes in plants.

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Se ha encontrado que las deserciones partidistas en autoritarismos electorales pueden generar inestabilidad en el régimen. Asimismo, se ha analizado cómo reaccionan los utócratas. Podría pensarse que comienzan por reprimir a los “traidores”. Sin embargo, mi argumento es que existe una estrategia menos riesgosa para solventar la amenaza de las rupturas. Sostengo que los autócratas podrían apelar a las masas a través de incrementos en el gasto social y así evitar que éstas sean cooptadas por los desertores. Examino este argumento con modelos para datos panel y evidencia de la época autoritaria en México a nivel estatal.

Vegetation indices (VIs) related to plant greenness have been studied extensively for the remote detection of foliar nitrogen content. Yet, the potential of chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) and photoprotection-based indices such as the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) or the chlorophyll/carotenoid index (CCI) for the detection of a wide range of nutrients remains elusive. We measured the dynamics of foliar macro- and micronutrient contents in potato plants as affected by fertilization and water stress, along with leaf and canopy level observations of spectral reflectance and ChlF (or solar-induced fluorescence). ChlF and photoprotection-related indices were more strongly related to a wide range of foliar nutrient contents compared to greenness-based indices. At the leaf level, relationships were largely mediated by foliar chlorophyll contents (Cab) and leaf morphology, which resulted in two contrasting groupings: a group dominated by macronutrients N, P, K, and Mg that decreased during canopy development and was positively correlated with Cab, and a group including Cu, Mn, Zn, and S that increased and was negatively related to Cab. At the canopy-level, spectral indices were additionally influenced by canopy structure, and so their capacity to detect foliar nutrient contents depends on the spatiotemporal covariation between foliar Cab, morphology, and canopy structure within the observations.

In environmental conditions, plants can be affected by the action of numerous abiotic stressors. These stressors can induce both damage of physiological processes and adaptive changes including signaling-based changes. Development of optical methods of revealing influence of stressors on plants is an important task for plant investigations. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) based on plant reflectance at 531 nm (measuring wavelength) and 570 nm (reference wavelength) can be effective tool of revealing plant stress changes (mainly, photosynthetic changes); however, its efficiency is strongly varied at different conditions. Earlier, we proposed series of modified PRIs with moderate shifts of the measuring wavelength and showed that these indices can be effective for revealing photosynthetic changes under fluctuations in light intensity. The current work was devoted to the analysis of sensitivity of these modified PRIs to action of drought and short-term heat stress. Investigation of spatially-fixed leaves of pea plants showed that the modified PRI with the shorter measuring wavelength (515 nm) was increased under response of drought and heat; by contrast, the modified PRI with the longer wavelength (555 nm) was decreased under response to these stressors. Changes of investigated indices could be related to parameters of photosynthetic light reactions; however, these relations were stronger for the modified PRI with the 555 nm measuring wavelength. Investigation of canopy of pea (vegetation room) and wheat (vegetation room and open-ground) supported these results. Thus, moderate changes in the measuring wavelengths of PRI can strongly modify the efficiency of their use for the estimation of plant physiological changes (mainly photosynthetic changes) under action of stressors. It is probable that the modified PRI with the 555 nm measuring wavelength (or similar indices) can be an effective tool for revealing photosynthetic changes induced by stressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remote sensing offers a non-destructive method to detect plant physiological response to the environment by measuring chlorophyll fluorescence (CF). Most methods to estimate CF require relatively complex retrieval, spectral fitting, or modelling methods. An investigation was undertaken to evaluate measurements of CF using a relatively straightforward technique to detect and monitor plant stress with a spectroradiometer and blue-red light emitting diode (LED). CF spectral response of tomato plants treated with a photosystem inhibitor were assessed and compared to traditional reflectance-based indices: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and photochemical reflectance index (PRI). The blue-red LEDs provided input irradiance and a "window" in the CF emission range of plants (~650 to 850 nm) sufficient to capture distinctive "two-peak" spectra and to distinguish plant health from day to day of the experiment, while within day differences were noisy. CF-based metrics calculated from CF spectra clearly captured signs of vegetation stress earlier than reflectance-based indices and by visual inspection. This CF monitoring technique is a flexible and scalable option for collecting plant function data, especially for indicating early signs of stress. The technique can be applied to a single plant or larger canopies using LED in dark conditions by an individual, or a manned or unmanned vehicle for agricultural or military purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern electronic warfare signal environment, multiple radar signals of high density are mixed and received, and separating them into signals for each emitter is an essential step for emitter identification. Each radar has its own pulse repetition interval (PRI), which is a key parameter for deinterleaving pulse trains. The PRI is modulated in various forms depending on the purpose of the radar operation, and analyzing the mean PRI and the modulation type of PRI is the core of electronic warfare signal processing. Many existing papers have tried separate independent approaches for deinterleaving and for PRI modulation recognition. However, many distortions are unintentionally generated in the process of extracting the pulse train using the PRI estimated through deinterleaving for the PRI modulation recognition. This degrades the modulation recognition performance. In this paper, we propose a unified method for the deinterleaving and PRI modulation recognition of radar pulses using deep learning-based multitasking learning. The simulation results demonstrate the good performance of the proposed method for deinterleaving and modulation recognition, compared to the conventional method, and prove that the proposed method is robust in noisy radar signal environments.

Los estudios sobre el gasto público subnacional en México han aumentado de forma importante en los últimos años. No obstante, se desconoce si la ideología partidista tiene un efecto en él. Por lo tanto, el objetivo de esta investigación es explorar si esta variable influye en la distribución del gasto público. Por medio del caso de Jalisco, se comparan los gobiernos del PAN y del PRI para analizar sus decisiones. Los resultados muestran que el gobierno panista destinó más recursos a la inversión pública, la educación y el desarrollo rural; mientras que el gobierno priísta favoreció el gasto en salud pública.

Peng Sun,1,2 Qichang Yang,1 Yanben Wang,2 Jiaxuan Peng,3 Kangxian Zhao,1 Yewei Jia,2 Tan Zhang,2 Xuanyuan Lu,2 Weiqi Han,2 Yu Qian1,2 1The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Orthopedics, Shaoxing People’s Hospital (Shaoxing Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine), Shaoxing, Zhejiang 312000, People’s Republic of China; 3Guangxi Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yu QianThe Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children’s Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, No. 109, XueYuan Road, Wenzhou, Zhejiang 325000, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail doctor120@hotmail.comIntroduction: Osteoporosis is a metabolic bone disease characterized by reduced bone quantity and microstructure, typically owing to increased osteoclastogenesis and/or enhanced osteoclastic bone resorption, resulting in uncontrolled bone loss, which primarily affects postmenopausal women. In consideration of the severe side effects of current drugs for osteoporosis, new safe and effective medications are necessary. Pristimerin (Pri), a quinone methide triterpene extracted from Celastraceae and Hippocrateaceae members, exhibits potent antineoplastic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, its effect on osteoclasts remains unknown.Materials and Methods: We evaluated the anti-osteoclastogenic and anti-resorptive effect of Pri on bone marrow-derived osteoclasts and its underlying mechanism in vitro. In addition, the protective effect of Pri on ovariectomy model was also explored in vivo.Results: In vitro, Pri inhibited osteoclast differentiation and mature osteoclastic bone resorption in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Further, Pri suppressed the expression of osteoclast-related genes and the activation of key proteins. Pri also inhibited the early activation of ERK, JNK MAPK, and AKT signaling pathways in bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMMs), ultimately inhibiting the induction and activation of the crucial osteoclast transcriptional factor nuclear factor of activated T‐cell cytoplasmic 1 (NFATc1). In vivo, consistent with our in vitro data, Pri clearly prevented ovariectomy-induced bone loss.Conclusion: Our data showed that Pri inhibits the differentiation and activation of osteoclasts in vitro and in vivo, and could be a promising candidate for treating osteoporosis.Keywords: osteoclast, osteoporosis, ERK, JNK, AKT, Pri

Aquaponics is a promising cultivation technique for combined production of crops and fish, on the condition of tackling certain nutrients deficiencies. The aim of the present study was to examine the limitations imposed by the system on spinach (Spinacia oleracea) growth and functional performance and to identify the minimum nutrient supplementation for their optimization. Spinach was co-cultivated with red tilapia under three treatments; iron (Fe) and iron with potassium (Fe+K) enrichment was compared with the no-external input control. During a 45-day experiment, the photosynthetic performance, photosynthetic machinery efficiency, total chlorophylls content, and leaf reflectance were monitored, along with leaf nutritional state, antioxidant activity, and growth responses of fish and crops. Control plants showed symptoms of Fe deficiency, extensive chlorosis, stunted growth, and functional impairment already from day 10. The latter consisted of a coordinated down-regulation of photochemistry, carboxylation, and light-use efficiency. Fe-treated plants exhibited similar growth and functional performance with Fe+K-treated plants but outperformed them in chlorophyll content, photosynthetic rates, and photochemical efficiency, mainly due to higher quantum yield of electron transport. Fish growth remained unaffected. Fe-deficiency was identified as the major bottleneck for spinach cultivation in closed-loop aquaponics, and our results demonstrate that only Fe supplementation may sufficiently improve spinach function and yield.

This study demonstrates the potential of using low-altitude multispectral imagery data to assess irrigation and fertilization techniques and the relative degree of plant water and nutrient stress. This study aims to create a methodology that can be widely used by vertical farms. Techniques were used for early water and nitrogen stress detection using multispectral reflectance systems in an indoor environment with artificial lighting. The methodology focuses on irrigation and nutrition, that sets schedules, and automatically updates a decision-making system based on crop reflectance data and simplified reflectance indices. The experimental process took place on the premises of CphFarmHouse in Denmark. The results showed that crop reflectance increased due to water and nitrogen deficiencies. The detected reflectance increase was significant on the third day of the experiment when irrigation and fertilization were not applied. It should be noted that during the experimental period, the researchers did not detect water or nitrogen deficiencies visible to the naked eye. More specifically, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI) showed statistically significant differences between the control treatment and the two stress treatments with limited water and nitrogen. Additionally, based on the reflectance measurements and the measured physiological crop parameters, significant correlations (p < 0.01) were observed mainly between the PRI and the chlorophyll content, the photosynthetic efficiency and the stomatal conductance (r = 0.84/0.90, 0.73/0.66, 0.61/0.66 among the nitrogen and water treatments). The research provides data analysis results on sensors and approaches for crop reflectance measurements as well as spectral indices for remote water and nitrogen detection. Finally, the results provide a feasibility analysis, suggesting that multispectral images could be used as a rapid tool to estimate the physiological status of plants, which is indicative of the spatial variation in the vertical farm.

Background: Children undergoing panoramic radiographic imaging (PRI) and intraoral periapical (IOPA) radiographic imaging show anxiety due to the presence of a revolving PRI machine and IOPA X-ray unit and a different environment which can pose behavioral concerns. Staying still for 15–20 s is not possible for young children. This could lead to distortions and require repetitions, leading to more radiation exposure. Aim: The aim of the study was to reduce the dental anxiety and reduce the increased radiation exposure and saving time in PRI and IOPA radiographic imaging by audiovisual modeling. Methodology: Forty children age 2–12 years indicated for PRI and IOPA radiographic imaging were subjected and observed before and after audiovisual modeling. The patients were modeled by audiovisual modeling before imaging in the oral radiology department. The anxious and disruptive behavior was assessed using the anxious and disruptive behavior code by a single blinded observer. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical Software SPSS 13.0. Results: There was significant difference in the occurrence of body movement and complaining and restraint before and after audiovisual modeling in the same patients. There were statistically significant differences in the overall events before and after audiovisual modeling. Conclusion: The basic behavior management technique and use of audiovisual modeling can reduce the anxiety and disruptive behavior in children undergoing PRI and IOPA radiographic imaging and also reduces increased radiation exposure, saving time for the process thus reducing the cost of repeated imaging.

The sub-national public spending studies in Mexico have increased in the last years. Nevertheless, it is unknown if the party ideology has an effect on it. Therefore, this paper explores whether this variable influences on the public expenditure. Based on the case of Jalisco, this research compares PAN and PRI governments to show their decisions on public expenditure. The results show that the panista government gave more resources to public investment, education and rural development; meanwhile the priista government gave more to public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In environmental conditions, plants can be affected by the action of numerous abiotic stressors. These stressors can induce both damage of physiological processes and adaptive changes including signaling-based changes. Development of optical methods of revealing influence of stressors on plants is an important task for plant investigations. The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) based on plant reflectance at 531 nm (measuring wavelength) and 570 nm (reference wavelength) can be effective tool of revealing plant stress changes (mainly, photosynthetic changes); however, its efficiency is strongly varied at different conditions. Earlier, we proposed series of modified PRIs with moderate shifts of the measuring wavelength and showed that these indices can be effective for revealing photosynthetic changes under fluctuations in light intensity. The current work was devoted to the analysis of sensitivity of these modified PRIs to action of drought and short-term heat stress. Investigation of spatially-fixed leaves of pea plants showed that the modified PRI with the shorter measuring wavelength (515 nm) was increased under response of drought and heat; by contrast, the modified PRI with the longer wavelength (555 nm) was decreased under response to these stressors. Changes of investigated indices could be related to parameters of photosynthetic light reactions; however, these relations were stronger for the modified PRI with the 555 nm measuring wavelength. Investigation of canopy of pea (vegetation room) and wheat (vegetation room and open-ground) supported these results. Thus, moderate changes in the measuring wavelengths of PRI can strongly modify the efficiency of their use for the estimation of plant physiological changes (mainly photosynthetic changes) under action of stressors. It is probable that the modified PRI with the 555 nm measuring wavelength (or similar indices) can be an effective tool for revealing photosynthetic changes induced by stressors.

Remote sensing offers a non-destructive method to detect plant physiological response to the environment by measuring chlorophyll fluorescence (CF). Most methods to estimate CF require relatively complex retrieval, spectral fitting, or modelling methods. An investigation was undertaken to evaluate measurements of CF using a relatively straightforward technique to detect and monitor plant stress with a spectroradiometer and blue-red light emitting diode (LED). CF spectral response of tomato plants treated with a photosystem inhibitor were assessed and compared to traditional reflectance-based indices: normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and photochemical reflectance index (PRI). The blue-red LEDs provided input irradiance and a “window” in the CF emission range of plants (~650 to 850 nm) sufficient to capture distinctive “two-peak” spectra and to distinguish plant health from day to day of the experiment, while within day differences were noisy. CF-based metrics calculated from CF spectra clearly captured signs of vegetation stress earlier than reflectance-based indices and by visual inspection. This CF monitoring technique is a flexible and scalable option for collecting plant function data, especially for indicating early signs of stress. The technique can be applied to a single plant or larger canopies using LED in dark conditions by an individual, or a manned or unmanned vehicle for agricultural or military purposes.

The increasing amount of continuous time series of solar-induced fluorescence (SIF) and vegetation indices (e.g. Photochemical Reflectance Index, PRI) acquired with high temporal (sub-minute) frequencies is foreseen to allow tracking of the structural and physiological changes of vegetation in a variety of ecosystems. Coupled with observations of CO2, water, and energy fluxes from eddy covariance flux towers, these measurements can bring new insights into the remote monitoring of ecosystem functioning. However, continuously changing solar-view geometry imposes directional effects on diurnal cycles of the fluorescence radiance in the observation direction (F) and PRI, controlled by structural and biochemical vegetation properties. An improved understanding of these variations can potentially help to disentangle directional responses of vegetation from physiological ones in the continuous long-term optical measurements and, therefore, allow to deconvolve the physiological information relevant to ecosystem functioning. Moreover, this will also be useful for better interpreting and validating F and PRI satellite products (e.g., from the upcoming ESA FLEX mission).Many previous studies focused on the characterization of reflectance directionality, but only a handful of studies investigated directional effects on F and vegetation indices related to plant physiology. The aim of this study is to contribute to the understanding of red (F687) and far-red (F760) fluorescence and PRI anisotropy based on field spectroscopy data and simulations with the Soil-Canopy Observation of Photochemistry and Energy fluxes (SCOPE) model. We present an extensive dataset of multi-angular measurements of F and PRI collected at canopy level with a high-resolution instrument (FloX, JB Hyperspectral Devices UG, Germany) over different ecosystems: Mediterranean grassland, alfalfa, chickpea and rice.We found, that F760 and F687 directional responses of horizontally homogeneous canopies are characterized by higher values in the backscatter direction with a maximum in the hotspot and lower values in the forward scatter direction. The PRI exhibited similar response due to its sensitivity to sunlit-shaded canopy fractions.As confirmed by radiative transfer forward simulations, we show that in the field measurements leaf inclination distribution function controls the shape of F and PRI anisotropic response (bowl-like/dome-like shapes), while leaf area index and the ratio of leaf width to canopy height affect the magnitude and the width of the hotspot. Finally, we discuss the implications of off-nadir viewing geometry for continuous ground measurements. F observations under oblique viewing angles showed up to 67 % difference compared to nadir observations, therefore, we suggest maintaining nadir viewing geometry for continuous measurements of F and vegetation indices. Alternatively, a correction scheme should be developed and tested against multi-angular measurements to properly account for anisotropy of canopy F and PRI observations. The quantitative characterization of these effects in varying illumination geometries for different canopies that was performed in this study will also be useful for the validation of remote sensing F and PRI products at different spatial and temporal scales.

Este artículo presenta un análisis general sobre la presidencia de Enrique Peña Nieto, que accedió al poder en 2012 como resultado de la victoria del pri luego de doce años de gobiernos panistas. Desde el inicio se destaca un elemento central y paradójico que define al sexenio: el pasaje de un arranque avasallante, con el “Pacto por México” y las reformas que surgieron de éste como emblema, a un final en donde la popularidad del presidente cayó a niveles muy bajos y su partido sufrió una derrota sin precedentes. El artículo considera las diferentes “reformas estructurales” derivadas del Pacto, examinando los principales cambios que promovieron, así como la dinámica política que definió su proceso de implementación. Por otro lado, se hace hincapié en dos grandes factores que explicaron el deterioro de la imagen presidencial y del gobierno: uno, los numerosos casos de corrupción en los que se vieron implicados no sólo el presidente y su familia, sino numerosos gobernadores de su partido; y dos, la escalada de la violencia criminal y el fracaso de la política orientada a combatirla.

Featured Application: Monitoring the effect of biochar application on plant growth using destructive and non-destructive methods. The present study investigated the growth of Capsicum annuum L. (pepper) in an outdoor pot experiment. Changes in the plants' aboveground and root biomass, leaf area, plant height, stem thickness, and yield, as a response to different doses of biochar amendments were observed. During the 12.5-week-long study, four treatments with biochar amounts of 0, 0.5%, 2.5%, and 5.0% (by weight) were added to silt loam soil. Photochemical responses of plants, the plants photochemical reflectance index (PRI) modified by the different doses of biochar were continuously monitored. Plant height and fruit yield were initially the highest for BC5.0; however, by the end of the experiment, both parameters showed higher values for BC2.5, e.g., 15.9 and 9.1% higher plant height and 32.5 and 22.6% higher fruit yield for BC2.5 and BC5.0 compared to control, respectively. By the end of the experiment the BC2.5 treatments had significantly higher stem thickness (p < 0.001) compared to all other amendments. Root dry matter in biochar treatments increased relative to controls with the highest values (54.9% increase) observed in the BC2.5 treatment. Biochar treatment increased leaf area index (LAI) values for the higher doses (1.58, 1.59, 2.03, and 1.89 for C, BC0.5, BC2.5, and BC5.0, respectively). Significant differences between control and biochar amended soils' PRI measurements were observed (p < 0.001), showing less plant sensitivity to environmental changes when biochar was applied to the soil. While biochar amendment could greatly enhance plant growth and development, there is an optimal amount of biochar after which additional amount might not result in substantial differences, or even can result in lower fruit yield as found in the present study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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There is, in theory, a plausible role for the European Union as the partner of a militarily assertive United States: the peacekeeper that follows in the wake of the peacemaker. The war in Iraq, however, has raised the possibility of a diametrically different role for Europe: as a potential imperial rival to the United States. There is no need to invoke the memory of either Rome or Byzantium to make the case that Europe is capable of spoiling America’s unipolar party. The successful conclusion of accession agreements with ten new member countries – not to mention the sustained appreciation of the euro against the dollar since Kennedy’s article appeared – have seemingly vindicated this analysis. So too, in the eyes of some commentators, has the vociferous and not wholly ineffectual opposition of at least some E.U. member states to American policy in Iraq. If the U.S. has an imperial rival today, then the E.U. appears to be it.

This paper compares approaches towards food safety regulation in Europe and the United States. It focuses on mad cow disease and examines how the British Government and the European Union handled the first big crisis in the nineties, juxtaposed to the American response. This worst public health disaster in Europe has led to new agencies and policies. However, these institutional changes do not abolish fragmentation, but extend the existing landscape of regulatory bodies. The paper emphasizes that fragmentation – as the American case shows despite its shortcomings – prevents science from being captured by the state, allows interest groups broader access and ensures a distinct pattern of checks and balances.

Plants are affected by numerous environmental factors that influence their physiological processes and productivity. Early revealing of their action based on measuring spectra of reflected light and calculating reflectance indices is an important stage in the protection of agricultural plants. Photochemical reflectance index (PRI) is a widely used parameter related to photosynthetic changes in plants under action of stressors. We developed a new system for proximal imaging of PRI based on using short pulses of measuring light detected simultaneously in green (530 nm) and yellow (570 nm) spectral bands. The system has several advances compared to those reported in literature. Active light illumination and subtraction of the ambient light allow for PRI measurements without periodic calibrations. Short duration of measuring pulses (18 ms) minimizes their influence on plants. Measurements in two spectral bands operated by separate cameras with aligned fields of visualization allow one to exclude mechanically switchable parts like filter wheels thus minimizing acquisition time and increasing durability of the setup. Absolute values of PRI and light-induced changes in PRI (ΔPRI) in pea leaves and changes of these parameters under action of light with different intensities, water shortage, and heating have been investigated using the developed setup. Changes in ΔPRI are shown to be more robust than the changes in the absolute value of PRI which is in a good agreement with our previous studies. Values of PRI and, especially, ΔPRI are strongly linearly related to the energy-dependent component of the non-photochemical quenching and can be potentially used for estimation of this component. Additionally, we demonstrate that the developed system can also measure fast changes in PRI (hundreds of milliseconds and seconds) under leaf illumination by the pulsed green-yellow measuring light. Thus, the developed system of proximal PRI imaging can be used for PRI measurements (including fast changes in PRI) and estimation of stressors-induced photosynthetic changes.

The aim of this study was to do a complex examination of the soil–plant–water system and soil greenhouse gas emissions when biochar is applied to soil planted with sweet corn (Zea mays L. var. saccharata). The study covers two consecutive vegetation periods. We investigated (i) the changes in plant growth, (ii) soil water and temperature at different depths, (iii) greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (CO2 and N2O) after biochar application, and (iv) the soil water, chemistry, and plant interactions. We used discrete measurements for plant growth, biomass production, and soil chemistry, while continuously monitoring the soil water content and temperature, and the state of plant health (i.e., using spectral reflectance sensors). Plant response in the control plot showed higher values of normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI; 0.3%) and lower values for photochemical reflectance index (PRI) and fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (fAPAR) by 26.8% and 2.24%, respectively, than for biochar treatments. We found significant negative correlations between fAPAR and soil water contents (SWC), and NDVI and SWC values (−0.59 < r < −0.30; p < 0.05). Soil temperature at the depth of 15 cm influenced soil CO2 emissions to a larger extent (r > 0.5; p < 0.01) than air temperature (0.21 < r < 0.33) or soil water content (r < 0.06; p > 0.05). Our data showed strong connections between GHG production and soil chemical parameters of soil pH, nitrogen, potassium, or phosphate concentrations. Biochar application increased soil CO2 emissions but reduced N2O emissions. Our results demonstrated that biochar amendment to soils can help plant growth initially, but might not result in enhanced crop yield. The plant parameters were substantially different between the investigated years for both control and biochar amended parcels; therefore, long-term studies are essential to document the lasting effects of these treatments.

In this study, we focus on the mitigation of the negative impact of drought using the application of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) to seed. One way to monitor drought and quantify its impact on crops in field conditions is the nondestructive measurement of physiological processes of the crops using spectral indexes LAI and PRI during vegetation. Therefore, during 2018 and 2019, the increase in biomass and intensity of photosynthetic activity was monitored, and the effect of the SAPs application on the yield parameters of the sugar beet was evaluated in the trial conditions (control, SAPs) at the end of the vegetation period. Through statistical analysis, the significant impact (α ≤ 0.01) of SAPs application on the values of spectral indexes LAI and PRI as well as root and white sugar yields was found. Although the sugar content difference between SAPs and control conditions was not statistically significant, SAPs had a positive influence on the value of this parameter. It was found through periodic monitoring of spectral indexes during the growing period that the crop in the SAPs condition showed higher values of PRI at the beginning of vegetation, which was caused by the accumulation of moisture in the vicinity of the seed and subsequent faster growth of roots and photosynthetic apparatus. Moreover, the values of LAI were significantly higher (α ≤ 0.01) in the SAPs condition throughout the vegetation period. In the interaction evaluation, we confirmed that in both years the values of LAI were higher in the condition with SAPs compared with the control. In contrast, the PRI values were significantly different across conditions. The interaction of conditions with variety showed that the variety Brian obtained higher values of LAI and PRI in the SAPs condition. The correlation analysis found a positive correlation between spectral indexes LAI:PRI (r = 0.6184**), and between LAI:RY (r = 0.6715**), LAI:WSY (r = 0.5760**), and PRI:RY (r = 0.5038*), which confirms the close relationship between physiological processes in the plant and the size of its yield.

Abstract Chlorophyll fluorescence can be used to quantify the efficiency of photochemistry and heat dissipation. While several instruments such as Pulse-Amplitude-Modulation (PAM) fluorometers are available for taking direct measurements of parameters related to chlorophyll fluorescence, large-scale instantaneous ecosystem monitoring remains difficult. Several hyperspectral indices have been claimed to be closely related to some chlorophyll fluorescence parameters (e.g. photosystem II quantum yield (Yield), qP, NPQ), which may pave a way for efficient large-scale monitoring of fluorescence parameters. In this study, we have examined 30 published hyperspectral indices for their possible use in tracing chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. The comparison is based on a series of unique datasets with synchronous measurements of reflected hyperspectra and seven fluorescence parameters (i.e., F m , F 0 , F s , F m ', Yield, qP and NPQ) from leaves of Fagus crenata and other six broadleaf species sampled in Mt. Naeba, Japan. Among them, the first dataset is composed of seasonal canopy field measurements of Fagus crenata leaves, while the second is composed of field measurements of other deciduous species including Lindera umbellate , Clethra barbinervis , Viburnum furcatum , Eleutherococcus sciadophylloides , Quercus crispula and Acer japonicum. Furthermore, an additional dataset composed of data resulting from various controlled experiments using inhibitors has been applied for improving physiological interpretations of indices. Results revealed that PRI had higher coefficients of determination and lower root mean square errors than other indices evaluated with a set of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters. However, this pattern was seen only for beech leaves and performed poorly across other species. As a result, no specific indices that are currently available are recommended for tracing fluorescence parameters. Highlights • Indices were evaluated for tracing fluorescence parameters of deciduous forests in Japan. • PRI is suitable for assessing the primary fluorescence parameters of deciduous forests in Japan. • PRI is not suitable for tracing Yield, qP, and NPQ of deciduous forests in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light use efficiency (LUE) models are widely used to estimate gross primary productivity (GPP), a dominant component of the terrestrial carbon cycle. Their outputs are very sensitive to LUE. Proper determination of this parameter is a prerequisite for LUE models to simulate GPP at regional and global scales. This study was devoted to investigating the ability of the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) to track LUE variations for a sub-tropical planted coniferous forest in southern China using tower-based PRI and GPP measurements over the period from day 101 to 275 in 2013. Both half-hourly PRI and LUE exhibited detectable diurnal and seasonal variations, and decreased with increases of vapor pressure deficit (VPD), air temperature (Ta), and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Generally, PRI is able to capture diurnal and seasonal changes in LUE. However, correlations of PRI with LUE varied dramatically throughout the growing season. The correlation was the strongest (R2 = 0.6427, p < 0.001) in July and the poorest in May. Over the entire growing season, PRI relates better to LUE under clear or partially cloudy skies (clearness index, CI > 0.3) with moderate to high VPD (>20 hPa) and high temperatures (>31 C). Overall, we found that PRI is most sensitive to variations in LUE under stressed conditions, and the sensitivity decreases as the growing conditions become favorable when atmosphere water vapor, temperature and soil moisture are near the optimum conditions.

Understanding plant photosynthesis, or Gross Primary Production (GPP), is a crucial aspect of quantifying the terrestrial carbon cycle. Remote sensing approaches, in particular multi-angular spectroscopy, have proven successful for studying relationships between canopy-reflectance and plant-physiology processes, thus providing a mechanism to scale up. However, many different instrumentation designs exist and few cross-comparisons have been undertaken. This paper discusses the design evolution of the Automated Multiangular SPectro-radiometer for Estimation of Canopy reflectance (AMSPEC) series of instruments. Specifically, we assess the performance of the PP-Systems Unispec-DC and Ocean Optics JAZ-COMBO spectro-radiometers installed on an updated, tower-based AMSPEC-III system. We demonstrate the interoperability of these spectro-radiometers, and the results obtained suggest that JAZ-COMBO can successfully be used to substitute more expensive measurement units for detecting and investigating photosynthesis and canopy spectra. We demonstrate close correlations between JAZ-COMBO and Unispec-DC measured canopy radiance (0.75 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.85) and solar irradiance (0.95 ≤ R2 ≤ 0.96) over a three month time span. We also demonstrate close agreement between the bi-directional distribution functions obtained from each instrument. We conclude that cost effective alternatives may allow a network of AMSPEC-III systems to simultaneously monitor various vegetation types in different ecosystems. This will allow to scale and improve our understanding of the interactions between vegetation physiology and spectral characteristics, calibrate broad-scale observations to stand-level measurements, and ultimately lead to improved understanding of changing vegetation spectral features from satellite.