End Of Night Research Articles

Systems-level proteomics and metabolomics reveals the diel molecular landscape of diverse kale cultivars.

Kale is a group of diverse Brassicaceae species that are nutritious leafy greens consumed for their abundance of vitamins and micronutrients. Typified by their curly, serrated and/or wavy leaves, kale varieties have been primarily defined based on their leaf morphology and geographic origin, despite having complex genetic backgrounds. Kale is a very promising crop for vertical farming due to its high nutritional content; however, being a non-model organism, foundational, systems-level analyses of kale are lacking. Previous studies in kale have shown that time-of-day harvesting can affect its nutritional composition. Therefore, to gain a systems-level diel understanding of kale across its wide-ranging and diverse genetic landscape, we selected nine publicly available and commercially grown kale cultivars for growth under near-sunlight LED light conditions ideal for vertical farming. We then analyzed changes in morphology, growth and nutrition using a combination of plant phenotyping, proteomics and metabolomics. As the diel molecular activities of plants drive their daily growth and development, ultimately determining their productivity as a crop, we harvested kale leaf tissue at both end-of-day (ED) and end-of-night (EN) time-points for all molecular analyses. Our results reveal that diel proteome and metabolome signatures divide the selected kale cultivars into two groups defined by their amino acid and sugar content, along with significant proteome differences involving carbon and nitrogen metabolism, mRNA splicing, protein translation and light harvesting. Together, our multi-cultivar, multi-omic analysis provides new insights into the molecular underpinnings of the diel growth and development landscape of kale, advancing our fundamental understanding of this nutritious leafy green super-food for horticulture/vertical farming applications.

Terbit Fajar dan Waktu Subuh (Kajian Nash Syar’i dan Astronomi)

Fajr in syar’i concept is divided into two; Fajr Kazib and Fajar Shadiq. The Fajr Kazib is time to having breakfast before doing fasting and have no salah Subuh. The second is fajr Shadiq. It is time to have no having meal (because it is fasting time) and time to do salah Subuh. Fajr Kazib arises at the early morning whose the light is not bright, but it is longer to the top of East to West vertically. Then the sky comes dark like wolf tail. While Fajr Shadiq arises at the early morning whose light is bright spreading in East horizontally. It arises just before sunrise. Time between Fajr Shadiq and the sunrise is the time for salah Subuh.
 In Astronomy, the word Fajr means Morning Twilight. Twilight in Astronomy is divided into three; astronomical twilight, nautical twilight and civil twilight. First, astronomical twilight is as the end of night. That is when starlight is not bright because of sunrise. The sun position is level 18 below the horizon. At that time, there ios still dark because of the sun going to rise ( an hour and 12 minutes later the sun rises). The second is nautical twilight. It looks so bright is East horizon for the sailors who are going to land. The sun position is level 12 below the horizon (48 minutes later the sun rises). The third is civil twilight. It is Fajr whose the light is so bright in which the position is level 6 below the horizon. At that time, the sunlight is so really bright, and many people do their morning activities. And then 24 minutes later the sun rises.

Diurnal variation of transitory starch metabolism is regulated by plastid proteins WXR1/WXR3 in Arabidopsis young seedlings.

Transitory starch is the portion of starch that is synthesized during the day in the chloroplast and usually used for plant growth overnight. Here, we report altered metabolism of transitory starch in the wxr1/wxr3 (weak auxin response 1/3) mutants of Arabidopsis. WXR1/WXR3 were previously reported to regulate root growth of young seedlings and affect the auxin response mediated by auxin polar transport in Arabidopsis. In this study the wxr1/wxr3 mutants accumulated transitory starch in cotyledon, young leaf, and hypocotyl at the end of night. WXR1/WXR3 expression showed diurnal variation. Grafting experiments indicated that the WXRs in root were necessary for proper starch metabolism and plant growth. We also found that photosynthesis was inhibited and the transcription level of DIN1/DIN6 (Dark-Inducible 1/6) was reduced in wxr1/wxr3. The mutants also showed a defect in the ionic equilibrium of Na+ and K+, consistent with our bioinformatics data that genes related to ionic equilibrium were misregulated in wxr1. Loss of function of WXR1 also resulted in abnormal trafficking of membrane lipids and proteins. This study reveals that the plastid proteins WXR1/WXR3 play important roles in promoting transitory starch degradation for plant growth over night, possibly through regulating ionic equilibrium in the root.

Effect of shift work on fatigue and sleep in neonatal registrars.

ObjectiveWe aimed to study fatigue and sleep in registrars working 12-hour rotating shifts in our tertiary neonatal intensive unit.Methods and participantsThis study involved neonatal registrar’s working day (08:00–21:00) and night (20:30–08:30) shifts. Participants maintained a sleep diary, answered a self-reported sleepiness questionnaire assessing subjective sleepiness, and performed a 10-minute psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) at the start and end of each shift. Primary outcomes: (1) Fatigue at the (i) “start vs end” of day and night shifts, (ii) end of the “day vs night” shifts, and (iii) end of “first vs last shift” in block of day and night shifts. (2) Duration and quality of sleep before the “day vs night” shifts. Mean reaction time (RTM), relative coefficient of variation (RTCV), and lapses (reaction time > 500ms) were used as measures of fatigue on PVT. Secondary outcome: Subjective sleepiness (self-reported sleepiness questionnaire) at the ‘start vs end” of day and night shifts.ResultsFifteen registrars completed the study. Acuity was comparable for all shifts. (1) Psychomotor responses were impaired at the end vs start of day shifts [RTM (p = 0.014), lapses (p = 0.001)], end vs start of night shifts [RTM (p = 0.007), RTCV (p = 0.003), lapses (p<0.001)] and end of night vs day shifts [RTM (p = 0.007), RTCV (p = 0.046), lapses (p = 0.001)]. Only lapses were significantly increased at the end of the last (p = 0.013) vs first shift (p = 0.009) in a block of day and night shifts. (2) Duration of sleep before the night (p = 0.019) and consecutive night shifts was decreased significantly (p = 0.034). Subjective sleepiness worsened after day (p = 0.014) and night shifts (p<0.001).ConclusionFatigue worsened after the 12-hour day and night shifts with a greater change after night shifts. Lapses increased after block of day and night shifts. Sleep was decreased before night shifts. Our findings need to be confirmed in larger studies.

The Effect of Post-harvest Conditions in Narcissus sp. Cut Flowers Scent Profile.

Narcissus flowers are used as cut flowers and to obtain high quality essential oils for the perfume industry. As a winter crop in the Mediterranean area, it flowers at temperatures ranging between 10 and 15°C during the day and 3–10°C during the night. Here we tested the impact of different light and temperature conditions on scent quality during post-harvest. These two types of thermoperiod and photoperiod. We also used constant darkness and constant temperatures. We found that under conditions of 12:12 Light Dark and 15-5°C, Narcissus emitted monoterpenes and phenylpropanoids. Increasing the temperature to 20°-10°C in a 12:12 LD cycle caused the loss of cinnamyl acetate and emission of indole. Under constant dark, there was a loss of scent complexity. Constant temperatures of 20°C caused a decrease of scent complexity that was more dramatic at 5°C, when the total number of compounds emitted decreased from thirteen to six. Distance analysis confirmed that 20°C constant temperature causes the most divergent scent profile. We found a set of four volatiles, benzyl acetate, eucalyptol, linalool, and ocimene that display a robust production under differing environmental conditions, while others were consistently dependent on light or thermoperiod. Scent emission changed significantly during the day and between different light and temperature treatments. Under a light:dark cycle and 15-5°C the maximum was detected during the light phase but this peak shifted toward night under 20-10°C. Moreover, under constant darkness the peak occurred at midnight and under constant temperature, at the end of night. Using Machine Learning we found that indole was the volatile with a highest ranking of discrimination followed by D-limonene. Our results indicate that light and temperature regimes play a critical role in scent quality. The richest scent profile is obtained by keeping flowers at 15°-5°C thermoperiod and a 12:12 Light Dark photoperiod.

A combined fMRI and EMG study of emotional contagion following partial sleep deprivation in young and older humans

Sleep deprivation is proposed to inhibit top-down-control in emotion processing, but it is unclear whether sleep deprivation affects emotional mimicry and contagion. Here, we aimed to investigate effects of partial sleep deprivation on emotional contagion and mimicry in young and older humans. Participants underwent partial sleep deprivation (3 h sleep opportunity at the end of night), crossed-over with a full sleep condition in a balanced order, followed by a functional magnetic resonance imaging and electromyography (EMG) experiment with viewing of emotional and neutral faces and ratings of emotional responses. The final sample for main analyses was n = 69 (n = 36 aged 20–30 years, n = 33 aged 65–75 years). Partial sleep deprivation caused decreased activation in fusiform gyri for angry faces and decreased ratings of happiness for all stimuli, but no significant effect on the amygdala. Older participants reported more anger compared to younger participants, but no age differences were seen in brain responses to emotional faces or sensitivity to partial sleep deprivation. No effect of the sleep manipulation was seen on EMG. In conclusion, emotional contagion, but not mimicry, was affected by sleep deprivation. Our results are consistent with the previously reported increased negativity bias after insufficient sleep.The Stockholm sleepy brain study: effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive and emotional processing in young and old. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02000076.

Diel cycles of carbon, nutrient and metal in humic lakes of permafrost peatlands

Despite the importance of surface waters of permafrost landscapes in carbon (C) emission and dissolved C and metal storage and export, the majority of available observations in high latitude aquatic systems deal with punctual or seasonal sampling without accounting for diurnal variations in temperature and primary productivity-respiration cycles. Towards providing comprehensive understanding of diel variations in CO2 emission, organic C and element concentrations in lakes of frozen peatlands, we monitored, each 2 h over 2 days, the water temperature, pH, CO2 fluxes, CO2, CH4, dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (DOC and DIC, respectively), nutrients, carboxylic acids, bacterial number, and major and trace elements in two acidic (pH = 3.6 and 4.0) and humic (DOC = 15 and 35 mg L−1) thermokarst lakes of discontinuous permafrost zone in Western Siberia. We discovered a factor of 2 to 3 higher CO2 concentrations and fluxes during the night compared to daytime in the high-DOC lake. The emission fluxes in the low-DOC lake increased from zero to negative values during the day to highly positive values during the end of night and early morning. The methane concentration varied within a factor of 5 without any link to the diurnal cycle. The bulk of dissolved (< 0.45 μm) hydrochemical parameters remained highly stable with ±10% variation in concentration over 2 days of observation (DOC, DIC, SUVA254nm, carboxylates (formate, oxalate, puryvate and glutarate), Mn, Fe, Al, other trace elements). Concentrations of Si, P, K, Cu varied within ±20% whereas those of Zn and Ni ranged by a factor of 2 to 4 without any link to diurnal pattern. Overall, the impact of diel cycle on CH4, DOC, nutrient and metal concentration was below 10%. However, neglecting night-time period may underestimate net CO2 emission by ca. 30 to 50% in small organic-rich thaw ponds and switch the CO2 exchange from uptake/zero to net emission in larger thermokarst lakes. Given the dominance of large lakes in permafrost regions, the global underestimation of the emission flux may be quite high. As such, monitoring CO2 concentrations and fluxes in thermokarst lakes during months of extended night time (August to October) is mandatory for assessing the net emissions from lentic waters of frozen peatlands.

Diurnal changes in concerted plant protein phosphorylation and acetylation in Arabidopsis organs and seedlings.

Protein phosphorylation and acetylation are the two most abundant post-translational modifications (PTMs) that regulate protein functions in eukaryotes. In plants, these PTMs have been investigated individually; however, their co-occurrence and dynamics on proteins is currently unknown. Using Arabidopsis thaliana, we quantified changes in protein phosphorylation, acetylation and protein abundance in leaf rosettes, roots, flowers, siliques and seedlings at the end of day (ED) and at the end of night (EN). This identified 2549 phosphorylated and 909 acetylated proteins, of which 1724 phosphorylated and 536 acetylated proteins were also quantified for changes in PTM abundance between ED and EN. Using a sequential dual-PTM workflow, we identified significant PTM changes and intersections in these organs and plant developmental stages. In particular, cellular process-, pathway- and protein-level analyses reveal that the phosphoproteome and acetylome predominantly intersect at the pathway- and cellular process-level at ED versus EN. We found 134 proteins involved in core plant cell processes, such as light harvesting and photosynthesis, translation, metabolism and cellular transport, that were both phosphorylated and acetylated. Our results establish connections between PTM motifs, PTM catalyzing enzymes and putative substrate networks. We also identified PTM motifs for further characterization of the regulatory mechanisms that control cellular processes during the diurnal cycle in different Arabidopsis organs and seedlings. The sequential dual-PTM analysis expands our understanding of diurnal plant cell regulation by PTMs and provides a useful resource for future analyses, while emphasizing the importance of analyzing multiple PTMs simultaneously to elucidate when, where and how they are involved in plant cell regulation.

TERBIT FAJAR DAN WAKTU SUBUH (KAJIAN NASH SYAR’I DAN ASTRONOMI)

Fajr in syar’i concept is divided into two; Fajr Kazib and Fajar Shadiq. The Fajr Kazib is time to having breakfast before doing fasting and have no salah Subuh. The second is fajr Shadiq. It is time to have no having meal (because it is fasting time) and time to do salah Subuh. Fajr Kazib arises at the early morning whose the light is not bright, but it is longer to the top of East to West vertically. Then the sky comes dark like wolf tail. While Fajr Shadiq arises at the early morning whose light is bright spreading in East horizontally. It arises just before sunrise. Time between Fajr Shadiq and the sunrise is the time for salah Subuh. In Astronomy, the word Fajr means Morning Twilight. Twilight in Astronomy is divided into three; astronomical twilight, nautical twilight and civil twilight. First, astronomical twilight is as the end of night. That is when starlight is not bright because of sunrise. The sun position is level 18 below the horizon. At that time, there ios still dark because of the sun going to rise ( an hour and 12 minutes later the sun rises). The second is nautical twilight. It looks so bright is East horizon for the sailors who are going to land. The sun position is level 12 below the horizon (48 minutes later the sun rises). The third is civil twilight. It is Fajr whose the light is so bright in which the position is level 6 below the horizon. At that time, the sunlight is so really bright, and many people do their morning activities. And then 24 minutes later the sun rises.&#x0D; &#x0D; Keywords: dawn, time of dawn (time of Subuh)

Regulation of diurnal growth: phytochrome interacting factor 5 is degraded by the E3 ubiquitin ligase CUL4COP 1- SPA.

Regulation of diurnal growth: phytochrome interacting factor 5 is degraded by the E3 ubiquitin ligase CUL4COP 1- SPA.

Bright light at night alters the perception of daylength in Indian weaver bird (Ploceus philippinus).

The brighter nights have posed new challenges to the wild species by affecting their temporal physiology. The present study on Indian weaver bird (Ploceus philippinus) investigated if exposure to bright light at different phases of night affects their clock-mediated daily functions. Birds were placed individually in specially designed activity cages under short days and long nights (8L:16D; L = 100 lux, D < 0.1 lux) for ∼3 weeks (19 days). Thereafter, they were divided into four groups (n = 6-9), and given ∼2 lux light either for the entire night (ZT 08-24; zeitgeber time 0 = time of light on; pattern A) or for 4 hr (pattern B), placed in 16 hr night such that its onset coincides with the onset of night (early night group, ZT 08-12), its end with the end of night (late night group, ZT 20-24), or the night was interrupted in the middle (midnight group, ZT 14-18). The results showed that bright light in entire night induced early onset of day activity and fragmented rest at night, however, if given at different phases of night, it made the days longer by delaying end (early night group) or advancing onset of daily activity (late night group). It also suppressed the melatonin levels and increased body temperature. These results suggest that bright light at night alters the perception of daylength and affects the underlying physiology. The findings may be useful in adopting a strategy for use of night light without disturbing species fitness in their environment.

Nutrient removal from agricultural run-off in demonstrative full scale tubular photobioreactors for microalgae growth

The objective of this paper is to present the design, construction and operation (during one year) of 3 full scale semi-closed, horizontal tubular photobioreactors (PBR, 11.7 m3 of volume each) used to remove nutrients of a mixture of agricultural run-off (90%) and treated domestic wastewater (10%). PBRs were located outdoor and have 2 paddlewheels (engines of 0.25 kW) to ensure the movement of the mixed liquor. The microalgal biomass produced in the PBRs was harvested in a static lamella settling tank in which a polyaluminium chloride coagulant is applied. Each PBR treated in average 2.3 m3/d, being the actual mean hydraulic retention time 5 d. PBRs were submitted to strong seasonal changes regarding solar radiation and temperature, which had a direct impact in the activity of microalgae and the efficiency of the system. Higher mixed liquor pH values were registered in summer (daily average > 10). These high values were not observed in the effluents because the system was designed to discharge the mixed liquor (effluent) only at the end of night, when pH reached the lowest daily values (around 8.5). Most of the influent and effluent nitrogen content was inorganic (average of 9.0 mg N/L and 3.17 mg N/L, respectively), and in the form of nitrate (62% and 50%, respectively). Average nitrogen removal efficiency was 65%, with values of around 90% in summer, 80% in autumn, 50% in winter and 60% in spring. Most of the influent and effluent phosphorus content was in the form of orthophosphate. Influent average was 0.62 mg P/L, but with great variations and in a considerable number of samples not detected. Removal efficiency (when influent values were detected) was very high during all the study, usually greater than 95%, and there were not clear seasonal trends for efficiency as observed for TIN. Volumetric biomass production greatly changed between seasons with much lower values in winter (7 g VSS (volatile suspended solids)/m3·d) than in summer (43 g VSS/m3·d). Biomass separation efficiency of the settler was very good in either terms of turbidity and total suspended solids, being most of the time lower than 5 UNT and 25 mg/L, respectively. Overall this study demonstrated the reliable and good effectiveness of microalgae based technologies such as the PBR to remove nutrients at a full scale size.

The End of Night.

The article reports that according to a research there is expansion in the earth's artificially lit area. Topics include replacement of sodium- vapor technology by LED lamps; information on nasa satellite instrument called the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) which can measure long wavelengths of light such as those produced by traditional yellow-and-orange sodium-vapor street lamps; and views of Fabio Falchi, from Light Pollution Science and Technology Institute, on VIIRS.

At the End of Night: explorations of Antarctica and Space in the sound art of Philip Samartzis

This article explores the work of Australian sound artist Philip Samartzis, who documented the eco-acoustic characteristics and atmospheric effects of Antarctica and its environs during two field trips in 2010 and 2016. It begins by situating his work within the context of other compositions that engage with Antarctica, the atmosphere and Outer Space, before focusing on examples of two of his compositions. At the End of Night is based on sound recordings of a Medium Frequency Spaced Array radar used to measure upper atmospheric conditions through the transmission and reception of coded sine tone pulsations, while Aurora Australis is derived from the sonification of digital data generated by auroral activity produced over one calendar year. The article concludes with a section in which the composer reflects on Antarctica and its soundscape ecology, as well as the methods and processes he has employed whilst conducting field work in this extreme environment. In doing so, it aims to reveal the approaches and methods behind his sound art and to show how his compositions can not only enhance general understanding of Antarctica and the Earth’s atmosphere, but also encourage us to engage with these spaces in new, and powerfully affecting, ways.

Circadian, Carbon, and Light Control of Expansion Growth and Leaf Movement.

We used Phytotyping4D to investigate the contribution of clock and light signaling to the diurnal regulation of rosette expansion growth and leaf movement in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Wild-type plants and clock mutants with a short (lhycca1) and long (prr7prr9) period were analyzed in a T24 cycle and in T-cycles that were closer to the mutants' period. Wild types also were analyzed in various photoperiods and after transfer to free-running light or darkness. Rosette expansion and leaf movement exhibited a circadian oscillation, with superimposed transients after dawn and dusk. Diurnal responses were modified in clock mutants. lhycca1 exhibited an inhibition of growth at the end of night and growth rose earlier after dawn, whereas prr7prr9 showed decreased growth for the first part of the light period. Some features were partly rescued by a matching T-cycle, like the inhibition in lhycca1 at the end of the night, indicating that it is due to premature exhaustion of starch. Other features were not rescued, revealing that the clock also regulates expansion growth more directly. Expansion growth was faster at night than in the daytime, whereas published work has shown that the synthesis of cellular components is faster in the day than at nighttime. This temporal uncoupling became larger in short photoperiods and may reflect the differing dependence of expansion and biosynthesis on energy, carbon, and water. While it has been proposed that leaf expansion and movement are causally linked, we did not observe a consistent temporal relationship between expansion and leaf movement.

Parallel analysis of Arabidopsis circadian clock mutants reveals different scales of transcriptome and proteome regulation.

The circadian clock regulates physiological processes central to growth and survival. To date, most plant circadian clock studies have relied on diurnal transcriptome changes to elucidate molecular connections between the circadian clock and observable phenotypes in wild-type plants. Here, we have integrated RNA-sequencing and protein mass spectrometry data to comparatively analyse the lhycca1, prr7prr9, gi and toc1 circadian clock mutant rosette at the end of day and end of night. Each mutant affects specific sets of genes and proteins, suggesting that the circadian clock regulation is modular. Furthermore, each circadian clock mutant maintains its own dynamically fluctuating transcriptome and proteome profile specific to subcellular compartments. Most of the measured protein levels do not correlate with changes in their corresponding transcripts. Transcripts and proteins that have coordinated changes in abundance are enriched for carbohydrate- and cold-responsive genes. Transcriptome changes in all four circadian clock mutants also affect genes encoding starch degradation enzymes, transcription factors and protein kinases. The comprehensive transcriptome and proteome datasets demonstrate that future system-driven research of the circadian clock requires multi-level experimental approaches. Our work also shows that further work is needed to elucidate the roles of post-translational modifications and protein degradation in the regulation of clock-related processes.

US: Techmer – plastic compounds

The objective of this paper is to present the design, construction and operation (during one year) of 3 full scale semi-closed, horizontal tubular photobioreactors (PBR, 11.7 m3 of volume each) used to remove nutrients of a mixture of agricultural run-off (90%) and treated domestic wastewater (10%). PBRs were located outdoor and have 2 paddlewheels (engines of 0.25 kW) to ensure the movement of the mixed liquor. The microalgal biomass produced in the PBRs was harvested in a static lamella settling tank in which a polyaluminium chloride coagulant is applied. Each PBR treated in average 2.3 m3/d, being the actual mean hydraulic retention time 5 d. PBRs were submitted to strong seasonal changes regarding solar radiation and temperature, which had a direct impact in the activity of microalgae and the efficiency of the system. Higher mixed liquor pH values were registered in summer (daily average > 10). These high values were not observed in the effluents because the system was designed to discharge the mixed liquor (effluent) only at the end of night, when pH reached the lowest daily values (around 8.5). Most of the influent and effluent nitrogen content was inorganic (average of 9.0 mg N/L and 3.17 mg N/L, respectively), and in the form of nitrate (62% and 50%, respectively). Average nitrogen removal efficiency was 65%, with values of around 90% in summer, 80% in autumn, 50% in winter and 60% in spring. Most of the influent and effluent phosphorus content was in the form of orthophosphate. Influent average was 0.62 mg P/L, but with great variations and in a considerable number of samples not detected. Removal efficiency (when influent values were detected) was very high during all the study, usually greater than 95%, and there were not clear seasonal trends for efficiency as observed for TIN. Volumetric biomass production greatly changed between seasons with much lower values in winter (7 g VSS (volatile suspended solids)/m3·d) than in summer (43 g VSS/m3·d). Biomass separation efficiency of the settler was very good in either terms of turbidity and total suspended solids, being most of the time lower than 5 UNT and 25 mg/L, respectively. Overall this study demonstrated the reliable and good effectiveness of microalgae based technologies such as the PBR to remove nutrients at a full scale size.

Enhancing Battery Lifetime in PV Battery Home Storage System Using Forecast Based Operating Strategies

An increase of self-consumption from domestic photovoltaic (PV) can be gained by the use of PV battery energy storage systems (PV-BESS). PV-BESS are currently just at the edge of profitability. Intelligent operating strategies might further increase the economy of these systems. This paper presents a novel approach for an operating strategy for PV-BESS which is able to increase the lifetime of lithium-ion batteries in such systems without reducing the self-consumption rate significantly. The operating strategy is evaluated by simulations, using a model of a DC-coupled PV-BESS and real data measurements as model inputs. To enhance the lifetime of the system, the average state of charge (SOC) of the battery is reduced by storing only the amount of energy predicted to be needed during the following night. With the applied approach, begin of night is defined as the point when the residual load becomes negative and accordingly, end of night is defined as the point when the residual load becomes positive again. This strategy is only applied in the summer months to use the full potential of the storage system during the winter. Using this strategy, seasonal effects like high average SOCs during summer will be reduced. For the necessary prediction, perfect forecast (best case) and persistence forecast (worst case) are evaluated to investigate the influence of prognosis inaccuracies. To minimize losses in self-consumption, not only a forecast for the next night will be considered but a variation of forecast periods is discussed. In conclusion, the results show that the application of such an operating strategy can increase battery lifetime significantly while affecting the self-consumption rate only slightly. Consequently, this operating strategy shows a high potential to increase the profitability of a PV-BESS.

Does one night of partial sleep deprivation affect the evening performance during intermittent exercise in Taekwondo players?

Athletes and coaches believe that adequate sleep is essential for peak performance. There is ample scientific evidence which support the conclusion that sleep loss seems to stress many physiological functions in humans. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of one night’s sleep deprivation on intermittent exercise performance in the evening of the following day. Ten male Taekwondo players performed the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test (YYIRT) in three sleep conditions (reference sleep night [RN], partial sleep deprivation at the beginning of night [PSDBN], partial sleep deprivation at the end of night [PSDEN]) in a counterbalanced order, allowing a recovery period ≥36 hr in between them. Heart rate peak (HRpeak), plasma lactate concentrations (Lac) and rating of perceived exertion (RPE) were measured during the test. A significant effect of sleep restriction was observed on the total distance covered in YYIRT (P<0.0005) and Lac (P<0.01) in comparison with the RN. In addition, performance more decreased after PSDEN (P<0.0005) than PSDBN (P<0.05). Also, Lac decreased significantly only after PS-DEN (P<0.05) compared with RN. However, there were no significant changes in HRpeak and RPE after the two types of partial sleep deprivation compared to RN. The present study indicates that short-term sleep restriction affect the intermittent performance, as well as the Lac levels of the Taekwondo players in the evening of the following day, without alteration of HRpeak and RPE.

Blue Light Induces a Distinct Starch Degradation Pathway in Guard Cells for Stomatal Opening

Stomatal pores form a crucial interface between the leaf mesophyll and the atmosphere, controlling water and carbon balance in plants [1]. Major advances have been made in understanding the regulatory networks and ion fluxes in the guard cells surrounding the stomatal pore [2]. However, our knowledge on the role of carbon metabolism in these cells is still fragmentary [3-5]. In particular, the contribution of starch in stomatal opening remains elusive [6]. Here, we used Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant to provide the first quantitative analysis of starch turnover in guard cells of intact leaves during the diurnal cycle. Starch is present in guard cells at the end of night, unlike in the rest of the leaf, but is rapidly degraded within 30 min of light. This process is critical for the rapidity of stomatal opening and biomass production. We exploited Arabidopsis molecular genetics to define the mechanism and regulation of guard cell starch metabolism, showing it to be mediated by a previously uncharacterized pathway. This involves the synergistic action of β-amylase 1 (BAM1) and α-amylase 3 (AMY3)-enzymes that are normally not required for nighttime starch degradation in other leaf tissues. This pathway is under the control of the phototropin-dependent blue-light signaling cascade and correlated with the activity of the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase. Our results show that guard cell starch degradation has an important role in plant growth by driving stomatal responses to light.