Search Results (1,791)

This study investigated the impact of image capture distance on the performance of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) in classifying fabrics. Unlike previous works that rely solely on digital zoom and data augmentation to simulate multi-scale variations, this research explores the use of physically captured images at far, mid-range, and near focal lengths using a camera with an attached varifocal lens. Fabric samples from three categories of Cotton, Linen, and Silk were imaged under consistent lighting to create an image dataset with a total of 1350 images used to train CNN models via transfer learning, with MobileNetV2 and ResNet50 as the baseline architectures. Classification performance was evaluated separately on each focal subset and on their combined dataset to test the trained model generalization capability. Results showed an absolute accuracy gain of 20.57% with MobileNetV2 and 9.78% for ResNet50 while performing with an improved accuracy at 98.42% for MobileNetV2 and ResNet50 at 96.30% Full article

This study evaluated the effects of seven light-emitting diode (LED) spectra on the morphophysiological and plant-quality responses of Korean white dandelion (Taraxacum coreanum Nakai) grown for 30 days under controlled environmental conditions. The treatments included monochromatic red, green, and blue LEDs; a purple-phyto LED containing red, blue, and far-red wavelengths; and three white LEDs (warm white, natural white, and cool white). Morphophysiological responses were assessed together with principal component analysis, correlation analysis, and hierarchical clustering. Green light promoted elongation, increasing shoot height and leaf length, but reduced stem diameter, root length, leaf thickness, biomass accumulation, photochemical performance, and plant quality indices. Red light also resulted in relatively low biomass, SPAD units, F_v/F_m, PI_ABS, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), Dickson quality index (DQI), and integrated morphophysiological index (IMI), indicating an imbalanced growth response. In contrast, natural white and cool white LEDs were generally associated with greater stem thickening, root development, leaf thickening, shoot and root dry weight accumulation, and higher F_v/F_m, PI_ABS, NDVI, DQI, and IMI. Warm white showed favorable trends in shoot and root fresh weights and relative moisture content. Multivariate analyses separated the red and green treatments from the white-light treatments. Overall, white LEDs, especially natural and cool white, appeared more effective than monochromatic LEDs in supporting balanced early growth and plant quality in T. coreanum. Full article

Sparse light field imaging often limits the quality of 3D scene reconstruction due to insufficient viewpoint coverage, resulting in incomplete or inaccurate reconstructions. This work introduces a hybrid CNN–LSTM-based framework to address this issue by generating novel camera poses and the corresponding synthesized novel views, effectively densifying the light field representation. The CNN extracts spatial features from the sparse input views, while the LSTM predicts temporal and positional dependencies, enabling smooth interpolation of novel poses and views. The proposed method integrates these synthesized views with the original sparse dataset to produce a comprehensive set of images. Our approach was evaluated on several datasets, including challenging datasets. The inference capability of our method was tested extensively, and it showed good generalization across diverse datasets. The effectiveness of the framework was evaluated not only with local light field fusion (LLFF) but also with NeRF and 3D Gaussian Splatting, which are considered state-of-the-art reconstruction methods. Overall, the enriched dataset generated by our method led to consistent improvements in 3D reconstruction quality, including higher depth estimation accuracy, reduced artifacts, and enhanced structural consistency. Most importantly, LSTM-based approaches have so far attracted limited attention in the context of generating novel views. While LSTMs have been widely applied in sequential data domains such as natural language processing, their use for image generation conditioned on camera poses remains largely unexplored, which underscores the novelty and significance of the proposed work. This approach provides a scalable and generalizable solution to the sparsity problem in light fields, advancing the capabilities of computational imaging, photorealistic rendering, and immersive 3D scene reconstruction. The results firmly establish the proposed method as a robust and versatile tool for improving reconstruction quality in sparse-view settings. Full article

Light quality plays a decisive role in controlled-environment agriculture, shaping plant morphology, physiology, and productivity. This study investigated the impact of far-red (FR) light on Cannabis sativa L. by comparing two different application strategies: continuous FR supplementation throughout 12 h of the photoperiod and end-of-day (EOD) FR exposure applied only at the end of the light period. In both treatments, FR was added to a background spectrum of red and blue (RB) light, while a control group grown under RB light alone was included to assess the specific effects of FR on plant growth, physiological responses, and flowering. Continuous FR exposure induced pronounced shade-avoidance traits, increasing plant height by 9% and petiole length by 17% relative to the control, and raised leaf dry weight to 12.9 g, 9% higher than under EOD (11.7 g) and 16.3% higher than under RB alone (10.8 g). Besides plant height and petiole length, both FR and EOD treatment induced limited morphological adjustments but increased chlorophyll content by 9%, resulting in greater canopy expansion and photosynthetic potential. However, flowering time was unaffected by spectral treatment, confirming that Cannabis floral induction is tightly regulated by photoperiod rather than light quality. Energy-use analysis revealed that EOD supplementation achieved many of the benefits of continuous FR while reducing overall consumption, but energy-use efficiency analysis proved FR as the more efficient treatment. These findings highlight the potential of FR light, particularly when applied continuously, to optimize vegetative growth and canopy physiology in controlled-environment Cannabis cultivation, while EOD strategies offer a practical compromise between cost savings and physiological benefits. Full article

Motivated by the persistent short-baseline anomalies that hint at the possible existence of physics beyond the standard three-flavor paradigm, we study the phenomenology of light sterile neutrinos in the minimal (3 + 1) framework using two future experiments: the MuOn-decay MEdium-baseline NeuTrino beam experiment (MOMENT) and the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). We place constraints on active–sterile mixing parameters, probe CP-violation discovery potential, and examine correlations between the standard Dirac CP phase and the additional CP phases arising from active–sterile mixing to quantify phase degeneracies. We present exclusion limits and demonstrate the crucial role of the near detector in improving sensitivities by one or two orders of magnitude compared to a configuration with only the far detector. We find that the presence of sterile neutrinos can reduce the CP-violation sensitivity in long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments. For large sterile mass splittings, the rapid oscillations average out, leading to strong parameter degeneracies in DUNE. In contrast, MOMENT retains strong sensitivity to CP violation and efficiently disentangles the standard and sterile CP phases. Our results highlight the strong complementarity between DUNE and MOMENT and show that their combined capabilities provide a powerful test of the light sterile neutrino hypothesis in regions of the parameter space that remain weakly constrained by current data. Full article

Background/Objectives: Non-covalent nanocarrier-based systems have become a promising platform as they offer a strategy to improve the efficacy-safety profile of doxorubicin (DOX) without altering its chemical structure. Praised for biocompatibility and rich surface chemistry, nanodiamonds (NDs) have launched as nanocarriers of choice for advanced cancer therapy. By investigating DOX-ND physicochemical interactions, this work advances the structural understanding of a non-covalent potential anticancer system, which has not been quantitatively experimentally explored so far. Methods: To our knowledge, this is among the first studies combining ultraviolet–visible (UV–VIS) spectroscopy with spectral deconvolution to reveal the redistribution of different DOX species in the presence of NDs. Centrifugation-assisted analysis enabled differentiation between hypothetical labile and stable ND/DOX fractions. Adsorption kinetics was studied, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measured particle size and zeta potential. In vitro screening was performed in non-malignant fibroblasts (MRC-5) and malignant melanoma (HS294T), glioblastoma (U251), and breast cancer (MCF-7) cells to evaluate ND/DOX combinations. Results: Centrifugation analysis revealed heterogeneous ND-DOX binding. Kinetic experiments showed fast multi-stage adsorption kinetics, best described by a bi-exponential decay function and the Weber–Morris model. DLS suggested stable systems with a particle size within 10–80 nm, predominantly around 20 nm, and positive zeta potential. Comparative in vitro screening demonstrated differential cellular responses across cell types, highlighting the relevance of ND/DOX interactions. Conclusions: The findings contribute to elucidating ND-DOX interactions relevant for the design and optimization of drug delivery systems, emphasizing the importance of spectroscopic insights for the design of nanodiamond-based drug delivery systems. Full article

Perennial groundcover (PGC) systems integrate perennial grasses with annual crops such as corn (Zea mays L.) to provide continuous soil cover and enhance soil health. However, the proximity to groundcover vegetation can alter light quality perceived by developing seedlings, inducing shade avoidance response (SAR), a phytochrome-mediated developmental response that modifies plant architecture and may compromise yield. Identifying the distance at which SAR is initiated and the extent to which management practices modulate this response is critical for optimizing PGC systems. This growth chamber study aimed to (1) identify the distance at which SAR occurs in corn seedlings, (2) determine whether the thiamethoxam seed treatment mitigates SAR expression, and (3) compare hybrid physiological responses to PGC-induced SAR. The experiment was arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications across three periods and included two corn hybrids (P1185, P1197), two seed treatments (untreated and thiamethoxam at 0.25 mg seed⁻¹), and four perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) distances [0, 6, 25 cm, and a control (no-grass)]. Reduced red to far-red light ratios associated with closer proximity to ryegrass induced SAR responses. Corn plants at 6 cm from PGC exhibited significant stem and height elongation beginning at 8 days after planting (DAP), followed by reduced growth by 14 DAP, confirming an early SAR response. Plants grown at 0 cm exhibited reduced height and growth compared to other distances at all growth stages. Hybrid responses differed, and Hybrid P1197 showed enhanced stem elongation, a characteristic SAR response. The thiamethoxam seed treatment did not mitigate SAR. These results indicate that SAR causes stem elongation without altering root or shoot biomass. Full article

Far-red phosphors featuring high quantum efficiency and emission bands that strongly overlap with the absorption spectra of plant pigments are crucial for advancing plant cultivation lighting technology. Restricted by the large Stokes shift, far-red phosphors typically exhibit low energy efficiency. Moreover, many far-red phosphors suffer from low quantum efficiency, which has emerged as a critical issue in the research of these materials. To address the issue, conventional strategies—including crystal field engineering, defect engineering, and sensitizer doping—have been widely adopted to enhance their emission intensity. In this work, we propose a novel and effective strategy to improve the emission performance of far-red phosphors: low-melting-point magnesium chloride has been introduced as a flux to regulate the reaction pathway of the composite oxide phosphor Ca₁₄Mg_5.94Li_0.03In_0.03Ga_9.95O₃₅:0.05Mn⁴⁺ (CMLIGO:0.05Mn⁴⁺). The cubic intermediate product with a structure analogous to the target product has been designed to form a compact lattice structure and reduce crystal defects, thereby enhancing the luminescence intensity and quantum efficiency of the phosphor. The Ca₁₄Mg_5.94Li_0.03In_0.03Ga_9.95O₃₅:0.05Mn⁴⁺@3 wt% MgCl₂ (CMLIGO:0.05Mn⁴⁺@3 wt% MgCl₂) shows a broad excitation band (250–600 nm) and far-red emission centered at 720 nm (650–800 nm). Under 365 nm excitation, the CMLIGO:0.05Mn⁴⁺@3 wt% MgCl₂ exhibits an internal quantum efficiency of 91.4%. Benefiting from its high internal quantum efficiency and the emission band that matches well with the absorption spectrum of phytochrome in the far-red absorbing form (phytochrome P_fr), CMLIGO:0.05Mn⁴⁺@3 wt% MgCl₂ demonstrates promising potential for applications in plant cultivation lighting. This work offers a new direction for synthesizing and modification of composite oxide phosphors. Full article

Peroxydisulfate (PDS, S₂O₈²⁻) is an important oxidant for a wide range of industrial applications, including organic synthesis, polymer preparation, wastewater treatment and environmental remediation. Currently, PDS is commercially produced by electrolysis of sulfate solution. Photoelectrochemistry (PEC) provides an alternative approach to PDS generation by reducing the energy required to drive this process. Because PEC uses solar light as an abundant, free resource, it is an attractive technique for PDS generation compared to electrolysis. WO₃, owing to its excellent stability in acidic environments, is an excellent metal oxide candidate for producing PDS. Withstanding stronger acidic pH as well as absorption of visible light as a major fraction of solar light renders WO₃ a promising material for PEC-based PDS production when compared with other semiconductors. This mini review examines light-assisted, sustainable production of PDS on WO₃ photoanodes. It mainly involves the oxidation of the anion bisulfate, HSO⁴⁻, in a highly acidic pH. The efficiency of photoelectrochemical generation of PDS is greatly influenced by important factors, including suppressing recombination of photoinduced charge carriers, cocatalyst loading, minimizing competing side reactions, and establishing coupled reactions. In this review, we briefly discussed the key highlights to date in the application of WO₃ as a stable photoanode material for producing PDS. It provides insight into the potential of photocatalysis as an emerging route for the sustainable synthesis of PDS as a valuable chemical oxidant. Besides the significant progress made so far, the PDS production rate remains low, and minimizing the recombination tendency to achieve a higher photocurrent density could further boost PEC-based PDS production. Full article

This study investigated the effects of four LED light qualities, red+blue+far-red (WRS-LED), blue+red (BR-LED), blue (B-LED), and red (R-LED), and exogenous L-glutamic acid at 10 ppm on the growth and quality of red mustard spinach (Brassica rapa var. perviridis) cultivated in a plant factory using a recirculating deep-flow hydroponic system. Plants were exposed to four LED light quality treatments at 180 ± 10 μmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ PPFD for 28 days after transplanting. L-glutamic acid at 10 ppm was applied once to the recirculating nutrient solution 15 days after transplanting, resulting in 13 days of exposure prior to final harvest on day 28. All growth and quality parameters were measured at the final harvest after 28 days of cultivation. WRS-LED promoted the greatest biomass production. Additionally, vitamin C content, DPPH radical scavenging activity, and total phenolic content were highest under BR-LED and B-LED conditions. Notably, under B-LED, L-glutamic acid treatment increased total phenolic content to approximately twice that of the control. Leaf redness, expressed as Hunter a* values, was observed exclusively under BR-LED. Principal component analysis revealed that LED light quality was the primary determinant of treatment responses, with growth-related traits associated with WRS-LED and R-LED, and quality-related traits with B-LED and BR-LED. Overall, BR-LED combined with L-glutamic acid represents the most suitable treatment for red mustard spinach cultivation in plant factories, achieving a favorable balance between growth and nutritional quality. Full article

Spatial light field metrics, such as cylindrical illuminance, provide essential information for qualitative lighting evaluation, yet they remain far less common in practice than horizontal illuminance. To address this gap, we present a multi-sensor prototype that simultaneously measures horizontal illuminance E_h and approximates mean cylindrical illuminance E_z from a set of vertical illuminances uniformly distributed around a cylindrical surface. The device uses a flexible PCB wrapped around a support barrel, along with an inertial and magnetic measurement unit for orientation tracking. The measurements enable direct calculation of the modelling factor defined in the technical standard EN 12 464 and the visualization of the directional light distribution using polar plots and an illuminance solid. Results show that the prototype approximates mean cylindrical illuminance with high accuracy while preserving directional information, allowing the illuminance solid to be decomposed into vector and symmetric components. Compared with conventional approximation methods, the proposed multi-sensor approach reduces spatial error and yields richer data for lighting analysis. These findings indicate that multi-sensor systems can bridge the gap between theoretical spatial metrics and practical photometry and support the improved modelling evaluation and integration of qualitative lighting parameters into routine workflows. Full article

This study investigated sulphide textures and trace element chemistry from the Tomingley Gold Project (TGP) region of Central-West NSW, eastern Australia, using in situ techniques. In particular, the study focused on pyrite and arsenopyrite to gain insights into ore-forming processes and determine which trace elements within these minerals can be used as potential pathfinder elements for mineral exploration in the TGP. A total of 41 drill core samples from a variety of lithologies (volcaniclastic, monzodiorite, graphitic siltstone, dacite, andesite) were described and analysed using reflected light microscopy, high-resolution microscopy (via Scanning Electron Microscope or SEM), elemental mapping (via Electron Probe Micro Analysis or EPMA) and targeted trace element analysis of sulphide grains (via Laser Ablation-Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry or LA-ICP-MS). Findings show that pyrite and arsenopyrite are the major sulphides that host fracture-fill/inclusions of native gold and ‘invisible gold’. Pyrite rich in groundmass inclusions should be evaluated due to their characteristic high concentrations of both As and Au. Pyrite trace element chemistry (Sn, Bi, W, Sb, Au and Se) was able to delineate mineralised from unmineralised samples in volcaniclastics, graphitic siltstones and andesites but was much more challenging for lithologies like dacites and monzodiorites. The study also found that Au may have been introduced into the system earlier and existed as ‘invisible gold’ in earlier generations of pyrite. This study highlighted the utility of in situ techniques to discriminate mineralised signatures from unmineralised samples, and this has proven to be far more effective compared to whole-rock techniques, emphasising the benefits of such datasets in mineral exploration. Full article

In this paper, a metasurface-enabled dual-channel optical image authentication based on polarization multiplexing is proposed. During encryption, authentication phases corresponding to dual-channel plaintext images are firstly calculated by using a sparse-constraint-driven authentication-holography (SCDAH) algorithm. Then, target transmission phase and geometric phase of metasurface to be designed are obtained accordingly by the composite phase modulation (CPM) principle. Next, the nanopillar-type metasurface unit is performed with parameter scanning to establish the transmission and geometric phase databases. Finally, the structural parameters of each nanopillar are determined on a pixel-by-pixel basis to complete the construction of polarization-multiplexing authentication metasurface (PMAM). During authentication, the PMAM are respectively illuminated by the left-handed circularly polarized (LCP) and right-handed circularly polarized (RCP) light to obtain pseudo-random images produced by far-field diffraction, and then the nonlinear correlation distribution between diffraction image and corresponding channel plaintext image is calculated, and the final authentication result of each channel is determined based on whether the signal-to-noise ratio of the nonlinear correlation distribution meets the standard. In fact, a new physical-characteristic-driven dual-channel optical image authentication technology is formed, where double identities of the user holding this PMAM can be simultaneously verified, breaking through the rigid constraint of conventional single metasurface-to-single image, meanwhile improving the capacity and efficiency for authentication metasurface from the perspective of physical mechanism. Numerical simulations are performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method, and the simulation results prove that the proposed method exhibits high feasibility and security as well as strong robustness against cropping attack, showing a promising application potential in the field of identity recognition and authentication. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of various LED spectra—white (W), red and blue (RB), W plus far-red (FR), and RB plus FR—on the growth, fruit quality, and phytochemical accumulation of greenhouse-grown hydroponic watermelon. Watermelons were cultivated with controlled temperature and humidity and subjected to four LED treatments at an equivalent PPFD of 200 ± 3 µmol·m⁻²·s⁻¹ and a 15 h light period for 43 days, with sunlight as a control. The photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance were significantly higher in the RB LEDs than in all other treatments. Fv/Fm and PIABS exhibited time-dependent differences among treatments after 13:00, with all LED treatments showing higher values than the control, except for the Fv/Fm of RB LEDs. SPAD, chlorophyll, and carotenoid contents were the highest in the RB LEDs, and 40%, 30%, and 19% higher than those in the control group, respectively. Growth characteristics, such as plant height and node and leaf number, were highest in the control group and were significantly higher than the RB LEDs. Petiole length tended to increase in LEDs treated with FR. Sweetness was the highest in W LEDs. Therefore, supplemental LED lighting can potentially improve the production and fruit quality of greenhouse watermelons. Full article

Plants have a remarkable ability to regenerate tissues and organs from single cells, a property that underpins in vitro protoplast regeneration. Efficient protoplast-to-plant regeneration remains a major bottleneck for genome engineering in many crop species, including broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica). In this study, we established and optimized a regeneration system for broccoli cv. Claremont by evaluating enzyme composition, light quality, and culture media at successive stages of development. Among the tested enzyme mixtures, 1.5% Cellulase R-10 combined with 0.4% Macerozyme R-10 yielded the highest protoplast viability and recovery. Alginate-embedded protoplasts were cultured under control (dark), blue, and red + far-red LED illumination. Red + far-red treatment significantly enhanced microcolony formation, plating efficiency, and shoot regeneration compared with blue light, whereas blue illumination consistently reduced regenerative performance. The inclusion of activated charcoal in the regeneration medium further increased shoot production. The generalized linear model analyses identified light quality as a significant predictor of both shoot number and regeneration. To our knowledge, this study provides one of the first demonstrations of LED-assisted enhancement of protoplast regeneration in broccoli. The optimized protocol enables whole-plant recovery within approximately 5 months and offers a practical platform for CRISPR-based genome editing and advanced breeding applications in B. oleracea. Full article