Katsusuke Murakami

Effects of CO2 concentration and light intensity on photosynthesis of a rootless submerged plant, Ceratophyllum demersum L., used for aquatic food production in bioregenerative life support systems

In addition to green microalgae, aquatic higher plants are likely to play an important role in aquatic food production modules in bioregenerative systems for producing feed for fish, converting CO2 to O2 and remedying water quality. In the present study, the effects of culture conditions on the net photosynthetic rate of a rootless submerged plant, Ceratophyllum demersum L., was investigated to determine the optimum culture conditions for maximal function of plants in food production modules including both aquatic plant culture and fish culture systems. The net photosynthetic rate in plants was determined by the increase in dissolved O2 concentrations in a closed vessel containing a plantlet and water. The water in the vessel was aerated sufficiently with a gas containing a known concentration of CO2 gas mixed with N2 gas before closing the vessel. The CO2 concentrations in the aerating gas ranged from 0.3 to 10 mmol mol-1. Photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) in the vessel ranged from 0 (dark) to 1.0 mmol m-2 s-1, which was controlled with a metal halide lamp. Temperature was kept at 28 degrees C. The net photosynthetic rate increased with increasing PPFD levels and was saturated at 0.2 and 0.5 mmol m-2 s-1 PPFD under CO2 levels of 1.0 and 3.0 mmol mol-1, respectively. The net photosynthetic rate increased with increasing CO2 levels from 0.3 to 3.0 mmol mol-1 showing the maximum value, 75 nmol O2 gDW-1 s-1, at 2-3 mmol mol-1 CO2 and gradually decreased with increasing CO2 levels from 3.0 to 10 mmol mol-1. The results demonstrate that C. demersum could be an efficient CO2 to O2 converter under a 2.0 mmol mol-1 CO2 level and relatively low PPFD levels in aquatic food production modules.

Image Analysis for Moss Production Under Controlled Environment

The roof top greening helps reduce the air pollution caused by emitted CO2 and prevents the environmental deterioration resulting from heat island phenomenon. Now, much attention is being paid to the use of moss as a greening plant for building surfaces because of these characteristics. Among all kinds of moss, Rhacomitrium Canescens is the most suitable for the greening of building surfaces. This moss does not need any soil and fertilizer for growing, nor does it add a weight burden to the surface. In addition, it can survive under very dry conditions. Moreover, it is almost maintenance-free. In spite of its popularity, the supply of moss has not satisfied the market demand because of the fact that moss grows very slowly. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop a system for making moss grow faster. In this research photosynthetic activities were qualified by using an oxygen-generating rate of moss obtained when photosynthesis photon flux density (PPFD) and temperature was changed. The oxygen-generating rate corresponded to the gross photosynthesis. It was found that the moss had the most active photosynthesis under a condition of 35 degree centigrade and 200.500µmol.m .2.s.1. Correlation coefficients between the factor ratio of RGB and the photosynthesis rate indicated that there was a correlation between the factor of G and the photosynthesis rate. Also we found that photosynthesis can be visualized by using the image information obtained.

Systems Identification of Horticultural Activities in Nursing Home

This paper proposes that evolution systems used be identified by using a neural network in order to predict the nursing home resident’s Quality of Life from Horticultural Activity Program. This consists of three systems: personal stress management system looks at relationships between the personal parameter engaged in and the outputs of physiological parameter; stress monitor system considers relationships between the target personal stress relief degree and the outputs of physiological parameter; horticultural activities program support system considers relationships between horticultural activities program contents parameter and the outputs of the target personal stress relief degree. The neural network model can be utilized to accomplish the noninvasive measurement of Physiological parameter needed to achieve the aim of developing a physiological response feedback control system for stress management. A system approach to identification building of the evaluation technique of evidence based practice for the stress relief management system by the gardening activities was used. Personal data, behavior data and horticultural activities program contents data of people who were engaged in gardening activities were examined in relation with the amount of change of S-IgA in Saliva and Near Infrared Spectroscopy in cerebrum. The results that Physiological change can investigate stress index parameters, system identification was examined by neural network. And, personal parameter, behavioral data and horticultural activities program contents data can examine psychological and physical stress relief by gardening activities. So, the system identification which a neural network was used for was done to verify building of the evaluation technique of the stress management due to the gardening activities.

Graphic User Interface with Self-refining Features Based on User’s Preference

Significant amount of valuable information obtained from agricultural researches is stored independently in many facilities, such as agricultural research institutes and agricultural extension service bureaus. However, access to this information through the existing computer networks has currently been very limited. Recent developments in computer communication systems and software technology offer a solution for the problem of accessing this information. GUI that can extract user preferences has been developed. Kansei engineering methodology was applied to the development of an algorithm for identifying individual preferences, which are considered as a set of Kansei parameters. Kansei is a Japanese word that has been internationally recognized as a technical term in the discipline of information engineering. Kansei is a mixture of the concepts of human feeling, sensibility, and emotion. The software developed, called Virtual Farm, is an animated GUI. The GUI Virtual Farm is a software user interface that simulates many different bioproduction-related events, circumstances, and phenomena, using various databases that are accessed via the Internet as part of this national project.

Potential Use of Mercury-Free Lamps in Plant Factories

Abstract We investigated the effects on plant growth of a mercury-free lamp with high CRI, operated on inductive ballast. This lamp has a spectral power distribution in the 600 to 780-nm region, higher than that of conventional lamps. Since this lamp is free of mercury, it is less harmful to the environment than lamps that contain mercury; therefore, we believed that this type of lamp would be useful in plant factories. We examined the effects of the mercury-free lamp on the growth characteristics of sunflower and lettuce plants, and compared them to plants grown under conventional lamps. We concluded that the mercury-free lamp advanced plant growth, increased leaf area, and inhibited leaf number compared to the conventional lamp, making it attractive for large-scale use in plant factories.

Efficient Culture Method of Pavlova Lutheri by Light Intensity Control

Abstract Using artificial lighting, productive cost is high, and reducing the cost is an important factor of cultivation. To reduce productive costs, an economical method of culturing micro-alga, Pavlova lutheri using light intensity control was considered. Minimum light supply to grow cell was calculated using the growth curve at 10,30,60 and 100% light intensity. When light intensity control was simulated, consumption energy of light was reduced about 40% of 100% light intensity. In The actual growth using light intensity control, consumption energy was reduced about 60% of 100%light intensity.

Optimization Algorithm using Evolutionary Process of DNA with Introns

Recently, genetic algorithms (GAs) have received a lot of attention because of their easy-to-use features for solving many engineering problems. They are capable of locating a good approximate in extremely large search spaces with a reasonable amount of computational effort. In this study, we have developed the DNA algorithms (DNAAs). The distinction between GAs and DNAAs originates from the fact that GAs take into account only exons whereas on the other hand DNAAs take into account not only exons but also introns. Intron is an intervening sequence that does not have genetic information, and exon is a structural sequence that is used to construct protein. Advanced animals such as human beings have a 90% or higher percentage of introns in their DNA sequences, while lower organisms have a smaller percentage of introns in their DNA sequences. In the process of transferring gene information from one generation to another, the correctness of the genetic information can be maintained by holding the useless information together with the important information. Living things have developed such genetic redundancy in the process of their evolution to avoid the unfavorable effects of mutation. We investigated the role of introns and the performance of the DNAAs by solving a string search problem and a knapsack problem by the DNAAs. As a result, DNAAs showed a firm robustness for a fairly high ratio of mutation. It was also found that more introns were accumulated near exons whose role seems more important than other exons.

Features extraction from DNA sequences using the textural analysis

In the genome project, prediction of a gene domain and functional prediction of a gene have just started, and there are still few effective methods for accomplishing this. The gene consists of the coding regions coding proteins, and the control regions which control gene expression in procaryote. Especially in the control regions, the promoter that controls the transcription of genes is the most representative. Then, we applied texture analysis, which is often employed in the field of image processing, to the promoter (transcriptional control region) of gene-coding proteins called Heat shock proteins, and extracted the common pattern from the promoters.

Plant growth control by plastic films with different spectral transmittance

In this study, we propose a method of controlling the plant shape and height. Plants growth can be controlled by changing the lighting condition. In order to change the lighting condition, we adopted the method to use a covering material that absorbs specific wavelength radiation. Results show that the plants grown under covering materials differ from that under natural radiation.

Plant growth control by regulated lighting conditions

In this study, both a mercury free lamp and a conventional lamp were used for growing lettuce, which means that the R/FR environment was changed for one plant growth interval between R/FR>3.0 and R/FR<1.0. From the experiments, the growth speed was faster and the leaf shape and leaf area were larger than growing the lettuce under a single lamp.