There is growing concern about food safety, environmental impact, and efficient energy usage in agricultural production systems. Producing lettuce under artificial lighting could be a solution addressing these concerns. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) offer the advantages of a narrow light spectrum, low power consumption, and little heat production. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of different light sources on the growth of miniature “Tom Thumb” butterhead lettuce in a non-circulating hydroponic system. Lettuce seedlings, started in Oasis Horticubes, were transferred to net pots in containers with a hydroponic nutrient solution. The lettuce was grown in a lab under three light treatments—blue LEDs, red LEDs, and fluorescent lights. At the end of the study, fluorescent lights resulted in greater root dry weight than blue LEDs and red LEDs. Total plant dry weight under fluorescent lights was greater than under red LEDs. There were no significant differences in shoot dry weight and plant height among the treatments. Percent partitioning of dry weight to shoots was greatest with red LEDs, followed by blue LEDS, and fluorescent lights. Percent partitioning of dry weight to roots was greatest with fluorescent lights, followed by blue LEDS, and red LEDs. Leaf chlorophyll content was greater under blue LEDs and fluorescent lights than red LEDs. The pH of the nutrient solution of the blue LED and the fluorescent light treatments were greater than the red LED treatment. Electrical conductivity of the nutrient solution of the fluorescent light treatment was greater than the blue LED treatment and the red LED treatment. In conclusion, LEDs could provide an alternative lighting source for miniature lettuce production.

Background: Low-carbohydrate (LC) diets are an effective method for treating obesity and reducing cardiometabolic risk. However, exposure to LC diets is associated with reductions in muscle mass and increased osteoporosis risk in obese individuals. The combination of exercise with a LC diet appears to attenuate muscle mass loss induced by LC diets alone, and to further improve cardiometabolic profile. However, evidence to date in obese individuals is limited. We assessed the effect of LC diet in combination with supervised exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors in obese individuals. Methods: Male and female participants in the experimental (EX-LC; structured supervised exercise program + low-carbohydrate meals; n = 33; 35.3 years) and control (EX-CO; structured supervised exercise program + standard dietary advice; n = 31; 34.2 years) conditions underwent measurements of cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak), body fat, lean muscle mass (LMM), and cardiometabolic biomarkers before and after an 8 week intervention. Results: Participants in the EX-LC condition demonstrated greater improvements in VO2peak (p = 0.002) and fat mass index (FMI, p = 0.001) compared to the EX-CO condition. Achieving a ketogenic state (β-hydroxybutyrate, βHB ≥0.3 mmol/L) was associated with greater reductions in total body fat (p = 0.011), visceral adipose tissue (p = 0.025), FMI (p = 0.002) and C-reactive protein (CRP, p = 0.041) but also with greater reductions in LMM (p = 0.042). Conclusion: Short-term LC diet combined with prescribed exercise enhanced cardiorespiratory fitness and the cardiometabolic profile of obese individuals but was also associated with greater muscle mass loss compared to similar exercise training and standard dietary advice. The long-term effects of the LC diet should be further explored in future studies.

Graduate students within the Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences Department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa developed a program that addressed their concerns regarding career enhancement and planned a Professional Development Seminar Series. Students identified topics related to enhancing their overall graduate experience and professional development, such as ethics in research, leadership in graduate school and beyond, interviewing skills, and writing critically for publications. Experts from the University of Hawaii and business communities presented 35- to 40-minute seminars on the various topics. Expectations of the students included participation in discussion sessions and completion of a critical thinking exercise after each presentation. Course evaluations revealed that the new seminar series was considered to be as effective as established courses within the department. On a scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree, students learned to value new viewpoints [4.2 ± 0.8 (mean ± SD)], related what they learned in class to their own experiences (4.5 ± 0.8), and felt the course was a valuable contribution to their education (4.4 ± 0.9). Students suggested offering the course during fall semesters to incoming students, reinforcing of the critical thinking exercise, and making the course mandatory for first-year graduate students.

A new xenicane diterpenoid, 15-deoxy-isoxeniolide-A (1) along with four known compounds 9-deoxy-isoxeniolide-A (2), isoxeniolide-A (3), xeniolide-A (4) and coraxeniolide-B (5) were isolated from the Bornean soft coral Xenia sp. The structures of these metabolites were elucidated on the basis of spectral analysis, NMR and HRESIMS. Compound 5 showed cytotoxic activity against ATL cell line, S1T.

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