The greenhouse industry is interested in light emitting diodes (LEDs) as a light source supplement to solar light to improve plant growth and development. Before LEDs can be adopted as supplemental light for greenhouse crops, plant responses to LED spectral quality need to be investigated. Tomato and cucumber seedlings were grown under different supplemental blue and red photon flux ratios (B:R ratios) under high (16-19 mol m⁻² d⁻¹) and low (5-9 mol m⁻² d⁻¹) solar daily light integrals (DLIs). The supplemental daily light integral was 3.6 mol m⁻² d⁻¹. A treatment without supplemental light served as a control. Both tomato and cucumber seedlings had increased growth rate and improved morphology when grown under the supplemental LED light compared to the control. However, no significant differences were observed for any growth and morphological parameters measured in this study between the different B:R ratios for both cucumber and tomato transplants under high DLI conditions. Cucumber seedlings showed a tendency to decrease dry mass, leaf number and leaf area under low DLI conditions with increasing B:R ratio. Tomato seedlings did not show any differences between the different B:R ratios under low DLI conditions. Seedlings growth and morphology under supplemental LED light were compared to those under supplemental high pressure sodium (HPS) light. Cucumber seedlings under supplemental HPS light had greater shoot dry mass than those under the supplemental red LED light. Tomato shoot dry mass showed no differences between the HPS and red LED supplemental light treatments. Cucumber seedlings were also grown under supplemental LED pulsed lighting and supplemental LED continuous lighting. Cucumber seedlings showed no differences in shoot dry mass and net photosynthetic rate between the treatments. Collectively, these studies concluded that red LED is preferred for supplemental lighting and the increase of blue light does not offer any benefits unless the efficiency of blue LEDs largely exceeds the red LEDs. The results of this research can be used for fixture development by LED manufactures and as a decision making tool for the adoption of supplemental LED lighting by greenhouse growers.

A distribuição da biomassa do plâncton é a chave para o entendimento de vários processos inclusive a compreensão da migração vertical diurna. Entender a fototaxia positiva, como responsável por esta distribuição, com enfoque na qualidade espectral da luz é uma campo vasto a ser explorado. Investigamos a percepção espectral luminosa do mesozooplâncton marinho através da quantificação de capturas em uma nova arte de coleta com armadilha de luz. Estas armadilhas foram testadas com tratamentos luminosos na cor vermelha, verde, azul e branco. Elas foram fundeadas na enseada do Flamengo e de Ubatuba (Ubatuba-SP) no fim do verão e outono de 2015 durante a lua cheia e lua nova em três noites consecutivas. Foram avaliadas as associações de exposição (fase lunar, local de coleta e esquema de randomização dos tratamentos) baseada nos dados de captura através de gráficos NMDS, teste PERMANOVA e tabelas de contingência de Chi-quadrado. Os táxons mais abundantes nas capturas foram dois gêneros de copépodes Calanoida (Acartia sp e Temora sp) seguidos pela família Podonidae e Brachyura. Demonstramos que os organismos capturados do zooplâncton marinho expressaram seleção espectral induzidos pela fototaxia positiva. O tratamento luminoso verde exerceu maior atração nos organismos em detrimento ao tratamento luminoso vermelho. A influência das fases lunares ou dos esquemas de randomização dos tratamentos luminosos dependem da sensibilidade espectral de cada táxon. Porém local não implicou em diferenças entre as coletas. Estas particularidades da fototaxia positiva seletiva podem explicar a variação vertical da biomassa do zooplâncton marinho na coluna d\'água inclusive no entendimento da MVD. / The distribution of plankton biomass is the key for understanding many processes including diel vertical migration (DVM). Understand the positive phototaxis, as responsible for this distribution, with a focus on spectral quality of light is a vast field to be explored. We investigate the spectral light perception of the marine mesozooplankton through quantification of catches in a new art with light trap. These traps were tested with light treatments in red, green, blue and white. They were anchored in the Flamengo and Ubatuba bay (Ubatuba-SP) in late summer and autumn of 2015 during the full moon and new moon on three consecutive nights. Exposure associations were evaluated (lunar phase, site and treatment randomization scheme) based on the data capture through NMDS graphics, PERMANOVA test and Chi-square contingency tables. Most abundant taxa catched were two kinds of copepods Calanoida (Acartia sp and Temora sp) followed by Podonidae and Brachyura. We have demonstrated that the captured marine zooplankton showed spectral selection induced by positive phototaxis. The green light treatment exerted biggest attraction in organisms over the red light treatment. The influence of lunar phases or randomization schemes of bright treatments depend on the spectral sensitivity of each taxon. But location did not result in differences between collections. These specifics of selective phototaxis may explain the vertical variation of marine zooplankton biomass in water column including the understanding of DVM.

A distribuição da biomassa do plâncton é a chave para o entendimento de vários processos inclusive a compreensão da migração vertical diurna. Entender a fototaxia positiva, como responsável por esta distribuição, com enfoque na qualidade espectral da luz é uma campo vasto a ser explorado. Investigamos a percepção espectral luminosa do mesozooplâncton marinho através da quantificação de capturas em uma nova arte de coleta com armadilha de luz. Estas armadilhas foram testadas com tratamentos luminosos na cor vermelha, verde, azul e branco. Elas foram fundeadas na enseada do Flamengo e de Ubatuba (Ubatuba-SP) no fim do verão e outono de 2015 durante a lua cheia e lua nova em três noites consecutivas. Foram avaliadas as associações de exposição (fase lunar, local de coleta e esquema de randomização dos tratamentos) baseada nos dados de captura através de gráficos NMDS, teste PERMANOVA e tabelas de contingência de Chi-quadrado. Os táxons mais abundantes nas capturas foram dois gêneros de copépodes Calanoida (Acartia sp e Temora sp) seguidos pela família Podonidae e Brachyura. Demonstramos que os organismos capturados do zooplâncton marinho expressaram seleção espectral induzidos pela fototaxia positiva. O tratamento luminoso verde exerceu maior atração nos organismos em detrimento ao tratamento luminoso vermelho. A influência das fases lunares ou dos esquemas de randomização dos tratamentos luminosos dependem da sensibilidade espectral de cada táxon. Porém local não implicou em diferenças entre as coletas. Estas particularidades da fototaxia positiva seletiva podem explicar a variação vertical da biomassa do zooplâncton marinho na coluna d\'água inclusive no entendimento da MVD. / The distribution of plankton biomass is the key for understanding many processes including diel vertical migration (DVM). Understand the positive phototaxis, as responsible for this distribution, with a focus on spectral quality of light is a vast field to be explored. We investigate the spectral light perception of the marine mesozooplankton through quantification of catches in a new art with light trap. These traps were tested with light treatments in red, green, blue and white. They were anchored in the Flamengo and Ubatuba bay (Ubatuba-SP) in late summer and autumn of 2015 during the full moon and new moon on three consecutive nights. Exposure associations were evaluated (lunar phase, site and treatment randomization scheme) based on the data capture through NMDS graphics, PERMANOVA test and Chi-square contingency tables. Most abundant taxa catched were two kinds of copepods Calanoida (Acartia sp and Temora sp) followed by Podonidae and Brachyura. We have demonstrated that the captured marine zooplankton showed spectral selection induced by positive phototaxis. The green light treatment exerted biggest attraction in organisms over the red light treatment. The influence of lunar phases or randomization schemes of bright treatments depend on the spectral sensitivity of each taxon. But location did not result in differences between collections. These specifics of selective phototaxis may explain the vertical variation of marine zooplankton biomass in water column including the understanding of DVM.

La Résonance Quadrupolaire Nucléaire (RQN) est une technique spectroscopique appliquée à l’état solide et qui ne nécessite aucun champ magnétique statique contrairement à la Résonance Magnétique Nucléaire (RMN). Elle permet de détecter, les molécules qui contiennent un noyau quadrupolaire (tel que l'azote-14). La RQN de l’azote-14 suscite un intérêt particulier car elle s'avère utile dans la détection de drogues et d’explosifs, qui contiennent, pour la plupart, des molécules azotées. Cette thèse porte en premier lieu sur l’amélioration de la qualité spectrale en résonance quadrupolaire (RQN) de l’azote-14. Ainsi, nous nous sommes préoccupés des signaux transitoires (ringing) qui suivent l’impulsion radiofréquence (rf) et qui masquent en partie le signal RQN. Nous avons d’abord montré, par une étude théorique et expérimentale, que les mesures à basse puissance (< 3Watts) étaient possibles, ce qui nous a permis de diminuer l’amplitude du ringing. De plus, grâce à ce mode de fonctionnement (basse puissance), nous avons pu proposer un circuit original de commutation du facteur de qualité (Q-switch) basé sur un commutateur rf CMOS et qui a permis de diminuer la durée du ringing. La seconde partie traite de l’influence d’un champ magnétique statique faible amplitude et des divers paramètres expérimentaux en RQN de l’azote-14. Dans le cas où le tenseur de gradient de champ électrique est de symétrie axiale, nous avons observé des élargissements, voire des doublets Zeeman. En revanche, dans le cas général (absence de symetrie), nous avons mis en évidence la possibilité définir le tenseur de gradient de champ électrique à partir de la forme de raie d’une seule transition au lieu de deux transitions (sans champ magnétique statique). Ce dernier résultat pourrait permettre de diminuer de moitié le temps nécessaire à la caractérisation d’une nouvelle molécule azotée. / Nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) is a solid-state spectroscopic technique which doesn't require a static magnetic field in contrast to Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). It is used to detect molecules containing quadrupole nuclei (such as nitrogen-14). Nitrogen-14 quadrupole resonance is of particular interest because it is useful in the detection of drugs and explosives, which contain mostly of nitrogen molecules. In this thesis we have primarily focused on improving the spectral quality in nitrogen-14 quadrupole resonance (NQR) . Thus, we were concerned with the transient signals ( ringing ) following the radiofrequency (rf) pulse and which partly overwhelm the NQR signal. First, we demonstrated by theoretical and experimental study that low power measurements (< 3Watts ) were possible, allowing us to reduce the ringing amplitude. In addition, through this mode ( low power ), we have proposed an original quality factor switching circuit (Q -switch ) based on rf CMOS switch and which has reduced the ringing duration. The second part deals with the effect of a weak static magnetic field and various experimental parameters in nitrogen-14 quadrupole resonance. In the case of an axially symmetric electric field gradient tensor, we observed broadening or Zeeman doublets. By contrast, in the general case (no symmetry), we demonstrated the possibility to define the electric field gradient tensor from the line shape of a single transition instead of two transitions ( without static magnetic field ). This result reduces by half the time required for the characterization of a new nitrogen molecule.