Browsing by Author "Wang H"

Now showing 1 - 17 of 17
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    Biochar and soil properties limit the phytoavailability of lead and cadmium by Brassica chinensis L. in contaminated soils
    (Springer Nature on behalf of the Shenyang Agricultural University, 2022-12) Houssou AA; Jeyakumar P; Niazi NK; Van Zwieten L; Li X; Huang L; Wei L; Zheng X; Huang Q; Huang Y; Huang X; Wang H; Liu Z; Huang Z
    The current study investigated the effect of biochars derived from cinnamomum woodchip, garden waste and mulberry woodchip on soil phytoavailable lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) pools, and their uptake by Chinese cabbage (Brassica chinensis L.). The biochars were produced at 450 °C of pyrolysis temperature. The contaminated soils were collected from Yunfu (classified as Udept), Jiyuan (Ustalf) and Shaoguan (Udult) cities in China at the depth of 0–20 cm and amended with biochars at the rate of 3% w/w. After mixing the soil with biochar for 14 days, the Chinese cabbage was planted in the amended soils. Then, it was harvested on the 48th day after sowing period. In Udult soil, Chinese cabbage died 18 days after sowing period in control and soils amended with cinnamomum and mulberry biochars. Although only plants grown with the garden waste biochar treatment survived in Udult soil, amendment of garden waste or mulberry biochars at 3% w/w (450 °C) to Udult soil significantly increased (4.95–6.25) soil pH compared to other biochar treatments. In Udept and Ustalf soils, the application of garden waste and mulberry biochars significantly improved plant biomass compared to control, albeit it was dependent on both biochar and soil properties. Garden waste biochar significantly decreased soil Cd phytoavailable concentration by 26% in the Udult soil, while a decrease of soil Cd phytoavailable concentration by 16% and 9% was observed in Ustalf and Udept soils, respectively. The available phosphorus in biochar and soil pH were important factors controlling toxic metal phytouptake by the plant. Thus, the amendment of soil with biochar at 3% can effectively reduce the mobility of Cd and Pb in soil and plant uptake. However, biochar and soil properties should be well-known before being used for soil toxic metal immobilization.
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    Comparative study on the rheological properties of myofibrillar proteins from different kinds of meat
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2022-01) Wang H; Yang Z; Yang H; Xue J; Li Y; Wang S; Ge L; Shen Q; Zhang M
    In this study, the gel properties of myofibrillar proteins (MPs) from four meat sources (fish, beef, sheep, and pork) were compared. Oscillatory rheology measurements including temperature sweep, frequency sweep, and strain sweep were conducted to characterise the small and large deformation rheological properties of the MPs. In addition, sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to evaluate differences in the molecular weight distribution as well as the microstructures in gel among different MPs. Frequency sweep measurements showed that all MP gels were weak gels. MPs extracted from pork exhibited the highest gel strength and most compact gel structure, whereas those from fish exhibited the lowest gel strength and loosest gel structure. In addition, the MP extracted from pork (PSM) had the highest content of myosin heavy chain (MHC) and actin. In conclusion, the MPs extracted from fish source and mammalian sources varied significantly in terms of rheological properties and microstructural characteristics. These results provided useful information for developing mixed gel products with different gel strengths.
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    Crawfish shell- and Chinese banyan branch-derived biochars reduced phytoavailability of As and Pb and altered community composition of bacteria in a contaminated arable soil.
    (20/03/2023) Gu S; Yang X; Chen H; Jeyakumar P; Chen J; Wang H
    Globally, soil contamination with arsenic (As) and lead (Pb) has become a severe environmental issue. Herein, a pot experiment was conducted using pak choi (Brassica chinensis L.) to investigate the effects of biochars derived from crawfish (Procambarus clarkia) shells (CSB) and Chinese banyan (Ficus microcarpa) branches (CBB) on the phytoavailability of As and Pb, and bacterial community composition in soils. Our results showed that the application of CSB and CBB decreased the concentrations of DTPA-extractable Pb in soils ranging from 26.8 % to 28.8 %, whereas CSB increased the concentration of NH4H2PO4-extractable As in soils, compared to the control. Application of both biochars reduced the uptake of As and Pb in the edible part of pak choi. In addition, application of CBB significantly (P < 0.05) increased the activities of α-glucosidase, β-glucosidase, cellobiohydrolase, and acid phosphomonoesterase by 55.0 %, 54.4 %, 195.1 %, and 76.7 %, respectively, compared to the control. High-throughput sequencing analysis revealed that the predominant bacteria at the phyla level in both biochar-treated soils were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteriota. Redundancy and correlation analyses showed that the changes in bacterial community composition could be related to soil organic carbon content, As availability, and nutrient availability in soils. Overall, the Chinese banyan branch biochar was more suitable than the crawfish shell biochar as a potential amendment for the remediation of soils co-contaminated with As and Pb.
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    Dietary Supplementation of Yeast Culture Into Pelleted Total Mixed Rations Improves the Growth Performance of Fattening Lambs
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2021-05) Song B; Wu T; You P; Wang H; Burke JL; Kang K; Yu W; Wang M; Li B; He Y; Huo Q; Li C; Tian W; Li R; Li J; Wang C; Sun X
    There is a growing interest in the use of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) culture (YC) for the enhancement of growth performance and general animal health. Grain-based pelleted total mixed rations (TMR) are emerging in intensive sheep farming systems, but it is uncertain if the process of pelleting results in YC becoming ineffective. This study aimed to examine the effects of YC supplemented to pelleted TMR at two proportions of corn in the diet on animal performance, feed digestion, blood parameters, rumen fermentation, and microbial community in fattening lambs. A 2 × 2 factorial design was adopted with two experimental factors and two levels in each factor, resulting in four treatments: (1) low proportion of corn in the diet (LC; 350 g corn/kg diet) without YC, (2) LC with YC (5 g/kg diet), (3) high proportion of corn in the diet (HC; 600 g corn/kg diet) without YC, and (4) HC with YC. Fifty-six 3-month-old male F2 hybrids of thin-tailed sheep and Northeast fine-wool sheep with a liveweight of 19.9 ± 2.7 kg were randomly assigned to the four treatment groups with an equal number of animals in each group. The results showed that live yeast cells could not survive during pelleting, and thus, any biological effects of the YC were the result of feeding dead yeast and the metabolites of yeast fermentation rather than live yeast cells. The supplementation of YC resulted in 31.1 g/day more average daily gain regardless of the proportion of corn in the diet with unchanged feed intake during the 56-day growth measurement period. The digestibility of neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre was increased, but the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein was not affected by YC. The supplementation of YC altered the rumen bacterial population and species, but the most abundant phyla Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria remained unchanged. This study indicates that YC products can be supplemented to pelleted TMR for improved lamb growth performance, although live yeast cells are inactive after pelleting. The improved performance could be attributed to improved fibre digestibility.
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    Effects of early postnatal life nutritional interventions on immune-microbiome interactions in the gastrointestinal tract and implications for brain development and function
    (Frontiers Media S A, 2022-11-23) Mullaney JA; Roy NC; Halliday C; Young W; Altermann E; Kruger MC; Dilger RN; McNabb WC; Wang H
    The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota has co-evolved with the host in an intricate relationship for mutual benefit, however, inappropriate development of this relationship can have detrimental effects. The developing GI microbiota plays a vital role during the first 1,000 days of postnatal life, during which occurs parallel development and maturation of the GI tract, immune system, and brain. Several factors such as mode of delivery, gestational age at birth, exposure to antibiotics, host genetics, and nutrition affect the establishment and resultant composition of the GI microbiota, and therefore play a role in shaping host development. Nutrition during the first 1,000 days is considered to have the most potential in shaping microbiota structure and function, influencing its interactions with the immune system in the GI tract and consequent impact on brain development. The importance of the microbiota-GI-brain (MGB) axis is also increasingly recognized for its importance in these developmental changes. This narrative review focuses on the importance of the GI microbiota and the impact of nutrition on MGB axis during the immune system and brain developmental period in early postnatal life of infants.
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    Elastic Light Scatter Pattern Analysis for the Expedited Detection of Yersinia Species in Pork Mince: Proof of Concept.
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2021-02-17) On SLW; Zhang Y; Gehring A; Patsekin V; Chelikani V; Flint S; Wang H; Billington C; Fletcher GC; Lindsay J; Robinson JP; Fusco V
    Isolation of the pathogens Yersinia enterocolitica and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis from foods typically rely on slow (10-21 day) "cold enrichment" protocols before confirmed results are obtained. We describe an approach that yields results in 39 h that combines an alternative enrichment method with culture on a non-selective medium, and subsequent identification of suspect colonies using elastic light scatter (ELS) analysis. A prototype database of ELS profiles from five Yersinia species and six other bacterial genera found in pork mince was established, and used to compare similar profiles of colonies obtained from enrichment cultures from pork mince samples seeded with representative strains of Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis. The presumptive identification by ELS using computerised or visual analyses of 83/90 colonies in these experiments as the target species was confirmed by partial 16S rDNA sequencing. In addition to seeded cultures, our method recovered two naturally occurring Yersinia strains. Our results indicate that modified enrichment combined with ELS is a promising new approach for expedited detection of foodborne pathogenic yersiniae.
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    Enhanced denitrification driven by a novel iron-carbon coupled primary cell: chemical and mixotrophic denitrification
    (Springer, 2024-01-10) Wu R; Jeyakumar P; Nanthi B; Zhai X; Wang H; Pan M; Lian J; Cheng L; Li J; Hou M; Cui Y; Yang X; Dai K
    Iron-carbon micro-electrolysis system is a promising method for promoting electron transfer in nitrate removal. However, many traditional approaches involving simple physical mixing inevitably suffered from the confined iron-carbon contact area and short validity period, leading to the overuse of iron. Here, a ceramsite-loaded microscale zero-valent iron (mZVI) and acidified carbon (AC) coupled-galvanic cell (CMC) was designed to support chemical, autotrophic and heterotrophic denitrification. Long-term experiments were conducted to monitor the nitrogen removal performance of denitrification reactors filled with CMC and thus optimized the denitrification performance by improving fabrication parameters and various operating conditions. The denitrification contributions test showed that the chemical denitrification pathway contributed most to nitrate removal (57.3%), followed by autotrophic (24.6%) and heterotrophic denitrification pathways (18.1%). The microbial analysis confirmed the significant aggregation of related denitrifying bacteria in the reactors, while AC promoted the expression of relevant nitrogen metabolism genes because of accelerated uptake and utilization of iron complexes. Meanwhile, the electrochemical analysis revealed a significantly improved electron transfer capacity of AC compared to pristine carbon. Overall, our study demonstrated the application of a novel mZVI-AC coupled material for effective nitrate removal and revealed the potential impact of CMC in the multipathway denitrification process. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]
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    Enhanced removal of arsenic and cadmium from contaminated soils using a soluble humic substance coupled with chemical reductant.
    (1/03/2023) Wei J; Tu C; Xia F; Yang L; Chen Q; Chen Y; Deng S; Yuan G; Wang H; Jeyakumar P; Bhatnagar A
    Soil washing is an efficient, economical, and green remediation technology for removing several heavy metal (loid)s from contaminated industrial sites. The extraction of green and efficient washing agents from low-cost feedback is crucially important. In this study, a soluble humic substance (HS) extracted from leonardite was first tested to wash soils (red soil, fluvo-aquic soil, and black soil) heavily contaminated with arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd). A D-optimal mixture design was investigated to optimize the washing parameters. The optimum removal efficiencies of As and Cd by single HS washing were found to be 52.58%-60.20% and 58.52%-86.69%, respectively. Furthermore, a two-step sequential washing with chemical reductant NH2OH•HCl coupled with HS (NH2OH•HCl + HS) was performed to improve the removal efficiency of As and Cd. The two-step sequential washing significantly enhanced the removal of As and Cd to 75.25%-81.53% and 64.53%-97.64%, which makes the residual As and Cd in soil below the risk control standards for construction land. The two-step sequential washing also effectively controlled the mobility and bioavailability of residual As and Cd. However, the activities of soil catalase and urease significantly decreased after the NH2OH•HCl + HS washing. Follow-up measures such as soil neutralization could be applied to relieve and restore the soil enzyme activity. In general, the two-step sequential soil washing with NH2OH•HCl + HS is a fast and efficient method for simultaneously removing high content of As and Cd from contaminated soils.
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    Entitlement-Based Access Control for Smart Cities Using Blockchain
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-08-04) Sabrina F; Jang-Jaccard J; Dai H-N; Wu J; Wang H
    Smart cities use the Internet of Things (IoT) devices such as connected sensors, lights, and meters to collect and analyze data to improve infrastructure, public utilities, and services. However, the true potential of smart cities cannot be leveraged without addressing many security concerns. In particular, there is a significant challenge for provisioning a reliable access control solution to share IoT data among various users across organizations. We present a novel entitlement-based blockchain-enabled access control architecture that can be used for smart cities (and for any ap-plication domains that require large-scale IoT deployments). Our proposed entitlement-based access control model is flexible as it facilitates a resource owner to safely delegate access rights to any entities beyond the trust boundary of an organization. The detailed design and implementation on Ethereum blockchain along with a qualitative evaluation of the security and access control aspects of the proposed scheme are presented in the paper. The experimental results from private Ethereum test networks demonstrate that our proposal can be easily implemented with low latency. This validates that our proposal is applicable to use in the real world IoT environments.
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    Impacts of sonication and high hydrostatic pressure on the structural and physicochemical properties of quinoa protein isolate dispersions at acidic, neutral and alkaline pHs
    (Elsevier BV, 2022-12) Luo L; Yang Z; Wang H; Muthupandian A; Hemar Y
    Herein, 1 wt% quinoa protein isolate (QPI) was exposed to sonication using a 20 kHz ultrasonicator equipped with a 6 mm horn (14.4 W, 10 mL, up to 15 min) or high hydrostatic pressure (HHP, up to 600 MPa, 15 min) treatments at pH 5, pH 7, and pH 9. The changes to physicochemical properties were probed by SDS-PAGE, FTIR, free sulfhydryl group (SH), surface hydrophobicity (H0), particle size and solubility. As revealed by SDS-PAGE, substantial amounts of 11S globulin participated in the formations of aggregates via Ssingle bondS bond under HHP, particularly at pH 7 and pH 9. However, protein profiles of QPI were not significantly affected by the sonication. Free SH groups and surface hydrophobicity were increased after the sonication treatment indicating protein unfolding and exposure of the embedded SH and/or hydrophobic groups. An opposite trend was observed in HHP treated samples, implying aggregation and reassociation of structures under HHP. HHP and sonication treatments induced a decrease in ordered secondary structures (random coil and β-turn) accompanied with an increase in disordered secondary structures (α-helix and β-sheet) as probed by FTIR. Finally, the sonication treatment induced a significant improvement in the solubility (up to ∼3 folds at pH 7 and ∼2.6 folds at pH 9) and a reduction in particle sizes (up to ∼3 folds at pH 7 and ∼4.4 folds at pH 9). However, HHP treatment (600 MPa) only slightly increased the solubility (∼1.6 folds at pH 7 and ∼1.2 folds at pH 9) and decreased the particle size (∼1.3 folds at pH 7 and ∼1.2 folds at pH 9). This study provides a direct comparison of the impacts of sonication and HHP treatment on QPI, which will enable to choose the appropriate processing methods to achieve tailored properties of QPI.
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    Integrated computer vision algorithms and drone scheduling
    (Elsevier B.V., 2021-08-23) Yi W; Wang H; Jin Y; Cao J
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    Integrative analysis identifies two molecular and clinical subsets in Luminal B breast cancer
    (Elsevier Inc, 2023-09-15) Wang H; Liu B; Long J; Yu J; Ji X; Li J; Zhu N; Zhuang X; Li L; Chen Y; Liu Z; Wang S; Zhao S
    Comprehensive multiplatform analysis of Luminal B breast cancer (LBBC) specimens identifies two molecularly distinct, clinically relevant subtypes: Cluster A associated with cell cycle and metabolic signaling and Cluster B with predominant epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and immune response pathways. Whole-exome sequencing identified significantly mutated genes including TP53, PIK3CA, ERBB2, and GATA3 with recurrent somatic mutations. Alterations in DNA methylation or transcriptomic regulation in genes (FN1, ESR1, CCND1, and YAP1) result in tumor microenvironment reprogramming. Integrated analysis revealed enriched biological pathways and unexplored druggable targets (cancer-testis antigens, metabolic enzymes, kinases, and transcription regulators). A systematic comparison between mRNA and protein displayed emerging expression patterns of key therapeutic targets (CD274, YAP1, AKT1, and CDH1). A potential ceRNA network was developed with a significantly different prognosis between the two subtypes. This integrated analysis reveals a complex molecular landscape of LBBC and provides the utility of targets and signaling pathways for precision medicine.
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    Limited Alcalase hydrolysis improves the thermally-induced gelation of quinoa protein isolate (QPI) dispersions
    (Elsevier BV, 2022-11-01) Wang X; Cheng L; Wang H; Yang Z
    Gelation is critical in many food applications of plant proteins. Herein, limited hydrolysis by Alcalase was used to promote thermally induced gelation of quinoa protein isolates (QPI). Mechanical properties of various QPI gels were characterised by small and large oscillatory shear deformation rheology while the microstructural features were observed by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Both the gel strength and microstructure are strongly related to the hydrolysis time. The maximum gel strength (∼100 Pa) was achieved after Alcalase hydrolysis for 1 min, which was ∼20 folds higher than that of untreated QPI. Extended hydrolysis up to 5 min progressively decreased the gel strength. A string-like interconnected protein network was formed after proteolysis. The change of gel strength with hydrolysis time correlated well to the Gʹ 20°C/Gʹ 90°C value and results of intrinsic fluorescence and surface hydrophobicity. The Gʹ 20°C/Gʹ 90°C value is sensitive to hydrogen bonds formation while the intrinsic fluorescence and surface hydrophobicity are associated with protein unfolding and exposure of hydrophobic groups. Therefore, both hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions are critical in improving the gel strength of QPI hydrolysates. Finally, FTIR analysis revealed that protein secondary structures are affected by the proteolysis and formation of inter-molecular hydrogen bonds between polypeptides. This study provides an efficient strategy for improving thermally induced gelation of QPI and enables a deep understanding of QPI gelation mechanism induced by Alcalase hydrolysis.
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    Remediation Technologies for Neonicotinoids in Contaminated Environments: Current State and Future Prospects
    (Elsevier, 16/06/2023) Wei J; Wang X; Tu C; Long T; Bu Y; Wang H; Jeyakumar P; Jiang J; Deng S
    Neonicotinoids (NEOs) are synthetic insecticides with broad-spectrum insecticidal activity and outstanding efficacy. However, their extensive use and persistence in the environment have resulted in the accumulation and biomagnification of NEOs, posing significant risks to non-target organisms and humans. This review provides a summary of research history, advancements, and highlighted topics in NEOs remediation technologies and mechanisms. Various remediation approaches have been developed, including physiochemical, microbial, and phytoremediation, with microbial and physicochemical remediation being the most extensively studied. Recent advances in physiochemical remediation have led to the development of innovative adsorbents, photocatalysts, and optimized treatment processes. High-efficiency degrading strains with well-characterized metabolic pathways have been successfully isolated and cultured for microbial remediation, while many plant species have shown great potential for phytoremediation. However, significant challenges and gaps remain in this field. Future research should prioritize isolating, domesticating or engineering high efficiency, broad-spectrum microbial strains for NEO degradation, as well as developing synergistic remediation techniques to enhance removal efficiency on multiple NEOs with varying concentrations in different environmental media. Furthermore, a shift from pipe-end treatment to pollution prevention strategies is needed, including the development of green and economically efficient alternatives such as biological insecticides. Integrated remediation technologies and case-specific strategies that can be applied to practical remediation projects need to be developed, along with clarifying NEO degradation mechanisms to improve remediation efficiency. The successful implementation of these strategies will help reduce the negative impact of NEOs on the environment and human health.
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    Responses of rice (Oryza sativa L.) plant growth, grain yield and quality, and soil properties to the microplastic occurrence in paddy soil
    (Springer, 18/05/2022) Chen S; Feng Y; Han L; Li D; Feng Y; Jeyakumar P; Sun H; Shi W; Wang H
    Purpose: Agricultural soil has been recognized as a major sink of microplastic, an emerging pollutant to environmental biodiversity and ecosystem. However, the impacts of microplastic on soil–plant systems (e.g., crop growth, grain yield and amino acid content, nitrogen uptake capacity, and soil properties) remain largely unknown. Methods: Four typical microplastics, i.e., polythene (PE, 200 μm), polyacrylonitrile (PAN, 200 μm), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) in diameter of 200 μm and 10 μm (PET200 and PET10), were tested to assess the consequent aforementioned responses under rice (Oryza sativa L.) paddy soil in a mesocosm experiment. Results: Microplastics multiply influenced the soil pH, NH4+-N and NO3−-N contents, which effects were depended on the rice growth stage and plastic type. Overall, microplastics significantly decreased the soil urease activity by 5.0–12.2% (P < 0.05). When exposed to PAN and PET (in both diameter of 200 μm and 10 μm), there were significantly 22.2–30.8% more grain yield produced, compared to the control (P < 0.05), which was attributing to the higher nitrogen uptake capacity of rice grain. Meanwhile, microplastics exhibited nominal influences on rice plant height, tillering number, leaf SPAD, and NDVI. The amino acids were affected by microplastic, depending on the types of plastics and amino acids. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that microplastic can affect the development and final grain yield, amino acid content, nitrogen uptake capacity of rice, and some major soil properties, while these effects vary as a function of plastic type. Our findings highlight the positive impacts that could occur when the presence of microplastics in paddy soil.
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    Supplying silicon alters microbial community and reduces soil cadmium bioavailability to promote health wheat growth and yield
    (Elsevier, 30/06/2021) Song A; Li Z; Wang E; Xu D; Wang S; Bi J; Wang H; Jeyakumar P; Li Z; Fan F
    Soil amendments of black bone (BB), biochar (BC), silicon fertilizer (SI), and leaf fertilizer (LF) play vital roles in decreasing cadmium (Cd) availability, thereby supporting healthy plant growth and food security in agroecosystems. However, the effect of their additions on soil microbial community and the resulting soil Cd bioavailability, plant Cd uptake and health growth are still unknown. Therefore, in this study, BB, BC, SI, and LF were selected to evaluate Cd amelioration in wheat grown in Cd-contaminated soils. The results showed that relative to the control, all amendments significantly decreased both soil Cd bioavailability and its uptake in plant tissues, promoting healthy wheat growth and yield. This induced-decrease effect in seeds was the most obvious, wherein the effect was the highest in SI (52.54%), followed by LF (43.31%), and lowest in BC (35.24%) and BB (31.98%). Moreover, the induced decrease in soil Cd bioavailability was the highest in SI (29.56%), followed by BC (28.85%), lowest in LF (17.55%), and BB (15.30%). The significant effect in SI likely resulted from a significant increase in both the soil bioavailable Si and microbial community (Acidobacteria and Thaumarchaeota), which significantly decreased soil Cd bioavailability towards plant roots. In particular, a co-occurrence network analysis indicated that soil microbes played a substantial role in rice yield under Si amendment. Therefore, supplying Si alters the soil microbial community, positively and significantly interacting with soil bioavailable Si and decreasing Cd bioavailability in soils, thereby sustaining healthy crop development and food quality.