Browsing by Author "Yang W"

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    Age Differences in Ileum Microbiota Density: VFAs and Their Transport-Related Gene Interactions in Tibetan Sheep
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-10-03) Wang F; Sha Y; He Y; Liu X; Chen X; Yang W; Chen Q; Gao M; Huang W; Wang J; Hao Z; Wang L; Yang F
    Microbiota density plays an important role in maintaining host metabolism, immune function, and health, and age has a specific effect on the composition of intestinal microbiota. Therefore, the age-specific effects of age differences on the structure and function of the ileum microbiota in Tibetan sheep were investigated by determining the density of the ileum microbiota, the content of VFAs, and the expression levels of their transporter-related genes at different ages. The results showed that the contents of acetic acid and propionic acid in the ileum of Tibetan sheep in the 1.5-year-old group were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in other age groups, and that the contents of total VFAs were also significantly higher (p < 0.05) than those in other age groups. The relative densities of ileum Rf, Ra, and Fs were significantly higher in the 1.5-year-old group than in the other age groups (p < 0.05). The ileum epithelial VFAs transport-related genes AE2, MCT-4, and NHE1 had the highest expression in the 1.5-year-old group, and the expression of DRA was significantly lower in the 1.5-year-old group than in the 6-year-old group (p < 0.05). Correlation analysis showed that Cb, Sr, and Tb were significantly positively correlated with butyric acid concentration (p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with acetic acid, but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05); MCT-1, MCT-4, and AE2 were significantly positively correlated (p < 0.05) with acetic, propionic, and isobutyric acid concentrations; NHE1, NHE2, and MCT-4 were highly significantly positively correlated (p < 0.01) with Romboutsia and unclassified_Peptostreptococcaceae, while acetic acid was significantly positively correlated (p < 0.05) with NK4A214_group; Romboutsia, and unclassified_Peptostreptococcaceae were significantly positively correlated (p < 0.05). Therefore, compared with other ages, the 1.5-year-old Tibetan sheep had a stronger fermentation and metabolic capacity in the ileum under traditional grazing conditions on the plateau, which could provide more energy for Tibetan sheep during plateau acclimatization.
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    Antagonistic systemin receptors integrate the activation and attenuation of systemic wound signaling in tomato.
    (Elsevier B.V., 2024-12-03) Zhou K; Wu F; Deng L; Xiao Y; Yang W; Zhao J; Wang Q; Chang Z; Zhai H; Sun C; Han H; Du M; Chen Q; Yan J; Xin P; Chu J; Han Z; Chai J; Howe GA; Li C-B; Li C
    Pattern recognition receptor (PRR)-mediated perception of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) triggers the first line of inducible defenses in both plants and animals. Compared with animals, plants are sessile and regularly encounter physical damage by biotic and abiotic factors. A longstanding problem concerns how plants achieve a balance between wound defense response and normal growth, avoiding overcommitment to catastrophic defense. Here, we report that two antagonistic systemin receptors, SYR1 and SYR2, of the wound peptide hormone systemin in tomato act in a ligand-concentration-dependent manner to regulate immune homeostasis. Whereas SYR1 acts as a high-affinity receptor to initiate systemin signaling, SYR2 functions as a low-affinity receptor to attenuate systemin signaling. The expression of systemin and SYR2, but not SYR1, is upregulated upon SYR1 activation. Our findings provide a mechanistic explanation for how plants appropriately respond to tissue damage based on PRR-mediated perception of DAMP concentrations and have implications for uncoupling defense-growth trade-offs.
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    Can citrus farmers earn more from selling online
    (Elsevier B.V on behalf of the Economic Society of Australia, Queensland, 2023-12) Zhang H; Ma W; Li J; Yang W
    Online sales are essential for linking smallholder farmers to a wide range of markets. In essence, online sales not only influence the income received from selling a specific product but also generate spillover effects on total farm income and household income because they promote the sales of other agricultural products and generate regional off-farm work opportunities (e.g. product sorting, packaging, and delivery). Taking citrus as an example, this study explores the income effects of online sales with a focus on net returns from citrus production, net farm income, and household income. We used an endogenous treatment regression model to address the self-selection bias issues of online sales and estimated data collected from 926 citrus-producing households in Jiangxi Province, China. The results show that online citrus sales boost income growth in rural China. Specifically, online sales significantly increased net returns from citrus production, net farm income, and household income by 5,000 Yuan/capita, 8,580 Yuan/capita, and 17,830 Yuan/capita, respectively. The income-enhancing effects of online sales are greater for female household heads than they are for their male counterparts. Our findings emphasise the importance of promoting online sales to improve rural household welfare.
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    Characterizing the dynamics of the rumen microbiota, its metabolites, and blood metabolites across reproductive stages in Small-tailed Han sheep.
    (American Society for Microbiology, 2023-11-10) Sha Y; Liu X; Pu X; He Y; Wang J; Zhao S; Shao P; Wang F; Xie Z; Chen X; Yang W
    Different reproductive stages of mammals involve complex biological processes, and the intestinal microbiota, as an endocrine organ or an “invisible organ,” is involved in the regulation of hormone levels, immune function, and metabolism. However, the effects of the rumen microbiota, its metabolites, and blood metabolites on the reproductive performance of ruminants remain unclear. This study revealed that the Prevotella abundance increased significantly during pregnancy (P < 0.01); the Fibrobacter abundance increased significantly during lactation (P < 0.05); and rumen microbial carbohydrate metabolism, glucose biosynthesis, and metabolic functions were significantly enriched during pregnancy (P < 0.05). Microbial metabolic profile analysis showed that the differentially abundant microbial metabolites during pregnancy and lactation were mainly enriched in the biosynthesis of ubiquinone and other terpenoid quinones, and there was a certain correlation with the microbiota. Among them, sapindoside A was increased during pregnancy, nicotinamide riboside and β-cryptoxanthin were reduced during pregnancy, and L-tryptophan was significantly increased during lactation. In addition, the volatile fatty acid levels in lactation were significantly higher than those in non-pregnancy and pregnancy (P < 0.05), and the NH3-N content during pregnancy was significantly higher than that during lactation and non-pregnancy (P < 0.05). Moreover, there were differences in the serum metabolite levels at different reproductive stages, and similar metabolites existed when comparing the rumen metabolites, which were mainly enriched in arachidonic acid metabolism, vitamin B6 metabolism, and ABC transporter protein, resulting in significantly higher serum IgA and IgM levels during lactation than during non-pregnancy and pregnancy (P < 0.05).
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    Do consumers care about environmentally sustainable attributes along the food supply chain? —A systematic literature review
    (AIMS Press, 2023-04-27) Yang W; Anh B; Le P
    The agri-food market has shown a clear signal of "green" consumption that drives an increasing interest in studying consumers' willingness to pay (WTP) for food products with environmentally sustainable attributes, such as eco-friendly and carbon neutral. Whilst many existing studies have focused on a general idea of green attributes or on-farm practices that are regarded to be most relevant to the attributes, the agri-food industry has started to address consumers' concerns about the negative environmental impacts of agri-food production across the whole supply chain, including the processing, transportation, and consumption process. It is therefore the purpose of this study to conduct a systematic review of the existing literature on consumers' intentions of purchasing and WTP for food products with environmentally sustainable attributes, with a special interest in understanding the connections between consumer behaviours and different stages of the food supply chain. Results of the study revealed three main research gaps: the lack of clear definitions of environmentally sustainable attributes; ignorance of connections between the characteristics of environmentally sustainable attributes and different stages of the food supply chain; and lacking effective information processing among the key players along the supply chain, leading to inefficient communication between the supply and demand side. The findings of the study help form a conceptual framework for future studies to associate environmentally sustainable attributes to the whole food supply chain that helps the agri-food industry to effectively process market information, communicate with consumers, and satisfy the market demand.
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    Economic indicator system for adaptive monitoring of compound climate change risks
    (Elsevier B.V., 2024-07-26) Qu Z; Yang W; Allison A; Blackett P
    Climate change adaptation requires proactive development of adaptive planning strategies. To implement such strategies, it is crucial to identify indicators that can monitor and signal approaching adaptation thresholds. While existing research has focused on physical and hazard-based indicators, addressing social and economic indicators is essential for informed decision-making. This research aims to fill this gap by compiling 298 economic indicators across six categories: fiscal factors for central, regional, and local governments; financial system indicators; indicators for industries, businesses, and public organisations; and indicators for identifying socially vulnerable populations due to climate change. Derived from previous studies and the national climate change risk assessment framework, these indicators aim to provide policymakers at all levels and communities with a ready-to-use toolbox for monitoring climate change economic risks. Additionally, the research identifies measurable indicators as well as those that cannot currently be measured but could potentially be quantified. Future work involves further analysis and mapping of these indicators to form a cohesive set warning of the need for adaptation measures, aiming to equip decision-makers with tools to address the economic impacts of climate change.
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    Factors affecting online shopping frequency: lessons from New Zealand.
    (Springer Nature, 2022-05-04) Ma W; Gan C; Vatsa P; Yang W; Zheng H
    During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, the number of people shopping online has increased worldwide, and New Zealand is no exception. To date, little is known about the online shopping behaviours of New Zealanders in a pandemic environment. This paper provides the first attempt by exploring the factors affecting online shopping frequency in New Zealand, a country widely regarded as a paragon of excellence for containing the COVID-19 pandemic. A Poisson regression model is utilized to analyze data collected through an online survey between July and November 2020. The empirical results show that people's online shopping frequency is positively affected by payment convenience, competitive pricing, living in the city, and the number of children. The perceived effectiveness of the government's action in combating COVID-19, having poor past online shopping experiences, and being married reduce online shopping frequency.
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    Multi-omics revealed rumen microbiota metabolism and host immune regulation in Tibetan sheep of different ages
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2024-02-13) Sha Y; Liu X; He Y; Zhao S; Hu J; Wang J; Li W; Shao P; Wang F; Chen X; Yang W; Xie Z; Chen Z
    The rumen microbiota and metabolites play an important role in energy metabolism and immune regulation of the host. However, the regulatory mechanism of rumen microbiota and metabolite interactions with host on Tibetan sheep's plateau adaptability is still unclear. We analyzed the ruminal microbiome and metabolome, host transcriptome and serum metabolome characteristics of Tibetan sheep at different ages. Biomarkers Butyrivibrio, Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group, Prevotella, and Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group were found in 4 months, 1.5 years, 3.5 years, and 6 years Tibetan sheep, respectively. The rumen microbial metabolites were mainly enriched in galactose metabolism, unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis and fatty acid degradation pathways, and had significant correlation with microbiota. These metabolites further interact with mRNA, and are co-enriched in arginine and proline metabolism, metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, propanoate metabolism, starch and sucrose metabolism, gap junction pathway. Meanwhile, serum metabolites also have a similar function, such as chemical carcinogenesis - reactive oxygen species, limonene and pinene degradation, and cutin, suberine and wax biosynthesis, thus participating in the regulation of the body's immune and energy-related metabolic processes. This study systematically revealed that rumen microbiota, metabolites, mRNA and serum metabolites of Tibetan sheep were involved in the regulation of fermentation metabolic function and immune level of Tibetan sheep at different ages, which provided a new perspective for plateau adaptability research of Tibetan sheep at different ages.
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    Online or not online: the impact of business owner’s risk preference on the adoption of e-business
    (Springer Nature, 2023-09-21) Yang W; Wang L; Zhang X
    The significant growth of internet users has driven businesses to develop their capacity in e-commerce and meet the increasing demand for e-consumption, e-services, and e-business. To gain the benefits of e-business, firms may choose to extend or transit their offline-operated businesses to online or hybrid modes. Opportunities are accompanied by risks in this process. Therefore, it is important to understand how business owners’ financial risk preferences affect their choice of business operation models, namely, online and offline operations. Using data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) in 2017 and 2019, this study examined the impacts of business owners’ risk preferences on e-business adoption, considering social insurance as a moderator on the relationship between risk effect and online business operation. In addition, we used heterogeneity examination to test for regional differences between rural and urban areas. Our results show that, compared to high-risk takers, low-risk takers are less likely to choose online or hybrid businesses; and having social insurance reduces the effect of risk preference on adopting e-business. This finding indicates social insurance may provide financial security to business owners with low-risk preferences and makes them more likely to adopt online business, whilst it may distort adoption incentives for high- and medium-risk groups. Results of the heterogeneity examination suggest a discrepancy in the risk preference effect on the adoption of e-business between the rural and urban areas: the impact of risk preference is found to be significantly higher on businesses in the rural area than those in the urban area.
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    Study of the Interactions between Muscle Fatty Acid Composition, Meat Quality-Related Genes and the Ileum Microbiota in Tibetan Sheep at Different Ages.
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-02-23) Wang F; Sha Y; Liu X; He Y; Hu J; Wang J; Li S; Shao P; Chen X; Yang W; Chen Q; Gao M; Huang W; Panea B
    The intestinal microbiota of ruminants is an important factor affecting animal production and health. Research on the association mechanism between the intestinal microbiota and meat quality of ruminants will play a positive role in understanding the formation mechanism of meat quality in ruminants and improving production efficiency. In this study, the fatty acid composition and content, expression of related genes, and structural characteristics of the ileum microbiota of ewes of Tibetan sheep at different ages (4 months, 1.5 years, 3.5 years, and 6 years) were detected and analyzed. The results revealed significant differences in fatty acid composition and content in the muscle of Tibetan sheep at different ages (p < 0.05); in addition, the content of MUFAs in the longissimus dorsi muscle and leg muscle was higher. Similarly, the expressions of muscle-related genes differed among the different age groups, and the expression of the LPL, SCD, and FABP4 genes was higher in the 1.5-year-old group. The ileum microbiota diversity was higher in the 1.5-year-old group, the Romboutsia abundance ratio was significantly higher in the 1.5-year-old group (p < 0.05), and there was a significant positive correlation with oleic acid (C18:1n9c) (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the content of beneficial fatty acids in the longissimus dorsi muscle and leg muscle of Tibetan sheep was higher at 1.5 years of age, and the best slaughter age was 1.5 years. This study provides a reference for in-depth research on the mechanism of the influence of the gut microbiota on meat quality and related regulation.
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    Supplementation with Astragalus Root Powder Promotes Rumen Microbiota Density and Metabolome Interactions in Lambs
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2024-03-02) Shao P; Sha Y; Liu X; He Y; Wang F; Hu J; Wang J; Li S; Chen X; Yang W; Chen Q; Gao M
    The gut microbiota is highly symbiotic with the host, and the microbiota and its metabolites are essential for regulating host health and physiological functions. Astragalus, as a feed additive, can improve animal immunity. However, the effects of Astragalus root powder on the rumen microbiota and their metabolites in lambs are not apparent. In this study, thirty healthy Hu sheep lambs with similar body weights (17.42 ± 2.02 kg) were randomly selected for the feeding experiment. Lambs were fed diets supplemented with 0.3% Astragalus root powder, and the rumen microbiota density and metabolome were measured to determine the effects of Astragalus on the health of lambs in the rumen. The results showed that the relative abundance of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens (Bf), Ruminococcus flavefaciens (Rf), Succiniclasticum (Su), and Prevotella (Pr) in the rumen was increased in the Astragalus group (p < 0.01), and metabolic profiling showed that the metabolites, such as L-lyrosine and L-leucine, were upregulated in the Astragalus group (p < 0.01). KEGG functional annotation revealed that upregulated metabolites were mainly enriched in the pathways of amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, fatty acid biosynthesis, and bile secretion in the Astragalus group, and downregulated metabolites were enriched in the pathways of methane metabolism and other pathways. Correlation analysis revealed that butyric acid was positively correlated with Roseburia and Blautia (p < 0.05) and negatively correlated with Desulfovibrio (p < 0.05). Thus, by analyzing the interactions of Astragalus root powder with the density of rumen microorganisms and their metabolites in lambs, it was shown that Astragalus root powder could improve the structure of rumen microbiota and their metabolites and then participate in the regulation of amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, immune metabolism, and other pathways to improve the efficiency of energy absorption of the lambs.
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    The Estimation of the Willingness to Pay for Air-Quality Improvement in Thailand
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2021-11-08) Tantiwat W; Gan C; Yang W; Boggia A
    Thailand has experienced severe air-quality problems for the past 10 years. Complicating this situation, the Thai government allocates an insufficient budget for the management of air pollution. Using the contingent valuation method, this paper estimates the willingness to pay for airquality improvement in Thailand to reveal the benefits that people will gain if air-quality improves. The results show that the total benefits from air-quality improvement would be 18.8 billion baht in 2020. The Thai government can use these findings as a guideline to redistribute its budget to address air pollution more effectively.
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    The path of social integration of migrants in poverty alleviation relocation: A case study of dongchuan from Yunnan plateau mountainous areas
    (Elsevier, 2024-08-17) Feng L; Yang W; yun J; zhang Y
    Poverty eradication is a critical objective of the Un 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. China’s Poverty Alleviation Relocation (PAR) has made positive contributions to global poverty alleviation. The success of PAR depends on identifying factors affecting migrants’ intentions to move and understanding their lives post-PAR, which is usually ignored in the literature. Therefore, based on the social integration theory, this study adopts a structural equation modeling framework to empirically explore the social integration process of PAR migrants using the sample data sourced from a survey on the resettlement site in Yunnan province, China. The results show that the social integration of PAR migrants goes through the path of economic integration, community integration, and psychological integration, where community and social support help migrants to transition from improving economic standards of living to finding a place attachment and being a member of the new community. The empirical evidence indicates policymakers should consider providing support for PAR migrants to participate in community activities and engage with residents to gain social capital for them to adapt to the new community.
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    To Achieve Carbon Neutrality, What Do Individual Residents Say? A Case Study of Yunnan Province of China Based on Spatial Analysis
    (SAGE Publishing, 2024-10-01) Yang W; Lu Y; Wang L; Xu Y
    This study aims to explore factors that affect individual residents’ behaviors contributing to reducing carbon emissions (low-carbon behaviors), based on the empirical analysis of the choice of adoption and the extent of adoption of low-carbon practices, such as using low-carbon transportation and energy-saving, in Kunming, China. We use spatial econometric regression models to consider positive spillover of low-carbon behaviors amongst residents as people tend to obtain knowledge and learn good actions from those located nearby. The results show the existence of positive spillover effects of low-carbon behaviors across several types of low-carbon practices. We find that location effects, such as access to parks, residents’ knowledge of carbon neutrality, and science communications in the local community are the most important determinants of residents’ low-carbon behaviors. The findings may provide insights into designing supporting policies to incentivize residents’ low-carbon behaviors and contribute to the pathway toward carbon neutrality from the micro-perspective.
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    Unique rumen micromorphology and microbiota-metabolite interactions: features and strategies for Tibetan sheep adaptation to the plateau.
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2024-10-09) Chen Q; Sha Y; Liu X; He Y; Chen X; Yang W; Gao M; Huang W; Wang J; He J; Wang L; Zhang L
    The rumen microbiota-a symbiont to its host and consists of critical functional substances-plays a vital role in the animal body and represents a new perspective in the study of adaptive evolution in animals. This study used Slide Viewer slicing analysis system, gas chromatography, RT-qPCR and other technologies, as well as 16S and metabolomics determination methods, to measure and analyze the microstructure of rumen epithelium, rumen fermentation parameters, rumen transport genes, rumen microbiota and metabolites in Tibetan sheep and Hu sheep. The results indicate that the rumen nipple height and cuticle thickness of Tibetan sheep are significantly greater than those of Hu sheep (p < 0.01) and that the digestion and absorption of forage are greater. The levels of carbohydrate metabolism, lipid metabolism, and protein turnover were increased in Tibetan sheep, which enabled them to ferment efficiently, utilize forage, and absorb metabolic volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Tibetan sheep rumen metabolites are related to immune function and energy metabolism, which regulate rumen growth and development and gastrointestinal homeostasis. Thus, compared with Hu sheep, Tibetan sheep have more rumen papilla and cuticle corneum, and the synergistic effect of the microbiota and its metabolites is a characteristic and strategy for adapting to high-altitude environments.