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Fulltext Influence of different pre-processing methods in predicting sugarcane quality from near-infrared (NIR) spectral data

Lazim, S. S. R. M., Nawi, N. M., Rasli, A. M. M., Chen, G., Jensen, T.

International Food Research Journal, 2016;23(101):231-236.
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The influence of different data pre-processing methods (smoothing by moving average (MA),
multiplicative scatter correction (MSC), Savitzky-Golay (SG), standard normal variate (SNV)
and mean normalization (MN) on the prediction of sugar content from sugarcane samples was
investigated. The performance of these pre-processing methods was evaluated using spectral
data collected from 292 sugarcane internode samples using a visible-shortwave near infrared
spectroradiometer (VNIRS). Partial least square (PLS) method was applied to develop both
calibration and prediction models for the samples. If no pre-processing method was applied,
the coefficient of determination (R2) values for both reflectance and absorbance data were 0.81
and 0.86 respectively. The highest prediction accuracy values were obtained when the data was
treated with MSC method, where the R2 values for reflectance and absorbance being 0.85 and
0.87, respectively. From this study, it was concluded that pre-processing can improve the model
performances where MSC method was found to give the highest prediction accuracy value.
Human energy expenditure in lowland rice cultivation in Malaysia

Nawi NM, Yahya A, Chen G, Bockari-Gevao SM, Maraseni TN

J Agric Saf Health, 2012 Jan;18(1):45-56.
PMID: 22458015

A study was undertaken to evaluate the human energy consumption of various field operations involved in lowland rice cultivation in Malaysia. Based on recorded average heart rates, fertilizing was found to be the most strenuous operation, with an average heart rate of 138 beats min(-1). There were no significant differences in the average heart rates of the subjects among the individual tasks within the first plowing, second plowing, and harvesting operations, with the average heart rates for these three tasks being 116, 106, and 106 beats min(-1), respectively. The corresponding energy expenditures were 3.90, 3.43, and 3.35 kcal min(-1). Loading the seed into the blower tank and broadcasting the seed were the most critical tasks for the seed broadcasting operation, with average heart rates of 124 and 136 beats min(-1), respectively. The highest energy expenditure of 418.38 kcal ha(-1) was observed for seed broadcasting, and the lowest energy expenditure of 127.96 kcal ha(-1) was for second plowing. The total seasonal human energy expenditure for rice cultivation was estimated to be 5810.71 kcal ha(-1), 55.7% of which was spent on pesticide spraying. Although the sample size in this study was relatively small, the results indicated that human energy expenditure per unit area (kcal ha(-1)) was positively linked to the average heart rate of the subjects and negatively linked to the field capacity. Thus, mechanization of certain tasks could decrease worker physical effort and fatigue and increase production.
Fulltext Fluid flow characteristics within an oscillating lower spherical surface and a stationary concentric upper surface for application to the artificial hip joint

Tso CP, Hor CH, Chen GM, Kok CK

Heliyon, 2018 Dec;4(12):e01085.
PMID: 30627676 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e01085

The synovial fluid motion in an artificial hip joint is important in understanding the thermo-fluids effects that can affect the reliability of the joint, although it is difficult to be studied theoretically, as the modelling involves the viscous fluid interacting with a moving surface. A new analytical solution has been derived for the maximum induced fluid motion within a spherical gap with an oscillating lower surface and a stationary upper surface, assuming one-dimensional incompressible laminar Newtonian flow with constant properties, and using the Navier-Stokes equation. The resulting time-dependent motion is analysed in terms of two dimensionless parameters R and β, which are functions of geometry, fluid properties and the oscillation rate. The model is then applied to the conditions of the synovial fluid enclosed in the artificial hip joint and it is found that the motion may be described by a simpler velocity variation, whereby laying the foundation to thermal studies in the joint.
A fully coupled multiphase model for infrared-convective drying of sweet potato

Onwude DI, Hashim N, Chen G, Putranto A, Udoenoh NR

J Sci Food Agric, 2021 Jan 30;101(2):398-413.
PMID: 32627847 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.10649

BACKGROUND: Combined infrared (CIR) and convective drying is a promising technology in dehydrating heat-sensitive foods, such as fruits and vegetables. This novel thermal drying method, which involves the application of infrared energy and hot air during a drying process, can drastically enhance energy efficiency and improve overall product quality at the end of the process. Understanding the dynamics of what goes on inside the product during drying is important for further development, optimization, and upscaling of the drying method. In this study, a multiphase porous media model considering liquid water, gases, and solid matrix was developed for the CIR and hot-air drying (HAD) of sweet potato slices in order to capture the relevant physics and obtain an in-depth insight on the drying process. The model was simulated using Matlab with user-friendly graphical user interface for easy coupling and faster computational time.
RESULTS: The gas pressure for CIR-HAD was higher centrally and decreased gradually towards the surface of the product. This implies that drying force is stronger at the product core than at the product surface. A phase change from liquid water to vapour occurs almost immediately after the start of the drying process for CIR-HAD. The evaporation rate, as expected, was observed to increase with increased drying time. Evaporation during CIR-HAD increased with increasing distance from the centreline of the sample surface. The simulation results of water and vapour flux revealed that moisture transport around the surfaces and sides of the sample is as a result of capillary diffusion, binary diffusion, and gas pressure in both the vertical and horizontal directions. The nonuniform dominant infrared heating caused the heterogeneous distribution of product temperature. These results suggest that CIR-HAD of food occurs in a non-uniform manner with high vapour and water concentration gradient between the product core and the surface.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provides in-depth insight into the physics and phase changes of food during CIR-HAD. The multiphase model has the advantage that phase change and impact of CIR-HAD operating parameters can be swiftly quantified. Such a modelling approach is thereby significant for further development and process optimization of CIR-HAD towards industrial upscaling. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.
The potential of computer vision, optical backscattering parameters and artificial neural network modelling in monitoring the shrinkage of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) during drying

Onwude DI, Hashim N, Abdan K, Janius R, Chen G

J Sci Food Agric, 2018 Mar;98(4):1310-1324.
PMID: 28758207 DOI: 10.1002/jsfa.8595

BACKGROUND: Drying is a method used to preserve agricultural crops. During the drying of products with high moisture content, structural changes in shape, volume, area, density and porosity occur. These changes could affect the final quality of dried product and also the effective design of drying equipment. Therefore, this study investigated a novel approach in monitoring and predicting the shrinkage of sweet potato during drying. Drying experiments were conducted at temperatures of 50-70 °C and samples thicknesses of 2-6 mm. The volume and surface area obtained from camera vision, and the perimeter and illuminated area from backscattered optical images were analysed and used to evaluate the shrinkage of sweet potato during drying.
RESULTS: The relationship between dimensionless moisture content and shrinkage of sweet potato in terms of volume, surface area, perimeter and illuminated area was found to be linearly correlated. The results also demonstrated that the shrinkage of sweet potato based on computer vision and backscattered optical parameters is affected by the product thickness, drying temperature and drying time. A multilayer perceptron (MLP) artificial neural network with input layer containing three cells, two hidden layers (18 neurons), and five cells for output layer, was used to develop a model that can monitor, control and predict the shrinkage parameters and moisture content of sweet potato slices under different drying conditions. The developed ANN model satisfactorily predicted the shrinkage and dimensionless moisture content of sweet potato with correlation coefficient greater than 0.95.
CONCLUSION: Combined computer vision, laser light backscattering imaging and artificial neural network can be used as a non-destructive, rapid and easily adaptable technique for in-line monitoring, predicting and controlling the shrinkage and moisture changes of food and agricultural crops during drying. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
Network Topology Optimization for Alignment Programming of a Dynamic Liquid Crystalline Organo-Gel

Jin B, Zhu Z, Wong TW, Chen G

ACS Macro Lett, 2023 Nov 21;12(11):1486-1490.
PMID: 37874195 DOI: 10.1021/acsmacrolett.3c00512

Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) exhibit muscle-like actuation upon an external stimulus. To control this, various alignment programming strategies have been developed over the past decades. Among them, force-directed solvent evaporation, namely, that the alignment depends on the applied external force during solvent evaporation, is appreciated for its universality in material design and versatility in attainable actuations. Here, we investigate the influence of network topology on the alignment programming of a liquid crystalline (LC) organo-gel via varying feeding ratios of the monomers. As a result, distinct self-supporting actuations can be repeatedly introduced into a topology-optimized LC organo-gel. Beyond this, the bond exchange reaction of the embedded ester groups can be activated upon heating, which enables alignment manipulation based on dynamic network reconfiguration after drying. The availability of inviting two distinct programming strategies into one LCE network allows us to regulate the LCE alignment at both the gel and dried states, offering ample room to diversify actuation manners. Our design principle shall be adopted by other dynamic LCE systems owing to its maneuverability.
Fulltext Techno-economic analysis of an HRES with fuel cells, solar panels, and wind turbines using an improved Al-Biruni algorithm

He B, Ismail N, Leng KKK, Chen G

Heliyon, 2023 Dec;9(12):e22828.
PMID: 38125459 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22828

This research demonstrates the application of novel optimization methods in the realm of renewable energy and contributes to the development of environmentally friendly electricity generation and consumption. In this study, an improved version of the Al-Biruni algorithm has been proposed for Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES) optimization, which includes fuel cells, photovoltaic cells, and windmills. The algorithm considers supply, demand, and energy storage constraints and seeks the best combination of energy sources to meet load demand while reducing total system cost. Inspired by ancient Iranian philosopher Abu Biruni, the proposed method includes modifications to explore solution space efficiently and improve answer value. The proposed HRES model is applied to a case study from Dunhuang City, China, and its findings are validated by comparing it with other optimization approaches. The Modified Al-Biruni Earth Radius (MBER) algorithm is found to be the most efficient and reliable system, costing 4.23 million units of currency. Compared to other optimization approaches, MBER exhibited a total cost of 4.1 million US dollars, 0.009, 3.7, 3.7, LPSP, and 356 h per year. The overall cost is 5.26 million units of currency with a 0.5% Loss of Power Supply Probability (LPSP), which directly impacts system performance and dependability. The improved Al-Biruni algorithm can efficiently optimize the system, reduce costs, and increase load supply, contributing to the growth of renewable energy sources and the application of advanced meta-heuristic techniques in complex energy systems.
The impact of digital empowerment on the economic openness of the textile industry in Keqiao based on a sustainable environment

He B, Chen Y, Ismail N, Chen G, Ni L

Heliyon, 2024 Jan 15;10(1):e23812.
PMID: 38223717 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23812

Based on the framework theory of industrial digitization, digital industrialization, digital governance and digital value-added in a sustainable environment, this paper systematically studies the relevant elements of governance and value distribution in the sustainable environment of global trade, and its impact on the development path of human beings. This paper explores the way to embed digital technology into the global value chain to realize digital empowerment, measures the competitiveness index of Keqiao's textile industry in the global value chain, analyzes the technical and environmental challenges faced by China's textile industry in the digital age, and proposes the corresponding countermeasures to deal with the impact of global value chain participation and to improve the international competitiveness of China's textile industry.
Molybdenum and Niobium Codoped B-Site-Ordered Double Perovskite Catalyst for Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Sun H, Chen G, Sunarso J, Dai J, Zhou W, Shao Z

ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2018 May 23;10(20):16939-16942.
PMID: 29741862 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b03702

An abundant, highly active, and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst is an enabling component for a more sustainable energy future. We report, herein, a molybdenum and niobium codoped B-site-ordered double perovskite oxide with a compositional formula of Ba2CoMo0.5Nb0.5O6-δ (BCMN) as an active and robust catalyst for OER in an alkaline electrolyte. BCMN displayed a low overpotential of 445 mA at a current density of 10 mA cm-2disk. BCMN also showed long-term stability in an alkaline medium. This work hints toward the possibility of combining a codoping approach with double perovskite structure formation to achieve significant enhancement in the OER performance.
Fulltext Two orders of magnitude enhancement in oxygen evolution reactivity on amorphous Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ nanofilms with tunable oxidation state

Chen G, Zhou W, Guan D, Sunarso J, Zhu Y, Hu X, et al.

Sci Adv, 2017 06;3(6):e1603206.
PMID: 28691090 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1603206

Perovskite oxides exhibit potential for use as electrocatalysts in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, their low specific surface area is the main obstacle to realizing a high mass-specific activity that is required to be competitive against the state-of-the-art precious metal-based catalysts. We report the enhanced performance of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF) for the OER with intrinsic activity that is significantly higher than that of the benchmark IrO2, and this result was achieved via fabrication of an amorphous BSCF nanofilm on a surface-oxidized nickel substrate by magnetron sputtering. The surface nickel oxide layer of the Ni substrate and the thickness of the BSCF film were further used to tune the intrinsic OER activity and stability of the BSCF catalyst by optimizing the electronic configuration of the transition metal cations in BSCF via the interaction between the nanofilm and the surface nickel oxide, which enables up to 315-fold enhanced mass-specific activity compared to the crystalline BSCF bulk phase. Moreover, the amorphous BSCF-Ni foam anode coupled with the Pt-Ni foam cathode demonstrated an attractive small overpotential of 0.34 V at 10 mA cm-2 for water electrolysis, with a BSCF loading as low as 154.8 μg cm-2.
The combined action of biochar and nitrogen-fixing bacteria on microbial and enzymatic activities of soil N cycling

Gou Z, Zheng H, He Z, Su Y, Chen S, Chen H, et al.

Environ Pollut, 2023 Jan 15;317:120790.
PMID: 36460190 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120790

This study aims to investigate the positive effects of the combined use of Enterobacter cloacae and biochar on improving nitrogen (N) utilization. The greenhouse pots experimental results showed the synergy of biochar and E. cloacae increased soil total N content and plant N uptake by 33.54% and 15.1%, respectively. Soil nitrogenase (NIT) activity increased by 253.02%. Ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) and nitrate reductase (NR) activity associated with nitrification and denitrification decreased by 10.94% and 29.09%, respectively. The relative abundance of N fixing microorganisms like Burkholderia and Bradyrhizobium significantly increased. Sphingomonas and Ottowia, two bacteria involved in the nitrification and denitrification processes, were found to be in lower numbers. The E. cloacae's ability to fix N2 and promote the growth of plants allow the retention of N in soil and make more N available for plant development. Biochar served as a reservoir of N for plants by adsorbing N from the soil and providing a shelter for E. cloacae. Thus, biochar and E. cloacae form a synergy for the management of agricultural N and the mitigation of negative impacts of pollution caused by excessive use of N fertilizer.
Comparison of oxytetracycline degradation behavior in pig manure with different antibiotic addition methods

Wang Y, Chen G, Liang J, Zou Y, Wen X, Liao X, et al.

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2015 Dec;22(23):18469-76.
PMID: 26278905 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5170-7

Using manure collected from swine fed with diet containing antibiotics and antibiotic-free swine manure spiked with antibiotics are the two common methods of studying the degradation behavior of veterinary antibiotic in manure in the environment. However, few studies had been conducted to co-compare these two different antibiotic addition methods. This study used oxytetracycline (OTC) as a model antibiotic to study antibiotic degradation behavior in manure under the above two OTC addition methods. In addition, the role of microorganisms present in the manure on degradation behavior was also examined. The results showed that degradation half-life of OTC in manure from swine fed OTC (9.04 days) was significantly shorter than that of the manure directly treated with OTC (9.65 days). Concentration of 4-epi-OTC in manure from swine fed OTC peaked earlier than that in manure spiked with OTC, and the degradation rates of 4-epi-OTC and α-apo-OTC in the manure from swine fed OTC were faster, but the peak concentrations were lower, than those in manure spiked with OTC. Bacterial diversity and relative abundance of Bacillus cereus data demonstrated that sterilization of the manure before experiment significantly decreased OTC degradation rate in both of the addition methods. Results of the present study demonstrated that the presence of the metabolites (especially 4-epi-OTC) and microorganisms had significant influence on OTC degradation.
Divergent spatiotemporal variability of terrestrial water storage and eight hydroclimatic components over three different scales of the Yangtze River basin

Chao N, Li F, Yu N, Chen G, Wang Z, Ouyang G, et al.

Sci Total Environ, 2023 Mar 17;879:162886.
PMID: 36933709 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162886

Terrestrial water storage anomaly (TWSA) from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE Follow-on was first exacted by using the forward modeling (FM) method at three different scales over the Yangtze River basin (YRB): whole basin, three middle sub-basins, and eleven small sub-basins (total 15 basins). The spatiotemporal variability of eight hydroclimatic variables, snow water storage change (SnWS), canopy water storage change (CnWS), surface water storage anomaly (SWSA), soil moisture storage anomaly (SMSA), groundwater storage anomaly (GWSA), precipitation (P), evapotranspiration (ET), and runoff (R), and their contribution to TWSA were comprehensively investigated over the YRB. The results showed that the root mean square error of TWS change after FM improved by 17 %, as validated by in situ P, ET, and R data. The seasonal, inter-annual, and trend revealed that TWSA over the YRB increased during 2003-2018. The seasonal TWSA signal increased from the lower to the upper of YRB, but the trend, sub-seasonal, and inter-annual signals receded from the lower to the upper of YRB. The contribution of CnWS to TWSA was small over the YRB. The contribution of SnWS to TWSA occurs mainly in the upper of YRB. The main contributors to TWSA were SMSA (~36 %), SWSA (~33 %), and GWSA (~30 %). GWSA can be affected by TWSA, but other hydrological elements may have a slight impact on groundwater in the YRB. The primary driver of TWSA over the YRB was P (~46 %), followed by ET and R (both ~27 %). The contribution of SMSA, SWSA, and P to TWSA increased from the upper to the lower of YRB. R was the key driver of TWSA in the lower of YRB. The proposed approaches and results of this study can provide valuable new insights for water resource management in the YRB and can be applied globally.
Design strategies of polysaccharide, protein and lipid-based nano-delivery systems in improving the bioavailability of polyphenols and regulating gut homeostasis

Guo X, Liu H, Hou R, Chen G, Xiao H, Liu L, et al.

Int J Biol Macromol, 2024 Nov 13.
PMID: 39547604 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.137463

Polyphenols are plant secondary metabolites that have attracted much attention due to their anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and gut homeostasis promoting effects. However, food matrix interaction, poor solubility, and strong digestion and metabolism of polyphenols cause barriers to their absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, which further reduces bioavailability and limits polyphenols' application in the food industry. Nano-delivery systems composed of biocompatible macromolecules (polysaccharides, proteins and lipids) are an effective way to improve the bioavailability of polyphenols. Therefore, this review introduces the construction of biopolymer-based nano-delivery systems and their application in polyphenols, with emphasis on improving the solubility, stability, sustained release and intestinal targeting of polyphenols. In addition, there are possible positive effects of polyphenol-loaded nano-delivery systems on modulating gut microbiota and gut homeostasis, with particular emphasis on modulating intestinal inflammation, metabolic syndrome, and gut-brain axis. It is worth noting that the safety of bio-based nano-delivery systems still need to be further studied. In summary, the application of the bio-based nano-delivery system to deliver polyphenols provides insights for improving the bioavailability of polyphenols and for the treatment of potential diseases in the future.
Innovative hydrolysis of corn stover biowaste by modified magnetite laccase immobilized nanoparticles

Gou Z, Ma NL, Zhang W, Lei Z, Su Y, Sun C, et al.

Environ Res, 2020 09;188:109829.
PMID: 32798948 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.109829

Intensive studies have been performed on the improvement of bioethanol production by transformation of lignocellulose biomass. In this study, the digestibility of corn stover was dramatically improved by using laccase immobilized on Cu2+ modified recyclable magnetite nanoparticles, Fe3O4-NH2. After digestion, the laccase was efficiently separated from slurry. The degradation rate of lignin reached 40.76%, and the subsequent cellulose conversion rate 38.37% for 72 h at 35 °C with cellulase at 50 U g-1 of corn stover. Compared to those of free and inactivated mode, the immobilized laccase pre-treatment increased subsequent cellulose conversion rates by 23.98% and 23.34%, respectively. Moreover, the reusability of immobilized laccase activity remained 50% after 6 cycles. The storage and thermal stability of the fixed laccase enhanced by 70% and 24.1% compared to those of free laccase at 65 °C, pH 4.5, respectively. At pH 10.5, it exhibited 16.3% more activities than its free mode at 35 °C. Our study provides a new avenue for improving the production of bioethanol with immobilized laccase for delignification using corn stover as the starting material.
Clinical and haematological characteristics of 38 individuals with Hb G-Makassar in Malaysia

Esa E, Mohamad AS, Hamzah R, Hamid FSA, Aziz NA, Sevaratnam V, et al.

EJHaem, 2023 Nov;4(4):940-948.
PMID: 38024609 DOI: 10.1002/jha2.750

Haemoglobin (Hb) G-Makassar is a rare Hb variant. It presents a diagnostic challenge as it imitates sickle Hb (Hb S) in standard electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography assays requiring DNA analysis to confirm diagnosis. Both have point mutations in codon 6, exon 1 in the β-globin (HBB) gene with different pathogenicities. This study describes the clinical phenotype, haematology and genotype of Hb G-Makassar. Clinical and laboratory data of 38 cases of Hb G-Makassar over 8 years were analysed. Hb G-Makassar was confirmed by a direct sequencing of HBB gene and co-inheritance of α-thalassaemia determined through multiplex gap-PCR and multiplex Amplification Refractory Mutation System polymerase chain reaction. All cases were Malays, predominantly from Terengganu (n = 20, 52.6%). There were 14 (36.8%) males and 24 (63.2%) females with median age of 25 years. Majority (n = 33, 86.8%) had features of thalassaemia trait with mean ± SD for Hb, mean cell volume (MCV) and mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) as 13.21 g/dL ± 1.69, 73.06 ± 4.48 fL and 24.71 ± 1.82 pg, respectively. None had evidence of haemolysis or thromboembolic complications. Six genotypes were identified; ßG-Makassar/ß,αα/αα (n = 19, 50.0%), ßG-Makassar/ßE,αα/αα (n = 4, 10.5%), ßG-Makassar/ßNewYork,αα/αα (n = 1, 2.6%), ßG-Makassar/ß,αα/-α (n = 11, 28.9%), ßG-Makassar/ß,αα/αAdanaα (n = 2, 5.3%) and ßG-Makassar/ß,αα/-SEA (n = 1, 2.6%). The ßG-Makassar/ß,αα/αα showed that features of thalassaemia trait with mean ± SD for Hb, MCV and MCH were 13.74 g/dL ± 2.40, 76.18 ± 6.02 fL and 25.79 ± 2.41 pg, respectively. This is the largest study reporting a significant number of Hb G-Makassar in Malaysia. Although the mutation is similar to Hb S, the phenotype is benign.
Dietary polyphenols regulate appetite mechanism via gut-brain axis and gut homeostasis

Liu H, Guo X, Jiang K, Shi B, Liu L, Hou R, et al.

Food Chem, 2024 Jul 15;446:138739.
PMID: 38412807 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.138739

Nowadays, due to the rise of fast-food consumption, the metabolic diseases are increasing as a result of high-sugar and high-fat diets. Therefore, there is an urgent need for natural, healthy and side-effect-free diets in daily life. Whole grain supplementation can enhance satiety and regulate energy metabolism, effects that have been attributed to polyphenol content. Dietary polyphenols interact with gut microbiota to produce intermediate metabolites that can regulate appetite while also enhancing prebiotic effects. This review considers how interactions between gut metabolites and dietary polyphenols might regulate appetite by acting on the gut-brain axis. In addition, further advances in the study of dietary polyphenols and gut microbial metabolites on energy metabolism and gut homeostasis are summarized. This review contributes to a better understanding of how dietary polyphenols regulate appetite via the gut-brain axis, thereby providing nutritional references for citizens' dietary preferences.
Enhanced humification via lignocellulosic pretreatment in remediation of agricultural solid waste

Ma J, Ma NL, Fei S, Liu G, Wang Y, Su Y, et al.

Environ Pollut, 2024 Apr 01;346:123646.
PMID: 38402938 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2024.123646

Stover and manure are the main solid waste in agricultural industry. The generation of stover and manure could lead to serious environmental pollution if not handled properly. Composting is the potential greener solution to remediate and reduce agricultural solid waste, through which stover and manure could be remediated and converted into organic fertilizer, but the long composting period and low efficiency of humic substance production are the key constraints in such remediation approach. In this study, we explore the effect of lignocellulose selective removal on composting by performing chemical pretreatment on agricultural waste followed by utilization of biochar to assist in the remediation by co-composting treatment and reveal the impacts of different lignocellulose component on organic fertilizer production. Aiming to discover the key factors that influence humification during composting process and improve the composting quality as well as comprehensive utilization of agricultural solid waste. The results demonstrated that the removal of selective lignin or hemicellulose led to the shift of abundances lignocellulose-degrading bacteria, which in turn accelerated the degradation of lignocellulose by almost 51.2%. The process also facilitated the remediation of organic waste via humification and increased the humic acid level and HA/FA ratio in just 22 days. The richness of media relies on their lignocellulose content, which is negatively correlated with total nitrogen content, humic acid (HA) content, germination index (GI), and pH, but positively correlated with fulvic acid (FA) and total organic carbon (TOC). The work provides a potential cost effective and efficient framework for agricultural solid waste remediation and reduction.
Fabrication and characterization of polydopamine-mediated zein-based nanoparticle for delivery of bioactive molecules

Zhang Z, Jiang H, Chen G, Miao W, Lin Q, Sang S, et al.

Food Chem, 2024 Apr 24;451:139477.
PMID: 38678664 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2024.139477

In this study, a combination of whey protein (hydrophilic coating) and polydopamine (crosslinking agent) was used to improve the stability and functionality of quercetin-loaded zein nanoparticles. There are two key benefits of the core-shell nanoparticles formed. First, the ability of the polydopamine to bind to both zein and whey protein facilitates the formation of a stable core-shell structure, thereby protecting quercetin from any pro-oxidants in the aqueous surroundings. Second, neutral and hydrophilic whey proteins were used for the surface coating of the nanoparticles to further enhance the sustained and slow release of quercetin, facilitating its sustained release into the body at a slow and steady rate. The results of this study will promote the innovative development of precise nutritional delivery systems for zein and provide a theoretical basis for the design and development of dietary supplements based on hydrophobic food nutrient molecules.
Fulltext Characterization of a novel orthoreovirus isolated from fruit bat, China

Hu T, Qiu W, He B, Zhang Y, Yu J, Liang X, et al.

BMC Microbiol, 2014;14:293.
PMID: 25433675 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-014-0293-4

In recent years novel human respiratory disease agents have been described for Southeast Asia and Australia. The causative pathogens were classified as pteropine orthoreoviruses with a strong phylogenetic relationship to orthoreoviruses of bat origin.

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