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Scientific Reports Jun 2024Soil salinity is a major environmental stressor impacting global food production. Staple crops like wheat experience significant yield losses in saline environments....
Soil salinity is a major environmental stressor impacting global food production. Staple crops like wheat experience significant yield losses in saline environments. Bioprospecting for beneficial microbes associated with stress-resistant plants offers a promising strategy for sustainable agriculture. We isolated two novel endophytic bacteria, Bacillus cereus (ADJ1) and Priestia aryabhattai (ADJ6), from Agave desmettiana Jacobi. Both strains displayed potent plant growth-promoting (PGP) traits, such as producing high amounts of indole-3-acetic acid (9.46, 10.00 µgml), ammonia (64.67, 108.97 µmol ml), zinc solubilization (Index of 3.33, 4.22, respectively), ACC deaminase production and biofilm formation. ADJ6 additionally showed inorganic phosphate solubilization (PSI of 2.77), atmospheric nitrogen fixation, and hydrogen cyanide production. Wheat seeds primed with these endophytes exhibited enhanced germination, improved growth profiles, and significantly increased yields in field trials. Notably, both ADJ1 and ADJ6 tolerated high salinity (up to 1.03 M) and significantly improved wheat germination and seedling growth under saline stress, acting both independently and synergistically. This study reveals promising stress-tolerance traits within endophytic bacteria from A. desmettiana. Exploiting such under-explored plant microbiomes offers a sustainable approach to developing salt-tolerant crops, mitigating the impact of climate change-induced salinization on global food security.
Topics: Salt Tolerance; Triticum; Crops, Agricultural; Bacillus; Endophytes; Salinity; Indoleacetic Acids; Soil Microbiology; Nitrogen Fixation; Germination; Bacillus cereus; Seedlings; Carbon-Carbon Lyases
PubMed: 38918548
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-65632-x -
Environmental Science and Pollution... Jun 2024Offensive odors from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are caused by volatile inorganic compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia and volatile organic compounds...
Offensive odors from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) are caused by volatile inorganic compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), such as toluene. To treat these pollutants, biofiltration is an effective and economical technology used worldwide due to its low investment and environmental impact. In this work, a laboratory-scale prototype biofilter unit for the simultaneous biofiltration of hydrogen sulfide, ammonia, and toluene was evaluated by simulating the emission concentrations of the El Salitre WWTP Bogotá, Colombia, using a compost of chicken manure and sugarcane bagasse as packing material for the biofilter. The prototype biofilter unit was set to an operation flow rate of 0.089 m/h, an empty bed residence time (EBRT) of 60 s, and a volume of 0.007 m (6.6 L). The maximum removal efficiency were 96.9 ± 1.2% for HS, at a loading rate of 4.7 g/m h and a concentration of 79.1 mg/m, 68 ± 2% for NH, at a loading rate of 1.2 g/m3 h and a concentration of 2.0 mg/m, and 71.5 ± 4.0% for toluene, at a loading rate of 1.32 g/mh and a concentration of 2.3 mg/m. The removal efficiency of the three compounds decreased when the toluene concentration was increased above 40 mg/m. However, a recovery of the system was observed after reducing the toluene concentration and after 7 days of inactivity, indicating an inhibitory effect of toluene. These results demonstrate the potential use of the prototype biofilter unit for odor treatment in a WWTP.
PubMed: 38918297
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-024-33757-1 -
Mikrochimica Acta Jun 2024A new, simple, and selective colorimetric method of determining formaldehyde in Hevea brasiliensis latex was developed by using a casein/ferric chloride/polyvinyl...
A new, simple, and selective colorimetric method of determining formaldehyde in Hevea brasiliensis latex was developed by using a casein/ferric chloride/polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel composite (casein/FeCl/PVA) in a modified Leach test. Under heating, formaldehyde reacted with 8% casein in the presence of 0.1% FeCl and 4.3% HCl (v/v) entrapped in a 30% PVA hydrogel packed in a syringe. A purple-colored product was formed with a maximum absorbance of 525 nm. The color change was evaluated at the color detection zone indicated on the the syringe. The %magenta values were easily evaluated by using a mobile phone application and employed to determine formaldehyde content. The casein/FeCl/PVA composite gave a readable response in a formaldehyde detection range from 0.04 to 0.80% with a linear response between %magenta and formaldehyde concentration (R = 0.9955). The detection limit was 0.032%, and precisions were in the range 0.67-4.94%. The casein/FeCl/PVA composite was applied to the analysis of ammonia-preserved latex samples, and recoveries of formaldehyde from samples spiked at 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5% ranged from 81.55 to 99.51% (RSDs ≤ 5.41%). The recoveries and precision of the proposed method were comparable with those of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The developed method was also selective, showing no interference from other latex preservatives, i.e., phenol, ammonia, or tetramethylthiuram disulfide.
PubMed: 38918206
DOI: 10.1007/s00604-024-06491-1 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2024The high concentration of organic waste liquid obtained from the mini water flush pipeline discharge technology based on source separation has the potential for...
The high concentration of organic waste liquid obtained from the mini water flush pipeline discharge technology based on source separation has the potential for fertilizer utilization. However, there are concerns about the risk of secondary pollution. This study proposes the idea of aeration treatment for regenerated liquid fertilizers to induce beneficial changes in their material composition and properties. Initially, this study compares the characteristic changes in nitrogen transformation of liquid fertilizer through aeration treatment. Subsequently, it examines the effects of different types of liquid fertilizers on soil properties, plant physiology, and soil microbial communities. Finally, we elucidate the flow and distribution of nitrogen in soil, plants, and nitrogen-containing gas emissions in agricultural ecosystems through material flow accounting. The study found that aeration treatment can reduce the ammonia nitrogen ratio while increasing the proportions of nitrite nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen. The regenerated liquid fertilizer through aeration treatment not only significantly increased the chlorophyll, protein, and polysaccharide content of vegetable leaves (P < 0.05) but also reduced nitrate accumulation. Moreover, it can reduce the risk of soil nitrate nitrogen leaching and increase the diversity of soil bacterial communities, enhancing the ecological functions of bacteria involved in carbon and nitrogen cycling. Material flow accounting indicated that aeration treatment for liquid fertilizer could reduce gaseous nitrogen loss by 50.0 %, improve the nitrogen utilization efficiency of vegetables by 95.5 %, and enhance soil nitrogen retention by 11.4 %. Overall, the results show that aeration treatment can improve the agricultural utilization of liquid fertilizer and reduce the risk of secondary pollution, providing preliminary decision-making support for optimizing resource treatment strategies for mini-flush toilet fecal waste to realize the agricultural cycle.
PubMed: 38917901
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174234 -
Inorganic Chemistry Jun 2024Lung cancer poses a serious threat to people's lives and health due to its high incidence rate and high mortality rate, making it necessary to effectively conduct early...
Lung cancer poses a serious threat to people's lives and health due to its high incidence rate and high mortality rate, making it necessary to effectively conduct early screening. As an important biomarker for lung cancer, the detection of -propanol gas suffers from a low response value and a high detection limit. In this paper, flower-like Ho-doped ZnO was fabricated by the coprecipitation method for -propanol detection at subppm concentrations. The gas sensor based on the 3% Ho-doped ZnO showed selectivity to -propanol gas. Its response value to 100 ppm -propanol was 341 at 140 °C, and its limit of detection (LOD) was about 25.6 ppb, which is lower than that of -propanol in the breath of a healthy person (150 ppb). The calculation results show that the adsorption of -propanol on a Ho-doped ZnO surface releases more energy than isopropanol, ethanol, formaldehyde, acetone, and ammonia. The enhanced gas-sensing properties of the Ho-doped ZnO material can be attributed to the fact that the Ho-doping distorts the crystal lattice of the ZnO, increases the specific surface area, and generates a large amount of oxygen defects. In addition, the doped Ho partially forms a HoO/ZnO heterojunction in the material and improves the gas-sensing properties. The 3% Ho-doped ZnO material is expected to be a promising candidate for the trace detection of -propanol gas.
PubMed: 38917470
DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.4c01408 -
Environmental Geochemistry and Health Jun 2024A simple sol-gel combustion process was employed for the creation of MFeO (M=Ni, Co) nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles, acting as both photocatalysts and gas...
A simple sol-gel combustion process was employed for the creation of MFeO (M=Ni, Co) nanoparticles. The synthesized nanoparticles, acting as both photocatalysts and gas sensors, were analyzed using various analytical techniques. MFeO (M=Ni, Co) material improved the degradation of methylene blue (MB) under UV-light irradiation, serving as an enhanced electron transport medium. UV-vis studies demonstrated that NiFeO achieved a 60% degradation, while CoFeO nanostructure exhibited a 76% degradation efficacy in the MB dye removal process. Furthermore, MFeO (M=Ni, Co) demonstrated chemosensitive-type sensor capabilities at ambient temperature. The sensor response and recovery times for CoFeO at a concentration of 100 ppm were 15 and 20, respectively. Overall, the synthesis of MFeO (M=Ni, Co) holds the potential to significantly improve the photocatalytic and gas sensing properties, particularly enhancing the performance of CoFeO. The observed enhancements make honey MFeO (M=Ni, Co) a preferable choice for environmental remediation applications.
Topics: Cobalt; Nickel; Ferric Compounds; Methylene Blue; Metal Nanoparticles; Gases; Catalysis; Ultraviolet Rays; Environmental Restoration and Remediation; Nanoparticles; Aluminum Oxide; Magnesium Oxide
PubMed: 38916678
DOI: 10.1007/s10653-024-01966-9 -
Journal of the American Chemical Society Jun 2024Alkali ions, major components at the electrode-electrolyte interface, are crucial to modulating reaction activity and selectivity of catalyst materials. However, the...
Alkali ions, major components at the electrode-electrolyte interface, are crucial to modulating reaction activity and selectivity of catalyst materials. However, the underlying mechanism of how the alkali ions catalyze the N reduction reaction (NRR) into ammonia remains elusive, posing challenges for experimentalists to select appropriate electrolyte solutions. In this work, by employing a combined experimental and computational approach, we proposed four essential roles of cation ions at Fe electrodes for N fixation: (i) promoting NN bond cleavage; (ii) stabilizing NRR intermediates; (iii) suppressing the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER); and (iv) modulating the interfacial charge distribution at the electrode-electrolyte interface. For N adsorption on an Fe electrode with cation ions, our constrained ab initio molecular dynamic (c-AIMD) results demonstrate a barrierless process, while an extra 0.52 eV barrier requires to be overcome to adsorb N for the pure Fe-water interface. For the formation of *NNH species within the N reduction process, the calculated free energy barrier is 0.50 eV at the Li-Fe-water interface. However, the calculated barrier reaches 0.81 eV in pure Fe-water interface. Furthermore, experiments demonstrate a high Faradaic efficiency for ammonia synthesis on a Li-Fe-water interface, reaching 27.93% at a working potential of -0.3 V vs RHE and pH = 6.8. These results emphasize how alkali metal cations and local reaction environments on the electrode surface play crucial roles in influencing the kinetics of interfacial reactions.
PubMed: 38916520
DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c06629 -
Clinical and Translational... Jun 2024High-protein diet is the cornerstone of supportive care for patients living with hepatic encephalopathy. Although any protein source is better than protein restriction,...
High-protein diet is the cornerstone of supportive care for patients living with hepatic encephalopathy. Although any protein source is better than protein restriction, there is uncertainty regarding the benefits of specific protein types. Using a randomized trial, Badal et al. evaluate the effect on ammonia levels and metabolomics from 3 protein sources in burgers made from beef, vegan products, and vegetarian products. The vegan and vegetarian burgers did not raise ammonia and may result in favorable metabolomic profiles.
Topics: Humans; Hepatic Encephalopathy; Diet, Vegetarian; Diet, Vegan; Ammonia; Dietary Proteins; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Brain; Diet, High-Protein; Metabolomics
PubMed: 38916234
DOI: 10.14309/ctg.0000000000000716 -
International Journal of Biological... Jun 2024Exposure to excess ammonia-N (NH/NH) in aquaculture can disrupt physiological function in shrimp leading to enhanced oxidative stress and apoptosis, but little is known...
Exposure to excess ammonia-N (NH/NH) in aquaculture can disrupt physiological function in shrimp leading to enhanced oxidative stress and apoptosis, but little is known concerning the post-transcriptional regulation mechanism. In this study, the first miR-200 family member in crustacean was identified and characterized from Litopenaeus vannamei (designed as Lva-miR-8-3p). Lva-miR-8-3p was highly expressed in eyestalks, brainganglion, and gills. The expression of Lva-miR-8-3p in gills significantly decreased after ammonia-N stress, and Lva-miR-8-3p was confirmed to target IKKβ 3'UTR for negatively regulating IKKβ/NF-κB pathway. Overexpression of miR-8-3p promoted the hemolymph ammonia-N accumulation, total hemocyte count (THC) decrease, and gills tissue damage, thus resulting in a decreased survival rate of ammonia-exposed shrimp. Besides, Lva-miR-8-3p silencing could enhance the antioxidant enzymes activities and reduce the oxidative damage, whereas overexpression of Lva-miR-8-3p exerted the opposite effects. Furthermore, Lva-miR-8-3p overexpression was found to aggravate ammonia-N induced apoptosis in gills. In primarily cultured hemocytes, the cell viability decreased, the ROS content and Caspase-3 activity increased after agomiR-8-3p transfection, while antagomiR-8-3p transfection caused the opposite change except the cell viability. These findings indicate that Lva-miR-8-3p acts as a post-transcriptional regulator in ammonia-N induced antioxidant response and apoptosis by negatively regulating IKKβ/NF-κB pathway.
PubMed: 38914409
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.133305 -
The Science of the Total Environment Jun 2024Amid the global surge of eutrophication in lakes, investigating and analyzing water quality and trends of lakes becomes imperative for formulating effective lake...
Amid the global surge of eutrophication in lakes, investigating and analyzing water quality and trends of lakes becomes imperative for formulating effective lake management policies. Water quality index (WQI) is one of the most used tools to assess water quality by integrating data from multiple water quality parameters. In this study, we analyzed the spatio-temporal variations of 11 water quality parameters in one of the largest plateau lakes, Erhai Lake, based on surveys from January 2014 to December 2021. Leveraging machine learning models, we gauged the relative importance of different water quality parameters to the WQI and further utilized stepwise multiple linear regression to derive an optimal minimal water quality index (WQI) that required the minimal number of water quality parameters without compromising the performance. Our results indicated that the water quality of Erhai Lake typically showed a trend towards improvement, as indicated by the positive Mann-Kendall test for WQI performance (Z = 2.89, p < 0.01). Among the five machine learning models, XGBoost emerged as the best performer (coefficient of determination R = 0.822, mean squared error = 3.430, and mean absolute error = 1.460). Among the 11 water quality parameters, only four (i.e., dissolved oxygen, ammonia nitrogen, total phosphorus, and total nitrogen) were needed for the optimal WQI. The establishment of the WQI helps reduce cost in future water quality monitoring in Erhai Lake, which may also serve as a valuable framework for efficient water quality monitoring in similar waters. In addition, the elucidation of spatio-temporal patterns and trends of Erhai Lake's water quality serves as a compass for authorities, offering insights to bolster lake management strategies in the future.
PubMed: 38914325
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174212