Browsing by Author "Yang Q"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Daily Light Integral and Nutrient Solution Electrical Conductivity for Tomato and Bell Pepper Seedling Production in an Indoor Vertical Farm with Artificial Lighting
    (MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2025-05-01) Adame-Adame DY; Alvarado-Camarillo D; Valdez-Aguilar LA; Cartmill AD; Cartmill DL; Soriano-Melgar LDAA; Yang Q
    Indoor vertical farms (IVFs) provide the conditions for producing seedlings of good quality. However, their effectiveness depends on the daily light integral (DLI) and nutrient management. This study examined the effects of DLI and nutrient solution electrical conductivity (EC) on tomato and bell pepper seedlings produced in an IVF or a greenhouse. Seedlings in the greenhouse were harvested 45 (tomato) and 55 (bell pepper) days after sowing, while those in the IVF were harvested after 30 and 40 days, respectively. The optimal EC was 2.0 for tomato and 2.4 dS m−1 for bell pepper. Tomato seedlings showed a decreased shoot-to-root ratio in the IVF. Tomatoes in the IVF reached 241% higher total biomass than greenhouse seedlings at 31.7 mol m−2 d−1, while bell peppers had an increase of 333% at 39.6 mol m−2 d−1; however, a DLI of 23.7 mol m−2 d−1 was enough to cause an increase of 153% and 264%, respectively. Nutrient concentration decreased in IVF seedlings, which was attributed to a dilution effect; in contrast, the nutrient content of tomato and bell pepper were highest when grown in the IVF when irrigated with solutions at 2.0 dS m−1 and a DLI of 31.7 mol m−2 d−1.
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    Hedgehogs as Amplifying Hosts of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus, China.
    (2022-12) Zhao C; Zhang X; Si X; Ye L; Lawrence K; Lu Y; Du C; Xu H; Yang Q; Xia Q; Yu G; Xu W; Yuan F; Hao J; Jiang J-F; Zheng A
    Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) is a tickborne bandavirus mainly transmitted by Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks in East Asia, mostly in rural areas. As of April 2022, the amplifying host involved in the natural transmission of SFTSV remained unidentified. Our epidemiologic field survey conducted in endemic areas in China showed that hedgehogs were widely distributed, had heavy tick infestations, and had high SFTSV seroprevalence and RNA prevalence. After experimental infection of Erinaceus amurensis and Atelerix albiventris hedgehogs with SFTSV, we detected robust but transitory viremias that lasted for 9-11 days. We completed the SFTSV transmission cycle between hedgehogs and nymph and adult H. longicornis ticks under laboratory conditions with 100% efficiency. Furthermore, naive H. longicornis ticks could be infected by SFTSV-positive ticks co-feeding on naive hedgehogs; we confirmed transstadial transmission of SFTSV. Our study suggests that the hedgehogs are a notable wildlife amplifying host of SFTSV in China.
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    Identification of dominant lactic acid bacteria and yeast in rice sourdough produced in New Zealand
    (Elsevier BV, 2021-10-21) Yang Q; Rutherfurd-Markwick K; Mutukumira AN
    This study characterised a commercial New Zealand gluten free (GF) rice sourdough and its starter culture composition. Acidity of the mother sourdough, dough before proofing and dough after proofing was determined during the production of rice sourdough bread, and colour was measured for the baked bread. Yeast and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were enumerated in the rice sourdough samples and representative colonies characterised using API kits and sequenced by the Internal Transcribed Spacer and 16 S rRNA region. Sourdough LAB isolates were identified as Lactobacillus (L.) papraplantarum DSM 10667 and L. fermentarum CIP 102980 and the yeast isolates as Saccharomyces (S.) cerevisiae CBS 1171. Dough acidity increased significantly (p < 0.05) during fermentation due to the metabolic activities of the sourdough cultures. After baking, the colour of the rice sourdough bread crust was similar to that of unleavened wheat bread (golden brown). The improved colour of the rice sourdough bread crust may be a result of combined use of sourdough technique and optimal baking conditions. The results of this study may allow bakers to improve the overall quality of GF rice sourdough baked bread by selecting suitable fermentation and baking parameters.
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    Thermal taster status: Temperature modulation of cortical response to sweetness perception
    (Elsevier Inc, 2021-03-01) Eldeghaidy S; Yang Q; Abualait T; Williamson A-M; Hort J; Francis ST
    Temperature is known to impact taste perception, but its reported effect on sweet taste perception in humans is inconsistent. Here, we assess whether thermal taste phenotype alters the temperature modulation of the brains' response to sweet samples and sweet taste perception. Participants (n = 24 balanced for thermal tasters (TT) and thermal non-tasters (TnT), 25 ± 7 years (mean ± SD), 10 males) underwent a thermal taste phenotyping session to study responses to cooling and warming of the tongue using a thermode. In a separate session, functional Magnetic Resonance Images (fMRI) were collected during sweet samples (87 mM sucrose) delivery at two temperatures ('cold' (5 ± 2 °C) and 'ambient' (20 ± 2 °C)) and the perceived sweetness intensity rated.In the phenotyping session, TTs had heightened perceptual temperature sensitivity to cooling and warming of the tongue using a thermode compared to TnTs. Although there was no significant effect during the fMRI session, the fMRI response to the 'cold sweet' sample across all participants was significantly increased in anterior insula/frontal operculum and mid-insula compared to the 'ambient sweet' sample, likely to reflect the perceptual difference to temperature rather than taste perception. TTs showed significantly increased fMRI activation patterns compared with TnTs and an interaction effect between thermal taster status and sample temperature, with TTs showing selectively greater cortical responses to 'cold sweet' samples compared to TnTs in somatosensory regions (SI and SII).The increase in cortical activation in somatosensory cortices to the 'cold sweet' stimulus correlated with perceptual ratings of temperature sensitivity to the thermode. The results highlight the importance of investigating the effects of thermal taster phenotype across a range of temperatures representing the reality of consumer consumption to beverages.