Agriculture provides for the most basic needs of humankind: food and fiber. The introduction of new farming techniques in the past century (e.g., during the Green Revolution) has helped agriculture ...keep pace with growing demands for food and other agricultural products. However, further increases in food demand, a growing population, and rising income levels are likely to put additional strain on natural resources. With growing recognition of the negative impacts of agriculture on the environment, new techniques and approaches should be able to meet future food demands while maintaining or reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture. Emerging technologies, such as geospatial technologies, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analysis, and artificial intelligence (AI), could be utilized to make informed management decisions aimed to increase crop production. Precision agriculture (PA) entails the application of a suite of such technologies to optimize agricultural inputs to increase agricultural production and reduce input losses. Use of remote sensing technologies for PA has increased rapidly during the past few decades. The unprecedented availability of high resolution (spatial, spectral and temporal) satellite images has promoted the use of remote sensing in many PA applications, including crop monitoring, irrigation management, nutrient application, disease and pest management, and yield prediction. In this paper, we provide an overview of remote sensing systems, techniques, and vegetation indices along with their recent (2015–2020) applications in PA. Remote-sensing-based PA technologies such as variable fertilizer rate application technology in Green Seeker and Crop Circle have already been incorporated in commercial agriculture. Use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has increased tremendously during the last decade due to their cost-effectiveness and flexibility in obtaining the high-resolution (cm-scale) images needed for PA applications. At the same time, the availability of a large amount of satellite data has prompted researchers to explore advanced data storage and processing techniques such as cloud computing and machine learning. Given the complexity of image processing and the amount of technical knowledge and expertise needed, it is critical to explore and develop a simple yet reliable workflow for the real-time application of remote sensing in PA. Development of accurate yet easy to use, user-friendly systems is likely to result in broader adoption of remote sensing technologies in commercial and non-commercial PA applications.
The coronavirus 2019 (COVID 19, or SARS-CoV-2) pandemic that started in December 2019 has caused an unprecedented impact in most countries globally and continues to threaten human lives worldwide. ...The COVID-19 and strict lockdown measures have had adverse effects on human health and national economies. These lockdown measures have played a critical role in improving air quality, water quality, and the ozone layer and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Using Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Level 4 carbon (SMAP LC4) satellite products, this study investigated the impacts of COVID-19 lockdown measures on annual carbon emissions globally, focusing on 47 greatly affected countries and their 105 cities by December 2020. It is shown that while the lockdown measures significantly reduced carbon emissions globally, several countries and cities observed this reduction as temporary because strict lockdown measures were not imposed for extended periods in 2020. Overall, the total carbon emissions of select 184 countries reduced by 438 Mt in 2020 than in 2019. Since the global economic activities are slowly expected to return to the non-COVID-19 state, the reduction in carbon emissions during the pandemic will not be sustainable in the long run. For sustainability, concerned authorities have to put significant efforts to change transportation, climate, and environmental policies globally that fuel carbon emissions. Overall, the presented results provide directions to the stakeholders and policymakers to develop and implement measures to control carbon emissions for a sustainable environment.
Display omitted
•Significant effects of lockdown measures on annual CO2 emissions globally•Quantifying annual CO2 emissions is vital to understand the impact of pandemic.•Reduction in carbon emissions during the pandemic is temporary and not sustainable.•Carbon emissions of select 184 countries reduced by 438 Mt in 2020 than in 2019.
Display omitted
•Pseudomonas genus is a potent microbe in degrading polyethylene.•The crystalline nature of Polyethylene terephthalate makes it difficult for microbial degradation.•Ideonella ...sakaiensis has a remarkable role in PET degradation.•Polystyrene is a hydrophobic thermoplastic which makes it difficult to hydrolyse.•Starch grafted polystyrene is more prone to biodegradation.
Plastics are a kind of utility product that has become part and parcel of one's life. Their continuous usage, accumulation, and contamination of soil and water pose a severe threat to the biotic and abiotic components of the environment. It not only increases the carbon footprints but also contributes to global warming. This calls for an urgent need to develop novel strategies for the efficient degradation of plastics. The microbial strains equipped with the potential of degrading plastic materials, which can further be converted into usable products, are blessings for the ecosystem. This review comprehensively summarizes the microbial technologies to degrade different plastic types, such as polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), and polyurethane (PU). The study also describes the utilization of degraded plastic material as feedstock for its conversion into high-value chemicals.
Mine tailing sites provide profound opportunities to elucidate the microbial mechanisms involved in ecosystem functioning. In the present study, metagenomic analysis of dumping soil and adjacent pond ...around India’s largest copper mine at Malanjkhand has been done. Taxonomic analysis deciphered the abundance of phyla Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, and Chloroflexi. Genomic signatures of viruses were predicted in the soil metagenome, whereas Archaea and Eukaryotes were noticed in water samples. Mesophilic chemolithotrophs, such as
Acidobacteria bacterium
,
Chloroflexi bacterium
, and
Verrucomicrobia bacterium
, were predominant in soil, whereas, in the water sample, the abundance of
Methylobacterium mesophilicum
,
Pedobacter
sp., and
Thaumarchaeota archaeon
was determined. The functional potential analysis highlighted the abundance of genes related to sulfur, nitrogen, methane, ferrous oxidation, carbon fixation, and carbohydrate metabolisms. The genes for copper, iron, arsenic, mercury, chromium, tellurium, hydrogen peroxide, and selenium resistance were found to be predominant in the metagenomes. Metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) were constructed from the sequencing data, indicating novel microbial species genetically related to the phylum predicted through whole genome metagenomics. Phylogenetic analysis, genome annotations, functional potential, and resistome analysis showed the resemblance of assembled novel MAGs with traditional organisms used in bioremediation and biomining applications. Microorganisms harboring adaptive mechanisms, such as detoxification, hydroxyl radical scavenging, and heavy metal resistance, could be the potent benefactions for their utility as bioleaching agents. The genetic information produced in the present investigation provides a foundation for pursuing and understanding the molecular aspects of bioleaching and bioremediation applications.
A novel d-allulose 3-epimerase gene (
) has been identified from the metagenomic resource of a hot-water reservoir. The enzyme epimerizes d-fructose into d-allulose, a functional sugar of rare ...abundance in nature. The metagenomic DNA fragment was cloned and expressed in
The purified recombinant protein (DaeM) was found to be metal dependent (Co
or Mn
). It displayed the maximal levels of catalytic activity in a pH range of 6 to 11 and a temperature range of 75°C to 80°C. The enzyme exhibited remarkably high thermal stability at 60°C and 70°C, with half-life values of 9,900 and 3,240 min, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest thermal stability demonstrated by a d-allulose 3-epimerase that has been characterized to date. The enzymatic treatment of 700 mg·ml
d-fructose yielded about 217 mg·ml
d-allulose, under optimal condition. The catalytic product was purified, and its nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectra were found to be indistinguishable from those of standard d-allulose. For biomolecule production, the whole-cell catalysis procedure avoids the tedious process of extraction and purification of enzyme and also offers better biocatalyst stability. Further, it is desirable to employ safe-grade microorganisms for the biosynthesis of a product. The
gene was expressed intracellularly in
A whole-cell catalysis reaction performed with a reaction volume of 1 liter at 60°C yielded approximately 196 g·liter
d-allulose from 700 g·liter
d-fructose. Further, the whole recombinant cells were able to biosynthesize d-allulose in apple juice, mixed fruit juice, and honey.
d-Allulose is a noncaloric sugar substitute with antidiabetes and antiobesity potential. With several characteristics of physiological significance, d-allulose has wide-ranging applications in the food and pharmacology industries. The development of a thermostable biocatalyst is an objective of mainstream research aimed at achieving industrial acceptability of the enzyme. Aquatic habitats of extreme temperatures are considered a potential metagenomic resource of heat-tolerant biocatalysts of industrial importance. The present study explored the thermal-spring metagenome of the Tattapani geothermal region, Chhattisgarh, India, discovering a novel d-allulose 3-epimerase gene,
, encoding an enzyme of high-level heat stability. The
gene was expressed in the microbial cells of a nonpathogenic and safe-grade species,
, which was found to be capable of performing d-fructose to d-allulose interconversion via a whole-cell catalysis reaction. The results indicate that DaeM is a potential biocatalyst for commercial production of the rare sugar d-allulose. The study established that extreme environmental niches represent a genomic resource of functional sugar-related biocatalysts.
•Nanomaterial deposition on heating surface are used to attain reduction in wall superheat, enhancing nucleate boiling HTC and CHF.•Different working fluid is used such as de-ionized water, ...fluorocarbon fluid, hydofluoroethers and refrigeration-based fluid for enhancing CHF.•The surface modification enhanced the CHF due to the reduction in wall superheat temperature, increased nucleation site, porosity rise, enhanced surface wettability, small nano-pores/cavities generation, rise in bubble release frequency.•Nanoparticle size, nanofluid preparation techniques and concentration of nanofluid mainly influenced the CHF.
Boiling is the most significant phase change phenomena for various applications such as cooling of electronic devices, heat pipes, cooling in nuclear reactor, different industrial application and plenty more. Due to its wide scope of application, any enhancement in this domain leads to remarkable economic and energy efficient consequences. Augmentations in boiling heat transfer performance are very crucial which establishes the various industrial applications further energy efficient. To reduce the energy dissipation in heat transfer equipment, boiling heat transfer augmentation is one of the significant techniques used by researchers. This paper demonstrates a thorough review and investigation of published articles describing the various surface modification method (nanomaterial coating, nano/micro porous coating, nano/micro structured surface) for pool boiling and flow boiling heat transfer enhancement as well as the effect of surface modification on wettability, porosity, surface roughness, nucleation sites are studied. Various augmentation methods are utilized to attain three apparent heat transfer desire: reducing wall superheat temperature, enhancing pool boiling heat transfer coefficient (HTC) and improving critical heat flux (CHF).
Display omitted
•Bioprocess was developed for bioconversion of ricebean using B. subtilis.•Peptides in fermented hydrolysates were identified using LC-MS/MS analysis.•Rice bean fermentation using ...different strains produced unique peptides.•Peptides were identified demonstrating interaction with the hACE active site.•First report in peptide characterization of B. subtilis fermented rice bean.
A bioprocess was developed for production of bioactive peptides on microbial fermentation of rice beans using proteolytic Bacillus subtilis strains. The peptides produced were identified by LC-MS/MS analysis, revealing the presence of many unique peptide sequences to individual hydrolysates. On functional properties prediction, antihypertensive peptides (3.90%) were found to be higher in comparison to other bioactive peptides. Among different strains, B. subtilis KN2B fermented hydrolysate exhibited highest angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity (45.73%). Furthermore, 19 selected peptides, including the common and unique peptides were examined for their affinity towards the binding cavity of ACE using molecular docking. The results showed a common peptide PFPIPFPIPIPLP, and another IPFPPIPFLPPI unique to B. subtilis KN2B fermented hydrolysate exhibited promising binding at the ACE binding site with substantial free binding energy. The process developed can be used for the production of bioactive peptides from rice bean for application in nutraceutical industries.
Display omitted
•Kinema was produced using B. subtilis, B. licheniformis and B. amyloliquefaciens.•Kinema was analyzed for peptide production and antioxidant properties.•Peptides formed in kinema by ...different starters were identified by LC–MS/MS analysis.•Different species as well as strains of Bacillus resulted in several unique peptides.•A peptide had high GRAVY value showed interaction with catalytic residues in MPO.
Kinema is an alkaline traditionally fermented soybean product popularly consumed in Sikkim Himalayan region. Kinema was prepared by soybean fermented with different species of Bacillus and analyzed for peptide content, antioxidant activity and consequence of gastrointestinal enzymes (pepsin and pancreatin) on the antioxidant effect. Antioxidant effect was enhanced during soybean fermentation using different starters, which further increased during gastrointestinal digestion. The peptides formed during soybean fermentation were analyzed using LC–MS/MS. Soybean fermented using different starters resulted in the production of some common peptides and a large number of unique peptides, which may affect the functional property of kinema. Peptides having antioxidative amino acids (histidine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan and tyrosine) and significant GRAVY value were selected for their molecular interaction with myeloperoxidase (MPO), a key enzyme responsible for elevated oxidative stress. A peptide SEDDVFVIPAAYPF produced in kinema fermented using Bacillus licheniformis 1G had interaction with four out of five catalytic residues identified in MPO. Kinema prepared using specific starter can produce unique peptides responsible for specific health benefits.
PDF
