Due to its ability to degrade nitrogen oxides under ultraviolet, titanium dioxide has been applied in asphalt concrete to degrade automobile exhaust in recent years. To highlight the protection of ...road traffic environmental quality and mitigate automobile exhaust on human health, this study proposes combining titanium dioxide and active carbon into Sand-fog seal to form a pavement coating material with a photocatalytic function. It uses active carbon to reinforce the material’s function, and the coupling agent for modification makes it well dispersed in the Sand-fog seal. The indoor experiments were carried out at 30 °C and relative humidity of 30%. It tested the composite material’s degradation efficiency on nitrogen dioxide in relation to component proportions, coupling agents, and dosages. The study concluded that the optimal photocatalytic efficiency could be achieved when the ratio of active carbon to titanium dioxide is 0.6. After being modified by the titanate coupling agent and through Scanning Electron Microscope tests, it can be seen that materials can be well dispersed into the Sand-fog seal. When the composite material accounts for 10% of the fog seal, it can achieve the optimal photocatalytic efficiency of about 23.9%. The British pendulum tests show it has good skid resistance performance. Half a kilometer of concrete roadway was sprayed with the material coating in Tianjin, China. The photocatalytic experimental road degrades nitrogen oxides better than the original road. The method is feasible for practical implementation.
Abstract
Consumer push towards open and free-range production systems makes biosecurity on farms challenging, leading to increased disease and animal welfare issues. Phytogenic products are ...increasingly becoming a viable alternative for the use of antibiotics in livestock production. Here we present a study of the effects of commercial phytogenic supplement containing menthol, carvacrol and carvone on intestinal microbiota of layer hens, microbial functional capacity, and intestinal morphology. A total of 40,000 pullets were randomly assigned to two sides of the experimental shed. Growth performance, mortality, egg production and egg quality parameters were recorded throughout the trial period (18–30 weeks of age). Microbial community was investigated using 16S amplicon sequencing and functional difference using metagenomic sequencing. Phytogen supplemented birds had lower mortality and number of dirty eggs, and their microbial communities showed reduced richness. Although phytogen showed the ability to control the range of poultry pathogens, its action was not restricted to pathogenic taxa, and it involved functional remodelling the intestinal community towards increased cofactor production, heterolactic fermentation and salvage and recycling of metabolites. The phytogen did not alter the antimicrobial resistance profile or the number of antibiotic resistance genes. The study indicates that phytogenic supplementation can mimic the action of antibiotics in altering the gut microbiota and be used as their alternative in industry-scale layer production.
This study explores the impact of a novel phytogenic product containing citric acid, carvacrol, and cinnamaldehyde on buffel grass (
) seedling emergence. A dilution series of the phytogenic solution ...revealed a concentration range that promoted seedling emergence, with an optimal concentration of 0.5%. Transcriptomic analysis using RNA-seq was performed to investigate gene expression changes in seedlings under the influence of the phytogenic product. The results revealed that the phytogenic treatment significantly altered the gene expression, with a prevalent boost in transcriptional activity compared to the control. Functional analysis indicated the positive alteration of key metabolic pathways, including the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, glycolysis, and pentose phosphate pathways. Moreover, pathways related to amino acids, nucleotide biosynthesis, heme biosynthesis, and formyltetrahydrofolate biosynthesis showed substantial modulation. The study provides valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the phytogenic product's effects on grass seedling establishment and highlights its ability to promote energy metabolism and essential biosynthetic pathways for plant growth.
Pasture dieback is a syndrome of unknown cause affecting grasses in Australia, creating significant economic losses to farmers by reducing available livestock feed and paddock carrying capacity. RC3 ...is a commercial plant growth stimulant tri-sodium salt of trimercapto-S-triazine (TMT) and potassium humate as active ingredients. TMT is commonly used for soil and wastewater remediation by capturing and binding heavy metals, while potassium humate is an organic compound used as a plant growth promoter. We investigated the ability of RC3 to restore soil health and productivity under pasture dieback conditions. RC3 was applied on pasture dieback affected paddock replicate plots once, at a rate of 4 mL/m2, and soil core samples were taken weekly to analyse microbial communities. Plants were collected regularly to measure dry matter and plant morphometrics. Twenty weeks after a single application, dry matter increased in RC3 plots by 900 kg/ha compared to control plots, and at week 48, eleven months after the single application, RC3 plots showed a trend of more grass and dicot species than the control. Morphometric measures suggest minor improvements in dicotyledon plants. Alpha diversity did not change with the application of RC3. Temporal correlation analysis shows that RC3 steadily reduced the presence of genera predominant in poor soils and with extreme environmental conditions over time and prevented the decline of beneficial genera, such as Marmoricola, Actinomadura, Dactylosporangium, and mle1-7.
Pasture production is vital in cattle farming as it provides animals with food and nutrients. Australia, as a significant global beef producer, has been experiencing pasture dieback, a syndrome of ...deteriorating grassland that results in the loss of grass and the expansion of weeds. Despite two decades of research and many remediation attempts, there has yet to be a breakthrough in understanding the causes or mechanisms involved. Suggested causes of this phenomenon include soil and plant microbial pathogens, insect infestation, extreme heat stress, radiation, and others. Plants produce a range of phytomolecules with antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, growth-promoting, and immunostimulant effects to protect themselves from a range of environmental stresses. These products are currently used more in human and veterinary health than in agronomy. In this study, we applied a phytogenic product containing citric acid, carvacrol, and cinnamaldehyde, to investigate its ability to alleviate pasture dieback. The phytogenic liquid-based solution was sprayed twice, one week apart, at 5.4 L per hectare. The soil microbial community was investigated longitudinally to determine long-term effects, and pasture productivity and plant morphometric improvements were explored. The phytogenic liquid significantly improved post-drought recovery of alpha diversity and altered temporal and spatial change in the community. The phytogenic liquid reduced biomarker genera associated with poor and polluted soils and significantly promoted plant and soil beneficial bacteria associated with plant rhizosphere and a range of soil benefits. Phytogenic liquid application produced plant morphology improvements and a consistent enhancement of pasture productivity extending beyond 18 months post-application. Our data show that phytogenic products used in the livestock market as an alternative to antibiotics may also have a beneficial role in agriculture, especially in the light of climate change-related soil maintenance and remediation.
Spark-anodization of titanium can produce adherent and wear-resistant TiO2 film on the surface, but the spark-anodized titanium has lots of surface micro-pores, resulting in an unstable and high ...friction coefficient against many counterparts. In this study, the diamond-like carbon (DLC) was introduced into the micro-pores of spark-anodized titanium by the magnetron sputtering technique and a TiO2/DLC composite coating was fabricated. The microstructure and tribological properties of TiO2/DLC composite coating were investigated and compared with the anodic TiO2 mono-film and DLC mono-film. Results show that the DLC deposition significantly decreased the surface roughness and porosity of spark-anodized titanium. The fabricated TiO2/DLC composite coating exhibited a more stable and much lower friction coefficient than anodic TiO2 mono-film. Although the friction coefficient of the composite coating and the DLC mono-film was similar under both light load and heavy load conditions, the wear life of the composite coating was about 43% longer than that of DLC mono-film under heavy load condition. The wear rate of titanium with protective composite coating was much lower than that of titanium with DLC mono-film. The superior low friction coefficient and wear rate of the TiO2/DLC composite coating make it a good candidate as protective coating on titanium alloys.
Pasture dieback is a rapidly expanding decaying pasture syndrome that affects millions of hectares of agricultural land in Queensland, Australia, making it useless for the cattle industry and ...decimating farmers’ income and welfare. Since the syndrome was first identified in the early 1990s, farmers and agronomists have tried various methods for pasture recovery, including slashing, burning, ploughing and resowing grass, fertilising, destocking, and overstocking. In most cases, after a minimal initial improvement, the grass reverts to dieback within a few weeks. Here, we present an application of potassium humate, a well-known plant growth stimulator, as a possible long-term recovery option. Humate was applied once at the rate of 12 ml per m2. Humate application did not alter the alpha or beta diversity of soil bacterial communities, nor did it change the mineral profile in the soil. However, humate application altered soil microbiota–mineral temporal interactions and introduced subtle changes in the microbial community that could assist pasture recovery. A single humate application increased paddock plant biomass significantly up to 20 weeks post-application. Eleven months after the single application, the paddock was grazed to the ground by the cattle just before the rainfall season. After pasture regrowth, the humate-treated plots significantly improved root morphometric indicators for both grass and dicots and increased the ratio of grass/weeds by 27.6% compared to the water-treated control. While this treatment will not resolve the dieback syndrome, our results invite more research to optimise the use of humate for maximum economic benefit in paddock use under pasture dieback syndrome conditions.
In this work, porous TiO2 coating was fabricated on the surface of commercially pure titanium using the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technique, and the effect of SiC particles incorporation on the ...microstructure and tribological properties of MAO TiO2 coating was investigated. Results show that submicron SiC particles dispersed in the MAO electrolyte were incorporated into the TiO2 coating during the MAO process and the fabricated TiO2/SiC composite coating mainly consisted of rutile, anatase and SiC phases. The pore size and surface roughness of TiO2/SiC composite coating decreased with the increasing addition amount of SiC particles in the electrolyte. Furthermore, the incorporation of SiC particles in the TiO2 coating suppressed the initiation and propagation of micro-cracks. The tribological test of coatings against GCr15 stainless steel balls show that the incorporation of submicron SiC particles in the MAO TiO2 coating decreased the friction coefficient and wear rate.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.25.3.20089
Pathogen control is a critical issue in the layer industry. Plant-based natural products are firmly replacing the undesirable use of antibiotics in animal production. The poultry industry embraced ...the opportunity to distance itself from the negative public perception of antibiotic use. In this study, we investigated the effects of a phytogenic product comprising of menthol, carvacrol and carvone on ileum gene expression profile in layers after 16 weeks of continual supplementation. Phytogen supplementation increased endocytosis and autophagy while showing significant predicted cardiovascular protective effects. Statistical comparison with over 100,000 manually curated and comparably reanalysed public datasets suggests that the phytogen effects are highly significantly comparable with transcriptomic effects of clinical antibiotics doxycycline and geldanamycin, and that phytogen can reverse transcriptomic effects of a range of viral diseases and malaria. Our data confirmed the hypothesis that similarly to the original essential oil type antimicrobial constituents of phytogenic products, there may be a range of benefits unrelated to their critical antimicrobial action, contributing to improved bird welfare.
Ileum; RNAseq; Phytogen; Menthol; Carvacrol; Carvone.
Abstract Background and aims Phytogenic bioactive plant products have shown promise in mitigating Australian pasture dieback (PDB) syndrome, a complex condition that adversely affects pasture ...productivity and sustainability. PDB is characterised by the progressive decline of grass, resulting in reduced soil organic matter. Recent studies have indicated that soil microbial communities play a crucial role in the remediation of affected pastures. In our previous research, the application of a phytogenic secondary metabolic product demonstrated a positive impact on soil microbial diversity, and it significantly increased pasture biomass. Building upon our previous study, we aimed to further investigate the mechanisms underlying pasture improvement through phytogenic treatment by spraying. Methods Here, we conducted a shotgun metagenomic investigation of the soil microbiome functional pathways affected by the phytogenic treatment. Results The application of phytogenic treatment to the PDB-affected soil resulted in a notable increase in soil microbial functional richness and diversity and showed alterations in beta diversity. Among the 65 significantly altered functional pathways, 54 showed an increase, while 11 decreased in response to the phytogenic treatment. The treatment altered the soil’s functional capacity towards increased production of biomolecules, including amino acids, lipids, and cofactors, thus enhancing the soil’s nutritional value. Furthermore, the phytogenic treatment significantly increased pathways involved in soil detoxification and carbon sequestration, suggesting its potential to promote soil health and carbon storage. Conclusion Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in improving the soils affected by pasture dieback. These insights will help develop sustainable strategies for pasture production.
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