Xiaozhu Liu, Yinfeng Li, Hubing Zhao, Zhihai Yu, William James Hardie and Mingzheng Huang
The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the fermentative properties of a strain of indigenous Wickerhamomyces anomalus (W. anomalus) from Rosa roxburghii Tratt (R…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyse the fermentative properties of a strain of indigenous Wickerhamomyces anomalus (W. anomalus) from Rosa roxburghii Tratt (R. roxburghii).
Design/methodology/approach
Morphological and molecular methods were used to determine the species of the selected strain W. anomalus C11. The physiological tolerances to glucose, ethanol, citric acid and sulphur dioxide (SO2) were further assessed by checking the growth of cells, and the oenological performances were proved to measure the related fermentative properties of R. roxburghii wines.
Findings
The W. anomalus C11 strain could be grown faster than commercial S. cerevisiae X16 in its logarithmic growth period and had preferable tolerances to glucose, ethanol, citric acid and SO2. Moreover, this strain of native R. roxburghii yeast W. anomalus C11 produced less sulphuretted hydrogen and had a higher β-glucosidase activity. Furthermore, W. anomalus C11 could reduce the volatile acids, reduce the sourness and enhance volatile aroma richness and complexity of R. roxburghii wines including types of aroma and content thereof. Taken together, the R. roxburghii native yeast W. anomalus C11 may have potential for use in R. roxburghii winemaking.
Originality/value
(1) The fermentative properties of a strain of indigenous W. anomalus (named as C11) from R. roxburghii was evaluated. (2) The strain of W. anomalus C11 had preferable tolerances to glucose, ethanol, citric acid and SO2. (3) This strain of native R. roxburghii yeast W. anomalus C11 produced less sulphuretted hydrogen and had a higher ß-glucosidase activity. (4) W. anomalus C11 could reduce the volatile acids, reduce the sourness and enhance volatile aroma richness and complexity of R. roxburghii wines including types of aroma and content thereof.
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Yinfeng Li, Guilan Jiang, Hua Long, Yifa Liao, Mingzheng Huang, Zhihai Yu, Shuang Cheng, Ying Wang and Xiaozhu Liu
Increased ethanol accumulation during ethanol fermentation generates stress in yeast cells, which finally reduces the fermentation performance and efficiency. Trehalose, a…
Abstract
Purpose
Increased ethanol accumulation during ethanol fermentation generates stress in yeast cells, which finally reduces the fermentation performance and efficiency. Trehalose, a potential stress protectant, has been reported to regulate the response of yeast to diverse environmental stresses. This study aimed to explore how exogenous trehalose application affects the survival, transcriptome and antioxidant enzymes of Wickerhamomyces anomalus grown under ethanol stress conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
Exogenous trehalose was applied to the growth condition of W. anomalus, and optical densitometric method was used to detect contents of intracellular trehalose and MDA and activities of CAT and SOD. The survival was evaluated using spot analysis. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified through transcriptomics analysis.
Findings
The results showed that ethanol stress induced the accumulation of intracellular trehalose, with further exogenous trehalose application improving the survival and alleviating oxidative stress in ethanol-stressed W. anomalus. Transcriptomic results showed that trehalose has pleiotropic regulating effects on ethanol-stressed W. anomalus since most DEGs annotated to energy metabolism, amino acid metabolism, translation, folding, sorting and transport were affected post trehalose addition. Therefore, it is found that trehalose protected W. anomalus against ethanol stress, and these findings provide interesting insights into the mechanistic role of trehalose in improving ethanol stress tolerance of W. anomalus.
Originality/value
(1) Protective effect of exogenous trehalose addition on the survival of ethanol-stressed W. anomalus was proved. (2) Exogenous trehalose addition could partly alleviate oxidative stress induced by ethanol stress and affect transcriptome in W. anomalus.
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Junsong Jia, Zhihai Gong, Chundi Chen, Huiyong Jian and Dongming Xie
This paper aims to provide a typical example of accounting for the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in underdeveloped cities, especially for the Poyang Lake area in China. The…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to provide a typical example of accounting for the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) in underdeveloped cities, especially for the Poyang Lake area in China. The accounting can increase public understanding and trust in climate mitigation strategies by showing more detailed data.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses the “Global Protocol for Community-scale greenhouse gas emission inventories (GPC)” method, a worldwide comparable framework for calculating urban CO2e emission (CE). The empirical case is an underdeveloped city, Nanchang, in China.
Findings
The results show the total CE of Nanchang, containing the electricity CE of Scope 2, grew rapidly from 12.49 Mt in 1994 to 55.00 Mt in 2014, with the only recession caused by the global financial crisis in 2008. The biggest three contributors were industrial energy consumption, transportation and industrial processes, which contributed 44.71-72.06, 4.10-25.07 and 9.07-22.28 per cent, respectively, to the total CE. Almost always, more than 74.41 per cent of Nanchang’s CE was related to coal. When considering only the CEs from coal, oil and gas, these CEs per unit area of Nanchang were always greater than those of China and the world. Similarly, these CEs per gross domestic product of Nanchang were always bigger than those of the world. Thus, based on these conclusions, some specific countermeasures were recommended.
Originality/value
This paper argues that the CO2e accounting of underdeveloped cities by using the GPC framework should be promoted when designing climate mitigation policies. They can provide more scientific data to justify related countermeasures.
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Yiwen Li, Zhihai Dong, Junyan Miao, Huifang Liu, Aleksandr Babkin and Yunlong Chang
This paper aims to anticipate the possible development direction of WAAM. For large-scale and complex components, the material loss and cycle time of wire arc additive…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to anticipate the possible development direction of WAAM. For large-scale and complex components, the material loss and cycle time of wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) are lower than those of conventional manufacturing. However, the high-precision WAAM currently requires longer cycle times for correcting dimensional errors. Therefore, new technologies need to be developed to achieve high-precision and high-efficiency WAAM.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper analyses the innovations in high-precision WAAM in the past five years from a mechanistic point of view.
Findings
Controlling heat to improve precision is an effective method. Methods of heat control include reducing the amount of heat entering the deposited interlayer or transferring the accumulated heat out of the interlayer in time. Based on this, an effective and highly precise WAAM is achievable in combination with multi-scale sensors and a complete expert system.
Originality/value
Therefore, a development direction for intelligent WAAM is proposed. Using the optimised process parameters based on machine learning, adjusting the parameters according to the sensors’ in-process feedback, achieving heat control and high precision manufacturing.
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Zhihai Yang, Ning Yin, Amin William Mugera and Yumeng Wang
This paper analysed survey data of 715 rice-producing households in China to assess the determinants of adoption of five mutually exclusive soil conservation practices (SCPs) and…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper analysed survey data of 715 rice-producing households in China to assess the determinants of adoption of five mutually exclusive soil conservation practices (SCPs) and their impact on rice yield and chemical fertiliser use.
Design/methodology/approach
The multinomial endogenous treatment effects model was used to account for selection bias and endogeneity arising from both observed and unobserved heterogeneity.
Findings
Farms that adopted SCPs as a package experienced an increase in rice yield and decrease in chemical fertiliser use. Adoption of SCPs as a package led to a 12.0% increase in yield and 15.2% decrease in chemical fertiliser use; these results have policy implications for the non-point source pollution control in the agricultural sector. In contrast, adoption of straw retention only significantly reduced yield by 4.9% and increased chemical fertiliser use by 18.1%.
Originality/value
The authors evaluate and compare multi-type of SCPs, such as straw retention, deep tillage and use of organic fertiliser, separately or in combination, and their impacts on smallholder farmers’ rice yield and chemical fertiliser usage.
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Jianwen Yan, Kexin Zhang, Weiwei Zhu and Yu Fan
The purpose of this paper is to frame an empirical model with the priority of implementing soft critical successful factors (CSFs) of total quality management (TQM) in Chinese…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to frame an empirical model with the priority of implementing soft critical successful factors (CSFs) of total quality management (TQM) in Chinese manufacturing companies.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 23 hypotheses regarding the relationships among TQM factors and business results have been developed through literature review and are tested using the structural equation modelling (SEM). The data used in this study are collected from 228 manufacturing companies in the central area of China.
Findings
Of the 23 hypotheses, 11 were statistically significant, and according to the empirical results a conceptual framework complying to Chinese condition is constructed and discussed in the finding parts to group soft CSFs of TQM into different levels of importance.
Research limitations/implications
Researchers can use the framework to further study soft CSFs of TQM in detail, and extend it to explore their impact mechanism for a clearer and deeper understanding of the TQM.
Practical implications
The empirical framework for soft CSFs of TQM provides a new perspective for managers to implement the soft CSFs and optimise the quality management system of their manufacturing companies.
Originality/value
This research uses multiple, distinct indicators for each soft factor to test an elaborate SEM model of the relationships among them, according to the empirical results constructs a holistic framework classifying the importance level of soft CSFs of TQM, which is novel and subjected with Chinese condition and manufacturing characteristics.
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Jin‐Hai Li, Alistair R. Anderson and Richard T. Harrison
Considers the role and practices of total quality management in China. After a brief overview, considers the evolution of quality practices and the links to economic reform in…
Abstract
Considers the role and practices of total quality management in China. After a brief overview, considers the evolution of quality practices and the links to economic reform in China. From the quality literature, develops a measuring instrument to assess the extent and pervasion of quality practices in China. Then applies this instrument to 428 Northern Chinese companies representing different forms of ownership. Finds that the implementation of quality was highly variable. In general, joint venture companies scored highly in quality practices, in contrast, state owned enterprises scored poorly. Privately owned companies also scored well in some aspects of quality implementation. Concludes that the poor quality performance of state owned companies can be attributed to the attitudes and structures created during the period of the command economy.
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Khaled Mostafa, Mohamed Ramadan and Azza El-Sanabary
The purpose of this study is to investigate the authors' previously prepared and fully characterized poly (methacrylamide)-chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) graft copolymer having…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to investigate the authors' previously prepared and fully characterized poly (methacrylamide)-chitosan nanoparticles (CNPs) graft copolymer having 50.2% graft yield with respect to flocculation efficiency for ferric laurate aqueous dispersions. This was done to compare the ability of the latter cheap, biodegradable and ecofriendly hybrid natural-synthetic polymeric substrate as a flocculant in comparison with higher cost, nonbiodegradable and harmful polyacrylamide as a well-known synthetic flocculant counterpart.
Design/methodology/approach
The graft copolymerization process was carried out at 450°Cfor 120 min using (1.0 g) CNPs, methacrylamide (1.5 g), 100 mmol/l potassium chromate and 80 mmol/l mandelic acid. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis and specific viscosity were used to characterize and analyze the resultant copolymer. The flocculation efficiency was conferred in terms of transmittance % and weight removal %. The main factors influencing the flocculation process, such as flocculent dose, flocculation medium pH, stirring speed, flocculation temperature and grafting extent, were comprehensively discussed.
Findings
The flocculation efficiency of the prepared copolymers revealed the following findings: increased by increasing the flocculant dose, pH, temperature and stirring speed to a maximum values denoted at 30 ppm, 6.0, 30°C and 50 r/min, respectively, then decreased thereafter; increased by increasing the extent of grafting within the range studied; showed a comparable flocculation efficiency in comparison with polyacrylamide as a synthetic polymeric flocculent; and, finally, a preliminary bridging mechanism representing the attraction between the anionic suspended particles ferric laurate and cationic poly (MAam)-CNPs graft copolymer has been projected.
Originality/value
The advancement addressed here is undertaken with using the authors’ poly (MAam)-CNPs graft copolymers having different extent of grafting (a point which is not cited in the literature especially for the authors’ prepared copolymer) as a hybrid natural-synthetic polymeric substrate as a flocculant for ferric laurate aqueous dispersions in comparison with the high cost and nondegradable polyacrylamide synthetic flocculant.