Safety evaluation and whole genome sequencing for revealing the ability of Penicillium oxalicum WX-209 to safely and effectively degrade citrus segments

The microbial potential of Penicillium has received critical attention.The present research aimed to elucidate the efficacy of crude enzyme secreted from Penicillium oxalicum WX-209 in degrading citrus segments and evaluate the safety of the process.Results showed that citrus segment membranes gradually dissolved after treatment with the crude enzyme solution,indicating good degradation capability.No significant differences in body weight,food ingestion rate,hematology,blood biochemistry,and weight changes of different organs were found between the enzyme intake and control groups.Serial experiments showed that the crude enzyme had high biological safety.Moreover,the whole genome of P.oxalicum WX-209 was sequenced by PacBio and Illumina platforms.Twenty-five scaffolds were assembled to generate 36 Mbp size of genome sequence comprising 11369 predicted genes modeled with a GC content of 48.33%.A total of 592 genes were annotated to encode enzymes related to carbohydrates,and some degradation enzyme genes were identified in strain P.oxalicum WX-209.

Effect of Plaque Composition on Biomechanical Performance of a Carotid Stent: Computational Study

Clinical application of bare metal stents is constrained by the occurrence of instent restenosis,mainly due to the complex biomechanical environment in the body.Numerical simulation method was used to evaluate the effect of plaque composition on stent performance in a carotid artery.CT angiography(CTA)data were used as a reference,and zero-load state of the carotid artery was used to establish a 3D stenotic artery model.Different plaque compositions,calcified and hypo-cellular were defined in Model 1 and Model 2,respectively.Interactions between the stents and arterial tissues within the stent crimping-expansion process were analyzed to explore the effects of plaque composition on the mechanical parameters of carotid stents.Goodman diagram and fatigue safety factor(FSF)were analyzed to explore the effects of plaque composition on fatigue performance of a carotid stent in the stent service process.In the stent crimping-expansion process,the von Mises stress in the stent and the dog-boning ratio in Model 1 were higher than that in Model 2.The calcified plaque prevented the stent from expanding the stenotic vessel to a pre-set diameter.Thus,the risk of rupture in the calcified plaque was higher than that in the hypo-cellular plaque.Plaque also affected the stress/strain in the vessel wall,which was observed to be lower in Model 1 than in Model 2.This indicated that calcified plaque could decrease the stress-induced injury of arterial tissues.Within the stent service process,the stents used in these two models were predicted to not fail under fatigue rupture as calculated by the Goodman diagram.Additionally,the points closer to the fatigue limit were generally observed at the inner bend of the stent crowns.The FSF of the stent in Model 1 was lower than that in Model 2.The stent operating in the presence of calcified plaques suffered high risk of fractures.Reliability and fatigue performance of the stent were found to be associated with plaque composition.Hence,this study may provide stent designers an approach toward enhancing the mechanical reliability of a stent.

Research on Arterial Stiffness Status in Type 2 Diabetic Patients Based on Pulse Waveform Characteristics

For patients with type 2 diabetes,the evaluation of pulse waveform characteristics is helpful to understand changes in arterial stiffness.However,there is a lack of comprehensive analysis of pulse waveform parameters.Here,we aimed to investigate the changes in pulse waveform characteristics in patients with type 2 diabetes due to increased arterial stiffness.In this study,25 patients with type 2 diabetes and 50 healthy subjects were selected based on their clinical history.Age,height,weight,blood pressure,and pulse pressure were collected as the subjects’basic characteristics.The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity(baPWV)was collected as an index of arterial stiffness.Parameters of time[the pulse wave period(T),the relative positions of peak point(T1)and notch point(T2),and pulse wave time difference between upper and lower limbs(T3)]and area[the total waveform area(A),and the areas of the waveform before(A1)and after(A2)the notch point]were extracted from the pulse wave signals as pulse waveform characteristics.An independent sample t-test was performed to determine whether there were significant differences between groups.Pearson’s correlation analysis was performed to determine the correlations between pulse waveform parameters and baPWV.There were significant differences in T3,A,A1,and A2 between the groups(p<0.05).For patients with type 2 diabetes,there were statistically significant correlations between baPWV and T3,A,A1,and A2(p<0.05).This study quantitatively assessed changes in arterial pulse waveform parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes.It was demonstrated that pulse waveform characteristics(T3,A,A1,and A2)could be used as indices of arterial stiffness in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Studies on the Compositional Properties of Main Miben Series Pumpkin Varieties in Southern China

Pumpkin is among the most popular agricultural products in Southern China. To determine the important analytical properties(dry matter, total soluble sugar,dissolvable polysaccharides, mineral content, electricity conductivity, soluble solid content, fruit weight, fat, protein, fiber, pectin, β-carotene and edible rate) of pumpkin in Southern China, this study investigated the physical and chemical properties and texture of raw and steamed pumpkins of 13 Miben series varieties. Miben pumpkins were frozen at-40 ℃ for 24 h, or at-4 ℃ for 24 h, or were steamed for 15 min in boiling water to investigate the effect of different treatments on the textural change, and to reveal the texture and sensory properties of the different varieties. A total of 13 pumpkin varieties of Miben series CP1578, CP2116, XM2-2,Baimi II, Guangmi I, Guangzhouluxia, Jintong, Laojinhanzaoshu, Quanguanjixiang,Newzuhe III, V pumpkin, Zaoshutianmi and Daguomiben were involved in this study.The results showed that the Miben series pumpkins had significant difference in physical properties. The editable rate of Miben series pumpkins was higher than77%. Chemical properties varied among different varieties. Textures of pumpkin flesh after different processes were different. In the sensory assessment of Miben pumpkins, the varieties with overall quality scores more than 50 were Guangmi I, Laojinhanzaoshu, V pumpkin and Daguomiben, indicating that the four varieties all had excellent properties.

Visible-light-induced regioselective cross-dehydrogenative coupling of 2-isothiocyanatonaphthalenes with amines using molecular oxygen

An efficient and eco-friendly protocol for the construction of naphtho[2,1-d]thiazol-2-amines through visible-light photoredox-catalyzed C(sp2)–H/S–H cross-dehydrogenative coupling reactions between 2-isothiocyanatonaphthalenes and amines was established.In this reaction,the new C–N and C–S bonds are formed simultaneously in a single step.This new method provides a straightforward approach for constructing valuable sulfur-containing compounds.

Universal behaviors of magnon-mediated spin transport in disordered nonmagnetic metalferromagnetic insulator heterostructures

We numerically investigate magnon-mediated spin transport through nonmagnetic metal/ferromagnetic insulator(NM/FI)heterostructures in the presence of Anderson disorder,and discover universal behaviors of the spin conductance in both one-dimensional(1D)and 2D systems.In the localized regime,the variance of logarithmic spin conductanceσ2(lnGγ)shows a universal linear scaling with its average(lnGγ),independent of Fermi energy,temperature,and system size in both 1D and 2D cases.In 2D,the competition between disorder-enhanced density of states at the NM/FI interface and disorder-suppressed spin transport leads to a non-monotonic dependence of average spin conductance on the disorder strength.As a result,in the metallic regime,average spin conductance is enhanced by disorder,and a new linear scaling between spin conductance fluctuation rms(GT)and average spin conductance GT is revealed which is universal at large system width.These universal scaling behaviors suggest that spin transport mediated by magnon in disordered 2D NM/FI systems belongs to a new universality class,different from that of charge conductance in 2D normal metal systems.