CH3O Substitution Effect Revisited in the Vibrationally Resolved Laser-Induced Fluorescence Spectra of Methoxycyclohexoxy Radicals.

The oxy-substituted alkoxy radicals have attracted wide attention due to the increasing application of oxygenated volatile organic compounds as fuel additives and solvents. Direct detection of these intermediate radicals is desired for measuring the reaction rate and investigating the oxidation mechanism of organic compounds in the atmosphere. A charge-transfer excited state induced by CH3O substitution was identified in our previous study of 3-methoxy-1-propoxy radical [Xue, J. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2021, 23, 2586]. As the C-C bonds of chain alkoxy radicals can freely rotate, further studies are needed to understand the mechanism of this long-range charge-transfer effect. In this work, vibrational-resolved laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra of 3- and 4-methoxycyclohexoxy radicals were obtained under jet-cooled conditions. A large red-shift of ∼454 cm-1 of the origin band was observed when the CH3O substituent moved from the δ site to the γ site of the cyclohexoxy radical. The LIF spectra are assigned to 3-cis (e, e) and 4-trans (e, e) conformers, respectively, with the assistance of structural optimization and electron excitation studies conducted at the CAM-B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. Natural transition orbital analysis reveals that the intramolecular charge transfer from the C-O-C p orbital to the radical O p orbital in 3-methoxycyclohexoxy has a strong effect on the radical CO σ → O p excitation and hence results in a spectral change. On the other hand, the spectral effect of CH3O substitution almost vanishes at δ carbon. The results propose a through-bond interaction between CH3O and radical CO groups.

Four new additions to Helvella (Helvellaceae, Pezizales) from Northern Thailand.

Most species of Helvella have been described from temperate regions in Asia, Europe, and North America, but little is known about the genus from tropical regions. In this report, phylogenetic analyses of 11 newly collected saddle-like fungi from northern Thailand using three genetic markers [the nuclear large subunit ribosomal DNA (LSU), the heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), and the translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF)] confirm their assignment in Helvella. Two species were described as new, i.e., Helvella atroides and H. orentitomentosa, and two species, i.e., H. fistulosa and H. rugosa, were reported for the first time in Thailand. Details of macro- and microscopic characters and illustrations were provided for each species. To date, seven species of Helvella have been recorded in Thailand, and a key for identifying the Thai Helvella species was provided here.

Morphological and molecular analyses reveal two new species of Termitomyces (Agaricales, Lyophyllaceae) and morphological variability of T.intermedius.

Two new species, Termitomycestigrinus and T.yunnanensis are described based on specimens collected from southwestern China. Termitomycesyunnanensis is morphologically characterized by a conspicuously venose pileus surface that is grey, olive grey, light grey to greenish grey at center, light grey towards margin, and a cylindrical white stipe. Termitomycestigrinus is morphologically characterized by a densely tomentose to tomentose-squamulose pileus showing alternating greyish white and dark grey zones, and a stipe that is bulbous at the base. The two new species are supported by phylogenetic analyses of combined nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA (ITS), the mitochondrial rDNA small subunit (mrSSU) and the nuclear rDNA large subunit (nrLSU). The morphological variability of T.intermedius, including five specimens newly collected from Yunnan Province, China, is also discussed. The collections showed variability in colour of the stipe surface and in the shape of cheilocystidia when compared to the original description. Full descriptions of the two new species and of T.intermedius, as well as a taxonomic key to the 14 Termitomyces species reported from China are provided.

Ten decadal advances in fungal biology leading towards human well-being.

Fungi are an understudied resource possessing huge potential for developing products that can greatly improve human well-being. In the current paper, we highlight some important discoveries and developments in applied mycology and interdisciplinary Life Science research. These examples concern recently introduced drugs for the treatment of infections and neurological diseases; application of -OMICS techniques and genetic tools in medical mycology and the regulation of mycotoxin production; as well as some highlights of mushroom cultivaton in Asia. Examples for new diagnostic tools in medical mycology and the exploitation of new candidates for therapeutic drugs, are also given. In addition, two entries illustrating the latest developments in the use of fungi for biodegradation and fungal biomaterial production are provided. Some other areas where there have been and/or will be significant developments are also included. It is our hope that this paper will help realise the importance of fungi as a potential industrial resource and see the next two decades bring forward many new fungal and fungus-derived products.

Morel Production Associated with Soil Nitrogen-Fixing and Nitrifying Microorganisms.

True morels (Morchella, Pezizales) cultivated in soil are subject to complex influences from soil microbial communities. To explore the characteristics of soil microbial communities on morel cultivation, and evaluate whether these microbes are related to morel production, we collected 23 soil samples from four counties in Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces, China. Based on ITS and 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing, the alpha diversity analysis indicated that the biodiversity of morel cultivation soil showed a downward trend compared with the bare soil. The results also showed that there were no significant differences in soil microbial communities between OC (bare soil) and OO (after one-year suspension of sowing). This means that, after about one year of stopping sowing, the component and structure of soil that once cultivated morel would be restored. In co-occurrence networks, some noteworthy bacterial microbes involved in nitrogen fixation and nitrification have been identified in soils with high morel yields, such as Arthrobacter, Bradyhizobium, Devosia, Pseudarthrobacter, Pseudolabrys, and Nitrospira. In contrast, in soils with low or no morel yield, some pathogenic fungi accounted for a high proportion, including Gibberella, Microidium, Penicillium, Sarocladium, Streptomyces, and Trichoderma. This study provided valuable information for the isolation and culturing of some beneficial microbes for morel cultivation in further study and, potentially, to harness the power of the microbiome to improve morel production and health.

Impact Damage Detection Using Chirp Ultrasonic Guided Waves for Development of Health Monitoring System for CFRP Mobility Structures.

When impact damage occurs in carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) structures, it is barely visible but may cause significant degradation in the mechanical properties of the structure. Hence, a structural health monitoring (SHM) system that can be installed in CFRP mobility structures and is sensitive to impact damage is needed. In this study, we attempted to establish an SHM system based on ultrasonic guided waves, which are generated by inputting a broadband chirp signal into a film-like piezoelectric actuator. The relationship between impact damage size and maximum time-of-flight (ToF) delay was investigated for three types of CFRP plates: woven, non-woven, and hybrid laminates. As a result, it was found that the maximum ToF delay increased linearly with an increase in the damage size for all CFRP laminates. Moreover, the amplitude of the A0 mode was found to be significantly affected by the damage length in the wave propagation direction. Thus, this SHM method using chirp ultrasonic waves can quantitatively evaluate the size and extent of the impact damage in CFRP laminates.

Comprehensive Review of Tolypocladium and Description of a Novel Lineage from Southwest China.

Tolypocladium, a diverse genus of fungicolous fungi belonging to Ophiocordycipitaceae, includes saprotrophic soil inhabitants, plant endophytes and pathogens of insects, nematodes, rotifers, and parasites of truffle-like fungi. Here, we review the research progress achieved for Tolypocladium regarding its taxonomy, species diversity, geographic distribution, host affiliations and ecological diversity. Furthermore, an undescribed taxon from China was established using morphology and multi-gene phylogeny. Tolypocladium inusitaticapitatum is introduced as a new species parasitizing ectomycorrhizal Elaphomyces species. It is diagnosed by its irregularly enlarged fertile heads and lemon, yellow-to-dark-brown, smooth and nearly cylindrical stipe. Phylogenetic analyses based on SSU, LSU, ITS, TEF1-α and RPB2 sequence data showed T. inusitaticapitatum to be an independent lineage separated from T. flavonigrum in the clade comprising T. capitatum, T. fractum and T. longisegmentatum. A key for identifying the sexual Tolypocladium species is also provided.

Hypomyces pseudolactifluorum sp. nov. (Hypocreales: Hypocreaceae) on Russula sp. from Yunnan, PR China.

BACKGROUND: Hypomyces is a large genus of fungicolous fungi, parasitising the fruiting bodies of Agaricales, Boletales, Helotiales, Pezizales and Polyporales. Hypomyces currently comprises of 147 species widely distributed in Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, North America, Sri Lanka, Thailand and UK. Amongst them, 28 species have been recorded in China. NEW INFORMATION: Hypomyces pseudolactifluorum sp. nov., growing on the fruiting bodies of Russula sp. in subsect. Lactarioideae and collected from Yunnan, China, is described with illustrations and molecular phylogenetic data (combined ITS, LSU, TEF1-α and RPB2 sequence dataset). The new species is characterised by semi-immersed to immersed perithecia and fusiform, apiculate and verrucose ascospores. We also review the species diversity of the genus Hypomyces in China.

Ultrasonic Structural Health Monitoring Using Fiber Bragg Grating.

The fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensor, which was developed over recent decades, has been widely used to measure manifold static measurands in a variety of industrial sectors. Multiple experiments have demonstrated its ability in ultrasonic detection and its potential in ultrasonic structural health monitoring. Unlike static measurements, ultrasonic detection requires a higher sensitivity and broader bandwidth to ensure the fidelity of the ultrasonic Lamb wave that propagates in a plate-like structure for the subsequent waveform analysis. Thus, the FBG sensor head and its corresponding demodulation system need to be carefully designed, and other practical issues, such as the installation methods and data process methods, should also be properly addressed. In this review, the mature techniques of FBG-based ultrasonic sensors and their practical applications in ultrasonic structural health monitoring are discussed. In addition, state-of-the-art techniques are introduced to fully present the current developments.

Fiber-Optic Sensor-Based Remote Acoustic Emission Measurement in a 1000 °C Environment.

Recently, the authors have proposed a remote acoustic emission (AE) measurement configuration using a sensitive fiber-optic Bragg grating (FBG) sensor. In the configuration, the FBG sensor was remotely bonded on a plate, and an optical fiber was used as the waveguide to propagate AE waves from the adhesive point to the sensor. The previous work (Yu et al., Smart Materials and Structures 25 (10), 105,033 (2016)) has clarified the sensing principle behind the special remote measurement system that enables accurate remote sensing of AE signals. Since the silica-glass optical fibers have a high heat-resistance exceeding 1000 °C, this work presents a preliminary high-temperature AE detection method by using the optical fiber-based ultrasonic waveguide to propagate the AE from a high-temperature environment to a room-temperature environment, in which the FBG sensor could function as the receiver of the guided wave. As a result, the novel measurement configuration successfully achieved highly sensitive and stable AE detection in an alumina plate at elevated temperatures in the 100 °C to 1000 °C range. Due to its good performance, this detection method will be potentially useful for the non-destructive testing that can be performed in high-temperature environments to evaluate the microscopic damage in heat-resistant materials.

Comparative Transcriptome Sequence Analysis of Sporulation-Related Genes of Aspergillus cristatus in Response to Low and High Osmolarity.

Aspergillus cristatus undergoes sexual and asexual development under conditions of low and high osmotic pressure, respectively. In this study, the expression levels of 107 genes associated with sexual and asexual development were analysed under conditions of low and high osmotic pressure by RNA sequencing. The results showed that 37 genes were up-regulated and other genes were down-regulated under conditions of high osmotic pressure, with most of the up-regulated genes associated with asexual development and most down-regulated genes associated with sexual development. These results suggest that osmotic pressure regulated sexual and asexual development of A. cristatus by controlling the expression levels of key genes. Meanwhile, there were differences in the expression levels of key genes associated with the regulation of sexual and asexual development between A. cristatus and Aspergillus nidulans. Moreover, we verified the reliability of the results by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of some key genes. In this study, the relationship between sporulation-related genes and osmotic pressure at the transcriptome level were analysed, which indicated that A. cristatus was a useful model organism for the study of osmotic pressure regulation on sexual and asexual development.

Taxonomy of Macromotettixoides with the description of a new species (Tetrigidae, Metrodorinae).

Descriptions of the flying organs and generic characteristics of the genus Macromotettixoides Zheng, Wei & Jiang are currently imprecise. Macromotettixoides is reviewed and compared with allied genera. A re-description is undertaken and a determination key is provided to Macromotettixoides. Macromotettixoides parvula Zha & Wen, sp. n. from the Guizhou Karst Region, China, is described and illustrated with photographs. Observations on the ecology and habits of the new species are recorded. Four current species of Hyboella Hancock are transferred to Macromotettixoides. Variations of the flying organs and tegminal sinus in the Tetrigidae are discussed, which will help to describe them accurately.

Pharmacological Effect of Caulophyllum robustum on Collagen-Induced Arthritis and Regulation of Nitric Oxide, NF-κB, and Proinflammatory Cytokines In Vivo and In Vitro.

Caulophyllum robustum Maxim (C. robustum) has commonly been used as traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of rheumatic pain and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China. This paper first investigated the anti-inflammation effect of C. robustum extraction (CRME) on RAW264.7 cells stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and gene expression levels of inflammatory factors. Moreover, we first evaluated the anti-RA effects of CRME using collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in DBA/1J mice, and the incidence, clinical score, and joint histopathology were evaluated. The levels of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and PGE2 inflammatory factors in sera of mice were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression of NF-κB p65 in the joint was tested by immune histochemical technique. The results showed that, compared with the model group, CRME significantly improved symptoms of the arthritis index, limb swelling, and histological findings by decreasing synovial membrane damage, the extent of inflammatory cell infiltration, and the expansion of capillaries in CIA mice. The results also showed that CRME can reduce the levels of IL-1, IL-6, TNF-α, and PGE2 and inhibit the expression of NF-κB p65. All these results indicated the anti-inflammatory efficacy of CRME as a novel botanical extraction for the treatment of RA.

Sensitivity distribution properties of a phase-shifted fiber bragg grating sensor to ultrasonic waves.

In this research, the sensitivity distribution properties of a phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating (PS-FBG) to ultrasonic waves were investigated employing the surface attachment method. A careful consideration was taken and examined by experimental results to explain that the distances and angles between the sensor and ultrasonic source influence not only the amplitudes, but also the initial phases, waveforms, and spectra of detected signals. Furthermore, factors, including the attachment method and the material's geometric dimensions, were also discussed. Although these results were obtained based on PS-FBG, they are also applicable to a normal FBG sensor or even an optical fiber sensor, due to the identical physical changes induced by ultrasonic waves in all three. Thus, these results are useful for applications of optical fiber sensors in non-destructive testing and structural health monitoring.

fabC of Streptomyces lydicus involvement in the biosynthesis of streptolydigin.

Streptolydigin, a secondary metabolite produced by Streptomyces lydicus, is a potent inhibitor of bacterial RNA polymerases. It has been suggested that streptolydigin biosynthesis is associated with polyketide synthase (PKS) and nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS). Thus, there is great interest in understanding the role of fatty acid biosynthesis in the biosynthesis of streptolydigin. In this paper, we cloned a type II fatty acid synthase (FAS II) gene cluster of fabDHCF from the genome of S. lydicus and constructed the SlyfabCF-disrupted mutant. Sequence analysis showed that SlyfabDHCF is 3.7 kb in length and encodes four separated proteins with conserved motifs and active residues, as shown in the FAS II of other bacteria. The SlyfabCF disruption inhibited streptolydigin biosynthesis and retarded mycelial growth, which were likely caused by the inhibition of fatty acid synthesis. Streptolydigin was not detected in the culture of the mutant strain by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Meanwhile, the streptolol moiety of streptolydigin accumulated in cultures. As encoded by fabCF, acyl carrier protein (ACP) and beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase II are required for streptolydigin biosynthesis and likely involved in the step between PKS and NRPS. Our results provide the first genetic and metabolic evidence that SlyfabCF is shared by fatty acid synthesis and antibiotic streptolydigin synthesis.

Functional analysis of type II thioesterase of Streptomyces lydicus AS 4.2501.

Constructing a mutant strain of single gene disruption is the basis for the study of gene function and metabolomics. Systematic and complete genome sequencing is the basis of genetic manipulation. In the case of a little knowledge about the Streptomyces lydicus genome and the speculation that polyketide synthases (type I) might be responsible for the polyketide side chain biosynthesis of streptolydigin, a 588-bp fragment was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) according to the homology existing in the same functional genes among Streptomyces. A mutant strain of this gene was constructed by single crossover homologous recombination. The results of sequence analysis as well as the metabolite analysis of the mutant and the original strain by liquid chromatography/mass spectroscopy indicated that this fragment was part of type II thioesterase (TE) gene, which was required for streptolydigin biosynthesis like other type II TEs function in related antibiotics biosynthesis. Furthermore, targeted gene manipulation based on PCR was a powerful tool for studying gene function and metabolomics, especially when little was known about the genomic sequence of streptomyces.

A modified PCR system for amplifying beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase gene fragments with DNA from Streptomyces luteogriseus.

Streptomyces luteogriseus strain 099, producing a new type of macrolide antibiotic with anti-coxB6 virus and anti-HIV protease activities, was isolated from soil. PCR was optimized to amplify beta-ketoacyl-ACP synthase (KS) genes. The system was optimized around the use of higher concentrations of DMSO (15% vs. 10% v/v) and dNTP (500 microM vs. 50-200 microM) and a lower annealing temperature (55 degrees C vs. 60-70 degrees C) than the normal PCR method used to amplify high GC content DNA.