Effect of Hydrogen Addition on Soot Formation and Emission in Acetylene Laminar Diffusion Flame.

Hydrogen (H2) has been regarded as a highly competitive alternative fuel that does not produce CO2 and soot during combustion. There are few studies of cofiring H2 with hydrocarbons. Meanwhile, the effect of hydrogen addition on soot formation and emission is questionable. In this study, the effect of H2 addition with varying ratios (between 0 and 50% by molar fraction while the remainder is nitrogen) on soot formation in acetylene (50% by molar fraction) laminar diffusion flames was experimentally and numerically investigated. Results show that with H2 addition, the flame height increases and the temperature decreases. The total soot emission and the primary particle size both increase with H2 addition. The addition of H2 promotes soot formation. In addition, the soot oxidation is weakened due to the lower flame temperature. Chemical kinetic analysis shows that the concentrations of A1, H, and H2O increase with H2 addition, which is consistent with the experimental results. According to the HACA reaction, the increase of the molar fraction of A1 and H radicals could promote PAH growth and soot formation.

Algoriphagus algorifonticola sp. nov., a marine bacterium isolated from cold spring area of South China Sea.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, short-rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain hg1T, was isolated from marine sediment within the cold spring area of South China Sea and subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic investigation. Colonies were circular and 1.0-2.0 mm in diameter, coral in colour, convex and smooth after growth on marine agar at 28 °C for 3 days. Strain hg1T was found to grow at 4-40 °C (optimum, 35-37 °C), at pH 6.5-9.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.5-2 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis showed the sole respiratory quinone was MK-7, and the principal fatty acids are iso-C15 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1 ω7c and/or C16 : 1 ω6c), and iso-C16 : 0. The major polar lipids are phosphatidylethanolamine, an unidentified phospholipid and five unidentified glycolipids. The DNA G+C content of strain hg1T was 39.6 mol% based on the genome sequence. The comparison of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities showed that hg1T was closely related to Algoriphagus ornithinivorans DSM 15282T (98.6 % sequence similarity), Algoriphagus zhangzhouensis MCCC 1F01099T (97.9 %) and Algoriphagus vanfongensis DSM 17529T (97.2 %); it exhibited 97.0 % or less sequence similarity to the type strains of other species of the genus Algoriphagus with validly published names. Phylogenetic trees reconstructed with the neighbour-joining, maximum-parsimony and maximum-likelihood methods based on 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that strain hg1T constituted a separate branch with A. ornithinivorans, A. zhangzhouensis, A. vanfongensis in a clade of the genus Algoriphagus. OrthoANI values between strain hg1T and A. ornithinivorans, A. zhangzhouensis and A. vanfongensis were 94.3, 74.1, 73.2 %, respectively, and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values were 56.2, 18.5 and 18.3 %, respectively. Differential phenotypic properties, together with phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain hg1T is clearly distinct from recognized species of genus Algoriphagus. On the basis of these features, we propose that strain hg1T (=MCCC 1K03570T=KCTC 72111T) represents a novel species of the genus Algoriphagus with the name Algoriphagus algorifonticola sp. nov.

Successful Immunotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer in a Patient With TSC2 and SMAD4 Mutations: A Case Report.

Background: Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis, and it is traditionally treated with chemotherapy. Fortunately, immunotherapy has rapidly changed the landscape of solid tumor treatment, and improving the survival of cancer patients. However, pancreatic cancer is non-immunogenic, and single agent immunotherapies are unfavorable to its prognosis. Case Presentation: Here, we report a case of stage IV pancreatic cancer in a patient with TSC2 and SMAD4 mutations treated with immunotherapy when the disease progressed after multi-line chemotherapy. Next generation sequencing (NGS) confirmed the presence of TSC2 and SMAD4 mutations and microsatellite stability (MSS). When the disease progressed after chemotherapy, a combination strategy was devised consisting of chemotherapy (S-1) and sintilimab. The patient had a partial response to therapy with this regimen, the lesions were significantly reduced and nearly disappeared. In metastatic pancreatic cancer, responses of this magnitude are rarely seen. Conclusions: This outcome reveals that this combination can be effective in treating metastatic pancreatic cancer, especially in pancreatic cancer patients with SMAD4 and TSC2 mutations. This may help increase the use of this therapy in large-scale clinical research.

Numerical and Experimental Investigation of Soot Suppression by Acoustic Oscillated Combustion.

The soot suppression by acoustic oscillations for acetylene diffusion flames was investigated combining numerical and experimental studies. The combustion and soot formation were predicted by the finite-rate detailed chemistry model and modified Moss-Brookes model, respectively, while the turbulence was predicted by the detached eddy simulation (DES) with a low Reynolds number correction. Experimental results showed that the soot rate almost decreased linearly with the amplitude of acoustic oscillation, and the pinch-off of the flame occurred at a large acoustic oscillation. Numerical results showed that the flame structure was well predicted, while the soot rate was over-predicted at large acoustic oscillations; the consumption of O2 increased obviously with the acoustic oscillation. The soot suppression was mainly caused by the decrease of the surface growth rate when the air was pushed toward the flame.

Description of Erythrobacter mangrovi sp. nov., an aerobic bacterium from rhizosphere soil of mangrove plant (Kandelia candel).

A novel Gram-stain negative, aerobic, non-motile, rod-shaped bacterium, designated as strain EB310T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of mangrove plant Kandelia candel in Fugong village, Zhangzhou, China. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain EB310T belonged to the genus Erythrobacter, clustering with Erythrobacter pelagi JCM 17468T, Erythrobacter lutimaris KCTC 42109T and Erythrobacter marisflavi KCTC 62896T, and showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97.5% to Erythrobacter pelagi JCM 17468T. The genomic average nucleotide identity and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain EB310T and the reference strains were 71.0-75.5% and 19.8-20.0%, respectively. Growth ranges of the isolate occurred at 10-45 °C (optimum 28-30 °C), pH 5.5-9.5 (optimum pH 7.5) and 0-9.0% NaCl concentrations (optimum 2.0%, w/v). The strain did not produce bacteriochlorophyll a and flexirubin, but produced carotenoids. The strain contained Q-10 as the predominant ubiquinone and summed feature 3 (C16:1 ω7c/C16:1 ω6c) and summed feature 8 (C18:1 ω6c/C18:1 ω7c) as the major fatty acids. The major polar lipids were sphingoglycolipid, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine. Differential phenotypic characteristics, together with chemotaxonomic, phylogenetic and genomic distinctiveness, indicated that strain EB310T is distinguishable from other members of the genus Erythrobacter. On the basis of the data exhibited, strain EB310T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Erythrobacter, for which the name Erythrobacter mangrovi sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is EB310T (= KCTC 72109T = MCCC 1K03690T). The genomic DNA G + C content is 62.9 mol%.

Discovery of Three 22-Membered Macrolides by Deciphering the Streamlined Genome of Mangrove-Derived Streptomyces sp. HM190.

Strain HM190, a moderate halophile, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of the mangrove Kandelia obovata in Fugong village, China. The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequence and the results of phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain HM190 belonged to the genus Streptomyces and had the highest sequence similarity of 99.79% to Streptomyces heilongjiangensis NEAU-W2T. The complete genome of strain HM190 comprised 7,762,826 bp in a linear chromosome with 71.97% G + C content. According to antiSMASH analysis, a total of 30 biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) were predicted to be involved in secondary metabolism, 12 of which were responsible for the production of polyketide- and non-ribosomal peptide-derived secondary metabolites. Gene cluster 5 was responsible for macrolide biosynthesis in a strain-specific 126,331-bp genomic island belonging to the left-arm region. Combined genomics-metabolomics analysis led to the discovery of three 22-membered macrolides (compounds 1-3). Their structures were elucidated by using spectroscopic techniques including high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (HRESIMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The absolute configurations of compounds 1-3 were determined by the X-ray single crystal diffraction and NMR data analysis. All three compounds displayed moderate cytotoxic activities toward tumor cell lines HepG2, A549, and HCT116.

Three New Isoflavonoid Glycosides from the Mangrove-Derived Actinomycete Micromonospora aurantiaca 110B.

The mangrove ecosystem is a rich resource for the discovery of actinomycetes with potential applications in pharmaceutical science. Besides the genus Streptomyces, Micromonospora is also a source of new bioactive agents. We screened Micromonospora from the rhizosphere soil of mangrove plants in Fujian province, China, and 51 strains were obtained. Among them, the extracts of 12 isolates inhibited the growth of human lung carcinoma A549 cells. Strain 110B exhibited better cytotoxic activity, and its bioactive constituents were investigated. Consequently, three new isoflavonoid glycosides, daidzein-4'-(2-deoxy-α-l-fucopyranoside) (1), daidzein-7-(2-deoxy-α-l-fucopyranoside) (2), and daidzein-4',7-di-(2-deoxy-α-l-fucopyranoside) (3) were isolated from the fermentation broth of strain 110B. The structures of the new compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods, including 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (HR-ESIMS). The result of medium-changing experiments implicated that these new compounds were microbial biotransformation products of strain M. aurantiaca 110B. The three compounds displayed moderate cytotoxic activity to the human lung carcinoma cell line A549, hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line HepG2, and the human colon tumor cell line HCT116, whereas none of them showed antifungal or antibacterial activities.

Idiomarina mangrovi sp. nov., isolated from rhizosphere soil of a mangrove Avicennia marina forest.

A Gram-staining negative, aerobic, motile and rod-shaped bacterium, designated ZQ330T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of a mangrove (Avicennia marina) forest of Zhangzhou, Fujian Province, China. The growth range of NaCl concentration was 0.5-10.0 % (w/v), with an optimum at 2.5-3.0 % (w/v), the temperature range for growth was 10-40 °C, with an optimum at 28-30 °C, the pH range for growth was pH 6.0-9.5, with an optimum at pH 7.5. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain ZQ330T exhibited less than 97.0 % sequence similarity to all type strains with validly published names and revealed that strain ZQ330T formed a distinct lineage in the genus Idiomarina. The average nucleotide identity, and in silico DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain ZQ330T and the reference strains were 64.8-69.9 % and 27.5-28.4 %, respectively. Chemotaxonomic analysis indicated that the main respiratory quinone was Q-8, the predominant cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 0, summed feature 9 (C16 : 0 10-methyl and/or iso-C17 : 1ω9c), iso-C15 : 1F, C16 : 0, C18 : 0, summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω8c and/or iso-C16 : 1 2-OH) and summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c and/or C18 : 1ω7c). The polar lipid profile was composed of diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, an unidentified glycolipid, an unidentified aminolipid, an unidentified phospholipid and two unidentified lipids. Based on the genotypic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic features, strain ZQ330T is considered to represent a novel species, for which the name Idiomarina mangrovi sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZQ330T (=MCCC 1K03495T=KCTC 62455T).

Meridianimarinicoccus roseus gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel genus of the family Rhodobacteraceae isolated from seawater.

A Gram-stain negative, pink-pigmented, strictly aerobic, non-motile and coccoid-shaped bacterial strain, designated TG-679T, was isolated from a deep-sea water sample collected from the South China Sea. Cells of strain TG-679T were catalase- and oxidase-positive, lacked bacteriochlorophyll a and carotenoid. Strain TG-679T was found to grow at 10-40 °C (optimum, 28 °C), pH 5.5-10.0 (optimum, pH 7.5) and with 0.5-2.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1.5 %). Chemotaxonomic analysis of strain TG-679T indicated that the sole respiratory quinone was Q-10, the predominant cellular fatty acid was C18 : 1ω7c, and the major polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine, an unidentified phospholipid and two unidentified glycolipids. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain TG-679T was 65.9 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain TG-679T constituted a separated branch in the family Rhodobacteraceae. Differential phenotypic properties, together with phylogenetic distinctiveness, demonstrated that strain TG-679T is clearly distinct from any validly published genus. Based on polyphasic taxonomic characterization, strain TG-679T is considered to represent a novel species of a novel genus, for which the name Meridianimarinicoccus roseus gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of the species is TG-679T (=KCTC 62454T=MCCC 1K03496T).

Pseudomonas mangrovi sp. nov., isolated from mangrove soil.

A Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, short-rod-shaped bacterium, designated as strain TC11T, was isolated from rhizosphere soil of mangrove forest (Kandeliaobovata) in Fugong village, Zhangzhou, Fujian, China. Strain TC11T grew at 15-45 °C (optimum, 35 °C), 0-8 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 1 %, w/v) and pH 5.5-9.5 (optimum, pH 7.5). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that strain TC11T belonged to a clade of the genus Pseudomonas and showed the highest sequence similarity of 98.4 % to Pseudomonas fluvialis ASS-1T, followed by Pseudomonas oleovorans subsp.oleovorans DSM 1045T (97.9 %), Pseudomonas indoloxydans JCM 14246T (97.7 %), Pseudomonas guguanensis JCM 18416T(97.6 %) and Pseudomonas alcaliphila JCM 10630T (97.5 %) on the basis of their 16S rRNA gene sequences. The DNA G+C content was 64.3 mol%. In silico DNA-DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values between strain TC11T and the reference strains were 19-22 % and 72-78 %, respectively. Studies based on the three housekeeping genes, rpoB, gyrB and rpoD, further confirmed that strain TC11T is a novel member of the genus Pseudomonas. The major fatty acids of strain TC11Twere C16 : 0, summed feature 8 (C18 : 1ω6c/C18 : 1ω7c) and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c/C16 : 1ω6c). The sole isoprenoid quinone was Q-9. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic properties, strain TC11T represents a novel species of the genus Pseudomonas, for which the name Pseudomonasmangrovi sp. nov., is proposed. The type strain is TC11T (=KCTC 62159=MCCC 1K03499).

Description of Wenzhouxiangella salilacus sp. nov., a moderate halophilic bacterium isolated from a salt lake in Xinjiang Province, China.

A Gram-stain negative, non-motile, strictly aerobic and rod-shaped bacterium, designated as 15181T, was isolated from a salt lake in Xinjiang Province, China. Strain 15181T was able to grow at 10-40 °C (optimum 37 °C), pH 6.0-8.5 (optimum 7.0) and with 1-14% NaCl (optimum 4%, w/v). According to phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, strain 15181T was assigned to the genus Wenzhouxiangella with high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity of 97.4% to Wenzhouxiangella sediminis XDB06T, followed by Wenzhouxiangella marina KCTC 42284T (95.9%). Strain 15181T exhibited ANI values of 80.0% and 72.0% to W. sediminis XDB06T and W. marina KCTC 42284T, respectively. The in silico DDH analysis revealed that strain 15181T shared 19.1% and 18.7% DNA relatedness with W. sediminis XDB06T and W. marina KCTC 42284T, respectively. Chemotaxonomic analysis showed that the sole respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-8, the major fatty acids included iso-C15:0, iso-C16:0 and summed feature 9 (C16:0 10-methyl and/or iso-C17:1ω9c). The major polar lipids included diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified glycolipids, two unidentified phospholipids, two unidentified aminophospholipids and an unidentified lipid. On the basis of phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics presented in this study, strain 15181T is concluded to represent a novel species in the genus Wenzhouxiangella, for which the name Wenzhouxiangella salilacus sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 15181T (=KCTC 62172T=MCCC 1K03442T).

Streptomyces nigra sp. nov. Is a Novel Actinobacterium Isolated From Mangrove Soil and Exerts a Potent Antitumor Activity in Vitro.

A new bacterial strain, designated 452T, was isolated from the rhizosphere soil of the mangrove Avicennia marina in China. As determined, its cell wall peptidoglycan contained LL-diaminopimelic acid; MK-9(H8) and MK-9(H6) were the major isoprenoid quinones; and iso-C16:0 (31.3%), anteiso-C15:0 (16.9%), and iso-C15:0 (12.5%) were the major cellular fatty acids (>10.0%). Phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that strain 452T formed a distinct lineage in the clade of the genus Streptomyces, and was closely related to S. coerulescens DSM 40146T (99.6% sequence identity), S. bellus DSM 40185T (99.5%), and S. coeruleorubidus DSM 41172T (99.3%). The DNA-DNA relatedness between strain 452T and these type strains ranged between 29.3 and 42.3%. Based on the phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and phylogenetic features, the strain 452T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Streptomyces, for which the name Streptomyces nigra sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is 452T (=KCTC 39960T = MCCC 1K03346T). Further, strain 452T extracts exhibited a pronounced antitumor activity against human cancer cell lines A549, HCT-116, and HepG2, but not against normal human colon cells CCD-18Co. Active substances in the fermentation broth of strain 452T were isolated by bioassay-guided analysis, and then purified using a macroporous resin, silica gel, sephadex LX-20 column, and semi-preparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Eight proline-containing diketopiperazines, namely, cyclo(Pro-Ala), cyclo(Pro-Gly), cyclo(Pro-Phe), cyclo(Pro-Met), cyclo(Pro-Val), cyclo(Pro-Leu), cyclo(Pro-Tyr), and cyclo(L-Leu-trans-4-hydroxy-L-Pro), were identified by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The compounds displayed different levels of cytotoxicity. The highest cytotoxicity was exhibited by cyclo(Pro-Ala) and cyclo(Pro-Met) against A549 cells, and cyclo(Phe-Pro) and cyclo(Pro-Ala) against HCT-116 cells, with average IC50 values equal to 18.5, 27.3, 32.3, and 47.6 µg/mL, respectively. The diversity of diketopiperazines and other chemicals produced by 452T was further investigated using gas chromatography (GC)-MS and liquid chromatography (LC)-MS. The analysis revealed 16 types of metabolites with antitumor activity and 16 other types of diketopiperazines. Hence, extracts of the newly identified strain may be used a starting material for the development of antitumor agents.