Description of Aureibaculum luteum sp. nov. and Aureibaculum flavum sp. nov. isolated from Antarctic intertidal sediments.

Two Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, non-motile, and rod-shaped bacterial strains, designated SM1352T and A20T, were isolated from intertidal sediments collected from King George Island, Antarctic. They shared 99.8% 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with each other and had the highest sequence similarity of 98.1% to type strain of Aureibaculum marinum but < 93.4% sequence similarity to those of other known bacterial species. The genomes of strains SM1352T and A20T consisted of 5,108,092 bp and 4,772,071 bp, respectively, with the G + C contents both being 32.0%. They respectively encoded 4360 (including 37 tRNAs and 6 rRNAs) and 4032 (including 36 tRNAs and 5 rRNAs) genes. In the phylogenetic trees based on 16S rRNA gene and single-copy orthologous clusters (OCs), both strains clustered with Aureibaculum marinum and together formed a separate branch within the family Flavobacteriaceae. The ANI and DDH values between the two strains and Aureibaculum marinum BH-SD17T were all below the thresholds for species delineation. The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) of the two strains included iso-C15:0, iso-C15:1 G, iso-C17:0 3-OH. Their polar lipids predominantly included phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified aminophospholipid, one unidentified aminolipid, and two unidentified lipids. Genomic comparison revealed that both strains possessed much more glycoside hydrolases and sulfatase-rich polysaccharide utilization loci (PULs) than Aureibaculum marinum BH-SD17T. Based on the above polyphasic evidences, strains SM1352T and A20T represent two novel species within the genus Aureibaculum, for which the names Aureibaculum luteum sp. nov. and Aureibaculum flavum sp. nov. are proposed. The type strains are SM1352T (= CCTCC AB 2014243 T = JCM 30335 T) and A20T (= CCTCC AB 2020370 T = KCTC 82503 T), respectively.

Inline Inspection with an Industrial Robot (IIIR) for Mass-Customization Production Line.

Robots are essential for the rapid development of Industry 4.0. In order to truly achieve autonomous robot control in customizable production lines, robots need to be accurate enough and capable of recognizing the geometry and orientation of an arbitrarily shaped object. This paper presents a method of inline inspection with an industrial robot (IIIR) for mass-customization production lines. A 3D scanner was used to capture the geometry and orientation of the object to be inspected. As the object entered the working range of the robot, the end effector moved along with the object and the camera installed at the end effector performed the requested optical inspections. The detailed information about the developed methodology was introduced in this paper. The experiments showed there was a relative movement between the moving object and the following camera and the speed was around 0.34 mm per second (worst case was around 0.94 mm per second). For a camera of 60 frames per second, the relative moving speed between the object and the camera was around 6 micron (around 16 micron for the worst case), which was stable enough for most industrial production inspections.

Toxic Metals Increase Serum Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Levels, Modified by Essential Elements and Different Types of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Promoter Single-nucleotide Polymorphisms.

BACKGROUND: Lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and arsenic (As) could cause health issues through oxidative stress that is indicated in the elevated tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). However, some of the essential elements-selenium (Se), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), and copper (Cu)-are cofactors or structural components of antioxidant enzymes. It is suggested that single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TNF-α gene have different TNF-α responses. This study aims to evaluate the effect of serum TNF-α levels through the interactions between toxic metals and essential elements and how the interactions between the toxic metals and TNF-α SNPs (-1031 T > C, -863 C > A, -857 C > T, -308 G > A, -238 G > A) influence serum TNF-α levels. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 455 workers who carried out annual health examinations and multielements determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). TNF-α levels were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). TNF-α promoter SNPs were analyzed by specific primer probes using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. RESULTS: Increasing blood Pb, Cd, and As levels were associated with elevated TNF-α levels. The interaction between Pb and Cu decreased TNF-α levels and so did the interaction between Cd and Se. In the interaction between Pb and SNPs, individuals with AA/AG (-308 G > A) and AA/AG (-238 G > A) had higher serum TNF-α levels. However, lower TNF-α levels were noted in those individuals with AA/CA (-863 C > A). In the interaction between As and SNPs, workers with AA/AG (-238 G > A) had synergic effect with As and induced higher serum TNF-α levels. CONCLUSIONS: Blood Cu and Se were antagonists of toxic metals (Pb, As, and Cd) through lower serum TNF-α levels. Variant types of TNF-α SNPs (-308 G > A, -238 G > A) and wild type of -863 CC would be more susceptible to toxic metals.

Haliea atlantica sp. nov., isolated from seawater, transfer of Haliea mediterranea to Parahaliea gen. nov. as Parahaliea mediterranea comb. nov. and emended description of the genus Haliea.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, oxidase- and catalase-positive, aerobic bacterium, designated strain SM1351T, was isolated from surface seawater of the Atlantic Ocean. This strain grew at 4-45 °C and with 5-90 g NaCl l- 1. It did not reduce nitrate to nitrite and could not hydrolyse starch or DNA. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that the strain was affiliated with the genus Haliea in the family Alteromonadaceae, with sequence similarities with the type strains of Haliea salexigens and Haliea mediterranea, the two recognized species of the genus Haliea, of 96.2 and 94.6 %, respectively. The major fatty acids of strain SM1351T were C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH, C17 : 1ω8c, C18 : 1ω7c and C16 : 0 and the major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol and diphosphatidylglycerol. The major respiratory quinone was ubiquinone Q-8. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain SM1351T was 62 mol%. On the basis of the polyphasic characterization of strain SM1351T in this study, it is considered to represent a novel species in the genus Haliea, for which the name Haliea atlantica sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is SM1351T ( = CCTCC AB 2014266T = JCM 30304T). Moreover, the transfer of Haliea mediterraneaLucena et al. 2010 to Parahaliea gen. nov. as Parahaliea mediterranea comb. nov. (type strain 7SM29T = CECT 7447T = DSM 21924T) and an emended description of the genus Haliea are also proposed.

Marivirga atlantica sp. nov., isolated from seawater and emended description of the genus Marivirga.

A novel Gram-stain-negative, aerobic, orange-pigmented, non-flagellated, gliding, rod-shaped bacterium, designated strain SM1354(T) was isolated from surface seawater of the Atlantic Ocean. The strain hydrolysed gelatin and DNA but did not reduce nitrate. It grew at 4-40 °C and with 0.5-11% (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain SM1354(T) belonged to the genus Marivirga with 96.0-96.2% sequence similarities to known species of the genus Marivirga . The major fatty acids of strain SM1354(T) were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G, iso-C17 : 03-OH and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 02-OH). Polar lipids of strain SM1354(T) included phosphatidylethanolamine, three unidentified lipids and one unidentified aminolipid and aminophospholipid. The major respiratory quinone of strain SM1354(T) was menaquinone 7 (MK-7). The genomic DNA G+C content of strain SM1354(T) was 33.9 ± 0.4 mol%. On the basis of the results of the polyphasic characterization in this study, it is proposed that strain SM1354(T) represents a novel species of the genus Marivirga , namely Marivirga atlantica sp. nov. The type strain of Marivirga atlantica is SM1354(T) ( =CCTCC AB 2014242(T) =JCM 30305(T)). An emended description of the genus Marivirga is also proposed.

Evaluating the performance of urine conductivity as screening for early stage chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine if urine conductivity (Cond) is better for screening early stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) instead of the currently routinely used parameters of urine creatinine (UCr), urine osmolality (Osmo), urine specific gravity (SpGr), and urine protein (UP). METHODS: One hundred and forty participants (86 male, 54 female) with eGFR > 60 were grouped as either early stage CKD (kidney damage longer than 3 months with either structural or functional abnormalities [n = 72]) or the control group (without CKD and without kidney damage or functional abnormalities [n = 681]). Sensitivty (Sn) and specificity (Sp) of UP and the ROC curves were calculated. The area under the curve (AUC) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to compare Cond, UCr, Osmo, and SpGr. Pearson's correlation was used to analyze the correlation between Cond and UCr, Osmo, and SpGr in the early stage CKD group. RESULTS: The Sn and Sp of UP were 22.2% and 92.6%, respectively. By ROC analysis, Cond had the largest AUC (0.752, 95% CI: 0.672-0.832), with 52.9% Sn and 86.1% Sp. Pearson's correlation showed that the coefficient (p < 0.01) of Cond to UCr, Osmo, and SpG were 0.696, 0.907, and 0.820, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Cond has better screening ability than UP for early stage CKD and may be a potential surrogate parameter for Osmo, SpGr and UCr.

Polaribacter huanghezhanensis sp. nov., isolated from Arctic fjord sediment, and emended description of the genus Polaribacter.

A Gram-negative, orange-colony-forming, aerobic and non-flagellated bacterium, designated strain SM1202(T), was isolated from marine sediment of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences revealed that strain SM1202(T) was phylogenetically closely related to the genus Polaribacter. It shared the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity with the type strain of Polaribacter dokdonensis (94.2 %) and 92.7-93.9 % sequence similarity with type strains of other known species of the genus Polaribacter. The strain grew at 4-35 °C and with 1.0-5.0 % (w/v) NaCl. It contained iso-C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 0 3-OH, iso-C13 : 0, C15 : 0, iso-C15 : 1 G, iso-C17 : 0 3-OH and C15 : 1ω6c as predominant cellular fatty acids and menaquinone-6 (MK-6) as the major respiratory quinone. The polar lipids of strain SM1202(T) were phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified lipid, two unidentified aminophospholipids and one unidentified aminolipid. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain SM1202(T) was 36.4 mol%. On the basis of the data from this polyphasic taxonomic study, strain SM1202(T) represents a novel species in the genus Polaribacter of the family Flavobacteriaceae, for which the name Polaribacter huanghezhanensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Polaribacter huanghezhanensis is SM1202(T) ( = CCTCC AB 2013148(T) = KCTC 32516(T)). An emended description of the genus Polaribacter is also presented.

Inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus reactivation in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells by dietary sulforaphane.

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been associated with several human malignancies including nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Reactivation of latent EBV has been considered to contribute to the carcinogenesis of NPC. Blocking the EBV lytic cycle has been shown effective in the treatment of EBV-associated diseases. We have searched for natural dietary compounds inhibiting EBV reactivation in NPC cells. Among them, sulforaphane (SFN) was found to be effective in the inhibition of EBV reactivation in latent EBV-positive NPC cells, NA and HA. SFN is a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor and has been recognized as an antioxidant and antitumor compound for chemoprevention. However, its antiviral effect is less well elucidated. In this study, after determination of the cytotoxicity of SFN on various epithelial cells, we showed that SFN treatment inhibits EBV reactivation, rather than induction, by detection of EBV lytic gene expression in EBV-positive NPC cells. We also determined that the number of cells supporting the EBV lytic cycle is decreased using immunofluorescence and flow cytometric analysis. Moreover, we have found that this inhibitory effect decreases virus production. To elucidate the inhibitory mechanism of SFN on the EBV lytic cycle, luciferase reporter assays were carried out on the Zta and Rta promoters. The results show that SFN inhibits transactivation activity of the EBV immediate-early gene Rta but not Zta. Together, our results suggest that SFN has the capability to inhibit EBV lytic cycle and the potential to be taken as a dietary compound for prevention of EBV reactivation.

An arsenate reductase homologue possessing phosphatase activity from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas [L.] Lam): kinetic studies and characterization.

A cDNA encoding a putative arsenate reductase homologue (IbArsR) was cloned from sweet potato (Ib). The deduced protein showed a high level of sequence homology (16-66%) with ArsRs from other organisms. A 3-D homology structure was created based on AtArsR (PDB code 1T3K ) from Arabidopsis thaliana. The putative active site of protein tyrosine phosphatase (HC(X)(5)R) is conserved in all reported ArsRs. IbArsR was overexpressed and purified. The monomeric nature of the enzyme was confirmed by 15% SDS-PAGE and molecular mass determination of the native enzyme via ESI Q-TOF. The IbArsR lacks arsenate reductase activity but possesses phosphatase activity. The Michaelis constant (K(M)) value for p-nitrophenyl phosphate (pNPP) was 11.11 mM. The phosphatase activity was inhibited by 0.5 mM sodium arsenate [As(V)]. The protein's half-life of deactivation at 25 °C was 6.1 min, and its inactivation rate constant K(d) was 1.1 × 10(-1) min(-1). The enzyme was active in a broad pH range from 4.0 to 11.0 with optimum activity at pH 10.0. Phosphatase would remove phosphate group from nucleic acid or dephosphorylation of other enzymes as regulation signaling.