The potential use of Zymomonas mobilis for the food industry.

Zymomonas mobilis is a gram-negative facultative anaerobic spore, which is generally recognized as a safe. As a promising ethanologenic organism for large-scale bio-ethanol production, Z. mobilis has also shown a good application prospect in food processing and food additive synthesis for its unique physiological characteristics and excellent industrial characteristics. It not only has obvious advantages in food processing and becomes the biorefinery chassis cell for food additives, but also has a certain healthcare effect on human health. Until to now, most of the research is still in theory and laboratory scale, and further research is also needed to achieve industrial production. This review summarized the physiological characteristics and advantages of Z. mobilis in food industry for the first time and further expounds its research status in food industry from three aspects of food additive synthesis, fermentation applications, and prebiotic efficacy, it will provide a theoretical basis for its development and applications in food industry. This review also discussed the shortcomings of its practical applications in the current food industry, and explored other ways to broaden the applications of Z. mobilis in the food industry, to promote its applications in food processing.

Potential applications of Zymomonas mobilis in food industry summarized for the first time.Research status of Z. mobilis in food additive synthesis, fermentation applications, and probiotics are discussed in details.Future research perspectives of Z. mobilis in food industry further proposed.

Resting-state magnetoencephalography source magnitude imaging with deep-learning neural network for classification of symptomatic combat-related mild traumatic brain injury.

Combat-related mild traumatic brain injury (cmTBI) is a leading cause of sustained physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral disabilities in Veterans and active-duty military personnel. Accurate diagnosis of cmTBI is challenging since the symptom spectrum is broad and conventional neuroimaging techniques are insensitive to the underlying neuropathology. The present study developed a novel deep-learning neural network method, 3D-MEGNET, and applied it to resting-state magnetoencephalography (rs-MEG) source-magnitude imaging data from 59 symptomatic cmTBI individuals and 42 combat-deployed healthy controls (HCs). Analytic models of individual frequency bands and all bands together were tested. The All-frequency model, which combined delta-theta (1-7 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (15-30 Hz), and gamma (30-80 Hz) frequency bands, outperformed models based on individual bands. The optimized 3D-MEGNET method distinguished cmTBI individuals from HCs with excellent sensitivity (99.9 ± 0.38%) and specificity (98.9 ± 1.54%). Receiver-operator-characteristic curve analysis showed that diagnostic accuracy was 0.99. The gamma and delta-theta band models outperformed alpha and beta band models. Among cmTBI individuals, but not controls, hyper delta-theta and gamma-band activity correlated with lower performance on neuropsychological tests, whereas hypo alpha and beta-band activity also correlated with lower neuropsychological test performance. This study provides an integrated framework for condensing large source-imaging variable sets into optimal combinations of regions and frequencies with high diagnostic accuracy and cognitive relevance in cmTBI. The all-frequency model offered more discriminative power than each frequency-band model alone. This approach offers an effective path for optimal characterization of behaviorally relevant neuroimaging features in neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Dark Photon and Muon g-2 Inspired Inelastic Dark Matter Models at the High-Energy Intensity Frontier.

We study hidden-sector particles at past (CERN-Hamburg-Amsterdam-Rome-Moscow Collaboration and NuCal), present (NA62, SeaQuest, and DarkQuest), and future (LongQuest) experiments at the high-energy intensity frontier. We focus on exploring the minimal vector portal and the next-to-minimal models in which the productions and decays are decoupled. These next-to-minimal models have mostly been devised to explain experimental anomalies while avoiding existing constraints. We demonstrate that proton fixed-target experiments provide one of the most powerful probes for the MeV to few GeV mass range of these models, using inelastic dark matter (iDM) as an example. We consider an iDM model with a small mass splitting that yields the observed dark matter relic abundance, and a scenario with a sizable mass splitting that can also explain the muon g-2 anomaly. We set strong limits based on the CERN-Hamburg-Amsterdam-Rome-Moscow Collaboration and NuCal experiments, which come close to excluding iDM as a full-abundance thermal dark matter candidate in the MeV to GeV mass range. We also make projections based on NA62, SeaQuest, and DarkQuest and update the constraints of the minimal dark photon parameter space. We find that NuCal sets the only existing constraint in ε∼10^{-8}-10^{-4} regime, reaching ∼800 MeV in dark photon mass due to the resonant enhancement of proton bremsstrahlung production. These studies also motivate LongQuest, a three-stage retooling of the SeaQuest experiment with short (≲5 m), medium (∼5 m), and long (≳35 m) baseline tracking stations and detectors as a multipurpose machine to explore new physics.

Mitochondria-localizing curcumin-cryptolepine Zn(II) complexes and their antitumor activity.

Many metal complexes are potent candidates as mitochondrial-targeting agents. In this study, four novel Zn(II) complexes, [Zn(BPQA)Cl2] (Zn1), [Zn(BPQA)(Curc)]Cl (Zn2), [Zn(PQA)Cl2] (Zn3), and [Zn(PQA)(Curc)]Cl (Zn4), containing N,N-bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)benzofuro[3,2-b]quinolin-11-amine (BPQA), N-(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)benzofuro[3,2-b]quinolin-11-amine (PQA), and curcumin (H-Curc) were synthesized. An MTT assay showed that Zn1-Zn4 had strong anticancer activities against SK-OV-3/DDP and T-24 tumor cells with IC50 values of 0.03-6.19 µM. Importantly, Zn1 and Zn2 displayed low toxicities against normal HL-7702 cells. Mechanism experiments demonstrated that probe Zn2 showed appreciable fluorescence in the red region of the spectrum, and substantial accumulation of Zn2 occurred in the mitochondria after treatment, indicating increases in Ca2+ and reactive oxygen species levels, loss of the mitochondrial membrane potential, and consequent induction of mitochondrial dysfunction at low concentrations. In addition, the probe Zn2 effectively (50.7%) inhibited the growth of T-24 bladder tumor cells in vivo. The probe Zn2 shows potential for use in cancer therapy while retaining the H-Curc as an imaging probe.

Marked Increases in Resting-State MEG Gamma-Band Activity in Combat-Related Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Combat-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a leading cause of sustained impairments in military service members and veterans. Recent animal studies show that GABA-ergic parvalbumin-positive interneurons are susceptible to brain injury, with damage causing abnormal increases in spontaneous gamma-band (30-80 Hz) activity. We investigated spontaneous gamma activity in individuals with mTBI using high-resolution resting-state magnetoencephalography source imaging. Participants included 25 symptomatic individuals with chronic combat-related blast mTBI and 35 healthy controls with similar combat experiences. Compared with controls, gamma activity was markedly elevated in mTBI participants throughout frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital cortices, whereas gamma activity was reduced in ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Across groups, greater gamma activity correlated with poorer performances on tests of executive functioning and visuospatial processing. Many neurocognitive associations, however, were partly driven by the higher incidence of mTBI participants with both higher gamma activity and poorer cognition, suggesting that expansive upregulation of gamma has negative repercussions for cognition particularly in mTBI. This is the first human study to demonstrate abnormal resting-state gamma activity in mTBI. These novel findings suggest the possibility that abnormal gamma activities may be a proxy for GABA-ergic interneuron dysfunction and a promising neuroimaging marker of insidious mild head injuries.

Metabolic engineering of Zymomonas moblis for ethylene production from straw hydrolysate.

Biological ethylene production is a promising sustainable alternative approach for fossil-based ethylene production. The high glucose utilization of Z. mobilis makes it as a promising bioethylene producer. In this study, Zymomonas mobilis has been engineered to produce ethylene through the introduction of the synthetic ethylene-forming enzyme (EFE). We also investigated the effect of systematically knocking out the competitive metabolic pathway of pyruvate in an effort to improve the availability of pyruvate for ethylene production in Z. mobilis expressing EFE. Guided by these results, we tested a number of conjectures that could improve the α-ketoglutarate supply. Optimization of these pathways and different substrate supplies resulted in a greater production of ethylene (from 1.36 to 12.83 nmol/OD600/mL), which may guide future engineering work on ethylene production using other organisms. Meanwhile, we achieved an ethylene production of 5.8 nmol/OD600/mL in the ZM532-efe strain using enzymatic straw hydrolysate of corn straw as the sole carbon source. As a preferred host in biorefinery technologies using lignocellulosic biomass as feedstock, heterologous expression of EFE in Z. mobilis converts the non-ethylene producing strain into an ethylene-producing one using a metabolic engineering approach, which is of great significance for the utilization of cellulosic biomass in the future. KEY POINTS: • Heterologous expression of EFE in Z. mobilis successfully converted the non-ethylene producing strain into an ethylene producer (1.36 nmol/OD600/mL). Targeted modifications of the central carbon metabolism can effectively improve ethylene production (peak production: 8.3 nmol/OD600/mL). • The addition of nutrients to the medium can further increase the production of ethylene (peak production: 12.8 nmol/OD600/mL). • The ZM532-efe strain achieved an ethylene production of 5.8 nmol/OD600/mL when enzymatic hydrolysate of corn straw was used as the sole carbon source.

The Cortical Maps of Hierarchical Linguistic Structures during Speech Perception.

The hierarchical nature of language requires human brain to internally parse connected-speech and incrementally construct abstract linguistic structures. Recent research revealed multiple neural processing timescales underlying grammar-based configuration of linguistic hierarchies. However, little is known about where in the whole cerebral cortex such temporally scaled neural processes occur. This study used novel magnetoencephalography source imaging techniques combined with a unique language stimulation paradigm to segregate cortical maps synchronized to 3 levels of linguistic units (i.e., words, phrases, and sentences). Notably, distinct ensembles of cortical loci were identified to feature structures at different levels. The superior temporal gyrus was found to be involved in processing all 3 linguistic levels while distinct ensembles of other brain regions were recruited to encode each linguistic level. Neural activities in the right motor cortex only followed the rhythm of monosyllabic words which have clear acoustic boundaries, whereas the left anterior temporal lobe and the left inferior frontal gyrus were selectively recruited in processing phrases or sentences. Our results ground a multi-timescale hierarchical neural processing of speech in neuroanatomical reality with specific sets of cortices responsible for different levels of linguistic units.

MEG Working Memory N-Back Task Reveals Functional Deficits in Combat-Related Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Combat-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a leading cause of sustained cognitive impairment in military service members and Veterans. However, the mechanism of persistent cognitive deficits including working memory (WM) dysfunction is not fully understood in mTBI. Few studies of WM deficits in mTBI have taken advantage of the temporal and frequency resolution afforded by electromagnetic measurements. Using magnetoencephalography (MEG) and an N-back WM task, we investigated functional abnormalities in combat-related mTBI. Study participants included 25 symptomatic active-duty service members or Veterans with combat-related mTBI and 20 healthy controls with similar combat experiences. MEG source-magnitude images were obtained for alpha (8-12 Hz), beta (15-30 Hz), gamma (30-90 Hz), and low-frequency (1-7 Hz) bands. Compared with healthy combat controls, mTBI participants showed increased MEG signals across frequency bands in frontal pole (FP), ventromedial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), and anterior dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), but decreased MEG signals in anterior cingulate cortex. Hyperactivations in FP, OFC, and anterior dlPFC were associated with slower reaction times. MEG activations in lateral FP also negatively correlated with performance on tests of letter sequencing, verbal fluency, and digit symbol coding. The profound hyperactivations from FP suggest that FP is particularly vulnerable to combat-related mTBI.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Cytotoxicity of the Cobalt (III) Complex with N,N-Diethyl-4-(2,2':6',2''-terpyridin-4'-yl)aniline.

A cobalt(III) complex, [Co(L)2 ](ClO4 )3 (1), in which the ligand L was N,N-diethyl-4-(2,2':6',2''-terpyridin-4'-yl)aniline (L), was synthesized and fully characterized. This new cobalt(III) complex 1 exhibited selective cytotoxicity against HeLa, T-24, A549, MGC80-3, HepG2, and SK-OV-3 cells with IC50 values in the micromolar range (0.52 - 4.33 µm), and it exhibited low cytotoxicity against normal HL-7702 cells. The complex 1 was the most potent against the T-24 cells. It was found that 1 could cause the cell cycle arrest in G1 phase, and it exerted its antitumor activity mainly via disruption of mitochondrial function.

Role of dorsal root ganglion K2p1.1 in peripheral nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain.

Abstract: Peripheral nerve injury-caused hyperexcitability and abnormal ectopic discharges in the primary sensory neurons of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) play a key role in neuropathic pain development and maintenance. The two-pore domain background potassium (K2P) channels have been identified as key determinants of the resting membrane potential and neuronal excitability. However, whether K2P channels contribute to neuropathic pain is still elusive. We reported here that K2P1.1, the first identified mammalian K2P channel, was highly expressed in mouse DRG and distributed in small-, medium-, and large-sized DRG neurons. Unilateral lumbar (L) 4 spinal nerve ligation led to a significant and time-dependent reduction of K2P1.1 mRNA and protein in the ipsilateral L4 DRG, but not in the contralateral L4 or ipsilateral L3 DRG. Rescuing this reduction through microinjection of adeno-associated virus-DJ expressing full-length K2P1.1 mRNA into the ipsilateral L4 DRG blocked spinal nerve ligation-induced mechanical, thermal, and cold pain hypersensitivities during the development and maintenance periods. This DRG viral microinjection did not affect acute pain and locomotor function. Our findings suggest that K2P1.1 participates in neuropathic pain development and maintenance and may be a potential target in the management of this disorder.

A pilot treatment study for mild traumatic brain injury: Neuroimaging changes detected by MEG after low-intensity pulse-based transcranial electrical stimulation.

BACKGROUND: Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is a leading cause of sustained impairments in military service members, Veterans, and civilians. However, few treatments are available for mTBI, partially because the mechanism of persistent mTBI deficits is not fully understood. METHODS: We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to investigate neuronal changes in individuals with mTBI following a passive neurofeedback-based treatment programme called IASIS. This programme involved applying low-intensity pulses using transcranial electrical stimulation (LIP-tES) with electroencephalography monitoring. Study participants included six individuals with mTBI and persistent post-concussive symptoms (PCS). MEG exams were performed at baseline and follow-up to evaluate the effect of IASIS on brain functioning. RESULTS: At the baseline MEG exam, all participants had abnormal slow-waves. In the follow-up MEG exam, the participants showed significantly reduced abnormal slow-waves with an average reduction of 53.6 ± 24.6% in slow-wave total score. The participants also showed significant reduction of PCS scores after IASIS treatment, with an average reduction of 52.76 ± 26.4% in PCS total score. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrates, for the first time, the neuroimaging-based documentation of the effect of LIP-tES treatment on brain functioning in mTBI. The mechanisms of LIP-tES treatment are discussed, with an emphasis on LIP-tES's potentiation of the mTBI healing process.

Engineered Zymomonas mobilis for salt tolerance using EZ-Tn5-based transposon insertion mutagenesis system.

BACKGROUND: The cell growth and ethanol yield of Zymomonas mobilis may be detrimentally affected by salt stress frequently present in some biomass-based fermentation systems, leading to a decrease in the rate of sugar conversion to ethanol or other bioproducts. To address this problem, improving the salt tolerance of Z. mobilis is a desirable way. However, limited progress has been made in development of Z. mobilis with higher salt tolerance for some technical challenges in the past decades. Recently, transposon insertion mutant system has been widely used as a novel genetic tool in many organisms to develop mutant strains. In this study, Tn5-based transposon insertion mutagenesis system firstly used for construction of higher salt tolerance strain in Z. mobilis. RESULTS: Approximately 200 Z. mobilis ZM4 mutants were generated by using Tn5-based transposon mutagenesis system. The mutant strain ZMT2 with improved salt tolerance phenotype was obtained by screening on RM agar plates with additional 1 % NaCl. Strain ZMT2 was confirmed to exhibit better fermentation performance under NaCl stress than wild type of strain ZM4. The transposon insertion was located in ZMO1122 (himA) by genome walking. Discruption of himA gene showed that himA may play an important role in response to salt tolerance in Z. mobils. CONCLUSIONS: The mutant strain ZMT2 with a transposon insertion in himA gene of the genome showed obviously higher sugar conversion rate to ethonal under up to 2 % NaCl stress than did the wild ZM4 strain. Besides, ZMT2 exhibited shared fermentative capabilities with wild ZM4 strain under no or low NaCl stress. This report firstly showed that himA played a role in responding to NaCl stress. Furthermore, the result indicated that Tn5-based transposon mutagenesis system was a feasible tool not only for genetic engineering in Z. mobilis strain improvement, but also in tapping resistent genes.

Paenibacillus salinicaeni sp. nov., isolated from saline silt sample.

A novel facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated strain LAM0A28(T), was isolated from a saline silt sample collected from the Chinese Sea of Death located in Suining city, Sichuan province, China. Cells of strain LAM0A28(T) were observed to be Gram-stain positive, motile, endospore-forming and straight-rod shaped. Strain LAM0A28(T) was found to be able to grow at 15-45 °C (optimum: 30-35 °C), pH 5.0-10.0 (optimum: 7.5) and 0-5 % NaCl (w/v) (optimum: 0.5 %). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity analysis showed that strain LAM0A28(T) is closely related to Paenibacillus jilunlii DSM 23019(T) (97.5 %) and Paenibacillus graminis DSM 15220(T) (97.2 %). The DNA-DNA hybridization values between the isolate and P. jilunlii DSM 23019(T), P. graminis DSM 15220(T) were 30.2 ± 1.6 % and 44.7 ± 2.1 %, respectively. The DNA G+C content was found to be 51.2 mol% as determined by the T m method. The major cellular fatty acids were identified as anteiso-C15:0, C16:0, iso-C16:0 and C14:0. The major isoprenoid quinone was identified as MK-7. The cell wall peptidoglycan was found to contain meso-diaminopimelic acid. The major polar lipids were found to be diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two aminophospholipids and six unidentified lipids. Based on the phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain LAM0A28(T) is concluded to represent a novel species within the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus salinicaeni sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LAM0A28(T) (=ACCC 00741(T) = JCM 30850(T)).

Lentibacillus amyloliquefaciens sp. nov., a halophilic bacterium isolated from saline sediment sample.

A Gram-stain positive, non-motile, non-sporogenous, aerobic, rod-shaped and halophilic bacterium, designated LAM0015(T), was isolated from a saline sediment sample collected from Yantai City in China. The isolate was found to be able to grow at NaCl concentrations of 5-25 % (w/v) (optimum: 7-12 %), 15-45 °C (optimum: 35 °C) and pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum: 7.0). The major fatty acids were determined to be anteiso-C15:0 and anteiso-C17:0. The predominant respiratory quinone was identified as MK-7. The cell wall peptidoglycan was determined to contain meso-diaminopimelic acid. The polar lipids were found to be diphosphatidyglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, five phospholipids and one glycolipid. The DNA G+C content was 43.1 mol% as determined by the T m method. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that the isolate belongs within the genus Lentibacillus and is closely related to Lentibacillus persicus DSM 22530(T), Lentibacillus salicampi JCM 11462(T) and Lentibacillus jeotgali JCM 15795(T) with 97.3, 96.7 and 96.4 % sequence similarity, respectively. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between LAM0015(T) and L. persicus DSM 22530(T) was 51.2 ± 1.4 %. Based on its phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain LAM0015(T) is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Lentibacillus, for which the name Lentibacillus amyloliquefaciens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LAM0015(T) (=ACCC 06401(T) = JCM 19838(T)).

Adaption of microbial community during the start-up stage of a thermophilic anaerobic digester treating food waste.

A successful start-up enables acceleration of anaerobic digestion (AD) into steady state. The microbial community influences the AD performance during the start-up. To investigate how microbial communities changed during the start-up, microbial dynamics was analyzed via high-throughput sequencing in this study. The results confirmed that the AD was started up within 25 d. Thermophilic methanogens and bacterial members functioning in hydrolysis, acidogenesis, and syntrophic oxidation became predominant during the start-up stage, reflecting a quick adaption of microorganisms to operating conditions. Such predominance also indicated the great contribution of these members to the fast start-up of AD. Redundancy analysis confirmed that the bacterial abundance significantly correlated with AD conditions. The stable ratio of hydrogenotrophic methanogens to aceticlastic methanogens is also important to maintain the stability of the AD process. This work will be helpful to understand the contribution of microbial community to the start-up of AD.

Transcriptional analysis of adaptation to high glucose concentrations in Zymomonas mobilis.

The ethanologenic bacterium Zymomonas mobilis is usually tolerant to high concentrations of glucose. The addition of sorbitol decreases the lag phase and increases ethanol yield and productivity of the bacteria in high glucose concentrations. The molecular mechanisms of adaptation to high glucose concentrations and the effect of sorbitol are still unclear. In this study, microarray analysis was used to study the global transcriptional adaptation responses of Z. mobilis to high glucose concentrations. A total of 235 genes were differentially expressed when 220 g/L glucose was added with or without 10 mM sorbitol. These genes are involved in diverse aspects of cell metabolism and regulation, including membrane transporters, nitrogen metabolism, and plasmid-encoded genes. However, most differentially expressed genes were downregulated when sorbitol was added. Notably, the transcription of almost all genes involved in the Entner-Doudoroff and ethanol production pathways was not significantly affected. In addition, a prophage and a nitrogen-fixation cluster were significantly induced. These results revealed that Z. mobilis cells responded to high glucose concentrations by regulating the transcriptional levels of genes related to membrane channels and transporters, stress response mechanisms, and metabolic pathways. These data provide insight into the intracellular adaptation responses to high glucose concentrations and reveal strategies to engineer efficient ethanol fermentation in Z. mobilis.

Improving furfural tolerance of Zymomonas mobilis by rewiring a sigma factor RpoD protein.

Furfural from lignocellulosic hydrolysates is the key inhibitor for bio-ethanol fermentation. In this study, we report a strategy of improving the furfural tolerance in Zymomonas mobilis on the transcriptional level by engineering its global transcription sigma factor (σ(70), RpoD) protein. Three furfural tolerance RpoD mutants (ZM4-MF1, ZM4-MF2, and ZM4-MF3) were identified from error-prone PCR libraries. The best furfural-tolerance strain ZM4-MF2 reached to the maximal cell density (OD600) about 2.0 after approximately 30 h, while control strain ZM4-rpoD reached its highest cell density of about 1.3 under the same conditions. ZM4-MF2 also consumed glucose faster and yield higher ethanol; expression levels and key Entner-Doudoroff (ED) pathway enzymatic activities were also compared to control strain under furfural stress condition. Our results suggest that global transcription machinery engineering could potentially be used to improve stress tolerance and ethanol production in Z. mobilis.

Adaptive laboratory evolution of ethanologenic Zymomonas mobilis strain tolerant to furfural and acetic acid inhibitors.

Furfural and acetic acid from lignocellulosic hydrolysates are the prevalent inhibitors to Zymomonas mobilis during cellulosic ethanol production. Developing a strain tolerant to furfural or acetic acid inhibitors is difficul by using rational engineering strategies due to poor understanding of their underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, strategy of adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) was used for development of a furfural and acetic acid-tolerant strain. After three round evolution, four evolved mutants (ZMA7-2, ZMA7-3, ZMF3-2, and ZMF3-3) that showed higher growth capacity were successfully obtained via ALE method. Based on the results of profiling of cell growth, glucose utilization, ethanol yield, and activity of key enzymes, two desired strains, ZMA7-2 and ZMF3-3, were achieved, which showed higher tolerance under 7 g/l acetic acid and 3 g/l furfural stress condition. Especially, it is the first report of Z. mobilis strain that could tolerate higher furfural. The best strain, Z. mobilis ZMF3-3, has showed 94.84% theoretical ethanol yield under 3-g/l furfural stress condition, and the theoretical ethanol yield of ZM4 is only 9.89%. Our study also demonstrated that ALE method might also be used as a powerful metabolic engineering tool for metabolic engineering in Z. mobilis. Furthermore, the two best strains could be used as novel host for further metabolic engineering in cellulosic ethanol or future biorefinery. Importantly, the two strains may also be used as novel-tolerant model organisms for the genetic mechanism on the "omics" level, which will provide some useful information for inverse metabolic engineering.

Paenibacillus vini sp. nov., isolated from alcohol fermentation pit mud in Sichuan Province, China.

A novel facultatively anaerobic bacterial strain, designated LAM0504(T), was isolated from a pit mud of Luzhou flavour liquor alcohol fermentation in Sichuan Province, China. Cells of strain LAM0504(T) were observed to be Gram-stain negative, spore-forming, rod shaped and motile by means of peritrichous flagella. Strain LAM0504(T) was found to be able to grow at 20-48 °C (optimum: 30 °C), pH 5.0-9.0 (optimum: 7.0) and 0-3 % NaCl (w/v) (optimum: 1.0 %). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity analysis showed that strain LAM0504(T) was most closely related to Paenibacillus konsisdensis JCM 14798(T), Fontibacillus phaseoli LMG 27589(T) and Paenibacillus motobuensis JCM 12774(T), with 97.0, 96.8 and 96.7 % sequence similarity, respectively. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between strain LAM0504(T) and P. konsisdensis JCM 14798(T) was 53.3 ± 1.2 %. The genomic DNA G+C content of strain LAM0504(T) was 43.0 mol% as determined by the Tm method. The major fatty acids of strain LAM0504(T) were identified as anteiso-C15:0, C16:0 and iso-C15:0. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was found to contain meso-diaminopimelic acid. The predominant menaquinone was identified as MK-7. The major polar lipids were found to be diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipids, two unidentified glycolipids and three unidentified lipids. On the basis of its physiological and phylogenetic characteristics, strain LAM0504(T) is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Paenibacillus, for which the name Paenibacillus vini sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LAM0504(T) (=ACCC 06420(T) = JCM 19842(T)).

MEG source imaging method using fast L1 minimum-norm and its applications to signals with brain noise and human resting-state source amplitude images.

The present study developed a fast MEG source imaging technique based on Fast Vector-based Spatio-Temporal Analysis using a L1-minimum-norm (Fast-VESTAL) and then used the method to obtain the source amplitude images of resting-state magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals for different frequency bands. The Fast-VESTAL technique consists of two steps. First, L1-minimum-norm MEG source images were obtained for the dominant spatial modes of sensor-waveform covariance matrix. Next, accurate source time-courses with millisecond temporal resolution were obtained using an inverse operator constructed from the spatial source images of Step 1. Using simulations, Fast-VESTAL's performance was assessed for its 1) ability to localize multiple correlated sources; 2) ability to faithfully recover source time-courses; 3) robustness to different SNR conditions including SNR with negative dB levels; 4) capability to handle correlated brain noise; and 5) statistical maps of MEG source images. An objective pre-whitening method was also developed and integrated with Fast-VESTAL to remove correlated brain noise. Fast-VESTAL's performance was then examined in the analysis of human median-nerve MEG responses. The results demonstrated that this method easily distinguished sources in the entire somatosensory network. Next, Fast-VESTAL was applied to obtain the first whole-head MEG source-amplitude images from resting-state signals in 41 healthy control subjects, for all standard frequency bands. Comparisons between resting-state MEG sources images and known neurophysiology were provided. Additionally, in simulations and cases with MEG human responses, the results obtained from using conventional beamformer technique were compared with those from Fast-VESTAL, which highlighted the beamformer's problems of signal leaking and distorted source time-courses.