Isolation and Characterization of an Endophytic Fungal Strain with Potent Antimicrobial and Termiticidal Activities From Port-Orford-Cedar.

Termites are responsible for an estimated US$1 billion annually in property damage, repairs, pest control, and prevention. There is an urgent need of finding a better alternative way to control and prevent termites. Port-Orford-Cedar (POC) has been known to have significant levels of natural durability and termiticidal activities due to its extractive contents. In this study, 25 endophytes including 22 fungal and 3 bacterial strains were isolated from the POC. Four strains, namely, HDZK-BYF21, HDZK-BYF1, HDZK-BYF2, and HDZK-BYB11, were chosen to test their termiticidal activities. The fermentation broth of strain HDZK-BYF21 displayed the potent antimicrobial and termiticidal activities. Morphological examination and 18 S rDNA sequence analysis demonstrated that strain HDZK-BYF21 belonged to the genus Aspergillus. This finding indicates the existence of an interesting chemical symbiosis between an endophytic fungus and its host. This is also the first report on endophytes isolated from the POC that may have potential termiticidal activities. Endophytes with termiticidal activities can be grown in bioreactor to provide an inexhaustible supply of bioactive compounds and thus can be exploited commercially.

Dependence of oxygen content on transverse thermoelectric effect in tilted Bi2Sr2Co2Oy thin films.

The transverse thermoelectric (TE) effect has been investigated in c axis tilted Bi2Sr2Co2Oy thin films with different oxygen content. The film samples were fabricated by a chemical solution deposition method annealed under different atmospheres of O2, air, and N2, respectively. Open-circuit transverse voltage signals were observed when the surface of the films was heated by a pulsed laser as well as a continuous thermal source. With the increase of oxygen content in the films, the amplitude of the observed voltage signals increased while the response time decreased. The experimental results can be explained by a mechanism involving the transverse TE effect as well as the transport theory of TE materials.

Abrasivity database of different genetic rocks based on CERCHAR Abrasivity Test.

Rock abrasivity is one of the main factors affecting the wear of rock-cutting tools, which is usually quantified by the CERCHAR Abrasivity Index (CAI). Researchers and engineers study tool wear and predict tool life based on the CAI of rocks. However, there is still a lack of a dataset on rock properties, especially the abrasivity of various rocks. This paper reports the abrasive dataset of 10 kinds of rocks, including sedimentary rocks, metamorphic rocks, and igneous rocks, with the aid of the CERCHAR Abrasivity Test and digital measurement techniques. The dataset comprises rock abrasivity data, point cloud data for visualization, scratch photos, CERCHAR Abrasivity Test force data, and mechanical properties (uniaxial compressive strength) of rock samples. This dataset facilitates future research on rock abrasivity and rock-cutting tool wear.

Effect of Gas Input Conditions and Ultrasound on the Dynamic Behavior of Flotation Bubbles.

Ultrasonic flotation is useful for fine low-rank coal purification; however, the efficiency of ultrasonic flotation still needs to be improved. Because the dynamic behavior of flotation bubbles has significant effects on their flotation efficiency, it was investigated under different gas input conditions with and without ultrasound using the volume of fluid method and h-speed imaging. The results indicated that the gas input method can influence the final kinetic behavior of the flotation bubbles by changing the morphology of the initial bubble. With an increase in the size and aspect ratio of the bubble, the bubble deformation and velocity increased, and the range of motion of the bubble increased and then decreased. Meanwhile, the size of the bubble increased with an increase in the thickness of the vibrating plate of the ultrasonic transducer owing to the aggregation of the bubbles under the influence of ultrasound.

[Comparison of three root canal disinfection methods for removal of Enterococcus faecalis under minimally invasive root canal treatment].

PURPOSE: To obtain an efficient and simple root canal disinfection method based on minimally invasive root canal treatment by comparing different root canal disinfection methods between minimally invasive root canal treatment and conventional root canal treatment. METHODS: Sixty-six extracted maxillary first molars were randomly divided into experimental group (computer-guided precision minimally invasive root canal treatment) and control group (conventional root canal treatment). All teeth were prepared to ProTaper universal F2, and Enterococcus faecalis infection models were established.Each group was randomly divided into three subgroups, sodium hypochlorite+EDTA root canal irrigation, sodium hypochlorite+EDTA+ultrasonic and sodium hypochlorite +EDTA +Er: YAG laser. After root canal disinfection,the samples were collected by paper tip method and cultured, and colony forming units (CFU) values of each sample were calculated. Then dentin debris was prepared and collected with F3 file. After being diluted and cultured, the CFU value was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 26.0 software package. RESULTS: Comparison of the amount of bacterial inner wall of root canal between the experimental group and the control group showed that the germicidal efficacy of group C and group B were significantly better than that of group A (P＜0.05), but there was no significant difference between group B and group C(P＞0.05). In the experimental group, there was significant difference between group B1, C1 and A1 (P＜0.05). The results of group B1 and C1 were lower than that of group A1, but there was no significant difference between group B1 and group C1(P＞0.05). In the control group, there were significant differences between group B2, C2 and A2 (P＜0.05). The results of group B2 and C2 were lower than that of group A2, but there was no significant difference between group B2 and C2(P＞0.05). Comparison of the amount of bacteria in dentin debris between the experimental group and the control group showed that the effect of group C was the best, followed by group B, and group A, and there were significant differences between three groups(P＜0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The disinfection effect of Er:YAG laser or ultrasound assisted computer-guided precision minimally invasive root canal treatment is similar to conventional root canal treatment, and Er:YAG laser is better than ultrasound in removing bacteria from dentinal tubules, which is more suitable for minimally invasive root canal treatment.

Dolutegravir Plus Lamivudine Dual-Drug Regimen in Treatment-Naive HIV-1-Infected Patients With High-Level Viral Load: Preliminary Data From the Real World.

BACKGROUND: Some inpatients with HIV-RNA ≥500,000 copies/mL in China need to use 2-drug regimen for some reasons, although limited data are available for dolutegravir plus lamivudine (3TC) in those patients with ultra-high viral loads. METHODS: We conducted a single-center retrospective-prospective study in China and enrolled 42 ART-naive HIV-infected inpatients who use a once-daily 2-drug regimen because of various reasons (drug interaction, renal impairment, age, and other related comorbidities).They were divided into 2 groups, low viral load group (baseline viral load <500,000 copies/mL, n = 20) and high viral load group (baseline viral load ≥500,000 copies/mL, n = 22). All patients were followed up for 48 weeks. RESULTS: The median of baseline viral load was 5.74 log10 copies/mL and CD4+ T-cell count was 59 cells/µL. At week 48, there was no significant difference (P = 0.598) in proportions of participants with HIV-1 RNA <50 copies/mL [90%, 95% confidence interval (CI) (75.6% to 104.4%) in low viral load groups vs 95.5%, 95% CI (86.0% to 104.9%) in high viral load groups]. No differences were found in mean increase of CD4+ T-cell count from baseline between 2 groups (218 ± 122 vs 265 ± 127 cells/µL, P = 0.245). There is no grade 3 or higher treatment-related adverse events and none discontinued treatment because of adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study in real world support dolutegravir + 3TC dual regimen as a promising therapy option for treatment-naive HIV-infected patient with baseline viral load ≥500,000 copies/mL.

Preliminary study of differentiating smears from cancerous and non-cancerous nasopharyngeal tissue using confocal Raman spectroscopy.

PURPOSE: Current practice for diagnosing nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is based on invasive tissue biopsy. This study aims to explore the feasibility of using Raman spectroscopy to differentiate cancerous and non-cancerous nasopharyngeal tissue smears, expecting to realize minimal invasive diagnosis using smears from in vivo mucosa tissue by Raman spectroscopy. METHODS: Biopsy tissue smears were acquired from 74 patients with pathologically diagnosed nasopharyngeal diseases and measured using confocal Raman spectroscopy. RESULTS: Both fingerprint region and high wavenumber Raman spectra were acquired with distinguish features. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to differentiate cancerous and non-cancerous groups, achieving a diagnostic sensitivity of 87.2 and specificity of 85.7 % for differentiating NPC from nasopharyngeal non-cancerous smears. CONCLUSIONS: This work indicates that the method has a unique advantage in microanalysis for tissue smears which may provide a promising minimal invasive (or noninvasive) diagnosing tool for cancer diagnosis.