Effect of microbial inoculation on nitrogen transformation, nitrogen functional genes, and bacterial community during cotton straw composting.

The effects of microbial agents on nitrogen (N) conversion during cotton straw composting remains unclear. In this study, inoculation increased the germination index and total nitrogen (TN) by 24-29 % and 7-10 g/kg, respectively. Inoculation enhanced the abundance of nifH, glnA, and amoA and reduced that of major denitrification genes (nirK, narG, and nirS). Inoculation not only produced high differences in the assembly process and strong community replacement but also weakened environmental constraints. Partial least squares path modelling demonstrated that enzyme activity and bacterial community were the main driving factors influencing TN. In addition, network analysis and the random forest model showed distinct changing patterns of bacterial communities after inoculation and identified keystone microorganisms in maintaining network complexity and synergy, as well as system function to promote nitrogen preservation. Findings provide a novel perspective on high-quality resource recovery of agricultural waste.

Acid-Triggered Degradation of Three-In-One Ag2S Quantum Dots for In Situ Ratiometric NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging-Guided Ion/Gas Combination Therapy.

Smart theranostic nanoprobes with the integration of multiple therapeutic modalities are preferred for precise diagnosis and efficient therapy of tumors. However, it remains a big challenge to arrange the imaging and two or more kinds of therapeutic agents without weakening the intended performances. In addition, most existing fluorescence (FL) imaging agents suffer from low spatiotemporal resolution due to the short emission wavelength (<900 nm). Here, novel three-in-one Ag2S quantum dot (QD)-based smart theranostic nanoprobes were proposed for in situ ratiometric NIR-II FL imaging-guided ion/gas combination therapy of tumors. Under the acidic tumor microenvironment, three-in-one Ag2S QDs underwent destructive degradation, generating toxic Ag+ and H2S. Meanwhile, their FL emission at 1270 nm was weakened. Upon introduction of a downconversion nanoparticle (DCNP) as the delivery carrier and NIR-II FL reference signal unit, the formed Ag2S QD-based theranostic nanoprobes could achieve precise diagnosis of tumors through ratiometric NIR-II FL signals. Also, the generated Ag+ and H2S enabled specific ion/gas combination therapy toward tumors. By combining the imaging and therapeutic functions, three-in-one Ag2S QDs may open a simple yet reliable avenue to design theranostic nanoprobes.

Improving the sensing sensitivity of silver nanoparticle-based colorimetric biosensors from the point of salt.

The sensing sensitivity was improved for silver nanoparticles (AgNPs)-based colorimetric biosensors by using the most suitable salt to induce AgNPs aggregation. As for the salt composed of low-affinity anion and monovalent cation, the cation-dependent charge screening effect was the driving force for AgNPs aggregation. Apart from the charge screening effect, both the bridging of multivalent cation to the surface ligand of AgNP and the interaction between anion and Ag contributed to inducing AgNPs aggregation. Considering the higher aggregation efficiency of AgNPs resulted in a narrower sensing range, salt composed of low-affinity anion and monovalent cation was recommended for AgNPs-based colorimetric analysis, which was confirmed by fourfold higher sensitivity of DNA-21 detection using NaF than NaCl. This work inspires further thinking on improving the sensing performance of metal nanomaterials-based sensors from the point of colloidal surface science.

Fluid Multivalent Recognition Accelerating and Boosting Upconversion Luminescence-Activated DNA Nanomachines for Rapid and Sensitive In Vivo Imaging.

By integrating near-infrared (NIR) light-dependent optical control and DNA walkers-based signal amplification, upconversion luminescence-activated DNA nanomachines hold great potential in conducting an in vivo analysis. For the typical DNA nanomachines, the immobile multivalent recognition interface greatly compromised the reaction kinetics and amplification efficiency due to the cleavage-dependent response mode. In this work, novel upconversion luminescence-activated DNA nanomachines with a fluid multivalent recognition interface were reported for rapid and sensitive in vivo imaging. As a proof-of-concept study, the photolocked DNAzyme-based walker system was anchored on the surface of phospholipid membrane-coated upconversion nanoparticles through the cholesterol-phospholipid interaction to acquire a fluid multivalent recognition interface. Upon sequential inputs of NIR light and metal ions, the formed DNA nanomachines were autonomously initiated and generated a cascade of amplified signal. Relative to the typical DNA nanomachines, the proposed ones possess an accelerated reaction rate and an improved amplification capability owing to a higher local concentration by the lateral mobility. The present work provides a versatile alternative for performing precise and highly efficient in vivo analysis.

Analysis of the virulence, infection process, and extracellular enzyme activities of Aspergillus nomius against the Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis guenée (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).

The control of Ostrinia furnacalis, a major pest of maize in Xinjiang, is challenging owing to the occurrence of resistant individuals. Entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) are natural insect regulators used as substitutes for synthetic chemical insecticides. The fungus Aspergillus nomius is highly pathogenic to O. furnacalis; however, its virulence characteristics have not been identified. This study aimed to analyse the lethal efficacy, mode of infection on the cuticle, and extracellular enzyme activity of A. nomius against O. furnacalis. We found that the mortality and mycosis of O. furnacalis were dose-dependent when exposed to A. nomius and varied at different life stages. The egg-hatching and adult emergence rates decreased with an increase in conidial suspension. The highest mortality (83.33%, 7 d post-infection [DPI]) and mycosis (74.33%, 7 DPI) and the lowest mortality response (8.52 × 103 conidia mL-1) and median lethal time (4.91 d) occurred in the 3rd instar larvae of O. furnacalis. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that numerous conidia germination and infection structure formation may have contributed to the high pathogenicity of A. nomius against O. furnacalis. There were significant correlations between O. furnacalis mortality and the activities of extracellular protease, lipase, and chitinase of A. nomius. This study revealed the infection process of the highly pathogenic A. nomius against O. furnacalis, providing a theoretical basis and reference for strain improvement and field application of EPF.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) as potential resuscitation factors that promote the isolation and culture of uncultured bacteria in marine sediments.

Many marine bacteria are difficult to culture because they are dormant, rare or found in low-abundances. Enrichment culturing has been widely tested as an important strategy to isolate rare or dormant microbes. However, many more mechanisms remain uncertain. Here, based on 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing and metabolomics technology, it was found that the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in metabolites were significantly correlated with uncultured bacterial groups during enrichment cultures. A pure culture analysis showed that the addition of SCFAs to media also resulted in high efficiency for the isolation of uncultured strains from marine sediments. As a result, 238 strains belonging to 10 phyla, 26 families and 82 species were successfully isolated. Some uncultured rare taxa within Chlorobi and Kiritimatiellaeota were successfully cultured. Amongst the newly isolated uncultured microbes, most genomes, e.g. bacteria, possess SCFA oxidative degradation genes, and these features might aid these microbes in better adapting to the culture media. A further resuscitation analysis of a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) Marinilabiliales strain verified that the addition of SCFAs could break the dormancy of Marinilabiliales in 5 days, and the growth curve test showed that the SCFAs could shorten the lag phase and increase the growth rate. Overall, this study provides new insights into SCFAs, which were first studied as resuscitation factors in uncultured marine bacteria. Thus, this study can help improve the utilisation and excavation of marine microbial resources, especially for the most-wanted or key players. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42995-023-00187-w.

Effects of bacterial inoculation on lignocellulose degradation and microbial properties during cow dung composting.

Inoculation with exogenous microbial agents is a common method to promote organic waste degradation and improve the quality of compost. However, the biotic effects of different microbial agents are often quite different. To evaluate the potential effects of a complex bacterial agent comprised of three strains (belonging to Bacillus and Geobacillus) on lignocellulose degradation and the underlying microbial mechanisms during cow dung composting, two lab-scale composting experiments, a control and a bacterial inoculation treatment, were established. The results suggest that bacterial inoculation accelerated the rate of temperature increase and extended the thermophilic phase. Compared to those in the negative control group, cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin degradation rates in the inoculated group increased from 53.3% to 70.0%, 50.2% to 61.3%, and 46.4% to 60.0%, respectively. The microbial community structure and diversity in the compost were clearly changed by the bacterial inoculation. Moreover, stamp analysis showed that inoculation modulated the key compost microbial functional populations linked to the degradation of lignocellulose. Correlation matrix analysis indicated that the expression of bacterial lignocellulolytic enzymes is closely related to key microbial functional populations. Overall, the results confirm the importance of bacterial inoculation, and have important implications for promoting the efficiency and quality of cow dung compost.

The effects of three Bacillus and Geobacillus strains on compost were established.Adding the complex bacterial agent increased the thermophilic phase.Inoculation promoted the abundance of key lignocellulose-degrading microbes.These findings will help promote the efficiency and quality of cow dung compost.

Smart down/upconversion nanomachines integrated with "AND" logic computation and enzyme-free amplification for NIR-II fluorescence-assisted precise and enhanced photodynamic therapy.

Upconversion nanoparticles enable indirect activation of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using near-infrared (NIR) light, providing an excellent alternative for treating deep tumors. However, conventional NIR light-triggered PDT systems suffered from low spatiotemporal accuracy and restricted therapeutic efficiency in vivo. In this work, DNA logic circuits were functionally modified on down/upconversion nanoparticles (D/UCNPs) to construct smart down/upconversion nanomachines (D/UCNMs) for NIR light-triggered PDT toward target tumors. Upon dual inputs of tumor-associated GSH and TK1 mRNA, DNA logic circuits perform "AND" logic computation and initiate the toehold-mediated strand displacement reaction. Meanwhile, the quenched upconversion fluorescence was recovered and then the approaching photosensitizers were activated, leading to in situ output of singlet oxygen (1O2) for precise and enhanced PDT. Importantly, the biodistribution of the D/UCNMs in vivo could be visualized by second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescence imaging via the downconversion luminance of D/UCNPs, which further contributed to performing precise PDT. This work provides new insights into the development of precise and highly efficient PDT systems.

Rapid quantitative detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae in infants with severe infection disease by point-of-care immunochromatographic technique based on nanofluorescent microspheres.

Background: Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP, K. pneumoniae) is one of the most important nosocomial pathogens that cause severe respiratory infections. As evolutionary high-toxic strains with drug resistance genes increase year by year, the infections caused by it are often accompanied by high mortality, which may be fatal to infants and can cause invasive infections in healthy adults. At present, the traditional clinical methods for detecting K. pneumoniae are cumbersome and time-consuming, and the accuracy and sensitivity are not high. In this study, nanofluorescent microsphere (nFM)-based immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS) quantitative testing platform were developed for point-of-care testing (POCT) method of K. pneumoniae. Methods: 19 clinical samples of infants were collected, the genus-specific gene of mdh was screened from K. pneumoniae. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with nFM-ICTS based on magnetic purification assay (PCR-ICTS) and strand exchange amplification (SEA) combined with nFM-ICTS based on magnetic purification assay (SEA-ICTS) were developed for the quantitative detection of K. pneumoniae. The sensitivity and specificity of SEA-ICTS and PCR-ICTS were demonstrated by the existing used classical microbiological methods, the real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (RTFQ-PCR) and PCR assay based on agarose gel electrophoresis (PCR-GE). Results: Under optimum working conditions, the detection limits of PCR-GE, RTFQ-PCR, PCR-ICTS and SEA-ICTS are 7.7 × 10-3, 2.5 × 10-6, 7.7 × 10-6, 2.82 × 10-7 ng/µL, respectively. The SEA-ICTS and PCR-ICTS assays can quickly identify K. pneumoniae, and could specifically distinguish K. pneumoniae samples from non-K. pneumoniae samples. Experiments have shown a diagnostic agreement of 100% between immunochromatographic test strip methods and the traditional clinical methods on the detection of clinical samples. During the purification process, the Silicon coated magnetic nanoparticles (Si-MNPs) were used to removed false positive results effectively from the products, which showed of great screening ability. The SEA-ICTS method was developed based on PCR-ICTS, which is a more rapid (20 min), low-costed method compared with PCR-ICTS assay for the detection of K. pneumoniae in infants. Only need a cheap thermostatic water bath and takes a short detection time, this new method can potentially serve as an efficient point-of-care testing method for on-site detection of pathogens and disease outbreaks without fluorescent polymerase chain reaction instruments and professional technicians operation.

Single-Excitation Triple-Emission Down-/Up-Conversion Nanoassemblies for Tumor Microenvironment-Enhanced Ratiometric NIR-II Fluorescence Imaging and Chemo-/Photodynamic Combination Therapy.

Tumor microenvironment-mediated ratiometric second near-infrared (NIR-II) fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy contribute to accurate diagnosis and highly efficient therapy of deep tumors. However, it is challenging to integrate these functions into one nanodrug due to the difficulty in preparing triple-emission nanoprobes. In this work, single-excitation triple-emission (wavelength at 660, 1060, and 1550 nm) down-/up-conversion nanoassemblies were prepared by conjugating dual-ligands-stabilized gold nanoclusters (cgAuNCs) into down-/up-conversion nanoparticles (D/UCNPs), which simultaneously realized ratiometric NIR-II fluorescence imaging and chemo-/photodynamic combination therapy toward tumors upon exposure to an 808 nm laser. The presence of dual ligands endowed cgAuNCs with an enhanced NIR-II fluorescence response to endogenous glutathione, allowing in situ ratiometric NIR-II fluorescence imaging of tumors using the prepared nanoassemblies. Additionally, the stabilizing ligand cyclodextrin of cgAuNCs facilitated the loading of the antitumor drug doxorubicin, and D/UCNPs could be modified with the photosensitizer methylene blue. Such a spatially separated functionalization method enabled chemo-/photodynamic combination therapy. This study provides new insights into the design of multifunctional nanoplatforms for tumor diagnosis and treatment.

[Zn2+-Ge4+] co-substitutes [Ga3+-Ga3+] to coordinately broaden the near-infrared emission of Cr3+ in Ga2O3 phosphors.

Here, a "chemical unit co-substitution" method is used to improve the near-infrared (NIR) emission of phosphors, using [Zn2+-Ge4+] to co-substitute [Ga3+-Ga3+] sites to reduce crystal field splitting to affect the structure of gallium oxide. A series of broadband NIR phosphors are synthesized by a high-temperature solid-phase method, and their phase structures, crystal structures, morphologies, diffuse reflectance spectra, and luminescence lifetimes are investigated. The Ga1.68(Zn-Ge)0.3O3:0.02Cr3+ (GZGOC) phosphor exhibits NIR wide-band emission, with a peak wavelength of 766 nm and a half-width of 138 nm. Meanwhile, the quantum yield of photoluminescence can reach 81.2%. The phosphor has good thermal stability. When the temperature reaches 373 K, its emission intensity still remains at 73.4% of that at room temperature. A 460 nm LED chip and this phosphor are used to fabricate a phosphor-converted light emitting diode (pc-LED) device which can be used as a NIR light source. All these results show the application potential of the as-prepared phosphor in NIR imaging.

Nitratireductor luteus sp. nov. isolated from saline-alkali land.

The Gram-staining negative, oxidase and catalase negative strain KC-ST17T, isolated from saline-alkali land, was characterized using a polyphasic approach to determine its taxonomic position. Using 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, the highest similarity of strain KC-ST17T was found with Nitratireductor pacificus CCTCC AB 209302T (97.2%). Cells are aerobic, non-motile, and rod-shaped. The isolate was found to be able to grow in NaCl concentrations of 0-4.0%. The assembled genome of strain KC-ST17T had a total length of 4.9 Mb with a G + C content of 62.7%. According to genome analysis, strain KC-ST17T encodes genes involved in the reduction of nitrate to nitrite, which may play a role in the utilization of nitrogenous compounds from the soil as an immediate source of energy. Based on the phenotypic characteristics and phylogenetic analysis, strain KC-ST17T was confirmed to represent a novel species in the Nitratireductor genus; thus, the name Nitratireductor luteus sp. nov. was proposed. The type strain of this species was KC-ST17T (= KCTC 92119T = MCCC 1K07309T).

Fluidic Membrane Accelerating the Kinetics of Photoactivatable Hybridization Chain Reaction for Accurate Imaging of Tumor-Derived Exosomes.

Slow intermolecular collisions and "always active" responses compromise the amplification efficiency and response accuracy of nonenzymatic hybridization chain reaction (HCR). In this study, a photoactivatable membrane-oriented HCR (MOHCR) system was rationally designed by binding a photocleavable initiator probe onto a target protein and then anchoring cholesterol-modified hairpin-structure fuel probes. When irradiated, the bound initiator probe was photoactivated and initiated self-assembly to generate activatable and amplified imaging. In a proof-of-concept assay, breast-cancer-derived exosomes were imaged based on the surface protein epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM). Photoactivatable responses provided precise spatiotemporal control of the MOHCR, and fluidic membranes enabled accelerated reaction kinetics. Our MOHCR system demonstrated high efficiency and accuracy in differentiating between plasma samples from breast cancer patients and healthy donors.

Molecular identification and efficacy of entomopathogenic fungi isolates against larvae of the Asian corn borer Ostrinia furnacalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in Xinjiang, China.

AIMS: This study aimed to isolate and identify entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) from fungus-infected Ostrinia furnacalis larvae, screen their bio-efficacy against O. furnacalis, and select the most suitable virulent native EPF for biocontrol agent development. METHODS AND RESULTS: The occurrence of EPF isolated from various maize production regions in Xinjiang was investigated. Of 13,864 O. furnacalis cadavers surveyed, 536 were selected, and of 136 fungal specimens collected, 14 species were identified. Four fungal isolates were highly pathogenic to O. furnacalis: Aspergillus sp., Lecanicillium attenuatum, Beauveria bassiana and Penicillium polonicum. The Aspergillus sp. was the most abundant (42.25% distribution frequency). Bioassay results revealed that it was as pathogenic as B. bassiana (positive control), with 96.58% lethality against O. furnacalis (LC50 : 1.40 × 104 conidia ml-1 , LT50 : 3.41 days). Through morphological examination and rDNA-benA and rDNA-CaM homogeneity analyses, the isolate was identified as Aspergillus nomius. CONCLUSIONS: Four EPF species were highly pathogenic, with A. nomius being the most prevalent in Xinjiang. A. nomius is a potential biocontrol agent. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF STUDY: For sustainable prevention and control of O. furnacalis infestation, identifying biocontrol agents with high virulence against O. furnacalis is crucial. The findings of this study support the development of EPF-based biocontrol approaches.

Designing Optical Thermometers Using Down/Upconversion Ca14Al10Zn6O35: Ti4+, Eu3+/Yb3+, Er3+ Thermosensitive Phosphors.

Down/upconversion Ca14Al10Zn6O35 inorganic phosphors codoped with Ti4+/Eu3+ or Yb3+/Er3+ were prepared. The crystal structure and downconversion luminescence properties of Ca14Al10Zn6O35:Ti4+, Eu3+ phosphors were studied in detail. Ti4+ and Eu3+ occupied Al3+ and Ca2+ sites in the host lattice, respectively. Under the excitation of 273 nm, the emission peak in the 300-570 nm band originated from the 2T2 → O2- transition of Ti4+. The f-f transition of Eu3+ ions generated multiple peaks in the 570-800 nm range. The emission intensity of Ti4+ and Eu3+ ions can be used as a fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) signal. Based on the FIR technology, the maximum relative sensitivity (Sr) and the minimum temperature uncertainty (δT) reached 1.41% K-1 and 0.07 K, respectively. Meanwhile, the temperature-sensing behaviors were explored by the temperature-dependent upconversion spectra of Er3+- and Yb3+-codoped Ca14Al10Zn6O35 phosphors. Based on the fluorescence intensity ratio of thermal coupling levels (Er3+:2H11/2/4S3/2), the maximum Sr and minimum δT of upconversion phosphors reached 1.28% K-1 and 0.08 K in the temperature range of 293-473 K, respectively. Ca14Al10Zn6O35:Ti4+/Eu3+ (Yb3+/Er3+) phosphors realize temperature sensors with higher relative sensitivity, and it is a good candidate material for optical temperature measurement.

Lysobacter chinensis sp. nov., a cellulose-degrading strain isolated from cow dung compost.

A novel bacterial strain, TLK-CK17T, was isolated from cow dung compost sample. The strain was Gram-staining negative, non-gliding rods, aerobic, and displayed growth at 15-40 °C (optimally, 35 °C), with 0-5.0% (w/v) NaCl (optimally, 0.5) and at pH 6.5-8.5 (optimally, 7.0-7.5). The assembled genome of strain TLK-CK17T has a total length of 4.3 Mb with a G + C content of 68.2%. According to the genome analysis, strain TLK-CK17T encodes quite a few glycoside hydrolases that may play a role in the degradation of accumulated plant biomass in compost. On the basis 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain TLK-CK17T showed the highest sequence similarity (98.9%) with L. penaei GDMCC 1.1817 T, followed by L. maris KCTC 42381 T (98.3%). Cells contained iso-C16:0, iso-C15:0, and summed feature 9 (comprising C17:1 ω9c and/or 10-methyl C16:0), as its major cellular fatty acids (> 10.0%) and ubiquinone-8 as the exclusively respiratory quinone. Diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylglycerol prevailed among phospholipids. Based on the phenotypic, genomic and phylogenetic data, strain TLK-CK17T represents a novel species of the genus Lysobacter, for which the name Lysobacter chinensis sp. nov. is proposed, and the type strain is TLK-CK17T (= CCTCC AB2021257T = KCTC 92122 T).

Effects of the C/N ratio on the microbial community and lignocellulose degradation, during branch waste composting.

Aerobic composting is an efficient and environmentally friendly method of converting organic waste into nontoxic fertilizers or soil quality enhancers. The quality of the resultant compost depends greatly upon the composition of the substrate used. The initial carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio of the substrate is an important factor affecting the composting process. This study elucidated how initial C/N ratios affect the biodegradation of lignocellulose, due to changes in microbial community structure. Four different C/N ratios (20:1, 25:1, 30:1, and 35:1) were examined during a 35-day composting process. The degradation of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin was highest (35.7%, 30.6%, and 19.1% respectively) at a 30:1 C/N ratio; after 30 days, the 25:1 C/N ratio ranked second in terms of lignocellulosic degradation rate. The 30:1 C/N ratio further promoted the growth of functional microorganisms responsible for lignocellulose degradation (Luteimonas, Sphingobium, Trichoderma, Chaetomium, and Rosellinia), while the growth of dominant pathogenic microbes (Erwinia and Ulocladium) decreased significantly. These results confirm that the initial C/N ratio of the substrate has a significant effect on the microbial community and degradation of organic matter, during walnut branch composting. This process could therefore offer an alternative means of efficient recycling and recovery of waste branches.

Tunable emission of Li4SrCaSi2O4-yN2y/3:Eu2+ phosphors based on anion substitution induction for WLEDs and optical thermometry.

Polychromatic emission can be achieved by controlling the distribution of the rare earth activator in multi-cation lattices, which can be used in the fields of white light LED and fluorescence temperature sensing. However, it is still a challenge to control their distribution and location of the target site in a given host material because the distribution of the rare earth activator is uncertain. In this paper, we have chosen Li4SrCa(SiO4)2 as the multi-cation site host and induced the distribution of Eu2+ ions between different cation sites through anion substitution, for the first time, to regulate the luminescence characteristics of a series of Li4SrCaSi2O8-yN2y/3:Eu2+ phosphors. In Li4SrCa(SiO4)2:Eu2+ phosphors, the substitution of O2- by N3- triggered a distinct ordered to disordered structure transition of the SiO4 tetrahedron and induced the remote distribution of the Eu2+ activator, which was verified through the analysis of the XRD, EPR, FT-IR and fluorescence spectra. Due to the location of Eu2+ ions in different cation sites (Eu2+Sr and Eu2+Ca), two distinguishable emission peaks with tunable color emissions and different responses to temperature were realized. The white LED that utilized blue-orange-emitting Li4SrCaSi2O4N8/3:Eu2+ and green-emitting BaSi2O2N2:Eu2+ (500 nm) displayed an outstanding color rendering index (Ra) of 85.1. Based on the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technique, an optical temperature measurement mechanism was hypothesized and studied in the temperature range of 293-473 K. The highest Sa of the material was 0.086 K-1, and Sr was 1.76% K-1 based on the FIR detection technology, revealing obviously better than most inorganic optical temperature-measuring materials reported before. Our work indicates that Li4SrCaSi2O8-2yN4y/3:Eu2+ is a promising material for application in White LEDs and optical thermometers.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): Emerging detection technologies and auxiliary analysis.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a new challenge for public health. Prevention and control of infection have become urgent and serious issues. To meet the clinical demand for higher accuracy of COVID-19 detection, the development of fast and efficient methods represents an important step. The most common methods of COVID-19 diagnosis, relying on real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR), computed tomography, and new-generation sequencing technologies, have a series of advantages, especially for early diagnosis and screening. In addition, joint efforts of researchers all over the world have led to the development of other rapid detection methods with high sensitivity, ease of use, cost-effectiveness, or allowing multiplex analysis based on technologies such as dPCR, ELISA, fluorescence immunochromatography assay, and the microfluidic detection chip method. The main goal of this review was to provide a critical discussion on the development and application of these different analytical methods, which based on etiology, serology, and molecular biology, as well as to compare their respective advantages and disadvantages. In addition to these methods, hematology and biochemistry, as well as auxiliary analysis based on pathological anatomy, ultrasonography, and cytokine detection, will help understand COVID-19 pathogenesis. Together, these technologies may promote and open new windows to unravel issues surrounding symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19 infections and improve clinical strategies toward reducing mortality.

Tichowtungia aerotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov., a novel representative of the phylum Kiritimatiellaeota and proposal of Tichowtungiaceae fam. nov., Tichowtungiales ord. nov. and Tichowtungiia class. nov.

Kiritimatiellaeota is widespread and ecologically important in various anoxic environments. However, the portion of culturable bacteria within this phylum is quite low and, in fact, there is only one currently described species. In this study, a novel anaerobic, non-motile, coccoid, Gram-stain-negative bacterial strain, designated S-5007T, was isolated from surface marine sediment. The 16S rRNA gene sequence was found to have very low 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity to the nearest known type strain, Kiritimatiella glycovorans L21-Fru-ABT (84.9 %). The taxonomic position of the novel isolate was investigated using a polyphasic approach and comparative genomic analysis. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S rRNA genes and genomes indicated that strain S-5007T branched within the radiation of the phylum Kiritimatiellaeota. Different from the type strain, strain S-5007T can grow under microaerobic conditions, and the genomes of strain S-5007T and the other strains in its branch have many more antioxidant-related genes. Meanwhile, other different metabolic features deduced from genome analysis supported the separate evolution of the proposed class (strain S-5007T branch) and K. glycovorans L21-Fru-ABT. Based on phylogenetic and phenotypic characterization studies, Tichowtungia aerotolerans gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed with S-5007T (=MCCC 1H00402T=KCTC 15876T) as the type strain, as the first representative of novel taxa, Tichowtungiales ord. nov., Tichowtungiaceae fam. nov. in Tichowtungiia class. nov.