Improving DNA mixtures analysis using compound markers composed of InDels and SNPs screened from the whole genome with next-generation sequencing.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) allows for better identification of insertion and deletion polymorphisms (InDels) and their combination with adjacent single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to form compound markers. These markers can improve the polymorphism of microhaplotypes (MHs) within the same length range, and thus, boost the efficiency of DNA mixture analysis. In this study, we screened InDels and SNPs across the whole genome and selected highly polymorphic markers composed of InDels and/or SNPs within 300 bp. Further, we successfully developed and evaluated an NGS-based panel comprising 55 loci, of which 24 were composed of both SNPs and InDels. Analysis of 124 unrelated Southern Han Chinese revealed an average effective number of alleles (Ae ) of 7.52 for this panel. The cumulative power of discrimination and cumulative probability of exclusion values of the 55 loci were 1-2.37 × 10-73 and 1-1.19 × 10-28 , respectively. Additionally, this panel exhibited high allele detection rates of over 97% in each of the 21 artificial mixtures involving from two to six contributors at different mixing ratios. We used EuroForMix to calculate the likelihood ratio (LR) and evaluate the evidence strength provided by this panel, and it could assess evidence strength with LR, distinguishing real and noncontributors. In conclusion, our panel holds great potential for detecting and analyzing DNA mixtures in forensic applications, with the capability to enhance routine mixture analysis.

Super-Fast Fog Collector Based on Self-Driven Jet of Mini Fog Droplets.

Freshwater scarcity crisis threatens human life and economic security. Collecting water from the fog seems to be an effective method to defuse this crisis. Nonetheless, the existing fog collection methods have the limitations of the low fog collection rate and efficiency because of their gravity-based droplet shedding. Here, the aforementioned limitations are resolved by proposing a new fog collection method based on the self-driven jet phenomenon of the mini fog droplets. A prototype fog collector (PFC) composed of a square container that is filled with water is first designed. Both sides of the PFC are superhydrophobic but covered with superhydrophilic pore array. The mini fog droplets touching the side wall are easily captured and spontaneously and rapidly penetrate into the pores to form jellyfish-like jets, which greatly increases the droplet shedding frequency, guaranteeing a higher fog collection rate and efficiency compared with the existing fog collection methods. Based on this, a more practical super-fast fog collector is finally successfully designed and fabricated which is assembled by several PFCs. This work is hoping to resolve the water crisis in some arid but foggy regions.

Antifouling Slippery Surface against Marine Biofouling.

Titanium and its alloys have become the most excellent structure materials for naval seawater pipelines due to their high strength and good corrosion resistance. However, marine biofouling poses a serious threat to titanium alloy piping systems because of their good biocompatibility. Recently, the biomimetic antifouling coating, a novel antifouling method, has received great attention. Here, based on this biomimetic idea, we develop a nontoxic antifouling slippery surface (AFSS) using silicone oil, silane coupling agent, nanosilica, nanoceramic coating, epoxy resin, and capsaicin. The developed AFSS has excellent slippery performance for various droplets, good durability, and a superior self-cleaning property. Additionally, the antifouling performance of the AFSS was significantly enhanced, as confirmed by the reduced adhesion of proteins (70.7%), bacteria (97.2%), and algae (97.7%) compared to the ordinary titanium alloy. With these excellent properties, the AFSS was expected to be a promising candidate for protecting titanium alloy piping systems from marine biofouling.

Disseminated Talaromyces Marneffei in a Patient with Newly Diagnosed HIV Co-Infection with Syphilis.

BACKGROUND: This article reports on a young male with respiratory symptoms as the first presentation. METHODS: We identified the suspected pathogen by microscopic examination of blood smears, which was subsequently confirmed by blood culture. RESULTS: The patient was confirmed to be infected with Talaromyces marneffei, and further testing revealed that he was a patient with HIV co-infected with syphilis. CONCLUSIONS: With heavy fungemia the organisms may be seen on the peripheral blood smear, which can facilitate prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Robust and durable liquid-repellent surfaces.

Liquid-repellent surfaces, such as superhydrophobic surfaces, superoleophobic surfaces, and slippery liquid-infused surfaces, have drawn keen research interest from the communities engaged in chemical synthesis, interfacial chemistry, surface engineering, bionic manufacturing and micro-nano machining. This is due to their great potential applications in liquid-proofing, self-cleaning, chemical resistance, anti-icing, water/oil remediation, biomedicine, etc. However, poor robustness and durability that notably hinders the real-world applications of such surfaces remains their Achilles heel. The past few years have witnessed rapidly increasing publications that address the robustness and durability of liquid-repellent surfaces, and many breakthroughs have been achieved. This review provides an overview of the recent progress made towards robust and durable liquid-repellent surfaces. First, we discuss the wetting of solid surface and its generally-adopted characterisation methods, and introduce typical liquid-repellent surfaces. Second, we focus on various evaluation methods of the robustness and durability of liquid-repellent surfaces. Third, the recent advances in design and fabrication of robust and durable liquid-repellent surfaces are reviewed in detail. Fourth, we present the applications where these surfaces have been employed in fields like chemistry, engineering, biology and in daily life. Finally, we discuss the possible research perspectives in robust and durable liquid-repellent surfaces. By presenting such state-of-the-art of this significant and fast-developing area, we believe that this review will inspire multidisciplinary scientific communities and industrial circles to develop novel liquid-repellent surfaces that can meet the requirements of various real-world applications.

Energy conversion based on superhydrophobic surfaces.

Covering about 70% of the earth's surface, water contains considerable energy that remains unexploited. Superhydrophobic surfaces (SHSs) possess excellent water repellency, and energy conversion based on SHSs has opened up a new avenue for efficient collection and utilization of water energy. Therefore, it is of great significance to efficiently prepare SHSs and apply them for energy conversion in different fields. In this review, we first summarize the fabrication methods of SHSs, and then provide an overview of the energy conversion forms based on SHSs. Finally, the related applications corresponding to the energy conversion forms are introduced, including renewable energy collection and utilization, wearable device design, use of liquid sensors, surface cooling and heat dissipation, self-propelled devices, droplet manipulation and lab-on-a-chip devices; and their challenges and future perspectives are highlighted.

Effects of 27 natural products on drug metabolism genes in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) cell line.

Pregnane X receptor (PXR) as a ligand dependent transcription factor, is capable of regulating gene expression of cytochromes P450 and transporters involved in xenobiotic/drug metabolism and elimination. Due to the species differences in the regulatory specificity of PXR, gene regulation should not be extrapolated from mammal to fish without research data.The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of 27 natural products on PXR, CYP3A30 and MDR1 genes in channel catfish (Ietalurus punetaus) kidney cells (CC-K). The results showed that bisdemethoxycurcumin, glycyrrhetnic acid, rotenone, artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin, ligustilide and matrine strongly induced the mRNA levels of PXR. Additionally, the up-regulation of CYP3A30 gene ran parallel with PXR gene after the treatment of demethoxycurcumin, glycyrrhetnic acid, artemisinin, matrine, baicalein, schisantherin A, ligustilide, and dihydroartemisinin. Moreover, we found that natural products schisandrin A, schisandrin B, schisandrol A, and schisandrol B significantly up-regulated the mRNA level of MDR1 gene.Our work with a view to provide experimental data support for further research, which will make for the rational application of natural products in channel catfish, such as to avoid adverse herb-drug interactions or accelerating the residue elimination of chemical medicine.

Development of a prognostic score for recommended TACE candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma: A multicentre observational study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Previous prognostic scores for transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) were mainly derived from real-world settings, which are beyond guideline recommendations. A robust model for outcome prediction and risk stratification of recommended TACE candidates is lacking. We aimed to develop an easy-to-use tool specifically for these patients. METHODS: Between January 2010 and May 2016, 1,604 treatment-naïve patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), Child-Pugh A5-B7 and performance status 0 undergoing TACE were included from 24 tertiary centres. Patients were randomly divided into training (n = 807) and validation (n = 797) cohorts. A prognostic model was developed and subsequently validated. Predictive performance and discrimination were further evaluated and compared with other prognostic models. RESULTS: The final presentation of the model was "linear predictor = largest tumour diameter (cm) + tumour number", which consistently outperformed other currently available models in both training and validation datasets as well as in different subgroups. The thirtieth percentile and the third quartile of the linear predictor, namely 6 and 12, were further selected as cut-off values, leading to the "six-and-twelve" score which could divide patients into 3 strata with the sum of tumour size and number ≤6, >6 but ≤12, and >12 presenting significantly different median survival of 49.1 (95% CI 43.7-59.4) months, 32.0 (95% CI 29.9-37.5) months, and 15.8 (95% CI 14.1-17.7) months, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The six-and-twelve score may prove an easy-to-use tool to stratify recommended TACE candidates (Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer stage-A/B) and predict individual survival with favourable performance and discrimination. Moreover, the score could stratify these patients in clinical practice as well as help design clinical trials with comparable criteria involving these patients. Further external validation of the score is required. LAY SUMMARY: There is currently no prognostic model specifically developed for recommended or ideal transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) candidates with hepatocellular carcinoma, despite these patients being frequently identified as the best target population in pivotal randomized controlled trials. The six-and-twelve score provides patient survival prediction, especially in ideal candidates of TACE, outperforming other currently available models in both training and validation sets, as well as different subgroups. With cut-off values of 6 and 12, the score can stratify ideal TACE candidates into 3 strata with significantly different outcomes and may shed light on risk stratification of these patients in clinical practice as well as in clinical trials.

Efficacy and safety of raltitrexed-based transarterial chemoembolization for colorectal cancer liver metastases.

The liver is the most common site of colorectal cancer metastases. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) with raltitrexed and oxaliplatin for colorectal liver metastases in a prospective, multicenter, single-arm trial conducted in 12 hospitals from different areas in China. A total of 90 patients with colorectal liver metastases were enrolled and treated by TACE with raltitrexed 4 mg and oxaliplatin 100 mg, followed by embolotherapy with 50 mg oxaliplatin and 5-20 ml lipiodol, administered every 28 days for four cycles. Patients were followed up every 3 months after the treatment and up to 12 months. The primary endpoint was time to progression. For the full analysis set (FAS), the median time to progression and overall survival were 9.1 and 17.8 months, respectively. The disease control rate in FAS was 71 (78.9%). Grade 3 or 4 adverse events were reported for 24 (26.7%) out of all 90 patients. Grade 3 thrombocytopenia, transglutaminase abnormality, and decreased neutrophil were observed in eight (8.9%), six (6.7%), and five (5.6%) patients, respectively. No unexpected adverse events or toxic deaths were observed. TACE with raltitrexed plus oxaliplatin is feasible, clinically beneficial, and well tolerated with low-grade toxicity for colorectal cancer patients with liver metastases.

Chitinophaga salinisoli sp. nov., isolated from saline soil.

A novel aerobic bacterium, designated strain LAM9153T, was isolated from a saline soil sample collected from Lingxian County, Shandong Province, China. Cells of strain LAM9153T were observed to be Gram-stain negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming and rod-shaped. The new isolate grew optimally at 30-35 °C, pH 7.0 and 0.5% of NaCl concentration (w/v). According to the phylogenetic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence, strain LAM9153T shares high similarity with Chitinophaga terrae Gsoil 238T (96.9%) and Chitinophaga niabensis JS 13-10T (95.9%), forming a subcluster with C. terrae Gsoil 238T, Chitinophaga cymbidii R156-2T, C. niabensis JS 13-10T and Chitinophaga soli Gsoil 219T in the phylogenetic tree. The major cellular fatty acids (> 10%) were identified as iso-C15:0, iso-C17:0 3-OH and summed features 3 (C16:1 ω6c and/or C16:1 ω7c). The predominant respiratory quinone was identified as menaquinone MK-7. The polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, aminophospholipid, three unidentified aminolipids and five unidentified lipids. The genomic DNA G+C content was determined to be 53.2 ± 1.6 mol%. On the basis of phylogenetic, chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data, strain LAM9153T is concluded to represent a novel species of the genus Chitinophaga, for which the name Chitinophaga salinisoli sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LAM9153T (= ACCC 19960T = JCM 30847T).

A Mathematical Model of a Piezo-Resistive Eight-Beam Three-Axis Accelerometer with Simulation and Experimental Validation.

A mathematical model of a sensor is vital to deeply comprehend its working principle and implement its optimal design. However, mathematical models of piezo-resistive eight-beam three-axis accelerometers have rarely been reported. Furthermore, those works are largely focused on the analysis of sensing acceleration in the normal direction, rather than in three directions. Therefore, a complete mathematical model of a piezo-resistive eight-beam three-axis accelerometer is developed in this paper. The validity of the mathematical model is proved by a Finite Element Method (FEM) simulation. Furthermore, the accelerometer is fabricated and tested. The prime sensitivities of X, Y and Z axes are 0.209 mV/g, 0.212 mV/g and 1.247 mV/g at 160 Hz, respectively, which is in accord with the values obtained by the model. The reason why the prime sensitivity SZZ is bigger than SXX and SYY is explained. Besides, it is also demonstrated why the cross-sensitivities SXZ and SYZ exceed SZX and SZY. Compared with the FEM model, the developed model could be helpful in evaluating the performance of three-axis accelerometers in an accurate and rapid way.

Brevibacillus halotolerans sp. nov., isolated from saline soil of a paddy field.

Two novel aerobic bacteria, designated strains LAM0312T and LAM0313, were isolated from saline soil samples collected from a paddy field in Dezhou city, Shandong Province, China. Cells of these strains were Gram-stain-positive, sporogenous, rod-shaped and motile with peritrichous flagella. The optimal growth temperature and pH were 30 °C and pH 7.0-8.0. Strain LAM0312T was able to grow in the presence of 12 % (w/v) NaCl. The major fatty acids were anteiso-C15 : 0 and iso-C15 : 0. The dominant polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, glycolipids, five unidentitied lipids and phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine. The cell-wall peptidoglycan was found to contain meso-diaminopimelic acid. The predominant menaquinone was identified as menaquinone-7. The G+C content of the genomic DNA of strains LAM0312T and LAM0313 was 45.0 and 46.0 mol%, respectively, as determined by the Tm method. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity analysis indicated that the strains were closely related to Brevibacillus laterosporus DSM 25T and Brevibacillus fluminis JCM 15716T with 98.5 and 96.4 % sequence similarity, respectively. The DNA-DNA hybridization value between strain LAM0312T and LAM0313 was 92±0.6 % (reciprocal 90±0.2 %) and the value between strain LAM0312T and Brevibacillus laterosporus DSM 25T was 48±0.5 % (reciprocal 40±0.4 %). On the basis of the phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, the two strains are proposed to represent a novel species of the genus Brevibacillus, for which the name Brevibacillus halotolerans sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LAM0312T (=ACCC 06527T=JCM 30849T).

Arenimonas alkanexedens sp. nov., isolated from a frozen soil sample.

A novel facultatively anaerobic bacterium, designated strain LAM-WHM-D11T, was isolated from a frozen soil sample of China. Cells of strain LAM-WHM-D11T were observed to be Gram-stain negative, non-motile and rod-shaped. Colonies were yellowish, and circular with convex shape. Strain LAM-WHM-D11T was found to be able to grow at 4-40 °C (optimum 15 °C), pH 7.5-2.0 (optimum 9.5) and 0-2.5% NaCl (w/v) (optimum 1.5%). The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity analysis showed that strain LAM-WHM-D11T is closely related to Arenimonas metalli CF5-1T (98.0%), Arenimonas aquaticum NA-09T (97.9%), Arenimonas donghaensis HO3-R19T (95.6%) and Arenimonas aestuarii S2-21T (95.3%). The DNA-DNA hybridization values between the isolate and A. metalli CGMCC 1.10787T, A. aquaticum KACC 14663T, A. donghaensis KACC 11381T were 41.0 ± 1.7, 44.7 ± 1.4 and 42.8 ± 1.2%, respectively. The genomic DNA G+C content was found to be 66.5 mol% as determined by the T m method. The major cellular fatty acids were identified as iso-C15:0 and iso-C16:0. The major isoprenoid quinone was identified as ubiquinone 8 (Q-8). The major polar lipids were found to be diphosphatidyglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylmonomethylethanolamine, two phospholipids and five unidentified lipids. Based on the phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain LAM-WHM-D11T is concluded to represent a novel species within the genus Arenimonas, for which the name Arenimonas alkanexedens sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LAM-WHM-D11T (ACCC 19750T = JCM 30464T).

Degradation of Di(2-Ethylhexyl) Phthalate by a Novel Gordonia alkanivorans Strain YC-RL2.

One bacterial strain, YC-RL2, isolated from petroleum-contaminated soil, could utilize environmental hormone Di(2-Ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) as a sole carbon source for growth. Strain YC-RL2 was identified as Gordonia alkanivorans by 16S rRNA gene analysis and Biolog tests. The effects of environmental factors which might affect the degrading process were optimized at 30 °C and pH 8.0. Strain YC-RL2 showed superior halotolerance and could tolerate up to 0-5% NaCl in trace element medium supplemented with DEHP, although the DEHP degradation rates slowed as NaCl concentration increased. It also showed an outstanding performance in a wide range of pH (6.0-11.0). Meanwhile, strain YC-RL2 was able to withstand high concentrations of DEHP (from 100 to 800 mg/L), and the degradation rates were all above 94%. The DEHP intermediates were detected by HPLC-MS, and the degradation pathway was deduced tentatively. DEHP was transformed into phthalic acid (PA) via mono (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP), and PA was further utilized for growth via benzoic acid (BA). The enzyme expected to catalyze the hydrolysis of MEHP to PA was identified from strain YC-RL2. Further investigation found that the enzyme could catalyze the transformation of a wide range of monoalkyl phthalates to PA. This study is the first report about species G. alkanivorans which could degrade several kinds of phthalic acid esters (PAEs), and indicates its application potential for bioremediation of PAE-polluted sites.

The clinical utility of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) has been suggested as a potential diagnostic biomarker for early hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, its prognostic significance in HCC remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated the expression and significance of PCNA in HCC and then analyzed the role of PCNA in clinical outcomes. Our findings show that the expression intensity of PCNA is much higher in HCC tissues than that in paracarcinoma tissues and associated with AFP, albumin, tumor number, clinical grade, vascular invasion, and tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage (all p < 0.000). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that high PCNA expression was associated with poor disease-free survival (DFS) (p < 0.000) and overall survival (OS) (p < 0.000) in a training cohort of 76 HCC patients. Multiple Cox regression analysis indicated PCNA acts as an independent predictor for DFS (p = 0.002) and OS (p = 0.004) in HCC patients. Along with pathological results, our systematic review also identified the expression of PCNA was closely associated with DFS and OS (both p < 0.000). In conclusion, this study suggested that PCNA is increased in HCC patients and is indeed a novel unfavorable biomarker for prognostic prediction for patients with this deadly disease.

Bacillus vini sp. nov. isolated from alcohol fermentation pit mud.

A novel aerobic, Gram-stain-positive, sporogenous, rod-shaped bacterium, designated LAM0415(T), was isolated from an alcohol fermentation pit mud sample collected from Sichuan Luzhou-flavour liquor enterprise in China. The isolate was found to be able to grow at NaCl concentrations of 0-10 % (w/v) (optimum: 1.0 %), 10-50 °C (optimum: 30-35 °C) and pH 3.0-10.0 (optimum: 7.0-8.0). Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that the new isolate belonged to the genus Bacillus and was closely related to Bacillus sporothermodurans DSM 10599(T) and Bacillus oleronius DSM 9356(T), with 98.4 and 97.2 % sequence similarity, respectively. The DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain LAM0415(T) and the two reference strains were 33.3 ± 1.2 and 42.8 ± 0.8 %, respectively. The genomic DNA G+C content was 35.2 mol% as determined by the T m method. The major fatty acids were determined to be iso-C15:0, anteiso-C15:0 and anteiso-C17:0. The predominant menaquinones were identified as MK7 and MK8. The major polar lipids were found to be diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, one unidentified phospholipid and four unidentified glycolipids. The diagnostic amino acid of the cell wall peptidoglycan was determined to be meso-diaminopimelic acid. On the basis of its phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain LAM0415(T) (=ACCC 06413(T) = JCM 19841(T)) represents the type strain of a novel species of the genus Bacillus, for which the name Bacillus vini sp. nov. is proposed.

Underwater Imaging Using a 1 × 16 CMUT Linear Array.

A 1 × 16 capacitive micro-machined ultrasonic transducer linear array was designed, fabricated, and tested for underwater imaging in the low frequency range. The linear array was fabricated using Si-SOI bonding techniques. Underwater transmission performance was tested in a water tank, and the array has a resonant frequency of 700 kHz, with pressure amplitude 182 dB (µPa·m/V) at 1 m. The -3 dB main beam width of the designed dense linear array is approximately 5 degrees. Synthetic aperture focusing technique was applied to improve the resolution of reconstructed images, with promising results. Thus, the proposed array was shown to be suitable for underwater imaging applications.

Alicyclobacillus fodiniaquatilis sp. nov., isolated from acid mine water.

Two novel, Gram-stain-variable, moderately thermophilic, acidophilic, rod-shaped, endospore-forming bacteria, G45-16T and G45-17, were isolated from acid mine water of Zijin copper mine in Fujian Province, China. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences showed that they were closely related to Alicyclobacillus acidoterrestris ATCC 49025T with sequence similarities of 96.8 %. Cells grew aerobically at 20-45 °C (optimum, 40 °C), at pH 2.5-5.5(optimum, pH 3.5) and in the presence of 0-4.0 % (w/v) NaCl. Strains contained MK-7 as the major menaquinone and the major cellular fatty acids were ω-cyclohexane C19 : 0 and ω-cyclohexane C17 : 0. The DNA G+C content was 51.3 and 49.8 mol% (Tm) for G45-16T and G45-17, respectively. On the basis of phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and phylogenetic comparisons with their relatives and DNA-DNA relatedness values, it is concluded that strains G45-16T and G45-17 represent a novel species within the genus Alicyclobacillus, for which the name Alicyclobacillus fodiniaquatilis sp. nov. is proposed; the type strain is G45-16T(=CGMCC 1.15049T=NBRC 111483T).

Romboutsia sedimentorum sp. nov., isolated from an alkaline-saline lake sediment and emended description of the genus Romboutsia.

A Gram-stain-positive, spore-forming, obligately anaerobic bacterium, designated LAM201(T), was isolated from sediment samples from an alkaline-saline lake located in Daqing oilfield, Daqing City, PR China. Cells of strain LAM201(T) were non-motile and straight or spiral rod-shapes. Strain LAM201(T) was able to utilize glucose, fructose, maltose, trehalose and sorbitol as the sole carbon source. Acetic acid, ethanol, iso-butanoic acid and iso-valeric acid were the main products of glucose fermentation. The major fatty acids of LAM201(T) were C(16 : 0) (26.7%) and C(18 : 0) (11.2%). The main polar lipids were four unknown glycolipids and five unknown phospholipids. The predominant cell-wall sugars were ribose and galactose. The cell-wall peptidoglycan of strain LAM201(T) contained alanine, glycine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid. Sodium sulfite was used as the electron acceptor. The G+C content of the genomic DNA was 32±0.8 mol%, as determined by the T(m) method. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that the isolate belonged to the genus Romboutsia and was most closely related to Romboutsia lituseburensis DSM 797(T) and Romboutsia ilealis CRIB(T) with 97.3% and 97.2% similarities, respectively. The DNA-DNA hybridization values between strain LAM201(T) and the two reference strains were 37% and 31%, respectively. On the basis of its phenotypic, phylogenetic and chemotaxonomic characteristics, strain LAM201(T) is suggested to represent a novel species within the genus Romboutsia , for which the name Romboutsia sedimentorum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is LAM201(T) ( = ACCC 00717(T) = JCM 19607(T)).

Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUTs) for Underwater Imaging Applications.

A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer structure for use in underwater imaging is designed, fabricated and tested in this paper. In this structure, a silicon dioxide insulation layer is inserted between the top electrodes and the vibration membrane to prevent ohmic contact. The capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristic curve shows that the transducer offers suitable levels of hysteresis and repeatability performance. The -6 dB center frequency is 540 kHz and the transducer has a bandwidth of 840 kHz for a relative bandwidth of 155%. Underwater pressure of 143.43 Pa is achieved 1 m away from the capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer under 20 Vpp excitation. Two-dimensional underwater ultrasonic imaging, which is able to prove that a rectangular object is present underwater, is achieved. The results presented here indicate that our work will be highly beneficial for the establishment of an underwater ultrasonic imaging system.