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An increase in the carbapenem-hydrolyzing capacity of class D β-lactamase has been observed in strains of multiple species, posing a significant challenge to the control of antibiotic resistance. In this study, we aimed to investigate the genetic diversity and phylogenetic characteristics of new blaOXA-48-like variants derived from Shewanella xiamenensis. Three ertapenem-non-susceptible S. xiamenensis strains were identified, one isolated from the blood sample of an inpatient, the other two isolated from the aquatic environment. Phenotypic characterization confirmed that the strains were carbapenemase producers and exhibited antimicrobial resistance patterns to ertapenem, with some showing lower susceptibility to imipenem, chloramphenicol, ciprofloxacin, and tetracycline. No significant resistance to cephalosporins was observed. Sequence analysis revealed that one strain harbored blaOXA-181 and the other two strains harbored blaOXA-48-like genes, with open reading frame (ORF) similarities with blaOXA-48 ranging from 98.49% to 99.62%. The two novel blaOXA-48-like genes, named blaOXA-1038 and blaOXA-1039, respectively, were cloned and expressed in E. coli. The three OXA-48-like enzymes demonstrated significant hydrolysis activity against meropenem, and the classical β-lactamase inhibitor had no significant inhibitory effect. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the diversity of the blaOXA gene and highlighted the emergence of novel OXA carbapenemases in S. xiamenensis. Further attention to S. xiamenensis and OXA carbapenemases is recommended for the effective prevention and control of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Large size (>10000 μm2) precipitate-free zones in the absence of microsegregation were observed in the near-β Ti-55531 titanium alloy after furnace cooling from high temperature and longtime annealing in the single-β phase field. To reveal the formation mechanism of the large size precipitate-free zone, continuous cooling and isothermal heat treatment were carried out to investigate the β-α phase transformation process. It was found that the large size precipitate free zone is attributed to the heterogeneous nucleation of α phase. The nucleation site evolves in three different modes: I-random nucleation inside the β grain, II-network nucleation inside the β grain and, III-heterogeneous nucleation on the precipitated α phase. Modes I and II lead to homogeneous transformed structure while Mode III results in the large size precipitate-free zone. Both modes II and III are promoted at high annealing temperature, rapid cooling above 600 °C or slow cooling below 600 °C. Mode II is common as it can minimize the strain energy in phase transformation. As a result, the formation of the large size precipitate-free zone is not deterministic.