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This work deals with the characteristics of highly segmented double-sided silicon detectors. These are fundamental parts in many new state-of-the-art particle detection systems, and therefore they must perform optimally. We propose a test bench that can handle 256 electronic channels with off-the-shelf equipment, as well as a detector quality control protocol to ensure that the detectors meet the requirements. Detectors with a large number of strips bring new technological challenges and issues that need to be carefully monitored and understood. One of the standard 500 μm thick detectors of the GRIT array was investigated, undergoing studies that revealed its IV curve, charge collection efficiency, and energy resolution. From the data obtained, we calculated, among other things, the depletion voltage (110 V), the resistivity of the bulk material (9 kΩ·cm), and the electronic noise contribution (8 keV). We present, for the first time, a methodology called “the energy triangle’’ to visualize the effect of charge sharing between two adjacent strips and to study the hit distribution with the interstrip-to-strip hit ratio (ISR).

10 p.-6 fig., Lentinula is a broadly distributed group of fungi that contains the cultivated shiitake mushroom, L. edodes. We sequenced 24 genomes representing eight described species and several unnamed lineages of Lentinula from 15 countries on four continents. Lentinula comprises four major clades that arose in the Oligocene, three in the Americas and one in Asia–Australasia. To expand sampling of shiitake mushrooms, we assembled 60 genomes of L. edodes from China that were previously published as raw Illumina reads and added them to our dataset. Lentinula edodes sensu lato (s. lat.) contains three lineages that may warrant recognition as species, one including a single isolate from Nepal that is the sister group to the rest of L. edodes s. lat., a second with 20 cultivars and 12 wild isolates from China, Japan, Korea, and the Russian Far East, and a third with 28 wild isolates from China, Thailand, and Vietnam. Two additional lineages in China have arisen by hybridization among the second and third groups. Genes encoding cysteine sulfoxide lyase (lecsl) and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (leggt), which are implicated in biosynthesis of the organosulfur flavor compound lenthionine, have diversified in Lentinula. Paralogs of both genes that are unique to Lentinula (lecsl 3 and leggt 5b) are coordinately up-regulated in fruiting bodies of L. edodes. The pangenome of L. edodes s. lat. contains 20,308 groups of orthologous genes, but only 6,438 orthogroups (32%) are shared among all strains, whereas 3,444 orthogroups (17%) are found only in wild populations, which should be targeted for conservation., This research was supported by the NSF awards DEB-1456588 to D.H. and DEB-1442113 to A.R., the Department of Energy award 0000238431 to D.H., the GENOBIOREF (BIO2017-86559-R) project of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (cofinanced by FEDER funds) to F.J.R.-D., S.C., and A.T.M., grant PID2019-103901GB-I00 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation to P.F., and the NIH award R56AI146096 to A.R. J.L.S. and A.R. were supported by the HHMI and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The work (proposal: 10.46936/10.25585/60001048) conducted by the US Department of Energy JGI (https://ror.org/04xm1d337), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, was supported by the Office of Science of the US Department of Energy operated under contract no. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Purpose This study aims to describe the preparation of antimicrobial material usable in 3D printing of medical devices. Despite the wealth of technological progress at the time of the crisis caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus: Virus that causes current Pandemic situation (COVID-19), the global population had long been exposed beforehand to an acute absence of essential medical devices. As a response, a new type of composite materials intended for rapid prototyping, based on layered silicate saponite (Sap), antimicrobial dye phloxine B (PhB) and thermoplastics, has been recently developed. Design/methodology/approach Sap was modified with a cationic surfactant and subsequently functionalized with PhB. The hybrid material in powder form was then grounded with polyethylene terephthalate-glycol (PETG) or polylactic acid (PLA) in a precisely defined weight ratio and extruded into printing filaments. The stability and level of cytotoxicity of these materials in various physiological environments simulating the human body have been studied. The applicability of these materials in bacteria and a yeast-infected environment was evaluated. Findings Ideal content of the hybrid material, with respect to thermoplastic, was 15 weight %. Optimal printing temperature and speed, with respect to maintaining antimicrobial activity of the prepared materials, were T = 215°C at 50 mm/s for PETG/SapPhB and T = 230°C at 40 mm/s for PLA/SapPhB. 3 D-printed air filters made of these materials could keep inner air flow at 63.5% and 76.8% of the original value for the PLA/SapPhB and PETG/SapPhB, respectively, whereas the same components made without PhB had a 100% reduction of airflow. Practical implications The designed materials can be used for rapid prototyping of medical devices. Originality/value The new materials have been immediately used in the construction of an emergency lung ventilator, Q-vent, which has been used in different countries during the COVID-19 crisis.

BACKGROUND Focal cortical dysplasias (FCD) represent highly intrinsically epileptogenic lesions that require complete resection for seizure control. Resection of pure motor strip FCD can be challenging. Effective control of postoperative seizures is crucial and extending the boundaries of resection in an eloquent zone remains controversial. OBSERVATIONS The authors report a 52-year-old right-handed male with refractory epilepsy. The seizure phenotype was a focal crisis with preserved awareness and a clonic motor onset of right-hemibody. Epilepsy surgery protocol demonstrated a left pure motor strip FCD and a full-awake resective procedure with motor brain mapping was performed. Further resection of surgical boundaries monitoring function along intraoperative motor tasks with no direct electrical stimulation corroborated by intraoperative-neuromonitorization was completed as the final part of the surgery. In the follow-up period of 3-years, the patient has an Engel-IB seizure-control with mild distal lower limb palsy and no gate compromise. LESSONS This report represents one of the few cases with pure motor strip FCD resection. In a scenario similar to this case, the authors consider that this variation can be useful to improve seizure control and the quality of life of these patients by extending the resection of a more extensive epileptogenic zone minimizing functional damage.

Background: Recent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic represents an important negative impact on global training of neurosurgery residents. Even before the pandemic, discrimination is a challenge that neurosurgical residents have consistently faced. In the present study, we evaluated discriminatory conditions experienced by residents during their neurosurgical training in Mexico before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Methods: An electronic survey of 18 questions was sent among residents registered in the Mexican Society of Neurological Surgery (MSNS), between October 2019 and July 2020. Statistical analysis was made in IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The survey focused on demographic characteristics, discrimination, personal satisfaction, and expectations of residents. Results: A response rate of 50% (132 of 264 residents’ members of MSNS) was obtained and considered for analysis. Median age was 30.06 ± 2.48 years, 5.3% (n = 7) were female and 16.7% (n = 22) were foreigners undergoing neurosurgical training in Mexico. Approximately 27% of respondents suffered any form of discrimination, mainly by place of origin (9.1%), by gender (8.3%) or by physical appearance (6.1%). About 42.9% (n = 3) of female residents were discriminated by gender versus 6.4% (n = 8) of male residents (P = 0.001); while foreign residents mentioned having suffered 10 times more an event of discrimination by place of origin compared to native Mexican residents (36.4% vs. 3.6%, P < 0.001). Conclusion: This manuscript represents the first approximation to determine the impact of discrimination suffered by residents undergoing neurosurgical training in Mexico before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

ObjectiveOne of the main problems of lung transplantation is the shortage of organs as well as reduced survival rates. In the absence of an international standardized model for lung donor-recipient allocation, we set out to develop such a model based on the characteristics of past experiences with lung donors and recipients with the aim of improving the outcomes of the entire transplantation process.MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of 404 lung transplants carried out at the Reina Sofía University Hospital (Córdoba, Spain) over 23 years. We analyzed various clinical variables obtained via our experience of clinical practice in the donation and transplantation process. These were used to create various classification models, including classical statistical methods and also incorporating newer machine-learning approaches.ResultsThe proposed model represents a powerful tool for donor-recipient matching, which in this current work, exceeded the capacity of classical statistical methods. The variables that predicted an increase in the probability of survival were: higher pre-transplant and post-transplant functional vital capacity (FVC), lower pre-transplant carbon dioxide (PCO2) pressure, lower donor mechanical ventilation, and shorter ischemia time. The variables that negatively influenced transplant survival were low forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1) pre-transplant, lower arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2)/fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio, bilobar transplant, elderly recipient and donor, donor-recipient graft disproportion requiring a surgical reduction (Tailor), type of combined transplant, need for cardiopulmonary bypass during the surgery, death of the donor due to head trauma, hospitalization status before surgery, and female and male recipient donor sex.ConclusionsThese results show the difficulty of the problem which required the introduction of other variables into the analysis. The combination of classical statistical methods and machine learning can support decision-making about the compatibility between donors and recipients. This helps to facilitate reliable prediction and to optimize the grafts for transplantation, thereby improving the transplanted patient survival rate.

Introducción: El cáncer diferenciado de tiroides es una enfermedad que si bien no tiene una tasa alta de mortalidad, acarrea una carga de morbilidad importante dada principalmente por la recurrencia. Nuestro objetivo fue determinar los factores asociados a recaída en pacientes de tres centros de referencia en Colombia. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo. Las variables demográficas, clínicas e histopatológicas fueron recolectadas a partir de las historias clínicas de pacientes atendidos durante tres años. Resultados: Fueron incluidos 481 sujetos. El 85,7% eran mujeres y el 59,3% de la población fue mayor de 45 años. En el 97% de los casos se trató de carcinoma papilar. El promedio de seguimiento fue de 5,1±4,9 años. La recaída tumoral se documentó en el 16,8% de los sujetos con una mediana de tiempo de tres años desde la terapia inicial. Se encontró asociación entre recaída y el tamaño del tumor, extensión extratiroidea, relación ganglios comprometidos/resecados centrales y totales y compromiso periganglionar en el análisis univariado. El número de ganglios totales comprometidos ? 2 (HR 4,10, IC 95% 1,07 - 4,85) y el valor de tiroglobulina estimulada ? 7,29 ng/ml (HR 2,28, IC 95% 1,07-4,85, p=0,031) fueron los dos factores independientes asociados con recaída en el análisis multivariado. Conclusiones: Los pacientes con cáncer diferenciado de tiroides con compromiso metastásico de hasta un ganglio cervical y/o un nivel de tiroglobulina preablativa inferior a 7,29 ng/ml pueden ser considerados de bajo riesgo para recaída.

21 p.-4 fig.-1 tab.-10 fig. supl.-2 tab. supl., Dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP) from Auricularia auricula-judae and versatile peroxidase (VP) from Pleurotus eryngii oxidize the three mononitrophenol isomers. Both enzymes have been overexpressed in Escherichia coli and in vitro activated. Despite their very different three-dimensional structures, the nitrophenol oxidation site is located at a solvent-exposed aromatic residue in both DyP (Trp377) and VP (Trp164), as revealed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry and kinetic analyses of nitrophenol oxidation by the native enzymes and their tryptophan-less variants (the latter showing 10–60 fold lower catalytic efficiencies)., This work was supported by the INDOX European project (KBBE-2013-7-613549) and the BIO2017-86559-R project of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, co-financed by FEDER funds.

In this paper the technological aspects of the FAZIA array will be explored. After a productive commissioning phase, FAZIA blocks started to measure and give very useful data to explore the physics of Fermi energy heavy-ion reactions. This was possible thanks to many technical measures and innovations developed in the commissioning phase and tuned during the first experimental campaigns. This paper gives a detailed description of the present status of the FAZIA setup from the electronic and mechanical point of view, trying also to trace a path for new improvements and refinements of the apparatus., 17 pages, 9 figures

5 p.-6 fig., To investigate how ligninolytic peroxidases acquired the uniquely high redox potential they show today, their ancestors were resurrected and characterized. Unfortunately, the transient Compounds I (CI) and II (CII) from peroxide activation of the enzyme resting state (RS) are unstable. Therefore, the reduction potentials (E°') of the three redox couples (CI/RS, CI/CII and CII/RS) were estimated (for the first time in a ligninolytic peroxidase) from equilibrium concentrations analyzed by stopped-flow UV/Vis spectroscopy. Interestingly, the E°' of rate-limiting CII reduction to RS increased 70 mV from the common peroxidase ancestor to extant lignin peroxidase (LiP), and the same boost was observed for CI/RS and CI/CII, albeit with higher E°' values. A straightforward correlation was found between the E°' value and the progressive displacement of the proximal histidine Hϵ1 chemical shift in the NMR spectra, due to the higher paramagnetic effect of the heme Fe3+ . More interestingly, the E°' and NMR data also correlated with the evolutionary time, revealing that ancestral peroxidases increased their reduction potential in the evolution to LiP thanks to molecular rearrangements in their heme pocket during the last 400 million years., This work has been funded by the EnzOx2 (BBI‐PPP‐2015‐2‐720297; www.enzox2.eu) EU project, and the CTQ2015‐71290‐R, BFU2016‐77835‐R and BIO2017‐86559‐R projects of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, cofinanced by FEDER funds.

31 páginas.- 14 figuras.- 92 referencias.- Supplementary Materials: The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/jof7060426/s1 .- Acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)., Pleurotus eryngii is a grassland-inhabiting fungus of biotechnological interest due to its ability to colonize non-woody lignocellulosic material. Genomic, transcriptomic, exoproteomic, and metabolomic analyses were combined to explain the enzymatic aspects underlaying wheat–straw transformation. Up-regulated and constitutive glycoside–hydrolases, polysaccharide–lyases, and carbohydrate–esterases active on polysaccharides, laccases active on lignin, and a surprisingly high amount of constitutive/inducible aryl–alcohol oxidases (AAOs) constituted the suite of extracellular enzymes at early fungal growth. Higher enzyme diversity and abundance characterized the longer-term growth, with an array of oxidoreductases involved in depolymerization of both cellulose and lignin, which were often up-regulated since initial growth. These oxidative enzymes included lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) acting on crystalline polysaccharides, cellobiose dehydrogenase involved in LPMO activation, and ligninolytic peroxidases (mainly manganese-oxidizing peroxidases), together with highly abundant H2O2-producing AAOs. Interestingly, some of the most relevant enzymes acting on polysaccharides were appended to a cellulose-binding module. This is potentially related to the non-woody habitat of P. eryngii (in contrast to the wood habitat of many basidiomycetes). Additionally, insights into the intracellular catabolism of aromatic compounds, which is a neglected area of study in lignin degradation by basidiomycetes, were also provided. The multiomic approach reveals that although non-woody decay does not result in dramatic modifications, as revealed by detailed 2D-NMR and other analyses, it implies activation of the complete set of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes characterizing lignocellulose-decaying basidiomycetes. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland., This research was funded by the GENOBIOREF (BIO2017-86559-R) project of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (co-financed by FEDER funds) to F.J.R.-D. and S.C.; and by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientÍficas (PIE-202120E019 to A.T.M. and PIE-201620E081 to A.G.). The work conducted by the JGI, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. DOE under contract DE-AC02-05CH11231. Part of this material is also based upon work supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) under the Early Career Award Program to D.S. This work was authored in part by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, operated by Alliance for Sustainable Energy, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) under Contract No. DE-AC36-08GO28308. The views expressed in the article do not necessarily represent the views of the DOE or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication

24 p.-6 fig.-8 tab., Agaricomycetes fungi responsible for decay of wood and other lignocellulosic substrates constitute a valuable source of lignin-degrading enzymes. Among these enzymes, laccases (multi-copper oxidases) present remarkable biotechnological potential as environmentally friendly biocatalysts able to oxidize a wide range of aromatic compounds using oxygen as the only requirement. Laccases from saprotrophic Agaricales species have been much less studied than laccases from Polyporales, despite the fact that the former fungi are excellent sources of laccases. Here, the gene of a novel laccase of Agrocybe pediades, that is secreted by the fungus during lignocellulose degradation, was synthesised de novo and expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae using an improved signal peptide previously obtained and enzyme directed evolution. The characterization of the new laccase variants provided new insights on the contribution of different amino acid residues to modulate laccase production, catalytic activity or optimal pH. The selected double-mutated variant also showed interesting properties as a biocatalyst, such as the ability to oxidise a wide range of substrates, including high-redox potential mediators and recalcitrant organic dyes, improved activity at neutral pH and high tolerance to inhibitors. Finally, we demonstrate the existence of three N-glycosylation sites in the laccase and their distinct effect on the secretion or catalytic activity of the enzyme., This work was supported by the GENOBIOREF (BIO2017–86559-R) project of the Spanish Ministry of Science & Innovation (co-financed by FEDER funds), and by the European Project WoodZymes funded by the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking, under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (Grant Agreement H2020-BBI-JU-792070).

20 p.-9 fig.-2 tab., A dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP) from Irpex lacteus was cloned and heterologously expressed as inclusion bodies in Escherichia coli. The protein was purified in one chromatographic step after its in vitro activation. It was active on ABTS, 2,6-dimethoxyphenol (DMP), and anthraquinoid and azo dyes as reported for other fungal DyPs, but it was also able to oxidize Mn2+ (as manganese peroxidases and versatile peroxidases) and veratryl alcohol (VA) (as lignin peroxidases and versatile peroxidases). This corroborated that I. lacteus DyPs are the only enzymes able to oxidize high redox potential dyes, VA and Mn+2. Phylogenetic analysis grouped this enzyme with other type D-DyPs from basidiomycetes. In addition to its interest for dye decolorization, the results of the transformation of softwood and hardwood lignosulfonates suggest a putative biological role of this enzyme in the degradation of phenolic lignin., This research was funded by Projects RTI2018-093683-Β-I00 and BIO2017-86559-R, co-financed by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and FEDER-EU funds, S2018/EMT-4459, from Comunidad de Madrid.

23 p.-7 fig.-4 tab., We aim to clarify the ligninolytic capabilities of dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyPs) from bacteria and fungi, compared to fungal lignin peroxidase (LiP) and versatile peroxidase (VP). With this purpose, DyPs from Amycolatopsis sp., Thermomonospora curvata, and Auricularia auricula-judae, VP from Pleurotus eryngii, and LiP from Phanerochaete chrysosporium were produced, and their kinetic constants and reduction potentials determined. Sharp differences were found in the oxidation of nonphenolic simple (veratryl alcohol, VA) and dimeric (veratrylglycerol-β- guaiacyl ether, VGE) lignin model compounds, with LiP showing the highest catalytic efficiencies (around 15 and 200 s−1·mM−1 for VGE and VA, respectively), while the efficiency of the A. auricula-judae DyP was 1–3 orders of magnitude lower, and no activity was detected with the bacterial DyPs. VP and LiP also showed the highest reduction potential (1.28–1.33 V) in the rate-limiting step of the catalytic cycle (i.e., compound-II reduction to resting enzyme), estimated by stopped-flow measurements at the equilibrium, while the T. curvata DyP showed the lowest value (1.23 V). We conclude that, when using realistic enzyme doses, only fungal LiP and VP, and in much lower extent fungal DyP, oxidize nonphenolic aromatics and, therefore, have the capability to act on the main moiety of the native lignin macromolecule., This work has been funded by the H2020 BBI-JU (https://www.bbi-europe.eu, accessed on 4 March 2021) EnzOx2 (H2020-BBI-PPP-2015-2-720297; https://www.enzox2.eu, accessed on 4 March 2021) project, the GENOBIOREF (BIO2017-86559-R) project of the Spanish Ministry of Science & Innovation (co-financed by FEDER funds), and the CSIC project PIE-201620E081.

19 p.-6 fig., As actors of global carbon cycle, Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota) have developed complex enzymatic machineries that allow them to decompose all plant polymers, including lignin. Among them, saprotrophic Agaricales are characterized by an unparalleled diversity of habitats and lifestyles. Comparative analysis of 52 Agaricomycetes genomes (14 of them sequenced de novo) reveals that Agaricales possess a large diversity of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes for lignocellulose decay. Based on the gene families with the predicted highest evolutionary rates -namely cellulose-binding CBM1, glycoside hydrolase GH43, lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase AA9, class-II peroxidases, glucose-methanol-choline oxidase/dehydrogenases, laccases, and unspecific peroxygenases- we reconstructed the lifestyles of the ancestors that led to the extant lignocellulose-decomposing Agaricomycetes. The changes in the enzymatic toolkit of ancestral Agaricales are correlated with the evolution of their ability to grow not only on wood but also on leaf-litter and decayed wood, with grass-litter decomposers as the most recent eco-physiological group. In this context, the above families were analyzed in detail in connection with lifestyle diversity. Peroxidases appear as a central component of the enzymatic toolkit of saprotrophic Agaricomycetes, consistent with their essential role in lignin degradation and high evolutionary rates. This includes not only expansions/losses in peroxidase genes common to other basidiomycetes, but also the widespread presence in Agaricales (and Russulales) of new peroxidases types not found in wood-rotting Polyporales, and other Agaricomycetes orders. Therefore, we analyzed the peroxidase evolution in Agaricomycetes by ancestral-sequence reconstruction revealing several major evolutionary pathways, and mapped the appearance of the different enzyme types in a time-calibrated species tree., This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (BIO2017-86559-R to F.J.R.-D., S.C. and A.T.M., BIO2015-7369-JIN to J.B, and AGL2014-55971-R to A.G.P and L.R., projects cofinanced by FEDER funds); National Science Foundation (grant 1457721 to D.C.); Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (CEFOX 031B0831B to H.K.); Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Biodiversity-Exploratories BLD-MFD-HZG III, KE 1742/2-1 to H.K.); Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (PIE-201620E081 to A.T.M.); and the Laboratory of Excellence ARBRE (ANR-11-LABX-0002-01), the Region Lorraine, the European Regional Development Fund, and the Plant–Microbe Interfaces Scientific Focus Area in the Genomic Science Program, U.S. DOE Office of Science to F.M. The work conducted by the JGI, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. DOE under contract DE-AC02-05CH11231.

14 páginas.- 6 figuras.- 3 tablas.- referencias.- The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.740923/full#supplementary-material, In the present work, lignin-like fractions were isolated from several ancestral plants –including moss (Hypnum cupressiforme and Polytrichum commune), lycophyte (Selaginella kraussiana), horsetail (Equisetum palustre), fern (Nephrolepis cordifolia and Pteridium aquilinum), cycad (Cycas revoluta), and gnetophyte (Ephedra fragilis) species– and structurally characterized by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (2D-NMR) spectroscopy. Py-GC/MS yielded marker compounds characteristic of lignin units, except in the H. cupressiforme, P. commune and E. palustre “lignins,” where they were practically absent. Additional structural information on the other five samples was obtained from 2D-NMR experiments displaying intense correlations signals of guaiacyl (G) units in the fern and cycad lignins, along with smaller amounts of p-hydroxyphenyl (H) units. Interestingly, the lignins from the lycophyte S. kraussiana and the gnetophyte E. fragilis were not only composed of G- and H-lignin units but they also incorporated significant amounts of the syringyl (S) units characteristic of angiosperms, which appeared much later in plant evolution, most probably due to convergent evolution. The latter finding is also supported by the abundance of syringol derivatives after the Py-GC/MS analyses of these two samples. Regarding lignin structure, β−O−4′ alkyl-aryl ethers were the most abundant substructures, followed by condensed β−5′ phenylcoumarans and β−β′ resinols (and dibenzodioxocins in the fern and cycad lignins). The highest percentages of alkyl-aryl ether structures correlated with the higher S/G ratio in the S. Kraussiana and E. fragilis lignin-like fractions. More interestingly, apart from the typical monolignol-derived lignin units (H, G and S), other structures, assigned to flavonoid compounds never reported before in natural lignins (such as amentoflavone, apigenin, hypnogenol B, kaempferol, and naringenin), could also be identified in the HSQC spectra of all the lignin-like fractions analyzed. With this purpose, in vitro synthesized coniferyl-naringenin and coniferyl-apigenin dehydrogenation polymers were used as standards. These flavonoids were abundant in H. cupressiforme appearing as the only constituents of the moss lignin-like fraction (including 84% of dimeric hypnogenol B) and their abundance decreased in those of S. Kraussiana (with amentoflavone and naringenin representing 14% of the total aromatic units), and the two ancient gymnosperms (0.4–1.2%) and ferns (0–0.7%)., This work was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Economy and Competitiveness projects BIO2017-86559-R, AGL2017-83036-R, and PID2020-118968RB-I00, cofinanced by FEDER funds, by the Junta de Andalucía project P20-00017, and by the CSIC projects PIE-202120E019 and PIE-202040E185. We would like to acknowledge the support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

23 páginas.- 7 figuras.- 3 tablas.- 81 referencias.- : The following are available online at https://www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/antiox10091446/s1 .- Support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)., Lignin biodegradation has been extensively studied in white-rot fungi, which largely belong to order Polyporales. Among the enzymes that wood-rotting polypores secrete, lignin peroxidases (LiPs) have been labeled as the most efficient. Here, we characterize a similar enzyme (ApeLiP) from a fungus of the order Agaricales (with ~13,000 described species), the soil-inhabiting mushroom Agrocybe pediades. X-ray crystallography revealed that ApeLiP is structurally related to Polyporales LiPs, with a conserved heme-pocket and a solvent-exposed tryptophan. Its biochemical characterization shows that ApeLiP can oxidize both phenolic and non-phenolic lignin model-compounds, as well as different dyes. Moreover, using stopped-flow rapid spectrophotometry and 2D-NMR, we demonstrate that ApeLiP can also act on real lignin. Characterization of a variant lacking the above tryptophan residue shows that this is the oxidation site for lignin and other high redox-potential substrates, and also plays a role in phenolic substrate oxidation. The reduction potentials of the catalytic-cycle intermediates were estimated by stopped-flow in equilibrium reactions, showing similar activation by H2O2, but a lower potential for the rate-limiting step (compound-II reduction) compared to other LiPs. Unexpectedly, ApeLiP was stable from acidic to basic pH, a relevant feature for application considering its different optima for oxidation of phenolic and nonphenolic compounds., This research was funded by the GENOBIOREF (BIO2017-86559-R) project of the Spanish Ministry of Science & Innovation (co-financed by FEDER funds) to F.J.R.-D. and A.T.M.; and by the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas PIE-202120E019 to A.T.M., and the SusPlast pltform to F.J.R.-D., We acknowledge support of the publication fee by the CSIC Open Access Publication Support Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI).

The lifetime of the 2(+) and 9(-), 11(-), 13(-), 15(-) states in the neutron-deficient Te-110 was measured for the first time using the recoil distance Doppler shift technique. The reported value of the reduced transition probability B(E2; 0(g.s)(+) -> 2(+)) = 4.3(8) x 10(3) e(2) f m(4) supports the systematic for even-mass Te isotopes and was interpreted g.s in the framework of the large-scale shell model and cranked shell model calculations. The measured reduced transition probabilities in the negative-parity yrast band revealed the upward trend towards the high spins. The enhanced collectivity is discussed in terms of the tilted axis cranking approach and the symmetry configuration mixing method with the Gogny D1S interaction., DoE [DE-FG02-95ER4093]; Spanish MICINN [PGC2018-094583-B-I00], The authors would like to thank the technical staff of the LNL Legnaro facility for their assistance in providing excellent operation of the XTU-tandem accelerator. The authors wish to acknowledge the support of local engineers P. Cocconi and R. Isocrate. The work was partially supported by the DoE Grant No. DE-FG02-95ER4093 and Spanish MICINN Grant No. PGC2018-094583-B-I00.

International audience; The neutron-proton (n-p) equilibration process in Ca48+Ca40 at 35 MeV/nucleon bombarding energy is experimentally estimated by means of the isospin transport ratio. Experimental data are collected with a subset of the FAZIA telescope array, which permits us to determine the Z and N of detected fragments. For the first time, the quasiprojectile (QP) evaporative channel is compared with the QP breakup one in a homogeneous and consistent way, pointing to comparable n-p equilibration, which suggests a close interaction time between projectile and target independently of the exit channel. Moreover, in the QP evaporative channel n-p equilibration is compared with the prediction of the antisymmetrized molecular dynamics model coupled with the Gemini statistical model as an afterburner, showing a higher probability of proton and neutron transfers in the simulation with respect to the experimental data.

15 p.-6 fig.-3 tab., Fungal plant pathogens remain a serious threat to the sustainable agriculture and forestry, despite the extensive efforts undertaken to control their spread. White root rot disease is threatening rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations throughout South and Southeast Asia and Western Africa, causing tree mortality and severe yield losses. Here, we report the complete genome sequence of the basidiomycete fungus Rigidoporus microporus, a causative agent of the disease. Our phylogenetic analysis confirmed the position of R. microporus among the members of Hymenochaetales, an understudied group of basidiomycetes. Our analysis further identified pathogen’s genes with a predicted role in the decay of plant cell wall polymers, in the utilization of latex components and in interspecific interactions between the pathogen and other fungi. We also detected putative horizontal gene transfer events in the genome of R. microporus. The reported first genome sequence of a tropical rubber tree pathogen R. microporus should contribute to the better understanding of how the fungus is able to facilitate wood decay and nutrient cycling as well as tolerate latex and utilize resinous extractives., This project was financially supported by Academy of Finland (Grant No. 307580). The work conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. A.T.M., S.C., F.J.R.D. and A.S. were funded by the EnzOx2 (BBI-PPP-2015-2-720297; www.enzox2.eu) EU project, and the GENOBIOREF (BIO2017-86559-R) project of the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness,co-financed by FEDER funds.

Isospin transport ratio is a powerful method to estimate the neutron-proton (n-p) equilibration in heavy-ion collisions, and extensively used to obtain information on the asy-stiffness of the nuclear equation of state. In fact such a ratio is expected to bypass any perturbations introducing a linear transformation of the chosen observable. In particular, it is supposed to overcome contributions due to emission, either of dynamical or statistical nature, from the primary fragments formed during the collisions. In this paper we explore the validity of this assumption, looking at the quasiprojectile n-p ratio ($N/Z$) in peripheral and semiperipheral events for $\mathrm{Ca}+\mathrm{Ca}$ reactions at $35\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{MeV}/\mathrm{nucleon}$, simulated via the antisymmetrized molecular dynamics transport model, coupled to different statistical decay codes. The statistical de-excitation of the primary fragments introduces a linear transformation at relatively high excitation energies (above $2\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\mathrm{MeV}/\mathrm{nucleon}$) when the residue approaches the evaporation attractor line, while some effect is produced at lower excitation energies due to the occurrence of some nonlinearities. As for fast emissions after the end of the projectile-target interaction it is shown that they introduce a nonlinear transformation too.

Experimental results concerning the dynamical fission of quasiprojectiles in semiperipheral collisions for the system Kr80+Ca48 at 35 MeV/nucleon are presented. Data have been collected with four blocks of the FAZIA setup in the first physics experiment of the FAZIA Collaboration. The degree of isospin equilibration between the two fission fragments and its dependence on their charge asymmetry is investigated. The data are compared with the results of the AMD model coupled to GEMINI as an afterburner, in order to get hints about the timescale of the process.

The FAZIA apparatus is a new detector designed for the Fermi energy domain for charged particles based on three stages telescopes: Silicon detector (300 μm thick), Silicon detector (500 μm thick) and CsI(Tl) (10 cm). Using the ΔE-E technique and the Pulse Shape Analysis (PSA) it permits the charge and mass discrimination up to more than Z=20. In the following, some details about the FAZIA detectors and electronics, their performance and the frst experimental campaigns already performed will be discussed.

The GALILEO ?-ray spectrometer, installed at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro (LNL), benefits from intense stable beams provided by the Tandem-ALPI-PIAVE accelerator complex and from radioactive beams to be delivered in the near future by the SPES facility. The spectrometer is complemented with a variety of ancillary devices to allow for nuclear structure and reaction studies. The 4? Si-ball array EUCLIDES coupled to the GALILEO ?-ray spectrometer represents one of the commonly used setup for experiments aiming at spectroscopic studies. High-efficiency detection of light-charged particles in a fusion–evaporation reaction guarantees good discrimination of different reaction channels and provides essential information for the kinematic reconstruction. In this paper we discuss a configuration of the EUCLIDES array developed for the lifetime measurements of nuclear excited states populated in a fusion–evaporation reaction. In such a configuration a part of the EUCLIDES detectors is disassembled allowing for the installation of a plunger device in the reaction chamber. The reduced configuration of EUCLIDES provides high detection efficiency necessary for reliable light charged-particle discrimination. We report on the commissioning experiment focused on the 58Ni(58Ni,3p)113I reaction. The lifetimes of 11/2? and 15/2? states were measured by applying the Recoil Distance Doppler Shift method to be equal to 206(20) ps and 7.9(12) ps correspondingly and were in good agreement with the values cited in the literature. Thus, the combination of the GALILEO and EUCLIDES arrays, and the plunger device has resulted in a powerful experimental setup to determine lifetimes of excited states in neutron-deficient nuclei in the picosecond range. © 2020 Elsevier B.V., Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Padova e Rovigo Narodowe Centrum Nauki, NCN: 2017/25/B/ST2/01569 Narodowym Centrum Nauki, NCN, The authors would like to thank the technical staff of the LNL-INFN facility for their assistance in providing excellent operation of the XTU-Tandem accelerator. The authors wish to acknowledge the support of local engineers P. Cocconi and R. Isocrate. The work of G. Jaworski was supported by the National Science Centre, Poland (NCN) (grant no. 2017/25/B/ST2/01569 ). A. Goasduff acknowledges the support of the CARIPARO foundation under the Starting Grant 2017 .

International audience; The proton energy calibration and the corresponding identification efficiency of the Thallium activated Cesium Iodide (CsI(Tl)) crystals of the Fazia detection system have been studied in the range of 59–180 MeV by using the proton beam delivered by the cyclotron of the CCB (Cyclotron Center Bronowice) facility. The light output versus energy is linear in the lower portion of the investigated energy range while showing a deviation from linearity on the higher energy side. The effects of proton induced nuclear collisions have been identified and estimated via Pulse Shape Analysis in CsI(Tl) crystals. Experimental efficiency for proton identification in the examined energy range is deduced and compared with GEANT4 simulations. For a well collimated crystal, and at the highest considered energy, the efficiency value comes out to be about 70%.

Over the past decades researchers have described what happens to the water when a polarizing external field is applied to it and changes the bonding forces existing in it. Water evaporation, an essential process in nature, has been targeted in a great number of studies. In this paper, static magnetic fields ranging from 30-to-200 mT were applied to circulating purified water to study their effect on how the evaporation rate changed under different ambient conditions. A statistical approach was employed to verify the significance of the magnetically induced effect. Our results showed that by applying a static magnetic field to the water, the evaporation rate increased at lower temperatures, yielding an evaporation increase for magnetized water of up to at 6 °C. We found too that the circulation of the water did not contribute significantly to the evaporation rate. We used an empirical triadic model to correlate the applied magnetic field with the ambient parameters of temperature and humidity., This work was supported in part by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (ID: PGC2018-096994-B-C22), the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad -Infraestructura FEDER- (ID: EQC2018-004395-P), and by Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Huelva/ CBUA.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

The preliminary results of the GALTRACE (GALILEO TRacking Array for Charged Ejectiles) demonstrator are reported. GALTRACE is an array of Silicon PAD detectors for particle spectroscopy and discrimination to be employed in low-energy nuclear physics experiments with stable and radioactive beams at the Legnaro National Laboratories (LNL, Italy). The readout is perfomed with multi-channel, VLSI preamplifiers realized in AMS 350 nm technology, directly wire-bonded on the PCB. These preamplifiers have a resolution of 125 electrons rms and a risetime of 10 ns with a 4 pF capacitance referred to the input. The preamplifiers have a spectroscopic dynamic energy range of 40 MeV. This value is boosted by more than one order of magnitude by an innovative fast-reset device that allows for 40-700 MeV spectroscopy with a resolution of less than 0.3% FWHM. After preamplifier test-bench characterization, a full validation of a TRACE demonstrator including detector, front-end electronics, single-ended to differential converters and digitalization system has been performed. The resolution of the 60 active channels, evaluated at the 5486 keV 241Am alpha peak, is 35±5 keV

The most remote isotope from the proton dripline (by 4 atomic mass units) has been observed: ^{31}K. It is unbound with respect to three-proton (3p) emission, and its decays have been detected in flight by measuring the trajectories of all decay products using microstrip detectors. The 3p emission processes have been studied by the means of angular correlations of ^{28}S+3p and the respective decay vertices. The energies of the previously unknown ground and excited states of ^{31}K have been determined. This provides its 3p separation energy value S_{3p} of -4.6(2) MeV. Upper half-life limits of 10 ps of the observed ^{31}K states have been derived from distributions of the measured decay vertices.

In a fusion-evaporation reaction, nuclei are produced by evaporating light-charged particles and neutrons from the compound nucleus. Typically, a nucleus of interest is produced as a result of a part of the total cross-section and, in order to guarantee a good channel discrimination, a particle detector, like the EUCLIDES $4\pi$ Si-ball array, is necessary. EUCLIDES has been quoted in more than a hundred publications resulting from many experiments performed in combination with the EUROBALL and GASP $\gamma$-ray spectrometers. The present paper reports on the upgraded version of EUCLIDES, that is presently coupled to the new GALILEO $\gamma$-ray spectrometer, installed at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, INFN. The design, characteristics and performance of the EUCLIDES array are presented and discussed.

6 p.-6 fig.-1 tab., A comparison of sequenced Agaricomycotina genomes suggests that efficient degradation of wood lignin was associated with the appearance of secreted peroxidases with a solvent-exposed catalytic tryptophan. This hypothesis is experimentally demonstrated here by resurrecting ancestral fungal peroxidases, after sequence reconstruction from genomes of extant white-rot Polyporales, and evaluating their oxidative attack on the lignin polymer by state-of-the-art analytical techniques. Rapid stopped-flow estimation of the transient-state constants for the 2 successive one-electron transfers from lignin to the peroxide-activated enzyme (k2app and k3app) showed a progressive increase during peroxidase evolution (up to 50-fold higher values for the rate-limiting k3app). The above agreed with 2-dimensional NMR analyses during steady-state treatments of hardwood lignin, showing that its degradation (estimated from the normalized aromatic signals of lignin units compared with a control) and syringyl-to-guaiacyl ratio increased with the enzyme evolutionary distance from the first peroxidase ancestor. More interestingly, the stopped-flow estimations of electron transfer rates also showed how the most recent peroxidase ancestors that already incorporated the exposed tryptophan into their molecular structure (as well as the extant lignin peroxidase) were comparatively more efficient at oxidizing hardwood (angiosperm) lignin, while the most ancestral “tryptophanless” enzymes were more efficient at abstracting electrons from softwood (conifer) lignin. A time calibration of the ancestry of Polyporales peroxidases localized the appearance of the first peroxidase with a solvent-exposed catalytic tryptophan to 194 ± 70 Mya, coincident with the diversification of angiosperm plants characterized by the appearance of dimethoxylated syringyl lignin units., This work was supported by the EnzOx2 (H2020-BBI-PPP-2015-2-720297, https://www.enzox2.eu) European project and the BIO2017-86559-R and AGL2017-83036-R Spanish projects. The work conducted by JGI was supported by the Office of Science of the US Department of Energy under Contract DE-AC02-05CH11231.

The spectroscopic performances of the new integrated ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) preamplifiers for highly segmented silicon detectors have been evaluated with an early silicon detector prototype of the TRacking Array for light Charged Ejectiles (TRACE). The ASICS were mounted on a custom-designed PCB (Printed Circuit Board) and the detector plugged on it. Energy resolution tests, performed on the same detector before and after irradiation, yielded a resolution of 21 keV and 33 keV FWHM respectively. The output signals were acquired with an array of commercial 100-MHz 14-bit digitizers. The preamplifier chip is equipped with an innovative Fast-Reset device that has two functions: it reduces dramatically the dead time of the preamplifier in case of saturation (from milliseconds to microseconds) and extends the spectroscopic dynamic range of the preamplifier by more than one order of magnitude. Other key points of the device are the low noise and the wide bandwidth .

Lesions involving the osteochondral unit are difficult to treat. Biomimetic scaffolds are previously shown as promising alternative. Such devices often lack multiple functional layers that mimic bone, cartilage, and the interface. In this study, multilayered scaffolds are developed based on the use of natural extracellular matrix (ECM)â like biopolymers. Particular attention is paid to obtain a complex matrix that mimics the native osteochondral transition. Porous, spongeâ like chitosanâ collagenâ octacalcium phosphate (OCP) scaffolds are obtained. Collagen content increases while the amount of OCP particles decreases toward the cartilage layer. The scaffolds are bioactive as a mineral layer is deposited containing hydroxyapatite at the bony side. The scaffolds stimulate proliferation of human adiposeâ derived mesenchymal stem cells, but the degree of proliferation depends on the cell seeding density. The scaffolds give rise to a zoneâ specific gene expression. RUNX2, COL1A1, BGLAP, and SPP1 are upregulated in the bony layer of the scaffold. SOX9 is upregulated concomitant with COL2A1 expression in the cartilage zone. Mineralization in presence of the cells is prominent in the bone area with Ca and P steadily increasing over time. These results are encouraging for the fabrication of biomimetic scaffolds using ECMâ like materials and featuring gradients that mimic native tissues and their interface., E.A. thanks the TUM Graduate School for funding her research stay at the 3B’s Research Group, University of Minho (Guimarães, Portugal). This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the project “ChimericFibre4Tendon” PTDC/BIIBIO/28870/2017.

The so-called dye-decolorizing peroxidases (DyPs) constitute a new family of proteins exhibiting remarkable stability. With the aim of providing them new catalytic activities of biotechnological interest, the heme pocket of one of the few DyPs fully characterized to date (from the fungus Auricularia auricula-judae) was redesigned based on the crystal structure available, and its potential for asymmetric sulfoxidation was evaluated. Chiral sulfoxides are important targets in organic synthesis and enzyme catalysis, due to a variety of applications. Interestingly, one of the DyP variants, F359G, is highly stereoselective in sulfoxidizing methylphenyl sulfide and methyl-p-tolyl sulfide (95–99% conversion, with up to 99% excess of the S enantiomer in short reaction times), while the parent DyP has no sulfoxidation activity, and the L357G variant produces both R and S enantiomers. The two variants were crystallized, and their crystal structures were used in molecular simulations to provide a rational explanation for the new catalytic activities. Protein energy landscape exploration (PELE) showed more favorable protein–substrate catalytic complexes for the above variants, with a considerable number of structures near the oxygen atom of the activated heme, which is incorporated into the substrates as shown in 18O-labeling experiments, and improved affinity with respect to the parent enzyme, explaining their sulfoxidation activity. Additional quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations were performed to elucidate the high stereoselectivity observed for the F359G variant, which correlated with higher reactivity on the substrate molecules adopting pro-S poses at the active site. Similar computational analyses can help introduce/improve (stereoselective) sulfoxidation activity in related hemeproteins., This work was supported by the INDOX (KBBE-2013-7-613549) EU project and by the BIO2014-56388-R (NOESIS), BFU2014- 55448-P and CTQ2013-48287-R projects of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). We cordially thank the staff at ID23-1 beamline (ESRF) and the BL13-XALOC beamline (ALBA). F. J. R.-D. acknowledges a MINECO Ramón & Cajal contract. We acknowledge support by the CSIC Open Access Publication Initiative through its Unit of Information Resources for Research (URICI)

The proton-unbound argon and chlorine isotopes have been studied by measuring trajectories of their decay-in-flight products by using a tracking technique with micro-strip detectors. The proton ($1p$) and two-proton ($2p$) emission processes have been detected in the measured angular correlations "heavy-fragment"+$p$ and "heavy-fragment"+$p$+$p$, respectively. The ground states of the previously unknown isotopes $^{30}$Cl and $^{28}$Cl have been observed for the first time, providing the $1p$-separation energies $S_p$ of $-0.48(2)$ and $-1.60(8)$ MeV, respectively. The relevant systematics of $1p$ and $2p$ separations energies have been studied theoretically in the core+$p$ and core+$p$+$p$ cluster models. The first-time observed excited states of $^{31}$Ar allow to infer the $2p$-separation energy $S_{2p}$ of 6(34) keV for its ground state. The first-time observed state in $^{29}$Ar with $S_{2p} = -5.50(18)$ MeV can be identified either as a ground or an excited state according to different systematics., 13 pages, 14 figures. Name changed, some affiliations changed and figures corrections added

Background Plant biomass conversion for green chemistry and bio-energy is a current challenge for a modern sustainable bioeconomy. The complex polyaromatic lignin polymers in raw biomass feedstocks (i.e., agriculture and forestry by-products) are major obstacles for biomass conversions. White-rot fungi are wood decayers able to degrade all polymers from lignocellulosic biomass including cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. The white-rot fungus Polyporus brumalis efficiently breaks down lignin and is regarded as having a high potential for the initial treatment of plant biomass in its conversion to bio-energy. Here, we describe the extraordinary ability of P. brumalis for lignin degradation using its enzymatic arsenal to break down wheat straw, a lignocellulosic substrate that is considered as a biomass feedstock worldwide. Results We performed integrative multi-omics analyses by combining data from the fungal genome, transcriptomes, and secretomes. We found that the fungus possessed an unexpectedly large set of genes coding for Class II peroxidases involved in lignin degradation (19 genes) and GMC oxidoreductases/dehydrogenases involved in generating the hydrogen peroxide required for lignin peroxidase activity and promoting redox cycling of the fungal enzymes involved in oxidative cleavage of lignocellulose polymers (36 genes). The examination of interrelated multi-omics patterns revealed that eleven Class II Peroxidases were secreted by the fungus during fermentation and eight of them where tightly co-regulated with redox cycling enzymatic partners. Conclusion As a peculiar feature of P. brumalis, we observed gene family extension, up-regulation and secretion of an abundant set of versatile peroxidases and manganese peroxidases, compared with other Polyporales species. The orchestrated secretion of an abundant set of these delignifying enzymes and redox cycling enzymatic partners could contribute to the delignification capabilities of the fungus. Our findings highlight the diversity of wood decay mechanisms present in Polyporales and the potentiality of further exploring this taxonomic order for enzymatic functions of biotechnological interest. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13068-018-1198-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Prospects of experimental studies of argon and chlorine isotopes located far beyond the proton dripline are studied by using systematics and cluster models. The deviations from the widespread systematics observed in $^{28,29}$Cl and $^{29,30}$Ar have been theoretically substantiated, and analogous deviations predicted for the lighter chlorine and argon isotopes. The limits of nuclear structure existence are predicted for Ar and Cl isotopic chains, with $^{26}$Ar and $^{25}$Cl found to be the lightest sufficiently long-living nuclear systems. By simultaneous measurements of protons and $\gamma$-rays following decays of such systems as well as their $\beta$-delayed emission, an interesting synergy effect may be achieved, which is demonstrated by the example of $^{30}$Cl and $^{31}$Ar ground state studies. Such synergy effect may be provided by the new EXPERT setup (EXotic Particle Emission and Radioactivity by Tracking), being operated inside the fragment separator and spectrometer facility at GSI, Darmstadt., Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures. Chapter added, language and some figures corrected

[Background] Plant biomass conversion for green chemistry and bio-energy is a current challenge for a modern sustainable bioeconomy. The complex polyaromatic lignin polymers in raw biomass feedstocks (i.e., agriculture and forestry by-products) are major obstacles for biomass conversions. White-rot fungi are wood decayers able to degrade all polymers from lignocellulosic biomass including cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin. The white-rot fungus Polyporus brumalis efficiently breaks down lignin and is regarded as having a high potential for the initial treatment of plant biomass in its conversion to bio-energy. Here, we describe the extraordinary ability of P. brumalis for lignin degradation using its enzymatic arsenal to break down wheat straw, a lignocellulosic substrate that is considered as a biomass feedstock worldwide., [Results] We performed integrative multi-omics analyses by combining data from the fungal genome, transcriptomes, and secretomes. We found that the fungus possessed an unexpectedly large set of genes coding for Class II peroxidases involved in lignin degradation (19 genes) and GMC oxidoreductases/dehydrogenases involved in generating the hydrogen peroxide required for lignin peroxidase activity and promoting redox cycling of the fungal enzymes involved in oxidative cleavage of lignocellulose polymers (36 genes). The examination of interrelated multi-omics patterns revealed that eleven Class II Peroxidases were secreted by the fungus during fermentation and eight of them where tightly co-regulated with redox cycling enzymatic partners., This work was supported by The French National Agency for Research (ANR-12-BIME-0009, ANR-14-CE06-0020-01). The work by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. The work by CSIC was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (BIO2017-86559-R). The HPC resources of Aix-Marseille Université was supported by The French National Agency for Research (ANR-10-EQPX-29-01).

34 p.-2 fig.-1 tab. Lignin Valorization: Emerging Approaches (Chapter 8). RSC Energy and Environment Series

14 páginas.-- 10 figuras.-- 1 tabla.-- 46 referencias.-- Author's Choice—Final version free via Creative Commons CC-BY license., Versatile peroxidase (VP) is a high redox-potential peroxidase of biotechnological interest that is able to oxidize phenolic and non-phenolic aromatics, Mn2 , and different dyes. The ability of VP from Pleurotus eryngii to oxidize water-soluble lignins (softwood and hardwood lignosulfonates) is demonstrated here by a combination of directed mutagenesis and spectroscopic techniques, among others. In addition, direct electron transfer between the peroxidase and the lignin macromolecule was kinetically characterized using stopped-flow spectrophotometry. VP variants were used to show that this reaction strongly depends on the presence of a solvent-exposed tryptophan residue (Trp-164). Moreover, the tryptophanyl radical detected by EPR spectroscopy of H2O2-activated VP (being absent from the W164S variant) was identified as catalytically active because it was reduced during lignosulfonate oxidation, resulting in the appearance of a lignin radical. The decrease of lignin fluorescence (excitation at 355 nm/emission at 400 nm) during VP treatment under steady-state conditions was accompanied by a decrease of the lignin (aromatic nuclei and side chains) signals in one-dimensional and two-dimensional NMR spectra, confirming the ligninolytic capabilities of the enzyme. Simultaneously, size-exclusion chromatography showed an increase of the molecular mass of the modified residual lignin, especially for the (low molecular mass) hardwood lignosulfonate, revealing that the oxidation products tend to recondense during the VP treatment. Finally, mutagenesis of selected residues neighboring Trp-164 resulted in improved apparent second-order rate constants for lignosulfonate reactions, revealing that changes in its protein environment (modifying the net negative charge and/or substrate accessibility/binding) can modulate the reactivity of the catalytic tryptophan, This work was supported by the INDOX (KBBE-2013-613549) European Union project, the HIPOP (BIO2011-26694), NOESIS (BIO2014-56388-R), and BIORENZYMERY (AGL2014-53730-R) projects of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO) co-financed by FEDER funds, and the PRIN 2009-STNWX3 project of the Italian Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (MIUR)., Supported by an FPI Fellowship of the Spanish MINECO.-- Supported by a contract of the CSIC project 201440E097.-- Supported by a Ramón y Cajal contract of the Spanish MINECO

Efficient lignin depolymerization is unique to the wood decay basidiomycetes, collectively referred to as white rot fungi. Phanerochaete chrysosporium simultaneously degrades lignin and cellulose, whereas the closely related species, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, also depolymerizes lignin but may do so with relatively little cellulose degradation. To investigate the basis for selective ligninolysis, we conducted comparative genome analysis of C. subvermispora and P. chrysosporium . Genes encoding manganese peroxidase numbered 13 and five in C. subvermispora and P. chrysosporium , respectively. In addition, the C. subvermispora genome contains at least seven genes predicted to encode laccases, whereas the P. chrysosporium genome contains none. We also observed expansion of the number of C. subvermispora desaturase-encoding genes putatively involved in lipid metabolism. Microarray-based transcriptome analysis showed substantial up-regulation of several desaturase and MnP genes in wood-containing medium. MS identified MnP proteins in C. subvermispora culture filtrates, but none in P. chrysosporium cultures. These results support the importance of MnP and a lignin degradation mechanism whereby cleavage of the dominant nonphenolic structures is mediated by lipid peroxidation products. Two C. subvermispora genes were predicted to encode peroxidases structurally similar to P. chrysosporium lignin peroxidase and, following heterologous expression in Escherichia coli , the enzymes were shown to oxidize high redox potential substrates, but not Mn 2+ . Apart from oxidative lignin degradation, we also examined cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic systems in both fungi. In summary, the C. subvermispora genetic inventory and expression patterns exhibit increased oxidoreductase potential and diminished cellulolytic capability relative to P. chrysosporium .