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AbstractVanderbylia fraxinea (Bull.) D.A. Reid, 1973 is an important wood-inhabiting fungus that plays a significant role in nutrient recycling in most forest ecosystems. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of V. fraxinea was characterized through de novo assembly using Illumina sequencing data and genome annotation. The mitochondrial genome is a circular molecule of 115,473 bp with a GC content of 28.66%. It comprises a total of 62 genes. Among these, 36 are protein-coding genes including 21 free-standing open reading frames (ORFs), 24 transfer RNA genes, and two ribosomal RNA genes. Core gene set commonly found in fungal mitochondrial genomes is also present in this genome, such as the apocytochrome b (cob), three subunits of the cytochrome c oxidase (cox1, cox2, and cox3), seven subunits of the NADH dehydrogenase (nad1, nad2, nad3, nad4, nad4L, nad5, and nad6), and three subunits of the ATP synthase (atp6, atp8, and atp9), as well as ribosomal RNA subunits (rns and rnl) and a set of transfer RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis of the protein-coding sequences from the mitochondrial genome revealed a close relationship between V. fraxinea and the Ganoderma species within the Polyporaceae family.

Pollutants can exist in the soil for a long time and alter the bacterial community. Using lubricants to prevent the wear of chainsaw blades is necessary for thinning activities and wood harvesting. We investigated the influences of soil contamination with chainsaw lubricants on soil bacterial communities. Bio-oil, mineral oil, and recycled oil were scattered on each treatment to investigate variations in soil bacterial structure during treated periods using the Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform. The results obtained were 5943 ASVs, 5112 ASVs, and 6136 ASVs after treatment at one month, six months, and twelve months, respectively. There was a significant difference in Shannon and Simpson indices between treatments and controls. A total of 46 bacterial genera with an average relative abundance of more than 1.0% were detected in all soil samples. Massilia was the most common genus detected in control at one month, with an average relative abundance of 14.99%, while Chthoniobacter was the most abundant genus detected in bio-oil, mineral oil, and recycled oil treatments at one month, with an average relative abundance of 13.39%, 14.32%, and 10.47%, respectively. Among the three chainsaw lubricants, bio-oil and mineral oil had fewer impacts than recycled oil. The abundances of several functional bacteria groups in the bio-oil treatment were higher than in other treatments and controls. Our results indicated that different chainsaw lubricants and their time of application affected the soil bacterial community composition.

The J-TEXT capability is enhanced compared to two years ago with several upgrades of its diagnostics and the increase of electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) power to 1 MW. With the application of electron cyclotron wave (ECW), the ECW assisted plasma startup is achieved; the tearing mode is suppressed; the toroidal injection of 300 kW ECW drives around 24 kA current; fast electrons are generated with toroidal injected ECW and the runaway current conversion efficiency increases with ECRH power. The mode coupling between 2/1 and 3/1 modes are extensively studied. The coupled 2/1 and 3/1 modes usually lead to major disruption. Their coupling can be either suppressed or avoided by external resonant magnetic perturbation fields and hence avoids the major disruption. It is also found that the 2/1 threshold of external field is significantly reduced by a pre-excited 3/1 mode, which can be either a locked island or an external kink mode. The disruption control is studied by developing prediction methods capable of cross tokamak application and by new mitigation methods, such as the biased electrode or electromagnetic pellet injector. The high-density operation and related disruptions are studied from various aspects. Approaching the density limit, the collapse of the edge shear layer is observed and such collapse can be prevented by applying edge biasing, leading to an increased density limit. The density limit is also observed to increase, if the plasma is operated in the poloidal divertor configuration or the plasma purity is increased by increasing the pre-filled gas pressure or ECRH power during the start-up phase.

ObjectiveNeuronata-R® (lenzumestrocel) is an autologous bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BM-MSC) product, which was conditionally approved by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (KMFDS, Republic of Korea) in 2013 for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In the present study, we aimed to investigate the long-term survival benefits of treatment with intrathecal lenzumestrocel.MethodsA total of 157 participants who received lenzumestrocel and whose symptom duration was less than 2 years were included in the analysis (BM-MSC group). The survival data of placebo participants from the Pooled-Resource Open-Access ALS Clinical Trials (PROACT) database were used as the external control, and propensity score matching (PSM) was used to reduce confounding biases in baseline characteristics. Adverse events were recorded during the entire follow-up period after the first treatment.ResultsSurvival probability was significantly higher in the BM-MSC group compared to the external control group from the PROACT database (log-rank, p

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by dry and itchy skin. Recently, it has been reported that oxidative stress is involved in skin diseases, possibly including AD. Vitamin C, also referred to as ascorbic acid, is a vital water-soluble compound that functions as an essential nutrient. It plays a significant role as both an antioxidant and an additive in various pharmaceutical and food products. Despite the fact that vitamin C is easily oxidized, we have developed NXP081, a single-stranded DNA aptamer that selectively binds to vitamin C, thereby inhibiting its oxidation. The objective of the current research was to examine the impact of NXP081, an animal model of AD induced by 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB). The experimental drug NXP081, when taken orally, showed promising results in reducing inflammation and improving the skin conditions caused by DNFB. The administration of NXP081 resulted in a significant reduction in ear swelling and a noticeable improvement in the appearance of skin lesions. In addition, the administration of NXP081 resulted in a significant decrease in the migration of mast cells in the skin lesions induced by DNFB. Moreover, NXP081 inhibited the production of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) in CD4+ T cells that were activated and derived from the lymph nodes. Our findings provide useful information about the anti-inflammatory effect of NXP081 on AD.

A new concept of land-based Atlantic salmon farming utilizing liquefied natural gas (LNG) cold energy is proposed. In this study, laboratory-scale experiments were conducted using liquid nitrogen as a cold energy source to confirm whether the water temperature of a fish farming tank can reach below 17 °C within an hour. In particular, the effects of the mass flow rates of liquid nitrogen (0.0075, 0.01, and 0.0125 kg/s) and water (0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 kg/s) on the cooling performances of water were investigated. The results showed that a higher mass flow rate of liquid nitrogen results in a better water cooling performance. In the case of varying the mass flow rate of liquid nitrogen, it was observed that the mass flow rate of 0.0125 kg/s showed the greatest water temperature difference of 9.10 °C/h, followed by that of 0.01 kg/s (5.88 °C/h), and 0.0075 kg/s (5.06 °C/h). In the case of varying the mass flow rate of water, it was observed that the mass flow rate of 0.05 kg/s showed the most significant water temperature difference of 7.92 °C/h, followed by that of 0.1 kg/s (6.26 °C/h), and 0.15 kg/s (5.53 °C/h). Based on the experimental results of this study and the water cooling heat source by an LNG mass flow rate of 220.5 kg/s, the estimated production capacity of Atlantic salmon was approximately 14,000 tons, which is 36.8% of that of imported salmon in South Korea.

Capillary-driven action is an important phenomenon which aids the development of high-performance heat transfer devices, such as microscale heat pipes. This study examines the capillary rise dynamics of n-butanol/water mixture in a single vertical capillary tube with different radii (0.4, 0.6, and 0.85 mm). For liquids, distilled water, n-butanol, and their blends with varying concentrations of butanol (0.3, 0.5, and 0.7 wt.%) were used. The results show that the height and velocity of the capillary rise were dependent on the tube radius and liquid surface tension. The larger the radius and the higher the surface tension, the lower was the equilibrium height (he) and the velocity of rise. The process of capillary rise was segregated into three characteristic regions: purely inertial, inertial + viscous, and purely viscous regions. The early stages (purely inertial and inertial + viscous) represented the characteristic heights h1 and h2, which were dominant in the capillary rise process. There were linear correlations between the characteristic heights (h1, h2, and he), tube radius, and surface tension. Based on these correlations, a linear function was established between each of the three characteristic heights and the consolidated value of tube radius and surface tension (σL/2πr2).

The gut microbiota has been suggested as an important factor in the pathogenic mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This study aimed to investigate whether the intake of different kinds of dietary fiber was related to the disease progression rate (∆FS) and survival time. In total, 272 Korean sporadic ALS patients diagnosed according to the revised EI Escorial criteria were recruited starting in March 2011 and were followed until the occurrence of events or the end of September 2020. The events included percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, tracheostomy, and death. Dietary fiber intake was calculated based on a 24-h dietary recall and classified according to five major fiber-rich foods: vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, and nuts/seeds. Among the total participants, the group with ∆FS values lower than the mean ∆FS (0.75) was noted in the highest tertiles of total and vegetable fiber intake. Participants in the highest tertile for vegetable fiber intake showed longer survival in the Kaplan–Meier analysis (p = 0.033). Notably, vegetable fiber intake was negatively correlated with pro-inflammatory cytokine (interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid. This study showed that vegetable fiber intake could influence the disease progression rate and survival time. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm whether dietary fiber supplementation improves the prognosis of ALS.